Daily Headlines: April 21, 2014

* Peru: In the latest case of the growing international problem that is counterfeit drugs, researchers found that 28% of contraceptive medicine in Peru is either counterfeit or ineffective.

* Venezuela: Argentine-born Pope Francis used his Easter homily to call for the “reconciliation and fraternal accord” in Venezuela, a country torn by political unrest though tempers have calmed somewhat after talks between the government and opposition. 
 
* Bolivia: President Evo Morales urged Bolivian peasants and impoverished residents to teach children how to be fluent in foreign languages so they can apply for scholarships to study abroad.
  
* Colombia: A new report found that at least thirty-four Colombian indigenous groups are going through a "humanitarian crisis" and this could lead to their extinction.
 
Video Source– YouTube user VOAvideo (“The World Health Organization estimates that 25 percent of medicines sold in poor countries are counterfeit. Monitoring by the World Bank and others suggests the overall global trade in fake and substandard drugs is now more than 30 billion dollars per year”.)

Online Sources – Vox; The Telegraph; The Guardian; LAHT; Fox News Latino

Why the Easter Bunny? (Revisted)

The text of this post was first published in 2009 and we are featuring it again on this Easter holiday.

On Sunday, Catholics [Ed.-  and Orthodox Christians] around the world will commemorate the holiday of Easter- the day Jesus resurrected from the dead. Yet there’s also the view of Easter as one filled with eggs and a certain ubiquitous bunny. (And yes, it’s possible to celebrate both as I recall my childhood Easters going to church then decorating eggs after returning home!)

There has always been one detail that has nagged me: how did the Easter Bunny come about? Thankfully, the always informative Mental Floss website explains the origins. Much like the Virgen de Guadalupe, the Easter Bunny was born due to a combination of spiritual beliefs:

Many pagan cultures held spring festivals to celebrate this renewal of life and promote fertility. One of these festivals was in honor of Eostre or Eastre, the goddess of dawn, spring and fertility near and dear to the hearts of the pagans in Northern Europe. Eostre was closely linked to the hare and the egg, both symbols of fertility.

As Christianity spread, it was common for missionaries to practice some good salesmanship by placing pagan ideas and rituals within the context of the Christian faith and turning pagan festivals into Christian holidays (e.g. Christmas). The Eostre festival occurred around the same time as the Christians’ celebration of Christ’s resurrection, so the two celebrations became one, and with the kind of blending that was going on among the cultures, it would seem only natural that the pagans would bring the hare and egg images with them into their new faith (the hare later became the more common rabbit).

The pagans hung on to the rabbit and eventually it became a part of Christian celebration. We don’t know exactly when, but it’s first mentioned in German writings from the 1600s. The Germans converted the pagan rabbit image into Oschter Haws, a rabbit that was believed to lay a nest of colored eggs as gifts for good children.

So now you know!

Video Source - YouTube user Carolina Arellano (Fanesca is a traditional Ecuadorian soup or stew prepared once each year on Easter that typically contains ingredients like bacalao or salted cod and a variety of grains). 

Online Sources - Mental Floss; Wikipedia; The Latin Americanist

Why the Easter Bunny?

Bugs Bunny - Easter Yeggs

Vezi mai multe video din animatie

Note: The following post originally appeared in April 2009.

On Sunday, Catholics around the world will commemorate the holiday of Easter- the day Jesus resurrected from the dead. Yet there’s also the view of Easter as one filled with eggs and a certain ubiquitous bunny. (And yes, it’s possible to celebrate both as I recall my childhood Easters going to church then decorating eggs after returning home!)

There has always been one detail that has nagged me: how did the Easter Bunny come about? Thankfully, the always informative mental_floss blog explains the origins. Much like the Virgen de Guadalupe, the Easter Bunny was born due to a combination of spiritual beliefs:

Many pagan cultures held spring festivals to celebrate this renewal of life and promote fertility. One of these festivals was in honor of Eostre or Eastre, the goddess of dawn, spring and fertility near and dear to the hearts of the pagans in Northern Europe. Eostre was closely linked to the hare and the egg, both symbols of fertility.

As Christianity spread, it was common for missionaries to practice some good salesmanship by placing pagan ideas and rituals within the context of the Christian faith and turning pagan festivals into Christian holidays (e.g. Christmas). The Eostre festival occurred around the same time as the Christians’ celebration of Christ’s resurrection, so the two celebrations became one, and with the kind of blending that was going on among the cultures, it would seem only natural that the pagans would bring the hare and egg images with them into their new faith (the hare later became the more common rabbit).

The pagans hung on to the rabbit and eventually it became a part of Christian celebration. We don’t know exactly when, but it’s first mentioned in German writings from the 1600s. The Germans converted the pagan rabbit image into Oschter Haws, a rabbit that was believed to lay a nest of colored eggs as gifts for good children.

So now you know!

Online Sources - Mental Floss, Wikipedia
Video Source - trilulilu.ro

Why the Easter Bunny?

On Sunday, Catholics around the world will commemorate the holiday of Easter- the day Jesus resurrected from the dead. Yet there’s also the view of Easter as one filled with eggs and a certain ubiquitous bunny. (And yes, it’s possible to celebrate both as I recall my childhood Easters going to church then decorating eggs after returning home!)

There has always been one detail that has nagged me: how did the Easter Bunny come about? Thankfully, the always informative mental_floss blog explains the origins. Much like the Virgen de Guadalupe, the Easter Bunny was born due to a combination of spiritual beliefs:

Many pagan cultures held spring festivals to celebrate this renewal of life and promote fertility. One of these festivals was in honor of Eostre or Eastre, the goddess of dawn, spring and fertility near and dear to the hearts of the pagans in Northern Europe. Eostre was closely linked to the hare and the egg, both symbols of fertility.

As Christianity spread, it was common for missionaries to practice some good salesmanship by placing pagan ideas and rituals within the context of the Christian faith and turning pagan festivals into Christian holidays (e.g. Christmas). The Eostre festival occurred around the same time as the Christians’ celebration of Christ’s resurrection, so the two celebrations became one, and with the kind of blending that was going on among the cultures, it would seem only natural that the pagans would bring the hare and egg images with them into their new faith (the hare later became the more common rabbit).

The pagans hung on to the rabbit and eventually it became a part of Christian celebration. We don’t know exactly when, but it’s first mentioned in German writings from the 1600s. The Germans converted the pagan rabbit image into Oschter Haws, a rabbit that was believed to lay a nest of colored eggs as gifts for good children.

So now you know!

Image- Guardian UK
Online Sources- mental_floss, Wikipedia

Hundreds killed during Holy Week

-Contributed by Alison Bowen

Raucous Easter celebrations in Latin America claimed 700 lives during the 10-day Holy Week, according to South Africa’s Independent Online. The numbers reflect a tradition of drinking, driving and fighting in Latin America during the Roman Catholic holiday week.

In Venezuela, 118 people were murdered, despite President Hugo unpopular ban on late-night alcohol sales, meant to curb drunk driving deaths.

El Salvador reported 151 people killed: 73 killed by gunshot; 33 killed in traffic accidents; 25 drowned; and 21 murdered with knives. Civil defense officials also reported 769 people were injured, according to the article.

Included in the region’s casualties were 148 dead in Guatemala, an increase from previous years’ festivities, and 106 dead in Honduras. Fifty-three people died in Columbia in 37 traffic accidents, a stark increase from the 22 people who died last year.

Traffic deaths in Venezuela, however, were cut by 20 percent compared to last year, according to the article.

Meanwhile, Pope Benedict XVI, who will make his first visit to Latin America in May included the region in his April 16 Easter address. He prayed for the region’s spirit to be renewed, living conditions to improve and "the scourge of kidnappings eradicated, and democratic institutions be consolidated ... in a spirit of harmony and solidarity."

Links- Independent Online, International Herald Tribune, CNN

Image- WitNit

Daily headlines: April 09, 2007

* Did you celebrate Easter yesterday? If so, how?

* Vacationing or campaigning – Bill and Hillary Clinton traveled to the Dominican Republic for a private lunch with the country’s president.

* Kudos to Slovenia's Martin Strel who become the first person to swim the over 3000 miles of the Amazon River.

* Lax inspections along the U.S.-Mexico may be a grave security problem according to experts on freight travel.

* A bit of good news for Chile after a week of mounting problems – the peso reached a two-week high due to more than expected economic growth. (Update: On the other hand, problems with the transit system in Chile's capital may be really hurting the economy.)

Links- SanLuisObispo.com, Monsters & Critics, BBC News, ABC News, The Latin Americanist, Bloomberg

Image- The World in Photos (Easter procession in the town of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico)