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Belgium Discusses Legalizing Euthanasia for Terminally Ill Children
Controversial bill proposes euthanasia for terminally ill kids in BelgiumWhen we discuss what it means to “die a good death,” the question of how we plan our end of life becomes controversial when we broach the topic of whether or not we have the right to decide when we die. Discussing euthanasia sparks a touchy conversation that can overlap areas such as human rights,…
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“The Unity of Life and Death” by Otto Freundlich
Killed by the Germans in WWII, Jewish artist Freundlich left behind an oeuvre that transcends his unjust deathThere’s a prevailing sense of warmth in Jewish artist Otto Freundlich’s The Unity of Life and Death (1936-38). Curved, colorful squares build on one another in the abstract oil painting, inspiring a sensation I can only compare to seeing holiday lights without (much-needed) glasses, or a cityscape at night: yellows, purples and reds perforate an…
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What is Geriatric Consultation and In-Home Assessment? (Interview)
Mary Hulme on how understanding, education and communication elevate geriatric careToday, SevenPonds speaks with Mary Hulme of Moonstone Geriatrics. Mary is a San Francisco native who “packed up her 1966 Mustang and headed to the University of California, Santa Cruz [to] receive her BA in Psychology”. When she returned to the Bay, Mary received her Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from U.C. Berkeley, focusing on…
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Alarming Data on the Dangers of Blogging
XKCD’s findings on the risks we take here at SevenPondsMore from Laughter is Medicine: What if you met your best friend at a funeral? Some People Just Don’t Get Death Grand Theft Auto: The Emily Dickinson Edition
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“One Foot in Heaven, Journey of a Hospice Nurse”
A memoir of one woman’s experiences in assisting her clients with passing on from one life into the nextFor the uninitiated, the concept of hospice may be hard to grasp. For one person it may involve involve a ward where a doctor sends a terminally ill patient at the end of his or her life. For another, it may be a philosophy held by a home-visit nurse who treats a dying patient. Whatever…
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Italian Funeral Traditions
A look into Italian cultural beliefs about death and funeral traditionsAs a culture, Italians are often inclined towards heavily theatrical rituals when it comes to major life events. Death and funerals, however, are exceptions: these focus more on the seriousness and the finality of death. Informed by the teachings of Catholicism, the primary religion of Italy, a combination of religious beliefs and superstitions about death permeates the Italian…
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Till Death Do Us Part: Elderly Couple Leave Life Together
Edward Hale stayed by his wife’s side until the New York couple shared their final breaths before dying.Few can literally say they loved their husband or wife until his or her last breath – but New York resident Edward Hale is one of the rare cases who kept the marital promise « Till Death Do Us Part » until the final moments of his wife’s life. The two died together just hours…
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“How I Knew Her”
A tribute song about the loss of a maternal figure“How I Knew Her” takes listeners on a journey of grief and self-discovery as the titular song off Nataly Dawn’s 2013 solo album. The album itself was conceived as a heavily autobiographical piece that reflects the artist’s upbringing as the daughter of missionaries and her recent grief after losing of an unnamed maternal figure: I would…
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Life & Death Silhouetted: Designboom’s “Portrait Urn”
How Dutch designer Nadia Gonegaï fuses art and end of lifeThere’s an unforgettable message in the cremation urn of Dutch designer Nadia Gonegaï. Art can bring vitality to everything, including end of life. The designer’s “Portrait Urn” was featured by Designboom’s Design for Death competition (of which SevenPonds has been a fond spectator) in 2013. What sets apart this Dutchwoman’s urn is the fact that…
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