Free Republic

In the early 19th century, Jean-François Champollion used the Rosetta Stone to begin the process of deciphering the hieroglyphics of ancient Egypt. We already knew Egypt through the Bible and the histories of the Greeks, but even Herodotus wrote 2,000 years after the beginning of the Old Kingdom. With the translation of hieroglyphics, the legend of Egypt came to life. What had been cloudy became clear. In Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past, David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard’s Medical School and the Broad Institute, introduces us to...

I would like to believe that the United States can once again assume the mantle of the moral leader of the world. In 1939, when the Nazis rolled into Poland, my aunt, whose name I carry, was forced to strip naked and dig a hole, into which she and the other members of her village were summarily mowed down. Many in the Western world turned a deaf ear to the cries of my aunt, as well as to those of six million other Jews. America was exhausted and war weary after having fought World War I, in which approximately 30...

Cards Against Humanity is known for its sometimes crude and often slightly offensive cards, but a new extra-offensive expansion pack for the game has gotten it pulled from Target shelves. The Apple-to-Apple’s style game has players complete phrases and answer questions such as “What helps Obama unwind?” And “I’m sorry Professor, but I couldn’t complete my homework because of _____” with cards like “Racism,” “Vehicular manslaughter,” and “Poopy diapers.” The almost always off-color cards recently went a bit too far for some players with its “Chosen People Pack,” an expansion pack for the original game with some cards that seem...

The devastating events through Houston and other parts of Texas have shown us not only the destructive power of hurricanes, but also, surprisingly, what we as humans really can be. In a world too often jaded by idiocy and recrimination, it is often a shock to realize how moved we can be by the plight of others. Pictures are coming out showing folk carrying their pets through the waters; some over the shoulders and some in their arms, and each one is more moving than the last.

WHAT YOU SCATTER I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes... I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily apprising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me. 'Hello Barry, how are you today?' 'H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas....

Videos posted by attendees at the U.S. Open show a blimp crashing to the ground after apparently catching fire. The Washington County Sheriff's Office is responding to the crash, CBS affiliate WDJT-TV reports. At least one person is injured, officials said. Jeff Alstadter, a spokesman for the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) tells CBS News officials were still gathering information about the crash. Twitter users posted clips showing the blimp falling from the sky near the golf tournament, which is being held at Erin Hills Golf Course in Hartford, Wisconsin

Consumers from Wisconsin are crossing the border to Illinois to stock up on a commodity they can't buy in the Dairy State -- Irish butter.

(A Testimonial from Emily Roden) Nine years ago, I showed up to the Denton County Courthouse for jury duty and got myself picked for the job. A young girl had accused her mom’s boyfriend of sexual assault and the case was being brought to trial.

“What's wrong with me? I can't stop feeling like crying.” “I'm afraid. Isn't there some way to stop all of this?” “How can there be so much hate?” Those are just a few of the messages that were waiting for me, and have been spilling into my inbox, IM's, and text messages since the shootings in Dallas last night. Most of them have been from people who come to me for guidance in their personal lives, but a few were from people from the world of politics. Unfortunately, the nature of the ones from the political class were mostly driven...

Le Bourget (France) (AFP) - Nobel laureate Al Gore said at the Paris climate summit on Thursday that humanity must change how it lives, travels and grows food in order to avert global warming catastrophe. "Do we really have to change the energy and transportation and agriculture and forestry systems in the world and shift to a low-carbon pattern?" the former US vice president asked in a speech. "The answer is 'Yes'... because now the answer is coming from nature itself," he said. Gore pointed to a string of extreme droughts, record-breaking downpours and high tides, along with melting Arctic...

PARIS - President Obama joined leaders from 150 nations on Monday in pledging action against climate change, kicking off a historic two-week gathering that Obama called a "turning point" in the battle against one of humanity’s gravest threats. ...."The growing threat of climate change could define the contours of this century more dramatically than any other," Obama said in a speech at the Le Bourget conference center in Paris’s industrial outskirts. "What should give us hope that this is a turning point, that this is the moment we finally determined we would save our planet." Obama, who has staked his...

Since “The Walking Dead” premiered in 2010, non-fans have often asked fans about the appeal of the show: “Who wants to watch people constantly on the run from zombies?” They mistakenly equated the show with feature films about zombies. Zombie movies almost always have the same underlying theme: survival. From “Night Of The Living Dead” to “28 Days Later” to “World War Z,” there is only one question viewers pose to themselves: “Will the characters survive?” There is never enough time to go beyond the theme of survival and really become invested in the characters. In “The Walking Dead,”...

What a piece of work is man! Everyone agrees on that much. But what exactly is it about Homo sapiens that makes us unique among animals, let alone apes, and when and how did our ancestors acquire that certain something? The past century has seen a profusion of theories. Some reveal as much about the time their proponents lived in as they do about human evolution. 1. We Make Tools: "It is in making tools that man is unique," anthropologist Kenneth Oakley wrote in a 1944 article. Apes use found objects as tools, he explained, "but the shaping of sticks...

“Recent videos exposing the abortion-for-baby parts business have shocked the nation, and demanded action. At my request, three House committees have been investigating the abortion business, but we still don’t have the full truth,” Mr. Boehner said. The new committee will have the resources and subpoena power to “get to the bottom of these horrific practices, and build on our work to protect the sanctity of all human life,” Mr. Boehner said. The following Republican representatives will make up the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s new investigative panel: Rep. Marsha Blackburn, Chairman (R-TN), Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA), Rep. Diane Black...

Human rights lawyers in Zimbabwe have filed a court application seeking the release of an activist they suspect was abducted by state agents. The lawyers said Tuesday that Itai Dzamara, leader of a movement called Occupy Africa Unity Square, has been missing since Monday morning and that his family and associates have no idea of the activist's whereabouts.

Human rights advocates on Monday accused the State Department of making political calculations when it upgraded Malaysia and Cuba in the annual ranking of where countries stand in combating human trafficking. Both countries were removed from the list of the worst offenders in the Trafficking in Persons Report issued Monday. Last year, they were Tier 3 countries, a category reserved for nations that don’t meet minimum standards to fight modern-day slavery, and aren’t doing anything to improve.

A man appeared in bond court Thursday on several charges, including grand theft and burglary. But when he faced the judge she realized he was a familiar face.

The planet is dying. Or at least the animals on it are. That’s the conclusion of “a team of scientist” as reported in the San Francisco Gate. This is some dire news to be sure. With all the animals gone, we’re going to be in a lot of trouble, and it’s really all your fault. Mammals, birds and reptiles are disappearing from the planet so rapidly that a team of scientists concluded Friday that Earth is in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, one so dire that it could threaten the existence of humanity.The scientific study, published Friday...

ISTANBUL, Turkey — An entire town secretly learned sign language to surprise a hearing-impaired man in Istanbul. BuzzFeed reports the man’s sister teamed up with a production crew as part of a Samsung ad campaign and crews spent a month setting up cameras around his neighborhood. On the day of the surprise, he walks around town and people greet him using sign language. At one point, he asks his sister, “What’s going on?” At the end of the video, everything is revealed to him. It’s an emotional moment that brings him to tears.

One of the most profound pro-life moments of 2014 came at the hands of an unborn child whose “thumbs-up” bore a striking resemblance to the trademark gesture of Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli. A photo of the ultrasound went viral and inspired mothers to share images of their own unborn children. Millions of people were exposed to a strong pro-life message, even if many of them did not realize it at the time. Even the major news networks, normally reliable shills for “reproductive justice,” admitted that they were indeed seeing pictures of babies. When a matter is as hotly charged as the...