KATE GOLEMBIEWSKI
| New York Times | Science

Impression of oldest known fossilised mosquitoes. Their sharp, elongated mouth is covered in tiny toothlike bristles. Unlike every mosquito that feeds on blood today - these sweet little critters are male (Generated with AI)

NEW YORK - Every single mosquito that’s ever bitten you has been female. For them, a meal of blood is the ultimate girl dinner. This is because the only female mosquitoes have mouth parts capable of piercing skin.

But insects found trapped in amber, described in a study just published in the journal Current Biology, suggest that male mosquitoes may have once been bloodsuckers too.

ANCIE SCHINDLER
| A 1953 memoir in the possession of Ancie's son, Dr Ivan Schindler

ROSEWOOD, QLD - The road from The Highlands to the Markham Valley floor had become a reality. A road, did I say, more like a track, which wound down the steep mountain sides to the flat Markham Valley.

The only Europeans to have travelled it as yet were the ADO (Acting District Officer) Kainantu and the PO (Patrol Officer) Rupert Haviland, who was in charge of the labour cutting out the track.

PETER LAYTON *
| East Asia Forum | Extracts

An AI-generated illustration of Australia's proposed nuclear powered submarines participating in naval exercises

BRISBANE - Grand strategies are whole-of-government, involving diplomatic, informational, military and economic power.

They are of most use to states with limited power that need to focus scarce resources on their most important concerns.

STEVE LANGLEY

NEW ENGLAND NSW - In the late 1950's and again in the early 1960's, I twice signed as a ship steward on TSMV Bulolo (TSMV being an abbreviation of Twin Screw Motor Vessel).

It was a most enjoyable ship to work on, with its exciting itinerary travelling from Sydney to Brisbane then across the Coral Sea and around the Pacific island ports of Port Moresby, Madang, Samarai, Lae and Rabaul, back to Moresby and Brisbane and then its home berth at Burns Philp Wharf in Sydney Harbour. It was a round trip of about two weeks.

JOSEPH TUAN VIET CAO
| DevPolicyBlog

BOMANA - After saying morning mass one day, I was preparing my breakfast when a couple from Laloki Village dropped by. The man, in his forties, told me his problem.

He is a member of Nasfund, the national superannuation fund, and eligible to withdraw money. So he needs to fill in a form and it is required that I, as his parish priest, confirm the information with my signature and parish seal.

ROBERT PARER CMG MBE

CORINDA QLD - On Wednesday 17 December 1941, 10 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour brought the USA into World War II, the Australian government despatched a large passenger ship, SS Katoomba, to Port Moresby.

Its main and urgent mission was to take on board Australian mothers and their children, dependents of Australian men who were working in Papua New Guinea.

BAKA BINA

PORT MORESBY - I had waited at Kokopo airport all day, and when the plane eventually landed it refused to take off. So back to the hotel. Time on my hands.

There on PNG Attitude was AG Satori's poem, ‘Eghe! Koloka moho napa ma! Eghe!’, together with a fine translation which – while I understood the Tok Pisin version – I appreciated. So did a lot of readers, I’m guessing.

DENGHUA ZHANG & BERNARD YEGIORA
| The Conversation

CARLTON, VIC – In recent years China has been steadily increasing its footprint in the Pacific as it attempts to deepen its influence and challenge the traditionally strong relationships many countries have with the US and Australia.

But what do people in the Pacific think of China’s expanding interest and engagement in the region?

Sir Gibbs Salika GCL KBE CSM OBE (Supreme Court of PNG)

MICHAEL KABUNI
| Academia Nomad

PORT MORESBY - Are the District Development Act (DDA Act) and the Kumul Consolidated Limited Act (KCL Act) unconstitutional?

At the recent national development forum organised by the Consultation, Implementation, Monitoring & Implementation Council, Papua New Guinea’s chief justice, Sir Gibbs Salika, called both acts “bad laws.”

AG Satori, the grand old man of PNG poetry, has a favourite secluded place in the mountains where he goes to find inspiration to write (Image by Bing)

AG SATORI
| Noveba 2023

AG Satori’s poem in Goroka Tok Pisin dialect has been kindly translated into English by the great man for the enjoyment of all our readers - KJ

Stephanie Alois, Apoya, naispla meri Koloka ya, AG Satori tok sorre olsem em i no nap rait olsem yu or Maikol long raitim gutpela singsing lo sandin blo leva. Tasol em laik givim tok lukaut long yu long despela taim bihain taim leva bilong yu bai tru tru bruk.

Photo-illustration by Bing.com

NEWS DESK
| Act Now

PORT MORESBY - The unlawful use of forest clearing authorities as a cover for illegal large-scale logging by foreign-owned companies in PNG has been further exposed in a new report from by Act Now!

The report focuses on the Mengen agriculture project in East New Britain Province and reveals how Malaysian logging company, KK Connections, committed to establish forest plantation and agriculture projects if it was given a forest clearing authority (FCA).

MICHAEL DOM

Son, of all the things you could possibly
Become, do not, I say, do not ever
Become a poet, son. Let me list three
Reasons why, and hopefully when I am
Gone, you’ll understand my views. Here’s number
One. They smell of dog poop steaming in the
Sun. The pong hits your nose, and they call it
Song. Cruel bastards! Number two, they’re filthy
Bums, always begging for coins, licking their
Gums, to sweet-talk or befuddle you for
Fun. And three, they’re crooked as a hook and
Some. They’ll steal all your glory and when they’re
Done, the newspapers won’t know your name from
Tom. Dick, son, become a politician.

NEWS DESK
| PNG Business News

PORT MORESBY - Minister for International Trade and Investment, Richard Maru, wants to see the establishment and commercialisation of the kava industry in Papua New Guinea.

Minister Maru expressed his enthusiasm after learning from Fijians who attended the recent World Indigenous Business Forum in Port Moresby that the demand for kava in Fiji and the Pacific had outgrown supply.