Shanghai Tower: China’s Urban Jungle

This post is affiliate content. See bottom of article for details.

“Maybe you’re the runner up 
But the first one to lose the race 
Almost only really counts in 
Horseshoes and hand grenades”

– Green Day – “Horseshoes and Handgrenades”

Many people will tell you that second place is really just the first loser but the Shanghai Tower in the Lujiazui Finance and Trade Zone of China hasn’t let that keep them down.

Taking out the metaphorical silver medal in the World’s Tallest Building Awards, Shanghai Tower is 632 meters tall and has 128 floors above ground and five more below.

It is beaten only by Dubai’s Burj Khalifa which stands 828 meters tall with 163 levels.

Haunting History: The Sordid Past of Mumbai’s Beloved Taj Hotel

This post is affiliate content. See bottom of article for details.

“Light is the left hand of darkness and darkness the right hand of light.
Two are one, life and death, lying together like lovers in kemmer,
like hands joined together, like the end and the way.”

― Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness

While this may seem a strange quote to open with, it is surprisingly fitting for today’s topic.

The Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai is one of the most elegant structures in history and arguably holds its own as one of the most attractive hotels in India even in the present day.

In the early 80s the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel & Tower was ranked the fifth best hotel in the world for two years running and upgrades made in the 90s ensured that the hotel kept up with the times.

It’s past, however, is nowhere near as beautiful as its façade.

Dear T8 Family Haters

I’ve followed the V8 Supercars my whole life, some families have footy, mine had racing. And for that time, I’ve been a dedicated Craig Lowndes fan, even when he decided to cross to the dark side and drive a Ford for a while.

Tonight Lowndsey sent out a tweet thanking his crew and fans, and while the majority of responses were positive, or at least polite, I came across a few that were horrible and truly straight up uncalled for. When I went digging further, I found that Gizzy and J Dub were receiving the same kind of treatment from so called fans of the sport.

The Triple Eight crew race hard, but they also race fair, when they step out of line they generally redress and they always strive to have a clean race.

What happened between Lowndes and McLaughlin today was unfortunate and yea it sucks that he lost the championship so close to holding the title for the first time in his career, but the way he put Craig out of the race would earn anyone a penalty, we can’t expect that he be let off just because of where he sat on the leader board.

I’d be saying this no matter what team the hate was aimed at but it happens that I’ve seen it directed at T8 fam more than anyone. Even the fans who run the accounts for the boys cars have copped flak which isn’t ok either.

If you feel the need to be disgusting, please keep it to yourself, none of the racers or teams deserve to receive it and no-one wants to see it.

K, thanks, bye.

I got published!

Hi guys,

I know I’ve been quiet for a while but I’m back now and I come with big news.

As you know I got published last year on my university’s blog, today I am pleased to announce that I have now been published outside of uni as well.

I landed myself a gig with the awesome Society19 and have now had my first article published with them.

I’ll be producing regular content for them so watch this space.

And now, without further ado I give you ’20 Reasons Why La Trobe University Is The Best School On Earth’.

The Australian Black Spot Epidemic

I originally wrote this piece as an assignment for my journalism research class. Basically the brief was to turn a data set into a short article which was both engaging and informative.

The Australian Black Spot Epidemic:

Australia is infamous for its appalling cell phone coverage. Data collected in February 2016 shows ten thousand, eight hundred and three recognised black spots countrywide.
New South Wales wins the title of worst statewide coverage with approximately three thousand, four hundred black spots, while Tasmania seems to have the most reliable network at just over four hundred and twenty non-coverage areas.

Hero Dog Harley

Hey guys,

As anyone who knows me or my work knows, animal rights and welfare are topics that are very close to my heart. Harley, the little dog with a big dream, made a massive impact on these topics and although he has crossed the rainbow bridge he will be forever in our hearts.

This article is a tribute to him and all that he has done.

It’d be really appreciated if you could have a look at his stuff which is linked to in my article. He’s a really special fur baby and he’ll forever be missed.

#HarleysDream

New Legislation Still Needed

This post is adapted from an assignment I wrote in my first semester. It is a commentary piece which accompanies my Puppy Factory Crack Down feature piece.

This article discusses Animal Welfare legislation in Victoria and the ways in which I feel it still needs to be improved.

New Legislation Still Needed

The recent announcement by the Andrews Labor Government that they will be fast tracking new legislation to crack down on animal abuse – specifically puppy factories – has been much celebrated. Although these laws are a step in the right direction there are still significant changes which need to be made. Even though more protection is now available for our furry friends, animal abuse is still rampant in our society.