Welcome to 2013!!!!
(Photo: Marcus Yam for New York Times)
It officially arrived - New York City style - at the stroke of midnight.
Clouds and showers welcome in 2013. Hi 42. Lo's in the 30s. Some sun tomorrow. Hi 40. Cloudy Thursday. Hi 42. A bit warmer by Sunday. Hi 49. Monday's high 54.
The Senate and White House strike fiscal cliff deal early this morning in an 89 - 8 vote to avert fiscal tax hikes and spending cuts. That passage sets the stage for a final showdown in the House, where a vote is expected later today or Wednesday. Reportedly, the emerging deal would raise tax rates on family income over $450,000 a year, increase the estate tax rate and extend unemployment benefits for one year.
Hillary Clinton developed a blood clot in her head but did not suffer a stroke or neurological damage. The blood clot is treatable.
By lunchtime Monday, six NFL coaches and seven general managers were looking for work.
Entertainment Buzz
(Photo: AP Photo,Charles Sykes file)
ESPN anchor Hannah Storm will return to the air on New Year's Day, exactly three weeks after she was seriously burned in a propane gas grill accident at her home. Storm suffered second-degree burns on her chest and hands, and first-degree burns to her face and neck. She lost her eyebrows and eyelashes, and roughly half her hair. Storm will host ABC's telecast of the 2013 Rose Parade today.
Congrats to Taylor Swift. Rolling Stone says her "Red" album is the #2 album of the year. Her song "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" was #2 single. Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" was the top single.
(Photo: AP Photo,NBC Tyler Golden)
Cassadee Pope - The Voice winner - joined Train, Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green to welcome in the New Year on NBC last night.
Whether or not she returns to the "X Factor," next season, Britney Spears is definitely going to be hard at work in 2013. The singer confirmed that she is working on a new album in a Q&A session with her fans on Twitter yesterday.
(Photo: Dancing with the Stars, ABC)
Dancing with the Stars judge Len Goodman got hitched over the weekend to longtime girlfriend Sue Barrett. He's 68, she's 47. The only person he told about the wedding was his 96 year old mom.
Hugh Hefner and Crystal Harris were married in a New Year's Eve ceremony. They've dated for two years.
TMZ is reporting Michael Phelps and his girlfriend, Megan Rossee, have split. They began dating in March.
Keith Urban welcomed in the New Year, with wife Nicole Kidman, down under in Austrailia.
Hulk Hogan is now in the restaurant biz. He opened a restaurant in Tampa called Hogan's Beach in December.
Boy we lost some huge Hollywood icons in 2012. Dick Clark, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, Davy Jones, Fontella Bass, Jack Klugman, Marvin Hamlish, author Ray Bradbury, Mike Wallace; Andy Griffith, Sherman Hemsley, Michael Clarke Duncan, Ernest Borgnine, Chad Everett, George Lindsey and Larry Hagman; singers Etta James and Jenni Rivera; Earl Scruggs, painter Thomas Kinkade and others.
Marva Whitney, a singer in the James Brown Revue, has died at 68.
College football and New Year’s Day go hand-in-hand for millions of gridiron fans across America. In 2013, the schedule includes six games including two BCS match-ups. So, grab the chips and dip and settle in for a long day of football frenzy.
Noon: Gator Bowl. Mississippi State (8-4) vs. No. 20 Northwestern (9-3). ESPN.
1 p.m.: Heart of Dallas Bowl. Purdue (6-6) vs. Oklahoma State (7-5). ESPNU.
1 p.m.: Outback Bowl. No. 18 Michigan (8-4) vs. No. 10 South Carolina (10-2). ESPN.
1 p.m.: Capital One Bowl. No. 16 Nebraska (10-3) vs. No. 7 Georgia (11-2). ABC.
5 p.m.: Rose Bowl. Wisconsin (8-5) vs. No. 6 Stanford (11-2). ESPN
8:30 p.m.: Orange Bowl. No. 15 Northern Illinois (12-1) vs. No. 12 Florida State (11-2). ESPN.
Lar's This and That
Lucky Food for the New Year
Ready to start the New Year with a clean slate? You may want to start with a few "lucky foods". From cabbage and corn beef to lentls. For New Year's revelers in Spain consume twelve grapes at midnight—one grape for each stroke of the clock. Pork is big on New Year's in Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Austria
Read more
New Year’s Resolutions
Franklinplanner.com has released the results of its annual New Year’s Resolutions Survey, which polled more than 1,000 adult consumers throughout the United States.
The 2013 New Year’s Resolutions Survey found that respondents’ top four New Year’s resolutions remain the same as prior year:
(1) become more physically fit
(2), improve one’s financial condition
(3) improve health
(4) lose weight.
However, two new resolutions broke into the top 10 list – becoming more educated and improve work habits/career situation. For the first time, the survey asked consumers to share the resolution abandoned first and pursued the longest. Interestingly, fitness and weight loss appeared on both lists:
Resolutions abandoned first: Lose weight – 31% of those who made the resolution Travel – 26% of those who made the resolution Improve physical fitness – 20% of those who made the resolution Resolutions pursued the longest Lose weight – 41% of those who made the resolution Improve physical fitness – 29% of those who made the resolution Improve financial situation – 16% of those who made the resolution
The top 10 resolutions for 2013:
1. Become more physically fit
2. Improve financial condition
3. Improve health
4. Lose weight
5. Read more/become more educated
6. Improve work habits/career situation
7. Travel more
8. Improve family relationships
9. Do more volunteer work
10. Change overall attitude/become more positive
Have A Worry-free 2013
Beat anxiety with Vitamin B. Within 2 weeks you'll feel calmer.
Force yourself to laugh out loud. It makes you take a dep breath, which calms the part of te prain associated with anxiety.
Ask a calming question. It'll help you settle down.
Place the palm of your right hand over your heart and focus on a loved one's face. This activates the pleasure center of your brain.
(Woman's World)
What a year on the seas! Let's cruise
Yesterday, I was looking back at some of my pictures from our fundraising cruise aboard Royal Caribbean's Enchantment of the Seas to Canada and New England. One of my favorite stops was Bar Harbor, Maine. This was taken from Cadillac Mountain.
Last night, I found site for a webcam at Geddy's in downtown Bar Harbor. Yes, that's snow alright. Still pretty. Hard to believe we stood on that corner - at the end of the street - in September admiring the beauty of the town. It was 70 degrees then. Today, upper 20s. That's Maine.
Words That Need To Go in 2012
Lake Superior State University's 38th annual list of banished words:
fiscal cliff
kick the can down the road
double down
job creators/creation
passion/passionate
YOLO
spoiler alert
bucket list
trending
superfood
boneless wings
guru
Mom Knows Best
Here's a real parenting solution: Janelle Hofman is a smartmom. She gave her son an 18 point contract that he had to agree too, in order to get a an iPhone.
10 Best-Mannered People Of 2012
Taylor Swift was named the "best-mannered person of 2012" by the National League of Junior Cotillions (NLJC), while Prince Harry of Wales turned out to be the "most ill-mannered person" of 2012 for disregarding his prestigious title by his public misbehavior. Here is the list featuring the best-mannered individuals of 2012:
1. Taylor Swift – for inspiring young people with her music and her manners.
2. Rory McIlroy – for displaying good sportsmanship on and off the golf course.
3. Robin Roberts – for the respect she shows others as a network host and for extending warmth and kindness to "Good Morning America" guests.
4. Gabby Douglas – for demonstrating humility and politeness as a young Olympic athlete.
5. Justin Bieber – for consistently showing courtesy to his many fans.
6. Matt Damon – for being a positive role model in Hollywood to younger generations.
7. Kate Middleton – for the poise and dignity with which she conducts herself in the public spotlight.
8. Drew Brees – for being a positive example for young athletes.
9. Michelle Obama – for her positive encouragement of a healthy lifestyle to youth.
10. Daniel Radcliffe – for the kindness extended to his "Harry Potter" fans.
Good News Story 
A northeastern Pennsylvania newspaper has just received a calendar to help ring in the new year _ except the year is 1950. A mail carrier delivered it 63 years late without explanation on Friday.
The large tube contained a 1950 Pennsylvania Railroad calendar addressed to James Flanagan, former general manager of The Scranton Times.
The calendar included a holiday greeting from a railroad executive dated December 1949. Flanagan died that month.
A U.S. Postal Service spokesman says lost mail is sometimes found when a machine is dismantled or office space is renovated.
Lar's Thought of the Day 
"Be grateful for the people in your life, for waking up feeling good and pain free, and for the stretch of road ahead that's so full of possibilities. When you encounter bumps, keep going and don't look back." Katie Couric
