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Gen. Raymond Odierno, Army chief of staff, said Wednesday that he’s asked senior commanders to provide him with recommendations and a plan this summer. And while he stressed that no decisions have been made, he suggested that Ranger school may be a logical next step for women as they move into more jobs closer to the combat lines.

“If we determine that we’re going to allow women to go in the infantry and be successful, they are probably at some time going to have to go through Ranger school,” Odierno told reporters. “If we decide to do this, we want the women to be successful.”

According to Odierno, about 90 percent of senior Army infantry officers have gone to the school and are qualified as Rangers. Allowing women to go to Ranger school, he said, would allow them to be competitive with their male counterparts as they move through the ranks.

Going to Ranger school, however, does not automatically mean women would be allowed to serve in one of the Army’s three elite Ranger battalions, which are Army special operations forces. In fact, many male soldiers who wear the coveted Ranger tab on their uniforms never actually serve in one of the three battalions.

Currently, women are not allowed to serve as special operations, infantry or armor forces, which are considered the most dangerous combat jobs. They are, however, allowed to serve in a number of support jobs such as medics, military police and intelligence officers that are sometimes attached to combat brigade units.

Odierno said his commanders are looking at whether the Army should open up infantry and armor jobs to women, and how that should be done.

As of this week, 200 women reported to nine different battalions around the country, as the Army implements plans to formally allow women to serve in smaller units that are closer to the front lines. New Pentagon rules allowing women to serve at the battalion level ? rather than just the larger brigade ? were unveiled earlier this year, opening up about 14,000 more jobs for women across all the military services. There are currently more than 250,000 positions that are closed to women.

A brigade is roughly 3,500 troops split into several battalions of about 800 soldiers each. Historically, brigades were based farther from the front lines and they often include top command and support staff, while battalions are usually in closer contact with the enemy.

Women make up about 16 percent of the Army.

Associated Press

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Miss Fitness, Gillian Trozado-Depala

Gillian Trozado-Depala (also known as Miss Fitness) is a dance and fitness guru. She?s a former member of the dance group Ellements, where she performed shows in the UK and choreographed classes at London?s famed Pineapple Studios. In addition to her dance background she has a degree in Sports Science, where she specializes in health and fitness. Gillian has practiced as a personal trainer at the Lansdowne Club in Mayfair London for 7 years now, and she teaches Zumba and body conditioning classes as well. Over the years she has worked with women and men who want to lose weight and look great for their weddings, from general shaping up to losing up to 30 pounds. Now she?s ready to share her tips with you on LOVEPOST. Every month this year she will be giving you her advice on one tenant of exercise and nutrition to help you look great for your big day. Gillian has already given you her tips on running right and eating a healthy breakfast, and now she?s helping you work out at home? no gym necessary!

You do not need the latest ?Power plate? or the new ?Concept wave elliptical? to spur you on to help burn those calories and stay in shape. In fact you need not look past the comfort of your own home or at a push your office floor space.

Often I hear from clients starting out or what I call the ?training tomorrow that never comes clan? announce that they do not have time to go to the gym or have the extra cash for equipment, gym membership or PT sessions. Well, the recommended amount of time needed for exercise and health benefits according to the ACSM is 30 minutes 3 times a week. I?m sure we can squeeze an extra half an hour into our day? Wake up earlier, while you?re watching your favourite program, or while you?re waiting for the washing load?

Time spared traveling to the gym, buying equipment and gym membership can be saved with the following workout. All that is needed is a small amount of floor space in a room of your choice at your own home or in your office. With the bonus of no equipment of additional costs needed.

Body Burn Circuit

Body burn is a circuit I use with my clients who relish the intense, short and sharp nature of the combined exercise. It wakes them up, gets them going and it involves explosive movements using total body and plyometrics to ensure that optimal amount of calories are burnt quickly. This idea stems from the fact that throughout the century jumping, hopping and bounding exercises have been used in various ways to enhance athletic performance. In the simplest terms the combination of speed and strength is power. This distinct method for training for power or explosiveness is plyometrics. As a result every variety of plyometric exercise contributes to ones calorie burning success and also provides great strength training.

-Squat-Thrusts (Burpees)
Stand with feet together. Squat down and place your hands on the floor next to your feet. In an explosive movement, jump feet backwards into a push-up position, jump feet back between hands and stand up.
Burn: 15 reps

-Burpees with knee lifts
Each move should be explosive and fast paced, this exercise is as above but finishing with a knee lift on alternate legs when you are in the standing position.
Burn: 15 reps
Jumping side squat jumps
Stand with feet together. Jump to the right several feet, whilst jumping in flight lift both arms up as high as you can in the air over your head clapping hands together, keeping knees bent land in a squat position. Jump back to the left and continue jumping from side to side.
Burn: 12 reps

-Jumping twist jumps
Start in a squat position jump up and spin round to face the other direction and land in a squat position. Repeat.
Burn : 12 reps
Glutes, quads, core

-Mountain Climbers
Start on the ground on all fours; get into in a sprinter?s start position. Keep your hands on the ground and push off with your feet so you alternate foot placement as long as you can. Keep your back straight, not arched. Again speed and explosiveness is key here.
Burn: 20 reps, 2 sets

-Jump Lunges
Start in a lunge position with left leg forward, keeping back straight, then explosively jump changing stance of lunge so that right leg is forward and land in lunge position. Repeat .
Burn: 12-15 reps

-Star Jumps
This movement consists of two basic movements carried out explosively continuously.
1. Jump with legs wide and arms out meeting hands together over your head.
2. Jump with legs together and arms down by your side.
Burn: 2 x 12 fast

-Drop Jumping
Standing on an elevated platform, a high step or stable chair. Drop down landing on the floor then immediately vigorously jumping back up. The exercise will be more effective the shorter the feet are in contact with the floor. Note: Start with small platforms first.
Advanced: Create a higher elevation to drop and jump up from.
Burn: 15 reps

-Tuck Jump
The tuck jump exercise ranks near the top of the list for developing explosive power using only an athlete?s body weight. Stand with feet squat stance apart, jump up explosively and tuck knees into chest then land. Repeat.
Burn: 10. 2 sets

-Jump Lunges
Start in a lunge position with left leg forward, keeping back straight, then explosively jump changing stance of lunge so that right leg is forward and land in lunge position. Repeat .
Burn: 12-15 reps

-Star Jumps
This movement consists of two basic movements carried out explosively continuously.
1. Jump with legs wide and arms out meeting hands together over your head.
2. Jump with legs together and arms down by your side.
Burn: 2 x 12 fast

-Drop Jumping
Standing on an elevated platform, a high step or stable chair. Drop down landing on the floor then immediately vigorously jumping back up. The exercise will be more effective the shorter the feet are in contact with the floor. Note: Start with small platforms first.
Advanced: Create a higher elevation to drop and jump up from.
Burn: 15 reps

-Tuck Jump
The tuck jump exercise ranks near the top of the list for developing explosive power using only an athlete?s body weight. Stand with feet squat stance apart, jump up explosively and tuck knees into chest then land. Repeat.
Burn: 10. 2 sets

Target muscle group exercises

-Push Ups
Chest/triceps/biceps
Begin in push up position, on knees or toes. Perform 4 push ups, abs in and back straight. On the 5th push up, lower halfway down and hold for 4 counts. Push back up and repeat the series ? 4 regular push ups and 1 halfway. Aim for 10 then 20 holding the last one for 10 seconds.

-One Legged Squats
Quads/Glutes/Abs/Core muscles
Easy ? Sit yourself on the edge of a chair, with right leg on the floor and left leg off the floor, keeping the core engaged and the back straight, you can stabilise yourself by holding both arms straight out in front of you or by placing your hands on your hips. Now try to stand up just using your right leg, if you squeeze your right glute as you stand up you can also be work this muscle and it will aid your balance as you stand.
Advanced: Do the above without using the chair. Begin standing on right leg then slowly squat down with one leg ? keeping your back straight the entire exercise.

-Chair Dips
Triceps
Using the edge of a chair or two steps, place your hands palms down on the edge of the bench, keep your hand stance narrow the narrower the better. Place your feet on the floor with legs bent to 90 degrees. Keeping your back straight, allow your body to dip down so that your arms bend behind you at your elbows to 90 degrees, then push torso back up mainly using strength in arms. Straighten arms to full extension so they are locked in straight. Repeat.
Advanced: to make this exercise tougher place your feet on the edge of a chair or step in front of you with legs locked in straight?.Feel the difference and push through.
Burn: Begin with 12 reps, building up to as many repetitions as you can.

-Wall Sit
Quads
With your back against a wall, and your feet about 2 feet away from the wall, slide down until your knees are at a 90 degree angle. Hold the position as long as you can. Aim for 1 minute ? feel those quads burn!!!

-Bulgarian Split Squats
Quads /glutes
With one leg on a chair behind you, place foot on end of chair, Jump forward a fraction so that when you lunge leg is at 90 degrees. Lunge to 90 degrees then return to start position.

Abdominal Burn

WARM UP
The following four exercises should be done consecutively one after the other with 15 reps in each set. NO REST INBETWEEN SETS!!
Tip: Don?t tuck your chin to your chest; keep your head up keep eyes fixed at a point on the ceiling.

-Knee Reach
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on top of your quads and reach up for your knees. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Curl up slowly so both your shoulders lift off the floor a few inches.

-Basic crunch
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your fingertips to the side of your head just behind your ears. Push your lower back into the floor flattening the arch and hold. Curl up slowly so both your shoulders lift off the floor a few inches. Hold for a count of 2 and return to the start position.

-Full Crunch
Lie on back, hands supporting head, eyes to ceiling, raise elbows, with knees at 90 degrees, bring elbows and knees together, then back to start position. Keep back flat and avoid arching.

-Alternate knees to elbows
In the same position as above moving legs and elbows. Bring left elbow in to meet right knee then move out and bring right elbow to meet left knee.

Main Abdominal Exercise

-Plank Exercise
Get into push up position on hands and toes, or on elbows and toes. Contract your abdominal muscles (and core). Keep your back straight (don?t collapse in the middle) and hold this position for as long as you can. Be aware of glutes, calfs and core engaging.
Burn: Hold for a 60 seconds build up to 2 minutes.

-Chest fly crunches
Lying on the floor with knees bent together, hands with light weights (tins of fruit or tomatoes) start with arms out wide with slight bend in the elbow, then crunch and bring weights together, back should only be a few inches from the floor with eyes fixed at the ceiling. Return to start position.
Burn: complete 12-15 reps

-Dumbbell pullovers and Rotated Twist
Lying down weight in hand over head, power up then sit up lean back rotate weight either side, then return to start position.
12 reps

-Leg Walks
Lying on floor, both hands either side for stability, legs up, feet towards the ceiling, lower left leg then bring up to start position, then lower other leg. Left then right, continue till finish.
16 reps

-Reverse Curls
Lying on the floor, feet together, power up lifting legs and glutes off the floor, then slowly back down ( but not letting feet touch the floor).
16 reps

-Double crunch
Lie on back, hold 2 dumbbells in each hand positioning each side of upper head. Knees raised at 90 degree. Bring both weights under the knees, contract the abs and return to start position.
12 reps

-Supermen
Lie on your stomach with your arms and legs stretched out. Raise your left arm and right leg off the ground a few inches, hold a few seconds, and then lower. Alternate arms and legs. Repeat. This would be a great way to end the workout to strengthen the lower back.

Finish the workout gently stretching the major muscles worked.

See you for next month?s edition where I will be presenting an in depth session on how to get lean, super toned legs?..! Lets bring on those shapely thighs and calves.

-?Miss Fitness? x

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When Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg rings Nasdaq OMX’s opening market bell on Friday from company headquarters in Menlo Park, California, Nasdaq will have completed three straight days of testing on its initial public offering systems.

On Tuesday, the exchange ran a test debut using the dummy ticker symbol ZWZZT. The stock began the test with a massive surge of nearly 11 million shares.

The New York-based exchange conducted another test last week, and has more planned for Wednesday and Thursday.

“They’re doing their due diligence to make sure nothing goes wrong, but there is no way in an electronic world that you can guarantee that,” said Joseph Saluzzi, co-head of equity trading at Themis Trading.

Investor confidence in the equity markets, where trading is largely computer-driven, has wavered since the “flash crash” in May 2010 when $1 trillion in shareholder equity was temporarily wiped out in a matter of minutes.

CANCELED TRADES

Just last week, the day before Nasdaq began its IPO tests, the IPO of a small Nasdaq-listed company went awry and a batch of trades had to be canceled.

Shares of Andina Acquisition Corp, which focuses on mergers and acquisitions in Colombia, were priced to trade at $10 on Thursday, but in a brief period a series of quotes went through as high as $139,999.99, Reuters data shows. The quotes were canceled about an hour later.

Asked about the Andina IPO, a Nasdaq spokesman declined to comment.

A misstep on Facebook’s public offering could have more far-reaching consequences.

In March, the botched IPO of BATS Global Markets refocused attention on the potential for marketplace mishaps. A series of unforeseen glitches hit the company’s market debut on its own exchange and caused the No. 3 U.S. exchange to take the extremely rare step of withdrawing its IPO.

The debacle also led to a fouled trade in shares of Apple Inc, the world’s most valuable company, and caused a temporary halt in the stock.

SPLUNK COSTS

“The issue is that increasingly the markets are interconnected,” said Larry Tabb, chief executive of research firm TABB Group.

When data-mining software maker Splunk went public on Nasdaq on April 19, it was very well-received and it shares soared, tripping a circuit breaker that temporarily halted the stock, but its shares continued trading on NYSE Arca during the halt, and those trades had to be canceled.

NYSE Euronext said that because Facebook’s IPO has the potential to be so large, it would be taking extra precautions to make sure activity on NYSE Arca is smooth.

NYSE said it will dedicate a server to handle Facebook trades in anticipation of heavy market order volume.

“They just want to make sure that the process works and that something doesn’t go wrong as newer firms come to market,” Tabb said of the preparations at the exchanges.

“It’s bad enough having BATS blowup and Splunk have some problems, but if Facebook turned out to be a market disaster, it would be huge,” said Tabb.

(Reporting by John McCrank; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)

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‘Dateline NBC,’ the signature broadcast for NBC News in primetime, premiered in 1992. Since then, it has been pioneering a new approach to primetime news programming. The multi-night franchise, supplemented by frequent specials, allows NBC to consistently and comprehensively present the highest-quality reporting, investigative features, breaking news coverage and newsmaker profiles.

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Leader of the Socialist party PASOK, Evangelos Venizelos leaves Presidential Palace in Athens, after a meeting with Political party leaders, on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. Greece’s president met the leaders of five political parties, broadening talks to try and form a coalition government and end a nine-day deadlock in the crisis-hit country. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Greek leader of the Left Democratic party (DIMAR) Fotis Kouvelis leaves the Presidential Palace in Athens, after a meeting with Political party leaders, on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. Greece’s president met the leaders of five political parties, broadening talks to try and form a coalition government and end a nine-day deadlock in the crisis-hit country. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Leader of the Coalition of the Radical Left party Alexis Tsipras arrives for a political party leaders meeting at the Presidential Palace in Athens, on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. Greece’s president met the leaders of five political parties, broadening talks to try and form a coalition government and end a nine-day deadlock in the crisis-hit country. (AP Photo/Aris Messinis, pool)

Panos Kammenos, leader of the right-wing splinter Independent Greeks, party arrives at the presidential palace for a meeting with President Karolos Papoulias, in Athens, on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. Greece’s president is to meet the leaders of five political parties, broadening talks to try and form a coalition government and end a nine-day deadlock in the crisis-hit country. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

ATHENS, Greece (AP) ? Greece is headed for another month of political paralysis ahead of new elections in mid-June, after party leaders on Tuesday failed to reach an agreement to build a coalition government.

The protracted deadlock and the prospect of an anti-austerity party winning the new vote hammered Europe’s markets on fears that the debt-crippled country could be forced out of the European single currency, triggering shockwaves throughout the 17-country eurozone.

“The country is unfortunately heading again to elections,” Socialist party leader and former finance minister Evangelos Venizelos said after the talks under President Karolos Papoulias collapsed. “It is heading back to elections in a few days under very bad circumstances, because certain people coldly put their short-term party interests above the national interest.”

Main European markets lost earlier gains, with the FTSE 100 index of leading shares shedding 0.6 percent, Germany’s DAX down 1 percent and the CAC-40 in France 0.7 percent. Greek shares were clobbered further after days of heavy losses, with the Athens stock market initially diving 4.86 percent, to close 3.6 percent down.

The euro also fell, trading 0.3 percent lower at $1.2794.

Tuesday’s meeting of five party leaders under Papoulias was a last-ditch effort to overcome the deadlock after a first election in May left no party with enough votes for a majority in parliament. Repeated attempts over nine days to cobble together a coalition government proved fruitless, as anti-austerity parties riding on a tide of popular discontent at protracted cutbacks failed to co-operate with mainstream pro-European politicians.

The political uncertainty has worried Greece’s international creditors, who have extended the country billions of euros in rescue loans over the past two years. The election campaign was dominated by the debate over Greek’s dismal financial state and the strict austerity measures taken in return for the bailout.

Third-placed PASOK’s Venizelos said the head of the small Democratic Left party, Fotis Kouvelis, had proposed forming a two-year government, but insisted that it include the radical far-left Syriza party.

Syriza came a surprise second in the May 6 vote, campaigning strongly on an anti-bailout platform and calling for austerity measures to be cancelled. The party’s leader, Alexis Tsipras, has refused to join any government that will not repeal the measures.

“We tried to create a government that would satisfy the minimum demands made by the electorate,” Tsipras said after Tuesday’s talks. “Our main demand was to cancel the new harsh measures cutting pensions and salaries and to restore labor rights.”

The conservative New Democracy party won the election, but only received 18.9 percent of the vote as angry voters scattered to smaller parties.

Papoulias will now convene a new meeting of party leaders on Wednesday to appoint a caretaker government to manage the country until the election.

Opinion polls show Syriza is likeliest to come first in the new vote, but again without enough seats in parliament to govern alone. However, as first party, Syriza would enjoy an automatic 50-seat bonus and could hope to form a coalition with the help of other left and right-wing anti-austerity parties.

“These upcoming elections will be a struggle between the left-leaning forces of nihilism in league with opportunistic populists,” New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras said. “On the other side will be a European front, strong and determined.”

Many Greeks seem resigned to the need for new polls, even though that will hold back the country’s commitments to detail new harsh cutbacks next month while implementing pledged reforms.

“The solution is provided by democracy and democratic procedures,” said Athens resident Yannis Ekaterinaris.

Another Athenian, Kostas Zaris, dismissed the idea floated by Papoulias for party leaders to agree on a cabinet of unelected technocrats.

“With a technocrat nothing can ever change,” he said. “Technocrats only care about their interests and they cannot represent 50 percent or so of the Greek people.”

Analyst Dimitris Mardas strongly disagreed, saying politicians should have done their utmost to strike a deal.

“As far as the economy is concerned, this is the worst thing that could have happened,” he said. “It would have been preferable to have a government of technocrats that of course would have been allowed to actually govern.”

Mardas, an associate professor of economics at Thessaloniki University, said the timing of the vote for mid-June could also harm Greece’s key tourism industry.

“It’s just what we didn’t need,” he said.

New growth figures released Tuesday revealed the extent of Greece’s ongoing crisis.

The country’s economy contracted by 6.2 percent in the first quarter of 2012, compared with the first three months of 2011, according to the Greek Statistical Authority. Greece is now in its fifth year of recession, while unemployment is at a record high of nearly 22 percent.

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Elena Becatoros contributed

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Associated Press

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