The death care system in the New York City metropolitan area is overwhelmed. In this episode, we speak with Phil Tassi, President of the New York State Association of Cemeteries (NYSAC), and David Fleming, legislative director of NYSAC, to better understand the challenges facing cemeteries and crematories in the state.

Episode 22: NYC Cemeteries & Crematories in the COVID 19 Pandemic

Amy Cunningham

Recorded on April 18, 2020, Brooklyn funeral director Amy Cunningham explains how death care is being handled in New York City a month into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Episode 21: Death Care in the Time of COVID 19 with Amy Cunningham

Jonah Bamel

Greg Volk

Estate planning should involve more than simply creating the appropriate documents to address who will receive your property after your death. Modern estate planning also includes some planning for a period of time prior to death, particularly if circumstances arise that a person cannot manage their own property or cannot make health care decisions for themselves.  The vast majority of people will die after a period of some incapacity. If that period is short, then there are few problems. But because that period can be months or even years, many people want to make arrangements with respect to their property and health care in case the need arises. There are three basic documents for planning for the period of incapacity that Jonah Bamel, Greg Volk and Tanya Marsh discuss in this episode: (1) a health care proxy or health care power of attorney; (2) living will or advance directive; and (3) durable power of attorney. Visit www.deathetseq.com for links to additional resources.

Estate planning should involve more than simply creating the appropriate documents to address who will receive your property after your death. Modern estate planning also includes some planning for a period of time prior to death, particularly if circumstances arise that a person cannot manage their own property or cannot make health care decisions for themselves.  The vast majority of people will die after a period of some incapacity. If that period is short, then there are few problems. But because that period can be months or even years, many people want to make arrangements with respect to their property and health care in case the need arises. There are three basic documents for planning for the period of incapacity that Jonah Bamel, Greg Volk and Tanya Marsh discuss in this episode: (1) a health care proxy or health care power of attorney; (2) living will or advance directive; and (3) durable power of attorney. Visit <a href="http://www.deathetseq.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.deathetseq.com</a> for links to additional resources.

Episode 20: Planning for Incapacity with Jonah Bamel and Greg Volk

Barbara Kemmis

On this week’s episode, I am happy to share with you a conversation that I recently had with Barbara Kemmis, the Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America, or CANA.  Cremation is on the rise in the United States.  As Barbara will explain, after it was legalized in a handful of states in the 1870s, it took about a century for the cremation rate to hit 5% in this country.  For the past several years, cremation has been a more popular option in the United States than burial, which represents a seismic shift in American disposition practices.  Barbara and I will discuss the rising cremation rate, some of the reasons that people have been embracing cremation, and research conducted by CANA regarding correlations between demographic information and the cremation rate.  I also ask Barbara about the environmental impacts of cremation and she shares some of the research that CANA has done in that area as well. To learn more: Industry Statistics: https://www.cremationassociation.org/page/IndustryStatistics Roaming/Rooted Blogpost Link: https://www.cremationassociation.org/blogpost/776820/280926/Enhanced-Statistics-Enhance-Your-Business-Success Link to all posts about stats: https://www.cremationassociation.org/blogpost/776820/The-Cremation-Logs?tag=statistics

On this week’s episode, I am happy to share with you a conversation that I recently had with Barbara Kemmis, the Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America, or CANA. Cremation is on the rise in the United States. As Barbara will explain, after it was legalized in a handful of states in the 1870s, it took about a century for the cremation rate to hit 5% in this country. For the past several years, cremation has been a more popular option in the United States than burial, which represents a seismic shift in American disposition practices. Barbara and I will discuss the rising cremation rate, some of the reasons that people have been embracing cremation, and research conducted by CANA regarding correlations between demographic information and the cremation rate. I also ask Barbara about the environmental impacts of cremation and she shares some of the research that CANA has done in that area as well. To learn more: Industry Statistics: <a href="https://www.cremationassociation.org/page/IndustryStatistics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.cremationassociation.org/page/IndustryStatistics</a> Roaming/Rooted Blogpost Link: <a href="https://www.cremationassociation.org/blogpost/776820/280926/Enhanced-Statistics-Enhance-Your-Business-Success" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.cremationassociation.org/blogpost/776820/280926/Enhanced-Statistics-Enhance-Your-Business-Success</a> Link to all posts about stats: <a href="https://www.cremationassociation.org/blogpost/776820/The-Cremation-Logs?tag=statistics" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.cremationassociation.org/blogpost/776820/The-Cremation-Logs?tag=statistics</a>

Episode 19: Discussing Cremation with Barbara Kemmis of CANA

Jodi Hildebran Lee and Jordan Crosby Lee are the Couldn't Be Happiers.  Check them out at www.couldbehappiers.com. On this episode, they play murder ballads The Long Black Veil and a feminist re-imagining of Pretty Polly, plus their original song Jackson Square (which may or may not be about reincarnation).

Jodi Hildebran Lee and Jordan Crosby Lee are the Couldn't Be Happiers. Check them out at <a href="http://www.couldbehappiers.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.couldbehappiers.com</a>. On this episode, they play murder ballads The Long Black Veil and a feminist re-imagining of Pretty Polly, plus their original song Jackson Square (which may or may not be about reincarnation).

Episode 18: Music & Mortality: Murder Ballads and The Couldn't Be Happiers

Jordan Artrip

The Protestant Reformation of the early 16th century changed countless aspects of everyday life for every kind of person across Europe. One of the things most profoundly affected was the popular conception of death. On this episode, I will be speaking with third year Wake Forest University Law School student Jordan Artrip about how the theology of the Reformation caused a paradigm shift for how death and the dead were viewed by society, as well as the practical effects of that shift on life and religious practice. Topics addressed in episode:  For everyday people living during Christendom, one’s view of death and the dead was inextricably linked to the teaching of whichever church was dominant in their particular time and region. How did the theology of the Medieval Church shape peoples’ view of death and the dead on the eve of the Reformation? How did this belief in purgatory and the efficacy of intercessional prayer manifest itself in the practices of the Church regarding the dead? How did changes brought by the Reformation impact the level of memorialization that we see today in churches? How did changes in theology impact local burial practices? How did practices change in areas of Europe where the Catholic Church remained dominant? What impact did the Reformation and related changes in burial practices in Christian Europe have on the development of the law and social norms in the United States?

The Protestant Reformation of the early 16th century changed countless aspects of everyday life for every kind of person across Europe. One of the things most profoundly affected was the popular conception of death. On this episode, I will be speaking with third year Wake Forest University Law School student Jordan Artrip about how the theology of the Reformation caused a paradigm shift for how death and the dead were viewed by society, as well as the practical effects of that shift on life and religious practice. Topics addressed in episode: <ul> <li>For everyday people living during Christendom, one’s view of death and the dead was inextricably linked to the teaching of whichever church was dominant in their particular time and region. How did the theology of the Medieval Church shape peoples’ view of death and the dead on the eve of the Reformation?</li> <li>How did this belief in purgatory and the efficacy of intercessional prayer manifest itself in the practices of the Church regarding the dead?</li> <li>How did changes brought by the Reformation impact the level of memorialization that we see today in churches?</li> <li>How did changes in theology impact local burial practices?</li> <li>How did practices change in areas of Europe where the Catholic Church remained dominant?</li> <li>What impact did the Reformation and related changes in burial practices in Christian Europe have on the development of the law and social norms in the United States?</li></ul>

Episode 17: The Impact of the Protestant Reformation on Burial Practices (with Jordan Artrip)

Tim Mossberger

About a month ago, I sat down with my friend Tim Mossberger in Champaign, Illinois to talk about our mutual favorite band, The Avett Brothers, and a bunch of their songs that deal with topics related to mortality.  Tim has a website called As My Life Turns to a Song – The Avett Brothers Archive.  He has been methodically collecting and documenting the history of the band, and together with Paul Oehler has created an Avett setlist database that is as comprehensive as possible.  And with me, Tim has created Tales of Avett News, a blog where we publish concert reviews, interviews with Avett fans and people connected with the band, and other content of interest to Avett fans.   In this episode, Tim and I discuss a number of Avett Brothers songs that deal with various aspects of mortality including: The Fall Talk on Indolence The Lowering Die Die Die Another Youngster Am I Born to Die (cover) Live and Die Life Through My Prayers Once and Future Carpenter Morning Song Murder in the City No Hard Feelings

About a month ago, I sat down with my friend Tim Mossberger in Champaign, Illinois to talk about our mutual favorite band, The Avett Brothers, and a bunch of their songs that deal with topics related to mortality.  Tim has a website called As My Life Turns to a Song – The Avett Brothers Archive.  He has been methodically collecting and documenting the history of the band, and together with Paul Oehler has created an Avett setlist database that is as comprehensive as possible.  And with me, Tim has created Tales of Avett News, a blog where we publish concert reviews, interviews with Avett fans and people connected with the band, and other content of interest to Avett fans.   In this episode, Tim and I discuss a number of Avett Brothers songs that deal with various aspects of mortality including: The Fall Talk on Indolence The Lowering Die Die Die Another Youngster Am I Born to Die (cover) Live and Die Life Through My Prayers Once and Future Carpenter Morning Song Murder in the City No Hard Feelings

Episode 16: Music, Mortality & The Avett Brothers with Tim Mossberger

Tyler Cunningham

Death is celebrated all over the world on annual basis. More than 175 million Americans will celebrate Halloween this year, with total spending in 2018 reaching $9 billion, with the average consumer planning to spend $86.79 on decorations, candy, costumes and more. While celebrated on a mass scale, most Americans likely do not know the history behind Halloween and how it has turned into a billion-dollar industry. Another major death related holiday that is often associated with Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, is actually its own unique holiday, where families spend even more than the average American consumer, as anywhere from two weeks to two months wages are spent on average honoring the dead. Today's podcast will discuss the history and current trends of Halloween and Dias de los Muertos, as well as take a deeper look into some other interesting death related holidays from around the world that our listeners may be less familiar with.

Death is celebrated all over the world on annual basis. More than 175 million Americans will celebrate Halloween this year, with total spending in 2018 reaching $9 billion, with the average consumer planning to spend $86.79 on decorations, candy, costumes and more. While celebrated on a mass scale, most Americans likely do not know the history behind Halloween and how it has turned into a billion-dollar industry. Another major death related holiday that is often associated with Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, is actually its own unique holiday, where families spend even more than the average American consumer, as anywhere from two weeks to two months wages are spent on average honoring the dead. Today's podcast will discuss the history and current trends of Halloween and Dias de los Muertos, as well as take a deeper look into some other interesting death related holidays from around the world that our listeners may be less familiar with.

Episode 15: Death Related Holidays with Tyler Cunningham

Dan Zlotnick

This hybrid episode combines Cemetery Tourism in Philadelphia and the music of recording artist Dan Zlotnick.  In Part I, I discuss the history and some of the notable burials in Spruce Street Cemetery, the Old Pine Street Church churchyard, Christ Church churchyard and burial ground, the potter’s field in Washington Square, and Laurel Hill Cemetery. In Part II, singer-songwriter Dan Zlotnick shares two original songs, “Day 2 for Dina,” and “The Man Who Died Here Saved Me,” as well as his covers of The Avett Brothers’ “The Greatest Sum” and the folk song “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me.” Check out Dan's music at https://www.danzlotnick.com/.

This hybrid episode combines Cemetery Tourism in Philadelphia and the music of recording artist Dan Zlotnick. In Part I, I discuss the history and some of the notable burials in Spruce Street Cemetery, the Old Pine Street Church churchyard, Christ Church churchyard and burial ground, the potter’s field in Washington Square, and Laurel Hill Cemetery. In Part II, singer-songwriter Dan Zlotnick shares two original songs, “Day 2 for Dina,” and “The Man Who Died Here Saved Me,” as well as his covers of The Avett Brothers’ “The Greatest Sum” and the folk song “Hang Me, Oh Hang Me.” Check out Dan's music at <a href="https://www.danzlotnick.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.danzlotnick.com/</a>.

Episode 14: Cemetery Tourism in Philadelphia and Music by Dan Zlotnick

This is Tanya Marsh and you’re listening to Death, et seq.  My guest this week is Sarah Crews, the director of Heart Land Prairie Cemetery in Salina, Kansas, the first all natural burial ground in Kansas, and the President of the National Home Funeral Alliance.  Sarah also has a background in hospice and music. Links: National Home Funeral Alliance Heart Land Prairie Cemetery

This is Tanya Marsh and you’re listening to Death, et seq. My guest this week is Sarah Crews, the director of Heart Land Prairie Cemetery in Salina, Kansas, the first all natural burial ground in Kansas, and the President of the National Home Funeral Alliance. Sarah also has a background in hospice and music. Links: <a href="https://www.homefuneralalliance.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">National Home Funeral Alliance</a> <a href="http://www.heartlandprairiecemetery.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Heart Land Prairie Cemetery</a>

Episode 13: Sarah Crews on Conservation Burial, Home Funerals, Music & Mortality

Death, et seq. literally means "Death and what follows."  This podcast addresses all aspects of death care in the United States -- options for funerals and disposition, the ways in which "traditions" are being disrupted, and where death care is headed.  A broad range of experts within the funeral industry and various reform communities are invited to share their views.  Listeners are invited to actively participate by submitting questions and topics of interest.

I’m an Appalachian historian and I was hooked with the murder ballad episode. Love it, looking forward to listening to the other episodes!!

Love it!

Very interesting topics. Tanya is very knowledgeable and well-spoken. Would recommend!

Great Podcast

Death, et seq.

Caitlin Doughty

I am so happy to have Caitlin Doughty as my guest on Episode 4.  Caitlin is a licensed funeral director and the owner of Undertaking LA, a funeral home in Los Angeles.  She is the co-founder of Death Salon and the founder of The Order of the Good Death.  She is the host of Ask a Mortician, which is a highly entertaining series of videos on YouTube (my favorite is the one on Viking burials). Caitlin is also the author of TWO best-selling books – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, in which she discusses her experience working in a crematory, and From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death, which was published last year. In this episode of Death, et seq., Caitlin discusses what the death positive movement IS.  In this blog post, she explains what the death positive movement IS NOT.   Discussion topics: ⇒   Defining "death positivism" ⇒   What kind of pushback Caitlin receives, and what parts of her message resonate broadly ⇒   How social justice is an integral part of the death positive movement ⇒   Caitlin's relationship with the funeral industry ⇒   What each of us can do to be more death positive on a daily basis For more extensive show notes and to submit questions, please visit our website at www.deathetseq.com.

I am so happy to have Caitlin Doughty as my guest on Episode 4.  Caitlin is a licensed funeral director and the owner of Undertaking LA, a funeral home in Los Angeles.  She is the co-founder of Death Salon and the founder of The Order of the Good Death.  She is the host of Ask a Mortician, which is a highly entertaining series of videos on YouTube (my favorite is the one on Viking burials). Caitlin is also the author of TWO best-selling books – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory, in which she discusses her experience working in a crematory, and From Here to Eternity: Traveling the World to Find the Good Death, which was published last year. In this episode of Death, et seq., Caitlin discusses what the death positive movement IS.  In this blog post, she explains what the death positive movement IS NOT. Discussion topics: ⇒   Defining "death positivism" ⇒   What kind of pushback Caitlin receives, and what parts of her message resonate broadly ⇒   How social justice is an integral part of the death positive movement ⇒   Caitlin's relationship with the funeral industry ⇒   What each of us can do to be more death positive on a daily basis For more extensive show notes and to submit questions, please visit our website at <a href="https://deathetseq.com/2018/06/24/episode-4-caitlin-doughty-and-the-death-positive-movement/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.deathetseq.com</a>.

Episode 4: Caitlin Doughty and the Death Positive Movement

Dan Isard

In the United States today, most funerals are arranged by licensed funeral directors, most bodies are prepared for disposition by licensed embalmers, and many funerals take place in licensed funeral homes.  The funeral industry has been handling the dead in America for only a century.  This is largely an industry made up of “mom and pop” family owned businesses, passed down from generation to generation, although there are a few large companies and even a few that are publicly traded. I thought that an interview Dan Isard, the president of The Foresight Companies and an expert on the funeral industry, would be a great way to begin to lay a foundation on Death, et seq.  We can’t understand how the world of death care may be changing until we understand how that world functions in the first place.  In today’s episode, Dan and I discuss the structure of the funeral industry and some of the challenges that it faces. Dan Isard has been providing management and financial consulting services to the funeral industry for 25 years.  He is a frequent speaker on topics related to the funeral industry and writes a column for The Director magazine. Takeaways: ⇒   Isard’s research shows that there are between 19,000 and 20,000 funeral homes, down about 10% from a decade ago. About 15,000 funeral homes are owned by approximately 9,000 to 10,000 privately owned “Mom and Pop” businesses. ⇒   About 60% of bodies are embalmed. ⇒   Number of locations is declining, total deaths is increasing, our population continues to increase and our death rate is increasing. I asked Isard: “That should suggest boom times for the funeral industry, right?” ⇒   Recent trends cited by Isard: Dramatic increase in cremation disposition and large increase in pre-arrangement, but the profitability of those pre-arrangements is decreasing. ⇒   Isard argues that in order to save the funeral services industry, we have to “blow up” the licensure regime. ⇒   The pricing of cremation also needs to be “blown up” because “burial is subsidizing cremation.” For more extensive show notes or to submit questions, please visit the website, www.deathetseq.com.

In the United States today, most funerals are arranged by licensed funeral directors, most bodies are prepared for disposition by licensed embalmers, and many funerals take place in licensed funeral homes. The funeral industry has been handling the dead in America for only a century. This is largely an industry made up of “mom and pop” family owned businesses, passed down from generation to generation, although there are a few large companies and even a few that are publicly traded. I thought that an interview Dan Isard, the president of The Foresight Companies and an expert on the funeral industry, would be a great way to begin to lay a foundation on Death, et seq. We can’t understand how the world of death care may be changing until we understand how that world functions in the first place. In today’s episode, Dan and I discuss the structure of the funeral industry and some of the challenges that it faces. Dan Isard has been providing management and financial consulting services to the funeral industry for 25 years. He is a frequent speaker on topics related to the funeral industry and writes a column for The Director magazine. Takeaways: ⇒ Isard’s research shows that there are between 19,000 and 20,000 funeral homes, down about 10% from a decade ago. About 15,000 funeral homes are owned by approximately 9,000 to 10,000 privately owned “Mom and Pop” businesses. ⇒ About 60% of bodies are embalmed. ⇒ Number of locations is declining, total deaths is increasing, our population continues to increase and our death rate is increasing. I asked Isard: “That should suggest boom times for the funeral industry, right?” ⇒ Recent trends cited by Isard: Dramatic increase in cremation disposition and large increase in pre-arrangement, but the profitability of those pre-arrangements is decreasing. ⇒ Isard argues that in order to save the funeral services industry, we have to “blow up” the licensure regime. ⇒ The pricing of cremation also needs to be “blown up” because “burial is subsidizing cremation.” For more extensive show notes or to submit questions, please visit the website, <a href="https://deathetseq.com/2018/06/05/isard/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.deathetseq.com</a>.

Episode 3: Dan Isard and the State of the Modern Funeral Industry

This episode discusses funeral and disposition planning in the context of estate planning, explains why pre-planning is a good idea, and discusses the major options available to American funeral consumers including the "traditional" American funeral of embalming, open casket viewing, and in-ground burial or cremation, and alternatives such as home funerals and green burial. The laws regarding the distribution of property after death are determined by the state in which the deceased person (known as the “decedent”) resided at the time of their death.  If a person does not leave a validly executed will, then the court with probate jurisdiction will apply the “intestacy laws” to determine the distribution of a decedent’s property and payment of any debts left at death.  Funeral expenses have top priority for payment from the estate at the time of death. The laws regarding the disposition of human remains are determined by the state in which the person died.  Many (but not all) states allow people to designate an agent or leave binding funeral and disposition instructions.  There is significant variety between the states in terms of what kinds of documents are needed to designate an agent or leave instructions.  If a person does not leave validly executed instructions, then the laws of the state where the person died will determine who gets to take control of the remains and make decisions regarding funeral and disposition. Visit www.deathetseq.com for more extensive show notes and links to resources.

This episode discusses funeral and disposition planning in the context of estate planning, explains why pre-planning is a good idea, and discusses the major options available to American funeral consumers including the "traditional" American funeral of embalming, open casket viewing, and in-ground burial or cremation, and alternatives such as home funerals and green burial. The laws regarding the distribution of property after death are determined by the state in which the deceased person (known as the “decedent”) resided at the time of their death. If a person does not leave a validly executed will, then the court with probate jurisdiction will apply the “intestacy laws” to determine the distribution of a decedent’s property and payment of any debts left at death. Funeral expenses have top priority for payment from the estate at the time of death. The laws regarding the disposition of human remains are determined by the state in which the person died. Many (but not all) states allow people to designate an agent or leave binding funeral and disposition instructions. There is significant variety between the states in terms of what kinds of documents are needed to designate an agent or leave instructions. If a person does not leave validly executed instructions, then the laws of the state where the person died will determine who gets to take control of the remains and make decisions regarding funeral and disposition. Visit <a href="http://www.deathetseq.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.deathetseq.com</a> for more extensive show notes and links to resources.

Episode 5: Introduction to Funeral & Disposition Planning (with Prof. Rebecca Morrow)

Lee Webster

Lee Webster discusses her educational and advocacy efforts in the "neo-traditional" home funeral and green burial movements. Links to organizations and resources mentioned in this episode: Green Burial Council National Home Funeral Alliance New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education &amp; Advocacy Changing Landscapes: Exploring the growth of ethical, compassionate, and environmentally sustainable green funeral practice Selected quotes:  Home funerals are “family led and family directed.” “We don’t recognize death as an emergency.” “One of the main characteristics of a home funeral is that it’s okay for people to look dead.  We’re taking the time to be present and nearby and to engage with what’s happening.  It’s taking the time to be with them.” In green burial, “we do nothing to impede decomposition. That’s pretty basic. No concrete, no metal, no exotic woods, no embalming, no toxic chemicals of any kind. We are letting nature take its course at its own pace.” “Green burial is bringing back ritual to a society that has been losing it because we’ve been trying to avoid the heavy costs of funerals and going with direct cremation.” We want people to think about “what is truly authentic about the life of the person they’re honoring.” "Funeral reform is very much needed. There are certain practices within the industry itself that do need change in a very big way." “People are hungering for this information.” "One of the largest issues for me is simply access." "The sooner we can get grassroots activism going, the sooner this will all be a moot issue." "The Catholic Church is really leading the way in green burial because we're getting back to full body burial.  They never wanted cremation." "Unitarian Universalists, from the very beginning, have been big leaders in funeral reform."

Lee Webster discusses her educational and advocacy efforts in the "neo-traditional" home funeral and green burial movements. Links to organizations and resources mentioned in this episode: <a href="https://greenburialcouncil.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Green Burial Council</a> <a href="https://www.homefuneralalliance.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">National Home Funeral Alliance</a> <a href="http://www.nhfuneral.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New Hampshire Funeral Resources, Education &amp; Advocacy</a> <a href="https://amzn.to/2LOi68e" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Changing Landscapes: Exploring the growth of ethical, compassionate, and environmentally sustainable green funeral practice</a> Selected quotes: <ul> <li>Home funerals are “family led and family directed.”</li> <li>“We don’t recognize death as an emergency.”</li> <li>“One of the main characteristics of a home funeral is that it’s okay for people to look dead. We’re taking the time to be present and nearby and to engage with what’s happening. It’s taking the time to be with them.”</li> <li>In green burial, “we do nothing to impede decomposition. That’s pretty basic. No concrete, no metal, no exotic woods, no embalming, no toxic chemicals of any kind. We are letting nature take its course at its own pace.”</li> <li>“Green burial is bringing back ritual to a society that has been losing it because we’ve been trying to avoid the heavy costs of funerals and going with direct cremation.”</li> <li>We want people to think about “what is truly authentic about the life of the person they’re honoring.”</li> <li>"Funeral reform is very much needed. There are certain practices within the industry itself that do need change in a very big way."</li> <li>“People are hungering for this information.”</li> <li>"One of the largest issues for me is simply access."</li> <li>"The sooner we can get grassroots activism going, the sooner this will all be a moot issue."</li> <li>"The Catholic Church is really leading the way in green burial because we're getting back to full body burial. They never wanted cremation."</li> <li>"Unitarian Universalists, from the very beginning, have been big leaders in funeral reform."</li></ul>

Episode 9: Lee Webster on Home Funerals, Green Burials & Social Justice

David Childers

Phil Chaney

In this week’s episode of Death, et seq., I am talking to two of my favorite people about two very different topics.  First, I’ll be talking to my uncle, Philip Chaney, about his experience growing up in a funeral family in a small town in Nebraska in the mid-20th century.  There were two funeral homes in the county — one Catholic and one Protestant.  The funeral homes were both combined with furniture stores, because there weren’t enough calls to make funeral directing a full time job.  Another sideline for the funeral directors was running the ambulance service which Phil, as a teenage employee of the furniture store, also was involved in.  We will talk about the history of the funeral and cemetery industries quite a bit in this podcast, because the human stories of how these industries developed can help us understand the legal rules and social norms that govern us today. Second, I’ll be talking to my friend David Childers, a recording artist on Ramseur Records, the singer and guitar player that you hear along with my son Riley Sherman on the music that opens each episode of Death, et seq.  Music is an important part of the rituals surrounding death, and I am looking forward to having a number of episodes in which I talk to musicians about the connection between music and mortality. So, today on Death, et seq. — history, music, and mortality. Links to David Childers' Work: His website: www.davidchilders.com The video for Run Skeleton Run by Corey Ziegler and Robert Childers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlauDVWJdew

In this week’s episode of Death, et seq., I am talking to two of my favorite people about two very different topics. First, I’ll be talking to my uncle, Philip Chaney, about his experience growing up in a funeral family in a small town in Nebraska in the mid-20th century. There were two funeral homes in the county — one Catholic and one Protestant. The funeral homes were both combined with furniture stores, because there weren’t enough calls to make funeral directing a full time job. Another sideline for the funeral directors was running the ambulance service which Phil, as a teenage employee of the furniture store, also was involved in. We will talk about the history of the funeral and cemetery industries quite a bit in this podcast, because the human stories of how these industries developed can help us understand the legal rules and social norms that govern us today. Second, I’ll be talking to my friend David Childers, a recording artist on Ramseur Records, the singer and guitar player that you hear along with my son Riley Sherman on the music that opens each episode of Death, et seq. Music is an important part of the rituals surrounding death, and I am looking forward to having a number of episodes in which I talk to musicians about the connection between music and mortality. So, today on Death, et seq. — history, music, and mortality. Links to David Childers' Work: His website: <a href="http://www.davidchilders.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.davidchilders.com</a> The video for Run Skeleton Run by Corey Ziegler and Robert Childers: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlauDVWJdew" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlauDVWJdew</a>

Episode 6: History, Music, and Mortality with David Childers and Phil Chaney

Episode 11: Amy Cunningham and the Meaningful Funeral

Episode 10: Cemetery Tourism in NYC and Boston

Megan Rosenbloom

Megan Rosenbloom is Associate Director for Instruction Services at the Norris Medical Library of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and the co-founder and director of Death Salon, the event arm of The Order of the Good Death.  Rosenbloom is writing a book called Dark Archives, anticipated to be published in 2019, which describes the history and discusses the ethics involved in "anthropodermic bibliopegy," books alleged to have been bound in human skin. Megan recommends the book Death, Dissection, and the Destitute by Ruth Richardson for more information on the Anatomy Acts.  Here is a brief explanation: Throughout history,  the use of cadavers has been hugely important to medical innovation and advancement. The demand for cadavers often vastly outweighed the available supply. Religious, moral and legal concerns often bred a reluctance to address the issue.  With a relatively small supply of legally-obtained cadavers, some enterprising individuals turn to grave-robbing to cash in on the high demand.  In few extreme cases, certain individuals even resorted to outright murder to generate a cadaver supply. The imbalance between demand and supply eventually forced lawmakers to act. The Murder Act of 1752 passed by Parliament in the United Kingdom allowed doctors and medical schools in need of cadavers to use the bodies of executed convicted murderers.  As executions declined in number and demand for cadavers continued to increase, this solution proved insufficient. Growing public awareness and aversion to the corpse trade ushered in a climate of acceptance toward the Anatomy Act of 1832 in England.  This Act gave doctors, medical students and the like more access to the cadavers of those who died in the care of the state. The 1832 Anatomy Act in particular had a strong influence on state legislatures in the United States. Even though grave robbing was illegal in colonial America, the practice grew with demand as it did in Europe. In 1788, riots broke out in Manhattan when someone discovered mutilated remains in the medical school at Columbia University. New York’s legislature responded by outlawing grave robbing and ordering that remains of executed criminals may be dissected. For an example of a U.S. statute, see Ohio Rev. Code § 1713.34: “Superintendents of city hospitals, directors or superintendents of city infirmaries, county homes, or other charitable institutions, directors or superintendents of workhouses, founded and supported in whole or in part at public expense, superintendents or managing officers of state benevolent institutions, boards of township trustees, sheriffs, or coroners, in possession of bodies not claimed or identified, or which must be buried at the expense of the state, county, or township, before burial, shall notify the professor of anatomy in a college which by its charter is empowered to teach anatomy, or the secretary of the board of embalmers and funeral directors of this state, of the fact that such bodies are being so held. If after a period of thirty-six hours the body has not been accepted by friends or relatives for burial at their expense, such superintendent, director, or other officer, on the written application of such professor, or the secretary of the board of embalmers and funeral directors, shall deliver to such professor or secretary, for the purpose of medical or surgical study or dissection or for the study of embalming, the body of any such person who died in any of such institutions from any disease which is not infectious. The expense of the delivery of the body shall be borne by the parties in whose keeping the body was placed.” Ohio Rev. Code § 1713.38: “The bodies of strangers or travelers, who die in any of the institutions named in section 1713.34 of the Revised Code, shall not be delivered for the purpose of dissection unless the stranger or traveler belongs to that class commonly known as tramps. Bodies delivered as provided in such section shall be used for medical, surgical, and anatomical study only, and within this state.” Ohio Rev. Code § 1713.41: “No superintendent of a city hospital, city infirmary, county home, workhouse, hospital for the mentally ill, or other charitable institution founded and supported in whole or in part at public expense, coroner, infirmary director, sheriff, or township trustee, shall fail to deliver a body of a deceased person when applied for, in conformity to law, or charge, receive, or accept money or other valuable consideration for the delivery.”

<a href="https://meganrosenbloom.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Megan Rosenbloom</a> is Associate Director for Instruction Services at the Norris Medical Library of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and the co-founder and director of <a href="https://deathsalon.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Death Salon</a>, the event arm of <a href="http://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Order of the Good Death</a>. Rosenbloom is writing a book called Dark Archives, anticipated to be published in 2019, which describes the history and discusses the ethics involved in "anthropodermic bibliopegy," books alleged to have been bound in human skin. Megan recommends the book <a href="https://amzn.to/2Jr1BK6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Death, Dissection, and the Destitute</a> by Ruth Richardson for more information on the Anatomy Acts. Here is a brief explanation: Throughout history, the use of cadavers has been hugely important to medical innovation and advancement. The demand for cadavers often vastly outweighed the available supply. Religious, moral and legal concerns often bred a reluctance to address the issue. With a relatively small supply of legally-obtained cadavers, some enterprising individuals turn to grave-robbing to cash in on the high demand. In few extreme cases, certain individuals even resorted to outright murder to generate a cadaver supply. The imbalance between demand and supply eventually forced lawmakers to act. The Murder Act of 1752 passed by Parliament in the United Kingdom allowed doctors and medical schools in need of cadavers to use the bodies of executed convicted murderers. As executions declined in number and demand for cadavers continued to increase, this solution proved insufficient. Growing public awareness and aversion to the corpse trade ushered in a climate of acceptance toward the Anatomy Act of 1832 in England. This Act gave doctors, medical students and the like more access to the cadavers of those who died in the care of the state. The <a href="http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1832/act/75/enacted/en/print.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1832 Anatomy Act</a> in particular had a strong influence on state legislatures in the United States. Even though grave robbing was illegal in colonial America, the practice grew with demand as it did in Europe. In 1788, riots broke out in Manhattan when someone discovered mutilated remains in the medical school at Columbia University. New York’s legislature responded by outlawing grave robbing and ordering that remains of executed criminals may be dissected. For an example of a U.S. statute, see Ohio Rev. Code § 1713.34: “Superintendents of city hospitals, directors or superintendents of city infirmaries, county homes, or other charitable institutions, directors or superintendents of workhouses, founded and supported in whole or in part at public expense, superintendents or managing officers of state benevolent institutions, boards of township trustees, sheriffs, or coroners, in possession of bodies not claimed or identified, or which must be buried at the expense of the state, county, or township, before burial, shall notify the professor of anatomy in a college which by its charter is empowered to teach anatomy, or the secretary of the board of embalmers and funeral directors of this state, of the fact that such bodies are being so held. If after a period of thirty-six hours the body has not been accepted by friends or relatives for burial at their expense, such superintendent, director, or other officer, on the written application of such professor, or the secretary of the board of embalmers and funeral directors, shall deliver to such professor or secretary, for the purpose of medical or surgical study or dissection or for the study of embalming, the body of any such person who died in any of such institutions from any disease which is not infectious. The expense of the delivery of the body shall be borne by the parties in whose keeping the body was placed.” Ohio Rev. Code § 1713.38: “The bodies of strangers or travelers, who die in any of the institutions named in section 1713.34 of the Revised Code, shall not be delivered for the purpose of dissection unless the stranger or traveler belongs to that class commonly known as tramps. Bodies delivered as provided in such section shall be used for medical, surgical, and anatomical study only, and within this state.” Ohio Rev. Code § 1713.41: “No superintendent of a city hospital, city infirmary, county home, workhouse, hospital for the mentally ill, or other charitable institution founded and supported in whole or in part at public expense, coroner, infirmary director, sheriff, or township trustee, shall fail to deliver a body of a deceased person when applied for, in conformity to law, or charge, receive, or accept money or other valuable consideration for the delivery.”

Episode 7: A Preview of Dark Archives with Megan Rosenbloom

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