Saturday 7 November 2009

How To Prepare For A Burial Service

If you are preparing to honor the memory of your loved one with a burial and subsequent memorial service, there some considerations to keep in mind. The costs, decisions, and general location of each event will have to be arranged, but keep in mind that everything can be done beforehand or at the immediate time of death, though several difficulties can arise without arrangement ahead of time.

Cremation or Burial

Deciding between a cremation and a burial service depends on many factors. Does your belief system prefer one over the other? Did your deceased loved one have a preference in their will? Do you or your family have a preference against burning? Whatever your reasoning may be, deciding on a cremation or burial is an important factor to consider for financial reasons, as well. Cremation entails a transportation and cremation fee, whereas burials require reservations for the burial location in a cemetery, the headstone, the casket, the burial process itself, and any additional fees that the cemetery may charge for upkeep.

Burial Options

Was your loved one a part of the armed naval forces? Perhaps they would have wanted a burial service at sea, where they would be transported to an ocean location so they can rest beneath the tranquil waves. Another option is to entomb their remains within a mausoleum, which can be generational or a part of a unique family tradition. Of course, there is always a traditional interment, which will allow you to pick a specific cemetery location and bury them beneath the earth itself. Whatever you choose, be aware that all of these options require a modicum of planning, and might not be available immediately at your loved one's passing. Reserving ahead of time may save you a substantial amount of time, energy, and money.

Benefits Of A Burial

It's important to note that the substantial differences offered with a burial service allow you to perform several additional services for your loved one. The first is that when erecting a headstone, you also have the option of choosing a monument. If you want to visit your loved one's gravesite at a later date, you may wish to customize this for future generations to admire and enjoy. As well, many individuals take comfort in the notion that their loved one is slowly returning to the elements from which they were formed, becoming a part of the earth once more. Whatever your beliefs or preferences, the many benefits of burials allow you and your loved ones to visit a custom site, which can be at a large variety of locations, from local cemeteries to military, religious, or specific geographic areas that suit your needs.

Wednesday 7 January 2009

Miami Vice Ferrari Goes Up For Grabs

What red blooded boy (and even a few girls) will not stop what they are doing and stare when any Ferrari goes rolling by? When I was a teenage boy I would have all my buddies over and we would all watch Miami Vice. Yes, because it was a great, ahead of its time investigative show, but one of the main reasons was we all wanted to be Sonny Crocket, if for nothing else, so we could live in a boat, carry a gun, be surrounded by pretty girls, but most importantly, so we could have a white Ferrari Testarossa as our daily driver!

Well, you too can now have your shot at owning and driving the very Ferrari that Don Johnson used in Miami Vice. Complete with the Radio Shack like permanently mounted cell phone still in it. How cool is that? 
There were actually two Testarossa's in the show that were given to NBC by Ferrari, after Ferrari sued them for using old Corvettes modified to look like Daytona's. Not a bad deal for NBC to have Two new Ferrari's forced upon you. We should all be sued like that.

Last year this very same car was on eBay where the owner was asking a whopping $1.75 million. There were no takers, so now the car is back and going to a Mecum Auction in Monterey, CA. August 13-15. The car has only accumulated a little over 16,000 miles since its birth and still shows to be in mint condition, with all the proper service work complete.

I think it would be appropriate if Mr. Don Johnson was there himself to auction it off. We have heard no rumors of this, but would not be surprised if he was at the very least there to shake some hands and sign some autographs for some of us 50 year olds.

With the price of at least this Testarossa, heading north of the original sticker price of the car in 1986, most of us will have to be content to just watch the auction on tv and reminisce about our teenage years when at least in our dreams, we were Sonny Crocket.