“Beloved Father Damien Cared For Exiled Leprosy Patients - Myfoxmemphis.com” plus 4 more |
- Beloved Father Damien Cared For Exiled Leprosy Patients - Myfoxmemphis.com
- To all the New Orleans haters.. - CBS Sports
- Western Kentucky U. students pursue national scholarship - U-Wire.com
- TSA Announces $5 Million for Airport Surveillance at San Francisco ... - Biloxi Sun Herald
- 2 killed in North Pole fire - KTUU
| Beloved Father Damien Cared For Exiled Leprosy Patients - Myfoxmemphis.com Posted: 25 Sep 2009 04:11 AM PDT HONOLULU - Most need wheelchairs. Their average age is 80. Neither fact is stopping 11 elderly Hawaii leprosy patients from traveling 12,000 miles to the Vatican next month to watch as the Catholic Church canonizes Father Damien — a priest who cared for leprosy patients throughout the islands more than a century ago before dying of the disease himself. Damien, who was born in Belgium as Joseph de Veuster, remains a beloved figure among many in Hawaii. In the 1870s, the leprosy patients Damien cared for were shunned by most people, even doctors, because of an intense stigma that was associated with the disease. Today's patients from Kalaupapa, the isolated peninsula where Hawaii's leprosy patients were banished for more than 100 years, feel particularly close to Damien. Dr. Kalani Brady, their physician, said Thursday the trip to Rome will be an "energy-laden" voyage for many of his patients. "They're going to see their personal saint canonized," said Brady, 53, who will accompany the group to Rome. It's "incredibly important, incredibly personal for them," he said. The reverence for Damien transcends religious sects, Brady said, noting that one 84-year-old making the trip is Mormon. "He's bound to a wheelchair, he's completely blind. So it's important enough for him to go, despite the hurdles which he has to overcome," Brady said. The Catholic Church announced earlier this year that it would make Damien a saint after determining a Hawaii woman was cured of terminal cancer after she prayed to Damien and he interceded on her behalf. The church found there was no medical explanation for the woman's recovery. Pope Benedict XVI is due to preside over Damien's canonization on Oct. 11. Damien was beatified — a step toward sainthood — in 1995 by Pope John Paul II. The pope is expected to meet privately with the patients during their stay in Rome. The 11 are among about 20 patients who still live at Kalaupapa. The Kingdom of Hawaii began banishing leprosy patients to the remote section of Molokai island in the 1860s to control an outbreak of the disease that was killing Native Hawaiians in large numbers. Many Hawaiians had no natural immunity to leprosy, as well as other diseases that led the Hawaiian population to shrink 70 percent in the seven decades after Captain James Cook, the first European to visit the islands, arrived in 1778. Some 90 percent of the 8,000 people exiled to Kalaupapa were Native Hawaiians. Successive governments continued to exile patients to Kalaupapa for over a century through 1969, when the state of Hawaii finally stopped the practice more than two decades after the discovery of drugs that could treat the disease. Many patients chose to stay at Kalaupapa even after the medical isolation order was lifted because the community had become their home. Today, many patients still have to fight the indignity of stereotypes and misperceptions about the illness. Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is spread by direct person-to-person contact, although it's not easily transmitted. It can cause skin lesions and lead to blindness. But it's been curable since the development of sulfone drugs in the 1940s, and people treated with drugs aren't contagious. Damien built homes for the sick, changed their bandages and ate poi, a Hawaiian staple, from the same bowl as the patients. He put up no barriers between himself and those he ministered to. He was diagnosed with leprosy 12 years after he arrived and died five years later in 1889. Overall, some 650 people from Hawaii are traveling to Rome for the canonization. Most, between 520 and 550, are expected to be part of the Catholic Diocese of Honolulu's delegation. Those going also include a Boy Scout troop and Lt. Gov. James R. "Duke" Aiona. Some will visit Belgium, including the town of Tremelo, where Damien was born, and Leuven, where his body was buried in 1936. Damien still has a grave at Kalaupapa, but it now only contains a relic of his right hand.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| To all the New Orleans haters.. - CBS Sports Posted: 25 Sep 2009 09:26 AM PDT It's been two weeks of a 16 week regular season. Yes, the Saints are 2-0 but so are alot of other teams. I don't get it. Why is their such a horrible hatred for a team that has only won 2 games this season and really hasn't done much in its history. I know that and won't make any excuses. But..it's a new day. I would rather not speculate..I'm just wondering. No matter what you do or say, they will have some people that will hate anything and everyone no matter what it is, I understand that. I goes way beyond this though. But, some also believe they have every right to sit behind a keyboard, sipping on a latte' and spew hatred all day long about our city, its people and the Saints. I guess they do for now, but with everything going on in this Country right now who knows.. but it still doesn't make it right in my opinion. This city and its fans are flying high right now but things could change in a blink as we all know. I'm not going to let negative people get me down about such a positive thing..you can't rain on my parade. We travel all over this country following my team and most fans are happy to see us..but there are always a few that want trouble, especially in the 3rd and 4th quarters but I would like to think it's the beer talking. Could it be the same drunk people during the work day? I never claimed the Saints would go 16-0. I know they won't but I do believe they will win at least 11 and with any luck they could get to 13..just as most fans of their teams would like to think. They will have their ups and downs. Drew Brees is one of the best QB's in this league, everyone knows it. And, #9 finally has a decent running game behind him now..the sky's the limit with this Offense. The D is not the Ravens/Steelers D but it doesn't have to be and I have never claimed that. Middle of the road will be just fine. Good Luck to your respective teams and may the best teams win. And...GEAUX SAINTS!!!!  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Western Kentucky U. students pursue national scholarship - U-Wire.com Posted: 25 Sep 2009 10:31 AM PDT
Georgetown graduate student Cassandra Warren is hoping to trade her restaurant server's uniform for $30,000 or more and research opportunities abroad next fall. She's applying for a Fulbright Grant so she can study at the University of Amsterdam, she said in an e-mail interview. A Fulbright provides students with the opportunities to study, teach and conduct research in a different country, according to the Institute of International Education Web site. The deadline for Western Kentucky University students to turn in their Fulbright applications is Monday, according to information provided by Chief International Officer Cornell Menking. The grant covers medical insurance, travel to and from the host country, a monthly stipend and extra money for research, Honors College Director Craig Cobane said. The grants are awarded based on the cost of living in the host country and the type of grant, he said. Warren is currently in Amsterdam taking a Dutch language course. She has been there for two and a half months. She's filling out her second Fulbright application this year. Cobane said applying for the Fulbright is a competitive process. "Usually about one out of 15 applicants receive a grant, depending on the amount of applications to that country," he said. In the past four years, about eight Western students have received a Fulbright, Cobane said. Five Western students are applying for the grants this year. Warren said she applied for the Fulbright last year, but didn't get the grant. She said she didn't hear about the grant until three weeks before the deadline last year. "So, the first time through the process was rushed," she said. "I worked 25 to 30 hours a week and also volunteered 60 plus hours a month, plus school and a social life. "The program advises you to take full advantage of the year timeline they give you." Warren said she's been using the time needed to complete the application this year, though. She wants to study at the University of Amsterdam because of its focus on gender, sexuality and society. Warren said Amsterdam is an ideal setting for the research she wants to do because of the changing policies, the legal status of prostitution and the contacts she has already made there. Louisville senior Emily Wilcox is also applying for the Fulbright. She said she's still going through the application process and probably won't be finished until mid-October. Wilcox said she chose Indonesia because she has a passion for traveling and meeting new people. "It provides an opportunity to become more integrated in the community's structure," she said about the English assistantship she's applying for. An English assistantship helps students learn their host country's language, so they can teach English to communities in their host countries, according to the Institute of International Education Web site. Wilcox said she's qualified to receive a Fulbright because she knows how to deal with culture shock. "I have a strong interest in travel and spending lots of time in other countries," she said. Wilcox said she's spent time in India and South Africa for study abroad and an internship. She said the main reason for her application is for the money it provides, but she also thinks the experience could be an unique one. "It would be interesting to learn the language and get involved with art there," Wilcox said.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| TSA Announces $5 Million for Airport Surveillance at San Francisco ... - Biloxi Sun Herald Posted: 25 Sep 2009 10:02 AM PDT '+'>'); } --> SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) today announced approximately $5 million in funding for the purchase of additional equipment for a closed circuit television (CCTV) system at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) - designed to assist Transportation Security Administration efforts to strengthen security at airports.
"The addition of new cameras as well as increased storage capability on pre-existing cameras will be a tremendous asset to our security efforts at SFO airport," said Federal Security Director Ed Gomez. "These video recording enhancements will strengthen security, allow better personnel deployment and assist with the resolution of suspicious items." The $5 million award, which comes from fiscal year 2009 funds, will enhance CCTV systems currently in place at SFO airport. CCTV systems are an integral part of TSA and airport security operations, providing a high level of threat detection and enhancing emergency response and risk mitigation. "We are extremely appreciative of the additional funding TSA has provided to San Francisco International Airport to further expand and enhance the airport's comprehensive closed-circuit television system," said Airport Director John L. Martin. "SFO's number one priority has been, and always will be, the safety and security of everyone traveling through and working at the San Francisco International Airport." CCTV technology is used at hundreds of airports across the country and TSA has collaborated with individual airports to expand these sophisticated and integrated security networks. To learn more about TSA's security efforts and technology at airports throughout the country, visit www.tsa.gov. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WHY is TSA using CCTV technology? Closed circuit television (CCTV) systems are sophisticated and integrated security networks which increase the safety and security of airport facilities, employees and passengers. The systems are an integral part of TSA and airport security operations, providing a high level of threat detection and enhancing emergency response and risk mitigation. For more information about TSA, visit www.tsa.gov Contact: Suzanne Trevino 602-501-3195 SOURCE Transportation Security Administration Showing:   This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| 2 killed in North Pole fire - KTUU Posted: 25 Sep 2009 09:48 AM PDT Associated Press - September 25, 2009 12:54 PM ET FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) - Authorities say two North Pole residents died late Thursday when the travel trailer they were living in caught fire. A wood stove heated the trailer, but Alaska State Troopers declined to say whether it caused the blaze. Troopers say foul play is not suspected and a deputy fire marshal from Anchorage will assist in the investigation. The names of the victims have not been released. Information from: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, http://www.newsminer.com Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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