Olympic organizers struggling to stem an algae bloom at the sailing venue in Qingdao are turning to another threat: a plague of locusts heading for Beijing.

The northern Chinese province of Inner Mongolia has mobilized 33,000 people to repel swarms of locusts

have infested an area of 1.3 million hectares (5,000 square miles)

Locusts in full flight may not be so easy to tackle. Inner Mongolia authorities are using 200 tons of pesticides, 100,000 sprayers and four airplanes to kill the pests...

The locust alert comes as 10,000 workers scoop up blue- green algae along the coast...

About 4,000 troops are helping the Qingdao clean-up, which has removed 150,000 tons of algae since June 25...

“The one thing we fail to talk about is those costs that you don't see on the bottom line. That is coal makes us sick, oil makes us sick; it's global warming. It's ruining our country, it’s ruining our world. We’ve got to stop using fossil fuel.”

There’s only one sensible response: we have to shut down Las Vegas.

Indiana University's president told the NCAA infractions committee that the hiring of ousted basketball coach Kelvin Sampson was "a risk that should not have been taken."

Unbowed, politicians vow to execute child rapists

Pregnant Mass. teen says there was no pact

George:  Oh, she's got the hue. So, what's going on with you and Melanie? I mean, I know you're not getting married, but uh, things are happening?

Jerry:  Well...actually, we kind of broke up.

George:  You what?

Jerry:  Well, you know, we were having dinner the other night, and she's got this strangest habit.  She eats her peas one at a time.  You've never seen anything like it.  It takes her an hour to finish them.  I mean, we've had dinner other times.  I've seen her eat Corn Niblets.  But she scooped them.

George: . . . she scooped her niblets?

Jerry:  Yes.  That's what was so vexing.

George:  Uh-huh.  Uh-huh.  What about the pact?

Jerry:  What?

George:  What happened to the pact?  We were both gonna change.  We shook hands on a pact.  Did you not shake my hand on it uh?

Jerry:  You stuck your hand out, so I shook it.  I don't know about a pact.  Anyway, you should be happy you're engaged.  You're getting married.

So... Here's to the men who did what was considered wrong, in order to do what they knew was right... [nodding] what they knew was right.

The chief justice of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals[,] ...  Alex Kozinski[,] stored sexually explicit photos and videos on his personal web site, stating later that he thought no one could access the materials.

Political fundraiser convicted in corruption trial - Jun 04 9:09 PM US/Eastern

Fixer With Obama Ties Found Guilty

Developer linked to Obama guilty in fraud case

Rezko Convicted on 16 Counts in Corruption Trial

Fundraiser Rezko found guilty in corruption case

Obama: GOP will attack on patriotism

One-time Obama fundraiser guilty in corruption trial

U.S. soldiers returning from the Iraq War with physical or psychological wounds are getting poor treatment from the military and veterans' health care systems, say a majority of Americans polled by Harvard University.

People with a close family member now in the military, or who served in the past, had an even dimmer view of the quality of care offered to soldiers and veterans.

“There is a sense that this system has failed people who are wounded in Iraq,” said Robert Blendon, a Harvard professor who directs the university's program on public opinion and health and social policy. “More than six in 10 Americans believe that people are not receiving high-quality care.”

The survey follows highly publicized reports on inadequate treatment for soldiers who have suffered physical and mental injuries in the war, including a series of articles about decrepit conditions at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington that won the Washington Post a Pulitzer Prize.

The survey also found that of the presidential candidates, Republican John McCain is viewed as most likely to improve veterans' health care.

At that moment, Cynthia became one of a growing number of parents who are, by necessity, stepping back into the role of caregiver for their children who are returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with debilitating and often long-term injuries. According to officials from three national organizations—the Wounded Warrior Project, The Military Family Network,, and the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes— an estimated 10,000 recent veterans of these conflicts now depend on their parents for their care. Working unheralded, these parents have quit jobs, shelved retirement plans, and relocated so they can be with their injured sons and daughters. Many have become warriors themselves, fighting to make sure this new wave of injured veterans gets the medical care and rehabilitation it needs.

...I’m honored to hold Senator Kennedy’s seat in the United States Senate from the state of New York...