Recently in New Year's Category

Today is the first day of the Chinese new year, the Year of the Ox, an event marked by parades and fireworks the world over.

But centuries ago, that fanfare wasn't just celebration -- it was a safety precaution.

According to a History Channel account, "legend spoke of the wild beast Nien (which also is the word for 'year') that appeared at the end of each year, attacking and killing villagers. Loud noises and bright lights were used to scare the beast away."

But we're up against a different beast this year, and those noises and lights might not be enough.

Even though the year has a bullish sign, it lacks the element of fire, which Chinese mythology says is essential to financial well-being.

The concerns aren't only about the economy. Some fortunetellers predict earthquakes, rising U.S.-Russian tensions and a rough start for President Barack Obama, even though he was born under in a Year of the Ox, in 1961.

The problem is that the ox zodiac sign conflicts with a traditional Chinese divinity called the "God of Year." He is also the 44th president, a number the Chinese deem extremely unlucky, because "four" is pronounced the same as "death" in Chinese.

"The new U.S. president is not having good luck this year. His honeymoon will only be short-lived," said fortuneteller Alion Yeo, predicting Obama may even face impeachment in his first year in office. "The Year of the Ox looks slightly better and less dire than last year, but it will still be bumpy."

But don't count Obama out yet.

Malaysian numerologist Weng Shi Ming suggested Obama's birth year would offset his bad luck. Weng said the symmetry of 1961 is "the perfect mix of ying and yang," rendering Obama "immune to the effects of 44."

After all, the ox, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac, symbolizes calm, hard work, resolve and tenacity.

So it might be a bad year for Obama, but what about you? Get your Chinese horoscope based on your zodiac sign (determined by your birth year). And get even more insight into your fortune by finding out what your element is. All you need to enter is your birth date and time.

If your element is soil, prepare for some good news in April, because while the Chinese year of 4706 lacks fire, it contains strong earth.

And if that's not enough luck for you, wait a day to clean your house and wash your hair. Chinese superstition holds that performing either task at the start of the year will sweep away your good fortune.

Confused by the fire, the yin and the yang of the Chinese calendar? Learn a bit about how the elements and numbers work.

At least since the Romans decided to name the first month of the year after the god Janus (his two faces made it easy for him to look back and forward), the New Year has been a time for taking stock.

Although some sources say the practice of making New Year's resolutions has declined, 40 to 45 percent of American adults make one or more resolutions each year, according to http://www.proactivechange.com/motivation/resolutions/index.htm, which also offers tips on keeping resolutions in a free download, "Resolutions that Work."

Although the "goals guy" offers a number of goal-oriented services, http://www.goalsguy.com/Events/n_facts.html, whets the appetite for change with a look at New Year history, greetings in various language, a list of Jan. 1-born celebrities and even the complete text of "Auld Lang Syne."

More tips, and links to helpful Web sites, are available at http://www.ehow.com/how_12076_keep-new-years.html which suggests avoiding resolution overload ("it's difficult for the average person to follow through on even one resolution"), setting rewards and even waiting until a spring date, perhaps May 1.

If you think you might need a little more info than our LA.Com article gives you, here's a WebMD link to an article about how to prevent a hangover. Here's another about what to do if that didn't work.

Here's another site that has links to more lists of cures.

Want to share your most heartfelt wish with the world tonight? Or are you curious about what everyone else is wishing for? Check out the virtual Wishing Wall, where people from around the world have been leaving messages that will be printed on confetti that will rain down on New York's Times Square.

From The Associated Press:

Messages and wishes for the new year from people around the world will float down on the New Year’s Eve revelers in Times Square when the confetti is dropped. For the first time, anyone can get a message printed on a piece of the multicolored confetti by using the Internet to type a message on a “Wishing Wall Online.” The message-carrying pieces will be mixed among the more than one ton of confetti, organizers said. Messages can be serious or silly, said Tim Tompkins, a spokesman for the Times Square Alliance, which organizes the party. So far, messages have included everything from wanting to be taller or having a smarter boss to healthy children and asking for the safe return of a child from Iraq, he said. “Peace in the World,” reads one posted on the “virtual wishing wall.”

LA.Com's picks for a raucous New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve in San Pedro

New Year's Eve around the South Bay

Since you won't get a full rockin' New Year's Eve of Dick Clark this year -- Ryan Seacrest is helping out the longtime host -- check out this video.


It's a look back at "American Bandstand," which Clark hosted for more than 30 years. There's a series of videos about that classic show on YouTube. For more, click here.

The Los Angeles Dodgers are entering a float in the Rose Parade to mark their 50th year in Los Angeles, and they need fans to help build it. Volunteers are asked to complete an online form.

The volunteer dates are:
Today and Sunday: 8:30am - 4:00pm
Dec. 1-2, 8-9, 15-16 and 22: 8:30am - 4:00pm
Dec. 23: 8:30am - 1:30pm

According to the floatmaker's Web site, which includes a rendering of the float, "Dodger Stadium will be depicted, complete with 12 Dodger Baseball legends and Nancy Bea playing game-day favorites on the stadium organ. Fifteen fans will also be on board, cheering from the bleachers for the 35 foot tall MLB player with the Grand Slam swing."