Easter: Cocoa prices are falling, so why is your chocolate egg more expensive? – Telegraph

Despite cocoa prices tumbling by a third in just a year, some easter eggs have doubled in price, research by comparison website mySupermarket has shown.

The site claims that the price of Tesco’s own brand 200g Milk Chocolate Egg Hunt Bag has risen 100pc from £1 to £2; Nestle’s Retro Smarties Mug and Egg cost £4.99 two years ago at Tesco but is now £7 at the same store; and Lindt’s 500g Gold Bunny at £15 in Tesco and Asda is 50pc more expensive than two years ago.

Cash-strapped customers will be wondering why prices are rising when the cost of cocoa in top producer areas, including the Ivory Coast, continues to fall.

Cocoa producers blame droughts for causing beans to shrink, putting off buyers.

“There are big buying warehouses that have closed because, not only is there no cocoa, but the small amount coming in is of bad quality,” said Abel Konan, who farms near Daloa. “The buyers say our beans are very small, black and contain no chocolate.”

via Easter: Cocoa prices are falling, so why is your chocolate egg more expensive? – Telegraph.

Strange Random Chocolate Quote:

“Nine out of ten people like chocolate. The tenth person always lies.” – John Q. Tullius

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No secularism please, we’re British – Home News – UK – The Independent

This is what always happens with religion: it is meant to make people behave better, but when they get too serious about it, it ends up making them behave much, much worse. Britain is in the thick of an acrimonious, debate about secularism and religion. Religious belief and church attendance have been shrinking for decades, yet religion continues to play an important part in our national life. Prayers before council meetings may have been banned last week by a judge, and an increasing number of our city churches are put to sound secular use as indoor ski slopes or apartments. But there are still bishops in the House of Lords, prayers are said at the Cenotaph, and the communal celebrations of Christmas and Easter have yet to become completely taboo.

These are the visible signs of a still substantial power in the land, one which retains huge influence in framing our laws, regulating our behaviour, and even justifying, in a subliminal way, the actions of our governments every time they go to war. Tony Blair’s religious motivation for prosecuting the invasion of Iraq was highly atypical: no other recent British prime minister has been so strongly influenced by his faith. Yet the underlying moral justification is always there: to be the Good Samaritan, to go the extra mile, to treat your neighbour as yourself; failing to help the Bosnians was our “un-finest hour” precisely because it was said it went against the tenets of religion.

The secularists argue that religion no longer has any business retaining such a privileged place in the commanding heights of the nation, because fewer and fewer people actually believe. Traditionalist pundits – and headline-writers – have responded vigorously. In recent days we have been told that Christianity is “on the rack”; that it has been “pushed to the margins”, “assaulted” and “attacked”; that it faces a campaign to “rip it limb from limb”; and that it is time “for Christians to fight back”.

via No secularism please, we’re British – Home News – UK – The Independent.

Strange Random Secularism Quote:

“In a secularising world, art has replaced religion as a touchstone of our reverence and devotion.”
― Alain de Botton, Religion for Atheists: A Non-Believer‘s Guide to the Uses of Religion

Related articles

• UK government minister slams ‘militant secularism’ (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Poll reveals majority of UK Christians support secular outlook (dailyatheist.blogspot.com)
• Is religion really under threat? (guardian.co.uk)
• Having no faith in the government (politicsontoast.com)
• Richard Dawkins has uncovered a very British form of Christianity | Linda Woodhead (guardian.co.uk)
• Religion for Atheists by Alain de Botton: review (telegraph.co.uk)
• Dawkins and Lady Warsi should live and let live | Giles Fraser (guardian.co.uk)
• New Humanist Blog : Secularism shares the chracteristics of totalitarian regimes: Baroness Warsi strikes again (newhumanist.org.uk)
• The Secular Problem (aljahom.wordpress.com)
• FAQ with Alain de Botton on ‘religion for atheists’ (ted.com)

Google ‘Let It Snow’ Easter Egg Brings Winter Weather To Search Terms

Google is bidding to get people in the Christmas spirit by bringing snowfall to their desktops.

When Google-searching the term “let it snow” digital snowflakes start falling from the top of the screen.

A few seconds later and the screen starts to cloud-over.

Just when it seems like the snow is going to takeover the entire screen and block out the search results a blue “defrost” button pops up, allowing users to clear the screen.

via Google ‘Let It Snow’ Easter Egg Brings Winter Weather To Search Terms.

and it looks like this (for non-fans of Dean Martin) …

Strange Random Snow Quote:

To live anywhere in the world today and be against equality because of race or color is like living in Alaska and being against snow. – William Faulkner

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• Latest Google Easter Egg: Let it Snow (gearlive.com)
• Google’s Festive New Easter Egg: ‘Let It Snow’ (techland.time.com)
• Google Let It Snow Easter Egg (ubergizmo.com)
• Google ‘Let it snow’ Easter egg brings on winter (digitallife.today.msnbc.msn.com)
• Google’s ‘Let It Snow’ Easter Egg (But It’s Christmas!) (geekologie.com)
• Google’s Winter Easter Egg: Let It Snow In Search (techcrunch.com)

Sky in motion by Chris Kotsiopoulos on Vimeo

The sky in motion! Ancient temples, old churches, stone bridges, a castle, a ship wreck, and a wind mill, all combined with celestial objects. This is a timelapse collection that took me two years to assemble. Many thanks to my niece Anna for suggesting me the song for the video!

This inspirational song is the orchestral version of Undisclosed Desires from Muse.

Sky in motion on Vimeo, posted with vodpod

Strange Random Greece Quote:

My mom used to say that Greek Easter was later because then you get stuff cheaper. – Amy Sedaris

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• What I Learned From the Sea (kennykellogg.com)
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• ShortCuts on Vimeo (dslrtrips.wordpress.com)

Legend Of The Golden Egg Warrior – video

If you’re looking for a laugh before crawling back to work tomorrow, look no further than this short Easter- themed animation!

Strange Random Easter Quote:

I think of the garden after the rain;

And hope to my heart comes singing,

At morn the cherry-blooms will be white,

And the Easter bells be ringing! – Edna Dean Proctor, “Easter Bells”

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• Easter Egg Fights (zikata.wordpress.com)