It’s been a busy news week for developments in funerals, death care, life celebrations, and body disposition. Check out these stories!
Seattle Times May 21, 2019: Washington becomes the first state to legalize human composting. The law also allows the use of alkaline hydrolysis, aka Aquamation, to reduce bodies to skeletal remains using a fraction of the energy of flame-based cremation. The law takes effect May 1, 2020.
JTA News Story May 13, 2019: Save the planet, don’t cremate says this Jewish cemetery. A new Jewish cemetery in South Florida is offering reasonably priced plots and emphasizes that Jewish burial is naturally green burial. Death expert Gail Rubin, who is Jewish and a member of Albuquerque’s chevra kadisha (burial society), is quoted in this article.
University of Maryland TERP Magazine, Spring 2019: “Speaking of Death” Gail Rubin is an alum of the University of Maryland (’80). In this feature article, she reveals her roots as a pioneering death educator. It involves a film production class assignment that resulted in a satire of Ingmar Bergman’s classic film, The Seventh Seal.
AMA News, May 21, 2019: Talking about death: Now that it pays, how to do it well Timothy Smith, Senior News Writer for the American Medical Association, provides links to great resources to help doctors have advance care planning (ACP) conversations with their patients (now that Medicare pays them to have these talks).
June 1 Before I Die Bakersfield Festival News Coverage:
The excitement is building! Here are two news stories from Bakersfield TV stations about the upcoming one-day Before I Die Festival there.
23ABC News Bakersfield, May 13, 2019: Festival covering every facet of death coming to Bakersfield in June.
KGET.com, May 14, 2019: ‘Before I Die’ Festival hosted by Greenlawn Funeral Homes.
Death Investigations: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
The Emmy Award®-winning show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver recently took on the topic of death investigations. Oliver provided a brilliant overview of the coroner system versus the medical examiner approach to investigating deaths. You will laugh and learn!
