Gay and Vilified in Uganda

Homosexuality is illegal in Uganda. That is very difficult for many of my American friends to comprehend. This op-ed shines light on the human rights issue and highlights the role that American evangelical Christians have played in institutionalizing homophobia. Furthermore, it addresses many of the misconceptions held by many Ugandans. 

American foreign policy has forced some Ugandans to reconsider the issue, but much more can be done to raise awareness, both in the United States and Uganda. Please feel free to share this article. 

- Oleku

Oleku

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Ice Prince feat Brymo - Oleku

Another Igbo/English monster. 

Source: SoundCloud / brymo

Watch this.

And then read this.

This really puts The Daily Show in a different light for me. I always knew this was the case, but it feels different reading about what goes on behind the scenes. Jon Stewart often skewers Fox News for blurring the lines between their opinion and news segments. While it’s true his show is on Comedy Central, I think many viewers, myself included, often blur the line between entertainment and news while watching The Daily Show.

This can be a great thing. As much as Stewart & Co. hide behind the veil of Comedy Central to make their content palatable, they do raise awareness about very important, but dry/overlooked, issues (only they can make make campaign finance interesting). However it can be difficult to know when they are prioritizing entertainment over public awareness.

I needed this reality check. 

"Today, the White House announced administrative and private sector actions that will help entrepreneurs grow their businesses and create jobs by increasing their access to capital and resources."
– We Can’t Wait: Obama Administration Announces $2 Billion in Resources to Support Job-Creating Startups Source: whitehouse.gov

10 steps to better blogging

Here are Dan Frommer’s ten steps to better blogging. There is a lot of great advice that I will try to incorporate going forward, starting with:

Write the site that you want to read.

- TRENTEMOLLER UNGA BUNGA MIX (National Danish Radio)

TRENTEMOLLER UNGA BUNGA MIX (National Danish Radio)

[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]

Anders Trentemøller is one of my favorite musicians. He’s a super talented DJ and often plays instruments during live sets. Here is an hour set he did for a Danish radio station P3. Let me know if this is your cup of tea in the comments. Enjoy!

PLAYLIST : 

  1. Factory Floor : ‘Lying’ 
  2. The Raveonettes : ‘Oh Stranger’ 
  3. A Place To Bury Strangers : ‘To Fix The Gash In Your Head’ 
  4. Factory Floor : ‘A wooden Box’ 
  5. White Hills: ‘Paradise’ 
  6. Sun O))) & Pansonic : ‘Che’ 
  7. Moon Duo : ‘Motorcycle, I Love You’ 
  8. New Drug Queens : ‘Pink Moutaintops’ 
  9. Peaches: ‘Search & Destroy’ 
  10. Suicide : ‘Touch Me’ (Trentemøller re-edit mix) 
  11. The Cure : ‘Faith’ 
  12. Low : ‘Candy Girl’
Source: SoundCloud / Anders Trentemøller
"Maybe Christmas”, he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.”
“Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more!"
– How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss
(via Long Lines Form as Egyptians Vote in Historic Election)

(via Long Lines Form as Egyptians Vote in Historic Election)

Source: The New York Times
Continuing on the “cultural differences” theme from yesterday, here is a photo of a tasty Ugandan snack: fried grasshoppers. A colleague of mine bought this tin for UGX 5,000, or just under $2.00. This is relatively expensive for a snack in Uganda. I couldn’t turn down her offer. The grasshoppers are caught using large spotlights that attract the insects into a bin from which they can’t escape. They are seasonal, lasting only a few weeks, several times a year. Right now grasshoppers are in season, so these large traps light up many areas of Kampala.  Once captured, the grasshoppers’ legs are removed, their bodies fried and seasoned. It ends up just tasting like crispy curry. The most unsettling part of the experience was the grasshopper eyes looking back at me before I popped one in my mouth. Other than that, delish.  Note: BlackBerry cameras are pretty terrible. I dropped my real camera and broke the lens. Hopefully I’ll get that sorted out by the end of the year and start posting some better photos. 

Continuing on the “cultural differences” theme from yesterday, here is a photo of a tasty Ugandan snack: fried grasshoppers. A colleague of mine bought this tin for UGX 5,000, or just under $2.00. This is relatively expensive for a snack in Uganda. I couldn’t turn down her offer.

The grasshoppers are caught using large spotlights that attract the insects into a bin from which they can’t escape. They are seasonal, lasting only a few weeks, several times a year. Right now grasshoppers are in season, so these large traps light up many areas of Kampala. 

Once captured, the grasshoppers’ legs are removed, their bodies fried and seasoned. It ends up just tasting like crispy curry. The most unsettling part of the experience was the grasshopper eyes looking back at me before I popped one in my mouth. Other than that, delish. 

Note: BlackBerry cameras are pretty terrible. I dropped my real camera and broke the lens. Hopefully I’ll get that sorted out by the end of the year and start posting some better photos.