Tory Shepherd
Tory Shepherd studied anthropology, then travelled, then studied some more, then travelled, then ended up with a cadetship at The Advertiser in 2006. She covered police rounds, politics, general news and health, while working at The Punch on the side. Now Tory is working full time at The Punch. She can be seen and heard on ABC local radio and Radio National, PM Live on Sky, and in other nooks and crannies. She is passionate about words, wine, chilli, soccer, and people (even the ones who hate her or keep praying for her soul). Follow her on Twitter - @ToryShepherd
Articles by Tory Shepherd
Zen and the art of festival dressing
If the clothes truly maketh the man, there are a lot of Rastafarians in Adelaide at the moment. Dozens were…... Read more
Major disaster still unfolding in Japan
The day after Japan suffered its largest ever earthquake and a subsequent, devastating tsunami, the number of deaths and extent…... Read more
Competitive parenting’s latest weapon
There’ll be no more excuses for under-performing children now their parents can get them tested for sporting prowess. A US…... Read more
Let’s be blunt about the country…
Leave the city behind. Leave the traffic and the noise, and the crime and the expensive real estate, and escape…... Read more
AFL scandal girl’s an idiot. Because she’s a teenager
Teenagers are idiots, most of the time. They do incredibly stupid things. Hormones, drugs, alcohol, and a not-yet fully formed…... Read more
Punch on: Open thread 07/03/2011
Welcome to Monday at The Punch. In 1965, at least 50 people were injured when police broke up a civil…... Read more
Sex - when too much is barely enough
I love hot chips. I can’t get enough. Sometimes I’m thinking about hot chips when I should be thinking about…... Read more
An inside guide to spin doctors’ wily ways
Like the proverbial frog dropped into cold water and boiled slowly, we have grown accustomed to paying people to twist…... Read more
$15 million buys a lot of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll
Michael Carroll, UK binman, won $15 million and blew it all in eight years on drugs, cars and women. He’s…... Read more
Humanity. Much better than expected.
These past two days I’ve been gazing at my fellow office workers and wondering: If an earthquake struck here, who…... Read more
Sex education + contraception = fewer abortions
All those people who think sex is just about procreation must be doing it wrong. Every time a conservative talks…... Read more
It’s Star Trek, but not as we know it
Star Trek. Object of slavish devotion, of cult-like following. And now, site of homo-erotic fantasy. In this news.com.au article, Peter…... Read more
When sorry seems to be the hardest word
Apologising is tough work. Most of us are hard wired to defend our actions, even when deep down inside we…... Read more
We should fund Islamic schools for our own good
Public money should not be spent on promoting religion. We don’t need religious school chaplains. State schools should be well…... Read more
Mubarak has once again disappointed his people
After weeks of protests against his reign, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was expected set to step down this morning. But…... Read more
Did Abbott say ‘shit happens’, or ‘shit happens’?
The intonation is crucial. Australians use the phrase in two quite different ways, and the clue to whether what Mr…... Read more
Australia does not have a ‘way of life’
Former Premier Jeff Kennett has urged Australians to be vigilant about ethnic threats and told the Herald Sun that migrants…... Read more
Would you brake for a cane toad? A kangaroo? A cat?
Roadkill is a reality of Australian life. Drivers should slow down, be aware, and avoid killing native animals without putting…... Read more
When disasters leave us lost for words…
Queensland really dodged a bullet. After the devastating floods of that fatal tsunami inundated the state, the waters had barely…... Read more
Live blog: Cyclone Yasi hits Queensland
Update 6:05am : Cyclone Yasi has been downgraded to a category three storm, but remains dangerous. The “very destructive” core,…... Read more
Crack down on quacks and make them pay the bill
The world is full of quacks. Legislation won’t work. Time for MyQuack. Sorry, scrap that, bad connotations. Time for a…... Read more
Digging a hole while trying to find God
Church leaders faced with a national disaster are struggling to find relevance and avoid hypocrisy. In the wake of the…... Read more
Get angry. Then get over it.
The resounding response to the flood levy has been: We want to donate of our own free will, not be…... Read more
A levy? A tax? A necessary evil?
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has appealed to emotion and a sense of nationhood to sell her flood rescue package, which…... Read more
More men saying women are crap at stuff
Ugh. I can barely be bothered raising the requisite outrage to talk about the latest sexism in sport scandal. Read…... Read more
Are today’s parents toothless tigers?
We’ve had free-range parenting, helicopter parenting, attachment parenting and now we have ``tiger mums’‘. In case you missed the shitstorm,…... Read more
Adelaide. It’s OK! (No, really.)
The Property Council of Australia - in one of those surveys aimed at getting their name on every news service…... Read more
Series final: Autism and vaccinations
The final in a three-part series exposing the fraudulent link between autism and vaccination is out today. Read about the…... Read more
Jabs, autism, viruses and panic
The link between autism and vaccines is dead, and should be buried. However, that destructive little idea received a couple…... Read more
In the wake of disaster, scammers strike
Extreme situations bring out extreme behaviour. So far we have seen heroism, desperation, and stoicism. Grief and relief. And now…... Read more
As the water rises again, the questions begin
Almost as soon as they can speak, humans starting asking “Why?”. We hate feeling powerless. We hate the not-knowing. So…... Read more
We need to keep the bigger issues in mind
Our mental health priorities are seriously out of whack. Australia’s mental health system is a shambles. It’s under-funded and plagued…... Read more
It’s just a jump to the left… then a step to the right
The South Australian Liberal Party today declared it ‘out lefts’ Labor on social justice issues, and will do more to…... Read more
Parental leave is more about the welfare of the ageing
Across the nation, bins are ringing with the sound of discarded contraceptives as women prepare to embrace motherhood for the…... Read more
Government forced to defend detention security breach
In case you missed the news, there was a mass breakout at the Inverbrackie detention centre yesterday. The controversial site,…... Read more
Giving the gift that keeps on giving
Tonight I’m going to pour myself a generous glass of red made from biodynamically grown grapes, turn the ABC up…... Read more
Evil Government says holograms not real science
In a shock move today, the makers of Power Balance wristbands have been forced to say they do not actually…... Read more
Punch on: Open thread 22/12/2010
On this day in 1972 the Chilean Air force found 14 survivors from a plane that had crashed in the…... Read more
Football scandal spreads on internet. Again.
Another day, another footballer caught up in a scandal. Today it’s Riewoldt fronting the media in defence of explicit pictures…... Read more
Kids should be exposed to people from all walks of life
Primary school education should include introducing each and every child to the following: - A broad range of races and…... Read more
MyPollie: Time to tell the leaders what you really think
Here at The Punch we’re not above nicking a good idea from our readers. Last week I posted a piece…... Read more
An asylum seeker’s story: journey to Australia
Dr Waleed Alkhazrajy fled his native Iraq 15 years ago. Saddam Hussein’s regime had ordered him to cut off the…... Read more
The day Nestlé gobbled Jenny Craig all up
I like the name ‘Nestlé’. You can say it softly (nestle) or with that European flamboyance (Nestlé!). And there’s just…... Read more
How do you solve a problem like religious zealotry?
Religious extremism seems to be on the rise, and the reaction against extremism is only getting more … extreme. We…... Read more
MyHospitals, MyChoice?
Governments treat their employers (us) with such contempt. They genuinely think we can’t handle the truth, that they need to…... Read more
Hygiene hypothesis: let children eat dirt
Rise up, parents, and rub your kids’ faces in a bit of dirt. Let them eat snails, and snot, and…... Read more
We’re not turning into each other, we’re just chilling out
If dedicating yourself to a job and having a complete lack of elegance is manly, well then - call me…... Read more
Are weddings getting weirder?
People are doing it under the Golden Arches, underwater, in the nude and in Nazi uniforms. They get hitched in…... Read more
Adelaide. Eat. Pray. Kill?
Adelaide. It’s orderly, clean and quiet. Maybe too quiet. Because somewhere behind the odd mix of plummy accents and mullet…... Read more
Big business is still giving men a leg up
A woman does not have to be a man to succeed in business. And it only appears to be a…... Read more
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@AndrewCatsaras Agreed. Kills more people than AIDS. Yet tolerated. Meanwhile: Good Insiders piece again Andrew.
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Recent posts
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Abbott’s crass logic: trash the Parliament in order save it
An email was sent to almost every politician in Australia this week saying that someone should cut off…
Our special forces don’t always need special treatment
We admire them, but we’re not entirely sure why. We allow them to operate in the shadows; we rarely…
A good holiday is about unrest, not rest
Like a fat full-stop, it lay in my hand. A small orange – not exactly fresh, but purchased anyway…
Gentle jabs to the ribs
They must pay for one’s bitter disappointments
A private school girl’s family is sueing her elite, extremely expensive private school for not… Read more
