IF THEY MEAN TO HAVE A WAR, LET IT BEGIN HERE: The city of Lexington, Mass., is planning a big celebration around the 225th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington, the first military clash of the U.S. Revolutionary War. However, the state’s new gun control law may make the planned re-enactment of the battle less […]

TAKE TWO JOKES AND CALL ME IN THE MORNING: Laughter really is good medicine, says the president of the new Nordic Society for Medical Humor. Dr. Stein Tyrdal, an orthopedic surgeon from Oslo, Norway, says humor “helps people feel better when they are sick,” and laughter helps improve circulation, relaxes muscles, and is a natural […]

by Randy Cassingham THE BEAR: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, worried about the ever-growing value of the stock market coupled with the increase in people doing their own trading online, is warning investors to be careful. “Investing in the stock market will always entail risk, no matter how you do it,” warned SEC Chairman […]

 by Randy Cassingham THE CAPTAIN’S HOOK: In its first month of operations, the crew of Carnival Cruise Lines’ new ship MS Paradise have put nine passengers ashore for violating the ship’s strict no-smoking policy. The rules, which passengers must sign before boarding, say that anyone caught smoking will be dropped off at the next port […]