Secrets and Lies

* Yes, it was the warmest year on record for the lower 48 states.
* The discovery of the Higgs and other small steps in science.
* The year in Lego.
* Twelve months of pop.
* Global dance tracks of 2012.
* The Longform best arts and culture stories of 2012.
* Twelve lessons from 2012 for the entertainment industry.
* Fifty wonderful things from the year in pop culture.
* And, the most baffling pop culture moments.

LATE NEWS:
* India looks to reduce poverty by giving poor people money. And it might work.
* How many troops will we keep in Afghanistan?
* Good read: what are the options on dealing with the debt limit?
* Oooooh: on rebuilding a broken ecosystem.
* Free market in action: how did lead get into our gasoline anyways?
* Who is actually against Hagel for Defense, and why.
* Nice. The National Cathedral will have same-sex marriages.
* More good news: the Supreme Court won't hear a challenge to embryonic stem cell research.