THE CURSE OF BEING A NIGERIAN?

Is it "The Curse of Being A Nigerian" or "The Cause for being a Nigeria" I will leave that to you to answer.

The following incidence happened to me over a couple of days for just having the noun (name of a person, place or thing) Nigeria attached to me. I am a website designer and sometimes just like in every other web or applications development it is a lot more easier to buy a template or piece of code and then modify to suit the solution you are providing for your client.

I placed an order for a website template from www.flashmint.com which happened to be a subsidiary or a reseller for www.template-guide.com. Just like order times I had placed similar orders. I key in my credit card details and the thank you page says "Thank you for purchasing ****** from us, you order will be processed within the next 24 hours and a download link will be sent to your email". That was on the 21st of September.

So I went on my normal business for the next 24 hours without recieving a download link. At about the 32nd hour of waiting, I recieved my download link on my email. So I went ahead to click on the link for my download to begin. Voila! I get hit by the beginning of my nightmare "Download link has been blocked for security reasons. Please contact our Sales Department."

Surprised I opened a support ticket and this was what ensued after:


ME:
Posted On: 23 Sep 2008 12:11 PM
The above error shows when I click the link in my email to download the template. Please treat as urgent. I placed this order on the 21st of September after waiting for two days for the link I decided to write and just recieved the link. I ordered through www.flashmint.com

Template Guide: Posted On: 23 Sep 2008 12:13 PM
Hello!Thanks for contacting us. Please provide us with your order details.======================================Please feel free to contact us if you have some questions or concerns.

ME: Posted On: 23 Sep 2008 03:54 PM

ORDER DETAILS:On Sun, Sep 21, 2008 at 5:18 PM, wrote:2Checkout.com Order Number ######### Contents of your purchase:Cart ID : *#######_*####Product Name : Cart purchase: ######### Quantity : 1Product ID :Vendor Product ID : c_prodProduct Description: flash template Product Name : Website templatesQuantity : 1Total : 62.00 ( USD )Billing Information #########IP: 81.199.##.### IP Location: Port Harcourt ( Nigeria ) #####@gmail.com234803######## Address Abuja XX ##### Nigeria ( NGA )Distributed By:T-G Inc. ( icetemplates.com )2Checkout.com ( 2CO ) and T-G Inc. thank you for your business

Template Guide: Posted On: 23 Sep 2008 06:19 PM
The link was blocked because there were attempts to download the product from another country.



ME: Posted On: 23 Sep 2008 06:24 PM
How could that be? You sent the link to my e-mail box and I clicked. Except of course if the internet connection am using is from a service provider outside Nigeria. Which is possible My Location is Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria where I am attending a brief presentation. How If the Downloading did not originate from my mail box where would it have originated from. The ticket details above says "Sales" I chose that at the beginning. I have no contact to sales as your email suggested. Could you give me sales contact then.

Template Guide: Posted On: 23 Sep 2008 07:16 PM
You placed the order via Nigeria IP address, but trying to download it from Israel one.

ME: Posted On: 23 Sep 2008 07:25 PM
Ok I know what the problem is. I Used an internet connection of a client to check for the download which is possibly using an ISP from Israel. Could you please send me a new link again. I will use my phone connection to download it. That should give a Nigerian IP Address.

Template Guide:
Posted On: 24 Sep 2008 10:33 AM
You can download it from your country IP address.

ME: Posted On: 25 Sep 2008 04:53 PM
Unfortunately the IP address I used to place the order is no longer available to me. Which is my country IP address. What I am trying to tell you here is that most of the ISP's here are served from countries like Israel, Egypt, US and so on. My Mobile Phone was an option but when I used Iplocation to check It said US. I am short of what to do so please if there is nothing you can do for me from your own end reverse the charge on my card so I can check other options (www.templatemonster.com). Bear in mind that this messages I am sending to you still originate from the same IP address that says Israel while I am in Port Harcourt Nigeria. Thank you.


ME: Posted On: 25 Sep 2008 05:06 PM
Bear in mind that I already bought a template from flashmint.com a couple of weeks ago which I used for this client. www.#######.com If I bought that and used it why would you not help sort this out for me. Every Nigerian is not fraudulent. I am a webmaster and I have a couple of domains you can verify from the whois: I use aiqokoye as cybername sometimes. www.########.org www.#########.org www.#######.com etc. just for you guys to verify

ME: Here is my last order and before I got this link I was told to send identification in the form of driver's licence which I sent to verify that the credit card is mine.Dear Customer!Your order of A company website template id: #### from www.flashmint.com has been processed.To download your template(s), please follow the link(s) below:===================================http://template-guide.com/downloads/########################====Note: The download link will stay active for 3 days from the moment this mail was sent.If you have any problems with the download link, please feel free to contact usby submiting a ticket at http://support.template-guide.comWith every purchase you get 6 month of free web hosting at our servers.To apply for service please contact our web hosting support http://support.template-guide.comThank you for the purchase. Sales Department!


Template Guide: Posted On: 26 Sep 2008 10:40 AM
The problem is that you placed the order from Negeria IP address but trying to download from another country (security measures).To check your current IP, please go to ip2location.com


ME: Posted On: 26 Sep 2008 11:42 AM
I know the current IP address of the company I am working from now, their Internet Service Providing company is an Israeli company. Granted, the Ip2location result tells me Israel. I have already checked. You haven't answered my question: which is "Unfortunately the IP address I used to place the order is no longer available to me. Which is my country IP address. What I am trying to tell you here is that most of the ISP's here are served from countries like Israel, Egypt, US and so on. My Mobile Phone was an option but when I used Iplocation to check, it said US. I am short of what to do so please if there is nothing you can do for me from your own end reverse the charge on my card so I can check other options (www.templatemonster.com). Bear in mind that this messages I am sending to you still originate from the same IP address that says Israel while I am in Port Harcourt Nigeria. Thank you."I really need you to give me an answer not a suggestion (to download from a Nigerian IP) because that is not working for me. I can't find any. What you should check is my credit line: 'Was my credit card fraudulent?' 'Did I infringe on any of your program policies?' If any of the above is the case notify me. From my reply above, I stated that I had placed and recieved an order from you guys not too long ago, using the same personal details and email address. I am sure the reason why you send the link to my email is because it is secured and was supplied by me when I ordered the product IP address dependent or not. The most important thing to note is I placed this order on the 21st of September and it took more that 24 hours to process and confirm my order which you informed me that it could take that long. Am I to sit and not move or go anywhere because I am waiting for one order so that I can download from the same IP address I used to place the order? That is ridiculous.Imagine if I am a web solutions company with offices in Israel, Nigeria, Canada and US. Are you saying that the administrative office in Nigeria cannot order a product and send the link to the office in Israel to download and use it provided your terms and conditions of service is not violated. Maybe your security measure is against fraud by Nigerians, but look at it this way - my 2 cents - : if you are worried about securing your products from being misused, this particular measure is whack! because the global village ensures fluidity and dynamism. Please like I said in my last post give me another option or reverse the charge on my card. Thank you in anticipation.

AND THE LIKE A MIRACLE MY FILE WAS SENT!

Template-Guide: Posted On: 26 Sep 2008 12:07 PM
Please try to use this link:http://template-guide.com/downloads/##########.zip"

Is it "The Curse of Being A Nigerian" or "The Cause for being a Nigeria"

Lehman workers face a tough job market

Sep 20, 2008 (Japan Times - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- LEHMQ Quote Chart News PowerRating -- Sep. 20--

Employees of bankrupt Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. across the globe are suddenly out on the street and looking for new jobs -- and the 1,300 at the Japanese unit of the U.S. securities house in Tokyo are no exception.
Following the bankruptcy of its parent company on Monday, Lehman Brothers Japan Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday with the Tokyo District Court.

The Financial Services Agency ordered it Monday to suspend operations through Sept. 26 after receiving a warning that it might default on its obligations in the longer term.

But Lehman employees are showing up at their Roppongi Hills office in Mori Tower to wind down its remaining business.

According to a non-Japanese employee who spoke on condition of anonymity, the sentiment of his colleagues is "surprisingly good."

"People are trying to do what they can for the company," he said.

Perhaps they're just putting a brave face on the situation. Sources close to the unit said employees will at least get their September pay. But in reality, at stake are their homes, their families' well-being and, in the case of some foreign employees, their working visas.

As news of the U.S. parent company's bankruptcy made headlines after the three-day weekend, Lehman resumes flooded the mailboxes of recruitment agencies in Tokyo.

Bernie Schiemer, managing director of recruitment firm Hays Specialist Recruitment Japan, said the company has been receiving them by the hundreds.

"It's been monumental and unprecedented," Schiemer said.

On Wednesday, a headhunter at another recruitment firm in Tokyo who was in the lobby of Mori Tower said he sat down with a few Lehman employees for interviews. His colleague was there the day before, and the headhunter had seen competitors there for the same reason.

"We are just trying to help (Lehman employees) continue meaningful careers," the headhunter said. "They have done their jobs and have been successful until Monday."

In the financial sector, however, it's not just Lehman workers who are looking for jobs. Former employees of Bear Sterns, which was sold to JPMorgan Chase & Co. in March, are also seeking new positions now that their settlement packages were concluded earlier this month.

Amid the turmoil, some investment banks have been "fairly active" in plucking talent from Lehman, the headhunter said, adding that they tend to look for people with five or six years of experience.

"It could be tough" for those with just one or two years' experience, but "if they are highly skilled and bilingual, they may have a pretty good chance," the headhunter said.

Schiemer of Hays observed that Japanese employees at Lehman may have a better chance of finding jobs because Japanese financial institutions are looking to hire bilingual personnel knowledgeable about foreign markets.

For foreign employees however, competition will be tough, he said. He has been advising people to prioritize their careers over salary and to be flexible, especially if they prefer to stay in Japan and have visa and housing issues and families to take care of.

On Wednesday, another non-Japanese Lehman employee who declined to be named said the company has announced it will try to take care of the employees' housing situations if Lehman is their guarantor or the firm signed tenant contracts for them and landlords are asking them to move out.

The visas, however, are a different problem.

"I am willing to go wherever the next job takes me," said the man, who has no family in Japan.