THE world's first non-leaking tomatoes will go on sale in the UK from tomorrow.
Tesco tomato buyer Emma Pettitt said, “As we all know tomatoes can be tricky to chop and a squirt of juice can easily end up on the kitchen wall or over your shirt.
“The non-leaking variety will stop that problem but without the tomato losing any of its taste."
Ms Pettitt said, “The arrival of the non-leaking tomato may well be heralded by sarnie fans as the best thing to hit the sandwich world since sliced bread......
“(The tomato's) juiciness sometimes means that by lunchtime our lovely salad sarnie resembles a piece of wet cardboard. From now on that will be a thing of the past.”
KEVIN Rudd is set to announce Australia's biggest military build-up since World War II, led by a multi-billion-dollar investment in maritime defence, including 100 new F-35 fighters, a doubling of the submarine fleet, and powerful new surface warships......
Senior government sources say Mr Rudd has insisted that defence spending remain largely insulated from the Government's budget difficulties, but the Defence Department will still have to find at least $15 billion of internal savings over the next decade to help pay for the $100 billion-plus long-term equipment plan.
Mr Rudd said yesterday the delivery of the white paper was proving "acutely challenging as we work to defend ourselves from the global economic storm".
"It is the most difficult environment to frame the Australian budget in modern economic history. It is also the most difficult environment to frame our long-term defence planning in modern economic history as well," he told the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce. "Nevertheless the Government will not resile even in the difficult times from the requirement for long-term coherence of our defence planning for the long-term security of our nation. This is core business for government. That is why we have forged ahead in our preparation of the defence white paper because national security needs do not disappear because of the global recession. If anything, those needs become more acute.".....
CONVICTED murderer Bassam Hamzy, accused of masterminding a drug ring from jail, has won the right to sue the New South Wales Commissioner of Corrective Services over his solitary confinement.
After the decision was handed down, Hamzy - who appeared by videolink from jail - shouted: "I just f..cked the commissioner, I just f..ed the commissioner.'....
It has been alleged that Mr Hamzy productively used his time by running a small business and providing helpful religious instruction:
Hamzy was charged with supplying drugs last December, after police alleged he made more than 19,000 calls from jail as he coordinated a $250,000-a-week drug operation.
In 2007, he was accused of converting fellow prisoners to Islam in order to form a gang labelled the "Super Max Jihadists''.
In 2001, he was convicted of murder, malicious wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm, maliciously discharging loaded arms with intent to do grievous bodily harm, threatening to use a firearm with intent to prevent or hinder lawful apprehension and conspiracy to murder....
Shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said there was also legitimate concern that the grants might be pushing up the price of housing.
He said there was need for caution as the Government and everyone else was predicting a rise in unemployment of up to 300,000 people.
"I would hate to see that those people being encouraged to go out and buy their first homes and are going to end up unemployed in the next 12-18 months,'' he said. "
It might be great to stimulate and distort one part of the economy.
"But if it means that those poor buggers are going to end up unemployed and default on their home loan in 12 or 18 months time through no fault of their own, then this will be seen to be a mistake.''
Mr Hockey said all the grants did was increase housing prices unless there was an increase in housing stocks.
"We don't know whether there has been a sufficient increase in the amount of housing provided to meet what has stimulated demand,'' he said.
The Broken Windows theory simply states that if a building has a broken window that is not fixed, the message is sent that no one cares. Vandals believe there will be no consequences for their bad behavior, and consequently, worse behavior will follow.
However, fixing the broken window sends a message that people care about their community and are watching, which deters crime.
Giuliani and Bratton acted on the insights of the Broken Windows theory to transform New York from one of the most dangerous cities in America to the safest big city in the country by treating minor crimes like vandalism, prostitution, and loitering like broken windows. ..
"The marines found 25 people on board (of the dhow), nine of them suspected pirates," spokesman Robin Middel told AFP.
They also found seven AK47 assault rifles and a rocket launcher, which were seized and destroyed.
"The other people on the dhow were Yemeni fishermen who were hijacked by the suspected pirates."
Middel said the suspects had to be freed on the instructions of a NATO squadron commander.
"There exists no legal framework in the NATO for arrests to be carried out," he explained.
THE amount of tax paid by the average Australian has jumped by up to 40 per cent in just five years, according to new statistics.
In one state, the average person is forking out 62 per cent more in State Government and local council taxes than they did in 2003.
Figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) reveal the average Australian paid $16,401 in taxes to local, state and federal governments last financial year - a 36 per cent rise since 2002-03.
General manager of Taxpayers Australia Heather Schache said it was unfair that people in certain states were being slugged with such high taxes.
“There’s always been issues with state taxes… since the introduction of the GST,” Ms Schache said.
“It really is quite ridiculous that our states are operating with different tax systems.”
Some Australian commentators say China is largely responsible for cleaning up climate change, but Professor Jiahua Pan from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences turned the tables.
He said the planet could not afford for countries like Australia and the United States to have such "wasteful and luxurious" lifestyles.
"You have the luxury to emit so much," Prof Pan said during a frank speech at the Australian National University today.
"For basic necessities, I think that enough is enough ... we have only one small planet earth."
Prof Pan was unimpressed with Australia's environmental standards, saying public transport
seemed poor and the buildings and street lighting were not energy efficient.
He labelled as "insufficient" Australia's pledge to cut greenhouse emissions by five to 15 per cent by 2020.
And he urged Australia to sell more uranium to China to boost nuclear power, a request that is being considered.
MOMBASA, Kenya - U.S. Navy snipers opened fire and killed three pirates holding an American captain at gunpoint, delivering the skipper unharmed and ending a five-day high-seas hostage drama on Easter Sunday.
The pirates were pointing AK-47s at Capt. Richard Phillips and he was in "imminent danger" of being killed when the commander of the nearby USS Bainbridge made the split-second decision to order his men to shoot, Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said.
ROME (Reuters) - A vending machine that bakes fresh pizza in minutes for a few euros has got Italian chefs in a whirl before it hits the streets in the coming weeks.
The bright-red "Let's Pizza" machine uses infra-red rays and technology developed at the University of Bologna to knead flour and water into dough, spread it with tomato sauce and a choice of topping, and cook it -- all in less than three minutes. Its developer, Claudio Torghele, says the machine has proved popular in trials in two Italian regions, but gourmets say it is an affront to traditional methods of cooking the classic dish.
"This is not just a vending machine, it's a mini-pizzeria," said Torghele, 56. "It has windows where you can watch the pizza-making process. Kids, including my own, love it: when the machine is working, there's always a crowd."...
For nearly 30 years, Redding has been an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church. Her priesthood ended Wednesday when she was defrocked.
The reason? For the past three years Redding has been both a practicing Christian and a Muslim.
"Had anyone told me in February 2006 that I would be a Muslim before April rolled around, I would have shaken my head in concern for the person's mental health," Redding recently told a crowd at a signing for a book she co-authored on religion.
Redding said her conversion to Islam was sparked by an interfaith gathering she attended three years ago. During the meeting, an imam demonstrated Muslim chants and meditation to the group. Redding said the beauty of the moment and the imam's humbleness before God stuck with her.
Liberal councillor Ross Grove, who put forward the rescission motions, said he had embarrassed the Labor-Independent majority into reviewing the tree policy.
“We need to start letting people make their own decisions when it comes to keeping and planting trees on their property,” he said.
“Our rules and red tape, when it comes to tree removal, are among the most extreme in NSW. “Leichhardt, Ku-ring-gai and the Blue Mountains are all green councils, yet each one of them have more flexible approaches than we do.”
Independent councillor Allan Ezzy said the Liberals were playing mind games and claimed the rescission motions and continued debate wasted council’s time.
“It is just a ridiculous game,” he said. “We are there to discuss business, not waste time playing stupid mind games.”
Cr Ezzy said the tree management orders were fair and equitable. “There is a three-step process, including a an independent look at the tree and then a final review by councillors, so it can’t get much fairer than that,” he said.
“Otherwise we would have carte blanche and let everyone cut down whatever they want and have the place looking like Beirut.”
