BEIJING- A rural community in northwest China has been quarantined due to an outbreak of Pneumonic plague.  

According to reports this morning, authorities have sealed off an entire town of 10,000, where a dozen or more have been infected with the highly contagious, deadly lung disease.    "The man who died Sunday was identified only as 37-year-old Danzin from Ziketan, the stricken town in Qinghai province," news reports said. 

Danzin was a neighbor of the first person who died, a 32-year-old herdsman whose name was not given. Another 10 people, mostly relatives of the first deceased man, were infected and undergoing isolated treatment in the hospital late Sunday night.  Health officials are indicating that anyone with a cough or fever who has visited the northwest China region since mid-July should seek treatment at a hospital. 

This plague, according to news reports, is spread through the air and can be passed from person to person through coughing.    Health officials believe that it is caused by the same bacteria that occurs in bubonic plague, which killed an estimated 25 million in Europe during the Middle Ages.  

Bubonic plague can be acquired through flea bites. However, it can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed early.   Pneumonic plague is more serious as death can occur within 24 hours of the infection.   

Michael Wines reported this morning that an official who answered the emergency line at Renmin Hospital in Ziketan, where the outbreak is centered, said that all roads into and out of the area had been closed off, but that residents remained free to move about within the town.

The official, who refused to give his name, said it was unclear when the blockade would be lifted. Repeated calls to a plague emergency phone line produced only busy signals.   Ziketan is a remote, ethnically Tibetan town in eastern Qinghai Province, one of the largest and least populated regions of China.       

Article sources: Worcester Telegram, various health news releases, New York Times  

WASHINGTON — The unauthenticated document purporting to be a Kenyan certificate of birth for Barack Obama has refocused the debate over his presidential eligibility. Released publicly yesterday by California attorney Orly Taitz as evidence in her court case challenging Obama to prove his constitutional qualifications to hold office, the document raises new questions about the president’s birthplace. 

WorldNetDaily.com is working with document experts in the U.S. and with sources in Kenya to determine its validity. 

"We’ve had less than 24 hours to consider its authenticity or non-authenticity,"  explains Joseph Farah, editor and chief executive officer of the first news agency to publish the document.    "Our goal, as always, is to seek the truth. This is not our document. It is evidence that has presented in a high-profile court case. And, thus, I believe we had a journalistic responsibility to publish it — just as I think every other news organization does."     

Farah says there are many questions still to be answered about the certification of live birth that Obama has disseminated — including the fact that the Public Health Department of the state of Hawaii has refused to confirm is it an official Hawaiian document issued by that office. 

"This is why it is so important that Obama release his original, long-form birth certificate to end the speculation and the growing uneasiness Americans are increasingly feeling about his eligibility,"  explains Farah.  More and more, people are puzzled and mystified as to why he is refusing to release that document, as well as his school records, his college transcripts, his university papers and his travel records.  Farah says WorldNetDaily.com, which has led the way in investigating this story, will continue to do so relentlessly until it is resolved to the satisfaction of most Americans.  

For more information, visit this site: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=105764

News Source: News release from WorldNetDaily   

In the final round, after shooting a 3 under par, Tiger Woods won the Buick Open this past weekend for an amazing third time.  

Woods was quoted as being in  "fine form" at Warwich Hills, where he was 20 under for the tournament, helping him claim his 69th PGA Tour victory.   Golf fans everywhere were elated over his most recent win, but it  the events that happened at the 18th green, that has everyone talking. 

Apparently, a loud fart was picked up by the microphones nearby while Woods and his caddy were there.  Controversy about who did it has been growing.     

Woods and his caddy Stevie Williams have both denied that it happened.  Interestingly enough, this is the second time a fart has been associated with Woods on the greens.    

View video replays of both events at these addresses:   Incident One   Incident Two

WASHINGTON–In a certified press release from the White House received this morning, President Barack Obama issued the following statement regarding health care reform:    If you’re like most Americans, there  nothing more important to you about health care than peace of mind.   

Given the status quo, that’s understandable. The current system often denies insurance due to pre-existing conditions, charges steep out-of-pocket fees and sometimes isn’t there at all if you become seriously ill,  he said.    It’s time to fix our unsustainable insurance system and create a new foundation for health care security. That means guaranteeing your health care security and stability with eight basic consumer protections.    

The eight basic consumer protections include:     No discrimination for pre-existing conditions;   No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays;   No cost-sharing for preventive care;   No dropping of coverage if you become seriously ill;   No gender discrimination;   No annual or lifetime caps on coverage;   Extended coverage for young adults;   Guaranteed insurance renewal so long as premiums are paid.

"Over the next month there is going to be an avalanche of misinformation and scare tactics from those seeking to perpetuate the status quo. But we know the cost of doing nothing is too high. Health care costs will double over the next decade, millions more will become uninsured, and state and local governments will go bankrupt," President Obama said.   

"It’s time to act and reform health insurance, drive down costs and guarantee the health care security and stability of every American family. You can help by putting these core principles of reform in the hands of your friends, your family, and the rest of your social network."     

A more detailed listing of health care reform and what it means, as reported by the White House Press Office:     No Discrimination for Pre-Existing Conditions – Insurance companies will be prohibited from refusing you coverage because of your medical history.  No Exorbitant Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Deductibles or Co-Pays – Insurance companies will have to abide by yearly caps on how much they can charge for out-of-pocket expenses.  No Cost-Sharing for Preventive Care –  Insurance companies must fully cover, without charge, regular checkups and tests that help you prevent illness, such as mammograms or eye and foot exams for diabetics.  No Dropping of Coverage for Seriously Ill – Insurance companies will be prohibited from dropping or watering down insurance coverage for those who become seriously ill.  No Gender Discrimination –  Insurance companies will be prohibited from charging you more because of your gender.  No Annual or Lifetime Caps on Coverage – Insurance companies will be prevented from placing annual or lifetime caps on the coverage you receive.  Extended Coverage for Young Adults – Children would continue to be eligible for family coverage through the age of 26.  Guaranteed Insurance Renewal – Insurance companies will be required to renew any policy as long as the policyholder pays their premium in full.  Insurance companies won’t be allowed to refuse renewal because someone became sick. 

Learn more by visiting whitehouse.gov. 

WASHINGTON-Today the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to send the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court for a full Senate vote. Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) applauds the Senators who have announced they will oppose her nomination.  

CWALAC President Wendy Wright said,  "The Sonia Sotomayor we saw in the nomination hearings was a stark contrast to the Sonia Sotomayor of the previous 55 years.  Senators should not be fooled."

"The Judge Sotomayor that they will be voting on for a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court is the one that existed prior to the hearings and the one that emerged immediately after in her written responses to questions.  Her chameleon-like performance at her hearings cannot erase a lifetime record of a judicial philosophy that allows for the re-interpretation of the Constitution according to her ‘wise’ and ‘superior’ personal opinion,"  Wright continued.

"We are thankful to the Senators who have said they cannot in good conscience support Judge Sotomayor. Senators like Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama), Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), Jon Kyl (R-Arizona) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) have shown great character and a serious commitment to the Constitution in standing up for justice by voting against her nomination."

Mario Diaz, Esq., CWALAC’s Policy Director for Legal Issues, said,  "Before the hearings Judge Sotomayor proudly argued that her background, gender and race did and should play a role in her judicial opinions. During the hearings her judicial philosophy suddenly became ‘fidelity to the law.’   Before the hearings she believed the Court of Appeals is where ‘policy is made.’   During the hearings she believed judges do not make law. Before the hearings she believed a judge does a better job when he looks at international law. During the hearings she emphatically said she would not look at international law in interpreting domestic law.   Even in written questions after the hearings she went back on her word again, saying that ‘in limited circumstances’ international law can help us decide ‘our own constitutional rights.’   Judge Sotomayor, simply put, cannot be trusted. Any senator who supports her nomination is essentially gambling with our freedoms."     

Article Source: Concerned Women for America