The rabbit, the egg, and Christ…and another god

From Huffington Post comes What Do a Rabbit, Colored Eggs, and Candy Have to Do With Jesus? The History of Easter Revealed by Kari Henley:

It turns out the celebrations of modern Easter’s egg-toting-rabbit evolves from a mythic German goddess named Ostara, (Oestre / Eastre) who was the Germanic Goddess of Springtime. According to the Encycolopedia Mythica:

“In ancient Anglo-Saxon myth, Ostara is the personification of the rising sun. In that capacity she is associated with the spring and is considered to be a fertility goddess. She is the friend of all children and to amuse then she changed her pet bird into a rabbit. This rabbit brought forth brightly colored eggs, which the goddess gave to the children as gifts. From her name and rites the festival of Easter is derived.”

All other European words for “Easter” derive from the Hebrew word “pasah,” to pass over, thus reflecting the Christian holiday’s Biblical connection with the Jewish Passover. I find it ironic the holiest day in the Christian faith, dedicated to celebrating the Son of God, is named after a goddess.
According to www.godchecker.com: Ostara was very popular with the Anglo-Saxon people, who worshiped her under the name Eostre.

At least now I have a bit of a better understanding of this whole Easter-Risen Christ-bunny-egg hunt connection.  The writer was right; at times, I wondered about the whole connection but never really bothered to find the connection.

Earth Hour 2009

Found something interesting about the Earth Hour on March 28th, observed in hundreds of cities around the world.  This event began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia as a way to vote against global warming.  Turning off the lights for an hour could serve as one’s vote, whether a tourist spot or simply a household, for the earth.  Further info from the official website:

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 the message had grown into a global sustainability movement, with 50 million people switching off their lights. Global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

In 2009, Earth Hour is being taken to the next level, with the goal of 1 billion people switching off their lights as part of a global vote. Unlike any election in history, it is not about what country you’re from, but instead, what planet you’re from. VOTE EARTH is a global call to action for every individual, every business, and every community. A call to stand up and take control over the future of our planet. Over 74 countries and territories have pledged their support to VOTE EARTH during Earth Hour 2009, and this number is growing everyday.

See the many cities that observed Earth Hour: H-E-R-E. Click the photos and have javascript enabled to see the effects.

The genius of Gmail

For everyone who uses Gmail, they are probably aware of the little icon on the upper right linking to gmail labs, where one can see the add-on features developed by the Gmail peeps.  Some of the things found there are good, some are just not as useful.   However, with the time I spend on Twitter lately, I found one “tweet” about this Gmail feature that I thought was genius. I’m not sure how useful it’s gonna be, but when I found out about it I was impressed.

Polar bear twins

A pair of polar bears were born in Rhenen, Netherlands yesterday and they’re adorable. Taking some photos from the Telegraph web, see them after the jump. (I didn’t want to shrink the photos just to fit the narrow space on this page).

And I thought Twitter was another way to get a job…

Well, not when you’re stupid.

Find out why, after the jump.

Freedom in the Alps!

I stumbled upon this article from the New York Times through someone in Twitter. I don’t know whether to think it as funny or ridiculous. How can it not be either if we’re talking about hiking in the nude? In the Alps… All they wear are their hiking boots and some sun screen. Location: Appenzell, Switzerland. Some are obviously bothered bumping into people who go all bare but the city cannot criminalize them because one, there is no law against hiking in the nude and two, “[s]imply being naked without any sexual connotation is no longer illegal,” say Daniel Kettiger, a legal expert who wrote a piece called: “The Bare Facts: On the Criminal Prosecution of Nude Hiking”.

But the city’s justice minister claimed he can draft something that would penalize these people and it could cost them up to $170.

The whole article HERE.

A bigger bite of Apple

Presenting the latest addition to the iPod family- the latest, and smallest, iPod shuffle and MP3 player.

Remembering the Heroes

As we grow up, our definition of what heroes are or who they are in our lives is modified.  Some look up to their dads, some to their partners, and some even to political and socially-figures in their countries as life heroes.  Meanwhile, there are those who take a more social definition of it and look at firefighters, at times the cops, and more importantly the soldiers fighting in wars to be members of the same group.  But have a trip down memory lane, from 10-15 years ago and none of what has been said above would apply.

As kids, our world revolved around skilled, powerful, and masked men- ginormous or regular-sized, who wore jumpsuits of different colors.  Thanks to the Japanese, we managed to find more than a simple pasttime but more reasons to shout out loud at home as our favorite characters transformed from being humans just like us.  And thanks to my friend Niq’s post on her blog about MMPR, nostalgia got me digging up the past and scouring all over the net for photos most familiar to us and would easily remind us how much we loved these shows.

Wines for the Holidays

I am not a big fan of wines but a feature on the CNBC website roused my interest and I thought I’d copy its contents here. Just for keeps.

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“Since Thanksgiving is an American holiday, I’m going with American wines for the most part. And even at Thanksgiving, there’s no predicting exactly what will be on the table, so we need versatile, light- to medium-textured wines that will match with the 10,000 mains and sides they’re likely to encounter.

First, a Pinot Gris from Washington State or California, like the Willamette Valley Vineyards 2007 Pinot Gris ($16). A bit tart, a bit spicy, very fruity and crisp. And then, shoot me for being predictable: Pinot Noir. Let’s pull J Vineyards & Winery 2005 Nicole’s Vineyard from Russian River Valley ($42). Again, a touch of spice – the Thanksgiving meal can be so “same-old, same-old” from year to year, you need to wake it up – but mostly great cherry fruit on the silkiest pillow imaginable.”

Oil Break-Evens

Going back to more than 3 months ago, in July, the price of oil peaked at $147 per barrel. While some analysts predicted oil going up even as high as $200 per barrel, many others saw this as nothing but a bubble that soon will burst and undergo price correction. The past couple of weeks, oil has been hovering under $70 a barrel bringing down majority of the prices in gas pumps to less than $3 a gallon. Today, the oil settled at $65.25 pb; it dipped to as low as under 64 just several days ago.

The big spike in oil price months back certainly boosted revenues of major oil producing countries, whose windfall profits helped fatten some of the existing sovereign wealth funds. It is therefore no surprise that Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Qatar and Libya find themselves on the list of the biggest funds. Despite that, it would still be good and interesting to know that not all these states earn, let alone big amounts. Even at $80 or $90, some of these states might still be losing money.

Swaps and Spreads 101

When you watch the news, one that always goes with figures relating to T-bills are swap spreads. I had a slight notion of what it was but a news article from the Financial Times (Oct 24, 2008) made it clear to me. Take note of the very interesting event that happened yesterday, one that many perceived to be a “mathematical impossibility”. Bolds below are mine.

Turmoil takes its toll on swap markets as spreads turn negative

By Michael Mackenzie in New York

The turmoil in the financial markets has taken hold of the trade in long-term interest rate derivatives, pushing rates to levels once thought to be a “mathematical impossibility”.

Interest rate swaps are the most widely traded over-the-counter derivative.

Long-term swaps are particularly important for insurers and pension funds that need to fund liabilities decades into the future.

Dawg

I can’t remember exactly when I started adoring dogs. Having lived with one for the past 2 months certainly helped. Although it is partly offset by the fact that the dog isn’t as smart as I wanted it to be. It’s not mine; it’s my aunt’s. It is turning three. Apparently the only thing the dog knows is to pee and poop on the grass, except during those times when he can’t hold it anymore. The only words he recognizes are “food” and “go out”. Give him a command and all you get is a blank stare. Now that assures I’m not getting that breed of dog. If I were to get one, here are my options:

• Siberian Husky- they could look evil but they could also look VERY awesome.
• Yorkshire Terrier- their hair is hypo-allergenic.
• Morkie (a mix between Yorkshire and Maltese and it is darn cute, but darn expensive too. One I saw in CA was at $999 and the one I saw in IL was, get this, $1500. Bloody hell.)
• Labrador Retriever- the golden one, color-wise. lol.
• Perhaps a miniature schnauzer would also do but it’s at the bottom of my list.

Finance: I just can’t get enough.

The financial tsunami, as many so aptly describe how things are going at the moment, has found me more glued to TV than ever. I have been glued for weeks but since Sunday night, when Lehman Brothers reported to file for bankruptcy and Merrill Lynch announced selling itself to BofA, being a couch bed potato has never felt so gratifying. Having to follow the DJIA, NAS, S&P and hundreds others of stocks go up and down; grasp, learn and re-learn financial concepts; and focus on discussions and catch up with what is being said could only confirm that there is a big finance geek in me hiding (not quite secretly so) and waiting to come out. I have honestly found it challenging to completely follow the CNBC star troopers debunk the issues surrounding the financial meltdown that’s not only hitting Wall Street but also Main Street. I found inherent beauty in seeing the fluctuation/volatility in the markets, with the Dow plunging more than 500 points Monday, up 300 Tuesday, down Wednesday, up Thursday, and so far, Friday, up another 410 points. Include there the intra-day up and downs and you have a really exciting story. If the Dow finishes higher than 404 points today, then we’ll end up on the same level or higher than when Monday opened- as if nothing happened. How’s that for an exciting turn out of events? I would like to think that the Fed and Treasury have managed to deal with things quite well to reduce the fear and panic that is continuously killing Wall Street. Tuning in to CNBC for as long as I’m awake every day, I couldn’t help but also be impressed with the competence and expertise of people- Santelli, Liesman, Faber, Ratigan, Macke, Pisani, Bartiromo, Carusso-Herrera, Gasparino… Surprising are information that concern 30/40-to-1 bank leveraging, stock price drops of more than 50% to 90% in a short time span, record-breaking jump in volatility (.VIX), rumored demise of even the top two (and only survivors) of this crisis, government bailout and infusions of trillions of dollars, money market funds breaking the buck- I just can’t get enough. The TV serves as my wake-up call (I set it to turn itself on at around 930am), practically starting my day with financial news and while it doesn’t become a sleeping pill for me, heck no, it doesn’t take a rest until about 12 midnight, when the re-run of Fast Money, now my favorite show, ends. Re-runs… yes, sometimes I watch them again just to make sure I understand critical issues and points (yes, the challenge I mentioned earlier being that I don’t get things the first time around). I even download the video podcast. Not only is it a highly informative show, but there are personalities there who just crack me up. Ah finance… I just can’t get enough.

PS I should have paid more attention in my boring classes before.

20 Most Annoying Songs

The song “Tubthumping” played on my iTunes and even after years of hearing it, I never really understood what it meant until I googled it today. In my search, not only did I find its meaning (politicking, tubthumper being a politician), I also found a reference in Wikipedia to the 20 most annoying songs complied by the Rolling Stones.  Apparently the song was part of the list as #12.  Of course I looked at the rest of the list and was surprised some of the songs I actually like.

1. Black Eyed Peas, “My Humps”   — This is a rather fun song.
2. Los Del Rio, “Macarena” — I kinda understand.
3. Baha Men, “Who Let The Dogs Out” — Kinda understand too.
4. Celine Dion, “My Heart Will Go On” — This really ain’t bad, if only it weren’t overplayed.
5. Nickelback, “Photograph” — Well, I don’t like it for being too noisy to the ears.
6. Lou Bega, “Mambo No. 5″ — I’m 50/50 on this.
7. James Blunt, “You’re Beautiful” — This is annoying?!
8. Spice Girls, “Wannabe” — Um…
9. Sisqo, “The Thong Song” — Quite a fun song, IMHO.
10. Cher, “Believe” — Is it really the song? Or how Cher looked in the video?
11. Aqua, “Barbie Girl” — LOL. They could have easily said ‘Aqua’; I’m sure this isn’t the only one. I’m not really hatin’ them though.
12. Chumbawumba, “Tub Thumper” — Nah.
13. Rednex, “Cotton-Eyed Joe” — Never heard.
14. Eiffel 65, “Blue” — I thought this is cute.
15. Crash Test Dummies, “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm”
16. Meatloaf, “I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)” — I almost love this song…
17. ‘NSYNC, “Bye, Bye, Bye” — HAHAHA. Boyband hatred?
18. Ricky Martin, “Livin’ La Vida Loca” — I guess more annoying than Maria or La Copa dela Vida.
19. Semisonic, “Closing Time” — I love this song. C’mon now.
20. Wham!, “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” — This puts a smile on my face. Always. So I disagree.

I guess that says I’m not so much of a rock person, as perhaps most of these Rolling Stones fanatics are.

MovieMania: Feels Like Heaven!

I couldn’t be amazed enough at how addicted I got to watching movies. Ever since I (almost) finished school last week, I’ve already seen more than 10 movies…in a span of about 6 days in fact. More than half of them are classics- and I mean those that were made decades ago. I CANNOT stop watching movies anymore! I am definitely putting the blame on my roommate who’s doing (or just finished) a film summer program at USC. Whenever free, he pretty much just hangs out in the living room, enjoying a movie or two. There was even a time he did some serious movie marathon- starting at around 9 or 10 at night and ending at around 2-3pm the following day; he was still up when I came back from school. I joined him in several occasions but I actually can’t remember the first classic film that I joined him in watching. I can only remember one called Walked with Ed Harris in it. In no particular order, here are the movies I’ve seen the past several days:

• Casablanca (1942)
• Notorious (1946)
• Rope (1948 )
• Rashomon (1950)
• Vertigo (1958 )
• Yojimbo (1961)
• 8 1/2 (1963)
• Repulsion (1965)
• Le Samourai (1967)
• Army of Shadows (1969)
• A Clockwork Orange (1971)
• What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) – Leo DiCaprio was brilliant, and I mean BRILLIANT in this film.
• The Rock (1996) – Yes, just last night… Say no more.
• L’Auberge Espagnole (2003) – Not a classic but a fun flick
• Children of Men (2006)
• The Devil Wears Prada – I already saw this weeks ago, but as I was trying to chill one night, I decided to give it a go again
• Atonement (finally completing it after I fell asleep while watching it on the plane)
• Step Up 2 (apparently not one of the classics)

I have some more I’ve already downloaded and are waiting to be seen:

• Rope (1948 )
• Rashomon (1950)
• To Kill A Mockingbird (1962)
• Repulsion (1965)
• Chinatown (1974)

Vertigo and Notorious are both Alfred Hitchcock films. I never really saw any of his flicks until I saw Notorious the other night. And now I am contemplating buying a 15-disc DVD set of his greatest movies, which include 2 more I am thinking about downloading- Rope and The Birds, perhaps to help me decide whether I should get it or not.

My roommate Brian also introduced me to The Criterion Collection, a continuing series of important classic and contemporary films on DVD. Being a film freak himself, he apparently has some from that collection. Last night, I found myself going through the collection and the top 10s of some critics- until 6am. But the time and effort wasn’t in vain. Not that it’s bad but I found several other movies I want to buy and see:

• M (1931)
• Tokyo Story (1953)
• Seven Samurai (1954)
• The Leopard (1963)
• The Shop on Main Street (1965)
• The Honeymoon Killers (1970)

I love finally having the luxury of time to spend –THIS– much time on movies. Strangely (and maybe even sadly), I’ve seen about twice as many movies in the past week or so in the apartment than I have in the theaters all throughout my whole year stay here in LA.

So little time, so many movies to see. I. Am. Screwed.

Oil-y.

This is a truly remarkable and satisfying find for the inner dork in me. Not that it took me thousands of clicks on Google to find this, no. I am just amazed at the simple but classy animation. The graphics too, sorta. Courtesy of The Financial Times, following are some tidbits on oil. The first relates to the politics that surround it and the protests that have happened in different part of the world in light of the continuous rise of crude oil prices. To find out more information about each country represented, click on the image to be directed to the FT site.

The next three show the flow of oil, and the biggest producers and consumers. Again for more information, just click the images.

Key Economic Trends

Here yet again is an article from Dr Habito’s No Free Lunch column that appears every Monday in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, talking about 10 economic trends that serve as good measures as to how the Philippine economy is doing at the moment, after 6 months. A good way to check if we are still following or at least close to the “7.3% ” growth reported for last year. I think I will be doing this quite regularly from now on. This way too, I get to follow his columns, which I’ve always wanted to do.

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10 key economic trends

By Cielito Habito
06/29/2008

TODAY we reach the halfway mark for this current year 2008, and everybody knows it’s been a challenging year for the Philippine economy so far. Based on most recently available data on the economy, below are 10 key indicators that provide a good picture of how the economy has fared this year so far:

1. Prices are rising rapidly. The inflation rate has already hit double-digits outside of Metro Manila (10.2 percent), with food showing the steepest price rises, at 14.3 percent nationwide. Surging oil and food prices have been the primary culprit, and while this has been a global phenomenon, this gives little comfort to the average Filipino whose wages are being left even farther behind by the soaring cost of living.

7.3 or 7-3?

Following is an article by Dr. Cielito Habito, former NEDA Director (and professor) published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer 3 months ago regarding some concerns expressed over the reported 7.3% GDP increase for the year 2007, which was one of the highest in the Asia Pacific region. This is a bit long but it’s worth a read.

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Is our GDP growth overstated?

First Posted 03/16/2008

A GOOD NUMBER OF ECONOMISTS AND financial analysts I know continue to scratch their heads over the reported 7.3-percent GDP growth of our economy in 2007, which made us the fastest growing economy in our neighborhood last year. Have we Filipinos become so unaccustomed to success that we find it hard to believe it when it comes? Or is it that we Filipinos have become so accustomed to deceit and lies from the government that it’s hard to believe information coming from their direction anymore—statistical data included?

Well, in the case of the recent data on the growth of the Philippine economy, there appear to be compelling reasons to question the reliability of the numbers we have been getting lately. I have mentioned in past columns the continuing work being done by former Neda chief Felipe Medalla to analyze data on our gross domestic product (GDP) over time. A key finding he makes is that the trends in these data have been in direct contradiction to the data that actually feed into it. I will cite just two instances here.

Holland, Hollander, Hollands.

Due to the currently ongoing Euro 2008, watching Netherlands play aroused my curiosity as to why they are oftentimes also referred to as Holland. In the case of the UK, it was kind of understandable that they were called Great Britain. But Holland and Netherlands when put together do not make up one whole name as is the case with the UK. Netherlands of Holland or Holland of Netherlands? No, although the latter is a bit more appropriate. Find out why, after the jump.

(This picture is a perfect representation. Well, sort of. You have the flag, the people, and who knows maybe they’re speaking the language too!)