WASHINGTON – Passengers flying into the United States from Nigeria, Yemen and other "countries of interest" will be subject to enhanced screening techniques, such as body scans and pat-downs, the Transportation Security Administration said Sunday.

Starting Monday, all passengers on U.S.-bound international flights will be subject to random screening. Airports are also directed to increase "threat-based" screening of passengers who may be acting in a suspicious manner.

In addition, anyone traveling from or though nations regarded as state sponsors of terrorism — as well as "other countries of interest" — will be required to go through enhanced screening. The TSA said those techniques include full-body pat-downs, carry-on bag searches, full-body scanning and explosive detection technology.

The State Department lists Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria as state sponsors of terrorism. The other countries whose passengers will face enhanced screening include Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen.

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian man who allegedly tried to set off an explosive device aboard a Northwest airliner on Christmas Day, has told U.S. investigators he received training and instructions from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen.

The TSA said the ability to enforce the new security measures is the "result of extraordinary cooperation from our global aviation partners."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_airline_security

It hurts to see Nigeria mentioned in the same paragraph as Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Yemen. What in the world do we have in common with these countries? Being referred to as a "country of interest" is an unbearable embarrassment. Thank you Mr. Abdulmutallab.

na2day?:

@ Tru Mantra ;  Ok, then,  what should I say that would pacify your wounded soul?  But i never knew Karma and Nemesis had off- duty hours . . .   hmmmm. . .

Hmm, Luvbooks, I just love blank checks.
By the way, I put nemesis and karma outta work for the day just for you. Ever had a guy do anything that comes close to that?

Back to what you you should say; how about "No, maybe, ahh Yes!"?

Luvbooks,

Saying I'm a nice clown doesn't quite qualify as saying something nice you know?
Fortunately it's christmas day already for you and almost christmas day for me as well so Karma and Nemesis are taking the day off.

And by the way, I do have the answers that you search for o seeker of wisdom but hey, it's the season to be jolly so I'll spill the beans later on.

Off to count down the hours to christmas.

Merry christmas!

luvbooks:

@ Tru Mantra ;
     I think you're a clown. . .  kmt . . .   

Luvbooks,

Emi, clown

Now you're gonna get nemesis a.k.a karma on your tail. Ha! 

The whole what goes around comes around thing is certainly true. Still , it's kinda complex.
Say I'm nasty to a stranger does that equal enough karma credits for my chick to treat me badly in the future or is that only enough for another stranger to be nasty to me?
And say I'm really horrid to my current babe, does that gain me enough nemesis numbers to ensure that the next girl i date is gonna put me through hell?

Again, do my good deeds cancel out my negative ones and so should I be keeping a spreadsheet of my deeds to ensure that each time I start to get a negative balance I get to doing good deeds to balance the total?

Luvbooks, you called me a clown, so you better say something nice to me to balance your karma credit ok.

Waiting! 

Ok Luvbooks, here goes,

From days of long ago, from uncharted regions of the universe comes a legend, the legend of;

Ok, it's time for another break.
I'll get back to sharing this invaluable shard of knowlege after I get outta bed.

By the way, why'd you switch your profile pic from "heaven" to what heaven should look like?

Hey Luvbooks,

I know the "exact" answers to your questions but I'll let you in on it when you come back online.

For me, it's undoubtedly JJC and the We are Africans/We are Africans remix.
I hadn't seen any of the videos before I bumped into this thread but I've had the "We are Africans, AHOOOOO!" chant ringing in my head for the last two days and I cant seem to get it out. Help!
There are a ton of videos with voluptious, half clad, booty shaking vixens out there but when I pick the best rap video, I just cant go with one of them.
JJC put together a superlative track, great video and an uncompromisingly possitive message delivered with style.
Ahooooooooooooooooooooo!

You can watch it at www.espn360.com. Great stuff!

The boys were brilliant and determined today. For the first time i can start to hope that we will win this tourney!

Is it just me or are the Argentines picking off our players one at a time

Equalizer!

We meet Argentina next. We will need some clinical striking on that day.

goal!!!!!!!!!

It's working now! Thanks T@meD0. Full screen at last.

watchnta.com is no longer working. It appears it only came on during the commersials and now that the match has resumed, they have gone offline. Does anyone else know where I can watch this match online? Help!!!

I'm looking at the play-by-play match stats on fifa.com and it seems like it consists of;

Nigeria tries a shot on goal, but it is off target.

That entry appears several times in the stats. Just started watching in watchnta.com but there is no full screen option.
I guess half a loaf will have to be better than none.

Wow VelmaN, that Nigerian woman is the exact reason why we have a bad reputation. I hope that the fact that you paid cash has started to change the tailor's opinion of us. And to think that the lady swindled a tailor over her wedding clothes. That's a bad seed to sow into her marriage, if she was actually getting married that is.

Back to the topic though. I have never denied Nigeria and I have no intentions of doing so. I've lived outside Nigeria for a little over a year and I am convinced that the folk here would be no different from Nigerians if they lived under the same conditions. Having the right infrastructure and policies in place truly helps.

For those that say that they have denied Naija, I say, you have a right to do as you please based on your opinion but it would be a whole lot better if instead of turning your back on your roots, you work to open the eyes of foreigners to the fact that the majority of Nigerians are decent, honest individuals who have been dealt a bad hand and are doing the best they can to live with it.

Ask yourself this question.

If a majority of Nigerians are rogues and 419 scam artists, then most of your friends and family would be criminals wouldn't they? And I am willing to bet that if you go through your list of friends and family, you will find more honest, regular individuals than Yahoo boys.

Just my 2 cents, or I should say 2 kobo.

Err, maybe she's a man in disguise! 

Missy B:

Awww. . . .I remember now!!
The Dude whose picture was on my profile earlier on.
^{Just thought t'was one of me pals who got banned and is using a new ID}.
Howdy?

Whew, now I can finally stop holding my breath!  

Me good, me good!

You took my picture off your profile and put up another one of me? Forgive my French, but Darn I still look good!
Now I see why Narcissus couldn't take his eyes off. I think I'll start a fan club, whaddaya say?!?

Missy B:

You is who please?

You dont know "who is me", and you're sticking out your tongue at me?
Okay, here you go too.     
You know, the topic is "What's on your mind". At the time I posted, it was Missy B!     

Missy B!          

Interesting sometimes but mostly depressing.

I hate to see a guy "mugu-fied" and Lazzaro in case you are wondering, that's exactly what Pat has just done to you! 

Missy B:

Zkuse mii . . . .I was just trynna disport it.

Hehe, in that case, I guess I better let you know that I look sooooo cute in your profile pic.

Back to the topic though. I could date someone that practices a different religion (as long as it's not some far-off weird stuff) for fun, but when it comes time to settle down, I'm sticking to what I know. There are enough challenges already lined up for the "married". It doesn't make sense to add any more.

Missy B! What's my pic doing in your profile?!?

Hmm…my 2 cents?
We SHOULD be happy when the opportunity for a debate with a respected member of the older generation presents itself. It means that we both have an opinion about the “same subject” and even though the opinions of our generations differ, rather than hurl invectives at Mr. Abati we need to understand his perspective, analyze the information, and make corrections in a way that his entire generation will understand.
He is an elder, and an accomplished one at that. When elders that have shown themselves to be worthy of the title in the past make a mistake, they deserve to be corrected with respect and in a way that will allow for them to maintain their dignity. Insults, curses and swearing definitely don’t provide Mr. Abati the opportunity to make an about turn.
Banky W has done just that and has gained my respect for the manner in which he responded. I can’t say the same for Eldee. Genuine corrections are much more difficult to accept when they are laced with cynicism, sarcasm and scathing rhetoric. Responding in such a way is tantamount to duplicating Mr. Abati’s error.
By the way, Mr. Abati is an outstanding columnist who has garnered respect on the local and international scene. That he fell down on this one is obvious, especially since he has a responsibility as a journalist to ensure that the information he puts out is an accurate depiction of the truth. Still, let’s use this as an opportunity to provide him with the right information to change his mind. It may be that when he is “converted”, he will serve as the perfect evangelist for the cause of the “Naija music industry”.
I hope that some TV station uses this opportunity to provide a forum that brings together some key members of Mr. Abati’s generation and the Nigerian music industry for a tête-à-tête. That way, some good may yet come out of all this.

Hey, we need to get our definitions right.

Prostitutes have sex for money. It's their intent to get paid for getting laid.
The poster had sex with this "stranger" for whatever reason and "afterwards" he offered her a large sum of money.
It doesn't sound from her post like getting paid was her intent.

I say, you are not a prostitute, but just don't make a habit of doing this ok.

Does someone have a link where i can watch the game online please?

Don't do it Seun, don't do it, aaargh!!!

Ok, on a more serious note, maybe the Nairaland website is due for a facelift but I don't think that example I'm looking at does it justice.
Here's why;

1. The colour scheme is off. The 2 different shades of green don't combine well.
2. We know that simplicity is a great way to go (what website is more simple than the google website?) but in this example, nothing stands out. The current homepage ensures that as soon as I open the page, the most recent topics are staring me in the face.

Still, I say give the website a face lift!

dappssee:

What do you know about privatization?

Look at the telecoms industry? Isn't it liberalized. I think people that benefit from the rot and corruption of the NNPC will not support selling those refineries. They never function despite all the billions that go into TAM (Turn Around Maintenance). So who is fooling who?
You import one million litres of fuel and tell me you've impoted one and a half million litres so the subsidy on half a million litres goes into private pockets.

For me selling those damned refineries is long overdue and this should pave the way for deregulation.

If you have a better suggestion, say it and give a reason for it. I hate it when people argue without a rationale

Dapsee,
Like some poster said earlier, comparing the oil and gas sector to the telecoms sector is akin to comparing apples and oranges.
The fact that there is a discrepancy between the number of litres imported and the number reported when subsidies are refunded points to a problem with corruption which should be addressed. Doing that would solve the problem at the dishonest importers expense and common sense says that it's the right way to go.
Deregulation at this time when there is economic turmoil will put the bill at the feet of everyday Nigerians who will have to pay more for petrol without any increase in income. Also, the folk that have fought the sale of the refineries will continue to do so whether deregulation takes place or not. The fact that they will make more money from deregulation will not satisfy their greed I assure you.
Tell me which you prefer; to fix the corruption problem and have the dishonest importers get their rightful due or to leave the corruption ridden system in place and put the bill at the feet of the common man. I say the former.
Also, equating the removal of subsidies to creating a morecondusive environment for selling the refineries is faulty logic. I'm willing to bet that whether this deregulation goes ahead or not those refineries will remain exactly the way they are for a mighty long time.

First, whether deregulation is the right way to go or not, I doubt that the right time to do it is in the middle of what has been termed the worst economic down turn since the great depression.

Second, can anyone who has lived in Nigeria for any considerable length of time tell me that the approximately 700 billion Nara that will be "saved" will actually be channelled towards meaningful infrastructure projects or anything profitable to the Nigerian people? I doubt this. I'd wager that some government folk are about to become about 700 billion Nara richer.

Third, for those that say that subsidies are symptomatic of sub-par economies, I beg to differ. The US has farm subsidies for certain reasons and even with the constant outcry form several other countries and even sectors in the US, the subsidies have remained.

Finally, the current economic downturn should have taught us that economics is not a science but an art. Market forces correcting bad economic indices is a fantasy that has no guaranties of fulfilment. The prevalent issue is corruption andmismanagement in the oil sector and not the subsidies. Let's fix the most pressing issues first instead of throwing away the baby with the bath water!