This Strange Funeral Thing

It's a South African eccentricity, I suppose; our news has gone funeral
crazy. Poor old Brenda Fassi died young and was an important musician, I
suppose, but I doubt if there's any other country on earth where every day
between death and funeral there would be some additional funeral news for
the viewers, as we're getting.

The Poms go a bit beserk when a member of the Royal family dies (or does
anything, I suppose), but I can't see the death of Posh Spice being more
than a short eulogy item on the news, famous and important as she is as an
artist. So even compared to the Poms we make a big deal of funerals.

I predict that there will be about five minutes of coverage of the funeral
when it eventually happens. And when we lose Nelson Mandela there will
probably be two days of solid funerary tv visuals.

Good to Brenda has set the example of being cremated instead of buried.
Apparently there's a huge shortage of burial space in this country, so from
a purely rational point of view cremation is the more considerate way to
take your leave from this place. (Perhaps Brenda will be accepted by the
Aesir instead of the Vanir when she gets to the fork in the road through
the sky which divides those who go to Valhalla from those who don't).

--

Slow Eddy

This is another good reason to avoid plebvision - as if anybody needed more.

Mandela's death will probably take a couple of months of eulogies from
half-wits you've never heard of - and half-wit Yanks you'd rather not have
heard of.

Cremation is a great improvement over burial, but it isn't the best means of
disposal. The Parsees expose their dead on 'Towers of Silence' to be eaten
by birds of prey - or, in Natal, expose the bodies to be eaten by lions or
hyenas, that is much cleaner.

--
The telephone current is a phenomenon of the ether, say the theorists. But
what is ether? No one knows. Sir Oliver Lodge has guessed that it is
"perhaps the only substantial thing in the material universe"; but no one
knows. - The History of the Telephone, Herbet Casson 1910

Brenda was a cultural icon, and could not stau out of the news for long, even
after she's dead.

Whether the public want to read about Brenda or not, the news media think they
do. On life of in death, scarcely a Sunday went by without Brenda appearing in
the newspaper placards.

When the Mother of the Nation dies, the public better pay attention.

Will she pass Go and collect her $200?

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

There's a vulture cafe near the Free State Natal border, but the Sterkfontein
Dam. Vultures are endangered, because they don't get enough calcium in their
diet -- carrion is hard to come by these days, and small game like rabbits
don't have enough bone. Any bigger carcases to be found have usually been
poisoned by farmers trying to get rid of jackals.

So someone set up this vulture cafe -- I'm not sure who, but perhaps you could
volunteer after your demise. Put something in your will to that effect.

Much easier than being an organ donor - vultures aren't too particular about
freshness.

--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

I've heard many derogatory remarks made about SA's culture but that's the worst.

Are you insinuating we're a nation of drunken dope users ?
Richard

Two days? A week at least.

Moira, the Faerie Godmother

Too many bodies, to few scavengers.

Moira, the Faerie Godmother

Mazda Wildlife Trust.

Moira, the Faerie Godmother

Culture's not all about opera. Brenda was a cultural icon. Just not one of
mine.

Moira, the Faerie Godmother

You can, of course, be both. That's a good idea, the vulture cafe.

There was a big problem with vultures and kites in India recently that was
sorted out by a birdwoman from the UK.

--
Sylvia: "You must think me a stupid American bitch."
Neighbour: "Not at all, I assumed that you were Canadian" - dialogue from
the film 'Sylvia'

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5 29th April 04:43 richard bonnage External User Posts: 1	This Strange Funeral Thing I've heard many derogatory remarks made about SA's culture but that's the worst. Are you insinuating we're a nation of drunken dope users ? Richard

6 30th April 00:05 moira de swardt External User Posts: 1	This Strange Funeral Thing Two days? A week at least. Moira, the Faerie Godmother

7 30th April 00:05 moira de swardt External User Posts: 1	This Strange Funeral Thing Too many bodies, to few scavengers. Moira, the Faerie Godmother

8 30th April 00:05 moira de swardt External User Posts: 1	This Strange Funeral Thing Mazda Wildlife Trust. Moira, the Faerie Godmother

9 30th April 00:05 moira de swardt External User Posts: 1	This Strange Funeral Thing Culture's not all about opera. Brenda was a cultural icon. Just not one of mine. Moira, the Faerie Godmother

10 30th April 00:05 peter h.m. brooks External User Posts: 1	This Strange Funeral Thing You can, of course, be both. That's a good idea, the vulture cafe. There was a big problem with vultures and kites in India recently that was sorted out by a birdwoman from the UK. -- Sylvia: "You must think me a stupid American bitch." Neighbour: "Not at all, I assumed that you were Canadian" - dialogue from the film 'Sylvia'