Leap Day

1,460 days until another leap year.

I never really got why we have leap years. I found the following to be helpful:

The leap year is a contrivance so that the calendar year (usually 365 days) doesn't get too far away from the solar (astronomical) year. You say: huh? Well, the astronomical year – the time it takes the earth to go exactly once around the sun – is not precisely 365 days. The ancients estimated it as 365¼ days. That wasn't bad as calculations go; it's actually 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds.

Now, you may think that crummy little fraction (almost 6 hours or 1/4 of a day) doesn't matter much. But every four years, the calendar would lose a full day against the seasonal year. Christmas (Dec. 25) would start to come a little earlier each year. After about 20 years it would come before the winter solstice; after 200 years or so, Christmas would come in the autumn (since the seasons are tied to the astronomical year, because they depend on the earth's slant relative to the sun) . . . and then in summer . . . and . . .

To prevent this drift between the calendar year and the astronomical (seasonal) year, we add one extra day every four years. Thus, over the four year period, we have 1461 days, not 1460, for an average of 365.25 days per year. That pretty much makes it come out right.

This innovation was imposed in the year 709 AUC (ab urbe condita, after the founding of the city), when Julius Caesar regulated the calendar. Nowadays, we refer to it as 45 BC. The Nicaean Council in 325 AD adopted that calendar for Christendom.

But it still wasn't precisely right. As noted above, the astronomical year isn't 365 days 6 hours (365.25 days), it's 365 days 5 hours 48 minutes and 46 seconds (365.2422 days). So as the calendar went along with its jolly add-a-day-every-four-years pattern, it gained about 11 minutes 14 seconds every year. After every 128 years, that was a full day. Note it's going the other direction – Christmas would fall LATER in the season each year.

This anomaly was corrected by Pope Gregory in March 1582. By that time, the calendar year was 10 days off the seasonal year. ( The real concern was not Christmas, but Easter, which had to occur near the vernal equinox and according to the lunar cycle, but that's another story.) They made two corrections. The first was that they just dropped ten days. The day after October 5, 1582 became October 15, 1582. (Some countries adopted this change later, in some cases centuries later.) This restored the equinox to its rightful place. The second change was to reform the calendar to prevent slippage in the future; and we use that same calendar system today, called the Gregorian.

(Footnote: The Russian Orthodox Church still uses the Julian calendar. Christmas comes out about January 7 in their calendar. About every century, the Orthodox Christmas slips one more day against the solar calendar. Currently there's a 13 day lag that by 2100 will become a 14 day lag.)

How does the Gregorian system work? We still have a leap year every four years, to accommodate the almost 6 hour difference that was known in Julius Caesar's time. The Gregorian correction is that every hundred years, we make it NOT a leap year. Thus, 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap years, even though they would have been in the normal four year cycle. Thus, every 100 years, there are 24 leap years, not 25. So that lets the calendar year average 365.24 days each year.

Does that do it? Sadly, no. There are still those extra seconds – the astronomical year is 365.2422 days. So every 400 years, we DON'T NOT add the extra day (double negative intended). So 1700, 1800, 1900 were NOT leap years, but 2000 was.

If you've followed the math, that gets us very close. Over a 400 year period the calendar will contain an average of 365.2425 days per year.

Every 4,000 years (the first will be the year 4000, then 8000, etc.) we make the century years NOT leap years again. And that gives us an average of 365.24225 days per year over a 4.000 year period. Still not exact, but the calendar year won't vary by more than a day from its current place in the seasonal (astronomical) year in two hundred centuries – close enough for practical purposes.

So the rule is:

Every year divisible by 4 is a leap year (adds an extra day to February),
EXCEPT the last year of each century, such as 1900, which is NOT a leap year . . .
EXCEPT when the number of the century is a multiple of 4, such as 2000, which IS a leap year . . .
EXCEPT the year 4000 and its later multiples (8000, 12000, etc) which are NOT leap years.

Clear? Wait till I drag in the Jewish and Muslim calendars, as is only fair considering our vast multicultural audience.

The Jewish calendar is based on a lunar cycle – that is, each month is based on the interval, about 29 or 30 days, from new moon to new moon – so it's short by about 11 days per solar year. Since the Jewish holidays are supposed to be season-related (they were originally harvest festivals), the calendar adjusts by adding a whole month about every three years – actually, 7 times every 19 years. The calculations are precise but VERY complicated, and if it took that much space to describe the fairly simple common calendar, I ain't gonna do anything more than what I just said for the Jewish calendar.

The Muslim calendar is also lunar, but it doesn't adjust. Thus, the holidays come about 11 days earlier in the season each year. Some years, Ramadan comes out in the spring, then in winter, then in fall, etc. Since Ramadan involves fasting from sunrise to sunset, it's a heckuva lot easier when Ramadan comes in deepest winter (shorter period from sunrise to sunset) than when it comes in the spring. It takes about 35 years for everything to cycle round again. About as long as it took you to read this article, probably. But at least now you've got the facts.

so peeved

so so so peeved right now


!!!!!!

Rest in Peace, Beloved Makarios

Someone special to my Church and family passed away on Saturday.

The words that come to mind for many about Makarios Thirumeni (Bishop) are probably the same: intelligent, driven, charismatic, humorous, worldly, courageous, a talented story-teller. Thirumeni holds a particular place in my heart because he was our greatest advocate during a time when it looked like Church politics would supersede faith. There are so many moments I can reminisce about. I think many who knew him would agree about how approachable he was, how regular he was among clergy who generally are very intimidating or aloof to communicate with. In my opinion, Thirumeni was the single most influential individual in the hierarchy of our Orthodox Church in the West. His larger than life personality attracted hundreds of thousands of people, across ages and cultures. He was the only Bishop in our Church to really push the notion that our Orthodox ideals and traditions COULD co-exist in a progressive society. He was really the only Bishop in our Church who took an active and consistent role in educating non-Orthodox, non-Christian and non-Indian communities about who Christ was and what our faith was about.

Makarios means "blessed" in Greek. I remember him saying this mantra often" "Be better tomorrow than you were today." I only hope those us wanting to continue in the traditions of the Church will be able to live up to his legacy.

I got a chance to write an article/obituary about Thirumeni's recent passing that will hopefully be published in this Saturday's S.I. Advance. I'd like to share it so that more can learn about what a great soul he was. Here it is, before the editors water it down.
_____________________________________________________

*Charismatic and Influential Bishop, Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios, Dies at 82

Bishop Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios, founder and leader of the U.S.-Canada Diocese of the Malankara Orthodox Church of India and a much-beloved professor of religious studies died Saturday morning,
Feb. 23, in Newcastle, England. He was 82.

The Bishop was in England for his annual pastoral visit to the parishes in the United Kingdom and Ireland when he sustained serious injuries in a traffic accident on January 5. He remained hospitalized until his passing. The mortal remains of the Bishop will be brought home to Kerala, India and entombed at the Catholicate Palace Chapel, Kottayam, which is the headquarters of the Church.

The Malankara Orthodox Church was founded by St. Thomas, an apostle of Christ, in India in 52 A.D. Many in the family of Dr. Makarios have devoted their lives to serving the Church as bishops, priests and nuns since the Church's inception, and that tradition continues.

Bishop Makarios began his career as a teacher, later resigning his position to study theology. After completing his theological education in India, he was ordained as a priest in 1952 and was appointed as the first Vicar of the Orthodox Church in New Delhi, India's capital. He was able to sow the seeds of several churches in the Northern parts of India. He immigrated to the United States from India in 1963 in pursuit of higher education, receiving his masters in religion from Virginia Theological Seminary and a doctorate in theology from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia. He went back to India and became a professor of Church History at The Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam, Kerala, India. In 1975 he was elevated as a bishop and was then appointed as the first Metropolitan Bishop of the new Bombay Diocese of the Church. In 1979 he was appointed as the first Metropolitan Bishop of the United States and Canada.

Bishop Makarios's leadership was instrumental in establishing the first Indian-Orthodox Churches in North America. The growing Indian-Orthodox Christian community on Staten Island signaled an opportunity to assemble and formally incorporate a parish. In 1980, he consecrated the first Indian-Orthodox Church in the western hemisphere, St. George Malankara Orthodox Church of India in New Dorp. He frequently visited St. George during the Church's feast days and other celebrations. "Makarios Thirumeni (Bishop) was a gifted storyteller and a teacher. His commitment to our Church was sincere, and he always reminded us that our Church was the first newborn of Indian-Orthodoxy in the west. We were privileged to have him play such a tremendous role in launching our parish. The Church has lost one of its brightest gems and he will be deeply missed," says a founding member of St. George.

The Bishop's ministry was not confined to the Indian-American community; rather it expanded across various ethnic, cultural, and religious communities to enter into the mainstream. He established mission centers in Washington, Louisiana and Minnesota for the benefit of non-Indian communities. During a reorganization of the Diocese, Bishop Makarios was given the responsibility of heading the Dioceses of Canada, the United Kingdom & Europe.

A very well accomplished organizer and a renowned speaker with a rare sense of humor, Mar Makarios intertwined the Eastern and Western cultures and explained the differences between the Eastern and Western modes of religious thinking to his congregation and to his students. To start a Diocese from complete barrenness and to help it grow to around 75 parishes and 7000 families in the United States speaks volumes about the organizational acumen of H.G. Dr. Thomas Mar Makarios and the leadership of the Church. He constantly traveled to minister to his churches and was a frequent guest of church leaders around the world. Most recently, he traveled to the city of New Orleans to minister to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

The Bishop also taught at Alma College in Alma, Michigan for 25 years as professor of religious studies. "My mission at Alma is not just academic alone," he said. "By being on campus, I'm a father figure to many students to help them in their personal lives. Sharing with students about their concerns and their problems — that is part of my calling." His students noted his non-judgmental and accepting personality, even though he represented a specific Christian perspective. His passion for students included introducing them to Indian philosophy and culture. He encouraged and made it possible for Alma students to visit India. He helped develop the Alma India Program, which has a relationship with the Mathen Mappilai Memorial Public School in the village of Ayroor in the state of Kerala, India.

Bishop Makarios, the eldest of five children, is survived by his younger siblings, two of who are clergy and one who is serving as nun in the Church. He became a U.S citizen in 1993.

A dizzy week

Have you ever had moments where your train of thought is invaded by the most random memories/songs/images etc.?

In the middle of taking my pretrial advocacy exam, the song "Its a Jolly Holiday with Mary" from "Mary Poppins" popped (pardon the pun!) into my head and I couldn't get it out!! Why do such things happen at the most inopportune times?

On top of finals, I'll be leaving for NY tomorrow because I have an interview on Thursday with the DA's office in Manhattan. I'm extremely nervous and excited at the mere chance of getting to interview with them. However, I'll still have to come back home and complete another take home exam before Friday night. After glancing at it this weekend, I'm resolved that I'll essentially be teaching myself an entire quarter of health law regulations and policy in a two day period. NOT FUN. Medicare and Medicaid - be gone!

Last night I dreamt a memory about an IHOP breakfast I had with las amigas a couple of years ago. They were asking me what kind of law I'd want to practice, and cauliflower randomly and probably jokingly suggested I ought to be a prosecutor. I scoffed at the idea then, but lo and behold - here I am contemplating a 180. I must have dreamt this out of anticipation for Thursday. Sometimes, certain memories just stick with you. Bah we'll see what happens.

The weekend could not come fast enough!

Flying On One Engine

This man is a blessing.

From http://www.flyingononeengine.com:

Wheelchair bound, without a larynx, and diagnosed with a life-threatening aortic aneurysm, Dr. Sharadkumar Dicksheet now lives only (and barely) so he can travel to India to perform free operations in marathon-like surgery sessions where up to 700 children receive treatment for their cleft lips and other deformities. Although Dicksheet survives off of social security while living in his Brooklyn apartment, his life is drastically different in India where the eight-time Nobel Prize nominee is treated like a living god. FLYING ON ONE ENGINE shows how this quirky, funny, and sometimes difficult character overcomes his own ailments by helping others.**

What do you call people like this? Angels on Earth.

be mine.

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)

i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

~e.e. cummings

Super Duper Slacker

Along with the countless other self-diagnosed ailments, I've come to the conclusion that I am afflicted with Attention Deficit Disorder. I'm so unfocused right now.

Last quarter, I was so edgy about my courses even though I knew what was going on. This quarter its hard to predict what I know because I've been more passive about my classes. This lack of pressure/anxiety/panickiness is scaring me.

I can't seem to stick to material that I'm reading without wandering off into daydreams, dancing around like a fool, cooking some unnecessary meal or discovering new music on YouTube. Speaking of which, I'm really enjoying this Alicia Keys song called "Superwoman". Its rather empowering and reminds me of my mom. Oh heck, it reminds me of everybody's mom! I think it should also be Hillary Clinton's campaign song since Obama's got his own music video featuring a slew of entertainers.

Now I must engage all my superpowers and return to these dense class notes.

'Cos even when I'm a mess
I still put on a vest
with an S
on my Chest
OH YES
I'm a SuperWOMAN.

~sigh~

Amazing Love

I am very lucky. I am very blessed.

Today I got to thinking about how many amazing and resilient people surround me. I complain a lot about how difficult classes are, how I fear not getting a job, how I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I complain about little things, too. We all do, its natural.

There are people around me who carry stories with them one would never know about by the looks of their attitude and demeanor. My good friend, M, one of the only "good" friends I have in law school, told me a few months ago that her mom passed away over the summer. She never mentioned in the year and a half I knew her that her mom had been battling cancer for twelve years. That she had passed away during M's 1st wedding anniversary. That her mom was her closest soul-mate next to her husband.

Yesterday we were practicing mock jury selections in our Criminal Procedure class. The class formed groups of four, each of us role-playing as prosecutors, defenders, judges, and jurors. The point of the exercise was for each lawyer to ask questions of the juror to ascertain biases/prejudices and basically determine whether that juror would be objective enough. We were all asked to answer the questions honestly. One of the questions on our questionnaire packet asked "Have you or someone close to you been the victim of a crime?"

R, a gentle soul, and the most quiet girl in our class was the first juror in our group. She said yes.

"What kind of crime was it and did you get hurt?"

"No, not me. My brother. He was murdered."

There is a woman in my class, S, who is a mother of three. She came to law school to practice international law, even starting the international law society in our school. During the spring quarter of our 1L year, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. By the fall quarter of our second year, we shared a class together. Her figure was dramatically different, but she walked into class like nothing had ever happened. Same large, kelty backpack, same coffee mug, a colorful handkerchief wrapped around her head.

This quarter I see her and she looks stronger and healthier. Her hair has grown back. She has caught up with classes and is on track for May 2009.

God is so good. I watched this movie called "Waitress" this evening, and the lead character said she wished she could have somebody hold her for just twenty minutes without letting go, without looking at her face, without saying a word.

How awesome it is to know that God's embrace is eternal. All that's left to do is to free ourselves to feel it.

6 more weeks of winter...

Or an early spring?

Groundhog Chuck predicts the latter, and I have to concur. Its been feeling warm this weekend and I looked at the 10 day forecast and no day's temperature so far is under 42 degrees.

Pennsylvania Phil, however, saw his shadow which means six more weeks of winter.

This split decision had me wondering a few things:

1. Why groundhogs?
Ans: The belief is that if a hibernating animal cast a shadow on Feb. 2 — the Christian holiday of Candlemas — winter would last another six weeks. If no shadow was seen, legend said spring would come early

2. Are the PA and Shaolin groundhogs the only definitive source of this prophetic ability?
Ans: I'm guessing not, and after googling it, an article revealed there is a Georgia Groundhog "General Beauregard Lee" who's been in "service" for about 14 years. He agrees with Chuck and calls an early spring! Interesting tidbit on the General:
"The general, a 14-year-old groundhog, boasts an accuracy rating of about 98 percent and has earned honorary doctorates from Georgia universities, say the folks at Yellow River Game Ranch." Well whaddya know, he's a regular, old academic!

3. How the hell do people know what the groundhogs SEE? How can humans tell whether this rodent sees his shadow or not?

I don't know the answer to the last because I couldn't find a plausible explanation. For now I'll put my faith in Chuck but won't be disappointed if winter (a mild one) stays on a little longer.

The Daily Motivator

Its Feb.1 and its just one of those days =/

From a neat little website I came across...
______________________________________________

THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS

How can you go ahead and take action when you don't feel like it? Set your feelings aside and do what needs to be done.
How can you move toward your dream when you don't think you can do it? Set your thinking aside and follow your heart.

Thoughts and feelings are powerful and extremely useful, yet they do not have to control you. You control you.

Pay heed to your feelings and listen carefully to your thoughts. Then act according to what you know, in that part of you beyond thought and beyond feeling.

Thoughts and feelings are important parts of life, and yet they are not the whole essence of life. Keep yourself connected to that ineffable presence that is life itself.

Be guided by what you think and what you feel. And all the while, be true to who you are.

~ Ralph Marston