Free Republic

Immortal mystery man reported in 18th Century London, Paris, virtuoso violinist, multilingual, never explained his origins. Voltaire mentions him as a man who never dies.

There are two ways to get to Mossbrae Falls, one of the most beautiful (and most often Instagrammed) natural attractions in California, about 30 minutes from the base of Mount Shasta. Unfortunately, neither of the routes are legal — and the more popular one involves a potentially deadly trek along active railroad tracks. And yet the ethereal beauty of the falls is still a powerful temptation for visitors, who come here by the thousands, often drawn by shots splashed across Instagram and other social media sites. Tall as a five-story building and longer than an Olympic swimming pool, Mossbrae is...

Israelis appear to have been banned from buying tickets to see the Paris St. Germain soccer team in action, NRG reported Sunday night. The discovery was made by an Israeli couple planning a trip to Paris who wanted to attend a game – and could not find a listing for Israeli orders on the group's ticket ordering web site. Guy Schleider of Ramat Gan perused the team's web site and went to the ticket buying area, where a drop-down list allowed residents of countries around the world to choose their home countries where tickets would be sent to. Included on...

Remember the 1980s savings-and-loan crisis? By the time it had all played out, taxpayers were on the hook for $125 billion. Yet members of Congress who play a central role in regulating the banks seem to be suffering from a severe case of collective amnesia.... That's the only conclusion to be drawn from the recent 413-10 vote in the House of Representatives in favor of legislation that would recreate some of the same perverse conditions that magnified the taxpayer cost of the S&L bailout. The bill would increase federal deposit insurance to $130,000 from $100,000 per account and double the...