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For a lot of the people in Joplin, Mo., this Thanksgiving is going to be one more to endure than to celebrate. But new dreams are slowly taking root here. While the losses have been terrible, they've left a lot of people more grateful to be alive than they were last Thanksgiving.

Tax evasion is a long tradition in Italy. But with the country facing a crippling debt crisis, the new prime minister hopes to convince markets that he can get tough on those who refuse to pay up, and perhaps change Italian attitudes about tax avoidance as well.

Officials say the first round of parliamentary elections will start on time next week despite serious unrest.

Transforming traditional songs — and writing new ones — makes both money and good times.

President Obama's campaign recently urged supporters to stock up on 2012 merchandise for the holidays. Not to be outdone, the Republican White House candidates are hawking their own ballcaps and bumper stickers. Here, an NPR guide to campaign swag.

Before Rhode Island's General Assembly passed dramatic changes to the pension system, the state had one of the most underfunded pensions in the country. Many of the state's unions aren't happy with the changes and are gearing up for a legal fight.

For the past week, New York Police and the FBI have been at odds over a terrorism case which involves an American of Dominican descent named Jose Pimentel. New York police say he was an al-Qaida sympathizer planning to bomb targets in the city. The FBI declined to get involved with the case because it didn't see him as threat. Law enforcement officials on both sides have been airing the dispute over the case publicly, and that could help Pimentel build a defense.

This week in New York Magazine, two writers from different political parties each critiqued their own side. On Thursday, we heard from conservative David Frum, who argues Republicans lost touch with reality. In the same issue, liberal writer Jonathan Chait also uses the word "fantasy" in describing liberals. He tells Steve Inskeep liberals have become unreasonable.

Mexico's National Institute of Anthropology and History dismisses claims that the apocalypse is coming. Some people predict catastrophe in 2012, based on Mayan forecasts. Anthropologists now say there are two, not just one, ancient references to December 2012. But they warn modern forecasters of doom have "twisted the Mayan cosmovision."

The honey on supermarket shelves is probably real honey, after all. But claims that illicit Chinese honey was being sneaked into the U.S. market reveal how quick we are to assume the worst about supermarket foods — and imports. Closer analysis reveals a more complex tale.