Ann Romney gave a great speech. But will we remember it in a day or two?

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's wife Ann greets the crowd of supporters at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida, on August 28, 2012 during the Republican National Convention.

(Credit: Photo credit should read MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/GettyImages)

This post originally appeared on Slate.
(CBS News) TAMPA, Fla. -- Ann Romney gave a wonderful speech. What's not deeply appealing about a woman who has struggled with illness and miscarriages and emerged with grace? Surely the day that Ann and Mitt Romney stood in the doctor's office and heard her diagnosis, they didn't think she would be onstage the way she was tonight. She said she hasn't lived a storybook marriage because she and her husband have faced hard knocks. But isn't that what a storybook marriage is? A love that can withstand everything?
But was it a great political speech? I'm not so sure. It depends on what your previous feelings were about Mitt Romney and if you watched it on television or are going to hear about it later.
Thirty-two percent of those who participated in a recent CBS poll said they didn't know enough about Mitt Romney to form an opinion. If any of those voters were watching tonight, this was the kind of introductory message the Romney campaign will be delighted to have them hear.
It was a two-part speech. In the first part, Ann Romney tried to show that she understood women. At one point she said, "I love women!" No mistaking that. More powerful, perhaps, were the little details she offered that showed she knew what women of all socioeconomic backgrounds live with every day. She talked about eating tuna fish and pasta as a newlywed. She described how women have to keep the household in their head no matter what they do: how they're the one who has to remember the number for the emergency room doctor or stay up late to help the kids finish their book reports.
Having laid the predicate, she dove into the real task: testifying for her husband. "His name is Mitt Romney and you really should get to know him," she said. She didn't really do much to tell us about him though. There were no stories you could hang your hat on. She mostly asserted that he was wonderful and testified to his ethic. "No one will work harder. No one will care more. No one will move heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better place to live!" That line received the loudest applause of the entire speech.
If Mitt Romney's problem is that voters don't think he's authentic enough, listening to a woman testify to her authentic adoration certainly conveys authenticity on the object of her devotion. You can't feel that way about a robot.

'Pretty Little Liars' summer finale ends with a bang

[This post contains spoilers to the August 28 summer finale of ABC Family's "Pretty Little Liars." If you don't want to know, skip it till you've watched and then come back!]

The summer finale for “Pretty Little Liars” took a page right out of its own book.
The episode mimicked the non-linear format of the last mid-season finale, beginning with a body bag being loaded into an ambulance. Viewers barely had enough time to use context clues, as Hanna sobbed from behind the caution tape, before the ABC Family series rewound to two days prior. Intense.
The girls were planning an intervention for Emily. They wanted to warn her about Paige, seeing as Spencer found the earring Aria buried with Alison in her bag. (For the record, I’m not so sure about Spencer. Her “Basic Instinct” alibi reference made me feel like she might be up to something.)
Meanwhile, Emily told Paige that there’s another A out to get her. And, wouldn’t you know it, Paige then received a text from a blocked number almost instantaneously. (When will these girls learn? A IS EVERYWHERE.) The message told Paige to meet at 10 p.m., or else.
The girls, minus Emily, received a similar request: “Let’s settle this. Alison’s grave. 10 p.m. Bring Maya’s bag.” Along with the text are photos of them at the site the night Ali’s body was removed – Emily was conveniently absent.
Then, a few reunions happened:
Toby returned, which meant about five minutes of last night’s episode were dedicated to him and Spencer running toward each other in slow motion and kissing passionately as the camera circled around them … giving me a minor headache. I'm guessing other viewers were more enthused, because the hashtag #TobyIsBack appeared in the left corner of my screen as soon as he showed up.
Maggie (a.k.a. Alex Mack) and Fitz reunited, too. Maggie, (who, when not being referred to as Alex Mack, is known as "the former English teacher’s baby mama"), asked Aria not to tell Fitz about his son, Malcolm. Aria obliged because, well, the girl can’t resist a good lie.
And then there’s Mona, who reunited with the outside world. Wearing a white nurse’s uniform, she walked right out the front door of the insane asylum. We later saw her on the phone with someone in A’s lair wearing a black hoodie.
Caleb agreed to accompany the girls to the cemetery that evening, but insisted on bringing a gun, to Hanna’s dismay. If that’s not foreshadowing, I don’t know what is.
Emily, still unaware of the girls' plans to meet A at 10 p.m., was spending a relaxing evening with Nate, Maya’s cousin, at the Lighthouse Inn. Except her evening wasn't relaxing at all because this is “Pretty Little Liars” and that would be boring.
Em got a phone call warning her that she had one minute to get out before Nate returned to the cabin. She, of course, did not follow instructions.
Nate is actually Lyndon James, Maya’s True North stalker. (Just saying - all this could have been avoided with a simple Google search.) He made Emily watch a video of Maya, in which she said she was staying at Noel’s cabin to avoid her stalker. (So that’s what Jenna meant when she told Emily be careful who you spend time with. She really should have been more specific.)
Lyndon/Nate said he’s going to take something away from Emily, just like she took Maya away from him. And there’s Paige, sitting in the closet with her mouth taped.
Caleb called the girls to tell them he thinks the meeting at Ali’s grave was a hoax, and suggested they split up to find Emily. Though the girls headed to a deserted cabin, Caleb eventually made it to Emily – right after she stabbed Lyndon/Nate with his own knife. Thatagirl.
Thinking he was dead, Caleb put his gun down and embraced a shaken-up Emily. Then … BOOM!
We didn’t see what went down, but I’m thinking the dying imposter pulled the trigger right before reaching the bright white light. And now we know why Hanna was crying.
Back in the present, the girls waited at the hospital while Caleb was in surgery. Garrett was released from police custody and Spencer’s mom said Emily helped free an innocent victim. But the dirty cop’s smirk kind of made you think otherwise, didn't it?
After all, we don’t know that Lyndon/Nate killed Maya. He only said she was taken away from him, so her killer might still be on the loose.
And then, a text from A: “Emily, I owe you one.” Looks like A wanted Maya’s faux cousin out of the way.
The episode ended with Mona heading back to the asylum clad in the white uniform: “If I knew Nate was gonna get Garrett out, I would have stayed in tonight. You have to get Maya's cell phone back. It shouldn't be too difficult. Paige won't even know she has it.”
Who was she talking to? A black-hooded Toby, of course.

• So are he and Spencer in on A’s plan, is he a double agent, or is he just a really awful boyfriend?
• Will Caleb be OK?
• Why does Fitz have to exist? I’m on Team Wesley (even if Gregg Sulkin’s American accent isn’t quite up to par.)
• Where the heck was Jenna?
• And what’s going to go down on the Halloween train when the series returns on October 23?

What did you think of last night's summer finale? Share your predictions below!

 

Karlie Redd’s REAL AGE (And Her “Grown” Daughter’s Age) Revealed?

How old is Karlie Redd???
Like “Big Foot” sightings or the rumored existence of the “Loch Ness Monster,” Karlie Redd‘s REAL age has been a mystery to us all, as she continues to lie and tell people that she’s “in her twenties.”

In case you didn’t already know … Karlie Redd stars on the hit VH1 reality show “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta,” which is currently wrapping up its first season, with the finale having aired last week, and the second part of the Reunion Special set to air next Monday night (Sep 3).
And last night on Part 1 of the LHHA Reunion Show, Karlie — a perpetual, compulsive liar — repeatedly dodged questions about her age (amid K Michelle’s hilarious accusations that she “marched with Martin Luther King” in the 1960′s, LOL!), while also refusing to give in to questions about her daughter’s age.

She explained her reasoning behind the secrecy regarding her daughter, saying that that the reason she refused to reveal the identity and age of her only child was to “protect” her.
But we all know the real reason Karlie Redd doesn’t want us to know her daughter’s age, is because she doesn’t want folks to do the math and figure out how old SHE really is. (You ain’t slick, Karlie Redd!)

When pressed about her own age, Karlie claims to be “in her twenties” … but we did some digging, and found out that she was on a VH1 reality show filmed in the mid 2000′s called “Scream Queens” — when, at the time, she claimed to be 29 years old. (See video below)
Now, we’re not math wizards or anything … but if she was “29″ in the mid-2000′s, that would AT LEAST put her in the 34 – 36 years old range. And if she’s lying about her age now, then she was probably lying back then too, so she could even be 40 … or older!
Here’s what Karlie Redd had to say in a recent interview with Washington, D.C area radio station WKYS 93.9 FM about K Michelle saying she’s 50-years-old:

“Do I look like I’m 50? …don’t listen to K Michelle. K Michelle don’t know what the fuck she’s talking about. I’m in my twenties, and as an entertainer you don’t tell your age. She [K Michelle] just had to say something because I was coming at her.”

Girl, stop.
Additionally, Karlie’s ex boyfriend and LHHA co-star Benzino — who has three kids himself, between the ages of 9 and 19 years old — recently revealed to S2S Magazine that Karlie’s daughter is a GROWN woman, which means that Karlie’s claims of being in her “twenties” is pure bullshit.

Karlie Redd's daughter (pictured here) is said to be at least 17, or 18 years old

“Me and Karlie are two grown ups, and both of us have grown children,” Benzino recently told S2S. “She has a grown daughter.”
“Karlie’s daughter I think is about 17 years old. She just graduated from high school,” Benzino revealed.

Meanwhile, our personal sources here at GOT say that Karlie Redd’s exact age is 47 years old, while another source claims that she was born in 1971, which would make her at least 40 or 41 years old.
While we may never know how old Karlie Redd really is — until we see a long-form birth certificate, or something equally reputable — we at least know this much … she’s a liar.
And what’s the deal with her trying and failing to hide her age anyway?
She’s damn hot for a 40/50-year-old mom. There’s a term for that — MILF.
No need to lie, Karlie!

Chris Cooley’s contributions forgotten by some callous fans

View Photo Gallery: After eight seasons, Washington parts ways with popular tight end Chris Cooley. “It’s been awesome,” the longtime Redskin said.

There was a spirited debate on my radio show Tuesday over the Redskins’ release of Chris Cooley. I find it very odd how quickly some who actually consider themselves fans turn their backs on players who have done so much for their team.
Cooley maybe the greatest tight end to ever wear the burgundy and gold, yet on my show yesterday, caller after caller talked as if he was an object and not a person who gave his all for this team. It was if somehow that didn’t matter anymore. For five hours we took calls about it being a good move to get rid of Cooley: “It’s a business,” “He’s old and hurt,” etc.all of these reasons to justify his releasing.

Maybe it was a good move. However I disagree with the timing of it. The day before the last preseason game? That leaves Cooley no time and no real opportunity to catch on with another team.
It seems like the mentality that plagues this team has affected a segment of the fan base. It should not be just about business; it should be about business and family. I’m not saying there isn’t a business side because there most certainly is and sometimes tough decisions must be made. That’s fine. But there is a right way to do things and a wrong way, and either can become contagious. Just because a decision has to be made doesn’t mean there isn’t more than one way to handle it.
I can understand frustration from losing for so long, and I assume even winning teams have detractors who call themselves fans. I just was taken back by the total disregard for what Chris Cooley did as a Redskin.
Regardless of whether or not my opinion on the matter was correct, it was based off of my respect for the person. If Cooley’s situation was a money thing, it should’ve been handled long before now. If there was no place for him on this roster, he should’ve been released long before now. Sure it’s debatable and some arguments make sense; regardless it’s astonishing to me how nasty people can be over situations such as these. How can people be so hateful and spiteful about someone they cheered so hard for?
I always said the beauty of sports is that it brings out the best in people. Differences are set aside for the common goals of the team. My harsh reality now is knowing that it also brings out the worst in people.
I will never understand how people can build up so much malice for people they rooted for. It’s a shame if you ask me, but everyone is entitled to feel the way they want.
For my part, I appreciate what Chris Cooley did as a teammate and a Redskin, and it would’ve been nice to see this handled differently.

 

Farrah Abraham and Gary Shirley feud on Twitter during ‘Teen Mom’ series finale 

‘Teen Mom’ stars Farrah Abraham and Gary Shirley got into a heated Twitter feud on Tuesday during the series finale of the hit MTV show, Teen Mom News reported on August 28.
Most of the cast were sharing their thoughts via Twitter, and Farrah held nothing back. After a scene where Gary and his ex-girlfriend, Amber Portwood, fought on the phone over custody of their daughter, Leah, Abraham revealed her opinion on Gary’s behavior and harsh words.
“What a pig! Your horrible go get mental help for Amber’s sake,” she wrote. Of course, Gary didn’t take kindly to the comment. He responded, “Go make another hit single or treat your parents like sh–. [I] always stuck up for you not anymore.”
Unfortunately, the war of words did not end there. “To be honest Gary is so negative and I don’t see how he is better to raise Leah than Amber, get the point Gary! Learn to focus on Leah,” Farrah Abraham added while watching the “Teen Mom” series finale.
Gary Shirley, feeling attacked, said, “Seriously Farrah. I don’t care for you one bit. Your cry face sucks and so do your cookies. Unless you change your going die lonely.”
What are your thoughts on Farrah Abraham and Gary Shirley’s Twitter war during the “Teen Mom” series finale?

Perry Hall High Shooting Suspect Identified, School Reopens For Classes

Kevork Djansezian/WireImage, Larry Busacca/Getty Images

This is no laughing matter.

Students at Perry Hall High School in Maryland are going back to school, less than 24 hours after a student opened fire in the school cafeteria.
Before entering the school Tuesday morning, hundreds of students and community members encircled the school's flagpole, hand-in-hand, with heads bowed praying for Daniel, the 17-year-old special education student wounded in the shooting, WBAL reports.
In a statement Monday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan expressed his sympathies for the Perry Hall High School community.
"Gun violence has no place anywhere, least of all in our nation's schools," Duncan said. "I'd like to thank the local educators and law enforcement personnel who took action to help prevent additional students from getting hurt."
Robert Wayne Gladden, Jr., a 15-year-old student at the school, is being charged Tuesday morning for the shooting with attempted first-degree murder and first-degree assault.
He is being held without bail at the Baltimore County Detention Center, according to the Associated Press, though the suspect is cooperating with police according to police spokeswoman Elise Armacost. The incident was suspected to have stemmed from bullying.
The victim is still in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center.
"I recently had the chance to visit with Principal George Roberts and the teachers at Perry Hall," Duncan said in his statement. "I know that both he and Superintendent Dance are committed to keeping students safe and learning, and we stand ready to support them in that work."
CORRECTION: A previous version of this piece incorrectly stated the charges against Gladden. We regret the error.

Perry Hall High School Shooting

1 of 20

US Open Tennis 2012 Scores: Full Recap from Day 1 Action

Al Bello/Getty Images

The 2012 U.S. Open may be without Rafael Nadal, but that doesn't make it any less exciting. Day 1's action offered a full plate of world-class tennis.
Parity is expected in a tournament without one of its biggest stars, but the first day was mostly without upsets. Small upsets occurred on the men's side of the draw, but nothing substantial shook things up.
The women's side remained completely status quo.
Let's take a look at Day 1's biggest matches and how they finished.
*For full results, click here.

Samantha Stosur defeats Petra Martic

Alex Trautwig/Getty Images

Stosur defeated Serena Williams to win last year's U.S. Open on the women's side, and she got things started the right way this year as well.
She defeated Martic 6-1, 6-1 to advance to the second round of this year's action.
Stosur enters this tournament as the No. 6 seed, but last year's success makes her an interesting candidate to repeat. She's a very good hard court player, and she seems to play her best in front of the U.S. Open crowd.

Andy Murray defeats Alex Bogomolov Jr.
Murray won 6-2, 6-4, 6-1 to advance to the second round. This is a big win for a consistent underachiever.
Murray enters this tournament on an unusual hot streak. He captured a gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympics, and his straight-set victory on Monday didn't slow him down.
Look for him to continue his success until he reaches the tournament's later stages.

Maria Sharapova defeats Melinda Czink

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Sharapova defeated Czink in two 6-2 sets. Her powerful array of groundstrokes simply dominated Czink in her easy victory.
In terms of contenders, Sharapova ranks near the top of the women's ranks. She enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the women's draw, and her performance on Monday backed that up.
Sharapova's rocket-like serve will make her a difficult out in the summer's ultimate event.

Roger Federer defeats Donald Young
A 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 win is a solid start for Federer. He defeated a much-lesser opponent, but a win is a win.
Federer was disappointed with his finish in London, but he did win Wimbledon earlier this summer. He's playing very well, and there's no surface he isn't capable of playing on.
Federer's road isn't likely to end until very late in this tournament. His all-around game makes him a tough out on the U.S. Open's hard courts.

Sorana Cirstea defeats Sabine Lisicki

Elsa/Getty Images

This is a minor upset, but one worth mentioning. No. 16 seed Lisicki lost this one 4-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Lisicki advanced to the U.S. Open's fourth round last year, but she's enjoyed success before. She hasn't performed well this year, but her Wimbledon run last year showed the world that she is a capable performer on the women's side.
Cirstea will try to ride this momentum into the second round. Her athleticism makes her a tough player to play if you can't overpower her.

Victoria Azarenka defeats Alexandra Panova
The women's No. 1 overall seed wasn't expected to lose this match, and she was absolutely dominant in her 6-0, 6-1 win over Panova.
Azarenka, when at her best, is a joy to watch. She has an excellent all-around repertoire, and the Belarus native isn't afraid of the big moment. Because of that, she's the biggest threat to Williams' current reign.
The women's draw is very top heavy, but Azarenka stands out. There's nothing she can't do, and she showed that with her decisive victory over Panova.

Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Jack Sock defeats Florian Mayer
Mayer was the men's No. 22 seed, so his retirement in the third set could be considered shocking here.
Any upsets at this point in the tournament are worth noting, and Sock scored a reasonably surprising defeat here.
He won 6-3, 6-2 and was winning 3-2 in the third and final set before Mayer called it a day.
In a day with no major upsets, things like this stick out.

 

Bill Nye slams creationism

By Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor

(CNN)–Famed TV scientist Bill Nye is slamming creationism in a new online video for Big Think titled "Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children."
"Denial of evolution is unique to the United States," Nye begins in a YouTube video posted on Thursday.  The video quickly picked up steam over the weekend and as of Monday morning had been viewed more than 1,100,000 times.
Nye – a mechanical engineer and television personality best known for his program, "Bill Nye the Science Guy" – said the United States has great capital in scientific knowledge and "when you have a portion of the population that doesn't believe in it, it holds everyone back."
"Your world becomes fantastically complicated if you don't believe in evolution," Nye said in the Web video.
Creationists are a vast and varied group in the United States.  Most creationists believe in the account of the origins of the world as told in the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible.
CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories
In the creation account, God creates Adam and Eve, the world, and everything in it in six days.
For Christians who read the Genesis account literally, or authoritatively as they would say, the six days in the account are literal 24-hour periods and leave no room for evolution.  Young Earth creationists use this construct and biblical genealogies to determine the age of the Earth, and typically come up with 6,000 to 10,000 years.
Your Take: 5 reactions to Bill Nye's creationism critique
The Gallup Poll has been tracking Americans' views on creation and evolution for the past 30 years.  In June it released its latest findings, which showed 46% of Americans believed in creationism, 32% believed in evolution guided by God, and 15% believed in atheistic evolution.
During the 30 years Gallup has conducted the survey, creationism has remained far and away the most popular answer, with 40% to 47% of Americans surveyed saying they believed that God created humans in their present form at one point within the past 10,000 years.
Survey: Nearly half of Americans subscribe to creationist view of human origins
"The idea of deep time of billions of years explains so much of the world around us. If you try to ignore that, your worldview becomes crazy, untenable, itself inconsistent," Nye said in the video.
"I say to the grownups, if you want to deny evolution and live in your world, that's completely inconsistent with the world we observe, that's fine.  But don't make your kids do it.  Because we need them.  We need scientifically literate voters and taxpayers for the future.  We need engineers that can build stuff and solve problems," he said.
Creationists' beliefs about the origins of the Earth are often a narrow focus, based in large part on religious beliefs, and while they reject evolution as "just one theory," they often embrace other fields of science and technology.
Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter
In "The Genesis Flood," the 1961 book that in many ways help launch the Young Earth creationism movement in the United States, the authors write: “Our conclusions must unavoidably be colored by our Biblical presuppositions, and this we plainly acknowledge."  Their goal for the book was to harmonize the scientific evidence with the accounts in Genesis of creation and the flood.
The idea of creationism has been scorned by the mainstream scientific community since shortly after Darwin introduced "The Origin of Species" in 1859.  By 1880, The American Naturalists, a science journal, reported nearly every major university in America was teaching evolution.
"In another couple centuries I'm sure that worldview won't even exist.  There's no evidence for it. So..." Nye ends his video.

Eric Marrapodi - CNN Belief Blog Co-Editor

 

Hurricane Isaac 2012 : 'Hope for The Best', But 'Prepare for The Worst'

comments: 1

Hurricane Isaac 2012 is making news even though Isaac is still a tropical storm. Forecasters expect the storm to gain strength and become a hurricane soon, but authorities aren't waiting for that to happen to ensure public safety.
As the storm gets closer to making landfall, it looks more and more like New Orleans is going to be ground zero. Although Isaac will not be as strong as the devastating hurricane Katrina, it will definitely make an impact on the gulf states.
"I think the state and local governments are much better prepared for the storm surge and emergencies," said NOLA resident John Coril.
Others don't agree, however, and think that authorities are overreacting just a bit.
"If it comes in, it's just going to be a big rainstorm. I think they overreacted, but I understand where they're coming from. It's safety," said Billy Cannon.
Of course, safety should be the first concern, and since there isn't a definite strength as of yet, it's possible that Hurricane Isaac could become a strong category 2 or even 3 storm.
Either of those scenarios wouldn't be good for NOLA or the gulf coast in general.
Are in the path of Hurricane Isaac? Are you evacuating and taking precautions?

 

Earthquake swarm isn't an omen of the Big One, experts say

Swarms like the ones last weekend are typical for the Imperial County area, one of the state's most quake-prone regions, seismologists say.

Ever since hundreds of earthquakes began rippling through southeastern California over the weekend, many asked the question: Could this be a precursor to the Big One?
The answer: Probably not — at least, if this swarm of quakes follows past patterns.
Certainly, the weekend's quakes were troubling for Imperial County, which is located in one of California's most earthquake prone regions. More than 400 earthquakes have been detected since Saturday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. One local family felt 15 quakes in 21/2 hours.

But for all the ground movement, experts said there is no evidence the earthquake swarms were a precursor to much larger quakes on longer, more dangerous faults. And scientists don't see any immediate signs of added pressure to the San Andreas fault, which is not far from the location of the earthquake swarm.
That makes this weekend's swarm different than what occurred after the 2010 Easter Sunday quake that shook up the California-Mexico border. The 7.2 quake appeared to have directed tectonic stress northward, toward populated areas in Southern California. Three months after the Mexicali quake, a 5.4 quake that centered south of Palm Springs rattled the region.
Scientists said the Easter Sunday quake and its aftershocks triggered movement on at least six faults, including the Elsinore and San Jacinto faults, which run close to heavily populated areas in eastern Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire.
For now, there is no evidence that this weekend's swarm will trigger quakes elsewhere, U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Lucy Jones said.
No deaths or serious injuries have been reported from the weekend's swarm, but the shaking was sharp enough to postpone what was to be the first day of the school year in Brawley. Local officials reported 20 mobile homes shifted from their foundations and cosmetic damage to downtown buildings in this city of 25,000.
The swarming of earthquakes has occurred before in this largely agricultural, desert region near the Mexican border. The so-called Brawley seismic zone, about 100 miles east of San Diego, has endured earthquake swarms in the 1930s, '60s, and '70s, but was quiet between 1981 to 2000, according to a report on the Southern California Seismic Network.
In fact, some swarms in the '60s and '70s included "many thousands" of earthquakes, but the largest quakes during those sequences topped out at a magnitude 5.
"Swarms are fairly typical for this region," U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Elizabeth Cochran said. The last significant swarm occurred in 2005, when the largest quake was a 5.1. After a few days of quakes, the shaking tapered off.
Before this weekend's swarm, in which the top magnitudes were a 5.5 and 5.3 on Sunday, the most powerful swarm to hit the region was in 1981, when the most powerful quake reached 5.8.

There are a couple of reasons the Brawley seismic zone is prone to earthquake swarms.
The area is at the crossroads between two different types of faults, Cochran said.
To the region's northwest is the more familiar type of fault, where the Pacific Plate grinds past the North American plate, with one plate moving northwest and the other southeast.
But south of the border, the two plates are seeking to pull away from each other. (That movement is what created the Gulf of California, which separates Baja California from the rest of Mexico, Cochran said.)
Sitting at the crossroads of the different types of faults makes the area particularly volatile, Cochran said.
Another reason is the relative thinness of the Earth's crust in that region, which allows naturally occurring heat from subterranean rock to rise closer to the surface, increasing instability.
By Monday, the swarm appeared to be decreasing in frequency, Cochran said, although she didn't rule out the pace picking up again.
Previous earthquake swarms have gone on for days.

 

Terrell Owens cut by Seattle

Sando: Why T.O. Was Cut

Terrell Owens' impressive workout suggested he could help the Seahawks, even at age 38, but his performance this preseason proved otherwise, Mike Sando writes. Blog

Owens earlier had posted on his Twitter page that he no longer was with the team.
"I'm no longer a Seahawk. I THANK the organization 4 the opportunity, I'm truly blessed beyond belief. My FAITH is intact & will NOT waiver," he wrote.
Owens, who hadn't played in the NFL since 2010, signed with the Seahawks on Aug. 6 after an impressive workout.
He played in the second and third preseason games for Seattle, but caught only two passes.
But his preseason performance was more notable for the passes he dropped than any ones he caught. Owens dropped a potential 46-yard touchdown pass against Denver on a perfect throw from Matt Flynn. He failed to make a catch in any of his five targets against the Broncos, and then had another glaring drop against Kansas City on Friday night. He finished the preseason with just two receptions -- a 40-yard catch from Russell Wilson on which Owens had to slow down and lean back to haul in the pass, and a 1-yard reception on a screen.
For as impressive as his long catch was in Seattle's 44-14 win over the Chiefs, it served as Owens' only highlight in a Seahawks uniform.
"We really liked the group that we assembled. Terrell came in here and busted his tail and he looked really effective right from the start," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "But as we just took a look at our guys that are coming through the program and growing up with us we thought that it would be best for us to stay with those guys."
Owens was trying to make a comeback after not playing since Week 15 of the 2010 season while with Cincinnati. He sat out the entire 2011 season following surgery on his left knee and failed to receive any offers.

SN: Last chance for T.O.?

The Seahawks released Terrell Owens after his lackluster display in two preseason games. Is this the end of the line for T.O.?
Comment and vote!

Owens got the rust off this spring by playing for the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. He had 35 catches for 420 yards and 10 touchdowns while playing eight of 11 games, but was released and lost an ownership stake in the team in May.
With Owens on the roster, another veteran wideout, 29-year-old Braylon Edwards, picked up his game noticeably. And when Owens struggled to get going in two preseason games, Seattle apparently decided it had seen enough.
Owens and Edwards were competing to fill the role Mike Williams played in 2010, that of a big receiver to help move the chains and, ideally, factor in the red zone. Kris Durham, a draft choice in 2011, was targeted to fill that role. He has not made an impact, however, after returning from an injury suffered last season.
Owens has started 201 of the 219 regular-season NFL games he has played. He has 1,078 receptions for 15,934 yards and 153 touchdowns -- the second most in league history.

USA Basketball Wins Gold Over Spain, Rio Next in 2016

United States' Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant celebrate the men's gold medal basketball game at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 12, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) (AP2012)

 LeBron James and Kevin Durant helped the United States win its second straight Olympic title with a 107-100 victory over Spain in the final day of the London Games on Sunday.

James stood with both arms in the air, then hugged Durant before they headed to the bench.

They were quite the combination all day long.

James had a huge dunk and a 3-pointer in the final 2:50 and Durant scored 30 points.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and this was my second time. There's nothing like playing in an Olympics. There's nothing like playing for your country.

- Chris Paul, Team USA Basketball Player

"We knew it wasn't going to be easy. We didn't want it easy," James said. "A lot of teams have won gold easy. We didn't want it that way. We're a competitive team and we love when it gets tight. That's when our will and determination kind of shows. It was the same way in '08."

Mike Krzyzewski, who has said he's retiring as U.S. coach, emptied his bench in the final minute Sunday, then embraced James after the final horn sounded. The Americans hugged at midcourt, with guard James

Harden holding a doll of the Olympic mascot.

Four years after beating Spain in the Beijing Final, the two foes met again in another tight one, but ultimately and the United States was unable to truly slow the Spanish down until the closing minutes.

James had 19 points on a day he joined Michael Jordan as the only players to win the NBA title, regular-season MVP, NBA Finals MVP and Olympic gold in the same year.

For Kobe Bryant, it was his last Olympic moment.

"This is it for me," said Bryant, who scored 17 points and now has a second gold medal to go with his five NBA championships. "The other guys are good to go."

Holes to Fill Before Rio

Bryant and Krzyzewski are finished. James isn't sure.

After years of stability, the U.S. men's basketball team will have holes to fill before the 2016 Olympics. The Americans will need a new coach and maybe a new core.

The road to Rio starts around the new year.

"I think we need to decompress and we plan to do that," USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said. "Everything is going to be done over the next few months. I'm looking at the end of December where the future will be clear."

The Americans won their second straight gold medal Sunday, beating Spain 107-100, a game that wasn't decided until the closing minutes when James blasted down the lane for a monster dunk and drilled a 3-pointer. The final played out much like their classic game in Beijing, the Americans pulling away in the closing minutes to push aside a huge challenge by the Spanish.

Unlike that night, the Americans' future is uncertain.

Many key players had already said they would return if asked by the time they played for gold in China. Krzyzewski didn't commit until the following year, after a pizza and wine get-together with Colangelo, though there was already the belief he would be back.

This time, Krzyzewski made it clear he's calling it an international career.

"I am. But I think I can get a great meal out of this. I've already told Jerry, a great Italian restaurant," he said. "The thing I want to do with Jerry, after every competition, we take some time to evaluate everything. In the military, we call it an after-action report. We've done that all the time and talk about what we did, what we could have changed and done better, and in moving forward, what's the next step moving forward. That's how we've done it the last seven years and we will continue to do it that way."

Colangelo said he wants to keep the 65-year-old Krzyzewski around in whatever capacity the Hall of Fame coach chooses. As for who replaces Coach K on the sidelines, Colangelo didn't want to speculate.

"There's been a lot of names thrown out, a lot of good candidates and a lot of people who would love to have it," he said.

Colangelo will have to decide if he wants to stick with a college coach, as he did with Krzyzewski, or return to the professional ranks. The Olympic team coach had been from the NBA since pros were first used in 1992 until he tabbed the Hall of Fame Duke coach in 2005.

Bryant, who will turn 34 this month, is retiring from international play. But the U.S. got a boost Saturday when the secretary general of FIBA, basketball's governing body, said he doesn't foresee the Olympics adding an under-23 age limit for 2016, as the NBA has discussed.

James said he wouldn't play anymore if the age limit was implemented, even if he was granted an exception, because he wouldn't want to play without his teammates. So there's still a chance the Americans could have the game's best player, who would be 31 in Rio, wearing red, white and blue for a fourth straight Olympics.

If James and remaining '08 holdovers Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and Deron Williams don't return, the leader of the team could be Kevin Durant, who carried a young U.S. squad to gold in the 2010 world basketball championship and scored 30 points Sunday in the gold-medal game.

"He's 23, he can play a little more," Paul cracked, after asking Durant his age. "I'm glad that I got this opportunity. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance and this was my second time. There's nothing like playing in an Olympics. There's nothing like playing for your country. We've played a lot of basketball over our careers, but nothing compares to this at this level."

While the Americans are still on top, Krzyzewski knows trouble looms just below.

"We know that these teams can beat us," he said. "We know that Argentina is good enough to beat us. We know that Spain was good enough to beat us today, and if we didn't have that respect, we would get beat. And that's why I'm proud of our guys, they recognize that and prepare as well as we've prepared in order to come through in a game like we had today."

The next competition is the 2014 World Cup of Basketball in Spain. The Americans are automatically qualified with their Olympic victory, so there's no need to rush into any decisions.

Besides, they're in better shape than their competitors. Longtime powers Spain and Argentina are getting old and may soon be faced with replacing established stars such as Pau Gasol and Manu Ginobili.

The U.S. has no such concerns. They could probably keep winning with a team that includes Durant and youngsters such as Anthony Davis, the college star who made this team as the 12th man, after Blake Griffin went down with a knee injury. And then there's Cleveland's Kyrie Irving, who impressed the Americans with his terrific play during scrimmages against the Olympic team.

It was only eight years ago that the Americans had such trouble finding players who wanted to go to the Olympics that they ended up with a bronze medal in James' first appearance. Now, he said players will want to continue playing, this group having shown how enjoyable the national team experience is.

What about James himself?

"LeBron is building such a legacy in terms of who he is, his persona, his accomplishments. He's moving himself apart from everybody and that might appeal to him — one more run. Let's wait and see," Colangelo said.

Colangelo, who rebuilt USA Basketball since taking over in 2005, has said he's touched by the commitment players like James and Anthony have shown. He wouldn't be surprised, based on how players feel about it, if they want to keep coming back to do it again.

"They love the whole thing. There's a lot of value to them as individuals. There's great value to the NBA as a league and to the respective teams because of the experience," Colangelo said. "And then, you can talk about it, but until someone goes through this and they experience it, it's very special and how many individuals get a chance to do it in a lifetime? It's hard for someone to give it up if they don't have to."

Based on reporting by the Associated Press.

Taio Cruz Ridiculed On Twitter For Receding Hairline At Olympics Closing Ceremony

 The 'Dynamite' singer took to the stage at the centre of the Olympic Stadium last night, alongside Jessie J and Tinie Tempah, to perform their individual hits and a rendition of the Bee Gees track, 'You Should Be Dancing.'

Taio Cruz was subjected to ridicule during the Olympics Closing Ceremony last night, when fans picked up on the fact his hairline is receding.

While most were impressed that young stars on the urban scene were given a chance to shine at the historic event, some were more focused on Taio's hair - or lack of.

"Who stole Taio Cruz's hairline? #FindTaioCruzHairline," one Twitter user remarked during the show.

"Taio Cruz hairline is as present as black women in his music videos."

"Finding wheres Taio Cruz hairline begins should be an olympic event."

Ouch! Do you think Taio's hairline is that bad? Whose is worse - Lebron James or Taio?

Check out the pics below...

Taio Cruz, Emeli Sande, Tinie Tempah And Jessie J Perform During Olympics Closing Ceremony...

Winter Olympics 2014: Sochi, Russia gets set for its time in the spotlight

SOCHI, Russia (AP) - The idea of holding the Winter Olympics in Sochi once seemed as much of a long shot as a gold medal for Jamaica's bobsledders - a city that few outside Russia had ever heard of, in a country notorious for inefficient construction, corruption, and a byzantine visa regime.

Continue reading

The Black Sea resort of Sochi will play host to the Winter Olympics in 2014. Photo: Ojj600/Wikimedia Commons

But when Sochi won the right to host the 2014 Games five years ago, boosted by President Vladimir Putin's vigorous support, a vast transformation began. When London ends its own Olympics on Sunday, attention will turn to a region grappling with challenges as daunting as London's but much different.

Although Sochi has been a popular Black Sea resort since Soviet times - its palm-fringed beaches framed by soaring, snow-capped mountains - it had little of the infrastructure needed for hordes of Olympic fans and squadrons of athletes.

Some 20,000 hotel rooms are being built, supplementing Soviet spa complexes that mimic ancient Roman and Greek buildings - one of the city's most appealing idiosyncrasies.

The mountains had a few modest ski areas but there was nothing that matched an international standard. Every competition venue has had to be built from scratch.

Transport was a huge concern. Wedged between the mountains and the sea, Sochi in places was basically a single road wide, and only one road connected the seacoast area with the mountains. More than 350 kilometers (220 miles) of new roads and 200 kilometers (125 miles) of railway are being built to keep gridlock at bay.

The cost of all this is staggering. Putin said $30 billion (€24.5 billion) will be spent developing the region, including the cost of the games.

Although many have complained that the central stadium and hotels are behind schedule, International Olympic Committee officials overall have praised Russia's ability to meet the challenges.

A tour of the area this week showed a region caught between its past and future. The city's main thoroughfare was clogged with traffic. Disco beats and mangled karaoke poured out of cafes, men in tank tops nursed beers and sunbaked women juggled children on their hips.

But a new express train now connects the city with a modern new airport and workers are diligently battling rocky terrain to lay another railroad and a highway through the mountains to the snow-sports cluster 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of town.

The IOC's standards have forced Russian construction companies, typically plagued by inefficiency and low quality standards, to take safety and green technology seriously into account for the first time.

Private investment in the region, on the rise after the 1990s, got a second wind after the Olympics were announced in 2007. Rosa Khutor, the new ski resort where most of the downhill events will take place, was started as a $150 million project as early as 2003. After the Olympics were announced, that figure ballooned to $2 billion for 100 kilometers (60 miles) of ski trails.

"We're creating a mental shift and changing attitudes toward people with disabilities, we're creating a new standard in environmentally-friendly construction and we're creating the volunteerism culture that did not exist in our country before," Dmitri Chernyshenko, president and chief executive of the Sochi organizing committee, said in an interview with AP at the London Games.

But despite the breakneck pace of construction, critics question whether the city can build an entire Olympic complex and the infrastructure it requires from scratch without doing too much harm.

Environmental groups have charged that the railroad and highway to the Krasnaya Polyana ski area have done untold damage to the ecology of nearby Mzymta River. According to the World Wildlife Fund, construction of the railroad and highway began after the companies involved rushed through an ecological survey in just two weeks.

Safety has been another major concern, with Sochi near other parts of the Caucasus that have been plagued by Islamic insurgents for years.

Recently, Alexander Tkachev, the governor of the Krasnodar region that includes Sochi, stirred up controversy by calling for Cossacks to come to Sochi to prevent migrants from flooding the region. While the Cossacks, who formed a feared military force in the time of the czars, will be unarmed, critics warned that the move could fuel ethnic tensions and hate crimes against mostly dark-complexioned Muslim migrants.

The Sochi Olympics have also been plagued by allegations of corruption and construction delays. The Russian daily Izvestia reported Thursday that court cases were being opened against the two subcontractors responsible for the bobsled track and the central stadium, which will be used for the opening ceremony. The two companies are charged with exceeding their estimated construction costs.

Finally, the residents of Sochi themselves openly worry that despite Sochi's rapid development, the city will be abandoned after the games because the growth is unsustainable.

"Maintenance and technical upkeep (of these venues) is very expensive. It's possible that it will all fall into decay," said Sergei Dotsenko, Sochi resident and psychiatrist. "These Olympic Games take a lot of money from the (state) budget, and that money won't be given back. It's just a question of prestige."