As we approach Memorial Day, we pause to honor the brave men and women we have lost in service to our country. We also thank the families of the fallen for their sacrifice and express our gratitude to all our nation’s veterans for their service to our country.
New on the Digital Dying blog this week:
 Rolling Thunder:Annual Memorial Day RideRoars into DC |
 Memorial Day atArlington National Cemetery |
|---|
Weekly News 5/22/15: Honoring the fallen on Memorial Day
Giving veterans a final, proper salute
May 22, 2015–The Daily Republic: Considering their sacrifice to our country, a veteran’s funeral is the final, proper salute. But making that salute run smoothly has changed in the past year. A federal policy change on administering military honors at funerals has meant more tributes for deceased veterans are provided by military members from outside local service clubs… Read the full story
Cannes 2015: Death looms on the large screens
May 22, 2015–National Post: Only two things are certain at Cannes. And no one is making movies about taxes. This year’s festival features an astonishing number of films related to death and dying – and not merely the body count one would expect from titles such as Macbeth and Mad Max, or the professional toll in a film like Denis Villeneuve’s Sicario (Spanish for hit man) or Hou Hsiao Hsien’s The Assassin… Read the full story
Many have a fear of dying – this report shows why
May 22, 2015–The Independent: Hospitals exist to cure people. If your problem is fixable they will do their best to fix it. But what if it is not?
Medical advances have profoundly altered the course of human life. But when life comes to an end there is much less certainty about how to manage it. This has caused callousness, inhumanity and suffering on a wide scale, as laid bare in the latest report from Julie Mellor, the UK’s Health Service Ombudsman… Read the full story
Caring for the dying, behind bars
May 21, 2015–Boston Globe: Every year, more than 4,000 inmates nationwide die inside jails or prisons, and many more are in the process of dying. Susan is just one of them, but she is my patient. I step into her solitary cell on the medical unit and place a trash bin behind me to prop open the heavy metal door. I survey her room — whitewashed brick walls decorated with outdated family pictures, a toilet and sink, two pairs of sneakers squared up on a carefully laid towel. Susan, nearly 50 years old, lies crumpled on the bed… Read the full story
B.B. King funeral arrangements: Public viewing to be held May 29 in Mississippi Delta
May 20, 2015–Times Picayune: The body of blues legend B.B. King will return next week to the Mississippi Delta where his life and career began. His body will be flown on Wednesday to Memphis, Tennessee, the place where a young King was nicknamed the Beale Street Blues Boy… Read the full story
Climbing legend Dean Potter among 2 killed in Yosemite BASE jump attempt
May 19, 2015–CNN: Extreme sports legend Dean Potter was one of two BASE jumpers found dead in Yosemite National Park after attempting an aerial descent from Taft Point, authorities said. The two men’s bodies were located during a helicopter search around noon Sunday, said Scott Gediman, a spokesman for the park… Read the full story
Wingsuit Fliers in Yosemite Knew They Were Cheating Death
May 18, 2015–ABC News: Two wingsuit fliers who leaped from a cliff in Yosemite National Park were trying to zoom through a notch in a ridgeline and were airborne for about 15 seconds when they slammed into a rocky outcropping and were killed, a friend said Monday. Dean Potter, 43, and Graham Hunt, 29, were experienced at flying in wingsuits — the most extreme form of BASE jumping, a sport so dangerous enthusiasts keep lists of the dead… Read the full story
Woman who fell 150 feet off NC mountain and died was taking pictures with family
May 17, 2015–Fox News: A woman who fell about 150 feet off a North Carolina mountain and died was taking pictures with her family at the time. WBTV reported that the unidentified 48-year-old victim was trying to take a family picture with her daughter and husband when she fell… Read the full story
