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Tuesday Nov 28, 2006

Domestic violence

You'd think you would be able to leave someone the minute they stepped out of line and hit you, but for many it's not as easy as that. We originally had one article on domestic violence on TheSite.org, but didn't feel it fully represented the problem that men also have to face. So...we decided to write two separate articles offering an equal amount of advice and information.

Women and domestic violence

Male victims of domestic violence

I'm feeling quite depressed now after putting these articles up - firstly because of the thought of many people who have to go through this, but also because I am practically the only one left on my team today, with one on leave and the rest in a big meeting about secret YouthNetty things. I'm oh so lonely. At least I have my YouthNet octopus to keep me company!

Posted by Julia ( 5:17 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Monday Nov 27, 2006

ooh-er!

Now normally I like to add a bit of my own experience to my blogs, but I think it's best to keep schtum on this one incase my Mum is reading. Sex toys - read all about the ones you can use on your own or with a partner, as well as some advice about some dilemmas you may face.

Posted by Julia ( 5:45 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Buying a house

Yes I know, most of us can only hope of buying a house/flat if we a) move far away from expensive cities b) have some generous relatives c) have the sad loss of someone and get some inheritance or d) earn a fantastic wage e) win the lottery. Oh if only!

Nevertheless, a growing number of you are buying with a friend or even a stranger in order to get on the property ladder. Mmmm scary idea, but it could be worth it in the end.

Then there's buying to let - although this article says that the 16-24 age group are less likely to do this, I know of at least three friends who are and many who are interested, but not quite sure what it's all about or if it's worth it in the long run - we've got the low-down on making such an investment and we also hear about two people's experiences with buy to let investments.

Posted by Julia ( 4:00 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Friday Nov 24, 2006

Beards and blowjobs

Our latest batch of TheSite.org goodness - check out the 'tasches and the Xmas party survival guide.

From the boards

Find out why half the guys at YouthNet look so scruffy by checking out our Movember update –

http://vbulletin.thesite.org/showthread.php?t=107482

New on TheSite.org

Work Xmas party survival

askTheSite Q&As

Eating aid
Unfit for purpose
No-sex STIs
On the ball
Legal to move out?

Posted by Jim ( 4:45 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[1]

Tuesday Nov 21, 2006

A taste of summer

Desperate to soak up some rays before the inevitable glorious, but often painfully cold, winter takes hold I flew out to Gran Canaria. With promises of beautiful beaches, excellent facilities close to my apartment and perfect weather, my travel agent didn't let me down. Actually, the beach was probably more Margate than Malibu, and British pubs with lads puking down the street isn't necessarily my idea of great facilities. But with temperatures of 39 degrees, one out of three aint bad.

But it goes without saying that the highlight of my trip was a night out in Playa del Ingles to all the tacky (I mean superb) bars otherwise known as Pacha, Chinawhite and Cream. Don't get me wrong, these are some pretty hefty names, but they were never quite gonna live up to their London/Ibiza versions. But honestly, I did have a great night, partly because of the fella below.  

He wandered into Chinawhite looking kind of sheepish. I immediately thought, he must be feeling self concious because of the tash - it must be for Movember. And I was right. He was so impressed that I understood what his tash was for, he let me take the pic above. Or maybe it was the free cocktails he had just downed. Either way, it made me giggle.

Posted by Helen ( 11:48 AM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[1]

Friday Nov 17, 2006

Idolising idiots

We all love a good moan, the only difference is here we let people get their gripes out for everyone to see. Kate's been moaning about the way many of us idolise 'celebrities' such as Paris Hilton, rather than someone who has a real talent or has made a difference to the world.

I guess I have to agree, but then the world would be a bit boring without these kinds of people filling up pages of magazines and newspapers...

 

 

Posted by Julia ( 1:11 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

The 'ex' factor

Well here's a nice Friday thought for the day, and one you may be thinking about as you wind down for the weekend!

Sex with an ex - a good idea, or not? Personally I think that if you've broken up with someone, then however good the sex was you should avoid going there at all costs - run like the wind! If you need a quick fix, there's always that well known sex shop that can sort you out with some solo fun ; ) Save your loving for someone special, that's what I say anyway! Here's some of your thoughts on the subject, and there's a mixed bag in there....

 

 

Posted by Julia ( 10:44 AM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Thursday Nov 09, 2006

Religion and faith - new survey

We've got a new survey live today on TheSite.org. We're looking at what you believe about religion and faith.

So whether you believe in the Vigin birth, the Four Noble Truths, the multiple appearances and forms of God, the word of the Torah, Qu'ran or Talmud, or anything or nothing in between, why not give it a try.

We've also got some £20 Amazon voucher burning holes in our pockets for five lucky winners to spend on whatever they'd like, sinful or not...

Click here to take the survey

Posted by Jim ( 4:53 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Wednesday Nov 08, 2006

Doing time for drugs at 17

I should've mentioned this article here before but forgot until I just re-read it and realised what an astonishing story it is.

Lee is 17 and doing time in Feltham Young Offenders' Institute for a number of convictions, including possession with intent to supply Class A drugs. At 11 he was taking coke and mushrooms, at 15 he was arrested for attempted murder and at 16 he was hooked on crack and heroin.

Read his full story here.

Posted by Kim ( 3:41 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Relatives reunited

I used to say that my family was a bit like a soap opera when I was growing up, but with the latest true stories we have on TheSite about Susie, Lucy and Chris's experience of being reunited with a relative, it seems this scenario is far more common than I originally thought...

I was 15 when I found out my mum was adopted (I always had a bit of a suspicion though; my Aunt had carrot coloured hair and is tall and my Mum is petite with brown hair and hazel eyes, they also looked nothing like their parents). I have to admit I set a trap for my Grandma one day when we drove past a hospital by saying: "Where did you give birth to mum?" to which I got the reply: "You know I never gave birth to your mummy, don't you? I couldn't have babies so we adopted." OK, that makes sense then. So there it was. I told my mum I knew about her secret and of course, asked her the inevitable question about her real parent's whereabouts, but she said she didn't know.

Fast-foward four years and we were making the big drive up to university, which should have taken about four hours, but actually took nine for all the other students and their cars crammed full with duvets and pots and pans taking up the majority of the motorway. It was in these nine hours that my Mum dropped the bombshell that she did know her parents after all. They lived about 10 miles away in London and she'd known them since she was 27. I met them for the first time three months later - on Christmas Day. Weird, seriously weird. There in front of me were both my blood grandparents and my Aunt and her daughter. I could go on, but then that would be another story in itself!

 

Posted by Julia ( 11:00 AM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Tuesday Nov 07, 2006

Homelessness

As the days turn colder, we are more likely to think about people who are homeless as we hurry from one warm place to another and enjoy all our luxuries. But it's not just people in the streets, or beggars, who are without a permanent home. I learnt about the growing problem of hidden homelessness when I spoke to various organisations such as Shelter, Crisis and Foyer.

Then there's the issue of what we can do to help the homeless? Should we be giving money, or is there a better way to help people? I'm glad I now know what to do in this case, but it doesn't make it any easier when I see someone shivering out in the cold.

Posted by Julia ( 4:28 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Choose your own Friday Night

My memories of choose your own adventure from the 1980's games are of my cousins and I huddled around a green and black monitor fighting over who was going to make the next move in Granny's Garden (a fantastic fairytale themed game I tell you). Most of you probably won't remember anything quite so ancient, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy TheSite.org's very own adventure game. While the green and black remains, in this world we've got choices to make about sex, drugs and ultimately where we'll end up at the end of the night.  Click here to access the game

Just before we re-launched TheSite community, we asked members to submit their own images for us to use within the sections. The pic you see looks like my kind of Friday night, so we've used it in the Games section to illustrate Choose Your Own Friday Night. Looks good doesn't it?

 

Posted by Helen ( 1:31 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Monday Nov 06, 2006

Greedy landlords

Most of us have had one at one time or another - a greedy landlord who wants to take far more of your deposit than is needed.

I've been lucky so far, my landlords have all been pretty good - I even had one who gave me £150 extra because I 'left the place so tidy' and he loved my gardening skills - basically consisting of me buying four plants and shoving them in the soil! And trust me, I didn't paint the whole of upstairs out of a desire to help him sell his house on when I left - it was originally bright purple and was giving me a headache (and took three coats of white paint to get rid of!)

Unfortunately, there are many other people who are not so lucky with their landlords - Angus included. He told me all about how his landlord wanted to keep all of the deposit from him and his two housemates to pay for redecoration, which had never been done. They ended up in the small claims court and here's what happened...

 

 

Posted by Julia ( 5:53 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Wednesday Nov 01, 2006

What they said about Hollyoaks

I've just finished getting live (sorry for the delay!) the transcript for our live chat with Hollyoaks star Kent Riley. Click on the link below to find out what he had to say about the required breast size for Hollyoaks actresses, how to become an actor at 40 and why Condoleezza Rice would be invited to his party.

Live chat with Hollyoaks star Kent Riley

Posted by Jim ( 3:41 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[0]

Cat barf

They may lack opposable thumbs, but cats can be useful.

I'm looking after my neighbours' cat while they're on holiday and when I went round to feed it yesterday I noticed a display of cat spew on the pile of post by the front door. Actually, it wasn't on all the post - the cat had managed to carefully aim its vom away from the posh chocolate catalogue and instead barfed over a letter from Barclays bank. It's like he knew. Cats may have more insight than we give them credit for.

Anyway, the USB socket on my PC is genuinely busted. I've enlisted various humans to 'help' using keys and cocktail sticks, but not to much avail. I bet Handymog would be able to fix it:

FYI I sponged down the bank letter but it's still stained a bit orange. I wrote a note on it for my neighbour to explain the mishap. I hope the cat sticks to the real story when his owners come home, and that he doesn't point his paw at me like a furry traitor.

Further gratuitous catness.

Posted by Kim ( 2:05 PM ) Link to this post  |  Comments[1]