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UOW

Some #uowopenday Twitter stats

UOW conducted an open day yesterday, and thankfully the rain held off, unlike the rest of the weekend.

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Media

Remembering Robin Williams

I’ll leave it to others to honour Robin Williams with words about his genius, skill, impact, and the implications of his death. For me, the news was particularly sad and poignant coming close on the back of the death of Dr Peter Spitzer, founder of the Humour Foundation and the Clown Doctors. Spitzer is said […]

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Media

They All Come Tumbling Down

Rural and regional journalism in Australia might soon be a lot poorer if suggestions in The Australian of a rout at Fairfax come to pass. The Murdoch daily says Fairfax is considering closure of between 30 and 65 regional and rural papers, including at least six in the Illawarra-South Coast. They include: Illawarra Mercury Wollongong […]

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Academia PhD Studies

One Year Thyroid Free

May 1 is something of an anniversary for me – it’s a year today since my thyroid and the tumour attached to it were removed. So, what’s changed? What’s happened? What did I learn in that time? Perhaps just as importantly, what has stayed the same? I’ll start with a change. A colleague and teacher, […]

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Uncategorized

Level Boss Cleared

Today, I’ve had two coinciding momentous life events. The first was the (effective) end of something that has overshadowed my life since about December 2012. The second was a relatively minor event that marks, for me, a big step toward my future.

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Uncategorized

Splitting Blood Cells

I came across an interesting example of pedantry this week while having the latest in my battery of blood tests. That distinction seems to be based on (a) who filled out the referral form and (b) why the test has been ordered.

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Academia PhD Studies

PhD Pathways

Given my experiences of the last year, and my impending wedding, I’ve started to wonder whether staying enrolled in my PhD as a full-time student and part-time worker is the best option for my stage of life. You need to fit these things to your life, and it might be right for me to have […]

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Community Media

On #HoldenAd and @WSC_Media

Scene: Boardman Rd, Bowral, NSW, Australia. A quiet residential street. Enter: Holden, with location sourcing company Sach Australia, production company Exit Films, Wingecarribee Shire Council and Cato Traffic & Logistics.

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Academia Media

UniMedia

In 2003, Rhodes University in Grahamstown, South Africa bought a local newspaper, Grocott’s Mail. The Uni set it up as an experiential training centre for students and plough any profits back into student bursaries. It reports your average local news stories; on the website front page today are two articles about the local council, Makana Muncipality.

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Case Studies Local Government Media Research Methods Web

Case Studies

I have settled on a case-study approach to my PhD research. It will focus on five local governments in the greater Illawarra region of New South Wales, considering how they form and react to public issues via participatory media. The five local governments, Wingecarribee Shire, Wollondilly Shire and Wollongong City, Shellharbour City, and Kiama Municipality, have been […]