This is my favorite part: To celebrate his purchase, the 67-year-old filled the coffin with ice and used it as a cooler filled with, PBR, of course, and put on a party for his friends. (You can see this in the second photo.)
Well, he's definitely got his own aesthetic, but at least Bramanti is planning for his own death, and he doesn't seem to have any fear of the end, serving up cans of beer in his PBR coffin.
This week's episode of This American Lifetells the story of a cryonics advocate, Bob, and his attempts to help himself and others cheat death. But the technology isn't quite there to reanimate the deceased, Bob's storage facilities are subpar, and funding proves to be a problem.
The ugliness of the situation snowballs into a complete nightmare and a predictable legal battle.
When you listen to the story, if you think Bob's ethics are a little shaky at the beginning, just wait until you hear some of the stuff he's saying at the end of the piece.
For me, this tale is the ultimate in death avoidance. From beginning to end, everyone involved with Bob and his brand of cryonics shows an amazing inability to accept death. They all seem to think the frozen bodies in Bob's cryogenic chambers are in some sort of half-dead state, and it's as though, they don't really have to let go of their loved ones, or accept their own impending deaths, if they have cryonics to fall back on.
As always with This American Life, it's a fascinating tale, and it's full of lots of murky ethical issues.
The Today Show has a story about the need to pre-plan your funeral.
Meredith Vieira interviews the authors of Grave Expectations who were inspired by attending several funerals that did not reflect the character of the deceased.
From the small amount I've been involved in funeral planning for other people, I find it's usually done in stressful, emotional circumstances, and you don't have the frame of mind to really think through what would reflect that person's personality.
If you want your funeral to reflect your own style, I think planning it in advance for yourself is a great way to go. Plus, you can really take burden off of loved ones in terms of logistics and finances.
Dethmama sent me a note about Rosalia Lombardo—an Italian girl who died on December 6, 1920, and was embalmed for preservation. She has been nicknamed Sleeping Beauty because, in many ways, she appears to be just sleeping.
People are cutting back on the level of service they set up for deceased loved-ones, ornate details, things like that. Some are hosting receptions at their own homes instead of having catered events.
It makes sense. Why go into debt over a death? I can understand wanting to put on a grand last hurrah for someone you loved, but not to the point that it hurts your bottom line.
Maybe, this economy will help people question the funeral industry more.
There are a lot of unexpected costs associated with burial, funerals, receptions, etc. It can cost a lot more than family and friends anticipate it will. And I don't want to imply that those are necessarily inflated expenses, but sometimes, people are so stressed and emotional, they just sign away without really thinking about whether they want or need to pay for a certain expense. This could be a possible positive fallout of a bad economy.
The "reef" is a man-feature. People's cremated remains are placed into the sculpture/reef and will potentially replenish the reef, nourish the fish, etc.
I can see being interested in this as a final resting place if you were an avid scuba diver or loved the ocean. But I don't buy the whole, "giving back to the earth" angle as a primary motivation, which the CEO pushes.
Heck, if you like the idea, more power to you. Personally, it CREEPS ME OUT!
I get chills just looking at them ... but they are fascinating. And I would be quite curious to visit some of the sites. Especially the hanging coffins in the Philippines.
My first thought was that the trend was a throwback to the days when people were buried with a string that connected to a bell above ground that they could ring in case they had accidentally been buried alive. If you have your cell phone, theoretically, you could call someone if you somehow got buried by mistake.
But it does go further for some people.
The funeral director interviewed for this piece says the trend makes sense to him. The reporter finishes the thought, saying "it keeps the lines of communication open." Can I just say, no it doesn't. I'm pretty sure making a phone call to a cellphone buried six feet underground, in the possession of a dead person, is closed communication. No conscious person is receiving that message.
In the great extreme, a woman in Manhattan has kept her husband's cellphone contract current two years after his death, and has carved his phone number on his headstone so other people can call him. Does she realize the digital technology will not reanimate his body and will not allow passers by the talk to his dead, no-longer conscious form? In that case, it seems an extreme version of not being able to let go.
On a side note, the funeral director interviewed for the King 5 piece says the thing he is most often asked to put in caskets is a can of beer: "One for the road." Really?
I wanted to point you to their resources pages. The site has excellent links with step-by-step directions for what to do when you're planning a funeral, a cremation, a memorial service, or making business decisions that need to be made after a death.
The logistical details can get overwhelming when someone dies, and it's nice to have a guide.
He says he was inspired by the recent passing of his beloved cat Sam.
I'm not sure exactly how the logistics of all of this would work, but since it's unlikely pet and owner would die at the same time, I'm guessing the pet remains would somehow be saved to be added to the owner remains once the owner passes. That part's a little creepy.
As it stands, it is illegal for pet remains to be buried in a human cemetery. For many people, there is something about the sanctity of human remains that the concept of a pet's remains might defile.
I don't see the need to hold on to my pet's remains. I've always found that urge a bit strange ... but it also wouldn't bother me if someone wanted to have their dog or cat with them in a cemetery. However, I say this as someone who probably wants to be cremated and doesn't have a whole lot of interest in what happens to my body after I die. I know other people feel differently.
I'm curious if anyone has any strong reactions to this bill though.
P.S. I will of course update if this gets passed. Senator Jacobsen has a history of starting strange legislation, and it's a tough year full of more pressing priorities (hello economy), but I'll be sure to blog if anything interesting develops out of this situation.
"... my mom came back from the morgue with a small bag that contained my dad's wallet, watch and wedding ring. My dad, who was a devout atheist, had once told my mom that he wanted to be thrown out in the trash. My mom kept his ashes in a box inside a filing cabinet drawer in the dining room for a few years, and eventually honoured his request."
I wonder at the assumption that an atheist would not need a ceremony. I think it's great that Hugh's family followed his wishes, even though they were highly out of the ordinary. I can see how, for an individual person, being detached from the corporeal form could connect to atheism. There is no life after death, therefore our forms means nothing once they are vacated. But is that necessarily so? Couldn't an atheist want a ceremony? If for no other reason, maybe just to comfort those who survive them?
My sister and brother-in-law visited Omaha, Nebraska, last week to visit family. Omaha also happens to be where our grandfather is buried. He just passed away last October, so it was the first they've had to visit his grave. They made a special trip to the cemetery, cleaned the headstone, which was muddy from all of the recent storms, and left him a Hershey bar. My grandfather spent most of his life working for Hershey Foods ... so anyone who knows him would understand why there is a Hersey bar at his grave.
I thought it was really sweet that they took the time to visit and thought about making a meaningful gesture. My sister even took care to get a white chocolate bar, much safer than milk chocolate for any wild animal that might eat it (which is probably what will happen to the bar, realistically).
It made my mom tear up to hear about it. I think it was a little hard for her, her first Father's Day without her dad.
