Seven out of 10 Americans are already sharing a bed with their pets, Becker said. So Americans do realize how important pets are, but not everyone knows the amount of scientific research that backs up the importance of that emotional, affectionate connection, he said. And pets do not have to live indoors or be cuddly to calm the nerves and soften the heart. Aquariums have proven to have calming effects on children with Attention Deficient Disorder or a tendency towards violence, over-stressed stock brokers and the elderly, he said. He will be speaking at 7 p.m. Friday at the Atheneum on India Street.
Admission is free, but seating is limited.
Adinolfi's show premiered in New York City this summer and now will be performed on a Nantucket stage, only steps from where the whaleship Essex left Nantucket Harbor on its way to the fateful encounter with a sperm whale that became the inspiration for Melville's book. After reading the novel five years ago, Adinolfi said he was inspired to get inside the story and play the parts. He began researching everything Melville-related. I wanted to be every part of the story. I wanted to do it.