By NANETTE ASIMOV, San Francisco Chronicle

SAN FRANCISCO - In 2005, two years into the Iraq war, American soldiers began vaccinating cows across that nation not only to improve their health but also to garner goodwill among Iraqi farmers.

But instead of appreciating the help, the farmers stepped up support for the insurgents and even joined the violence.

An innovative method of helping students pay for college in Latin America has landed in the United States -- and 15 California students serve as its willing guinea pigs.

"For me, it's absolutely wonderful," said 20-year-old Alex Jasiulek of Oakland, Calif., who has been president of his class for two years at Columbia University in New York.

SAN FRANCISCO - Thinking of taking math, science or English at a California community college next fall? You may want to try Florida instead. Or Tennessee.

Anywhere but California.

Coming off "two thousand nine," you'll probably say "two thousand ten." In fact, four out of five YouTube videos randomly reviewed by the San Francisco Chronicle have people pronouncing it that way.

But you would be wrong, so wrong, according to the National Association of Good Grammar.

As the federal government begins an inside-out review of airport security after a passenger allegedly sneaked explosives onto a plane last week, attention is turning to a growing debate over a key approach to airline safety: whole-body imaging at airports.

University of California administrators say they want to keep things running as smoothly as possible Thursday -- the first day of school at many campuses -- when many faculty, staff members and students are expected to walk out of classes, host rallies and stage a systemwide labor strike for technical employees.

Here's the biggest difference between the education plans of presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama: $18 billion.

A California student trying to log on to a school computer typically has to push past four other kids to reach the keyboard, according to a new national study of students' access to technology.But in West Virginia, he'd only have to elbow past two kids.

HAYWARD, Calif. -- California State University East Bay has fired a math teacher after six weeks on the job because she inserted the word "nonviolently" in her state-required Oath of Allegiance form.