The Column of Life

Main Entry: 1scum Pronunciation: \ˈskəm\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Middle Dutch schum; akin to Old High German scūm foam Date: 14th century 1 a: extraneous matter or impurities risen to or formed on the surface of a liquid often as a foul filmy covering — compare pond scum 2 b: the scoria of metals in a molten state : dross c: a slimy film on a solid or gelatinous object 2 a: refuse b: a low, vile, or worthless person or group of people

She was the quiet Ronette, the one people called the prettiest, the one who was content to remain in the shadow of her younger sister, Ronnie, because even in the shadow there’s still some spotlight. For a few years in the mid-1960s Estelle Bennett lived a girl-group fairy tale, posing for magazine covers with her fellow Ronettes and dating the likes of George Harrison and Mick Jagger. Along with her sister and their cousin Nedra Talley, she helped redefine rock ’n’ roll femininity. more here from The New York Times Requiescat in Pace ...

Every large city has them and they are the good, the bad and, sometimes, believe it or not the ugly: At 42, Dwayne is among the oldest hustlers on the streets of Montrose, where he’s lived since his teens, homeless except for stints with sugar daddies who lent him sports cars, whisked him away to ski lodges and summer homes, and paid for globe-trotting vacations. Those were his glory days. Now he has trouble holding onto enough change for a carton of ramen noodles. While Dwayne enters his autumn, a new crop of male prostitutes is springing up to fill the cars that continue to cruise for sex. Even as the area gentrifies, there’s been no noticeable decline in the illicit nightlife that in the 1980s made Montrose synonymous with streetwalking. If anything, the streets are as bustling as ever, a trend that chagrins residents as well as Dwayne. [ source The Houston Chronicle ]

Just a strong does of reality after Valentine's Day. The late Laura Nyro, creative genius of the last century says it pretty well. You took my heart - misery You taught me blues Well I got a lot of patience baby That's a lot of patience to lose I'm crying - I'm mad at my country Now I've been treated bad When I was a free port and you were the main drag. Broken blues - I just don't know Little bird, flying by my window Take me where you go I'm crying - I'm looking at these times And It's bound to drive me mad When I was a free port and you were the main drag. What did I do? Everybody's putting me down I keep running But the law kept coming around. So fare thee well - happiness Cause I got blues And I got a lot of patience baby That's a lot of patience to lose I'm a woman Waiting for due time Now I've been treated bad When I was a free port and you were the main drag

Have a good night... Right back where we started ...

It is the truth that the United States is not the only melting pot in the world most other countries in the world are. Some more than others, and none more so than Brazil. DNA offers yet another Brazilian morsel. Of course, this is much more than a morsel and certainly not the first time, that a Brazilian repast is offered here. Go here for Brazilian Beef history (Manzo alla Brasiliana) Chow down on Valentine's Day.

A tasty treat if you take as many portions of chicken you would like to make and marinate them in a mixture of apple cider vinegar and water with rosemary, coarse salt and cayenne pepper. Once the flavours do their thing, remove chicken from the marinade and cook up in a sauce pan with a half clove of garlic, adding water as needed. When it is almost to the point of completion slice up two small apples into the pan when the apple slices are softened and you can smell them uniting with all the other elements, serve withany appropriate sides. The fat, as you can tell, is kept to a minimum. If only there were some way to incorporate marinating into the concpet of sexual escapades. A tasty treat indeed at any rate.