This week Plaza Theater is playing "We Were Here," the new doc on San Francisco in the era of the AIDS crisis, directed by David Weissman who did the documentary on the Cockettes. They asked me to help get the word out.
The Plaza is supportive of LGBT shows and are trying to sustain a nonprofit independent movie theater in Atlanta, so if you can support them by buying a ticket or spreading the word please do! It is playing only for one week.
I am sharing with you my personal highly-researched, scientifically vouched hangover cure. It is now available for sale at a few designated bars and restaurants in Atlanta under the name "Dr. Kiki's Magic Hangover Cure." Back story: I researched a truly effective hangover cure a few years ago after the unexpected death of a dear friend at the center of a large group of friends. I knew this particular group of friends would cope by drinking our faces off, so I wanted to find something to ease the pain of the emotional pain reliever. I was non-plussed to find that casual Googling -- even on serious medical sites! -- yielded advice mostly like: drink less. sleep it out. Bah humbug! Surely we have some idea what causes hangovers, as well as ways of addressing those symptoms! Forging on in my harm reduction mode, I dedicated myself to researching scientific publications and the like. And here’s the not-so-secret-formula I came up with:
Dr. Kiki's Magic Hangover Cure(Guaranteed to make you feel 85% better within 45 minutes)
a packet of Emergen-C dissolved in a glass of water – orVitamin C in another form
your favorite pain reliever... except for acetaminophen or aspirin
Do not take acetaminophen for a hangover! Aceteminophen (Tylenol, Excedrin Extra Strength, Excedrin Migraine, Vanquish, and others) causes liver damage when combined with alcohol
Do not take aspirin – it can increase your blood alcohol level by up to 30%!
Why it works Hangovers are caused by a myriad of biological issues, including:
acetaldehyde intoxication
hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
dehydration (causes the brain to shrink and pull away from the skull, causing headache)
vitamin B deficiency
depletion of essential minerals for brain function
irritation of the stomach lining (nausea)
The ingredients I've chosen address all of these issues: Emergen-C In addition to Vitamin C and the B vitamins, Emergen-C also packs the minerals that are depleted in the brain during alcohol consumption: Calcium, Magnesium, Zinc, Manganese, Sodium and Potassium -- all in one handy package! Additionally, it’s consumed by dissolving in water, and one of the biggest causes of hangover is simple dehydration. In particular, magnesium deficiency combined with reduced levels of zinc and other minerals, is known to cause more severe hangovers, similar to migraine symptoms: headache, and light and sound sensitivity.
Pain Reliever There are 2 types of over-the-counter pain relievers: aceteminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Acetaminophen can cause liver damage in people who take very high doses, who drink heavily, or who already have abnormal liver function. NEVER take Acetaminophen before during or after drinking! The other type includes:
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)
Ketoprofen (Orudis KT)
Naproxen (Aleve)
These pain relievers are safer for the liver, but have a higher likelihood of causing gastro-intestinal problems, especially when/after drinking. Take them in moderation, along with carb-heavy food. Don't take Aspirin while drinking; it can thin your blood and raise your blood alcohol level by up to 30%!
Other things that can help
Carbohydrates
Low blood sugar can cause nausea, clammy skin or excessive sweating, moodiness, confusion, blurred vision, dizziness, headache, lack of energy, staggering, slurred speech and fatigue. Contrary to popular theory, alcohol breaks down into acetate - not sugar, like food sources of carbohydrates - and therefore has a glycemic index of 0. In fact, alcohol consumption causes low blood sugar. Thus consuming carbohydrates or sugar is essential to hangover reduction.
One of the other causes of nausea is the irritant effect of alcohol on the stomach lining, and a great antidote for that is fat... as in the cheese, butter or frying oil often served with carbohydrates! It’s a win-win situation!
Of course my favorite hangover cures are:
a big steaming bowl of the Brisket Breakfast at Ria’s Bluebird (spicy tomato beef broth with tender shredded beef, poached eggs and a baguette)
weekend special Mexican (actually pre-Colombian) Pozole soup from MiBarrio on Memorial Drive near Boulevard. MiBarrio's pozolé is a hot spicy broth with big hunks of meat and tons of huge white hominy, just like mama used to make!
Vietnamese Pho soup (also spicy beef broth, with rice noodles, your choice of meat or tofu, and assorted vegetables -- my favorite in Atlanta (now that Pho #1 closed!) is Pho Dai Loi in Forest Park. In-town, So Ba in East Atlanta makes some damn fine Pho.
or Matzo Ball soup (my favorite comes from Canter’s Deli in Los Angeles, but the make-at-home kind from the box is good too... just use your favorite chicken broth instead of the one that comes in the box)
skillet potatoes (aka Bionic Breakfast at Ria’s Bluebird): fried potatoes (carbs), cheese (fat), peppers, garlic, and onions (cysteine)
banana milk shake (potassium, calcium, sugar)
Vegemite on toast - a great source of B vitamins, cysteine, and carbohydrates
A few random comments:
Spicy foods, including chili peppers, help the body fight the free radicals that come from drinking. Other antioxident-packed foods do the same: berries, beans (red, pinto, kidney), artichokes and apples.
Greasy foods, believe it or not, coat your stomach lining and help prevent irritation
A heaped teaspoon of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, also found in Emergen-C) in a glass of water helps with nausea
Ginger Ale and lemon aid also help with nausea.
If you're REALLY hungover, use the advice my mom the doctor gives for stomach virus: suck on chips of ice to keep down SOME liquid, and nibble on saltine crackers... until you can handle actual liquids or food.
Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (2003)
Nominated for Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Won Audience Awards at the San Francisco, Philadelphia and NYC Lesbian & Gay Film Festivals, and for Outstanding Documentary at the GLAAD Media Awards
One of the architects of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and Martin Luther King Jr's right-hand man, strategist, and teacher, was Bayard Rustin, an openly gay man. He is credited as the chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, at which King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech.
His activism began at an activist training program conducted by Quakers in 1937. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Harlemto help defend the Scottsboro Boys, nine young black men in Alabama accused of raping two white women.
For the rest of his life, Rustin committed himself to issues of social justice. During WWII, he went to California to help protect the property of Japanese Americans, who had been imprisoned in internment camps. In 1942, Rustin helped form the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a pacifist organization based on the writings of Henry David Thoreau, modeled after Mohandas Gandhi's non-violent resistance against British rule in India. And in 1948, Rustin traveled to India to learn nonviolence techniques directly from the leaders of the Gandhian movement, shortly after Ghandi's assassination. On his return, Rustin served on the Quaker task force to write "Speak Truth to Power: A Quaker Search for an Alternative to Violence," one of the most influential and widely commented upon pacifist essays in the United States.
In 1947, he helped organize the first of the Freedom Rides to test the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States that banned racial discrimination in interstate travel. By 1956, Rustin began advising Martin Luther King Jr. on Gandhian tactics, as King was organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, Rustin and King began organizing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). His activism turned towards gay rights in the 1970s, and in 1986, he gave a speech "The New Niggers Are Gays," urging homosexual rights as the next frontier of justice.
Doors open 7:00 pm – film starts at 7:30 pm sharp. Popcorn and refreshments available.
Stay to discuss the film – the second in our new series on LESBIAN, GAY, BI-SEXUAL & TRANSGENDER FOLKS part of THIRD FRIDAY FILM SERIES at First Existentialist.
WHAT:Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (2003) WHEN:Friday, March 18, 2011, 7pm WHERE:First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta, 470 Candler Park Dr., NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 HOW MUCH: $1 to $10 sliding scale, No one turned away
GO SEE THIS!!! David Wojnarowicz is a seminal, groundbreaking amazing artist/writer from the 80s, who died of AIDS. There's recently been controversy in D.C. about his work, because the Smithsonian Institution was asked -- and did -- to remove the video below from display. It's inspired a re-showing of the work across the country.
Art and Censorship: A Screening of David Wojnarowicz's "A Fire in My Belly" and Panel Discussion
Emory University presents a special screening of films concerning the recent censorship controversy surrounding the exhibition "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture" at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC. The screening will include David Wojnarowicz’s “A Fire in My Belly,” plus supplemental footage of ACT UP in Atlanta from 1990, and Wojnarowicz’s “ITSOFOMO.” The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on art censorship, public policy and artistic freedom, and the latest chapter in the so-called culture wars concerning religion and sexuality.
Emory is pleased to present this screening and discussion in solidarity with other institutions throughout the world that are hosting events surrounding the removal of David Wojnarowicz's film "A Fire in My Belly," as chronicled on HIDESEEK.ORG.
"A Fire in My Belly" and "ITSOFOMO" are courtesy of P.P.O.W. Gallery.
Sick of being left out of organizing because of the absence of childcare at meetings?
Is childcare badly needed at your organization's events?
Do you desire to support families in your radical/progressive community?
Kelli's Childcare Collective of Atlanta is hosting a community discussion about the need for radical childcare in progressive movement building and for society in general. This is a great opportunity to come enjoy some time in the park, fill your belly with yummies, and talk about this important issue. Find out what the Collective is doing and how you can contribute. Bring your ideas, perspectives, enthusiasm, and kids if you have them!
Some food and beverages will be provided. Discussions will be facilitated by core volunteers of the Collective. Please feel free to invite anybody you think might be interested in participating!
The Atlanta Sedition Orchestra will be performing at 5pm.
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