Ricardo

Have you ever heard the description "skinny little runner"? Don't those words just seem to go together? Well, if you've ever watched a marathon or other distance event live or on television, you know that description is not always accurate.

There is no such thing as the "perfect runner's body." Runners come in all shapes and sizes. Too many women (and men) believe that "thin is in" or that really good or serious runners have to be skinny to be fast. It is simply a stereotype - being fit doesn't always equate with a stick thin body.

There's more to being a good runner than being skinny. Here are three components that make up the Strong, Healthy Runner's Body:

Proper Nutrition. Being a good runner is about being healthy. You can't fuel your workouts on a few celery sticks and a cup of dry rice. You would never dream of trying to "run" your car with no gas. Your body is the same - you must have fuel to "run" your body.

Strong Muscles. Being a good runner is about being strong. We all have different body types, but we can all strengthen what we have. Doing simple strength building exercises will not only make you a stronger, better runner, but also build muscle and reduce fat. Many great runners are small and compact, rather than tall and skinny.

Cross Training. Activities other than running can help develop other muscle groups, which leads to overall fitness. Runners often neglect their upper bodies. Swimming, biking, rowing, cross-country skiing - all these activities can contribute to a strong, healthy body.

I can relate to those of you who sometimes feel ambivalent about your bodies. I am small and compact, but I'll never think of myself as "skinny." I simply work with what I have. We can't compare ourselves to others - we'll never come out even. We're not competing against other people - really. We are running against the clock.

You should learn to love your body - whatever the size and shape - and to relate to it with gratitude and respect.

And, now I would like to offer you a free special report entitled, "Running 4 Your Life: How to Improve Your Physical, Emotional, Relationship, and Spiritual Health." Go to http://www.Running4YourLifeblog.net

BBC News

Tribute To Scots Cop In Service For Fallen Glasgow Daily Record - 1 hour ago A SCOTS cop was among British officers honoured yesterday after they died in the line of duty. More than a thousand people - including Prince Charles, Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and senior cops - gathered at Liverpool cathedral for a service to mark ... Service remembers police bravery The Press Association Prince Charles pays tribute to cops The Sun BBC News - TeleText - Liverpool Echo - The Press Association all 302 news articles

It seems like every generation has something that could affect the well-being of children. Back in the 50's, Elvis was viewed as a horrible influence on the youth, then came the Beatles, short skirts, the Simpsons and so on. Most fads either eventually become an acceptable part of our society or they fade away. But, what about this new technology that is at the fingertips of our youth? Is it something we need to worry about or embrace?

There are many pros and cons of children having cell phones, video games, television, iPods, the internet and so on. After doing some research, I have found many suggestions to modern technology.

Video Games: Video games have been proven to improve hand-eye-coordination. Yet, video games alter kids' perception of reality. Children live vicariously through video games rather than going out and learning to do what they are playing on their system. Therefore, monitor the playing time and the games they are allowed to play. If they are playing a game (for example) like skateboarding, encourage them to explore the actual sport thereby getting them away from the television while combining the enjoyment they clearly hold for that game.

Television: When watching fast paced television, it decreases the reptilian system (the part of the brain that provides instincts such as fight or flight and basic emotions.) Also, it prevents children from creating their own pictures in their head like they would when reading a book. This decreases their ability to create their own symbiotic thought. To prevent this, ask your child about what they are watching, this forces them to recreate the image in their own head and strengthens their symbiotic thoughts. Monitor the types of shows and the length of time the children are viewing television.

Internet: The internet can be a very scary place. A big hit with kids these days is MySpace, which is a site where anyone can put up their own picture and have their own mini-website to talk with other people on MySpace. It is an excellent way of keeping in touch with friends, but kids need to be careful of sexual predators. In July of 2007, MySpace administrators found and deleted 29,000 accounts on MySpace that belonged to convicted sex offenders. But, being a nineteen year old who has had a MySpace for years, I know that it's very easy to avoid these people. Talk to your kids and warn them of this. Make sure they only accept friends on there that they knew previously and to never meet someone in person no matter how nice they seem. The internet also decreases social activity, since they are not looking directly at the person they are talking to nor having to actually participate in an on-going conversation. Make sure you limit the time your kids can spend on the computer.

Cell Phones: Cell phones are perfect for emergencies and a great way to stay in contact. There are not too many downfalls to a cell phone except for the obvious of talking while driving. Each parent should decide based upon their personal situation and maturity of their children when a cell phone would be appropriate.

Overall, modern technology certainly makes life easier and provides readily available entertainment. However, at all times, it should be monitored and at no time be allowed to consume the entire free time of children. Children still need to socialize face-to-face without the use of an electronic device.

Chris Lowrey

Author and Editor of Family Time Charm

A truly unique family magazine. Family Time Charm is absolutely designed for the entire family.

For more parenting articles, fun games for kids and educational activities for all,

visit our website: http://www.familytimecharm.com

In order to look and feel trendy, you can opt for replica designer handbags if you can't afford the original designer bag. This will give an additional glitz to your personality, without spending an astronomical amount. Designer bags can cost about hundreds of dollars and even range around $1000. Meanwhile replica designer handbooks of good quality can be about $200-$500, reasonable quality is around $100-$200 and you can get poor quality bags at even $20-$80. Replica Designer handbags are usually made from materials ranging from leather to canvas, vinyl or cloth. Replicas are legal and you can carry them around without any worry.

Various Handbag Types

Replicas of numerous handbags and purses of most brands in various styles are available in the market including:

Louis Vuitton
Gucci
Channel
Prada
Christian Dior
Celine
Versace
Fendi
Coach
Bottega Veneta
Chloe
Burberry
Balenciaga
Kate Spade
MiuMiu
Hermes
Dolce & Gabbana
Marc Jacobs
Thomaswyld and many more.

Merits of Purchasing Replica Designer Bags

The replica bags of high quality are promoted as "A+" replicas like AAA quality. These artfully done bags combine looks with style and durability. Usually, the replica handbags of good value are made up of high-grade material, have quality stitching and they try to incorporate all the other details like the precise colour/shade, brand seals, hardware plated of gold or brass, zippers, locks, handles and all the rest, so that they look like the original.

You can get multiple bags at the price of an original designer bag. This enables you to buy new bags according to the latest trend. The trends usually keep changing and replicas help you to be in step with the latest fashion, while remaining within your budget. This makes them more practical than the original, as a particular fashion go out of vogue within a short time span, making original designer bags not feasible for medium income females.

You can vary replica handbags according to your whims. You can use one to go for weddings, parties, formal dinners or special occasions, another one for work or a different bag when travelling or going for vacation or a separate one when you go out for dancing or a date. You can select bags depending on the occasion and even climate.

You don't have to worry very much that your bag will be stolen, when going about the place. There is lesser chance of that and in the event of your bag goes missing from theft, you will not lose too much money. There is no need to be too anxious about the bag being damaged either, as the monetary stake is lesser. All this has contributed to the increase in popularity of replica designer handbags. But you must take care to buy the replicas from some reputable sellers. Otherwise, you might end up with fake bags that are illegal, as they pretend to be original. Replica designer handbags can even be given as a present to someone close.

BeuBag Offers Wholesale Replica HandBags, leather replica designer handbags, Discount Replica Handbags, Original Replica Handbags Wholesale.

A consideration which influences my research into End-User Programming and Modelling is that organizations should not use proprietary or closed standards for their information. Systems should be designed with the assumption that information, which represents the primary system asset, may eventually need to be migrated to another software tool or environment. Open use of information was the priority for the DATUM project. This project is explained in 'DATUM Project: Cost Estimating Environment for Support of Aerospace Design Decision Making' (Scanlan et al, 2006). Therefore a requirement of this research is that open standard semantic languages are used to represent information, to be used both as input and output of the models. These languages are based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML). These same open standard languages can be used for developing the program code of models.

It is proposed that software and information represented by the software, be separated but represented in the same open standard searchable way. Software and the information it manipulates are just information that has different uses, there is no reason why software must be represented differently from other information. So XML can be used both as the information input and output by the application, and for the definition of the model itself. The model can read or write information it represents, and the information can read from or write to the model. This recursion makes 'meta-programming' possible.

Meta programming is writing of programs by other programs. The purpose of this is to provide a cascading series of layers that translate a relatively easy to use visual representation of a problem to be modelled, into code that can be run by present day compilers and interpreters. This is to make it easier for computer literate non-programmers to specify instructions to a computer, without learning and writing code in computer languages. To achieve this, any layer of software or information must be able to read the code or the information represented in any other. Code and information are only separated out as a matter of design choice to aid human comprehension, they can be represented in the same way using the same kinds of open standard languages. The methods used for this representation and translation are being researched.

End User Programming and Engineering Modelling

Many large companies have outsourced the management and support of their IT systems to third parties. Very strict management processes and procedures for the acquisition and implementation of new systems have been introduced. A side-effect of this policy is a tendency for employees to make extensive use of spreadsheets and macro programming languages for information storage, analysis, and manipulation (Scanlan et al, 2006). These applications establish themselves as a legitimate part of the business processes of the organization despite the essentially uncontrolled nature of their development. This is a worrying trend as these applications are frequently undocumented, rarely fully tested or validated, and are produced by people who often have little or no formal training in good systems development practice. An alternative approach of User Driven Modelling is required, because large spreadsheets are unmaintainable in the long run.

By their nature, large spreadsheets are difficult for a third party to comprehend as their inherent flexibility for editing allows users to generate a complex web of cell references which are arduous to audit. Panko (2000), Paine, (2003), and Scanlan et al (2006) examine this problem. Worse still, there is a tendency for the spreadsheet author to misguidedly compound the problem by expending a considerable amount of effort into hiding the detail behind an elaborate and visually attractive 'front end'. Should the author of such an application leave the organization, it is commonly abandoned as colleagues are reluctant to master its complexity and often refuse to take ownership of it, as they are busy with their main work. Paine states that spreadsheets have almost no features for building applications out of parts that can be developed and tested independently. Panko (2000) suggests that Given data from recent field audits, most large spreadsheets probably contain significant errors. The most recent audit he cites found errors in at least 86% of spreadsheets audited. In 1997 Panko reported that 90% of the spreadsheets audited in a study carried out by Coopers and Lybrand were found to have errors. In 'Automatic Generation and Maintenance of Correct Spreadsheets?' Erwig et al (2006) cite a figure of 90% from Rajalingham et al (2001) 'Classification of Spreadsheet Errors'. 'Given the billions of spreadsheets in use, this leaves the worlds of business and finance horribly vulnerable to programming mistakes' (Scanlan et al, 2006). The studies by Paine, and Panko show that the chances of any given spreadsheet cell containing an error are somewhere between 0.3 and 3%, so that a spreadsheet of only 100 cells has about a 30% chance of having one error or more. Aragones et al (2006) state - 'Desktop spreadsheet users are very creative in their adaptations, but
distributed spreadsheets have the problem of distributed, inconsistent inputs and distributed
results. There is no easy way to aggregate the collective wisdom of user experience'.

References

Aragones, A., Bruno, J., Crapo, A., Garbiras M., 2006. An Ontology-Based Architecture for Adaptive Work-Centered User Interface Technology. Jena User Conference, 2006, Bristol, UK http://jena.hpl.hp.com/juc2006/proceedings/crapo/paper.pdf.

Erwig, M., Abraham, R., Cooperstein, I., Kollmansberger S., 2006. Automatic Generation and Maintenance of Correct Spreadsheets?. Proceedings of the 27th international conference on Software engineering, St. Louis, MO, USA pp 136-145 http://web.engr.oregonstate.edu/~erwig/papers/Gencel_ICSE05.pdf

Paine, J., 2003. Spreadsheet Structure Discovery with Logic Programming, Proceedings of European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group EuSpRIG Greenwich, England.

Panko, R. P., 2000. Spreadsheet Errors: What We Know, What We Think We Can Do. Proceedings of European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group EuSpRIG, Greenwich, England, pp. 717.

Scanlan, J., Rao, A., Bru, C., Hale, P., Marsh, R., 2006. DATUM Project: Cost Estimating Environment for Support of Aerospace Design Decision Making. Journal of Aircraft, 43(4).

I am a Researcher in the final year of my PhD. I specialise in applying Semantic Web techniques. My current research is on a technique of 'User Driven Modelling/Programming'. My intention is to enable non-programmers to create software from a user interface that allows them to model a particular problem or scenario. This involves a user entering information visually in the form of a tree diagram. I am attempting to develop ways of automatically translating this information into program code in a variety of computer languages. This is very important and useful for many employees that have insufficient time to learn programming languages. I am looking to research visualisation, and visualisation techniques to create a human computer interface that allows non experts to create software.

I am a member of the Institute for End User Computing (IEUC).

My Home Page is http://www.cems.uwe.ac.uk/~phale

Blog http://userdrivenmodelling.blogspot.com

The Associated Press

Maryland State Police Medevac Crash Kills Four Washington Post - 5 hours ago Authorities say a medical helicopter carrying victims of a traffic accident has crashed in the US after reporting bad weather, killing four of the five people aboard. Teen survives, 4 killed in medevac crash CNN International Medical helicopter crashes in Md. park, killing 4 The Associated Press CNN - WHAG - International Herald Tribune - WJLA all 478 news articles

Whether it's your first date, second date or even your hundredth date, chances you are still feeling a little uncomfortable of how you should act your best behaviors. Dating is already a high voltage pressure situation and stress out the etiquette will make it even worse, but don't feel so. I have several tips to ease out the stress and impress your date successfully.

1. Never talk with your food in your mouth

Nothing is uglier than talking with a mouthful of partially chewed meat, half beaten vegetables, peas, or smashed potatoes. It's gross and unsexiest thing to imagine. It's a real turn OFF. Always finish chewing and swallowing before responding.

2. Always bring a small gift

You could bring a stem of rose if you are dating girls -- but bringing flower to your gay lover? Hmm...think other stuff. A small token of your admiration will be more suitable than flowers. A small box of candy or chocolate but not a sachet of condom or a tiny dildo ( just kidding. You wouldn't bring that kind of stuff, will you? ) It's a nice way to start off your date regardless it's your first date or your hundredth date

3. Don't drink too much

You will lose you "cool" over third or more glasses and ruin your perfect evening. There are too many reasons why you shall not drink on your first date. Choose something lighter, instead of alcohol -- a cup of coffee after meal will be fine and most importantly you won't lost yourself silly.

4. Tip well

Whether you pay the tab or go Dutch, make sure you leave a decent tip for your server. 10% - 15% is a normal practice.

5.No your Ex-es story, please

None likes to hear your whining about your ex-es. No matter how bad he treated you. Never dig it up. You are here to begin a new life with him, so don't make
him your personal shrink

6. Say at least one nice thing to your date

Oke. You don't have the chemistry, whether you are planning to ensure a second date or not , always give your date at least one nice sincere compliment during the evening. It's simply rude not saying so.

7. Never press for intimacy

You may feel he's hot and you can't stand to steal a kiss, but never push the issue. If he's feel uncomfortable or reluctant, please respect him.

8. Bring enough money

Nothing can be more embarrassing than not having enough money to pay your tab. Always bring some cash as well, in case something goes wrong with your credit cards

9. Don't be rude or too critical

If you can't say something nice, don't say it. Dating is already hard enough without having a date who keeps telling you what is wrong or right all the time.

10. Pay attention to him

Nothing ruin the interest faster than your roving eyes or a failure to pay attention when he's speaking. Give your boy a complete attention he deserves.

11. Financial issue - a simply no no

Never bring it out. It's very awkward if someone ask me how much I earn a year on my first date. And what is the point if you are asking how much my car cost?
Wanna show off ? You'd better get lost.

12. Be your self

Don't show off and trying to impress your date with fabulous story of how much money you've made. Be honest of who you are. If he's interested in you -- your money will be his second thought.

13. No phone call, please

Simply turn off and RUDE. Unless your house is on fire, don't take a phone call or make a phone call.

14. Don't be late

The worst way to start your date. Always be there earlier at least half an hour -- if you are running behind, give him a call is the act of simple courtesy. Don't make him wait

15. Make no promise

If you are dating a date from hell and ending the evening is awkward, don't make promise to call. Simply wish him a pleasant evening and head home. If he ask you directly, be honest but not rude.

http://www.privategaypersonals.com Visit and find more tips on gay dating tips. Be single no more

Homebased typing job is one of the easiest free work at home jobs. It is an ideal job for the beginner who is new to the Internet. Many companies employ home based typing worker instead of full time office worker to reduce the office cost. Home typing jobs is very flexible in nature and requires only few hours a day to complete. Several people have been earning a decent amount working as a home typist.

There are many companies in the present online industry offering homebased typing jobs. The job does not require any unique skill or qualities; any person with average typing speed can do this job, provided he is familiar with computer. There may be deadlines for some assignments but most of the work is very easy. Most companies are very detailed about what they'll need you to do.

But, you have to be cautious enough to pick the right assignment. Like online data entry, several scam companies exist in the this market too. They always ask upfront money from you even before giving any information about the assignment, but never pay in return even after completion of the assignment. So, it is always recommended to choose a renowned company, which has a reputation in the market to pay in time.

Any interested individual first needs to be a member of a home based typing company before starting their own assignment. A registered member can take help of online customer support from the company itself. Some companies will not provide you direct typing assignments; upon registration you will be able to access the extensive database of the company. That database contains the information of many companies that provide typing assignments.

Then you can select amongst them and sign up with your desired companies to start your work. All of these companies provide 24/7 technical support to support their members. A computer with broadband connection is must for this kind of job.

There are lots of genuine homebased typing companies in the present market. These companies are always in need of focused and dedicated individual. A motivated individual can really earn a handsome amount while working in typing assignments from home.

Accuracy and speed are very much essential qualities in this job. It is a solely performance oriented job, and you will be compensated either per hour or per word. Some real paying companies provide special training to its members in order to make them skilled typist.

Article by Jayden Harris owner of Home Job Alert a FREE work at home job service. Over 2,500 companies listed. Visit us at http://www.home-job-alert.com

Bound for Savannah, sitting on a transfer boat from a resort island in South Carolina, I cannot help thinking about the resort; beautiful and staffed by nice people. But is that enough? I think not.

How Was Your Stay?
When I checked out of the resort, the woman at the front desk never asked me about my stay; wonderful, good, bad, or indifferent. This is the best time to query guests-asking for their honest feedback about their stay. However, nobody cared to ask me.

Had she, I would have mentioned the cob webs hanging from the ceiling, the fact that the bathroom was in desperate need of repair, that I had to call to request maid service, and that none of the resort's materials were in the room, not even a pen and paper-good thing I did not need to order room service.

My Conversation
As I leave, the conversation that I'm having with myself about the resort is, at best, mixed. While most of the time that I'm visiting hotels and resorts is as a speaker, I also organize a number of small meetings each year. Would I bring my group to this island resort? I really do not think I would. My conversation with myself about the place is, "Pretty property and nice people, however I truly question the competency of the resort's staff.

Every time one of your customers does business with you, it is your opportunity to develop or strengthen the relationship-or to damage it.

What's Their Conversation?
How in the world can you query all your customers? Simple, ask them. You can have customer service representatives ask your telephone customers and you can have other employees ask in-person customers. How do you get your employees to ask? Motivate them through incentive. This information is golden as you periodically review your business strategy.

Earlier this week, when I was in my office, I received a call from one of my suppliers. The customer service person was calling to ask how we could do more business together. I suggested a strategy change for sample ordering from their web site-to make ordering easier on the customer. They asked! And, if they make the change, I will do more business with them.

Ask Strategies
Consider developing both a formal and informal "ask strategy" for your organization. The informal will consist of your employees asking at every possible opportunity, "How are we doing?" And, truly caring to listen, and record, the answers offered by customers. Offer various low cost incentives to employees that turn in their "ask sheets" each week. Hold contests only allowing the people that turned in their "ask sheets" that week, or month, to participate. Offer positive motivation.

For your formal ask strategy; mail out "ask surveys" with every order. Incentivize your customers to participate. Have your sales staff conduct an "ask session" with every customer quarterly-and incentivize the sales staff for their participation.

Path toward Improvement
You can improve your products and services much more effectively when you have a deeper understanding of what your customers consider to be valuable and important. Your "ask strategy" will quickly fill in your knowledge gaps in this area. You do want to serve your customers the way they want to be served, don't you?

To access helpful additional information from Ed Rigsbee at no charge, please visit http://www.rigsbee.com/downloadaccess.htm

Ed Rigsbee, CSP, is also the author of PartnerShift-How to Profit from the Partnering Trend and The Art of Partnering. Rigsbee has over 1,000 published articles to his credit and is a regular keynote presenter at corporate and trade association conferences teaching North America how to access Your Collaborative Advantage. He can be reached at http://www.rigsbee.com

Ed Rigsbee is also the Founder and Executive Director of a non-profit public charity based in California.

BBC News

Top Afghan police woman shot dead BBC News - 1 hour ago Gunmen in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar have killed the country's most prominent police woman, officials say. Lt-Col Malalai Kakar, head of Kandahar's department of crimes against women, was shot in her car as she was about to leave for work. Taliban kill Afghanistan's most high-profile policewoman AFP Female police official killed in S. Afghanistan Xinhua Reuters India - RTT News - GulfNews - France24 all 39 news articles