2/27/2003: Nigerian confusion

Undertoad · 02-27-2003, 11:21 AM

What the...? This was shot in late January; in Lagos, Nigeria, traffic is entirely stopped while people look at a UFO.

The official caption has it as "Unidentified Flashing Object" - they say it's some mysterious flashing thing that appears, mysteriously, at traffic intersections around the city.

And, seriously, that's all the information given. I tried to get more details and all I learned is that traffic like this is routine in Nigeria. Apparently they have terrible gridlock problems, such that if there is a problem somewhere the entire city winds up locked.

wolf · 02-27-2003, 11:25 AM

Why are all of their vehicles yellow?

Beletseri · 02-27-2003, 11:38 AM

I wonder if the UFO brought the paranormal snake?

Paranormal Snake Kills 7 In Nigeria

[Original headline: Mystery snake kills seven women]

Lagos, Nigeria: [Reuters] A single snake has been blamed for the deaths of at least seven women in a village near the northern Nigerian city of Kano, prompting residents to ask snake-charmers for help in a climate of superstition and fear.
The villagers of Rijiyar Zaki said the victims died last week after attacks by the snake, which residents said can only be seen by women and disappears immediately after striking, The Independent Vanguard newspaper reported on Friday.

Aside from the seven already killed, 19 other women are being treated by traditional snake charmers, residents said, adding that all the mystery snake's victims were all housewives. Local officials were not immediately available for comment.

"The snake charmers are showing me indications that it is the same snake that terrorised Jangusa, a neighbouring village," the newspaper quoted a prominent villager as saying. "We are consulting them (charmers) on how best to get rid of that snake before it finishes our womenfolk."

Villagers fear the snake attacks were caused by a some sort of curse placed on the village. A snake charmer in the village said his fellow charmers were doing everything possible to appease the mystery snake.

Rijiyar Zaki is the village where the late Muhammadu Maitatsine, the leader of an Islamic fundamentalist group that terrorised cities in northern Nigeria in the 1980s, fled to after the army forced the group out of Kano. Local officials told the newspaper that snake antidotes had been supplied to the three clinics in the area to complement the efforts of the traditional charmers.

99 44/100% pure · 02-27-2003, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Undertoad
[B"Unidentified Flashing Object" - they say it's some mysterious flashing thing that appears, mysteriously, at traffic intersections around the city.[/b]

Yeah, they have those occasionally in East and West Baltimore too -- when people pay any attention to 'em, it really snarls up traffic. I believe they're called traffic signals. You're driving along, and all of a sudden, you have to stop! Man, I hate when that happens!

Dagney · 02-27-2003, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by wolf
Why are all of their vehicles yellow?

Ooooh I know I'm gonna deserve whatever I get for this..but I just hafta....

Maybe they like yellow "Car-nations"

Dagney

Perfecting the Duck and run

wolf · 02-27-2003, 01:23 PM

Owie.

(to paraphrase something I said to Russotto in the wee hours of last night ... If I aim for your center of mass and you duck, that will put you in line for a good head shot ...)

Someday science will discover a cure for the pun. I am, however, a realist and understand that this will likely be after the cure for AIDS and the cure for cancer.

warch · 02-27-2003, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Why are all of their vehicles yellow?

Looks like we got us a convoy.

wolf · 02-27-2003, 01:36 PM

To speculate on my own question:

Many of the yellow vehicles appear to be multi-passenger conveyances. If these are part of a mass transit system that leads to another quandry ... mass transit, ride sharing, and carpooling are supposed to reduce congestion, but here appears to be the cause of it ...

My head hurts.

That Guy · 02-27-2003, 02:40 PM

Maybe they're all waiting for me to send them my personal bank info so they can send me the $10M they promised upon dutiful receipt.

linknoid · 02-27-2003, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by wolf
To speculate on my own question:

Many of the yellow vehicles appear to be multi-passenger conveyances. If these are part of a mass transit system that leads to another quandry ... mass transit, ride sharing, and carpooling are supposed to reduce congestion, but here appears to be the cause of it ...

My head hurts.

Actually, look closely. All the yellow vehicles are on the right side of the picture (in other words, the left lanes). Maybe it's like we have carpool lanes, they have public transportation lanes. All the cars on the left side of the picture appear to be the normal variety you would expect.

elSicomoro · 02-27-2003, 10:46 PM

I was thinking maybe they were taxis.

A good possibility though, linknoid. Nigerians drive British-style (on the left side), and most bus lanes are the outer lanes on highways.

wolf · 02-28-2003, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by linknoid
Maybe it's like we have carpool lanes, they have public transportation lanes. All the cars on the left side of the picture appear to be the normal variety you would expect.

I had actually noticed that, but was intentionally ignoring it for humorous effect.

Nothing But Net · 02-28-2003, 01:03 AM

They export all their <b>Flubber</b><sub>TM</sub>, therefore they are solely dependent on land based transportastion.

Griff · 02-28-2003, 06:33 AM

I think its just a temporary flea market. You drive until you can't, then set up shop. Nobody has to pay property tax or a user fee. Its the perfect system.

elSicomoro · 02-28-2003, 04:53 PM

That sounds like a neat idea. They should block off Roosevelt Blvd. one day, and just let sellers drive along until they can't drive anymore. Then they can set up shop. A 15-mile long flea market...how cool is that?

02-27-2003, 11:21 AM	#1
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	2/27/2003: Nigerian confusion What the...? This was shot in late January; in Lagos, Nigeria, traffic is entirely stopped while people look at a UFO. The official caption has it as "Unidentified Flashing Object" - they say it's some mysterious flashing thing that appears, mysteriously, at traffic intersections around the city. And, seriously, that's all the information given. I tried to get more details and all I learned is that traffic like this is routine in Nigeria. Apparently they have terrible gridlock problems, such that if there is a problem somewhere the entire city winds up locked.

02-27-2003, 11:25 AM	#2
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Why are all of their vehicles yellow? __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-27-2003, 01:23 PM	#6
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	Owie. (to paraphrase something I said to Russotto in the wee hours of last night ... If I aim for your center of mass and you duck, that will put you in line for a good head shot ...) Someday science will discover a cure for the pun. I am, however, a realist and understand that this will likely be after the cure for AIDS and the cure for cancer. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-27-2003, 01:36 PM	#8
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	To speculate on my own question: Many of the yellow vehicles appear to be multi-passenger conveyances. If these are part of a mass transit system that leads to another quandry ... mass transit, ride sharing, and carpooling are supposed to reduce congestion, but here appears to be the cause of it ... My head hurts. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

02-28-2003, 06:33 AM	#14
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	I think its just a temporary flea market. You drive until you can't, then set up shop. Nobody has to pay property tax or a user fee. Its the perfect system. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

02-27-2003, 11:38 AM	#3
Beletseri Yeah sez you Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 206	I wonder if the UFO brought the paranormal snake? Paranormal Snake Kills 7 In Nigeria [Original headline: Mystery snake kills seven women] Lagos, Nigeria: [Reuters] A single snake has been blamed for the deaths of at least seven women in a village near the northern Nigerian city of Kano, prompting residents to ask snake-charmers for help in a climate of superstition and fear. The villagers of Rijiyar Zaki said the victims died last week after attacks by the snake, which residents said can only be seen by women and disappears immediately after striking, The Independent Vanguard newspaper reported on Friday. Aside from the seven already killed, 19 other women are being treated by traditional snake charmers, residents said, adding that all the mystery snake's victims were all housewives. Local officials were not immediately available for comment. "The snake charmers are showing me indications that it is the same snake that terrorised Jangusa, a neighbouring village," the newspaper quoted a prominent villager as saying. "We are consulting them (charmers) on how best to get rid of that snake before it finishes our womenfolk." Villagers fear the snake attacks were caused by a some sort of curse placed on the village. A snake charmer in the village said his fellow charmers were doing everything possible to appease the mystery snake. Rijiyar Zaki is the village where the late Muhammadu Maitatsine, the leader of an Islamic fundamentalist group that terrorised cities in northern Nigeria in the 1980s, fled to after the army forced the group out of Kano. Local officials told the newspaper that snake antidotes had been supplied to the three clinics in the area to complement the efforts of the traditional charmers.

02-27-2003, 02:40 PM	#9
That Guy He who reads, sometimes writes. Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: at the keyboard Posts: 791	Maybe they're all waiting for me to send them my personal bank info so they can send me the $10M they promised upon dutiful receipt.

02-27-2003, 10:46 PM	#11
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	I was thinking maybe they were taxis. A good possibility though, linknoid. Nigerians drive British-style (on the left side), and most bus lanes are the outer lanes on highways.

02-28-2003, 01:03 AM	#13
Nothing But Net Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Spring, Texas Posts: 1,481	They export all their <b>Flubber</b><sub>TM</sub>, therefore they are solely dependent on land based transportastion.

02-28-2003, 04:53 PM	#15
elSicomoro Person who doesn't update the user title Join Date: Jan 2001 Posts: 12,486	That sounds like a neat idea. They should block off Roosevelt Blvd. one day, and just let sellers drive along until they can't drive anymore. Then they can set up shop. A 15-mile long flea market...how cool is that?

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