https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune_Society

The Neptune Society, Inc. is an American provider of cremation services that was founded in Plantation, Florida.[1]

The San Francisco Columbarium has been owned and operated by the Neptune society since the 1970s

History

edit
The Neptune Society was established in 1973 and was incorporated in 1985.[2]
In 1999, the Neptune Society announced its completion of equity financing of $7 million with Standard Securities Capital Corp. in Toronto and appointed Marco Markin as president and chief executive.[3] In 2000, the company announced it had acquired the Cremation Society of Iowa[4] and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission to be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange.[5] In 2003, it was reported that an $11.5 million deal proposed by the firm of Walt Disney’s great-nephew to buy Neptune Society was called off.[6]
In June 2011, Service Corporation Internationalannounced it had purchased control by buying a 70 percent share of the company. At that time, the company's annual revenues were more than $55 million and it had more than $125 million in future revenue on its books.

The Neptune Memorial Reef is an underwater memorial 3.25 miles (5.23 km) off the coast of Key Biscayne, Florida, where cremated ashes can be interred. Neptune's burial at sea involves mixing cremated remains into concrete for a sturdy and secure final resting place.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune_Society

List of people buried by the Neptune Society


Julia Child
Fred Ladd
Mike Reynolds

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Service_Corporation_International&wprov=rarw1

Robert L. Waltrip founded the company in 1962.[7]SCI began as a small network of funeral homes and cemeteries in the Houston area.
SCI, Alderwoods Group, and Stewart Enterprisesemerged from the 1990s as the three largest companies in the industry. On December 31, 1999, SCI owned and operated 3,823 funeral service locations, 525 cemeteries, 198 crematoria and two insurance operations located in 20 countries on five continents.[8]
In 1999, SCI also introduced its Dignity Memorial branding.[9]
Between 2002 and 2006, SCI reduced its net debt (total debt minus cash) by more than US$1.0 billion, increased operating cash flow, and simplified its field management organization to enhance efficiency, performance, and accountability. It also changed business and sales processes, tightened internal controls following the protocols, strengthened corporate governance standards, and established a new training and development system. For its shareholders, SCI returned value through more than US$335 million in share repurchases and it resumed payment of a regular quarterly dividend in early 2005, the first since 1999.

Notable properties

edit
Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum in Miami
Crown Hill Funeral Home and Cemetery in Indianapolis
Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel in Manhattan, New York City[13]
Glenwood Memorial Gardens, Broomall, Pennsylvania
Greenwood/Memory Lawn Mortuary & Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona
Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries in New Orleans
Pierce Brothers Mortuary in Los Angeles
Riverside Memorial Chapel in Manhattan, New York City
Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas
Westwood Village Memorial Park in Westwood, Los Angeles, California
Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Colma, California

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Assassins

The Order of Assassins or simply the Assassins(Persian: حشاشين, romanized: Ḥaššāšīn) were a Nizari Isma'ili order that existed between 1090 and 1275 AD, founded by Persian[1] commander Hassan-i Sabbah.

During that time, they lived in the mountains of Iranand the Levant, and held a strict subterfuge policy throughout the Middle East, posing a substantial strategic threat to Fatimid, Abbasid, and Seljukauthority, and killing several Christian leaders. Over the course of nearly 200 years, they killed hundreds who were considered enemies of the Nizari Isma'ili state. The modern term assassination is believed to stem from the tactics used by the Assassins.[2]
Contemporaneous historians include Arabs ibn al-Qalanisi and Ali ibn al-Athir, and the Persian Ata-Malik Juvayni. The first two referred to the Assassins as batiniyya, an epithet widely accepted by Isma'ilis themselves.[3][4]


The word asas in Arabic means "principle". The Asāsiyyūn (plural, from literary Arabic) were, as defined in Arabic, the principle people. The term "assassin" likely has roots in hashshāshīn ("hashish smokers or users"), a mispronunciation of the original Asāsiyyūn, but not a mispronunciation of Assasiyeen (pronounced "Asāsiyyeen", the plural of "Asasi"). Originally referring to the methods of political control exercised by the Assasiyuun, one can see how it became "assassin" in several languages to describe similar activities anywhere.

Mithraism, also known as the Mithraic mysteriesor the Cult of Mithras, was a Roman mystery religion centered on the god Mithras. Although inspired by Iranian worship of the Zoroastriandivinity (yazata) Mithra, the Roman Mithras was linked to a new and distinctive imagery, and the level of continuity between Persian and Greco-Roman practice remains debatable.[a] The mysteries were popular among the Imperial Roman army from the 1st to the 4th century CE.[2]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mithraism

Zoroastrianism (Persian: دین زرتشتی, romanized: Din-e Zartoshti), also known as Mazdayasna (Avestan: 𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬯𐬥𐬀, romanized: mazdaiiasna) and Behdin(Persian: بهدین), is an Iranian religion. Among the world's oldest organized faiths, it is based on the teachings of Iranian prophet Zarathustra — commonly known by his Greek name Zoroaster — as set forth in the primary religious text called the Avesta. Zoroastrians exalt an uncreated and benevolent deity of wisdom as the universe's supreme being, commonly referred to as Ahura Mazda (Avestan: 𐬀𐬵𐬎𐬭𐬋 𐬨𐬀𐬰𐬛𐬃). Opposed to Ahura Mazda is Angra Mainyu (Avestan: 𐬀𐬢𐬭𐬀⸱𐬨𐬀𐬌𐬥𐬌𐬌𐬎), who is personified as a destructive spirit and the adversary of all things good. Zoroastrianism combines a dualistic cosmology of good and evilwith an eschatology that predicts the ultimate triumph of Ahura Mazda over evil.[1] Opinions vary among scholars as to whether the religion is monotheistic,[1] polytheistic,[2] henotheistic,[3] or a combination of all three.[4] Zoroastrianism shaped Iranian culture and history, while scholars differ on whether it significantly influenced ancient Western philosophy and the Abrahamic religions,[5][6] or gradually reconciled with other religions and traditions, such as Christianity and Islam.[7]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism

Killyleagh Castle is the main attraction in the small village of Killyleagh in Northern Ireland. The oldest parts of the castle date back to 1180 and it is believed to be the oldest castle in the country. King James I gave the land the castle sits on to James Hamilton, who later became the 1st Viscount Claneboye — he built a single towered castle and courtyard walls.Since 1625, Killyleagh Castle has been the home of the Hamilton family. In 1666, James Hamilton’s son, Henry Hamilton rebuilt the castle, adding another tower and built the long fortified wall in front of the castle. His castle is what still stands today.

The Alcázar of Segovia was originally an Arab fortress built atop the remains of a Roman fort. The earliest written records mentioning the castle date back to around 1120 after the city was reconquered by King Alfonso VI.
Under the reign of King Alfonso VIII and his wife Eleanor of England, the castle became their primary residence and they began the construction of the castle as it exists today.
The castle remained one of the most important fortresses for the monarchs of Castile until they moved the capital to Madrid. In 1882, the castle was slowly restored to its original state and in 1896, King Alfonso XIII gave the castle to the Ministry of War to use as a military college.

Rochester Castle was built sometime in the late 1080s after William II asked Gundulf, Bishop of Rochester to build a stone castle in Rochester so he could take command of an important river crossing.
This stone castle is one of the earliest of its type in England, as many of the country’s early castles were initially built of motte and bailey.
In 1127, the Archbishop of Cantebury began building the castle’s great keep, which is one of the best preserved in England or France as well as the tallest such building to survive in Europe.
The castle was repaired during the 19th and 20th centuries and today is open to the public under the guardianship of English Heritage.

The initial fortress of Hohensalzbug Castle was built in 1077 by Gebhard I of Helffenstein, who was the archbishop at the time. Although Archbishop Gebhard was forced into exile, his successors completed the fortress.
During the reign of the Holy Roman Empire, the archbishops of Salzburg continued to expand the castle to protect their power and interests. Around 1500, Archbishop Leonard von Keutschach completed the fortress as it looks today.
Although the castle was built as a fortress, it only came under siege once during the German Peasants’ War in 1525. The castle was refurbished during the late 19th century and has remained as a popular tourist attraction since then.

Although there was a royal residence at Windsor during the Saxon times, around the 9th century, construction of the first castle began sometime around 1070 after the Norman Invasion of England by William the Conqueror.
Since the reign of King Henry I, Windsor castle has been used by England’s reigning monarch, which makes it the longest-occupied palace in Europe.
The original castle was built of motte and bailey, but was gradually replaced with stone fortifications. When Henry III came into power, he built a luxurious royal palace within the castle and Edward III rebuilt the palace to make it even grander.
Windsor Castle is still owned by the English royal family and is a popular tourist attraction.

The first castle to be built on the site of Warwick Castle was constructed in 1068 by William the Conquerer. Beginning around 1260, the castle was gradually rebuilt in stone by each successive Earl of Warwick.
Over the next century, various Earls of Warwick added onto the original structure and in 1350, Caesar’s Tower and Dungeon was constructed followed by Guy’s Tower in 1395.
Warwick Castle fell into disrepair during the 16th century and did not undergo repairs until the early 17th century. In 1978, the Greville family who had owned the castle for over 374, sold it to the Tussauds Group (a media and entertainment company) for £1.3 million ($1.7 million), who extensively restored the castle and grounds.

Reichsburg Cochem or Cochem Castle is one of the oldest castles in the world. It is believed that this German castle was first built around the year 1000 by the Palatinate count Ezzo.
The earliest documentation of the castle dates back to 1051 when Richeza, Ezzo’s oldest daughter and former Queen of Poland, gave the castle to her nephew Palatine count Henry I.
In 1151, the castle officially became an Imperial castle after King Konrad III occupied the castle by force. It was partially destroyed in 1688 by French King Louis XIV’s troops, but was restored in the Gothic Revival style businessman Louis Fréderic Jacques Ravené in 1868.
Since 1978, the castle has been owned by the town of Cochem and is administered by a company named Reichsburg GmbH.

The Citadel of Aleppo is one of the oldest and largest castles in the world. The castle sits atop a hill in the Ancient City of Aleppo, which was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.
Usage of the Citadel hill dates back to at least the 3000 BCE, but the majority of the current structure was probably built during the Ayuubid dynasty sometime during the 12th century.
During the early 2000s the Aga Khan Trust for Culture in collaboration with the Aleppo Archaeological Society performed extensive conservation work on the citadel. Unfortunately in recent years, the citadel has been severely damaged in the ongoing Syrian Civil War.

In France's southern region of Ariège, the Château de Foix was once a refuge for the Cathars, a religious group persecuted by the Catholic Church. Surrounded by the Pyrenees mountains and overlooking the medieval town of Foix, the 12th-century castle is now home to a museum documenting the lives of the castle's former counts and their families. These stories are brought to life by costumed interpreters, interactive workshops, and immersive sets with olfactory experiences.

Portugal's colorful Palácio Nacional da Pena is one of the country's most beloved national sites, with a history dating back to the Middle Ages. Originally home to a 12th-century chapel and a monastery, the site was left in ruins following an earthquake in 1755. In the 19th century, King Ferdinand II transformed the property into his summer residence. The medieval-style structure's red chapel, domed turrets, and North African-inspired arches make the surrounding woodlands seem magical. The best part? It's just an hour's train ride from Lisbon.

in the Hyōgo Prefecture is one of Japan's most stunning examples of feudal-period castle architecture. Though the site dates to 1333, its bones have undergone many renovations; today it's made up of a network of 83 buildings, including turrets, storehouses, and residences that were used until the 1860s. Known for its elaborate white façade, the castle is often called the "White Egret Castle." It's open year-round for tours, but the most popular time to visit is in spring when the cherry blossom trees are in bloom.

Himeji Castle, Japan