DEATH IN VENICE—OR ENCINO, FOR THAT MATTER—It’s official! California is not only one of the priciest states to live in but also the most expensive to die in.

Ayn Rand must be doing aerobics in her grave. “Subway Agrees to Buyout By Roark,” the New York Times reported in its Business & Finance section one recent Friday.

When I don’t feel entirely up-to-snuff—and discover that my snuff supplier will be out of town for two years and 500 community-service hours—I engage in the perilous activity called self-diagnosis.

Apparently not satisfied with causing COVID outbreaks only at sea, cruise lines are now buying private islands.

You may not have realized it but this column has a Help Desk staffer on its consultant payroll.

Sixty years ago, November 22 came out on a Friday.

When the current, inarguably disastrous session of Congress began, Chuck Schumer—the U.S. Senate majority leader who seems constitutionally incapable of training his eyeglasses to rise above his nostrils—was suspending the dress code for his fellow electeds in the alleged Upper House.

If you have trouble falling asleep tonight, why not catch yourself up on the latest research into just how much shuteye we need? Why, you’ll be in the realm of REM in mere moments.

Today is not only the fourth anniversary of The Goldman State but also the 73rd birthday of The Goldman.

1. Nine out of 10 doctors represent a full 90 percent of the medical profession.

Being “on call” is my least favorite status—and has always been. It’s good I’m not a doctor, an EMT or a Broadway understudy.

Some restaurateurs are upset that some younger diners are ordering multiple side dishes instead of costlier entrées, according to The Wall Street Journal. Diners are eschewing rather than chewing big honking meals in favor of little honking meals— the most popular combo being a Caesar salad and French fries.