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A Tribute through Portrait
Richard Avedon’s photographs of his father’s last yearsThroughout the 20th Century, Richard Avedon was hailed for his unique portraiture, capturing the raw essence of the American people. Perhaps some of his most captivating portraits are those he took in the early 1970’s of his dying father. The collection, simply titled Jacob Israel Avedon, is hauntingly beautiful and personal. The minimalist images reveal…
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The Legal Progress of Aid in Dying
Does an Election in Vermont Suggest a Changing Political Reality?There are a handful of issues in American politics that consistently enflame passions, aggravate divisions, and defy solutions. Debates over the death penalty, abortion, and Second Amendment protection call into question our basic understanding of life and its relation to the state. Opponents can be as vociferous as supporters, and vital economic questions are often…
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Honoring Life at Death
End-of-life evolution in AmericaAmerica is beginning to rethink the way it bids farewell to life. Traditional burial services are becoming less and less common as people begin to think of the funeral as a way to not only be returned to the earth, but also to celebrate and leave behind the life they lived on it. The Washington…
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The Science of Death
How we measure life through time and spaceAs each of us reaches a point in life where our own mortality begins to signal our radars, the measure of our life by “time” becomes ever more important. Each of us has our own personal sense of time and relationship with it. Depending on our given situation, that relationship varies; for some, it ticks…
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What is natural burial? (Interview)
The manager of Fernwood Cemetery talks green burialFernwood, a beautiful historic cemetery located in Mill Valley, CA, is the second cemetery in the United States to offer green burial. SevenPonds caught up with Kathy Curry, the manager of Fernwood, for a Q & A on their services. Aurora: What is the history of Fernwood, and where does natural burial come in? Kathy:…
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Love and Death, Carried by Fire
“Let not their dust be parted for their two hearts in life were singe-hearted.” — Purified by Fire Our world is always changing; and today, the scattering of cremation ashes onto the open winds ritualizes the loving act of letting go. This merging of our loved departed with the natural environment has become a popular…
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Vadis Turner’s “Burial Party” at Manhattan’s Lyons Wier Gallery
Artist Vadis Turner has long specialized in re-visualizing the everyday from a subversive, feminist perspective. Her 2009 piece “Vanity: My Beautiful Education,” presented an almost violently arrayed set of sculptures, composed of materials such as tampons, fake eyelashes, fake fingernails, and cuticle scissors made from origamied college diplomas. Now Turner has turned her attention to…
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What’s a Center for Grief? (Interview)
Directors at Kara grief center discuss their support programs and the “healing door”Kara (the gothic root for “care”) is a volunteer-driven nonprofit organization and renowned grief center, providing powerful, free grief support services to the San Francisco Bay Area from their Palo Alto home since 1976. Truly, the breadth, success, and compassion of Kara’s programs are nothing short of amazing — due to their dedicated staff and…
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“Random Hearts”
A mediocre film poignantly captures the experience of tragedyAfter suffering a personal tragic loss, I stumbled on the film “Random Hearts” one sleepless night. Despite expectations as low as my eyelids, I soon found myself riveted. “Random Hearts” quickly tapped into all the emotional repercussions one experiences following a traumatic, unexpected loss. The film delves deeper into the complexities of these devastating situations,…
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