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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta's historic announcement that women may now serve in military combat has equal-rights advocates cheering--but many civilians scratching their heads.

For starters, nearly 140 female soldiers have already died in action in Iraq and Afghanistan alone, and more than 800 have been wounded. If the now-ended Combat Exclusion Policy didn't allow them on front lines, how did it happen? And what does the new policy actually mean?

We turned to experts including Greg Jacob, policy director for the Service Women's Action Network, which works for military equality and challenged the federal ban with a lawsuit brought by the ACLU in 2012, to break down the details of the policy change for Shine readers. Here's what we learned:

There are no laws prohibiting women from combat units.
Those were repealed in the early 1990s. However, since then, it has been U.S. military policy to restrict women from certain units and military occupations, particularly ground combat units.

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Before writing her book, "Never Be Late Again," management consultant Diana DeLonzor was always, always late. "It didn't matter what time I got up. I could get up at six and still be late for work at nine," she recalls. She was reprimanded at work, lost friendships and her timely husband was always mad at her. She couldn't stand being late, yet she just couldn't change.

"Most people really hate being late and have tried many times to fix it," DeLonzor says. "Punctual people misunderstand. They think you're doing it as a control thing, or that you're selfish or inconsiderate. But it really is a much more complex problem than it seems."

MORE: How to Become a Morning Person

In a study she led at San Francisco State University of 225 people, she found that about 17 percent were chronically late. Among them, there were clear patterns. Late people tended to procrastinate more, demonstrated trouble with self-control (were more prone to habits such as overeating, drin

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Source: Ultimate Guide to Getting Rid of Stuff You Don't Need

Starting the New Year means clearing out the old. It's a good idea to get items you don't use out of the way because they will fill up valuable space in your home. Get ready to sell your stuff with these tips:

• Electronics. If you're thinking about selling your electronics, consider Gazelle.com, buymytronics.com, and nextworth.com. These sites are great because they'll quote you a price for the item you wish to sell. You can always consider selling it back to the original retailer itself if you're wary about third-party sellers. For instance, Apple has a great recycling program.
• Receipts and documents. Nip your pack rat tendencies in the bud and start sorting out documents to trash or stash. Throw away receipts for items that you aren't planning on returning, and ones that you won't need to use come tax time. If you're wary of throwing away receipts, you can make a digital copy of them with a basic scann

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Source: Data-Only Plans: Cut Talk and Text (and Save Money)

Shopping for mobile devices is a curious thing - why do carriers offer data-only plans for the iPad that are cheaper and more flexible than typical plans for smartphones? Turns out that subscribers pay a hefty fee for standard unlimited talk and text and are often trapped into two-year contracts in order to afford their smartphones. Device plus data packages are usually offered on a month-to-month basis with no contract. It just makes sense. We've compiled a guide to going rogue and getting a data-only plan, with details on how much you'll save, which carriers offer data only, the essential apps you'll need for free talk and text, and what the downsides are.

How Much Will I Save?

• Let's take a closer look at Verizon: purchase an iPad, and data will run you $30 per month for 4GB with no contract. The same month-to-month plan for an iPhone (with required unlimited talk and text added on) is $70 per month - that's $480 more per

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A new Mercedes-Benz ad starring the voluptuous Kate Upton is generating some surprisingly negative buzz in the blogosphere, with critics calling it cheap and tasteless—even wondering if it's too sexy.

More on Shine: Does Visa's Superbowl Ad Put Football Before Parenting?

"Hot girl, great car, and somehow I think this is the worst ad Mercedes has ever made," and "Cheap and stupid. Worst ad Mercedes made. Whoever thought of this needs to be fired!" are among a slew of choice comments posted on the Mercedes-Benz Facebook page.

The ad, set to air on February 3 during the Super Bowl, starts off with a slow pan upward, from feet to face, of a scantily clad Upton and her physical assets. Bluesy music blares. The screen goes blank except for a title: "Kate Upton Washes the New Mercedes CLA—in Slow Motion," and then it's back to the action, which consists of Upton suggestively blowing suds out of her hand, and then teasing and supervising a few young, wide-eyed young men in football jerseys

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