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Crispy smashed potatoes make any brunch better – especially when teamed with bacon, bursting tomatoes and creamy scrambled egg. This is a filling but nourishing plate of food. And better still, it’s easy to rustle up. Cooking scrambled egg in the microwave is super speedy and you can achieve silky, luxurious folds of egg very easily in minutes. Ingredients For the smashed potatoes 750g baby new potatoes:  4 tbsp vegetable oil 2 garlic…

Imagine having a picture on your wall that completely changes when the room gets too warm. Engineers at MIT have created a new printing technology called Thermochromorph to make full-color images that switch in response to temperature. You might recognize thermochromic inks as those that change colors when warmed up to a certain temperature, like the old Hypercolor t-shirts. In most applications, they’re basically black sections that turn…

Baba Vanga, the blind mystic who supposedly wrote her premonitions up to the year 5079, is said to have foreseen what's to come in 2025. And it doesn’t look too good... It’s nearly the end of 2024, and the year hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing... Just wait for what next year apparently has in store for us. Spoiler: It’s not great. Apocalypse-triggering, in fact. Legendary blind soothsayer Baba Vanga has reportedly revealed that the end…

One week before Christmas, a well-known visitor made a surprise appearance… I had just finished the household chores and was preparing for bed when a noise startled me. I cautiously opened the door to the front room. To my amazement, Santa Claus stepped from behind the Christmas tree! He placed one finger over his mouth so I would not cry out. “What are you doing here?” I exclaimed. Then I realized that Santa had tears in his eyes. His usual…

The worst railway disaster in New Zealand’s history occurred on Christmas Eve 1953, when the Wellington–Auckland night express plunged into the flooded Whangaehu River, just west of Tangiwai in the central North Island. Of the 285 people on board, 151 were killed. The cause of the tragedy was a volcanic lahar from the Mt Ruapehu crater lake, which sent a huge wave of water, silt, boulders and debris surging down the Whangaehu River minutes…

While Christmas was celebrated far and wide by Christians of medieval Europe, Vikings celebrated a winter holiday of their own. Yule or Jól (in Old Norse), was a pagan ceremony held for three nights, beginning at winter solstice, in mid- to late December during the time of year when days are long and winter is at its peak. The word “yule” pre-dates the Christianization of Scandinavia around the year 1000 and refers to a midwinter festival…

**Christmas Tree Potatoes** Here is a fun idea for the Christmas table - give the roast potato side dish a festive flair by giving them a Christmas tree shape. Ingredients:     12 New Season potatoes, Perlas or similar     2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil     6 sprigs rosemary (lower leaves removed) Method     1.   Place potatoes in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8 minutes…

Using data from twin studies conducted over many years, researchers have found a link between levels of depression and the amount of fruit and vegetables people eat each day. Twin studies are powerful tools for untangling the roles that genetics and environment play in various traits, behaviors and conditions. Because identical twins share essentially 100% of their genes and fraternal twins share, on average, 50%, most of the differences…

You don't need an Advent calendar to know that Christmas is coming, but opening a little numbered door to reveal a prize is an idea that everyone—religious or not—can get behind. Here’s a brief history of Advent calendars and a few non-traditional designs of this popular tradition. What Is Advent? Advent is the four-week period beginning on the Sunday nearest the feast day of St. Andrew the Apostle (November 30) through the following three…

Frederick Bennett, who had a Ngāti Whakaue mother and an Irish father, was ordained as an Anglican priest in 1897. He spent 13 years as superintendent of the Māori mission in Rotorua before moving to Hastings for mission work in Hawke’s Bay. The idea of a Māori diocese with its own bishop was a response to the formation of the Rātana Church, which threatened to draw Māori away from established churches. For three years, there was deadlock…

An estimated 35 million new cancer cases by 2050 would mark a 77 percent rise in the global cancer burden. Approximately 2 to 8 percent of cancers worldwide are related to workplace exposures. This highlights a growing concern: the presence of carcinogens in our environment. The increase in cancer rates globally has been linked to prolonged exposure to environmental contaminants. These contaminants disrupt normal cellular processes, leading…

TVNZ’s chief content officer, Nevak Rogers, attended the Te Pāti Māori linked Toe Toitū Te Tiriti hīkoi in opposition to ACT’s proposed Treaty Principles Bill, while on annual leave. Her posts on social media prompted questions from TVNZ staff. According to one source: “How appropriate is it… that the exec who could be heading up the news and content teams is posting from the hīkoi?” While TVNZ defended Rogers’ right to participate as a…

The UN climate conference kicks off this week amid serious headwinds: average global temperatures in 2024 are on track to be the highest on record, and future US support for climate action could be in serious jeopardy with the re-election of Donald Trump as president.  Extreme weather in the US, Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere has shown that the increasing intensity and frequency of storms, droughts, heatwaves and other events is part of…

In an unmarked cemetery in northern Poland, a young woman was laid to rest centuries ago in a manner both unique and grim: with an iron sickle pressed to her throat and a padlock on her foot.  Her burial spoke of a community steeped in fear, eager to prevent what they saw as an evil resurrection. Known now as “Zosia,” she was one of several “vampire” burials from the time, each steeped in a potent mix of local lore and superstition. Zosia was…

Einstein locked horns with Niels Bohr and younger physicists over their controversial ideas, as a superb new book, Quantum Drama, explains Viewers of Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-hoovering biopic about the physicist J Robert Oppenheimer will have learned a lot about the race to build nuclear weapons, but not much about the hero’s involvement in arguably a much more important debate: what science ought to be able to tell us about reality.…

His speech spoke of the need to unite the country. Whether he fulfils this promise or not, the fact of his election must be respected At least it was all “thank yous” and no threats. Plenty of gratitude to his friends and family – and Elon Musk – and no mention of his enemies. At least not yet. At the very end, when Trump was clearly returning to the script, he said that it was “time to unite”: to “put the divisions of the past behind us”. …

As the country endures a mental health crisis, economic hardship and the erosion of trust in public health, the Australian Health Minister says there is nothing to be sorry about. In September 2023, the Australian government announced an independent Inquiry into nation’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. From the outset, critics predicted a whitewash. The government had already walked back its promise to hold a Royal Commission. Instead,…

Political commentator Bryce Edwards writes that the Auditor-General John Ryan’s recent decision to investigate ministerial conflicts of interest related to New Zealand’s Fast Track Act is casting light on how the government handles ethical risks. Ryan, concerned about potential undue influence in fast-tracked project approvals, raised red flags earlier this year about gaps in the Act’s conflict management. According to Edwards, political…

In the push towards greater use of renewable energy, batteries and other energy storage systems have emerged as a critical component of the supply chain. As more countries adopt wind, solar and hydropower, how to store and deliver this energy reliably and consistently will be crucial. The surging demand for renewable energy solutions and grid modernisation will drive the market to over $US186 billion by 2032. Power and propulsion solutions…

Need a quick Halloween treat for the kids or the kids at heart!! This recipe for Easy Halloween Eyeball Jelly Cups is pretty eye-catching!  It is easy to make, fun and tasty too!!  The perfect Halloween treat! You will need-  Ingredients - Lime jelly - 170 g - Marshmallows, to decorate - Smarties, to decorate - Black and red writing icing, to decorate Method 1. Put the jelly crystals in a large measuring cup, add 2 cups of boiling water…