HOW TO DIE IN OREGON

Winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize, this immensely moving film chronicles the right to die with dignity in Oregon, the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide. From the opening scene, in which a terminally ill patient takes a lethal prescription and dies, How to Die in Oregon is clearly a departure from the all too common sensationalized debates surrounding life’s most personal issues. Filmmaker Peter Richardson accompanies wife, proud mother and cancer patient Cody Curtis throughout her decision process. With her family, her doctor and an advocate from the Compassion and Choices support group, Cody’s exploration of her remaining time presents a far more even-handed reasoning of the issue than any special interest group from either side could possibly offer. This powerful film is doubtless one of the year’s most intelligent examinations, not of death, but of life lived courageously

Streaming

 

EGGS 101

American Egg Board members ended up with egg on their faces after the November 2008 election. Over 63% of the voters in California voted “yes” on Proposition 2 labeledStandards for Confining Farm Animals. When signatures were gathered for this initiative, it was titled Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, but evidently “cruelty” was too strong a term to be placed on the initiative, so it was changed to Standards for Confining Farm Animals. The law as passed carries the title, Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, and goes into effect in 2015. Continue reading