News blossom

Here’s a wee roundup of the week’s stories in tweets. All good stuff.

 

Hannah Rumble and Douglas Davies on burial rites and natural burial. Podcasts – http://bit.ly/e6Lflt

 

Funeral Party (it’s a noisy band – not my thing, maybe your thing) –http://nyp.st/fl1D1z

 

The utter ignorance of funeral consumers almost matched here by a very stupid journo. Jumping gibberish! – http://bit.ly/ih5vkl

 

Another swimming pool to be heated by blazing corpses – as the nonsensemongers would have it : http://bit.ly/gDwNmN

 

We have a new hero and her name is Sharon Voice –http://bit.ly/easkMd

 

Illicit open-air cremation? An intriguing photo – http://flic.kr/p/9tMowS

 

All the year round at Sun Rising nbg – one of my favourites –http://bit.ly/hGdjv0

 

Nice climate, great demographic. Meet the ex-pats’ undertaker, an opp that’s been begging for ages – http://bit.ly/e5GE4c

 

Extremes of scurrility here, clearly written by an industry insider, and the more interesting for that – http://bit.ly/gdzKN4

 

funeral_ideas Sentiment – Louise RT by GoodFunerals

http://bit.ly/dXYoOi 17 year olds murdered body taken to football match

 

Red faces at the Co-op as it fesses up to leaking 83,000 customer details. Third party blamed – http://bit.ly/iezuCh

 

Yet another cemetery stripped of grieving bling. Crass! –http://bit.ly/gyVqpc

 

Quality of life, value of life and when do I let my baby die? Thoughtful and rigorous piece here – http://bit.ly/e2sw9t

 

Co-op the first in the country to launch a ‘nationally recognised qualification’ – an NVQ. Gnn!?? What price a Dip FD?http://bit.ly/eoNlYN

 

Co-op employee, 11 yrs loyal service, sacked for drinking the wrong sort of tea – http://bit.ly/fTcU6a

 

Odd politics: the Damned Co-op wants to buy Bretby crem in the teeth of Lab opposition. Workers unite! – http://bit.ly/eZjKa4

 

Behind the scenes in a US funeral home – photo essay :http://nyti.ms/grRLZE

 

morbidanatomy Joanna RT by GoodFunerals

I love this so much: The Lennon Sisters singing Dry Bones, The Lawrence Welk Show, 1965 http://bit.ly/dDYmZp

 

No gas at the crem so Zimbabwe man burns father on a pyre –http://n.pr/hJKVxA

 

Nice account here of a West Indian funeral – http://bit.ly/dXdO3m

 

Skull earrings. V droll – http://bit.ly/h4CbaL

 

Should this woman have let her children visit their dying granddad?http://bit.ly/dYfvFn

 

Don’t eat and grieve – it ain’t dignified : http://bit.ly/gPZYnb

 

Ray Biddiss’ trike hearse in action – http://bit.ly/eOT0g2

 

China to regulate funeral industry and help poor families. Catch-up time for the UK? http://bit.ly/hpOWLb

 

Very good home funeral piece here. Reinvented in the UK and now deplorably moribund. Why? – http://bit.ly/gZBJl0

 

Police douse corpse in mid-cremation and bang up wife and son –http://bit.ly/gO2x6g

 

World’s weirdest funeral procession? The Burial of the Sardine. Fab! – http://bit.ly/eE1Ccg

 

Beltane fires and funeral pyres. Confusing. http://bit.ly/eXKBJT

 

‘There is an argument that we should be more familiar with the topic of our ultimate demise.’ Nice one, Mariella – http://bit.ly/eldgEl

 

davidschneider David Schneider RT by GoodFunerals

Some terrible, terrible part of me keeps wondering whether Eddie Stobart’s coffin will be green with his name down the side.

 

Its_Death Steve Death RT by GoodFunerals

How sad. The inventor of superglue has died *Sniff*

 

RT @TheFamilyPlot: Witness to a Native American funeral – a report on the graveside ritual for Tu Moonwalkerhttp://wp.me/pBD55-Do

 

Smart new survey from Funeralcare. No news in it but news enough for lazy journos who do stories from press releases –http://bit.ly/hipqlR

Well, it’s been a quiet week…

It really has been a very quiet week in Funeralworld. Here are the choice cuts.

 

Peter the Wild Boy, never tamed, buried at Northchurch, Herts –http://bit.ly/gqRr3k

 

Green Burial Council code of standards. This is brand new, yes?http://bit.ly/geljsE

 

That eminently postponable problem: what to do with the ashes? Lovely piece here – http://bit.ly/dHYAyD

 

Funerals for missing tsunami victims may ‘use another family’s bone chips or ashes as a stand-in.’ Fascinating –http://lat.ms/dVpatZ

 

Is a small religious minority trying to dictate everyone’s end of life options? http://ht.ly/4lNaM #DeathwithDignity #VTleg #VTgov #VT

 

‘Since a Catholic funeral is an act of worship, it goes without saying that it is not a form of entertainment.’ – http://bit.ly/gWsDsb

 

RT @GrievingDads: “The Mourner’s Bill of Rights”http://wp.me/pVxlX-6W@StNeotsFunerals

 

No service by request. In lieu of flowers, take some time to walk in the sunshine and stop to smell the roses – http://bit.ly/esRcoh

 

beachwordsmith Brian Jenner RT by GoodFunerals

Some things may never happen, this one will http://bit.ly/eZcaLs

 

The Leaden Echo and the Golden Echo – Richard Burton’s favourite poem, read at Liz Taylor’s funeral. Text: http://bit.ly/dCsMwS

 

‘The passing years are taking a toll. Black streaks of mold creep up the satin sheet.’ Marcos still unburied. http://bit.ly/hITeJx

 

Women’s ‘superiority in the empathy department ‘ makes them better undertakers. Yes? http://bit.ly/gDg3UW

 

The part marijuana can play in palliative care – http://bit.ly/hZVLOs

 

The difference between nursing home and prison is that you have marginally less chance of being sexually violated. http://bit.ly/fnOGcr

 

matthiasrascher Matthias Rascher RT by GoodFunerals

Weird photos of James Dean posing in a coffin. http://bit.ly/gktzNy#JamesDean #weird

 

Funeral food OK so long as the corpse can’t see it –http://bit.ly/f9NZeW

 

Bite-size news and gobbets of gossip

A roundup of the week’s news in tweets.

The intractable problem of boomer ageing and death. The elephant in the room – http://bit.ly/hjrw7T

Indy FD hits out at Bretby crem sale to Co-op. Rum biz, these crem sales – http://bit.ly/fSdWGX

Have just spoken to FD vs sale of Bretby crem. Very anti-Co-op with reason. Makes up for those who say I am too confrontational.

Photo 36 sums it all up really. http://ht.ly/4eftp #fb

If you should happen to die in Burton on Trent, use Murray’s FD. Incredibly lovely people. Worth dying in Burton for.

johannhari101 Johann Hari RT by GoodFunerals

Disturbing & obscene story about corporate homes for the elderly, with excellent investigative work by Olly Wright: http://ind.pn/fU9YIN

Will the Japanese have to cremate their tsunami dead on open-air pyres? http://bit.ly/dRjWwx

Will the Japanese have to cremate their tsunami dead on open-air pyres? http://bit.ly/dRjWwx

This new book examines why people travel to sacred spots. Looks really good – http://bit.ly/gmRSkY

Oldie reflects on ‘the slipperiness of time’. Delightful –http://bit.ly/dYy9Uk

Got your tickets for the SFU convention yet? Lovely blog post here –http://bit.ly/egundA

The Palace has just been on the phone. Rather good news, actually. Yes, we’re now Royal Good Funeral Guide.

Promo video from E of England Co-op. Wot, no sound? Look at that FD’s shoes!! Tsk. http://youtu.be/iUNtnrQ2HgE

Grievers plagued by wind – http://bit.ly/iaOAq8

“She was one of these women who loved TV medical dramas. She was virtually born to have a terminal disease!” http://bit.ly/dP57OP

New home funeral mag out now http://bit.ly/gAwyBl Published byhttp://bit.ly/LTveG More: http://bit.ly/i6wkrb Just ordered mine – $12

Funeral music: is the hymn dying out? Singers for Funerals discuss.http://bit.ly/fFW6IS

“Mourners at a funeral may not eat more than 3 sandwiches.” –http://bit.ly/fUfkHy

How to Die in Oregon. This looks really good. Death with dignity.http://bit.ly/dUeZKphttp://youtu.be/tB8yX3QmmVE

Might Dignity plc buy out LM Funerals? Makes a lot of sense. A few peripheral monopoly issues, but none that can’t be sold off – to FSP.

I’ve just found another undertaker who posts his prices on his website – http://bit.ly/ha9yPP

Australian cemeteries are turning into natural burial grounds – and folk don’t like it: http://bit.ly/frKWKA

Doing my bit to stop Bretby crem being sold into slavery –http://bit.ly/fbeMyo

Computerised book of remembrance like a visit to the cashpoint. Grievers’ fury – http://bit.ly/ejmBh0

Member of Japanese self-defence forces offers a prayer before removing body of a tsunami victim buried in the rubble –http://t.co/ogSFY

beachwordsmith Brian Jenner RT by GoodFunerals

RT @SARATHERAPY: The five regrets of the dying by Bronnie Ware, http://bit.ly/g86J0m > this is fab!

When you go into a care home you’ve got 832 days to live –http://bit.ly/hEIRYd

Tory bastards sell profitable crem to the damned Co-op for no visible good reason – http://bit.ly/htDB31

Roundup

Here’s a roundup of news stories I’ve tweeted in the last fortnight. It looks rather a lot — but I try never to fob you off with quantity at the expense of quality. I hate having my own time wasted, so I try hard not to waste yours. Take your pick and enjoy — or gobble the lot and gorge yourself.

Before you do, though… If you missed last night’s Dispatches on end-of-life care, do catch it on 4OD. I don’t know what you’ll think of it — or did, if you’ve seen it. For me, it was the contrast with the care given to those at the start of life that most struck me. We don’t have elders in our society, it seems, only disgusting old people.

Upgrade work at Shrewsbury crem ditched. Aren’t crems easy targets of cuts?! http://bbc.in/dK68PX

Satan’s undertaker’s online memo site is http://bit.ly/eRn1HT Is it any relation of this: http://bit.ly/ebnw8e? Wha gwan?

Priest makes off with bones of child saint – http://bit.ly/gCyKd4

“The Freudian implications of filming a sex scene in the shadow of a soaring obelisk” – http://bit.ly/g4fTKF

Some interesting #funeral industry analysis here- much that is typical – http://bit.ly/elobdS

“Now that I’m dead, I want to tell you a few things.” Last letters. I love this site – http://bit.ly/cRpFuX

DeathRef Death Reference Desk

by GoodFunerals

Happy Valentine’s Day darlings. http://fb.me/T6DJ7iOE

What’s the fuel cost of a cremation in the UK? Guess! Okay, I’ll tell you… £16.25

Lovely topical mezzotint on the Morbid Anatomy blog today – of two dissected hearts. Typical! http://bit.ly/eI5iHw

Nice wheeze for a floral eulogy here – http://bit.ly/hqaHTd

Bio-cremation “could warp metal pipes and burn crematorium workers” – http://lat.ms/i2d1m3

Bad guys always go to the funeral. That’s the place to arrest them –http://bit.ly/ekDmpj

The Top 20 Most Inappropriate Songs To Play At A Funeralhttp://youtu.be/MkYXS4CDU6Y

Really nice sendoff here culminating in a Viking funeral for the ashes – http://bit.ly/gugn2j

My Big Fat Gypsy Funeral? I’d like to see this – http://bit.ly/eYplL0

Malidoma Some and the power of ritual. A great man. Catch him here: http://bit.ly/eY9h8T

“Trad Brit stiff-upper lip has melted into a wobbling lower one.” Is modern grief incontinent? http://bit.ly/hXrfKA

Click on ‘Progressive Conservatism Project’ at the Demos website and you’ll get this: ‘That page could not be found’ !!!

“The great thing about being old is that you don’t give a bugger about people’s opinions anymore.” Dolly Frankel.

Very good booklet here from cancer.net spelling out for terminal patients their end-of-life options – http://bit.ly/fflu8r

“E’body wants a good death but not a moment too soon, but they don’t have the language to ask for it.” http://bit.ly/g3JWCW

“I knew something was terribly wrong with my marriage when I planned my husband’s funeral.” Great first line! http://bit.ly/eDVnEY

“Webcast funerals are dehumanizing – the necessity of human contact requires the physical presence of mourners.”http://bit.ly/eUYVQT

A classic illustration of the systemic incapability of corporate FDs to provide a good service – http://wapo.st/gh1pMf

Would the sale of Bretby crematorium amount to ‘privatising death’? Well, it’s a good question – http://bit.ly/ekH9jp

’26 babies buried together in a wooden box along with unidentified limbs and bones.’ They do this in the US. Shame!!http://huff.to/gaBdyu

Teacher makes her final journey in her VW camper van. Touching story, this – http://bit.ly/faIUHh

‘So recently directing medical care, now we are awkward bystanders.’ Hugely humane doctor’s response to death –http://nyti.ms/hbx8iC

RIP trolling. New to me (but maybe not to you) – http://bit.ly/hf2ikY

What’s responsible reportage and what’s voyeuristic grief porn?http://bit.ly/hIehDs

Mourning glory – the Banshee. Real or myth? Good stuff here –http://bit.ly/gY7nH4

The family is dead? 368 direct descendants at funeral of L’pool matriarch – 17 lims followed the hearse – http://bit.ly/hq6rMz

A funeral at a rugby ground. Great venue, great sendoff –http://bit.ly/gBs9F1

2 biggest comps you can pay an FD: You look nothing like an undertaker; this place is nothing like a funeral home –http://bit.ly/eKUEVm

Some very touching condolence messages on this online memorial site – http://bit.ly/e68jq3

Interesting reflections by ASD folk on weddings and funerals –http://bit.ly/eJyc8d

Great story here + pics: the funeral of racehorse Man o’ War, embalmed (23 gals) and casketed – http://bit.ly/idcYp0

StNeotsFunerals Andrew Hickson

by GoodFunerals

Our new Funeral Price Estimator is up and running online. Open and honest and proud of it.http://www.kingfisherfunerals.co.uk/costs.html

US undertaker offers end-of-life workshops. I like this.http://bit.ly/erO8zM

Love this irresistible free offer from the Neptune Society –http://bit.ly/i86PaI

‘After my sister died I went through her computer and deleted everything questionable so my parents wouldn’t find it.’http://bit.ly/fgqYzN

Online memorial site of the day: last-memories.com. Great twinkly backgrounds. And it’s free! http://bit.ly/fC1V7y

Oh dear, SCI in the doo-doo again. Are these big corps systemically inept? http://bit.ly/fPq7mh

Good piece in the HuffPo here on end-of-life planning –http://huff.to/gqZDUF

DIY suicide causes horrible death, claims EXIT. Time to legalise? http://bit.ly/ffDoI1

Oz police shut the pubs when there’s an Aborigine funeral in town. Racist? http://bit.ly/eIrtbE

Cheap trills

A roundup of the week in tweets.

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Burmese ambassador killed his wife and built funeral pyre for the body on his lawn, claiming diplomatic immunity http://bit.ly/iaBlTK

7 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

LM Funerals cashes its chips. Up for sale at £100 million. Dignity sniffing. Thunderbolt please, God, if you’re there http://bit.ly/hCL7cw

7 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Reminiscences of a gravedigger: http://bit.ly/fzxTO3

7 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“Non-Christian funerals brim with overweening hope.” A Christian explodes: http://bit.ly/hh3geN

7 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“After the humanist rite, that there is something missing.” Ashes get Xtian burial: love and life are not accidental http://bit.ly/e5EcwV

7 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Competitive grief in UK cems. Great pics here of ‘Poundland’ shrines: http://bit.ly/eWV0in

7 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Hmong general needs 6 day funeral to guide his outsize soul back to his birthplace. Proper job. http://nyti.ms/ezUiMt

7 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“Who wants a scumbag drug dealer doing your granny’s funeral?” Is this a Humanist scandal? http://bit.ly/ihKnoAhttp://bit.ly/hrR0hW

7 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Ghosty business and terrified workers at theme park:http://bit.ly/f4O6hRhttp://bit.ly/g1fNxD

8 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

US visitations held with NFL on the telly: http://bit.ly/e5qsl8

8 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Dementia costs UK economy £23bn pa in care costs – 2x the cost of cancer, 3x heart disease, 4x stroke: http://bit.ly/hkJknE

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Phone goes off in Sussex funeral. The ringtone? The Bee Gees ‘Staying Alive’. http://bit.ly/fuKZz5

8 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“Is death ‘bad’ for those who die?” http://bit.ly/gEhYzP

8 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“In what, if any, sense might our death be a harm for us?”http://bit.ly/gEhYzP

8 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“What is the relationship between death and existence?”http://bit.ly/gEhYzP

8 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Interesting and not unalarming insights into US cremation practice here: http://bit.ly/fK0NMg Morning everyone, btw!

10 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

At a #funeral a “negative aura feels the place and everyone ends in tears.” Ans? Buy a shawl. http://bit.ly/eTd3cE @sentimentlife: giggle

10 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

RT @StNeotsFunerals: St Neots Funeral Director: Updated Websitehttp://bit.ly/eBuJyI Hey, nice work, Andrew! Love the ceremony room.

10 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

I see the Promessa process is now ‘mechanical shattering’, not vibration: http://bit.ly/gsCW5R Is this right – a new departure? @promession

10 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

promession Promessa UK

@GoodFunerals Promession process always has & always will be mechanical vibration – best not to take everything you read as verbatim 🙂

10 Feb Favorite Retweet Reply

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

@eulogy – Haven’t seen you here for a while. Thought you were dead. When are you going to pay me my fee, eh? Hideously overdue.

10 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Used walk-in mortuary fridge for sale. Invaluable if you hang out with old people. http://bit.ly/e8f3ZJ

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“WE NEED the death penalty…that is the word of God.” Preached by a pastor at a recent #funeral – http://tinyurl.com/6lbt9cx

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Malawi govt bans farting to instil discipline in citizens. Minister: ‘Those who want to fart should go to the toilet.’ http://bit.ly/dOiDmd

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Mortuary loses mum’s body, tries to pass off someone else. Egregious negligence here: http://bit.ly/gf4M9m

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

RT @greenburialguru: James Leedam on the radio!http://tinyurl.com/4622f5m Excellent!!

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Working Stiffs: Playing Dead on TV Can Keep a Career on Life Support http://j.mp/egp2Ql via @AddToAny

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“Funerals remind me just how socially addled I am as an aspie. If I were to die I doubt many would come to my funeral.”http://bit.ly/gDE3dK

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

‘Really angry with Co-op Funeralcare’ – Thread on Satan’s damnable undertaker at Moneysavingexpert: http://bit.ly/f7qUux

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

RT @FuneralFin: Funeral for coffin dwellers dying to livehttp://bit.ly/hPp1yD Wonderful story! Well found!

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“No one has the right to tell anyone how they should mourn.” Agree!!http://bit.ly/eMg23g

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

What they say: “The Co-operative Funeralcare is the UK’s leading funeral director and a trusted, established name in the industry.”

11 Feb Favorite Reply Delete

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

I’ve joined @waronwant‘s call for troops out of #Afghanistan. If you agree, join me by saying #Yes http://tinyurl.com/6lcq3bp

7 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

Reet petweet

The week in tweets:

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Shop at the #Co-op and you’ll have time to bonk the missus. Yes, they really claim it! http://youtu.be/QiYW3gL3CN0

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Professional wailing women and Scotch funerals. Great tradition subsumed by reticence, alas (Waaaaaaa!) http://bit.ly/hn2uHP

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Mobile #funeral home goes under having never caught onhttp://bit.ly/eZa6Df

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Are #funerals getting too personalised, asks the Church Times. Vote here: http://bit.ly/gsQbaT

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

The Ukulele Orchestra of GB playing ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.’ Sheer bliss. http://youtu.be/8gTJ3rb-dXg

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Olly Murs ‘Thinking of Me’ http://youtu.be/NRCi83P4-VY getting popular at #funerals http://bit.ly/gIqBcQ

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Scumbag drug dealer conducting humanist funeral ceremonies. Hope he doesn’t make a hash of it. http://bit.ly/ihKnoA

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Thre are three funeral photographers in the UK: http://bit.ly/fw5TfPand http://bit.ly/ifMbdy and http://bit.ly/fxzYaz

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Those Hmong really know how to do a #funeral. No bleak’n’miserable 20 mins at the crem for these boys and girls:http://bit.ly/hIK3JP

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

China is going to legally compel adult children to regularly visit their aged parents http://bit.ly/eMNDbx

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

@thefuneralco @nativewoodland http://bit.ly/i4bxVL Vicar says that shrines-and-antisocial behaviour a sign of adriftness from religion!

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Enormously satisfying diatribe against the damned Co-op Funeralcare here: http://bit.ly/dMp8Eg

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

RT @thefuneralco: The proper purpose of a funeralhttp://bit.ly/gd3Nz8

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Interesting account here by an Indian about his mother’s cremationhttp://bit.ly/eX0O3C

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Couple die a minute apart. Huge aaah! That’s how I want to go.http://bit.ly/e1QfqS

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Businesman J Joachim: If we can figure out how to create change in the #funeral industry we can do it anywhere. http://bit.ly/h7rY5x

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

RT @funeral_ideashttp://bit.ly/i1Zu8z Nice one, Lou!!

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

‘Burial will be in Dreamland Cemetery’. What’s in a name, eh?http://bit.ly/gVcTzE

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

‘She loved lawn bowling and to gamble and was, at times, feisty, but always with a zest for life’ http://bit.ly/gocjPV

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

‘He died peacefully, his wife and family with him, as his valiant heart finally ceased its beat.’ http://bit.ly/gDvdae

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross… Where the deer and the antelope play…” http://tinyurl.com/6j3f32o

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Going Home playing. “Why are they playing the Hovis tune, Dad?” “Because he’s brown bread, son.”

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Good stuff here on slave funerals in the US http://bit.ly/eVQmyk

Caw blimey

Here’s a roundup of my week’s tweets — and not a weak link in any of them.

Before you look through them, make sure you haven’t missed this week’s most important discussion. It was about shrines and it features two of this blog’s brightest and most questing minds, those of Rupert Callender and Kathryn. Find it in the comments here.

Right, here we go:

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Someone with a ranterly grudge against Co-op Funeralcarehttp://bit.ly/fLazLP Whois? http://bit.ly/fk872a

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Nice home funeral story here: http://bit.ly/gH1pkU

DyingMatters Dying Matters

by GoodFunerals

Fascinating blog at the Telegraph: are hospice nurses more empathetic than general nurses: http://tinyurl.com/6zjkp7h

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

‘When that time comes, when my last breath leaves me, I choose to die in peace to meet Shi’ dy’ in.’ Navajo ADRT. Cool http://nyti.ms/gIesvk

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Very smart move here by Nottingham undertaker Lymn’s:http://bit.ly/epBt7l

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

The Economist Intelligence Unit ranks UK best in world for end-of-life care, India the worst. Does this actually stand up??

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Peter Sissons on the bespoke sombre suit all newsreaders had on stand-by in case a Royal death required announcement:http://bit.ly/gi4tqk

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

‘How to Die in Oregon’ — film about self-deliverance:http://youtu.be/tB8yX3QmmVE

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

‘It is a Jewish tradition (though not exclusively Jewish) to not delegate the burial of a loved one to strangers’ – http://bit.ly/erkMfW

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Is physician assisted death a slippery slope to killing the vulnerable? Not in Oregon it seems: http://bit.ly/f1zDje

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

In The Event Of My Death | Colin Brazier |blogs.news.sky.com/familyaffairs/… via @SkyNewsBlogs

suebrayne Sue Brayne

by GoodFunerals

Nelson Madella ‘not in danger’, says BBC Radio 4 news. For heavens sake, he’s 92 and getting ready to die.

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Undertaker charged with ‘offering indignity to human remains’. Love the phrasing. He looks such a nice guy, too… http://bit.ly/hJmW1L

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

73 year old man who smothered wife cos she begged him released from gaol. 73, FFS!!! The pity, the sorrow. http://bit.ly/fo9gNM

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Giant catfish gorged on human flesh from Indian funeral pyres. Terrifying. http://bit.ly/hX4S1a

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Obit as love letter. Nice idea. http://bit.ly/gymC2f

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Amazing how often you find, in the midst of a muddle, the chimps at Co-op Funeralcare. Just a coincidence, of course.http://bit.ly/icD2S3

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“I will never again give somebody I love’s death away.” My kind of story bigtime. http://bit.ly/gH1pkU

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Are funerals passe? I can’t see virtual attendance ever trumping being there: http://bit.ly/i1A5mQ

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“Pile it all in one place and keep an eye on it.” Delightful funeral + a delicious Will . You’ll love this: http://bit.ly/eA7B2E

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

What’s that I keep saying — if there’s an eff-up there’s a Co-op chimp in the midst? Am I right? http://bit.ly/fPOWz1

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Only 4 per cent of Scots want to be buried in a kilt. Donald, where’s your troosers?

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Two in one day. Wherever there’s a funeral scandal there’s probably a Co-op shit in the middle: http://bit.ly/frx8sT

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Rupert Callender on indoor shrines. Coruscatingly brilliant. It’s a comment here: http://bit.ly/gTr1VY

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Really impressive just-published Code of Ethics from US Home Funeral Alliance. Come on, Britain! http://bit.ly/ifhKl8

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Good learned stuff here from the excellent Digital Dying on death by fasting: http://bit.ly/f42GFE

DeathRef Death Reference Desk

Butterfinger Zombie Graveyard! http://bit.ly/fQkaFu

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

@DeathRef Dat iz well silly innit. I found 4. Pathetic. There, I said it first. And I was laughed at by Zombies. Scarily good fun!

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Ah ha, Co-op Funeralcare now has a Facebook page. I can Like them (have to hold my nose) then hate them up close. But why no Hate button?

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Ooh look, Carl Marlow has launched his direct-to-public coffin website. Quel geezer! Love him! http://bit.ly/dDXq5Q

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Great pics here, theme of loss, on @thelate blog:http://bit.ly/gmCTmf

 

Upper class tweets

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Satan’s skull found in New Mexico! http://bit.ly/fcDVTO

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Why do the clergy prefer funerals to weddings? Good account here from a C of E priest: http://bit.ly/ieIhzc

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

What is a bhusa yong? Lovely photographic account here of a Thai funeral and open air cremation http://bit.ly/fcbNLH

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Good looking books here for graveyard rabbits and burialists generally: http://bit.ly/hfYbDH

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Beautifully written thoughts about death – and deaths – here. Must-read: http://bit.ly/dQYP3t

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

More and more protestors holding funerals for things. Danger that funerals will soon look like protests? http://bit.ly/h6GlVq

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

‘No one is to “stay up with me” at the funeral home. I won’t be around to entertain you.’ Great last wishes here: http://bit.ly/eQE7Nn

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Texting at funerals is okay. http://on.msnbc.com/hWKUyg

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“The interior of her coffin will be embroidered with a firefighter in full gear, walking hand in hand with an angel.” http://nyti.ms/gSB38o

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Council sells bier to natural burialists http://bit.ly/ihKKLG

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

No advance directive? You’ll cost more and die more distressingly. Good piece here: http://nyti.ms/h5Eh0v

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Why bother with a funeral at all? http://bit.ly/dE3Cnx

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Murdered journalist’s ashes scattered in Times Squarehttp://bit.ly/h4uIoh

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Vampire Verse Challenge 2010 – winning poem here:http://bit.ly/ijtlaz Well, what would you rhyme with ‘spectre’?

Chirpy-chirpy tweet-tweet

Some recent tweets for those of you who do not do birdsong:

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“F*** off, they’re for the funeral.” Most death jokes aren’t very funny, but this is: http://bit.ly/fpKw9J

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Dead woman stirs and stands up on the way to her funeral:http://bit.ly/eWkBqb

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Go on pestering family and friends long after you’re dead:http://bit.ly/h1zseV

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

“Wake up you disgracefull [sic] pieces of shit.” Watch this version of Taps and reflect on patriotism: http://youtu.be/Wn_iz8z2AGw

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

OMG (I finally said it), embalming tables on sale at Amazon. Wouldn’t one make a dead trendy kitchen accessory?http://amzn.to/igtvKq

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

This has the aah factor to the max. I’m a sucker for stories like this:http://bit.ly/gE2qs9

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Dignitas clients by country of origin here from a favourite blog – always reasoned, never ranty: http://bit.ly/hsT9Ik

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

British Jews ban organ donation to BMA fury: http://bit.ly/enYDgp

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

What’s the difference between Ricky Ponting and a funeral director? A funeral director doesn’t keep losing the ashes.

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

” I don’t see a funeral home; I see an events center,” says this rightheaded undertaker: http://bit.ly/hURYh2

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

What on earth have huge black horrorcars got to do with serving the bereaved? Can’t get the staff, I guess. http://bit.ly/e2Ex8K

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

‘In lieu of flowers, kindly make a donation to the charity of your choice, or feed a homeless cat.’ http://bit.ly/dKCqBr

GoodFunerals Charles Cowling

Colombian undertaker conducts ghost census in Medellinhttp://bit.ly/fm1i38