Free Republic

The older we get, the more we go to funerals for friends and family. As Benjamin Franklin observed, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” This isn’t about taxes, nor about the state funeral for former President Ronald Reagan. It’s about Laurie Russell, and about the value of death. Laurie was the wife of a lifelong friend of mine. She was smart and funny, able and wise. She was a positive influence in the lives of all who knew her. Or, I should say, IS a positive influence, because the benefits of who she was and what she did live...

BOSTON (Reuters) - Attention US motorists: You may want to drive more carefully on the way home from Sunday's Super Bowl party, especially if you live in the state that fields the losing team. A study of the last 27 Super Bowl Sundays concluded that the highway death rate jumped 70% in the first hour after the big game and remained high over the next few hours. The increase was particularly dramatic in states with the losing team, where the death rate was 147% higher than on the Sundays before and after the championship. The only exception was in states...