ReligionEthicsFilter: in all the Apocalypse/Rapture stuff, planes will crash and cars and trains, etc, because the drivers will have been swept up. Doesn't that mean that Christians shouldn't do those things, esp if other people will be harmed as a result?
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posted by amberglow
on Dec 23, 2005 -
26 answers
When you die, what specific information and instructions (beyond user names and passwords) would you need to leave for your heirs to deal with your email accounts, web hosting accounts, domain names, affiliate accounts, forum memberships, mailing list memberships, etc?
posted by redneck_zionist
on Nov 17, 2005 -
25 answers
Does anyone know why every funeral home I see has a sign with a clock and weather info on it? I was curious about this after noticing it during a cross country drive in Canada. Is there some history or tradition to this?
posted by bryce.clarke
on Oct 31, 2005 -
17 answers
This has been bothering me for quite some time so any help would be greatly appreciated. I've often heard that when one falls from a great distance (say out of an airplane or off a building) with no parachute, they will pass out in short order. I'm wondering if this is true, or if they will be concious throughout the fall until impact. Is there any science on either side of this question?
posted by neodem
on Aug 17, 2005 -
23 answers
A distant relative of mine recently died after undergoing a dramatic weight-loss treatment prescribed by his doctor. My family members claim it was not gastric bypass surgery, but rather a mysterious therapy his doctor called "the undertaker's friend."
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posted by junkbox
on Aug 16, 2005 -
32 answers
I'm young, not religious, and I am convinced that when I'm dead, I'm dead. I don't care what happens to my remains when I eventually die, but I'm wondering: what's the cheapest,
legal way to
dispose of my body? I live in Chicago, and from my research, even to donate my body to science or to have it cremated would
cost over a grand. Any other options? I just don't want to be a burden to my survivors.
posted by andshewas
on Aug 11, 2005 -
26 answers
Have the
recent injuries and
deaths at the Disney themeparks affected your decision to visit any of those parks in the near or distant future? (List of industry wide accidents
here.)
posted by IndigoSkye
on Aug 5, 2005 -
16 answers
A relative who's nearly a hundred years old wishes to die.
This relative is housed and cared for, has had a huge and interesting life, but since losing sight and hearing and bladder control and autonomy and pretty much everything else, frankly would like to die.
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posted by anonymous
on Jul 21, 2005 -
7 answers
My wife and I recently rented a house in the Phinney Ridge area of Seattle. When renting I saw that all of the outlets were 3 prong outlets and that there was a breaker box and not a fuse box, so I assumed it was all wired correctly. Now that we've moved in, I've found that 6 of the 10 outlets are coming up as "open ground" when using a grounding tester.
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posted by freshgroundpepper
on Jul 4, 2005 -
13 answers
Unexpected death in the family. I'm in charge of finding out how to obtain a memorial bench on the California coast, preferably in a state park.
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posted by mudpuppie
on Jun 20, 2005 -
5 answers
When discussing the Iraq war, pro-war people often state that things would be worse under Saddam. This seems to imply that more people would have died under Saddam than as a result of the invasion/occupation thus far. I want to dispute these types of statements but honestly I don't know if it is true or not. I haven't seen any real firm figure on how many people died under Saddam and at what rate he killed people. I know that the folks at Iraqbodycount.net keep a running count of those who died as a direct result of the Iraq war. Have any credible comparisons been done between the numbers of deaths we have caused and the numbers he usually caused? If so, what were the results?
posted by aburd
on Jun 13, 2005 -
24 answers
I am an atheist. My inevitable death and the deaths of those I love causes me occasional mental distress. I have no afterlife to look forward to, only oblivion. Is there a way of thinking about this that will make me feel better about it, or should I resign myself to feeling really down about it from time to time?
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posted by obiwanwasabi
on Jun 5, 2005 -
76 answers
My friend's mother died of breast cancer in November, and this is her first Mother's day without her. Any recommendations on gifts or other things to help her through this tough time?
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posted by forforf
on Apr 27, 2005 -
19 answers
How would someone go about finding about the estate and/or will of a relative you just found out died?
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posted by anonymous
on Apr 20, 2005 -
4 answers
Help us identify this book/movie: The only thing we can remember is something along the lines of, "Losing one parent was understandable, but losing two just seemed careless." I seem to remember it's from one of those British children's fantasy novels that start with the kid's parents dying off — or from a parody of one of those novels? But really, we're both just stumped.
posted by nebulawindphone
on Apr 19, 2005 -
7 answers
Has the Terri Schiavo situation led you to tell a loved one how long you'd wish to to be kept alive if you're completely incapacitated? If so, how long?
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posted by bruceyeah
on Mar 25, 2005 -
36 answers
My father passed away from a rare cancer last week. I'd like to send my mother regular "care packages" to ease her through this transition and let her know I'm thinking of her.
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posted by Sangre Azul
on Mar 8, 2005 -
9 answers
A friend recently posed this question, and I had no answer:
How come movies always have blood trickling out of the mouth to show that someone is really dead? Does death by physical trauma always cause internal bleeding and your lungs to fill up with blood and eventually work its way out of your mouth? Or is it just that a trickle of blood from the mouth is more dramatic than just a dead stare?
posted by arielmeadow
on Mar 7, 2005 -
18 answers
The book was probably published in the 1970s or 1980s, with green on the cover, black-and-white photographs throughout, and talked about the death of a bird. I vaguely recall a photo or two of the bird being buried in a shoebox. What is the name of this book, and who is the writer/photographer?
posted by itchie
on Feb 28, 2005 -
10 answers
My cat died. Quite suddenly. Web searches don't show up anything which matches the symptoms or suddenness. I'd like some idea of what caused it, especially if it might be contagious (as there are two more cats to worry about).
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posted by handee
on Feb 28, 2005 -
18 answers
The abbreviation R.I.P. stands for the Latin "Reqiescat in Pace." I'm trying to get past the insensitivity of not bothering to spell out the epitaph on someone's tombstone and instead concentrate on understanding why and how this convention originated.
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posted by Jeff Howard
on Feb 23, 2005 -
25 answers
Several years ago, I heard, on some TV show that the total number of people who have died up until now is less than the number of people alive today. Then I saw
this. (+)
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posted by arse_hat
on Feb 8, 2005 -
23 answers
GriefandConsolationFilter: I (perhaps too quickly) volunteered to help assemble a memorial scrapbook for a woman who works for the same company as me, and who was murdered by her boyfriend a few days ago. I never met her and I hear she was very nice, so I'm fishing for any good poems, quotes, and or ideas. She was young (24) and died too soon but since we never met, I'm at a loss. All suggestion appreciated muchly.
posted by mrs.pants
on Feb 4, 2005 -
6 answers
Dealing with suicide. No, not me, someone in my family, who is now dearly departed.
Comments, suggestions, advice? Thanks.
posted by anonymous
on Jan 25, 2005 -
10 answers
What can/should you do for a co-worker in your department who only has a few weeks left to live, and is already at the hospital?
Even if you aren't particularly close, one has the feeling one should do
something. But what?
posted by ShawnStruck
on Jan 14, 2005 -
15 answers
Tonight the father of a close friend of mine passed away. In the last month this is the third relative he has lost and his mother is in cancer treatement : more inside
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posted by elpapacito
on Jan 11, 2005 -
11 answers
BereavementFilter: Etiquettement dilemma about opening/agitating mourning versus sharing in a small life-afirming-recollection-of-the-deceased, er, something (the [+] might make more sense, sorry)
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posted by PurplePorpoise
on Jan 9, 2005 -
11 answers
My professor's father just died. Normally I wouldn’t care, but I really like this prof and it’s a very small class where everyone knows each other. I would like to offer some condolence, especially since this happened right before the holidays, even if it is just a short email message. Would this be appropriate? What should I say / not say?
posted by fourstar
on Dec 7, 2004 -
37 answers
My cousin and his family were found dead yesterday. While he and I were not close in recent years because we'd lost touch, I feel deep sadness for what my aunt and uncle are going through. (I am still in touch with them.) This leaves me with two questions. What is the normal process of a homicide investigation? What is an appropriate/meaningful way to show support to my aunt and uncle even though I live out of state and am completely unable to attend any funeral arrangements which may be made?
posted by anonymous
on Nov 29, 2004 -
5 answers
What would you like your epitaph to read? If you prefer not to be buried, what shall become of your mortal remains?
posted by baphomet
on Nov 27, 2004 -
56 answers
How difficult would it be for an American to fake their own death? How would it be done?
posted by cmonkey
on Nov 23, 2004 -
30 answers
My very best friend lost her 6 month old baby girl to a freak accident last week. We're surrounding her and her family with love and understanding and whatever they need, but I'd love to hear the opinions of anyone who has been in this situation. What did you need or want in your time of loss? Suggestions for practical things (dinner, laundry, etc) or otherwise are all welcome.
posted by chiababe
on Nov 16, 2004 -
19 answers
After watching "Dawn Of the Dead" the other night, I was reminded of a story I remember from my elementary school days. Naturally, I can't remember the title. Here's the catch - I can't remember if this was a novel we read in school, or some sort of PBS series we saw in school (After giving it a bit more thought, I suppose it could be both, eh?). All I remember is the following key plot point: all adults (I believe it was anyone over age 'n') die off. No zombies or anything. [A few more details inside]
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posted by adamkempa
on Nov 8, 2004 -
15 answers
Someone in my immediate family was involved in a car accident today on a highway, and he was in the wrong (though no alcohol or drugs were involved). Not only that, but the other driver was killed, and he is probably going to be charged. He is traumatized, extremely distressed, in a bad state mentally. My question is for advice from anyone who has dealt with this kind of situation.
posted by anonymous
on Oct 28, 2004 -
15 answers
Can people actually die in their sleep, without first waking up with the pain or surprise of the sudden crisis that lead to their death? What are the chances? [
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posted by MiguelCardoso
on Oct 25, 2004 -
23 answers
I'd like to put the war in people's faces a little more by showing a running tally of the deaths of U.S. soldiers on my blog. Is there an RSS feed of this info anywhere? I'm thinking of information structured something like this... >>
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posted by luser
on Sep 8, 2004 -
2 answers
In
Tuesdays With Morrie, there is a passage in about ones relationship with death:
Morrie answers, "Do what the Buddhist do. Every day, have a little bird on your shoulder that asks 'Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?' " Is there really such a practice in Buddhism? I haven't been able to find one non-
Morrie reference anywhere.
posted by 4easypayments
on Aug 27, 2004 -
6 answers
