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On this week's show, we throw down with some hobbits and a dragon, we plunge into the wonderful (?) world of holiday music, and we talk about the things that are making us happy this week.

Duke Energy is not known for embracing renewable energy in North Carolina. About one percent of the Duke Energy Progress’ and Duke Energy Carolinas’…

Melissa Block talks with Josh Levin, executive editor at Slate, about his article about "Welfare Queen" Linda Taylor. She became notorious in the 1970s for her abuses of the welfare system but, as Levin discovered, she also committed far worse crimes.

Saturday is the winter solstice — which means it will be the longest night of the year. For many artists and poets, that thought is far from depressing: instead, night's darkness is invigorating. Filmmaker Phil Cousineau has edited a new collection on the allure of the night, and Jeff Dowd — the inspiration for "The Dude" — wrote the foreword.

It's a small number, but it comes from a search in the world of mathematics that began looking at more digits than we know how to name. Weekend Edition's math guy, Keith Devlin, explains the number's significance with NPR's Scott Simon.

Central banks around the world have created games that explain the sometimes wonky world of international finance and economics. NPR's Scott Simon talks to Jason Karaian, of the online magazine Quartz, about this surprisingly crowded genre.

Host Arun Rath talks with Los Angeles Times reporter Robert Faturechi about the troubles facing the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. More than a dozen current and former deputies face federal charges stemming from allegations of abuse and corruption.

President Obama has had a dramatic trajectory this year. He started 2013 fresh off a hard-fought electoral victory, going into a second term with a lot of goals. He ends the year with many of his priorities stalled and his poll numbers at all-time lows.

Here's an example of off-beat stories from United Press International: Germany dropped the longest word in its language. Maker's Mark had plans to lower the alcohol content in its whiskey. And a Canadian dentist bought John Lennon's tooth at auction, hoping to use it to clone the Beatle.

President Obama and his family are vacationing in Hawaii and Congress is in recess until early next year. As members left town, it was in a less contentious mood than in the last several years. But next year brings challenges that are likely to test whatever good will is now in the air.

Many schools are adding computer tablets and cutting back on books. Archbishop Stepinac High School is doing without them almost entirely. The only exception: books on religion.

One evening recently, I wasn't feeling well and wanted to get home from my job at Southminster. I knew a hard freeze was coming, and I needed to get the…

Robert Siegel talks with Peter Wallsten of The Washington Post about the story of Alan Gross, a USAID contractor held in a Cuban prison for the last four years. Gross had been working on a covert project installing internet in a Jewish community in Cuba.

Railroads are increasingly becoming the preferred means of shipping the masses of oil being produced in North Dakota and surrounding states. The railroad industry is eager to fill in for the lack of pipeline capacity. But some say the train growth needs to slow down.

Every year, as a gift to the American people, the Norwegian Embassy decorates the Christmas tree at Washington, D.C.'s Union Station. This year's tree is decorated with 700 reflective ornaments featuring the man from the painting The Scream by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. This month marks the 150th anniversary of Munch's birth.

Colorado ski resorts are ramping up efforts to draw skiers from emerging markets like China. About 12 percent of skier visits to the state's ski areas come from overseas. And, with China's growing middle class, Colorado resorts are looking to profit. At one resort, employees are decked in headsets, learning Mandarin Chinese in an effort to improve customer service.

Actor Oscar Isaac disappears into the title role of the new Coen brothers film, Inside Llewyn Davis, a black comedy about a '60s folk singer who just can't make it, no matter what he does. He speaks with NPR's Melissa Block about playing the less-than-likable character.

The Israeli drama S#x Acts digs deep into issues of sex and consent when a teenage girl, looking for the approval and acceptance of her peers, entertains the attentions of various boys. (Recommended)

Just out of prison, a Pennsylvania man (Christian Bale) finds that his girlfriend has moved on and his younger brother is mixed up with criminals, in Out of the Furnace. Zoe Saldana, Woody Harrelson and Casey Affleck costar.

The upcoming sequel to the 2004 film has been running a veritable marketing blitz between viral videos, car commercials and even an in-character appearance by star Will Ferrell on a local newscast.