http://www.thepunch.com.au/tags/relationships/ 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 19:00:12 +0000 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +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/stop-expecting-facebook-to-be-your-friend/ Well, what did anyone expect? Facebook removes harmless pics of Aussie mums breastfeeding, and what, we’re surprised? Gee, who’d a thunk that a massive corporation that exists to profit from banner ads wouldn’t share our values? Facebook’s moral universe is admittedly rather haphazard. Its automatic boob-detecting software got onto those breastfeeding Mums much quicker than the site had on other occasions removed pages dedicated to hate and vilification, or pages that cruelly mocked the innocent dead. But here’s the thing. Facebook is not an arbiter of values, nor should it be. It has its own rules and its practices, and anyone who uploads content onto Facebook cannot reasonably expect its editorial policy (or lack thereof) to align with their own values. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/stop-expecting-facebook-to-be-your-friend/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/stop-expecting-facebook-to-be-your-friend/#item7704 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/city-vs-country-what-would-you-change-your-life-for/ Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/city-vs-country-what-would-you-change-your-life-for/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/city-vs-country-what-would-you-change-your-life-for/#item7686 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cruel-treatment-of-marriage-refugees-to-end/ On February 1 the Federal Government will lift its ban on Australian same-sex partners receiving the documents they need to marry in other countries where same-sex marriage is allowed. To her great credit, Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, has asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to start issuing certificates of no-impediment to marriage (CNIs) to same-sex couples marrying overseas on the same basis as they are now issued to heterosexual couples. A CNI is required by many foreign governments as proof the foreigner who wants to marry in their country is of marriageable age and isn’t already married where they come from.  feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cruel-treatment-of-marriage-refugees-to-end/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/cruel-treatment-of-marriage-refugees-to-end/#item7626 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Marriage-is-like-undies-its-all-about-strong-bonds/ Imagine if marriage were like a passport or a driver’s license; every five or 10 years, you have to fill in paperwork to renew it, or you can choose to walk away, no questions asked. This ingenious idea was raised at my book-club meeting, although it bore no relevance to the novel we were discussing. “Marriages wouldn’t slide into such a state of disrepair if you had to recommit to them once a decade,” said a friend in a diversionary tactic (like me, she hadn’t finished the book). feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Marriage-is-like-undies-its-all-about-strong-bonds/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/Marriage-is-like-undies-its-all-about-strong-bonds/#item7573 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-lie-we-cheat-then-we-lie-some-more/ From the second you’re married, people say your love life takes a tumble. Well, the polite ones. Others are a bit more direct: “It’s all downhill from here”.  “Enjoy your honeymoon!”  “Things will change now”.  Wink, wink, wink. Imagine if they also told you that before too long at least one of you, if not both, will have an affair? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-lie-we-cheat-then-we-lie-some-more/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/we-lie-we-cheat-then-we-lie-some-more/#item7546 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/weve-got-our-heads-buried-in-an-exciting-new-world/ I recently attended a VIP media launch for an Aussie singer. This in itself is news as I have two children under the age of two, so going out is rare. But the real surprise was how much the dancefloor had changed. It wasn’t smaller or lit like Saturday Night Fever (although that would have been cool). It just wasn’t heaving. Normally the music would be blamed for a subdued crowd. But I think the real problem was a new one. You see, it’s particularly hard to dance while watching an artist through your iPhone, while tweeting, Instagramming, uploading snaps to Facebook or writing a blog post. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/weve-got-our-heads-buried-in-an-exciting-new-world/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/weve-got-our-heads-buried-in-an-exciting-new-world/#item7373 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/with-enemies-like-these-who-needs-friends/ As a Labor MP who joined the party as a teenager it will be no surprise to learn that, for me, the grand enemy has always been the Liberals. That pretentious blue “L” which appropriates the Australian flag set in the middle of a prissy blue rosette pinned on an overly groomed and unreasonably confident young man was the embodiment of all that was wrong with our country. It was these types who in government squandered the economic opportunities of the sixties, couldn’t make a decision to save themselves, sneakily avoided packing up the Christmas table, and I am positive were to blame for the fall of Singapore. By contrast Labor represented a balance of determination and enlightenment. Unlike conservatives who wanted things to stay the same, we had ideas. We fought for the rights of working Australians and we opened up our economy. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/with-enemies-like-these-who-needs-friends/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/with-enemies-like-these-who-needs-friends/#item7423 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/love-in-the-time-of-internet/ Cupid’s been busy this year. We’ve had fairytales: Kate and Wills. Celebrity hook-ups: Warnie and Liz Hurley. And a whole lot of stuff we wish we hadn’t seen: hello Darwin couple on the balcony. There have also been quite a few broken hearts. Not to mention wallets. Approximately 1600 Australians spent more than $10, 0000 each in the online search for romance this year. Although none more than Dr Neil Wallman, from New South Wales Central Coast, who lost $3m after pursuing a “mismatch” with online dating agency, Hearts United. True story. But if you’re looking for love in 2012, don’t let stuff like that put you off. Hound your friends, go to any event to which you are asked and pay close attention to your colleagues. And then, and only as a last resort, go online. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/love-in-the-time-of-internet/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/love-in-the-time-of-internet/#item7330 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/good-luck-gays-us-straight-people-have-ruined-marriage/ Every so often you get to witness the laws in the culture you live in take a creaky step, tortoise-like, towards catching up with the hare that is our fast-evolving collective value system; in this case, the move towards recognising gay marriage. For the gay community, and for the forward-thinking among the rest of us, it’s great to think we will probably no longer discriminate in granting of the legal rights and status of marriage. Like millions of other Aussies, I’m all for equality. But the first question that springs to mind in 2011 is what, exactly, have gays won the right to? What on earth does “marriage” mean right now? And is it possible that even before homosexuals have the right to partake of it, us matrimonially-elastic and readily-divorcing straights have left the marital meringue out in the rain? feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/good-luck-gays-us-straight-people-have-ruined-marriage/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/good-luck-gays-us-straight-people-have-ruined-marriage/#item7298 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm. http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/id-drink-my-own-blood-before-writing-about-twilight/ I have long resisted writing about Twilight. As children and adults across the world scrambled to hoard Robert Pattinson posters and glow-in-the-dark vampire soaps, I averted my eyes – lest I became a motionless pillar of salt. Every time you mention Twilight, a puppy kills a fairy and then runs into oncoming traffic. It’s akin to uttering the word “Sandilands”, which I am told is either a kind of small crustacean found in less than two per cent of the world’s oceans – or a range of designer doorbell tones. feedback@thepunch.com.au (Antony McMullen) Article http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/id-drink-my-own-blood-before-writing-about-twilight/#comments http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/id-drink-my-own-blood-before-writing-about-twilight/#item7217 Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:00:12 +0000 Old-fashioned community values. A big house, with an even bigger backyard. Fresh air, no traffic and keeping your own cows and chooks. How idyllic, says the reluctant city dweller. Imagine the serenity. But are these simple pleasures enough to drag you away from your convenient and fast paced life in the city for good?  A group of South Australian farmers from Wirrulla near Lake Eyre are hoping that it will. As long as you’re a woman. Between the ages of 20 and 60, single, and ready to settle down for a life on the farm.