Pods for passing

From a woman who long worked with natural childbirth techniques comes a natural death product, earth-friendly Ecopod caskets. Made from hardened, 100% recycled paper, the coffins designed by the UK's Hazel Selina take inspiration both from ancient Egyptian sarcophogi and from the form of a seedpod, a metaphor for natural cycles of life and death. Silk-screened versions, overlaid with Thai paper and screened with one of three images, are available for the artfully departed.

Earlier: Helen Nearing recalls her husband Scott's choice to die, unaided by food or medicine. "He said 'All... right,' and breathed slower and slower and slower till there was no movement anymore and he was gone out of his body as easily as a leaf drops from the tree in autumn, slowly twisting and falling to the ground."

Hearse chaser

Via City Pages' Blotter:

"Good afternoon. As you know, Anna Nicole Smith passed away this afternoon. Over the past few years, she has suffered a number of tragedies, including the recent death of her son, Daniel. Since 1995, Anna Nicole has been in court over her late husband's estate and she was a codefendant in the recent TrimSpa class-action lawsuit... I write to gauge your interest in speaking with Michael G. Pfeifer, a member in Caplin & Drysdale's Washington, D.C. office. His practice focuses on the international tax issues of wealthy individuals, including pre-immigration and expatriation planning, structuring cross-border investments, international deferred compensation and retirement planning, and estate planning, including the use of domestic and foreign trusts."

— excerpt from a Levick Strategic Communications press release received 50 minutes after the Associated Press reported the death of the former Playboy model and reality TV star