http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/health/ Politics, political opinion, world news, sports news and the latest news and views updated live, daily on The Punch - Australia's best conversation. en Copyright 2012 The Punch penberthyd@newsltd.com.au penberthyd@newsltd.com.au Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +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/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 why so many Australians are choosing the risk of melanoma over the risk of… something ill defined. According to the Department of Industry, Innovation, Science, Research and Tertiary Education there’s a proportion of people who – because they’ve heard about concerns over the use of nanoparticles in sunscreen – think it’s safer not to use it at all. To stop people getting the 80s ‘zinc’ look, some sunscreen manufacturers break the zinc particles down into nanoparticles, or teeny tiny bits. See here for a much more erudite explanation. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/icb-if-i-could-offer-you-only-one-tip-for-the-future/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/icb-if-i-could-offer-you-only-one-tip-for-the-future/#item7723 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-temptation-of-forbidden-fruit-why-i-cant-dukan/ Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-temptation-of-forbidden-fruit-why-i-cant-dukan/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-temptation-of-forbidden-fruit-why-i-cant-dukan/#item7709 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/facebooks-being-a-boob-over-breastfeeding-pics/ The Facebook ban on photographs of women breastfeeding their own children raises some important issues about freedom of choice and the role of social media in setting behavioural standards. There is no valid reason for any social media network to ban legitimate pictures posted by women of themselves breastfeeding their own children. Such pictures can help normalise breastfeeding and educate others about how breastfeeding is done in real life. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/facebooks-being-a-boob-over-breastfeeding-pics/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/facebooks-being-a-boob-over-breastfeeding-pics/#item7693 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dog-ownership-laws-a-load-of-total-bullpit/ Max, a young and handsome American pit bull, sits on death row in Miami-Dade County’s Animal Services, a victim of possibly the world’s toughest breed-specific dog laws. The paperwork on his cage labels him “aggressive”, but it’s more out of caution. He’s never bitten anyone. Max has got 24 hours for a reprieve. His owner is a soldier on duty in Afghanistan who left the dog with his family. They became panicked that they would be fined for harbouring an outlawed breed and handed him to the Animal Services pound. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dog-ownership-laws-a-load-of-total-bullpit/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/dog-ownership-laws-a-load-of-total-bullpit/#item7644 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/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 since then. Home births are much safer, and much, much rarer. The latest Australian Institute of Health and Welfare statistics show in 2009 just 0.3 per cent of women had a planned home birth – a total of 863 births. Two babies died. But home births are still the source of simmering tension; the powerful Australian Medical Association is dead set against them, a very vocal lobby group is angry at recent changes that make them harder, and parents are left to choose between conflicting views and seemingly conflicting evidence. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/home-births-are-prone-to-many-complications/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/home-births-are-prone-to-many-complications/#item7642 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/counterpunch-means-testing-about-fairness/ Bronwyn Bishop’s attack in yesterday’s Punch on the Government’s proposed means testing of the private health insurance rebate claims that people earning less than $50,000 will be the worst off. This is completely false. People earning $50,000 or less will be among the 8 million health insurance policy holders that will not be affected by means testing at all. They won’t lose a dollar. Mrs Bishop should stop scaring pensioners. Currently all families and individuals who pay private health insurance premiums are eligible for a rebate of at least 30 per cent on the cost of their insurance. It doesn’t matter how much you earn, you still receive the rebate. That money comes from the taxes of every working Australian. At the moment the same people that Bronwyn Bishop claims to care about are subsidising the rebate being paid to millionaires. They’re subsidising her private health insurance rebate and mine. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/counterpunch-means-testing-about-fairness/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/counterpunch-means-testing-about-fairness/#item7598 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labors-mean-spirited-attack-on-our-most-vulnerable/ Tanya Plibersek has flagged the re-introduction of legislation to means test the private health insurance rebate. This is Labor’s third try. It has been defeated twice. Peter Slipper has voted twice against this legislation, presumably believing as does the rest of the Opposition, of which he was a part, that it is bad legislation for his constituents. Tony Windsor has voted against it twice and remained consistent but Rob Oakeshott only once.  On the last vote he caved into Labor. This was interesting because Mr Oakeshott in his seat of Lyne has more people over 50 years, as well as over 60 years, than any other seat in Australia. 57,220 of his constituents are over 50, of which 38,481 are over 60. He has once voted to protect them and vote down the miserable means test but what will he be offered/threatened/cajoled by Gillard this time? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labors-mean-spirited-attack-on-our-most-vulnerable/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/labors-mean-spirited-attack-on-our-most-vulnerable/#item7581 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/an-indigenous-program-thats-boxing-clever/ Recent bad press about Aboriginal programs in NSW might make you think that all programs designed to help Aboriginal people are failing. But this is not the case. A boxing program, “Clean Slate without Prejudice”, has delivered great results since it first began in June 2009.  An initiative of Redfern Superintendent Luke Freudenstein and Aboriginal leaders, the program involves police training alongside local Aboriginal youth three mornings a week. Accompanying the ducking and jabbing is some good natured ribbing as the police and young Aboriginal people get to know each other. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/an-indigenous-program-thats-boxing-clever/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/an-indigenous-program-thats-boxing-clever/#item7553 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/eight-funerals-in-13-days/ It was only Day 13 of the New Year, 2012. And on this day, I attended the funeral of the eighth South Australian Aboriginal person to die – the eighth death in our small community this year. And it was only Day 13. These eight deaths are not of Aboriginal people who have lived to a ripe old age. The funerals were not celebrations of long and productive lives. No, they were all premature deaths, some of them violent, all premature and preventable. Aboriginal people are always at funerals. We attend out of respect for our people and community. We give our condolences and cry for our loved ones. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/eight-funerals-in-13-days/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/eight-funerals-in-13-days/#item7544 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/junking-the-junk-in-junk-food/ There was a time when putting ‘healthy choice’ and ‘McDonalds’ in the same sentence was considered an oxymoron. Then it became a marketing campaign. Where there were once burgers, fries and soft drinks, menu boards are now filled with bagels, fruit juices and cafe lattes. What’s more, the buns no longer have sugar in them (well, not much), the cheese is supposedly made from milk and even the McNuggets are said to contain traces of chicken. And now KFC - that last bastion of dreadfully unhealthy chain-based junk food - has launched a new advertisement trumpeting its quality credentials - slow motion flour-falling-from-the-air-in-a-Master-Chef-style-kitchen and all. How disappointing. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/junking-the-junk-in-junk-food/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/junking-the-junk-in-junk-food/#item7531 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Like many Australians, I spent the Christmas holidays growing as a person. Unfortunately, I’m talking literally. Over the summer months, I fed liberally from the five festive food groups: the rum ball group; the mayonnaise group; the house-made-of-stale-gingerbread group; the looks-like-the-placenta-scene-out-of-Poltergeist trifle group; and, of course, the furtive-third-helping-of-pavlova group.