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NPR Music presents 12 titles that range from the art of album covers to disco to Def Jam to metal to MTV. Our favorite music reads were mostly revealing biographies and wide-spanning analyses.

Scientists are predicting that average sea levels could rise as much as 3 feet by the end of the century. However, the country's deep religious beliefs have residents of the tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean torn between God and science.

In Make the Bread, Buy the Butter, Jennifer Reese tries her recipes for foods that you might never think to make at home. She walks NPR's Melissa Block through make-your-own marshmallows. Turns out, it's not so hard.

In the 1960s, European musicians began to reinvent the occasionally strident sounds of American avant-garde jazz to suit their own ideas. Norway, in particular, produced its own distinct regional aesthetic — no doubt influenced by its icy landscape.

Songwriter Hugh Martin co-wrote the Christmas tune that Judy Garland made famous in the 1944 classic Meet Me in St. Louis. Martin, who recently released a memoir, explains how he came up with his famous lyrics.

A report from the Bipartisan Policy Center suggests that seniors should start paying more for Medicare to help the nation's deficit. It also wants the government to check the growth of both Medicare and Medicaid programs in the future.

Microsoft has made a $44.6 billion bid for Yahoo, an aggressive move by the software giant to gain market share on the Internet and compete with Google. Microsoft and Yahoo have talked about merging for years. This time, a hostile but very rich offer could seal the deal.

The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the recession, which began in December 2007, ended more than a year ago. But leading economists -- and the president -- said it doesn't mean the economy is now back on track.

The new economy of jazz has forced many musicians to adopt a "go lean" approach; more than ever, three is a magic number. Trio recordings in jazz are not uncommon, but the trinity's proliferation this year makes the case that less is more. Sample five upcoming trio discs.

Verdi's opera showcases the city of Venice's complex and lethal political history in a dramatic version of the life of 15th-century doge Francesco Foscari.

Even if the simple mechanics of "Chopsticks" elude you, you can still experience the rush of playing a piano concerto -- by exercising. The pieces in this mix are not recommended for the faint of heart.

In 2010, U.S.-born workers lost more than 1 million jobs while foreign-born workers gained more than a half-million nationwide. Experts in Phoenix say foreign-born people are more likely to get employed faster because they are more willing to take any job, at any pay. Researchers say the trend could change the national workforce long-term.