Weekend Edition from NPR

As Russians mark the 20th anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union, their political system has reached another watershed moment. Tens of thousands turned out Saturday for another huge protest against apparent fraud in this month's parliamentary election. The urban middle class in Moscow has risen up to demand greater political rights.

If you think of the British as reserved and proper, think again. This is the season when the Brits loosen their stiff upper lips and, even in these austere times, devote themselves to merry-making. They grab their kids and head for the theater for a raucous and peculiarly British form of entertainment: the traditional Christmas pantomime.

With the end of the war in Iraq, the end of a skyrocketing defense budget and the end of Osama bin Laden, 2011 was a milestone year in the world of national security. To put it all into perspective, NPR's national security correspondent Rachel Martin speaks with host Audie Cornish.

The NBA's Christmas gift to fans this year is a full slate of marquee matchups. The lockout-delayed season officially opens Sunday with five highly anticipated games. NPR's Mike Pesca joins host Audie Cornish for a look at what to expect.

2011 was a record year for deportations. During the last federal fiscal year, 396,000 people were removed from the U.S., mostly sent to Latin America.

John Morton heads the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency that identifies people inside the country illegally and prosecutes them.

"We set out to have a year of smart immigration enforcement, and we did just that," he says.

On-Air Challenge: Identify a gift for a child spelled by consecutive letters in familiar two-word phrases. For example, if given "tomato paste," the answer would be "top."

Last Week's Challenge: Take the word "at." Put a man's first name on each side of it, and say the word out loud. Phonetically, you'll get a word that describes a growing part of our country.

Answer: Put "Jerry," "at," and "Rick" together, and phonetically, you get "geriatric."

Winner: Ginny Walters from Shelburne, Vt.

Bill Adler's resume doesn't scream "Christmas nut": He's a Jew from Detroit who spent years as a record executive at Def Jam Recordings. But since 1982, Adler has produced a yearly compilation for his friends and family titled Christmas Jollies, which gathers holiday-themed music from unexpected places.

For the past 13 years, North America's medical community has had its own version of The Onion. The Canadian Medical Association Journal's "Holiday Reading" segment in its December issue brings satire and spoofing to its medical studies, with some unintended consequences. Host Audie Cornish talks with Barbara Sibbald, editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

As the United States winds down its involvement in Iraq, Host Audie Cornish takes a look at how much money and lives it has taken. Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments tracks the amount of money spent, while Michael White, of iCasualties.org, shares how many lives have been lost.