Title: Mandela interpreter ridiculed
1Mandela interpreter ridiculed
2The South African sign language interpreter
signed vigorously throughout Nelson Mandelas
memorial. He was seen by millions worldwide. But
apparently understood by no one. He has been
accused of using "fake" signs. He also said he
suffered a schizophrenic episode at the event
during which he hallucinated and heard voices.
Thamsanqa Jantjie made the admissions Thursday
following allegations that have led to him being
called an impostor. In a separate interview with
the Associated Press, Jantjie said he saw visions
of angels coming to the stadium. He also told the
AP that he has previously been violent. The AP
interview noted that Jantjie stood approximately
three feet from President Obama during Tuesday's
ceremony to honor Mandela. Jantjie was paid
about 85 as a sign language interpreter at the
ceremony that was broadcast around the world and
was attended by dozens of world leaders. On
Tuesday, sign language experts in South Africa
and elsewhere claimed Jantjie's interpretations
amounted to "gibberish. He refused to explain
details of his qualifications and referred such
questions to the company that booked him for the
event. Authorities in South Africa have pledged
to investigate the allegations. Jantjie is now
suggesting that his schizophrenia is to blame.
3In Other News
- Amid a massive amount of negative publicity, a
Colorado school system has let a 6-year-old boy
return to school and said it won't classify his
kissing a girl on the hand as sexual harassment.
The story of first-grader Hunter Yelton made
national news and spurred outrage this week after
word spread that his school near Colorado Springs
suspended him for the kiss and accused him of
sexually harassing the girl. The superintendent
changed Hunter's disciplinary offense from
"sexual harassment" to "misconduct. The boy's
mother said the whole thing stemmed from an
innocent crush Hunter had on a girl in the class.
He kissed her on the hand during reading group.
That landed him a two-day suspension from school
and an entry of sexual harassment in his school
files. The mother did admit Hunter had problems
at school before, getting suspended for
rough-housing and for kissing the same girl on
the cheek. The mother of the girl Hunter is
accused of kissing, told the local newspaper that
the school district was right in protecting her
daughter. The mother said Hunter had tried to
kiss her daughter "over and over" without her
permission. The superintendent said, "Our main
interest in this is having the behavior stop
because the story is not just about the student
that was disciplined, it is also about the
student receiving the unwanted advances." - To families of the victims, Ethan Couch is a
killer a teen drunk driver who killed four
people. To the defense, hes a victim of
"affluenza. Or more precisely, the product of
wealthy, privileged parents who never set limits
for him. A judge seemed to agree with his lawyers
- saying Couch needs treatment. He sentenced the
16-year-old to 10 years probation and no jail
time. - A bunch of kids allegedly broke into an LA
mansion last month and threw a party. They
trashed the home and stole some money, including
a suit and a 250,000 stuffed leopard. Not
satisfied with the damage, cops say, they bragged
about it on social media. The selfies led cops
to the three 18-year-olds and 13 minors this
week, who now face burglary, grand theft and
trespass charges.