“I’m tellin’ ya, Dope, this is gonna be a mess like no one here has ever seen,” he said. “And like they ain’t ever gonna see again either.” He took another slurp from the bottle, dribbled some, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and went on. “And don’t go ...

While you probably have no idea who Jean Robert-Houdin was, you might think there’s something remotely familiar about his name. And there is, since that’s who Houdini (born Erich Weisz) took his stage name from. So who was Jean Robert-Houdin? He was a 19th century French magician, ...

Q: Since the major things in my life — family, friends, health — are A-OK, what could I possibly complain about? A: The minor things, of course. Ultimately, I know I can handle all the big disappointments, reversals and losses. Sure, I’ll pay some dues, but I will get back on track, ...

When I was in my 30s, given the arrogance of Youth, I thought all the good things in my life would last forever, the bad things would be gone as soon as they came, and I had an infinite amount of time left. As I said, arrogant. Now, 40-plus years later, my attitude has changed more than a ...

Did you ever want to organize an event, but didn’t because you thought you lacked the necessary skills? Well, if you thought that way and still do, it’s time to quit! Just keep reading to find out how you too can be an impresario. First, let’s get something straight: It doesn’t ...

Luck. What is it? Does it even exist? I always believed it did, till in a philosophy class the prof claimed there was no such thing — at least no specific, discrete, provable thing. “So you just said what it isn’t,” I said. “Now how about telling me what it ...