Topic: Morgue

The hosts review the artwork for the previous episode, "Zombie Town," created by Dame Kenny Benn. The piece featured a bowl of eyeballs, referencing a news story about a Harvard morgue manager selling body parts. Other submissions involving AI Bibles and ESG themes are also discussed.

Reports from Oregon and Central Florida claim that hospitals are using refrigerated trucks to store bodies because morgues and funeral homes are at capacity. In Tillamook County, Oregon, officials cited a low vaccination rate as the cause for the surge. Critics suggest these stories are recycled "scripts" from earlier in the pandemic and encourage verifying the claims with local funeral directors.

A news report from Tarrant County, Texas, discusses the use of refrigerated trucks for body storage. However, the report clarifies that the backlog is partly due to families delaying funerals until pandemic conditions improve, rather than a sudden surge in infectious deaths alone.

CBS News coverage is criticized for using "dark winter" and "darkest days" as scripted phrases to describe the pandemic's trajectory. Reports highlight mobile morgues in El Paso and hospitals at "breaking points" in the Midwest. Analysis suggests these reports often ignore the inversion of case rates and death rates, focusing on high case numbers while deaths remain relatively low compared to previous peaks.

Reports from Spain highlight the use of an ice rink as a temporary morgue as the death toll surpassed China's official numbers. Meanwhile, in China's Hubei province, travel restrictions are being eased for families to reunite, though Wuhan remains under strict control for two more weeks.

Washington State has passed a law allowing "recomposition," or the composting of human remains into nutrient-dense soil. The discussion links this to overcrowded morgues due to drug overdoses and compares the practice to the science fiction concept of "Soylent Green." Seventeen other states are reportedly considering similar legislation.