Thursday, Dec. 13, is the 348th day of 2012. There are 18 days left in the year.

Today’s birthdays: Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz is 92. Actor-comedian Dick Van Dyke is 87. Actor Christopher Plummer is 83. Singer Ted Nugent is 64. Actress Wendie Malick is 62. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is 62. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is 59. Actor Steve Buscemi is 55. Actor-comedian Jamie Foxx is 45. Rock singer Amy Lee (Evanescence) is 31. Country singer Taylor Swift is 23.