Killer Magpies

September 22, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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magpie.jpgIt’s likely to happen some day soon. It always does during Spring. I’ll be cycling to work or home from work and I’ll be attacked. It happens every year and the attacker is a particularly vicious magpie on my commute.

If you’re new to the idea of swooping magpies, it’s what these birds do to supposedly protect their nests during the breeding season.

They will sit high in their tree until they see you and then they’ll fly towards you at a rapid pace. They use their sharp beaks to do whatever damage they can as they swoop at you as many times as they can until you leave the area.

The particular magpie I do battle with each year is rather cunning in that he only attacks from behind. He’s a stealth magpie. I don’t even see him until I feel his full force slamming into the back of my head. One minute I’ll be happily cycling along and the next, trying to put my head back on my shoulders.

A lot has been said about various ways to avoid magpie attacks but as this video shows, they don’t generally work.

You can see a lot more about research on magpie injuries by checking out this Flinders University Research. The research is a little old but it gives you an idea of the danger.

I know that birds need to protect their nests and their young. I’m very protective of my family too. I just wish the magpies would understand that cycling past at 35 kilometres an hour does not mean that I’m about to stop, get off my bike, climb their tree and harm their family.



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Google Plus

September 22, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Most people that wanted them have had invitations already but yesterday Google Plus became available for everyone. It’s apparently Google’s attempt at taking market share from Facebook in the world of social media.

I have a Google Plus account which lies quietly in the corner feeling neglected. I interact with most friends on my Facebook account but thought I should grab a Plus account when I got an invitation a couple of months ago.

I’m not even really sure how it all works but I’ve added few friends to my circles. That’s the interesting thing with Google Plus. With Facebook you simply add friends, with Plus, you categorise everyone in circles that you create. I’ve got a circle for friends, one for family, one for blogging and social media contacts, but what happens when someone turns up and you’re not quite sure where to put them? Will someone feel offended if I put them in my acquaintances circle rather than my friends circle. It’s all too hard.

What about you? Have you jumped on the Google Plus bandwagon or will you stick with Facebook? Will you have both or maybe neither. Let me know which way you’re going with social media.



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Yesterday’s Vinyl Sale

September 18, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Just a quick look at the album sale 98.5 Sonshine FM held yesterday at the Thornlie Christian College Open Day.



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Melinda Schneider in Perth

September 15, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Melinda Schneider is a leading light of the new-breed of Australian Country music artists both in Australia and the US. She made her stage debut at the age of three and has developed into an accomplished singer, songwriter and performer.

Among the many awards she’s won, Melinda has picked up six Golden Guitars and her songs have been recorded by artists as diverse as John Farnham, Billy Thorpe, Jimmy Little, Olivia Newton-John and Paul Kelly.

Lately her career has seemed to take off in some surprising directions, firstly with her involvement in television’s Dancing With The Stars, and now a new album honouring Doris Day, Melinda Does Doris.

She has dazzled with her dexterity on television’s Dancing With The Stars and has put her country recording career on pause for a moment to indulge a passion that goes back decades. A passion that has resulted in a connection with Universal Music and the shimmering tribute album Melinda Does Doris.

It all began when, in childhood, she laid eyes on Calamity Jane, Doris Day’s 1953 film tour de force and was smitten by all she saw. “She was such a huge talent” she enthuses now, “a triple threat as they say – she could sing, dance and act. I thought then she was the best of everything a woman can be and when I grow up I want to be just like her!  I’ve always loved musical theatre but I had to put a lot of that side of me away when I was making country albums.” But growing up with a yodeling mother and in a broad musical variety environment it was never going to all that far away.

She had been tossing the idea of a classy tribute albums around in the back (and more often than not, the front) of her mind for years and, after those five fine albums of deft, honest, effecting and widely acclaimed original country music, and the unstoppable rise of an instinctive almost visceral desire to revisit some of the sounds that had shaped her, this was an idea whose time had most definitely come. “It was meant to be,” she confirms. “The planets had aligned.”

She joined me on the Morning Café at 98.5 Sonshine FM today. You can hear our conversation by clicking the play button on the audio player at the bottom of this post.

Melinda will be bringing her show, Doris Day – So Much More Than The Girl Next Door, to the Regal Theatre in Subiaco from the 12th to the 16th of October.


[audio:http://mpegmedia.sonshinefm.ws/feeds/OTH150911_1224.mp3]



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R U OK?

September 15, 2011
by Rodney Olsen
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Losing someone to suicide is such a devastating experience. There’s no chance to talk things through and work towards a solution. It’s an event that fills the rest of your life with so many ‘what if’ questions.

It’s heart breaking to think that some people believe that death by their own hand is a better alternative than continuing to live.

R U OK? is doing something about the tragedy of suicide. They believe that something as simple as a conversation can make a world of difference. That means that you and I can do something that may save someone’s life.

R U OK? is an independent, not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to provide national focus and leadership on suicide prevention by empowering Australians to have open and honest conversations and stay connected with people in their lives.

More than 2,100 Australians suicide each year and men are around four times more likely to die by suicide than females. For each person that dies in this way, another 30 attempt to end their life (Lifeline).

R U OK? aims to inspire all Australians to help reduce our suicide rate by reaching out and making contact with others.

Most people don’t openly share their feelings, particularly when they’re struggling so don’t wait for a sign and trust your instincts. A conversation could change a life.

The best thing we can all do is regularly ask the people we care about: “Are you OK?” regardless of whether they are at risk because connection is good for us all.

Today has been named R U OK?Day. It’s a day that reminds us to stay connected to those around us and to make sure that those we love are doing OK in the journey of life.

Thursday 15 September, 2011 is R U OK?Day. It’s a national day of action which aims to prevent suicide by encouraging Australians to connect with someone they care about and help stop little problems turning into big ones.

On that day we want everyone across the country, from all backgrounds and walks of life, to ask family, friends and colleagues: “Are you OK?”.

Staying connected with others is crucial to our general health and wellbeing. Feeling isolated or hopeless can contribute to depression and other mental illnesses, which can ultimately result in suicide. Regular, meaningful conversations can protect those we know and love.

It’s so simple. In the time it takes to have a coffee, you can start a conversation that could change a life.

While R U OK?Day is an Australian initiative, suicide is a world wide tragedy. Who will you reconnect with today? Who needs you to ask if they’re OK today?



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