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Looking at You – daily life in the 21st century
Men drivers! New laws on hot drinks could lead to road accidents Stress can make you ill Eat more fruit! A June wedding
Men drivers!
Few men feel comfortable with their partner at the wheel. Instead, many men make sure that they get to the car keys first – and drive. This is the finding of a recent survey done by PistonHeads.com, the online fast car magazine. The survey suggests that when it comes to driving, the traditional motoring stereotypes and gender divide still exist.
The survey found that 71 per cent of male drivers say that they insist on driving their partners. 30 per cent of men even admit to having little trust in their partner’s driving ability.
Dave Edmonston of PistonHeads.com says: “Britain’s men have always been the world’s biggest motoring enthusiasts. Despite the growing interest in cars among women, it appears that men still think they know best when it comes to cars.”
New laws on hot drinks could lead to road accidents
This is the fear of the RAC Foundation, who has questioned the wisdom of the new licensing laws.
Official government advice tells tired drivers to ‘drink two cups of coffee… and have a rest for 10 – 15 minutes to allow time for the caffeine to kick in’ – but now new laws are forcing garages to stop selling hot food and drink at night.
New licensing laws now forbid petrol forecourt stores to sell hot food and drink between 11pm and 5am - without paying hundreds of pounds for a local authority licence. Many small stores say the margins on night-time sales of food and drink just do not make it worthwhile to go through the whole complicated application process.
So if a tired motorist asks for a coffee, or even a mug of hot water to make their own hot drink, an unlicensed retailer could not help them without breaking the law.
Driver fatigue is responsible for 10 per cent of road casualties each year, and road accidents relating to sleepiness are more liable to result in death and serious injury as drivers fail to brake prior to impact. Drivers are particularly vulnerable to fatigue between midnight and 7am.
Kevin Delaney, head of road safety for the RAC Foundation, says: “A hot drink late at night can be a lifesaver. Motorists are less likely to take a break if garages stop serving hot drinks at night.” And so the RAC is calling on the Government to introduce an exemption to allow forecourt stores to provide this service.
Stress can make you ill
Whether you are at work, busy at home with children or leading an active retirement, chronic stress can seriously affect your health emotionally, mentally and physically. Take care of yourself and your heart: very few things in your life are worth literally dying for!
Here are some ways to reduce stress:
* Take 30 minutes of physical activity five times a week. Chemicals called endorphins are released in your brain after exercise, leaving you feeling happy and alleviating the symptoms of stress.
* Protect your lunch break. Leave the office, leave your house, go for a walk, visit a pleasant café, meet a friend. Relax for a little while!
* Share any major concerns that you have with someone else – colleagues, friends, boss, or family. Don’t keep something big to yourself – and just worry about it.
* Keep your ‘to-do’ list realistic. Do the hard tasks first and reward yourself after. Don’t even attempt anything unachievable or unnecessary. Be, don’t just do.
* To release stress short-term, take some deep breaths, clench your fists and release them, then count to ten slowly.
* Set aside some daily ‘you’ time for a new hobby, a long bubble bath, a favourite TV programme, a special outing with a loved one. You’re worth it!
Eat more fruit!
Eating even MORE than the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day can help cut the risk of a stroke. Recent research by the University of London has found that people who eat three to five portions cut the risk by 11 per cent compared with those eating fewer than three, and those who eat more than five servings lower it by 26 per cent.
More than five fruits and vegetables a day: such a simple and non-expensive lifestyle change. But in the UK alone, it could mean 40,000 fewer strokes a year.
A June wedding
1. Find out who is being married in your church, and do short interviews with the couples involved.
Questions you could ask might include: - how did you first meet? - was it love at first sight? - how long have you been engaged? - name something you really love about your fiancé - name something about your fiancé that drives you crazy - what will the wedding be like? formal, informal, big, small? - what made you choose our church? - where will you live? (general area, probably not full address!)
2. Ring around a variety of married people in your church and ask them if they have any funny/unusual stories to tell of their wedding day (however long ago).
3. Ask your minister for stories of funny/touching/memorable things that have happened during wedding services over the years.
4. Ask your organist for stories of playing for weddings over the years!
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