This morning I stood at my grave…
Posted by Charles Philip Gould, one of the architects and strategists of New Labour, died of cancer at the end of last year. Before he died he bought himself a grave at Highgate cemetery. Below is an extract from his final book, which he finished dictating hours before his death. When I was recovering from […]
Downer of the day
According to Co-operative Funeralcare, which takes care of a quarter of all UK funerals, sales of its Gold where to buy cialis online yahoo plan rose by 34% last year, while those of personalised, tailor made plans rose by 16%. More here
Let’s make the case for funerals
Guest post by Rupert Callender, owner of The Green Funeral Company. Often this blog can trot nicely along with the usual suspects commenting dryly from the sidelines, a good natured conversation amongst friends. It’s easy to forget it has a wide, international readership, easy that is, until a seemingly innocuous post unleashes a Bay of […]
Publishing event of the year!
The Natural Death Handbook, Fifth Edition A thoroughly updated and revised edition of the Natural Death Centre‘s celebrated handbook. Now presented alongside a new collection of essays on death, dying and funeral practices by doctors, historians, authors, poets, theologians and artists including Richard Barnett, David Jay Brown, Dr Sheila Cassidy, Charles Cowling, Bill Drummond, Stephen Grasso, […]
A very bad day at Age UK
Age UK (formerly Help the Aged) has issued a grovelling press release in the wake of the FSA investigation into HSBC and its subsidiary NHFA, which between 2005-10 missold bonds to cover long-term care costs. Clients, average age 83, were recommended to invest for 5 years — longer than they were expected to live. Under […]
Are you in or out?
It’s not often that you see a funeral entrepreneur on Dragon’s Den, but last night’s show shone a brief spotlight on an enterprise which, in an industry unaccustomed to innovation, is likely to elicit responses ranging from ‘It’ll never work’ to ‘Tcha.’ Theo Paphitis ruled himself straight out, no messing. But it turns out that […]
Ask not for whom the bill tolls
Posted by our irreligious correspondent Jonathan Taylor Who is a funeral for? For the living, in the belief that the dead person won’t be there? For the dead, to help them into the afterlife? Or is it for both, so the living and the dead can do something for each other? At the very least, […]
I have seen the future and it doesn’t work
The ability to transmute base metal into gold is a very neat trick. So neat, in fact that, as the record shows, it has never, for all the perspiration of the world’s best brains since the dawn of time, been accomplished. The reverse is very much easier, and this is the specialism of today’s alchemists […]
They want my reply. What should I say?
Good morning, I have been admiring your website and would like to enquire about the possibility of having Staysure Prepaid funeral plans listed on your website. Staysure.co.uk established in 2004, achieved 8th position in the recently published Sunday Times Fastrack 100 list. Staysure has teamed up with Dignity to offer the Guaranteed Funeral Plan to […]
Wish me luck as you wave me goodbye
Me and the missus are getting down to some serious death planning. There’s no best time of life for doing this, of course, so long as you get it done afore ye croak. And the more I think about it, the more clearly I can see that it’s not an activity whose end result is, […]
