CBS newsman Ed Bradley was a big fan of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, KATC-TV reports. On Friday, the Jazz Fest honored his memory and his two decades of support with an opening day jazz funeral procession, complete with two brass bands. Bradley, who died in November, had wanted to be remembered at the festival with a “second line” parade, so called because watchers often fall in to form a second line of paraders. “He put it in his will. He wanted a second line and a New Orleans brass band and Quint Davis to put it all together,” said his widow, Patricia Blanchet.

Davis, the festival producer, unveiled two portraits of Bradley painted on large pieces of wood _ one a larger-than-life picture of his face, the other showing Bradley in a golf cart that he used to drive to get from stage to stage at the festival. The portraits will be part of the festival’s annual “ancestors” exhibit, likenesses of people important to the festival and it’s musical legacy. His voice breaking, an emotional Davis said: “We are happy to be sad and say, `You will always be here at Jazz Fest.’”

Davis introduced singer Jimmy Buffett as the person who first brought Bradley to the festival in the 1980s, and the first to pull him up on stage and hand him a tambourine. “Bless you Father for bringing us a really bad tambourine player but a great friend,” Buffett said Friday. Buffett took credit for giving Bradley the nickname “Teddy Badly.”

About 45 of Bradley’s friends participating in the parade wore small green pins with the name “Teddy” printed on them.

Bradley’s admirers began posting suggestions that he be honored with a jazz funeral on the festival Web site’s message boards soon after his death. Someone signing in as “chicagomike” wrote, “I make a motion to request a Ed Bradley Funeral Parade at the 2007 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Other fans followed up with stories of meeting Bradley at music clubs around New Orleans and of seeing him on stage at the Jazz Fest. “Breambob” wrote of admiring Bradley’s bravery reporting from Vietnam in the ’70s, and telling him so when Bradley stepped up next to him at a New Orleans bar in the early ’90s. “I offered to buy him a drink and told him that story. He insisted on buying me one. Kind, generous, wise and extremely talented. And he truly loved New Orleans,” Breambob wrote.

In a CBS interview the day after Bradley’s death, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis told Steve Kroft of 60 minutes that Bradley loved sharing a stage with musicians. “He would be up on the stage, you know; he wanted to be playing with cats. So he’d get him a tambourine,” Marsalis told Kroft.

To settle a lawsuit, the Department of Veterans Affairs has agreed to add the Wiccan pentacle to a list of approved religious symbols that it will engrave on veterans’ headstones.

Until now, the Veterans Affairs department had approved 38 symbols to indicate the faith of deceased service members on memorials. It normally takes a few months for a petition by a faith group to win the department’s approval, but the effort on behalf of the Wiccan symbol took about 10 years and a lawsuit, said Richard B. Katskee, assistant legal director for Americans United.

The group attributed the delay to religious discrimination. Many Americans do not consider Wicca a religion, or hold the mistaken belief that Wiccans are devil worshipers.

“The Wiccan families we represented were in no way asking for special treatment,” the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United, said at a news conference Monday. “They wanted precisely the same treatment that dozens of other religions already had received from the department, an acknowledgment that their spiritual beliefs were on par with those of everyone else.”

There are 1,800 Wiccans in the armed forces, according to a Pentagon survey cited in the suit, and Wiccans have their faith mentioned in official handbooks for military chaplains and noted on their dog tags.

New York Times has the full story.

Three Beautiful Things:

1. Hummingbird scouts
2. Lush green grass
3. Finally making a decision

First we go to the mailbox:

“I saw a KISS (the rock group) urn in a movie today. Do you have any idea where I could find one of these or where I could have one made? “

Evidently, the movie Elizabethtown, starring Orlando Bloom & Kirsten Dunst, has a bizarre KISS reference. At one point, a KISS Forever cremation urn makes a brief appearance in the 2 hour film. This might give Gene Simmons an idea for some new KISS merchandise after the infamous KISS Casket..?

We checked out scenes of Elizabethtown, and lost interest immediately. Bloom and Dunst on their cellphones…in the rain….how romantic. No thanks.

Regarding the urn, so sorry.

Speaking of mail, previously the earliest our mail arrived was around 2 PM. Since the route is on wheels, mail is arriving at 11 AM. This should thrill the Wilhelm’s.

Today’s tip for better living: Do some push-ups.

Inspiration comes from Texas and New Mexico. First up:

Conroe, TX, wife and daughters who lost hub and daddy. 67, retired educator. Four year battle with cancer, married for over 40 years. Even during his illness, they never discussed THE END. No will. No final arrangements. Until 2007.

No church service, no sad songs. Friends and family gathered on his birthday for a memorial celebration on their property which adjoins a park. Food, friends, pictures and memories.

The girls picked out cobalt blue crystal. The ashes will be divided among the keepsakes, the remainder to be co-mingled with his wife. She has written instructions for her daughters as to where she wants their ashes spread.

Urngarden wants to know: What’s the secret to a long loving marriage?

The key seems to be communication, “fight it out”; but close with “I Love You”.

And then the call from New Mexico:

Cremation has taken place, and there will be no funeral. A memorial gathering and celebration of ****’s life will take place at Reflections, 2400 Washington NE, at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 7, 2007; followed by a reception at the family home. Rather than flowers, her family suggests a donation in **** name to PB & J Family Services, Albuquerque, NM; or a charity of your choice.

He lost his wife on 3/31/07. She was 48. Today’s her birthday.

We thank the families sharing their stories.

Non-profits will benefit from this trend, but the funeral and floral industry are trying to figure out how to deal with these families. Some of the funeral directors compare themselves to wedding planners.

Our thoughts on flowers, bring em on. Everything goes better with flowers.

Except for allergies.

Questions in my mind:

What is Life in the Garden?

Example of keywords used to arrive at this url:

chinese ash keepsakes
how to arrange cardboard boxes
urns for the rich
disposable logo

honolulu noise curfew basketball
pentecostal view on cremation
death +benefits for dishonorably discharged veterns

uss ogalala
york town woman feet massage on body
aloha
keith richards asch cocaine
grandmother memorial tattoos

garden shops with grave site supplies Chicago
salvage pearl harbour 1941
iran fountain of blood
fedex cremains

So it’s liquid.
And therapy.
Bear with me.

From the sports desk: If you are a “toolsy outfielder”, is that a good thing? We wrote to a jock find out:

“I’m assuming that means a player is multi functional in regards to his abilities…like he possesses all the “tools” speed, defense, and hitting.”

“In other words, the player has all the ingredients to succeed.Again, that’s an assumption coming from an individual who is often referred to by the first three letters of the verb in this sentence.”

NR

In the mailbox: Drama in the hood.
The “offenders” went into hiding over the weekend.

But…..KY should have talked to the carriers. They HATE this route. Nobody wants it. We’ve had a steady rotation of carriers in the last couple of years. It’s a killer. Long. Everyone owns a dog or two. It’s not unusual to get your mail at 6 PM and it makes sense to take it to the street. Get it on wheels.

Cruising the neighborhood is one of the best parts of the day for Merl Wilhelm but it has some competition.

“The mail’s the excitement of my day! As soon as the mail comes, my wife and I discuss who’s going to look at it first!” said Wilhelm.

We may see if the Wilhelm’s would like a part-time job in the mail room here in the Garden. I could set them up on the shredder with my AM EX solicitations.

We realize that we need three people for the price of one….

Personal Assistant

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Graphics, Web Design, Search Engine Optimization, Assist in creating presentations, sales materials and online creative ads
• Logistics Manager
• Building Maintenance (includes grounds keeping)
• Culinary Chef

KNOWLEDGE/ SKILLS/ EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to make sound business decisions and exhibit detail orientation
• Ability to follow up and adapt quickly in fast-paced digital industry
• Strong organizational skills and ability to prioritize
• Maintain effective interdepartmental relationships and foster a positive workforce environment
• Must represent with professionalism and integrity
• Clean driving record.
• Background in plumbing, electrical, and carpentry helpful
• Must own your own tools.
• Multi-lingual, preferably in the languages of English, Chinese (Cantonese) and Hindi. Spanish is helpful.
• Good hand-eye coordination.
• Works well without supervision and can anticipate my every movement.
• Ability to translate and execute the science of nutrition into everyday quick consumable products.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is required to walk, stand, use hands to finger, handle or feel; reach with hands and arms climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl and talk and hear. Regularly required to sit or stand, reach, bend and move about the facility.

Working Conditions: Work is performed in a controlled atmosphere. Some exposure to atmospheric conditions may be encountered.

Today’s tip for better living: Swallow your pride.

Earlier we mentioned that the richest woman in Asia passed, we’ll also say goodbye to one of the world’s richest women Helen Walton. RIP.

Advertising insiders hint that GM and other sponsors are ready to hook up with Imus….what a difference a week makes!

Television news has been grim the last few months- Dirtsister been reprimanded by other viewers in the room to dispense with the heavy sighs and harumfing.

Chatter hit it with this post.

Regarding news stories, 64 year old New Orleans resident, Vivian Westerman was the inspiration for today’s greeting. “I got a 6,000-watt generator and the cutest little Smith & Wesson, snub-nose .38 you ever saw,” she boasted. “I’ve never been more confident.”

Westerman, an artist who lives in the city’s Algiers neighborhood, is prepared to use deadly force. “I’m a marksman now. I know what I’m doing,” she said. “There are a lot of us. The girl next door is a crack shot.”

On a lighter note, have a great weekend!

We continue with the mourning jewelry exhibit. Today’s samples are of hair work designs from the Victorian era. Yes, hair! Usually plaited and woven into intricate designs. Serpents (eternal life) and anchors (hope) were popular themes.

Today’s modern designs don’t have the symbolism and not many bracelet selections are available. Regardless, the urn jewelry is very popular with our families.

Have a lovely weekend!

Today’s tip for better living: If you HAVE hair….consider donating to Locks of Love.

Greetings!

While doing research for an article on cremation urn jewelry, we felt the need to share early examples of the art form. So we are having an exhibit in the garden this week.

Early memento mori featured skulls and crossbones and we’ll display those later this week. Serpents symbolize eternal life and are often featured in the Victorian designs. Today’s examples will feature brooches and pendents made from jet and ebony originating from the Civil War period.

Soldiers going off to war would often leave a lock of hair with the family, in the event he didn’t make it home. Memorial jewelry peaked in popularity during the Victorian era.

Today’s tip for better living: Absorb.

Asia’s richest woman, Nina Wang, the famously frugal Hong Kong tycoon who died last week, is to get a hugely lavish, no-expense-spared send-off April 18, reports Agence France Presse. Wang’s family is spending millions of dollars on flowers for the funeral of the late head of the Chinechem property business.

Wang, known in Asia as “Little Sweetie”, died April 3 aged 69, had a 4.2 billion dollar fortune, was famous for wearing discounted clothes and dining out at fast-food restaurants. She built up the Chinachem Group into one of the city’s largest private companies after inheriting it from her husband Teddy Wang, who disappeared in 1990, believed kidnapped.

Nina, who famously sported mini-skirts and pig-tails well into her 60s, died leaving no heirs and never publicly named a beneficiary. Her lawyer Jonathan Midgely is reported to have said she left her fortune to just one person, but would not reveal the identity of this person until at least after her funeral. She will be cremated and buried in a Catholic ceremony.

Wang, ranked by Forbes Magazine as Asia’s 35th richest person, had no children but is survived by at least one brother and reportedly other siblings.

Lawyer Wong Tak-sing said under Hong Kong law Nina Wang’s brothers and sisters could apply to inherit her fortune if she did not have a will. Wang’s nieces or nephews could share the wealth as well if their parents had died.

Wang successfully battled her father-in-law for a multi-billion dollar estate left by her late husband Teddy Wang, a property tycoon who vanished more than a decade ago.

Central to the marathon probate case was a handwritten will that Wang said was penned and signed by Teddy in March 1990, a month before he was kidnapped and never seen again. Some reports at the time said Teddy was gagged and bound and thrown out to sea from a Chinese “sampan” boat.

Teddy was also kidnapped in 1983 when his car was hijacked, and only released — left in an iron box at the side of a road — after Nina paid an $11 million ransom.