http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/lists/ 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/heres-to-drinking-songs-theyre-true-blue/ It was when the Captain Matchbox Whoopie Band let fly with its dated fart joke interlude that I started thinking about drinking. Overcome by nostalgia, I went to see the Captain and his mates (they had amused many of us back in the 70s) in a far-flung tent at this year’s Byron Bay Bluesfest, which is now held on an old Tea Tree farm at Tyagarah near Mullumbimby. It had been a very good Bluesfest, although a few standout disappointments (a clearly past it B.B. King, a headed towards past it Blind Boys of Alabama and Bob Dylan and his band sounding like week-old soup) took some shine off the event. But there was enough really great music – hunt down Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and his band, Avenue Orleans for starters – to make the five day a revelation and confirmation of the power of music. Back to drinking. Sad Song Junkie, a new album by Boston singer-songwriter Dan Baker is a delight, bringing together a superb collection of tunes, including a love song to the martini – “When I was young/Just a boy/I’d eat my cereal/Juts for the toy/Not much has changed/For my little treat’s the olive/Way down at the bottom/Of my favourite drink”. It’s such a louche, sweet surrender that I found it hard to stop playing it, despite the power and beauty of the other sad and sorry songs. Drinking has been a constant theme of song writing, sitting proudly next to love, lust and loss. So, with this new entrant at hand, let’s dive in and nominate the top 25 drinking/drunk songs. 25: Little Old Wine Drinker, Me by Dean Martin is for the devotee of wine (“I’m praying for rain in California/So the grapes can grow and they can make more wine”) by a man with a big reputation as a drinking enthusiast – helped no doubt by his vanity number plate DRUNKY. Martin also had a fabulous crooning voice. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/heres-to-drinking-songs-theyre-true-blue/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/heres-to-drinking-songs-theyre-true-blue/#item5773 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/12-reasons-why-football-season-is-better-than-sex/ Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/12-reasons-why-football-season-is-better-than-sex/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/12-reasons-why-football-season-is-better-than-sex/#item5349 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/new-years-resolutions-wed-all-like-to-see/ What’s your New Year’s Resolution? Do you even subscribe to that sort of thing? Mine was to stop drinking so much but I broke that within 24 hours. Must be some kind of record. So, in honour of all those ruined resolutions, here are some suggestions for 2011. 1. NSW Premier Kristina Keneally: Stop lying, or your nose will grow long like Pinocchio’s. If you can’t stop lying, at least attend some of the ethics classes you’re bringing into NSW classrooms. You could learn a thing or two. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/new-years-resolutions-wed-all-like-to-see/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/new-years-resolutions-wed-all-like-to-see/#item4810 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-songs-remain-the-same-best-lyrics-of-all-time/ The grimmest master songwriter shares something with the shiniest, tiniest pop princess. Both would struggle to explain how they came to produce a set of words which intercepted with a tune and then took off to become property beloved by the world – or, at least, someone in the world. I’ve asked a number of acquaintances, colleagues and friends to hit me with their best-ever lyrics – just a line or two, and the reason they like them. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-songs-remain-the-same-best-lyrics-of-all-time/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-songs-remain-the-same-best-lyrics-of-all-time/#item4510 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-list-the-10-best-beatles-songs/ There are some top 10 lists that should never be written because they will always start a fight. This is one of them. With reports that The Beatles are about to release their catalogue on iTunes, here is the list of what are incontestably the top 10 songs by the greatest band that ever played together. It’s so definitive it could be carved in stone and hung on Abbey Road. It’s not a list of the songs you should download, just a list of their best songs. And no, Yesterday isn’t on it, being possibly the most depressing song ever written. Nor does it include Let It Be which should be correctly titled Let It Be Over. So, in order of brilliance: 10. All Together Now I’ve kept the left-field choice for number 10. This runs with the credits on Yellow Submarine, the movie, and every song on that film is a potential inclusion on this list. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-list-the-10-best-beatles-songs/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/punch-list-the-10-best-beatles-songs/#item4490 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-to-win-a-footy-tipping-competition/ The invitation came via email.  “Join The Punch mini-league.  It’ll be fun”.  As usual, they left it so late that the NRL league didn’t start until week 2 of the season but we got the AFL comp underway in time.  I was already in a couple of other tipping comps but they’re all online these days so what difference does a few extra mouse clicks make on a Friday morning? Anyway, I started pretty strongly, took the lead by mid-season and was lucky enough to hang on to it for the rest of the season.  My prize?  Turns out it was to write a piece on how I did it.  It’s a bit like winning “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and finding out the prize is getting to do something “a little special” with Drew Carey. So, this is how I did it, or how I think I did it, or the approach I took, or some Zen-like sounding thing to cover up the fact that anyone who wins a tipping comp jags it. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-to-win-a-footy-tipping-competition/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/how-to-win-a-footy-tipping-competition/#item4079 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-makes-a-good-beer-ad/ It’s hard to envy the ad makers over at Carlton United Breweries for the task of marketing VB – arguably one of the world’s most undrinkable beers, but they’ve absolutely nailed the song that runs behind their latest series of ads “real beer” – with Neil Diamond’s, “Hello Again”. Because while good actors can come and go and an epic back drop will only get you so far - there is nothing more important to creating a successful beer ad, than choosing the right song to go with it. It’s just a pity they didn’t make the message of the “real beer” easier to understand. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-makes-a-good-beer-ad/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/what-makes-a-good-beer-ad/#item4000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/10-reasons-we-want-to-go-back-to-the-polls/ Just when it looked like the prospect of a hung Parliament had taken us to a new paradigm of political discourse, where nice trumps nasty and diversity of opinion is respected, the public has sent a clear message: enough already! After railing against stage-managed elections, two weeks of introspection and pandering to the wishes of non-aligned members has the public calling for a recommencement of hostilities. According to this week’s Essential Report, a majority of voters want a new election – and even more (70 per cent) believe a new poll is inevitable. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/10-reasons-we-want-to-go-back-to-the-polls/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/10-reasons-we-want-to-go-back-to-the-polls/#item3978 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/10-things-weve-learned-about-the-world-cup/ 1. The World Cup is cool: Soccer’s problem is overkill. It’s hard enough following our own A-League, let alone the European leagues and their endless cups within leagues and leagues for cup winners. Yawn. Tune out. But when the World Cup is on, you shiver in the darkness watching Paraguay vs Japan. It’s like the Olympics where obscure pursuits like pole vault and equestrian actually matter. Problem is, we’re all now waking automatically at 4.30. What brand were those Ben Cousins sleeping pills again? 2. Psychic cephalopods are even cooler: All World Cups have a standout team, but only occasionally does an individual stamp himself as clearly superior to the rest, a la Maradona at the 1986 Cup. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will forever belong to Paul the Octopus (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Octopus), who is head, shoulders and tentacles above any single player or pundit.. Story of the year, hands down. All eight of them. 3. A World Cup here would be even cooler still: Did you hear those vuvuzelas? Did you see those crowds? A World Cup here would be like the Sydney Olympics writ large across six or eight cities. And hey, how great would it be if we all blew didgeridoos instead of vuvuzelas? It’d be as Australian as the buzz of blowflies. Yes, we should worry about the capital cost and future viability of new stadiums. No, that should not stop us hoping we trump Qatar’s excellent bid in December. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/10-things-weve-learned-about-the-world-cup/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/10-things-weve-learned-about-the-world-cup/#item3519 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then… http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-punch-guide-to-pollies-on-the-web/ What stands out when looking at the internet presences of Australian politicians is that the system for getting them online is a complete mess. Individual websites range in quality from passable to truly awful. Many MPs and Senators don’t have a site of their own, instead having cobbled-together pages featuring simple biographies and bad photos on their party site. Others, meanwhile, have all-singing, all-dancing multimedia experiences. The kaleidoscopic variety of websites shows most MPs’ sites have been developed for them on a case-by-case basis. It must be costing taxpayers a small fortune. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Tory Shepherd) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-punch-guide-to-pollies-on-the-web/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/the-punch-guide-to-pollies-on-the-web/#item3309 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 01:45:28 +0000 Phew. We made it through summer. The AFL and NRL seasons are upon us again. Last year, we got all religious with our 10 commandments of footy tipping. This year, we’re sexing things up a little. What, you think we’re kidding? You think we don’t actually believe that football season is better than sex? Read on… and feel free to tell us why we’re wrong, or to add your reasons to the list. Also, at the risk of breaking our own rule of going easy on the Caps Lock button, DON’T FORGET PUNCH TIPPING. The AFL code is 892748. Join up here. The NRL code is 173047. Join up here. On to the list then…