Weekly News 7/24/2015: Victims of Chattanooga shootings to be laid to rest

Topping this week’s news were the tragic Chattanooga shootings that took the lives of five brave servicemen. As the week came to a close we got news of the specific details of the funerals for these men. Unfortunately, we also heard of the death of another base jumper. And sadly, on Thursday, we got word of another movie theatre shooting. This time in Louisiana.

Weekly News 7/24/2015: Victims of Chattanooga shootings to be laid to rest

Funeral plans set for all five slain service members

Jul 23, 2015–timesfreepress.com: Funeral and visitation arrangements have been finalized for all five of the service members who died from the July 16 attack that happened at two Chattanooga military facilities… Read the full story

>>Related: Chattanooga declares shooting sites, funerals and memorials off-limits to protesters

BASE jumper’s death in Turkey is sport’s third superstar fatality in 2 months

Jul 23, 2015–usatoday.com: An American BASE jumper died while jumping in Turkey this week, the extreme sport’s third superstar fatality this year. Ian Flanders died Tuesday after leaping from a cable car 900 feet above a gorge, said Matthew Blank, a friend of Flanders who was with him in Turkey. The lines of his parachute became entangled in his legs, and a search and rescue team later pulled his body from the Karasu River… Read the full story

>>Related: Latest BASE jumper’s death another reminder of sport’s danger

Gunman opens fire in Lafayette, La. theater: 3 dead, 9 injured

Jul 23, 2015–usatoday.com: A man opened fire with a handgun Thursday night at a movie theater in Lafayette, La., killing two people and injuring at least nine others before killing himself, authorities said. Sgt. Brooks David of the Louisiana State Police described the alleged shooter in the incident at the Grand Theatre as a white male, about 58, who entered the theater by himself. Authorities know the identity of the man but are not yet releasing it, David said. About 100 people were inside of the theater at the time, authorities said… Read the full story

Rate of Cremation Continues to Increase; Cremation Projected to Surpass Burial in 2015

Jul 21, 2015–connectingdirectors.com: The national rate of cremation is projected to surpass that of burial in 2015 according to a report released today by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). The 2015 NFDA Cremation and Burial Report: Research, Statistics and Projections features statistics and in-depth analysis of consumer attitudes toward cremation. NFDA is the world’s leading and largest association representing funeral professionals. According to the 2013 final data in the report, the rate of cremation was 45.4 percent and the rate of burial was 48.7 percent. By the end of 2015, the rates of cremation and burial are projected to be 48.5 percent and 45.6 percent respectively…Read the full story

Death in the city: the grisly secrets of dealing with Victorian London’s dead

Jul 21, 2015–theguardian.com: As well as sewerage, another “waste removal” problem plagued London in the 19th century: the disposal of the dead. There was little dispute about the means. Burial was the norm; cremation a peculiar foreign custom. The difficulty lay in finding room for an ever-increasing number of corpses. The capital’s burgeoning population, upon their decease, were filling up its small churchyards, burial grounds and vaults… Read the full story

My Big Fat Gypsy Funeral: 5,000 travellers bring village to a standstill with pick-up trucks and horse-drawn carriage to mourn ‘wonderful’ preacher

Jul 20, 2015–dailymail.co.uk:  An entire village was brought to a standstill when more than 5,000 travelers attended the funeral of a legendary gypsy preacher this afternoon. Tragic Davey Jones, 60, was a minister of the Light and Life Gypsy Church for more than ten years before he died earlier this month.
The dad-of-three was hugely popular among the traveling community both in Britain and abroad… Read the full story.

Brass city makes a killing in death industry

Jul 19, 2015–timesofindia.com: With cremations becoming a global trend, some intrepid manufacturers in Moradabad have switched to making and exporting designer urns. For a businessman in Moradabad, Vicky Bhandula seems unusually interested in America’s Baby Boomer generation. “They currently number 74.9 million,” says Bhandula, a keen observer of this dwindling demographic. Actually, his profits are linked to these falling numbers… Read the full story