Try to park as close to store entrances as possible to minimize time you are exposed. Also, as much as possible, use your vehicle as a shield when you stop for gas. There is no way to know if serial sniper victims had any warning prior to shootings, if they felt uneasy, saw someone suspicious, or had any chance to avoid their fate. What is known is that even after news media began to cover story and make public aware of danger, there were more shootings and more victims. Could awareness and precautions have saved any of these people? Maybe. Random violence is brutal and frightening, and it defies all logic, but there are steps you can take to increase your chances, at least slightly. Be aware and informed. Never let your guard down and always remember that it can happen to you.

(end)

Laura Quarantiello is the author of "On Guard! - How You Can Win the War Against the Bad Guys," along with numerous articles on personal security, child protection and crime avoidance. More info is at: http://www.tiare.com/onguard.htm

Youth has its own beauty, its own advantages, its own reasons to be admired. So, too, does middle age. In fact, every age is important and every age is beautiful. How old are you right now? (Really, I don't mean "29 again".) Whatever age you are, right now that is perfect age -- and perfect age to be proud of.

Oh sure, it is sort of harmless to kid about one's age. And many people joke about it harmlessly. But many of us also have a deep unease about our age and our aging -- an unease that can hold back our self-esteem.

I recall sitting in my pew when it suddenly dawned on me why one member of all-female choir looked so different. Every lady was at least 40 years old, but other heads were jet black or honey brown or sandy blonde or some other artificial tint. White Top Lady packed a loaded bundle of white hair.

It is not a sin to dye one's hair, as long as we don't do it during service. It is just one of many ways we adorn ourselves. But sight of a dozen elderly ladies with hair colors impossible for their age made me want to laugh out loud right there in church. (I resisted.) All heads would probably have looked normal if White Top Lady's hair had not been screaming out, "I'm proud of my color. I'm proud of my age. I'm not going to hide."

It's time to be proud of everything about ourselves, including our age. So to everybody reading this, "Happy Seven Millionth!"