Deathcetera: The week in death, mourning, and more

DEATH

According to Social Security, 6.5 million Americans are 112 years old. Theirs SSNs are still active, providing lots of criminal benefit – by AP

Video: how to you talk to your parents about death? – from Caitlin Doughty at the Order of the Good Death

Are you lonely? That means you’re going to die sooner – via the National Health Service

Natural selection? Reality-show contestants dying in droves – via AP

Pat Johnson’s ‘Dead of Winter’ series in the Vancouver Courier, on death, mourning, and ritual:

Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4

How the White House decides which deaths to acknowledge – via Juliet Ailperin at the Washington Post

New opera: ‘Death with Interruptions’ – via Carol Ness at UC Berkeley News Center

American Airlines, will you refund our dead daughter’s ticket price? No? Yes? – from Ashlee Kieler at the Consumerist

Firing squad v. lethal injection: which one’s the best? – by John Sanburn at TIME magazine

Social Security keeps paying benefits, even after you die – via Jamie Dupree at WSB

25 significant books on death, dying, and mourning – via Elizabeth Donnelly at Flavorwire

MOURNING

Cabinet commemorates Civil War dead – from Allison Meier at Hyperallgeric

Recovered WWII dog tags help bring closure – from Kim Reishling at KATC

FUNERALS

Facebook sends funeral director ads to cancer patient’s feed – via Victoria Woolaston at the Daily Mail

Goin’ all cray-cray with the innovatively designed funeral urns (aka ‘party jars’?) – by Allen G. Breed at AP

OBITS

A lovely tribute to former Oregon Attorney General Dave Frohnmayer – by Garrett Epps in the Atlantic

Family speaks out about addiction in son’s obituary – from Yahoo Health