Free Republic

The process of mummification is often associated with the tombs of Ancient Egypt or the dry deserts of Chile. Many people frequently assume that the origin of this burial practice also traces back to these cultures. A new study in PNAS challenges these assumptions by suggesting that the people of southern China and Southeast Asia developed a different approach to this practice by curing bodies over low, smoky fires. Archaeologists recently uncovered evidence that these hunter-gatherers practiced smoke-drying their dead as early as 12,000 years ago. This discovery implies that early human societies were practicing mummification long before the construction...

Beginning in the Middle Ages, there was a widely popular puppet show called “Punch and Judy.” Most of its content and humor were based on two characters flailing away at each other with slap sticks. Today, we have a verbal equivalent of the same thing, occurring in the pages of the New York Times. These protagonists are Arthur (“Pinch”) Sulzberger Jr., boy-publisher of the Times, and Judith (“Judy”) Miller, one-time rising star writer for that paper. Judy says she told the truth and upheld the values of the Times. Slap! Pinch says she misled her editors and brought the reputation...