Why You Need To Read This If You Are Afraid Of Being A Victim Of Retail Hacks and Cyber Attacks

There’s a lot of talk going around these days about retail store hackers. Just this past November, 2013, Target’s point-of-sale devices were hacked with a card-stealing malicious malware that collected card records from live customer transactions that breached approximately 40-million debit and credit card accounts over a 2-week period. There was also the upscale retailer Neiman Marcus, and several other retail stores that, including their millions of customers, fell prey to hackers.

Hackers are becoming more sophisticated at penetrating companies’ firewalls. Such security breaches and hacking activity will only become more prevalent and complex. In one report, the Target CFO, John J. Mulligan, warned US Congress that there will be more credit card breaches in the future. The problem is, most companies will not let the public know about a cyber-security breach until there is factual evidence that a breach had taken place.

Having a pocket-full of ever-updated strategies to protect yourself from cybercrime is a must.

Here’s a simple list of ways to protect yourself from cyber attack:

1.     Review your credit card statements one day per week. Make sure you recognize each of your purchases and notify your credit card company if you see a possible breach.

2.     Sign up for real-time alerts with your financial institution. You can easily set a purchase limit on your debit or credit cards, and choose to receive a real-time notification should there be a purchase attempt beyond that limit.

3.     Keep your private information private. Your personal data is perpetually threatened, whether its your cell phone or laptop, your wallet, or your PC and home phone. When you’re using new websites for purchases, always make sure this is a closed lock symbol at the bottom right of the screen. Web addresses that begin with “https” are generally secure, and if you click on the lock symbol on the bottom right, it will display the same “https” address.

4.     Create strong passwords and change them regularly. Studies have shown that 50% of internet users have weak passwords. If you use birthdates or social insurance numbers as your password and that information is taken through cyber-theft, all of your personal data suddenly becomes vulnerable. The best way is to use random letters and numbers that have no personal connection to you or your family.

5.     Consider subscribing to identity protection. There are many identity protection companies that will monitor your credit cards, social insurance number and other data for a fee. If you minimize your risks of security breach, this is one way of doing it.

6.     Cash is still king. This is one of the best ways to avoid such security breaches. In fact, becoming less digital may be, overall, something to give further consideration to.

As we’ve seen, there are security risks everywhere, with one of the prime targets being retail outlets the hackers of which take advantage of such outlets’ connections to financial institutions. Such precautions as those listed above will help you.

What You Need To Do Before Giving Your Child Your Tablet Or Mobile Device--Besides Thinking Twice

It’s not uncommon to see more children of all ages using mobile devices. Remember that vignette that was being pushed through YouTube a couple of years ago showing the 2-year old trying to tap and swipe the front cover of a magazine, and then crying to her mother that it was broken?

With such rampant use of mobile technology by people of all ages, it is important to educate ourselves about how to protect our children when they are using our, or their own, devices. One thing that we all think about once in a while, but don’t always acknowledge, is just how recent these technologies are: It’s only been seven years since the introduction of the iPhone, and only three and a half years since the iPad. We simply do not understand the impacts and the myriad risks that these technologies impose—it will take time, but in the meantime, we need to be as educated and vigilant as possible.

Safety Priorities Regarding Small Children

• Keep your child safe from strangers and away from adult and violent material;
• Keep the device clean from malware and the data secured and private;
• Keep the device safe from physical damage

Advertising: An important thing is dealing with the sneaky advertising tags at the bottom of the screen of a video game or at the beginning of videos. Make sure you show your child the difference between advertising and the game or video itself; and instruct them to not click onto them. Talk to them about scams and fake contests that might show up. And if you’re adding new apps, it’s good to spend a few extra dollars for the ‘ad-free’ version to mitigate the risk of exposure to the above.

Mature Web Content: Browsing websites is commonplace. You can check your child’s web history, but they can also check yours: make sure that you have cleared your history before giving it to your child in the event that he/she is exposed to content that is too mature.

Security Settings: Security settings are great for limiting what your child can do. For example, turn off geo-location so games and apps cannot link directly to your physical location. Also consider blocking such web or internet access from your youngest child.

Safety and Use for Older Children

It’s not the age of the child, but his/her maturity that matters most. As children get older, they are under greater pressures and can fall prey to cyber-bullying, as in the recent case in the UK of a teen dying while ‘playing’ a drinking game with others online.  Here are some important things to talk to your kids about:

• Share their phone number only with family and close friends. Do not post it on social networking sites, or for contests or give it to just anyone who asks for it;
• Lock the phone with a PIN that your child keeps secret;
• Don't say or text anything that would harm somebody else, or that you don't want a permanent record of online for the rest of your life;
• Avoid clicking links in ads, texts or messages (even from friends) offering contest rewards, free prizes, etc.
• Monitor the use of Facebook and video chat sites--places where cyber-bullying can take place, or where your child may be manipulated into doing things that are either dangerous or he/she is not comfortable doing.

This is a very short list of things to keep your child(ren) safe. These technologies are changing very rapidly, and there are more risks involved in using them, especially for young children. Understanding the risks and doing all you can to mitigate them is simply an obligation when using and lending out mobile devices.

What You Need To Know To Avoid Being A Victim Of Road Rage That May Keep You Out Of Harm's Way

It’s a split second impulse: You whip your car into the next lane to avoid a possible collision as cars in front of you come to a screeching halt, cutting off the person next to you. This seemingly innocent act got you out of one troubling situation, but into another much more precarious: The cutt-off driver charges toward your back bumper honking his horn, flashing his lights, and lurching at you against his front wind-shield like he wants to put his middle finger through your teeth and out the other side. You are alarmed, but don’t think much of it until the guy jerks into the lane next to you, and charges up alongside your window, screaming, and trying to edge you either off the road or into another car.

You stop your vehicle and pull over toward the side of the road, and the guy races ahead about 200 feet—before hurtling the half-ton up onto the curb, pulling a u-turn, and screaming back at you with the all the fury of hell. This time you don’t know what to do: You’re heart is pounding and shots of cortisol are erupting into your brain causing you to lose focus, attention, and rationality. You are under attack; the aggressor is blind with rage; you feel like you might die.  

What do you do now?

Road rage is a serious and troubling occurrence, and often marked by the victim being chased, cut off, and the vehicle being hit by the aggressor’s vehicle. The most tragic side of road rage is what follows when the victim decides unwittingly to get out of the vehicle to ‘settle matters’ with the aggressor, which often results in physical harm, and, in extreme cases, even death.

So what do you do to avoid becoming (or worse yet are) a victim of road rage? The following are some simple tips to help you:

·      Take road rage seriously: When it happens, do not underestimate the rage of the aggressor, or what he/she is capable of. Don’t mess with them or provoke them or somehow try to assert some foggy sense of self-appointed justice. Treat every incident as potentially highly dangerous and explosive.

·      Disengage: Do whatever you can reasonably to avoid this conflict: smile, wave, mouth the statement “I’m sorry,” etc. Acting in such a way can diffuse the situation by showing the other person that you are only human, and that you made a mistake without any intent to offend.

·      Steer Clear: If you are being pursued, put as much distance as possible between you and the aggressor, and get out of the way as quickly as possible. Do not try to pull over on the side of the road to settle things “man to man.”

·      Avoid Eye Contact: Looking and staring another driver can be perceived as an act of aggression, and thus will only add gasoline to the flames. Look away, focus on the road, and get your breathing slowed down, which will help you calm down.

·      Get Help—Fast!:  If you believe the other driver is following you, or is literally pounding fists of fury against your window and spattering saliva-threats against the glass, do not get out of the vehicle.  If you have a mobile phone, call the police immediately. Otherwise, drive to a place where there are people around, such as a mall parking lot, police station, or even a hospital. When you arrive, honk your horn relentlessly—this will possibly deter the aggressor from continuing his onslaught, as well as put you in a more protected situation.

Road rage is serious. Our world is a place full of speed and stress. The slightest thing can trigger an explosive situation. Slow your pace down, signal when turning lanes, check blind spots, and have a mannerly posture, letting others into lanes and even have a parking spot if you and another vehicle roll up to it at the same time. Most importantly, have patience. We are all humans, and for the most part do not willingly want to do harm to another. Remembering that is important for both aggressor and victim.

Why You Are Most Likely A Victim Of Identity Theft And Don't Even Know It

Do you purchase items regularly online, or use the Internet for accessing your bank account to send money transfers or pay bills? Do you only infrequently monitor your bank statements or credit reports? Have you clicked onto or responded to emails that provide links—even to seemingly reputable sites, such as Walmart— that request personal information? Are you an avid user of social networking sites, such as Facebook or LinkedIn? Then you are a target for identity theft.

What is identity theft? According to the RCMP, it is “the preparatory stage of acquiring and collecting someone else’s personal information for criminal purposes”—a violation of Bill S-4 that renders it illegal to possess another person’s identity information for criminal purposes. Personal information sought by identity thieves are:

• Full Name
• Date of Birth
• Social Insurance Numbers
• Full Address
• Mother's Maiden Name
• Username and Password for Online Services
• Driver's License Number
• Personal Identification Number (PIN)
• Credit Card Information (numbers, expiry dates, last 3 digits printed on signature panel)
• Bank Account Numbers
• Signature
• Passport Number

Your personal information, when stolen, could be used for activities such as accessing bank accounts, opening new bank accounts, transferring bank balances, applying for loans, credit cards and other good and services, making purchases, obtaining passports, or receiving government benefits.

There are a number of common scenarios of identity theft that are important to be aware of:

1. Phishing: This is a scam via email to obtain personal information under the deception of being a legitimate enterprise. A recent LA Times article reported that phishing attacks had targeted thousands of people with emails from Walmart and American Airlines. When you click on the false link, you are lured into unsecure web pages that request that you enter personal information as a way of procuring some kind of reward—like an iPod Touch—or download software that a hacker can use to fully access your computer.
2.  Skimming: Refers to devices placed in the card readers of ATM machines that real all the account information stored electronically on the magnetic strip of your card. They are becoming more and more sophisticated through the progression of technology and the rise of smaller smaller computing devices.
3.  Social Networks: Facebook is the norm, not the exception; and social networking sites are commonplace for business and socializing alike. However, it is easy to forget that social networking is available for anyone to see. Cyber thieves regularly roam social networking sites looking for unscrupulous users who post personal information. Such information can easily be pieced together into a profile, which can be used to commit fraud, or even steal from you.
4. Mobile Apps: Ever wonder where your pictures go when you use a third party photo application, or those important insurance documents you’ve scanned using Turboscan or some other application? It is not guaranteed that your private information remains suspended on some server where it is immune from being viewed by that third party or sent somewhere else. There is a price for the seeming convenience of storing your personal information on your phone.
5. The Curb: There are those who simply access your personal information by rummaging through the trash you put out at night for the next morning. It’s important that you do not throw out personal information unless it has been shredded.
6. Computer/Phone: There are more reports of people’s computers and phones being hacked into with a simple free program that allow the hacker to pinpoint the phone’s location, see call logs and messages, place calls, record conversations.

Here’s how to stop it:

• Be wary of unsolicited emails, telephone calls, or mail attempting to extract personal information from you, especially under guise of winning some kind of award;
• Ask yourself if you really need all the identity items you carry in your wallet or purse. Remove any you don’t need and keep them in a safe place;
• Avoid carrying personal information on mobile applications (scanners, bank apps, and social networking sites), regardless of how seemingly convenient.
• Be cautious when making posts on social networking sites—even seemingly private conversations.
• Do not let people borrow your phone; be leary of applications and other programs from sources you don’t trust; lock and encrypt your phone; turn off wi-fi and Bluetooth when not using it.

Report It:

• Contact your local police force and file a report
•  Contact your financial institution and credit card company
• Contact national credit bureaus and place fraud alert on your credit reports

Privacy is becoming more and more a thing of the past as technology progresses. Putting these practices into place, while not eliminating, can somewhat reduce the risk of you being a victim of identity theft.

You Won't Believe These 10 Simple Ways For Adding Years To Your Life Expectancy!

Longevity is a huge topic today in the technological world. Scientists and researchers are working tirelessly to find ways to reverse aging for good—and all this by 2029, or earlier.

But beyond the research and speculations, there are some very simple ways you can begin now to increase your longevity. By putting effort into these following activities everyday, you can add more years to your life.

1. Get Outside: By getting outside you expose your skin to sunlight. The sunlight then triggers cells in your skin to produce Vitamin D, which is essential to bone health, mental well-being, and reducing heart disease and diabetes.

2. Go for a Walk: Following the above tip to get outside, a simple walk can make a tremendous difference to your overall health. You’ll get the Vitamin D you need, while strengthening your heart, lowering risk of disease, and strengthening your arms and legs.

3. Floss Your Teeth: Some sources maintain you can add 1.5 – 6 years to your life by simply starting to floss, if you don’t already. By flossing, you prevent gum inflammation, which is a chronic bacterial infection in your mouth. This bacteria can find their way in to your arteries and vital organs. As well, those with gum disease have worse mental functioning than those whose gums are healthy.

4. Reduce Alcohol Consumption: According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, you’re 95 percent more likely to reach age 85 if you keep your daily alcohol consumption to lower than 3 drinks per day. There are in fact many different health risks to alcohol consumption, such as anemia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and depression (an obvious one, given that alcohol is a depressant).

5. If You’re Looking for a Pet, Buy a Dog:  Has the irresistible face of a dog on an online rescue website caught your attention? There are several ways in which adopting such a pet can boost your longevity. Pet ownership can ward off depression, speed recovery from surgery, and even reduce your visits to the doctor. Elderly dog owners also tend to be slimmer than those who are not owners.

6. Get Out More with Friends and Engage in Community Action: Having community is important for well-being. The more connected one is, the better the overall health.  People in community tend to take on less-risky activities, and take care of themselves and others more. This may seem simple, but face-to-face time (and not Facetime) is becoming more difficult in our technological society.

7. Sleep: There are many studies that point to the connection between insufficient sleep and serious health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. As well, the more rested you are, the more accident-averse you are. Many auto accidents are results of drowsy driving.

8. Cut Calories and Eat a Vegetable-Rich Diet: Cutting your calories by an eighth and a fourth can lower metabolism (your body’s natural act of breaking down) and insulin levels, and even damage to cellular DNA, which are all active agents in harmful effects of aging.  As well, a diet rich in vegetables helps you avoid bad fats, and get more antioxidants, which ward off free radicals that cause disease.

9. Relax and Enjoy Life:  There’s no point in enhancing your life expectancy if you’re living a life of fear and loathing. Learn to relax more; slow down; take things easier. The world we live in is so fast-paced—but for what? Enjoy your life—each moment. Take a deep breath when you feel your self get stressed or your blood pressure rising. Learn strategies to think positively, rather than dwelling on negativity.

10. Get Routine Check-Ups: Visiting the doctor for routine check-ups and tests increases your vigilance of life-threatening illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer.

There are so many ways to benefit your life. By following these simple things, and adding more, you will add years to your life, and, more importantly, live a life that is healthier and happier.  

Are You An Aggressive Driver? Here's How You Can Tell and What You Can Do About It.

According to a 2012 Leger Marketing poll, nearly 80% of Canadian drivers admit to aggressive behaviour that could be considered road rage, such as use of profanity, yelling, or following other vehicles too closely, with speeding being the most common.

Here’s how some of the stats break down:

• 8 in 10 Canadian drivers are guilty of aggressive behaviour
• 83% are men, while 76% are women
• 2 in 5 admit to using profanity during traffic
• Young drivers aged 18-34 are most guilty of cutting people off
• 1 in 5 are guilty of tailgating
• Seeing other people distracted by mobile phones or other ways is the most common trigger for road rage behaviour
• Men are most likely than women to get road rage when they get cut off
• Women express road rage more than men when they are running late
• Drivers under the age of 45 are more likely to blame their road rage on a bad day than those age 45 and older

Behaviour of and conditions that trigger road rage:

• Speeding
• Swearing during traffic
• Tailgating
• Yelling/swearing directly at someone
• Rude hand gestures
• Cutting people off
• Weaving in and out of traffic

If you exhibit these kinds of behaviours you are considered an aggressive driver.

Still Not Convinced? Take the self-test by answering yes or no to the following statements:

This little test, and others online, will help you understand further if you qualify as an aggressive driver. Again, self-knowledge is the first step to change:

1. I regularly exceed the speed limit in order to get to a given destination.
2. I tailgate other drivers, especially those who sit in the left lane.
3. I flash my lights and honk my horn to let drivers know when they annoy me.
4. I verbally abuse other drivers whether they can hear me or not.
5. I frequently weave in and out of traffic to ‘get ahead’.
6. I feel that I am the only person on the road who ‘knows how to drive’
7. I have a compulsion to set drivers straight when they violate my own set of road rules.

If after reading this you realize that you fall into the ‘aggressive driver’ camp, you’re not alone. But more importantly, you can change your behaviour. By being aware of your tendencies while driving, you can make a different decision each time you get in your vehicle and/or get triggered. By stepping back, taking a deep breath, and resisting the urge to retaliate, you are making yourself and others safer.

Here are some tips that will help you begin the road to recovery as an aggressive driver:

• Sleepiness and fatigue can heighten your risk of aggressive behaviour. A good night’s sleep, and a daily 10-15 minute nap, will go a long way in restoring your energy and helping you stay calm and focused.

• Add time to your travel plans. Racing out the door on the way to work or coming home from the office can increase the likelihood of speeding, tailgating, and frustration. Preparing things the night before, such as your things for work and children’s school bags, lunches, etc, can also help you plan further ahead and reduce your anxiety when you get behind the wheel.

• Your car is not an instrument to burn off steam when you’re angry after a bad day at work or a hostile run-in with a co-worker or loved one. Take time before you put the car into drive to breathe deeply and calm down

• Step back before retaliating. You don’t know if the driver ahead of you is trying to one-up you, or somehow trying to make you angry. You don’t know what is going on in that person’s car: maybe he/she is having a really bad day, or has a screaming infant in the backseat, or a dog that keeps trying to get up in the front seat. By stepping back and becoming more objective, you are taking the first step in controlling your behaviour.

Patience is the key: we all need to be more patient with one another and offer grace to those who we think have wronged us.

Are You A Freak Out Driver? Six Easy And Effective Ways You Can Chill Out Behind The Wheel.

Do you get stressed out behind the wheel? Think driver stress is no big deal? Think again.

According to a collaboration between the car manufacturer Audi and the Senseable City Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, called “The Road Frustration Index,” city driving is considered as stressful as sky diving out of an airplane. This study is not based on burning up a Formula One racetrack at over 200 mph, but simple, routine, every-day driving.  Moreover, there have been many studies done that link up heightened driver stress with vehicle collisions.

Therefore, if you want to reduce your chance of vehicle collision, you need to lower your stress while driving. Stress raises cortisol in your brain (which triggers your fight or flight response), and thus impairs your ability to think and respond to the unexpected.

As we saw in the last article, the holiday season is the peak vehicle collision season. So, here are some ways that you can lower your driver stress and in turn lower your risk of accident:

1.          Create a Relaxed Environment: Skip the rambunctious rush hour radio programs, and instead play calming music. Try things like massaging seat covers and essential oils. Rid yourself of distracting objects, such as cell-phones, reports, newspapers, or grooming products.

2.          Start out Calm: Clear your mind of problems before starting your vehicle, so you can focus on the road and hazards ahead. Don’t drive if you’re sleepy or angry. Don’t dwell on negative thoughts.

3.          Plan Your Route Beforehand and Leave Extra Time: Heading somewhere late can heat up the stress levels. Stay calm by allowing yourself extra time, and plan out your route beforehand if you’re, say, going somewhere to a meeting for the first time. If you’re running late, remind yourself that being late is not as bad as causing a potentially fatal accident.

4.          Keep your Kids Entertained: Bored, noisy children can cause the blood pressure to rise. Quiet children make for a relaxing drive. Keep them occupied with audio books, video games, or other forms of entertainment.

5.          Do a Routine Check-In with Yourself: “How am I feeling? What’s my posture? What thoughts are rolling around my mind?” Take a deep breath. Relax your hand on the steering wheel. Sit back in your seat. Roll your shoulders and head, wiggle your jaw around, and chill your body out. 

6.          Avoid Aggressive Drivers: If you encounter an aggressive driver, simply let them pass, or get out of their way. Don’t bother with them by making eye contact or honking your horn—this can cause road rage and even a collision.

Follow these stress-lowering techniques and you will reduce your risk of collision. Who knows—you might even enjoy your drive.

10 Totally False Things About Car Insurance That Sound True But Aren't.

1. No fault insurance means its not my fault: It actually means that your insurance company covers your insurance regardless of who's fault it is. It does not mean that no one is at fault at the accident. However, someone may still be found at fault at the accident, and he/she may be hit with a higher insurance rate as a result.
2. I can't buy a red car because they cost more to insure: The colour doesn't matter. What does matter is the make, model, body type, engine size, age of the car, and the records of the drivers on your policy.
3. I'm covered under my employer's insurance when I use my vehicle for work: Your auto insurance only covers your personal use of a car, not commercial use. So if you're using your vehicle, say, to deliver things for your job, your workplace will not cover that.
4. If my friend drives my car and gets in an accident, it won't show up on my insurance: In actuality, if you lend your car you also lend your insurance policy. So even if you were not involved in the accident, if you are the policy holder and registered owner of the vehicle, your insurance is tagged for the accident.
5. My parking tickets are going to drive up my insurance rates: Parking tickets have no correspondence to insurance rates. However, unpaid parking tickets can lead to your license being suspended, which will drive up your rates.
6. There's no point in shopping around for insurance--they're all the same: Car insurance companies all have their own system of rating a policy, and each weighs in different factors distinctly. At bottom, insurance companies compete for your business. Shopping around can indeed lead to a lower rate.
7. I'm covered under any car I drive: See number 4--and this also includes car rentals. You can purchase insurance from the rental company, but if you do not, you may not be covered for any damage to the rental vehicle.
8. I am covered anywhere I go: Canadian insurance companies will cover you everywhere in Canada and the United States, but not if you cross into places like Mexico. In such cases, you will need to purchase separate car insurance.
9. May rate will go up if I get into an accident: Indeed, if you are at fault in an accident, and don't have no-fault insurance, your rate will go up. However, rates go up for other reasons as well, which may not correspond at all to a given accident. Rates are adjusted periodically to keep up with statistics that apply to your situation (age, driver history, vehicle type, etc).
10. Comprehensive coverage protects me in all situations: Comprehensive insurance is one among a number of different types of protection. It covers only for damage caused by an event other than a collision.

10 Incredible Movies You Just Have to See...And Oh Yeah--They're About Insurance!

About Schmidt (2002): Watch Jack Nicholson play Warren Schmidt, a retired insurance agent who has led a safe, predictable life—until he buys an RV and takes a risk-ridden ride to attend his daughter’s wedding. IMDB Rating: 7.2

Death of a Salesman (1985): Starring a young Dustin Hoffman and a very young John Malkovich. Based on the Arthur Miller classic about a traveling insurance salesman, Willy Lowman, going through a mental degeneration. A number of disappointments lead to a tragic car accident and left insurance money for his son Biff’s misconstrued business. IMDB Rating: 7.3

The Truman Show (1998): Jim Carey stars as an insurance salesman/adjuster who discovers that his entire life is actually a TV show. IMDB Rating: 8.0

Cedar Rapids (2011): A small-town Iowa insurance agent, Tim Lippe, is dispatched to a regional insurance conference in ‘hicksville’ Cedar Rapids. His mission: Bring home the much-coveted Two Diamond award. It’s a regaling story about corruption and the pursuit of virtue. IMDB Rating: 6.3

Sicko (2007): Documentarian and libertarian political pundit, Michael Moore’s documentary on the ills of US health insurance, and those sufferers under its penurious policies. Makes one thank God for Canadian healthcare. IMDB Rating: 6.3

The Rainmaker (1997): Starring Danny DeVito, Matt Damon, and Claire Danes. The film is about an idealistic lawyer and his cynical partner who take on a powerful law firm representing a corrupt insurance company. IMDB Rating: 7.0

The Incredibles (2004): Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible) plays an insurance agent before losing his job for assaulting his boss at the fictional Insuricare. His firing is the catalyst for his transformation as a superhero. IMDB Rating 8.0

Owning Mahowny (2003): Starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and Minnie Driver, it is a film not about the insurance industry per se, but about risk. Hoffman’s character, a bank manager, has both a gambling addiction and access to a multimillion dollar account that he uses to fuel a series of regaling and clandestine gambling episodes. It’s based on the story of the largest one-man bank fraud in Canadian history. IMDB Rating: 7.1

A Little Trip to Heaven (2005): Starring Forest Whitaker and Julia Stiles, this film is wrapped around a husband and wife’s tangle with an investigator over her dead brother’s million-dollar insurance policy. Fact or fraud? IMDB Rating: 6.1

Along Came Polly (2004): A hilarious romantic comedy starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston (along with brilliant performances by Alec Baldwin and Philip Seymour Hoffman). Stiller plays a risk-assessor for an insurance company, who, in attempting to live a risk-free life winds up with Aniston whose life is anything but predictable. IMDB Rating: 5.9

Which One (Or More) of These Totally Distracting Things Are You Guilty of When Driving?

We are spending more time in our cars than ever as our cities continue to sprawl out into God’s country. And life isn’t slowing down much either: We’re driving more, communicating more, squeezing more into days already squeezed into. In our workplaces we are rewarded for being multi-taskers—so why not apply that skill-set to the road, right? There are many things to distract our attention away from the roads--but they can lead to fatal consequences. One problem is that the act of driving is often so monotonous that we instinctively seek out distractions.

Here is our top ten list of brutally distracting things people do in their cars--how many of them are you guilty of?

1. Changing Diapers: You’re stuck in traffic, and Jr.’s had a poop and is screaming for all his little lungs are worth. Why not wait for the next light to reach over, remove him from his car seat, grab your diaper bag, pull out a diaper, wipes, and rash-cream and proceed to change his diaper? Mid-way through, the light turns green and you’re stuck with little Jr. half-clothed with an open poopy diaper on the seat as you’re speeding off. Sound like something you’ve done? Hope not…

2. Playing Piano: How about a little Chopin on your way to work? No—not on the radio, but rather from your electric piano on the seat next to you. You can always straddle the steering wheel with your knees as you’re reaching across the seat for those high Cs. Been there done that? Added that to your list of Royal Conservatory achievements? You might get an A at the recital, but you'll get an F—and maybe some lost demerit points—with the OPP.

3. Wardrobe Changes: Not only is this totally dangerous for you (remember that scene in Planes Trains and Automobiles when John Candy was trying to take off his jacket and ended up with both hands caught behind his back and his knees unable to control the vehicle along the icy roads?), but imagine how distracting it is for other drivers. Leave a bit early and find a place at your destination to change.

4. Knitting: Knitting? Really? Will your niece be unable to live another minute without that red and green wool toque? It takes two hands to drive—besides, imagine what knitting needles would do on impact, and I don’t mean damage to your airbag.

5. Dog Fancying: It’s Fido, not Fittipaldi. Having your dog on your lap with its dainty paws padding the steering wheel might feel to you like you’re giving her a great experience. Guess what: you’ll never know—and it’s dangerous. Imagine the momentum that 100 kms/hr brought to a dead stop will do to a 10 LB Yorkie Poo. You might have your seatbelt, but she doesn’t? Is that really caring for your dog?

6. Smoking, Drinking, and Talking on the Phone: Ever see this feat of human agility? Cigarette and cup of coffee in one hand, cell phone in the other, and steering with the elbows? It happens—hopefully it’s not you. Just the smoking alone will raise your insurance rate, let alone getting pulled over for over-distracted driving.

7. Putting Left Leg Out the Window: Everyone’s got to be comfortable, especially on those long stretches of highway to Muskoka—but sticking your foot out the window while driving? What if you doze off, lose control, and speed off into a ditch? Think the airbag will protect your leg from irreparable damages?

8. Putting on Makeup and/or

9. Shaving Face with Electric Razor: How did that story of Narcissus go? Oh yes—right… Didn’t think an Ancient Greek myth would have so much to say about driving in the 21^st Century eh.

10. Typing on a Laptop: Are you this person? Cup of steaming Joe between the legs, typing on the laptop while maneuvering through rush hour traffic? You’ll be in front of that screen all day long, and you can’t wait 20 minutes until you get to work? Besides, what do you think that cup of coffee is going to do to your lap when you hit that unexpected bump?

Driving is becoming more complex—there are more motorists on the road, our cities are growing and our roads are becoming more congested. While these are humourous, we all have our distractions. It’s important that we do our best to re-calibrate our driving patterns and behaviour.