National

There's no rest for the undead, it seems.

Zombies have been used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help spread tips about preparing for natural disasters. They've been "studied" by Canadian researchers trying to figure out the best way to respond to new, highly infectious diseases.

Good morning.

Our early headlines:

-- France On Alert, Closing Embassies, After Magazine Publishes Muhammad Cartoons.

-- Housing Starts Rose Again In August, Pace Remains Well Above Previous Years.

(This post was updated at 10:05 a.m. ET.)

In the morning's second sign of strength in the housing sector, the National Association of Realtors reports that sales of existing homes rose 7.8 percent in August from July and were 9.3 percent above the pace of August 2011.