THE BILL OF RIGHTS: A BRIEF HISTORY #10

Insurrections often are propagated upon misinformation.   So too are the most recent band of domestic terrorist who like to hide behind our most sacred American institutions.  In this series, I want to explore the Bill of Rights and why some of the hype and hyperbole thrown around by the extremist is not just wrong but …

Basic Colonial Brewing #6 –Role of the Tavern in Colonial America

We all know of taverns as places to enjoy a drink, play some games, or have a nice meal but in Colonial America, the tavern’s role in public life was much more central than it is today.  Taverns were used as meeting places for political assemblies (like the militia or the courts), they were necessary …

Upcoming Event

April 3, 2021 — 10:00am – 3:00pm Gentleman Scientist at Fort Mifflin Discussion of Transit of Venus and the measurement of the Astronomical UnitDiscussion of critical role of astronomy in 18th Century and a reference to the Vernal EquinoxDiscussion of Enlightenment Science vs “exact sciences” of AristotleField trip to riverbank and exploration of the new “germ …

Bring Documents to your Reenactments!

Today Americans boast a whoppingly deplorable literacy rate of about 86% depending on how you measure literacy.  Compare this to Colonial New England where, discounting slaves, women, indentured servants, and indians, in a time when books, newpapers, and magazines were largely unobtainable, the literacy rate was almost 60%*.  Today with telephones, television, radio, and various …

Unfiltered Beer is Good for You!

For thousands of years beer served as food and medicine; it had antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-viral properties.  The health benefits of beer not only come from the grains and yeast but also the hops. Hops contain a flavonoid called xanthohumol that strongly suppresses CYP1A2 (suppressing is good), a liver enzyme that metabolizes various environmental procarcinogens …