Wellington Anniversary

Poneke the Beautiful: Absolutely Wonderfully Welly
Happy Birthday Us! Fabulous day for us vacationeers. Languorous, lazy, luxuriant. Appropriately, have been indolent & slothful. Been online for over 8 hours & haven't blogged single sentence. Thought I should make the effort lest day be completely wasted. Today's meagre offerings:

still raising hell
The superb Muriel Newman causing a ruckus (hehe) over DNA testing of early human remains. I do love a good stir debate. The divine Ms M relitigates touchey who-got-here-first arguments, with Chinese (possibly others) pipping Maoris for the Gold medal. Fervently hope various Govt spokes-fellas, Maori groups, academics, and PC historians go ape in response. Only coz I'm a trouble maker who loves mischief & a good scrap. Pass the popcorn. I like Muriel coz she's tough and smart. And not afraid to ask the hard questions.

ps - Obtaining Maori DNA shouldn't be that hard. I'll SELL you my DNA if you're that desperate: $100 per mouthswab. That's my price. Surely Ms Newman approves of 'market economics' ;-)

pps - If you want the geneaology that comes with the mouthswabs - oh, we're way into 5 figures now :-) If you're that keen, you'll pay. God bless the free market!

prickly subject
If the Chinese did get here first, would the Nats be happy to fund their traditional medicine? Brain scans show accupunture may work in some folk by deactivating parts of the limbic system, responsible for perception of pain. Jury's still out on whether changes to brain result from acupunture itself, or one's expectations and faith in the treatment. The old Placebo number. Still, the changes were measurable & recordable - suggesting it's not "all in your head."

inferiority complex
SetCond1 has ravishingly gorgeous photo & link about aircraft carrier, USS Reagan, visiting Brisbane. Am seriously jealous of the Stralianz. Honours & highlights for local lad, Capt Steve Palecanos, who gets to pilot the beautiful behemoth!

"The $A5 billion ship is.. 77m high, 344m long & 78m at its widest point.. 97,000-tonne... The flight deck covers 1.82ha &.. is powered by two nuclear reactors – which allow it to operate for more than 20 years without refuelling"

A shame We may never experience the same thrill in pussy little nuke-free NZ. Don't it suck being a wimp? I feel a coward's unease whenever contemplating Oz & US military stuff. Thoughts inevitably lead to comparisons with our own fighting forces. Humiliating, isn't it? Like a young lad in a communal shower full of men. Doesn't it make you feel small & inadequate?

Update: Wide shot of USS Reagan (blatantly stolen from fm) showing off: "80 fixed-wing aircraft including F/A-18 Hornets, S-3B Vikings, EA-6B Prowlers, E-2C Hawkeyes, C-2A Greyhounds, SH-60 Sea Hawks and helicopters"