Pixar’s newest movie – Día de los Muertos

Pixar’s “Toy Story 3” is the highest-grossing movie of all time in Mexico, where the animated adventure tale collected $59 million at the box office in 2010. The follow-up from “Toy Story 3” director Lee Unkrich and producer Darla K. Anderson is also likely to have strong appeal with Mexican audiences — and to boast …

Throne Clones – the British royal family compared to their ancestors

P.S. The last one is the best 🙂   …see several more at – The Royal Watcher

We all pay taxes – Barack & Michelle made $800k, donated $170k, & paid $160k in taxes

As we all get finished with our taxes so do the President and First Lady. It turns out that the Obama’s came in with a 20.5% tax rate on income of $789,674 (married filing jointly), including donations worth $172,130. The bulk of that income came from presidential salaries, $394,821, and book sales, $441,369. In 2010, …

DIY: build your own Battlestar Galactica space flight simulator

Six families of makers from the Bay Area are working on building a fully-operational motion controlled flight simulator based on the fighter ship from Battlestar Galactica. Using the fuselage of a small plane, the team has already built a motion platform that rotates a full dizzying 360 degrees in both the pitch and roll axes. …

FDA ruling – cigarette makers must be transparent about chemical additives

A ruling by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires tobacco companies to be transparent about the chemicals in their products. This hasn’t yet happened, despite all the warnings and labels on cigarettes, and it’s no wonder considering: “Over 7,000 chemicals and chemical compounds are present in tobacco and the smoke that emanates from tobacco. …

Scholastic joins the e-book revolution – new app for children’s books

The kids’ e-book market is still nascent, with e-books making up just about three percent of children’s book sales. That could change now that Scholastic, the world’s largest children’s book publishers, is digitizing much of its list and releasing an e-reading app, “Storia,” that includes a large e-bookstore and lets kids read e-books based on …

2011 Mandzik-Senger Christmas Farm Spectacular

A German Christmas Eve Bratwurst Sausage Blaukraut (sauerkraut with red cabbage) Bundt cake (“bundt” is derived from the German Bundkuchen) The City Diner Breakfast Coffee Eggs with Potatoes Flapjacks Breakfast sausage or bacon Butter (regular for me, soy butter for everybody else) Maple Syrup with Cinnamon Sliced Apples Chesapeake Christmas Dinner Fish with Brussels sprouts Cauliflower Soup …

My Family Thanksgiving 2011 – Organic, Local, and Sustainable

The Lineup Butternut Squash Soup Turkey Gravy Mashed Potatoes Bread/Rolls Vegetables (corn on the cob) Cranberry Stuffing Pumpkin/Apple Pie Whipped Cream Sourcing Butternut Squash Soup: Farmers Market. Gourd. Cut in half, remove seeds, bake till a knife slides out easily. Usually 40+ minutes at 350-400. Then, remove the skin, add water, and blend. Also, consider nutmeg …

Homemade organic toothpaste: baking soda and water (that's it!)

A few months ago I made the switch from store toothpaste to the homemade version. There were so many recipes available on the internet that it was hard to find the right one. After several months of experimenting I’ve found the perfect recipe: Baking Soda + Water I can’t believe it either, but it works …

Homemade organic toothpaste: baking soda and water (that’s it!)

A few months ago I made the switch from store toothpaste to the homemade version. There were so many recipes available on the internet that it was hard to find the right one. After several months of experimenting I’ve found the perfect recipe: Baking Soda + Water I can’t believe it either, but it works …