#cos they lost to Ghana

[mostlykind]

SOUTH KOREA BEAT PORTUGAL AND URUGUAY IS OUT FUCK YESSSSSS

[mindblowingscience]

A rapidly spreading virus threatens the health of the cacao tree and the dried seeds from which chocolate is made, jeopardizing the global supply of the world's most popular treat. About 50% of the world's chocolate originates from cacao trees in the West Africa countries of Ivory Coast and Ghana. The damaging virus is attacking cacao trees in Ghana, resulting in harvest losses of between 15 and 50%. Spread by small insects called mealybugs that eat the leaves, buds and flowers of trees, the cacao swollen shoot virus disease (CSSVD) is among the most damaging threats to the root ingredient of chocolate. "This virus is a real threat to the global supply of chocolate," said Benito Chen-Charpentier, professor of mathematics at The University of Texas at Arlington and an author of "Cacao sustainability: The case of cacao swollen-shoot virus co-infection," appearing in the journal PLOS ONE. "Pesticides don't work well against mealybugs, leaving farmers to try to prevent the spread of the disease by cutting out infected trees and breeding resistant trees. But despite these efforts, Ghana has lost more than 254 million cacao trees in recent years."

Continue Reading.

[ghsheet]

Chinese mining company in Ghana loses $900,000 in massive gold theft - Report

Chinese mining company in Ghana loses $900,000 in massive gold theft - Report

A Chinese mining company has revealed that it lost 12kg (26lbs) of gold – worth US$900,000 – in an armed robbery in Ghana earlier this year. Shenzhen-listed gold mining firm Beijing Xiaocheng Technology Stock Co disclosed in its half-year financial report released on Wednesday that “five to six” suspects had been arrested and detained at a police station in Ghana. Security agencies in the West African nation were “still searching for the whereabouts of the gold”, according to the company.

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[ejesgistnews]

Nigerian actress Esther Nwachukwu has stirred up significant controversy following her recent appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, where she made startling admissions about her s3xual history.   During the candid interview, Nwachukwu revealed that she has lost track of the number of men she has slept with, estimating the figure to be over 3,000.   Read Also: Mohbad’s Family Opposes Late Singer’s Anniversary Event   In the conversation with co-host Nedu, the actress explained that her encounters were not with single men, but exclusively with married men from various countries, including Nigeria, Cyprus, Turkey, Kenya, and Ghana.     When Nedu asked about her "body count," Nwachukwu admitted, "I have lost count." Upon further probing, she confessed, "It's more than 3,000.   I have done it with men from different countries, but I don't sleep with single men—only married men.   Esther Nwachukwu statements have sparked widespread reactions, with many expressing shock and disapproval at the nature of her revelations.

[quayejnr]

Achimota fall down flat against Ghana SHS

Achimota School, the first co-ed secondary school in the Gold Coast will have no further part to play in the ongoing Senior Sharks Season 7 quiz.Their current state has come about because they lost to Ghana SHS, Tamale, in the First Round series of contests.It also means Achimota will have to compete via nationwide qualifiers if they are to make an appearance in Season 8 of Senior Sharks.Losing…

[hardynwa]

Illegal importation of syringes killing local pharmaceutical industries, says NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has warned against importation of syringes from foreign countries, lamenting that the act will kill local pharmaceutical industries. This is contained in a statement signed by NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday. Adeyeye admonished members of the new executive of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents who were on a courtesy visit to her office in Lagos to think more of the interest of the country above personal as clearing agents in the nation’s ports. She enjoined the agents to join forces with the NAFDAC to end the rejection of Nigerian food exported to EU, USA and other western countries. She also narrated how she marveled at the stupendous investments committed to local production of Syringes in Nigeria by a local pharmaceutical company during a recent facility tour.The NAFDAC boss said that the standard of the facilities she met on ground was comparable to those found in the U.S. or any country in Europe. She said after the facility tour and being led into the warehouse, she was highly disturbed at the sight of huge unsold products. She said that over 1.5 billion units of the product were lying untouched in the warehouse due to low sales, exacerbated by the influx of imported syringes into the country, in spite of the high import duty slammed on the product to protect the local market. She also noted with regret that intelligence reports reaching her indicated that some compromises were being made at the port of entry in allowing illegal importation of unregistered containers of syringes into the country. The NAFDAC DG revealed that a publication by the United States Food and Drug Agency stated that some syringes that came from Southeast Asia were of bad qualityAdeyeye wondered that those products didn’t fly by night into warehouses in Nigeria, but through individuals. The NAFDAC boss expressed sympathy for manufacturers, stating that she was pained by the challenges of not making sales, especially after investing a significant amount of money. Adeyeye explained the important role of licensed customs agents as pivotal in facilitating the legal and safe import and export of goods, ensuring compliance with required standards.She welcomed the familiarisation visit, highlighting its objective in establishing effective collaboration and cooperation. ‘’Nigeria has lost billions of naira in trade that could have benefitted our people.“About 70 per cent of our exports are rejected, food products especially; all these rejected products did not go through NAFDAC regulatory assessment, it disgraces us as a country. ���That is why I attach importance to this association because the goods that are either imported or exported, often play a crucial role in determining the strength of our economy.” In the area of exports, she said the international market was competitive in nature.According to her, only products of high quality with relevant certifications and quality packaging were acceptable to the global trade. She noted with dismay that the problem of quality, standard, certification and appropriate packaging for made-in-Nigeria products destined for export had been an issue in the international market. She however, emphasised the need to address the issue of rejections, adding that some exporters obtained the wrong documentation, especially fake lab results, instead of bringing their products to NAFDAC’s ISO 17025:2015 accredited labs for analysis. The National President of ANLCA, Mr Emenike Nwokochi, who spoke in the same vein, lamented that it was shameful to buy yam abroad and be told that it was from Ghana when Nigeria was the highest producer of the product. He said that Nigerians could not do anything to help the Naira even when it continued to fall.He, however, pledged his association’s resolve to work in collaboration with NAFDAC to achieve the common goal of developing the nation’s economy. Read the full article

[ghanashowbizonline]

Video - Black Stars urged to learn from Argentina, who lost first game and still won World Cup

Ghana News Online; home for all trending news, sports and entertainment insights. We break all latest news as it happens. check out the new exclusive below. 1978 AFCON winner Willie Klutse has advised the Black Stars to learn from Argentina’s success at the Qatar 2022 World Cup despite losing their opening game. Lionel Messi and co. lost to Saudi Arabia in their opening group game of that…

[creatiview]

[ad_1] CNN  —  On a busy weekend in Freetown, Sierra Leone, dozens of people gather to watch an afternoon football match not unlike countless others you’d find anywhere else in the world. But there’s one striking difference – these players are all amputees. They’re members of the Single Leg Amputee Sports Association (SLASA), an organization co-founded by pastor Mambud Samai in 2001 after he returned home toward the end of Sierra Leone’s deadly civil war, which lasted from 1991 to 2002 and killed at least 50,000 people across the country. Thousands more were left with missing limbs during a brutal campaign to terrify the civilian population. After coming across a refugee camp filled with hundreds of amputees, Samai felt compelled to help. “At that time, there were no activities like trauma recovery for them. So, amputees believed that once they lost their limbs and their legs, they have no future, they have no opportunity. So, I volunteered myself to give them confidence,” he said. While at the refugee camp, he met an American missionary who introduced him to a form of adaptive football. After showing the amputees how to play, the response was overwhelming and SLASA was formed, “to give hope to the amputees, to give confidence to the amputees, and to allow them to become ambassadors of peace,” Samai said. According to the World Amputee Football Federation, players cannot use prosthetics and instead power across the field on crutches. Each team has seven players on the field at a time, with outfield players only having one leg and goalkeepers only having one arm. Several SLASA players have since gone on to compete in international programs including the World Amputee Football Championships, Amputee Africa Cup of Nations, and the Open European Amputee Football Championship. Related: Football saved his life. Now this former Ghana star is scouting the next generation of underprivileged talent “Most of them are now very proud that they can represent their country at international competitions,” Samai said. “They are contributing something back to society.” Samai says the sport is not only a good form of exercise, but it unites players and serves as a “therapy” for war victims to face their shared trauma. “We try to give them hope and then give them the credibility that they are useful, they are important to society,” he said. Ali Badara Kamara is a goalkeeper in the SLASA league. He says he’s grateful for the life-changing opportunities he’s received. “My mother was afraid (for) me to play football because she sees me as an amputee. She thought that if I fell on the floor, I would have another problem,” he says. “But SLASA (has) taken me to Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania.” Kamara is one of the more than 80 million people with disabilities living across the continent. According to the United Nations, that figure includes those with mental health conditions, birth defects and other physical impairments. With assistive devices often unavailable or unaffordable, many find employment hard to come by and are left begging on the streets. While football matches only last 90 minutes, Samai’s latest mission is to find a way to help amputees beyond the pitch. “My passion (is) to make sure that every life, irrespective of your disability or irrespective of your background, that you are able to be happy and you are able to smile at the end of the day,” Samai said. To achieve that, SLASA works closely with the National Rehabilitation Center in Sierra Leone and partners with international organizations like SwissLimbs to provide prosthetics for amputees and train local technicians.

In 2018, Samai traveled to Japan to study sustainable agriculture leadership and community development. Upon his return, he began offering classes on sustainable agriculture through SLASA. Related: From child soldier to boxing champion – Mohamed Kayongo on why he’s using boxing to teach life lessons SLASA also assesses members’ education and provides learning resources to those in need. Its goal is to get more amputees off the streets and provide them with a safe way to make a living for themselves and their families. To date, Samai says SLASA has directly assisted 350 amputees, and hopes to grow that number. The ultimate goal is to build a regulation pitch and rehabilitation center of its own. “We want Sierra Leone to compete with another countries in terms of development,” Samai said. “We believe that disabled people should not be left behind.” Watch the full episode of African Voices featuring Mambud Samai here. [ad_2] Source link

[afeelgoodblog]

Best News of Last Week

Edition #018 - A lot of environmental news this week:

1. Octopuses, crabs and lobsters to be recognized as sentient beings under UK law following LSE report findings

Octopuses, crabs and lobsters will receive greater welfare protection in UK law following an LSE report which demonstrates that there is strong scientific evidence that these animals have the capacity to experience pain, distress or harm.

The UK government has today confirmed that the scope of the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill will be extended to all decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs.

2. Great Barrier Reef 'gives birth' in massive coral spawning event

Australia's Great Barrier Reef is spawning in an explosion of color as the World Heritage-listed natural wonder recovers from life-threatening coral bleaching episodes.

Scientists on Tuesday night recorded the corals producing billions of offspring by casting sperm and eggs into the Pacific Ocean off the Queensland state coastal city of Cairns. The annual spawning event lasts for two or three days.7

3. Germany's new government to give millions of people a 25% pay rise by hiking the minimum wage

Germany plans to increase its minimum wage by the equivalent of nearly $3, or a 25% rise. It's part of a deal agreed by a three-party coalition to form a new government.

As many as 10 million workers could receive a pay rise in Germany under plans unveiled by the country's incoming government.

4. Portugal to stop using coal

Portugal becomes fourth EU country to stop using coal plants. Environmental activists are welcoming the end of electricity generation from coal in Portugal, though they said Monday the possible conversion of the country’s last coal-fired power plant into one that burns wood pellets would be a step in the wrong direction.

The Pego plant located 150 kilometers (90 miles) northeast of the Portuguese capital Lisbon stopped generating over the weekend, as Portugal became the fourth European Union country to stop burning coal to produce electricity. Belgium quit coal in 2016, and Austria and Sweden followed suit last year.

5. Unconscious mom saved by heroic 3-year-old who learned to call police from cartoon

A three-year-old boy from West Midlands, U.K. dialed police after his mom fell unconscious earlier this month, having picked up the skill from an unlikely source: a YouTube cartoon. The heroic toddler's impressive abilities, especially in a time of crisis, underscores the life-saving potential of teaching children how to handle emergencies from a young age.

Toddler Thomas Boffey dialed 999 after his mom, 33-year-old Kayleigh Boffey, fell down the stairs. Upon hitting her head, the mom reportedly lost consciousness. Because he had watched Robocar Poli—an animated kids' show from South Korea that features a police car, ambulance, and fire engine—Boffey knew to call 999.

6. You can’t see them to count them, but Amazonian manatees seem to be recovering

Following intense commercial hunting from the 1930s to the 1950s, scientists and community members are seeing signs that the manatee population in the Amazon is growing. A study carried out in the Piagaçu-Purus Sustainable Development Reserve in the state of Amazonas shows large manatee populations nearby human communities, apparently co-existing in peace.

7. The world finally has a malaria vaccine.

Since 2019, more than 800,000 African children have had at least one dose of the RTS,S vaccine as part of a pilot in Ghana, Kenya and Malawi. Now, with the right investment, millions more children could be immunized and grow up with less malaria, fewer hospitalizations and healthier lives.

____

That's it for this week. Until next week,

You can follow me on twitter . Also, I have a newsletter :)

Subscribe here to receive a collection of wholesome news every week in your inbox :D

[foreverlostinliterature]

9/24 Book Deals

Good morning, everyone! I hope you’re all doing well and having a great week! Sorry for the lack of posts so far this week, it’s midterm season for me and things have been a bit crazy, but I figured I’d try to jump in because there are some awesome books on sale today. East, Ella Enchanted, and Best Served Cold are both great options and I think I recall enjoying What is the What, though I remember Dave Eggers’ writing style being pretty unique? I’ve also been super interested in the Pages & Co. series, it looks like so much fun! Anyone read it? Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful day and happy reading! Hang in there, we’re almost through the week. :) 

Here is the link to find resources on how you can help out with the BLM movement! Keep the momentum going!

Today’s Deals:

Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie - https://amzn.to/3j177Wn

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller - https://amzn.to/3iZTkzh

All the Stars and Teeth by Adalyn Grace - https://amzn.to/3i6CtcY

East by Edith Pattou - https://amzn.to/3i4sIeZ

What is the What by Dave Eggers - https://amzn.to/3mQ0Q24

Pages & Co.: The Bookwanderers by Anna James - https://amzn.to/305hMHW

Pages & Co.: The Lost Fairy Tales by Anna James - https://amzn.to/32ZvZs4

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine - https://amzn.to/2RUz0Dp

Down and Across by Arvin Ahmadi - https://amzn.to/3cqJq7n

Ghana Must Go by Taiye Selasi - https://amzn.to/3cwHES3

A Touch of Darkness by Scarlett St. Clair - https://amzn.to/3iYxDzG

The Bridge Kingdom by Danielle L. Jensen - https://amzn.to/3iYxE6I

I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison - https://amzn.to/33WDuPr

A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin - https://amzn.to/3i36cmO

This Boys Life by Tobias Wolff - https://amzn.to/3iYwSqk

NOTE:  I am categorizing these book deals posts under the tag #bookdeals, so if you don’t want to see them then just block that tag and you should be good. I am an Amazon affiliate in addition to a Book Depository affiliate and will receive a small (but very much needed!)  commission on any purchase made through these links.

[sciencespies]

Study Suggests At-Risk African Heritage Sites Are Often Overlooked

https://sciencespies.com/history/study-suggests-at-risk-african-heritage-sites-are-often-overlooked/

Study Suggests At-Risk African Heritage Sites Are Often Overlooked

Climate change poses a significant threat to cultural and architectural heritage sites around the world—but the majority of relevant research centers solely on the losses faced by wealthier countries. In 2017, for instance, a study found that just one percent of research on climate change’s effects on heritage focused on iconic landmarks in Africa.

A new survey published in the journal Azania: Archaeological Research in Africa strives to addresses this shortage by highlighting at-risk heritage sites and practices across the African continent.

“Without significant intervention some of Africa’s most important heritage will be lost as a result of the direct and indirect impacts of climate change over the coming decades,” write co-authors Joanne Clarke, Elizabeth Edna Wangui, Grace W. Ngaruiya and Nick Brooks for the Conversation. “… The next ten years will be a critical period in which research agendas can be developed that will have a practical application for the management of African heritage in the face of climate change.”

The group’s paper analyzes a range of case studies from countries in West, East and North Africa. Some—like the wetlands and lagoons of Ghana, Togo, Bénin and Nigeria—represent natural heritage vulnerable to coastal erosion. Their ecosystems are essential for maintaining biodiversity, but storm surges and rising sea levels present a looming threat. Erosion has also severely damaged Guinean coastal forests.

Golden Gate Highlands National Park

(Pavel Špindler via Wikimedia Commons under CC BY 3.0)

In Kenya, the largely human-led destruction of mangrove forests threatens Unesco World Heritage Site Lamu Old Town, which has been continuously inhabited for more than 700 years.

The forests “protect the island from flooding,” Clarke, an archaeologist at the University of East Anglia, tells BBC News’ Pablo Uchoa.

She adds, “[A] lot of what we would call natural heritage is a protection for cultural heritage. And as we destroy the natural heritage, we also leave cultural heritage sites exposed.”

Rising seas also present problems for heritage locations like Mozambique’s Ibo Island, Shanga and Pate islands in Kenya, and the ruins of Kaole in Tanzania, according to the paper. Built less than 33 feet above sea level, these sites’ low elevation and placement atop of coral, sand or mud puts them at risk.

Clarke studies the rate of erosion sparked by rising waters at Sudan’s Suakin Island. Once a bustling port city, Suakin served as a stopping point for 19th-century African slave traders sailing across the Red Sea.

“What we do know is that the Red Sea coast will be impacted in the coming decades, which means what currently survives will be lost [without intervention],” the archaeologist tells BBC News.

Rising sea levels and coastal erosion aren’t the only threats faced by African heritage sites. The team also identifies factors like increasing humidity, which encourages bacteria and algae to grow over rock art, as well as flash floods and more extreme cycles of hot and cold weather. Rock art at Golden Gate Highlands National Park in South Africa, for example, hosts “luxuriant growth” of lichen linked to “intense biodeterioration,” according to a 2012 study.

Suakin Island in Sudan

( J-pics.info via Flickr under CC-BY-NC-SA 2.0)

In Djenné, Mali, the unpredictable climate and reduced rainfall have degraded the quality of mud bricks used to construct the city’s monumental buildings. Locals previously relied on calcified fish bones to make the bricks more resistant to climate extremes, but the area’s fish stocks have become increasingly scarce in recent years.

To maintain Djenné’s mud-brick structures, residents must import materials from farther away, increasing costs and making traditional fixes less readily available. Today, many modern masons make repairs with materials like concrete and clay bricks.

As Clarke tells BBC News, “[C]limate change has the ability to be a threat multiplier [in Djenné].”

“It has indirect impacts which are arguably more serious than the direct impact,” she explains.

Climate change has impacts beyond tangible heritage sites, the researchers write in the paper. Intangible heritage, like traditional ways of life as pastoralists, is also at risk.

“Heritage is often viewed through the lens of what can be seen—for example, disappearing coastlines with their famous archaeological sites—but Africa’s unseen heritage is just as important to preserve, and arguably more vulnerable to a changing climate,” the authors add.

Expanding on this line of thinking in the Conversation, the researchers conclude, “Resetting the research agenda towards a sustainable heritage in the face of climate change will not only enable reengagement with the past, but will help mitigate the impacts of climate change beyond heritage.”

#History

[joselyndumas]

World Suicide Prevention Day 2020 - 10 September Theme: ”Working Together to Prevent Suicide" Every 40 seconds someone takes their life. Every year, suicide accounts for over 800,000 deaths globally with over 75% occurring in low-and-middle-income countries. Every life lost represents someone’s partner, child, parent, friend or colleague. For each suicide approximately 135 people suffer intense grief or are otherwise affected, resulting in 108 million people annually being profoundly impacted by suicidal behaviours. For every suicide, 25 people make a suicide attempt and many more have serious thoughts of suicide. The reduction of suicide mortality is of global imperative and forms part of the global commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals of reducing by one third premature mortality from non communicable diseases through prevention and treatment, and the promotion of mental health and well-being. With the prevention of suicide to the fore, we are reminded that we can collectively rise to the challenges presented by suicide. Research shows that suicide prevention must be multi-level and incorporate multiple interventions and approaches in order to be effective. Thus no single effort will suffice to prevent suicide on an individual or universal level. In order to reach a common goal, we must work collaboratively and cohesively, using a multi disciplinary approach. Collaboration at all levels is required, between government and stakeholders, funding bodies and organisations, NGOs and those that they serve, healthcare professionals and their patients, and persons at risk and their family, friends and co-workers. #WorldSuicidePreventionDay #WorldSuicidePreventionDay2020 #SuicidePreventionDay #SuicidePreventionDay2020 #SuicidePrevention #Suicide #MentalHealth #WSPD #WSPD2020 ____________________________________________________________________________ #JoselynDumasFoundation #JCDFoundation #Children #Ghana #Africa #EveryChild #NeedyChildren #EveryChildMatters #JoselynDumas  #ChildrenEducation #ChildrenInNeed  #ChildProtection #Education #JDFoundation https://www.instagram.com/p/CE9Y5RBDEF2/?igshid=2xz8lsy7664i

[music-thestrongestformofmagic]

Cyclone Idai shows the deadly reality of climate change in Africa

Vain promises and empty slogans have got us nowhere. Fossil-fuel extraction must end before more lives are lost

As Africa climate week unfurls in Ghana, the countries of Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe count the costs of Cyclone Idai, which ripped through villages and towns, taking hundreds of lives and leaving a trail of destruction. [...] The cyclone made landfall on 14 March, the same day that the One Planet Summit started in Nairobi, called by French president Emmanuel Macron. After picking up speed, with winds of 195km/h (120mph) accompanied by lashing rains, Idai caused flooding and landslides, ruining crops and roads, and has already affected millions of people. The city of Beira in Mozambique was hit the hardest, with nearly 80% of homes and public infrastructure destroyed.

[...]

While many countries appear to be already reducing carbon emissions and moving towards an energy transition, Africa’s coalfields are open for business. Along with a few Asian countries (Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh in particular), our continent continues to be an El Dorado for the coal cheerleaders and big business determined to carry on its coal-onisation. New plants are being planned from South Africa to Senegal, from Kenya to Mozambique, as well as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Côte d’Ivoire. Most of them are co-financed by the African Development Bank, on whose board sit members of African, European, North and South American and Asian governments. [...] The situation is pretty similar for the oil industry, a source of energy that continues to attract investors in Africa, a continent that accounts for 8% of global production, with 7.5m barrels a day. Despite the drop in the price of oil over the last five years, new players are added yearly to the list of majors companies, such as Total, Shell, Exxon, BP and Eni.

[...]

Even though Africa is estimated to produce just 4% of global carbon emissions – compared to 80% by the most industrialised countries (G20), it is the continent that pays the highest price. For us, climate change is not a future risk, it’s already a reality evident in wrecked families, lands and livelihoods, and hopeless children and young people who have no choice but to seek a future by migrating.

Everywhere on the continent, communities fear losing their land as each season hits one country after another with exceptional floods, unexpected storms and increasingly long droughts. Fauna and flora reserves have been running out, access to water has become a privilege, and extreme weather events have become more numerous and left families without homes or livelihoods.

Continue reading.

[jamaljames]

Songs in the Key of Life

This is an entry I posted yesterday on Facebook but was quickly told that it was entirely too long for Facebook. However it was suggested that I write a blog instead so … here goes we’ll see how this goes… please read and enjoy …

"Songs in the Key of Life" is the eighteenth album by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, released on September 28, 1976, by Motown Records, through its division Tamla Records. It was the culmination of his "classic period" albums. An ambitious double LP that included a four-song bonus EP, the album became the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Wonder's career. In 2003, it was ranked number 57 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In 2005, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, which deemed it "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

By 1976, Stevie Wonder had become one of the most popular figures in R&B and pop music, not only in the U.S., but worldwide. Within a short space of time, the albums Talking Book, Innervisions and Fulfillingness' First Finale were all back-to-back top five successes, with the latter two winning Grammy Award for Album of the Year, in 1974 and 1975, respectively. By the end of 1975, Wonder became serious about quitting the music industry and emigrating to Ghana to work with handicapped children. He had expressed his anger with the way that the U.S. government was running the country. A farewell concert was being considered as the best way to bring down the curtain on his career. Wonder changed his decision, when he signed a new contract with Motown on August 5, 1975, thinking he was better off making the most of his career. At the time, rivals such as Arista and Epic were also interested in him. The contract was laid out as a seven-year, seven LP, $37 million deal ($172,277,675 in today's money) and gave him full artistic control, making this the largest deal made with a recording star up to that point. Almost at the beginning Wonder took a year off from the music market, with a project for a double album to be released in 1976. There was huge anticipation for the new album which was initially scheduled for release around October 1975. It was delayed on short notice when Wonder felt that further remixing was essential. According to Wonder, the marketing campaign at Motown decided to take advantage of the delay by producing "We're almost finished" T-shirts. Work on the new album continued into early 1976. A name was finally chosen for the album: Songs in the Key of Life. The title would represent the formula of a complex "key of life" and the proposals for indefinite success. The album was released on September 28, 1976, after a two-year wait as a double LP album with a four-track seven-inch EP titled A Something's Extra ("Saturn", "Ebony Eyes", "All Day Sucker" and "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)") and a 24-page lyric and credit booklet. A total of 130 people worked on the album, but Wonder's preeminence during the album was evident. Among the people present during the sessions, there were legendary figures of R&B, soul and jazz music – Herbie Hancock played Fender Rhodes on "As", George Benson played electric guitar on "Another Star", and Minnie Riperton and Deniece Williams added backing vocals on "Ordinary Pain". Mike Sembello was a prominent personality throughout the album, playing guitar on several tracks and also co-writing "Saturn" with Wonder. Some of the most socially conscious songs of the album were actually written by Wonder with other people – these included "Village Ghetto Land" and "Black Man" (co-written with Gary Byrd) and "Have a Talk with God" (co-written by Calvin Hardaway). Nathan Watts, Wonder's newest bass player at the time, originally recorded a bass track for "Isn't She Lovely" that Wonder replaced with his own keyboard bass for the final version. The same guide-track method was employed for "Knocks Me Off My Feet". At the time of release, reporters and music critics, and everyone who had worked on the album, traveled to Long View Farm, a recording studio in Massachusetts for a press preview of the album. Everybody received autographed copies of the album and Wonder gave interviews. Critical reception was positive. The album was viewed as a guided tour through a wide range of musical styles and the life and feelings of the artist. It included recollections of childhood, of first love and lost love. It contained songs about faith and love among all peoples and songs about social justice for the poor and downtrodden. On February 19, 1977, Stevie was nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, an award that he had already won twice, in 1974 and 1975, for Innervisions and Fulfillingness’ First Finale. Since 1973, Stevie’s presence at the Grammy ceremonies had been consistent – he attended most of the ceremonies and also used to perform on stage. But in 1976, he did not attend as he was not nominated for any awards (as he had not released any new material during the past year). Paul Simon, who received the Grammy for Album of the Year in that occasion (for Still Crazy After All These Years) jokingly thanked Stevie “for not releasing an album” that year. A year after, Wonder was nominated for Songs in the Key of Life in that same category, and was widely favored by many critics to take the award. The other nominees were Breezin’ by George Benson, Chicago X by Chicago, Silk Degrees by Boz Scaggs, and the other favorite, Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive!, which was also a huge critical and commercial success. Wonder was again absent from the ceremony, as he had developed an interest in visiting Africa. In February he traveled to Nigeria for two weeks, primarily to explore his musical heritage, as he put it. A satellite hook-up was arranged so that Stevie could be awarded his Grammys from across the sea. Bette Midler announced the results during the ceremony, and the audience was only able to see Wonder at a phone smiling and giving thanks. The video signal was poor and the audio inaudible. Andy Williams went on to make a public blunder when he asked the blind-since-birth Wonder, “Stevie, can you see us?” In all, Wonder won four out of seven nominations at the Grammys: Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance and Producer of the Year. Over time, the album became a standard, and it is considered Wonder's signature album. "Of all the albums," he told Q magazine (April 1995 issue), "Songs in the Key of Life I'm most happy about. Just the time, being alive then. To be a father and then… letting go and letting God give me the energy and strength I needed." Songs in the Key of Life is often cited as one of the greatest albums in popular music history. It was voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice's annual Pazz & Jop critics poll; in 2001 the TV network VH1 named it the seventh greatest album of all time; in 2003, the album was ranked number 57 on Rolling Stone Magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. Many musicians have also remarked on the quality of the album and its influence on their own work. For example, Elton John said, in his notes for Wonder on the 2003 Rolling Stone's list of "The Immortals – The Greatest Artists of All Time" (in which Stevie Wonder was ranked number 15): "Let me put it this way: wherever I go in the world, I always take a copy of Songs in the Key of Life. For me, it's the best album ever made, and I'm always left in awe after I listen to it." In an interview with Ebony magazine, Michael Jackson called Songs in the Key of Life his favorite Stevie Wonder album. George Michael cited the album as his favorite of all time and with Mary J. Blige covered "As" for a 1999 hit single. Michael performed "Love's in Need of Love Today" on his Faith tour in 1988, and released it as a B-side to "Father Figure". He also performed "Village Ghetto Land" at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute in 1988. He later covered "Pastime Paradise" and "Knocks Me Off My Feet" in his 1991 Cover to Cover tour. R&B singers in particular have praised the album – Prince called it the best album ever recorded, Mariah Carey generally names the album as one of her favorites, and Whitney Houston also remarked on the influence of Songs in the Key of Life on her singing. (During the photoshoot for her Whitney: The Greatest Hits, as seen on its respective home video, the album was played throughout the photo sessions, at Houston’s request.) The album's importance has even been recognized by heavy metal musicians, with singer Phil Anselmo describing a live performance of Songs in the Key of Life as "a living, breathing miracle". The album’s tracks have provided numerous samples for rap and hip-hop artists; for example, "Pastime Paradise", which itself drew on the first eight notes and four chords of J.S. Bach's Prelude No. 2 in C minor, was reworked by Coolio as "Gangsta's Paradise". In 1995, smooth jazz artist Najee recorded a cover album titled Najee Plays Songs from the Key of Life, which is based entirely on Wonder's album. In 1999, Will Smith used "I Wish" as the base for his US number-one single "Wild Wild West". The song repeated the main melody of "I Wish" as a riff and some lyrics re-formed. In April 2008, the album was voted the "Top Album of All Time" by the Yahoo! Music Playlist Blog, using a formula that combined four parameters – "Album Staying Power Value + Sales Value + Critical Rating Value + Grammy Award Value". In December 2013, Wonder did a live concert performance of the entire Songs in the Key of Life album at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. The event was his 18th annual House Full of Toys Benefit Concert, and featured some of the original singers and musicians from the 1976 double-album as well as several from the contemporary scene. In November 2014, Stevie began performing the entire album in a series of concert dates in the U.S. and Canada. The start of the tour coincided with the 38th anniversary of the release of Songs in the Key of Life. Highly anticipated at the time, the album surpassed all commercial expectations. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart on October 8, 1976, becoming only the third album in history to achieve that feat and the first by an American artist (after British singer/composer Elton John's albums Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy and Rock of the Westies, both in 1975). In Canada, the album achieved the same feat, entering at number one on the RPM national albums chart on October 16. Songs in the Key of Life spent thirteen consecutive weeks at number one in the U.S., and 11 during 1976. It was the album with the most weeks at number one during the year. In those eleven weeks, Songs in the Key of Life managed to block four other albums from reaching the top – in order, Boz Scaggs’s Silk Degrees, Earth, Wind & Fire's Spirit, Led Zeppelin's soundtrack for The Song Remains the Same and Rod Stewart's A Night on the Town. On January 15, 1977, the album finally dropped to number two behind Eagles' Hotel California and the following week it fell to number four. On January 29 it returned to the top for a fourteenth and final week. The album then began its final fall. It spent a total of 35 weeks inside the top ten and 80 weeks on the Billboard albums chart. Songs in the Key of Life also saw longevity at number one on the Billboard R&B/Black Albums chart, spending 20 non-consecutive weeks there. In all, Songs in the Key of Life became the second best-selling album of 1977 in the U.S., only behind Fleetwood Mac's blockbuster Rumours, and was certified as a diamond album by the RIAA, for sales of 10 million units in the U.S. alone (each individual record or disc included with an album counts towards RIAA certifications).[33] It was the highest selling R&B/Soul album on the Billboard Year-End chart that same year.[34] Songs in the Key of Life was also the most successful Wonder project in terms of singles. The lead-off, the upbeat "I Wish" was released in November 1976, over a month after the album was released. On January 15, 1977, it reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart, where it spent five weeks at the top. Seven days after, it also reached the summit of the Billboard Hot 100, although it spent only one week at number one. The track became an international top 10 single, and also reached number five in the UK. "I Wish" became one of Wonder's standards and remained one of his most sampled songs. The follow-up, the jazzy "Sir Duke", surpassed the commercial success of "I Wish". It was released in March 1977 and also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 (spending three weeks at the top starting on May 21) and the R&B chart (for one week, starting on May 28). It also reached number two in the UK, where it was kept off the top spot by the song "Free" by Deniece Williams, who had provided backing vocals on the album. As sales for the album began to decline during the second half of 1977, the two other singles from Songs in the Key of Life failed to achieve the commercial success of "I Wish" and "Sir Duke". "Another Star" was released in August and reached only number 32 on the Hot 100 (number 18 on the R&B chart, and number 29 in the UK) and "As" came out two months later, peaking at number 36 on both the Pop and R&B charts. Though not released as a single, "Isn't She Lovely" received wide airplay and became one of Wonder's most popular songs. It was soon released by David Parton as a single in 1977 and became a top 10 hit in the UK.

[hardynwa]

Illegal importation of syringes killing local pharmaceutical industries, says NAFDAC

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has warned against importation of syringes from foreign countries, lamenting that the act will kill local pharmaceutical industries. This is contained in a statement signed by NAFDAC Director-General, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday. Adeyeye admonished members of the new executive of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents who were on a courtesy visit to her office in Lagos to think more of the interest of the country above personal as clearing agents in the nation’s ports. She enjoined the agents to join forces with the NAFDAC to end the rejection of Nigerian food exported to EU, USA and other western countries. She also narrated how she marveled at the stupendous investments committed to local production of Syringes in Nigeria by a local pharmaceutical company during a recent facility tour.The NAFDAC boss said that the standard of the facilities she met on ground was comparable to those found in the U.S. or any country in Europe. She said after the facility tour and being led into the warehouse, she was highly disturbed at the sight of huge unsold products. She said that over 1.5 billion units of the product were lying untouched in the warehouse due to low sales, exacerbated by the influx of imported syringes into the country, in spite of the high import duty slammed on the product to protect the local market. She also noted with regret that intelligence reports reaching her indicated that some compromises were being made at the port of entry in allowing illegal importation of unregistered containers of syringes into the country. The NAFDAC DG revealed that a publication by the United States Food and Drug Agency stated that some syringes that came from Southeast Asia were of bad qualityAdeyeye wondered that those products didn’t fly by night into warehouses in Nigeria, but through individuals. The NAFDAC boss expressed sympathy for manufacturers, stating that she was pained by the challenges of not making sales, especially after investing a significant amount of money. Adeyeye explained the important role of licensed customs agents as pivotal in facilitating the legal and safe import and export of goods, ensuring compliance with required standards.She welcomed the familiarisation visit, highlighting its objective in establishing effective collaboration and cooperation. ‘’Nigeria has lost billions of naira in trade that could have benefitted our people.“About 70 per cent of our exports are rejected, food products especially; all these rejected products did not go through NAFDAC regulatory assessment, it disgraces us as a country. “That is why I attach importance to this association because the goods that are either imported or exported, often play a crucial role in determining the strength of our economy.” In the area of exports, she said the international market was competitive in nature.According to her, only products of high quality with relevant certifications and quality packaging were acceptable to the global trade. She noted with dismay that the problem of quality, standard, certification and appropriate packaging for made-in-Nigeria products destined for export had been an issue in the international market. She however, emphasised the need to address the issue of rejections, adding that some exporters obtained the wrong documentation, especially fake lab results, instead of bringing their products to NAFDAC’s ISO 17025:2015 accredited labs for analysis. The National President of ANLCA, Mr Emenike Nwokochi, who spoke in the same vein, lamented that it was shameful to buy yam abroad and be told that it was from Ghana when Nigeria was the highest producer of the product. He said that Nigerians could not do anything to help the Naira even when it continued to fall.He, however, pledged his association’s resolve to work in collaboration with NAFDAC to achieve the common goal of developing the nation’s economy. Read the full article

[nwdsc]

(▶︎ Meeting with a Judas Tree | Duval Timothyから)

Meeting with a Judas Tree by Duval Timothy

Recorded 2019 - 2022 Primarily recorded at my home studio in South London, Carrying Colour studio in Freetown, my old studio in Rotherhithe Old Police Station, and Casa Mahler in Spoleto. Recorded on different pianos, including an upright in Freetown that had lost the felt of its hammers due to the humidity creating a harpsichord-like sound as the raw wood struck the strings. Other prominent instruments featured are Moog Grandmother, double bass, electric guitar and Juno-G. Part of the piano recordings on 'Up' and 'Drift' were composed and recorded through April 2021, whilst I was an artist in residence at the Mahler & LeWitt Studios, Spoleto, for the 'Mahler, The Song of the Earth' project in partnership with Mahler Foundation. During the residency, I was studying and creating work in response to the life and work of Gustav Mahler, in particular 'Das Lied Von Der Erde' (The Song of the Earth) — a vast song cycle engaging with nature, forgiveness, friendship, and mortality themes. While making this record, I wanted to explore what the natural environment means personally. I went on many trips into nature to engage with plant life and natural materials. These included everyday strolls around South London, walks with my mum in the hills surrounding Bath (Up), hikes through Freetown, the hills of Spoleto, up line in Ghana and nature sanctuaries in Sierra Leone (Wood). I found incredible examples of nature in all of these contexts, which I felt personally close to. I made field recordings with my phone or Zoom recorder, documenting various birds, insects, monkeys, bats, plants, trees, stones and so on, which are all on the record. クレジット2022年11月11日リリース All music by Duval Timothy Produced by Duval Timothy Additional piano & synth on Wood ft. Yu Su by Yu Su Additional guitar by on Wood by Kiran Kai Co-writing on Wood by Yu Su and Thunder by Fauzia Additional production on Up by Vegyn with voice field recording by Erica Timothy Live effects on Thunder ft. FAUZIA by FAUZIA Additional production on Drift ft. Lamin Fofana by Lamin Fofana Mixed by Philip Weinrobe at Sugar Mountain Mixed for Dolby Atmos by Brian Bender at The Motherbrain Mastered by Josh Bonati Carrying Colour Records 2022 Published by Decca Publishing, a division of Universal Music Group Ltd.