swimming

She won three swimming medals when she was only 14, has posed for Playboy and struggled with drugs and eating disorders. Now Beard is telling her story, and the release of her new memoir will hopefully coincide with her bid to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Pool clubs have become ubiquitous in Las Vegas. With dance-floor-packing DJs and islands adorned with stripper poles, they're the daytime versions of Sin City's famously profitable nightclubs. And, they can generate $1 million a week.

Colleges are facing tough times. Not only is it costing them more to serve their students, but enrollment is down, state funding is down and alumni and corporate giving is also down. There is increased pressure to keep costs low by not raising tuition, while at the same time there is a dramatic...