Toadfish Monastery

Ingenious idea

Ingenious?! Isn't the idea just a tiny bit disturbing to you (even if it is fake)?

Disturbing and not disturbing.  Not disturbing from a scientific or curious viewpoint, to observe the decomposition process.  A bit disturbing in terms of who might actually enjoy following a coffin cam along its progress. Very disturbing from an exhibitionist point of view; who would want one's friends and family to watch you decompose?

It's pretty yukky, but I have to admit I'd feel a ghoulish fascination to take a peek.
As for what anybody does with my body after I die, I couldn't care less.  They can put it in a glass case and let the public watch; it wouldn't affect me.  But of course, as Aggie says, I wouldn't like to think of my nearest and dearest seeing it, so maybe no after all.

Quote from: Sibling Zono (anon1mat0) on February 21, 2010, 12:19:28 AM
Ingenious?! Isn't the idea just a tiny bit disturbing to you (even if it is fake)?

The two are not mutually exclusive

I could not locate a link with a quick google-- (couldn't think of keywords that did not yield really gross porn) but there is a university site somewhere, that has made a study of human remains decaying in the open.

They use donated cadavers, and place them in a sort of "garden" that is out in the open, (but protected from larger predators) and let nature do it's thing, from insects to small rodents, to winter to summer rain.   

They leave these out for years, and routinely come back to sample the soil, etc.  This creates a forensic baseline for forensic scientists to use, to help determine date of death out in the "real" world.

Sadly, I cannot recall either the university, nor the name of the place.  But I've seen it mentioned on several Discovery Channel shows.

The Body Farm, University of Tennessee.

Quote from: The Meromorph on February 22, 2010, 01:39:24 AM
The Body Farm, University of Tennessee.

Thanks!

From that helpful name, comes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_farm

http://web.utk.edu/~fac/

From the second link, top-of-the-page:  (blinking, no less) We do not provide tours of our Outdoor Research Facility. 
That they felt they needed to say this, says much....  little that is good.  *sigh*

Wenn ich einmal tot bin und kalt,
der Körper müde und alt.
Oder jung - das was geschah,
war nicht das, was erwartet war.
Das Leben ist aus - vorbei.
Macht keinen Krach, macht kein Geschrei.

Gebt meinen Körper den Raben,
daß die Raben was zu nagen haben.
Fleischstückchen, die sie ihren Kindern bringen.
Und dazu sollt Ihr Choräle singen.

Meine Augen, mein weißer Nacken,
darin sollen die Raben hacken.
Gebt mich den Raben, daß sie was haben,
daß sie was kriegen, worauf sie fliegen.
Bloß kein Entsetzen, wenn sie sich setzen,
Ihr sollt mich nicht verbrennen, nicht vergraben.
Gebt meinen Körper, gebt ihn den Raben.

Nasenspitze, kleiner süßer Daumen,
geöffneter Mund, ein Stückchen vom Gaumen,
Wangenfleisch -
und singt, singt Choräle.

Der eine Rabe hackt die Kehle,
der and're hackt in das Bein ein Loch.
Und Ihr singt - ihr singt immer noch!

Wenn ich tot bin,
nicht mehr am Leben,
sollt Ihr mich den Raben geben.
Brust und Bauch
und dicker, fetter Zeh.
Einer Leiche tut das nicht weh!
Vergeßt daß es mich gegeben hat.
Ich bin tot und die Raben werden satt.

So hab' ich gelebt und im Tode noch
hacken die Raben in das Bein ein Loch.
So hab' ich gelebt, gelebt.
So hab' ich gelebt, gelebt.
Ich will, daß Ihr mich den Raben gebt.
Ich will, daß Ihr mich den Raben gebt.

 
That's really, really good.  Are you going to translate it for general appreciation?  If not, I'll have a shot (with your permission).
There's a Scottish song, 'The Twa Corbies' which has some bits which echo that theme.
_{PS Why have you got one big, fat toe?}

That poem (song) was not written by me.
The author is the Wowoist* Friedhelm Kändler.
The Twa Corbies is known to me (there is a Corries recording of that)

*Wo-Wo is the question Da-Da** is the answer to
**cf. Dadaism

Edit:
Here's a recording. It lacks the power of the author's own rendition though
[youtube=425,350]Xz3D6BGSJs8[/youtube]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz3D6BGSJs8

QuoteWo-Wo is the question Da-Da is the answer to

Interesting song, thanks! Though the melody is surprisingly mild and conventional for such a text.  And I think that woman is trying to be Marlene Dietrich.
OK, shall I translate it, then?
_{And why does Friedhelm Kändler have one big, fat toe?} 

As I said, the original rendition of the song is far better/more appropriate (but not on youtube afaict)
I am not a toe fetishist, so I can't tell.
Maybe it's just wC*

*kleines Weh am großen Zeh

I got the gist and proceeded to let google do the job (quite decently BTW).
--
Sounds nice. If it weren't for the rotten stench even I would suggest the idea so crows and vultures would take a feast on my honor. After all why waste a perfectly good meal?

That has a tradition in some cultures and is known as a sky burial.
The old Persians even had special buildings (the towers of silence) for that purpose