UK offers virtual funerals

by Abha Malpani on

One of the only times travel sucks is when you have to for a dear one’s funeral. In our chaotic lives these days, unless it’s very close family or friends, it’s tough to be able to travel cross-continent just to pay respect to someone dear who has died.

The UK has a solution for this: overseas mourners of deceased family or friends in Britain will no longer need to feel bad that they cannot fly in for the funeral as they can now watch it on a live web cast.

The initiative is the brain child of bereavement music company Wesley Music and can be availed of for a one time fee of £75. The funeral web cast will be live from a camera at the chapel, and to view the funeral you will be given a special access password.

Although criticized by many, I personally think it’s a great service — especially if you live in a different country — as you can be part of a funeral not only mentally and spiritually, but ‘visually’ as well, almost as good as being there, no?

What strange things have been found on planes?


Click the image to read the bizarre story…

Homeless at Heathrow wear floral shirts to blend in with tourists

by Iva Skoch on

As if London’s Heathrow airport needs another PR nightmare, after the fiasco with Terminal 5. The growing homeless population that has lived inside the terminal certainly doesn’t help Heathrow’s reputation as a pleasant, smooth airport.

Time magazine reports that at 3 a.m.at Heathrow Airport, the scene of people sprawled across plastic benches in various poses of contortion looks vaguely familiar and vaguely odd.

“Each night, scores of London’s homeless men and women take advantage of modern travel delays by posing as stranded passengers in order to sleep in a warm and safe place. They play a cat-and-mouse game with police, often donning floral shirts, fanny packs and other travel accessories to blend in,” Time writes.

You could easily take this to perfection by adding a wheeled Samsonite carry-on, and, of course a paper cup from Starbucks. Seriously, what is it about floral shirts and fanny packs? Why are tourists so ridiculous?

Photo of the Day (03/31/08)

by Mike Barish on

Cool cemetery picture taken by MCE323 in Pere Lechaise, Paris on March 27. Nothing says “spring” louder than a trip to an old, spooky cemetery.

I like the frame and the different shapes of the tombstones. I love the contrast between the green and the gray. It’s like life and death.

***To have your photo considered for the Gadling Photo of the Day, go over to the Gadling Flickr Pool and post it. Make sure it is not copyrighted, otherwise we can’t post it here.***

A third day of Heathrow misery. Terminal case continues

by Iva Skoch on

Things are not working out so well at London Heathrow’s new Terminal 5. Since the terminal opened three days ago, it has been nothing but baggage problems, cancellations and misery, BBC reports. One fifth of flights from the new terminal were scrapped today: 67 out of the 330 scheduled. 37 flights have been canceled for Sunday.

A total of 208 flights in and out of the terminal were canceled during the first three days so far. Some elevators are not working. People cannot locate their bags. Sounds like a nightmare.

The cancellations also created an unexpected heavy demand for hotel rooms. An average airport hotel room, normally around $150, went up to $500 for a double room on Thursday. After many complaints, the airlines have scrapped its $200 limit for delayed passengers’ hotels.

No Eiffel Tower redesign

by Anna Brones on

On Monday we reported on plans for a temporary, upgraded observation deck that was to be built as part of the Eiffel Tower’s 120th birthday celebration. Unfortunately, it turns out that those plans were not definitive.

As reported by the New York Times, David Serero, principal of Serero Architects, stated later in the week that the firm’s proposal was no more than a spontaneous design that it had submitted to the Eiffel Tower management group. Apparently the designs were neither in response to a design competition nor a project contracted by the tower’s management; the architectural firm had merely put pictures of the proposed project on its website and the media jumped all over it, assuming it was a fixed deal.

Looks like the Eiffel Tower will be left alone… for now.