It used to be standard shtick in newspapers to, once a year or so, report on the antics of the Procrastinators’ Club of America. I don’t recall the exact jokes, but the gist would be something like a 1978 article announcing the imminent 1964 meeting of the club. That sort of...

Here’s some health news: My pal Sparky has resumed his two-pack-a-day cigarette regimen. This means everything is back to normal on the flu front. If your doctor hasn’t gotten the word yet, don’t worry, you can just mention that Sparky said everything’s OK. You may recall that,...

On Feb. 9, in this space, I mentioned an interesting book, Chinese Characters: Learn & Remember 2,178 Characters and Their Meanings by Alan Hoenig, Ph.D. Hoenig is a retired City University of New York mathematics professor. I’m impressed with anyone who can learn Chinese,...

Do you ever stand at Suicide Cliff, gaze northward, and wonder about exotic lands beyond the horizon? Does adventure beckon? If so, let’s do some gazing, and not only at the horizon, but back in time as well. The year is 1892. The Qing Dynasty reigns in China. Japan is riding a...