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.

Super Blue Blood Moon

If you were outside tonight you may have noticed the moon doing some pretty interesting things. The occurrence, known as a Super Blue Blood Moon is revered by many as a once in a life time experience and it definitely didn’t disappoint. While Australia saw a total eclipse on a blue moon around thirty five years ago, the moon was exceptionally pretty tonight thanks to its status as a ‘super moon’. The moon reached partial eclipse around 11:50 and hit total about 12:30. Click through for some candid shots for your viewing pleasure.

Q&A with Helen D.

Helen Dent is a special needs educator at a rural facility. I recently spoke with her for an article on special needs education, however, upon receiving her answers I felt that the interview should also be published in its entirety.

Read on to find out her favourite thing about her job, why she feels IEPs are so important and other interesting information.

Society19: What it’s like living in a share house

This was my first attempt at branching out from university focused articles.

I think I’ve done pretty well 🙂 let me know what you think in the comments.

https://www.society19.com/au/what-its-like-living-in-a-share-house/

Local Music Sensations: Fourth Place

I wrote this article for a university assignment last year.

https://jessicajones.atavist.com/local-music-sensations-fourth-place

Disclaimer: I know Bailey personally, that being said the boys are honestly doing a great job and you should definitely check out one of their gigs if you find yourself in Melbourne.

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

Craig Lowndes Honoured at Clipsal 500

Six-time Bathurst 1000 winner, Craig Lowndes, has today been honoured during the premiere event of the 2016 V8 Supercar racing calendar. This year’s Clipsal 500 marks the start of Lowndes’ 251st round, grabbing him the record for most starts in the history of the sport.
To recognise his breaking of previous holder Russell ‘The Enforcer’ Ingall‘s record, Lowndes was celebrated with a solo lap of the track prior to commencement of the first race of the season.

A day in the life of an Aged-Care Worker

This post is a Profile/Feature article which I wrote about Adele Monaco* last semester. Ms. Monaco works with patients who suffer from dementia.

*Names have been changed for privacy reasons.

A day in the life of an Aged-Care Worker

As aged-care worker Adele Monaco sits at the beginning of the interview, her excitable Staffy, Pooch flops down next to her, making that little snuffling noise the breed is known for. Looking adoringly down at her boy Ms. Monaco explains that it was her grandfather’s Alzheimer’s that made her want to work in the industry.

“I didn’t think that his care was appropriate at the time, and there were no programs back then” Monaco says as she scratches behind Pooch’s ear, “all these programs that they have these days they make a big difference”.

The Many Faces of David Lowden

Last semester for one of our assignments my class had to write a feature profile on journalist and lecturer David Lowden.
On the day, Jason Irvine and myself had the pleasure of interviewing Lowden on a range of topics from his coverage of the London Olympics to family life.

The following is the piece I wrote based on the interview, ‘The Many Faces of David Lowden’

The Many Faces of David Lowden

Jack-of-all-trades and family man, David Lowden, has been a lot of things since the beginning of his career in 1989. After originally wanting to be an author Lowden began working in the journalism field whilst taking a gap year from unrelated university studies.

Lowden is currently a practicing sports journalist and is also a Senior Lecturer at La Trobe University’s Bundoora Campus. He has a Master of Communication with distinction and is a member of PRIA (The Public Relations Institute of Australia), MEAA (The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance), NTEU (The National Tertiary Education Union) and JEA. He is currently completing his PhD on inclusivity and organisational culture at the university’s Centre for Sport and Social Impact.