BRITONS are racing through life and will suffer meltdown if they do not change their habits, says a new report, and psychologists are warning life in the fast lane could have serious detrimental effects unless people slow down.
The study by Virgin Media showed 17% spent their monthly pay in the first week of the month, 1 in 5 people ate their evening meal in ten minutes or less, and almost a third spent under 20 minutes having sex.
Psychologist Honey Langcaster-James warned "Britons are living at a crazy pace. There is a real danger people are heading for meltdown unless we slow down and realise there are only so many hours a day to get everything done".
BRITONS TOP CREDIT LIST
BRITONS have twice as many credit cards as people in any other country in Western Europe. The average Brit had 1.4 credit cards in hid wallet by 2007 - twice that of second place Norway, where they have just 0.7 each. Only one in every 16 cards in Germany is a credit card, says market analyst Datamonitor. Britons owed £54.93 billion on cards by the end of last year, according to Banks of England figures. Report author Andrew Fabricius said "UK consumers enjoy the flexibility of paying over a long time".
TALKING ABOUT MONEY
INFLATION is much higher than the official figures, claims investment firm Alliance Trust. Its own survey shows that the elderly are hardest hit because higher feed and utility bills take up such a big slice of their income. The under-30s fare best because they benefit most from the falling prices of clothes and electronic gadgets. But- as many of us suspect- all ages are experiencing inflation higher than the official 2.5% figure. Nearly two million people who retire before April 2010 face poverty in their old age, a pensioners group wraned. Men currently need 44 years of NI contributions and women need 39 years in order to qualify for a full basic state pension. But from April 6, 2010 the Government is reducing this to30 years for both.
BRITAIN ARE LESS HOUSEPROUD
BRITAIN are less houseproud than they used to be, a report claims today. They clean their homes on average three times per week-- down from3.2 times in 2000. The figure which is predicted to fall to 2.8 times by 2011, compares with four times a week in Italy and 3.8 in Spain, says Datamonitor. It adds this may be because homes now have hardwood or laminate flooring.
VISA FINGERPRINTING
MORE than 6.000 potential illegal immigrants have been identified by a scheme to fingerprint visa applicants,the visa service said. Fingerprinting is part of the process to obtain British visa in just under half of the countries of the world, It is planned that fingerprints and photograph will be mandatory by next April.
Children as young as six could be ushered into privat booths and fingerprinted at European borders if plans being drawn up by Brussels are approved. Under the proposal for automatic border controls, travellers would swipe their passport and have fingerprints scanned. With a good match a second gate would open, allowing the traveller to cross.
Otherwise a border guard would process the passenger manually. Nearly 800.000 East Europeans have applied to work in the UK since joining the EU in May 2004. The statistics - for the eight former Soviet countries, including Poland - did not cover self-employed workers. In addition 30.570 Bulgarians and Romanians who joined the EU in 2007 have work permit. Just over 89.000 of the migrants claim child benefit and 51.500 tax credits. The Home Office claimed asylum applications were at their lowest for 14 years and it deports a failed asylum seeker "every eight minutes.."
LEARNING A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
ONE in three children are learning a second language before their fifth birthday, a report claims. Parents are pushing tots to speak a foreign tongue--believing it will help their future career. French is the most popular language followed by Spanish and German, says the survey by TV channel Cartoonito. It also says 61 languages are now being spoken in Britain's schools.
DANCING
Lessons in schools received a £ 5.5. million boost fro the Government. The cash will pay for six music and dance centres. And ministers want all schools in England to have qualified dance teachers following a recommendation by Royal Opera House bosss Tony Hall in a report. Strictly Come Dancing has already increased the pupils doing dance. Mr. Hall said "Dance offers so much to young people".
British Odd Jobs
BRITISH children earn almost £700 million pocket money a year doing odd jobs. They each make an average £45.60 every month with babysitting the top money spinner. Washing cars is the next most popular job followed by doing the washing up and tidying the house. Steve Shore of Abbey Banking who did the poll, said"As well as giving children a boost to pocket money, this is a great way for parents to show them the value of money,,"
CHILDREN ARE OVERWEIGHT
More than 177 million children around the world are overweight or obese figures reveal. The World Health Organisation also predicted that by 2015, 2.3. billion over-15s will be overweight. As the statistics were unveiled Consumers International and the International Obesity Task Force launched a drive to ban cartoon characters from junk food ads. They also want no gifts in children's takeaway. Richard Lloyd of CI. said "We need to act."
Graduates working in Bars
NEARLY a quarter of graduates still work in bars, cafes and other low level jobs, several years after leaving university, a report claimed last week. The Higher Education Statistics Agency found 23 per cent not in "graduate jobs" three years after completing their courses. Media or business graduates were among the least likely to find suitable employment..
BILLION HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS
The number of people around the world with high blood pressure is expected to soar past the billion mark in the next 20 years, it was claimed. In developed countries, the lifetime risk of developing high blood pressure is now more than 90 per cent according to experts. An editorial in THE LANCET said the estimated number of adults with high blood pressure was 972 million worldwide in 2000. A high blood pressure reading is one that exceeds 140/90 mm of mercury. High blood pressure is a major factor for heart disease, stroke and kidney failure. It is associated with obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol levels. Poor lifestyle and lack of compliance with effective treatments were identified as obstacles in the way of tackling condition. Many people wrongly believed that high blood pressure was a disease that could be cured. THE LANCET added. Patients prescribed blood pressure-lowering treatments often stopped taking the drugs when their blood pressure fell.
METH RISE CRIME FEAR
BRITAIN could be facing a crystal meth crime wave. Use of the cheap highly addictive class A drug may be as widespread as crack cocaine by 2012 reports the Association of Chief Police Officers. Since the UK's first methamphetamine factory was uncovered in 2005, another 19 have been found. And the rise in making, the possible killer -which gives a massive high but has side effects, including violence--- is "alarming".
A WARNING AGAINST GAMBLING FRAUD BETTING
Biometrics could soon offer protection against gambling fraud. Software has been developed that tries to match someone's style of play to his account.
According to its developers, by analysing the way someone plays, poker and other gambling games, it is possible to identify him to an accuracy of 80 per cent
LET'S OLDY GO TO SAVE EARTH
THE PLANET'S future is in the hands of the middle-aged,according to a new survey of eco-friendly Brits. It found 98 per cent of 45 to 54-year-olds try to save energy, compared to only 11 percent of 16 to 24-year-olds
CRUISE HOLIDAY BY 2012.
Two million Brits will go on cruise holiday by 2012 after a 12 per cent rise last year, experts predict. Most Brits would choose an Italian partner for a holiday romance a poll has revealed. Men and women would both fancy flings with Latin lovers - followed by fellow Brits. The Irish came third for women, while men plumped for Far Eastern girls. The US was the top destination for a fling, with France second and the UK third, the Continental Research survey found.
HOTELS IN BRITAIN
HOTELS in Britain are the most expensive in Europe, with prices up 12 per cent in the past year., research has revealed.
A room for one night in Britain now cost an average of £106. Norway and Switzerland were the joint second most expensive in Europe with an average price of £99. Bargain-hunting tourists should try the Baltic state, - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania -where rooms cost an average of £59, making them the cheapest countries in the Hotel com.price index
ENGLISH PEOPLE BUYING ABROAD
The number of English people buying abroad has increased by 60 per cent in five years. according to a new study from Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) More than 129.000 people bought a property abroad in 2000/2001 and this number rose to 211,000 last year. Sixty per cent of the buyers are aged between 45 and 64 and only 38 per cent of people in this age group own rather than rent a property in England. Fifty-four per cent of second homeowners say their main motivation for buying was to own a holiday or retirement home. The figures show a continuing interest in buying abroad.
People are venturing away from traditional favourites such as Spain and Italy. New areas such as Bulgaria, Cape Verde and Bahrain have all become very popular in recent years, with Britsh buyers. snapping up second homes at prices that are all cheap by British standards.
Gerd is a freelance writer living in England. Gerd is the author of “GOODBYE YESTERDAY”
