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The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is part of U.S. sovereign territory. It also (1) totally bans handguns, (2) bans carrying all guns, even in the home, (3) requires licenses for long guns, which are allegedly not granted for months on end, though theoretically they are supposed to be granted within 60 days, and (4) bans all ammunition except .22 cartridges, .223 cartridges, and .410 shotgun shells. Radich v. Guerrero (D.N.M.I. Sept. 5, 2014) argues this violates the Second Amendment, and surely that must be so; and before you go all Insular Cases on me, note that § 501...

Egyptian chronology and the Bible. Framing the issues Do the dates ascribed to the Egyptian dynasties falsify the date of biblical creation? by Gary Bates Published: 2 September 2014 (GMT+10) Egyptian chronology can be a challenging subject for biblical creationists. That’s because the secular, majority view about these chronologies extends further back than an objective reading of the biblical chronogenealogies allows for creation: a little over 6,000 years ago. These chronologies are hotly debated among Christians and secularists alike, with the consensus being increasingly challenged. Moreover, some of the incredible Egyptian monuments like the great pyramids on the Giza Plateau...

In Berlin, a Memorial to German Euthanasia Victims Wesley J. Smith September 10, 2014 4:46 PM | Permalink The Associated Press reports: Germany on Tuesday inaugurated a memorial to more than 200,000 people with physical and mental disabilities killed by the Nazis after their lives were deemed "worthless."The transparent 24-meter (79-foot) blue glass wall outside the Berlin Philharmonic concert hall is near memorials to the Jewish Holocaust victims and the Nazis' gay and Gypsy, or Roma, victims, opened over the past decade.It stands on the site of a villa where the murder of patients at hospitals and mental institutes was...

Using ground-penetrating radar and other high-tech devices, archaeologists at Stonehenge have discovered a complex of monuments buried beneath Britain's iconic paleolithic shrine.

Sir Mick Jagger has a new animal named after him. Scientists have named an extinct swamp-dwelling creature that lived 19 million years ago in Africa after the Rolling Stones frontman, in honor of a trait they both share—their supersized lips. "We gave it the scientific name Jaggermeryx naida, which translates to 'Jagger's water nymph,'" said study co-author Ellen Miller of Wake Forest University. The animal's fossilized jaw bones suggest it was roughly the size of a small deer and akin to a cross between a slender hippo and a long-legged pig. Researchers uncovered the fossils—consisting of multiple jawbone fragments—amid the...

I'm just curious who is ashamed of the Stars and Bars. I was born and raised in the south and this flag always gave me comfort and identity. I slept with it over my bed during my youth. What about you? Today if you even mention it, it's like a fart in church. I say, where are the true southern men?!

Bob Suter, a member of the 1980 U.S. "Miracle on Ice" team and father of Minnesota Wild defenseman Ryan Suter, died Tuesday. He was 57. "We are very saddened by today's news that Minnesota Wild scout Bob Suter suddenly passed away," the Wild said in a statement. "The Wild organization sends its condolences to the entire Suter family during this difficult time. Not only was Bob a great hockey ambassador, he was a terrific person off the ice who will be greatly missed by all of us." The cause of death was not given.

The Professor uncovers some old footage with an amazing story. Exploding pianos created by the legendary BD Shaw as part of his expert testimony. Flour and flash pot were put in a piano with terrible results.

It was President Ford’s biggest and most courageous decision.  It probably hurt the GOP in the 1974 midterm elections. In fact, I was a college volunteer on some campaigns in that election. The party people that I was listening to agreed with the pardon but screamed the same question: "Why didn't he do it after the election"? Many in the GOP correctly felt that the new Ford presidency would spare them the Watergate backlash and 6th year losses.   And it probably cost him the very close presidential election of 1976. The pardon was used by the Carter campaign to promote their campaign of...

PARIS — A reconstruction of the 213-foot (65-meter) frigate used by France's Marquis de Lafayette to bring reinforcements to American revolutionaries in 1780 has tested the waters for the first time.

Prince Harry will soon celebrate his 30th birthday and rumours of the British royal's romantic link-ups keep surfacing after his high profile break-up with Cressida Bonas. The young royal, who will inherit millions of pounds left for him by his late mother Princess Diana when he turns 30, was spotted getting close to Enayat Younes, an Egyptian heiress, Cairoscene reported.

Vital DNA evidence has finally uncovered the identity of notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper. The man behind the grisly killing spree in London’s East End has been unveiled as Aaron Kosminkski, a 23-year-old Polish immigrant who ended up dying in an asylum. A blood soaked shawl, purchased by author Russell Edwards, led to the breakthrough when a scientist matched DNA evidence left on it to descendants of Kosminski. Mr Edwards, 48, from Barnet, north London, was "captivated" by the murder mystery and had been investigating it in his spare time, but had come to the conclusion it could never...

Allen tried to avoid a trial and jail time by applying to a pre-trial intervention program in New Jersey for first-time offenders. Ray Rice, the Baltimore Ravens running back who knocked his then-fiancee unconscious during an altercation in Atlantic City in February, was accepted into the program in May.

Only the most techno-fanatic would argue that a certain type of tank has changed history. There are so many other causes -- military, political, economic, social -- that explain victory and defeat far better than size of gun or thickness of armor.

The fortress found on the Danish island of Zealand, around 30 miles south of Copenhagen, is the fifth circular fortress to be unearthed, and the first in over 60 years. “This is great news,” said Lasse Sonne, a Viking historian from the Saxo Institute at the University of Copenhagen. “Although there were Vikings in other countries, these circular fortresses are unique to Denmark. Many have given up hope that there were many of them left.” Like previously discovered ring fortresses, the Vallø Borgring is thought to date back to the late tenth century and the reign of Harald Bluetooth, the...

Because of my heritage as a descendant of Southern Unionist Republicans, I used to really admire Black Americans and their culture, going all the way back to the works of Joel Chandler Harris and B.A. Botkin. Because of this I've long been a fan of traditional acoustic country blues, especially from the Mississippi Delta (Charlie Patton!). I've been longing for years to visit the Dockery Plantation between Ruleville and Cleveland, which is where the blues was allegedly born and where so many of the great Delta bluesmen played and/or worked as farm hands. Several years ago I actually took a...

In 1900 Galveston was the largest and fastest growing city in Texas. Prospects were bright for the shining city by the sea. The port was important and growing as both exports and imports were rising rapidly with the move westward in America. Houston, on the other hand, was a smaller city still trying to find the path to destiny. The 1900 hurricane season had been unusually quiet through most of August – no storms at all in the Atlantic or Gulf. In late August a disturbance moved into the Atlantic from Africa and began its trek to the west. The...

Athens (AFP) - Two stunning caryatid statues have been unearthed holding up the entrance to the biggest ancient tomb ever found in Greece, archaeologists said. The two female figures in long-sleeved tunics were found standing guard at the opening to the mysterious Alexander The Great-era tomb near Amphipolis in the Macedonia region of northern Greece.

This Steampunkish Nazi Belt Buckle Pistol Packs A Deadly Surprise The Nazis had some pretty wild engineering ideas, and some of them, like the jet engine, ended up being a vision of things to come. Yet others were just over-engineered, strange, and in some cases, downright creepy. This steampunkish Nazi belt buckle four-shooter is one of those things. The whole idea was to give high-ranking Nazis a way to kill their captors should they be captured on the battlefield. The concept was said to have originated from known German inventor, Louis Marquis, who designed the contraption while he was held...