Easter Egg

Self-serving speciousness is the flavor of Jo Anne Van Tilburg's criticism of the Jan. 21 review of Thor Heyerdahl's book "Easter Island: The Mystery Solved." She discounts too much the investigations carried on at length by this intrepid Norwegian ethnologist, and then refutes Pavel's theory--which was proven by researchers! Having disposed of any and all other authorities on this fascinating islet, she then points the way toward understanding "scientific literature." Obviously, to unfold the Easter Island mystery one must consult Dr. Jo Anne!

You've spent a chunk of time decorating your Easter eggs. Why not give them a glossy sheen so they look extra special? For shiny Easter eggs, rub them with a very light coating of vegetable oil after the dye is dried. I learned this tip from a fellow Los Angeles Times staffer, Anne, who happened to walk by the Test Kitchen last week as we were shooting eggs for our Easter stories running this weekend in the Saturday section. She drizzled a little vegetable oil on a folded paper towel and rubbed it over an egg. The oil gave the dyed egg a glossy sheen.

You've seen the Harlem Shake on YouTube, but have you seen YouTube do the Harlem Shake? The popular online video service has added a fun Easter egg, which is a virtual hidden feature, to its website. Now, when users search for " Do the Harlem Shake " on YouTube, the site itself will do the viral dance. Much like the meme, which involves one person dancing alone until he or she is suddenly joined by everyone else on camera, the YouTube Easter egg starts with music suddenly playing on the website and the site's logo gyrating.

Looking for creative ways to decorate your Easter eggs? A few years back we ran a story on dyeing (and creatively un-dyeing) Easter eggs, taking inspiration from herbs growing in spring gardens and with a little help from vinegar or bleach. RECIPES: 22 recipes using leftover hard-boiled eggs Continue reading below for our decorating details. And please share your decorating ideas in the comments below -- we'd love to know what you're doing to dress up your Easter eggs!

Google's Zerg Rush is a gift to all of us who believe that not every minute spent at work should be used in productive pursuits. If you have a few minutes to spare, try typing the words "zerg rush" into Google from the search engine's homepage. Then wait and watch as a hungry pack of Os start to devour all the words on the search result page. But this isn't just a sit back and watch Google treat -- this is an interactive game. Google has given you the power to  destroy the Os by clicking furiously on them with your mouse.

Parents, don't be rotten eggs: If your weekend plans include taking the kids to an Easter egg hunt, please stick to the sidelines -- lest you ruin it for everyone, including your kids. That's the parental takeaway after the annual Easter egg hunt in the Old Colorado City shopping district in Colorado Springs, Colo., was canceled due to safety concerns. Apparently some overly aggressive parents -- or "helicopter parents," to use the trendy term -- were determined to make sure their children got plenty of Easter eggs.  The free Easter egg hunt had been held for at least 11 years, starting as a small community get-together that also helped boost the local economy.

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, Thomas Edison switched on the first light bulb. And Kristen De Lamar may have perfected the ceramic Easter egg. These are no ordinary eggs. De Lamar, a Laguna Hills artist, molds them from clay, using a special process she developed to make it easier to put candy inside. They are coconut-sized, pastel-colored and sell for about $15 a crack, which, of course, is how they must be opened.

Showers kept the Easter bunny and hundreds of children off the White House lawn, canceling President Bush's first Easter egg roll. With chilly rain falling on the already slick South Lawn, officials invited the children and parents to come inside for a tour instead. Bush shook hands with a few of the children, and all got commemorative White House Easter eggs. The Easter bunny and a few of his costumed friends also greeted the children as they visited the presidential mansion.

No, the president and first lady did not dress as bunnies for Monday's 117th annual White House Easter Egg Roll. That's what it seemed when a large Easter Bunny, accompanied by Mrs. Bunny, walked on stage and waved as an announcer introduced President Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton. As children stared at the rabbits, trying to make sense of it all, the Clintons walked up beside the rabbits and started waving too. "The man wearing the Easter egg tie is going to say a few words," Mrs.

Zookeepers kept watch Sunday on a special Easter egg in hopes that it holds what could be the first California condor chick to hatch in Los Angeles. The large pale aqua egg was apparently laid early Sunday by Cachuma, a 6-year-old California condor, who was found tending it about 6 a.m. with her mate, Cayama, also 6, said Los Angeles Zoo spokeswoman Deborah Pollack. Condor keepers should know in about a week whether the egg is fertile.

It's a situation many of us face each Easter night: The Easter Bunny has come and gone, the egg hunt is over and the kids have overdosed on chocolate and jelly beans. You're cleaning up the last of the festivities when suddenly, reality in every shade of pastel seems to stare you down. What do you do with all those hard-boiled eggs? RECIPES: 22 recipes for hard-boiled eggs We did a story on creative ways to "repurpose" those leftover Easter eggs last year, including everything from deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches to empanadas and appetizers.

You've seen the Harlem Shake on YouTube, but have you seen YouTube do the Harlem Shake? The popular online video service has added a fun Easter egg, which is a virtual hidden feature, to its website. Now, when users search for " Do the Harlem Shake " on YouTube, the site itself will do the viral dance. Much like the meme, which involves one person dancing alone until he or she is suddenly joined by everyone else on camera, the YouTube Easter egg starts with music suddenly playing on the website and the site's logo gyrating.

Ready to waste some time courtesy of Google? You're in luck! Today, in addition to a spooky sweet Google Doodle complete with haunted house sound effects and scary cartoon characters, the search engine giant also released one of its classic Easter Eggs. And this one is batty. To play, type the name of a horror movie into the Google Search bar. When the search results appear, you'll find three bats hanging upside down in the knowledge graph box (that little box with basic information on the right side of your screen)

One week after a mysterious and well-choreographed "Wake Up!" protest took place outside an Apple Store in Sydney, Australia, Internet detectives are still trying to determine who sent the protesters and why. "I've not seen anyone claim to be responsible yet; metaphorical 'second shoe' is yet to fall," tweeted Nate Burr, an Australian online video maker who conveniently caught the whole protest on video . "The speculation is amusing though....

Google's Zerg Rush is a gift to all of us who believe that not every minute spent at work should be used in productive pursuits. If you have a few minutes to spare, try typing the words "zerg rush" into Google from the search engine's homepage. Then wait and watch as a hungry pack of Os start to devour all the words on the search result page. But this isn't just a sit back and watch Google treat -- this is an interactive game. Google has given you the power to  destroy the Os by clicking furiously on them with your mouse.

A day after Americans said “Let's eat,” First Lady Michelle Obama promoted the theme of “Let's Go, Let's Play, Let's Move” today during the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. More than 30,000 people were expected in two-hour shifts during the 11-hour eggstravaganza.  The entire first family attended: President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Malia, 13, and Sasha, 10, grandmother Marian Robinson and the family dog, Bo, immortalized in one of this year's commemorative wooden eggs.

Nicole Shaver had a special technique to help fill her basket with chocolate eggs and other goodies during the annual Easter Egg Hunt in Oak Park. "I slid like I was coming into home base, and I think it worked," the cheery 9-year-old said while holding a sack fat with chocolate eggs and other confections. Nicole was one of more than 500 kids who scoured the manicured grounds at Oak Canyon Community Park on Saturday hunting for the eggs.

This weekend, that venerable oval icon of spring, the Easter egg, will be scattered on lawns, hidden in museums and traditionally decorated. Here's where to go for some egg-cellent fun: "We tell people to get here early because [hunts] sell out," says Descanso Gardens docent Janet Gutkind about the daylong egg expeditions on Saturday, which draw more than 1,000 children. "You can feel the electric thrill at the gate when we yell, 'Go!' " 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m., 1418 Descanso Drive, La Canada.

That Bo is one lucky dog: He's going into the record books as the first White House pet to have his very own commemorative Easter egg. Look closely at the White House's 2012 set of collector's Easter eggs, above. You can make out the black-and-white Portuguese water dog's image -- the red one, center -- alongside the Easter bunny emblems that decorate the rest of the eggs in the souvenir set. The wooden Easter eggs are sold through the National Park Foundation , which raises money to preserve and maintain America's open spaces.

FAMILY Get in the spirit of spring with an old-fashioned Easter egg hunt at the Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden. There will also be crafts, stories and fun for kids of all ages. L.A. County Arboretum, 310 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sat. Adults, $8; children, $3. (626) 821-3222; http://www.arboretum.org.