Article Last Updated: 08/15/2007 12:42:25 AM MDT
Moscow – A Russian region of Ulyanovsk has found a novel way to fight the nation’s birth-rate crisis: It has declared Sept. 12 the Day of Conception and for the third year running is giving couples time off from work to procreate.
The hope is for a brood of babies exactly nine months later on Russia’s national day. Couples who “give birth to a patriot” during the June 12 festivities win money, cars, refrigerators and other prizes.
Ulyanovsk, about 550 miles east of Moscow, has held similar contests since 2005. Since then, the number of competitors, and the number of babies born to them, has been on the rise….
If you get it, I think you should give thanks to God and spend it (no “benefits-revolution” bullying on this blog, thank you). But it is still sort of sickening since I am pretty certain that most Russians aspire to something like our standard of living.