With demand for cremation, secular services, and environmentally friendly burials rising, funeral directors are adapting what could be called new end-of-lifestyle choices. Max Rivlin-Nadler is editor of Full Stop magazine. He discovered an industry scrambling to meet new demands while attending the 130th  National Funeral Director's Conference, held this year in Chicago.

Song/Artist/Album/Label

If These Walls Could Speak/Shawn Colvin/Cover Girl/Columbia

Truck Drivin' Woman/Si Kahn/New Wood/Philo

Aragon Mill/Rosalie Sorrels/Utah Phillips/Long Memory/ Red House

Sugarcoating/Martin Sexton/Sugarcoating/Kitchen Table

... Undertow/Suzanne Vega/Suzanne Vega/A&M Records
Finch's Complaint/Stan Rogers/Fogarty's Cove (Remastered)/Borealis

Make And Break Harbour/Stan Rogers/Fogarty's Cove (Remastered)/Borealis

Inside/ Bill Morrissey/Inside/Philo

EarthTalk®
E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Is it true that cable and other pay TV boxes that sit atop television sets consume massive amounts of energy, in part because they are always on, even when the TV is off? -- Sam Winston, Metarie, LA

EarthTalk®
E - The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: I was horrified to read recently that our oceans are actually becoming acidic, that the continued burning of fossil fuels is changing the chemistry of our seas. What’s going on?  -- Kim Richardson, San Diego, CA

North Country representatives were evenly split on a bill  Gov. Lynch said would allow lenders to charge an annual percentage rate of 400 percent interest. 

Senator John Gallus (Republican) of Berlin voted against the bill.

Four reps were excused from voting.

On Friday Gov. Lynch vetoed that bill, Senate Bill 160.

In their books, Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner use the tools of economics to explore real-world behavior. As boring as that may sound, what they really do is tell stories — about cheating schoolteachers, self-dealing real-estate agents, and crack-selling mama's boys. Those Freakonomics stories — and plenty of new ones — are now coming to the radio, with Dubner as host.

Good Beginnings of the Upper Valley pairs trained volunteers with new parents to help them with day to day needs after a child's birth. Ruth’s story is the mother of four, including triplets. Sally Wood is a Good Beginnings volunteer.

RUTH: When I found out I was expecting triplets I figured I would need some help, so I contacted Good Beginnings. They set me up with Sally, my volunteer.

By Danielle Lima

"Rebecca, is there anything Danielle can do?"

"...This computer is taking FOREVER to load!"

"Hey, I know. Danielle, I want you to write a blog."

"Okay!"

If you had been mischievously crouched in the corner behind the Word of Mouth cubicle walls today at about 1:15P.M, this is the inside scoop you would've scored: Danielle is starting her blog, and there's no stopping these spastic keyboard fingers. It's here. It's started. It's 5 minutes ago.

Under the bill, lenders could charge 15 percent monthly interest. 

Governor Lynch’s veto message notes the annual percentage interest rate on these so-called installment loans translates to more than 400%. Lynch says allowing such rates would hurt New Hampshire families, communities and the economy.

Lynch’s message also says the bill limits the state’s regulatory authority.

Lenders would get advance notice before the banking department conduct exams and regulators would have reduced power to levy administrative fines.