am 22.11.2002 02:59 Uhr schrieb Rickard A. Parker unter
[log in to unmask]:

> This is quite off topic except that I'm adding something like the
> following to my TWL website.
>
> -----------------------
>
> Those are pearls that were his eyes
>
> Full fathom five thy father lies;
> Of his bones are coral made;
> Those are pearls that were his eyes:
> Nothing of him that doth fade
> But doth suffer a sea-change
> Into something rich and strange.
>
> In Shakespeare's day people had to rely on a sea-change to turn their
> loved ones into jewelry. Not so today! A company called LifeGem is
> ready to turn the bodies of your relatives into a diamonds. Choose
> from clear or selected colors.
>
> As they say at their website:
>
> A LifeGem is a certified, high quality diamond created from the carbon
> of your loved one as a memorial to their unique and wonderful
> life. [The carbon comes from the cremated ashes of the body.] The
> LifeGem diamond is more than a memorial to visit on the weekends--it
> is a way to embrace your loved one's memory day by day.
>
> -----------------------
>
> http://www.lifegem.com/secondary/whatisLG.htm
>
> Regards,
> Rick Parker


Dear Rick,

another peculiar bit of Americana. It depicts one more time the bizarre
attitude many Americans seem to have towards death. Reminds me of the
elaborate coffins for pets I once admired at Bloomingdale's.

I wonder where those people wear the remnants of their beloved -- in their
nostrils?


Cheers,


Gunnar