The Wine Bar: 6 stories we're talking about today

Welcome to the Mamamia Wine Bar, a new daily post where you can pull up a chair, kick off your shoes, pour yourself a glass of whatever and have a chat about what’s making news today. Ready? Let’s do this.

1. THE 6.5kg NEWBORN – DID HE WALK OUT OF THERE?

Welcome to the world little Asher Stewardson was born in Iowa this week weighing nearly 14 pounds (6.5kg) and surely owes his mother’s lady parts an apology.

Kendal Stewardson has been doing media interviews about her giant son, politely answering the question everyone was burning to ask: “HOW DID HE GET OUT?” Why, through her vagina actually. As has been widely reported (sorry, unintentional pun), Kendal gave birth to Asher “naturally and without an epidural.”

This naturally sparked a debate about the use of the word ‘natural’ (Mia said on The Today Show this morning that she hated the use of the term because it implied there was an ‘unnatural’ way to have a baby which, she said, was bollocks) and had grown women everywhere crossing their legs and wincing.

Kendal’s first child was 12 pounds (about 6kgs).

Say it with us now: OUOUUOUOOUCHHHHHHHH.

2. THE FAT FREE TV GUIDE

If you’re trying to kick junk food or would rather your kids weren’t exposed to so many ads for it, you may be interested to know this:  there’s actually no limit on how many junk food ads TV stations are allowed to show.  So Cancer Council NSW has come up with a DIY initiative to slash the amount of junk food ads you watch.

Just go to their website, click on a channel and check out a show’s “junk rating” on the scale, which ranges from 0 (“fat free tv”) to 5 (“junk overload”). The score is based on how much advertising for junk food is screened during an average episode.

They also have pages for “Fatty shows” and “Healthy shows” – amongst the fattiest are The Simpsons, Dancing with the stars and Junior Masterchef, while Arthur, Bananas in Pyjamas and Babar are considered some of the “healthiest” – possibly because they screen on the ABC who have no ads. Duh.

It all aims to reduce the risk of overweight kids becoming overweight adults and therefore having “an increased risk of developing cancers, heart disease and other serious health issues.”

Good idea? Bad idea?

3. TOILET YOGA

If you sit at a desk or stand at a cash register all day, toilet yoga might just be what’s missing from your life.

From the SMH:

“It’s not natural and it’s not really surprising that more people’s bodies and spines are seizing up. The Medical Journal of Australia reports that up to eighty per cent of Australians will experience back pain at some point in their lives.

As a yoga  teacher I find, on the days I’m office-bound, my body quickly gets stiff and sore. I need to crack it out of the chair cast it’s been sitting in.

So, I’ve taken up toilet yoga.

In the cubicle, I do a couple of side to side lunges. I clasp my hands behind my back and bend forward, with bent knees, bringing my hands overhead to rinse out my shoulders. I’ll also place my hands against the door, stretch out my calves and then bring my back at a right angle to my legs, stretching it out. It’s quick, easy and effective.”

4. THE PHOTOSHOP FAIL

The Kardashian sisters have gone topless for this ad for their Kardashian Kollection denim line. The photo is a little blown out the way it’s been reproduced here but look closely at the very (fake) outlines of their (fake) bodies.

This is going into our Photoshop hall of shame.

5. THE BRAND NAMES

This sounds dull but is actually captivating – a five year old’s first impressions upon seeing a whole lot of logos. Take a look:

6. THE ABANDONED PETS OF FUKUSHIMA

Nearly a year after the devastating earthquake and tsunami that swept Japan, abandoned dogs and cats still roam the streets. Volunteers from the United Kennel Club Of Japan, braving radiation poisoning, are doing their best to try and save these animals. Take a flick through the gallery – and consider adopting a homeless pet from your local shelter if you’re in the market for a new friend.

AND FINALLY…

If you missed any of our other posts on Mamamia today, the great news is that the internet is open 24/7 so it’s never too late to catch up! WOO!

We started the day by admiring some of the gowns from the AACTA Awards red carpet and discussing the winners – Cate Blanchett and Asher Keddie seem to be winning the votes for best dressed. Mia wondered on Twitter why Miranda Kerr was there. Thoughts?

We also discussed the tragedy of forced adoption in Australia during the 1950s-1970s and were stunned by some of the heartfelt stories in the comments.

And on an entirely different note, we had a good giggle at some of the hilarious stories on this post about the 10 types of people that drive flight attendants nuts (written by a flight attendant – read it, especially the bit about the people in the toilets – maybe they’re doing yoga?).

Our super-popular weekly Open Post went up today with some very exciting news announced, as well as our monthly First Wednesday Club – hop on over to see how a bike can save a life.

And finally we watched the 7 best ads of the Super Bowl – some of them are just hilarious.

Now over to you. Any of the stories above got you talking? Anything else on your mind today?