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INTERPRETER AT MANDELA MEMORIAL DEFENDS HIS WORK, SAYS HE IS SCHIZOPHRENIC
Alas, he is a very famous man but all for the wrong reasons.
The interpreter who was widely ridiculed for his performance at the Nelson Mandela memorial stood by his work.
Thamsanqa Jantjie told CNN affiliate Radio 702 in Johannesburg that he is a fully qualified interpreter and has been trusted in the past with other big events.
“I’ve interpreted in many press conferences, including the presidential conference,” he said. “There was no one at all that said I interpreted wrong.” I
Not so, says the head of the South Africa Translators’ Institute.
There were complaints last year after Jantjie interpreted the proceedings at the ruling African National Conference elective conference, the institute’s chairman Johan Blaauw told the South African Press Association.
“If I was not interpreting right, why was it was not picked up at that time?” Jantjie said. “You must remember, you are talking about an interpreter who has been interpreting through these years. And if I was interpreting wrong through these years, why should it become an issue now? It’s one of the questions I’ve never ever gotten an answer for.”
The radio station interviewer asked Jantjie to comment on media reports that he was hearing voices in his head and hallucinating during the Mandela event Tuesday.
Pressed twice, Jantjie reluctantly acknowledged that he was a “patient receiving a treatment in schizophrenia.”
CNN posted this of his interview:
Questions grow
As outrage over his interpretation skills grew, so did questions over who hired him.
A spokesman for the ANC said the party had not hired him for the Mandela event.
“We have used him on some occasions. But yesterday was not an ANC event. So we cannot answer for yesterday,” spokesman Jackson Mthembu said Wednesday.
The South African government was investigating the reports, said Collins Charbane, minister for performance monitoring and evaluation in the presidency.
Jantjie told Talk Radio 702 that he was hired by a company called SA Interpreters, which was hired by the ANC. He also said he’s formally qualified as an interpreter and that his qualifications are filed with the company.
“I think that I’ve been a champion of sign language,” he said.
‘Fake interpreter‘
The national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa sees it differently. He called Jantjie a “fake interpreter.”
“The deaf community is in outrage,” said Bruno Druchen. “He is not known by the Deaf Community in South Africa nor by the South African Sign Language interpreters working in the field.”
The man showed no facial expressions, which are key in South African sign language, and his hand signals were meaningless, Druchen said. “It is a total mockery of the language,” he added.
The service to commemorate Mandela, who died last week at 95, was broadcast to millions of viewers.
While dignitaries addressed the crowd at Johannesburg’s FNB stadium, Jantjie produced a series of hand signals that experts said meant nothing.
“It was almost like he was doing baseball signs,” deaf actress Marlee Matlin told CNN on Wednesday, through a sign-language interpreter. “I was appalled.”
Though each country has its own sign language, all of them entail facial expressions, she said. She called his lack of facial expression “a giveaway.”
“I knew exactly right then and there that he wasn’t authentic at all, and it was offensive; it was offensive to me.”
HATS OFF FOR RIHANNA: SHE TIES MICHAEL JACKSON’S HOT 100 RECORD THANKS TO EMINEM
Rihanna will be singing her own version of “Who runs the world” now. But wait a minute that is Bey’s song and shouldn’t she be thanking someone for this feat. Yeah, you got that right . EMINEM! Her colllabo with Eminem on his second Marshall Mathers LP 2 single “The Monster,” bumped Miley Cyrus‘ “Wrecking Ball” off the top of the Hot 100 this week. According to Billiboard, the Bajan songbird has now tied Michael Jackson‘s string of 13 #1 singles in the US.. This puts MJ and RiRi behind only The Beatles (20) and Mariah Carey (18) as far as the most #1s, and it has them now just ahead of Madonna and The Supremes (both have 12).
Of course, it should be noted that 12 of Michael Jackson’s #1s were billed to the King Of Pop alone (only “Say Say Say” was a pair-up, with Paul MCartney). Three of Rihanna’s chart-topping singles are features: T.I.‘s “Live Your Life,” Eminem‘s “Love The Way You Lie” and, now, “The Monster.” So there, the King of position is still looks more than intact. However, Riri rocks
Continue reading over on Idolator
GEORGE CLOONEY SAYS HE WILL NEVER DENY GAY RUMORS
Huh-Um this is how it starts. But frankly I will be awfully disappointed if George turns out to gay. I am no gay hater, but I hate to see another beautiful ,make that gorge man affirm that he is gay. Hmmm…. anyway read on to see what one publication said about George.
George Clooney’s sexuality is frequent fodder for the tabloids, but the superstar actor doesn’t feel the need to deny being gay.
The Oscar winner recently opened up to Esquire U.K. about his sexuality in the cover story for the magazine’s January 2014 issue.
“[A headline read] ‘George Clooney’s Gay-Gay-Gay.’ And I said, ‘I’m gay-gay. The third one’s pushing it,'” he recalled to the British publication about how the gossip started. “Well now, [according to the Internet] I’m gay. You’re not going [to deny it] because that’s flat out insulting to the gay community.”
For years, talk has circulated about the sexual preferences of Hollywood’s Most Eligible Bachelor.
In 2011, his ex-girlfriend, Italian model Elisabetta Canalis, made headlines for saying she and the 52-year-old Clooney had a “father-daughter” relationship. She claimed their romance ended not because of marriage issues, but because of their “personal needs.”
Clooney previously addressed the gay rumors in an interview with the Advocate last year, again refusing to deny them.
“I think it’s funny, but the last thing you’ll ever see me do is jump up and down, saying, ‘These are lies!'” he said. “That would be unfair and unkind to my good friends in the gay community. I’m not going to let anyone make it seem like being gay is a bad thing. My private life is private, and I’m very happy in it. Who does it hurt if someone thinks I’m gay? I’ll be long dead and there will still be people who say I was gay. I don’t give a shit.”
Other actors have approached the sexuality question in a similar way. In September, Joseph Gordon-Levitt said he didn’t need to confirm or deny anything while speaking with Out magazine.
“That would be really tacky — they would win if I had to clarify,” he contended.
What do you think?
DID OBAMA CAUSE AN INTERNATIONAL MEDIA FRENZY WITH “SELFIE” AT MANDELA MEMORIAL
Call it the selfie seen ’round the world.
Among the enduring images from Nelson Mandela’s massive memorial service in Johannesburg Tuesday will be one of a jovial President Obama taking a cell phone pic with his seat-mates, Denmark’s Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Britain’s David Cameron.
As the three of them smile for the camera, a stern-looking Michelle Obama can be seen staring straight ahead, hands clasped. As if to remind anyone who sees this photo years from now that it was, after all, a memorial service for one of the great human rights leaders.
The tsk-tsk-ing could be heard for miles.
“What on earth is going on? Why do world leaders now behave like this?” The Daily Telegraph’s Iain Martin wrote. “Perhaps it is just that the current generation — my generation — is so appallingly spoiled that basic notions of decorum have been shot to pieces.”
RedState.com’s Erick Erickson tweeted: “Thank you Mrs. Obama for knowing how to behave at a funeral.”
The first lady’s reaction — not just to the “selfie” but to her husband’s chatting and joking with the young Danish prime minister — was priceless. In one picture, Michelle Obama could be seen glaring over at him while he put his hand on Ms. Thorning-Schmidt’s shoulder.
In another, it appeared the first lady and the president switched seats, putting Michelle squarely between him and the PM.
After the images surged through social media, the White House on Wednesday released its own set of photos of Obama’s South Africa visit. Perhaps it was no accident that among them was a picture of Obama, the first lady and the Danish prime minister.
But in this one, Obama was talking to his wife, while Thorning-Schmidt seemed preoccupied with her phone.
The “selfie” incident was the second unexpected controversy stirred up by the president in South Africa. Earlier, Cuban-American lawmakers publicly objected after Obama — on his way to deliver his tribute to Mandela — shook the hand of Raul Castro.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., called the moment “nauseating.”
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who was at the Johannesburg service, walked out when Castro spoke.
Source: Fox News
ARE THESE THE BEAUTIFUL ONES? ALEX EKUBO, IK OGBONNA AND EZINNE AKUDO
We sort of stumbled on these photos shared and captioned by Alex “They Say the Beautiful Ones are not yet Born, i humbly beg to Differ, i say we Are Alive & Kicking’, Do you agree with this, are the beautiful born already. We don’t know oo…have your say
GEEZ, ARCH BISHOP DESMOND TUTU ‘S HOUSE ROBBED DURING MANDELA MEMORIAL
Geez, Thieves have no reverence for the dead. They will steal from those in mourning and even from the dead if the could.
According to one publication:
Police in South Africa say retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s home was robbed while he was away to attend a memorial honoring Nelson Mandela.
A statement Wednesday from the South African Police Service said the robbery of Tutu’s home in Cape Town happened between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Tuesday. That was the day the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and foe of apartheid spoke at the memorial service at a soccer stadium in Soweto township of Johannesburg.
The statement said: “At this stage, we cannot give further details, as the investigation into the matter is still ongoing. No arrests have been made as yet.”
The 82-year-old Tutu had his home robbed in August as he and his wife slept inside. Both were unhurt.
Burglaries and home-invasions frequently occur in South Africa.
SARKODIE TO LAUNCH SARKOLOGY ALBUM WITH CONCERT ON DECEMBER 21
Ghanaian rap king, Sarkodie will launch his most anticipated third studio album, Sarkology, with a mega concert at the Accra Sports Stadium.
Sarkology is an expansive LP with a mix that boasts an individual’s artistic delivery carefully honed over the years. The album is the third effort after Makye and Rapperholic.
The manager of his label Duncwills Entertainment Sammy Forson says, the albumwill be launched together with what is expected to be the biggest outdoor event of the year in Ghana.
The Accra Sports Stadium will come alive on December 21st, as the BET award winner, Ghana Music Awards artiste of the Year on two occasions, and 4Syte TV’s Most Influential Artiste of the Year 2013, takes to the stage in an unforgettable one-night-only date with his fans.
YOU ‘VE GOT TO BE KIDDING US: CHOCOLATE TO RUN OUT IN 2020
We are told October 2, 2020 is the date. So put this date in your calendar now, because this is when experts believe we will run out of chocolate.We are not kidding you.
The Willy Wonkas of the confectionary industry met last week to discuss the fact that there are just not enough cocoa plantations across the globe to feed the demand for chocolate.
Chocolate taster and expert Angus Kennedy told the Daily Star: “There will be a chocolate shortage and there isn’t a solution to the problem. Seven years is what we think we have left. Experts have worked out we need 2.3 globes to accommodate man’s needs for chocolate in terms of forestry and space. We need another Earth, basically, if we carry on at this rate. The problem we’ve got is that much of the space that was used for cocoa plantations is no longer there. The Chinese love their cars and they have found that rubber makes more money than cocoa and at a much quicker pace. Cocoa farms are being chopped down and turned into rubber plantations because they get a better yield.”
So what will we be eating instead? Experts predict smaller bars, filled with raisins, biscuits, nougat and nuts. And the chocolate we do have will be more expensive and more like a gloopy chocolate-esque substance made from palm oil and vegetable fats.
“I have tasted the chocolate bar of the future and it’s nothing like the chocolate we know and love,” said Angus Kennedy, editor of Kennedy’s Confection magazine. “It will be much sweeter as sugar is the cheapest ingredient and can be used to hide the fact that there is less cocoa powder,” he said.
Right, we’re off to start a stockpile…
IN SPIRIT OF UNITY :NIGERIAN AND GHANAIAN ARTISTES COME TOGETHER FOR THE OVATION RED CAROL THEME SONG
Good news.
Just like the angels announced the birth of Jesus Christ on the fine Christmas day . We are pleased to announce that finally the 2013 ovation Red Carol theme song “Love in the air Official video is out to give you the whole feel of what this year Ovation red carol will definitely look like.
This year ovation red carol will be coming out with a bigger task ahead as it will be brings to your view, some of your favorite Nigeria artiste together under the same umbrella with Ghanaians stars.So if you miss this I am told you’ve missed the end of the year biggest event.
Ovation continues its tradition of dropping a Christmas song when it is close to the Christmas period and a few weeks ago they released a theme song for the 2013 Ovation Red Carol.
The song featured quite a number of artistes both from Nigeria and Ghana, including May D, Dammy Krane, Skales, Dazzle, Yemi Alade, Patoranking, Mya K representing Nigeria and Becca, Edem, Afriyie Wutah from Ghana. The video which was shot by one of the best young graphics image branding artiste HG2 films to make the real feel of the video come alive.
In related developments ,
Ovation International Magazine on Saturday December 14, 2013 at the State House Banquent Hall in Accra will host its famous ’Ovation Red Carol & Awards’.
The event takes place in Ghana for the first time with theme “It’s all about hope”. It is a special charity edition which will feature and bring together top-rate celebrities and business moguls both from across the continent.
Ovation Red Carol will feature the Winneba Youth Choir and performances from artistes from Ghana and Nigeria and yet to be confirmed international artiste will also be flying down to Ghana to top off the popular celebrations which is in its sixth edition.
The late Professor Kofi Awoonor, the Ghanaian poet and author who was among those who were killed in the Westgate Shopping Mall attack in Nairobi, Kenya will be honoured. There will be special tribute to the late Nelson Mandela.
Ovation Carol & Awards has been running since 2007 in Nigeria and is otherwise known as Ovation Red Carol donates funds to worthy causes.
Some Ghanaian celebrities have already endorsed the Ovation Red Carol included Afriyie Wutah, Ama K, Amanda Jissih, Becca, Bee Arthur, Belinda Baidoo, Ben Brako,Blakofe, Confidence, Ebi Bright, Edem, Elikem the Tailor, Guiseppina Baafi (Miss Ghana 2013), Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, James Gardener, John Dumelo, Jojo Abot, Joselyn Dumas, Juliet Ibrahim, KOD, Lydia Forson and Marie Humbert,
The rest include Meche Korrect, Mzbel, Ofie Kodjoe, Okyeame Quophi, Reggie Rockstone, Richie Mensah, Sammi B, Sandra Ankobiah, Shirley ‘Selase’ Anku, Slim Kofi, Stacy Amoateng, Stephanie Benson, Stonebwoy and Yvonne Okoro.
The Red Carol event would be broadcast live on television in Ghana, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom. And also streamed live on the internet via http://www.ondbox.com.
In the spirit of Christma, watch below and give thanks.
//www.youtube.com/embed/?feature=player_embedded
MESSI , RONALDO AND RIBERY SHORTLISTED FOR BALLON D’OR + RIBERY NAMED FRENCH PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The final three-man shortlist for the 2013 Ballon d’Or award was announced on Monday and, unsurpringly, comprised Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Franck Ribéry.
After Messi won the award for the past four years, Ronaldo will be hoping he can loosen the Argentine’s grip on the award.
Ribéry too can expect plenty of votes having won the European Cup, Bundesliga, German Cup and European Super Cup with Bayern Munich.
In related news, Ribery has been named French player of the year.on Tuesday by France Football magazine.
The Bayern Munich winger beat midfield duo Paul Pogba of Juventus and Paris St Germain’s Blaise Matuidi in a poll of past and present French players.
“I now have to go get Thierry Henry’s record,” Ribery, who has now won the prize three times to Henry’s five, told France Football.With that out of the open now
HauteSpott 