Free birth certificate california

HEALTH UPDATE

Drive Stress-Free

A car comes out of nowhere and cuts you off. Instead of ignoring the rude driver, you respond by screaming at them for the next five miles. If this scenario is a too-frequent part of your driving routine, your negative reactions can cause unhealthy stress. Don't let your commute drive you crazy. Try these tension tamers: * Keep a stash of soothing tunes by neojazz artists like Sweetback and Cassandra Wilson for your CD player. * Escape with an audiobook by your favorite author. * Use an aromatherapy sachet (lavender is an especially calming scent) as a car freshener. * Let a stoplight be your cue to take a deep, cleansing breath. * Instead of cussing at aggressive drivers, calm yourself with this phrase: "Others may rush, but I am on the road to tranquillity."

WHY NOT

hook that hottie

A handsome stranger walks by, and the cat's got your tongue. If flirting flusters you, try this strategy: Signal that you're approachable with a genuine smile. Make eye contact, and let your gaze linger. If he holds your gaze, approach him and introduce yourself. A question or a compliment will break the ice.

WORD FOR WORD

`Someone was hurt before you; wronged before you; hungry before you; frightened before you; beaten before you; humiliated before you; raped before you; yet, someone survived.'

--Maya Angelou, poet, writer and actress, in Souls of My Sisters (Kensington Publishing)

HOT NOW!

KEEP IT TOGETHER

Ladylike luxe is the definitive style statement for this season. Get that high-end fashion look by matching your purse and shoes in the same color and print. For added polish, use the same nail color for manicures and pedicures. Nude shades are ultrafeminine.

ACT NOW

In response to the increase of police-brutality and racial-profiling cases nationwide, the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, based in Brooklyn, has launched a five-point Cop Watch program, including the creation of a civilian-complaint review board. Since this program's launch last June, other affiliated antipolice-brutality programs have sprouted up in Atlanta; Birmingham, Alabama; Oakland; Washington, D.C.; and Jackson, Mississippi. Learn how to start a chapter in your hometown by logging on to mxgm.com.

KNOW HOW

PROTECT AGAINST ID THEFT

Murder, robbery and assault may lead the evening news, but the fastest-growing crime is identity theft. California, New York, Florida, Texas and Illinois report the highest number of ID-theft cases in the country; approximately 35 percent of reports are for thefts between $1,000 and $5,000, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You can protect yourself with these steps:

* Use a paper shredder. Before discarding documents that provide access to your private information, put them through a shredder. Ditto with preapproved credit-card applications and receipts. * Be careful at ATMs. "Shoulder surfers" can get your PIN number and access to your account. Shield the keypad with your body when entering any transactions. * Thiefproof your wallet. Remove your social security number, passport, birth certificate and extra credit cards from your wallet. Safeguard PIN and social security numbers elsewhere.

Visit the FTC's identity-theft Web site at consumer.gov/idtheft. If you are a victim, report the crime by calling toll-free (877) ID-THEFT.

REMEMBER

On January 20, 1986, eighteen years after his death, civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., became the first--and only--African-American to be honored with a national holiday.

TIP-OFF

E-Manage Your Life

Can't afford a personal assistant to remind you of your friend's birthday? Subscribe to infobeat.com and receive E-mail alerts of important dates. Get daily exercise and diet tips at your desk or from your Palm Pilot through asimba.com; register with heartlight.com for a daily dose of spirituality, or get motivational affirmations from jeweldiamondtaylor.com. And every day, several horoscope sites deliver guidance from the stars. (We like swoon.com and emazing.com.)