g{x California Volume 1, Issue 2 Conservation Corps Upcoming CCC Events: New Leadership CAB Elects New Officers COMET Starts— Aug. 2 by Kelsey McDonald COMET Graduation— Aug. 13 AmeriCorps VISTA Santa Cruz Rec Trip— Aug 14‐15 On Tuesday, July 13, Placer Center elected CAB Presi‐ dent Deborah “The Boss” Doss and Vice President Mar‐ Labor Day— Sept. 26 quis “Juicy” Addison by popular vote. “I hope I don’t disappoint anyone, so if there’s any‐ School Starts— August 30 thing I can do to make the corps life easier, let me know,” Doss said. At the CAB meeting that night, Doss held internal elec‐ tions for the remaining CAB officer positions. New posi‐ tions include representatives of Human Resources, which has merged resources with CAB, and Sustainability Coor‐ dinator, who will help our center “go green” with environ‐ mentally friendly improvements. If you have an idea for a Furloughs CAB activity or an issue you would like addressed by the community, come to a CAB meeting or talk to a CAB offi‐ cer. Meetings are held every Tuesday at 8:45pm in CAB. Cancelled as of Election Results Deborah Doss—President 8/12/10 Marquis Addison—Vice President Michael Jones—Secretary, Weight Room Monitor, Computer Monitor Mercedes Pryor—Assistant Secretary Inside this issue: DeAngelo Rogers—Treasurer Ashley Forbes—Recreation Coordinator, Store Manager Alex Clarke—Janitor, Weight Room Monitor Letter from the Editor 2 2010 Martin Hinojos—Sergeant‐at‐Arms Justis Lang—Human Resources Coordinator, A Bright Green Future 4 29, Sustainability Coordinator Jillian Mitchell—Human Resources Representative, Supergrading Tips 6 Lead Computer Monitor July Sustainability Starts Here 8 Zareen Saleem—Human Resources Representative Stephen Williams—Computer Monitor Jacob House—Computer Monitor Life in Transit 10 Miguel Andrade—Lead Weight Room Monitor Kenneth Walker—Weight Room Monitor David Lay Interview 12 Pedro Flores—Weight Room Monitor The Placer Press The Placer Press Thursday The Placer Press Cory Burr—Weight Room Monitor Mike Rush Bio 16 Page 2 The Placer Press Separation Anxiety A Letter from the Editor Sadly, within the past month or so, Placer Center has lost over a dozen corpsmembers. Along with the absence of so many familiar faces, there comes a void and an edge that you can't help but notice. The remaining workers are forced onto this edge, whether they make mistakes or not. New people will fill the void, but the rules will stay the same and the weekend will claim the professional lives of some of its warriors. That certainly remains a bummer, but true nonethe‐ less. Take it as a warning, you are not invincible, no one is immune to the discipline matrix. It doesn't matter how prized you are as a corps‐ member, because under the rules we are all equal. We are all held up to the same expectations. If there's something you've done, or still do, that can endanger your employment, you need to drop that habit or take it somewhere else. If you insist on getting drunk on the week‐ by Justis Lang end, I insist on you spending the night somewhere else and not Editor‐in‐Chief bringing any alcohol back—on you or in you. Or you could choose to not heed the warning; it's all up to the individual. Just know that every time you violate a rule (especially the booze rule) you run the risk of losing every opportunity you have and every friendship you've forged. For those of us who've survived the recent inquisition, take the time to appreciate where you’re at and the people who are left for you to share the situation’s adversity with. Be thankful for what you've got The Cs can be difficult, but next while you've still got it. The Cs can be difficult, but next to the alternative of being jobless, homeless, to the alternative of being job‐ Hard Work Hard Work and hopeless, the challenge is inviting. You might less, homeless, and hopeless, as well commit or quit. Never forget being here is a choice, not a re‐ the challenge is inviting. You quirement. You agree to follow certain rules upon your employment, and no matter how sad or re‐ might as well commit or quit. grettable your past mistakes are, you will be judged by the center’s rules with little tolerance. Stay focused on the game, no Friends come and go matter how many players around you have been sidelined. I've spoken to a few former co‐workers and each one is painfully aware of messing up. It's a bit surprising speaking just as surely as we to these people and hearing them accept full responsibility when you'd expect to hear breathe in and out; barrage of fury and excuses. I guess there comes a point when reality is too intensely obvious to deny, and it’s best too fess up; you've messed up, so try to move forward. In it’s a fact of life. You fact, the majority of those whom I've spoken to want to come back as second‐chancers. Well, I for one want to finish what I've started in one fell swoop. I know I've messed up can reach out to them enough in my short life, and would like to limit the days I spend regretting. in sympathy, but Take a moment to forget about the CCC and remember how easily, rapidly and without warning a time in your life can end. People you've grown used to seeing everyday can don't fall off the line vanish without a trace, and where there once was a relationship, there will only be a distance and a memory reminding you of exactly what went wrong. Dwelling on this you’re walking. can consume all of your attention, but keep in mind this will happen in life, whether or not you're in this program. Friends come and go just as surely as we breathe in and out; it’s a fact of life. You can reach out to them in sympathy, but don't fall off the line you’re walking. Stay sharp, and don't get too comfortable. Remember: the only constant in life is change. There will be new beginnings and endings as the storm continues to chug along and part of the experience is trying to ride the storm, trying to stay on top and on board. We who remain have reached another level in the game. We’ve survived this round of eliminations. So congratulations—and celebrate with caution. Volume 1, Issue 2 Page 3 Off‐Center Boy mowing lawn hits canister of News of the Bizarre TNT Hooper, Utah— A boy mowing the pastures behind his parent’s property heard a thud, and compiled by Eric Cotto saw a small tomato paste can that was labeled TNT. His mother called emergency crews. The Man becomes victim of woman can might just date back to World War II. after calling her “fat” Lincoln, Nebraska— A 24‐year‐old man got Domestic cat nurses baby bob‐ part of his ear bitten off at a party, after calling cats back to health a woman “fat”. Police report says that the Columbia, South Carolina— Three orphaned woman tackled the man after said name call‐ baby bobcats were found in an abandoned ing, and took a bite. house in Newberry County, South Carolina, are being nursed to health by a house cat named Mother turns in son for stealing Zoe at the Carolina Wildlife Care near the Sa‐ medicine luda River, northwest of downtown Columbia. Memphis, Tennessee— A Memphis woman calls Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/ police to report that her son is stealing pre‐ scription drugs from her bra to give them to a man hiding under their neighbor’s vehicle. Bail for the man is set at $40,000. Strange, but True Hard Work Hard Work Unlikely Factoids compiled by Eric Cotto Minus 40 degrees Celsius is exactly the same as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The United States has never lost a war in which mules were used. The international telephone dialing code for Antarctica is 672. Mario, of Super Mario Bros. fame, appeared in the 1981 arcade game, Donkey Kong. His original name was Jumpman, but was changed to Mario to honor the Nintendo of Amer‐ ica's landlord, Mario Segali. The king of hearts is the only king without a moustache. The first known contraceptive was crocodile dung, used by Egyptians in 2000 B.C. Karoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese. If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being able to make change for a dollar. The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight. These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies. The word "nerd" was first coined by Dr. Seuss in "If I Ran the Zoo." Source: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bingbin/ Page 4 Placer Press A Bright Green Future Feds Dishing Out the Green for Green Jobs these projects, the Recovery Act also allocates $500 mil‐ lion to train people to take on these jobs. In January, the federal government an‐ nounced $100 million in green jobs training grants. The money is available to non ‐profits seeking to train dislo‐ cated workers and people particularly affected by the troubled economy to find jobs in green industries. Here at Placer Center, corpsmembers are in a per‐ fect position to take advan‐ tage of new jobs and train‐ ings.