Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Michael Eakin was writing for the majority in an insurance fraud case. He produced six pages of verse with gems like: "Convictions for the forgery and theft are approbated — the sentence for insurance fraud, however, is vacated."

Few things announce the arrival of Christmas-time like the sound of bells. And chances are many of the bells you hear this holiday season can be sourced to one small, family-owned manufacturing business in Connecticut. Bevin Brothers was founded 180 years ago.

Time is running out for Christmas shoppers, but even more so for those who need to ship those presents. UPS hired about 55,000 seasonal workers around the world to help handle the holiday volume, including 800 at the air hub in Louisville, Kentucky.

Men's professional basketball was on a long break because of the lockout. But on Christmas Day, the NBA season begins with a five-game package featuring exciting teams and glittering superstars. There's a rematch between defending champion Dallas and everyone's favorite team to hate — the Miam Heat.

The Texas congressman's message appeals to more than just the typical Republican caucus-goer. His strong poll numbers may come at the right time for the Iowa caucuses, but he can't seem to shake concerns over a so-called "isolationist" foreign policy position and controversial newsletters that bore his name.

Economists say the black unemployment rate is so high — 15.5 percent — for a number of reasons, like less education, job discrimination and huge slashes in public sector jobs. Blacks make up about 10 percent of the full-time working population but 27 percent of the long-term unemployed, an NPR/Kaiser survey found.

With fondness and a Southern twang, Penelope Simmons remembers her mother, who was not one to hover. Your foot "could be hanging by a piece of skin," she says, "and Sug would go, 'Oh, baby, go get a Band-Aid. You'll be all right.' "

Liberals reacted with anger after PolitiFact charged Democrats with the "Lie of the Year." Have the fact checkers damaged their cause?

There's been a breakthrough on Capitol Hill over the standoff on the payroll tax cut extension. Lynn Neary talks to NPR's David Welna for more.