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The gong business is still a hit for Andrew Borakove, a comedy television writer turned gong salesmen. Despite the rocky economy, his doors have been open for eight years. "We've watched the world go up and down," he says, "but when you're selling gongs, there's no up or down, it's just round."

Unable to sleep in the days after the Newtown, Conn., killings, Emily Leukhardt found herself writing about the sister who she says was "just fundamentally good."

When Rep.-elect Joseph Kennedy III is sworn in this week, he'll end a short gap in his family's service in the nation's capital. Last year had marked the first time in more than six decades that there was no Kennedy serving in elected office in Washington.

Are people still talking about 2012? Bring on 2013! Here, NPR Music editor Stephen Thompson discusses forthcoming albums by Atoms for Peace, Aaron Neville, Kacey Musgraves and Rhye.

This year, two states passed right-to-work laws, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker survived a recall attempt. Harold Meyerson of The American Prospect says the future for organized labor remains bleak.

This year's weather will be one for the record books; 2012 is slated to be the hottest summer on record. "We've already passed all kinds of tipping points," environmentalist Bill McKibben says. He's wondering if President Obama will take a different approach to climate change in the coming year.

Ben Fountain's first novel, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, was nominated for the 2012 National Book Award. He's well-read for 2013, so we thought we'd ask him what to look forward to in the book world.

Wonks from across the political spectrum look at the upside of the cliff.

Here are a few things to look for if you're trying to distinguish the age of your bottle of bubbly or the method by which it was made. And if you just want to get the most bang for your buck when it comes to preserving the bubbles, consider how you pour.

Europe spent much of this year trying to hold its common currency pact together. Greece, Spain, Italy and other countries flirted with disaster as interest rates spiked, forcing the debtor nations to accept austerity programs. The turmoil was bad enough to push much of the eurozone into recession.