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SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD: Justin Bieber Arrested Again | This Time in Canada for ‘Dangerous Driving and Assault’

Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber

Pop singer Justin Bieber is no stranger to the law, as he’s had so many brush ups with law enforcement; mainly related to his troubles with the paparazzi.

Currently on vacation in his homeland Canada with his girlfriend Selena Gomez, Bieber has gotten himself into fresh trouble after getting arrested following a collision with a paparazzo’s vehicle.

TMZ reports Bieber was riding an All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) when he crashed into a minivan being driven by a paparazzi; the singer then reportedly got into an altercation with the driver of the mini-van.

This led to his arrest, and the singer faces charges of ‘dangerous driving and assault’. The incident occurred near Bieber’s hometown of Strafford, Ontario Police revealed, and he was let go with a promise to appear before court on September 29.

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Big Brother Africa House Burnt | Organizers Have Suspended Launch of Big Brother Hotshots

Big-Brother-Hotshots
Big-Brother-Hotshots

The launch of this year’s edition of Big Brother Africa, a reality show, was slated for September 7, 2014. However, a very shocking incident that has occurred today has made organisers of the reality TV show suspend the launch of the program.

In a release issued by Endemol SA and M-Net today gave reasons for the suspension. According to the organisers, the building in which the reality show is supposed to be filmed in has caught fire. This will not allow the launch and production to take place as previously scheduled.

At this stage, the cause of the fire outbreak is not yet known but investigation will soon begin in order to ascertain what brought about the outbreak.

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The Church is MINE | Pastor Chris Oyakhilome Deletes Wife-Rev. Anita Oyakhilome From Christ Embassy Church’s Website

It looks like the Lord will have a big battle to settle between Pastor Chris Oyakhilome and his divorce seeking wife-Rev. Anita Oyakhilome and we should embrace ourselves for what seems like impending scandals… After it emerged that Pastor Chris Oyakhilome’s wife who was an active leader of the Christ Embassy Church had filed for … Read more

Another Gripe With KUMAWOOD | If You Cannot Write Better English, Do Not Bother With Subtitles

Nana Ama And Lil Win

It is an open secret there isn’t much to admire about the local language speaking movie industry we’ve christened Kumawood.

There is lot of bad acting, terrible storylines, direction and production. Intersperse this with the brazen capitalisation on current social issues without any sense of propriety and you have an industry that does not have too much going for it.

For a while they’ve taken to providing English subtitles for the Akan spoken in the movies, and as with anything relating to the industry it comes off as half-hearted and not terribly professional.

To begin with the wall of text often does not correspond to what is being said. There are stretches where a few sentences are on the screen but they keep talking for like five minutes. I do not know the word conversion rate for English to Twi but surely it’s a hell of a lot more than that.

But my main gripe is at the type of translation that’s carried out, which is often a literal translation of the Twi spoken. Anyone who knows the slightest thing about linguistics can tell you that literal translation of one language to another is often a terrible way to get meaning across.

Our local languages especially often translate to grammatically incorrect English, and we have the problem enough without an industry as big as Kumawood promoting it. English such as ‘I am going to come’, or ‘something is doing her’; are the results of literal translation and have become common speak in Ghana.

It’s a big enough problem as is; often our spoken language heavily guides the written, so sometimes these incorrect phrases also slip into the written English of some people.

Honestly I do not see what the need is for subtitles with these movies. Kumawood targets a particular demographic that is well known, and I find it difficult to believe any Ghanaian patronising any of these movies would bother with the subtitles.

If the intention is to attract a more international audience, well you cannot do that with the current shambolic subtitles being used. Aside the incorrect grammar turning you off the product, the way five minutes of talking correspond to two sentences on screen means they would never effectively tell the story to someone who does not have any familiarity with Twi.

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Survey Reveals 98% of Primary Two Pupils Cannot Read or Understand English in Ghana | Can Our Educational Standards Get Any Worse?

Pupils in Ghana
Pupils in Ghana

It seems like the evidence indicting the quality of education in Ghana keeps mounting up. The shock over the abysmal performances in the WASSCE has yet to subside before a new survey has surfaced damning early basic education.

The beginnings of a person’s education is crucial because that is the stage the foundation for later education is built, and we all know a shaky foundation often leads to a faulty building.

There is a reason Mathematics has been a drawback for most WASSCE candidates for a while now, and it’s because the basics of the subject are often butchered, leaving the student forever handicapped in comprehending the more complex aspects of Maths that crop up from the Senior High School level upwards.

It seems like English is getting that treatment now, as a recent survey has revealed that 98% of students in Primary Two cannot read, and/or understand the English language.

The average age of a pupil in Class two is seven or eight years, whilst the main medium of teaching from Primary One onwards is the English Language. Therefore we have teachers regularly teaching practically an entire class who can barely understand a word they’re saying.

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Ghanaian’s Opt for Samsung Barter Deal

Samsung-Electronics

 

The Samsung Smart Trade programme has experienced dozens of consumers in the country exchange their phones for brand new Samsung phones. The on-going promotion is taking place at selected authorised Samsung dealer shops and it is available for selected Samsung Smartphone models as well as other selected brands.

Reports from some of the Samsung authorized shops indicate that numerous people have taken this opportunity to quickly barter their old phones for new ones. Jaspreet Singh, Director for Handheld Products at Samsung stated that “We have realized that sometimes it is difficult for people to buy new phones not because they don’t want to, but because they find it difficult to get new funds to buy a completely new phone when they already have one. This promotion therefore gives them an easy way out as well as the perfect opportunity to carry the latest by trading in their old phones, top up and receive brand new ones.”

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Photos from Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitts’ Wedding | Jolie’s Gown Featured Her Children’s Colourful Artwork

Angelina Jolie Wedding photos1

 

Created by Atelier Versace master tailor Luigi Massi, Angelina Jolie’s wedding gown featured a fitted bodice with simple thin straps, the bust complete with ruching, with a plain waist, kicking out into a flowy full skirt. And making it more unique were colourful artworks by her children…

Luigi then hand-sewed a number of the children’s designs onto both the back of the dress and the full-length veil.

‘Luigi is like family to me and I couldn’t imagine anyone else making this dress,’ the 39-year-old bride told People. ‘He knows and cares for the children and it was great fun putting it together.’ Jolie told HELLO.

After 10 years, Angelina Jolie and Bradd Pitt married on August 23 at their French estate Chateau Miraval, making their relationship official in law…

Check below for another shot…

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Agnostic Wanlov Da Kubolor, Father of 6 Children with 5 Different Women Says He Has Slept with Over 300 Women, Have Had Gay Seks Before & Used to Do Sakawa

Wanlov Da Kubolor
Wanlov Da Kubolor

Which “evil” is left in this world that Wanlov Da Kubolor, the controversial Ghanaian musician has not engaged himself and his mind in?

The skirt wearing male musician who walks barefooted in a recent interview disclosed that, he has had gay seks before. “I wanted to fulfill my sexual desires one time, and a guy was the only one around and that led to having seks with the boy” he said.

The 33-year old man who has 6 children with 5 women of different origin-– an American, a British, a Ghanaian, a Danish and a Japanese mentioned that he has slept with over 300 women—so far.

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We’re Solely Interested in Your Cash, Not Your Damn Brands | So Says Ghanaian Celebrities to Corporate Bodies

Glo Ghana

 

Actions, they say, speak louder than words. How many times have you not come across people who make ‘BIG’ promises that appeal to others heart but their actions later proved just the opposite of what came out from their mouths? It will be pretty easy to name plenty of such ones.

All over the world, companies have resorted to a very common practice that researches disclose boost sales and attract new clients. This marketing practice is the use of celebrities as endorsers or brand ambassadors for specific products. Since we do not live in a monopolistic society, but rather a competitive one, companies employ this tactic very much to dwarf their competitors.

Just as companies look out for celebrities, celebrities in turn are also always on the lookout for corporate endorsements. The deals they come across do not only put some money into their ‘thin’ pockets, but enhance their image, as well as their credibility. The effectiveness of this marketing strategy has been felt by certain corporate bodies whilst some companies have suffered shock and nightmares by this same strategy.

How would you feel when you see a celebrity (in the contractual period) who have taken money from your outfit for endorsing your brand patronizing not your brand, but that of your competitor? Pretty sad right? So is the case we have in Ghana with reference to our celebrities and corporate bodies.

The concept of being a brand ambassador or face of whatever product is somehow misunderstood here. To the Ghanaian celebrity, signing a document (devoid of document at other times), making news headlines, appearing on billboards, and finally staying at home are all that makes them brand emissaries.

How sad and weak that assumption is. The principle of being the brand icon for a specific company can be likened to a marriage. The underlying principle is commitment, and this is where most of our local champions get it wrong. No wonder most of them are dropped as brand icons after their first years when their contracts end, because they work very little to support the companies that sign them.

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New Music: ‘Hosanna’ By Teephlow ft Nature & Kwabena Kwabena

Produced by Hammer of the Last Two, the new kid on block taking Hiplife by surprise-Teephlow has let loose several strings of rap verses, backed by a perfect chorus from Nature and Kwabena Kwabena—and he calls this song-Hosanna. The Teephlow style is pretty much gaining legs, sticking to the stylish Fanti language with heavy and … Read more

Coffee Magic…

Thelma Louis
Thelma Louis

I closed the book and glanced at my watch. It was 3.14am. I wondered if I should ‘chew’ a few more pages of the capture of Timbuktu in the‘Rise and fall of the Mali Empire’. It was 1992 May, secondary school form three. Exams week. I was high on caffeine and sugar, the result of leaving everything till ‘the last days’.

I looked up from my Casio watch. There were just three of us now. It had been an almost full class four hours ago. Obviously the ‘weak’ or the ‘intelligent’ had taken their leave, the remaining… well; they could just be like me. My eyes hadn’t blinked for a while now; I could watch an army of ants move a car and I still won’t blink.

The paper was at 8.30 that morning. I decided I’d go take a shower, eat a bowl of soaking, clean my locker and return to the classroom to finish off with the divisions in the Mali kingdom that led to the rule of the Bambara and Senufo people… ha I thought to myself ‘I will murder these questions so badly these Malian’s will wish someone else did the killing’

I stole glances at the others before I left the classroom. I was making sure everyone of them had their full body support. Two years ago form one; whiles I was trying unsuccessfully to sleep through the delicious smell of ‘homecho’ that some seniors were devouring below me, I heard a commotion outside. We all rushed out. A final year form five student was screaming and shaking like a leaf on the veranda. When she was calm enough to talk she said she was leaving the classroom when she decided to say bye to the girl sitting a few chairs behind her. When she got close enough, she called out but there was no response. She decided to knock on the book covering the face of the person. The hands let go. The book fell flat on the table. There was no face, just hands.

A few days later her parents picked her up. She never returned.

As I made it past the science block I thought again for the tenth time that day what I was going to do with my hair for the long vac. I could go to the Labone lady under the trees for my braids or I could just ‘stretch it’ in the salon. The braids were easier once you got past the eight hours of push and pull torture these girls put you through, plus the smell of the armpits, and the endless gossip about Lumba and how he’s sleeping with his girl dancers. The ‘stretch’ took only an hour to do but I always ended up with burns around my ears. One time I spent my entire vacation nursing a rotting ear…

I stopped. There was a click and then silence.

I thought I head the click of a high heel shoe. I looked around. I was half way between my dorm and the classroom. It was dark; there wasn’t a single person in sight. I took a few steps, the click sound of the high heel resumed. I stopped. It stopped. I broke into cold sweat.

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When He/She Says I Can’t CHANGE Certain Things for You | This is Who I Am…

couple-in-bed1

 

On every scale of our existence as human beings, we are defined and shaped by our own rules and principles—these are the things that make us human beings and unique, varying from one person to person.

The most interesting and at the same time difficult part of any human interaction or relationship is the tendencies to have clashing principles, far difficult if such principles or habits are directly opposing to each other. And the interesting part is to be able to admire the other person for those unique principles that make him or her that unique individual under your lens.

The clash of habits and principles can threaten even the strongest and most adorable relationships, if left unchecked—and this is where compromise becomes the key to the survival of a relationship, if both parties so much admire it.

It is difficult to change a person set in his or her ways, and even far difficult to change such a person if he or she is not really into you but must set aside some of his or her core ways just to put a smile on your face—even if for once.

Nevertheless, under Aristotle’s teachings on CHANGE, things by nature change and this can be; change in respect of substance, of quality, of quantity and of place. Naturally, everything changes and a lot are meant to change—and the stretch of this may mean that, no matter how deep a person is set in his or her ways, change is possible though difficult. If a person is really into you and sees a reason to compromise to put a smile on your face, he or she will do it for you, even if just for a moment because it is possible and all things change.

We may all have made it clear at one point in our lives during certain relationships that we cannot do certain things or get them changed, but the truth of the matter is, when the person who really matters come along, we find ourselves changing or doing the very things we so thought were impossible to be our actions.

Everybody is something by default or when in a personal state but what most of us fail to note is; the moment you enter into any sort of relationship with someone, the default you ceases to be paramount, a new you is built out of total compromise and with the interest of the other person taking certain lead roles.

Therefore, the mind-set that you are something and cannot change must be weakened, must give space for those moments when they would be forced to evaporate out of the scenario to put a smile on the other person’s face—even if for just a day. After all, a relationship is not just about you but about that complex union and more importantly, about doing those things you dare not do on your own accord.

Being in any sort “this is who I am” relationship with someone accentuated in his or her own ways, letting things happen only if he or she wants them and not when you so much even need them may have it long term disasters. But in the short term, such disproportionate relationships bring unmeasurable emotional instabilities, capable of crippling your day to day activities, including the most important things you ought to do.

The greatest conundrum of relationships is the fact that, you can never know what the other person is thinking at any point in time but surely, by actions, you can at least know how certain things sit well in the person’s mind—and if the person is ready to get killed for you by rescinding his or her own principles and fears unexpectedly, then you should know you really have a genuine life partner with your interest well mounted in his or her heart.

Many years ago, I was pretty much set in certain ways and cunningly, I found ways to ensure that these ways were rooted in relationships and did not get breached, irrespective of what the other thought about those principles and the unfortunate consequences they had on the emotional, sexual and physical needs of the other.

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