Australian users barred from Neopets games...

[Violet_Crumble]

Considering I think Neighbours is just that little bit more cerebral than Today Tonight, I'm not shocked that they started a sensationalistic campaign that resulted in the ban for Australians, but my 13yr old Neopets fan is ropeable tonight, so I promised her I'd spread the word. Me, I was amused that the woman who took it upon herself to lie about the games on the website is a serial Today Tonight whiner who appeared on September 1 whining about sugar-levels in fruit juices and the marketing techniques of companies. The story from Today Tonight seems to be describing an online gambling site, and not the site I checked out before I allowed my kidlet to hang out there...

A McDonalds toy giveaway linked to a website that features gambling games has outraged parents, an anti-pokie campaigner and a psychologist.

For decades McDonalds has sold soft drinks, burgers and fries. Now the fast food chain stands accused of adding gambling to its menu.

McDonalds is running a cross-promotion with the makers of Neopets, the latest American soft-toy craze. A free Neopet is offered with every Happy Meal.

But the Neopets website advertised on McDonald's packaging and website has left parents such as Michelle Stiebel far from happy.


http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/story/?id=16887

And here's Michelle from last month whining about something else...

Many parents mistakenly believe that all fruit juices are a healthy option for their children. But dieticians warn that some have as much sugar as soft drinks.

Toddlers such as Ella Stiebel and her mum Michelle are a marketer's dream. These tiny consumers help fuel a fruit juice industry worth $1 billion per year.

"The supermarket shelves are very colourful, use a lot of marketing," Michelle said. "The Shreks, the different characters - and they work on my children."

http://seven.com.au/todaytonight/story/?id=16127

I guess I should be grateful this twit didn't manage to get fruit juices pulled off the shelves...

Violet...

[Lithos]

1. This debate has been raging for years here

Part of it has been companies who add corn-based sweeteners to artificially sweeten fruit juices as opposed to those who use 100% juice.

Another part is the parent who doesn't pay attention to making sure their children have a balanced diet. There is such a thing as too much sugar and caffeine in any kids diet. Doesn't matter if it comes from colas, juice, sweets, etc., it's bad if it is done to excess.

[Violet_Crumble]

5. It's pretty easy to spot the 100% juices...

I'm pretty sure a company here that markets an artifically sweetened juice as being natural would land in the shit and get fined. When it comes to cutesy marketing tactics, this woman supposedly controls what she buys in a supermarket, not her kids....

I had a friend who used to feed her small kids all sorts of crap and then whinge about how it must be the water supply here that was rotting her kids teeth. And if anyone even tried to suggest giving them a more balanced diet, she'd go ballistic and go on about how people were trying to sap all the yummy stuff out of her kids lives. I hate those all or nothing folk...

Violet...

[rooboy]

2. It's funny how similar these shows really are to "Frontline"...

about 10 years ago one of my mates was always appearing on Today Tonight with his girlfriend whenever they had a story about the 'typical young Australian couple'. Of course, it was only because his girlfriend worked for Channel 7.

These shows are so short on quality content that you can't believe a damn thing they report.

[Djinn]

7. a friend of mine who worked as a researcher on ACA

insists to this day that Frontline was a documentary and not a comedy

[rooboy]

9. Oh, I know... they got their story lines direct from the studios. n/t

[benburch]

3. In what way is Neo-pets gambling???

I simply do not get it.

[Violet_Crumble]

6. It's not...

I don't get it either and being a bit of a benevolent dictator in my own home, I checked it out before I let my kid hang out there. I was close to someone who had a gambling addiction, so I've seen the damage gambling can do to some folk, but the only way the games at Neopets could be classified as gambling is the same way as selling raffle tickets for the local school could be. And because me and not some serial whiner is responsible for what my child can't access on the web, I showed her how to circumvent things at Neopets so she's still got access to the games. Anyway, my kidlet's now learnt a lesson about the way the media abuses power, and she's not impressed...

Violet...

[gemini_liberal]

4. !!!

God, this annoys me so much! This is what makes this country so conservative - the fact that there are so many people who expect the government to wipe their mouths for them and ban anything that pisses them off. Not surprised one bit that it was Today Tonight that began this sensationalist campaign though. TT seems to always be about either lobbying to get something that most people ENJOY/USE banned, or to scare people into believing criminals and terrorists are everywhere and are coming to get us. Sorry, just had to vent. This stuff really gets on my nerves.

[Djinn]

8. Neighb's is a great show

"Considering I think Neighbours is just that little bit more cerebral than Today Tonight"

and more progressive they've had a refugee storyline (admittedly rather shortlived) and are now doing a teenage lesbian thing, it'll be 50 years before Ray or Naomi even admit that there are teenage lesbians

[Violet_Crumble]

10. Far be it from me to knock Neighbours...

On an ideal day when I'm home early from work, my list of essential viewing is:

Bold and the Beautiful
Neighbours
Home and Away
7.30 Report

and

then

much

later

on

Lateline...




Hey, do you know much about the actors in Neighbours? Is it true the guy who plays David Bishop used to be in Seachange? If he is, he's my old next-door neighbours brother in law. Mark used to brag about him, but because I'd never watched Seachange, I wasn't all that impressed. But if he's David Bishop, then that changes everything!

Violet...

[Djinn]

11. yep

and he's in the Dish too