A good piece by paediatrician Zoe McCallum, in The Age, talks about the problems of dealing with children's weight in a constructive way.

The Australian Commonwealth Government raised taxes on ready-to-drink (RTD) alcoholic beverages by 70% this week.

Do you know there's a wonderful soluble fibre supplement out there which you can add to almost anything? I'm sure someone's happy, but how dare the advertising suggest you add it to coffee!

The recently released Secrets of the Red Lantern is a beautiful book. The photography is warm, despite a muted palette. Decorative patterns add a great deal to the appeal of every recipe page. The recipes hold great promise. Despite all this, Secrets of the Red Lantern has some profound flaws which could greatly mar the experience for some readers, but I think the human interest focus will leave many readers reluctant to criticise it.

It's old news, but for a moment last week newspapers and cafés were abuzz with speculation about the future of restaurant reviewers. A ruling by the High Court of Australia appeared to establish that a now-defunct Sydney restaurant had been defamed by a newspaper reviewer. In fact, reviewing is not yet an endangered art, for the case is by no means over.

Some wonderful internet services rely on so-called 'intelligent systems' to keep you interested and stimulated. They guess your preferences, guide your choices, point you towards new (and lucrative) potential purchases. Amazon took me on a recommendation ride, spanning Jamie Oliver, high heels and Posh Spice.

Man. Woman. Curdled custard. Authors have made millions exploring the differences between sexes. We've all heard the clichés about the separate universes that males and females inhabit. I thought I was immune to this stuff until wikiHow served up an eye-opening tip for under-clad women. The earnest tip seems terribly misplaced. You just have to look around…

It was slow to cross the ocean to Australia, but eventually cult foodies here got to see Iron Chef America — the Masters series from 2004. I love Iron Chef. It is a masterpiece of kitchen prowess in a camped-up we-love-the-ridiculous style. Inspired stuff. Completely unlike Iron Chef America.