Last week I wrote about my brother pulling the telephonic rug out from under me. Or to put it in plain English — he kicked me off his family cellphone plan. Actually, I just indulged in something I rarely do — hyperbole. In truth he didn’t kick me off the plan — Verizon did. It ...

It was 0930 on the dot when my phone rang. Of course it was my brother, but how did I know that? Was it because of precognition and clairvoyance? Not at all. I had no need to tap any of my amazing psychic powers, since my brother, who’s as ritualized as the Coldstream Guards, ...

My last two columns were about various alternative medicines, the first about patent medicines, the second about herbal cures. Though I never expected it, I got a lot of feedback on each column, which prompted me to write yet one more column on the subject. Note: Don’t worry about the ...

As a lifelong lover of history, hype and hoax, it was inevitable that sooner or later I’d read about patent medicines. It turned out it happened sooner. As I recall, I stumbled across an article on them in The Old Farmer’s Almanac when I was a pre-teen. What first caught my attention was ...

My pal Russ Sheffrin and I almost have a lot in common. I know the word “almost” doesn’t fit with the term “having things in common.” It’s a black and white issue — either you do or you don’t, right? Wrong! Bear with me on this one, willya? Russ and I are both locals. But ...

I was a wee poppet when I first heard of Blackbeard’s undiscovered treasure. And when I did, I became an instant treasure hunter myself. Given who I was, and am, my treasure hunting was neither skilled, systematic, nor energetic. Instead, if I hap’d upon a treasure, fine. If not, also ...