What’s likely to make news in 2012
We pause to consider some of what lies ahead in the new year, from culture to politics, technology, the economy, sports, and casinos that may crop up in sight of the city on a hill.
Will 2012 be the year for economic optimists?
Here are six reasons to be pessimistic about the economy in the new year, and six to be optimistic. Together, these 12 for ’12 could add up to another wild ride.
Bills at Patriots, 1 p.m.
Patriots’ keys to a Week 17 victory over the Bills
The Boston Globe breaks down the X’s and O’s for the Patriots’ Week 17 matchup with the Bills and offers a prediction for who will win.
CHARLES DHARAPAK/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Laden with baggage, Newt Gingrich tries to defy odds
As Gingrich seeks the GOP presidential nomination, he is fighting not just for the country’s future, as he often proclaims, but also against his past.
Momentum in Iowa tilting toward Romney
Iowa voters may deliver a caucus plot twist Tuesday that seemed unlikely just a few short weeks ago: propelling Romney toward the Republican presidential nomination.
Editor’s choice
Ten of the most memorable Boston Globe stories from 2011.
“Negative advertising is popular among campaign strategists because it works. So what it says about us is that we pay attention to it, even as we decry it.”
Jeffrey Berry, a Tufts University political science professor
Inside The Boston Globe
Columnists
Metro
December wraps up as second-warmest on record
There has been no measurable snowfall in the area since late October, a rare stretch making for gleeful golfers and a dramatic change from last winter.
Business
Product Reviews
Getting the credit card you are due
As the economy improves and new credit card rules take effect, now is a good time to look at your choices.
Politics
Obama to escalate assault on Congress
President Obama plans to step up his offensive against Congress, concluding he cannot pass any major legislation in 2012 because of Republican hostility toward his agenda.
Nation & World
With bees dying off, a search for solutions takes on added urgency
Scientists are trying to find the cause of colony collapse disorder, the five-year-old phenomenon of worker bees suddenly disappearing
Sports
Mayo provides solid backing for Patriots
The Patriots offense might get most of the attention, but Jerod Mayo has been a consistent presence on a defense that has taken more criticism than a presidential candidate.
Arts
ARTS
Who could break out in 2012?
There’s no telling who’s going to flourish this year - but we’re willing to make some educated guesses.
Travel
In 2012, the best place to . . .
It’s the little things that matter, so resolve to make the most of them in 2012 - starting with our micro sampler of random hot spots around the world.
Books
‘Pity the Billionaire: The Hard Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right’ by Thomas Frank
It’s a mordant study of how the right deflected blame for economic calamity and turned it to its own advantage.
Opinion
“If New Year’s resolutions are on your mind, today is a good day to reflect on the many ways that you live robotically.”
Gareth Cook
Ideas
“Recent years have seen an explosion of interest and creativity in the realm of data-driven soothsaying, and some in the field predict—well, they think—that they are on the cusp of something big.”
Leon Neyfakh, on the future of prediction