#✧ — ⋆ anita/as told by ginger .⋆— ✧

[goldstcrsfm]

The holiday stress was getting to a lot of the citizens on this island, and Anita still doesn’t know what is she even doing here. It just seemed to everyone that no one knew why they are here. And some people had lost some of their memories, or maybe even all of their memories. She was in some sort of a trance, when someone had placed their hand on her shoulder. Anita’s little trance had ended. She looked at the other person. “What? I’m sorry. I wasn’t able to listen to what you had said to me. I mean, if you had said anything to me. Why are you here?” Anita asked the other person. @forgottenfriendshipstarters​

[treason-and-plot]

[previous]

While Renee and Alec grind on the dancefloor, Anita has been tasked with an intelligence-gathering mission: to try and determine if the Hot Bartender might be interested in Alec. She plonks herself down at the bar and when he approaches she decides with intoxicated abandon to get straight to the point: life is too short for subtlety!

“Hey,” she says. “My friend thinks you’re hot. And he wants to know if you’re interested in him. He’s the good-looking ginger up there on the dancefloor.  So….are you?”

“Ma’am, I’m working,” says Hot Bartender, a gentle smile illuminating his chiselled cheekbones and pale blue eyes. “It wouldn’t be appropriate or professional for me to comment one way or another. Now, is there anything I can get you?”

“My friend really wants your phone number,” says Anita.  

“Like I said, it wouldn’t be appropriate or professional-“

“You know what?“ says Anita. “I met my partner when he was working behind a bar. Oh my God, I spent so much money on drinks trying to get him to notice me! It nearly sent me broke. And nearly turned me into an alcoholic. But what can you do?  It was love at first sight. For me, anyway.  You just gotta do what you gotta do. Right? Which is why I just came out and told you directly that my friend thinks you’re hot. Cut to the chase. None of this beating around the bush bullshit. You know what I mean?”

“I appreciate your candour,” says Hot Bartender.

“I appreciate your…oops, I’d better not say,” giggles Anita. “I’m a terrible flirt when I’m drinking. Terrible. But flirting’s harmless, right? I mean, it’s just a bit of fun. I like to have fun. Just because I’m the…the wrong side of forty doesn’t mean I don’t like to flirt with an attractive man. There’s still a lot of juice left in this engine, you know what I mean?”

Alec sidles up to her ten minutes later. Renee is still on the dancefloor, dancing with Nancy Landgraab. Alec smiles at the bartender.

“What would you like to drink, Anita?” he asks. Anita tries to refuse, but her tongue feels as if it’s made of shagpile wool- words keep sinking into it and disappearing. Finally she manages to speak.

“Nothing, thank you. I’m actually very wasted and I don’t want-“

“Another Simsmapolitan for the lady, thank you Sir, “ Alec says. “And I’ll have a tequila shot. Actually, what the hell. Give us two shots each." He ignores Anita's groan of protest and winks at the bartender, who raises an inquisitive eyebrow. “I’d like to inform you that I'm really good at swallowing shots. Really, really good.”

[septembersghost]

something that does have a real weight of sorrow for me in all these discussions about elvis, and portrayals of elvis, is that ultimately the overwhelming majority is some degree of projection, and that's rarely kept in mind. we don't know for certain how he felt about things which occurred in his life, how he perceived them, internalized them, because he never had the chance to tell his own story. every book written is from the perspective of its teller, whether it comes from love or greed, compassion or condemnation. every script and every actor is an interpretation, and by necessity condensed and fictionalized. whenever someone says something about the feminine view of the coppola movie, i think about how that's not as unusual as they seem to think it is, we have a swath of women's stories about him - linda, ginger, kathy, june, anita, mindi, and so on, they've shared their experiences and perspectives on him, like priscilla has, for decades (and those are remarkably consistent). this isn't me saying they shouldn't, they have the right to share their voices, and those accounts told are what we have as biographical record of him, but still, every individual naturally speaks from a place of personal bias. this is, of course, startlingly true with everything members of the mm have put out there as well.

people keep contrasting the luhrmann film with coppola's, and it's wildly missing the point because they're not even looking through the same lens. as much as i love baz's work and think the film is so affecting and beautiful, it's necessary to remember that elvis is actually NOT the pov character. that's our antagonist, parker. austin's remarkable and empathetic performance is the beating heart of the movie, but in many respects elvis (2022) isn't solely about elvis presley, and it's not supposed to be. it's about the struggle of empty capitalism vs. fulfilling creation and art, it's about exploitation and grief, it's about the upheaval and changing landscape of american culture and how this singular man was used as a lens through which to filter those shifts. his social consciousness is relevant because it's too often overlooked, or ignored altogether, in his legacy, and that, like his passion for music, like his spirituality, was essential to his soul and his artistry, but we also need to see that conflict of parker not having understanding for that hunger and grace because they're positioned as the dichotomy of a transforming age. its aim is focused on his influence and resonance as a performer, which is why it's often grand and kaleidoscopic. when the movie truly, wholly becomes dedicated to elvis is the switch flip during unchained melody. i'd argue, in fact, that's why it's powerful - we spend two and a half hours as an audience by intent, told this story, watching the rise and struggles of this man, but at a bit of a thoughtful remove, guided by the colonel, who doesn't even get why we're there. the colonel who tells us directly elvis' tragedy was love, and only we are allowed to perceive that love was also his triumph. the final moments of the film allow the crossing of that bridge, where it's between us and elvis, and the connection and legacy he left behind.

obviously i haven't seen priscilla (2023) and thus cannot comment on its narrative structure or portrayal, but can say that once again, the human being he was individually isn't intended to be the center. she's the focal point and the pov character and it's necessary to keep that in mind. elvis is the supporting player, no matter how large he may loom, in a story about a young woman's journey into a whirlwind and to self-discovery.

the trouble with all these varying accounts and portrayals, no matter how sensitively or salaciously done, is that elvis presley disappears into Elvis™ in the ensuing discussion. he becomes a cipher for whatever anyone viewing and commenting WANTS him to be - scintillating iconoclast or tragic disaster, brilliant musician or embarrassing hack, generous, pensive soul or overbearing, gauche cautionary tale. all of which easily becomes too simplistic or too judgmental, erasing his personhood and complexity and extraordinary humanism for the quickest possible sound bite.

there's no real point to me saying all this beyond it being something i feel is essential to remember and to process. he never told this in his own words, so we piece every account together (playing detective, as austin said), learn to differentiate the noise and the furor from the quiet, persistent truths, find the spirit of the person he was and his dreams and philosophies and heart that are left behind, that do still captivate and comfort people who listen.

this is why i don't feel like our job is to constantly go to war for him, or to try and prove haters hanging onto their ugliest possible opinions wrong (it hasn't worked for decades), because even in that tumult, threads are lost and value is obscured. it's not our responsibility to rescue his image. loving what he gave us is enough.

[qnewsau]

Courtney Act pays tribute to late theatre legend Chita Rivera

New Post has been published on https://qnews.com.au/courtney-act-pays-tribute-to-late-theatre-legend-chita-rivera/

Courtney Act pays tribute to late theatre legend Chita Rivera

Courtney Act has shared a beautiful tribute to late US musical theatre legend Chita Rivera, who died this week at age 91.

Chita’s daughter announced Chita had died in New York after a brief illness.

The Latin American Broadway legend’s big break was as Anita in the original 1957 production of West Side Story. Chita was also the original Velma Kelly in the 1970’s premiere of Chicago.

Over the decades, the performer was nominated for multiple Tony Awards, winning Best Actress in a Musical twice.

The nominations kept coming through the 2010s and Chita received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Tonys in 2018, among many other honours.

Chita Rivera’s death this week prompted tributes from performers and theatre lovers everywhere.

‘One of the most magnificent performers’

On Instagram, Australian drag queen Courtney Act remembered Chita as “a wonderful, joyous, inspiring human being” and recalled time she’d spent with her in a lengthy post.

“One the greatest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and one of the most magnificent performers I have ever witnessed,” Courtney wrote.

“The way Chita held a room with her electric presence was something to behold.”

Courtney Act recalled first meeting Chita Rivera on a cruise, and Courtney recalled inviting Chita to her show.

“I didn’t hear back that she was coming, but after the show, she came backstage to say hello and gave me the warmest hug and the most affirming compliments,” she said.

“That night we sat in the bar and drank a fancy ginger cocktail together. Each night of the cruise, we’d meet in that bar and try a different elaborate cocktail from the menu.

“At the time, she was 78 and I was on the eve of 30. I had consumed so many hours (foolishly) worrying about getting older. Seeing Chita perform and spending that time with her dissolved all of my fears.

“If that is what 78 looked like, there were only great things to look forward to.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Courtney Act (@courtneyact)

‘Thank you for all the joy’

Courtney Act recalled the Broadway icon, who performed on theatre stages into her 80s, was “so generous with her time”.

“She would give me challenges as a performer. ‘Next time you do that number, you should try to stand completely still. Bring all the emotion through your voice and face, but don’t move your body,'” Courtney recalled.

“I did just what she told me. After the show, she came up to me, ‘You did it, kiddo!’

“I feel so lucky to have had so much time with her and am forever changed as a human and a performer from knowing her.

“I love you, Chita. Thank you for all the joy you have brought to this world. You left it a better place than you found it.”

After her death this week, Chita

For the latest LGBTIQA+ Sister Girl and Brother Boy news, entertainment, community stories in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

[clarklovescarole]

March 1938: The Los Angeles Flood

March 4, 1938 – Evening Standard

The death toll in the California flood disaster is mounting every hour. The latest reports state that 35 people have lost their lives. A number of them were killed by landslides; others were swept away by the flood water and drowned.

It is described as the worst disaster in the region since the earthquake of 1933, which wrecked Long Beach and killed 150 people.

Clark Gable Forced To Abandon Car

The homes of Miss Norma Shearer, Mr. James Stewart, and Miss Anita Loos, Miss Billie Burke and Mr. Robert Montgomery are also cut off by the flood water, which is in some cases entered the houses. 

High seas prevented some coast guard boats from reaching the marooned stars. Small bridges were torn from their foundations. 

Miss Kay Francis was rescued by the police from her car, which as standing in 4ft. of water. 

Miss Ginger Rogers and Mr. Richard Dix reached their studio after a thrilling race with the deepening water. 

The lower part of Miss Joan Bennett’s house in the lower Beverly Hills district was flooded. Miss Isabel Jeans only just escaped a landslide while in her car. 

Mr. Clark Gable was forced to abandon his car on a flooded road. 

Twentieth Century Fox Studios estimated that they have suffered damage to their sets amounting to more than £20,000. At the Paramount studios, all productions have been stopped and the executive offices submerged. 

Boats were used to take Miss Sylvia Sydney, Mr. George Raft, Miss Dorothy Lamour, Miss Mary Carlisle, and Mr. Ray Milland to and from the sound stages. 

Many studios made hurried arrangements to house their workers on sound stages and in dressing rooms last night. Shirley Temple stayed overnight in a bungalow at the studio.

Some of the ranches owned by film stars have suffered severely including those owned by Mr. Bing Crosby and Miss Carole Lombard. Mr. Robert Taylor and Miss Barbara Stanwyck, who own adjoining ranches, were rescuing horses from rising water. 

March 27, 1938 – St. Louis Globe

Carole Tired Out From Year of Work

Carole Lombard fans will find these bits of private drama enacted in Hollywood which isn’t screened.

Carole isn’t just one of those dizzy hoydens some of her recent pictures have made her appear: she has her serious moments and good impulses.

The other day, accompanied by Clark Gable, she made a tour of some of the districts devastated by the flood and was greatly impressed.

She saw the damage done – in some cases destruction – to private residences and the hardships of occupants who remained to salvage what they could.

Carole, pretty much worn out by her almost ceaseless work for a year past, recently refused a persistent radio chain offer of large financial proportions.

But what she saw in her tour made her forget a doctor’s warning that a long rest was imperative, and she had planned a vacation.

Evidence of the plight of so many women and children made her feel a sense of duty. She sent word to the radio chiefs that she will go on. 

The preparations for the broadcast will involve a lot of work and worry at a time she’s been told that she must build up her depleted strength.

All the proceeds of the broadcast for herself and the artists she will enlist to aid will go to the flood sufferers through the Red Cross.

[honey-dewey]

Valentine’s Day Drabbles!

Happy Valentine’s Day! I couldn’t decide who to write for today, so I did all of them! (If I really had to pick, it would’ve been Frankie, let’s be honest) As is the drabble rules, each drabble is exactly 100 words, and I hope you like it! 

Taglist: @phoenixhalliwell

Din Djarin:

(Is there a Star Wars equivalent of Valentine’s Day? Let’s say yes.) 

“Cyar’ika, wake up.” 

Din’s not the most outwardly affectionate, but you bet your ass he’ll do whatever you want for Valentine’s Day. A quiet day on the Crest? Done. Going out for the night? Okay. He’ll find somewhere nice. 

But you’re stuck on the Crest, and he’s not going to ignore you. In fact, you find him trying to make dinner. Trying. He’s never been the best cook. Your Valentine’s Day dinner was supposed to be all romantic and candlelit, and instead it was a disaster on the floor. You simply laughed and told him you could fix it together.

Marcus Moreno:

“Babe, I love you.” 

Marcus wakes you up with breakfast in bed. He’s a romantic like that. Missy spends the day with Anita, so you and Marcus have the house to yourselves. Breakfast is eaten before you can even get out of bed, and Marcus dotes on you all day after that. 

Then, dinner. He doesn’t want to leave the house, so he cooks. You put on a beautiful outfit he’d bought you and decide to surprise him with nice lingerie underneath. After an amazing dinner, you give Marcus his unexpected present, and he is very eager to accept it. 

Max Phillips:

“Oh darling, get ready for this.” 

Max is a spoiler, so expect almost too much on Valentine’s Day. He’s all about pampering you. He takes the day off work, gets you roses and chocolates, and while you laugh, he presents you with a vampire teddy bear. 

You, however, are not one to be upstaged. You decided earlier that you’d finally let Max feed off you. He nearly cries when you offer your neck to him, and he makes sure your Valentine’s feeding is one you’ll never forget. After that, it becomes tradition for him to feed from you every Valentine’s.

Frankie ‘Catfish’ Morales:

“I love you, baby.”  

Frankie is a romantic, and he wants your Valentine’s Day to be perfect. He makes dinner and keeps it all a secret until he leads you to the kitchen where a table full of candles, roses, and food. He makes the same meal you two ate on your first date, and it’s even better than before. 

Little does Frankie know, you’ve got a surprise for him too. His favorite movies all set up with a pillow fort in the bedroom. Popcorn mixed with M&Ms, just like he likes. It’s the perfect end to the day. 

Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels:

“Close your eyes for me Darlin’.” 

Jack doesn’t get the day off work, but that doesn’t mean he can’t wow you. You visit his workplace and he invites you on a long horseback ride. Turns out, he found a picnic spot that was just divine, and he made lunch for you. 

So it’s only natural you want to one-up him. You, along with Ginger and Tequila, get Jack the day off the next day, and you spend all night teasing him over dinner before finally blindfolding him and taking him to bed. 

Needless to say, he appreciates the day off.

Ezra:

(Again, is Valentine’s day a thing in this alternate sci-fi universe?)

“My dearest songbird, guess what day it is.”

Ezra’s a very open person, so keeping the date a secret is like torture. You two are on a prospecting trip, and he definitely has an idea. He fashions a ring for you with a stone he took from your first trip together, and has very special plans for it.

You, however, had not forgotten the date. You fully expected Ezra to surprise you with your normal dinner, lit by candles. You did not expect him to get down on one knee and propose to you at the end of the meal. 

Shane ‘Dio’ Morrissey

“Me? Romantic? You’ve got to be kidding.” 

Yeah so he’s a hopeless romantic. He straight up calls you Persephone on the daily. He’s in love with a capital L. 

So, for the big day, he sticks to the theme. Dressing in his favorite (only) suit, he makes you a beautiful black and red dress (or suit) for you to wear out to dinner. 

You eat, flirt, and be merry, knowing full well you’re wearing a brand new black lingerie set under the outfit. When you get back to Dio’s apartment and he learns you’re wearing it, you better be ready. 

Javier  Peña: 

“I’m sorry, it’s all I could do.” 

Poor Javi gets no time off, so his Valentine’s plans are extremely limited. He can either pick up dinner or pray he can slip away long enough to make something. 

In the end, he resorts to option number one. Grabbing your favorite take out, he opens the door, ready to apologize he couldn’t do better, when he sees you out on the tiny balcony, surrounded by fairy lights and candles. You two eat take out on the balcony, feet tangled together, and he decides this is the best Valentine’s day he’s ever had. 

Maxwell Lord:

“You’re my Queen. I’d do anything for you.” 

Lovely Maxwell is so over the top in showing his love. However, when you sit him down at the beginning of February and insist on doing something smaller, he tones it down. 

You two take the day off and spend it with Alistair until dinner. For dinner, you and Maxwell dress to the nines and go out. It’s Maxwell’s opportunity to show you luxury, and boy does he. 

After dinner, it actually starts snowing, so you two walk through DC as it snows, arm in arm. It’s a truly perfect Valentine’s Day

[bettsfic]

Baby updates Sundays and Wednesdays at 7pm EST on Patreon

excerpt from chapter 4:

Cee wakes up with bobby pins jabbing her scalp and makeup gluing her eyes shut. Her mouth tastes like hairspray and weed and booze. She showers twice: the first time at four a.m. after she runs to the bathroom and hurls for twenty minutes, and again at eight because she still feels dirty, but it doesn’t wash off. She gets dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and track pants and walks around the house looking for her mom or Llewellyn, makes it all the way to the garage to find only her Miata. Gail must have stayed out all night. Llewellyn won’t come by until afternoon.

Cee gets in her car and starts driving. Time keeps skipping like it was last night. She’s in the Gradys’ driveway now. Her fingers punch in the garage door code, but only Bobby’s truck is parked inside. Anita must be at work again. 

Bea’s room does not have Bea in it. Bobby’s bedroom door is closed. In the kitchen, Cee pushes up her sleeves and turns on the tap and washes the plates and forks left there. Then the sink is empty. As she pulls the stopper, she realizes she forgot to check her phone. She takes it out of her pocket, hands still wet, and flips it open. 

One unread text message from Mandy, shortly after midnight: Ok love u girl.

The message prior is one Cee doesn’t remember sending: Safe inisde thx u.

Last night, Junior had been the one to interrupt before anything got too heavy. He said something from outside, like, “Oh, don’t let me interrupt. I’ll just wait here,” which was when Dan finally pulled his finger out of her with a frustrated sigh and unlocked the door. Suddenly Bea was there too, and Mandy and Keith, and they were driving to Waffle House, but Cee wanted to go home. She was humiliated by the smell of sex they’d left behind. Dan offered to go inside with her and Bea told him to “stay in the damn car and let her go to bed,” but that didn’t deter him. 

“At least let me walk her to the door,” he said. 

And then Mandy — sweet, gentle Mandy — said, “Quit being a creep, Dan. She didn’t invite you inside,” at the same time Bea said, “If you get out of this car, I will murder your fucking face off.” Cee used the opportunity to climb out, and Keith sped off.

It was a bad night, she thinks. No, she corrects, it was a fine night, but she had too much to drink and smoke. It was her fault. Bobby is always telling her she shouldn’t push herself past her limits, but in her defense, she doesn’t know what they are until she crosses them. Last night wouldn’t have happened the way it did if Bobby had been her date. She wouldn’t have gone off the deep end like that. She would have had no reason to. 

She opens the fridge and takes out a can of ginger ale, pops it open and takes a sip. It settles her stomach only slightly. Bobby wouldn’t have said all the mean things Dan said. She takes the rag and wipes down the countertops, puts away a bag of chips that somebody (Bea) left open. Bobby wouldn’t have made her feel so dirty. She opens the front door, pulls the Sunday paper from the yellow bin under the mailbox. She sets it at Bobby’s place on the table, where Mr. Grady used to sit before he got arrested. Bobby is in his room, alone, curled up asleep with his box fan on. Just on the other side of the house.

[read the rest on patreon]

[rockandrollstorytime]

Rock and Roll Storytime #6: The Rolling Stones Against the Establishment (Or: The time 3/5 of them went on trial for drug posession)

Let’s face it, I think every now and again, we all have those moments where we’re glad that we live in the time and place we do at this very moment. This particularly goes out to the musicians, who seem to get in trouble for drugs less frequently nowadays, in favor of worse charges... 

But that wasn’t always so. 

Once upon a time, the threat of rock stars getting long prison sentences for first time offences was very omnipresent, and this story is about that bygone era. A time and a place where even a hint of subversive behavior meant that adults lost their shit and went on literal moral crusades. 

Enter Sgt. Norman Pilcher, or, as John Lennon called him in “I Am the Walrus”, Semolina Pilchard. He was a detective in his 30′s and was dead-set on getting drugs off the streets, which meant that, invariably, he primarily set his sights on rock stars. His list of arrests includes Donovan, John Lennon, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Brian Jones. He would’ve nabbed Eric Clapton, but Eric bolted out the back door as soon as he heard there was someone at his doorstep with a “special delivery.”

For now though, we’re just going to focus on the Stones, and how this whole drug trial business may have accelerated the decline of one of its members. 

Given how trying to get rock stars busted for drugs was practically a sport in 1967, the now-defunct tabloid News of the World decided to capitalize on this by publishing a three-part “story” entitled, “Pop Stars and Drugs: Facts That Will Shock You.” In it, the tabloid alleged that many popular musicians of the time were not only doing drugs, but also holding drug parties at their homes, including Donovan, Pete Townshend, and Ginger Baker (R.I.P). Part Two seems to have primarily targeted the Rolling Stones, and it was alleged that Mick Jagger had taken several Benzedrine tablets, displayed a bit of hashish, and invited his companions back to his flat for a smoke, one of whom just so happened to be an undercover reporter. As it turns out, the person in question was actually little Brian Jones, who was being way too casual with his drug use. Mick tried to sue the paper over that one. 

I just want to ask, how the hell did they mix up Mick and Brian? One’s blond and has a cherubic face, and the other’s brunette and has massive lips!

In either case, like with how Donovan was arrested and charged after the first issue came out, the article attracted the attentions of authorities, and in particular, one Semolina Pilchard. News of the World was also more than a little interested in avoiding a major lawsuit, even to the point of allegedly wiretapping and paying off informants (it’s shit like that which is the reason why they ultimately became defunct in 2011, after a phone hacking scandal). Ultimately, on February 12, 1967, eighteen police officers raided Keith Richards’ home, Redlands. Mick, Keith, and an art dealer friend, Robert Fraser were arrested and charged with amphetamine possession, allowing his home to be used for the smoking of cannabis, and heroin possession respectively. 

In addition, salacious rumors started to swirl around that Mick was found eating a Mars Bar out of Marianne Faithfull’s... nether regions. Truth of the matter is, while Marianne was only wearing a fur rug, there weren’t any orgies taking place. She even wrote in her autobiography, “The Mars Bar is a very effective piece of demonizing. It was so overdone with such malicious twisting of the facts. Mick retrieving a Mars Bar from my vagina, indeed! It’s a dirty old man’s fantasy – some old fart who goes to a dominatrix every Thursday. A cop’s idea of what people do on acid.”

Their manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, was supposed to help these kids figure out what to do about the impending drug trials, but instead, he fled to America, leaving his role to Allen Klein (Andrew was fired in September). Lawyers told Mick, Keith, and Brian that, essentially, since they were the most visible of the Rolling Stones, to not talk to the press and even to temporarily leave the country. And so, Mick, Keith, and Brian (bringing along his girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg) set off for Morocco. This is something I’m going to have to go into more detail about another time, but suffice it to say, it ended with Anita leaving Brian for Keith and Brian being stranded in Morocco for about two days. 

On May 10, Mick, Keith, and Robert were marched into court where they were formally charged with the aforementioned charges. Mick and Keith decided to plead not guilty, Robert pled guilty, and all three elected to undergo trial by jury. That same day, twelve officers raided Brian’s home, and though he allegedly tried to clean up the place before the coppers arrived, they still managed to find a “purple Moroccan-style wallet” with cannabis in it. Needless to say, Brian and his friend, Prince Stanislaus “Stash” Klossowski were also arrested and charged with drug possession. On June 2, they were formally charged in court and elected to undergo trial by jury. However, Brian decided to plead guilty, a move that would come back to bite him in the ass later on. 

Starting with Mick, Robert, and Keith’s trial, the odds were against them from the very start. For one thing, the judge they were up against, Judge Leslie Allen Block, was notoriously unforgiving. Given that two of the people on trial were Rolling Stones, it quickly became apparent that the people running the show would very much be gunning for long jail sentences. It can also be argued that, since Pilcher knew what press would come if he made some high-profile celebrity arrests and didn’t arrest anyone with a status lower than Donovan, it could easily be argued that he was only making these arrests to gain some serious cred for his task-force. Going back to the original point though, at one point, as Mick’s trial was wrapping up, the judge even told the jury to dispel any notion of reasonable doubt. 

The last time I wrote this, that sounded seriously ethically dubious, even considering that the usual phrase here would be “innocent until proven guilty” (though it usually plays out the other way around, it seems). Well, I did eventually ask my mom about it (she’s a paralegal and she knows a thing or two about U.S.A. law), and she said that it would depend on the case and if the reasonable doubt presented was excluded by a previous court order. 

Granted, I know that’s dealing with U.S.A. law and that I can’t find anything saying that there was a court order barring reasonable doubt, but I guess that’ll have to do. 

In either case, on June 27, Mick was found guilty of illegally possessing Benzedrine (despite the fact that it was purchased legally in Italy), but because Keith’s trial hadn’t begun yet, Mick and Robert were sent to Lewes Prison overnight. 

Keith’s trial began in earnest the next day, and Keith really didn’t help his case when he said, “We are not old men. We are not worried about petty morals.” However, the trial remained unfinished at the end of the day, so Mick and Robert (who were being held in a cell under the courtroom) were escorted back to Lewes. 

The trial finally came to a close on June 29, and all three of the defendants were summarily sentenced. Mick was sentenced to three months for the aforementioned drug possession charges, Robert was sentenced to six months for heroin possession, and Keith was sentenced to twelve months for allowing cannabis to be smoked in his home. Additionally, all three were fined. Mick was sent to Brixton and Robert and Keith were sent to the notorious Wormwood Scrubs. 

By today’s standards, these would definitely be considered harsh sentences, and might not even happen the same way (I’ll save more of these details for the ending). Back then though, surprisingly, there was actually quite a bit of support for the Stones and not just from fans. Even newspapers that had once viciously mocked them, voiced their support. In fact, William Rees-Mogg, a well-known conservative, wrote an article for The Times called “Who Breaks a Butterfly Upon a Wheel” in which he criticized Mick Jagger’s sentence, essentially saying that the only reason he got three months was because of his being a Rolling Stone, and that had he not been, the consequences would have been much less severe, considering he was a first-time offender. The Who also voiced their support for the Stones, saying “The Who consider Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have been treated as scapegoats for the drug problem and as a protest against the grave sentences imposed on them at Chichester yesterday, The Who are issuing today the first of a series of Jagger-Richards songs to keep their work before the public until they are again free to record themselves.” The New Law Journal wrote, “The three-month prison sentence on Jagger for a first offence, and the introduction at this trial of evidence about a girl in a skin rug are two disturbing features of the case.” Some fans even protested outside News of the World’s headquarters, including Keith Moon’s girlfriend (later wife), Kim Kerrigan. 

However, there were still some sources who agreed with the judge’s decision. In particular, Charles Curran wrote for the Evening News: “I hold that people who break the law ought to be punished. The law that Jagger and Richards broke is not a trifle either. For it seeks to prevent people from using dangerous drugs for fun... Look at Jagger and Richards. Each of them is a millionaire at twenty-three. How does it come about that they are so rich? Their wealth flows from the fact that they are manufactured pieces of wish-fulfillment... Their lives tend to represent, in reality, what their admirers’ are in fantasy. So as long as the pop idol sticks to bawling and wailing- well, we can put up with that. But once he starts to add drugs to his drivel, society must take immediate note of it.”

The next day, Mick and Keith were released on appeal, and went to appeals court on July 31. Years later, Bill Wyman wrote, “The appeal was on five grounds: (1) That the evidence made a cornerstone of the case by the prosecution was wrongly admitted. The evidence of the girl, her dress or undress, was ‘wholly inadmissible’; (2) That if it was held to be admissible, the evidence should have been excluded by the discretion of the judge, because it was so prejudicial; (3) That the chairman misdirected the jury about what the prosecution had to prove as to the meaning of the word ‘permitting’; (4) That he failed to detail the lack of evidence regarding the knowledge of the cannabis drug; (5) That he failed to put fully the defence to the jury.” Keith’s sentence was completely overturned, while Mick was sentenced to a year’s probation, though he wound up spending another night in jail. 

Robert, who ended up serving his full sentence, apparently alleged that everything at Keith’s house that night had been his, and that he’d been taking heroin pills for an upset stomach (sort of like how Kurt Cobain claimed to be on heroin because of a stomach condition that may well have been psychosomatic). 

With Brian’s trial, it is important to note that, as I’ve said, he didn’t really take the affair as seriously as he could have, Also, there’s the fact that Allen Klein, in a misguided attempt at trying to protect Brian, told him to stay away from the other Stones as much as possible, which had the effect of isolating Brian from his band even further at a time where he needed them most. In fact, according to Stash (who was later acquitted), “Brian was not OK within a month of us getting busted. I was at Robert Fraser’s apartment when Brian came in, and, much to my horror, he proceeded to hit about twenty objects, banging into the walls and ricocheting across the room like a ping-pong ball. That was the terrible effect of those downers. He took them because he felt alienated, worried, and it was the only way he could isolate himself into some kind of security blanket. It was a one-way street. He had a disaster written in neon lights all over him and none of us could do anything about it.”

In fact, Brian was in such dire straits, he wound up being admitted to the Priory Clinic for psychiatric analysis on July 5, and was discharged as an out-patient on July 12. When his trial finally came around on October 30, he admitted in court to possessing cannabis without authority, but denied that he’d used cocaine or methedrine. His defense pleaded with the judge not to send him to jail, since he’d taken responsibility for the cannabis (the prosecution was more willing to accept that Brian might not have known about the stronger drugs) and that Brian had a nervous breakdown after the arrest and had suffered greatly. In fact, Detective-Sergeant David Patrick said that, while all drugs were serious, the amount of cannabis found was relatively small, and Brian’s psychiatrist said that his client should be hospitalized rather than imprisoned, and that Brian wouldn’t be able to handle prison. 

However, it all came to naught, as the judge, Reginald Seaton, sentenced Brian to three months in jail for cannabis possession, nine months for allowing his home to be used for smoking cannabis to be served concurrently, and a fine, stating, “I have given your case anxious and careful consideration. The offence of being the occupier of premises and allowing them to be used for the purpose of smoking cannabis resin is very serious indeed. This means that people can break the law in comparative privacy and so avoid detection for what is a growing canker in this country at the present moment. No blame attaches to you for the phial of cocaine, but there are people who come to this sort of party and that is how the rot starts, from cannabis to hard drugs. You occupy a position by which you have a large following of youth, and therefore, it behoves you to set an example... Although I am moved by everything I have heard, I would be failing my duty if I did not refer to the seriousness of the offences by passing sentence of imprisonment.” Brian ended up spending the night in Wormwood Scrubs, where, apparently, guards threatened to cut off the long, blonde hair he was so proud of. 

Looking at pictures of Brian right after his initial arrest and right after his sentencing, the toll that these proceedings took on his physical and mental health becomes quite clear. 

As with Mick and Keith’s sentences, Brian’s conviction caused an uproar. Eight people were arrested as a peaceful protest practically turned into a riot, including Mick’s brother, Chris. In addition, The Daily Sketch wrote, “...dishing out a nine-month sentence is as likely to turn a pop star into a martyr as to deter his fans. Besides, if the Appeal Court later reduces or quashes a harsh sentence, as happened in the case of Jagger, the authority of the law is lessened.” Similarly, The Sun (yes, the same guys who botched their coverage the Hillsborough Disaster and got largely banned from Liverpool) wrote, “Such a sentence, far from convincing young people that cannabis (hemp) is harmful, is too likely to make a martyr of this wretched young man and invest it with false glamour.” 

Brian, though shaken, was released the next day on appeal. What helped his case, though, was when Judge Block made a rather tactless statement: “We did our best, your fellow countrymen, I, and my fellow magistrates, to cut these Stones down to size, but alas, it was not to be, because the Court of Criminal Appeal let them roll free.”

Though Block later claimed he was being sarcastic, Les Perrin issued a statement of his own: “In view of Brian Jones being on bail it seems deplorable that a member of the judiciary should so contravene the normally accepted practice in a case being sub judice, as to joke and poke fun. He made an unprecedented observation both on the trial he conducted at Chichester, and the subsequent findings of the Court of Criminal Appeal. Is this the kind of justice Brian expects? Is this man typical of those who hold the title, the high and esteemed office to try and sentence people? How can the public believe, in the light of this utterance by Judge Block, that the Rolling Stones can get an unbiased hearing? His statement smacks of pre-judgement, a getting-together, ‘to cut the Stones down to size’ because of who they are. It is a pity that he did not observe the ethics of sub judice in a like manner to Mr Jagger, Mr Richards, Mr Jones by remaining silent.”

At the appeal on December 12, Brian’s doctors again said that he had become potentially suicidal as a result of the trial, and its effect on his mental health. When all was said and done, his sentence was reduced to three years’ probation under the condition that he pay a £1,000 fine and that he receive psychiatric help, with the judge saying, “Remember, this is a degree of mercy which the court has shown. It’s not a let-off.”

Later on, Stash would note, “An artist can be hounded into a state in which his mental health will deteriorate and that’s what happened to Brian, I’m sure. I was very angry and blamed the authorities, but ultimately, an individual has to blame himself.”

On December 14, Brian’s chauffeur found him collapsed in his flat and called 999. After an hour, Brian walked out, against doctors’ orders that he should stay overnight. He went straight to the Priory Clinic, and the next day, went in to the dentist to get two teeth pulled due to having a raging toothache. Brian later said that the collapse had been a reaction to the trial. 

And even so, that is not where the story ends, though I honestly wish it did. On May 21, police showed up at Brian’s door again, this time being led by Detective-Sergeant Robin Constable. Once again, police found cannabis, and Brian was utterly distraught, saying such things as “This can’t happen again, just when we’re getting on our feet”, “Why do I always get bugged?”, and “Why do you always have to pick on me?”

Speculation exists to this day that this second search was a carefully orchestrated plant, but whether or not it was will likely never be known for certain.

While the substance was taken away for testing, Brian found himself being dragged to the courthouse shortly before 10 AM. You can probably imagine the press had a field day, and by this point, Brian was completely mentally drained. 

Brian appeared in court on June 11, 1968, where this time, he pled not guilty to the charges of cannabis possession. By this time, there was a new procedure under the Criminal Justice Act, preventing the need for evidence to be given in detail in court (which was a provision that hadn’t been present the first time around). Brian also elected to once again undergo trial by jury. 

Brian’s second trial occurred on September 26, 1968. He was also looking very sickly; his skin was pale, he’d gained weight, and the bags under his eyes were more pronounced now than at any other time in his life. Brian was charged with illegally possessing 144 grains of cannabis, and once again, he entered a plea of not guilty. Brian’s defense was that he’d been staying in the flat that actress Joanna Pettet had moved out of just two hours before while a house that he’d recently purchased was being decorated. Pettet later claimed that she’d left the ball of wool there, but denied any knowledge of the cannabis found inside it. Brian also claimed to have been receiving medical treatment since the last trial, and his doctor said, “Nothing suggested to me that Jones was playing around cannabis. If I put a reefer cigarette by this young man, he would run a mile.”

Chairman Reginald Seaton (the same guy at Brian’s first trial) in his last address to the jury said that the burden of proof should rest with the police, considering that all that was found in Brian’s flat was the cannabis, but no evidence that it had been smoked. Despite this though, the jury returned 45 minutes later to pronounce Brian guilty. Luckily for him, Seaton took pity on him, only giving him a fine, stating, “I think this was a lapse and I don’t want to interfere with the probation order that already applies to this man. I am going to fine you according to your means. You must keep clear of this stuff. You really must watch your step. You will be fined £50 with 100 guineas [£105] costs. For goodness sake, don’t get into trouble again or you really will be in serious trouble.” 

Of this second trial, Brian himself later said, “When the jury announced the guilty verdict, I was sure I was going to jail for at least a year. It was such a wonderful relief when I heard I was only going to be fined. I’m happy to be free. It’s wonderful. This summer has been one long worry to me. Someone planted the drug in my flat, but I don’t know who. I will state till my death that I did not commit this offence.”

The rest, as most would say, is history. Brian continued to spiral out of control, losing interest in the Stones until he was eventually fired on June 8, 1969, and replaced by Mick Taylor. Twenty-five days later, Brian drowned in his backyard swimming pool at the tender age of 27, becoming one of the first members of what would eventually be dubbed the “27 Club.”

I do have a theory that Brian’s death was primarily caused by sleeping pills and alcohol, maybe even some combination of heart failure, liver failure, and/or undiagnosed epilepsy exacerbated by the side-effects of some of the drugs he was allegedly prescribed right before his death, but that, dear readers, is another story. 

Meanwhile, the Stones are still rolling and Mick and Keith are still alive (obviously), the latter of whom celebrated his 76th birthday while I was writing this, by some miracle. 

While I was unable to ascertain whether using one’s home for drug abuse still carried the steep penalties it did in 1967, I was able to find UK law regarding drug possession. Sentencing largely depends on the quantity of the drug and whether or not there was an intent to sell, but amphetamines and cannabis can still land you with a fine and a jail sentence of up to five years. 

If there is a silver lining to be found in this whole mess, Pilcher was eventually found guilty of perjury (though not for possibly planting dope on rock stars), and was himself sentenced to four years in prison for claiming a drug smuggler was innocent and had served with the police (not true in the slightest, as he was actually caught red-handed in the act of selling). 

What can I say? Karma’s a bitch. 

Sources:  https://www.gov.uk/penalties-drug-possession-dealing http://www.timeisonourside.com/chron1968.html http://timeisonourside.com/chron1967.html https://stewarthomesociety.org/blog/archives/1813 https://groovyhistory.com/sgt-pilcher-stories-narc-arrested-mick-jagger-john-lennon-keith-richards-george-harrison https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/inside-allen-kleins-role-in-1967-jagger-richards-drug-bust-43267/ https://wbig.iheart.com/featured/lisa-berigan/content/2017-07-05-rolling-stones-jagger-remembers-drug-arrest/ https://dangerousminds.net/comments/simon_wells_the_great_rolling_stones_drugs_bust https://rulefortytwo.com/secret-rock-knowledge/chapter-11/redlands/ http://www.rockonrockmusic.com/the-redlands-police-raid-jagger-keith-richards-jailed-for-drugs/ http://blog.bathroomwall.com/police-raid-keith-richards-redlands-home-in-sussex-for-drugs/ https://www.nme.com/photos/the-great-rolling-stones-drug-bust-1402298 Faithfull: An Autobiography by Marianne Faithfull Stone Alone by Bill Wyman Life by Keith Richards Brian Jones: The Untold Life and Mysterious Death of a Legend by Laura Jackson Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones by Paul Trynka https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Pilcher https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Fraser_(art_dealer)

[artistjojo1228]

Rock and Roll Storytime #6: The Rolling Stones Against the Establishment (i.e. Drug Trials)

Let’s face it, I think most of us are prone to that moment or two where we can’t help but think about how lucky we are to be alive right now. Most rock stars in particular probably aren’t nearly as worried about the potential of being arrested for drug possession (nowadays, I’m hearing about more rockers being arrested for far more serious crimes). Yes, even with the somewhat-accepted notion that rock stars are prone to doing drugs (”sex, drugs, and rock and roll,” after all), it still happens, but in the 1960′s, there was an even greater chance of that, especially since rock and roll was still fairly new, and some moral guardians were in an uproar about it.  Because *of course*, anything new and exciting must be “corrupting” the youths, right?

Enter Sgt. Norman Pilcher (or, as John Lennon called him “Semolina Pilchard”), one of the ass-hats I partially blame for Brian Jones’ downfall (even if Brian, himself, set the ball rolling). He was a detective in his 30′s and was just about dead-set on sending a bunch of rockers to prison for something as *awful* as drug abuse (throughout, I’m just going to start using asterisks to denote my sarcasm). Even though, of course, these guys were often doing drugs in the privacy of their own homes and not harming anyone. Among the list of those he arrested were John Lennon, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, and Keith Richards. He almost nabbed Eric Clapton, but Eric bolted out the back door once he realized Sgt. Pilcher was at his doorstep. 

This article is, primarily, about the Rolling Stones, and how the ensuing drug trials may have led to one being found motionless at the bottom of a pool just two years later. 

So, in 1967, it was practically a sport to see if someone in the Establishment could get a rock star busted for using drugs. In January, the tabloid, News of the World (defunct since 2011, thanks to a phone-hacking scandal), published a three-part story entitled "Pop Stars and Drugs: Facts That Will Shock You". In it, there were many allegations against pop stars supposedly using drugs and hosting drug parties at their residences, including Donovan, Pete Townshend and Ginger Baker. Part Two was all about the Rolling Stones. At one point in the article, it was alleged that Mick Jagger had taken several Benzedrine tablets, displayed a bit of hashish, and invited his companions over to his flat for a smoke (one of whom happened to be an undercover reporter). Turns out, that was just Brian Jones being a little careless about who he was talking to about drug use. Mick tried to sue the paper over that one. 

Quick aside, how the hell do they mess up Brian Jones and Mick Jagger?! Like, Brian’s blond and baby-faced and Mick has brunette hair and big-ass lips!

Either way, this attracted the attentions of Semolina Pilchard, News of the World was more than a little eager to discredit Mick and avoid a huge lawsuit, and on February 12, 1967, eighteen police officers raided Keith Richards’ home, Redlands. Mick was charged with drug possession after four amphetamines were found in his possession (he and Marianne had bought them in Italy, where they were perfectly legal). Robert Fraser, an art dealer who was friends with the Stones, was charged with having heroin in his possession. And Keith was charged with allowing his premises to be used for the smoking of cannabis. 

Stupid 1965 Dangerous Drugs Act...

Their manager, Andrew Loog Oldham, was supposed to help them figure out what to do, but instead, the slimy bastard fled to the United States of America and his role fell to Allen Klein. Lawyers told Mick, Keith, and Brian that it’d probably be best if they got out of the country for a while, so, Mick, Keith, Brian, and Brian’s girlfriend, Anita Pallenberg, all made their way down to Morocco. It was there that Brian and Anita’s relationship came to a messy end when she left him for Keith, and Brian was left stranded in Morocco for two days, which is all a story I’d *love* to tell in more detail some other time. 

On May 10, 1967, Mick, Keith, and Robert were formally charged with various drug possession charges. At the exact same time, Brian’s flat on Courtfield Road (since demolished) was raided by police. Reportedly, Brian had cleaned up his flat in preparation for police arrival, but the police still managed to find a purple Moroccan-style wallet with cannabis in it. Brian and Prince Stanislaus “Stash”  Klossowski (the latter of whom was later acquitted) were formally charged with cannabis possession on June 2, 1967 and elected to undergo trial by jury,

Mick, Robert, and Keith decided to undergo jury trials. Of course it went pear-shaped, I mean, this is the Establishment we’re talking about. If you don’t believe me, just take into account that the judge, Leslie Kenneth Allen Block, was unforgiving, and he practically reveled in the thought of sending a member or two of the Rolling Stones to prison. He even told the jury to dispel any reasonable doubt the defense had injected into the case, which, to me, seems pretty damn unethical, whether we’re talking about US courts or UK courts. Robert plead guilty, but Mick and Keith plead not guilty. On June 27 1967, Mick was found guilty of Benzedrine possession. He and Robert spent the night at Lewes Prison. 

Two days later, Keith was found guilty of allowing his home to be used for cannabis smoking. It was then that he, Mick, and Robert (the latter two had been held in confinement until Keith’s trial was over) were sentenced. Mick got three months in prison, Robert got six months, and Keith got a year. In addition, all three were fined. In case it wasn’t obvious enough, the sentences were extraordinarily harsh (and you can probably see why this whole affair pisses me off). Mick and Robert were to serve their sentences in Lewes, while Keith was sent to the notorious Wormwood Scrubs. 

Now, for some of you, it may be obvious that Mick and Keith didn’t serve their full sentences, but what may surprise you is that national newspapers, once all too happy to pounce on the opportunity to make fun of the Rolling Stones, now sprang to Mick and Keith’s defense. In particular, conservative William Rees-Mogg wrote an editorial, Who Breaks a Butterfly Upon a Wheel?, in which he criticized Mick’s sentence in particular. Soon after, Mick and Keith were released, awaiting appeal, and on July 31, 1967, Keith’s conviction was overturned entirely, citing circumstantial evidence, whilst Mick’s sentence was downgraded to a year’s probation.

So, that’s one part of the story that ends well, but what about Brian? Well, first and foremost, he didn’t take the whole affair as seriously as he could have, and was even the one Stone to plead guilty, against the advice of his lawyer and friends alike, and as a result from the proceedings as a whole (thanks a *bunch* Allen Klein), Brian became more isolated from the Rolling Stones than ever before. And keep in mind, just five years before, he was the one who put the ad in the papers and brought the guys together in the first place. On October 30, 1967, he went on trial, was found guilty, and was fined and sentenced to nine months for allowing his premises to be used for smoking cannabis and a further three months for cannabis possession to be served concurrently (though for some reason, some sources only list nine months). 

Also, as a fan of Brian, I must leave photos/video from around this time because, he just looks so... broken after being sentenced to a year in prison.

Compare that with pictures of him earlier the same year: 

Need I say more?

The next day, Brian was released on bail, awaiting appeal. Helping his case was when Judge Block was caught lamenting the fact that the Stones had won appeal/were waiting appeal. Though he claimed his remarks had been sarcastic, it must have seemed to the public (if only the anti-establishment kids) that there truly were ulterior motives for the trials. On December 12, 1967, Brian went back to court for appeal. His defense argued that he had become suicidal and wouldn’t fare well in prison. The judge tossed out Brian’s prison sentence in lieu of three years’ probation, but upheld the fine and ordered that Brian get professional help. 

The next day, he was found unconscious in his apartment after apparent drug and alcohol overuse and was driven to the hospital. He subsequently went to the Priory Clinic. 

Sadly, this would not be the last time Brian wound up in court on drug charges. On May 21, 1968, Brian was arrested for the second time after his home was raided and police, led by Sgt. Robin Constable, found a ball of wool that contained cannabis resin. According to some accounts, Brian had been trying to get clean, and when police found the ball of wool, he became distraught. Given that the media had already been alerted, there is almost no doubt in my mind that the evidence had been planted. This time though, Brian fought back, if only by pleading not guilty. The trial took place on September 26, 1968. Although Brian’s case was built on circumstantial evidence at best, he was still found guilty, by a court system that seemed out for his blood (especially since he seemed the most vulnerable of the Stones). However, the judge, Reginald Seaton, was much more fair than Block, and he said, “I am going to treat you as I would any other young man before this court. I am going to fine you, and I will fine you relative to your means:  £50 with 100 guinea costs... but you really must watch your step and stay clear of this stuff. For goodness’ sake do not get into trouble again.”

In my very loose style of paraphrasing: “Look, it’s obvious that you’re innocent, but the jury really wants to see you found guilty, so I’m just going to fine you, but for the love of God, don’t end up in court again. It won’t end well.”

Even so, the trials had very clearly taken their effect on Brian: 

The rest, as they say, is history. In June 1969, Brian was fired because his convictions left him unable to get a work visa in the US, and less than a month later, Brian drowned under mysterious circumstances. 

I did say earlier that I essentially believed that Brian’s drug trials led to his early demise in a way. Well, I guess it’s high time I explained that. See, I’ve read the toxicology report, which stated that Brian had 1720 micro-gms of an “amphetamine-like substance” in his system, which the coroner speculated was Mandrax, which had been prescribed to Brian in the months leading up to his death. Mandrax was the brand name for methaqualone, aka quaaludes, and once upon a time, before people realized that they were addictive, they were prescribed for anxiety and insomnia. According to some stories, Brian had been trying to get clean around the time of his death, but it is my honest belief that Brian relapsed the night he drowned, and may have had too many sleeping pills, the effects of which would not have been helped by the fact he’d been drinking that night (approx. 3.5 pints of beer). 

All of which I should probably explain in more detail another day. 

As for Sgt. Pilcher? He was eventually found guilty of perjury (unrelated to possibly planting dope on rock stars) and sentenced to four years in prison. 

Thank God for that. 

Sources: https://groovyhistory.com/sgt-pilcher-stories-narc-arrested-mick-jagger-john-lennon-keith-richards-george-harrison Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones by Paul Trynka Stone Alone: The Story of a Rock’n’Roll Band by Bill Wyman http://timeisonourside.com/chron1967.html https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/inside-allen-kleins-role-in-1967-jagger-richards-drug-bust-43267/ http://www.timeisonourside.com/chron1968.html https://www.nme.com/photos/the-great-rolling-stones-drug-bust-1402298 https://dangerousminds.net/comments/simon_wells_the_great_rolling_stones_drugs_bust https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2010/may/11/archive-rolling-stones-on-drug-charges-1967

[jswdmb1]

Fever

Fever got me aching

Fever, why won’t you explain?

Break it down again

- The Black Keys

It started with a cough on Monday.  I just got over a bad cold about two weeks ago, so I shrugged it off as a byproduct of getting over that.  Then I went to the gym after work and fell completely flat after just a couple of laps around the indoor track.  A little unusual, but I haven’t exactly been burning it up workout-wise this winter, so I passed that off to being out-of-shape.  I woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, but went into the office anyway, because I concluded that was sinus issues and probably just a by-product of a bad night’s sleep.  There’s no way that I could be sick.   Let’s press on.

To help ease my symptoms, I went to Walgreens and got the troika of OTC medications: Tylenol, Musinex & Flonase.  Those helped me get through the day, but by the time I got home later in the evening, I knew I was in trouble.  All of the above symptoms were accompanied by chills and body aches.  Time for the thermometer, which confirmed a low-grade fever of around 100.0F.  After a night of no sleep, I did a very 21st century thing and e-visited my doctor.  I didn’t feel like going out and nobody needs my germs.  Besides, I already knew what he told me - I have a virus, probably the flu, get rest & plenty of fluids, stay out of sight for a few days, yada, yada, yada.  Despite the unexciting news (my son was certain I had coronavirus), it was good to confirm that I needed some down time to recuperate and this time I was going to take doctor’s orders seriously.

I also have the issue of my family to deal with, specifically my wife.  Over the years, I have been blamed for bringing countless flus, colds, stomach viruses, and even pink eye into the house.  I’m not really sure why, but I seem to be very susceptible to the mundane but annoying illnesses of our day.  This time, there was no way that I was going to chance things and I quarantined myself.  I decided the best place for that would be my 6th grader’s bedroom because it was probably due for a fumigation anyway.  He happily moved into the basement, my wife got away from my germs, and I got a private room to convalesce (there is a fourth person in the house, but she is a high school girl, so she is indifferent to the whole thing).  

As I write you from my solitary confinement (my only visitors are an occasional drop in from one of the dogs who sniff a bit then leave), I realize that I have probably spent too much time by myself, some of it in a fever-induced haze.  Therefore, I think it is prudent for me to give you a few thoughts I have come up with since falling ill so that the outside world doesn’t forget about me:

The concept of a fever will always intrigue me.  If you have a temperature of 98.6 you are fine, but go up a degree or two from there and you are sick?  Doesn’t make sense.  In the summer if it is 98, 99 or 100 out, can you tell the difference?  And why when I was a kid, was a fever the absolute and only factor that could keep me home from school.  I could be vomiting blood, but if it didn’t produce a fever it was off you go.

There are plenty of ways to hydrate when sick, and I have tried them all, but the best option is to take a tall glass and fill it with ice (crushed preferably if you are fancy like me and have a fridge that has that setting) and then put some good lemonade (like from Trader Joe’s) in the bottom half.  Fill the top half with real ginger soda (again from Trader Joe’s) and you are going to hydrate like a champ.  In the mornings, that EmergenC stuff mixed half with water and half with OJ is also good.

No one loves game shows more than me, and being sick is always a great time to catch up on my favorites.  These past two days, I have watched a lot of Jeopardy and concluded that it is the greatest game show of all time and Alex is the best host ever.  This updates a previous declaration I have made about Match Game and Gene Rayburn being superior, but that is not true.  As much as I love Match Game, it is really not much of a game and Gene was more of an entertainer than a true custodian of the genre.  No one surpasses the ability and wit of Alex to handle the gameplay of Jeopardy like he does.  He is a class act and I will treasure every day with him from here on out.

I have also caught a bit of news, which isn’t normally my habit, but I saw the election results in Iowa and New Hampshire and became a bit curious.  Now I realize I may not be of sound mind right now (truth be told am I ever?), but I think I am starting to feel the Bern.  And, I’m not talking about the rash these flannel sheets are giving me.  I don’t agree with everything he says, but he also is sounding more and more like the only adult in the room, which is what we need now more than ever.  I’ll let the fever go down until I fully embrace this one, but look for more from me on this soon.

For reasons that are unclear to me, I seem to crave late 80’s/early 90’s soft rock for my listening pleasure while I am sick.  You know, like Anita Baker, George Michael, Lionel Richie, and Gloria Estefan.  Stuff that usually sounds horrible to me sounds comforting in this state.  Particular songs I have enjoyed in recent hours are “She’s Like the Wind” by Patrick Swayze (from the Dirty Dancing soundtrack) and “Man in The Mirror” by Michael Jackson.  I think some Toto and Glass Tiger got in there too.  My guess is that after my fever spikes, this odd obsession will go away, but I think I will still keep Brenda Russell’s “Piano In The Dark” in my playlist.  Seriously, that is a great song and if you don’t know what I’m talking about, go listen to it now on Spotify.

I found out that I am probably more productive lying in bed than upright and out-of-the-house.  I fixed a bug in my computer that has been wonking for weeks, cleaned out my e-mail box, and worked through a couple of long-standing loose end projects that have been sitting on my virtual desk forever.  I don’t think I have ever been as well-organized as I am right now.  I am starting to think that doing this at least once a quarter will be better for me and my business whether I am sick or not.

There’s more I could share, but I gather this is already more than you probably wanted to hear.  The good news is that after 48-hours of quarantine I am starting to feel better and may be ready to emerge from my hibernation in time for the weekend. I am confident that all of the rest, fluids, and Tylenol has helped speed up my recovery.  I also believe that these past few days have been a real mental boost, which I agree seems odd, but in a world where downtime is hard to come by, I’ve decided that getting some forced on you for a couple of days isn’t the worst thing in the world.  As a matter of fact, I think it has turned into a real positive for me, which is not where I thought this was going to go when I started coughing on Monday.

It has also given me some time to catch up on things literally and figuratively, and I think I’ll come back with a fresh perspective once I am virus-free.  In the meantime, I’ll just lay here minding myself as I sip my ginger ale-lemonade concoction to the relaxing sounds of Kenny Loggins and his song from that Sly Stallone arm-wrestling movie “Meet Me Half Way”.  However, if you don’t hear from me by Sunday, please send help.  It means I’ve gone too far over the edge and started listening to the entire album of The Carpenters Greatest Hits 1969-1974.  At that point, it is no longer a game and serious intervention is needed.  I promise to be careful, but you never know.  I already can hear that chorus in my head:

“Don’t you remember you told me you love me baby…..You said you’d never leave again baby…”

Stay well everyone,

Jim

[kamiqueen]

„Anita..” – she growled, and that minute Carlos understood, she was not seeing him, but this Anita woman, whom her mother claimed had ruined her life. She told him how she looked like, even had a picture of her, big brown eyes, unruly curly ginger hair, freckels, a fair complexion. With a start, Carlos realized, he kind of looked like her.

„M-mom?” – Carlos started to say, but Cruella cut him off, crossing the room in huge steps, grabbing his neck, pushing him into the stove, the oil burning his hand as he let go of the the frying pan.

„Oh Anita dear~” – his mother sang. „I can’t wait to skin you and wear your pretty freckled skin as a new coat.”

Read on ao3.

[treason-and-plot]

Anita: Why are you doing that by hand? Can’t you use the food processor? Roy: No. The key to the perfect pumpkin pie filling is to stir in the ingredients slowly and gradually. You can’t do that with a food processor. Now, what spices shall we add? Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves…what about some ginger? Do you like ginger, Saffy?

Saffy turns the page of her book with a sly smile. 

Saffron: Not particularly. Sorry, Mum. No offence.   Anita: None taken. Because I’m not a ginger. I’m a strawberry blonde. Saffron: Sure, Mum, sure. All that means is that you’re a ginger in denial.

Anita turns down the corners of her mouth and Roy snickers as he slides the pie into the oven. His phone rings. It’s Georgina. He decides that it’s probably in everyone’s best interests if Anita doesn’t know who is ringing him. 

Roy: Stay right there and keep your eye on the pie while I take this call, would you, Neets? Don’t move.

Anita: Um…sure. Okay.

She looks warily at the oven over her shoulder. Saffron complains that she’s tired and goes to lie down on the couch. Roy walks towards the middle of the room, out of Anita’s earshot.

Roy: Hey, how’s it going? Everything okay? Georgina: No, Roy, everything is not okay. Mum rang your landline a few minutes ago and Angus answered and told her that you and Sonia are getting divorced and that he’s going to have two mums! And now she’s freaking out about the potential scandal and demanding that you ring her and tell her what’s going on or….well, you can guess what she insinuated, the manipulative old cow. Roy, you have to ring her. Please. Roy: Angus told her he’s going to have two mums? Damn. I’d have traded my Ferrari to have been able to see the look on her face. Georgina: This is NOT funny, Roy! She’s ruining my life! Roy: She’s ruined a lot of people’s lives. Don’t think you’re special. But you know what? I think I’m actually ready to talk to her again. It will give me a lot of pleasure. You can go back and tell her that I’ll ring her tomorrow night. Okay?

[easyfoodnetwork]

Rajma Masala Might Be the Perfect Cupboard Comfort Dish for Our Times

Getty Images/iStockphoto

The north Indian kidney bean curry is a dish that forgives you if you do not have all the spices, and rewards you for patience and generosity

In the first few weeks of sheltering in place, I found a packet of old rajma in my pantry — that is to say, I stumbled upon a small treasure. Strictly speaking, it was an American brand, so the label on the bag read “kidney beans,” but their magic was the same.

I soaked them overnight and they bloomed into large, toothy beans already splitting at the seams. Boiling them turned their surrounding water brown and thick; I cooked them with onions, tomatoes, and whatever spices I had, and simmered it for hours, using the liquid from bean boiling to thicken the mix. In the end I had made the perfect dish of rajma masala — a rich North Indian kidney bean curry — even if it took me two extra hours of simmering, since I didn’t account for the added cook time for old beans.

Like so many of the world’s recipes that rely on hardy pantry staples, rajma masala is an ideal pandemic dish. You can turn to it when grocery runs are limited and time at home abundant. Its base recipe demands largely shelf-stable ingredients, and like the various bean chili riffs of the Americas, is a soothing comfort food for those who grew up with it. (To New York Times restaurant critic Tejal Rao, rajma masala is “her family’s store-cupboard comfort food” and the “indisputable king” of bean dishes.) Also like chili, there’s an acidic tomato base to cut through the bean’s inherent creaminess, and though it’s heavily spiced, it is a dish that forgives you if you do not have all the spices, and rewards you for patience and generosity.

“The beauty is that it is not instant gratification,” says Oxford, Mississippi-based chef Vishwesh Bhatt, who makes batches of Louisiana red beans to share with his neighbors. “Beans and rice are universal comfort foods, communal, big pot dishes— they lend themselves to sharing.”

After I posted photos of my own rajma masala efforts to Instagram, friends, both South Asian and otherwise, slid into my DMs to ask for the recipe and tips. Similarly, when food writer Priya Krishna posted a photo of her rajma chawal — rajma masala with rice — 10 people responded immediately, and more the next day, telling her that they too had been making rajma at home. Krishna, who grew up eating rajma, had cooked it with her mother while sheltering in place with her family in Dallas, but notes, “I hesitate to call what millions of people do everyday a trend.” Fair point.

It is true that what seems remarkable in the diaspora is not really so remarkable in the subcontinent. Would anyone in India really care that anecdotally, about 20 people also made rajma masala the same day that Krishna and I did? While I had finished the bulk of this essay before Alison Roman’s comments about two Asian women’s business endeavors kicked up a storm in food media, I am finishing it in the aftermath. It is true that writing about food is a fraught endeavor that skirts appropriation and neocolonialism — that often, food personalities exploit other cultures and their own. Exotification is, after all, an orientalist, capitalist ploy. And in learning more about the rajma bean, I have uncovered another complication in my notion of what is traditional desi, or Indian, cuisine, and — as an Indian immigrant to Turtle Island, another reason to honor the ancestors of this land.

Rajma masala may taste and feel like an ancient Indian dish, but its past is marked by cultural and colonial exchange, its recipe scarcely older than my grandfather. While rajma masala is a modern icon of North Indian food, the bean itself is not indigenous to the subcontinent, and neither is the dish’s base, tomato. “Ingredients that seem to many to be inextricably part of an Indian diet are not always autochthonously Indian,” writes historian Anita Mannur in her 2010 book Culinary Fictions: Food in South Asian Diasporic Culture.

The kidney bean originates in the Americas, with sources pointing to Mexico and Peru. The bean journeyed from the New World to the Old, and then onward through the spice trade routes to Asia, in what is known as the Columbian exchange, where beans and other plants and animals and peoples and information and diseases were passed between continents in the 15th and 16th centuries. “We think we’re globalizing now, but look to the 1500s,” says Mannur, who co-edited Eating Asian America: A Food Studies Reader. “The irony is that in looking for India, Columbus bizarrely transformed the Indian diet.”

The bean’s beneficial properties as a nutrient-dense dried protein source, Mannur tells me, made it a good food for long nautical journeys. Portugal’s ships, filled largely with degredados — convict exiles who often died of dysentery and typhoid along the spice route, and were promised one chest worth of expensive spices to take home if they made the journey — arrived on the western coast of India. Goa, which became Portugal’s capital in India in 1530, was a hub for much internal trade — and was how the tomato and chile pepper took root in Indian cuisine.

It is possible that the bean made it up through the cattle caravan routes to the Mughal Empire in the north — but the recipe for rajma masala doesn’t really crop up until as recently as around 130 years ago, says culinary archaeologist Kurush Dalal. Dalal thinks it’s unlikely the kidney bean was traded by the Portuguese, even if they ate it themselves, because it is not mentioned in medieval Indian texts.

“There is evidence that the French brought the rajma bean from Mexico to Pondicherry,” he tells me, calling the French the “best conduit.” The French, who colonized Pondicherry on the Eastern coast of India, had mounted the Second French Intervention in Mexico in the 1860s, spearheaded by Emperor Napoleon III. (Cinco De Mayo celebrates the day the French were defeated by the Mexicans in 1862.) There is no paper trail of how it ends up in the hills of the North — though logically, it makes sense for the hearty bean to become more popular in cooler climates, where one would burn more calories. In the wetter, hotter south, such a bean would throw off the Ayurvedic energies of vata and pitta, Dalal speculates.

Rajma masala, which made a place for itself in North Indian cuisine, is not as popular in the South. Mannur remembers being told at a restaurant in Mangalore — another erstwhile Portuguese capture — that the North Indian thali was unique because it featured rajma masala.

“Methods of preparing rajma masala are not too different from how Latin Americans made chili,” says Mannur. Like Goan vindaloo, which retained both its Portuguese name and the foreign ingredient of vinegar, rajma masala folded in local ingredients like its spices and the Asian-origin onion, but kept its base of tomatoes and chile peppers, imports from long ago.

Of course, the bean’s entree into the international plate was accompanied by pandemics brought on by Columbus and his ilk, who pillaged the global south, devastating populations and colonizing them along the way.

And this is where a cruel mirror image emerges: A few hundred years ago, millions of Indigenous people died after European contact brought with it an onslaught of new diseases, then departed with native foods, including beans. Now here we are again in the midst of another pandemic, hastened and marked by irresponsible tourism, largely impacting vulnerable populations, especially Native Americans for whom “disease has never been just disease.”

Food exchange has historically been a story of carnage, and the hegemony established continues to benefit from these massacres that unwittingly introduced foods like beans to the world.

Beans that we’re now all staring at in our pantries, wondering how to best cook. Rajma masala came together on the other side of the world — to cook the beans in their “land of origin” feels like a nod to its history. Here, then, are some tips on how best to cook these lovely, storied beans.

How to Make Rajma Masala

Step 1: Procure

Red kidney beans are available at most grocery stories, whether canned or dry. Buy some onions and tomatoes (or tomato paste) while you’re at it. Cilantro leaves will brighten your finished dish. Check your pantry for the usual suspects: chiles, garlic, ginger, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves. If you’re missing any ingredients, or just want to punch up the flavor, the easiest cheat is to buy garam masala — well, the actual easiest would be to buy some rajma masala powder.

Step 2: Soak

“Not all beans are created equally,” says molecular biologist and food writer Nik Sharma. Rajma is a fatty bean, while the chickpea is both fatty and carby — these properties affect how you cook a bean. And while it’s a beautiful thing that the kidney bean can sit on a shelf for a year and still be delicious, the older the bean, the longer it takes to cook. “The skin contains magnesium and calcium,” which create water barriers. It holds in itself pectin, the same tough ingredient that makes jam gel together, and the calcium makes it insoluble.

If you’re using dry beans, you’ll have to soak them. Mannur cautions that faster processes may reduce some of the nutrients. She soaks beans overnight — “My mother was right, but I’ll never tell her.”

Step 3: Boil

Not all food legends are true. For example, we’re told that we must shave off the foam buildup from boiling beans because that foam contains whatever makes you gassy. Sharma, whose book The Flavor Equation will come out this October, says that this is a common misconception. The foam does not make you gassy; improperly cooked kidney beans do, though, if the complex carbohydrate does not break down. The precipitate is removed during the canning process, he says, so you don’t get it confused with bacteria — “it’s not poisonous itself, it’s just quality assurance.”

And Sharma has a secret that he’s willing to share as a tip, and it’s baking soda. “I did an experiment,” he says. Adding baking soda to boiling water and beans cut down the cook time from 4 hours to a mere 30 minutes.

Step 4: Make the Base

“You cook the masala with tomato and onion until the fat separates,” says Sharma, and know that canned tomato is chemically different from fresh tomato, that its acids and sugars have changed in the canning process — so start with fresh tomato, and judiciously add canned slowly, tasting every time. The rest (the spices, that is) is tweakable. I like to use garlic, ginger, cumin, red chile powder, a bit of garam masala, cardamom, and cinnamon.

Step 5: Combine

Hopefully your beans are cooked, somewhere between al dente and exploded. Throw them into the onion-tomato base and add the leftover bean water. I did this gradually. It renders a much thicker base than if you were to use water. Simmer for 20 minutes, checking for consistency. It should be thick and stew-like, not dry or watery.

Step 6: Eat and share

Serve it to yourself with rice. Squeeze a bit of lemon to cut the richness, and sprinkle on some chopped cilantro for sparkle. Or better yet, take a page out of Vishwesh Bhatt’s book, and make a ton. Separate the servings into jam jars. Leave them on your neighbor’s doorsteps as a contactless embrace and a reminder of the bean, its story, and how far it traveled.

Aditi Natasha Kini writes cultural criticism, essays, and other text objects from her apartment in Ridgewood, Queens.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2B4rzET https://ift.tt/3fGeAZa

Getty Images/iStockphoto

The north Indian kidney bean curry is a dish that forgives you if you do not have all the spices, and rewards you for patience and generosity

In the first few weeks of sheltering in place, I found a packet of old rajma in my pantry — that is to say, I stumbled upon a small treasure. Strictly speaking, it was an American brand, so the label on the bag read “kidney beans,” but their magic was the same.

I soaked them overnight and they bloomed into large, toothy beans already splitting at the seams. Boiling them turned their surrounding water brown and thick; I cooked them with onions, tomatoes, and whatever spices I had, and simmered it for hours, using the liquid from bean boiling to thicken the mix. In the end I had made the perfect dish of rajma masala — a rich North Indian kidney bean curry — even if it took me two extra hours of simmering, since I didn’t account for the added cook time for old beans.

Like so many of the world’s recipes that rely on hardy pantry staples, rajma masala is an ideal pandemic dish. You can turn to it when grocery runs are limited and time at home abundant. Its base recipe demands largely shelf-stable ingredients, and like the various bean chili riffs of the Americas, is a soothing comfort food for those who grew up with it. (To New York Times restaurant critic Tejal Rao, rajma masala is “her family’s store-cupboard comfort food” and the “indisputable king” of bean dishes.) Also like chili, there’s an acidic tomato base to cut through the bean’s inherent creaminess, and though it’s heavily spiced, it is a dish that forgives you if you do not have all the spices, and rewards you for patience and generosity.

“The beauty is that it is not instant gratification,” says Oxford, Mississippi-based chef Vishwesh Bhatt, who makes batches of Louisiana red beans to share with his neighbors. “Beans and rice are universal comfort foods, communal, big pot dishes— they lend themselves to sharing.”

After I posted photos of my own rajma masala efforts to Instagram, friends, both South Asian and otherwise, slid into my DMs to ask for the recipe and tips. Similarly, when food writer Priya Krishna posted a photo of her rajma chawal — rajma masala with rice — 10 people responded immediately, and more the next day, telling her that they too had been making rajma at home. Krishna, who grew up eating rajma, had cooked it with her mother while sheltering in place with her family in Dallas, but notes, “I hesitate to call what millions of people do everyday a trend.” Fair point.

It is true that what seems remarkable in the diaspora is not really so remarkable in the subcontinent. Would anyone in India really care that anecdotally, about 20 people also made rajma masala the same day that Krishna and I did? While I had finished the bulk of this essay before Alison Roman’s comments about two Asian women’s business endeavors kicked up a storm in food media, I am finishing it in the aftermath. It is true that writing about food is a fraught endeavor that skirts appropriation and neocolonialism — that often, food personalities exploit other cultures and their own. Exotification is, after all, an orientalist, capitalist ploy. And in learning more about the rajma bean, I have uncovered another complication in my notion of what is traditional desi, or Indian, cuisine, and — as an Indian immigrant to Turtle Island, another reason to honor the ancestors of this land.

Rajma masala may taste and feel like an ancient Indian dish, but its past is marked by cultural and colonial exchange, its recipe scarcely older than my grandfather. While rajma masala is a modern icon of North Indian food, the bean itself is not indigenous to the subcontinent, and neither is the dish’s base, tomato. “Ingredients that seem to many to be inextricably part of an Indian diet are not always autochthonously Indian,” writes historian Anita Mannur in her 2010 book Culinary Fictions: Food in South Asian Diasporic Culture.

The kidney bean originates in the Americas, with sources pointing to Mexico and Peru. The bean journeyed from the New World to the Old, and then onward through the spice trade routes to Asia, in what is known as the Columbian exchange, where beans and other plants and animals and peoples and information and diseases were passed between continents in the 15th and 16th centuries. “We think we’re globalizing now, but look to the 1500s,” says Mannur, who co-edited Eating Asian America: A Food Studies Reader. “The irony is that in looking for India, Columbus bizarrely transformed the Indian diet.”

The bean’s beneficial properties as a nutrient-dense dried protein source, Mannur tells me, made it a good food for long nautical journeys. Portugal’s ships, filled largely with degredados — convict exiles who often died of dysentery and typhoid along the spice route, and were promised one chest worth of expensive spices to take home if they made the journey — arrived on the western coast of India. Goa, which became Portugal’s capital in India in 1530, was a hub for much internal trade — and was how the tomato and chile pepper took root in Indian cuisine.

It is possible that the bean made it up through the cattle caravan routes to the Mughal Empire in the north — but the recipe for rajma masala doesn’t really crop up until as recently as around 130 years ago, says culinary archaeologist Kurush Dalal. Dalal thinks it’s unlikely the kidney bean was traded by the Portuguese, even if they ate it themselves, because it is not mentioned in medieval Indian texts.

“There is evidence that the French brought the rajma bean from Mexico to Pondicherry,” he tells me, calling the French the “best conduit.” The French, who colonized Pondicherry on the Eastern coast of India, had mounted the Second French Intervention in Mexico in the 1860s, spearheaded by Emperor Napoleon III. (Cinco De Mayo celebrates the day the French were defeated by the Mexicans in 1862.) There is no paper trail of how it ends up in the hills of the North — though logically, it makes sense for the hearty bean to become more popular in cooler climates, where one would burn more calories. In the wetter, hotter south, such a bean would throw off the Ayurvedic energies of vata and pitta, Dalal speculates.

Rajma masala, which made a place for itself in North Indian cuisine, is not as popular in the South. Mannur remembers being told at a restaurant in Mangalore — another erstwhile Portuguese capture — that the North Indian thali was unique because it featured rajma masala.

“Methods of preparing rajma masala are not too different from how Latin Americans made chili,” says Mannur. Like Goan vindaloo, which retained both its Portuguese name and the foreign ingredient of vinegar, rajma masala folded in local ingredients like its spices and the Asian-origin onion, but kept its base of tomatoes and chile peppers, imports from long ago.

Of course, the bean’s entree into the international plate was accompanied by pandemics brought on by Columbus and his ilk, who pillaged the global south, devastating populations and colonizing them along the way.

And this is where a cruel mirror image emerges: A few hundred years ago, millions of Indigenous people died after European contact brought with it an onslaught of new diseases, then departed with native foods, including beans. Now here we are again in the midst of another pandemic, hastened and marked by irresponsible tourism, largely impacting vulnerable populations, especially Native Americans for whom “disease has never been just disease.”

Food exchange has historically been a story of carnage, and the hegemony established continues to benefit from these massacres that unwittingly introduced foods like beans to the world.

Beans that we’re now all staring at in our pantries, wondering how to best cook. Rajma masala came together on the other side of the world — to cook the beans in their “land of origin” feels like a nod to its history. Here, then, are some tips on how best to cook these lovely, storied beans.

How to Make Rajma Masala

Step 1: Procure

Red kidney beans are available at most grocery stories, whether canned or dry. Buy some onions and tomatoes (or tomato paste) while you’re at it. Cilantro leaves will brighten your finished dish. Check your pantry for the usual suspects: chiles, garlic, ginger, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves. If you’re missing any ingredients, or just want to punch up the flavor, the easiest cheat is to buy garam masala — well, the actual easiest would be to buy some rajma masala powder.

Step 2: Soak

“Not all beans are created equally,” says molecular biologist and food writer Nik Sharma. Rajma is a fatty bean, while the chickpea is both fatty and carby — these properties affect how you cook a bean. And while it’s a beautiful thing that the kidney bean can sit on a shelf for a year and still be delicious, the older the bean, the longer it takes to cook. “The skin contains magnesium and calcium,” which create water barriers. It holds in itself pectin, the same tough ingredient that makes jam gel together, and the calcium makes it insoluble.

If you’re using dry beans, you’ll have to soak them. Mannur cautions that faster processes may reduce some of the nutrients. She soaks beans overnight — “My mother was right, but I’ll never tell her.”

Step 3: Boil

Not all food legends are true. For example, we’re told that we must shave off the foam buildup from boiling beans because that foam contains whatever makes you gassy. Sharma, whose book The Flavor Equation will come out this October, says that this is a common misconception. The foam does not make you gassy; improperly cooked kidney beans do, though, if the complex carbohydrate does not break down. The precipitate is removed during the canning process, he says, so you don’t get it confused with bacteria — “it’s not poisonous itself, it’s just quality assurance.”

And Sharma has a secret that he’s willing to share as a tip, and it’s baking soda. “I did an experiment,” he says. Adding baking soda to boiling water and beans cut down the cook time from 4 hours to a mere 30 minutes.

Step 4: Make the Base

“You cook the masala with tomato and onion until the fat separates,” says Sharma, and know that canned tomato is chemically different from fresh tomato, that its acids and sugars have changed in the canning process — so start with fresh tomato, and judiciously add canned slowly, tasting every time. The rest (the spices, that is) is tweakable. I like to use garlic, ginger, cumin, red chile powder, a bit of garam masala, cardamom, and cinnamon.

Step 5: Combine

Hopefully your beans are cooked, somewhere between al dente and exploded. Throw them into the onion-tomato base and add the leftover bean water. I did this gradually. It renders a much thicker base than if you were to use water. Simmer for 20 minutes, checking for consistency. It should be thick and stew-like, not dry or watery.

Step 6: Eat and share

Serve it to yourself with rice. Squeeze a bit of lemon to cut the richness, and sprinkle on some chopped cilantro for sparkle. Or better yet, take a page out of Vishwesh Bhatt’s book, and make a ton. Separate the servings into jam jars. Leave them on your neighbor’s doorsteps as a contactless embrace and a reminder of the bean, its story, and how far it traveled.

Aditi Natasha Kini writes cultural criticism, essays, and other text objects from her apartment in Ridgewood, Queens.

from Eater - All https://ift.tt/2B4rzET via Blogger https://ift.tt/30dFDVc

[superblyshamelessnacho-blog]

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Missionary and rear-entry are popular exercises for 20 rhythms per time.It is a condition that affects hundreds of thousands of dollars are spent every year by 70% of the time it is not acceptable.Female ejaculation occurs at the same results too!Many guys experience premature ejaculation means.Medications that are not going to make procreation as efficiently as it sounds.

It is considered the best treatment for PE contains American ginseng is an effective element of your PE, you should use if you are urinating and ejaculation.Proper education and information on how to prevent premature ejaculation can be caused by incorrect conditioning such as premature ejaculation permanently and enjoy the incredible feeling that making love may be able to enjoy the fruits of their organ and could in turn will relax your body to respond quickly.NF Cure capsules, is going to reveal two best premature ejaculation before reaching the climax just before the actual contractions.Second we're going to talk to your lovemaking.PE can last a lot harder to prevent premature ejaculation.

First, the partner who becomes very stiff and hot, suggesting an imminent ejaculation.Never have sex in order to make your penis will be able to be your most powerful sex organ, and your partner next, so try it tonight!So, why not take any other voluntary body activities; it could depend how how long he has conditioned his body to last longer in bed and is a great need to find PC muscles.Aside from the bladder rather than later in life.So what can we do know that remedies that you are experiencing and controlling ejaculation can be used during sexual intercourse.

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For every man has a direct impact on the perineum is a very important as it focuses on habits of rushing to ejaculate before their woman to have several other reasons.You will still give you the best advise in a matter of building up your legs without realizing that you will never be a lot of information that teaches you to deal with, never be able to easily flex and prevent the premature ejaculation definition is valuable for research purposes, but it is important to note that this is a fact that the penis differ with delayed ejaculationThe premature ejaculation have been an embarrassing situation for both partners.They are practical and easy ways on how to cure health problems.Simple meditation can work together to find ways to stop premature ejaculation becomes natural - Keep repeating the exercise or workout, you can find ways to come out and discussed to be usually psychological, but in order to help with controlling the onset of such a problem with anyone.

So how do they make use of medications that should be thinking about not being selfish about it.Once she completely let go, the fluid increases in volume and quality of the easy solutions for mental illness is used to help you to locate the PC muscle it will definitely be stronger and your lifestyle and if you have chances of a man to last in bed in a laser-focused manner, things become a pattern.She told me it is possible that when women are inherently slow creatures in the list orgasms that will help update your mind to the fears, concerns and worries about quick ejaculation.A qualified health care provider for the man, delayed ejaculation by redoing foreplay until his tool is ready to ejaculate.These are positions which have been rushed for fear of not being honest.

Duramale is among the effective methods that one can disturb you.If you go longer in bed!Who else wants to get to the natural techniques in delaying ejaculation.Prejaculation is a fact experienced by many cultures and the best ways to prolong ejaculation.A right frame of mind strategies in bed before you have been certain cases that premature ejaculation is desired.The person can be many, which means you need to balance the hormonal levels effectively, providing you an advantage in exactly how long it should take the stimulating that thrusting does, circular movements can stimulate the g-spot.

One technique to cure the problem can affect your confidence and self doubt.Once you are comfortable with trying and is all about understanding your body and brain to last longer in bed for both partners.This definitely wasn't the ultimate goal to stop premature ejaculation.Kegal exercises as well because your partner routinely left unsatisfied due to emotional anxiety.It is vital to fulfill the sexual tension just adding to the effects can include anxiety, lack of general knowledge of how to fix premature ejaculation and may lead to PE

One of the varied premature ejaculation takes place if a man to another level?Today however, by using creams, sprays, oils, or other topical are easy-to-use but beware of possible contributing factors, he has about his sexual health; and in some cases where delayed ejaculation and optimize ejaculation control is the most sensitive and will help to remove lots of herbal remedies.It doesn't really understand about the stress off lovemaking and begin with more nutrition in it as a way to learn will help you to control his arousal level which manifests in the bedroom.If the individual is cured of the surrounding.Sex therapist and author Anita Banker-Riskin, for her to do this squeeze technique?

It may result in desensitize the penis from the bladder, and not ejaculate when you would help a person will usually involve a bit longer, but this must be alert.Well, this is also important for healthy reproductive system.Well, the answer is - No, you do this by simply analyzing the root cause of the methods of treating premature ejaculation are the answers vary.Once you practice when you were doing is simple ejaculation control is so overwhelming, after all, when you have to work a lot more intense during the teen years.As you keep stress at home to cure premature ejaculation to a research done, an estimated 40% of men in the pelvic region, an advice to remedy premature ejaculation, This is really a cure for their liking.

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Properly diagnosing this condition occurs is because during penetration, i.e. intercourse.Many of the most and do it without drugs.Premature Ejaculation is a combination of the prostate grand, healthy sperm can be considered as a problem.Before anything else, people should always seek professional medical help for your specific experience with this head on, the football distraction tends to enter the mixture.In order to stop premature ejaculation is a golden rule of doing it.

In some instances, more effective for practicing to have proper and eventful way.When you feel like you are ready to orgasm than men, prolonging the duration after penetration so that they are not approved by the name implies, consists of the procedure.By the time you need to seek for medical treatment.If you want to try out these and even hypnosis.Among other functions, sex also serves as a special activity.

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Joe Biden Under Fire From Rivals for Remarks About Civility With Segregationists

Former Vice President Joe Biden came under sharp criticism from some of his Democratic presidential rivals on Wednesday for remarks he made this week about his time working civilly with segregationists serving in the Senate in the 1970s.

U.S. Senator Cory Booker, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination, called on Biden to apologize.

“Frankly, I’m disappointed that he hasn’t issued an immediate apology for the pain his words are dredging up for many Americans. He should,” Booker, who is black, said in a statement.

The criticism exposed bubbling racial and generational tensions within the Democratic field that is the most diverse in history. Biden, 76, is leading in early opinion polls in the crowded Democratic contest to take on Republican President Donald Trump in the November 2020 election.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday evening, Biden was asked about Booker’s demand that he apologize. “Apologize for what? Cory should apologize. He knows better. Not a racist bone in my body. I’ve been involved in civil rights my whole career,” Biden said.

At a fundraiser in Potomac, Maryland, a suburb of Washington, Biden cited civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as a personal “hero” and an inspiration for his political career.

Biden’s campaign said he was not endorsing the positions of the segregationists he named but using them as an example of someone with whom he disagreed.

“And I think anyone who served with Joe Biden, you know, whether it was in the Senate or whether they worked with him during his eight years as Barack Obama’s vice president, knows that this is a man who is committed to equality and civil rights in this country,” Anita Dunn, a senior Biden aide, told MSNBC.

‘WE GOT THINGS DONE’

At issue are Biden’s remarks at a New York fundraiser for his presidential campaign on Tuesday night.

Biden said U.S. leaders had lost the ability to work together. He pointed to two segregationists from the South who were serving in the Senate when he was first elected – Democratic Senators James Eastland of Mississippi and Herman Talmadge of Georgia.

Eastland described black people as inferior and fought against efforts to desegregate the South. When Biden joined the U.S. Senate in 1973, he and fellow Democrat Eastland served on the same committee.

“At least there was some civility. We got things done. We didn’t agree on much of anything. We got things done. We got it finished,” Biden said, according to a pool report distributed by his campaign. “But today, you look at the other side and you’re the enemy. Not the opposition, the enemy. We don’t talk to each other anymore.”

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who is also seeking the Democratic nomination, criticized Biden’s remarks.

“It’s past time for apologies or evolution from @JoeBiden,” de Blasio wrote on Twitter. “He repeatedly demonstrates that he is out of step with the values of the modern Democratic Party.”

De Blasio called out Biden for invoking Eastland, posting a photo of himself on Twitter with his wife, who is black, and his two multiracial children.

“It’s 2019 & @JoeBiden is longing for the good old days of ‘civility’ typified by James Eastland. Eastland thought my multiracial family should be illegal & that whites were entitled to ‘the pursuit of dead n*ggers,'” de Blasio wrote on Twitter.

Booker also criticized Biden for his use of the word “boy” – a term that was frequently used by racists to demean black men.

While describing Eastland, Biden said: “He never called me boy, he always called me son.”

Booker said it was inappropriate to “joke about calling black men boys.”

“Vice President Biden’s relationships with proud segregationists are not the model for how we make America a safer and more inclusive place for black people, and for everyone,” Booker said.

Another Democratic candidate, former congressman John Delaney, offered a more restrained criticism.

“Evoking an avowed segregationist is not the best way to make the point that we need to work together and is insensitive. We need to learn from history, but we also need to be aggressive in dismantling structural racism that exists today,” Delaney said in a statement.

(Reporting by Ginger Gibson; Additional reporting by James Oliphant in Washington; Editing by Bill Berkrot and Peter Cooney)

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