July, 2009:

Back Behind Bars

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This Friday morning, the 10th of July, I will be broadcasting my 98.5 Sonshine FM radio programme from Karrinyup Shopping Centre where I’ll be a convict for a cause. I’ll be asking people to donate towards Cystic Fibrosis WA so that I can be released. I need your help to pull off my very own prison break.

I’ll be joined by fellow announcer Tim Long. Together we’ll broadcast at the shopping centre from 9:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. If you’re local I hope you’ll drop in and say hello. I’m told that I will be allowed visitors and you won’t need to be searched. (Bring a cake with a file in it.)

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is the most common life threatening, recessive genetic condition affecting Australian children and is the second most common life-shortening, childhood onset inherited disorder in the United States. For such a serious condition it really doesn’t get a lot of attention.

What can you do to support families who are battling CF?

Firstly, you can help me to get the word out. If you publish a blog please link to this post. Can I ask you to email people that you know to highlight what I’ll be doing? Please help me get the word out to as many people as possible. If you use social bookmarking such as StumbleUpon or Digg you can use the buttons at the bottom of this post to share this post with a wider audience. Tell your Facebook friends, Twitter a link to this post, please do whatever you can to highlight what we’re doing.

The other way you can help is by donating. Simply click here, choose how much you’d like to give, then fill in your relevant details.

Donations can be accepted on Visa or MasterCard. Please keep in mind that the amounts are in Australian Dollars and of course the tax deductibility is only available in Australia. If you’re not in Australia and you’d like to work out the exchange rate you can work it out through this currency converter.

Thank you for your help with this. Together we can make a very big difference for families who can really do with our support and encouragement.

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Eternal Moonwalk

Jul 5th, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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I’m certainly not big on the whole Michael Jackson memorial thing but I must admit that I find the Eternal Moonwalk strangely compelling. I sat and watched it for quite some time.

Check it out for yourself, but be warned, it’s addictive in a weird kind of way. (And let me know if you submit your own moonwalk.)

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Sweet Dreams

Jul 4th, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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Just a few days ago I asked, can you help? Seems the answer was yes.

Thanks to some generous bloggers and blog readers, Mandi Kaye will sleep well tonight. You can check out her new bed in her post Good Slumber is Finally Here.

For those who gave – thanks.

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Faith and Education

Jul 2nd, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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Christian education is a subject that evokes a wide range of opinions. Some feel that it’s the only reasonable option in current times, while others would say that it brainwashes children or that it places young people into a false reality, cocooning them away from ‘real life’.

While I have my concerns about some forms of Christian education, I need to say that we have chosen to educate our children through a Christian college. Rather than hiding children away from the world and its views, I believe that Christian education can prepare children to face the world. A teacher’s world view will always come through in the way that they teach and I feel it’s important that our children are taught from people who have a similar world view to our own.

One of the world’s leading authorities on Christian education, author and international education consultant, David Smith, has been described as a gifted, passionate, insightful and challenging speaker. David will soon be in Perth for the one day Christian Education National State Conference – Reimagining the Christian Classroom – Monday the 20th of July – at Swan Christian College. He’ll also be speaking at a couple of parent evenings – Saturday the 18th July – Foundation Christian College – Greenfields – and Tuesday the 21st July – Kingsway Christian College – Darch.

David I Smith completed his B.A. at Oxford University, a M.Phil.F. Degree at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto and a PhD in curriculum studies at the Institute of Education at the University of London. He is currently Director of the Kuyers Institute for Christian Teaching and Learning and Associate professor of German at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He serves as Senior Editor of the journal of Education and Christian Belief and Editor of the Journal of Christianity and Foreign Languages. He has authored or edited over 10 books and over 30 book chapters and articles in the fields of language education and philosophy of education, and travels widely as a speaker at educational events and as a consultant to schools.

In preparation for his Perth visit, I spoke to David during my morning programme on 98.5 Sonshine FM. I found him to be a fascinating person and I only wish I could have spent longer talking about the issue of education.

We spoke about a range of topics such as how we can retain a sense of awe and wonder of God while being immersed in a Christian education environment.

If you have school aged children, can I encourage you to think through the issues David raises? You can listen to our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

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Let the race begin

Jul 2nd, 2009

by Rodney Olsen.

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The Tour de France is about to begin. It starts this Saturday in Monaco and I’m looking forward to watching one of the most interesting battles in years. Lance Armstrong is back and so is his team mate Alberto Contador who won in 2007. Can Australia’s Cadel Evans beat his second placing from the last couple of years to win? What a race it’ll be.

I thought that to prepare for the great race I’d revisit some of the basics of the race over the next couple of days.

If you have only started following the Tour de France recently and you’ve heard the commentators talking about different coloured jerseys, you might be wondering what all the different colours represent and why it’s so important to be wearing a jersey other than your team jersey.

Each team wears their own uniform but there are a number of special shirts or jerseys awarded each day. While it’s considered very prestigious to wear any of these jerseys throughout the race, it’s obviously even more so to be wearing one of these jerseys after the final sprint down the Champs-Élysées in Paris on the last day of the tour.

Many people know that the Yellow Jersey or Maillot Jaune is the most coveted of all the jerseys but here’s a quick rundown of what it’s all about.

Yellow Jersey

The Yellow Jersey is worn by the leader in the general classification. That means that whoever has the lowest overall time at the end of each stage of the event will be awarded with the Yellow Jersey. It was first awarded in 1919 and its colour was chosen to match the yellow paper of l’Auto magazine, founder of the Tour de France in 1903.

Green Jersey

The Green Jersey is given to the leader in the points classification, rewarding the best sprinter. It’s sometimes called the points jersey or sprinters’ jersey. During each stage, points are allocated for several intermediary sprints and for the finish. The jersey was introduced in 1953.

Polka Dot Jersey

The Polka Dot or King of the Mountains Jersey is awarded to the rider who earns most of the points at each summit. The winner is known as the King of the Mountains. Although the award was introduced in 1933, the red and white spotted jersey was not introduced until 1975.

White Jersey

The White Jersey is given to the best rider in the general classification under 25. The jersey was abandoned in 1989 but reintroduced in 1999.

So now you know a little more than you did a short while ago. I hope this brief explanation helps in your enjoyment of this year’s tour.