Ghana Records First Lose at the London Olympics

Ghana's Judoka, Emmanuel Nartey

Emmanuel Nartey, Ghana's Judo medal hopeful, lost out (3:0) to two-time World Championship silver medalist, Dex Elmont from the Netherlands on Monday at ExCel Arena.

Judoka, Nartey rescinded his decision Sunday night to go into the fight after an earlier threat of withdrawal from the competition as a result of unpaid camping allowances.

The experienced Dutch opponent was fouled on more than two occasions by his Ghanaian opponent.  

Dex Elmont's father, Ricardo is a former judoka himself, who represented Suriname at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada. His older brother Guillaume is also competing on the highest level in judo.

Story by 

Tony Bebli, Joy Sports

Ghana Records First Win at the 2012 London Olympics

Duke Mich, Ghana's Fly Weight Boxer

20 year old Duke Micah is Ghana's Fly weight boxer Duke and has recorded his first win against his Mauritius opponent Jaso Lavigilnate by 18-14 on points at the ExCel Arena on Monday in the round of 32.

Micah became the first boxer to win his fight in the games after boxer Isaac Dogbe and Judoka Emmanuel Nartey all failed to progress in their various fights.

The Ghanaian amateur boxer dominated all three rounds with alacrity. The scores were (6-4)(7-6)(5-4)to progress to the next stage of the competition

He now faces Ireland's Michael Conlan on August 3, in the round of 16

Story by 

Tony Bebli, Joy Sports

MTN Ghana Giveaway!

MTN Ghana is giving away free MTN to MTN airtime to all of its 10.6 million customers for two minutes. This is said to begin from 5am to 12 midnight on Tuesday, 31st of July, 2012. It is MTN's little way of giving back to the public in memory of the late President John Evans Atta Mills whose week celebration is celebrated on the said Tuesday.

MTN Ghana is the market leades with at least 10.65 million customers as at the end of May 2012 and its on-net standard call rate is 9Gp per minute. In other wrods, if all its 10.65 million customers patronize this free two minute call-time, the company would be losing well over 21.3 million minutes of call and that is worth 1.92 million Ghana Cedis.

While MTN givesaway two minutes of airtime, the government of Ghana asks that there be a Nationwide one-minute silence at exactly 14.15 hours GMT on Tuesday, July 31st, 2012. This is to remember the death of the president on the Tuesday, 27th of July at 14.15 hours GMT.

"May his gentle soul continually rest in Peace." 

Story by 

Samuel Nii Darku, Adom News

Olympic Cauldron Extinguished so it can be Relocated

The flame's Cauldron, a symbol of the Olympic Movement, has been put out so it can be moved from the center of the stadium to a new position, still on the stadium. This happened last night, 29th July, 2012 at 9pm, and it is definitely not normal. The Olympic Cauldron is supposed to burn throughout the Gaming period.

The Olympic cauldron after the flame had been extinguished last night. It was put out about 9pm and re-lit in its new position at 7.50am this morning

The Organisers confirmed it was put out temporarily in order that the 28 feet high structure be moved to the edge of the stadium. LOCOG chairman Sebastian Coe also added that the Cauldron is not a tourist attraction and that is probably the reason for it being positioned in the Stadium.

Torchbearer Austin Playfoot, 82, who was also in the 1948 torch relay, re-lights the cauldron this morning after it was moved to the edge of the Olympic Stadium

The cauldron, designed by Thomas Heatherwick out of copper and silver, and it took seven young athletes to light it up at the opening ceremony on Friday. This was after a 70-day torch relay covering 8,000 miles and all corners of Britain.  It was however re-lit at 7.50am this morning although it kept burning in a miners' lamp overnight. 

The new position of the cauldron will make it easier for both track and field events to take place in the stadium

The Cauldron, made up of 204 steel pipes and individually designed copper petals with each country's name inscribed on them, now stands at the southern end of the stadium, ahead of the finish line for the 100m and in the same place where the giant bell marked the start of the Opening Ceremony. At the end of the Games, the cauldron is to be dismantled  each of the copper petals will be returned to the competing 204 National Olympic Committees to keep.


Courtesy:
Story by Louise Eccles and Adam Shergold, DailyMail

Newest Celebrity: Dancer who Captivated The World in the Olympics Opening Ceremony

Jasmine Breinburg

18-year old Brit School student, Jasmine Breinburg is the young dancer who dazzled the world while playing the leading lady at the 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony.

In an effort to make their joys known, viewers of the show have turned to twitter to single out the dancer for her show-stopping performance. She ushered the show into the digital age and out of the industrialization segment.

As a tribute to the British scientist and inventer, Tim Berners-Lee, Jasmine played the part of a girl [called June] who had misplaced her phone during her late night outing. However, June was rescued by a young man [Frankie] who spotted her and picked up her lost mobile phone. He was determined to find her and return her phone, which he did. Their love triumphed and they crowned the act with a kiss. The music in the show was a clear walk throughout the last 40 years.

June and Frankie having a moment

Some of the tweets found include: 

The performance in the show was to represent the moves made in
technology during the past years - Digital Age

The scale of the show, watched by an estimated billion people worldwide, was clearly starting to hit home for Jasmine last night however. She said: 'It was amazing, that's an understatement, it was absolutely crazy.

Story by David Baker, Daily Mail

Woman's Nose Bitten Off After Husband Says He Loves Her.

Lynne After Surgery

Lynne Gough, who was in a violent relationship, told the world how her husband, Nick, punched her in the face for half an hour until it was numb that when he bit her, she didn't realise that her nose had actually been bitten off.


She was married to him for 24 years and had six children for him but the violence drove her into the arms of Chris, who later died of a sudden heart attack. Lynne took Nick back after he begs her only to disfigure her face.


'I found work in a care home and after a few years became a manager. He hated the fact that I had freedom. He wanted me at home the whole time,' Lynne says.

'He would wait for me at the front door and accuse me of having affairs with people at work.'

Lynne says the jealousy began in earnest when she had her first child with Nick. 

'Even in the hospital on the day our baby was born he accused me of having affair with one of the members of staff. Then after that it was anyone. If I went shopping it was someone I'd meet on the street, or people at the children's school. He'd even question me if my underwear matched. When we were young and in love I thought it was flattering. But when I went out to work it got worse. Neither of us had any friends,' she says.  


'I wasn't allowed to socialize. One day at the pub a man kissed me on the cheek. Nick accused me of having an affair with him, even though we'd only met half an hour earlier. That night when we got home, he started drinking more and got really aggressive and abusive.'

Shockingly, Lynne reveals that Nick would subject her to what he called 'Chinese Water Torture' at nights - splashing water on her face and straddling her, holding her eyes open - in an attempt to force her to admit to affairs. After all that, she still could not leave him because she loved him.

'The day he attacked me would have been Chris's 47th birthday, so I was obviously emotional, but I carried on as usual. I called Nick at work, told him I loved him and told him what we'd have for tea. He noticed when he came home that I'd been crying and didn't want to tell him, but he persisted until I admitted it would have been Chris's birthday. I could see a change in his eyes. He wasn't happy at all. I took the dog for a walk to try to calm the situation down. When I came back I went out into the back garden. He came out and that's when he started to attack me,' she says. 

Lynne, who has now had her face fully rebuilt, said the doctors worked miracles with reconstructive surgery.

'The first time it didn't work and had to be taken back off, but now it's reattached and works normally - I can still smell.'

"Thank God she survived... what an experience..."

Courtesy:
Story by Deborah Arthurs, dailymail

President Mills Funeral Date has Been Set.

Late President, John Evans Atta Mills.

The family of the late President John E. A. Mills has announced to the entire public that he [the President] will soon be laid to rest. The  days selected for the funeral rites are from 8 - 10th of August, 2012. 

As for the place of burial, it will be in the Flagstaff House, Accra. President John Dramani Mahama was said to have taken the decision which would see to it that a portion of the Flagstaff House is dedicated to the burial of Presidents and other high ranking officials of the country.

Haruna Iddrisu disclosed this on Joy FM and Multi TV’s news analysis programme, Newsfile Saturday, Accra. It is however unknown for now. Mr Kwesi Amissah [President's brother], mentioned that all funeral rites would be held in Accra. He also  added that there would be no other ceremonies anywhere else.

Mr Amissah also revealed that President Mills' one week would be held at his Regimanuel Gray residence at the Spintex Road on Tuesday, July 31.

"I'm not sure if all people are invited but we still pray for his gentle soul."

Courtesy:

myjoyonline

London 2012: Olympic torch Begins Final Journey

The Olympic torch began the final day of its journey at Hampton Court Palace before boarding the royal barge Gloriana and travelling down the Thames. It will finish at Tower Bridge before being transported to the Olympic Park ahead of the opening ceremony. The Gloriana cauldron was lit by Sir Matthew Pinsent

Courtesy:

Guardian

London Olympics - Snippets from Rehearsals

Careful, or you might miss something... Here is a very, very brief collection of snippets from rehearsals for the opening and closing ceremonies.

"I can't wait... 8 hours more!"

Courtesy:

Guardian

Ghana's New President, Mr. John Mahama holds First Cabinet Meeting

President and members of Cabinet.

President John Dramani Mahama on Wednesday began his first day in office with an emergency cabinet session, following the demise of the late President John Evans Atta Mills on Tuesday July 24 in Accra.

Earlier, President Mahama led the cabinet ministers including Henry Martey Newman, Chief of Staff and the Secretary to Cabinet, Ben Eghan, in a time of prayer to commit the soul of the departed President Mills to the care of the almighty.

President said, “It is said that in every adversity there are opportunities…may this adversity that has befallen us turn into opportunities for the government, God should give us the strength to continue with the Better Ghana Agenda.”

President Mahama arrived at the Castle at around 11.20 am in the company of his Aide-de Camp, security officers and upon alighting from an ash saloon car, a grief-stricken but confident looking President Mahama waved to some staff at the Presidency and the media who had assembled in droves to capture whatever was going to transpire.

He then headed straight to his office, where he occupied as Vice-President, and later emerged in the company of Mr. Martey Newman, Mr. Eghan and some officials to begin the emergency cabinet session in an adjoining building.

Although all Ministers at the meeting were tight-lipped, it is believed that they deliberated on issues concerning the performance of late President Mills funeral, the nomination of a new Vice President and the re-organisation of the NDC party to elect a new Presidential candidate for the December general election.

Source: GNA, GhanaWeb

"Ghanaians always hope for the best..."

Former Vice President of Ghana, Mr. John Mahama, Sworn in as President.

John Mahama signing in as the New President of Ghana.

Newly sworn-in president, Mr. John Mahama has paid glowing tribute to the late President John Mills. In a short speech after he was sworn-in by the Chief Justice President John Mahama said “I lost a father, a friend and a senior colleague.” 


According to him, the president died at 2:15 pm after a short illness. In a sombre mood and a heavy heart, President Mahama on behalf of the government and the people of Ghana extended his condolences to the family of the late president. He said Prof. John Atta Mills was a humble and modest person throughout his years public life and the finest tribute to give the late president is to maintain unity and stability in the party and country as a whole.


Courtesy:
myjoyonline

Ghana's President, John Evans Atta Mills Announced Dead

Former President of Ghana, John Evans Atta Mills.

GHANA's President, John Atta Mills has died suddenly on this day [24th July, 2012] after celebrating his 68th birthday three days ago [21st July, 2012]. Hours after being taken ill, he was reported dead at 14.15GMT at the 37 Military Hospital, Accra, Ghana. 

 "It is with a heavy heart that we announce the sudden and untimely death of the president of the republic of Ghana," the statement said, adding that Mills, who had travelled recently abroad for a medical check-up, died hours after he got sick on Tuesday. He was announced dead, without providing a cause, the presidency said. According to the constitution, Vice President John Dramani Mahama is to take over as interim leader and he is to address the nation shortly. 

Mills was to be the ruling party's candidate. The late president had recently travelled to the United States for what had been described as a routine medical check-up. Mills took over as Ghana's president in January 2009 after a narrow win in 2008 with a less than one per cent margin against  the opposing candidate.

In July last year, Mills was nominated to be the ruling the National Democratic Congress party's presidential candidate for December 2012 elections. The primary represented the first time in the country's history that a sitting president competed for his own party's nomination. Mills beat his only rival in the party primary, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, the wife of ex-military leader Jerry Rawlings. 

Mills rose to prominence in 1997 when Rawlings named him vice president - a position he held until the former coup leader-turned-elected president made way for Kufuor after the 2000 elections. After finishing his law studies in Britain, Mills came home to teach law for 25 years at a Ghana university. Ghana, a country of some 25 million people, recently joined the ranks of the world's large-scale oil producers. It was the country chosen by Barack Obama for his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as US president in 2009.

"I am in tears as I write this message. We, the people of Ghana have lost a father. We will always remember and pray for the peaceful rest of our former president, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills."

Male Model throttled his Thai girlfriend after Killing Kittens swingers party in row over her having sex with another man in toilet cubicle

Patrick Ribbsaeter [model], 32, is being accused of repeatedly beating and choking his Thai girlfriend, Wachiraporn Sara-pod, 29, until she almost lost consciousness. 

They both attended a'Killing Kittens' sex party at a restaurant in Leicester Square, London. A few hours into the party, the people at the party started having sex openly. But instead of being happy to share his lover with others, Ribbsaeter allegedly flew into a jealous rage when he caught her in the toilet with a fellow party goer.


Sara-pod insisted she was only taking drugs with the male friend when he burst in. She said she was tipsy and took two lines of cocaine. Instead of listening to her, Patrick grabbed her, took her out and went to a different nightspot [British Luxury Club], leaving her following him. He refused to speak to her and left with his friend, Dheeraj Harjani. At 6.30pm, he agreed to meet her by her Land Rover Discovery in a car park. 

When she arrived, he struck her across the face, knocking her to the ground and again as she sat on the ground. A passer-by asked why he was hitting her right before he punched Patrick in the face, also knocking him to the ground.

Ribbsaeter drove her towards his Streatham home, South London and continuously asked if she had sex with the man. While she said no to the question, he hit her and told her that until she told him the truth, he would continue to hit her. Then he grabbed my hair and hit my head on the console. He kept hitting me so many time that I tried to open the car door to jump out. She said Ribbsaeter stopped the car on their way home, and asked her if she wanted to have sex on the back seat and thinking it would calm him down, she agreed. But after having sex, he punched her face and put his hands around her throat. "I was bleeding" she said and added that "the assault only stopped when she was losing consciousness." 

According to the Old Bailey, Patrick punched her so many times on their drive home that she could barely see out of her swollen face. She eventually fled wearing nothing but a fur coat to a garage and a mechanic called the police at 10.14am.

Ribbsaeter's friend, Mr Harjani said at the court that he had helped to search for his girlfriend at the sex party and saw the Miss Sara-pod slumped on the toilet seat with the guy having sex with her. 'He was half naked,' he added. Now, Ribbsaeter denies causing grievous bodily harm but the case continues.

"Wow, I wonder how it would all feel to have such a violent boyfriend. What do you think?"

Courtesy:

Daily Mail

Man celebrated his birthday by giving away free money

Doug Eaton wanted to idea for his birthday on June 11, so he asked for ideas  from his friends on Facebook and ended up marking the day with random acts of kindness, especially handing out free money to people passing by.

According to what Eaton told KFOR-TV, he got a long list of stuff. But one of his friends said, 'Why don't you do 65 random acts of kindness?'"

So that's exactly what he did, spending 65 minutes standing on the corner of NW 39th Street and May Avenue in Oklahoma City, handing out $5 bills to people who passed by. He told his Facebook friends that he handed out more than $375, but the response and the amount of good cheer he shared was priceless.

From a distance, Eaton looked a bit like any other panhandler holding a sign at a street corner. But instead of a plea for money, his sign read: "I have a home… and a car… and a job. Do you need a few bucks for some coffee?"

Some people drove by several times, wondering if they read his sign correctly. Many people murmured "I can't believe this" or "bless you" as he handed them the cash. Others were reluctant to take his money, and he had to tell them "It's OK, it's just a blessing" and explain that this was his way of celebrating his milestone birthday. "One obviously needy truck holding a family came around the second time after misunderstanding the first time, to give ME $2 just to bless ME for what I was doing," he told his friends on Facebook. "I took their money AND gave them a $5. We kind of traded blessings."

"I think this is the craziest guy I have ever seen in my life and it's fantastic!" one driver told KFOR. "I am enjoying the moment out here."

"It's just been fantastic," Eaton told the TV station. "Some people who don't take the money just say, 'Man, I love what you are doing. I won't take it but would you give it to someone who needs it'." 

Eaton's birthday inspiration echoes that of Robyn Bomar, who in 2010 celebrated her 38th birthday with 38 random acts of kindness and asked her family and friends to join in.

"I planned out 38 things ahead of time, just in case, but really was praying for opportunities to present themselves throughout the day," she wrote on her blog, Mix Mingle Glow. "My husband, three daughters, and my husband's parents joined me in the most favorite birthday of my life!"

She was so moved by the outpouring of support that she started "The Birthday Project," an online community of people who celebrate their special days by paying their good fortune forward.

The 65 minutes spent handing out money wasn't Eaton's only random act of kindness for the day. According to his notes, which he posted to Facebook, he also said "keep the change" when he paid $50 for his $12 haircut and $10 for his $1.09 cup of coffee, bought lunch for several diners at a local restaurant, and gave bus fare to a stranger and his daughter, among other things.

"This day has been one of the biggest blessings of my recent life," he told his Facebook friends. "I don't know if I can wait until another birthday to do this again. But what if it became a habit? Or what if everyone or a lot of people did their birthday number of random acts of kindness on their birthday? How good would that be?" 


Courtesy:
myjoyonline

Gustav Klimt honoured with Google Doodle

Join Google, Gustav Klimt  and myself as we celebrate the 150th birthday of Gustav Klimt with the rest of the world.

Australian artist, Gustav Klimt's Google Doodle.

The Austrian artist, born in 1862, displayed a fascination with eroticism and led the Secession movement. As a symbolist painter, his work caused a lot of controversy for its celebration of sexuality. Today, Gustav's pieces are counted among the most expensive artworks worldwide.

Klimt was the son of a gold engraver. In his later years, he became known for his gold leaf on his works, which he produced after he was trained at Vienna's School of Applied Art. 

The Secession movement was a group of Viennese artists who challenged the rigidity of traditional Austrian paintings, and he emerged as a master musketeer for this group. His leadership made him the only artist to do an extensive, authorized productions of his own work.

In 1903, he was forced to remove Hope 1, a painting of a naked pregnant woman from the retrospective exhibition of the Secession movement. So far, his most famous painting is The Kiss (1907-08), which reflected his fascination with eroticism.

This father of 14 illegitimate children, died from a stroke after contracting the Spanish flu during the 1918 pandemic.

In 2010, a Vienna art museum invited a sex club to hold orgies and display related paraphernalia in the Secession Building, home to Klimt's Beethoven Frieze, his most ambitious surviving work.

"As for me, I can't wait to get honored with a Google Doodle but I wonder what to do to qualify?"

Courtesy:

Gustav Klimt

Galamsey operators impregnate school girls at Gomoa Ajumako

"They came to mine but now they have decided to exploit the women instead..." 

A Galamsey is a local artisanal gold miner. 

Some galamsey operators have impregnated about seven school girls in the Gomoa Ajumako Township of Ghana and this has led to serious concerns among the teachers in the area. Some of these teachers spoke to Adom TV  but the prefer to remain anonymous and their main worry was with the attitude of most parents who failed to provide the  needs of their wards.  This  is what they believe  has driven these young girls to fend for themselves by depending on the galamsey operators .

According to one of the teachers, some of the parents are aware of the affairs of the daughters and to an extent, these parents have not only expressed their interest but have also  offered to support the girls probably hoping to gain financially.

Another teacher said she had five pupils  who were already pregnant... two in Classes 5 and 6; with five others in the Junior High School. This makes it a total of ten. Together, the teachers believe that this trend is affecting teaching and learning and that even when the bold and courageous ones return to the classroom, they are unable to function as they used to prior to their pregnancy and delivery. 

They have reported this to the authorities to prosecute those galamsey men who impregnate the young girls. A gentleman described the situation as chronic adding that in one instance a man impregnated three young girls.


Courtesy: myjoyonline

Ghanaian musician, Eazzy Goes Nicki Minaj!

Eazzy

Singer and Rapper, Eazzy was spotted being the newest Nicki Minaj look-alike. For the remake of her video for the hit song 'Wengeze,' this was the look she came up with.

This video was initially relesed but there were too many criticism as to the quality as compared to how viral the song had become.

Her decision was probably influenced by her experience in the Big Brother Stargame TV show

"Well, she pulled off the look perfectly but in my opinion, she should be herself and let someone else copy."

Courtesy:

ameyawdebrah

Ghanaian Actress, Jackie Appiah To Star in the First Ever 3D Nollywood Movie

For the first time, there's going to be a 3D Nollywood video and our very own Jackie Appiah will be on the cast. According to insider sources, the Ghanaian star actress, Jackie will be the leading lady and this video will be shot in Nigeria.


Sources say the title of the movie is 'Paranormal' and I guess we should look out for it!

Courtesy:  ameyawdebrah

Forbes List of Highest Paid Celebrities Under 30

Have you seen the Forbes List of highest paid celebrities under 30 years. Well, I though I would find my name but unfortunately, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber beat me to it!

Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber

Taylor Swift, 22, swipes the top spot with a cool $57 million, leaving Justin Bieber and his $55 million. At 18 years old, the “Boyfriend” singer is the youngest of the top 10 earners. Mom-to-be Adele nabs the sixth spot on the list, followed by Kristen Stewart and Lil Wayne, who, at 29, is the oldest celebrity of the bunch. Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson and their matching $26.5 millions, round out the top 10.

Here's the List

Taylor Swift, $57 million
Justin Bieber, $55 million
Rihanna, $53 million
Lady Gaga, $52 million
Katy Perry, $45 million
Adele, $35 million
Kristen Stewart, $34.5 million
Lil Wayne, $27 million
Taylor Lautner, $26.5 million
Robert Pattinson, $26.5 million

Courtesy: My Joy Online

Dzigbordi Dosoo, New TV Host on Africa Magic

Dzigbordi Dosoo

Today's woman calls herself the 'Millennium Woman'. One of such women is the elegant Dzigbordi Dosoo [pronounced Gee-bore-dee). She is a wellness, image and lifestyle coach, entrepreneur and very recently, talk show host amongst many other things. AfricaMagic Entertainment viewers have watched her work as the wellness expert for Pamper Your Mum.

Dzigbordi is currently the CEO and founder of the Allure Group Africa, the first Day Spa in Ghana. Her knowledge of the beauty and skin care has led her to co-create ‘kanshi’, an authentic African skin care range.

Her love to speak and encourage others through motivation served as the footpath towards the start of her TV show – The Dzibordi Show. Style Magazine called her "Africa's Oprah" but this mother and wife hopes to help people find personal success in different spheres of their lives from work related problems to finances, relationships and mental strength through her show.


The Dzigbordi Show is expected to be a thirteen part hour-long show, aired on AfricaMagic Entertainment and has been showing since Monday, 9 July at 17.30 CAT.

"I wish her all the best on her show and can't wait wait to see how it all plays out."

Courtesy:

My Joy Online

Ghana's Version of 'The Bachelor'

Multi-TV brought to Ghanaian homes the first ever 24hour reality show in May, 2012, [almost two months ago]. The show, I'm In Love with Bomaye, bearing similarities to the popular show 'The Bachelor', began with twelve young women of varied cultural backgrounds and ethnicity, and one man... The King... also called Bomaye. 


All twelve women were given the task of winning the King's heart while undergoing challenges and series of activities in the house. 


Today with less than seven women in the house, the show continues until that one woman is left standing by the side of the King... Her King, Bomaye after thirteen weeks.


Fascinated, this Ghanaian girl suggests that you check out this show on Multi-TV's Cine Afrik.




Courtesy:
myjoyonline 

Shinji Kagawa and his Pornstar girlfriend, Ameri Ichinose

"the writings of a Ghanaian girl picked up this story about the hot new Manchester United footballer, Shinji Kagawa. I'm still stunned and wondering how true it is... Well, here it goes..."

Shinji Kagawa

Together with his pornstar girlfriend, Shinji Kagawa was spotted in Manchester United and a lot of heads are expected to be turning.

Ameri Ichinose

Media said the Japanese midfielder arrived at Old Trafford with two things on his hands; a big reputation and 24-year-old girlfriend, Ameri Ichinose. He apparently also had a set of medals from the German double he completed with Borrussia Dortmund last season.

As for the young Miss Ichinose, it would be difficult for her to avoid the cameras ...