$66M Thomas Kinkade estate dispute between widow and girlfriend quietly settled

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Thomas Kinkade's widow and girlfriend have reached a settlement after a dispute over the late artist's $66 million estate, their attorneys said Wednesday.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that counsel for Nanette Kinkade and his girlfriend Amy Pinto announced the settlement but wouldn't provide further details, leaving it unclear who will inherit Kinkade's San Francisco Bay area mansion and his warehouse of paintings.

In a statement, they said the women kept Kinkade's message of "love, spirituality and optimism" in their amicable resolution.

The dispute went public after the 54-year-old artist died April 6 from an accidental overdose of alcohol and prescription tranquilizers.

Pinto, who began dating Kinkade six months after his marriage of 28 years imploded, claimed Kinkade wrote two notes bequeathing her his mansion and $10 million to establish a museum of his paintings. Her lawyers filed court papers stating that she and Kinkade had planned to marry as soon as his divorce went through.

Nanette Kinkade disputed those claims and sought full control of the estate. She portrayed Pinto in court papers as a gold-digger who is trying to cheat the artist's rightful heirs.

Kinkade, the self-described "Painter of Light," was known for sentimental scenes of country gardens and pastoral landscapes. His work led to a commercial empire of franchised galleries, reproduced artwork and spin-off products that was said to fetch some $100 million each year in sales.

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Life's special events often require expensive attire. Unfortunately, special-occasion wear is often donned once, never again to see the light of day.

Naturally, we rationalize this outlay of cash. After all, who can put a price tag on memories? But every time you catch a glimpse of that exiled gown waaaay in the back of the closet, your wallet sighs a little.

Don't make your wallet sigh. There's another way to look photo-fantastic for life's big events: Rent your outfit.

Online fashion rental companies Adorn.com, Mine for Nine, Mountain Threads and Rent the Runway can make you look like a million bucks at a fraction of the cost -- and without the guilt.

"This generation is so different; everybody is renting something," says Nadine Zaun, owner and chief style consultant at Adorn.com, which rents high-ticket diamond jewelry.

How does it work? What's the selection like? You probably have even more questions, but relax. These growing online companies have you covered -- for less.

For your next skip trip

The cost to outfit your whole family for a winter ski getaway can be Rocky Mountain high. Lugging those extra gear-laden bags through the airport both ways is no vacation either.

Enter an ingenious alternative: Rent the ski clothes, and have them waiting for you at your mountain destination (or pick them up on your way to the slopes).

"We don't offer equipment because there are plenty of places to do that at the resorts," says Myles Libby, marketing manager for Mountain Threads, a Denver company.

Many ski towns are popping up with this new service, even overseas. Customers who bond with their slope ensemble may even be able to purchase the pieces online during a post-season sale.

For moms-to-be

Maternity is a fashion nightmare for most moms-to-be. The clothes you like don't fit; the clothes that fit, you don't like. What to do?

Marisa Moss founded Mine for Nine LLC in 2009 when friends complained that it was impossible to find stylish maternity wear.

"There are so few brick-and-mortar maternity stores anymore and only one nationwide chain," says Moss. "If you live in a small town, you're even more limited."

Mine for Nine rents a full line of suits, dresses, coats and casual wear at 75 percent off retail. There are other online sites similar to Mine for Nine that rent whatever a mom-to-be might need to wear. Search by occasion, by designer or by price.

Moss says renting helps moms-to-be look and feel their best throughout their pregnancy. "This way, you're wearing clothing that fits you right now and is stylish as well," she says

For one-time swanky affairs

Love fashion but have a fear of commitment? Rent the Runway and other similar online sites offer the uncomplicated and less-costly relationship you've been searching for.

Rent the Runway is the brainchild of Harvard Business School students Jenny Fleiss and Jenn Hyman. It is just one site that allows folks to rent couture dresses and accessories. Their site offers designer duds at up to 90 percent off retail.

"The products we're offering are really around the experience of all of these magical events in your life and the fantastic feeling that a woman gets when she puts on an amazing designer dress," says Fleiss.

While you might not purchase a $1,450 Herve Leger coral sheath, now you can rent it for about $150. Rentals on sites like this usually are for four to eight days

For seasonal bling

Where jewelry is concerned, you have two choices for the big day: Look OK in jewelry you can afford or look OMG in rented diamonds.

Zaun, a 36-year-old mother of four, first worked for and now owns Adorn.com, the Kansas City, Mo., online jewelry rental business that's been around for five years.

"A few years ago, the mother of the bride would have said, 'That's OK for you but not for me,' but now most of my business is mothers of the bride," says Zaun. "It's become part of what you do: You rent a car, you rent a dress, you rent diamonds."

Other sites are also loaning out jewels, including BagBorroworSteal.com. For a fee, you can (temporarily) have the bling you've always wanted.

"It's for the pictures that last forever," says Zaun. "We're like Netflix but for diamonds."

SEE ALSO: 9 things collectors will be snapping up in 2013 >

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Napa Valley is a weird place. It's kind of demure, with rolling hills blanketed in low rows of lush vineyards, but also kind of action central, as the chances are high that the person cooking your food or pouring your wine is at the top of the industry.

Recently we ventured into kitchens, cellars and wineries (all accessible to you, too) in search of the extraordinarily yummy, which really is the norm in Napa.

Contrary to popular opinion, Napa's not only about the wine. Sure, that's a lot of the attraction, but you've got to eat something at some point to keep the drinking and drink appreciation going. That's where restaurants like Morimoto Napa come into play.

As the Flavor! Napa Valley festival only allows chefs with Napa restaurants to participate, Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto took the opportunity to share the basics of precision sushi preparation.

Even if you're better at ordering in than turning out beautiful rolls, Morimoto has some tips. In addition to the fun fact that sushi is actually finger food (though chopsticks are of course plenty fine), he's shared with us his four laws of eating sushi. Take notes if you're Japan-bound!

No mixing."Don't mix wasabi in the soy sauce. AGAIN. Do not mix the wasabi in soy sauce!" Can Morimoto be any clearer? That said, we're totally guilty of this.

No 'special rolls.'"Americans ask, 'what's your "special roll?"' I don't have a 'special roll.' All this is my 'special roll!'" With that, Morimoto gestured to the veritable buffet of fresh fish before him. He's right, too; go to Japan and you won't find California or Philadelphia rolls, and definitely not ones that look like a Disney chef was in charge. Leave the "ninja roll" to your local, strip mall sushi place.

Dip the fish."Fish side down for dipping into the soy sauce. This takes balance, but it is necessary." This goes for sushi and sashimi; whatever side has the most fish, that's the one that should get the soy sauce treatment.

One bite."Some females say, 'oh, I can't do it! One bite is too big!' But you must do it."

You know what this means, right? Tonight is totally sushi night. If you didn't know this sushi-eating etiquette before, be sure to practice before sauntering into a restaurant in Tokyo and wondering why the chef seems so offended. It's probably a wasabi-soy faux pas!

SEE ALSO: The 10 Best Restaurants In Chicago

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Picture this.

It’s 2 AM.

You’ve been trying to fall asleep for the past two hours.

You drift in and out of light sleep, not really able to reach that deep, restorative sleep you need to prep you up for the day that is to come.

After tossing and turning for a while, you check the time, only to find out that it’s already time to get up. The whole night went by and you didn’t get an ounce of sleep.

Definitely not a good way to start your day.

Sound familiar?

If it does, then make sure to check out the best 7 tips that will help you boost the quality of your sleep, overnight.

1. Have a Sleep Journal

Any good old notebook will do the trick. Inside you’ll log the time you went to sleep, the time you woke up and the total sleep time.

Keep that notebook close to your bed since this is the last thing you want to do before you fall asleep and the first thing you want to do when you wake up. With a sleep journal you’ll be able to do two things:

1. You’ll get a clear cut view of what’s your average bedtime, wake up time and your sleep length.
2. With the help of the intel in your sleep journal it’ll be much easier to develop a healthy sleeping schedule.

They say you can’t manage what you don’t measure. The same holds true for sleep.

2. Go to Sleep Early

This is one of those obvious tips that no-one seems to follow.

Our bodies are geared to hit the hay as soon as the sun sets. A good rule of thumb is to go to sleep before midnight, where 10pm is seen as a sweet spot for most.

And I bet you've heard this before … one hour of sleep before midnight is worth more than two hours after midnight.

3. Eliminate Distractions

There are 3 types of distractions you need to get rid of to get a good night’s sleep. They are:

1. Distractions for the Mind - internet, TV, Xbox, smartphone, etc. Shut that stuff down at least 1 hour before bedtime so that your mind can zone out.
2. Distractions for the Eyes - kill all sources of bright light. This includes modems, routers, smartphones and yes, even the moon. Switch off the tech stuff and roll out the blinds to block the moon rays. Wear a sleep mask if you have to.
3. Distractions for the Ears - kill the noise with some soft foam ear plugs.

4. Be Physically Active

Any kind of physical deed that will get your heart rate up will do a great deal of good when it comes to upping the quality of your sleep.

Do what you love the most - it could be parkour, soccer, weight lifting or even a light afternoon stroll in the park.

But make sure you’re not doing hard-core physical stuff right before bedtime.

5. Have Clean Bed Linen

If your bed feels, smells and looks like an Alien nest, then it’s time for you to bust out some clean bed linen.

This is one of the best things you can do to boost the quality of your sleep.

Change bed linen once a week and if you can, change the pillowcase daily.

6. Avoid Coffee and Other Stimulants

Try not to drink coffee, red bull, green tea and stuff like that at least six hours before bedtime.

Even if you can fall asleep with no trouble after drinking two cups of coffee right before you head out to bed, don’t do it.

Caffeine and other stimulants, right before bedtime, will mess with your melatonin production and your deep sleep.

7. Deep Breathing

While in bed trying to fall asleep, focus on taking deep, long breaths.

Inhale slowly, exhale slowly. Deep breathing will keep your mind in the now and away from future worries and past regrets. I know this may sound like some new-age fluff, but deep breathing really works.

These 7 Tips Are Just For Starters

In the end, if you want to sleep like a log every night, you’ll have to take good care of your health.

The 7 tips I talk about here are just the beginning. A sound diet and a smart workout plan will go a long way to make your sleep bulletproof.

That's what I've discovered.

Do you have a bucket list? Here are 101 things to do before you die. Includes a tutorial on how you can create your bucket list too!

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The new series of An Idiot Abroad — starring Karl Pilkington (pictured), the reluctant Mancunian globetrotter — is now showing.

Read our guide to the dos and don'ts of travel and you won't end up looking like Karl Pilkington.

Don't: Get out the map

We have all stood on the corner of the street struggling with a map of an unfamiliar city. Folding the map carefully will mean you can glance at it more discreetly.

And never try to get "into the map" - you'll only embarrass your travelling companions.

Do: Use local transport

Board the local buses and you'll blend in and save money. Many inner city routes pass by the key attractions, too.

For example, the London Big Bus Tour costs £29. Hop on the Number 24 at Victoria station and you'll see Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Downing Street and Leicester Square, before being deposited in trendy Camden - and all for just over £1.

Don't: Wear socks and sandals

This applies in all walks of life — not just during the holidays.

Tourists should also be wary of crocs, football shirts, Che Guevara t-shirts, budgie smugglers, and — perhaps most of all — bum bags.

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Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica

Basilicata, Italy

Puerto Rico

His tenure at 1919 ($$$) — the new restaurant inside San Juan’s historic Condado Vanderbilt Hotel, whose rooms will reopen in mid-2013 — has been brief.

But native son Juan José Cuevas has already created something other Puerto Rican chefs only talk about: a menu dedicated almost entirely to island ingredients.

Cuevas is one of the reasons food lovers are homing in on P.R.

Another? Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve ($$$$$) — which opened last month 30 miles west of the capital — where culinary wizard José Andrés showcases his own versions of such classic dishes as lechón asado (roast suckling pig).

Puerto Rico

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Long summer holidays and exciting new friendships make university a great time to travel – but can you afford it? Lauren Razavi outlines 10 ways students can globe-trot for free.

You've got months off for summer, exciting new friends from across the country or further afield, and less responsibility than you're ever going to have in your adult life. When could be a better time for travelling than your university years?

• Student guide to free travel - in pictures

If only it were that simple. Sadly, when the university break arrives the student loan tend to have been diminished by rent, food and nights out, meaning travel can fast become a distant dream.

But get creative, and it doesn’t have to be like that. There are a variety of ways to see the world – often without spending anything. Now's the time to start planning your summer travels, and here are 10 handy tips to get you started on your journey:

1. Cultural exchange and study schemes

Each year, [British] government departments fund a limited number of undergraduates to go on three-week cultural exchange programmes such as Study China and Study India . All accommodation, transport within the country and subsistence costs are covered by the schemes, and home universities will often fund flights, visas and vaccinations. A great way to fully immerse yourself in another culture – from food and drink to language and daily customs.

2. Teach English abroad at a camp or school

Teaching offers the opportunity to go almost anywhere in the world, and it’s undoubtedly one of the most rewarding options for student travellers. As well as getting to know a culture from the inside and meeting plenty of like-minded folk, most of your expenses are covered and many schools will pay you on top of this. Some notable companies include The English Experience, LEOlingo and Camp America .

3. Seek out travel grants

Believe it or not, some organisations exist with the sole purpose of funding travel. To cash in on this generosity, you’ll need to present a clear, considered plan and persuade a board of people that your trip is worthwhile. Many organisations value trips that will enhance personal or cultural development, but each has its own specifications and criteria. The SPRET educational trust caters specifically for students based in certain areas, whereas UNESCO and the UN both offer more general funding to travellers.

4. Enter competitions

While this certainly isn’t a guaranteed means of financing your adventures, competitions can offer some very appealing prizes. Here at The Telegraph, our travel section runs a weekly writing competition and offers a generous £200 prize in the winner’s chosen currency. Other useful websites to keep an eye on are gapyear.com and World Nomads ; both run regular competitions for writers, bloggers, photographers and film or documentary-makers.

5. Study abroad

Some degree courses automatically include a term or year away, but there are opportunities for any undergraduate to spend time abroad as part of their studies. Almost all UK institutions take part in the ERASMUS exchange scheme with other European universities. If accepted, grants, scholarships and other forms of financial assistance are all available – often in addition to your regular grant or loan. Individual universities often have partnerships with certain institutions overseas too.

6. Become a tour guide

If you’re looking to spend time in one place, consider getting to know your location and applying to become a tour guide. Tourism offices, hostels and specialist tour companies such as Sandemans New Europe recruit English-speakers with local knowledge to become guides. You’ll need to be charming and confident to be successful, but it’s certainly possible to cover the costs of longer-term trips this way.

7. Hitchhike and Couchsurf

If you’ve read Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, chances are you’ll already have been inspired by this Beat tale of hitchhiking across America. Hitchhiking can be perfectly safe, but be sensible, take precautions and stay alert. Combine this with Couchsurfing– staying at a local person’s home for free – and it’s possible to travel far and wide without spending anything on hotels or transport.

8. Work on a farm

If you don't mind getting your hands dirty, WWOOF offers farming work in a range of different countries, often providing food, accommodation and modest stipends in exchange for labour. You pay a small upfront fee for membership which gives you access to their wide-reaching network to find both short-term and long-term work. The appeal of beautiful skies and living the simple life has been enough to sway many travellers into earning their keep this way.

9. Do it for charity

Many students take on the challenge of a trip known as a ‘Jailbreak’ to raise money for charity through their university or a campus society. These adventures are usually organised annually and the general idea is to travel as far as possible over the course of a weekend (or longer) without spending any money. Friends and family sponsor you, often per mile, with a bonus for the winning team who end up furthest away. People and companies are relatively forthcoming with freebies if you’re raising money for a good cause, and your whole travelling experience will certainly be a unique one.

10. Utilise your friends

The cliché that you'll meet people from all walks of life at university is usually an accurate one – and many will come from places you didn't even know existed as well. Whether your friends are from another UK city or Australia, take advantage of the travelling opportunities provided by knowing such a mix of people. Stay with new acquaintances and you’ll come out of it with new perspectives, language skills and, often, a full stomach. You’ll have to pay to get there, but the accommodation and the personal tour guide are free.

Student guide to free travel - in pictures

Lauren Razaviis a freelance travel writer and food blogger. She showcases travel scrapbooks, food photography and unique recipes on her blog Take on the Road . Follow her on Twitter@LaurenRazavi .

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Tourists flocking to Guatemala for "end of the world" parties have damaged an ancient stone temple at Tikal, the largest archeological site and urban centre of the Mayan civilisation.

"Sadly, many tourists climbed Temple II and caused damage," said Osvaldo Gomez, a technical adviser at the site, which is located some 550 kilometres (340 miles) north of Guatemala City.

"We are fine with the celebration, but (the tourists) should be more aware because this is a (UNESCO) World Heritage Site," he told local media.

Gomez did not specify what was done, although he did say it was forbidden to climb the stairs at the site and indicated that the damage was irreparable.

Temple II, which is about 38 meters (125 feet) high and faces the central Tikal plaza, is one of the site's best known structures.

Friday marked the end of an era that lasted 5,200 years, according to the Mayan "Long Count" calendar. Some believed the date also marked the end of the world as foretold by Mayan hieroglyphs.

More than 7,000 people visited Tikal on Friday to see native Mayan priests hold a colourful ceremony and light fires as the sun emerged to mark the new era.

Critics complained that the event was really for tourists and had little to do with the Mayans. About 42 per cent of Guatemala's 14.3 million residents are native Mayans, and most live in poverty and endure discrimination.

The ancient Mayans reached their peak of power in Central America between the years 250 and 900AD.

UNESCO declared Tikal a World Heritage Site in 1979.

Source: AFP

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Crap products

• Dr Bronner's magic soap has "18 different uses-in-one!" from toothpaste to massage to nappy wash!

• Wearable luggage – Jaktogo is a very ugly coat made out of plasticky pockets so you can smuggle up to 10kg extra hand luggage on to your flight … It also comes in dress form!

• "Round the world pants"– cities instead of days of the week ... £70!

Pretentious and silly travel concepts ...

• Who knows what a concierge normally does, but this year they specialised. There was the "food truck concierge" at New York's Thompson Hotels; the "sleep concierge" at The Benjamin, also in NYC; the "art concierge" at the Hazelton Hotel in Toronto; and, best of all, the "horcierge", to attend to guests' horse-related needs, such as buying jodpurs, at the Stafford London Hotel.

• Giving a fancy name to something we do already and calling it a new trend is hugely popular in the travel industry ... think "wild swimming" (swimming outside), wild camping (camping not on a campsite) and this year's fave, "the inter-generational holiday"– going on holiday with your kids, your mum, and your nan.

• Glamping became "camp-bling" (see cargocollective.com/campbling) and in New York there was "urban glamping" on the roof of the AKA Central Park hotel.

• Have you got what it takes to survive? asked the new Bear Grylls Survival Academy. "What it takes" being £1,899 for a five-day course in the Highlands. Oh, and Bear himself won't be there. And you have to catch your own breakfast. And sleep outside.

• The 2012 award for most pretentious concept goes to BrewDog for their "craft beer cocktail speakeasy in Shoreditch". Sounds like the marketing team just googled "most-used hipster terms" and strung them together to form a new bar. It also has a "Japanese street food menu". Of course it does.
• A Hello Kitty spa for children opened in the summer in Dubai.

• Immersive experiences that let punters experience the sort of terror depicted in slasher movies were the breakthrough event of the year. From a Horror Camp Live weekend break to zombie shopping mall shootouts in Reading.

Dog-related holidays and products ...

• The fashion world may have moved on from dogs, declaring cats and a very well-dressed monkeys the animals of 2012, but in the world of travel dogs still dominated. Pampered pooches and adventurous canines were catered for with a variety of innovative services and products. Our favourite doggy development in 2012 was the dog blog phileasdogg.com, "the only UK travel site written by dogs ... for dogs". That's right, a two-year-old mongrel called Attlee Common heads a team of Rover reporters who sniff out dog-friendly holidays and places to stay. Even if you are not a dog owner we urge you to look at this site.

• Attlee would surely approve of Best Western's response to "a surge in enquiries over the past month from guests requesting something special for their dogs to eat on Christmas Day"– the £105 dog's dinner, a selection of matured Kobe beef, the finest filet mignon and porterhouse steak, all cooked to order and served by a dog butler (we're not sure if this is a dog dressed as a butler or a human being). It's more expensive than the priciest Christmas meal available to guests …

• And what should a pampered pooch wear to dine on such luxury fare? Why, a cashmere coat of course, a snip at £161, from petsinpyjamas.com, which as well as selling outrageously expensive dog-wear also has a travel section.

• More practical – and affordable – canine clothing comes from Equafleece. Its 2012 contribution to dog-wear is the "portable hug" for dogs scared of fireworks. The £13 T-shirt is designed to help dogs feel supported and "therefore more able to breathe and cope with fears".

Stupid stunts ... and stupid surveys

• At the start of this year, Jurys Inn hotels offered a free night to guests with a cheesy name, such as Mr Stilton or Mrs Cheddar to celebrate National Cheese Lovers' Day, while earlier this month The Cavendish in London was choosing one guest who would be allowed to pay for their room with chocolate coins.

• As royal fever swept the travel industry, all hotels felt obliged to provide a jubilee afternoon tea, a "right royal knees up" weekend package or, in the case of Marriott hotels, a free "corgi" cocktail to any guest called Elizabeth.

• A sea of PR swept along in the royal couple's wake as they travelled the world, and any country they visited, from the Seychelles to Canada, expected the "William and Kate effect". Then last month dozens of holiday companies started pushing their "royal babymoons".

• "Boris voted Britain's favourite beach buddy" said social travel network Gogobot, while "Going on holiday more stressful than giving birth" said some "research" by Continental Tyres.

Festival flops

• A terrible summer meant most festivals were a washout but some fared worse than others. London's first Bloc music festival was shut almost immediately due to dangerous levels of overcrowding, Creamfields was called off due to flooding, while the British Biscuit Festival failed to deliver a slam dunk.

• The poshing-up of festivals reached ridiculous levels, with an Anthropologie tent at Port Eliot, and banquets delivered by a Michelin-starred chef at Wilderness. Even Reading had glamping options that included "Podpads" and "Yurtels".

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

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Question: What are your rights if your luggage is delayed?

Question submitted by Amanda Ebner, Los Angeles, Calif.

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Three… two… one… The countdown to the New Year is on. How are you going to celebrate? If you want to avoid big crowds, high prices, and dangerous driving, why not host a party at home?

It’s easy to spend a ton on New Year’s celebrations. Dinner alone can cost hundreds, and some places charge an entry fee on top of any food or drink you’ll order. But if you’re on a tight budget, not to worry. There are plenty of ways to ring in the New Year without wringing out your wallet.

Start with this video from Money Talks News founder Stacy Johnson, then read on for more.

Here are more ideas to keep the energy up and the costs down:

1. Use free invitations

Save money and paper by sending a digital invitation. Services such as evite.com andpingg.com have a great assortment and guests can RSVP easily online.

2. Use existing or cheap decor

Chances are, your house is already decorated for the holidays. Add a few candles and you’re set. If you don’t have enough, shop the clearance items for things you can use now and next year.

Better yet, make your own decorations: Step outside, pick up a few pine cones, add some glue and glitter: Instant glam!

3. Co-host the party

Team up with a friend to share the cost and the work! You’ll divide the duties, have more friends to celebrate with, and offer the opportunity to meet new people.

4. Create a killer soundtrack

Music is the lifeblood of any party. Take your time and make a great playlist. Unsure of your abilities? You have a friend who’s great at it. Ask them to contribute to the party by bringing it on their iPod.

5. Personalized potluck

Have everyone bring a dish that’s special to them. Play a game guessing who brought what, or compile the recipes and stories and make a cookbook to email around later.

6. Dessert buffet

Don’t want to host a big dinner? Have people arrive a little later for a dessert buffet. Satisfy that sweet tooth before you start those New Year’s resolutions.

7. Everything on a stick

Serve all the food on a stick – pickles, chicken, shrimp, beef, fruit, brownies, cake. The possibilities are endless and delicious!

8. Fun with fondue

Have everyone bring a different fondue-type dip to share. Choices can range from different cheese recipes to savory broths.

9. Pin memories, old-style

Hang a string and put photos from last year up with clothes pins. Have your guests bring their favorites too. It’s a great conversation starter.

10. Style swap

Start the New Year in style, with a little help from your friends. Have people bring clothes, jewelry, accessories, or handbags they no longer use and start swapping.

11. Make it a night in for two

Have a significant other? Have a romantic dinner, watch the ball drop on TV, and then, well, I’m sure you can think of a nice way to end the evening…

12. Celebrate New Year’s Day instead

Host your gathering the next day. Brunch, sandwiches, pizza, whatever you fancy can make for a great way to start the New Year with friends and family.

No matter how you choose to ring in the New Year, we at Money Talks News wish you health, wealth, and happiness!

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There's only a few days until we bid fond adieu to 2012 and ring in a brand new year.

This can really only mean one thing for the day after NYE: a good amount of people will have some killer hangovers and, if staying in your hometown with a dose of 'hair-of-the-dog' isn't your style, we have the list for you irrespective of your location on this planet.

Eight hangover remedies from around the world:

1. Starting with some of the first people to welcome 2013, Australia will be reaching for the beloved Berocca. It's a dissovable tablet that enriches a glass of water with heaps of vitamins and minerals that are known to reduce the effects of overindulgence; think of fizzy Tang with a health kick.

2. South Koreans have a soup that is named perfectly for the occasion. That soup, named haejangguk, literally translates to "soup to chase a hangover." Also known as "sunrise soup," it consists of cow bones or pork spine, cabbage, vegetables and coagulated ox blood. It can be found sold on the streets every weekend morning.

3. A nice cup of joe might hit the spot in the morning after a big night. Well, in Thailand, they offer a different type of coffee, called "Black Ivory." Remember the Kopi Luwak of Bali? This is the same idea, but with elephant poop. Yeah, just the thought of where this comes from might get your mind of your hangover.

4. Planning to be in Mongolia? You may want to keep your drinking in check with this cure; a pickled sheep’s eyeball soaked in tomato juice popped into the mouth is thought to fix a night of heavy drinking. If you can't get any pickled, just boil 'em up and you'll be good as new.

5. If you're lucky enough to be in the Maldives to celebrate the new year and find yourself a little dusty in the morning, make sure you grab some coconut water. Natural coconut water is chock full of electrolytes and potassium to rehydrate and get you going again. With plenty of groves to pick from, you're definitely in the right place.

6. A South African concoction, from One & Only Cape Town chef Reuben Riffel, might make for a delicious non-hangover drink too. A cup of chilled rooibos tea, ½ cup ginger ale, and 1 oz lemongrass syrup and top up with soda water and a dash of angostura bitters. That sounds good anytime!

7. If you need a little magic (or black magic), head to Haiti. Go by the voodoo belief that sticking 13 pins in the cork of the bottle that did you wrong and maybe voila, you'll be cured! We don't recommend playing with sharp objects when you have a killer hangover, however.

8. Canada, our neighbors to the North, have a more traditional method. Instead of heading for a fast-food chain, the Quebecois dig into poutine and wash it down with a Canada Dry ginger ale. The greasy french fry and gravy concoction will work perfectly with the ginger to settle your stomach.

If you have your favorite exotic hangover helper, let us know in the comments below. Whether you are celebrating in some far off place or your own backyard, have fun and be responsible. We love you guys and like you best happy and healthy and ready to jet!

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Sir Ray Avery, entrepreneur and author of Rebel With A Cause, says it’s as easy as counting your days.

“When you’re born, you’re born with 30,000 days. That’s it. The best strategic planning I can give to you is to think about that.”

He’s 65. So he’s “got about 5,625 days to live.” Then he just works backward to plan.

Via Techcrunch (HT: 99U):

“For me, I can reverse engineer my life to achieve much more than you guys. Every day I do a chart on what I’ve achieved and where I want to be. And it makes you scary-as-shit clever,” Avery said. “So think about that. You’ve got 30,000 days and the clock is ticking.” 

Mind-blowingly simple yet it makes so much sense.

Nine minutes in to his famous Stanford commencement speech Steve Jobs discussed the importance he placed on thinking about death during life:

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life.”

And scientists agree he’s on to something. Thinking about death really does help us prioritize and be better people.

Candy Chang gave an inspirational TED talk about a project that asked people to finish the sentence: “Before I die I want to…” 

I’d love to write more but I’ve got less than 20,000 days left. So much to do…

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Related posts:

What 10 things should you do every day to improve your life?

What five things can make sure you never stop growing and learning?

What do people regret the most before they die?

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Relocating is never easy. It is a word that brings about thoughts of a stressful apartment search, hours of packing, and thousands of dollars in moving costs. However, New York-based tech startup YourNeighborhood is looking to simplify the way you find the next place you live.

Using real estate prices, lifestyle and neighborhood data, along with user reviews and submissions, YourNeighborhood aims to help guide individuals toward areas ideal for their criteria -- and their wallet. The site also features information regarding public transit, along with a neighborhood matching tool. Using homegrown algorithms and website information, the feature allows users to input the criteria most important to them in a potential neighborhood and be guided to areas that best meet their needs.

Co-founders Eric Levy and Andrew Curtis observed a common thread amongst their friends and family when they were looking to move. They all lacked a resource to assist in picking the best fit area to live. In addition, he noticed a majority of them experienced some form of buyer’s remorse after all was said and done.

“People often say ‘I’m going to try and find the best deal on an apartment,’ but once they move, they find the area is not a good match. We are looking to help get it right the first time and make relocation a fun experience!” says Levy.

Many sites exists solely to find rentals or sales within a particular area, thereby missing the important first step of locating the ideal neighborhood. YourNeighborhood is looking help with this crucial part of the moving process and start people off on the right track.

"There are many resources for finding an apartment or house, but none that truly gives one the ability to research the neighborhoods which they are looking to move and guide them in the right direction. Moving can be a very stressful process, and we wanted to create a site that helps individuals find the best neighborhood for them so they truly love where they live," says Levy.

Launched in beta this month, YourNeighborhood is aiming to help those moving or relocating to New York City find their best fit neighborhood. Future plans include adding features pertaining to other steps of the moving process, along with increasing the number of cities featured on the site.

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In the “Money Mic” series, LearnVest hands over the podium to someone with a strong opinion on a financial topic. Today, one woman shares what it’s like to be disproportionately taxed based on her income — and how it’s holding her back.

If someone had told me as a kid in Louisiana that my husband and I would have a combined income of $250,000 a year in our late 20s, I would have been pie-eyed. It sounds like a crazy amount of money. But after taking into account taxes, debt and living expenses in New York City, we’re actually finding it difficult to meet our financial goals.

Why our taxes are nearly unmanageable

Last year, we paid $100,000 in taxes, which is almost exactly 40 percent of what we make. Even though we also paid $22,000 in student loan payments (we have about $145,000 in combined loans for my husband’s law school and my grad school), we don’t qualify for deductions — if you make more than $150,000 filing jointly, you can’t deduct student loan interest.

We also don’t get a deduction for home ownership — because we can’t afford to buy one. We’ve been saving for three years, and after another three years of diligent budgeting, we hope to have about $100,000, which would be enough for a 20 percent down payment on a home in a New York suburb with decent schools — the average “starter” home in these areas is about $500,000 — plus an extra $20,000 for closing costs and incidentals.

We’re in a weird place: We don’t have enough money to invest in a house or the stock market, which would get us tax exemptions. So we pay the full 40 percent of our salary in city*, state and federal taxes. People who are much wealthier can take advantage of tax loopholes, capital gains preferential tax rates and a larger mortgage deduction, so they end up paying only about 20 percent in taxes. For instance, in 2011, Barack Obama paid 20.5 percent in taxes. Mitt Romney paid 14 percent in taxes.

We find it ironic that we’d have to make more … in order to pay less.

If we’re being honest, it’s not only taxes that are killing us. Living in Manhattan is expensive — up to three times the cost of living in other cities — but I work for a private equities firm, and my husband is in securities litigation. This city is the industry hub for both of our careers.

We’ve discussed moving, but it’s unlikely that we would both be able to get jobs elsewhere. We rent a 1-bedroom apartment near our offices in a neighborhood where they go for $3,000 a month. We could move to a slightly cheaper outer borough, but we’re both called into our offices at odd hours, and we also work long days. So we pay for the convenience of living near work.

How things could get harder for us

We budget constantly. As an accountant, I’m always reviewing our spending and trying to find ways to cut back. We take the subway. We don’t buy name-brand clothes, and we don’t buy anything unless it’s on sale. We take only one fun trip a year and the most we’ve ever spent on that is $1,600.

My husband isn’t even putting money in his 401(k), so we can save more for a house. (I contribute to mine, but we have diverted all of our emergency fund to our house savings.) It’s something we argue about, but these are the choices we have to make.

Don’t get me wrong — our lives are good. We work very hard, and enjoy what we do, but I’m tired of people saying that we’re not paying our fair share. How much more are we supposed to pay?

Why the tax code needs to change

We both come from middle-class families and were taught that if you go to school and work hard, you can live the “American Dream”: own a house, have a family. It’s really all we want. We don’t live — or long for — an extravagant lifestyle.

Look, I know it’s relative. I realize there are families raising three kids on $50,000 that are just trying to put food on the table. My husband and I are very thankful for what we have. And we don’t begrudge paying taxes. We even understand why people think we’re rich. Compared to many people, we are.

We just can’t figure out how we’re supposed to make the “American Dream” work for us while giving away half of our income in taxes.

The tax code needs to change, and if it were up to me, I’d like to see the following:

• Adding a cost-of-living factor. The tax code should have a “factor” that takes into account location-specific costs, like average home price, the price of an equivalent bag of groceries, the average price of a car and the average cost of gas in a region. Once taxes are calculated, the factor would be applied to achieve greater geographic tax parity.
• Phasing out deductions and loopholes. If we lowered tax rates across the board, and cut the deductions and loopholes in the system (there are plenty of them to pick from!), we would put everyone on a more level playing field. I know it’s a touchy subject, but capital gains rates probably also need to be increased from the current 15 percent — even if it’s just a bump to 20 percent.
• Broadening the tax base. Right now, deductions and loopholes mean that many people don’t pay certain federal taxes. If we eliminated them as described above, more people would pay taxes that they owe. By no means do I think that families in dire circumstances should be asked to dole out money to the government. But if more families could help chip in a small portion of their earnings, it would work toward generating more revenue — and a little bit, spread across a large number of people, could go a long way.
• Lowering the tax rates. I’d be fine paying in the 30 percent range. And if my husband and I did make it to a point where we were making above $500,000, reasonable tax increases (35-39 percent) for this income would be acceptable.

There’s something really wrong with a system that considers us “rich” and not paying our fair share at 40 percent — but billionaires are only paying 20 percent or less.

Something is obviously broken.

We just hope it gets fixed soon.

*New York City is one of the few cities in the United States with city taxes.

More from LearnVest:

• Retirement Savings by Age: How Do You Compare?
• What Is the Fiscal Cliff and How Will It Affect You?
• Make the Most of Your Money With Free Bootcamp

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While it’s true that a co-op board can turn down a buyer for everything from red hair to red-state political views or a desire to gut-renovate, there are also a host of reasons for which it’s illegal to reject a buyer.

These include marital status, race, color, religion, national origin, alienage, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, military status, disability, and choice of lawful occupation, says real estate attorney Robert Braverman of Braverman & Associates.

If a board asks questions relating to one or more of these areas during the interview and then rejects the buyer forany reason, both the would-be buyer and seller may have grounds to sue for discrimination, says Braverman.

“Although many boards are nominally familiar with the legally protected categories listed above, ‘tainted’ questions frequently come up inadvertently in the normal give and take of conversation,” he explains. He points to a case where a co-op board was found liable for housing discrimination after rejecting a disabled would-be buyer:  During the interview, the board read the house rules aloud to the prospective buyer and asked whether he needed any disability accommodation or exception.

Braverman illustrates the problem with some real-life examples from his work representing co-op boards:

1.  “Do you plan to have kids?” or “Do you plan to have more kids?”  This violates anti-discrimination laws that make it illegal to deny housing on grounds of family or marital status.  If an applicant is asked such questions during an interview and then rejected (no matter what the board’s reasons), discriminatory motives can be legally inferred.
2. “Where are you from originally?”   This could give rise to a discrimination claim based on national origin, alienage, or citizenship. Similarly, boards shouldn’t ask a turban-wearing candidate what mosque he belongs to, or a inquire whether a buyer wearing a yarmulke will need the building to run a Sabbath elevator.
3. To a single buyer: “Do you plan on having many guests?  Will they be staying over? Will you be giving a key to anyone?”   These types of questions could be seen as prying into a buyer’s marital status.
4.  “Why are you using the cane?” or “Will you be requiring any extra assistance from the building staff?”  Any references to an applicant’s disability could give rise to discrimination claims based on the disability.
5.  “Do you cook with a lot of curry?” Cooking odors may be a hot button issue in your building, but if the candidate is of obvious foreign descent, this could be seen as evidence of discrimination based on national origin. Again, as with disability discrimination claims, discriminatory motives can be inferred from interview questions that carry any hint or presumption about an applicant’s race, nationality, ethnicity, gender and—in New York—sexual orientation.

“To avoid the possibility of an inappropriate question at an interview, co-op boards should be briefed in advance about the perils of such questions,” says Braverman.

SEE ALSO: 9 steps I took to get my finances back on track >

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This post originally appeared at Oyster.com.

The way we travel is always changing, and 2012 provided ample proof of that.

To help you prep for your 2013 vacay, Oyster honed in on the top trends currently rocking the travel world, from the royal travel craze to the rise of the pod hotel. Here’s what’s hot — and what’s not!

Celeb Hotel Designers

Celebrities and fashion icons — Kelly Wearstler, Oscar de La Renta, and Ralph Lauren, to name a few — have been designing hotel interiors for a while, but 2012 proved this trend certainly isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

This year we’ve seen tennis star Venus Williams design two presidential suites for the Intercontinental Miami, Diane Von Furstenburg design a two-bedroom penthouse for the Australian Hayman Island Resort, and Lenny Kravitz contribute to yet another Miami hotel design project — the SLS Hotel South Beach, coming soon to Oyster.com!

Tablets

Not only are tablets an increasingly common accessory for travelers, they’re used more and more by the hotels themselves. The Andaz chain, for example, uses tablets to check in hotel guests individually, rather than making them wait in a typical check-in line.

Other hotels offer loaner iPads for guests to use during their stays, or in-room tablets that operate as “digital concierges” for requesting hotel services.At the new Eden Roc in Cap Cana in the D.R., in-room iPads are used to control the lighting, sound system, and TVs.

Several airports are adding tablets to their restaurants, as well, for travelers to use to both order food and surf the web.

Pod Hotels

Space in hotel rooms comes at a premium in the world’s most popular cities, and we’re seeing teensy rooms (and rooms with bunk beds) not only on the rise, but becoming, well, cool.

In New York City, for example, Yotel (opened in 2011) has tiny cabin rooms clocking in at just 170 square feet, while the Out NYC and Wythe Hotel, both opened this year, offer rooms with bunk bed accommodations for bigger groups.

These aren’t hostels — these are some of the city’s hottest new hotels.

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I first stepped out of America when I was seventeen.

For ten days, I roamed throughout Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

Those ten days were probably the most influential of my life, because they acted as a turning point.

By the time I came home to Pittsburgh again, I was head over heels in love with travel.

Six years later, that love has stayed with me. My life is now largely defined by travel and my obsession with it.

The best months of my college experience were those I spent studying abroad in Cologne, Germany. I once flew to England for a weekend to see my favorite band in concert, and though it was the music that initially made my knees go weak, I was just as in love with setting foot in a foreign country.

Three months after graduation, I shipped out to northern Japan, where I plan to live until 2015.

Every year, I have a goal to take an international trip and get out of my country of residence. Since 2008, I’ve succeeded. This year I hit eight different countries, five of which I’d never been to before, on three different continents. My ultimate goal is to fill my passport before I move out of Japan.

But as much as I love travel, there is a constant, nagging fear that I have hit my peak. The past six years have set an extraordinary precedent. The bar is pretty damn high. How much higher can I go?

I’ve lived in three countries at this point and I average between one and three international trips a year. Once I leave Japan, can I expect to keep leapfrogging across the globe for the rest of my life?

I’m content for now to while away my days in Aomori, but I know that eventually my feet will get restless again and I’ll want to search out a new home. It’s a lifestyle that I could definitely see myself having.

But what if I can’t sustain a lifestyle like that? I’ve done more traveling at 23 than a lot of people are able to do in their entire lives. I am extremely lucky, and I know it.

I’ve gotten this far without throwing down any permanent roots, but I am deathly afraid that once this period of my life is over, I will spend the next half a century constantly yearning.

Once you have a life of travel, it’s hard to go back. And once you’ve obtained this lifestyle, it largely becomes an issue of “chasing the dragon” to top yourself. I’ve gone bungee jumping off the Macau Tower, the highest jump in the world. Where do I go from there? There’s only skydiving.

I’ve done yoga on top of a deserted mountain on Lamma Island in Hong Kong. Somehow my living room floor just doesn’t cut it now. I was in Berlin for the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Wall. I can hardly imagine any other anniversary eclipsing the emotions I saw and felt that night.

I’ve eaten countless unidentifiable entrees in Japan (and some that were identified that I wish hadn’t been). That new sushi restaurant that opened in my neighborhood outside of Pittsburgh? I’d rather pass than be disappointed.

It’s not that any of these things are bad. Far from it, in fact. They are comforting, familiar, and part of the everyday life that has shaped me. If my travel experience has provided mountainous spikes in my life, my everyday life has given me the constant plateaus to appreciate those mountains all the more.

But the idea that I will have the everyday life for every day of my life is terrifying to me. I want sunsets in India and sunrises in Peru. I want snowstorms in Finland and heat waves in South Africa. I want pappardelle in Tuscany and pan de anis in Peru. I don’t want to achieve “veteran traveler” status at 30 or so; I want it at 70.

Travel makes us greedy — not for things, but for experiences. We are collectors; the problem is, we have no cases to fill or awards to win. There is no point at which we can proclaim, “Finished! I’ve gotten everything that I can!” because there isn’t a finish line.

If my traveling days eventually come to an end, I worry that my wanderlust won’t. It’s awfully hard to survive with one without having the other. I’ll be like those has-been athletes who are forever recounting their glory days of college or high school.

But instead of that winning touchdown pass, I’ll be endlessly repeating the story of the time a random French man kissed me under the Eiffel Tower because he liked my hair (or so I gathered with my horrific French and his broken English)…or the time I randomly ran into Chris O’Dowd while walking down Regent Street in London…or the time I bottle-fed a lamb on the set of The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand.

If the past you leave behind consists of a beautifully erratic path across the globe, how can you not be endlessly plagued by nostalgia?

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This month an index of global happiness was released, and the results showed that many countries in Latin America were the world’s happiest.Panama, Paraguay, El Salvador,Venezuela, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Costa Rica were all at the top of the survey. Colombiawas ranked 11th, and Mexico and Brazil ranked around 20th.

Experts have suggested many reasons for the results. One includes the ability of Latin Americans to look beyond immediate problems and live life day-by-day, despite what is going on externally. It suggests that constant problems make people adapt and live positively, perhaps because it is difficult to constantly fear the worse and still live a productive life. Other explanations include cultural aspects that teach Latin Americans to keep a positive face on things, even if there are personal problems.

These are both interesting suggestions. The fact that having less might make someone feel as if he has more to be positive about could come from an appreciation for the smaller things in life. This could also be a reason why countries like France andGermany did not do well on the survey: if you are higher up, you will hit the ground harder if you do happen to fall. Regarding a positive attitude, I think the culture of Latin America does not just place a happy face on every situation, as families and close friends do have constant, open, and honest discussions, both positive and negative. It might be that in difficult times the support people get from those around them helps lift everyone in general. Even if negative things do happen, it is the support from families and close friends that makes the negativity more bearable. 

In addition, there is also a culture in Latin America that does not promote negativity with every aspect of life. Being constantly negative may not thrive when a community of open and honest individuals is there for support. There is simply no room to seek out the worst-case scenario when you have so many in your corner.

While not exclusive to Latin America, the culture of family, support, and living a life to spend time with your family, I think, is an important part of Latin American culture that keeps people positive. Being with those close to you and finding other friends and partners that value that way of life is a key part of Latin American culture. That might be the main reason why people remain positive: they are never truly alone. Interestingly, many discussions and documentaries about immigrant groups in the United States show an internal conflict among many who move to the US and who do not wish to lose their support systems in a new culture rooted in individualism. While being motivated and entrepreneurial is valued, a life being with your family, where you are never truly alone, is the basis for many cultures in many parts of the world. Many new Americans frown on the thought that children can detach themselves from their family at 18 years of age. They believe people can only truly thrive as a family.

– Rich Basas is a Latin America blogger and Europe blogger at the Foreign Policy Association. Read the blogs here for both Latin America and Europe.

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Every day, 10,000 people enter New York’s Grand Central Terminal—with no intention of catching a train. They come to slurp bivalves at the Oyster Bar or cocktails at the Campbell Apartment.

They gawk at the ceiling embellished with gold constellations, browse shops, and take tours. It’s enough to make the landmark one of America’s top five most-visited attractions.

Click ahead to see the most-visited attractions >

Location, of course, plays a role, and many of the most popular attractions are found in major cities such as New York, San Francisco, and Seattle. Size, too, matters. While the National September 11 Memorial had an impressive 4.5 million visitors during its first year (it opened on Sept. 12, 2011), it was dwarfed by Central Park with 100 times the area.

Yet for every traveler drawn to the big city, there are others who embrace the great outdoors. With its accessibility and size, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a natural choice for millions—more than 9 million to be precise, making it the No. 16 most-visited attraction in the nation.

Like it or not, the white-tailed deer, black bears, and brilliant foliage of the Great Smokies can’t quite compete with the popularity of Disney among Americans and international visitors; five theme parks made it into the top 20.

To determine these rankings, we gathered the most recent data supplied by the attractions themselves or from government agencies, industry reports, and reputable media outlets.

Read on to find out which tourist attraction claimed the No. 1 spot with more than 41.9 million visitors in 2011. Were you one of them?

The Methodology: Our definition of tourist attractions included natural, cultural, and historic sites as well as recognized areas of limited geographic scope like the Las Vegas Strip. (We eliminated national parkways as they spread over extensive distances).

Accurate numbers weren't available for some popular attractions such as Waikiki Beach in Honolulu and the Atlantic City Boardwalk in New Jersey.

In the case of transportation hubs like Grand Central Terminal or San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge that bring in both travelers and locals, we focused as much as possible on visitor data that excluded the strictly commuting set.

Check out the most-visited attractions >

More from Travel + Leisure:

Best of 2012

Best Travel Gadgets 2012

World's Most Visited Ancient Ruins

America's Most-Visited Monuments

World's Most Popular Landmarks

Times Square, New York City

Annual Visitors: 41,900,000

Neon signs, megastores, street performers, and historic theaters lure tourists to this five-block intersection that has become increasingly family-friendly.

The addition of pedestrian-only areas with café tables, for instance, has made it more appealing to hang out here.

At the small museum within the visitors’ center, the 2007 New Year’s Eve Centennial Ball drops four times an hour.

Write a wish on a piece of confetti, and it—and two tons of other pieces of confetti—will flutter down on Times Square at midnight New Year’s Eve.

New York City

Central Park, New York City

Annual Visitors: 40,000,000

Locals and visitors alike find respite among these 843 acres of paths, lawns, lakes, and gardens in the center of Manhattan.

Walk, skip, skate, ride a bike, row a boat or ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

You can admire the views from 19th-century Belvedere Castle; check out the modest-size zoo; or join the fans who gather to pay quiet tribute to John Lennon at Strawberry Fields.

Central Park, New York City

Union Station, Washington DC

Annual Visitors: 36,500,000

Designed during the age of railroads and opened in 1907, this grand train station was built to be a monumental gateway—symbolized by its many arches—to America’s capital.

The Beaux-Arts gem is also a gateway to commerce, with more than 120 shops and eateries.

The 36 statues of Roman legionnaires lining the balcony were originally nude, but concerns that the public would be shocked led to the addition of strategically placed shields.

Union Station, Washington DC

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