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The Machine of Death
The Machine of Death is a collection of short stories that explore the various perspectives on how we may react when confronted with the knowledge of our own deathThis book is the result of a writing challenge based around a hypothetical situation that was created by the famous webcomic series ‘Dinosaur Comics,’ created by Ryan North. The scenario is simple: what if there was a machine that could tell you exactly the way in which you die? Without a context or a timeline,…
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Why Leave the Window Open? A Danish Death Tradition
We explore one of Denmark’s long-running end-of-life traditionsWhen a loved one nears the end of his or her life in Denmark, a special tradition unfolds. It’s a simple act – a swift gesture that takes little effort, but says so very much: the opening of a window for “the soul” of the loved one to pass through once they have died. “It’s…
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A Few More Days of Purpose
After a career in nursing, Martha Keochareon spent her last days teaching nursing students how to care for cancer patients in palliative treatmentSometimes people donate their bodies to science after death, but Martha Keochareon had offered herself as an instructional tool during her last two months of life. In November of 2013, Ms. Keochareon called Kelly Keane, a counselor at Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, MA, with a proposal. She wanted to give the students an opportunity to…
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“Ol’ Man River” by The Beach Boys
The vocal version of the Beach Boys song is a calming, stripped-down version of a classic that makes a beautiful memorial songNo group harmonizes as well as the Beach Boys, whose songs have become American treasures thanks to their delicate and complex vocal arrangements. While the ‘Boys’ may be best known for hits like “God Only Knows” and “Good Vibrations,” their take on the 1929 song “Ol’ Man River” is a true gem in their already sparkling…
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Monday Hearts for Madalene
Page Hodel creates the most beautiful hearts in an ongoing celebration of loveHappy New Year! It’s an honor for SevenPonds to share with our readers the story of the Monday Hearts for Madalene project, a true account of the power of love in the midst of death. The project’s origins take us to 2005: the moment Page Hodel encountered Madalene Rodriguez and fell “instantly, dizzyingly in love with her.” The couple’s…
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Replacing Nerves Damaged by Parkinson’s Disease
Cutting-edge stem cell research shows hope for those living with Parkinson’sParkinson’s Disease affects one’s nervous system through its progressive degeneration. Consequentially, an individual’s motor skills depreciate in their operation over time. There’s no “cure” for Parkinson’s Disease, but a recent publication in the journal Cell Stem Cell shares that “stem cells may provide a new way of regrowing the motor neurons affected by the movement…
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Man Ray & Modigliani’s Death Mask
How Man Ray’s “Death Mask” becomes not only an homage to a man’s life but also to the interconnected nature of creation and deathMan Ray (1890-1976) was the South Philadelphia-born artist who, after making a break for Europe, became one of the fathers of Dadaism in Paris’s creative hub. Meanwhile, the Italian Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (1884-1920) added to his oeuvre of modern paintings and sculptures proclaimed to be amongst ‘the great[est] [works] of all time–with Giorgione’s ‘Sleeping Venus‘…
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