Free Republic

Full title: What would Jesus drink? Experts guess what wine was like in ancient times and what modern ones are similar Christ was a vintner. And if you heed the Scriptures, quite a good one, according to the maitre d' at the wedding in Cana. "... the headwaiter called the bridegroom and said to him, 'Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until now.'" (John 2:9-10). In ancient times, wine was precious and revered, mentioned more than 140 times in the Bible. As Easter and...

San Francisco's board of supervisors is considering a proposal to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in some city elections, showing how desperate the left wing of the city's left wing is to retain their ebbing power in City Hall. Clearly Supervisor John Avalos and ally Supervisor Eric Mar fear they need to register minors to win elections. Of course, I don't like the idea. I think only adults -- who presumably assume responsibilities -- should vote. Registering teenagers, who for the most part don't really understand money, is a recipe for folly. Avalos thinks the board of supervisors will...

Union: Why beer and alcohol should not be sold in Ontario grocery stores During the last few years, almost forever, both Liberal and Progressive Conservative governments have floated the idea of allowing beer and/or alcohol to be sold in places other than government-run stores manned by union workers. The idea never went anywhere. Ontarians who favour the end to the government monopoly, were hopeful during the late 1990s when Mike Harris was premier and the late Jim Flaherty was Ontario’s finance minister. In a rare act of true conservatism in Canada, Flaherty opined that if something can be advertised in...

Research into recreational drugs still carries a bad rap, following the anti-drug crusades of the Reagan years and beyond. But such research may be one of the most important scientific investigations happening today. Here's why: the most popular recreational drugs, particularly alcohol, are atrocious. If pharmaceutical chemists could invent a less toxic replacement for alcohol, the social benefits could be enormous. Despite the common phrase "drugs and alcohol," which seems to imply that alcohol is merely in a related category, alcohol is definitely a drug. Indeed, as Mark Kleiman writes, alcohol is more like the ur-drug: the oldest, most common,...

Robert Kennedy Jr.’s underage younger daughter Kyra Kennedy made a scene when she was refused entry at an upstate New York nightclub, screaming at security, “I am a Kennedy, Google me!” In a scene far from the Paris Bal des débutantes, where a Dior-clad Kyra made her formal society debut in December 2013, the 19-year-old made a drunken stink at club Lava at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, NY, last Thursday when security didn’t accept her ID. Witnesses said Kyra appeared inebriated when she arrived at the club and was trying to enter an over-21 area using a...

People with low IQs are more likely to consume higher amounts of alcohol than those with higher IQs, a new study has claimed. The study, which was carried out by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, surveyed 49,321 Swedish men who were born between 1949 to 1951 and were conscripted for Swedish military service from 1969 to 1971. IQ tests done upon conscription, alcohol intake, pattern of drinking, tobacco use, and medical conditions were all examined. The results showed that men with lower results on their IQ test consumed higher levels of alcohol, leading the team to conclude that...

Public records show that California firefighters drank on duty at the state fire academy, displayed sexually explicit photographs and an employee now charged with murder allegedly slapped a female cadet on the buttocks. The allegations are contained in two complaints released Friday to The Associated Press in response to a Public Records Act request.

ANKENY, Iowa —The Ankeny School Board voted unanimously Monday to accept the resignation of a teacher who police said was intoxicated and had been in her classroom. The vote was made Monday evening. Police said they were called to East Elementary School at 710 SE 3rd St. at 2 p.m. after receiving a report that a teacher was observed with a can of beer in her classroom. Police said the teacher was taken into custody after testing positive during a preliminary breath test. A bag in her classroom had two empty cans of beer and four additional full cans of...

It was 80 on the beach Saturday. Not in degrees, though. In proof of alcoholic beverages consumed. Of about 2,000 people in the city’s 21st annual Polar Plunge, two themes emerged: This was the maiden voyage for many, and their training method of choice consisted, as one plunger phrased it, of “drinking heavily.”

These are not your Boys of Summer. These are the United States presidents born in February and perhaps we should toast them. At least that is always my inclination. Abraham Lincoln (born February 12, 1809) and George Washington (born February 22, 1732) are the headliners. In fact, they so eclipse the rest of the presidential ranks that it seems rather unlikely that the “average guy” on the street could even name another president born in this frigid, God-forsaken, groundhog scrutinizing, heart-shaped-candy-box-buying month. But ... nevertheless ... here we go. Even most die-hard Republicans probably don’t know that Ronald Reagan—the Great...

The health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption have been exaggerated, according to new research published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal. "The prevailing message to drinkers has been don't feel guilty about drinking a few glasses of vino after work each night — a regular dose of alcohol is better for you than none at all. But this new research sheds doubt on the belief that alcohol has robust benefits and there is a 'healthy' dose," co-author Emmanuel Stamatakis of the University of Sydney said. The British and Australian researchers found that previous studies didn't adjust accordingly for factors such...

The number of people driving under the influence of alcohol on U.S. roads continues to decline, but the number of drivers using marijuana and prescription drugs that can affect road safety is climbing, according to two studies released by the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. One study found that the number of inebriated drivers has declined by nearly one-third since 2007, but that same survey found a large increase in the number of drivers using marijuana or other illegal drugs. In the 2014 survey, nearly one in four drivers tested positive for at least one drug that...

After a spate of student misbehavior that has tarnished the reputation of Dartmouth College, its president on Thursday announced a ban on hard liquor on campus, and threatened to do away with fraternities or other groups that fail “to elevate and not denigrate the Dartmouth experience.” In a speech on the Dartmouth campus in Hanover, N.H., to students, staff and alumni, Philip J. Hanlon, the president, said the college would create new spaces for social activity as alternatives to Greek houses, give faculty members more of a role in residential life and provide students more extensive training on preventing sexual...

When it comes to beverages with benefits, wine always seems to get the credit. If you're a brew lover, that might make you want to cry in your beer. But before you do, you'll be glad to learn that, like wine, beer delivers some decided perks as well. "A cold beer is the perfect way to relax at the end of the day, it tastes great and, in moderation, it can even be good for you," says Ethan A. Bergman, PhD, RD, CD, FADA, past president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Here are five ways your favorite brew...

1988 is when she crashed: “It was nonstop work. The money was rolling in. You have a lot of people relying on you. But I get it, I signed up for the job so follow through – I just couldn’t, I couldn’t follow through. And, I tried to take my life.” Babilonia hit rock bottom. “Once I was getting my stomach pumped, a little light went on saying, ‘You have a voice and you’re allowed to use it. So, girl, use it,’ ” she said. It’s an emotional subject for Babilonia, and some things are still too difficult to discuss....

A California father was arrested after throwing a party for his daughter’s 18th birthday over the weekend. The theme: “Liv’s Playboy Mansion.” San Diego County sheriff’s deputies told 10 News that 150 to 200 teens were in attendance Olivia Lake’s birthday party. Many were drinking alcohol and some girls were dressed in lingerie and wearing bunny ears. Complaints from neighbors led sheriff’s deputies to shut the party down, and Olivia’s father Jeff Lake was arrested and charged with violating the social host ordinance in Poway, Calif. According to 10 News, that ordinance makes it illegal to host a party where...

A woman who left her 1-year-old child sitting alone at a Boynton Beach bar was arrested Sunday, police said.. Concerned customers at Banana Boat Lounge and Restaurant, at 739 E. Ocean Ave., told police a woman, later identified as Ashton Krauss, 28, of Ocean Ridge, went to an outdoor bar in the back of the restaurant at about 5:30 p.m. and put the child in a high chair.

A new proposal in Oklahoma would bar drunk drivers from buying or consuming alcohol -- and already is raising concerns over how it would be enforced. Fox 25 in Oklahoma City reports that state Sen. Patrick Anderson is proposing a bill that would allow a judge to enforce the alcohol restrictions on anyone with a DUI charge for a set period of time.

Phrygians were brewing with barley before it was cool. Resurrecting ancient beers and wines is a subtle alchemy, but Patrick McGovern knows all the tricks. He directs the Biomolecular Archaeology Project for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. Many of his ancient brews are sold by Dogfish Head brewery in Delaware. How did you start making ancient drinks? One of the first we made was the Midas beverage, based on residues in bronze vessels recovered from the Midas tomb in Turkey, which dates from 700 B.C. These pointed to an unusual drink combining wine, barley...