It was near impossible these days to have a conversation with a doctor, a farmer, a policeman, a teacher, even a politician and not meet that staring look, that thrust into your hand of some missive from health and safety, human resources, risk assessment or 360-degree feed-back review.

BBC: NEWS | Programmes | The Westminster Hour | Mad As Hell

If you want to enjoy the business and professional benefits that only authenticity can bestow, you must start by taking that proverbial long, hard look at the person staring back at you in the mirror.

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She smiles when mentioning the staring contests she made him play so he would look deeply into her eyes.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

To relax the eyes, some experts recommend that for every 20 minutes spent staring at a computer, people should take a break for 20 seconds and look at least 20 feet away, ideally out a window.

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Come January, we look in the mirror and ask ourselves: Who's that flabby person staring back at me?

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