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ByLeanneItalie TheAssociatedPress NEWYORK Sure,sure,sure. You're gonna quit smoking, lose weight, get organized and work for world peace in 2016. And we're pulling for you. We really are. You can do it! New Year's resolutions come as big strokes and small victories, along with a high rate of failure. Is it best to reach for the stars or make a petite promise? We asked a few folks about their plans to do better, go bigger or simply baby step it outside the box next year. 7marathonsin7days You heard it right. Ai- mee Shilling, a 35-year- old mother of four in East Canton, Ohio, has signed up to run seven marathons in seven days come Octo- ber. And she'll be doing it to raise money for World Vi- sion's "run for water" pro- gram. Clean water initiatives have been a goal since she took a mission trip to Ja- maica in 2000. Running has been a passion since she joined the cross-coun- try team in high school. She's a regular marathoner and ultra-marathoner, ris- ing at 4 a.m. at least three days a week to run with friends, returning home to get her kids up and ready for school. Shilling has done back- to-back marathons be- fore, but never seven con- secutively. The new year aside, she made a prom- ise to herself long ago to run 40 marathons or ultra- marathons before her 40th birthday. The seventh race in her 7-in-7 series would be her 40th, so she's ahead of schedule. "As long as I can start the series healthy, I'm pretty confident. None of them will be fast," Shilling laughed. SoCal walkabouts Jarone Ashkenazi is a lifelong Los Angelino, but at 26 he considers himself "someone who is more in- trospective by nature." Hence, he's been reluctant to grab his city by the tail. "I thrive in new settings and environments," Ashke- nazi said, "it's just at times I'm too hesitant to put my- self out there." That will hopefully change with his new spreadsheet. He has broken up his get-out-of-the-house goals into categories: activ- ities, concerts, restaurants, bars, outdoors and night- life. He got an early start with a couple of hikes. Among his first adven- tures come 2016: The Broad contemporary art museum, an evening stroll through the holiday lights at the Getty Center and the Chill at The Queen Mary (think winter wonderland under a giant dome). So what took him so long? "While I was younger I was too naive to think of all this city has to offer," Ash- kenazi said, "and now that I'm older I want to take full advantage of everything." Twist and close Meanwhile in Northern California, Joanne Pap- ini in Walnut Creek has a small problem that's annoy- ing the heck out of her. She doesn't close drawers, cabi- nets, boxes — anything with a lid, really. She sort of half closes things, like the top of the mayo in the fridge or the inner lining of the ce- real box, along with the ce- real box itself. And at 54, she's begin- ning to wonder what it all means. "I know that sounds weird but not closing things has become a problem for me. Do I think I'm saving time by having things left open? Am I airing out my pencil drawer," Papini pon- ders, "or am I just rebel- ling?" Papini lives alone. Rather, she's the only one with opposable thumbs in her household. But she can't blame her two dogs. "I just see it as a sign of chaos in my life. It seems like it translates into maybe not enough respect for my belongings and a lack of self-care," she said. Papini comes from a "jam it, cram it" family growing up and merely extended the stuffing of things into drawers into leaving draw- ers open. As for not twisting lids completely closed, she can't figure out if she's (a) trying to save time, (b) lazy about it or (c) I might want it later so I'll just skip this step. Zero waste Aspiring to this lifestyle is lofty. Aspiring to this life- style with a baby is loftier. Say hello to Meredith Bay Tyack in Burlington, Ver- mont. The pursuit for the 30-year-old began with the birth of her daughter a year ago. "Cloth diapering was re- ally the catalyst for us. We started purging plastic and disposable items from our life left and right," she said. She and her husband al- ready use a plastic-free wa- ter filtration system, with charcoal that can be com- posted after six months. She stopped buying paper towels and eliminated nu- merous other small plastic and disposable items. "But I'm still staring at a full garbage each week and it's frustrating," Bay Tyack said. "We're mind- ful consumers. We shop at our farmer's market and yet we're still producing so much garbage." She's still using plastic garbage bags, for instance. "A zero waste lifestyle is an exciting prospect for me because while I can't con- trol many things, I can con- trol myself and the small environment I inhabit," she said. "Maybe I won't clean up the oceans on my own, but at least I know I will not be contributing additional waste. NEW YEAR'S Happy(nearly)2016:Timeforresolutionsbigandsmall MEREDITHBAYTYACK Meredith Bay Tyack stands in her kitchen with her year-old daughter, Eleanor, in Burlington, Vermont. Her new year's resolution is to take on a zero waste lifestyle, eliminating plastic and disposable food packaging and other items. The Associated Press WASHINGTON Federalpros- ecutors have decided not to press criminal charges against two former execu- tives at the Department of Veterans Affairs who were accused of manipulating the agency's hiring system for their own gain. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Colum- bia said Thursday it has de- clined a referral from the VA inspector general for crimi- nalprosecutionofDianaRu- bens and Kimberly Graves. The inspector general said in a report this fall that Rubens and Graves forced lower-ranking re- gional managers to accept job transfers against their will. Rubens and Graves then stepped into the va- cant positions themselves, keeping their pay while re- ducing their responsibili- ties. Rubens had been earn- ing $181,497 as director of the Philadelphia regional office for the Veterans Ben- efits Administration, while Graves earned $173,949 as leader of the St. Paul, Min- nesota, regional office. Be- fore taking the regional jobs, Rubens was a deputy undersecretary at the VA's Washington headquarters, while Graves was director of VBA's 14-state North At- lantic Region. Rubens and Graves were accused of obtaining more than $400,000 in ques- tionable moving expenses through a relocation pro- gram for VA executives, the inspector general's report said. The U.S. Attorney's of- fice said it has "referred the matter to the VA for any ad- ministrative action that is deemed appropriate." Rubens and Graves were demoted in November, but their demotions were re- scinded this month after a paperwork mix-up. The VA has said it will reissue the demotions after the prob- lem is resolved. MANIPULATION ALLEGATIONS US Attorney declines prosecution of former Veterans Affairs executives LAVINIA LUMEZANU Jarone Ashkenazi is seen on the Escondido Canyon Trail in Malibu. His new year's resolution is to break out and get more active in things to do around his native Los Angeles. REDBLUFFOUTDOORPOWER 490AntelopeBlvd.527.5741 ORLAND SAW & MOWER 235 E. Walker St. 865.8800 QUALITY SAW & MOWER 2901 Douglas St. Anderson 365.8700 OffergoodthroughDec.31,2015. EU2000i REG.MSRP $ 1,149. 95 ON SALE NOW $ 899. 00 EU3000is REG. MSRP $ 2,329. 95 ON SALE NOW $ 1,849. 00 EU2000i Companion REG. 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