NIGERIA'S 2015 ROAD TRIP:HOW MUCH SHALL IT GO WRONG BEFORE SANITY PREVAILS?...WILL OUR POLITICAL VEHICLE HAVE HICCUPS OR PANEL-BEATING WAHALA LIKE IN THESE PICS?

When Road Trips Go Wrong:Can any of these happen to us in 2015?

Traveling is fun, but it’s also risky. Leaving your comfort zone increases the likelihood that something might go awry, especially when it comes to driving in countries other than your own. In some cases, like the one above, horribly awry. But while such stories might be mortifying in the moment, they give us plenty to laugh about afterwards. Never forget that the root of comedy is tragedy e.g. me slipping on a banana peel is tragic, you slipping on a banana peel is hilarious. With that in mind, we’re proud to present: When Road Trips Go Wrong.



Since it’s still winter for now, we’ll start with some photos of drivers failing to navigate icy roads properly. This driver sure caught a break.



This one didn’t.



Kind of gives a new meaning to the phrase “scared straight.”



At the very least, that guy doing the balancing act above was able to get into his car. Not sure what the procedure is for when your car is completely encased in ice (we live in California.) Can any snowbound readers enlighten us?



Not that driving in the rain is fool-proof either, especially when combined with, you know, a giant log flying off the back of a truck and straight at your head.



But don’t be fooled into thinking that driving behind a produce truck is any safer; you might end up being attacked by potatoes.



When driving abroad, make sure you understand the terrain. Even the most heavy duty of vehicles can fall victim to an unfortunately located swamp.



But all Hummer drivers can take comfort in their ability to mercilessly (and literally) crush their parking competition.



Speaking of parking, always be sure to choose a spot that’s not under a giant volleyball.



Or on an airport runway.



Or directly under the path of a falling tree.



If you hire your own limo driver, make sure he understands how to drive in the city. We can still hear the San Franciscans laughing about this one.



Hah, we hear you say, I’m going to avoid all of this by taking the bus. Sorry to say it, but even buses get into tight spots.



Everyone makes mistakes, such as hitting the accelerator when you mean to reverse.



Or hitting reverse when you mean to go forward.



Trying to squeeze your car, no matter how small, onto a pedestrian walkway is never advisable.



Ultimately, traveling is a lot like life. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. The important thing is to keep moving forward.



But not into the pool or local Chinese restaurant.



 culled from boutique home dispatches

HERE IS ONE EXAMPLE.YOU LOST AN ELECTION,THEN YOU ASK THE WINNER TO BACK DOWN!

Jang asks Amaechi to back down as NGF’s leader

Jos: Factional Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State returned home Sunday admitting that he never bargained to lead the group but has accepted it as God’s handiwork.

Jang who spoke to journalists on arrival at the Yakubu Gowon Airport on arrival pleaded with Governor Rotimi Amaechi to back down and accept him as the new leader of the forum. 

Amaechi had been declared winner of the election but the Jang group revolted against his declaration citing Jang’s purported endorsement by 19 governors in a pre-election agreement.

He said he would do his best to get Amaechi to work with him as the new leader of the forum.

The brief interview went thus:

Did you actually bargain for what you got now?

Jang:  Well, I never bargained for it, but that is the way God Work. So this is God’s will.

What was your impression of the election sir?

Jang: As far as Iam concerned, I have been given an assignment and by the grace of God I will do my best to unite the forum and make sure the forum provides the right leadership for the people of Nigeria because we are governors that are governing our respective states. And so we are bound together to work with one another. The NGF election or selection as you call it, should not divide the governors. We have one purpose and were elected by the people to work for them. We have worked with Governor Amaechi the former Chairman of NGF before and I am appealing  to him  to calm down and also work with me so that together we will continue to give Nigerians the right leadership for electing us as their governors.

Are you ready to work with him if he agrees to support you?

Jang: I mean I am going to really try to get him to work with me; I have once worked with him before; he too should work with me so that we can be able to give this country the right leadership that she is yearning for.

Meanwhile, a body known as the Plateau Merger Group has faulted Jang’s declaration as the new chairman of the forum based on a pre-election endorsement. 

The group in communique at the end of a meeting on Saturday jointly signed by the Plateau ANPP Chairman, Hon. Nazifi Ahmed and State Secretary of the CPC, Pastor Dabit Joseph hailed the re-election of Amaechi by the governors.

“As democrats we wish to seize this opportunity to congratulate all Nigerian governors for demonstrating exemplary democratic practice for returning His Excellency, Rt Hon. Rotimi Amaechi as chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF). We applaud their decision, and believe that our democracy will flow without any hic-ups.

“It is sad to note that at this level of our democracy, pre-election commitments (so called endorsement) before the said NGF election are being paraded as election results by the losers”, the communique stated.

It commended the leadership of the merging political parties for successfully conducting their congresses and dissolving into the  All Progressive Congress (APC and commended the electorate and political office holders for working for the survival of democracy in the past 15 years.

“We remind all public office holders on the need to appreciate the fact that the positions they currently occupy are held in trust on behalf of the greater majority. Thus the need to ensure that the dividends of democracy trickle down to the Nigerian people”, it added.

By Taye Obateru

MEET THE TWO IMMIGRANT RUNNERS WRONGLY FINGERED AS "POSSIBLE SUSPECTS" IN THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING

The two men described as “possible suspects” in the Boston Marathon bombing are actually a 24-year-old track coach and a teenage high school runner who works at Subway and posted photos to Facebook of his trip Monday to watch the race.

Yassine Zaimi and student Salaheddin Barhoum, 17, had their photos published today on the front page of the New York Post, which described them as “Bag Men” whose identity was being sought by investigators probing the deadly terror attack.

As seen below, the Post photo, which includes red circles around Zaimi and Barhoum, is slugged “suspect--525x415.jpg.” Barhoum is pictured wearing a blue Adidas warmup jacket, while Zaimi is seen in a white baseball cap.

Several photos of Zaimi and Barhoum watching the race from near the Copley Square finish line have been widely circulated online by amateur sleuths attempting to determine who might have been responsible for detonating the pressure cooker bombs.

In a CNN update last night, correspondent Deborah Feyerick reported that investigators were looking at two “possible suspects” who had initially been considered “men of interest.” However, Feyerick added, the pair had subsequently “risen to the top of the list” of probers. While not showing photos of the two purported suspects, Feyerick gave detailed descriptions of the pair’s clothing and the bags they carried.

Feyerick was describing Zaimi and Barhoum, though she, like the Post, clearly did not know the identities of her purported suspects.

CNN anchor Erin Burnett reported this afternoon that investigators alerted to photos of the two spectators because “perhaps” the bags they carried “were bigger than they should be.” Large enough, presumably, to fit six-liter pressure cookers. Burnett also reported that photos of the duo "hovering" near the finish line were not being disseminated by federal agents due to fear that such a release “could impede the investigation.”

Barhoum, a Moroccan immigrant who attends Revere High School outside Boston, apparently became aware yesterday that his photo was being linked to the bomb plot. In a Facebook post he assured his 1776 friends that “u will see guys I’m did not do anything.” Noting that “Shit is real,” Barhoum reported that he was going “to the court rightnow,” adding later that, “I’m just going to tell them that it was not me.”

Barhoum’s Facebook page includes two photos snapped at the marathon. One image depicts the teen--who runs for his school and the Momentum Athletic Club--posing in front of a scrim with the race logo, while the other shows a large TV screen erected on the corner of Boylston and Exeter streets, a block from the finish line. The caption of the second photo, which was taken as three top women runners dueled for the lead, reads, “Boston marathon 117th) Kenya and Ethiopia had a lot of fun lmfao – with Yassine Zaimi.” The winner of the women's race was Kenyan Rita Jeptoo, while Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa Benti was the fastest male runner.


A third Facebook photo, posted March 24, shows Barhoum “Bored at work” at a Subway restaurant.

Zaimi, a Boston resident, is a Moroccan immigrant who also attended Revere High School. In Facebook posts, Barhoum refers to Zaimi as his “coach.”

According to Zaimi’s Facebook page, he has worked at State Street Bank & Trust and JPMorgan Chase. Additionally, Zaimi’s Facebook page is stocked with tourist-type photos of him posing around Boston. The shots include Zaimi wearing a colonial tri-corner hat, standing in front of a Samuel Adams statue at Faneuil Hall, and resting his elbow on a statue of late Boston Celtics legend Red Auerbach.

In April 2010, Zaimi won a five-kilometer charity race in suburban Boston that raised funds to send medical equipment to Morocco.

In a post to a web site that aids the recruitment of college athletes, Barhoum wrote of his devotion to running. “I been doing this since I was 12 years and I enjoy it… I feel great when I run with clubs more than when I run with school because clubs take it serious and the coaches have more techniques to teach.” The teenager, who graduates in 2015, added, “My dream is to get to the level where everybody who works hard deserve .and  I want to say thank you to the people who supported me in this.”

the smoking gun