Haven't made spag-bol for a lonnnnnng time.

My semi-regular coffee haunt is using a different cup design. Much nicer than the old, dark brown ones, IMHO.

Stuck in traffic going home. People are starting to get out of their car and chat by the roadside.

====UPDATE=====

SOURCE: Sydney Morning Herald, 13May08
AUTHOR: Jordan Baker and Daniel Emerson

Almost 30 police vehicles roared along Parramatta Road in pursuit of a stolen car last night, causing gridlock on two westbound arterial roads at peak hour.

Parramatta Road was closed in both directions and the turn-off from the M4 motorway was blocked after the pursuit, in which a stolen four-wheel-drive crashed and its occupants tried to escape on foot. Officers sealed off the intersection as a crime scene at about 5.30pm.

Redfern police had spotted a stolen Toyota Kluger four-wheel-drive while on patrol in Waterloo just after 5pm, a police spokeswoman said.

The car had allegedly been used in a series of robberies.

A shot was fired at the start of the chase. The origin of the shot was not immediately clear.

Police chased the vehicle onto Parramatta Road, and then west through Lewisham and Leichhardt until it collided with a stationary car near the junction with the motorway at the intersection of Mosely Street at Strathfield.

Police cars from several commands joined the pursuit.

Witnesses said there were at least 26 police cars involved. A police helicopter was also part of the chase, police said.

One man was arrested, and two others fled. A second man was arrested a short time later. The helicopter was also involved in the search for the third. Onlookers reported police had their guns drawn.

The manhunt involving heavily armed members of the tactical operations unit, the dog squad, local police and detectives continued until a third man was arrested at the intersection of Franklyn and Ada Streets in Strathfield.

He joined the other two arrested men at Burwood Police Station for interview by police.

Two men, aged 24 and 27, have since been charged with being carried in the Kluger without the consent of its owner.

Both are scheduled to appear at Burwood Local Court on June 12.

A third man, aged 27, remains in police custody and is expected to be charged later today.

One witness told Macquarie Radio: "The whole incident happened right in front of me. He smashed into a vehicle. Police detained the gentleman. He was being really rude in the back of a paddy wagon."

The Roads and Traffic Authority said Parramatta Road was closed in both directions near the eastern end of the M4 and at Wentworth Road, about five blocks east. Access to and from the M4 was also closed.

Motorists were advised to use diversions through Homebush and Silverwater. A police spokeswoman said they were "anticipating extreme delays for westbound traffic along Parramatta Road".

Parramatta Road and the M4 were reopened shortly before 8pm.

Police later thanked the public in a statement "for their patience" in dealing with the closure of two major roads during a peak traffic period.