International News Desk – At Home: Heart Watch – Around the World: Pink Stinks

International News Desk – At Home: Heart Watch – Around the World: Pink Stinks

At Home: Heart Watch

Most long-distance runners appear healthy and fit, with stamina to spare. But for some, heart problems are silent killers: sometimes tragedy will strike and a marathoner will drop dead in the middle of a race. A group of Ontario doctors is trying a new method to research the effect of long-distance running on cardiac activity.

As the CBC reports, several runners ?will wear port¬¬¬able heart monitors during a marathon? in southern Ontario later this month. The monitor, called a cardiphone, ?combines heart monitoring and cellphone technology? and will transmit data back to a group of doctors at the Windsor Cardiac Centre.

According to cardiologists, extreme athletes ?could be doing long-term damage to their hearts?; this is particularly a problem for those in their mid-40s and older. The cardiphone will not only allow doctors to study the effects of marathoning on heart activity, it will also protect the runners themselves. ?If there’s any abnormalities we’re able to intervene at the right time,? one doctor told reporters.

Around the World: Pink Stinks

A pink playhouse sounded like the perfect gift for one Georgia woman’s four-year-old granddaughter. But not everyone agreed, and now the grandmother may be headed for court.

As Today reports, the neighbourhood homeowners? association is suing Becky Rogers-Peck after ?complaints by neighbors? spurred it to action.

The HOA insists that it is not the existence of the playhouse itself but the colour which is objectionable. According to the HOA’s rules, backyard structures must be approved by the HOA board?including the colour. But Rogers-Park argues that ?the playhouse does not fall under the definition of a backyard structure like a shed or a garage that would be subject to the association’s rules,? so the approval process should not have been required.

?I consider this play equipment like a trampoline or a swingset,?? Rogers-Peck told reporters, adding that if she had purchased a commercial playhouse there wouldn’t have been a problem. Now her granddaughter, Rogers-Peck told reporters, ?is scared they might make us tear it down.??

The playhouse, which was erected in April, ?cannot be seen from the street in front of the house.?