Branded "The World's Oldest Teenager" for his continuous youthful appearance and productions aimed at adolescents, Dick Clark doesn't play a musical instrument or write songs, but for over 40 years he has been a major force in the music and television industry. His entertainment empire includes Dick Clark Productions which he founded in 1957 (in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), producing television hits such as the "American Music Awards," "Golden Globe Awards," "Academy of Country Music Awards," and "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" as well as weekly television programming, including "So You Think You Can Dance."

Dick Clark was born on November 30, 1929 in Mount Vernon, New York to Julia and Richard Clark. He had one brother, Bradley, who was killed in World War II.  He started his show business career at the age of 17 when his father hired him to work in the mailroom of a radio station owned by his uncle and managed by his father. He attended Syracuse University the following semester, (majoring in advertising and radio as a minor) and worked as a radio disc jockey at a local country radio station during his senior year.  He graduated in 1951 with a degree in business and married his high school sweetheart the following year. 

He returned to his father's station in Utica for a short time where he worked as a weatherman and news announcer under the name Richard Clay, which lead to his first TV-hosting job in Utica on Cactus Dick and the Santa Fe Riders, a country music program, and later hosted the GE College Bowl as a newscaster.  In 1952, he and his wife moved to Philadelphia, PA where they became neighbors with Ed McMahon (of future Tonight Show fame with Johnny Carson).  He took a job at a local radio station using the name Dick Clark.  The new radio trend was for announcers to play records over the air and he later hosted his own music program. Another early show, Bob Horn's Bandstand, was being aired on at an affiliate television station the same year which had Philadelphia teenagers dancing to records.  Clark was a substitute host on the show during Bob Horn's vacation in 1955. Later, on July 9, 1956 when Horn left the show following a drunken driving arrest, Clark, age 26, became the show's full-time host and the name was changed to Bandstand.  Clark knew almost none of the songs, but had the insight to work with the kids.  He was young enough to be a friend and projected a non-threatening image.  He would ask them about their favorite songs, clothing trends and watched for dance fads.

Largely through Clark's initiative, the show was picked up by ABC television network, renamed American Bandstand, and was first aired nationally on August 5, 1957 - Dick Clark interviewed Elvis Presley on that same day.  American Bandstand was a major success, running daily Monday through Friday until 1963, then weekly on Saturdays until 1987.  In 1964 the show moved from Philadelphia to Hollywood, California.  Clark produced American Bandstand until 1989, and hosted the show in 1987 and 1988.  The show came to an end in 1989.  As host to the first network television series devoted to rock and roll and the longest running musical show in television history, Dick Clark made rock music palatable to the mainstream American public and helped to promote the careers of many rock and roll artists (both talents and no-talents) of the 50s, including Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and Chubby Checker.  Dick Clark was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.   American Bandstand and Dick Clark were honored at the 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards.

Clark produced and hosted Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in 1972, an ongoing series of specials still broadcast in Times Square on New Year's Eve. In the more than three decades it has been on the air, the show has become a mainstay in U.S. New Year's Eve celebrations, with millions of people around the world watching the traditional Times Square Ball drop on Clark's show.

In 2003, it was revealed that Clark, age 74, had Type 2 diabetes and on December 8, 2004, he was hospitalized after suffering a minor stroke.  On December 13, 2004, Clark was unable to appear on the New Years Eve program and named Regis Philbin as substitute host.  On August 15, 2005, and still recovering, it was announced that, should Clark decide to retire as the host of the program, Ryan Seacrest (host of American Idol) would eventually take over as the sole host. That year, Clark returned to New Year's Rockin' Eve, co-hosting with Hilary Duff and Ryan Seacrest. Clark had noticeable difficulty speaking, slurring his famous countdown to the new year.  During the program, Clark remained behind a desk, and was shown only in limited segments.  On-air, he said, "Last year I had a stroke.  It left me in bad shape.  I had to teach myself how to walk and talk again.  It's been a long, hard fight.  My speech is not perfect, but I'm getting there."  Before counting down to 2006, he mentioned he "wouldn't have missed it for the world."  While some TV critics felt he was not in good enough shape to do the broadcast, stroke survivors and many of Clark's fans praised him for being a role model for people dealing with post-stroke recovery.  For the following two years he still exhibited noticeably slurred and somewhat breathless speech, but improved from previous years, in addition to using his arms again.

For the 39^th consecutive year, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011 will lead America into the new year, beginning at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time on December 31 on the ABC Television Network.

Clark has been married three times:  Barbara Mallery (his high school sweetheart) 1952-1961 (one son, Richard).  Loretta Martin (his former secretary) 1962-1971 (two children, Duane and Cindy).  Kari Wigton (another of his former secretaries) 1977 to present.

Each year millions of eyes from all over the world are focused on the sparkling Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year's Eve Ball.  At 11:59 p.m., the Ball begins its descent as millions of voices unite to count down the final seconds of the year, and celebrate the beginning of a new year full of hopes, challenges, changes and dreams.

Designed and crafted by Waterford artisans in Ireland, and first unveiled in November 2008, the Ball is a geodesic sphere, 12 feet in diameter and weighing 11,875 pounds, built to withstand the stresses of high winds, precipitation and temperature fluctuation to brightly shine over 400 feet above Times Square throughout the year.  For 2011, Waterford Crystal has designed 288 new "Let There Be Love" crystal triangles featuring a romantic pattern that blends a modern cascade of hearts with diamond cutting.  288 triangles are emblazoned with last year's "Let There Be Courage" design of a ribbon medal defining the triumph of courage over adversity; and 1,152 triangles sparkle with the "Let There Be Joy" design of an angel with arms uplifted welcoming the New Year.  The remaining 960 triangles are the original "Let There Be Light" design of a stylized radiating sunburst.  The 2,688 crystal triangles are bolted to 672 LED modules which are attached to the aluminum frame of the Ball.  The Ball is illuminated by 32,256 Philips Rebel LEDs (light emitting diodes).  Each LED module contains 48 Philips LEDs - 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white for a total of 8,064 of each color.  By mixing these four colors, the Ball is capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns producing a spectacular kaleidoscope effect atop One Times Square.  This year's Ball is 10-20% more energy efficient than last year's already energy-efficient Ball, consuming only the same amount of energy per hour as it would take to operate two traditional home ovens.  Focus Lighting created a spectacular and unique lighting design that utilizes over 3,500 lighting cues to orchestrate the colorful moving patterns of light radiating from the Ball.  Theatrical techniques were used to show the beauty of each facet of each individual crystal, making the sparkle visible whether viewed from 5 feet away (as members of the press have seen it) or from 500 feet when viewed from the streets of Times Square.  The New Year's Eve Ball is a year-round attraction above Times Square in full public view to visitors.

The "Times Square 2011" commercial-free webcast (featuring A-List musical performances, celebrity guests, and more) will start at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time and streamed live on multiple websites including www.TimesSquareNYC.org, www.Livestream.com/2011, www.TimesSquareBall.net and many other websites.  Facebook users can easily add the widget to their profile by using the special Facebook app at http://apps.facebook.com/timessquare.

The IRS has recently published the new standard mileage rates beginning January 1, 2011:

·         51 cents per mile for business miles driven

·         19 cents per mile for medical or moving purposes.

·         14 cents per mile in service of charitable contributions.

On December 7, 2010, the IRS issued temporary and final regulations requiring all Federal tax deposits to be made using the Electronic Federal Tax Deposit System (EFTPS) beginning January 1, 2011.  The regulations note that the Treasury Department will no longer maintain the paper deposit coupon system after 2010.  The regulations do not change the deposit requirements or thresholds.  Taxpayers who owe minimal amounts and are not subject to the tax rules will continue to be permitted to make payment with the filed tax return.  For example, Form 941 filers with a deposit liability of less than $2,500 for a return may continue to submit payment with the return.

Depositing electronically offers many advantages over the paper coupon system.  It allows deposits to be made at any time, from a computer or telephone, and to schedule deposits in advance.  The system also greatly reduces the possibility of errors and eliminates the need to order and retain coupons.

You don't need to travel hundreds of miles or spend thousands of dollars to find a great life coach.  In fact, you can find some of the best life coaches in the world much closer to home than you may think.  The expert life coaches I'm talking about are children!  Children come into the world with a positive "can-do" mindset that we as adults can learn a lot from.  Seven life lessons I have learned from children are:

Life Lesson #1:  Stop analyzing the past and worrying about the future and choose to live in the moment.

Life Lesson #2:  When you are learning a new skill or activity, give yourself time to learn.  Try not to get worried or frustrated when you make mistakes - instead, try to see the humor in the situation and enjoy the journey.

Life Lesson #3:  Believe in your dreams with a child-like faith.

Life Lesson #4:  Seize every opportunity you get to laugh out loud.

Life Lesson #5:  When you love someone, let them know.

Life Lesson #6:  If you're carrying a grudge, let it go and move on.  A grudge gets heavier the longer you carry it.

Life Lesson #7:  Take time to stop and look at the world around you through the eyes of a child.  It really is an amazing place!

(Source:  Dr. Anthony Fernando, www.anthonyfernando.com)

Conglomerations of frozen ice crystals that fall through the atmosphere, snowflakes begin as two snow crystals which develop when microscopic super-cooled (-31 degrees F) cloud droplets freeze.  Snowflakes, nearly unique in structure, come in a variety of complex sizes and shapes, emerging as the flake moves through different temperature and humidity conditions.  Types which fall in the form of a ball rather than a flake (known as graupel, ice pellets and snow grains) are caused by melting and refreezing as they fall through the atmosphere.  It is next to impossible for two snowflakes to be exactly alike due to the number of water molecules which make up a snowflake, which grow at different rates and in different patterns depending on the changing temperature and humidity through which the snowflake travels on its way to the ground.  Initial attempts to find identical snowflakes by photographing thousands of them with a microscope from 1885 onward by Wilson Alwyn Bentley found the wide variety of snowflakes we know about today.  It is more likely that two snowflakes could become virtually identical if their environments were similar enough.  Matching snow crystals were discovered in Wisconsin in 1988 - the crystals were not flakes in the usual sense, but rather hollow hexagonal prisms.  The Guinness World Records list the world's largest snowflakes as those of January 1887 at Fort Keogh, Montana - allegedly, one measured 15 inches wide!

When it comes to weight reduction, there's no lack of fad diets promising fast results.  But such diets limit your nutritional intake, can be unhealthy, and tend to fail in the long run.  The key to achieving and maintaining a healthy weight isn't about short-term dietary changes. It's about a lifestyle that includes healthy eating, regular physical activity, and balancing the number of calories you consume with the number of calories your body uses.

A healthy eating plan that helps you manage your weight includes:  Fresh fruits when in season, or frozen, canned or dried fruits when fresh is not available; fresh vegetables (try them steamed or grilled with herbs!) or frozen/canned for a quick side dish; calcium-rich foods (low-fat and fat-free yogurts (without added sugars) and cottage cheese is a great substitute for milk); perhaps try beans in place of higher-fat meats, and try baking or grilling meats instead of frying.

Along with diet, exercise is a critical piece of a new lifestyle to help maintain weight; reduce high blood pressure, reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes, heart attack, stroke and several forms of cancer; reduce arthritis pain and associated disability; reduce risk for osteoporosis and falls; reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week - however, the exact amount of physical activity needed is not clear since it varies greatly from person to person.

There is a device that robbers are now using to clone your car's security code when you lock the doors on your car using your keychain locking device.  Thieves will sit a distance away and watch for their next victim.  They know you are going inside of a store, restaurant or restroom and that they have a few minutes to steal and run.  Police departments suggest always manually locking your car door by pressing the lock button inside the car - that way if there is someone sitting in a parking lot watching for their next victim, it will not be you.  When you press the lock button on your car door upon exiting, it does not send the security code, but if you walk away and use the door lock device on your keychain, it sends the code through the airwaves where it can be instantly stolen.

'Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house

Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste

At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!

When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).

I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;

The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,

The punch and the candy, the bread and the cheese

And the way I'd not said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt

And prepared once again to do battle with dirt -

I said to myself, as I only can,

"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So - away with the last of the sour cream dip,

Get rid of the fruitcake, every cracker and chip

Every last bit of food that I like must be banished

Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie - not even a lick.

I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.

I won't have hot biscuits, or cornbread, or pie,

I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore -

But isn't that what January is for?

Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.

Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

(Baird Leonard, The New Yorker, January 26, 1929)