Witnesses: Blasts strike Iraq's Army Day parade

From Jomana Karadsheh, CNN

January 6, 2012 -- Updated 1326 GMT (2126 HKT)

Witnesses said the explosions were caused by mortars or rockets that struck near Baghdad's Green Zone.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Dozens were killed Thursday in Baghdad and the south
• Witnesses say Friday's explosions were caused by mortars or rockets
• Officials have said they are concerned about the possibility of attacks
• There are no immediate reports of casualties

Baghdad (CNN) -- At least three explosions struck Friday near Baghdad's Green Zone, where a parade to mark Iraq's Army Day was taking place, witnesses said.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in the attacks, which come amid heightened security across the Iraqi capital in preparation for Army Day. Officials have said they were concerned about the possibility of attacks.

Witnesses said the explosions were caused by mortars or rockets that struck a short stretch of road between the Foreign Ministry and one of the main checkpoints leading into the Green Zone, areas previously targeted in attacks.

The Green Zone, also known as the International Zone, is home to the U.S. Embassy and a number of Iraqi government and military offices.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and other top officials attended the parade.

January 6 is the anniversary of the formation of the Iraqi Army. This is the first time Iraq has marked the occasion since the 2003 invasion.

The latest attacks came after dozens of people died Thursday in bombings in Baghdad and near Nasiriya, strikes thought to be targeting Shiites.

Violence raged for years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq between members of the country's Sunni minority, who held power during the era of Saddam Hussein, and its Shiite majority, which gained power after his ouster.

Sectarian violence eventually diminished. But in recent weeks, Iraqis have been concerned about an increase in Sunni-Shiite violence after the U.S. military withdrawal from the country last month.

Sunnis in Iraq have felt marginalized by the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, a Shiite. That anger intensified after he ordered the arrest last month of Sunni Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, who was charged with ordering bombings and assassinations, a charge he denies.

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Source: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/06/world/meast/iraq-violence/index.html?eref=edition_world

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Florida Sen. Marco Rubio might be just the ticket for vice president

WASHINGTON?

?

Here's a question that's being raised none too soon: Whom will Mitt Romney select as his running mate?

Several names have been suggested, including Condoleezza Rice and Sen. Rob Portman, of Ohio. Rice's interest isn't clear and Portman, despite his personal qualities and swing-state bona fides, would merely add a snooze button to Romney's campaign.

Latest to the list is the young and junior senator from Florida, Marco Rubio. His political resume: nine years as a state legislator, including two as speaker of the Florida House; enormous popularity with tea partiers who sent him to the U.S. Senate over Republican Gov. Charlie Crist; a Cuban heritage and, thus, his presumed appeal to Hispanic voters; he's young at just 40 and, it never hurts, attractive.

Add to the above that Florida is a crucial swing state, the population of which is 22.5 percent Hispanic.

No one is ever perfect, of course, and Rubio critics will cite his chronologically challenged rendition of his parents' exile from Cuba. Rubio claimed that they were driven out by Fidel Castro when, in fact, they left Cuba before Castro took over the island nation. Rubio later explained that the date, though incorrect, didn't diminish the family's experience of exile when, upon Castro's rise to power, they didn't feel they could return to Cuba.

For Cubans who had to leave their homeland with empty pockets and broken hearts, their homes ravaged and their belongings confiscated by revolutionary rebels, Rubio's exaggeration no doubt stung. But fatal for Rubio? Not likely. It is possible to imagine that growing up in south Florida, where Spanish is a first language and displacement is the Cuban community's core identity, Rubio can be understood to have embraced the larger cultural narrative as his own. As he put it in an editorial for Politico, "I am the son of exiles. I inherited two generations of unfulfilled dreams. This is a story that needs no embellishing."

Of perhaps greater value to Democrats is Rubio's attractiveness to tea partiers. Thanks to media portraits of tea party members as tantrum-throwing ignoramuses with racist tendencies, the argument would be that Rubio can't appeal to a broader spectrum of voters. This argument has some merit, but only if you haven't heard Rubio speak or paid attention to his message. Rubio isn't just a poster boy for the shrink-government contingent. Much like Barack Obama, he's a monument to the American Dream. Like Obama, he speaks often about the privilege of being an American and of possessing a birthright that allows the son of a bartender and a maid to become a U.S. senator. Only in America.

But unlike Obama, Rubio condemns rhetoric that seeks to divide the American people against each other. He shuns the idea that some are worse off because others are doing better. In a year-end address to the Senate about his first year in office, Rubio articulated a conservative road map that is equal parts tough love and compassion and that combines the conservatism of Ronald Reagan with the conciliatory charm of Bill Clinton. He is a human composite of sunny optimism and urgent realism. If it wasn't a stump speech, it should be.

Saying we're not a nation of haves and have-nots, but a nation of haves and soon-to-haves, Rubio pointed out three obstacles to prosperity: a "crazy" tax code, complicated regulations that kill small businesses, and a national debt that exceeds the economy.

Obama inherited a bad economy, Rubio conceded, but, mathematically speaking, the country now is in worse shape with higher debt, unemployment and poverty. Rubio said that clearing these obstacles and creating a realistic plan to reduce the debt and deficit would lead to greater prosperity, which would lead to more jobs, which would mean more taxpayers and therefore more revenue for, among other things, Medicare funding and infrastructure repairs.

You won't find a Republican who doesn't agree with this assessment, but you also won't find any who can deliver the argument with greater passion or less-divisive rhetoric. This is the Rubio that Democrats should fear, and to whom Romney no doubt is well attuned.

Washington Post Writers Group

Kathleen Parker is a syndicated columnist.

kathleenparker@washpost.com

Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0105-parker-20120105,0,5045042.story?track=rss

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Video: GOPs Next Stop New Hampshire

CNBC's John Harwood has the latest on how the GOP candidates are preparing for the New Hampshire primary and how they may use today's employment data.

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/cnbc/45900977/

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Bring it Back!: Women's Tag Team Titles

Twice the beauty, twice the fun beckons for twice the championship run. WWE.com calls for the return of the WWE Women?s Tag Team Titles.

In more than any other type of match WWE has to offer, the Divas have showcased their tremendous abilities in tag team action ? an arena in which they have excelled time and time again. It stands to reason that since they are taking such an active role in this particular level of competition, there should be championship gold in place for which to compete.

Moreover, today?s Diva duos have a greater opportunity to take that title to unprecedented new heights. It?s true that WWE Hall of Famers like The Fabulous Moolah, Wendi Richer and Sensational Sherri helped defined the ?80s ? the era when the Women's Tag Team Title was last active ? and set the stage for the current crop of in-ring femme fatales.

Yet despite the incredible ability and influence of these past elites among the singles ranks, they never had a strong enough group of female competitors at their side that would allow the Women?s Tag Team Titles to build a true legacy.

This roadblock to greatness certainly does not exist today ? an era in which numerous Diva pairings have proven to be?just as effective as their male counterparts where?tandem excellence is concerned.?

Without question, Beth Phoenix & Natalya have exhibited a spirit of dominance similar to that of Demolition, The Bella Twins the tag team savvy of the Hart Foundation and Kelly Kelly & Eve the explosive charisma of current WWE Tag Team Champions "Air Boom."

By throwing such a grand prize like?the Women's Tag Team Titles back into play, WWE would add a crucial dimension to today?s Divas picture, raising the stakes on their matches overall while adding to their stunning nature that has captivated the WWE Universe over the years.

WWE, the time has come to bring back the Women?s Tag Team Championship.

Source: http://www.wwe.com/inside/bring-back-wwe-womens-tag-titles

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'Star Wars' in 3-D? It's a surprise to McGregor

Peggy Sirota / GQ

By Courtney Hazlett

Get ready to see quite a bit of Ewan McGregor in 2012. The actor stars in four films over the course of the year and among those is "Star Wars?-- Episode 1: The Phantom Menace 3-D." This piece of info actually came as something of a surprise to McGregor during his recent interview with GQ. "They're actually going to re-release it into the cinema?" he asks. "Well, that's interesting." (As an aside: "Star Wars" in 3-D? I don't have a good feeling about this.)

You can't totally blame McGregor for being a little out of the loop -- the 40-year-old actor has his hands full at home, as the father to four girls. Not that he thinks it's entirely overwhelming: "I never feel battered by it," he told GQ. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Though before anyone gets to see McGregor in the "new" "Phantom Menace," you can catch him in "Haywire" (due for release Jan. 20). Director Steven Soderbergh is behind the film, and McGregor says to expect to see him "getting his head kicked in" in the action flick. Check out the trailer:

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Source: http://scoop.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/03/9918805-ewan-mcgregor-surprised-by-plans-for-3-d-phantom-menace

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Orlando Magic clobber the winless Washington Wizards | Video, Photos

Stan Van Gundy spoke briefly Wednesday with his starting backcourt of Jason Richardson and Jameer Nelson. Van Gundy had one goal: He wanted to draw more energy out of them night-in and night-out.

They played with urgency Wednesday night, and their teammates followed.

Richardson and Nelson set the tone early, and Dwight Howard and Ryan Anderson dominated the rest of the way as the Orlando Magic clobbered the winless Washington Wizards 103-85 at Amway Center.

?I?m happy with what we did,? Van Gundy said. ?Look, in the NBA, anybody?s capable of beating you, and that team certainly is. They?ve got a lot of talent.?

Richardson scored the Magic?s first five points. Nelson made the next basket. The Magic led 7-0, and the rout was on.

Orlando never trailed, and Washington never tied the score.

Howard dominated inside, scoring a season-high 28 points and collecting 20 rebounds. He encountered minimal resistance from Wizards center JaVale McGee, who was fighting off a cold. Seven of Howard?s 11 baskets were dunks.

Anderson finished with 23 points and 15 rebounds, seven of them on the offensive glass.

?Coach made it a big focus for us to get on the rebounds and help Dwight out, obviously, because he?s rebounding the ball like crazy right now,? Anderson said.

Richardson scored just eight points, but he added four rebounds and five assists.

Richardson was aggressive early. He took Orlando?s first three shots ? making a layup and a 3-pointer ? and he also drew a foul on his counterpart at shooting guard, Nick Young.

?We play a lot of games, but that?s no excuse for not coming out with energy and ready to play,? Richardson said. ?I watched myself on film and saw that I?m not bringing energy, and I?m an energy player. That?s how I play, and I know I?ve got to do a better job and do it every game.?

Young is a streaky player, and he was terribly inefficient, making just five of his 15 shot attempts. He didn?t have an assist.

Washington?s dynamic second-year point guard, John Wall, fared better, but he wasn?t much of a factor.

Wall missed his first six shots. He finished with 14 points on 6-of-16 shooting and five assists.

?We got embarrassed,? Wall said.

After struggling in his previous four games, Nelson finished with seven points, three rebounds and nine assists.

Nelson felt that he had been thinking too much on the court, focusing too much on trying to keep everybody involved.

?I need to stay on the attack,? Nelson said.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/orlandosentinel/news/local/lake/~3/XmWDSdtxrHc/os-magic-wizards-game-0105-20120104,0,62973.story

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Will Google, Facebook, others 'nuke' Internet over SOPA?

By Helen A.S. Popkin

Troll.me

If Wikipedia Jimmy Wales' threat to turn off the crowd-sourced encyclopedia to protest the Stop Internet Piracy Act (SOPA) sent you into a cold sweat, you won't welcome this news.

Google, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Zynga ? and oh sweet?baby?Jesus?no! ? Etsy, along with other Internet-based companies?take a "nuclear option" and "go simultaneously dark"?in protest of the bill, and to "highlight the fundamental danger the legislation poses to the function of the Internet," ExtremeTech reports:

There?s been no formal decision on the matter, and the companies in question obviously risk consumer anger and backlash over any suspension of services. There is, however, safety in numbers ? and a few simple sentences identifying why the blackout is in place will ensure that the majority of the rage flows in the proper direction.

SOPA, which the U.S. House Judiciary Committee is set to review later this month, makes the streaming of unauthorized content a felony. Further, the "vague language would create devastating new tools for silencing legitimate speech all around the Web,"?warns the Electronic Frontier Foundation. It's a concern shared by free speech and digital rights activists, as well as many major Internet-based companies.

Protests against SOPA went mainstream in December when members of the Reddit community organized a protest against Web-hosting giant Go Daddy for its initial SOPA support. More than 37,000 domains were transferred as part of the "Dump Go Daddy" protest, leading the company to make a solid statement opposing SOPA.

In anticipation of the hearing, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales conducted a straw poll recently to gauge Wikipedian interest in a community strike ? a blackout of either the U.S. Wikipedia pages, or even the entire site.?At that time,?87 percent of respondents were in favor of a strike.

Now, as part of the NetCoalition trade association, these companies are joining?Wikipedia's Wikimedia Foundation in a possible Internet blackout:

• AOL

• eBay

• Etsy

• Facebook

• Foursquare

• Google

• IAC

• LinkedIn

• Mozilla

• OpenDNS

• PayPal

• Twitter

• Yahoo!

• Zynga

As ExtremeTech reports, there are no concrete plans for implementing the "nuclear option," but the most likely date for such a blackout is Jan. 23, the day before the Senate is scheduled to debate SOPA.

More on the annoying way we live now:

Helen A.S. Popkin goes blah blah blah about the Internet ? at least until the Stop Online Piracy Act becomes a law, making snark a libelous felony. Tell her to get a real job on Twitter and/or Facebook. Also, Google+.?

Source: http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/04/9951078-will-google-facebook-others-nuke-internet-over-sopa

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