It’s not pleasant to think about, but, one day, each of us will pass away. When your time comes, where will you be laid to rest: a cemetery, or a graveyard? To most folks, the two words interchangeable. But, while both refer to places where we bury the deceased, cemeteries & graveyards are actually different in multiple ways.

1. Location
Cemeteries refer to large burial grounds not affiliated with a church. A graveyard, however, refers to a burial ground located on a church’s property. Graveyards also tend to be much smaller than cemeteries.

2. Space Requirements
Starting around the 7th century AD, churches had total control over burials, which meant that most took place in the graveyards adjacent to the church. But as time passed & the population grew, graveyard space began to dwindle. And that’s when cemeteries, which weren’t affiliated with churches, came into being.

3. Religious Constraints
Because graveyards are attached to a church, they may have stipulations that only members of that particular church/faith can be buried there. Cemeteries, on the other hand, are secular, which means people of all faiths can be interred there.

4. Headstone Requirements
Similarly, church-owned graveyards may also have particular headstone requirements. Many churches typically demand that headstones be made of granite or natural stone, uncolored, unpolished, and without elaborate memorial messaging or inscriptions. Cemeteries, on the whole, have far fewer restrictions as far as headstones go. They can be as simple or as over the top as you want.

Wherever & however you’re ultimately laid to rest, hopefully we all live good enough lives so that nothing but nice things are said about us at our respective services, whether they be in cemeteries or graveyards.

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

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Most folks can make it through a short flight by reading something or chatting up fellow passengers. But you probably need a bit more entertainment for a longer flight, which might mean texting your friends & family. Do airlines even allow texting during flights, though?

Technically, yes, they do. You can send text messages while your flight is in the air, but only if you’re connected to the plane’s Wi-Fi. With it, you can log on at any point during your flight, but there will be limited bandwidth, which will probably mean certain sites will run slower (think Facebook or email).

Pretty much every airline offers in-flight Wi-Fi now (except for budget carriers, like Frontier). However, some airlines (American & United, for instance) do charge a fee for it. There are some airlines that also offer free text messaging through their own apps, which you’d need to download before your flight.

Definitely don’t forget to put your phone in airplane mode before the flight gets in the air, though. What does airplane mode do? It turns off your phone’s cellular connection, so that it won’t disrupt the sensors of the plane (which is mainly why the FCC still bans people from making cellular calls while in the air).

If you just can’t deal with being disconnected from the world below while you’re flying the friendly skies, check with the airline for your flight’s available Wi-Fi options before you buy your ticket. On their websites, all the major airline tell you if they offer Wi-Fi or allow text messages using certain apps.

Got a Mundane Mystery you’d like solved? Send me a message via social media (@AndyWebbRadioVoice), or shoot me an email at [email protected].

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: Airtron Heating & Air Conditioning