#Dakar Records

[soulmusicsongs]

Keep On Dancing - Hamilton Bohannon ‎(Keep On Dancing, 1974)

[carsthatnevermadeitetc]

Rover 4600, 1979. A restomod SDI is for sale by auction in the UK. Originally a first series 3500 (the SD1 was introduced in 1976) fitted with a 3.5 litre ex Buick alloy V8, this car has been upgraded with an ex-Paris-Dakar, 4.6-litre V8. There are suspension and brake upgrades and a recorded 63,793 miles

auction listing

[vicsbasement]

From what we’ve seen so far it almost looks like Carlos has been trying to make it easier for Charles? Take the chili plushie clip, Carlos is clearly teary eyed but he still tries to make Charles laugh. He is the one who’s hurting but he puts his own hurt aside because he notices that Charles is sad too and he has to make him laugh, because if there’s something else I’ve noticed in the past years is that Carlos loves seeing Charles happy

Anon! Firstly, are you the same anon from the other day? Let me kiss your brain, because I love talking about these boys so so so much and for some reason people really enjoyed the conversation we had. Anyway!!!! Let's talk about this for a second. Carlos is definitely having a hard time. If we're going blindly on the timeline, we have to assume Carlos knows about his exit from Ferrari ever since before the Dakar finale, (this is just especulation, though, because we don't know for certain) and he sort of, kind of, blew off Ferrari and the Maranello trials to go celebrate with his dad. Pretty sure he wouldn't have done this if he didn't have enough leverage on Ferrari because the trials at Maranello are SUPER important, but first, his dad just won Dakar at his age, and then he's like: well, I mean, I'm getting kicked out of the team anyway and I won't be active during the development of the next car, so, whatever, let's just do this,-- and he went and did it. That's my idea. He needed to be with his father because they all knew. I'm pretty sure they even knew during the training camp at Madrid / Portugal because he's surrounded by friends and already doing the absolute most to get in an amazing shape because he needs to be his best version this year. But-- then when he meets up with Charles again, Charles even feels blindsided. Because like I said previously, Lewis is Lewis. And he comes with sponsors and 7 world titles and his experience and all of a sudden Charles isn't really Ferrari's most important figure inside the team. So they're both trying to soothe each other. Because for the first time ever, Charles doesn't feel like the golden boy, he probably even feels like Ferrari did him dirty (that's what I would've thought, anyway) because who pays two or three times your salary to your second driver? Not any team, that's for certain. Carlos was stability for Charles and it's like his world was thrown off its axis. They were equals, similar in status, genuinely a good team. Charles feels bad and Carlos sees it, because he's lost his teammate, they were supposed to beat Ferrari's record of the teammates that lasted longer and now, well.

And Carlos knows this, and sees Charles handling it just as bad as himself and goes: well. If I don't have to think about this, and make him laugh, then neither of us need to focus on this, right? And the first challenge rolls around and he's tired but Charles is doing his best so why not sing until Charles' annoyed so he doesn't have to see how bone-tired Carlos is? He's sort of protecting Charles' heart by protecting his own. And then there's the little chili and I can simply see Carlos' thought process: this is the last first race of the year with Ferrari, and someone gifted him a chili. And he's chili and he's smooth operator and he's supposed to be fine, but his throat closes up and his eyes fill with tears and he doesn't want Charles to see him like this but it's so much. So he tries to laugh it off. And when he sees that Charles is also thinking the same thing he says, well. At least we're in this together. So he makes Charles laugh by saying he was a chili, too. We don't know what he means, but Charles is so fond and so filled with nostalgia that he laughs, anyway, even though his throat is dry and his eyes are filled with tears. And he gets to keep the chili plushie after Carlos reminded him they're supposed to part ways.

Remember Monza 2022? When Carlos completely ignored the woman who was guiding him to the back of the track so he could follow protocol? And he broke protocol to ask Charles if he was okay? Yeah, that's Carlos, to me. And I no longer feel like he's the only one capable of doing that for Charles, I really have seen Charles fight british and italian press and tell them to respect Carlos' last year in Ferrari, and I see Charles perfectly capable to soothe Carlos as much as Carlos has tried to soothe him. Because he's mourning in front of all of us, basically. And Carlos did go to Jeddah not only to help Ollie, but for Charles' sake, too. Did you see the smile Charles had on his face when they asked him about Carlos and he said that he'd called Senior and he'd told him that it was all okay and that he might've been going to the track later that day? He's doing that in front of all of us, showing us how much Carlos means to him. This is the best and worst time for Charlos fans right now and we have to deal with these two behaving like that for the rest of the year. I don't know how we're going to cope. Again, thank you for sending me these, because I just love to type until I don't make any sense.

[turtlesandfrogs]

So I was scrolling and saw this image in an article about the European heat wave,

And was like, uh, are you missing something there, buddy? Like all that red in northern Africa? Because that's a lot of red.

And I was going to give them the benefit of doubt, since I don't know much about the climate in Northern Africa, aside from Morroco and Egypt, which seem like really hot places, so you know, maybe it's normal there?

But nope, that's not the case:

"While the planet broke multiple records for average worldwide temperatures last week, a heat wave gripped northern Africa.

The region has been experiencing some of the most intense heat waves in recent years, but in many cases they’ve been under-reported due to misconceptions about Africans’ ability to withstand them.

“Africa is seen as a sunny and hot continent,” said Amadou Thierno Gaye, a research scientist and professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, the capital of Senegal. “People think we are used to heat, but we are having high temperatures for a longer duration. Nobody is used to this.”

North Africa, the Sahara desert and the Sahel, a semi-arid belt north of the Sudanian savanna, are some of the most vulnerable areas because they have larger land masses relative to the rest of the continent, meaning they tend to heat up faster. Scientists have attributed the unprecedented temperatures to a combination of human-induced climate change and the return of El Niño, a natural phenomenon that alters weather patterns.

The Sahel, for instance, has been heating at a faster pace than the global average despite being hot already. Burkina Faso and Mali, both in West Africa’s Sahel, are among countries that are set to become almost uninhabitable by 2080, if the world continues on its current trajectory, a UK university study found. Its people are especially vulnerable due to shrinking resources, such as water, and poor amenities, and a dearth of trees and parks means there are few options for places to cool off.

“People talk of climate change as if it’s a thing of the future,” said Gaye. “Climate change is already here and we see its implications in people, livelihoods, economies and even in cultures.”

While studies on heat impacts on health are limited in Africa, research published last year found that children younger than 5 years old are particularly vulnerable to the hotter weather as they are less able that adults to self-regulate their bodies’ temperatures. The authors estimated that heat-related child mortality was rising in sub-Saharan Africa due to climate change. Other researchers have named the elderly, pregnant women and people who work outdoors, as groups at risk of heat strokes or heat-related infectious diseases.

Elsewhere on the continent, the crisis is also being felt. In the Horn of Africa, at least 43,000 people died in Somalia alone last year as a result of the worst drought in four decades. A study found that global warming is changing rain patterns and bringing more heat to Somalia and some of its neighbors, for longer stretches of time. Further south, unusually destructive cyclones in 2019 claimed more than a thousand lives in Mozambique and Zimbabwe alone.

“If we continue business-as-usual, the heat is not just going to get worse, it will get much worse,” said Mouhamadou Bamba Sylla, research chair in climate change science at the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. “We are going to see more frequent, longer and more intense heat waves.”

Much of the continent, responsible for just 4% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions generated from burning fossil fuels, is ill-prepared for a hotter world. Meanwhile, Group of 20 nations, with air conditioning and access to functioning healthcare facilities, account for 80% of the world’s emissions.

Hundreds of millions of Africans lack electricity to even power a fan. One in three people in Africa is affected by water scarcity, according to the World Health Organization, so hydration can’t be taken for granted. Even shade is harder to come by due to widespread deforestation and land degradation. And only 40% of people on the continent are covered by early warning systems for extreme weather.

“More funds have to be allocated to climate adaptation and they need to be made more easily accessible to the most vulnerable countries,” Sylla said.

The UN climate talks later this year aspire to come up with a plan for richer nations to pay for loss and damages. But they’ve collectively fallen short of their commitment to spend $100 billion each year on projects in developing nations to cut emissions and to help them adapt.

“That’s where the issue of climate justice comes in,” said Gaye. “It’s not just that people are uncomfortable, climate change is killing them.”

[ausetkmt]

Benin grants citizenship to slave descendants as it faces its own role in the trade

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — When Nadege Anelka first came to the West African country of Benin from her home island of Martinique, a French overseas territory in the Caribbean, the 57-year-old travel agent said she had a feeling of deja vu.

Nate Debos, known by his stage name NaTRILL Dizaster, left, who said he would apply for Benin citizenship, poses with Ay.Yon Michaels, right, of the rap duo Ayakashi Krewe inside an old school bus in New Orleans, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Feeling at home in Benin, Anelka decided to settle there last July and open a travel agency. She hopes to become a citizen by taking advantage of a law passed in September that grants citizenship to those who can trace their lineage to the slave trade.

The new law, which was initiated by President Patrice Talon, who has been in office since 2016, is part of a broader effort by Benin to reckon with its own historical role in the slave trade.

The law is open to all over 18 who do not already hold other African citizenship and can provide proof that an ancestor was deported via the slave trade from anywhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Beninese authorities accept DNA tests, authenticated testimonies and family records.

In this Jan. 29, 2019 file photo, the flags of the nations of Benin and Togo, the west African homes of the survivors of the slave ship Clotilda, remain on display on a monument at what was the Africatown Welcome Center in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Julie Bennett, File)

Benin is not the first country to grant citizenship to descendants of slaves. Earlier this month, Ghana naturalized 524 African Americans after the West African country’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, invited them to “come home” in 2019, as part of the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in North America in 1619.

But Benin’s citizenship law carries added significance, in part because of the role it played in the slave trade as one of the main points of departure.

European merchants deported an estimated 1.5 million slaves from the Bight of Benin, a territory that includes modern-day Benin and Togo and part of modern-day Nigeria, said Ana Lucia Araujo, a professor of history at Howard University who has spent years researching Benin’s role.

In this Nov. 17, 2011 file photo, a fisherman stands amidst city trash brought in by the tide, as he prepares to launch his fishing boat, in Cotonou, Benin. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)

Benin has struggled to resolve its legacy of complicity. For over 200 years, powerful kings captured and sold slaves to Portuguese, French and British merchants.

The kingdoms still exist today as tribal networks, and so do the groups that were raided. Rumors that President Patrice Talon is a descendant of slave merchants sparked much debate while he was running for office in 2016. Talon has never publicly addressed the rumors.

Benin has openly acknowledged its role in the slave trade, a stance not shared by many other African nations that participated. In the 1990s, Benin hosted an international conference, sponsored by UNESCO, to examine how and where slaves were sold.

And in 1999, President Mathieu Kérékou fell to his knees whiling visiting a church in Baltimore and issued an apology to African Americans for Africa’s involvement in the slave trade.

FILE- A man paddles a canoe near a Voodoo sacred forest in Adjarra, Benin, on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Sunday Alamba, File)

Memorial sites are mostly in Ouidah. They include the “Door of No Return,” which marks the point from which many enslaved people were shipped across the Atlantic, as well as the town’s history museum.

At the “Tree of Forgetfulness,” enslaved people were said to be symbolically forced to forget their past lives.

“Memories of the slave trade are present on both sides of the Atlantic, but only one of these sides is well known,” said Sindé Cheketé, the head of Benin’s state-run tourism agency.

Nate Debos, 37, an American musician living in New Orleans, learned about Benin’s citizenship law while visiting for the Porto Novo mask festival. He had never been to West Africa before, but his interest in the Vodun religion led him there.

Debos is the president of an association called New Orleans National Vodou Day. It mirrors Benin’s Vodun Day, a national holiday on Jan. 10 with a festival in Ouidah celebrating Vodun, an official religion in Benin, practiced by at least a million people in the country.

It originated in the kingdom of Dahomey — in the south of present-day Benin — and revolves around the worship of spirits and ancestors through rituals and offerings. Slavery brought Vodun to the Americas and the Caribbean, where it became Vodou, a blend with Catholicism.

“Vodou is one of the chains that connects Africa to the Americas,” said Araujo, the professor. “For enslaved Africans, it was a way of resisting slavery.”

European colonial powers and slave owners sought to suppress African cultural and religious practices. Vodun was preserved through syncretism, as African deities and spirits were merged with or disguised as Catholic saints.

“Our African ancestors were not tribal savages, they had sophisticated cultures with very noble and beautiful spiritual practices,” Debos said.

He now seeks to establish more partnerships with collectives practicing Vodun in Benin, which would require him to stay in the country for longer periods. He will apply for citizenship, but not with an intention to move there permanently.

“At the end of the day, I am an American, even when I am dressed in the wonderful fabrics and suits they have in Benin,” Debos said.

Anelka, the travel agent now living in Benin, said her motivations behind getting Beninese citizenship are mostly symbolic.

“I know I will never be completely Beninese. I will always be considered a foreigner” she said. “But I am doing this for my ancestors. It’s a way to reclaim my heritage, a way of getting reparation.”

[hirocimacruiser]

Telefonica Dakar Rally 2004

Nissan's second year in the Dakar Rally was a "challenge to return." Led by Ari Vatanen (Finland), a four-time Dakar Rally winner, the team also added Giniel de Villiers (South Africa) and Colin McRae (Great Britain), a top athlete in the World Rally Championship (WRC), and pushed the Nissan pickup to its limits. Vatanen achieved 50 wins in the Dakar Rally's SS (special stage). Both de Villiers and McRae completed the race, and Nissan's challenge continued into 2005.

Nissan's Dakar project enters its second year

Former WRC champion McRae was welcomed to the team. This showed that this year's rally was a challenge in terms of "speed". In addition, there was the stable Vatanen, Loupe, and the rising star De Villiers. In order to develop Japanese drivers, Yoshio Ikemachi and Atsushi Mitsuhashi were welcomed from the two-wheel team and competed in the T1 (production car) class. Yves Roubaix (France, Nissan Pickup) was forced to withdraw for the first time due to electrical problems.

Although there was unexpected trouble that forced them to retire on the 1st, the efforts of each team member to fulfill their assigned role to the best of their ability were inspiring. Just as the nightmare of the desert and the joy of reaching the finish line at Lac Rose seemed to be fading away, McRae, who had competed in the Dakar Rally for the first time and had many hardships, spoke again about the following.

"I will challenge the Dakar again next year with a Nissan Pickup.

This year's rally gave me confidence. I can win the Dakar with Nissan! I believe that without a doubt.

I’m here.”

Nissan Works' 2004 Dakar Rally started on an exciting note. In the European stage at Castellon (Spain), De Villier took the top time in the 9km 35 (race section), demonstrating his speed to the passionate Spanish fans. After crossing the Straits of Gibraltar, in the first African stage, Vatanen, who has won the Dakar Rally four times, achieved his long-cherished dream of winning 50 special stage races in total. In his second year back in the desert with Nissan, De Villier set a new personal record.

Nissan Pickup Runs Hot as Records are Breaking

"I had wanted to achieve this feat in the Dakar, but I'm happy to achieve my 50th victory at the start of the African stage."

Vatanen is, of course, the most successful driver in the Dakar Rally. Next is F1 and Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx (Belgium), who has 29 wins. The record he achieved in a Nissan Pickup is unlikely to be broken anytime soon.

Since Nissan decided to challenge the Dakar Rally in 2003, Ari Vatanen has become a symbol of Nissan. He has always been a figure of attention, and still shows top-class driving. In 2004, Colin McRae's participation in the Dakar Rally increased the attention of the British media. The Nissan Pick Up attracted attention from all over the world. The trio of Vatanen, McRae, and de Villiers fought a high-speed battle in the desert against Mitsubishi Pajero Evolution, BMW X5, Volkswagen Race Touareg, and Schlesser Buggy. They attacked boldly. Vatanen lost a lot of time after getting splashed while crossing a river in Morocco, but the next day he started from 90th place and finished 7th in the stage. He overtook more than 80 slower cars with the speed of a veteran to complete the stage.

PIC CAPTIONS opening page

Taking advantage of last year's success, the Nissan team's top-flight teammate, G. de Villiers, took the lead on the 7th. This South African challenger held off the unreasonable Bush and drove the car to the finish line.

Ikemachi won his class in his first attempt at a four-wheeled vehicle. He brought a ray of hope to the Nissan team, who were generally forced to make difficult decisions. He demonstrated the durability of the machine and the effectiveness of the training program. And he showed Ikemachi's own potential.

____________________________________________________

It surprised everyone.

McRae also mastered the dune running and became a "Peterran"

"There were times when we were catching up with Sel and Masuoka," he said. But the "three days of hell" were about to begin for the Nissan Works team. After troubles occurred in succession in the eighth and ninth stages, Vatanen and McRae were still stuck in the desert by the evening of the 9th. The team was worried. If things continued like this, both would have to retire. However, the rally was being watched by a gang of bandits (the Malian anti-government group).

The team was warned by intelligence sources that the Mobuchi stage was likely to be occupied by the French army, and decided to move on to the next stage via Bamako. It's not over yet. The deadline is 6pm on the 12th, the rest day.

At the time the announcement was made, the two Nissan Pick Ups, excluding de Villiers, were still stranded in the desert.

Two Nissan cars, two big names in particular, won

Whether or not you can wear it within the time limit. That is the maximum for rest days.

It became a hot topic. Two days passed, and the 12th came.

The team believed in them and waited patiently. McRae arrived around 3pm, and Vatanen arrived after 4pm, welcomed by the press as if they had won. Their rally wasn't over yet. The two started the next morning without a rest day. However... Vatanen was driving too hard and was bounced over a gap and crashed into a tree. He was finally out of the race.

McRae, who remained, never gave up on his "challenge for speed" until the very end, setting the fastest time on the final day.

He was able to demonstrate his ability.

Speed in the Moroccan desert, perseverance, teamwork and excitement from Mali to Burkina Faso. The second year of the Dakar has taught us many things. And it has fired up our enthusiasm for the next step. Nissan's challenge in the desert continues.

PIC CAPTIONS 2nd page

What did former WRC champion C. McRae think of the Dakar Rally? Despite struggling with problems, he quickly adapted to the machine and the environment, and finished in 20th place.

The team staff supported the intense race from behind the scenes. Including the support truck, more than 60 crew members assisted the driver with a perfect backup system.

The 2004 car has undergone significant evolution, including in terms of aerodynamics. Japan's NISMO also assisted in its development, and the car is equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 VQ35 engine, and its appearance racing through the sand dunes is truly that of a "desert GT car."

For the four-time champion desert hero, his seventh place finish last year was just the beginning. But just as he was coming off a record 50 Special Stage wins, this disappointing result came.

___________________________________________________

NISSAN DAKAR RALLY CHALLENGE

Japanese rookie entry record

● Yoshio Ikemachi

A patient drive leads to class victory

Born in 1971, he is 32 years old. In the 2000 motorcycle race, he achieved the highest ranking of any Japanese rider, finishing 10th overall. He made his first appearance in the T1 class with a Nissan Patrol (known as the Safari in Japan) and led the team to a splendid victory.

Rather than being happy about winning the class,

I felt like I had completed the race. The commercially available T1 class Patrol (known as the Safari in Japan) that I drove was durable but heavy, and the regulations required a small intake restrictor, so it was a tough situation. I had to endure throughout the race. Supporting the Nissan team's T2 machine, a higher class, was also an important part of my job, so I aimed to finish the race trouble-free and come third in the class. I could have actually driven faster, but I had to endure being overtaken and was patient even when there was a car a little slower than me in front of me.

But on a rest day, I was suddenly told, "I'm going to give you another task. Aim to win."

This was my first time in the Paris-Dakar Rally on a four-wheeled vehicle, and I learned that mental strength is more important with four-wheeled vehicles than with two-wheeled vehicles. I was taught a lot by an experienced navigator, and we started out as teacher and student relationships, but once we were able to communicate well, I was able to concentrate on driving.

To me, the navigator was like a reliable older brother.

Of course, my goal is not to be satisfied with winning the T1 class, but to compete in the T2 class and achieve good results. I want to participate in the actual race again as soon as possible and try to improve myself again.

I would like to test the power of the T2

Jun Mitsuhashi: I found possibilities in the midst of hardships

Born in 1970, he is 33 years old. With the experience of participating in the Dakar Rally for three consecutive years, he participated in his first four-wheeled vehicle race in a Nissan Pathfinder (known as the Terrano in Japan). Although he was confused by the difference with two-wheeled vehicles, he showed outstanding speed in every scene.

The two-wheeled race was held on an individual basis, but

The team is incomparably larger.

Especially the Dossudo Chi that I joined.

The team (France) was the largest team participating in the Rally-Dakar, so I really felt that. My impression of my first time participating in a four-wheeled vehicle was that I had to use my brain a lot while driving. My mind was always working at full speed while driving. Since I was always with the navigator in the car, it felt strange to say the least in the pre-drive tests. It may sound strange, but it felt like two people were in the same bathroom. But as I got used to it and our communication improved, I was able to look at the road in front of me and concentrate only on driving fast. In the end, the clutch wouldn't disengage before I crossed the sand dunes, and I couldn't change gears and had to retire. Since I didn't finish the race, this year's Rally-Dakar ended in an incomplete way for me. Still, I was able to drive as I had aimed and improve my position, and I also gained some benefits, such as being able to drive on an equal footing with the top group on the high-speed stages in Morocco.

I was able to test all of my strategies in real combat.

I wanted to make a move in the next marathon stage, but I flipped my car over and damaged the radiator, so I couldn't run as I wanted. My goal is to win the overall championship, so I want to practice with a fast T2 class car soon.

[johnnyslittleanimalblog]

A Barbary lion was seen in the Atlas Mountains during a flight on the Casablanca-Dakar air route. The photograph, taken by Marcelin Flandrin in 1925, is the last visual record of a wild "Barbary" lion of North Africa. To clarify, the Barbary lion is not completely extinct but is extinct in the wild. It is reported that there are fewer than 90 of them in captivity worldwide. They are part of a global breeding program aimed at helping to revive the population.

[dailyanarchistposts]

People

Hunger Has Natural Causes, Right?

Despite the fact that the world produces 1.5 times as much food as is needed to feed the human population, starvation and famine are endemic to modern capitalism. 900 million people die from starvation each year, but there is no global shortage of land to grow food. The UN estimates that there is enough land to feed a world population of 14 billion people. But what is it being used for? As in the ‘developed’ North, large landowners control the vast majority of land. In 83 countries, 3% of farmers control 79% of farmland, much of it left unused in order to maintain profits. Big Food made over $7bn profit from the South in 1990, and probably far more through transfer payments. It uses its economic power to force down the prices of rice, coffee, sugar, cocoa and cotton. Average prices in 1989 were 20% down on those of 1980. This led to an increase in foreign debt for Southern countries, with consequent increased economic hardship for the poor majority (higher taxes, inflation, etc.). Brazil has an area of farmland the size of India left uncultivated while 20 million rural poor are landless; the richest 1% owns 15 times as much land as the poorest 56% of Brazilian farmers. In Guatemala, 2% of landowners own 66% of the land. In the Philippines agribusiness producing sugar, cotton and pineapples for export has pushed 12 million peasants into the lowland forests.

Drought in Africa is part of a millennia-long cycle that human societies adapted to. It is cash crop exploitation, the market economy and taxation that produce starvation, not drought. During the 1970s, when famines first began to be reported regularly, ships that brought relief supplies to the port of Dakar left carrying peanuts, cotton, vegetables, and meat. In Bangladesh, often cited as the model for the Malthusian argument, 90% of the land is worked by sharecroppers and labourers. Many starved after the 1974 floods, while hoarders held on to four million tons of rice. In the mid-80’s severe famines occurred in the Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Chad yet during the same period record harvests of cotton were exported to the industrial centres of the world.

Cash crops go to feed the global supermarket, yielding higher profits for international capital and accelerating global industrialisation. Mexican soil and labour supplies almost 70% of the US market for much winter and early spring vegetables. The result is that agriculture for local consumption is squeezed out and the prices of staple foods rise. Up to 50% of total meat production in Central America is exported, mainly to North America. The “Green Revolution” of the 1970s and 1980s, that the ruling class said would feed the hungry, has in fact only supplied the global supermarket. The same will certainly be true of the ‘wonder crops’ of the GM revolution. The corporate claims that GM and industrial food production in general will ‘feed the world’ are straightforward lies. The maize/soya/ animal product system they are pushing so heavily is not a rational way to produce food — an acre of cereal is estimated to produce 5 times as much protein as one devoted to meat production, an acre of legumes (beans, peas, lentils) 10 times as much and an acre of leafy vegetables 15 times as much.

[basicsofislam]

BASICS OF ISLAM: Fasting :What is the scientific validity of fasting?

The Effect of Fasting upon Human Health

Introduction

Muslims all over the world observe fasting in the ninth month of the lunar calendar. It is forbidden for Muslims to eat and drink from dawn (that is, approximately one and a half hours before sun-rise) until sunset. But from sunset (iftar) until dawn (sahur), they can eat and drink whatever they want.

Fasting becomes obligatory for every healthy male who has reached the age of 15 or who has reached puberty and for every healthy female who has reached the age of 12 or who has reached puberty. As is stated in the following verse of the Qur’an, fasting is not mandatory for those who are ill or traveling:

“…But if any of you is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed number should be made up from days later…” [al-Baqarah 2:184].

Because the lunar calendar is eleven days shorter than the solar calendar year, fasting in the month of Ramadan is observed during different months of the Gregorian year. Therefore, Ramadan begins eleven days earlier each year according to the Gregorian calendar.

The fasting hours in the day change in different regions around the world and during different seasons of the year, and therefore the hardship or ease of the fast constantly changes. Sometimes the fast can last for 12 hours and sometimes for 19 hours. Thus, the number of meals may vary from sunset till dawn during different seasons in different countries.

The effects of fasting upon the human body have long been subjected to scientific research. While some studies argue that fasting has certain negative effects, many others have stated that it does not have any detrimental effects upon the organism, as long as it consists only of a change in the eating hours and the daily intake of calories does not change.

•The Study

In the research conducted at the Dakar Medical School thirteen volunteers, two of whom were pregnant women, were taken as the experimental group. The main objective was to analyze the effect of fasting upon the human organism. Another object of the same experiment was a 27-year-old woman who was not fasting. Through these studies the effects of fasting upon weight, temperature, pulse, blood pressure of the body, the absorption activities of the cells, and the liquid equilibrium of the organism were analyzed. Blood and urine analyses of the participants were also carried out.

•Method

Three of the thirteen participants were women. One of them was 17, another was 27, and the other was 40. The youngest of the male participants was 22 and the oldest was 33. All participants were chosen from middle class and had an intake of 2,500 to 3,000 calories per day. What is more, all of them were healthy people with no known organic or infectious disease.

During the week before Ramadan, the normal values of the participants were recorded in order to compare them later with the values of the observers of fasting during Ramadan. Pre-Ramadan analyses were done before breakfast and during-Ramadan analyses were done after drinking some water, that is, just after breaking the fast with some water (iftar). The analyses were carried out on the first, the tenth, and the last day of Ramadan and once again 30 days after Ramadan.

• Results

1.

Weight Loss or Gain: 

No significant change in the weight of those who were fasting was observed. Except for two volunteers, the decrease in the weight of those fasting was 2.8 kg at most.

The increase in the weight of the pregnant woman was 1.6 kg. Post- Ramadan data show that half of the volunteers regained the weight lost during the month of fasting.

2. Circulatory system: No significant effect of fasting upon pulse or temperature was observed. The hemoglobin rate of the blood was normal. This finding means that the one-month fasting was not a long enough period to cause any degradation in the hemoglobin. In general, no significant change in the blood pressure of the volunteers was evident.

3. Cellular respiration: No significant change in the cellular respiration rate was recorded during Ramadan.

4. The blood sugar balance: The blood sugar rate of the fasters significantly decreased. The decrease rate was 70 mg, which is the lowest rate for the human organism. The rates observed were no higher than 104 mg for any participants.

5. Sugar consumption in the blood: Four of the people fasting, one of whom was a woman, took part in the experiments carried out first before Ramadan and once again on the last day of Ramadan to find out the effect of fasting upon the sugar consumption rate. Analyses demonstrated that there was no significant difference between the glucose rates of fasters and non-fasters. Blood compounds were observed to be stable between the upper and lower normal levels. Moreover, the liver was found to be functioning well.

6. Fluid balance of the body: Most of the people fasting were observed to have a normal fluid balance in their body. Interestingly, some of the people fasting were able to achieve an intake of 2.4 lt. of fluid in twenty-four hours, which is slightly more than what the body requires. Urine discharge (micturation) was normal during the 24-hour period.

General Conclusion: 

The medical experiments summarized above show clearly that fasting has no negative effects upon the body. Although some changes in the blood sugar values were observed, these were not above physiologically normal levels. However, it should be made clear that the abovementioned experiments were carried out on healthy participants. Therefore, the results cannot be extended to those who are sick or handicapped.

•Some Comments

This scientific study conducted at Dakar Medical School has established that fasting is not harmful to the human body. There are many other scientific studies verifying the fact that fasting is even beneficial to the body. Some of its benefits are as follows:

a) The digestive system of the person fasting is able to take a complete rest. The digestive system is an organic mechanism that begins to function with the intake of the first substance that a newborn takes and it continues until the time of death. Therefore, abstaining from food for a few hours is a widely used natural method of providing relief for this system. This method is used before serious operations, as it is recommended for the patient to have an empty stomach before undergoing anesthesia.

b) It is a well-known scientific fact that eating little is more beneficial than eating a lot. That is, so long as the organism attains enough nutrients it is better to eat only at definite hours of the day and to avoid filling the stomach with non-nutritious junk food throughout the day. Actually, fasting brings about this important benefit to the body. The person fasting is advised to eat little, even when breaking the fast.

This is a sunnah, or general practice, of the Prophet, and Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an:

“Whatever the Messenger gives you accept it willingly and whatever he brings you fulfill it, and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it” [al- Hashr 59:7].

c) It is a well-known fact that over-eating is harmful to the body. Over-eating is among the causes of some common ailments such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Therefore, it is an important curative method to relieve the stomach of one with unhealthy eating habits for one-twelfth of his life. Scientific studies have verified that the ailments mentioned above tend to be less common in regions where fasting is observed as an obligatory practice than in other regions in the world.

[soulmusicsongs]

South African Man - Hamilton Bohannon ‎(Keep On Dancing, 1974)

[head-post]

Over 550 Hajj pilgrims die in Saudi Arabia

This year’s pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia is once again taking place amid scorching temperatures, resulting in mass deaths, ABC News reports.

Saudi diplomats specified that at least 323 of the dead were travellers from Egypt. The country’s foreign ministry said Cairo is co-operating with Saudi authorities in the search for Egyptians “missing” during the Hajj.

Diplomats explained that the reason for so many deaths was the huge number of unregistered pilgrims, whose arrival caused chaos in camps to help the faithful.

At least 60 pilgrims from Jordan also died. Tehran officially reported the deaths of five Iranian pilgrims without specifying the cause, while Dakar said three Senegalese pilgrims had died.

A diplomat confirmed that the death toll had risen due to the large number of unregistered Egyptian pilgrims. An Egyptian official overseeing the Hajj mission in the country said:

“They caused great chaos in the pilgrims’ camps, which led to the cessation of services. Pilgrims went without food, water and air conditioning for a long time and died from the heat because most people had nowhere to take shelter.”

Illegal pilgrims

Earlier in June, Saudi officials said they had expelled hundreds of thousands of unregistered pilgrims from Mecca even before the Hajj. According to Saudi authorities, some 1.8 million pilgrims have taken part in the Hajj this year, including 1.6 million from abroad.

Saudi authorities reported as late as Sunday that they were providing aid to more than 2,000 pilgrims suffering from heat stress. On that day alone, they said more than 2,700 cases of “heat exhaustion” had been reported.

Last year’s Hajj also saw mass tragedy with at least 240 deaths recorded, most of whom were Indonesians.

The Hajj is a pilgrimage to the holy sites in Mecca in Saudi Arabia associated with the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Every Muslim, if he or she has the opportunity, should perform the Hajj.

Read more HERE

[hornworts]

Front and plate covers of 1976 LP Dance Your Ass Off by Bohannon released by Dakar Records

[citypopdaily]

抱かれに来た女 (Dakare ni Kita Onna) by Kingo Hamada / 浜田金吾

Album: Midnight Cruisin' Year: 1982 Label: Moon Records Lyrics: Chinfa Kan / 康珍化 Music: Kingo Hamada / 浜田金吾

[burlveneer-music]

A Fourth World album by Shackleton (!) - The Majestic Yes (2022)

Taking off from Beaugars Seck’s foundational sabar drum rhythms — recorded by Sam in Dakar in February 2020 — Shackleton has constructed a trio of intricately layered, luminous, enchanted, epic excursions. The second is more dazzled and meandering, with jellied bass, insectile detail, and discombobulated jabbering; the third is more liquid, fleet of foot, and psychedelic, with a grooving b-line and funky keyboard stabs, scrambled eastern strings and hypnotic vocalese. The harmonium in The Overwhelming Yes sounds like Nico blowing in chillily from up the desert shore. The overall mood is wondrous, twinkling with light, onwards-and-upwards; an uncanny, dubwise mix of the ancient and the futuristic. Mark Ernestus’ Version is stripped, trepidatious, mystical, and stranger still, with just a snatch of the original melody, extra distortion and delay, and crystal-clear drum sound. Twenty minutes of startlingly original music, with Shackleton the maestro at the top of his game, and a characteristically evilous dub by Mark Ernestus. Mastered by Rashad Becker; handsomely sleeved. Sick to the nth. Love 4 Ever.

[papounemhakim]

Salut , je suis nouveau ici

El hadj Mamadou Malick Dienna, called Papoune M Hakim ( papoune Beatz ), was born March 18th 1999, and grew up in Dakar, Senegal. Papoune M Hakim is a young beatmaker, sound engineer and artist.

In 2017, El hadj decided to leave his job as a baker after having to stop his studies to help his family financially. That choice pushes him to explore the world of beatmaking which quickly becomes a passion for him. He practices a lot just to make his first beat in the hopes of impressing his mentor.

Papouné realizes that he has a gift with sounds and creating different melodies. With the help of his father, who is also an artist, and his rapper friends, he puts together a recording studio where he perfects his kraft, records his friends, and makes it a business by starting to make money. This experience makes him gain a lot of knowledge in the engineering field.

The story behind the becoming of the artist Papoune originated from being around his dad at the young age of 10 years old. This passion he shares with his father, sparks his interest into music, so he starts writing complete songs at the age of 13. His background explains an obvious career as a solo artist today.

Today, Papoune got to work with many local artists from Senegal such as his father Alaye, Amiral Lyon, Zbest Prodution, Bambali Seck, Defa, Bass thioung, Samba peuzzi and many others. He continues to learn to achieve a high level of quality in his work, and be known internationally for his talent, creativity, hard work and professionalism.

[hirocimacruiser]

MITSUBISHI STARION

Technology that is inextricably linked to the Lancer EX Turbo

Leading early Group A races with advanced supercharging technology

The Japanese car that fought best against Eggenberger's Volvo at the Inter TEC. Starion may have such an image. In the All Japan Touring Car Championship, he showed a perfect run from an early stage.

Stability and reliability are the keys to good results A-car that makes it to the ground safely

In the lineup of Mitsubishi Motors, the model developed in 1982 was the Starion, positioned as a high-end sports coupe that was the successor to the Galant (Lambda) and Lancer Celeste.

This model was introduced in the All Japan Touring Car Championship that began in 1985, but Mitsubishi's motorsports activities were originally focused on rally fields rather than circuit races.

This is clearly evidenced by the A53/55 Galant, the Southern Cross Rally with the AR73 Lancer, and even participation in the WRC, which began in the 1970s. Participation in the long-distance rally raid from Paris to Dakar was also seen as part of these rally activities.

However, for other manufacturers, for similar reasons, the most convincing PR activity for a market that was hungry for performance while surviving emissions regulations was motorsport. It was a result of making a decision and stepping into the circuit race at hand.

In this sense, the Mirage Cup, which started the one-make race, is probably the best example. As a category that conveys the glamorous atmosphere of racing, it was one of the races that attracted attention at the time.

On the other hand, in the touring car race of Group A vehicles, the Starion Turbo, which had a proven track record in the North American continent, was brought in. One of the reasons for this was that until then, Mitsubishi had had little to do with domestic races, and that they could not find a suitable car to participate in the newly-started Group A race.

This is also the case with Nissan's Group C cars, which used the proven mechanics of the IMSA series in the form of "reverse imports."

Well, that Stallion is equipped with a G63B type 3-valve SOHC + turbocharger engine. Mitsubishi had accumulated turbocharging technology with the Lancer EX2000 for WRC. The engine type of the Lancer EX2000 Turbo is the 4G63 type (different from the 4G63 type of 4-valve DOHC used in the Lancer Evolution series later. It is the SOHC 2-valve engine that became the prototype of this), and the basic part is Stallion's

Common with the G63B type. Looking back on these circumstances, Mitsubishi had a certain amount of experience and confidence in the basic mechanisms and content that make up the vehicle.

The first Stallion that appeared in such a background was InterTEC in 1985. After that, Akihiko Nakatani, who became the main driver of the Stallion, was combined with M. Liu and Fumio Mutoh to finish 4th overall. Considering that the 1st and 2nd place was the Volvo 240 Turbo and the 3rd place was the BMW 635CS, it was a good result, what happened to the other Japanese cars?

Then, from 1986, Kunimitsu Takahashi and Akihiko Nakatani teamed up to participate in the All Japan Touring Car Championship series on a regular basis. He finished 5th in Round 1 and 3rd in Round 2, and in Round 3 at Tsukuba, he finally won his long-awaited first victory.

At this time, the opponent was Takao Wada/Aguri Suzuki's Skyline RS Turbo, and although they conceded the series championship, they were always on even terms and won the 2nd place in the series. He had become a presence respected by other entrants.

The following year, 1987, they maintained their first-class competitiveness and got off to a great start with two consecutive wins at the opening of West Japan and West Sendai. After that, he continued to lose races due to trouble, but he managed to win the series ranking 3rd place thanks to his savings in the early stages. He has proven that he is still a first class contender.

In 1988, the Skyline fleet changed to the HR31 type, the Sierra RS500 increased, and the Supra entered the war. The SOHC system engine was already severe, and the chassis performance had reached the stage of review.

In terms of results, the 2nd place in the match against Nishi-Sendai was conspicuous, and the number of cases where other division 1 cars fell behind was increasing.

On the other hand, the wide-body GSR-VR (1987) was launched on the market during this period, and the basic performance was slightly improved, but compared to the trend of rival cars, the progress of evolution was not good. He took small strides and eventually withdrew from Group A racing in 1988.

After that, Mitsubishi's motorsports activities shifted to Group A rally cars with turbo 4WD starting with the Galant VR-4, and after the release of the Lancer Evolution series, it became a WRC top contender until it captured the world title.

Even so, in 1986, when the race began in earnest, the Stallion, whose basic design was already outdated, was able to achieve such a good track record. It's nothing but Taka.

At the 1986 Inter TEC, which was the debut race, it was exciting to see the Stallion running fast and make the Volvo team say, "What is that car?"