The Writer's Life 11/12 - A Drug & a Kiss

An article in today's NY Post by Melkorka Licea highlights the controversy about a trendy herbal supplement. Kratom is being hailed by some as a miracle cure for heroin addiction, and assailed by others as deadly addictive. It's flying off the shelves at dozens of  smoke shops and cafes. Found in Southeast Asia, of the coffee family, the plant-based drug is currently in regulatory limbo, legal in New York and 42 other states, but on a federal watch list while the FDA decides whether to characterize it as dangerous or benign. For now the feds have labeled it a “drug of abuse” and a “drug of concern.” It costs five bucks per two-gram dose. It is used to douse addiction, dampen pain or as a party drug. It is estimated that 10% of users are addicted. Some people claim they had to go to rehab because of it, or lost all their money buying it. Now 67 and dreading that my aches and pains will go from very mild to severe, I wonder if it would be harmful to use once in a while. Here's what it looks like:

A book by Kiss frontman Gene Simmons will soon be available: On Power: My Journey Through the Corridors of Power and How You Can Get More. He is profiled in an article by Post music critic Hardeep Phull. The piece concludes with this quote. "If it wasn't for the rich, there wouldn't be jobs. There'd be no philanthropy. There'd be nothing. A poor person never gave me a job. The American Dream is not only alive, but it's better and stronger than ever." While I agree with the overall sentiment, small business owners, many of them not rich, also provide jobs. Given such bluntness, Simmons would be a refreshing voice in politics - and a natural target for leftists. I'd bet he's read and embraced the works of Ayn Rand.

My thanks to the elderly woman who did a two-for-two swap of Russian books; and to the middle age gentleman who bought a Star Wars novel; and to the young one who purchased two books in Russian and an Elvis compilation on vinyl, which he handled delicately while checking its condition. Special thanks to the ex-Marine Vietnam vet who bought Five Cents, whose main character is a just returned Vietnam vet. There was a second highlight to today's session. A stunning young blond, dressed in casual chic, climbed out of the rear of a new, white SUV and headed toward the Chase ATM. As she ascended the ramp leading to the door, she hacked up a clam and spit it toward the sidewalk. I chuckled aloud. A third highlight was the ease with which I found a perfect parking spot going and coming. I won't have to move the car until after Thursday session. Yay!