2011 was a year of extremes. From the tragedy of Japan’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, to the pageantry of a British Royal wedding; from the wave of revolutionary change in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya, to the solemn commemoration that took place on September 11, we reflect on a passing year filled with emotion, knowing the world will never be the same.

In case you missed their SNL skit, here it is. It’s a good one.

I’m so looking forward to Sex And The City 2. It comes out May 27 and Aiden is in it!

Click here to watch the movie trailer.

I’m very new at this gardening thing so if you have any suggestions on how to get rid of Japanese Beetles please let me know!

Did you know that the average toilet seat is 400 times cleaner than your desk? Or that there are more than 10 million germs on the average desktop? But how can that be, when either you or someone else is cleaning your desk every day?

For starters, workers who diligently wipe down their desktops are essentially just giving germs a free ride, says Dr. Charles Gerba — aka “Dr. Germ” — a microbiologist at the University of Arizona, who conducted a study on germs in the workplace. Instead, you have to kill them on the spot using a disinfectant or sanitizer.

For his study, Gerba and his team collected samples from private offices and cubicles in Tucson, Ariz., and Washington, D.C. The study, funded by The Clorox Co., tested more than 616 surfaces in the office and deduced which harbored the most germs. Then, they studied surfaces in the workplaces of people in different professions to determine which were the “germiest.”

Here are five of the germiest jobs, in order from most to least germy, and how they stacked up to each other.

1.   Teacher

Average amount of bacteria per square inch: 17,800

Why it’s germy:  Kids’ desktops are probably the dirtiest object in a classroom. Additionally, when children turn in tests and assignments, they hand in germs, too. Teachers had 5 1/2  times more germs on their phones, nearly twice as many germs on their computer mice and nearly 27 times more germs on the computer keys than other professions studied in a survey done by researchers at the University of Arizona.

2.   Accountant

Average amount of bacteria per square inch: 6,030

Why it’s germy: Accountants tend to spend a great deal of time behind their desks, which as previously mentioned often retain the most germs. Accountants’ desks and pens ranked No. 1 in the study as most germy, averaging 12,600 and 2,350 bacteria per square inch, respectively.

3.   Banker

Average amount of bacteria per square inch: 5,400

Why it’s germy: Everyone knows how dirty money is. When you think about the one core duty of bankers — handling money — it’s no surprise the germs bankers come in contact with. Surfaces used by bankers came in third behind teachers and accountants as having the most bacteria. Compared with other professions, however, bankers had the least germy computer keyboards.

4. Radio DJ

Average amount of bacteria per square inch: 3,323

Why it’s germy: Radio DJs often work in shifts, with several people coming in and out of the station a day. It’s doubtful that each of these people disinfects every button, switch, control and headset in between their shift and the next person’s. As we said before, an infected person can leave a trail of viruses on every surface he touches — so many people using the same equipment is bound to garner a lot of bacteria.

5. Doctor

Average amount of bacteria per square inch: 2,620

Why it’s germy: As professionals who serve sick people, it’s no surprise doctors are their own source of germs. Likely culprits for carrying germs are the medical charts that switch so many hands each day, which is why many health care facilities are pushing for electronic medical records. 

My husband and I are in the process of buying a house. When I say process, I mean we’re in the first stage…looking for the “perfect” one. This is our first home-buying experience. Everyone keeps telling us that looking for a house is part of the fun. Not sure I agree with them. After looking at 15 in one day, they all start to look the same. If you have any house hunting tips PLEASE pass them along because we sure could use some help!

With InStyle.com’s Hollywood Hair Makeover, you can try on your favorite star styles and colors before you make a trip to the salon. Just upload your photo or choose a model and let the transformations begin. Print your favorite looks and e-mail them to friends. FYI…it’s addictive. I spent over an hour messing around with it!

Hello I’m Whitney….the newest member of the Y107 team! I LOVE hosting the Y107 Retro Lunch. Thanks for all the old school requests – keep em’ coming. So, I thought it would be appropriate to share this video. Here is the “literal” video version of A Ha’s 1985 classic Take On Me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. And ladies, please tell me I’m not the only one who thought the lead singer was hot back in the day!