In the world of dance, there is a tradition that dates back the to the late 19th century – the tradition of The Nutcracker, the marvelous ballet Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was commissioned by Marius Petipa to compose for Russia’s Kirov Ballet. Based on Alexandre Dumas’ adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s book, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” which was published in the early 1800s, the ballet was choreographed by Lev Ivanov and conducted at that premiere performance on Dec. 8, 1890 by Riccardo Drigo. Marius Petipa, renowned dancer/choreographer who choreographed the composer’s Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty Ballet, wrote the libretto for The Nutcracker, to which Tchaikovsky composed the music. The Nutcracker was one of the composer’s final works. He died November 6, 1893 a year after its premiere. The Nutcracker ballet was performed in various parts of its native Russia after its debut at the Mariinsky Theatre of St. Petersburg. It took almost forty years before it made it to Europe. It first appeared in the United States performed by the Ballet Russe in 1940. It is often performed with movements transposed, and for a long time The Nutcracker Suite, eight selections from the ballet which Tchaikovsky himself selected, was mistaken for the entire 90-minute ballet. The Suite premiered a year before the complete ballet was performed.
http://www.arttimesjournal.com/dance/Dec_06_Trevens/Dec_06_Nutcracker.htm

HOBOKEN, Belgium—Dirk Denoyelle got his first Lego set when he was 7 years old. Today, he has nearly three million pieces. In between, he earned an engineering degree, learned several languages and became a stand-up comedian. Mr. Denoyelle is a proud Adult Fan of Lego, or AFOL, as aficionados call themselves. "We still see ourselves as a toy company, but the world is challenging us on that," says Tormod Askildsen, a senior director at Lego headquarters in Billund, Denmark. Lego is in contact with about 90 fan groups boasting roughly 70,000 members throughout the world, says Mr. Askildsen. Many of them are adults with strong opinions. Adults increasingly use Lego in business for graphics, modeling and education. So many professionals use Lego that the company is rethinking its Certified Professionals program, which began in 2005, to make it seem less elitist, says Lego spokesman Andrew Arnold. As of now, the 13 LCPs, who act as goodwill ambassadors, aren't paid by Lego but must adhere to its strict decency standards, such as no weapons. In return, they get to buy bricks wholesale. Daniel Michaels See pictures at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203503204577038164225658328.html

The sestina is a challenging form in which, rather than simply rhyming, the actual line-ending words are repeated in successive stanzas in a designated rotating order. A sestina consists of six 6-line stanzas, concluding with a 3-line “envoi” which incorporates all the line-ending words, some hidden inside the lines. Find links to a glossary of poetic forms and examples of sestinas at: http://poetry.about.com/od/poeticforms/g/sestina.htm

A E I O U, más sabe el burro que tú. (A E I O U, the donkey knows more than you.) Spanish jingle

Y can make a vowel sound; for instance, sympathy uses Y as a vowel twice. Rhythm uses Y and H as vowels. (The H makes a brief, indeterminate vowel sound.) Syzygy uses Y as a vowel three times. (The second Y is a brief, indeterminate vowel sound.)

A dash of high-quality oil provides an intense burst of unusual flavor to a portion of vegetables, an ordinary salad dressing or even a piece of bread, chefs say. Reddish-green and nutty-tasting, pumpkin seed oil is among the fastest growing in popularity. Like pumpkin itself, it is suitable for both sweet and savory dishes. Avocado oil imparts a light fruitiness to salad dressings; macadamia-nut oil works on salads, too, and is ideal for baking. Amber-red argan oil, an expensive Moroccan import, has a deep, almost meaty flavor suitable for hearty dishes. At Kalustyan's, a Manhattan grocer that specializes in imported spices, oils and vinegars, co-owner Aziz Osmani says his best-selling specialty oils are argan, pumpkin seed and pistachio—neon green, with an intense pistachio perfume. Most are bought by professional chefs, Mr. Osmani says, although he is seeing more interest from "people who are really foodies." J.S. Marcus
See pictures and read tips from chefs at: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204358004577032440100359370.html

Remove tarnish from aluminum pots
Combine 2 tablespoons of cream of tartar with 1 quart of water or combine 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and a sliced lemon with 1 quart of water. For pots larger than 1 quart, make enough liquid to cover the tarnished portion, but preserve the ingredients ratio. Pour the mixture into the aluminum pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Allow the mixture to boil for 20 minutes. Rinse the pot to remove residue. Dry thoroughly with a towel.
http://www.ehow.com/how_12100337_remove-tarnish-aluminum-pots.html

Cream of tartar, more technically known as potassium hydrogen tartrate, is a fine white powder with many culinary applications. It is a byproduct of the winemaking process as the powder forms inside wine barrels during fermentation. It comes from tartaric acid, a naturally occurring substance in grapes and some other tart fruits that in the principle acid in winemaking. It helps to help control the pH of fermenting grape juice (wine) and that also acts as a preservative for the wine. Tartaric acid has been used in winemaking for centuries (when separated from grapes and purified, it is a white powder that is similar to cream of tartar) and cream of tartar has been around just as long, put to use by creative cooks in a variety of culinary applications. It is an acid and it is often used as a major component in baking powder, combined with baking soda to react when the mixture is moistened to ensure that baked goods will rise well. Although it is an acid, the cream of tartar and the baking soda will not react when dry, so the entire reaction is saved for the mixing bowl and the oven. http://bakingbites.com/2008/07/what-is-cream-of-tartar/

The Association of Science-Technology Centers (ASTC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization of science centers and museums dedicated to furthering public engagement with science among increasingly diverse audiences. ASTC encourages excellence and innovation in informal science learning by serving and linking its members worldwide and advancing their common goals. http://www.astc.org/about/index.htm

See short demonstration titled Quantum Levitation from ASTC at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws6AAhTw7RA Thanks, Paul.