Liu Xia, Censored Chinese Artist, Getting Exhibit In New York

NEW YORK ? Photographs by Chinese artist Liu Xia (lee-OW' zah) will be shown at Columbia University next month. She's the wife of imprisoned 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo (Lee-OW' Zawh-BOH').

The photos were smuggled out of China just before Liu was placed under house arrest after her husband won the Nobel.

The exhibition runs from Feb. 9 to March 1 on the New York City campus. It's the only U.S. location where it'll be held.

Liu's works are censored in her native country.

The series of 25 photos depict life-like dolls in various settings. One shows her husband holding a doll. In another, a tied-up doll sits in front of an open book.

The Boulogne (boo-LOHN'-yu) Museum outside Paris exhibited them in the fall.

Liu Xiaobo was imprisoned in 2009 to 11years for urging democratic reform.

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/18/liu-xia-chinese-artist_n_1214325.html

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Billups' 3 with second left lifts Clips over Mavs

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, right, shoots and hits a three point shot in the last few seconds of their NBA basketball game as Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry (31) defends along with guard Jason Kidd, center right, and Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, top left,, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. The Clippers won 91-89. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, right, shoots and hits a three point shot in the last few seconds of their NBA basketball game as Dallas Mavericks guard Jason Terry (31) defends along with guard Jason Kidd, center right, and Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, top left,, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. The Clippers won 91-89. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin goes up for a dunk during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin goes up for a dunk during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Mavericks forward Lamar Odom, right, puts up a shot as Los Angeles Clippers forward Ryan Gomes defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Dallas Mavericks center Brendan Haywood, center, dunks the ball as Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin, left, and center DeAndre Jordan, right, look on during the first half of their NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? The Dallas Mavericks left town feeling snake-bit ? and then some ? after a couple frustrating of losses that ended with opponents making clutch 3-pointers in the final moments.

Chauncey Billups provided the latest with a second left on the clock, giving the Los Angeles Clippers a stunning 91-89 victory over the defending NBA champions on Wednesday night.

"I was so open, I was able to take my time and shoot the shot," Billups said. "They got a contest on it late, but by that time it was gone. I got a great look at it and it felt good for it to go down."

Mo Williams made his first seven shots and finished with 26 points off the bench in his return to the lineup from a sore right foot. DeAndre Jordan had 19 points and nine rebounds for the undermanned Clippers, playing their third game in three days after a 101-91 win over New Jersey on Monday afternoon and a 108-79 loss at Utah Tuesday night.

Clippers point guard Chris Paul missed his third straight game because of a left hamstring strain, and Brian Cook sat out his third in a row with a sprained left ankle. But three of the Clippers' last five games have included wins over Miami, the Lakers and the Mavericks ? who had beaten them 10 straight times and won 16 of the previous 17 meetings.

"We beat a good team tonight without our best player, so it was big for us, confidence-wise," Williams said. "I mean, you're going to have your games like Utah, where we just didn't get off the bus and wasted jet fuel. But for us, to be able to do these things that we're doing, we've got veteran guys that relish these moments. We don't call Chauncey 'Big Shot' for nothing."

Blake Griffin had 17 rebounds along with 14 points and seven assists ? the last setting up Billups' rainbow from the right of the key.

"Griffin is very explosive and always looking to attack," Dirk Nowitzki said. "He's the future of the league and he's fun to watch. We actually thought we did a decent job on him tonight."

It was the third time already this season that the Mavs lost on a 3-pointer with less than 5 seconds to go. On Monday night at Staples Center, Derek Fisher connected with 3.1 seconds remaining to give the Lakers a 73-70 win. On Dec. 29, Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant made one at the buzzer to beat Dallas.

"We've got to keep on fighting," Nowitzki said. "Nobody said it was going to be easy, but we can't keep losing on 3s that end the game."

Jordan's dunk and Griffin's layup gave the Clippers an 88-33 lead with 1:29 remaining. Dallas' Ian Mahinmi missed both free throws at the other end, but Jason Terry hit the first of his two 3-pointers to cut the margin to 88-86.

Billups missed a 12-footer, and Griffin forced a jump ball with Nowitzki on the ensuing rebound with 14.9 seconds to play. Griffin got the tip to Billups, who caught it off-balance and lost it out of bounds. Terry then hit his second trey with 5 seconds left, and Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro called a timeout to set up what proved to be the winning basket.

"Again we lost on a 3 from the right side ? the same spot Fish made his shot the other night," Dallas' Jason Kidd said. "The Clippers drew up a good play. We knew Billups and Griffin were going to have the ball at some point, and Billups made the shot. We were in a position to win the game, and we just couldn't get a stop.

"We must lead the league in last-second shots made by our opponents, so we've got to figure out a way to close the door," Kidd added. "We left it open, but there were a lot of plays that led to that just to get us back in the ballgame. And those two shots Jason Terry made were huge."

Nowitzki and Delonte West each scored 17 points for Dallas. Kidd, playing his third game after missing the previous four because of back spasms, played 15 scoreless minutes in the first half and finished with five points and 10 assists. The 17-year veteran was 1 for 9 from the field against the Lakers, including 0 for 8 from 3-point range.

Terry made his only two 3-point baskets of the game in the final 37 seconds, the second coming with 5 seconds to play after losing Jordan on a switch and getting himself all alone at the top of the lane.

The Mavericks played without Vince Carter, who sprained his left foot on the final play of Monday night's 73-70 loss to the Lakers when he tried to position himself for a 3-point shot that he missed at the buzzer. The team's second-leading scorer off the bench returned to Dallas to get examined by team doctors.

Neither team led by more than six points until Jordan completed a three-point play to give the Clippers a 64-57 advantage with 6 minutes left in the third quarter. They led by as many as nine before Dallas used a 14-5 run to pull into a 71-all tie heading to the fourth.

Williams, who sat out the previous three games, was the first player off the Clippers' bench and scored 18 points to help Los Angeles take a 52-51 halftime lead.

Caron Butler missed his first seven shots over 27 scoreless minutes before ending the drought on an 18-footer that gave the Clippers a 68-62 lead with 3:05 left in the third.

Notes: Since moving to Los Angeles for the 1984-85 campaign, the Clippers are 17-69 against teams that won an NBA title the previous season. The franchise was 20-46 against defending NBA champs during the Buffalo and San Diego years. ... Jordan reached double digits in field-goal attempts for the fifth time in 215 NBA games. His previous career high was 12. ... The Clippers have allowed fewer than 100 points in each of their eight victories, and more than 100 in each of their four losses. This was the sixth time they held an opponent under 90. ... With 23,050 career points, Nowitzki is 90 away from overtaking Hall of Famer and former Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor for 22nd place all-time. The only active players with more points than Nowitzki are Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-19-Mavericks-Clippers/id-7ec15818b0e945a794d3b28b8cef3cee

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Johnny Ramone autobiography will be released this spring

Eight years after the legendary guitarist's death, Johnny Ramone's autobiography will be published with a foreword by former bandmate Tommy Ramone

The autobiography of legendary punk guitarist and founding member of the Ramones Johnny Ramone will be released this April.?

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The book will be 176 pages long, according to the publisher, Abrams Images, and will have a foreword by former bandmate Tommy Ramone, who is currently the only member still alive of the original Ramones lineup. Lisa Marie Presley penned the epilogue for the book, and pictures were selected for inclusion by his widow Linda Ramone.?

Linda Ramone told the Associated Press that her husband, who died in 2004 and was chosen by Rolling Stone Magazine as the sixteenth best guitarist of all time, began working on ?Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone? after he was diagnosed with cancer. The book, Linda Ramone said, includes Ramone?s thoughts on his entire life, beginning with his early days in Queens, New York.

?It was like he knew he was dying, and he wanted to do something,? Linda Ramone said.

Interviews with those close to Johnny Ramone were originally planned for inclusion, said Linda Ramone, but ultimately she decided to leave them out.

?It didn?t make Johnny Ramone?s book more powerful by having other people in the book talking about him,? she said of the decision.

The book will also discuss incidents like the tension between Ramone and former bandmate Joey Ramone after Johnny Ramone began dating Linda, an ex-girlfriend of Joey?s.?

?It happened, and of course he talks about it and he talks about how he feels about it,? Linda Ramone told the Associated Press. ?The three of us all probably have a different story, but this is Johnny?s story.?

Linda Ramone said she could see the autobiography inspiring a movie about the Ramones and their careers.

Tommy Ramone said in a statement that the writing in the book is a straightforward depiction of life that epitomizes Johnny Ramone and how he lived his life.

?His story is written in his own actual words, so the reader gets an insight into what made him the unique, charismatic and exciting individual that he was,? he said. ?It also gives a great view of The Ramones from Johnny?s perspective.?

Molly Driscoll is a Monitor contributor.

Join the Monitor's book discussion on Facebook and Twitter.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ztHRXPXY_yg/Johnny-Ramone-autobiography-will-be-released-this-spring

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Rock Hall of Fame opens archives to public (AP)

CLEVELAND ? The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened its new library and archives to the public on Tuesday to give scholars and fans access to the stories behind the music through such "artifacts" as personal letters from Madonna and Aretha Franklin and 1981-82 video of the Rolling Stones tour.

The collection, catalogued over the last few years, includes more than 3,500 books, 1,400 audio recordings and 270 videos, and is housed in the new four-story, $12 million building.

Thousands more books and recordings and hundreds of videos will be added as previously stored items and new donations are catalogued, said Andy Leach, director of the library and archives.

"We hope to serve music scholars, teachers, students and the general public," Leach said. "We hope to see all of them here."

Tuesday's opening of the building on the Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, not far from the Rock Hall, occurred without a lot of fanfare. The low-key opening allows the public to enjoy the library before a grand opening April 9. The college funded the building and the Rock Hall financed construction and furnishings of its interior.

The library also offers photos, albums and covers, oral histories and scrap books.

Leach said the Rock Hall has done a great job of telling the story of rock `n' roll. He said he sees the library as bringing the museum more recognition and showing "it to be a serious place of research."

The library collection also includes movie posters, photos and memorabilia related to Alan Freed, the DJ credited with coining the phrase rock `n' roll; a handwritten list by Elvis Presley of songs included in one of his concerts; and personal letters from Mick Jagger.

Visitors will not be allowed to check out items, but anyone can use the library reading room to browse through books, listen to audio recordings and watch videos. A smaller archives reading room allows supervised access to certain items.

Steve Waksman, an associate professor of music and American studies at Smith College in Massachusetts, did research at the library prior to its opening for his book on the history of American live music.

"It was very useful, with material that I haven't found anywhere else," Waksman said Tuesday. "They had a lot of material regarding the stage sets of music performers from the `60s and the `70s, such as David Bowie and the Rolling Stones."

Elizabeth Papp Taylor, 53, of Shaker Heights, was at the library opening day.

"I'm looking forward to coming back for a look at the archives, but my first visit was exciting," she said in a phone interview. "It's very impressive."

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Information from: The Plain Dealer, http://www.cleveland.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120117/ap_en_mu/us_rock_archives

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On Romney, White House says 'established tradition' for candidates to release tax records (Star Tribune)

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Students Name NASA's Twin Moon Probes 'Ebb' & 'Flow' (SPACE.com)

NASA's twin gravity-mapping moon probes received new names Tuesday (Jan. 17), reflecting their mission to study the changing pull of Earth's natural satellite.

Now to be called "Ebb" and "Flow," the tandem Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (or Grail) spacecraft arrived in lunar orbit over the New Year weekend and were previously referred to simply as?"A"?and "B". Their new names were offered by fourth grade students in Bozeman, Mont., who were chosen as the winners of NASA's naming contest.

"The 28 students of Ms. Nina DiMauro's class at Emily Dickinson Elementary School have really hit the nail on the head," said Maria Zuber, who as principal investigator leads the Grail probes' mission from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "We were really impressed that the students drew their inspiration by researching Grail and its goal of measuring gravity."

"Ebb and Flow truly capture the spirit and excitement of our mission," Zuber said. NASA announced the new names in a press conference Tuesday.

The terms ebb and flow generally refer to the movement of water, especially in relation to Earth's natural tides that are influenced by the pull of the moon. The two words also describe the relative motion of the GRAIL probes, which will vary in distance with the moon's gravitational pull.

"While we feel the ebb and flow of our tides, our twins will undergo nearly the same motion as they study our lunar neighbor," said Jim Green, who leads NASA's planetary science division in Washington, DC.

First prize

According to NASA, about 900 classrooms with more than 11,000 students from 45 states ? as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia ? suggested names. The contest was open to U.S. students in kindergarten through 12th grade and began about a month after the probes were launched last September and ran through Nov. 11.

Zuber and former astronaut Sally Ride, the first American woman in space, selected served as the contest's judges.

"With submissions from all over the United States and even some from abroad, there were a lot of great entries to look over," said Ride, who is now president and CEO of Sally Ride Science in San Diego. "This contest generated a great deal of excitement in classrooms across America, and along with it an opportunity to use that excitement to teach science."

As their first prize for naming Ebb and Flow, the Dickinson students won the first pick of where to point MoonKam, a small camera on board each of the Grail probes. [Photos From NASA's Moon Gravity Mission]

MoonKam, or Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students, is NASA's first instrument to fly on a planetary mission fully-dedicated to education and public outreach. Managed by Sally Ride Science, MoonKam will provide thousands of fifth- to eighth-grade students the chance to select areas on the lunar surface to be photographed.

Ebbing and flowing

MoonKam will start sending back images once Ebb and Flow begin science operations in March.

Since the two probes entered lunar orbit two weeks ago, flight controllers have been refining each spacecraft's orbit to reduce the time they take to circle the moon to just under two hours. At the start of the science phase in two months, Ebb and Flow will be in a near-polar, near-circular orbit with an altitude of about 34 miles (55 kilometers).

During their science mission, the washer-machine size spacecraft will transmit radio signals precisely defining the distance between them. As they fly over areas of greater and lesser gravity caused by visible features such as mountains and craters, as well as masses hidden beneath the lunar surface, the distance between Ebb and Flow will change slightly.

Scientists will use this data to form a high-resolution map of the moon's gravitational field, providing them a better understanding of what is going on below the lunar surface. This information will increase knowledge of how Earth and its rocky neighbors in the inner solar system developed into the diverse worlds they are today.

Continue reading at collectSPACE.com?for the history behind students naming NASA spacecraft.

Follow collectSPACE on Facebook?and Twitter @collectSPACE?and editor Robert Pearlman @robertpearlman. Copyright 2011?collectSPACE.com. All rights reserved.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/space/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/space/20120117/sc_space/studentsnamenasastwinmoonprobesebbflow

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49ers D sets the tone in 36-32 win over Saints (AP)

SAN FRANCISCO ? With New Orleans poised to score on its opening possession, Donte Whitner delivered a crushing blow that knocked out running back Pierre Thomas and forced the first of five Saints turnovers.

San Francisco's hard-hitting, opportunistic defense set the tone in the 49ers' thrilling 36-32 playoff win the same way it has all season.

From Justin Smith and Aldon Smith harassing Drew Brees all day, to Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman shutting down the running game and Dashon Goldson making punishing hits and key plays from the secondary, the defense is the biggest reason for the resurgence in San Francisco that has the 49ers (14-3) back in the NFC championship for the first time since the 1997 season.

They will play the Giants next Sunday at Candlestick Park after New York defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers 37-20 on Sunday. San Francisco beat Eli Manning and the Giants 27-20 at home Nov. 13.

"It's a lot better than traveling to Wisconsin. More importantly, we're playing a team we've already faced," cornerback Carlos Rogers said Sunday. "It's not as hard as preparing for another team we haven't faced yet."

"Home game huh?" Whitner tweeted Sunday once his opponent had been determined.

An offensive show featuring four lead changes defined the final five minutes of the Niners' win Saturday, capped by Alex Smith's 14-yard touchdown pass to Vernon Davis with 9 seconds remaining. But Whitner got things going in the franchise's first postseason appearance in nine years.

"It let the (Saints') offense know we were going to be physical all day," Whitner said of the hit on Thomas, who left with a head injury and never returned.

Whitner was unfazed by his pass interference penalty moments earlier that briefly sent shaken-up tight end Jimmy Graham to the sideline. Whitner's jarring, legal helmet-to-helmet hit on Thomas was a blow to the Saints' psyche as well as to their depth chart.

The 49ers' defense has been so stingy this season they didn't allow a 100-yard runner or a rushing touchdown until the second-to-last game of the year Dec. 24 at Seattle. Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, part of plenty of top-notch defenses himself, has praised these men for not "giving up inches."

"We've got a great defense. We feel like we can stop anyone," Bowman said. "When it's not working for our offense, it's our job to get the ball back for them as many times as we can. That's all it was. If those guys aren't doing well it's our job to pick it up. That's what a team is and I think we have a great one here."

First-year coach Jim Harbaugh brought defensive coordinator Vic Fangio along with him from Stanford when he was hired last January ? and Fangio has developed his unit into one of the NFL's best.

"We like to think that we play defense the right way," Fangio said. "We play physical, we play with our hands. We run to the ball. We don't try and do anything too fancy, although we do have our changeups here and there. We try and play defense the old-fashioned, hard school way."

The Niners had 38 takeaways during the regular season to only 10 turnovers. Their plus-28 turnover differential matched the 2010 Patriots for the second-best mark in NFL history since 1941.

They forced five more Saturday, and only had one turnover themselves.

In the first game with the Giants, Rogers made two interceptions for the first two-pick outing of his seven-year career. Justin Smith batted down Manning's final pass attempt on fourth-and-2 from the 10 in the closing seconds.

"We got the turnovers and were able to get to Eli," Rogers recalled. "The team has gotten better since we played them. They're familiar with us just as we're familiar with them."

San Francisco's determined defenders heard all last week how difficult it would be to stop Brees and Co., knowing many figured they'd fail.

"We got tired of it throughout the week. They gave us no chance," Goldson said. "They kept talking about the Saints, the Saints, where they stand against us and what they were going to do. We ignored everything and focused on us and what we had to do to come win this game."

Goldson had six interceptions for the NFC West champions during the regular season, then his biggest yet Saturday. That first-quarter pick snapped Brees' NFL-record streak of 226 postseason passes without an interception dating to the NFC championship game against Chicago five years ago.

Tarell Brown had the other interception, while special teams standouts Blake Costanzo and Madieu Williams each forced a fumble.

"Our guys were humming. We were able to pry a couple out and that was big," Fangio said. "The interceptions were big also."

The Niners were No. 1 in the NFL in stopping the run during the season and didn't allow a rushing TD on Saturday after the Saints scored three on the ground in a 45-28 win over the Detroit Lions in the Superdome in last weekend's wild-card round.

The Saints produced a playoff-record 626 yards against the Lions, with Brees throwing for 466 yards while completing 33 of 43 passes.

"I had figured coming into this game they would feel like, `Let's keep everything in front of us, let's not give up big plays and obviously do a good job against the rush and try to put them in third-and-long situations,'" Brees said. "They did, yet again, a great job stopping the run in a lot of cases which we felt like in order to really get chunks, we would have to throw it. Obviously that's a great defense. It's one of the best defenses in the league."

Goldson was re-signed to a one-year contract as a free agent in August to complement newcomers and fellow defensive backs Whitner and Carlos Rogers. Against the Saints, Goldson had a team-leading 11 tackles to go with the first-quarter interception and two passes defensed. Bowman also made 11 tackles, 10 of those solo.

"We got some spectacular stops," Harbaugh said. "On third down, I thought they were outstanding. Five takeaways in the game. I know the special teams contributed to that as well. Very opportunistic today. Got pressure on their quarterback. Made plays on the ball, and made them when they were there to be made. Our guys in the secondary made them. It was a terrific job by our defense, once again. You just love the way they play. You love the way they compete. Love how hard they work on the field."

The 49ers sacked the record-setting Brees three times, including rookie Aldon Smith's pounding for an 11-yard loss on third down in the first quarter. All-Pro defensive tackle Justin Smith brought Brees to the ground for a 9-yard loss in the third quarter and Ahmad Brooks added a fourth-quarter sack on which Brees lost 7 yards.

"We wanted to come out and play our style of football, which is playing physical, being a great tackling team, and playing with good fundamentals which has carried us all year," Fangio said. "We just wanted to play the way we've played all year, particularly starting early in the game."

Whitner definitely did his part.

"I told myself that I was going to hit anything moving today and that I was going to be extremely physical, even if I hit my own guys," he said. "Luckily, I didn't hit too many of my own guys."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/sports/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120116/ap_on_sp_fo_ne/fbn49ers_opportunistic_d

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