Citrus Juice and Phytophotodermatitis

While lime and lemon are often eaten in the summer, if you get the juice on your skin and then expose that skin to sunlight, it can lead to phytophotodermatitis.

This appears as mild burns, blisters or skin discolouration, usually some 24 to 48 hours later.

After handling citrus, wash the juice from your skin before going outside.

Source: Health page in Good Housekeeping August 2017

To Tip or not to Tip?

Customs on tipping for good service vary significantly from country to country.

• In Japan there is a no tipping culture and you may offend your waiter if you try to give them money.
• In America, tips are very much expected and it's rude if you don't leave anything.
• In France the service charge must be included in the bill by law. However, many locals will also leave some coins as an extra sign of appreciation.

Research before you travel. In some countries you will be expected to tip taxi drivers and hotel staff, so you'll need some local currency from the start.

Source: Item in Good Housekeeping, August 2017

Avoid Cyber Attacks

As more criminals use the anonymity of the internet, cyber attacks are on the rise. A feature in Good Housekeeping magazine suggests the following tips.

1. Don't use unsupported operating systems as security holes aren't patched. If you are using Microsoft XP (unsupported since 2014) or older operating systems you should upgrade immediately.
2. Always apply updates; fixes for problems are constantly released so turn on automatic updating.
3. Use security software. Install antivirus software - preferably one with anti-ransomware. Free versions that include anti-ransomware are Avast, AVG and Bitdefender.
4. Back up your files on secure online storage or an external hard drive so you won't be at the mercy of hackers.
5. Be wary of attachments - even if you know the sender. If you are expecting the attachment, that's ok. Otherwise, check with the sender before opening.

Source: feature in Good Housekeeping, August 2017

Being Open About Pay

In Norway, it is possible to find out how much anyone else is paid, and it rarely causes problems.

From 2001, the government published the details (income, assets and the tax they paid) in a book which could be found on a shelf in the public library. Today the information is held online.

Transparency is important, partly because Norwegians pay high levels of income tax (an average of 40.2%, compared to 33.3% in the UK; the European average is 30.1%). People therefore want to know that everyone else is paying, and know that it is being spent appropriately. They need to have trust and confidence in both the tax and social security systems.

Because wages in many sectors are set through collective agreements, and pay gaps are relatively narrow, in most workplaces people already have a fairly good idea how much colleagues are earning. The gender pay gap is also narrow, by international standards, ranking 3rd out of 144 countries by the World Economic Forum.

While initially there were no limitations, since 2014, people have to log in to the website using their national ID number to access the data, which means it is possible to find out who has been doing searches on your information. The change saw a significant drop in search numbers, as it took out the 'Peeping Tom' searches. A recent survey indicated that 92% of people do not look up friends, family or acquaintances.

The tax lists give net income, net assets and tax paid. However, property portfolios may well understate the value, as the taxable property value is often far less than the current market value.

But the 2014 restrictions have not stopped whistleblowing, and people still report possible cases of tax evasion.

Source: Norway: the country where no salaries are secret, by Lars Bevanger. BBC News website, 22 July 2017

Population Trends

UN Survey

• World population will break through 8bn in 2023.
• There are more men than women globally (102 men for every 100 women).
• In 2018, the number of over-60s will top 1bn for the first time.
• Children make up one quarter of the world's population.

• More than half the global population growth by 2050 will come from just nine countries: India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Tanzania, the US, Uganda and Indonesia, where fertility rates persist at levels far higher than the rest of the world.
• The world population will reach 9.8bn in 2050: 2bn of these will be over 60.

• By contrast, all European countries have fertility rates below replacement level, so populations will decline without large scale immigration.
• Eastern Europe likely to be worst affected with drops of 15% in Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Ukraine.

Source: Article in The Guardian, 21 June 2017. Read in full.

UK Population Trends

• The Office for National Statistics said that the UK population was expected to increase by 4.4 million in the next ten years (roughly the size of the Irish Republic) , reaching 70 million in 2027.
• The population is projected to grow by 9.7 million over the next 25 years, reaching 74.3 million.
• Statistics predict an ageing population, with some 29.5% of people aged over 60 by 2039 (23.2% in 2015).
• In 2039 more than 1 in 12 UK people are expected to be aged 80 or over.

• These projections assume that more people will come to live in the UK than emigrate, accounting for about half of the increase. The remainder is attributed to births outnumbering deaths.
• In many European countries, the trend is for a decreasing population.
• Decreasing populations have a shrinking working-age population, with an increased ageing population which is not productive.
• Where migration contributes to population growth, the challenge is to ensure that immigrants pay more in taxes than they cost in public services.

Source: Article on BBC website, 29 Oct. 2015. Read in full.