Snap Links is one of my favorites. It allows you to highlight a page (or part of a page), and every link will open in a new tab. I sometimes have to check out lists of links, and opening each link one by one is time consuming. This way I can highlight a group of them, then go for coffee. By the time I get back, they've all loaded, and I can easily skim through all of them. Very handy. I also like Colorful Tabs, which gives each tab a different color.

However, I haven't been able to get Adblock Plus to work with the Salon site. I think it has something to do with the advertising splash screens. I kept getting blank pages, and I finally had to turn AdBlock off for Salon. (I don't mind looking at ads if it pays for the site, but I hate the pop-ups.)

One problem with the "individual mandate" system is that it depends on regulation from the government. Insurers have to charge everyone the same rate, they have to cover certain things, they have to pay the bills, etc. This works in places like Switzerland, where insurance companies are highly regulated. But we live in a country where a significant number of people (especially politicians) think regulation is evil and are always looking for ways to undermine it. I'm afraid that if we have an individual mandate, it will look fine for a while, and then when the Republicans get back into office, the regulations will be loosened and poorly enforced, and we'll end up back where we are now.

The employer-based system has the same issue, but employers have a bit more clout to keep the insurance companies in line. And group insurance is already set up to charge everyone equally, so it's not such a huge change for the insurance companies. Employer-based insurance has its own problems, but it seems like the better option of the two. (Unfortunately, I don't think single payer is an option.)

Just a quick comment about the idea that a career in math or science would be "more respected" and "more lucrative". I can't speak to all math and science careers, but I've been a chemist for the last 15 years, and it's not a particularly respected or lucrative career. Everyone I know in my field has been through multiple layoffs and is struggling to survive. If you love science, that's one thing, but I think you'd be disappointed if you are looking for money or respect.

However, you might be able to combine your graphic arts skills with science. Scientists are notoriously bad at communicating with the public and could probably use some help from a graphic designer who could help them get their points across in a visual way. But I'd look into this as a sideline first, rather than jumping into a full scale career change.

I loved reading the Little House books, and I remember reading about Rose Wilder Lane and her life, back when I was a child in the 1970's. (Not her politics, however.) So she's not exactly unknown. I can't remember the book that I read about her - I checked Amazon but I don't recognize any of the titles. It must be a book that's now out of print. But Rose wasn't unknown.

In many cases, it may be obvious when someone is going to die soon. But it's always easier to look back and see it in retrospect. When you're in the moment, it's not always clear when someone is dying, or when they have a treatable illness.

When my Dad died (at age 73), he was fairly healthy up until the last couple of days before he died. He had just gotten back from a cruise and had gone out with his friends the evening before he got sick. When the doctors told me what had happened, they couldn't tell me whether the treatments they were suggesting would work or not. He had very expensive surgery and spent his last two days in intensive care - and in retrospect, that seems wasteful. The bills totaled over $100K. But it's not that unusual for people to survive serious illnesses these days. Six years earlier, my Dad had a quadruple bypass, and the doctors thought he was on death's door. But he survived, and had six years of relatively good health - he lived on his own, few health problems beyond taking blood pressure medicines, and had a more active social life than I do. So it can be hard to say when you should "accept death" and when an illness is treatable.

I agree that people often get overtreated at the end of life. But it's not always clearcut, when the "end of life" has arrived.