The News Review:

- SENEGAL: A day in the life of the ‘talibe’
- SENEGAL: A day in the life of the ‘talibe’
- Woman seeks to be youngest to row across Atlantic
- Slave manifests offer link to ancestors

SENEGAL: A day in the life of the ‘talibe’
Reuters AlertNet – Feb 21, 2008
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SENEGAL: A day in the life of the ‘talibe’
IRINnews.org – Feb 21, 2008
Many of these beggars are ?talibes? or Koranic students who follow a religious teacher or ?marabout? to whom they are entrusted to learn the Koran. riginally communities gave alms to children to help support religious teaching but in many places this cultural practice has lost its value and become a means of enforced begging. To try to reduce the practice the government is currently creating modern religious schools or ?daaras? in which children can learn Koranic teachings without having to go out to beg. Non-governmental organisations (NGs) run projects to help ?marabouts? return to their villages to get involved in alternative income-generating activities and try to reunite children with their families.

Woman seeks to be youngest to row across Atlantic
Houston Chronicle – Feb 21, 2008
So the small fact that Spotz hasn’t actually rowed a single oar stroke on a large body of water before shouldn’t be a factor in her quest to row across the Atlantic cean. At least this time she already has the transportation — a 24-foot ocean rowboat. Spotz will attempt to become the youngest person to row solo across the Atlantic when she shoves off from Senegal in December for a three-month trip to French Guiana. She will devote the next year to training both physically and mentally for the row and raising the estimated $75000 necessary to fund supplies. Spotz hopes to match that amount with donations to Blue Planet Run Foundation an organization that helps impoverished communities find access to clean water. The seed for rowing the Atlantic was planted last year during a trip to Australia where she was competing in a 100-kilometer trail run. By chance she met someone who is friends with an ocean rower.

Slave manifests offer link to ancestors
Atlanta Journal Constitution – Feb 21, 2008
“Any big chunk of data you got is going to increase the chances that someone can connect the dots or fill in the pieces” Huffman said. “Without the slave manifests you just get to that point and that’s the end. Most people aren’t going to be able to go to Liberia or Senegal to just find this information. “You have to be committed to it because it’s laborious and tedious. But the payoff is you get these incredible stories and patterns. It gives you a sense of where you came from.