Free Republic

Hindsight is 20/20, right? That’s the premise of a new book that poses the question: What if we were wrong? Chuck Klosterman’s “But What If We’re Wrong?” (Blue Rider Press, 2016) deals with the fact that the great march of history shows us that, well … we’re always wrong. Aristotle had his run as the smartest man on the planet, but he got disproved by Galileo, who was trumped by Newton, until Einstein ruled the roost. And while there have been some hints of “proving Einstein wrong,” nothing has really stuck. But even so, scientific “fact” is a fact only...

A (mostly) daily posting for those interested in history and the day to day news, politics and culture of a bygone world; the full edition of the New York Tribune from today's date in 1896 (digitized).

Among his kit were a hat of brown bear skin and a quiver made from roe deer. Despite being well preserved and studied, the 5,300-year-old mummy's various leather items had not all been identified at the species level. These findings, published in Scientific Reports, reveal a mix of wild-hunted animals with sheep, goat and cattle related to modern domestic breeds. The researchers say this points to Copper Age people choosing carefully between different wild and domesticated animals when looking for materials to make their clothes. But Oetzi's motley wardrobe, including a coat made from at least four separate goat and...

Maduro Places Confidence in a Spanish Marxist Professor He Calls 'the Jesus Christ of the Economy The main culprits of the most radical measures taken by the Venezuelan government come from Spanish politician Alfredo Serrano Mancilla, according to Spanish Adviser to President Nicolás Maduro Deputy Carlos Valero. Valero told the newspaper ABC in Spain that Serrano “is the author of the latest and most radical economic measures undertaken by the Chavistas, who have only managed to impoverish the country.” Expropriations, the seizure of businesses, “urban agriculture” on balconies, the soviet supply system and forced employment in the public agriculture sector...

Inmates Have Access to Basic Necessities Others Lack Across the Country As Venezuela’s economic and medical crisis worsens, many have questioned whether jails offer higher quality of life to citizens than those on the outside searching for food and waiting in endless lines. One of the most dangerous prisons in the country, Tocorón, not only has a pool, shops and a running track, but the food and other goods so many lack in Venezuela’s main cities. The country’s food shortages exceed 80 percent in the Venezuelan capital. Most Venezuelans wake up early to stand in long lines sometimes for as...

Chesapeake Conservancy and Terrain360 are using drones to give a bird’s-eye tour of historic shipwrecks in an inaccessible zone of the Potomac River. WASHINGTON — There’s a corner of the Potomac River known as Mallows Bay that is teeming with sunken vessels, what has been described as a “ghost fleet” of more than 100 wrecked ships. You don’t even have to go beneath the river’s surface to get a good view of these ships. In fact, you don’t even have to leave your computer chair, thanks to the Chesapeake Conservancy’s latest effort. Through the use of drones, the Annapolis-based...

On this day in 1998, President Bill Clinton becomes the first sitting president to testify before the Office of Independent Council as the subject of a grand-jury investigation. The testimony came after a four-year investigation into Clinton and his wife Hillary’s alleged involvement in several scandals, including accusations of sexual harassment, potentially illegal real-estate deals and suspected “cronyism” involved in the firing of White House travel-agency personnel. The independent prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, then uncovered an affair between Clinton and a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky. When questioned about the affair, Clinton denied it, which led Starr to charge the...

A (mostly) daily posting for those interested in history and the day to day news, politics and culture of a bygone world; the full edition of the New York Tribune from today's date in 1896 (digitized).

Many are puzzled by the alliances between leftists, especially between the extreme ones that have become so prominent in today’s Democratic Party and the adherents of Islam who are bent on turning the world into one large caliphate. Given the subjugation of women in that part of the Islamic world which adheres to Shariah law, its putting to death of homosexuals and other practices (compared to the trendy approval of homosexual “marriage” in the leftist world in America) and other practices of Islam, such as enslavement, to many this alliance makes little sense. Those puzzled by this alliance need to...

Fred Reed on the idea of wanting war with Russia "Letting dilettantes, grifters, con men, pasty Neocons, bottle-blonde ruins, and corporations decide on war is insane. We have pseudo-masculine dwarves playing with things they do not understand. So far as I am aware, none of these fern-bar Clausewitzes has worn boots, been in a war, seen a war, or faces any chance of being in a war started by themselves. They brought us Iraq, Afghanistan, and Isis, and can’t win wars against goatherds with AKs. They are going to fight…Russia?"

For Caitlyn Jenner, there are places to be and people to speak with. There are camera crews and magazine covers, finely crafted documentaries and the raw urgency of reality TV. There are ex-spouses with stories to share and 10 children, many of them living their own lives, out loud and then some. There are more transgender women getting to tell their stories about their life journeys. And yet, almost a year-and-a-half since going public with her gender transition, Jenner says her life is much less complicated than it has ever been. "I don't have any more lies," she told ESPN....

Vincent Lopez Orchestra "Do I Hear You Saying?" vocalist is Laurence Wolfe (1928)

Early Voting Limits Time for Trump Comeback Every election year, as a matter of habit and convenience, we all talk about “Election Day” as though it is a defined nationwide event. But the reality is far more complex thanks to the advent of widespread no-excuse-required voting prior to Election Day by mail or in person. Indeed, as Patrick Healy of the New York Times reminds us today, nearly a third of the ballots counted in the last presidential general election were cast before Election Day — a figure that regularly rises as states follow a trend toward less traditional voting...

Bobby Hutcherson, one of the most admired and accomplished vibraphonists in jazz, died on Monday at his home in Montara, Calif. He was 75. Marshall Lamm, a spokesman for Mr. Hutcherson’s family, confirmed the death, saying Mr. Hutcherson had long been treated for emphysema. Mr. Hutcherson’s career took flight in the early 1960s, as jazz was slipping free of the complex harmonic and rhythmic designs of bebop. He was fluent in that language, but he was also one of the first to adapt his instrument to a freer postbop language, often playing chords with a pair of mallets in each...

Opinion Main Street About Those Loser ‘Trumpkins’ What is it that the much-vilified Trump voters are trying to tell us? By William McGurn Aug. 15, 2016 In the land of NeverTrump, it turns out one American is more reviled than Donald Trump. This would be the Donald Trump voter. Lincoln famously described government as of, by, and for the people. Even so, the people are now getting a hard lesson about what happens when they reject the advice of their betters and go with a nominee of their own choosing. What happens is an outpouring of condescension and contempt. This...

It is the end of an era in Las Vegas as one of the most famed hotels and casinos on the Strip was demolished in the early morning hours of Tuesday. The final tower of the Riviera was reduced to little more than rubble a little over a year after the city's first high-end casino shut its doors in May of last year. Long known as a classic mob joint featured in films such as Oceans 11 and Diamonds are Forever, the Riviera also hosted the residences of famed Vegas performances including Liberace and Dean Martin during its heyday.

Are you dumber than a doper? (With manifest apologies to Jeff Foxworthy)

High schooler Sydney McLaughlin makes her Olympic debut Sydney McLaughlin, who just celebrated her 17th birthday eight days ago, made her Olympic debut, finishing fifth in her heat of the 400m hurdles. McLaughlin made it through to the semifinals on time.

“There is nothing more dangerous than a government of the many controlled by the few.”—Lawrence Lessig, Harvard law professor The U.S. government remains the greatest threat to our freedoms. The systemic violence being perpetrated by agents of the government has done more collective harm to the American people and our liberties than any single act of terror. More than terrorism, more than domestic extremism, more than gun violence and organized crime, the U.S. government has become a greater menace to the life, liberty and property of its citizens than any of the so-called dangers from which the government claims to...

Former studies have found that radiation exposure increases cancer risk. It has also been found that the average lifespan of survivors from the atomic bombing was only reduced by a few months. Such findings refute any popular conception about health risks caused by exposure to radiation. Scientists have not found health effects or any radiation-associated mutations on children of the survivors. Jordan suggested it would be possible to find subtle effects through more detailed tests on survivors’ genomes. Even then, the biologist believes that the children of survivors will face small health risks linked to atomic bombs. “Most people, including...