You Think What

To us, this incident is as hilarious as a scene from a 1930s Marx Brothers’ comedy movie featuring Harpo Marx. Finally, an  interpreter who tells the truth. Many people are outraged by the actions of Thamsanqa Jantjie. People, deaf people in particular, are signing, or saying, he is a fake and a phony. We think Thamsanqa Jantjie was the only honest person on the podium in the Soweto stadium!

 

 

“Perhaps Mr. Jantjie does have some form of genuine mental infirmity. Reports say he says he suffers from schizophrenia. He sees BS all around him. Clearly he’s not alone. “

In case you missed the controversy it surrounds one Thamsanqa Jantjie, a sign language interpreter hired by the South African government to interpret the speeches presented by the various South African and international dignitaries who delivered remarks at the memorial held in the stadium near Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa for the late Nelson Mandela.

Nelson R. Mandela, after spending more than twenty years in prison, jailed as a terrorist, following his release from confinement, Mandela became the first democratically elected black South African president. He died earlier in December 2013 at the age of 95 years.

It seems, according to the thus far official explanation provided by a female South African deputy Cabinet minister,  Mr. Jantjie was hired through a cut-rate, “lie-by-day/fly-by-night” temporary employment agency; it seems one specializing in supplying personnel to interpret for the hearing impaired. Or, this is the cover story. (more…)

“The NFL is like jail with money. There’s a culture of intimidation, humiliation and violence. That makes you, they try to keep you in control because they know you want to do it. The thing is the moment the NFL doesn’t have control over you anymore is when you realize, ‘I can walk away!’.”
Terry Crews, former  NFL Defensive end/Linebacker in an interview on the Arsenio Hall Show

We believe  Terry Crews is right. He's shown great courage in expressing the life he encountered in the NFL. He does, afterall have the experience. Terry Crews  was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL in the 11th round of the 1991 NFL Draft. He carved out a career spanning seven years, including time with the San Diego Chargers, the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles.

We also concur with his opinion about Jonathan Martin. We believe the young man did the intelligent thing, the smart thing, to leave the team when he realized he had a choice. He's capable of more than football. As crews stated, "There's more to life than football." (more…)

Fifty years later the world joins all of the people of the United States in commemorating the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States.  The president and the First Lady, Jacqueline, were in Dallas, Texas, on a political trip to ease conflict within the conservative southern wing of the Democratic Party. As he and his wife were riding in a presidential motorcade through the streets of the then mid-sized Texas town he was fatally wounded by bullets fired from a sniper’s rifle on November 22nd 1963.

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Forget about the feud between popular late night tee vee host Jimmy Kimmel, and self proclaimed cultural genius Kanye West.

Even though we agree with all the producer, rapper, fashionista and new dad says about himself and our society, we find what is brewing between the Australian activist journalist, Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks, and the British tee vee and film actor, Benedict Cumberbatch who portrays Assange in the new film from Dreamworks ** “Fifth Estate”, far more interesting.

It isn’t so much a dispute between the two men, as the fact Assange, an Australian citizen, who is the subject of the film, has withheld his blessing on the Hollyweird project about his ill-named “traitorous” actions as regards the disclosure of documents and videos, various governments around the world, including our own United States government, would rather not have us see or know about.

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On Wednesday 09 October 2013,  the website  WikiLeaks published the first letter from Julian Assange, Australian activist, journalist, to Benedict Cumberbatch, English television and film actor who portrays Assange in  “The Fifth Estate”. It’s a Dreamworks movie about WikiLeaks set to open in the United Kingdom on Friday 11 October, and later in the United States on Friday 18 October, 2013.

As you may have guessed or recall, Assange was not selected as Time Magazine’s person of the year 2010. The honor (?) went to American computer programmer, Internet entrepreneur and FaceBook co- creator Mark Zuckerberg. For a weekly news mag Time was, and likely still is, tardy in covering current cultural and political events!

According to the site, and its attendant news release, the letter was sent to decline the meeting invitation from Benedict Cumberbatch after he made overtures to contact Julian Assange in January 2013, just prior to the commencement of principal photography.

YouThinkWhat presents the full text of the open letter in order to provide our readers, as well as the general public with informed insight as to who Julian Assange is, what WikiLeaks is and why, when viewing the film, the audience need view what they see on screen with willful disbelief.

After all it is from Dreamworks/Disney, and we know how they are purveyors of faerie tales and such. Think “Toy Story” and “Shrek”; not to mention the  fact the actor, in the role of a still living, real person Julian Assange, is known for his part as the fictitious villain in the recent sci-fi film, “Star Trek Into Darkness”. Despite the fact we find the film less interesting than its previous Star Trek franchise productions it is reported as of  September 2013, the film has earned over $228 million in North America and over $466 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film of the franchise.

Ladies and gentlemen…Julian Assange, in his own words: (more…)

Trayvon Martin is dead. He’s the young seventeen year-old teen who was fatally shot, murdered by the wannabe law enforcement officer, George Zimmerman, in Sanford, Florida nearly two years ago this February 2014.

George Zimmerman, despite having been found not guilty of second degree murder by the jury of six females in the most specious, deceptive legal proceeding known this century, continues to have run-ins with the real, official police authorities. He’s *not* gone. He’s *not* forgotten…though we wish he were both gone and forgotten.

Last month, August 2013, the notorious person from Florida, was stopped by police in Texas. He was speeding. It was not surprising to find he was given a warning by the officer who stopped him near Dallas, Texas. The officer is  likely a fan. (more…)

Sunday evening’s MTV Video Music Award, (VMAs) program for 2013 provided a place for lots of rump shakin’ and bare butt exposure.  It was Kelly Clarkson, winner in 2002 of  the first season of the American Idol singing competition, who said she saw the performances of a couple of “#pitchystrippers” .

Opening the show was the internationally known entertainer Lady Ga-gah. During her opening number  for the annual awards show she joined the ranks of other female entertainers, Madonna, Toni Braxton who have taken to showin’ their assets during live public performances. (more…)

You may want to bring your breakfast or luncheon to work on this  Thursday. If you choose to go to your regular fast food franchise chain restaurant to purchase your breakfast or lunch you may have to wait longer than usual, or you may receive no service at all.

A national strike by fast-food employees is set to take place on August 29 2013. Since last year when walk-outs in individual fast-food restaurants began the movement has grown from a local protest to a national one.

According to the Census Bureau, the income threshold level for a family of four to be in poverty is $23,000. The  median pay for a fast-food worker is about $18,500, based on a $9 per hour pay. That amount is $4,000 less than the government’s established poverty level amount. (more…)

Judging by the U.S. government’s actions with regard to Glenn Greenwald publishing documents revealing the depth and breadth of the  National Security Agency, (NSA,) surveillance programs, both foreign and domestic, we’d say President Obama’s initial statements of disinterest in the activities of the principles in the scandal wasn’t entirely truthful.

“A cantankerous press, an obstinate press, a ubiquitous press must be suffered by those in authority in order to preserve the even greater values of freedom of expression and the right of the people to know.”  ~ Judge Murray Gurfein, Pentagon Papers case, June 17, 1971

The U.S. leader and all the alphabet agencies, including those not directly involved in the intelligence (??) camflamma, are on the look out for new ways to try to intimidate journalist and constitutional law expert Glenn Greenwald, as well as David Miranda, Greenwald’s partner; documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras, former NSA contractor turned whistle blower Ed Snowden,  encrypted email service companies or nearly anyone who has had even cursory contact with the disclosures causing public disgrace for the Obama administration.

We imagined during our staff meeting, what the government’s representatives would say if they were to have a candid conversation with Glenn Greenwald, the American political commentator, lawyer, columnist, blogger, and author caught up in the drama.

We think the government would ask the question:  “Why can’t you be more like Harvey Levin?” – the owner and creator of TMZ. We imagine hearing someone like the Repuglican Representative Peter T. King of New York, the former chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, still a member of the body,  asking plaintively, “Why can’t you be more like Harvey? He’s the kinda gay Jew we like.” (more…)

News of famous backsides: Earlier in the summer, while performing her world tour in Copenhagen, entertainer Beyonce, Mrs. Shawn Carter, was touched on the derriere by an over exuberant male fan.

Toni Braxton, who is the eldest child of the family featured in the cable teevee reality show ” Braxton Family Values”, was recently performing in New Jersey when she began to show her a$$. Watch the video…btw the TMZ folks have the best jokes describing Braxton, and her skimpy costume.