The Blog of Death

the-funeral-party: The Seeker by *Estruda

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:10:35 -0400

The Seeker by *Estruda

Makeup Said Part Of Death Ritual For Royals In Ancient Mexican Civilization Of Teotihuacan

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:10:23 -0400

Makeup Said Part Of Death Ritual For Royals In Ancient Mexican Civilization Of Teotihuacan:

Death didn’t mean the end of beauty for pre-Hispanic civilizations in what is now Mexico. A new study finds that ancient Teotihuacans likely exhumed the dead and painted them with cosmetics during periodic remembrance rituals.

Where Not To Die In 2013

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:09:35 -0400

Where Not To Die In 2013:

Think you don’t have to worry about estate taxes because of the new generous federal estate tax law? Not so, for families in 21 states and the District of Columbia where separate state levies are still a big concern.

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Sun, 05 May 2013 20:08:44 -0400

Louisiana Cemeteries Sinking Along The Gulf Coast, Washing Away

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:08:28 -0400

Louisiana Cemeteries Sinking Along The Gulf Coast, Washing Away:

Local residents say 11 cemeteries in Jefferson Parish have repeatedly flooded since Hurricane Katrina. In Lafourche, Terrebonne and Plaquemines parishes, more than a dozen others have succumbed to tidal surge. Some have more than 300 gravesites.

A Shocking Death, a Financial Lesson and Help for Others

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:07:51 -0400

A Shocking Death, a Financial Lesson and Help for Others :

After Chanel Reynolds’s 43-year-old husband died in a bicycling accident, she had to suddenly face the financial tasks that grown-ups are supposed to have completed by middle age.

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Sun, 05 May 2013 20:06:42 -0400

Men Twice As Likely To Lie About A Death To Get Time Off: Survey

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:06:30 -0400

Men Twice As Likely To Lie About A Death To Get Time Off: Survey:

Bereavement time has been used for vacation by 26 percent of workers surveyed and jury duty by 27 percent, according to a quarterly survey conducted by Adecco Group North America.

Phony funeral lands ex-mortician in prison

Sun, 05 May 2013 20:05:50 -0400

Phony funeral lands ex-mortician in prison:

When the casket that was supposed to hold the earthly remains of “Jim Davis” was finally lowered into the ground, the only thing missing was the late Mr. Davis. The coffin had been weighed down to simulate the approximate heft of a corpse. And Davis was not inside the box.

idlesuperstar: Abney Park Cemetery, London Oh, I’m sorry,...

Sun, 05 May 2013 07:21:26 -0400

idlesuperstar:

Abney Park Cemetery, London

Oh, I’m sorry, Highgate, but I have a new favourite cemetery. As it’s one of the original ‘Magnificent Seven’, I knew it would be massive and mostly Victorian, but - having been to Kensal Green and Hampstead recently - I thought it might be like those; flat and open, with boulevards and over-the-top monuments. It’s not. It’s much more like Highgate, in that it’s rambly, dense, overgrown, a little ramshackle in places; with lots of little pathways and almost-hidden nooks. Even on a muddy, overcast December day it was beautiful.

Flanders Rushes To Repair Cemeteries Ahead Of Anniversary

Sun, 05 May 2013 07:20:56 -0400

Flanders Rushes To Repair Cemeteries Ahead Of Anniversary:

About 2,000 headstones will be replaced with new ones, identical to the originals. Those to be replaced are marked in the corner with a small red X. Another 7,000 stones will be re-engraved. The rows of stones will be realigned into geometric perfection, the landscaping trimmed and renewed.

Oscar Wilde’s Tomb Sealed From Admirers’ Kisses

Sun, 05 May 2013 07:20:16 -0400

Oscar Wilde’s Tomb Sealed From Admirers’ Kisses:

Recently, descendants of Wilde, the Irish dramatist and wit who died here in 1900, decided to have his immense gravestone cleansed of a vast accumulation of lipstick markings from kisses left by admirers, who for years have been defacing, and some say eroding, the memorial in hilly Père Lachaise Cemetery here. But the decision meant not only cleaning the stone, a flying nude angel by the sculptor Jacob Epstein, who was inspired by the British Museum’s Assyrian figures, but also erecting a seven-foot plate glass wall to keep ardent admirers at a distance.

stopgoblin: The grave of Andrea di Mariano Casentini...

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:25:19 -0400

stopgoblin:

The grave of Andrea di Mariano Casentini (1855-1870) in Il Cimitero degli Inglesi, Florence

Virtual grieving: Funerals via webcast

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:23:37 -0400

Virtual grieving: Funerals via webcast:

Can’t make it to the funeral of a loved one or friend because of the distance? Now all you need is an Internet hookup — and the secure link.

Jewish Tombstones Found In Greece's Thessaloniki

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:22:42 -0400

Jewish Tombstones Found In Greece's Thessaloniki:

In a find that local Jewish groups have described as highly significant, Greek police said Thursday that hundreds of marble headstones and other fragments from Jewish graves destroyed during the Nazi occupation in World War II have been recovered.

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Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:21:37 -0400

Men Twice As Likely To Lie About A Death To Get Time Off: Survey

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:21:15 -0400

Men Twice As Likely To Lie About A Death To Get Time Off: Survey:

Bereavement time has been used for vacation by 26 percent of workers surveyed and jury duty by 27 percent, according to a quarterly survey conducted by Adecco Group North America.

Map Reveals Former Gravesites Hidden Beneath San Francisco

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:20:06 -0400

Map Reveals Former Gravesites Hidden Beneath San Francisco:

San Francisco has long been a spooky town. Our Barbary Coast was a den of murder and crime, our serial killers have inspired blockbusters, Alfred Hitchcock regularly featured our landmarks and the largest mass suicide in history started on Geary Blvd. And with this handy map of the city’s historical cemeteries—now buried beneath our apartments and buildings—our lovely city gets even creepier.

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Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:18:38 -0400

What to Say (and Not to Say) to a Grieving Person

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 21:17:30 -0400

What to Say (and Not to Say) to a Grieving Person:

Silly statements like, “You now have an angel in heaven.” Blaming statements like, “Were they wearing safety belts?” or “Had they been drinking?” Yes to the safety belts. No to the drinking. One lady came to the wake and informed me with a twinkle in her eye that “Scott appeared to me last night and said to let you know that he was fine.” I thought the statement was strange as I was sure that if he appeared to anyone it would be me.