Who wants to live forever?

This is an interesting article ostensibly about new drugs and treatments for terminal illnesses and the high monetary cost attached to them. But the interesting bit is the philosophic question in the title: how much is living worth? Later in the article, it's mentioned that most Americans want "everything possible" done to "save" their lives. Not I, though. Reasonable medical attention, certain luxuries and conveniences that First World medicine can offer me, perhaps. But when the end of my life comes, whenever and however it comes, I hope to accept it with dignity; I will not grasp and claw to hold onto life beyond my time.

If you're scared of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. If you've made your peace, the devils are really angels freeing you from the earth.
-Lou, Jacob's Ladder

The ACLU attacks a West Virginian community

This is a (small instance of a larger) hot topic, though I have to confess that I'm really sure why. Particularly in West Virginia. I can maybe acknowledge certain concerns in similar cases elsewhere (though I think they're all rather ridiculous when it comes down to it, my own religious affiliation and thoughts on current interpretation of "separation of Church and State" as far aside as I can consciously put them). But especially in this case, where they were able to raise a couple hundred thousand dollars of private money from the community the school serves in order to fight the suit (with over 6,000 coming from the students themselves)... It seems to me the only one being offended here is the ACLU, who should really leave well enough alone a situation they have no part in.

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Imagine someone of average intelligence. Then imagine that half of the world is dumber than that.

I'm no great fan of traffic laws or the methods of their enforcement, but this sort of thing is just stupid.

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This article about kids' behavior (and what is and is not reasonable expectation and appropriate action) is bookmarked mostly for myself. I know there's a contingent of my friends who would sit on the other side of the fence from me on this issue, though amusingly I think we hold the same opinions on how children (and their parents) ought to behave.

Edit: And by that I mean, of course, that there are friends of mine who would have nothing to do with children if they could have their way, while I think I'm rather obviously a fan of kids (generally).

Edit: So, after reading The Comments that followed, I have a question: I can understand not wanting kids in fancy restraunts and at movies, and probably at certain public places, but do people really expect children to not travel on planes? I agree, unruly kids on planes, or fussy babbies, or that brat who keeps kicking your seat is nigh unto Chinese water torture. But air travel is the prime mode of distance traveling in America. No one* takes trains or busses when they go on trips, and I can speak as a well-traveled man that driving oneself is often out of the question. Many people travel, many people have kids, and it's just a matter of numbers to see that many people who travel will have kids. You can't expect them to not take a plane, can you?