Bloodsucking humans in medieval times

The 16th-century woman was discovered among medieval plague victims in 2006. Her jaw had been forced open by a brick—an exorcism technique used on suspected vampires in Europe at the time.

The discovery marked the first time archaeological remains had been interpreted as those of an alleged vampire, project leader Matteo Borrini, a forensic archaeologist at the University of Florence in Italy, said when the skull was first revealed in March 2009.

Borrini found the vampire skull while digging up mass graves on the Venetian island of Lazzaretto Nuovo.

Scholars trace the myth that humans rise from the dead and suck the blood of others to medieval ignorance about how diseases spread and bodies decompose.

For instance, as the human stomach decays, it releases a dark "purge fluid." This bloodlike liquid can flow freely from a corpse's nose and mouth.

When mass graves were re-opened during epidemics to deposit fresh corpses, the Italian diggers often encountered older, bloated bodies with purge fluid seeping out of their mouths — conditions that scientists now know result from the buildup of gases in decomposing organs. In earlier times, however, this was regarded as a sign that the corpses were drinking the blood of others.

In addition, the fluid sometimes moistened the burial shroud near the corpse's mouth so that the cloth sagged into the jaw. This could create tears in the cloth that made it seem as if the corpse had been chewing on its shroud.

Vampires were thought by some to be the causes of plagues, and the superstition took root that shroud-chewing was the "magical way" that vampires infected people, Borrini said.

Inserting objects—such as bricks and stones—into the mouths of alleged vampires was thought to halt the spread of disease.

This skull with a mouthful of brick, he said, is "evidence of exorcism against a vampire."

Medieval Italians thought that the only known way to kill the undead was to stick a brick in their mouths so that they would starve.

Thursday 14 February 2013

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/37981373/ns/technology_and_science-science/#.UR0ikEH3TUI

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/02/100226-vampires-venice-plague-skull-witches/

Cynicism underlies officials' lack of respect for dead

A landslide last month in southwestern China killed 46 villagers. Once the bodies were uncovered, the local authorities cremated them without getting prior agreement from family members.

This caused a storm of protest and criticism from relatives of the deceased, as well as from the public. Authorities in Zhenxiong County, Yunnan Province, sparked further outrage when they admitted that the cremations were prompted by a desire to maintain stability.

That one's family member dies in a disaster is devastating enough. The fact that the local government went ahead with such a decision and deprived the families the chance to send their loved ones off properly is salt in the wound. Such a method of "maintaining stability" can only make matters worse.

So why are local officials so thoughtless?

In fact, they had carefully calculated their own interests in making this decision. They must have been afraid of the families "using the dead to press the living," thinking they might react irrationally when they actually saw the horrible state of their excavated loved ones.

On the contrary, especially from a long term point of view, this kind of behavior hurts the feelings of the families of the deceased, threatens public order and undermines good morals. It makes the already poor credibility of the government even worse. Unfortunately, we see this kind of thing repeatedly in China.

Just as unfortunate, "using the dead to press the living" is often the last remedy the weak have to act against the strong.

Take a custom in my hometown in the central province of Hunan as an example. When a woman killed herself due to family disputes, her clan gathered to prevent her body from being buried in the hopes such a scene would ruin the husband's family.

This is, of course, illegal and not worth promoting. However, when one considers the historical background of the custom, one may understand and feel more sympathy.

For starters, in traditional Chinese society, women have a very low status. It's not rare that women suffer abuse from their mothers-in-law or violence from their husbands. The protection of a woman thus depends not on the law, but on the forces that her family can muster. It is very difficult to expect the law to uphold justice when a woman commits suicide because of domestic violence. This is why her family clan creates havoc as a way to punish the husband's family.

Respect the Dead

From the viewpoint of the modern rule of law, this kind of practice is primitive, a type of vigilante justice. But under specific historical circumstances, the approach does have a deterrent effect and to a certain extent curbs the ill-treatment of women.

So why is it that the practice of taking the dead to press the living still goes on? The most basic element of a civilized society is to respect the dead. Respecting the deceased is respecting the value of life.

A while ago, various local governments in Henan Province implemented by force a policy of flattening tombs. Like others, I believe this is because to those officials the skeletons are just meaningless waste. The fact that that waste has to give way to economic development has broken the bottom line of civilization.

Naturally, funerals and the handling of bodies can evolve in accordance with economic and social changes. For instance, cremation can take the place of burial. But the premise of respect for the deceased is not to be denied. This implies respecting the deceased's will and, in some cases, his or her religion.

All civilized societies respect the dead. If the rules made by the powers-that-be of the living world breach such rules of civility for mere utilitarian purposes, then it's doomed to face revolt.

Far too often, local authorities in China try to settle conflicts in the quickest possible way, fearing neither financial costs nor social taboos, for the sole purpose of maintaining stability. Such a cynical way of ruling must come to an end.

Thursday 14 February 2013

http://english.caixin.com/2013-02-08/100490853.html

Memorial for missing prisoners

More than two years after the search for the remains of 12 political prisoners who died while imprisoned on Robben Island began, a memorial will be erected in their honour at the Stikland Cemetery.

The memorial is expected to be completed later this year. Representatives of the prisoners’ families and former political prisoners who were incarcerated with the men gathered at the cemetery yesterday to pay homage to Jimmy Simon, Mountain Langben, Lameki Kula, Mlungisi Mqalu, Frank Mani, Rueben Laiwa, Solomon Makisi, Matinise Batyi, Sipho Khalipha, Zincwasile Mvalwana, John Poni and Charlie Mkele.

The bodies of the men – all of whom died in the 1960s of natural causes – have never been found as there is no official map of the cemetery. But the cemetery’s records show they are buried there. Madeleine Fullard, head of the NPA’s missing persons task team – who have had archaeologists and forensic experts searching for the men’s remains for the past two years – said they have been unable to positively identify any of the exhumed remains as that of the men.

The men are believed to have been buried in the paupers’ section of the cemetery where people who died in poverty between 1960 and 1970 are buried, Fullard said.

The project is a joint initiative between the South African Heritage Resources Agency, the Robben Island Museum and the City of Cape Town.

Sibongiseni Mkhize, chief executive of the Robben Island Museum, said: “This project is about the people who made Robben Island what it is today. This is not the end of the search for the remains of our loved ones, but merely a symbol to show we remember them.”

Kwedie Mkalapi, a PAC veteran who was imprisoned on Robben Island in the 1960s, described Fullard and her team as “people of honour” and thanked them for their determination.

“At least now we have a place to visit when we want to remember our friends,” Mkalapi said.

He vividly remembers his time on Robben Island, especially the fear on the faces of his fellow prisoners when the security police helicopter would fly overhead.

“We would ask: ‘Whose son are they coming to collect today?’”

He called on fellow Robben Island veterans to record their memories. Mkalapi said: “Until they speak for themselves, the world will not have a proper record of what happened on this island.”

Thursday 14 February 2013

http://www.iol.co.za/the-star/memorial-for-missing-prisoners-1.1470251#.UR0fUUH3TUI

Victims identified in Ukraine plane crash

Investigators have identified all the five people killed in a plane crash near Ukraine’s Donetsk city, authorities said Thursday.

“The bodies of all the victims have been identified,” Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vilkul told a press conference without giving details.

As of Thursday morning, a total of 9 people were hospitalized following the crash, he said.

All the victims were soccer fans, who were heading for the Wednesday night European Champions League match between Germany’s Borussia Dortmund and Shaktar Donetsk.

According to local media, deputies of the Odessa city council and local businessmen were among the plane passengers.

The An-24 plane from the southern resort of Odessa crashed while landing at the Donetsk airport with 52 people on board.

The authorities have ordered an investigation into the accident.

Thursday 14 February 2013

http://www.nzweek.com/world/victims-identified-in-ukraine-plane-crash-49116/

‘Malukula’ robs dead

Police in Kabwe have arrested a mortuary attendant they suspect to be among the people who stole money and personal effects from victims of the Chibombo road accident victims.

Some bereaved families and members of the public are seeking answers on what happened to the money and property carried by the people who died in last Thursday’s accident.

Central Province police commissioner Standwell Lungu confirmed the arrest of the mortuary attendant but he did not give his name or the health institution he works for.

Kabwe General Hospital (KGH) medical superintendent George Chipulu said all mortuary attendants are working and his Liteta Hospital superintendent Chisha Kalonde said she was not at the station to establish if the attendant arrested by police is from her hospital.

“We are holding one mortuary attendant in connection with the missing cash and property of some accident victims,” Mr Lungu said.

He also said the police are aware about allegations being made against police officers who were at the accident scene, in connection with the missing money and property.

He said police are investigating the whereabouts of the money and personal effects to establish the truth.

He said it is unfair to allege that police looted money and property from the accident scene when there were already so many people at the scene before the police arrived.

“When our officers arrived on the scene, they found a lot of people who were removing bodies from the bus. Others were transporting the bodies to the hospital,” he said.

Mr Lungu said when attending to accident victims, the police first ensure that saving lives comes first before they can think of property.

“As professional people, we first have to preserve lives, clear any obstruction on the road and then we look at the property,” he said.

He warned that police will cast their net wider to bring to book all the people who stole from accident victims. Last Thursday, 54 people perished in a horrific road accident on the Great North Road in Chibombo when a Zambia Postal Services Corporation-operated passenger bus collided with a truck laden with mealie-meal.

Thursday 14 February 2013

http://www.daily-mail.co.zm/index.php/local-news/item/10464-%E2%80%98malukula%E2%80%99-robs-dead

Four dead, 6 missing in Antique mining accident

Four people were confirmed dead while 10 remained buried following a landslide at an open coal mining pit in Antique early Thursday, police said.

Superintendent Marloe Marfil, Antique provincial director-officer-in-charge, said 13 miners were initially said to have been buried following a landslide at Semirara Coal & Mining Corp., in Barangay (village) Semirara in Caluya, Antique around 12:50 a.m.

Three were immediately rescued, but four other male workers were later recovered dead. The bodies were recovered between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Regional police chief Agrimero Cruz Jr. said the three workers were taken to hospitals.

Cruz said searchers are looking for the 10 missing workers buried in the avalanche that tumbled down from one side of the privately-run coal-mining pit in Antique province.

Marfil said the rescue operation is being conducted only by workers of the mining company after the area was declared a danger zone.

“Hindi na makapasok ang pulis (Police can’t enter the pit),” Marfil said.

Reports had it that the workers were taking a break when the incident happened.

It was not immediately clear what triggered the landslide and if the rainy weather in the area contributed to the accident. Cruz said it happened far from residential areas.

Regional disaster-response officer Rosario Cabrera said authorities are coordinating with the company that runs the coal mine to help in the rescue.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino III on Thursday ordered the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) to determine the cause of Wednesday's mining accident in the central Philippine province of Antique which has caused at least four dead and six missing.

Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Thursday the president also instructed the NDRRMC to update him on the results of the investigations. Aquino also instructed he Department of Social Welfare and Development to extend immediate assistance to the victims and their families.

Thursday 14 February 2013

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/761540.shtml

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/358611/3-dead-in-antique-mining-pit-landslide