Per the policy, all gas cylinders will be filled by cylinder bottling plants for onward delivery to retail outlets instead of the LPG outlets, to improve safety of LPG as well as increase access.

The policy, which was supposed to have been implemented in September, 2017, received stiff opposition from the Association of Gas Tanker Drivers.

[contextly_sidebar id=”3sGNhT2n2bxToe23BgUQbVDxXJhv6ddW”]The Tanker Drivers had earlier hinted of a nationwide strike if the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) fails to withdraw the policy, with the excuse that it will collapse their businesses.

But speaking to Citi News, Frances Essiam said the gas re-circulation policy if implemented, will halt future gas explosions in the country.

“If you go to the western world, do you have gas stations anywhere? Look at the re-circulation policy; we must allow it. We need to reinforce the policy direction…there must be a safer way of handing gas,” she added.

Frances Essiam made the call on the back of a Saturday’s gas explosion at the MANSCO gas station at Atomic Junction near the University of Ghana in Accra last Saturday.

In the process, seven people died, while 132 others sustained varied degrees of injury.

She also called for the closing down of gas filling stations mounted at dangerous places, while efforts are initiated to get them “designated commercial spaces.”

She also called for the prosecution of persons who illegally import cylinders into the country.

“Those corrupt state officials and agencies who aid crook businessmen in bringing these cylinders and gas bottles into the system, they should start hauling them to court. I believe going forward, all these filling stations within the municipalities should be closed down, and we must have clearly designated commercial spaces where these things are put,” she added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

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They say the couple who play together, stay together but now researchers say the best way to keep a happy marriage is to sleep in the nude.

A recent study of more than 1,000 Britons found 57% of those who go to bed starkers said they were happy in their relationship compared to 48% who wore pyjamas.

“Bedding can feel extremely soft against the skin, encouraging openness and intimacy between couples and ultimately increasing happiness,” says Stephanie Thiers-Ratcliffe, who worked on the poll.

And they’re not the only ones who think they have the recipe for lasting and happy marriage. From separate beds and bathrooms to arguing and sex, everyone has their own theory…

Double dating

It seems double dating could equal double the happiness after scientists found the key to a long and happy marriage is having another couple to share it with.

It certainly worked for the Goods and Leadbetters in 70s TV hit The Good Life, starring Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal, Penelope Keith and Paul Eddington.

Psychologists at the University of Maryland, in the US, found double dating helps couples interact and even learn more about themselves. Study chief Professor Geoffrey Greif said: “Couples with couple friends seem to have happier relationships and longer and happier marriages.”

But double dating does have its perils. Professor Greif added: “We interviewed a few people where couple friends ended up having an affair.”

 

Separate bathrooms

Actress Joan Collins has been married five times so she’s something on an expert on the subject.

The 81-year-old says: “There are rules for living with Joan Collins, but I’m sure there are rules for living with anyone. We’re never in the bathroom together. In fact, I think it’s important to have separate bathrooms.”

And she also advises couples not to interfere with each other’s lives. On fifth husband Percy Gibson, she says: “He never interferes with my social calendar. I never interfere with his financial work. I occasionally give him advice on how he looks, but he’s the least vain man I’ve ever known.”

Liking their smell

Actress Goldie Hawn, 68, has been with her partner Kurt Russell, 63, for almost three decades but she isn’t one for magic formulas and thinks a happy relationship simply comes down to your nose.

She explains: “There’s a trick. You have to like the way each other smell. I think it’s that the pheromones haven’t gone away. The chemicals are still popping.”

And she adds: “You don’t always agree with your mate. You don’t even like them sometimes. But there is something there that sparks you. You have to focus on that as you move on.”

Separate beds

What with duvet hogging and snoring, it’s no surprise sleeping in separate beds is key to a good night’s sleep but it could also work wonders on your marriage.

Dr Neil Stanley, who runs a sleep laboratory at the University of Surrey, says: “We’ve been sold a myth that we have to share a bed or else our marriage is doomed. But people who are more tired are more miserable and have a higher rate of divorce.”

Movie director Tim Burton and his actress wife Helena Bonham Carter are among the one in ten British couples who don’t sleep in the same bed. The famous couple even live in separate adjoining houses  because Burton is said to snore.

 

Spend time apart

Best-selling author Elizabeth Gilbert says we should take a leaf out the Hmong tribe if we want a happy marriage.

The Vietnamese women laughed when Elizabeth, who wrote Eat, Pray, Love, asked them how much ‘couple time’ they spend with their husbands as part of research for her book, Committed.

So it seems love doesn’t mean you have to spend every waking moment with your spouse.

 

Arguing

Seventy years of squabbling might sound like the opposite of wedded bliss but Floss Lucas says daily rows are the key to her happy marriage.

Despite bickering constantly since tying the knot during the Second World War, the 91-year-old and husband Harry, 93, from Balsall Heath, Birmingham, celebrated their platinum anniversary in 2012.

Floss says: “If any couple tells you they never argue, they’re lying. Arguing is healthy.”

Sex three times a week and seven cuddles a week

The secret to a perfect marriage is having sex three times a week and enjoying seven cuddles during that time, according to a US study.

The study of 1,000 married couples also included kissing 10 times a week, cuddling up in front of the TV six times a month and 10 meaningful conversations a month were among the other things that are the recipe for wedded bliss.

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Source: Mirror.co.uk

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Not sure if matrimony stress is bringing you down? Here are the signs to look out for.

1. Lack of communication
Not talking through your issues with your partner can cause everything from headaches and muscle tension to anxiety and depression. Even scarier, women tend to “self-medicate through alcohol and drugs to deal with the stress of a relationship,” says Rachel DeAlto, a national relationship expert and coach based in New Jersey. “They end up taking on these habits that are very physically damaging to them because that’s how they are coping with their stress.”

2. Frequent fighting
An occasional tiff is one thing, but big blowouts every day can increase your risk for heart problems. In a study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers found that of 300 women who were hospitalized for severe chest paints or heart attack, those who reported high levels of marital stress were nearly three times as likely to suffer another heart attack or require a bypass.

Another downside to constant bickering? You’re more likely to develop high blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol (a.k.a. metabolic syndrome), which can boost your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

3. Forgetting to take care of yourself
Putting your partner’s needs before your own — we’ve all been there. But research has shown that taking time out for something as simple as an occasional massage can dramatically reduce stress and anxiety. Study participants also became less hostile, which decreases the chances of a heart attack. “[Women] think they are being nurturing, but that has a limit before it’s no longer healthy,” warns DeAlto.

4. Sleep deprivation
Whether it’s snoring or hogging the covers, it’s a big deal if your partner’s keeping you from having a good night’s rest. According to Lombardo, continued lack of sleep “will have health implications down the line,” like depression, anxiety, increased risk for cardiovascular disease, and even higher mortality rates.

5. Eating too much
According to a study published in the US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, marriage raises the risk of women becoming overweight by 3.9 percent, as opposed to their peers who are not married. But weight gain isn’t just reserved for women: Men face a 6.1% increased risk of becoming overweight, and a 3.3 percent increased risk for obesity. “If your partner eats poorly, you might also eat poorly,” explains Lombardo.

The good news: If you’re in a happy marriage, you’ll reap some important health benefits including living longer, less stress, and stronger bones.

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Source: Cosmopolitan.com

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#1. Anticipate Problems: Marriage is difficult! Anticipate problems. We are not trying to be negative, but problems exist in all marriages. No one marries someone who thinks and feels exactly as they do. No one. And yet we are often surprised when conflict arises in our homes.

Would your relationship feel different if you anticipated challenges and worked towards understanding instead of hurting your partner’s feelings and resenting them for not knowing what you want? Marriage is a little like construction on a road; if you know in advance that there is going to be trouble, you may be irritated, but you can plan for it. On the other hand, if you are not anticipating any issues or delays and the orange cones pop up out of nowhere, your reaction and the outcome is far worse.

No marriage will ever be perfect, but anticipating problems creates a different attitude or environment to work though inevitable marital issues. Norman Vincent Peale said, “Change your thoughts, and you change your world.” Every marriage has its rough patches, so anticipate them and avoid the lawmakers and lawyers.

#2. Stop Fighting About Money: When you do hit those rough patches in your marriage, does it seem like you’re always traveling on the same rutted section of road? Do you find yourself fighting about money? If so, you are not alone. Seventy percent of divorced couples say they called it quits because of money.

We personally see it over and over again, couples exhausting themselves with frequent fights about money when they are caught in a cycle of assumptions, misunderstandings and blame. It rarely matters if they have lots of money or very little in the bank because money isn’t really the problem.

It took us years to see this, not only in our own marriage, but in our work. We’d meet with couples in our financial planning business, put together airtight financial plans for them, and still see them fighting and even divorcing because of “financial issues.” The plan (and often piles of cash) didn’t make their conflict go away because those arguments were not really about money. They were about relationship issues like trust, respect and connection.

She wants to drive through Starbucks every day; he wants her to save money and make coffee at home. He wants to let loose and enjoy a memorable vacation; she ruins the trip with her constant worrying about costs. She wants to invest in her friend’s new company; he is suspicious of another investment risk and sees no need to put money anywhere but under their mattress.

Both parties feel judged, misunderstood and hurt. Disagreements like this could go on forever because people are born with an attitude about money (we call it your Money Personality), which rarely changes. But you and your partner can identify your views about money and the ways they potentially conflict with each other. And then stop fighting about it.

#3. Dream Together: One of our money tools to help couples communicate about money in honest respectful ways is the Money Huddle. This is a time set aside to discuss the current state of debt and savings, each person’s emotional needs in regards to money and a time to dream about the future together.

Setting aside time to optimistically and realistically discuss money eliminates some of the urge to fight about money day in and day out. If you see a money fight gaining steam, you can table it since you have somewhere to discuss it later.  You can curb an argument by saying, “let’s talk about that Sunday night in the Money Huddle.” We recommend doing it once a month, but if weekly works better at first, go for it.

We have found when couples dream together, they move forward together. Even if those dreams feel boring right now like “save for college,” if you tackle them together, someday you’ll be able to dream of sailing the high seas or becoming a pastry chef. The process of dreaming together will draw you closer and build a deeper sense of connection and intimacy.

Oklahoma’s new law reminds us that marriage requires continual learning. Perfect marriages don’t exist, but unions where the couples have anticipated potential problems, identified repeated areas of conflict and dreamed together about an ideal future do.

Just like summer school calculus, marriage isn’t easy, but at least what you learn about your relationship you can use every day — unlike the derivative of the inverse of hyperbolic functions.

Source: Magazine.foxnews.com

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Marriage is not a game. Its grown folk business and it can’t survive, especially if you choose it on a whim. Couples should be crystal clear on why they decide to marry. For love is the most common response, but there are a few other reasons.

The post 3 things to consider before getting married appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

 Marriage sex counselling is a vital step for those whose marriage is sexless (truly sexless, that is, not Dean McDermott’s version of sexless). Even when there are a myriad of excuses — e.g., we’ve been married for years, we have four kids, our plates are so full the proverbial mashed potatoes are spilling onto the table — a marriage without sex can take both physical and emotional tolls.

There are ways, of course, to remedy this on your own: if you aren’t having sex, start having it (read: with each other). Even schedule it if you need to.Yet, marriage, sex counselling may be more beneficial than self-help (and self-love!), for it allows an objective party to guide you through the process by bringing up things you may not have already thought about. It also teaches you that a marriage without sex can be a sign of deeper problems.

Marriage sex counseling isn’t for everyone: You may simply not need it. But, if you fall into the following three categories, it’s something you should consider taking out for a roll in the hay:

1. You Are Disconnected From Your Spouse
If you and your spouse are disconnected, marriage sex counselling may not be an option; rather, it may be a requirement. Being disconnected from your spouse and filing for divorce is akin to sitting outside all day and getting a sun burn: it’s the predecessor. There may be a million reasons why you are disconnected, but marriage sex counselling, because it focuses on connecting you in the most literal way, can help reconnect and reignite. 

2. You Have Forgotten That Sex is Important

This area is where it can get a bit tricky: Men may read the “sex is important” line, nod their head in agreement, and shove this article in their wife’s face with a victorious “told you!” Women, on the other hand, may chuckle. But, the truth is that because sex is so important to a husband, it must become important to a wife. A woman wants a man to take interest in the things that interest her — going to the ballet, redecorating the den, listening to how Vicky at work is totally sleeping with Randy from the mail room — so it’s only fair to do the same. This is, of course, not to say that a wife needs to be sexually submissive to her husband, allowing him to have his way whenever the mood hits. But she should make an effort to give him the affection he seeks. And, here’s the best part: She should let herself enjoy it as well.

3. You Are Overly Frustrated
Frustration is often part of marriage just as it is part of most other aspects of life. But there is a difference with being frustrated on occasion (she got lipstick all over my work shirt, or he forgot to take the trash out again!) and being frustrated all the time. Intermittent frustration is normal, constant frustration is not. So, if you find yourself overly frustrated or about as anxious as an elephant meeting Mickey Mouse, then marriage sex counselling is worth a try. Through it, you can be taught how sex is a powerful way to alleviate the frustrations that tend to burden so many of us.

Source: Magazine.foxnews.com

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