Getting people married in church is more important then saving them from malria

In Uganda the government recently announced a plan to distribute 17 million free mosquito nets to combat malaria. Apparently people have been using the mosquito netting for everything but combating malaria. Many people have been using them to make wedding gowns. And now people have been showing up at churches willing to get married because the government is giving out 'free wedding gowns'. So what does a church leader do when faced with the prospect of round the clock weddings? Does he try to correct the misconceptions of his congregants at a time when malaria is on the rise?

Describing the government plan to distribute mosquito nets as a "godsend", Rev. Joseph Masembe of Joseph's Catholic Church in Kamonkole village told The Analyst that his church was ready to run 24-7 to accommodate the spike in weddings. His church, like many others across the country, normally operates 4-1, that is, four hours once a week, on Sundays.

Asked whether converting mosquito nets into wedding gowns would not undermine government efforts to reduce malaria deaths, one church official said that "the soul is more important than the body."

via AllAfrica.com

iTunes Huh

iTunes U is a good idea and some of the lectures are good...but then you get the ones that sounds like... "This is an important point ....[scratch scratch scratch scratch on the blackboard] ...and here...[more writing on the board]...is another important point....and this point connects [line drawn on board] to this point...does that make sense? Fine, moving on...[more writing on board]...." Someday these lectures might be made in a way that is optimized for iTunes...then we could just pay for college credits through the iTunes Store.

Wrong on the Money

I was on my way to the library today when I saw this church sign...

(that's a real one, not one of those made up ones)

When I got home I saw that Hemant had a post on his blog about the In God We Trust on the money with a quote from Harvard professor Niall Ferguson...

The motto “In God we trust” was added to the dollar bill in 1957. Since then its purchasing power, relative to the consumer price index, has declined by a staggering 87 percent.

Would now be a good time to take it off? If you think there is a God, mightn't this be a sign of something. Maybe we should go back to the original E pluribus unum.

Happy Burns Night

Addressing the Haggis

Who is hosting this years dinner? Better start preparing the haggis now.

We're all human...

Stuff happens...

SteveNote Bloopers

I hope Steve Jobs takes some time off and, BOOM, get's better.

Don't forget that it's Remembrance day...

On the 11th hour (UTC) of the 11th day of the 11th month I could embed a video of In Flanders Fields, link to Earth Science Picture of the Day, or the Last Post at the Menin Gate, or Let Them In...

Post election TED Talk...

Jonathan Haidt: The real difference between liberals and conservatives (18:42)

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt studies the five moral values that form the basis of our political choices, whether we're left, right or center. In this eye-opening talk, he pinpoints the moral values that liberals and conservatives tend to honor most.

If you're interested in more TED Talks you can subscribe to the TED Talks Podcast with iTunes.

Obama is what!!!

I was thinking of voting for Obama...

Then I saw this... O'Bama is IRISH!

He'll never get elected in this country now.