Jim Farry Scottish football administrator, Chief Executive of the Scottish Football Association (1990–1999), died from a massive heart attack he was , 56,
James “Jim” Farry [1] served as chief executive of the Scottish Football Association from 1990 to 1999. Farry was forced to leave that post due to a dispute with Celtic over the registration of Portuguese player Jorge Cadete died from a massive heart attack he was , 56,.
| (1 July 1954 – 10 November 2010) |
Early life
Farry attended school in East Kilbride, before working as a landscape gardener, milkman and window cleaner.[2] He first joined the Scottish Football Association in 1972 as an administration assistant.[2] In the late 1970s he was appointed secretary of the Scottish Football League, a position he held for over 10 years.[2] Farry earned a reputation as an efficient administrator during his stint as league secretary. When the same position at the SFA became vacant in 1990, he was appointed as the successor to the departing Ernie Walker.[2][3]
SFA chief executive
While chief executive, Farry oversaw the project to renovate Scotland’s national football stadium Hampden Park.[4] The ‘new Hampden’ as it was termed, drew both support and criticism, with opinion divided over the need for a dedicated national stadium within Scotland. As the stadium is used at club level by Queen’s Park, an amateur team currently playing in the lower divisions and possessing limited support, some footballing figures had argued that an existing stadium could have served as a home for the Scottish national team indefinitely. Alternatively, supporters of the stadium have pointed to the awarding of UEFA elite status and the hosting of a number of high profile matches, most notably the 2002 UEFA Champions League Final and the 2007 UEFA Cup Final, as proof of the renovation’s success.
Princess of Wales Controversy
In 1997, Farry attracted criticism from some parts of the media in the aftermath of the death of Diana Princess of Wales, after he publicly rejected calls to cancel a scheduled international match between Scotland and Belarus on the day of the Princess’s funeral.[5] He later revealed that he had been advised by Buckingham Palace to let the game go ahead; however after a hostile reaction from the media and certain sections of society, the match was eventually rescheduled.[5][6][dead link] Labour MP Jimmy Hood and the Daily Record newspaper called on Farry to resign, while Rangers players Ally McCoist, Andy Goram and Gordon Durie had refused to play in the match if it had been played on the day of the funeral.[5][7]
Jorge Cadete
In 1999, an independent commission was called to examine allegations made by the then Celtic managing director and majority shareholder Fergus McCann concerning the registration of Portuguese player Jorge Cadete in 1996.[3] A player must be registered with the SFA before he is permitted to play in matches in Scotland. A delay in the registration had forced Cadete to miss a Scottish Cup semi-final against their Old Firm rivals Rangers, which Celtic lost 2–1.[3][8] McCann claimed that the delay was deliberate and the commission ruled in his favour.[3][8] On 8 March 1999, Farry was sacked for gross misconduct.[3]
Life after the SFA
As of 2009, Farry was employed as a business development manager by medium sized construction and refurbishment firm AKP Scotland Limited, based in East Kilbride.[9]
Death
Following a massive heart attack in his home, Farry died on 10 November 2010 in Hairmyres Hospital shortly afterwards. Jim Farry is survived by his wife, Elaine, and children Alyson and Euan. [2]
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Dave Niehaus American sportscaster (Seattle Mariners), 2008 Ford C. Frick Award recipient, died from a heart attack he was , 75,
David Arnold Niehaus was an American sportscaster died from a heart attack he was , 75,. He was the lead play-by-play announcer for the American League‘s Seattle Mariners from their inaugural season in 1977 until his death after the 2010 season. In 2008, the National Baseball Hall of Fame awarded Niehaus with the Ford C. Frick Award, the highest honor for American baseball broadcasters. Among fans nationwide and his peers, Niehaus was considered to be one of the finest sportscasters in history.
| (February 19, 1935 – November 10, 2010) |
Biography
Early life and career
Niehaus graduated from Indiana University in 1957, entered the military, and began his broadcasting career with Armed Forces Radio. He became a partner of Dick Enberg on the broadcast team of the California Angels in 1969. Niehaus also broadcast the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL and UCLA Bruins football and basketball during this period.
Seattle Mariners
In 1977, Danny Kaye, part-owner of the expansion Seattle Mariners, recruited Niehaus to become the franchise’s radio voice. Despite working for a franchise who from its first year in 1977 until 1991 was without a winning season, his talent was recognizable, and Niehaus was considered one of the few attractions for Mariner fans.[citation needed] Even in the period before the team’s memorable 1995 season, the Mariners were regularly one of the leading major-league teams in terms of the percentage of radios in use.
Niehaus became immensely popular in Seattle, twice being named Washington Sportscaster of the Year. The team chose him to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the opening of its new ballpark, Safeco Field, on July 15, 1999.[1] In 1999, for Nintendo 64, Niehaus was added to Ken Griffey, Jr.’s Slugfest as an announcer during gameplay. In 2000, he was the second figure to be inducted into the Mariners Hall of Fame.[1] In 2008, Niehaus was named the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award, which recognizes career excellence in baseball broadcasting and is considered the highest baseball broadcasting honor.[1]
As of the end of the 2007 season, Niehaus had called 4,817 of the 4,899 games the Mariners had played since their inception.[1] May 7, 2009, was Niehaus’ 5,000th game as a Mariner broadcaster. Niehaus broadcast 5,284 of the 5,385 Mariners games, and intended to broadcast the complete 2011 season.[2]
Notable catchphrases
Niehaus is noted for using the following catchphrases on Mariner broadcasts:
- “My, oh my!” – a variant of former Angels partner Enberg’s “Oh, my!”, used for big, exciting plays.
- “Swung on and belted!” – used on long fly balls that may go over the wall for a home run.
- “It will fly away!”‘ (sometimes “Fly, fly away!”) – used for home runs.
- “Get out the rye bread and mustard, Grandma, it is grand salami time!” – used for a grand slam home run by a Mariners player.
- “The Mariners have erupted!” – used during scoring outbursts
Notable Nicknames
- “A-Rod” – first to call Alex Rodriguez “A-Rod”
- “Death to Flying Things” – first to call Franklin Gutiérrez by his current nickname
- “The Kid” – Niehaus’s name for Ken Griffey, Jr.
Notable calls
Now the left hander ready, branding iron hot, the 1-2 pitch….”K” inserted! It’s over! Right over the heart of the plate! Randy looks to the skies that is covered by the dome and bedlam! As the Mariners now erupt! 19 long years of frustration is over!—Calling the final out against the California Angels in the one-game AL West playoff in 1995.
Right now, the Mariners looking for the tie. They would take a fly ball, they would love a base hit into the gap and they could win it with Junior’s speed. The stretch… and the 0-1 pitch on the way to Edgar Martínez swung on and LINED DOWN THE LEFT FIELD LINE FOR A BASE HIT! HERE COMES JOEY, HERE IS JUNIOR TO THIRD BASE, THEY’RE GOING TO WAVE HIM IN! THE THROW TO THE PLATE WILL BE … LATE! THE MARINERS ARE GOING TO PLAY FOR THE AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP! I DON’T BELIEVE IT! IT JUST CONTINUES! MY, OH MY!—Calling “The Double”, hit by Edgar Martínez, which scored Joey Cora and Ken Griffey, Jr. to win the 1995 American League Division Series in the 5th and final game.
Death
Niehaus suffered a myocardial infarction (heart attack) at his Bellevue, Washington, home on November 10, 2010, and died at age 75 while preparing to barbecue some ribs on his deck.[3] Heart problems had forced Niehaus to undergo two angioplasties in 1996, causing him to give up smoking and change his diet.[citation needed] He is survived by his wife, three children, and six grandchildren. In a formal statement, Mariners Chairman Howard Lincoln and President Chuck Armstrong said “Dave has truly been the heart and soul of this franchise since its inception in 1977… He truly was the fans connection to every game.”[4] Washington Governor Chris Gregoire said “Today the Pacific Northwest lost one of its sports icons…Dave was an institution here starting with the team’s first pitch in 1977. With all due respect to the great Alvin Davis, Dave is ‘Mr. Mariner.'” At news of Dave’s death, tributes came from Jay Buhner, Ken Griffey, Jr., Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn, other Mariners broadcasters, and fans.[2]
As a tribute to the voice of the Seattle Mariners, Seattle MC, Macklemore, released a song called “My Oh My” on December 22nd, 2010. It describes Niehaus’s influence on not only Macklemore’s childhood, but also on any and all from Seattle. It also features an audio clip from the winning call of the 1995 American League Division Series.
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90 Girls Pregnant at Memphis Middle/High School
What in the world is going on at Frayser Middle/High School in Memphis, Tenn.? More girls are carrying babies than backpacks!
There are a reported 90 teens who are pregnant now or who have had a baby this school year. Eleven percent of the school’s female population is already in the throes of parenthood.
Now an all-out campaign is being launched to deter teen pregnancy at the school.
Teen pregnancy is a big problem in Memphis and Shelby County, where the population is predominantly black and poor.
Sixteen-year-old Terrika Sutton (pictured above) is one of the Frayser students who became pregnant. Sutton, who has a 2-month-old daughter, says she was in her fifth month when she found out she was expecting a child. The teen mom surprised her parents and classmates alike when she broke the news to them about her situation:
“They were like, ‘Terrika, I never knew you would get pregnant,’ and I was like well it happened.”
The young mother goes onto say, though, that teen pregnancy is nothing to be proud of and that something should be done:
“It’s a shame that all these girls at Frayser are pregnant, but it ain’t nothing new. They probably planned on what they gonna do to get pregnant. Ain’t no telling. They need a class where they can teach girls before they get pregnant to use protection and stuff and so they don’t try to get pregnant.”
Until now, there has been very little data collected on the number of pregnant students.
Last year, more than 2,100 girls ages 10 to 19 gave birth in Shelby County. Researchers say Shelby County’s teen pregnancy rate is 25 percent higher than New Orleans and twice that of Louisville, Ky. Frayser, though, has the highest teen-pregnancy rate in all of Memphis.
A Title 1 school, Frayser receives federal dollars based on the number of students from low-income families who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Nearly 100 percent of the students who attend the school qualify.
Educators and researchers have come up with a new campaign that has been designed to help teens prevent pregnancy called “No Baby!”
Memphis City School officials will set the initiative in motion on Jan. 20. The campaign will be run by Girls Inc., an organization that’s been helping girls in Memphis improve their self-esteem for the past several decades.
The “No Baby!” all-out massive effort to stomp out teen pregnancy will hopefully get the message across to teens to say no to having sex and having babies. “No Baby!” will only encourage abstinence and not provide contraceptives but will give teens the proper tools on how to protect themselves should they decide to engage in sexual relations.
The war against teenage pregnancy is also being infused with $250,000 in advertising that will saturate all forms of social media forums such as Twitter and Facebook, as well as using other mediums, such as texts, radio, billboards and television.
The advertising campaign’s rollout will begin with Frayser, but it will expand to include other schools in Memphis where the teen pregnancy problem is rampant. In 10 Memphis zip codes, at least 20 percent of teens have a baby, which is more than double the national average.
Teen pregnancy is a serious issue that demands our attention.
Teen parents are almost always unprepared for the challenges of parenthood and often drop out of school, take low-paying jobs and never complete their education. Children born to teen moms are often sicker, poorer and less educated as a group.
The scariest part of all is that they are also the group most likely to become teen parents and repeat the cycle. I don’t profess to come up with any one solution to this growing problem, but I believe that morals, contraception, abstinence and keeping idle minds busy with activities after school might be a darn good start.
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Nicolo Rizzuto, Italian-born Canadian mafia leader (Rizzuto crime family), has died from a gun shot. wound he was , 86
Nicolo Rizzuto, also known as Nick Rizzuto, was the crime boss of the Sicilian faction of the Italian Mafia in Montreal who later pushed out the Calabrian Cotroni family has died from a gun shot. wound he was , 86. Rizzuto was born in Cattolica Eraclea, Sicily, in 1924, and immigrated to Canada in 1954 when the family settled in Montreal.[1] Nick’s son Vito Rizzuto was allegedly the godfather of the Sicilian Mafia in Canada and is currently serving a federal sentence for homicide in the United States.
(February 18, 1924 – November 10, 2010)
Early life
Rizzuto was born in Sicily in the town of Cattolica Eraclea. In 1925, his father Vito left for the United States of America with his brother-in-law Calogero Renda and 4 others. Vito’s wife stayed with Nicolo in Sicily. In 1933, Vito was murdered in New York by rival gangsters forcing Nicolo to grow up with a stepfather. Nicolo married a girl named Labertina Manno, during the early 1940’s, the daughter of a local Mafia leader. In 1954, Nicolo took his new family and settled in Montreal, Canada. He was able to form his own crew with help from several other Sicilian relatives and associates living there.[1]
Rizzuto had ties to organized crime in Canada, the United States, Venezuela and Italy. He began his Mafia career in Canada as an associate of the Cotroni crime family that controlled much of Montreal’s drug trade in the 1970s while answering to the Bonanno crime family of New York. He was, however, more closely linked to the Sicilian Mafia, in particular the Cuntrera-Caruana Mafia clan, who came from the same region in the province of Agrigento.[2]
Mob war
Rizzuto did not care much about the formal and ceremonial command lines in the Cotroni family, who were of Calabrian origin. Violi complained about the independent modus operandi of his Sicilian ‘underlings’, Nick Rizzuto in particular. “He is going from one side to the other, here and there, and he says nothing to nobody, he is doing business and nobody knows anything,” Violi said about Rizzuto. Violi asked for more ‘soldiers’ from his Bonanno bosses, clearly preparing for war, and Violi’s boss at the time, Vincent Cotroni remarked: “After all, I am ‘capo decina’, I have the right to expel him.”[2]
By the 1980s, the Rizzutos emerged as the city’s pre-eminent Mafia crew after a turf war between the Montreal family’s Sicilian and Calabrian factions. Rizzuto allegedly participated in the murder in 1978 of Paolo Violi, a Bonanno underboss who had been named boss of Montreal’s family. He allegedly replaced the late Vic Cotroni as the clearinghouse for Corsican heroin entering Canada and the United States.
Legal problems
Rizzuto was arrested on November 23, 2006.[3] Before the arrest, Rizzuto appeared to be immune to police investigations in Canada. But he did serve five years in prison in Venezuela between 1988 and 1993 after being convicted of cocaine possession. An undercover Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer was later informed that Rizzuto was paroled early after an associate of the family delivered an CND$800,000 bribe to Venezuelan officials. October 16, 2008 Rizzuto was released from prison.
On February 11, 2010, Nicolo Rizzuto entered a guilty plea to tax evasion charges. The charges stem from a Canada Revenue Agency investigation for the tax years 1994 and 1995. Nicolo Rizzuto was accused of failing to declare the interest earned on more than 5 million dollars deposited in three Swiss bank accounts. The Court ordered Rizzuto that in addition to almost $628,000 in taxes owed, Rizzuto pay a $209,000 fine plus and administrative penalties.[4]
Assassination
On November 10, 2010, Rizzuto was killed at his residence in the Cartierville borough of Montreal when a single bullet from a sniper’s rifle punched through two layers of glass in the rear patio doors of his Montreal mansion.[5][6][1]
Family
Rizzuto had two grandsons by his son Vito and his wife Giovanna Cammalleri, Leonardo Rizzuto and Nicolo “Nick” Rizzuto Jr.. On December 28, 2009, Nick Rizzuto Jr. was shot and killed near his car in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, a borough in Montreal.[7][8][9] Paolo Renda, Nicolo’s son in law, disappeared on May 20, 2010, and is presumed to have been kidnapped.[10] A month later Agostino Cuntrera, who is believed to have taken control of the family, was killed together with his bodyguard on June 30, 2010.[11][12]
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Albert Wesley Johnson, Canadian civil servant, President of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (1975–1982), died after a long illness.he was , 87
Albert Wesley (“Al”) Johnson, CC was a Canadian civil servant, former president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, professor in the department of political science at the University of Toronto, and author died after a long illness.he was , 87.[1]
(October 18, 1923 – November 9, 2010)
Born in Insinger, Saskatchewan, he received a Master’s in public administration (MPA) from the University of Toronto and an MPA and a PhD from Harvard University. He was deputy treasurer of Saskatchewan from 1952 until 1964. In 1964 he became assistant deputy minister of finance for the federal government. From 1975 until 1982 he was president of the CBC. He subsequently taught at Queen’s University and the University of Toronto.[1]
In 1980 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada and was promoted to Companion in 1996 in recognition of his “outstanding career as a public servant, university professor and consultant on post-secondary education, social policy and public management both nationally and internationally”.[2]
He wrote the 2004 book Dream No Little Dreams, A Biography of the Douglas Government of Saskatchewan, 1944–1961 (ISBN 0-8020-8633-0).[1]
After leaving the federal civil service he embarked on an international career:[3]
- Special Advisor on National Provincial Fiscal Arrangements for the International Monetary Fund 1988
- Head of Mission on Administrative Modernization for the Canadian International Development Agency 1991
- Senior advisor to South Africa/Canada Program on Governance 1992
- Commissioner of South Africa’s Presidential Review Commission on the Public Service 1996
Returning to Canada in 1999, Johnson became special chair in public policy to the Government of Saskatchewan.[3]
Johnson died in Ottawa at age 87. He was survived by his wife, Ruth (née Hardy), whom he married in 1946, four children and one granddaughter.[4]
Awards and honours
- Vanier Medal 1976
- Companion of the Order of Canada 1997
- Arthur Kroeger College Award for Ethics in Public Affairs 2010
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Who is Nel Ust Wyclef Jean?
Who is Nel Ust Wyclef Jean? The Entertainment and Music world knows him as Wyclef Jean. Jean is a Haitian-American recording artist and record producer who had at one point attempted to run for presisdent of Haiti.
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Early life
Wyclef was October 17, 1972 in Haiti, the son of a Nazarene pastor, Wyclef briefly attended Eastern Nazarene College.
Wyclef moved with his family to Brooklyn, New York, before moving again to northern New Jersey. He worked briefly as a Burger King crew employee as a teenager, before he was fired. Jean has been a resident of Saddle River and South Orange, New Jersey. Jean, who regrets dropping out of college, has announced plans to attend Boston’s Berklee College of Music. Jean has cited reggae artist Bigga Haitian as one of his 
early influences.
In 1994 he married Fusha designer Marie Claudinette. In 2005 they adopted their daughter, Angelina Claudinelle Jean. The couple renewed their vows in August 2009.
His uncle, political activist, journalist and diplomat Raymond Alcide Joseph, is the Haitian ambassador to the United States since 2005, and came to prominence as a spokesman for his country after the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake and together with Wyclef issued an appeal for international aid.
Fugees-era
Jean’s musical breakthrough was as part of The Refugee Camp (The Fugees), a three-member group that included Lauryn Hill and Prakazrel “Pras” Michel. Jean is Pras’s cousin and a fellow Haitian immigrant. The Fugees signed to Ruffhouse Records, which released the group’s debut album, Blunted on Reality. It sold fairly well, peaking at #49 on the U.S. Hot 100 and selling over 2 million copies worldwide. The follow-up 
album The Score sold over 18 million copies worldwide, eventually becoming a multi-platinum, Grammy-winning album.
Jean announced plans to begin a solo career with 1997’s Wyclef Jean Presents the Carnival Featuring the Refugee All-Stars (generally called The Carnival). The album’s guests included Lauryn Hill and Pras along with Jean’s siblings Melky Sedeck and Farel Sedeck Guerschom Jean, the I Threes (back-up vocals for Bob Marley), The Neville Brothers and Celia Cruz. The album was a hit, as were two singles: “We Trying to Stay Alive” (adapted from The Bee Gees‘ “Stayin’ Alive“) and “Gone Till November” (recorded with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra).
Solo career
At the concert Woodstock 1999, Jean paid homage to 1969 Woodstock performer Jimi Hendrix by setting fire to his guitar after playing “The Star-Spangled Banner“, and burnt his fingers while doing so.
Jean’s second solo album, released in 2000, was The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book. This was recorded with guests including Youssou N’Dour; Earth, Wind & Fire; Kenny Rogers; The Rock; and Mary J. Blige. With Blige he released “911” as a single. He was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Act at the 2000 MTV Europe Music Awards.
Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Jean participated in the benefit concert America: A Tribute to Heroes contributing a cover of the Bob Marley song “Redemption Song“.
Jean’s third album, Masquerade, was released in 2002. His fourth album, The Preacher’s Son, was released in November 2003 as the follow-up to his first solo album, The Carnival.
In 2004, he released his fifth album, entitled Sak Pasé Presents: Welcome to Haïti (Creole 101) (released in the United States by Koch Records). Most of its songs are in his native language of Haitian Creole like “Fanm Kreyol” with the French Caribbean Admiral T. He also figured on the album Mozaik 
Kreyol of this one in the song “Secret Lover”. Then he covered Creedence Clearwater Revival‘s song “Fortunate Son” for the soundtrack of the 2004 film remake of The Manchurian Candidate and wrote the song “Million Voices” for the film Hotel Rwanda.
Jean also produced and wrote songs for the soundtrack to Jonathan Demme‘s 2003 documentary The Agronomist, about the Haitian activist and radio personality Jean Dominique. With Jerry ‘Wonder’ Duplessis, Jean also composed the score of the documentary Ghosts of Cité Soleil, in which he appears onscreen speaking by telephone in 2004 to a “chimere” gang-leader and aspiring rapper, Winston “2Pac” 
Jean. During a period between 2004 and 2006 and fueled by a reunion performance in Dave Chappelle‘s “Block Party”, it appeared that the Fugees were on track to record a new album, however Fugees member Pras claims to Billboard “To put it nicely, it’s dead.” He says the root of this animosity is the third member of the group, Lauryn Hill, saying to Billboard, “Me and Clef, we on the same page, but Lauryn Hill is in her zone, and I’m fed up with that shit. Here she is, blessed with a gift, with the opportunity to rock and give and she’s running on some bulls**t? I’m a fan of Lauryn’s but I can’t respect that.”
Jean released an album in September 2007 that he recorded in Atlanta, Georgia, with the help of T.I., who also collaborated with Jean on the songs “You Know What it is” and “My Swag” on T.I.’s 2007 album, T.I. vs. T.I.P. Recently, Wyclef released a new song called “Sweetest Girl (Dollar Bill)” featuring Lil’ Wayne, Niia and Akon, which references the song “C.R.E.A.M.” by the Wu-Tang Clan. The album also features a single, “Fast Car”, whose video was made with the assistance of video game Burnout Paradise. In November 2008, an upbeat single ‘Let Me Touch Your Button’ featuring will.i.am (of The Black Eyed Peas) was released in the UK in conjunction with Wyclef’s invovlement with UK MOTOROKRSTAR (which sees Motorola UK on the search to discover British talent).
In 2009, he featured in a song called “Spanish Fly” with Ludacris and Bachata group Aventura in Aventura’s upcoming album “The Last” which came out in June.
On June 17, 2009, Wyclef announced via Twitter that his new album will be called wyclefjean to be released sometime in February 2010. The first single off of wyclefjean is to be titled “Seventeen” and will feature Lil’ Wayne.
In November 2009, A track titled “Suicide Love” featuring rapper Eve leaked online prior to the release of his EP.
Wyclef Jean’s EP named From the Hut, to the Projects, to the Mansion was released on November 10, 2009. It includes 17 tracks, featuring Cyndi Lauper, Timbaland, Eve, and Lil’ Kim. In this album, Wyclef uses the alias Toussaint St. Jean, his alter ego when he raps.
Jean’s self-entitled studio album is due to be released in 2010. “Hold On,” the lead single from the project will feature Dancehall artist Mavado.
Yéle Haiti
Wyclef at the ONEXONE benefit in San Francisco, October 2008
In 2005, Jean established the Yéle Haiti Foundation. In its first year of operation, the foundation, with funding by Comcel, provided scholarships to 3,600 children in Gonaïves, Haiti, after the devastation by Hurricane Jeanne. In its second year of operation, it is almost doubling the amount of the scholarships and spreading them throughout Haiti, providing tuition in 5 regions. The foundation aims to provide 6,800 scholarships to children in Port-au-Prince, Gonaïves, Les Cayes, Port-de-Paix, and Cap-Haïtien.
The Foundation filed its tax forms for 2005–2007 all in August 2009, a delay Charity Navigator characterized as “odd” even among charities, and “beyond late”. Much of Yéle Haiti’s money has been paid out to Wyclef Jean, his relative and fellow Yéle Haiti director Jerry Duplessis, or companies they own. For example, the Foundation claimed about $1,000,000 in revenue for 2006, but paid $250,000 to Telemax, a television station controlled by Jean and Duplessis, $31,000 to rent its own offices from Platinum Sound owned by Jean and Duplessis, and $100,000 for Jean’s own performance at a benefit concert in Monaco, when Jean had been paid only $40,000 as headliner at 2002 festival at the top of his career with the Fugees.
Hugh Locke, president of Yéle Haiti, said “I think people should be very comfortable that any money given to Yéle Haiti is going 100 percent to emergency relief.” and that the group hopes to increase the percentage of its budget on services as it gains experience. He described the concert payments as “not our finest hour”. A 
spokesman for Yéle Haiti’s public relations firm described paying Jean’s and Duplessis’ companies as an opportunity to receive services at a “severely reduced” rate and a “significant discount”.
Yéle Haiti, and its predecessor the Wyclef Jean Foundation, have been involuntarily dissolved by the Florida Division of Corporations on multiple occasions for failing to file required state disclosure reports. Of the $1,142,944 in total revenue the foundation collected in 2006, at least $410,000 was paid directly to Jean and his business partner for rent, production services, and Jean’s appearance at a benefit concert.
In a 2009 interview with Allhiphop.com writer Han O’Connor, Wyclef stated that his priority for the organization was to raise money to build the Yéle Center, which would be a facility that consists of a sports center, Wyclef Jean School of the Arts, a cultural center focusing on the environment and an internet café. During the interview he claimed that he feels the key to improving the situation in Haiti is to build sustainable opportunity.
After the earthquake on January 12, 2010 in Haiti, Jean called on others to donate to his foundation’s Yéle Haiti Earthquake Fund, imploring “We must act now.”
Jean has been active in his support of his native country and created the foundation Yéle Haiti to provide humanitarian aid and assistance to Haiti. He describes Yéle as a non-political organization intended to empower the people of Haiti and the Haitian diaspora to rebuild their nation, saying, “The objective of Yéle Haiti is to restore pride and a reason to hope, and for the whole country to regain the deep spirit and strength that is part of our heritage”. Yéle Haiti was created in October 2004 with Wyclef’s cousin Jerry ‘Wonder’ Duplessis. Projects were launched in January 2005. Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt were present for the first anniversary of the launch in 2006. In January 2007, Jean became a roving ambassador for Haiti, to help improve its image abroad.
May 20, 2008 – Yéle Haiti partnered with WFP (World Food Programme) of the United Nations to launch http://www.togetherforhaiti.org
September, 2008 – Wyclef in conjunction with Yéle Haiti Charity delivered food to Hurricane Ike victims in Haiti. Matt Damon provided assistance in the food lines serving food.
Oct 23, 2008 – Wyclef Jean performed on stage with Carlos Santana in San Francisco on behalf of Yéle Haiti, OneXOne, and WaterPartners International to raise funds for clean water, education, health, environment, and community development in the USA and in the developing world.
In 2009, Wyclef Jean and The Timberland Company joined forces to help raise environmental awareness in Haiti. This duo “will be a multi-platform effort incorporating Timberland products, digital and social media, service events, music, and concerts that will promote environmental awareness.” The campaign will push to support and educate the country as well as helping to improve health care and the environment, and the community. Wyclef Jean also plans to spread information about the joint efforts through social media outlets such as “Twitter, YouTube, Myspace, Facebook, imeem, and Social Vibe.” He also aims to use social networking websites to help raise money to build the Yéle Center.
In January 2010, along with his uncle Raymond Joseph, Haitian ambassador to the US, Wyclef issued an appeal for international aid following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake. Yéle Haiti also came under “fiscal scrutiny” for some questionable payments made to Wyclef and his businesses. The tax returns can be seen on thesmokinggun.com website.
Also following the Haitian earthquake, ABC News uncovered how e-mail spammers posed as Jean to siphon money from potential donors to his foundation. Thousands of people reportedly received the message, which software security groups and charity watchdogs said was a scam.
Politics
Jean said he was considering running for President of Haiti in the 2010 elections.
Finances
Wyclef performing at the Mezzanine in San Francisco to a full house, July 2008
Wyclef’s waterfront mansion that was purchased through his corporation on Pine Tree Drive in Miami Beach, Florida, is now owned by a bank as of November 2008. The property is valued at US$1.4 million. He took out a US$2-million mortgage to purchase and renovate the property, but fell behind in payments. There are more than $100,000 in construction and architectural liens associated with the property. The house was reported to be auctioned at the Miami-Dade Courthouse on December 12, 2008. Wyclef Jean’s corporation, which he and a few friends set up several years ago, then owed the bank US$2.4 million.
In January 2009, Wyclef mentioned, in a walk-by interview, that the problems with their Miami property were due to a contractor’s sitting on the job for two years, and that the court-ordered sale did not take place, and that he plans to sell the property later.
Appearances in television and film
Jean at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
- Was a musical guest star on Nickelodeon sketch comedy show All That during the 1990s.
- In 1997, toured “Carnival” album on MTV’s “Live from the 10 Spot” at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.
- Performed “Sweetest Girl” on Jimmy Kimmel Live.
- Performed “President” on the second season of Chappelle’s Show.
- In 2001, he appeared in the made-for-television movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera alongside Beyonce and Mos Def, as a fortune teller.
- Performed on the 2003 Source Awards with DJ Khaled.
- Appeared for a second time on Chappelle’s Show in a parody of Making the Band.
- Appeared on the The Apprentice (US Season 4) in 2005. Did a rap, “Rubble Man“, with the winning team, Excel, as their reward for winning task five.
- Also in 2005, he played gang leader Marcel Hollis who leads his group on an assault on the station house in the NBC television drama Third Watch.
- In 2004, Jean, Pras and Hill reunited as The Fugees for an event filmed and released in 2006 as Dave Chappelle’s Block Party.
- He also starred in Virgin Mobile commercials as himself. In one commercial, a woman approaches him and tricks him into signing a contract which legally binds them in marriage. She drags him back to her trailer-park home where he is mistreated, forced to work and pleasure his wife. Eventually, he runs away and seeks police assistance, but is instead arrested for violating his contract and ultimately winds up in jail.
- Appeared in 2002 Jamaican gangster film Shottas, released in 2006.
- In 2005, he played the role of a Jamaican drug dealer in the movie Dirty.
- He narrated the movie Full Clip, starring Busta Rhymes, Xzibit, Prodigy of Mobb Deep, Spliff Star, and others.
- He has appeared and performed on the Source Awards with DJ Khaled, with Wyclef and his band and Khaled doing turntables.
- He appears in the documentary film Ghosts of Cité Soleil, released in limited theaters on June 27, 2007.
- In 2005, he appeared in the film One Last Thing…. His character is a cab driver named Emmett Ducasse. It is implied he is an angel due to being in the main character’s “Heaven”. Wyclef also has an original track that is the closing credits first song. The song is “Heaven’s in New York”.
- In December 2007, starred in the four-part MTV exclusive online short-film Americlef
- On April 26, 2008 he hosted the MTV Australia Awards
- He appeared on a remix of his own track “Bubblegoose” for Chef Aid: The South Park Album, where he sings alongside the main characters of the show.
- Created a music video at the University of San Francisco for the song “President” in February 2008.
- May 20, 2008: At the Gansevoort Hotel, Wyclef Jean in partnership with the WFP and PADF launched TOGETHER FOR HAITI to address the hunger crisis in HAITI http://www.togetherforhaiti.org http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF009898BA00170098F67D/ members of the American and international television and print media were invited to cover the news. UN envoy Jeffrey Sachs introduced Jean. Supermodel Petra Nemcova was on hand to support. A surprise appearance was made by Paul Simon.
- August 25, 2008: Wyclef Jean goes “On The Record” with Greta Van Susteren of FOX News discussing his life and career, political coverage, Obama, McCain, Bush and 9-11.
- January 11, 2009: Wyclef Jean is featured on 60 Minutes
- January 30, 2009: Wyclef Jean is featured on The Musical Brain on CTV, a documentary film based on Daniel Levitin‘s book This Is Your Brain On Music.
- 2009 TV appearance on “30 Rock.” (performed He Needs a Kidney with many other musicians).
- FIFA 10 Soundtrack “MVP Kompa”
- Performed on David Letterman with Cyndi Lauper and DJ Rekha on Monday, November 16, 2009, singing “Slumdog Millionaire”
- Performed on the Nobel Peace Prize Concert In Oslo(Norway), December 11, 2009.
- Was a guest speaker on Hope For Haiti Now telethon, January 22, 2010.
- Was a guest speaker on the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, January 31, 2010.
Discography
- 1997: The Carnival (Columbia)
- 2000: The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II a Book (Columbia)
- 2002: Masquerade (Columbia)
- 2003: Greatest Hits (Columbia)
- 2003: The Preacher’s Son (J)
- 2004: Welcome to Haiti: Creole 101 (Koch)
- 2007: Carnival Vol. II: Memoirs of an Immigrant (Columbia)
- 2009: From the Hut, To the Projects, To the Mansion (Columbia)
- 2010: Wyclef Jean (Columbia)
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