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
ICB: Does Islam sanction beheadings?
There’s a lot of religion on the site today – sorry. Then again, there’s a lot of religion in the…... Read more
Breast is beating bowel in the battle of the cancers
People are dying because breast cancer awareness has eclipsed the dangers of bowel cancer, and other ‘less sexy’ cancers. If…... Read more
Latham joins the conga line of suckholes
Save us from former Party leaders – particularly if they’ve got a memoir to spruik. Former Labor leader Mark Latham…... Read more
Abbott’s new era of work for the proles
There’s no way taxpayers should be supporting fit young people to lounge around for years on the dole, smoking joints…... Read more
An Ode to Paul Keating and his razor-sharp tongue
If a protestor at the carbon tax rally last week had held up a sign saying Prime Minister Julia Gillard…... Read more
Reports of religion’s death greatly exaggerated
Mathematicians have released a study that made for great headlines, including: (A fairly tenuous link but a mention of religious…... Read more
ICB: Julia Gillard is NOT a witch
Welcome to I Call Bullshit, where we look at myths and mistruths, magical thinking and bad science. And now for…... Read more
Rogue soldiers shine light on Army’s dark side
The stomach clenches with a cold nausea. The lip curls in disgust. It’s the same visceral reaction I had to…... Read more
On breaking rules and deposing fools
This Casey kid, this accidental hero, slamdunked that bully as though he’d been watching his fair share of WWF. (Warning:…... Read more
All men (and women) were not created equal
True equality is impossible. We are not born equal, and we cannot be made equal. But equal opportunity for all…... Read more
Oh Mr Southcott - what a dope!
Stoners Australia-wide may have got excited by the idea that the Government is considering legalising dope cookies, but most people…... Read more
ICB: Using homeopathy for radiation poisoning
Welcome to a new regular Punch piece – I Call Bullshit! (We’ve used this one before, but it really is…... Read more
Australians are not racist, but…
It’s hardly surprising that Johnny Lee Clary’s Australian tour has caused a stir. It’s not every day you get a…... Read more
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
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The Punch is moving house
Good morning Punchers. After four years of excellent fun and great conversation, this is the final post…
Will Pope Francis have the vision to tackle this?
I have had some close calls, one that involved what looked to me like an AK47 pointed my way, followed…
Advocating risk management is not “victim blaming”
In a world in which there are still people who subscribe to the vile notion that certain victims of sexual…
Gentle jabs to the ribs
Superman needs saving
Can somebody please save Superman? He seems to be going through a bit of a crisis. Eighteen months ago,… Read more
