Catacombs may be used to store bodies of swine flu victims
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 25 July 2009 11.52 BST
Exeter city council plans to use 19th century burial chambers as emergency mortuary if pandemic worsens.
A city council is considering using 19th century catacombs to store the bodies of swine flu victims if the outbreak worsens, it was confirmed today.
Exeter city council has identified the empty underground burial chambers, currently used as a tourist attraction, as a potential mortuary.
A council spokesman said the plan would be implemented if the crematorium and cemeteries could not keep up with funeral demands.
"We have some empty catacombs in an old cemetery in the city," he said. "These are 19th century underground burial chambers which are normally a tourist attraction. They can, however, be safely used for their original purpose and allow us to temporarily store bodies in the remote possibility that the need should arise."
So far at least 31 people have died in the UK after contracting the virus. Yesterday, the World Health Organisation said 800 people had now died worldwide from the H1N1 virus and as many as 2 billion people could eventually be infected.
Doctors have warned that NHS intensive care wards could be overwhelmed by severely ill swine flu patients if infection rates climb rapidly.
The growing pressure on critical care beds was underlined this week when a pregnant 26-year-old was flown from a hospital in Kilmarnock to Sweden for life-saving treatment because of a shortage of equipment in Britain. Sharon Pentleton's family said she was gravely ill, but her doctors believe she has a good chance of recovery.
According to Dr Alan Hay, director of the WHO's London-based world influenza centre, the first wave of UK infections is likely to peak within the next week or two before re-emerging in the winter.
Research published in the journal Anaesthesia suggests that when the peak comes, demand for intensive care beds could outstrip supply by 130% in some regions, while the demand for ventilators could exceed supply by 20%. Paediatric facilities are likely to become "quickly exhausted" as hospitals confront "massive excess demand", according to experts in intensive care and anaesthesia from the University of Cambridge, the Intensive Care Society and St George's Healthcare NHS trust in London.
The Department of Health said the NHS was prepared for the pandemic. "Guidance has been issued which contains information for primary and secondary care services in the UK on managing surge capacity and the prioritisation of services and patients during a widespread influenza outbreak," a spokesman said.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Murdered Priest's Last Words "I Forgive You"
Friend Tells of Spaniard Slain in Cuba
SANTANDER, Spain, JULY 22, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The last words of Father Mariano Arroyo Merino expressed his forgiveness for the would-be robbers who knifed and burned him.
The Spanish priest, 74, was murdered July 13 at his parish of Our Lady of Regla, in Havana, Cuba. Father Arroyo was the second Spanish priest to be assassinated in Cuba in less than a year. Father Eduardo de la Fuente Serrano, 59, was killed Feb. 14.
Father Isidro Hoyos, another Spaniard who carries out his ministry in Cuba, was a friend of them both. In Santander for vacation, Father Hoyos was interviewed by the Diario Montañés. He recounted that Father Arroyo's last words were "I forgive you."
This revelation came from the suspect who has admitted to killing the priest.
Father Hoyos met Father Arroyo in 1970 in Spain. At the urging of his friend, Father Hoyos left for Cuba in 2001, having reached the age of retirement in Spain, to continue with his priestly ministry on the island. "Yes," he explained, "it happened that that summer (of 2000), Mariano was here (in Spain). He had already spent many years in Havana. I told him (I'd go to Cuba), it seemed a good idea to him and I went. We lived together for four years and then they assigned me to the barrio of Alamar in Havana."
There, he carries out his mission among a population of 100,000 people. "It is a village that was created after Castro's revolution, but a village of 100,000 inhabitants. Actually it's a city-dormitory" and it has just one parish.
The priest described it: "It's a little house with a patio -- a few grains of sand among this immense multitude. On Sunday we have the (Eucharistic) celebration and some 300 people participate. That's not many, but before there was nothing."
Father Hoyos said being a priest in Havana is not difficult. "People treat you very well," he explained. "I wasn't accustomed to the adoration that is felt there for the figure of the priest. The Cubans are very reverent with sacred things."
He said he supposes that the investigations are correct in presuming the motive for Father Arroyo's murder was an attempted robbery.
"Mariano had a big safe but he didn't have much of value there -- only a crown for Our Lady that had more sentimental than monetary value. It was very old," he noted. "If he had money, it wouldn't have been much. Mariano had just finished doing some work in the parish because it was in very poor conditions. And if he had money from donations, he didn't keep it in the house but in the bishopric. In any case, if the robber would have given him the choice between the money and his life, undoubtedly Mariano would have given him the money without resistance."
The two suspects under arrest for the murder have confessed, Father Hoyos noted, "and the one who killed Mariano revealed that his last words were, 'I forgive you.'"
And that would be characteristic of Father Mariano, his friend contended. "He was a profoundly religious man. He was very coherent, very austere."
Father Hoyos added that it was no surprise multitudes attended the funeral. "I imagined that would happen," he said. "Mariano was very well-known there. I think that it was the biggest gathering Havana has seen, not counting Castro's manifestations."
For his part, Father Hoyos will be returning to Cuba next month, and reported that he is not frightened by this prospect. "I don't think (the two slayings) are going to become an unending chain," he said. "I have a commitment to those people and I am going to fulfill it. It seems cowardly to not return. I am not saying that I'm indispensable, but I feel obligated to return."
SANTANDER, Spain, JULY 22, 2009 (Zenit.org).- The last words of Father Mariano Arroyo Merino expressed his forgiveness for the would-be robbers who knifed and burned him.
The Spanish priest, 74, was murdered July 13 at his parish of Our Lady of Regla, in Havana, Cuba. Father Arroyo was the second Spanish priest to be assassinated in Cuba in less than a year. Father Eduardo de la Fuente Serrano, 59, was killed Feb. 14.
Father Isidro Hoyos, another Spaniard who carries out his ministry in Cuba, was a friend of them both. In Santander for vacation, Father Hoyos was interviewed by the Diario Montañés. He recounted that Father Arroyo's last words were "I forgive you."
This revelation came from the suspect who has admitted to killing the priest.
Father Hoyos met Father Arroyo in 1970 in Spain. At the urging of his friend, Father Hoyos left for Cuba in 2001, having reached the age of retirement in Spain, to continue with his priestly ministry on the island. "Yes," he explained, "it happened that that summer (of 2000), Mariano was here (in Spain). He had already spent many years in Havana. I told him (I'd go to Cuba), it seemed a good idea to him and I went. We lived together for four years and then they assigned me to the barrio of Alamar in Havana."
There, he carries out his mission among a population of 100,000 people. "It is a village that was created after Castro's revolution, but a village of 100,000 inhabitants. Actually it's a city-dormitory" and it has just one parish.
The priest described it: "It's a little house with a patio -- a few grains of sand among this immense multitude. On Sunday we have the (Eucharistic) celebration and some 300 people participate. That's not many, but before there was nothing."
Father Hoyos said being a priest in Havana is not difficult. "People treat you very well," he explained. "I wasn't accustomed to the adoration that is felt there for the figure of the priest. The Cubans are very reverent with sacred things."
He said he supposes that the investigations are correct in presuming the motive for Father Arroyo's murder was an attempted robbery.
"Mariano had a big safe but he didn't have much of value there -- only a crown for Our Lady that had more sentimental than monetary value. It was very old," he noted. "If he had money, it wouldn't have been much. Mariano had just finished doing some work in the parish because it was in very poor conditions. And if he had money from donations, he didn't keep it in the house but in the bishopric. In any case, if the robber would have given him the choice between the money and his life, undoubtedly Mariano would have given him the money without resistance."
The two suspects under arrest for the murder have confessed, Father Hoyos noted, "and the one who killed Mariano revealed that his last words were, 'I forgive you.'"
And that would be characteristic of Father Mariano, his friend contended. "He was a profoundly religious man. He was very coherent, very austere."
Father Hoyos added that it was no surprise multitudes attended the funeral. "I imagined that would happen," he said. "Mariano was very well-known there. I think that it was the biggest gathering Havana has seen, not counting Castro's manifestations."
For his part, Father Hoyos will be returning to Cuba next month, and reported that he is not frightened by this prospect. "I don't think (the two slayings) are going to become an unending chain," he said. "I have a commitment to those people and I am going to fulfill it. It seems cowardly to not return. I am not saying that I'm indispensable, but I feel obligated to return."
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Three Mexican Bishops Threatened by Druglords
Mexico City, Mexico, Jul 21, 2009 / 01:30 pm (CNA).- The spokesman for the Archdiocese of Mexico City, Father Hugo Valdemar, told reporters this week that three bishops in Michoacan have received death threats from drug trafficking gangs.
“There is news that three bishops and several priests in Michoacan have been threatened. Generally these things are not made public but it is obvious that wherever drug traffickers are operating, the criminals see these people as their enemies,” the priest said.
He went on to note that for now the bishops have not requested extra protection even though they are living with anxiety and insecurity and that each one would determine whether or not increased security would be necessary.
Last week the bishops of Michoacan called for an end to the violence sweeping the region.
“If there is not a united front by the government to combat crime this war will be lost,” Father Valdemar asserted. “There are certain aspects that must be protected. The Church has always said that this war cannot take place at the cost of human rights. The rule of law must be preserved, but reforms are needed in order to more effectively combat this urgent problem,” he said.
“There is news that three bishops and several priests in Michoacan have been threatened. Generally these things are not made public but it is obvious that wherever drug traffickers are operating, the criminals see these people as their enemies,” the priest said.
He went on to note that for now the bishops have not requested extra protection even though they are living with anxiety and insecurity and that each one would determine whether or not increased security would be necessary.
Last week the bishops of Michoacan called for an end to the violence sweeping the region.
“If there is not a united front by the government to combat crime this war will be lost,” Father Valdemar asserted. “There are certain aspects that must be protected. The Church has always said that this war cannot take place at the cost of human rights. The rule of law must be preserved, but reforms are needed in order to more effectively combat this urgent problem,” he said.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Usurper or Legitimate ...Is Obama Our President or NOT?
As concerned Americans, We should all be asking the question, 'is Obama our President or not'? Why is it that no one seems to be able to get a handle on this situation. Obama has spent approximately 1 MILLION DOLLARS...that's $1,000,000.00 to block the viewing of his birth certificate, medical records and college transcripts. Why would someone do something like that? Isn't the President supposed to serve the people? Aren't we allowed to question his legitimacy and get truthful answers? I think we are being too much like sheep following the wrong shephard. But hey who knows...certainly not the American people!
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