Forget about traditional burials or cremation. The sky’s literally the limit when it comes to what people are choosing to do with their remains after they die.

More and more people are requesting exotic options including being turned into fireworks, diamonds, snow globes and even vinyl records. According to View Legal director Matthew Burgess the requests for unconventional body disposal options are surging.

“There is a significant and growing interest in alternative disposal approaches,” Burgess told news.com.au. The new trends mean big bucks for a number of businesses that specialize in the “body disposal” business.

Heart In Diamond who create “stunningly beautiful diamonds from your loved one’s hair or ashes” offer their services from US$3,100 for a budget 0.1 carat yellow-orange diamond with prices exceeding US$30,000 for their one carat plus diamonds.

Another method becoming more popular is cryonic freezing which was made famous in 1967 when Dr. James Bedford, a psych professor at the University of California became the first person to ever be cryonically preserved. The estimated cost for people to be frozen is US$90,000 per person.

Burgess said there are up to five requests a year for people to be turned into snow globes post-death. Vinyl records are a popular request among departing baby boomers. Another company, Ashes to Ashes, specializes in making fireworks to spread the ashes of loved ones.

But there are many more ways the human body can be laid to rest including mummification and being taken out to sea.

Hunter S. Thompson’s ashes were reportedly “shot out of a cannon.” Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards claimed to have “snorted” his father’s ashes, and rap artist Tupac Shakur’s former Outlawz band members revealed they smoked his ashes after the funeral.

传统的土葬和火葬都过时了，如今人们选择的遗体处理方式可谓是无奇不有。

越来越多的人要求用奇特的方式来安葬自己，包括被制成烟花、钻石、雪花水晶球甚至黑胶唱片。

据View Legal公司总监马修•伯吉斯透

露，非传统遗体处理的请求越来越多。

伯吉斯告诉news.com.au网站说：“越来越多的人对另类安葬方式感兴趣。”

这些新潮流给专业做“遗体处理”的多家企业带来了财运。

钻石之心公司能用“你所爱之人的头发或骨灰制成绝美钻石”，花费3100美元可以让该公司制作0.1克拉经济型黄-橙色钻石，如果花费超过3万美元，就能制作1克拉以上的钻石。

另外一个越来越流行的遗体处理方法是人体冷冻。1967年加利福尼亚大学心理学教授詹姆斯•贝德福德成为人体冷冻第一人，人体冷冻也自此闻名于世。冷冻人体的花费估计为每人9万美元。

伯吉斯称，每年会接到至少5个将遗体制成雪花水晶球的订单。遗体制成黑胶唱片在老去的婴儿潮一代人当中也很受欢迎。

另一家灰飞烟灭公司专门将客户所爱之人的骨灰制成烟花。

不过除此之外，还有很多安葬方法，包括制成木乃伊和海葬。

据报道，亨特•S•汤普森的骨灰是“从大炮射出去的”；滚石乐队吉他手基思•理查兹自称吸食其父的骨灰；说唱歌手图派克•夏库尔的扈从乐团前成员透露他们在图派克葬礼结束后把他的骨灰当烟抽。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

    【新奇的】xīnqí de unconventional not bound by or conforming to convention, rule, or precedent

    【冷冻人体的】lěngdòng réntǐ de cryonic relating to the process of freezing and storing the body of a diseased, recently deceased person to prevent tissue decomposition so that the person might be brought back to life upon development of new medical cures