Day: April 11, 2008

Slavery in the 21st Century

Sadly, it still exists. From the globeandmail.com:

“Former slave Adidjatou Mani Koraou, 24, poses with her baby Friday outside a court in Niamey. In a historic first, she is suing the government of Niger for failing to implement its anti-slavery laws, rekindling a row between the authorities, who deny the practice still exists, and activists, who say that Niger is home to some 800,000 slaves. Ms. Koraou was sold to a Tuareg slave trader when she was 12 for the equivalent of $543 Canadian and then sold to be the fifth wife of a traditional healer in central Niger, said Ilguilas Weila, who heads Timidria, Niger’s only local anti-slavery group.”

Faces of the living and the dead, who are one in the same


Over at the Health blog of the New York Times is a write up of an “art exhibit” in London showing Faces of Life and Death.

It is both remarkable and common. While the faces and the comments of the people are not unexpected, the overall effect of the photographs and the quotations are. You have to see it.

The photo is from Walter Schels/Wellcome Collection and shows one woman just before and just after she dies.

Heart rates and heart rate monitors


The nytimes.com has a great article on exercise, heart rates, and heart rate monitors here: The Flutter Over Heart Rate – New York Times

I am glad I read it. I have always been embarrassed about my heart rate when I run, because it gets really high. The formula of 220 – my age gives me too low a rate. In marathons I like to get it around 180, and in 5-10K I can crank it up to 200! But I always thought people would see it and say: whoa, that’s crazy! Or you are out of shape. So I kept it a secret! But when I read the article, I thought: ok, there is a wide range of possible rates, then.

I have a HRM from Polar, it’s basic (like the one above), but that’s enough to help keep me focused. If I feel tired, I will tend to slow down, and sometimes I don’t want to. The HRM helps there. But in a race, it does the opposite: it helps me keep my pace. It’s too easy to go too fast in a marathon or a half. The HRM monitor keeps me in control.

What is great about this video of Desmond Dekker and the Aces singing “The Israelites”?

Well at lest two things. One, there is the greatness of that band singing that song. And two, for those of you who miss 45s and those of you who have never seen a 45, here is your chance!

Actually, seeing 45s made me think that the process of manually playing music has an effect on how you listen to music. Then, finding music, selecting it, putting it on, putting it away…all those steps to listen to a song made you think about what yo uwere going to listen to. There was deliberation. Now there are so many songs at my fingertips, and I can easily pull them up…it changes the way I listen to music.