Reviews

Safelight »

Safelight by Shannon BurkeAuthor: Shannon Burke
Publisher: Random House
Year Published: 2005
Rating: Rating
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Intro

A friend loaned me “Safelight” because it’s about photography and death—two of my hobbies. She said it made her depressed. And it is a depressing book, in the same way “Tuesdays With Morrie” (Mitch Albom) is a depressing book. Drawing from his experience as a paramedic in Harlem, the author takes us on a gritty ride through the squalid backstreets of NYC circa 1990. Through his main character Frank, a paramedic, Mr. Burke relates life through ambulance calls with gruesome clarity and realism. Frank’s job is the vehicle for the story. Read the rest

Spoon River Anthology »

Spoon River AnthologyAuthor: Edgar Lee Masters
Publisher: Signet Classics
Year Published: 1915
Rating: Rating
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I’d never have known of the existence of this little treasure if not for Ross Mitchell, Executive Director of Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia. During an interview with Ross, he mentioned that portions of the book will be re-enacted on the cemetery grounds during the Philadelphia Fringe Festival on September 9, 2006. Read the rest

Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife »

Spook: Science Tackles the AfterlifeAuthor: Roach, Mary
Publisher: W. W. Norton
Year Published: 2005
Rating: Rating
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In Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, Mary Roach gave a humorous summary of what happens to our bodies when we die. Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife looks beyond the physical for proof that a part of us survives death. Read the rest

Photography Show Announcement »

Opening Reception Friday, Feb. 15, 6 - 8 pm.
http://saintasaphs.org/Current_Exhibit.html

Ed Snyder is having a show of his photography at St. Asaph Gallery, Feb. 17 – Mar. 16 2008. Twenty images spanning his 10-year study of cemetery statuary will be on display. The exhibit merges art and photography with society’s desire to come to terms with death and dying. Oh, and there will be wine and snacks to lighten things up a bit.

St. Asaph church, attached to the gallery, is sort of a miniature gothic cathedral, complete with gargoyles and Tiffany stained glass windows! It’s located one block off City Avenue, near Belmont Avenue in Philadelphia. Please see their website for directions: http://saintasaphs.org/Contacts.html

Study: Better Treatment Likely The Cause for Decline in Heart Attack Deaths »

In a six year study lead by Dr. Keith Fox, a cardiology professor at the University of Edinburgh, researchers found that deaths from heart attacks have fallen sharply. The trends parallel the growing use of cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood thinners, and angioplasty, the procedure that opens clogged arteries. Read the rest

Human Ashes Used to Grit Path »

Here’s a case for the bizarre. Workers at a Co-op funeral home mixed the remains of cremation ashes with grit and scattered them on a disabled ramp outside to prevent customers from slipping on during wintery conditions, reports Sunday Mail. Read the rest

Telekinesis Lab at Princeton Closes »

In 1979, Professor Robert Jahn, dean of Princeton’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, opened the Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) lab. Since then, he along with partner, Brenda Dunne, have run millions of trials on humans’ ability to alter a pattern of random events generated by a machine. The lab closed this month. Read the rest

Anna Nicole Smith To Be Buried in the Bahamas »

It’s been settled. With all the craze this week, it has finally been decided that Anna Nicole Smith will be buried beside her son, Daniel, at Lakeview Memorial Gardens and Mausoleums in the Bahamas. Read the rest