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
Watch out - it’s a booby trap
Two mates of mine – one large breasted, one small breasted – were talking about the first thing they’d do…... Read more
ICB: It helps if offensive jokes are funny
Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit, a regular Punch column that looks at crap and calumny, fibs, fictions and…... Read more
Five dumb health mistakes even smart people make
There’s a steaming pile of rubbish out there about health. There’s plenty of money to be made from offering too-good-to-be-true…... Read more
You’re kidding if you think all women should be mothers
Psychotic. Mongoose. Saboteur. Liar. Traitor. Dysfunctional. Egotistical. Childless. In week of whirring insults, the claim that ex-PM ex-FM Kevin Rudd…... Read more
Exclusive: Harry Potter and the Faceless Men
The Punch presents an exclusive peek at Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s first foray into writing for grownups, following her…... Read more
If only Julia Gillard was always this convincing
It’s really quite surprising that Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s head has not yet exploded, spraying reform-flavoured bits of grey matter…... Read more
Seven things I would miss if men became extinct
Looks like men are going to be OK. Some panic merchants were putting it about that the Y chromosome would…... Read more
Pets are not the best people
You can pet a human, but you really shouldn’t human a pet. Things can get… a bit sick. No, not…... Read more
Relax - you’re not depressed. It’s all in your head.
It’s a puzzling paradox that while people with mental illnesses are still battling stigma, the ‘worried well’ will gleefully embrace…... Read more
I wanna knock the bottom out of this advertisement
He rammed her head against the headboard. She tried to master the silent scream. She is left with a limp…... Read more
ICB: Anti-vaxxers injecting credibility into their cause
Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit, a regular column that looks at pseudoscience and magical thinking. Unsurprisingly, vaccination pops…... Read more
Running for cover in the health insurance debate
Taking out health insurance is basically a gamble. You’re putting your coins in the slot every week or month, hoping…... Read more
Come out, come out, wherever you are!
People think I’m gay all the time. It could be the soccer or the lack of feminine wiles. A colleague…... Read more
Love in the time of sharia
Happy Valentine’s Day. May your day be free from cutesy little devil horns and squealing flower recipients and (most of…... Read more
Would you kill for a job?
Who would work in an abattoir? Most of us have done jobs we didn’t want to do because we needed…... Read more
ICB: If I could offer you only one tip for the future…
Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit, an irregular regular column on calumny and codswallop. This week we’re looking at…... Read more
The humourless hysteria of the holier-than-thou
In I Spit On Your Grave, a young woman is gang raped in a remote woodland. She is beaten and…... Read more
Interest rate barney barely even rates as interesting
Stop all the cheering, cut off the champagne. Prevent the pollies from barking and silence the drums. The piddling interest…... Read more
Don’t blame the beautiful game for riot shame
If badminton was the World Game there would probably be just as many riots as there are now with soccer.…... Read more
The Rinehart whine came straight from the heart
You can’t blame Hope Rinehart for trying to get her Mum to pay for a cook, a housekeeper and a…... Read more
These parents think their son shouldn’t have been born
How would you feel if you found out that your mere existence is such a burden on your parents they…... Read more
Home births are prone to many complications
Once upon a time, home births were the only option, and mothers and babies frequently died. Things have changed dramatically…... Read more
Blame no one – and everyone – for the Oz Day debacle
As murky details continue to emerge about the Australia Day ‘riot’, so do the murky conspiracy theories. In reaction to…... Read more
Singing the praises of the unsung heroes
The world is ruled by extroverts. The loudest voices, unsurprisingly, are often the only ones we hear. The Australia Day…... Read more
Beware the pro-lifers doing hard Labor on abortion
Labor for Life may sound like a North Korean punishment but it is, in fact, a fringe group that apparently…... Read more
We need a strong constitution to tackle racism
It will be a shameful day for Australia if it does not change its Constitution to both prohibit racial discrimination…... Read more
ICB: Is Mark Wahlberg really Hangin’ Tough?
Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit column. In a world full of bunkum, it’s often hard to narrow the…... Read more
Should we name and shame online racists?
The interwebs are a cesspit of bigotry, bullying and racism, hate and snuff porn, and all things dark and evil,…... Read more
All’s not fair in war
In the film Balibo, five journalists paint an Australian flag and the word ‘Australia’ on the wall of their ‘safe’…... Read more
Women and children first, or every man for himself?
When a boat goes down, should women and children be able to jump to the front of the lifeboat queue?…... Read more
ICB: Magic detox diets - just intoxicating marketing?
Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit, a regular column where we pick apart mischievous misrepresentations, balderdash, and outright bunkum.…... Read more
Using deodorant and other great Aussie traditions
A Coalition suggestion that migrants need deodorant classes is an outrageous, racist furphy. It’s an absolute myth that Poms are…... Read more
I am angry white man, hear me roar
There’s a movement that sees males - generally straight, middle-aged, white males - as the new oppressed. No, seriously. Men’s…... Read more
Who you gonna call when cosmetic surgery goes wrong?
In the 1940s Japanese prostitutes injected themselves with non-medical grade silicone or paraffin, or inserted sponges into their chests because…... Read more
If only you could bend space-time to hide your shame…
The God Particle is so 2011. This year’s sexy science story is a hole in time. Yes, it’s a sci-fi…... Read more
The end is not nigh
‘Tis the season for many predictions. Here’s mine: The world will not end. Earth will not be ripped apart by…... Read more
Creating death in a test tube
It’s the stuff of an edge-of-your-seat thriller: Scientists develop a fatal flu virus, one that could decimate humanity. What happens…... Read more
ICB: The Great Feminist Conspiracy and MRE
Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit, a regular column where we look at shysters and shenanigans, bad science and…... Read more
Naked protesting: Is it world’s breast practice?
In Europe, a Ukrainian feminist movement protests against prostitution and for women’s rights by getting their tits out, donning long…... Read more
Do they know it’s Sockandjockmas Time at all?
Many of us these days prefer to take our Christmas without the Christ or the Mas(s). It’s convenient to keep…... Read more
How Plimer’s climate change book might just work
Climate change sceptics shouldn’t have to resort to juvenile ‘Gotcha’ tactics to get attention. But Professor Ian Plimer just did.…... Read more
Beware the dark forces occupying the Occupiers
The Occupy protests are fighting for freedom, truth, justice, equality, and the right to wear tents as casual attire. In…... Read more
ICB: Are there 600 million virtual war criminals?
Welcome to this week’s I Call Bullshit, a column that looks at all kinds of myths and mistruths, at falsehoods,…... Read more
I love goldfish, but I couldn’t eat a live one
Puns abounded after a PR stunt involving goldfish went totally belly up this week. Advantage SA sent 55 live goldfish…... Read more
Biggest moments of 2011 #17 No laksa for you!
What happened In a kooky swapsie deal, Australia and Malaysia entered into a “cooperative transfer agreement” on asylum seekers, only…... Read more
Time to inject some rational thought into anti-vaxxers
The Government has hoisted up a large and slightly unwieldy carrot to boost immunisation rates. Families could miss out on…... Read more
So the Bali boy will be outta the joint by Christmas…
The Indonesian courts have, to an extent, belied their reputation for handing down extreme sentences. They have sentenced the 14-year-old…... Read more
Sack bloody Kyle Sandilands. Lance the boil.
Why is Kyle Sandilands’s toxic sludge allowed to leak out of radio speakers at breakfast? He’s a cretin, a hate-filled…... Read more
Stop the planes!
There’s nothing like a leaky boat full of traumatised asylum seekers to spark fear and loathing in Australia. Why is…... Read more
Not everyone has the Obamarama spirit
If you thought young Australians were only ecstatic while listening to LMFAO at Stereosonic while chugging overpriced bottled water, think…... Read more
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@AndrewCatsaras Agreed. Kills more people than AIDS. Yet tolerated. Meanwhile: Good Insiders piece again Andrew.
RT @JamieTravers: I'm in Europe and don't care for Eurovision, why is my twitter feed filled with Aussies recounting the bloody thing!?
Ukraine song pinches chord progression from The Verve's Bittersweet Symphony. Fo real #sbseurovision
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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
