Monday, December 14, 2009
Scheduled Hiatus
It's come to my conclusion that I am VERY busy lately and have a lot on my place. I am taking a hiatus until early January. Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Probability Article on Hanukkah
My BF is Jewish and I am trying to understand his cultural vs. religious holidays. I found this article to be interesting due to its use of probability and stats. Supplied by www.thebookofodds.com...
For eight nights beginning at sundown on the 25th day of Kislev—in 2009, that falls on December 11—millions of people around the world celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. In observance of the Festival of Lights, they may kindle candles in a menorah, recite prayers, exchange Hanukkah gifts, spin a dreidel, or eat foods fried in oil, such as pancake-like potato latkes or jelly donuts called sufganiyot.
In the United States, the odds that an adult who celebrates a winter holiday plans to celebrate Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) are 1 in 14.71 (or 7%).
That's actually greater than the proportion of Jewish people in the country. The Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life reports that 1.7% of American adults identify themselves as Jewish. It's not much compared to the 78% who belong to various Christian churches, but it's enough to make Judaism the largest religious minority besides atheists, agnostics, and other unaffiliated groups. According to the National Jewish Population Survey, as of 2001 the US had 4.1 million Jewish adults and 1 million Jewish children.
One reason for the disparity is that not everyone who celebrates Hanukkah is Jewish. An estimated 47% of Jews are married to non-Jews, creating families and friend networks that may celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, both, or neither. Nearly 7 million people of any religion live in households with at least one Jewish adult.
At the same time, not every Jewish person celebrates Hanukkah. The odds a Jewish person in America will participate in the lighting of Hanukkah candles are 1 in 1.39 (72%).
Hanukkah is historically a minor holiday in Judaism, paling in significance to Passover and the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur. Yet in the US, it can rival and even overshadow them. Only 5% more American Jews host or attend a seder (ceremonial meal) on Passover than light a menorah.
A 2009 paper in the Royal Economic Journal entitled " Is Hanukkah Responsive to Christmas?" assessed the common perception that Hanukkah gets disproportionately emphasized in America because it falls near the major holiday associated with three-quarters of the country.
The paper’s authors found that Jewish adults are more likely to celebrate Hanukkah—but not other Jewish holidays—if they have children under 18 at home, as a quarter of Jewish households do. The researchers propose that many of these parents don't want their children to feel left out during Christmas season and are trying to protect them from any pressure to convert or intermarry. This is less of a concern for members of the Orthodox sects of Judaism, who tend to live in tighter-knit communities with fewer outsiders.
The sect Jewish people belong to can influence the way they celebrate Hanukkah, too. For instance, as a 2005 Slate article pointed out, both ultra-conservative and ultra-liberal Jews aren't likely to go on holiday gift-shopping sprees they see as secular and capitalist.
Jews are more likely to celebrate Hanukkah in general if they belong to a synagogue or other Jewish institution, strongly identify as religious, and are not intermarried.
However, the jury is still out when it comes to population density. Based on seasonal sales of "Jewish products," the Royal Economic Journal study concluded that Jewish people are more likely to celebrate Hanukkah if they live in an area where there aren't many other Jews. The National Jewish Population Survey found the opposite; it reported that 79% of Jewish people in the Northeast, which has the highest regional concentration of Jews in the US, light Hanukkah candles, while only 65% of their counterparts do so in the West, which has the lowest concentration.
As Adam Sandler might say, it's an interesting question for follow-up-ukkah.
For eight nights beginning at sundown on the 25th day of Kislev—in 2009, that falls on December 11—millions of people around the world celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. In observance of the Festival of Lights, they may kindle candles in a menorah, recite prayers, exchange Hanukkah gifts, spin a dreidel, or eat foods fried in oil, such as pancake-like potato latkes or jelly donuts called sufganiyot.
In the United States, the odds that an adult who celebrates a winter holiday plans to celebrate Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) are 1 in 14.71 (or 7%).
That's actually greater than the proportion of Jewish people in the country. The Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life reports that 1.7% of American adults identify themselves as Jewish. It's not much compared to the 78% who belong to various Christian churches, but it's enough to make Judaism the largest religious minority besides atheists, agnostics, and other unaffiliated groups. According to the National Jewish Population Survey, as of 2001 the US had 4.1 million Jewish adults and 1 million Jewish children.
One reason for the disparity is that not everyone who celebrates Hanukkah is Jewish. An estimated 47% of Jews are married to non-Jews, creating families and friend networks that may celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, both, or neither. Nearly 7 million people of any religion live in households with at least one Jewish adult.
At the same time, not every Jewish person celebrates Hanukkah. The odds a Jewish person in America will participate in the lighting of Hanukkah candles are 1 in 1.39 (72%).
Hanukkah is historically a minor holiday in Judaism, paling in significance to Passover and the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur. Yet in the US, it can rival and even overshadow them. Only 5% more American Jews host or attend a seder (ceremonial meal) on Passover than light a menorah.
A 2009 paper in the Royal Economic Journal entitled " Is Hanukkah Responsive to Christmas?" assessed the common perception that Hanukkah gets disproportionately emphasized in America because it falls near the major holiday associated with three-quarters of the country.
The paper’s authors found that Jewish adults are more likely to celebrate Hanukkah—but not other Jewish holidays—if they have children under 18 at home, as a quarter of Jewish households do. The researchers propose that many of these parents don't want their children to feel left out during Christmas season and are trying to protect them from any pressure to convert or intermarry. This is less of a concern for members of the Orthodox sects of Judaism, who tend to live in tighter-knit communities with fewer outsiders.
The sect Jewish people belong to can influence the way they celebrate Hanukkah, too. For instance, as a 2005 Slate article pointed out, both ultra-conservative and ultra-liberal Jews aren't likely to go on holiday gift-shopping sprees they see as secular and capitalist.
Jews are more likely to celebrate Hanukkah in general if they belong to a synagogue or other Jewish institution, strongly identify as religious, and are not intermarried.
However, the jury is still out when it comes to population density. Based on seasonal sales of "Jewish products," the Royal Economic Journal study concluded that Jewish people are more likely to celebrate Hanukkah if they live in an area where there aren't many other Jews. The National Jewish Population Survey found the opposite; it reported that 79% of Jewish people in the Northeast, which has the highest regional concentration of Jews in the US, light Hanukkah candles, while only 65% of their counterparts do so in the West, which has the lowest concentration.
As Adam Sandler might say, it's an interesting question for follow-up-ukkah.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Shameless Product Love: Lululemon Running Sleeves
Image Courtesy of Lululemon
A few weeks ago I purchased the Lululemon Stride Arm Warmers. They are my salvation in the cold as I don't like my core getting too hot, but I also don't want frost bitten arms. You can see all the product details here. I would recommend them to anyone who runs in the cold, wind, or snowy conditions. They even let you fold over the cuffs to make mittens for your fingers if you're so inclined (and often I am). My current set is in black, but they apparently make a lovely purple as well that I hope to pick up before the season ends.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Revisiting 100 Push Up Challenge
I never finished this challenge. Nor is it on my radar as a task I will complete shortly. My BF is currently undertaking it though with the help of a $1 iPhone application. He has determined that it was a $1 well spent.
The application allows you to input a baseline. Develops a schedule from that. Provides you with sets and reps and timers in between. Tracks your progress and will publish it to your social media feeds if you so desire. You can check out all the details here: http://hundredpushups.com/iphoneapp.html
For someone who wants to undertake this, but that tends to get sidetracked with day to day life I would strongly recommend this tool.
Has anyone found other iPhone apps that are great for improving their physical fitness? If so, I'd love to hear about them.
The application allows you to input a baseline. Develops a schedule from that. Provides you with sets and reps and timers in between. Tracks your progress and will publish it to your social media feeds if you so desire. You can check out all the details here: http://hundredpushups.com/iphoneapp.html
For someone who wants to undertake this, but that tends to get sidetracked with day to day life I would strongly recommend this tool.
Has anyone found other iPhone apps that are great for improving their physical fitness? If so, I'd love to hear about them.
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