Straw is a renewable resource. In fact, we produce 200 million tons of straw that is wasted every year, after the wheat or other grain is removed. A bale of straw costs just a few dollars. Bales are sturdy, thick, and come in uniform size. They make wonderful insulation. Together, this makes it the perfect material for building homes. In the story of The Three Little Pigs, a home built of straw was supposed to convey the idea of weak materials and shoddy construction. But it wasn't the material,... READ ON

My children don't watch nearly as much TV as I did at their age. I asked my daughter if she knew any famous ducks. She could only think of The Ugly Duckling! But our pop culture landscape bears the tracks of an entire flock of famous ducks. Count Duckula Count Duckula began as a villainous character on the British TV show Danger Mouse. He was spun off into his own show in 1988 and imported to the US (as well as many other countries), where he was sometimes mistaken for a version of Daffy Duck.... READ ON

You can dress in white and have a traditional church wedding with rice, candles, and flowers, if that's what you want. But don't expect anyone outside the family to remember it years from now. Or you can make it a daringly different production that no one will ever forget. Like these people. Zombies Christopher Downs and Amber Nolin were married in Kansas City on February 29th. The couple own a film company, and got all the details down for a complete zombie wedding at the Macabre... READ ON

Most local stores have a selection of toilet paper ranging from cheap white paper to expensive white paper. That's it. When I was a child, you could get toilet paper in pastel pink or blue, but those died out when designers decided bathrooms can be other colors. There was also the discovery that dyes can cause allergic reactions in some people (not a pleasant thought). So white it is. But only at the local supermarket. With the power of the internet, you can break free from the tyranny of plain... READ ON