Coining it.

I do not suppose many normal people have heard of Niue, but it is a South Pacific island with a degree of sovereignty sheltering under the shield, as it were, of New Zealand.

I am sure that Niueans are generally good sorts, but they do seem to have a bit of a problem with taste.

Exhibit A, the flag of Niue:

I am quite a fan of the saffron hue in other contexts, but not on a flag with red, white and blue, thank you.

That ensign has been fluttering above Niue for more than 35 years, so it is hardly a new offence.

Exhibit B, the currency of Niue:

The coins above are legal tender in Niue.  Yes, really: "Each coin in the Star Wars set is struck from Silver Plated base metal. No more than 50,000 of each coin will be issued by the New Zealand Mint. The coins are legal tender of Niue".  I nearly entitled this 'Star Wars - a Niue Hope', but decided against it as it might have attracted the wrong type.


In common with novelty stamps, the authorities are not expecting anyone to actually use the things but rather are counting on Star Wars / numismatics 'enthusiasts' (1) to put them in a drawer or - if bolder in the face of mockery - to display them.

Where it gets even more amusing is the obverse:  "The obverse of the coin features The Raphael Maklouf effigy of Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II sovereign of the commonwealth of Niue".

Readers are in with a sporting chance of having a Raphael Maklouf lurking in a pocket / handbag.  It is the portrait of Mrs Battenberg Saxe Coburg Gotha where she only looks 30 years younger than her then current age, rather than the prior 50 or the current 20. 

A bit of digging reveals that Niueans find God in the following ways:

"Ekalesia Niue (Niuean Church - a Protestant church closely related to the London Missionary Society) 61.1%, Latter-Day Saints 8.8%, Roman Catholic 7.2%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2.4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, other 8.4%, unspecified 8.7%, none 1.9% (2001 census)".

So, there could be some Jedi Knights lurking beneath the palm trees.


(1) I would use a stronger word, but I believe sci-fi fanboys react to criticism of their doings almost as strongy as dog lovers do, and I could do without the grief.

Shameless politicians' corner

This, from the Turkish Daily News:


"Forestry and Waterworks Minister Veysel Eroğlu had called on [pop singer] Tarkan to help drum up support for hydroelectric power plants in the Black Sea region as part of a public-relations campaign.
“Therefore we are starting a promotional campaign to create public awareness about the uses of hydropower plants… We will ask Tarkan to take part in our campaign by writing a song about Solaklı Valley [in the Black Sea province of Trabzon],” Eroğlu had said".

Tarkan (note the all important 'n') is not keen - “It would be something beyond ironic, something funny for someone who is against hydroelectric [power] plants to write a song about hydroelectric plants,” the singer said".

That is something of a shame, in that there would be much hilarity if Cameron could persuade whoever is hot this week (1) to record a ditty about charter schools, the big society, devolved responsibility etc.  Maybe there are some songs extant that could be re-worked.....








A bit of digging shows that Eroglu is not lacking in hinterland - Prof. Dr. Veysel Eroğlu is married and has 4 children. He speaks English. He has a large number of hobbies and interests, which include the art of marbled paper, swimming, diving, reading and the art of calligraphy. He is a member of the Istanbul Council, the Waters Foundation (SU VAKFI), the History and Nature Foundation (TATAV), the Turkish Hematological Association (THD), the Turkish National Committee on Water Pollution Research (SKATMK), the Civil Engineering Association (IMO) and İSKİ Sports Club.

Crikey. 

Similarly, when not singing and not being antithetical to hydro-electricity, Tarkan leads a rich and full life:

"In January 2001, Tarkan joined a global brand and became the first Pepsi spokesperson in Turkey....According to hairdressers, his Kuzu Kuzu hairstyle is still the most frequently requested style in the salons of Turkey.  

His former squeeze has quite a name - Bilge Öztürk.  This is rendered still more droll by her being a lawyer.     




(1) Being too old for the charts etc, I don't have a clue who's in and who's out and therefore will not risk making myself a laughing stock by naming names.

Great press release fact checking disasters of our time.

This, from the lead singer of the Alabama 3:

"Not since Robert Johnson dropped thirty eight tracks in one night in a Minnesota hotel room, in 1938 and defined the blueprint for Delta Blues has the genre been so radically (messed) with".

Factual error #1 - He recorded 42 tracks.
Factual error #2 - Over five different recording days
Factual error #3 - During the day, not the night
Factual error #4 - In Texas.
Factual error #5 - In 1936 and 1937.

I'm waiting for the album to judge the truth of the secondary clause.