Enjoy New Year & Avoid Drunk-Driving

'Friends don't let friends drive drunk'

Each year, the number of accidents and crashes spike on New Year's Eve. So, during this holiday season, try your best to avoid such mishaps and also help your guests to stay safe, too, if you are hosting a party, by following these simple tips:

o Ensure that all guests have a ride to and from the party in a car driven by a nondrinking designated driver.

o Plan activities that take the focus away from nonstop drinking, and make non-alcoholic beverages readily available.

o Serve high protein snacks to slow down alcohol absorption.

o Put away alcohol and start serving coffee and dessert at least 90 minutes before the party ends.

o Take the car keys if an intoxicated guest is planning to drive home. Some guests may not like the idea of taking a cab home because they don't want to return again to take their car the following day. Take the following service from the Auto club then, if it's available in your state.

o Take the service of AAA's Tipsy Tow' program. The Auto Club offers a complimentary ride and tow back to the guest's residence up to a certain distance (for example, 7 miles in Southern California but 18 miles in Oklahoma) as a part of the club's public awareness campaign 'You Drink. You Drive. You Lose'. Even non-members of the club can get the ride. Callers need to keep in mind that the service excludes rides for passengers, is restricted to a one-way, one-time ride for the driver and the destination is limited to the driver’s residence. Reservations are not accepted. Drivers can expect to pay the rate charged by the tow truck contractor for rides farther than the maximum allowed distance. Call: 1-800-AAA-HELP (-4357).

Safe Holiday Celebration

Attention to safety can go a long way toward keeping your holiday celebrations festive. Whether you're installing decorations or planning to do so, following these tips can help prevent injuries and damage:

Keep sidewalks and walkways clear of decorations. Repair any cracks in walkways or loose steps and make sure walkways aren't slippery.

If you host a party, serve plenty of appetizers and provide juices, non-alcoholic mixers, and sodas for designated drivers and non-drinking guests. Stop serving alcohol an hour before the party ends. Arrange alternate transportation for any guests who has had too much to drink.

At holiday gathering, remember that dogs pose risks for small children and may make some adults uncomfortable. Consider confining dogs to areas that won' t be used by guests. If you're visiting a home with a dog, don't leave your child alone with the animal.

Check each set of decorative lights for frayed wires, broken bulbs, or loose connections. Discard damaged sets. String no more than 3 sets of lights per extention cord. Never place cords or lights behind drapes, under carpets, or across walkways. Always turn off the lights before you go to bed each night.

Use a screen to keep embers in the fireplace. Extinguish candles when they burn down to 2 inches above the holder.

If you're buying a cut tree, check the needles to make sure it's fresh, and water it daily. Keep the tree away from heat vent and the fireplace.

Stop Catalogs in Mailbox

Holiday season is approaching fast. Malls and stores throughout USA are showing the start of another shopping spree! And with the holiday season come lots and lots of catalogs to your mailbox. Some people enjoy it but many of you may not! Want some relief from those more than 18 billion catalogs that overload U.S. mailboxes each year? Here are some tips for what to do:

The best way isn't to call the companies; There's a new FREE online service that lets you cancel unwanted catalogs. Catalogchoice.org lets you select the catalogs you don't want to receive and within 10 weeks, your mailbox will be empty of unwanted catalogs. This service is sponsored by The Ecology Center and endorsed by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). To learn more, visit NRDC's site simplesteps.org.

There are other options, if you wish. You may choose to send a request by mail. Web sites like Junkbusters.com provide template letters for free that you can print out and sign.

The Abacus Alliance, a database used by mail-order catalogs, will remove you from it's listings upon request (abacusalliance.com). The Direct Marketing Association, too, will add your name to a "delete" list for direct marketers (free by mail; $5 online at dmaconsumers.org).

As last option you may pay the pros to do this job for you. For $20, StoptheJunkMail.com lets pick which catalogs you want to keep receiving; it then contacts the others repeatedly until you're removed from their lists. for good.

Top 10 Cars with Best Resale Value

Chevrolet Corvette

Kelley Blue Book has released its annual list of Top 10 cars that should retain more of their original value by 2013 than the average vehicle.

On average, a vehicle will retain just 35% of its original value after five years of use. In other words, buying a new car today for $20,000 will mean you can expect to get just $7,000 for it after five years. Note that unpopular color, too many accessories and/or radical interior and exterior may reduce the resale value much more than this level simply because you'll get less number of buyers to bargain for the price.

Here is the Top 10 list ['Base price range' and 'Predicted 5-year retained value' are indicated in parenthesis after each car name]:

1) General Motors' Chevrolet Corvette ($47,245 - $55,585, 50%)
2) Honda Motor's Civic ($15,645 - $21,925, 52%)
3) Nissan's Infiniti G37 ($34,965 - $36,265, 52%)
4) BMW's Mini Cooper ($18,700 - $26,050, 52%)
5) Toyota Motor's Scion tC ($15,920 - $18,420, 52%)
6) Toyota's Scion xB ($16,270 - $17,220, 52%)
7) Toyota Corolla ($15,065 - $19,200, 52%)
8) Volkswagen's Eos ($29,555 - $38,630, 52%)
9) Volkswagen Jetta $17,630 ($23,465, 51%)
10) Volkswagen Rabbit ($16,130 - $17,075, 51%)

2008 Medicare Drug Plans : Deadline 31st Dec

If you are a Medicare beneficiary, you have exactly 4 more weeks -- until Dec. 31 -- to select a new "Part D" prescription drug plan for 2008. Many of you may find rising costs and coverage changes for specific drugs that you use.

About 24 million people are already enrolled in Medicare, the federal health insurance program for those 65 and older and the disabled. The prescription-drug plans are administered by private companies, with United Healthcare and Humana two of the largest providers. There are about 1,800 individual drug plans for next year, 17 of which are national in scope.

It is wise not to blindly default to your current plans without checking alternative offerings. Also, even though low premium is a desirable factor, do not make that your priority -- It may turn out to be the costliest plan if you do not carefully consider your requirements. So, please compare plans based on your pharmaceutical needs and total costs.

First, prepare a list of the drugs you currently take and their dosages and then find out (i) if the plan covers your drugs and offers you a cheaper alternative than what you currently pay, (ii) if the pharmacies you regularly use are in the plan's network, (iii) if the plan puts any kind of restrictions on the purchase of your drug.

Starting this year, Medicare is offering an online feature drawn from multiple data sources for the quality of services offered, that compares local drug plans for pricing, ease of prescription fulfillment and customer service. It appears on the plan finder tool on its Web site, http://www.medicare.gov/ . You can put your ZIP codes and scrutinize a plan's performance before deciding to go for it.

Medicare also offers help via the toll-free phone 1-800-Medicare. The Medicare Rights Center also staffs a toll-free number with counselors ready to help at 1-800-333-4114.