Starting at sundown today (3/29/2010), Jewish people around the world will be celebrating Passover. Passover is a Spring festival that symbolizes freedom.

Pesach begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance (the other two are Shavu’ot and Sukkot). Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday.

The name “Pesach” comes from the Hebrew root Pei-Samekh-Cheit Pei-Samekh-Cheit (in Hebrew), meaning to pass through, to pass over, to exempt or to spare. It refers to the fact that G-d “passed over” the houses of the Jews when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt. In English, the holiday is known as Passover. “Pesach” is also the name of the sacrificial offering (a lamb) that was made in the Temple on this holiday. The holiday is also referred to as Chag he-Aviv Chag he-Aviv (in Hebrew), (the Spring Festival), Chag ha-Matzot Chag ha-Matzot (in Hebrew), (the Festival of Matzahs), and Z’man Cheiruteinu Z’man Cheiruteinu (in Hebrew), (the Time of Our Freedom) (again, all with those Scottish “ch”s).

Probably the most significant observance related to Pesach involves the removal of chametz (leaven; sounds like “hum it’s” with that Scottish “ch”) from our homes. This commemorates the fact that the Jews leaving Egypt were in a hurry, and did not have time to let their bread rise. It is also a symbolic way of removing the “puffiness” (arrogance, pride) from our souls.

The grain product we eat during Pesach is called matzah. Matzah is unleavened bread, made simply from flour and water and cooked very quickly. This is the bread that the Jews made for their flight from Egypt. We have come up with many inventive ways to use matzah; it is available in a variety of textures for cooking: matzah flour (finely ground for cakes and cookies), matzah meal (coarsely ground, used as a bread crumb substitute), matzah farfel (little chunks, a noodle or bread cube substitute), and full-sized matzahs (about 10 inches square, a bread substitute).

I love celebrating Passover because it is a great time to bring family together and nothing is better than family. I rarely make it the whole time eating just matzah, but I do try, but I guess I’m not the BEST Jew out there.

Happy Pesach to all the Jews out there! Enjoy the time with your family!

Dr. Evil’s son is engaged.  I only think of Seth Green from Can’t Hardly Wait and Austin Powers as Dr. Evil’s song.  Also when I watch Family Guy I laugh thinking that Chris Griffin is played by Seth Green.  A big fat blonde loser played by a ginger is just funny to me.  Green is also the executive producer and co-creator of Robot Chicken.  It is actually pretty funny and worth watching if you like that sort of thing.

Anyway, Green is engaged to model/actress Clare Grant.  She is pretty damn good looking for the gingy.  She’s funny too.  She does voice-overs on Robot Chicken as well.

Green, 36, and Grant, 30, attended the Tarina Tarantino Sephora launch party in Hollywood Wednesday and were seen cuddling at the valet stand, but were tightlipped about details of their upcoming nuptials, according to E! News. A source tells PEOPLE that despite reports, the couple did not get engaged on New Year’s Eve.

[via PEOPLE]

His next movie is a Disney movie, Mars Needs Moms, and her next gig is a show on MTV, $5 Cover.  Looks like we will be seeing more of the couple coming up.  Hopefully this engagement actually turns into a marriage, and hopefully this marriage actually lasts.

Try and figure it out before you look at the rest of the pictures.  It isn’t that easy, I’m not gonna lie, but definitely give it a try.  It will surprise you for sure!  It is very interesting and that’s why I wanted to post this!

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I read a very disturbing article about a man who operated on his own dog. I can actually understand where the guy is coming from. When you have a pet, they become part of your family and you’d do anything you can for it to be healthy and safe.

BARRINGTON, R.I.—A Rhode Island man who says he couldn’t afford medical care for his dog has been charged with illegally operating on the animal.
Alan MacQuattie removed a cyst from the leg of his 14-year-old Labrador mix. The dog was operated on again by professionals to deal with an infection from the first surgery.

E.J. Finocchio, a veterinarian and president of the Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, calls the surgery a “heinous crime.”

Court records show MacQuattie pleaded no contest last week to misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine.

A phone listing for MacQuattie could not be found. But he told WPRI-TV, which first reported on the surgery, that he didn’t think there was anything cruel about what he had done.

[via Boston News]

I don’t think this is animal cruelty. It is a guy who made a poor decision out of love for his pet. I’m not condoning this crime AT ALL but calling it a “heinous crime” is a bit harsh. If this were a cow and the guy was a farmer, do you think there would be all of these complaints? It wasn’t a serious surgery, it was just a cyst. The guy was trying to help his animal. Instead of spending money on charging this guy they should have just donated money to the humane society.

The Bachelor, Jake Pavelka, may have another Jason Mesnick moment pretty soon. Reality Steve has done it again, and has found out the winner of the bachelor, who happens to be Big Bird (Vienna Girardi).  It was between Big Bird and Tenly.  Boy did he choose the wrong one!

Anonymous sources have leaked photos to Starcasm.net of Big Bird and her boyfriend back home in Florida. Supposedly she was even with him the night before she left for the bachelor.

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Welcome to the Evening Scoop, a collection of links on stories you may have missed throughout the day.  If you feel that there’s a story you’d like to have up here feel free to contact us.  Otherwise, enjoy!

The Scoop

Don’t color your hair without reading this – [Shine]

Is Nicholas Cage an artist or a hack? – [EW]

The Style of SXSW – [Bust]

If you’re thinking about wearing light wash jeans – [She Finds]

The Right way to Shampoo tip of the day – [Styleist]

The kind people at CitySearch that let us in on INA and Balthazar are now in a nod to the econalypse launching a killer website, 3 Buck Bites. In case you’re really dense, here’s the skinny: 3 Buck Bites is a website which spotlights various culinary godsends that cost three dollars or less, well $3.99 to be exact.

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These days you can make your body pretty much whatever you want with a bit of collagen or silicon and a lot of money. Cosmetic surgery has given Ashlee Simpson a straighter nose, Pamela Anderson bigger breasts, and Joan Rivers, well, a cryogenically horrifying face. You can nip and tuck your way to any appearance. Ah, the American Dream.

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When it comes to marriage, many of us shudder. Shared bank accounts!? Shared bathrooms!? Shared eternity!? That’s enough to give anyone cold feet. But there are things even scarier. Like themed weddings. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Well check these babies out.

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