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During the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Aug. 28, 2011, singer Beyonce Knowles rubbed her stomach in the middle of the performance to reveal her baby bump. "Baby bump" is one of the words on Lake Superior State University's list of banished words this year.

An Amazing Trickeration?: Banished Words For 2012

At Lake Superior State University, college officials have been releasing a list of banished words since 1976. Words that you're not allowed to say this year include "baby bump" and "occupy." It's a list destined to receive some "blowback."

Mina Abe (center) and Kota Osabe (right) are trying to promote blowing bubbles as an alternative to cigarette smoking in Japan.

Japanese Smoking Culture Proves Hard To Snuff Out

Japan has long been a friendly place for smokers. Despite tens of billions of dollars in cigarette-related health costs and damages, anti-smoking initiatives have always had trouble gaining traction.

At the national release of "AC/DC The Wine" in Melbourne, varieties included Back in Black Shiraz, Highway to Hell Cabernet Sauvignon and You Shook Me All Night Long Moscato.

To Party Like Rock Stars, They Suggest Buying Their Booze

This year saw musicians, athletes and actors launching their own lines of beer, wine and mescal. The list includes the boy band Hanson, which premiered an India pale ale called MMMHop.

In New Hampshire, you are expected to think for yourself and live up to the state's motto, "Live Free or Die."

New Hampshire: Land Of Diversity. Really.

The small New England state, which holds its primary on Tuesday, may not be racially diverse. (In fact, it's 93.9 percent white.) But its residents defy stereotypes with their political independence. More voters in the state are registered "undeclared" than Republican or Democrat.

GOP Rivals Ratchet Up Intensity In S.C. Debate

Under heavy pressure from his rivals, front-runner Mitt Romney defended his record as a venture capitalist. He also insisted he bears no responsibility for attack ads aired by his allies, and grudgingly said he might release his income tax returns this spring.

Recess Appointment Puts Obama At Odds With GOP

President Obama used a recess appointment to name Richard Cordray head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Unlike similar appointments, the Senate hadn't technically recessed.

The West End production of the Royal Shakespeare Company's <em>Matilda the Musical</em> opened at the Cambridge Theatre on Nov. 24.

There's Something About 'Matilda'

The Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda the Musical, based on the beloved children's book by Roald Dahl, is taking London by storm.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney arrives to deliver a speech ahead of the State of the Union presidential address at National Gypsum Company in Tampa, Fla. on January 24, 2012.

A Few Questions, Answers About Mitt Romney's Taxes

NPR asked three experts to comment on the controversy surrounding the GOP presidential candidate's income and the taxes he pays.

Throughout the weekend, Michele Bachmann stressed God and taxes at the Iowa Straw Poll. Bachmann came in first at the mock election.

The Nation: It's Hallelujah In Iowa For Bachmann

The Iowa Straw Poll has come and gone, leaving Michele Bachmann as the front runner thanks to her strong religious platform. Sarah Posner of The Nation discuses what the weekend in Iowa was like for the GOP.

Nick Azzaro, owner of Papa's Tomato Pies, poses with one of his creations. Azzaro, who is now 64, says he's been making pizzas since he was 14 years old.

For Slice Of Fame, Pizzerias Spar Over 'Oldest' Title

The title is generally thought to belong to Lombardi's, a pizza joint in New York City that opened in 1905. But Papa's Tomato Pies of Trenton, N.J., says it deserves the crown since Lombardi's was closed for 10 years in the 1980s.

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