As its citizens struggle to weather the Greek financial crisis, we learn of grieving families who are unable to find funds to bury their dead. We also learned of a program recently announced by the Russian government to help alert people to the dangers of taking selfies. This week we said goodbye to several notables. Among these was, Omar Sharif. The famed Egyptian actor was widely recognized for iconic performances in “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Doctor Zhivago.”
NEW ON THE BLOG THIS WEEK:
- Strange deaths 2015 mid-year check-up: Selfie deaths keep coming.
- Sleeping in Cemeteries: In Hard Times, People around the World Choose to Live Among the Dead
Notable deaths for the week of 07/10/2015: |
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 Omar Sharif |
 Roger Rees |
 Ken Stabler |
 AmandaPeterson |
>>Visit our Dearly Departed Gallery for more 2015 notable deaths |
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Weekly News 7/10/2015: Greek financial crisis hits the funeral world.
Greece is so poor that it cannot bury its dead
July 10, 2015-Mashable.com: The families of the dead don’t have cash to pay for funerals. Banks have been closed for over a week and Greek citizens have been restricted to withdrawing 60 euros per day from ATMs. In the Greek Orthodox Christian church, burials usually take place within 24 hours, hardly enough time for grieving families to come up with the minimum 1,200-euro funeral cost…
Undertaking LA: A new funeral home for people who want to hold a funeral at home
July 10, 2015-scpr.com: If you’re a fan of Caitlin Doughty’s Off-Ramp commentaries on death, you might have been wondering why she’s been silent for a few months. Doughty, who gained fame blogging at The Order of the Good Death and then with the bestselling memoir, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory,” has been working on opening a funeral home. Or rather, her idea of a funeral home, called Undertaking L.A… Read the full story
Safe Selfie: Russia hopes that people will stop dying while trying for perfect shot
July 10, 2015-wtsp.com: After more than 100 injuries and a number of high-profile deaths, Russia’s Interior Ministry has released a “Safe Selfie” campaign that uses simple graphics to remind citizens that no, they shouldn’t take a selfie in front of a moving train. The scenarios that are discouraged seem self-explanatory – don’t selfie on top of power lines, while leaning out a car window or while holding weapons… Read the full story
>>Related: Strange deaths 2015 mid-year check-up: Selfie deaths keep coming.
The Woman Who Made Death a Conversation Starter
Jul 8, 2015-time.com: The idea that the dying might have something to teach the living seems self-evident. After all, as the psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross put it, in a 1969 profile in LIFE Magazine, who better to offer instruction on “the ultimate human crisis” than those in the midst of it? “When I wanted to know what it was like to be schizophrenic,” Dr. Kübler-Ross told TIME earlier the same year, “I spent a lot of time with schizophrenics. Why not do the same thing? We will sit together with dying patients and ask them to be our teachers… Read the full story
Arlington Heights Funeral Home helps Illinois Charity bury abandoned babies.
July 7, 2015-dailyherald.com: More than a year after he was found dead in a plastic shopping bag, a newborn boy was laid to rest in a tiny white casket covered with blue and white flowers… Read the full story
The story behind President Obama Singing ‘Amazing Grace’ at Charleston Funeral
July 7, 2015-abcnews.go.com: President Obama’s singing of “Amazing Grace” during the eulogy for Rev. Clementa Pinckney, who was killed last month in a shooting at a Charleston church, has been widely acknowledged as one of the most powerful moments of his presidency. But when he first raised the idea with first lady Michelle Obama and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, it was met with skepticism. “Why on earth would that fit in?” the first lady said in reaction to the idea, according to Jarrett, who was with the Obamas as they departed the White House aboard Marine One on their way to the funeral in South Carolina… Read the full story
Brad Rex: Approach to memorials is about ‘creating experiences’
July 5, 2015-orlandosentinel.com: Brad Rex, 55, is president and CEO of Foundation Partners Group, a company committed to changing how Americans think of and plan funerals. Rex, who was Vice President at EPCOT and held various leadership roles at Walt Disney World, applies his passion for storytelling to his work at FPG through what he calls ShareLife. This includes multi-sensory rooms. Rex spoke with staff writer Jessica Inman… Read the full story
Inside Out Offers Important Lessons for Grieving Children and Adults
Jun 25, 2015-whatsyourgrief.com: If you’re wondering whether Pixar’s newest movie Inside Out will make you cry, the answer is maybe. I know because I saw it a few days ago, thanks to Discount Tuesdays at the local movie theater and two very bored children (we’re on week two of summer vacation people, things are not looking good)… Read the full story
