Nicki Minaj Freaks Out Over Snake Bite, Cops to Stealing Bread in MTV Documentary Trailer--Watch Now!

Before Nicki Minaj made it big, she had no idea what fame would entail.

In the trailer for her upcoming MTV documentary My Time Again, the 32-year-old rapper says that "until you are in it [the spotlight], you really can't wrap your brain around it."

Up-and-coming Nicki, for example, probably didn't see boa constrictor bites as a foreseeable problem in her future, but during a rehearsal for the 2014 MTV VMAs this past August, that's exactly what she encountered.

In the clip, we see the "Anaconda" rapper's visual shock when she learns that one of her backup dancers was bitten by the snake. "Oh my, god," she exclaims. "She got bit?!"

Oh, she got bit, and as the trailer shows, it drew blood! But as Nicki's knows the show must always go on, and it did! (Fortunately, both the dancer and the snake incurred no substantial harm, and an alternate boa constrictor was used in the live performance."

Nicki's got a knack for dealing with the unexpected! "When I'm faced with crazy adversities," she says, pausing before snapping her fingers, '"I turn on a switch that I don't even know I have sometimes."

In other words, she works with what she's got. Of course, this is nothing new for the Bronx-born beauty though-she's always been resourceful. "When I was a waitress, we had to steal bead and eat that," she recalls.

She's a regular ol' John Valjean! These tests of character shave only served to make her stronger, too.

Nicki Minaj: My Time Again premieres Sunday, Jan. 18 on MTV.

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Who will save the nation and rescue the Naira

By Adisa Adeleye
I must apologise to my readers for absconding from my weekly assignment without due notice.  I went in search of better sight and improved hearing.  Though I can now see and hear a little bit better.  I must confess that my sight is being blurred by the devastation of Boko-Haram bombs and my ears are blocked by nasty rumours of impending post-election reactions.
Perhaps it is too late to persuade the political gladiators against the futility of rushed elections, especially when the political atmosphere is already charged.  There is that craze for a CHANGE by the Opposition against the sit-tight posture of the ruling caste in the Federation and the states.  Every party is caught in the web of enlightened self interest through manifestoes which are neither enlightened nor revolutionary.  At best, the election promises are the familiar ones – Improved Security and Economic Prosperity which have remained elusive over the years.
Perhaps those patriotic Nigerians who cry for the postponement of the elections have their points.  Nigeria is in a civil war – a deadly combat in which our gallant armed forces have the unpleasant duty of turning their weapons against rebellious and deadly Nigerian insurgents.  Many believe that the final resolution of the conflict is far beyond the capability of a single political party whose leadership lacks strong national appeal in a seemingly divided nation.

The other important aspect of the many unresolved issues is that of Electoral Reform to ensure free and fair election.  In a plural society with multi-party political system, the electoral body (INEC) should be representative and not one selected by the ruling party either in the Centre or in the States.  Also, any electoral system that denies the individual (Independent candidate) from being voted for cannot be fair and just.
The question is, why the haste when the electoral body is not 90 per cent ready in the distribution of voters‘ cards and revision of voters list?
Caught in the mood of ‘rush-rush‘ psychology of Nigerian political system, the media do solemnly ask for debate on Issues of the day: Security and the Economy: those are the two vital issues on which the government and the opposition are expected to be on familiar grounds.  The governing parties should rely and defend their activities and the opposition to convince voters of their alternative routes to security and prosperity in an atmosphere of dwindling oil revenue and hostile political environment.
Many observers of Nigerian political situation believe that issues raised at the last National Conference (at President Jonathan‘s initiative) should have been resolved and concrete steps taken to amend, if necessary, the 1999 Constitution before any election is undertaken. With Political and Economic issues unresolved, the new government of any shade or colour after the elections would still be confronted with the unresolved burning questions.  That situation might become volatile and result in political instability.
On the issue of Political Economy, the country seems to be remiss while the ruling party (PDP) is amiss.  The Central Bank has opted for a policy of Devaluation as a measure of lack of vision. My view has not changed from that taken in 2000 (see quoted view below)

DEVALUATION
Devaluation (lowering the value) of the Naira has been rated as one of the main factors affecting the competitiveness of Nigerian products at home and abroad.
Nigeria, being an import dependent country has to pay more for its raw materials, spare parts and machinery.  The high cost of imported inputs added to increasing local cost of productions (because of poor infrastructures) tends to affect the price of locally produced goods.
On Devaluation, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, a former President was bold and categorical in his 1983 Budget Speech when he said, “I have followed with keen interest the on-going debate on the devaluation of the Naira, I am convinced that given the present struc

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Son of Jackie Chan convicted on drug charge in China

The son of kung fu movie star Jackie Chan was convicted on a drug charge and sentenced to six months in prison in a Beijing court on Friday.

Jaycee Chan, who pleaded guilty to "hosting others to take drugs," was also fined 2,000 yuan ($320), announced the Dongcheng District People's Court.

Wearing a black sweatshirt and blue pants, the 32-year-old Chan -- who is an actor like his father -- bowed to the judge and prosecutor after the 90-minute trial.

"I committed a crime and deserve to be punished," the court's official microblog quoted him as saying. "It doesn't mean I have received mercy and forgiveness -- I hope to earn them with my future actions."

Reminding him to "return to the right path" and "establish a healthy public image," the prosecutor cited Chan's cooperation with police as a basis for leniency, according to the court.

READ: Jackie Chan's son held in anti-drugs crackdown in China's capital

The Hong Kong native was arrested in Beijing last summer along with a Taiwanese actor, amid a government crackdown on celebrity drug offenders.

After both men tested positive for marijuana, police found more than 100 grams of the drug after searching Chan's apartment.

Although he did not attend the trial, Jackie Chan -- who has starred in Hollywood blockbusters like "Rush Hour" and was named an anti-drugs ambassador in China in 2009 -- had expressed anger and disappointment in his son in media interviews.

READ: Chan: 'I'm extremely furious'

"I failed to discipline him -- now the state is helping me discipline him and make him get rid all the bad habits," the elder Chan, 60, told the state-run Xinhua news agency last month, while denying his son had received special treatment in jail.

The younger Chan's case has put a spotlight on the Chinese capital's intensifying anti-drugs campaign. By mid-November, the authorities had detained almost 10,000 people for using drugs, nearly double the previous year's figure.

Announcing the numbers, a top anti-narcotics official in Beijing emphasized the government's "zero-tolerance" stance on celebrity offenders due to the impact of their behavior on the youth.

Last August, dozens of management agencies representing actors and singers signed an agreement with Beijing authorities, banning drug use from the entertainment industry and pledging to fire any artists who break the law.

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No signs Nigeria will disintegrate in 2015 –US

The United States Government has said there are no signs that Nigeria will disintegrate before, during or after the February general elections.

While explaining that Nigeria is facing “big challenges,” the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. James Entwistle, stated that the problems at stake were surmountable.

According to the American envoy, Nigerians should “throw out of the window” the idea from “some think-tank or somebody outside the (US) government” stating that Nigeria would fall apart in 2015.

Entwistle spoke in Lagos on Thursday during an interactive session with journalists on the recent donation of a US naval ship, christened NNS Okpabana, to the Nigerian Navy.

The US diplomat said, “I have been plagued by the question (on Nigeria’s possible disintegration in 2015) and I have gone back to look and I can’t find any government report that said Nigeria would disintegrate in 2015. Maybe some think-tank or somebody outside the government said it; I don’t know.

“But in my opinion as the US Ambassador to this country, I am not worried in the least that Nigeria is going to disintegrate in 2015. Regardless of what someone may have said, the question is that we are now here in 2015: Do we see signs that Nigeria is going to disintegrate or fall apart or something? I don’t know what you think. But I don’t see those signs.

“But I see signs of growth, optimism and I see that to minimise the challenges that you have, in this life, you have to keep on keeping on and I think the future is quite bright.”

Entwistle added that if the Federal Government did what would need to be done in the coming years, especially as pertaining to “security, corruption and all of these things,” the future of Nigeria would be “very bright.”

He debunked the insinuation that the President Barack Obama administration has imposed “an arms embargo” on Nigeria following the reported refusal of the American government to sell Cobra helicopters to the Federal Government to prosecute the ongoing war against terrorism.

Citing human rights considerations for the development, Entwistle hinted that the US Diplomatic Mission to Nigeria, was “still talking about a number of other types of equipment and different types of helicopters that might be more appropriate” for the Nigerian military services.

Respecting human rights among the civilian population, he argued, should not be an impediment to fighting terrorism in the three north-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

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U.S. strike in Somalia targets Al-Shabaab

•  The United States conducted an airstrike Monday in Somalia against Al-Shabaab, said Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, Pentagon press secretary.
  The strike, which took place in the area of Saakow, was targeting a senior leader of the Islamist militant group.
  "At this time, we do not assess there to be any civilian or bystander casualties. We are assessing the results of the operation and will provide additional information, when appropriate, as details become available," Kirby said in a statement.

• 
  The strike was carried out by an unmanned aircraft, and was an operation of the U.S. Defense Department, according to a U.S. defense official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
  On Saturday, Somalia government forces captured a top Al-Shabaab commander, said two of the country's military officials.
  Zakariya Ismail Ahmed Hersi, Al-Shabaab's intelligence chief, was captured in a house near the town of El Wak, Somali military commander Isack Hussein Mursal told state-run radio.
  He was a close associate of former Al-Shabaab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike near Barawe city in September.
  The capture came after militants with the group, which is linked to al Qaeda, attacked a large African Union base in Mogadishu last week, killing three Ugandan soldiers and a civilian.
  Al-Shabaab has said that attack was revenge for the U.S. airstrike that killed Godane. The State Department had offered a $7 million reward for information on Godane's location.

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