http://www.thepunch.com.au/author-bios/rita-panahi/ Rita Panahi is an uncompromising social commentator who is prepared to tell it like it is. She can be heard on SEN 1116 where she co-hosts the popular Casual Friday program. Rita has also been published in the Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph, Courier Mail and MX.’ en Copyright 2013 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:00:10 +0000 Politics, opinion, world news, sports news, latest news, views, Barack Obama, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Nathan Rees, Malcolm Turnbull, Peter Garrett, Barnaby Joyce, Australian, federal politics, opinion polls, election, The Punch, thepunch, punch ExpressionEngine 1.6.7 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 15 http://www.thepunch.com.au/images/punch-logo-rss.png http://www.thepunch.com.au/ 144 70 Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. Search The Punch keywords http://www.thepunch.com.au/search/ http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/welcome-back-warnie/ Welcome back, Shane. It was like watching the Warnie of old on Sunday night as he let that carefully crafted veneer of calm, cool and collected respectability drop and showed us the competitive animal beneath. Watching Warne gesticulate wildly at opponents and umpires alike, drop the F word, grab Marlon Samuels’ shirt and then aim a ball at his body was genuinely entertaining stuff. I haven’t had so much fun watching a quasi-sporting event since Wrestlemania XVI where Triple H defeated The Big Show, Mick Foley and The Rock in a four way elimination match for the title. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/welcome-back-warnie/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/welcome-back-warnie/#item10343 Mon, 07 Jan 2013 19:55:37 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Ethnic-persuasion-ethnic-persuasion-ethic-persuasion/ Darryl Kerrigan may have famously asked “what is it with wogs and cash?” He could’ve just as easily asked “what is it with wogs and property?” The Real Estate Institute of Victoria has completed research that proves what many ethnic types have known for years; that us wogs do better in the property game than your typical Aussie. If ‘The Castle’ was real and not just the greatest Australian film ever made, Farouk would by now own half the street and his kids would be well on their way to building their own property portfolios. REIV analysis of Census data shows that many migrants to this country have better home ownership rates than those who were born and bred here. Indeed Australians don’t even break into the top 30 in home ownership rates in their own country! feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Ethnic-persuasion-ethnic-persuasion-ethic-persuasion/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Ethnic-persuasion-ethnic-persuasion-ethic-persuasion/#item9804 Tue, 23 Oct 2012 04:45:22 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-are-teachers-so-surprised-about-getting-low-pay/ As parents across the state ready themselves for what the Australian Education Union has promised will be unprecedented industrial action, one can’t help wondering if teachers will ever be satisfied with their lot. Why, one wonders, do presumably intelligent people study for four years to enter a profession where they find the pay so unacceptable? It’s akin to buying a house near an airport then complaining about aircraft noise. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-are-teachers-so-surprised-about-getting-low-pay/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/why-are-teachers-so-surprised-about-getting-low-pay/#item9284 Wed, 22 Aug 2012 01:00:35 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Pies-have-the-game-plan-Hawks-have-a-dental-plan/ “They are among the foulest creatures that walk this earth. They infest the darkest, filthiest places, they glory in decay and despair, they drain peace, hope and happiness out of the air around them.” No one is quite sure whether JK Rowling’s description of dementors was inspired by Collingwood fans but it would be safe to assume that at some point in her life, the Harry Potter author had the misfortune to spend time with the Magpie faithful - so chillingly accurate is her account of how their mere presence affect ordinary folk. It would be wrong to characterise all Collingwood supporters as ill-bred, gutter dwelling oxygen thieves more likely to break into your car than make a meaningful contribution to society, but one can understand why that perception exists. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Pies-have-the-game-plan-Hawks-have-a-dental-plan/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Pies-have-the-game-plan-Hawks-have-a-dental-plan/#item6777 Thu, 22 Sep 2011 19:45:06 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/one-rule-for-sports-stars-another-for-us-mere-mortals/ Wouldn’t it be a wondrous thing if we were all treated like sports stars? Adored, spoiled and treated like gods with a sense of entitlement that knows no bounds. Never having to pay for a drink or stand in a queue, paid squillions to do what we love, nubile young things throwing themselves at us, wives willing to turn a blind eye and fans eager to defend us to the death no matter how impertinent or obnoxious we behave. Indeed any act of arseclownery is tolerated as long as we perform on the field. Even if we descend into criminal behaviour, our extensive support network is there to catch us and the ever indulgent public is always eager to give us yet another chance. No behavior, no matter how abhorrent and criminal is going to see us robbed of the opportunity to redeem ourselves. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/one-rule-for-sports-stars-another-for-us-mere-mortals/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/one-rule-for-sports-stars-another-for-us-mere-mortals/#item6106 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 19:45:40 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hold-rita-panahi-on-name-changing/ It has always baffled me why feminists desperately cling to the notion that keeping your maiden name after marriage is somehow an indication of how empowered you are as a woman. How does choosing your father’s name over that of your husband make you any more independent? Either way you end up with a man’s name. At least you get to choose your husband. Footy WAG and mum-to-be, Rebecca Judd (nee Twigley) is the latest high profile woman to be criticized for her decision to adopt her husband’s name. Feminists cannot understand why so many young, professional women prefer to legally change their name & give up their identity. I don’t pretend to speak for Mrs Judd but I can completely understand her decision and applaud her for embracing traditional values over the flawed feminist obsession with symbolism and semantics. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hold-rita-panahi-on-name-changing/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/hold-rita-panahi-on-name-changing/#item5046 Fri, 04 Feb 2011 19:55:35 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/moon-unit-tell-apple-to-leave-peaches-alone/ So Miranda Kerr & Orlando Bloom have named their first born Flynn. Flynn? A normal name and spelt correctly? I must admit I breathed a sigh of relief for the genetically blessed cherub. With two world-famous parents I was expecting baby Bloom to be saddled with a weird, made-up name that would haunt him for the rest of his days. Something like Apple, Dweezil or Heavenly Hirrani Tiger Lily. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/moon-unit-tell-apple-to-leave-peaches-alone/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/moon-unit-tell-apple-to-leave-peaches-alone/#item4937 Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:45:37 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/modern-mums-just-want-to-stay-at-home/ Here’s a turn up for the books; it appears that modern, educated women are far more interested in staying at home with their children than climbing the corporate ladder. A 20 year study by Melbourne University has revealed that only 1 in 3 tertiary educated Generation X women are in full time employment compared to 90% of their male counterparts. Predictably this information has been seized upon by feminists as proof that Australian workplaces are a hotbed of misogynistic inequality. Even the study’s author, Professor Johanna Wyn concluded that the research showed that employers were not supportive of working mums, “Our young women are encouraged to excel academically but when it’s time to start a family there is very little support from employers,” she said. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/modern-mums-just-want-to-stay-at-home/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/modern-mums-just-want-to-stay-at-home/#item3586 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 19:49:22 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/animal-cruelty-and-the-case-for-harsher-punishment/ There’s something uniquely sickening about cases of animal abuse that outrages the community more than most crimes. To hear of a defenceless creature being brutalised by a cowardly attacker can get the blood of even the gentlest soul boiling. This week we learnt of the shocking case of Snowy, a much loved family pet suffering horrific injuries at the hands of a torturer. The 18-month-old cat’s ears were mutilated and he had been set alight. Also this week charges against the man believed to have tortured Buckley, a puppy who had his ears and tail hacked off, were dropped amid fears that the case would not stand up in court. In recent months there have been multiple cases of animals being tortured and killed in a trend that appears to be Australia wide. It seems no animal is immune from such callous attacks; pets, wildlife, even dolphins have been targeted by individuals who derive some sort of thrill from inflicting pain on an innocent creature. Despite the increasingly violent and sadistic nature of these attacks and the public’s growing disgust, offenders if caught can expect little more than a slap on the wrist. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/animal-cruelty-and-the-case-for-harsher-punishment/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/animal-cruelty-and-the-case-for-harsher-punishment/#item3520 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:40:22 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/generation-x-the-childless-generation/ Here’s a sobering little fact; Gen X women face a fertility crisis greater than any generation before them. After receiving terrible advice from scores of feminists as well as their baby boomer mums, many thought it wise to delay motherhood for the sake of their careers. Unfortunately your biological clock doesn’t care about your career, what car you drive or what your investment portfolio looks like. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Rita Panahi) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/generation-x-the-childless-generation/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/generation-x-the-childless-generation/#item3099 Mon, 17 May 2010 20:00:18 +0000 Rita Panahi | Author bios | The Punch