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The December employment report is due. Economists expect to hear that the jobless rate remained at 7.7 percent and that about 150,000 jobs were added to payrolls. If there is a surprise, some analysts say, it's likely to be better-than-expected news.

First people wore suits and ties, dresses or skirts to work. Later came casual Fridays. Now, The Wall Street Journal reports some companies have instituted formal dress wear for Fridays.

Fighting has raged in Syria since March 2011. The U.N. estimates that more than 60,000 people have died. The effect on children is heart-breaking. Some can't draw pictures of people without showing blood coming out of them.

What's the verdict on John Boehner? He was pushed to the sidelines during the fiscal cliff deal and criticized by colleagues over Sandy aid, but he was re-elected Speaker. Also: Hawaii's governor names a surprise pick to succeed Sen. Inouye, and Dems rally around a candidate to succeed John Kerry.

In Full Planet, Empty Plates: The New Geopolitics of Food Scarcity, Lester Brown says the world's food supply is tightening, and the reasons are many. People in developing countries are eating more meat, a grain-intensive food; farmers are overpumping, causing water tables to fall; and crop yields have plateaued, despite technological advances.

The Barbershop guys talk about which political party seems more bruised now that the battle over taxes has ended. They also guess who will be going down in the NFL playoffs this weekend. Guest host Celeste Headlee checks in with culture critic Jimi Izrael; sports writer Pablo Torre, NPR's Ken Rudin and former chair of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele.

A second, larger chunk of aid for those devastated in the late October storm will be voted on later this month. There has been bipartisan outrage this week that the House had not acted sooner.

The comet ISON, discovered by two amateur astronomers last year, will zoom past the Earth next fall. But where did it come from? Astronomer Andrew Fraknoi says a passing star could have flung the comet our way from the Oort Cloud, a distant realm of ice chunks at the outer limits of the solar system.

Tell Me More asked listeners how they are hoping to bring peace into their lives in 2013. From cutting up credit cards to cleaning up friendships, life coach Gail Blanke says even small changes add up. Guest host Celeste Headlee asks Blanke for some tips on creating a peaceful year.

Everyone from the Vikings to 18th century British sailors swore that a pint of spruce beer kept away scurvy. While that may not have really worked, you, too, can capture the essence of your Christmas tree in a glass.