The local Roman Catholic diocese has encouraged people attending Mass not to hold hands during the Lord's Prayer, not to shake hands during the Sign of Peace, and to receive Communion wafers in their hands rather than orally. Also, parishes have been encouraged not to offer Communion wine, unless someone (say, someone with celiac disease) requests it.

I'm just glad I don't work in NYC any more... I would still use mass transit and go to the office if I still worked down there, but I'm just as glad I don't have to.

You win this thread. I wouldn't be a bit surprised.

USF is doing the same thing...

I'm all for that being a permanent thing. I always hate doing sign of peace with strangers. You don't know where their hands have been.

we've got a confirmed case at washington and lee. awesome

Postponed proms, hand sanitizer signs of the times in swine flu era

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/02...ref=rss_latest



"Cisco Junior College in West Central Texas canceled graduation ceremonies yesterday, the college said. Instead, students will get their diplomas by mail."

"Dan Godshall and 19 other students at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania attended a private graduation on Saturday for students had recently visited Mexico.

The students had returned from student teaching in Mexico earlier this week ahead of schedule because they were worried the border would be closed and they'd miss out on walking at their graduation. Watch Slippery Rock students tell their story »

The college decided not to let them walk in their own graduation out of fears that they made have been exposed to the H1N1 flu outbreak in Mexico.

"The university has received hundreds of calls from students and parents who were worried about being exposed at the commencement ceremonies," the university's vice president said in an e-mail. "We have an obligation to protect others from what they perceive is possible exposure to this virus."



"In an e-mail from the Denton Independent School District, students learned that all schools in the district would be closed this week and that Guyer High School's prom would be rescheduled for May 29."

Yeah, I hear ya. It kills me how people will use the crapper and leave without even looking at the sink to wash their hands. I hear it's a rule to wash for at least 20 seconds.

Especially fascinating because apparently that student hasn't been out of the country and only visited states where there are no reported cases... (according to the Richmond Times online, don't know how reliable that is).

Personally, I think it's over-hyped, but I'm hoping they'll cancel classes for a few days until blows over, and no one dies or anything.

I'm a little scared, but then I just finished re-reading The Stand...

Here is a list of all the higher education institutions with H1N1 issues

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...mid=1241347371

I'm kind of floored about the wine thing. The old line from the Catholic church was that you could not possibly become ill from drinking the Blood of Christ, He simply wouldn't allow it.

ETA: So the school district near me had closed for two days while waiting for test results on one student. Those results came in the first day but since they had already announced the closure for both days, they stayed closed the second day. Now another school district not so close to me has announced it is closing for 7 days while awaiting test results. So if these test results come in say, on Tuesday,and they are negative for swine flu, those kids sit home all week for nothing? Logic people, logic. Make it a day by day thing until you know for sure. What's the point of closing for 7 days for a "suspected" case. Do you know how many illnesses have the same symptoms as the H1N1 virus? Every flu/upper respiratory virus I've ever had does!

I attended a graduation yesterday and they did the same.

I had pork for dinner.

COME AND GET ME, SWINE FLU!

I'm a little peeved that 3 high schools in the Katy ISD did not allow students to come to the Best Buddies ( a program that provides mentors for special ed. students) end of the year dance at the Elks Hall, but has yet to cancel a single prom. It's not that I think they should cancel prom - I'm just trying to figure out why a dance that means SO MUCH to the special ed kids was singled out.

You're not exactly becoming ill from drinking the Blood of Christ. You're (potentially) becoming ill from drinking from a chalice that someone with swine flu (or a cold or whatever) has just drunk from. Viruses don't care about transubstantiation.

ETA: Just had a weird image of a priest handing out Communion and attended by two altar servers - one holding a paten, and the other holding hand sanitizer...

What district Dee? I haven't heard of any others. This is out of hand. It'S A FLU.