the buzz log

A story that's grabbing readers' attention in Yahoo! Buzz caught our eye. In the far-flung country of Ethiopia, the population is bracing for a major locust infestation coming from Somalia. They're on their way, and boy are they hungry.

This is not the terror of military violence, like what's happening in Iran. But the terror of the insatiable insect could mean death and destruction on the Horn of Africa.

Already, the biblical-sounding insect has formed into massive swarms that are blanketing seven regions of the country. Some of these regions have never before had infestations, according to Yahoo! News.

In the past, Ethiopia has had to prepare for the onslaught of the bugs, which are drawn to very dry regions. The pest eats everything in sight, and the locust swarms threaten to wipe out crops of a population that relies on subsistence farming to survive.

While Ethiopia is coming up with a plan for the short and long-term, (they've already begun spraying the air) the BBC has grim details about the small but mighty pest. The swarms can have up to 80 millions bugs that fill the sky before swooping down to gobble up all plant life. They only live around three to five months. But the path of destruction the little buggers leave is mind-boggling. During plagues, locusts have the potential to cover "more than 20% of the total land surface of the world."

Filed under: Africa

Leading June's fastest moving searches, newsman Tim Russert's unexpected death triggered an astonishing outpouring online. His passing was followed by comedian and cultural commentator George Carlin.

The international soccer tournament besieged Search, while Tiger Woods bogged down Internet traffic during his knee-buckling win. Meanwhile, Gina Gershon moved from entertainer to newsmaker with the stroke of one Vanity Fair article and much political buzz.

In the entertainment world, "Battlestar Galactica" paused midway in its fourth and final season, but launched hysteria over actress Katee Sackhoff. Here are the terms that attracted searches and moved fast in the month of June. 

June searchers also followed Mother Nature's rampage as she turned from Asia to the American Midwest. Look-ups surged for "iowa dot" and towns under siege like Cedar Rapids (+5,799%), Waterloo (+1,355%), Ames (+806%), and others including Burlington, Coralville, Dubuque and Waverly. The reflex to blame climate change shifted to point to modern practices of depleting wetlands and other natural protections.

Another chapter of history closed when Senator Hillary Clinton ended her campaign to be the first female president, and Senator Barack Obama continued his quest to be the first biracial Commander in Chief. Another political figure making the top 500 terms—not Republican contender John McCain, but Michelle Obama, whose image revamp included an appearance on "The View."

Filed under: Politics, Celebrities, Monthly Wrapup, Recaps, Entertainment, Death, Africa, Wrap Up