How Bizarre...

Lead singer of the Otara Millionaires Club (OMC), Pauly Fuemana, died today at 40 from a neurological condition. He'll be remembered for the infectious 1995 hip-hop hit, How Bizarre...

Its blend of South Pacific strumming and rap went to No.1 in New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Ireland, South Africa and Austria. How Bizarre topped the US airplay charts, was No.2 on the Billboard Top 100, featured in at least one movie soundtrack, and peaked at No.5 in Britain. OMC's album sold 3-4 million copies, making it NZ's biggest-selling record.
Fuemana grew up in the tough Auckland suburb of Otara. Often in trouble, he found a refuge in music, forming OMC in 1993. How Bizarre made him a millionaire, however a natural generosity and a rock'n'roll lifestyle saw the cash slip through his fingers. He bankrupted four years ago.
He said he had no regrets: "I'm from Otara but I got to see Italy, Spain and Germany...to play at the Supper Club in New York and the Whisky-a-Go-Go in LA...it was like a dream come true."
Rags-to-riches-to-bankruptcy: how bizarre...

OMG! New Uniforms Just Not PC!

Since the beginning of this month, when Air New Zealand revealed its new "concept" uniform, the controversy has not stopped.
Created by Kiwi fashion designer Trelise Cooper, it's been described as "drag queen Barbie": a pink base overlaid with black koru curls. One flight attendant said it resembled the look sported on the airline's annual themed flight to Sydney's gay Mardi Gras festival.
But now the grumbles have (as usual) entered the Arena Of Political Correctness, with a Maori academic complaining the designs are disrespectful to traditional Maori symbols! Canterbury University Maori and Indigenous School head Rawiri Taonui says the Maori symbols on the uniforms each had different meanings and should not be randomly mixed together. He said businesses should consult more with Maori when they used symbols with special significance.
For crying out loud! Maoridom needs to face the reality that not EVERYthing in NZ pivots around their culture. The fern frond shape was used in the clothing design because it's the stylised Air New Zealand logo, NOT as a forelock-tug to a particular ethnic group!
Let's just stick with the real issue and sidestep the PC swamp: the suggested uniform design is crap and needs to be reworked if it's to represent our country to the world.

Another Nigerian Money Scam!

Geography 101: Burkina Faso is a little landlocked country in the "hump" of West Africa...I'd never heard of it - until today! Literally, "Burkina" translates as "men of integrity," so I had a good chuckle when one of its 'Men Of Integrity' spammed me, suggesting I might be interested in 40% of US$18.5million!
“Dear friend,
I am Mr Moha Das a staff of Banque Internationale du Burkina (B.I.B) here in Burkina Faso / Ouagadougou. In my department I discover an abandoned sum of (US$18.5 Million US Dollars) in an account that belong to one of our foreign customer who died along with his family in plane crash.
It is therefore upon this discovery that i now decided to make this business proposal to you and release the money to you as the next of kin or relation to the deceased for the safety and subsequent disbursement since nobody is coming for it.
I agree that 40% of this money will be for you, and 10% will be set aside for expenses incurred during the business and 50% would be for me. Then after the money is been transferred into your account, i will visit your country for an investment under your kind control.
You have to contact my Bank directly as the real next of kin of this deceased account with next of kin application form which i will send to you immeidately i hear from you.
I am waiting for your urgent respond to enable us proceed further for the transfer.
Yours faithful
Moha Das”
Ever wondered what would happen if you replied to one of these scams? Have a read...and a laugh!