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The tenth Pixar movie, "Up", has the honor of being the first animated picture ever to open a Cannes festival. Carl Fredricksen (voiced by Ed Asner) is a 78-year-old widower who has always longed to visit the mythical lost worlds of South America. When developers conspire to pack him off to a nursing home, he ties up thousands of balloons to the roof of his house and flies away to fulfill that dream. Alongside him, rather unexpectedly, is an 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell (Jordan Nagai), a peppy naïf who offsets his grousier temperament.

It's utterly delightful, certain to appeal to audiences young, old and all points in between. Cannes audiences are notoriously vocal. They'll whistle if they're unhappy -- a French version of a boo -- and a movie that doesn't meet the audience's high standards will be treated to the repeated "whop" sounds of theater seats banging shut as patrons leave. "Up," on the other hand, received little but cheers.

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*update* 2019
The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation.

The $1.5 billion Hubble rocketed to space aboard the space shuttle Discovery on April 24, 1990. It's named after Edwin Hubble, a pioneering American astronomer who furthered our understanding of other galaxies and demonstrated that the universe is continually expanding.

The Hubble's primary mirror, nearly eight feet across. A flaw in the mirror was discovered after the Hubble was in space; thanks to miscalibrated equipment, its glass had been ground slightly too finely at the edges. Though the imperfection measured just one-fiftieth of the thickness of a piece of paper, it distorted the Hubble's images. Astronauts fixed the problem in 1993.

About the size of a large school bus, the Hubble orbits at a speed of five miles per second, 353 miles above Earth. At that velocity it can cross the United States in about 10 minutes and circle the globe in an hour and a half.  read more »

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Ben Gulak invented an electric motorcycle that landed the 19-year-old freshman on the cover of Popular Science magazine for developing number one of their top 10 inventions of the year.

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Happy Mother's Day to mothers and mothers-would-be everywhere!

"Mother is such a miraculous honor.
Give life to a child. Give birth to Tomorrow.
Nurture a seed into a tree, upright.
Nurture a wholesome soul into a future hero.

Honor of honors,
as an extraordinary mother."

Excerpt from a poem in the poetry book with art "Love's Footsteps ~ dedicated to a Bridge for Wisdom to Walk on" by LuCxeed, www.loves-footsteps.com.
*music by Koen Paulissen

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href="https://www.delish.com/cooking/g1393/traditional-mexican-food-0710/" target="_blank">64 Mexican Recipes You'll Be Making On Repeat - Learn how to make all your restaurant favorites at home

Tacos, quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas... if you don't like Mexican food, we've got some questions. Whether it's Taco Tuesday, Cinco de Mayo, or a Friday night, these recipes are fun enough for a party, and easy enough to make a delish weeknight dinner. Once you've tried all of these, we've got 50 amazing tacos for you to work your way through.

51 Of Our Favorite Mexican Recipes For Tacos, Enchiladas And More

What's not to love about Mexican food? A cuisine where avocados, cheese and tortillas make a regular appearance obviously means you've hit a culinary jackpot. Mexican recipes are also rich with chiles, spice, herbs and bright, fresh flavors. They're diverse enough to excite most palates, yet comforting enough to please all.

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Image courtesy Fave Healthy Recipes

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*update* 2019
Cinco De Mayo 2019: Parties And Events In London  read more »

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*update* 2013
On 22 April 2009, she became the first Nobel laureate ever to reach the age of 100 - at the time of her death, she was the longest lived Nobel laureate

This astonishing woman - who studied medicine, survived Fascism and prejudice, and went on to win the Nobel Prize in 1986, who still takes an active part in politics in the Senate, is planning another book and campaigning for the rights of women in Africa.

In her autobiography she writes that she and her twin sister Paola (an artist who died in 2000 and whose artworks decorate her office walls) were born to Adamo Levi, “an electrical engineer and gifted mathematician”, and Adele Montalcini, “a talented painter and an exquisite human being”. There were two older siblings, Gino and Anna, also both now dead. “The four of us enjoyed a most wonderful family atmosphere,” she writes, “filled with love and reciprocal devotion. Both parents were highly cultured and instilled in us their high appreciation of intellectual pursuit. Her father “was a person of great intellectual and moral value, but he was a Victorian. As a child, I saw him as a person who dominated everything I did.”  read more »