Thought I’d start my two weeks of newsletter editorship with a cheeky recommendation.

Over the weekend, I listened to this podcast by Ezra Klein called ‘How to discover your own taste’.

Here’s the basic premise, laid out by New Yorker writer Kyle Chayka: “Today’s internet encourages everything to look more the same and is dulling our ability to know what we like.”

I thought it was such an interesting chat, and gave me the language to talk about ideas I had long thought about, but didn’t know how to articulate.

Enjoy!

Quote of the day
“Next.”
Belarussian tennis player Victoria Azarenka refusing to comment on the Russia-Ukraine war following her loss to Ukrainian player Dayana Yamstrenka in round four of the Australian Open. Belarus is a close ally of Russia and is involved in its war on Ukraine.

Stat of the day
91
The number of confirmed deaths related to extreme cold weather in the U.S. this week, according to data compiled by CBS News.

Today in history
2020
China locked down the city of Wuhan to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The World Health Organisation said the move was “unprecedented in public health history” at the time.

Some headlines from this morning:

The Prime Minister has called Labor politicians back to Canberra from their summer break early for urgent cost of living talks.

The Labor caucus (MPs and Senators) will meet on Wednesday to discuss the price of energy and supermarket groceries, as well as the ‘Stage 3’ tax cuts.

Other parliamentarians aren’t expected back until 6 February.

Inflation
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told Sky News yesterday that the caucus would “look for ways to assist people”.

According to the latest data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the rate of inflation fell to its lowest level in almost two years, 4.3%, in November. This doesn’t mean prices are falling, rather that they are increasing at a slower rate than they did previously.

Stage 3 tax cuts
It comes after Albanese confirmed last week that the ‘Stage 3’ tax cuts will go ahead in July.

The cuts mean people with an annual income of between $45,000 and $200,000 will be taxed at the same rate from 1 July.

It will mostly benefit high-income earners, which some economists have said could worsen inflation.

Opposition
Last week, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said the government had failed to respond to “the cost of living pressures that families are really acutely feeling at the moment.“

Liberal Senator Dave Sharma told Sky News yesterday: “This government has had 18 months to deal with these issues and Albanese decides in the dying days of summer to pull all Labor MPs back to Canberra at significant expense... I hope something substantial comes out of it rather than a headline and a media opportunity.”

The Victorian Government will launch an inquiry into women’s pain later this month.

It coincides with the release of new data, which found 40% of women across the state live with chronic pain.

The inquiry will focus on women’s experience, and how the state’s healthcare system addresses pain caused by periods, pregnancy, and endometriosis.

Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said an expert-led panel would examine what she called a “systemic gender pain gap”.

Health survey
The Victorian Government surveyed more than 1,770 people last year as part of broader efforts to identify gaps in women’s healthcare. The survey was inclusive of trans, non-binary, and gender diverse people “who may experience... gender-based discrepancies in care.”

Around half of respondents reported pain associated with periods affected their health and wellbeing.

One in three respondents said they have a health condition (like ongoing migraines, cramping and endometriosis) that affects their ability to work and keep a job.

Healthcare
One third of respondents reported feeling “stressed and frustrated” after receiving “insensitive and disrespectful” healthcare advice.

One participant described being prescribed antidepressants when she was suffering acute pelvic pain, only to later discover she had advanced endometriosis — a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing severe pain.

The inquiry
The Victorian Government is establishing the inquiry in response respond to the survey findings.

Premier Jacinta Allan said the findings “won’t be a mic drop moment for the majority of Victoria’s population”.

“It’s time we stopped treating women’s health like some kind of niche issue. We deserve to have our pain believed and relieved."

Next steps
Women across Victoria are invited to make submissions to the inquiry.

It’ll be led by the Victorian Women’s Health Advisory Council, a body charged with improving healthcare services and accessibility for women.

Submissions open on 30 January.

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A group of Australian dads are calling for the Federal Government to fund 12 weeks of paid parental leave for fathers and non-birthing parents.

As it currently stands, there’s a shared limit on how much combined paid leave parents can take. This means when a dad or non-birthing parent takes leave, it reduces the number of weeks the other parent can take.

But a group of dads including Hamish Blake and red Wiggle Simon Pryce are calling for change. In today’s deep dive we speak to dad and former AFL player David Mundy about why they want to see change.

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New research from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has discovered a way to detect and diagnose cancer through blood tests.

Cancer tumours shed DNA which is found in the bloodstream. Newly developed blood tests, which are more sensitive, could help highlight the DNA from tumours to help doctors detect cancer earlier.

The tests have so far only been used on mice, but researchers were hopeful the test could “make things visible that previously wouldn’t have been.”

A marathon runner in China was disqualified for… smoking during the race.

Yes, you read that right, smoking while running.

This isn’t the first time Chen Mou Xian (aka Uncle Chen) has smoked during a marathon. Although, it is the first time he’s been disqualified for it.

Uncle Chen became well known for lighting a ciggie while competing in marathons, however, a new rule introduced last year banned smoking as it is considered ”uncivilised behaviour”.

The Xiamen Marathon put out a statement that said Uncle Chen was disqualified for “smoking on the track”.