Swine Flu in America: 8 Cases in NYC, 2 in Kansas

Two cases of the human swine influenza have been confirmed in Kansas and one more in California, bringing the U.S. total to 11.

Kansas health officials said Saturday they had confirmed swine flu in a married couple living in the central part of the state after the husband visited Mexico. The couple, who live in Dickinson County, were not hospitalized, and the state described their illnesses as mild.

Dr. Jason Eberhart-Phillips, the state health officer, said, "Fortunately, the man and woman understand the gravity of the situation and are very willing to isolate themselves."

The man traveled to Mexico last week for a professional conference and became ill after returning home. His wife became ill later. Their doctor suspected swine flu, but it wasn't confirmed until flu specimens were flown to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A flu viruses, the CDC's Web site says. Human cases of swine flu are uncommon but can happen in people who are around pigs and can be spread from person to person. Symptoms of the flu include a fever of more than 100 degrees, body aches, coughing, a sore throat, respiratory congestion and, in some cases, vomiting and diarrhea.

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Witnesses stand by 1980s UFO sightings :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

BY ROB RYSER | The Journal NewsOne generation ago, a boomerang-shaped object as bright as a city street and as big as a football field appeared in the night skies over southern New York state, drawing such mixed reactions from some 7,200 witnesses that it never turned into the cosmic public event that it really was.



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The Politico: Koch backs Obama, calls Palin "Scary"

Blog: Former New York Mayor Ed Koch, who endorsed and worked for George W. Bush in 2004, is endorsing Obama today, NY1 first reported.

I asked Koch just now what prompted the move."The designation of Palin to be vice president," he said. "She's scary."

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BBC adds fuel to 9/11conspiracy theories - Telegraph

A BBC programme investigating the conspiracy theories of September 11 is expected to prolong speculation that the attacks were perpetrated by the American government.

The investigation into the "mysterious" collapse of the third tower of the World Trade Centre will re-examine questions which an official inquiry was designed to answer.

The 47-storey tower collapsed seven hours after the Twin Towers and has become the subject of heated speculation and a host of conspiracy theories which suggest it was brought down by a controlled demolition.

The final official report on the World Trade Centre is due to be published this month and official investigators are expected to conclude that fire caused the collapse of the third tower.

Fuelling the conspiracy theorists, however, a BBC investigation points out that this would be the first and only skyscraper in the world to collapse solely due to fire.

A programme called the Conspiracy Files says it is trying to "explore man unanswered questions to find out what really happened, and why some people think there was a sinister plot to destroy the building."