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Remains of James Doohan Lost in New Mexico
caffiend666 writes "According to a Space.com news article the cremated remains of 200 people were lost in the mountains after their trip to space. 'The search for the UP Aerospace payload of experiments and the cremated remains of some 200 people — including "Scotty" of Star Trek fame, as well as pioneeering NASA Mercury astronaut, Gordon Cooper — continues within rugged New Mexico mountain landscape.' Is it just me, or does it seem appropriate that they lost the landing party? Here's to a safe recovery!"
It sounds like this landing did what they wanted it to other than the fact they lost the thing- which makes me wonder why they didn't think of using a tracking beacon of some sort rather than calculating where the thing was. all they would need to do is go toward ths signal.
Sigs are too short to say anything truly profound so read the above post instead.
"If my pattern of mind is beyond repair, drop my naked nutrient-rich matter into a vertical hole and plant a tree. I forbid energy-wastful cremation, and burial in a rip-off casket in a drab cemetery surrounded by giant obelisk phallic symbols..." Of course, there's probably some business-friendly laws which says that's illegal.
I had this in mind when I chose to bury two of my dogs in the backyard. Looking back on the experience (I ended up with two small plaques and planting some flowers and shrubs), I don't regret my decision. I could write an essay on the subject, but it should suffice to say it just seemed like the right thing to do. From every point of view.
Whether the above is legal, I don't know. My guess is that it isn't. Once upon a time people (at least those who owned land) had family cemeteries. Maybe someone here who knows more about such traditions could enlighten us. At any rate, today, at least here in California, burying someone on private land, irrespective of whether you own one acre of land or 1000 acres, was made illegal sometime in the 1920s (?).
It's kind of shame, really. Obviously, we can't all just around burying people just anywhere (broadband deployment is complicated enough), but there's something to be said for being buried in the dirt, and having someone come along and plant some grass or a tree where you were laid to rest.
Recyling at its best.
Agreed. I thought it was so very cool he was going to have his ashes sent into space. Like a burial at sea but so much better.
Has anyone ever heard of foregoing a burial at sea for sending the ashes on a frickin boat ride? To return later?
-"How was your trip?"
-"Great! We reached the zenith of pointless stupidity!"
I don't know what's more disappointing, the final place these ashed end up, or the living people who are behind this whole thing.
The laws aren't Business-Friendly, they are related to public health. Lets say I did what you wanted and planted you in a shallow grave with no casing and planted a tree. While a very nice gesture, your bodies' parasites and fungi live on. And if you died of say, Cholera, your Cholera rich body is leaking it into the ground water. While there is a racket associated with much of the funeral biz, and much of it is greedy, there is reason behind the laws. Burial laws are in place to be a public health issue, and are written in river valleys where water tables make it so that naked corpses in shallow holes spread disease. Now what I like are cremation with a few options for ashes. A caveat for incase of foul play of course. I like spreading my ashes as an option. Burying an urn is what my grandparents had done (they are in national cemeteries). While the last option that sounds nice is get your ashes compressed into a Diamond/Diamond like gem. I'm morally against to normal Diamond due to the economics. However, I like the idea of having my ashes in a Diamond that can be given to my grandchildren and on down the generations.
I'd say more, but my guild is raiding.
And the article title is misleading "Why dad's eco-funeral went horribly wrong". Well, what is exactly their grief ? They bury it in the ground to be recycled and they complain not beeing able to remember the exact place ? It is weird on quite a number of levels.
Furthermore, I saw standard funerals going wrong, and it is not really pretty either (for instance, 200 person to the funeral of an old lady of my family, that died 45 years after her husband, and had her place reserved next to him. She basically spent several years planning her funeral. Unfortunately, coffin size changed over the years and they discover during the ceremony that they could not get the coffin in the grave without putting it vertically. I can't really render it with words, but it definitely could be a scene in a Zoolander-like movie. And I won't describe one case, in my wife's family, in a winter burial, where one guy carrying the coffin slipped near the top of ice covered street. The coffin made a 200 meters glide, and fortunately didn't broke in pieces)
So, yeah, green burial are a good idea, even if my family have no idea of where my body is. Or dumping my body in the sea, would be ok too. Or just burn me and let my friend snort the ashes...
I doubt health problems would be an issue unless the person died of a communicable disease like cholera or polio. Of course, in the 19th and early 20th Century, that would have been a serious problem. OTOH, given the laws against desecration of human remains, being able to bury human remains just anywhere would be a huge obstacle to construction.
To the best of my knowledge, in many states, it is required that you buy a casket, and in most states it is required that you buy *some* sort of container, even if it's just a little cardboard box like an ice-cream container for the ashes. Luckily, those are cheap, comparatively, like $20 or so. My dad's ashes are still sitting in that little box, 6 years later, on my mom's clothesdryer. (Not a real sentimental family, but boy we have procrastination down to a science.)
And if he were still around, he'd be pissed, coz he always said he wanted to be composted.
It *is* legal to bury a human body on your property, although it's very difficult -- easier if there's any evidence there was a pre-existing graveyard there already -- but there are requirements for depth and containment that make nutrient-recovery difficult.
I personally plan on chugging a quart of nitroglycerine and jumping off a building (if my heart lasts long enough to get to the edge.)
Nostalgia's not what it used to be.