Each month we will post links to pertinent articles in the deathcare profession. From lawsuits to quirky sites, we’ll bring you a one-stop shop from deathcare-related items on the web. Here are this month’s links. COURT UPDATE: Listen to Audio From Manchester Funeral Protest Lawsuit, TownAndCountry-Manchester Patch Listen to audio from the recent federal court hearing for Phelps v. the City of Manchester. In 2010, the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), with the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, challenged a city of Manchester ordinance restricting protests or pickets at funerals. The Westboro Baptist Church regularly pickets military funerals with signs such as "thank God for dead soldiers."
Attorney in military funeral protest case to run for Congress, witf Radio The York County lawyer who represented a fallen Marine's father in his lawsuit against the Westboro Baptist Church has decided to run for Congress. Sean Summers argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in Albert Snyder's legal battle with the church that picketed the funeral of his son. The Republican is seeking to fill the seat of retiring Representative Todd Platts.
Delta widow's precious stolen urn returned, CBC News The puck-shaped silver container holding the ashes of Laurence Lalonde was taken — among other items — during a Christmas Eve break-in at the home of Carol Lalonde. We included the original story in the January 6 link round-up. You can read it here.
Spate of thefts of cremation urns unusual, police in B.C. say, Yahoo! News Canada Carol Lalonde isn't alone. I'm not sure if the trend to display the ashes of our departed loved ones publicly in an attractive container is actually growing but I do know I'm seeing reports more regularly of urns being stolen.
Spend on cocktails, not caskets, author of funeral book urges, Miami Herald These days, Dillman says, “People want more control. They want a more personal occasion.” She says she hopes the main thing readers take away from the book is the notion that it’s OK to do what they want, not what survivors might think is appropriate.
Property to die for, The Sydney Morning Herald In real estate there is a market for everything, even accommodation for the dead. Location and views still matter. Sydney's land shortage, coupled with an increasing preference for cremation, has led to a growing trade in burial plots worth thousands of dollars. Advertisements offering burial plots are appearing in online classified ads. Some vendors are taking a more direct approach - erecting ''For sale'' signs on their unwanted graves.
Cremation debate rages, The Zimbabwean Most young people view cremation as a way of saving land, the majority of the ‘traditionalists’ who spoke to The Zimbabwean said it was “un-African and disrespectful of the dead.” “As a nation we will be left with no culture of our own, the practice of burying the dead is fundamental to our culture -but because of urbanisation and globalisation, we are embracing whatever other cultures are offering,” said Masimba Gumede.
Buddhist monk cremated in elaborate funeral ceremony, MSNBC Photo Blog
Photographer Jeon Heon-Kyun attended the cremation ceremony for Ji-Kwan, a venerated former head of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, earlier this month.
The Dabisik ceremony signifies the return of the human body to nature, The European Pressphoto Agency reports. The casket is placed on a pyre constructed from wood, charcoal and thatched bags. After the body has burned, the bones are gathered from the ashes, crushed and ground up.