Question: A large book NBA star Yao Ming's English autography will come out in New York, US , this month. It is called "Yao: A Life in Two Worlds." It talks about his first year in the NBA. Yao wrote it with a US report. Alicia's Coming American singer Alicia Keys,23, will be in the "Wall of Hope" concert with other stars, on the Great Wall, in Beijing, on September 25. The R& B singer is a five-time Grammy winner. Top singing award Taiwanese singer Jay Chou, 25, won Best Male singer at the Fourth Chinese Music Billboard Awards , in Taipei, on Saturday. Football winners the Chinese under-17 football team is No. 1 in Asia. They won the Asian U-17 Championship in Japan on Saturday. They beat the Democratic People's Republic of Korea 1-0. After 85 minutes, Wang Weilong shot the only goal. They took the cup for the first time in 12 years. 1. Whose autography is coming out?
2. In what city?
3. Is Ming with the NFL?
4. What then?
5. What is the title of the book?
6. How old was Alicia Keys?
7. What's the name of the concert?
8. Where will it be held?
9. In what city?
10. On what date?
11. How many Grammys has Keys won?
12. What kind of singer is she?
13. Will she join other singers at this concert?
14. What nationality is she?
15. How old is Chou?
16. What is his first name?
17. What award did he win?
18. At what ceremony?
19. Where was it held?
20. On what day? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. Yao Ming
2. New York
3. No
4. NBA
5. Yao: A Life in Two Worlds
6. 23
7. Wall of Hope
8. Great Wall
9. Beijing
10. September 25
11. five
12. R& B
13. yes
14. American
15. 25
16. Jay
17. Best Male singer
18. Chinese Music Billboard Awards
19. Taipei
20. Saturday

Question: WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Senate was called to order for 11 seconds on Wednesday as the last political scuffle of the year between the White House and the Democratic-led Congress played out.

Democratic senators will hold short "pro forma" sessions over the holiday break to prevent recess appointments.

Nearly all the senators left the Capitol for the Christmas holiday last week, but Democrats are keeping the Senate in session to block President Bush from making any recess appointments -- a constitutional mechanism that allows the president, during congressional recesses, to fill top government posts for up to one year without Senate confirmation.

Sen. Jim Webb, D-Virginia, opened and then immediately gaveled the Senate session to a close. He spent 57 seconds in the chamber.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, announced December 19 that he would keep the Senate open with a series of "pro forma" sessions through mid-January.

Talks had just broken down with the White House on a deal that would have allowed the president to make dozens of those appointments if he agreed not to appoint one controversial official, Steven Bradbury, as the permanent head of the influential Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department.

Bush declined to accept the Democrats' offer, and Reid refused to approve Bradbury because of concerns about his involvement in crafting legal opinions for the administration on interrogation techniques of terrorism suspects.

Similar sessions were conducted over the Thanksgiving recess.

Webb also did the duty Friday, but he won't be the only senator tasked with presiding over the shortened sessions. Other Democrats -- including Sens. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Ben Cardin of Maryland and Chuck Schumer of New York -- will share the duty. E-mail to a friend 1. why are democrats keeping the Seante in session?
2. what are they?
3. to do what?
4. who did Reid refuse to approve?
5. what job did Bush want him to have?
6. how many senators were planning to help Webb?
7. which state does Webb represent
8. how long was his session?
9. what are these sessions called?
10. what job does Reid have?
11. where is he based?
12. what holiday were they breaking for?
13. were all senators still in the Capitol?
14. when did Reid announce the sessions?
15. until when?
16. Webb had taken the wednesday session, what other one was he planning?
17. which New York Senator was going to help?
18. Where is Mary Landrieu from?
19. what did the democrats want Bush to do?
20. did Bush agree? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers: 1. to block President Bush from making any recess appointments
2. a constitutional mechanism
3. that allows the president, during congressional recesses, to fill top government posts
4. Bradbury
5. permanent head of the influential Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department
6. Six
7. Virginia
8. 57 seconds
9. pro forma
10. Senate Majority Leader
11. Nevada
12. Thanksgiving
13. No
14. December 19
15. through mid-January
16. Friday
17. Chuck Schumer
18. Louisiana
19. not appoint one controversial official
20. No

Question: Washington (CNN) -- President James K. Polk holds a distinction among those who have sought the nation's top job: He's the only major candidate to win the White House despite losing the vote in the state where he was born and the state where he lived.

It happened in 1844, and now 168 years later, Republican nominee Mitt Romney may need to duplicate Polk's feat if he wants to defeat President Barack Obama in Tuesday's election.

According to polls, Romney faces the prospect of losing both the state of his birth, Michigan, and the state where he lives and served as governor, Massachusetts.

CNN Polling Center

Obama holds a double digit lead in Massachusetts, but the race is closer in Michigan, with the polls tightening, though the president remains in front.

Under the Electoral College system, each state is worth a certain number of electoral votes based on population. There are a total of 538 electoral votes available, meaning 270 are required to win.

Romney has many plausible paths to victory on Tuesday without winning Michigan or Massachusetts.

Yet the prospect that he might lose either or both raises the question of how many other presidential candidates in U.S. history also were unable to win their birth or home states?

Winners who overcame the loss of a state with strong personal ties included Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon and both George H.W. Bush and his son, George W. Bush.

New national poll shows Obama, Romney virtually tied

Honest Abe won his home state of Illinois, but lost his birth state of Kentucky in both of his presidential runs in 1860 and 1864. In 1968, Nixon won his birth state of California, where he also ran unsuccessfully as governor, but lost his home state of New York, where he had been working as a lawyer for a few years. 1. What two candidates are running for president?
2. Who is leading in Massachusetts?
3. Is he leading in another state?
4. Where?
5. What system is used in the US?
6. What is the most votes you can have in this system?
7. How many will make you president?
8. Where was Romney born?
9. Where does he live now?
10. Why does he live there?
11. Is he ahead in the race?
12. Has anyone ever won and lost their home state?
13. Who?
14. Where was Abraham Lincoln born?
15. Where was Nixon born?
16. Where did he live?
17. What did he do there?
18. When did Abe Lincoln run for president?
19. When did Nixon?
20. Where did Nixon run for governor? Provide a numbered list of answers.
****
A numbered of answers:
1. Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama
2. Obama
3. yes
4. Michigan
5. Electoral College
6. 538
7. 270
8. Michigan
9. Massachusetts.
10. he served as governor there
11. no
12. yes
13. Abraham Lincoln, Richard Nixon, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush.
14. Illinois
15. California
16. New York
17. he was a lawyer
18. in 1860 and 1864
19. In 1968
20. California