RIP Nancy Wilson, 81, consummate artist, personification of class and dignity. Her career spanned more than five decades, from the mid 1950's to the early 2010's. Although her singles did not chart very high, she won three Grammys, recorded more than 70 albums, and played concerts around the world. She also acted. There are 19 titles under her name at IMDb. She is a member of the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame, and the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame. My favorite track of hers is the gut-wrenching I Can't Make You Love Me, composed by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin, a hit for Bonnie Raitt. She had a regal presence but came off as completely down to earth. Kudos, madam. Thank you.
Look who dropped in to the California Academy of Sciences:
From Yahoo's Odd News, edited by yours truly: Once a month for the last decade, Pepe Casanas, a 78-year-old Cuban farmer, has hunted down a scorpion with which to sting himself, believing its venom wards off the pain of rheumatism. Researchers believe the stuff does have anti-inflammatory and pain relief properties, and may even be able to delay tumor growth in some cancer patients. A pharmaceutical firm has been using it to manufacture the homeopathic medicine Vidatox. The company sends out workers to capture the critters. It has 6000 at its lab. Once a month they're hit with an 18V electrical jolt that triggers the release of a few drops of venom. In Cuba, a vial costs under a dollar. On the black market abroad it can cost a hundred times that. Retailers at Amazon are selling it for up to $140.
My thanks to the sweet elderly woman who donated a book in Russian, and to Barry, who donated two works of non-fiction on NYC gangsters, one of which,
Gangster City: The History of the New York Underworld 1900-1935 by Patrick Downey, was scooped up by Candy. Thanks also to the old-timer who selected two thrillers in Russian, and to the woman who chose My Last Breath by radical Mexican filmmaker Luis Bunuel and Book of Angels by Sylvia Browne; and to the gentleman who bought two DVD's.
My Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Vic-Fortezza/e/B002M4NLJE
Read Vic's Stories, free: http://fictionaut.com/users/vic-fortezza
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