TIME MARCHES ON — Don’t bother with a New Year’s resolution this year. A study by some psychologists in the UK shows that nine out of ten New Year’s resolutions are doomed to failure. The (University of Hertfordshire) study followed the attempts of 3,000 volunteers to stick to their resolutions. At the start of the year, 52 percent said they were confident of success. But by the end of the year, only 12 percent had achieved their goal.

Men were more likely to succeed when they set themselves goals, such as losing a pound each week, or when they focused on the rewards, such as being more attractive to women.

Women were more successful if they told their friends and family about their resolution and if they were encouraged not to give up just because they had slipped back into old habits.

What time and where to tune in for New Year’s on TV. No matter where you are or what you do, there’s a count down to midnight for you. Even Netflix has a count down for kids.

“Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2018 - Part 1,” 8 p.m. (ET) on ABC
- “FOX's New Year's Eve With Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square - Part 1," 8 p.m. (ET) on FOX
- “Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2018 - Part 2,” 10 p.m. (ET) on ABC
- “SMILF” Season One Finale, 10 p.m. (ET) on Showtime
- “FOX's New Year's Eve With Steve Harvey: Live From Times Square - Part 2," 11 p.m. (ET) on FOX
- “Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2018 - Part 3,” 11:30 p.m. (ET) on ABC

DRINK LIKE A CELEBRITY

New Year’s Eve, is traditionally a night to throw back a few cocktails and usher in 2018. Maybe you’ll party like the celebrities do, or at least have a drink named after one. From the clues, can you name these celebrities and pop culture icons who have drinks (alcoholic and non) named after them?

- The actor who portrayed Sonny Crocket and Nash Bridges has a drink named after him that’s made with vodka, gin, Curacao and orange juice ….. DON JOHNSON

- This half iced tea, half lemonade beverage is named after a championship golfer ..... ARNOLD PALMER (BTW, if you add vodka to an Arnold Palmer you get another golfer, John Daly)

- If you mix orange vodka and Mountain Dew, you get a drink named after this socialite ..... PARIS HILTON

- This kiddy beverage, made with ginger ale, grenadine and orange juice, was named after this child actress of the '30s and '40s ..... SHIRLEY TEMPLE

- This cocktail of: vodka, grapefruit juice, sugar and club soda and served in a Collins glass is named after this lady who played Alexis Carrington on "Dynasty" ..... JOAN COLLINS

- This drink contains pinot grigio, Chambord, a serrano pepper, soda water and a twist of lime. It’s named after a disgraced former New York Governor ..... ELIOT SPITZER

- This troubled actress has a drink named after her consisting of vodka and olive juice and comes with the warning, "Careful: two drinks can land you in jail and kill your career" ..... LINDSAY LOHAN

- Made with cola and grenadine syrup and garnished with a cherry, this non-alcoholic drink was named after a famed western cowboy star ..... ROY ROGERS

- Which Academy Award winning actress is honored with a drink made with Goldschlaeger, Benedictine and champagne? ..... MERYL STREEP

- This drink, comprised of vodka, triple sec, mango juice, lime juice and simple syrup, is named after Carrie Bradshaw, a character portrayed by which actress? ..... SARAH JESSICA PARKER

What will the U.S. and world population be in 2018?

The combined total of births, deaths, and net immigration will add one more person to the total U.S. population every 18 seconds in 2018. The U.S. population on New Year’s Day 2018 is projected to be 326,971,407.

At the projected growth rate, the U.S. population could be expected to grow by about 1.75 billion in 2018. The data were published Thursday, December 28, by the U.S. Census Bureau.

… The agency’s estimate the country’s population grows by one person every second is based on three elements: one birth every eight seconds; one death every 10 seconds; and one international migrant (net) every 29 seconds.

… The global population on New Year’s Day is projected to reach 7,444,443,881, a 1.07 percent increase since last January 1, adding about 78.52 million people to the world’s population.

They drop a ball in Times Square but did you know Maine drops some of its own objects.

• Bangor: A beach ball covered in Christmas lights has been thrown off the top of a local restaurant since 2005.
• Eastport: A sardine is dropped in a nod to the area’s history in the herring fishing and canning industry. This is the second of two object drops in Eastport (see also "Atlantic Time Zone" above). Both objects were created by sculptor Bill Schaefer of East Machias.
• Kennebunk: A wild blueberry ball has dropped from the town's First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church on Main Street since 2015.^[46]
• Machias: A giant plastic lobster, holding a shovel and blueberries is lowered. It took place at Pat's Pizza, during 2016

 Here’s a list of other stuff from Wikipedia of things dropped around the world on New Year’s Eve.

There’s no better time than the holidays to light the fires, pour the drinks, and let the good times roll. For a great party you need to consider these four basic elements: decor, food and drink, lighting, and sound.

Drink responsibly. Jail is a terrible place to spend the New Year. Be or get a designated driver if you need to.

Have a safe and a happy New Years from all of us at Penbaypilot.com