• MostofCanadausesDaylightSavingTime.Some exceptions include the majority ofSaskatchewan and parts of northeasternBritishColumbia. In the fall of 2005,Manitoba andOntario announcedthat like the United States, theywould extenddaylight time start-ingin2007.TheattorneygeneralofOntariocommentedthat“itis important tomaintainOn-tario’s competitiveadvantagebycoordinatingtimechangeswithourmajortradingpartner,and harmonizing our financial, in-dustrial, transportation, and communica-tionslinks.”Otherprovinceshaveindicat-edthattheymayalsofollowsuit.

• Itwasn’tuntil1996thatourNAFTAneigh-borsinMexicoadoptedDST.NowallthreeMexicantimezonesareonthesamesched-uleastheUnitedStates.

• Alsoin1996,membersoftheEuropeanUnionagreedtoobservea“summer-timeperiod”fromthelastSundayinMarchtothelastSundayinOctober.

• Most countries near theequator don’t deviate from stan-

dardtime.

• In theSouthernHemisphere,wheresum-mer arrives in what we in the Northern

The Parrot Your ARC newsletter by and for ESL, multicultural, international

students, new Californians, and, well, anybody really...

Issue #39 Spring 2010

Old Bones to Cell Phones: Lisa Roberts-Law

Inside this Issue

American River College4700 College Oak DriveSacramento, CA 95841

(916) 484-8011

Parrot:Whatisyourfullname?

Lisa: MynameisLisaRoberts-Law.

Parrot:Wheredoyoucomefrom?

Lisa: IgrewupinTinleyPark, Illinois, a suburbofChicago,andImovedtoCaliforniain1991.

Parrot: Why did youdecide tomove toCali-fornia?

Lisa:BecauseIgotajobat American River Col-lege. I had just gradu-ated with my master’sdegree in counselingand applied for jobs allover the country and Igotonehere.

Parrot:Great.What’sthemostunusualjobyouhadbefore?

Lisa: When I was getting my bachelor’sdegree,mymajorwas anthropology, andoneofthejobsthatIhadwasatthecollege,packinghumanbones.

Parrot:Wow!

Lisa: Wehadtoputtheboxeswithdeterio-ratingbones,andwehadtopackthem,thewhole lab, into special boxes, to not hurtthebones,andlabeleverything,andthat

kindofthing,soIspentalotoftime,onesemes-ter, handling people’sbones.

Parrot: It’s really un-usual!

Lisa:Ha-ha-ha-ha.

Parrot: And why didyouchangeyourmajor?

Lisa: I didn’t reallychangemymajor.WhenI was in anthropology,my specialization wasculturalandIhadami-

nor inpsychologyand so than Iwentontogetmymasters in counselingwhich isrelated.

Parrot: Whydidyouchoosethiscareer?

Lisa:When Iwas in college, Iwas a lostsoul.Ididn’tknowexactlywhatIwanted

Continued on page15

“I hope life isn’t a

big joke, because

I don’t get it”

JackHandey

Study Habits 2

Women’s Day

3Kinds of Teachers

4

Swallow

9

5

Know Your ESL Professors?

Have Time for Daylights Saving?

Continued on page 15

I’dliketotalktoyouaboutaguidingprincipleinmylife:Ibe-lieveinhelpingpeopleasifIwerehelpingmyself,becauseofthewonderfulfeelingthatbeinghelpfulbringsmejoy.Idon’thelpothersbecausesomedayIwillgetarewardformygooddeed.Helpingothersbringsmeoptimisticpowerofthinkingaboutmyselfandmyenvironment.

Ibelieve thebestandthemost impressivere-wardof helpingpeoplecanbe theircheerfulsmile tome. For example, two years ago,myhusband and I were in Vienna, Austria. Westayed there seven months. Those were thehappiestmonths ofmy life.Weused towalkevery evening. Once, on the way home, wesaw an old lady fall down in the middle ofthe street. Her eye glasses were broken, andher headwas bleeding, and she had lots of stuffwhichwasscatteredaroundher. Shewasveryweakandreallyneededahandtostandup.Ipickedupherstufffromthegroundandmyhusbandhelpedherstandup.Wewalkedwithherslowlytothesidewalk,andtheresheaskedustoaccompanyhertohome.Herhousewasnearandhergrandsonwasathome.Atthelastmomentinfrontofherhousewhenwewereabouttoleave,Iglancedatherpaleface.Isawacheerfulsmilethatstill

I can remember.We reallydidn’tknowher and I know thatwewillnevermeetheragain,butIwillneverforgetthegreatfeelingIexperienced.ItwaswonderfulanduniquebecauseIfeltIwasausefulpersonforsomeoneelsewhomIreallydidn’tknow.Ithinktheopportunityofhelpingpeopleislikeadoor

tocleaningyoursoulfromdarkness.SowhenIdon’thelpsomeonewhoneedsmyhelporasksmeforhelp,itmakesadarkpointinmysoulwhichIcan’tforgetandwhicheatsatme.Once,atabusstop,Isawapregnantwoman.Shewashomelessandhungry.Shewasshoutingloudly“I’mstarving.”Idon’tknowwhyIdidn’tgivehermoney.MaybebecauseIwasafraidofherunusualbehavior.However,thismemorystillbothersme.IonlyhopethatbyhelpingothersIcanforgetthisawfulmemory.

Inconclusion,forhavingajoyfullife,Ibelievethereisnothingbetterthanhelpingpeople.Iwillneverstophelpingthosewhoneedmyhelp.AndIstronglybelievethiscanbethefirststeptomakingtheworldapeacefulplacetolive.

NarinehMousaESLL310

My Study Habits and the Study Habits of My Friend

Good Samaritan

Student Chirpings

WhyisitthatIworkveryhard,butI’mstillunabletogetgoodgrades, while my friend Karina of the same level gets verygood scoreswith similar amounts of effort?Do studyhabitsplayanyrole ingettinggoodgrades?Yes, theydoand itde-pendsonwhatyourstudyhabitsare.Therearethreemaindif-ferencesbetweenmystudyhabitsandthestudyhabitsofmyfriendKarina.

The first main difference between my studyhabitsandthestudyhabitsofmyfriendislo-cation.My friendKarinaand I areboth stu-dents.WearetakingESLclassesandofcourseeachofusstudieshard.However,Karinalikesto study in a quiet roomwhere everything isfreeofdisturbance.Televisionandradioareal-waysturnedoff.Shetriestobefreeofscreamingkids.Sheoftentakesabreaktobeabletoconcentrate.Ontheotherhand,mystudyingissodifferent.Iliketolistentogoodmusicwhilestudying.Mysonalwaysdisturbsmebyaskingmanyquestions.Forexample,“Mom,lookatmycarormom,lookathow I’m jumping…” I try to concentrateonwhat I’mstudying,butoftenIjustcan’t.

Thesecondmaindifferencebetweenmystudyhabitsandthestudyhabitsofmyfriendistheworkingplace.Karinaalwayssitsatthedeskwhilestudying.Eachbook,paperandpenisinorder.Nooneinherfamilyisallowedtomovethestuffonher

desk.I,however,oftenliketostudyinmybed.Allthebooksandpensareonmybedtoo.Ofcourse,theyarenotinorderatall.Asaresult,mybedusuallysoothesmetosleepinsteadofstudying.

The thirdmaindifferencebetweenmystudyhabitsand thestudyhabitsofmyfriendisnotes.MyfriendKarinaknowsthatitisveryeasytodevelopagoodmem-orybytakingnotesofeverythingshereads.Thenshe tries to recollect as often as possible. Onceshesaid,“AftereachchapterofabookI read, IalwaysmakesomenotesaboutwhatIread.”Asa result, thishelps to register everything in thebrain. However, I don’t take notes at all. While

studying, I always try to usemy eyes, ears, andmymemory,butnevernotes.Forexample,whenIreadanar-

ticle, I trytorememberwhois thesubject,what isanobject,orwhotherestofthepeopleareofthatarticle.Asaresult,itdoesn’tworkwithoutnotes.Itryveryhard,butcannotattainmygoalsinmystudyingbecauseIdon’ttakenotes.

Inconclusion,myfriendKarinaandIstudyhardanyway.Weneedtostudytoreachourgoals.Althoughwestudyinadiffer-entway,wearegoodfriends.

SofiaTarasovaESLW50

2 The Parrot

Where are the Respectable Shadows of Teachers ?I’moriginallyfromVietnam,andIspentmorethanhalfmylifethere.Inmycountry,therewasafamousproverbthatsaid “without teachers, youwould never accomplish any-thingbig.”Thisproverbshowedtheimportanceofteachersin that society.Teacherswere someof themost respectedfiguresinVietnam.Thereisalsoasayingaboutthestatusinsocietyofteachers.Thatis“firstcomesking,secondcomesteachers,andthirdcomesparents.”Wecanseehowwere-spectedtheteachersinoursociety.I’vealwaysrememberedthesesayingsandplacedtheminmymind. Inschool,wealwayscall“teacher”all theways, fromuniversityor col-legetohighschoolorelementary.AlthoughinmyVietnam-ese language,we have theword “professor”,we only say“teacher” because “professor” sounds formal. In people’sminds,theyweretheonewhoalwayswentbeyond.Thatwastheteacherwhodidhisjobwithfullresponsi-bilitieswithallhisheart.Noweverythinghaschanged. Teachers are different from thepastinmycountry.Therearethreebasictypesofteacher:strict,moderateandma-terialistic.

The first type of teachers makes up asmallpercentofthethreegroups.It’stheteacherswhoalwayswanttheirstudentsto accomplish a lot and be successfulinthefuture.Sotheygiveoutalotofwork. In class, they have a very cleanteaching plan. They are very strict with studentswhodon’t do homework anddon’t pay attention in class.Mostofthemareolderthanothertypes.Theyspendalotoftimeongradingpupils’papers.Forexample,ifstudentsdon’tdotheirhomework(arelazy),theywillhavepunish-ment. Itmaybeup to 10 times rewriting theirhomeworkwithstudentswhodon’tpayattentionortalkinclass.Theyhave towrite “Iwon’t talk in class anymore” 10 times ormore.Sometimes,inelementaryormiddleschool,teachersuseharderpunishmenttodetertheirstudent,suchaskneel-ing,orhittingonhandswithawoodruler…Theteachersin this typeusuallydo the very good job.However, theyaren’tahugepresenceinmymindbecausetheydon’thavealotofpatiencewiththebadstudents.Buttheyarealwaysrespectedbyparents.

Thesecondtypeistheoppositecomparedtothefirst.Mostofthemareveryyoung.Ofcourse,theyhaveresponsibili-ties,buttheydon’twanttospendalotoftimeontheirjob.

Sotheygive lesshomeworkto theirstudents.Theysome-timesaskstudentswhattheywanttodo.Ifstudentsanswer“nohomework”itwillbeinaccordancetotheirwish.Withthistype,normallytheydon’thavepunishment.Ithinkitdoesn’twork if the teachersdon’tpushtheirstudentsanddon’tforcethemtofollowtherules.Forexample,inmiddleorelementaryschools,studentsaren’tawareofhowimpor-tanteducationis.Soifthereisnopunishment,theywillbelazy, andnot do anyhomework or pay attention in class.Theteachersinthistypedofairlywelltoeducatetheirstu-dents.Forme,theyalsohadasmallplaceinmymindbutnotentirely.

The third type is the materialistic teachers. This groupmakesthebiggestpercentofthethree.Infact,Ithink

it’s a new type of teachers inmy country. Likemanypeople, teachers in thisgroupalsodoovertime to earnmoremoney.Andmostof themteach in theirhouseafterclass.Thatisthebestwaytodoovertime.Theparents who want their child to gethighscoresinclassshouldbringthemandpayeverymonth.Teachinginclassisthewaythattheteachersinthisgroupusuallythinkasabusiness.Theyarethe

mosteasygoingof the types.Forexample,theydon’thavehomeworkbecause it takesa

lotoftheirtime.Studyingafterclassintheteach-er’shouseisn’tobligatory.Butifparentsdon’tdo

it,willtheirchildrenbegoodintheireducation?Willtheirteacherbefairtotheminclass?Ithinktheseteachersdon’tfeelanyresponsibilities to theirstudents.Theydon’thavetobestrictwiththeirstudentseither.Nowadays,lifeisbet-ter than in thepast inmy country, but the groupdoesn’tdecrease.It’sstillabadtypeinthesocietyandforme,theydon’thaveanyoutstandingplaceinmymind.

Asforthefirstgroupofteachers,IlikeitandIhopeallteach-ers in this typewill receive a lot ofhappiness fromwhattheygive.Thesecondisgoodtoo.Buttheteachersinthistypehavetobestricter inteaching.ThelastgroupIhopewilldisappearinthefuture.It’snotgoodandobscurestheshadowsoftherespectteachershaveinmymind.

TanM.DangESLW50

The Parrot 3

Netscape - Articles from the Web

In1869BritishMPJohnStuartMillwasthefirstpersoninParliamenttocallforwomen'srighttovote.On19Septem-ber1893NewZealandbecamethefirstcountryintheworldtogivewomentherighttovote.Womeninothercountriesdidnotenjoythisequalityandcampaignedfor justice formanyyears.

In1910asecondInternationalConferenceofWorkingWom-enwasheldinCopenhagen.AwomannamedClaraZetkin(Leader of the 'Women's Office' for the Social DemocraticPartyinGermany)tabledtheideaofanInter-nationalWomen'sDay.Sheproposedthateveryyearineverycountrythereshouldbeacelebra-tiononthesameday-aWomen'sDay-topressfor theirdemands.Theconferenceofover100womenfrom17countries,representingunions,socialist parties, working women's clubs, andincluding thefirst threewomenelected to theFinnish parliament, greeted Zetkin's sugges-tionwithunanimousapprovalandthusInter-nationalWomen'sDaywastheresult.

TheveryfirstInternationalWomen'sDaywaslaunchedthefollowingyearbyClaraZetkinon19March(not8March).Thedatewaschosenbecauseon19Marchintheyearofthe1848Revolution,thePrussiankingrecognizedforthefirsttimethestrengthofthearmedpeopleandgavewaybeforethethreatofaproletarianuprising.Amongthemanyprom-isehemade,whichhelaterfailedtokeep,wastheintroduc-tionofvotesforwomen.

PlansforthefirstInternationalWomen'sDaydemonstrationwerespreadbywordofmouthandinthepress.Duringtheweek before InternationalWomen'sDay, two journals ap-peared:TheVoteforWomeninGermanyandWomen'sDayinAustria. Various articleswere devoted to International

Women'sDay:'WomenandParliament','TheWorkingWom-enandMunicipalAffairs','WhatHastheHousewifegottodowithPolitics?',etc.Thearticlesthoroughlyanalyzedthequestionoftheequalityofwomeninthegovernmentandinsociety.Allarticlesemphasizedthesamepointthatitwasabsolutelynecessary tomakeParliamentmoredemocraticbyextendingthefranchisetowomen.

TheSuccessofthefirstInternationalWomen'sDayin1911exceededallexpectation.

Meetingswereorganizedeverywhereinsmalltownsandeventhevillageshallswerepackedsofullthatmaleworkerswereaskedtogiveuptheirplacesforwomen.

Men stayed at homewith their children for achange, and their wives, the captive house-wives,wenttomeetings.

During the largest street demonstration of30,000 women, the police decided to remove

thedemonstrators'bannerssothewomenworkersmadeastand. In thescufflethat followed,bloodshedwasavertedonlywiththehelpofthesocialistdeputiesinParliament.

In 1913 International Women's Day was transferred to 8MarchandthisdayhasremainedtheglobaldateforInter-nationalWomen'sDayeversince.

DuringInternationalWomen'sYearin1975,IWDwasgivenofficial recognition by theUnitedNations andwas takenup by many governments. International Women's Day ismarkedby a national holiday inChina,Armenia,Russia,Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uz-bekistanandVietnam.

The First International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day Themes

BelowaresomeoftheglobalUnitedNationthemesusedforInternationalWomen’sDaytodate:

2010:EqualRights,EqualOpportunities:ProgressforAll.2009:WomenandMenUnited toEndViolenceAgainstWomenandGirls.2008:InvestinginWomenandGirls.2007:EndingImpunityforViolenceagainstWomenandGirls.2006:Womenindecision-making.2005:GenderEqualityBeyond2005:BuildingaMoreSecureFu-ture.

2004:WomenandHIV/AIDS.2003:GenderEqualityandtheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals.2002:AfghanWomenToday:RealitiesandOpportunities.2001:WomenandPeace:WomenManagingConflicts.2000:WomenUnitingforPeace.1999:WorldFreeofViolenceagainstWomen.1998:WomenandHumanRights.1997:WomenatthePeaceTable.1996:CelebratingthePast,PlanningfortheFuture.1975:FirstIWDcelebratedbytheUnitedNations.

http://www.internationalwomensday.com

4 The Parrot

The Parrots -Oops!- Swallows of San Juan Capistrano Return -- March 19They’reontheirway.

ThefamouscliffswallowsofSanJuanCapistrano,CAthatleave towneveryyear ina swirlingmassnear theDayofSanJuan(October23),arereturningfromtheirwintervaca-tion spot 6,000miles south inGoya,Cor-rientes,Argentina.

They land at the mission in San Juan,California, onor aroundSt. Joseph’sDay,March 19, to the ringing bells of the oldchurch and a crowd of visitors from allover theworldwhoare in townawaitingtheir arrival and celebratingwith a hugefiestaaswellasaparade.

Seeking Solace in the Mission

Legendhas it that the swallows took ref-uge in the Mission San Juan Capistranofrom an irate innkeeper who destroyedtheir muddy nests. The swallows returntotheoldruinedchurcheachspringknowingtheywillbeprotectedwithin themission’swalls. In fact, the city hastaken their safety seriously, passing an ordinance againstdestroyingtheirnests.

So-called“scoutswallows”precedethemainflockeachyearbyafewdaysbutthemajorityofthesmallbirdsusuallyar-rivesonthe19thandbeginsrebuildingthemudneststhat

cling to theruinsof theoldstonechurchandthroughouttheCapistranoValley.

The Oldest Building in California

Themission,originallybuiltfrom1776–1806,wasseriouslydamaged in 1812by adeadly earthquakeandwasnever fully rebuilt. It is the sev-enthinachainof21CaliforniaMissionsallsupposedlyseparatedbythedistanceofaday’swalk.TheMissionwasnamedfortheCrusader, Saint John of Capistrano, whohad taken the name of his Italian birth-place.PadreJuniperoSerrawasaSpanishFranciscanpriestwhofoundedthechurchonNovember1,1776,andtheadobeSerraChapelsectionofthemissionhasbeenre-built and it is now the oldest building inCaliforniastillinusetoday.

Themissionislocatedneartworiversandwasanidealspotfortheswallowstonest

foryearsbecauseoftheabundanceoftheinsectsonwhichtheyfeed.Thereductioninnumbersoftheinsects,largelyasaresultofthedevelopmentofthearea,hascausedsomeof the swallows to locate further from the center of townandexplainswhytherearenolongerhugecloudsofswal-lowsdescendingontheMission.Still,it’squiteasight.

http://www.factmonster.com/spot/swallows1.html

Other Incredible Animal Journeys

Humpback Whales: Humpbackwhales hold the world’s re-cord for longestmammalianvoyage.Onepopulation spendsthewarmermonthseatingaliteraltonoffoodadayinwatersoff theArctic Peninsula. Comewintertime, they swim 5,000milesawaytobalmybreedinggroundsnearColumbiaandtheEquator.

Monarch butterfly: Migratinglongdistancesisinamonarch’sblood.Eachfall,thousandsofbutterfliesheadwestintoCali-forniaandMexico.Theysummer3,000milesaway,throughouttheUnitedStatesandCanada.Buthowtheyknowwhenandwheretogocontinuestopuzzlescientists.

Salmon: Afterspendingyearsswimmingintheocean,salmonfollowtheirnosesandreturn to the freshwaterstreams theywereborn in tospawnandeventuallydie.They’ll swimup-streamagainststrongcurrentsforhundredsofmilestomaketheperfecthomecoming,evenif itmeansarrivinginshoddycondition.

Green turtles: Motherlyinstinctcompelsfemalegreenturtlesto return to their birthplace to start their own families. ThepregnantturtlesswimmorethanathousandmilesfromtheircoastalfeedinggroundsinBrazilintothemiddleoftheSouth

AtlanticOceantoAscensionIsland.Onthetinynursery’ssan-dybeach,theexpectantmotherscarveoutnestsandlaytheireggsbeforeheadingbackhome.

Wildebeests: Greenerpasturesdrive1.5millionoftheseherbi-voresincircles.Serengetiwildebeesttravelmorethanathou-sandmilesinspectacularlyhugeherds,alongwiththousandsofzebraandgazelle,toavoidthedryseasonsinTanzaniaandKenya.

Lemmings:IntheArctictundra,over-populationandascarci-tyoffoodsendslemmingsonmassmigrationsathighspeeds.Researchersclockedonetrekofthepetitemammalsatalmost10milesaday.Fortheweak,thepaceofthejourneyisjusttoomuchandtheyareleftbehindtodie.

Cicadas: Billionsofchubby,buzzingcicadaswillsurfacefromtheirundergroundbunkersthismonthtogathertogether,sing,andmate.Theinsectswillhavespent17yearsfatteningupun-derground,growingthroughfivestagesofdevelopment.Theirsynchronizedappearanceoverwhelmspredators,leavingmostoftherevelingcicadascarefreetopartyfortheirfiveweeksofadultlife.

http://www.livescience.com

The Parrot 5

Parrot Warbling

http://www.englishdaily626.com/idioms.php

Grappling with Grammar

Reflexive Pronouns

Weuseareflexivepronounwhenwewanttorefertothesubjectof thesentenceorclause.Reflexivepronounsendin“-self”(singular)or“-selves”(plural).Thereareeightre-flexivepronouns.Lookattheseexamples:

Notice thatall theabovereflexivepronounscanalsoactas in-tensivepronouns,but the functionandusagearedifferent.Anintensivepronounemphasizes itsantecedent.Lookat theseex-amples:

• Imadeit myself.ORImyselfmadeit.• Haveyouyourselfseenit?ORHaveyouseenityourself?• Shespoketomeherself.ORSheherselfspoketome.

Let the cat out of the Bag

Bob was going to retirefrom teaching in June, andthe foreign language de-partmentwas planning onpresenting him with someluggage at his retirementdinner.Hewasn’tsupposedtoknowaboutit,butsome-one let the cat out of the bag.AtthedinnerBobact-ed surprised, even thoughsomeone had told him what he was getting before the official presentation.

Beak Speak• Widow is the only fe-

male form in theEng-lish language that isshorter than its cor-respondingmale term(widower).

• There isaword in theEnglish languagewithonlyonevowel,whichoccurs five times: “in-divisibility.”

• ThereisasevenletterwordintheEnglishlanguagethatcontainstenwordswithoutrearranginganyofitsletters,“therein”:the,there,he,in,rein,her,here,ere,therein,herein.

• There are two words in the English language thathaveallfivevowelsinorder:“abstemious”and“face-tious.”

• Thereareonlytwosequencesoffourconsecutivelet-tersthatcanbefoundintheEnglishlanguage:“rstu”and“mnop.”Examplesof eachareunderstudyandgynophobia.

• Thereareonly4wordsintheEnglishlanguagewhichendin“dous”:tremendous,horrendous,stupendous,andhazardous.

• ThereareatleasttwowordsintheEnglishlanguagethatuse all of thevowels, in the correctorder, andendintheletterY:abstemiously&facetiously.

http://www.funshun.com/amazing-facts/language-facts.html

6 The Parrot

USA State Capitals WordsearchFindandcirclealloftheUSAStateCapitalsthatarehiddeninthegrid.Theremaininglettersspellasecretmessage-aBillVaughanquotation.

Some More Parrot Fun Stuff

ALBANY (New York)ANNAPOLIS (Maryland)ATLANTA (Georgia)AUGUSTA (Maine)AUSTIN (Texas)BATON ROUGE (Louisiana)BISMARCK (North Dakota)BOISE (Idaho)BOSTON (Massachusetts)CARSON CITY (Nevada)CHARLESTON (West Virginia)CHEYENNE (Wyoming)COLUMBIA (South Carolina)COLUMBUS (Ohio)CONCORD (New Hampshire)DENVER (Colorado)DES MOINES (Iowa)

DOVER (Delaware)FRANKFORT (Kentucky)HARRISBURG (Pennsylvania)HARTFORD (Connecticut)HELENA (Montana)HONOLULU (Hawaii)INDIANAPOLIS (Indiana)JACKSON (Mississippi)JEFFERSON CITY (Missouri)JUNEAU (Alaska)LANSING (Michigan)LINCOLN (Nebraska)LITTLE ROCK (Arkansas)MADISON (Wisconsin)MONTGOMERY (Alabama)MONTPELIER (Vermont)NASHVILLE (Tennessee)

OKLAHOMA CITY (Okla-homa)OLYMPIA (Washington)PHOENIX (Arizona)PIERRE (South Dakota)PROVIDENCE (Rhode Island)RALEIGH (North Carolina)RICHMOND (Virginia)SACRAMENTO (California)SALEM (Oregon)SALT LAKE CITY (Utah)SANTA FE (New Mexico)SPRINGFIELD (Illinois)ST. PAUL (Minnesota)TALLAHASSEE (Florida)TOPEKA (Kansas)TRENTON (New Jersey

The Parrot 7

Rigoberto’s Riddles

Joe and Dave are hunting when Davekeels over. Frantic, Joe dials 911 on hiscell phone and blurts, “My friend justdroppeddead!WhatshouldIdo?”

A soothingvoiceat theother end says,“Don’tworry,Icanhelp.First,let’smakesurehe’sreallydead.”

Afterabriefsilence,theoperatorhearsashot.ThenJoecomesbacktothephone.“Okay,”hesaysnervouslytotheoperator.“WhatdoIdonext?”

Silly Vasily’s Chuckle Chamber

Solutions for Puzzle on Page 7

Howdocrazypeoplegothroughtheforest?

•They take the psycho path

Whatdoprisonersusetocalleachother?

•Cell phones

Whathasfourlegs,isbig,green,fuzzy,andifitfelloutofatreewouldkillyou?

•A pool table

Happy for those who walked me to this pathEven when my tires were flatFor friends who came back with me to fix my carCause i couldn’t go too farThen the ones who turned me downSo i could appreciate the people that wouldn’t stand to see me frownFor those who fell for lies and brought tears to my eyesFor those truths that brought so much painAnd days i walked in shameFor happy days which ended with funny playsThe friendships that taught me the rules of friend-shipAnd lessons on how to be meek like a sheepFor the believers who made me believe in meAnd the followers who prevented my enemy from getting to meI say thank you for satisfaction now abides in meI see a light that with all this cannot e blockedA spirit that is unconquerableI see a vision that is unstoppable Isee a whole world of possibilities and none be-yond my abilities

Gratitude

BisiObateru

Funny Headlines -- Do You Know Why They’re Funny?

• ManKillsSelfBeforeShootingWifeandDaughter

• Panda Mating Fails; VeterinarianTakesOver

• Miners Refuse to Work afterDeath

• WarDimsHopeforPeace

• Cold Wave Linked to Tempera-tures

• RedTapeHoldsUpNewBridges

• ManStruckByLightning:FacesBatteryCharge

• NewStudyofObesityLooksforLargerTestGroup

• AstronautTakesBlameforGasinSpacecraft

• LocalHighSchoolDropoutsCutinHalf

• HospitalsareSuedby7FootDoctors

• TyphoonRipsThroughCemetery;HundredsDead

8 The Parrot

1.Thisprofessor’slastnameisthesameastheplacewherescientistsrecentlyfoundwater.

_______________________________________________

2.Thisprofessor’slastnamebeginswith“K”andendswith“a”

________________________________________________

3.Thisprofessor’slastnamerhymeswith“wow”and“cow”

_________________________________

4.Thisprofessor’slastnameistheop-positeof“night.”

__________________________________

5.Thisprofessor’slastnamerhymeswith“dress”

_____________________________________

6.Thisprofessor’slastnameispronouncedliketheoppositeof“sweet.”

________________________________________________

7.Add“l”tothisprofessor’slastnameandyouhavethewordforsomeonewhotakesrisks.

________________________________________________

8.Thisprofessor’slastnameistheoppositeof“black.”

________________________________________________

9.Thisprofessor’slastnamebeginswiththelastletterofthealphabet.

________________________________________________

10.Takeawayan“e”fromthisprofessor’slastnameandyouhavetheoppositeofsadness.

_______________________________________________

11.Thisprofessor’slastnamehasfivesyllables.

________________________________________________

12.Thisprofessor’slastnamerhymeswithjelly

________________________________________________

13.Thisprofessor’slastnamerhymeswith“bean”

_____ _________________________________

14.Thelasttwolettersofthisprofes-sor’slastnameare“ou”

_____________________________

15.Splitthisprofessor’slastnameintwoandyougettwowords:onewordmeansplaceswhereyoucangetwaterandtheotherwordisawaytocook!

______________________________________

16.Thisprofessor’slastnameis“naggoh”back-wards

_____________________________________________

17.Thepasttenseof“run”isinthisprofessor’slastname.

________________________________________________

18.Thisprofessorisnotamanbutthere’sa“man”inherlastname

________________________________________________

19.“On”,“go”and“me”canbefoundinthisprofessor’slastname

________________________________________________

20.Thisprofessor’slastnamerhymeswith“corps”.

________________________________________________

Do You Know Your ESL Professors? Guess Who!1.Moon2.Komura3.Rau4.Day5.Hess6.Sauer7.Gamber

8.White9.Zadra10.Joye11.Limmaneeprasert12.Kelly13.Dean14.Tzou

15.Wellsfry16.Hoggan17.Moran18.Leatherman19.Montgomery20.Kor

Answers

The Parrot 9

Dear Granny,

I am a single mother with a4-yearoldchildtakingESLclasses and sometimesmy babysitter doesn’tshow.Asaresult,IhavetostayhomeandImissclass.Icallmyteacherswhen I know ahead of

timethatthereisaprob-lem. I also call and leaveamessageonmyteachers’phoneswhenitislastmin-

ute.WhenIreturntoclass,myteachersarenotreallyhap-py.Theydon’tseemtounderstandmysituation.WhenI

askedmyteachersifIcouldbringmychildtoclasswithme, they saidno, that it is against school regulations. Isthattrue?

Ahn Chu

Dear Ahn,

Beingasinglemother isnoteasy. However,your teach-ersarebeingtruthfulwithyou.Thereareinsuranceques-tions,questionsof liability thatapplytohavingnon-stu-dents(yourchild)intheclassroom.Ifsomeonewhoisnotaregisteredstudentweretobehurtsomehow,thecollegewouldbefinanciallyresponsible.So,foritsprotection,thecollegehasthatregulationinplace.Ihopeyoucanfindamorereliablebabysitter.

Granny

Editor’s note: The Three Sisters have been doing dating research this past weekend. This week’s guest columnist is Igor, The Three Sisters’ brother

Dear Three Sisters,

Ithinkmygirlfriend’sparentsdon’tlikeme.Theyhaven’t toldme thatbut Igetthat feeling (whenever they see me).WhatshouldIdo?

Un E. Zee

Dear Un,

It could be worse. The parents could adore you but the daughter really doesn’t. That happened to me and it’s not that much fun. Listen, dude, there are any number of things that can cause parents to hate you. Do you have a tattoo on your face? Have you got ear-rings? Have you got too baggy pants? Have you got a loud, old car and do you play music they don’t like? Do you bring their

daughter home late? Finally, do you have a job or go to school or do you just hang out? It’s hard to believe but sometimes parents

can’t always see the real you – maybe they just see those other things. The important thing is if your girlfriend likes you. Maybe you can ask her if there are some things you can do that would please her parents. Ev-erybody likes money but that won’t work. Maybe you can try to be helpful. Offer to do things around their house. Repairs, stuff like that. Most of all, act nice to their daughter when you are all together. Well, act nice to her all the time because maybe she talks to her parents and they’ll believe her before they’ll believe you. If noth-ing works, ask your girlfriend to write us. Maybe we’ll find out something from her. In the meantime, keep reading The Parrot. Ah! There it is! Give her parents copies of

The Parrot! They’ll love you and you don’t have to tell them The Parrots are free! Bound to work…

Igor

The Three Sisters: Rada, Ella, Inga (Counselors on Courting)

Ella, Rada, Inga

Granny Noetal10 The Parrot

Parenting the Parrot Way!

Basically Bert

Howdoes yourwriting tablet beckon to you?Your rect-angleofwood,orlinenorpapyrusorcotton;howdoesitworkwithyouandyourcreativelittleself?Thisismyper-spective.

I likepencils because I prefer erasablemistakesandthesoftgraydrawing-pen-cilcolor.Mostwritings,i.e.thisone,aredraftedonyellowlegalpaperforgoodreason:yellow is cheeryandsaturatedwhich channelsmore focused thoughtto flow from mind to paper, and thewonderful, razor-thin green lines arenotsoobtrusivethatmypencilscribblesareoverwhelmed.Toppingthisoff,thedoubleredmarginlines;trulyado-not-crosszone,dictatethatthatpristinemarginisTHEplacefornotes,editsandlegalscribbles.Legalpaperisawesome.

Rightuptherewithlegaltabletsis‘4x4quad-ruledpaper’.Oh, the luxuryofwritingany sizeyouwant,devisinga

newmarginineveryline,makingalphabetshapesalong-sideandinsidethelittlebluesquares,…Thegeometryofitall!

Regular notebook paper is cumber-some; I find the heavy lines interferewithmy thoughts and overwhelmmypencil.Waaaaytoolinear.

Finallyismyodetotheball-pointpen’srealm: thecocktailnapkin.Four layersof plush squish for the pen, extra loftfor maximum rich, dark color. Draw-ings and scribbles look exceptionallymeaningfulwithinthatcontriteborder,addressesbecomepersonalandangles

haveclumpylittlenumbersandarrowsforcompany.

Go,writingfiends,andchooseyourpaper.

BertisanIAattheNatomasESLCenter

Winterisuponus.Therainandcoldweatherhasforcedmychil-drentoabandontheirswingsandscooters,andtojoinmeinside thehouseEVERYDAY!Thishas led tonumerousand continuous boisterous interactionsandsomebrokenknick-knacks.So,atamomentofpuredesperation,Ifoundthis“ParentingSurvival”listontheinternet:http://www.budget101.com/recipes/id34.htm.

Cotton Ball: for times when you can’thearyourselfthink.

Rope:incaseyougettotheendofyours.

Rubber Band: to remindyou to stretchandgrowwithyourchildren.

Sweet & Sour Candy: to remind youthateverychildisdifferent.

Eraser:soeveryonecanstarteachdaywithacleanslate.

Clock:toremindyouthatchildrengrowuptoofast.

Puzzle Piece: to remind you that you are an importantpieceinthejourneyofyourchild.

Marbles:toreplacetheonesyou’velost.

Band Aid: tofixhurtfeelings.

Nuts: toremindyoutolaugh..getalittlenutty.

Tootsie Roll: toremindyoutorollwiththepunches.

Candle: soyouneverfeelinthedark.

Do Not Disturb Sign:toremindyouthatyouneedtimetoyourself.

Aspirin:forwhenallelsefails...taketwo.

Peppermint:toremindyouthatyourjobasparentsisworthamint.

A piece of velcro: forwhenyouneedtogetagrip!

Ihaveyettogatherallthematerials,butifanyofyoupar-rotparentsfindthetime,letusknowifitworks!

TocontactprofessorMoon:moone@arc.losrios.edu

Prof.Moon’sKids

The Parrot 11

Focus on the Important Things!

Mim’s Cafe

The Cyber Bum--Bogdan Komlyk

Howmanywindowshaveyouseeninyourlives?Ibetatonof them. Round, square, oval and many others. And howmanywindowstothecyberworld-Internetbrowserscanyouname?WHAT?JustInternetExplorerfromMicrosoft?That’snotgoingtowork.TakeEuropeansasanexample.TheEuro-peanCommissionmadeMicrosoftprovideWin-dowsuserswitha“browserchoice”screen.Thischoicescreenwillincludeaselectionofdifferentbrowsers,ratherthanjustInternetExplorer.

Ofcourse,Iwaskidding!Youcan’tnamemorethan one browser. Nevertheless, you all prob-ablyguessedwe’regoingtotalkaboutbrowsers.Firstofall,what isabrowser?Wikipediasays,“Awebbrowserisasoftwareapplicationforre-trieving,presenting,andtraversinginformationresources on the World Wide Web.” Basicallybrowsersgiveyoutheabilitytoviewinforma-tionon the Internet.Tounderstandwhatyourbrowseractuallydoes,openInternetExplorer,gotoGooglestartpageandright-clickonit.Fromthecontextmenu,pick“ViewSource.”Wow, surprising, isn’t?This is theoriginalinformationyourbrowsergetsfromtheInternetandthefirstpageiswhatyougetfromthebrowser.

Yeah,thatwasalittleboring.Allofyouwhohandledthefirsttwoparagraphsreceiveaprize–ananswerforthequestion“Whichbrowseristhebest?”Thebestoneistheoneyoulike!Yep,simplelikethis.Myadviceistotryafewandpicktheonethatfitsyoujustright.Well,sinceweareallsocially-oriented

creatures, I’llgiveyousomestatisticsofusageshareofwebbrowserstakenfromWikipediaforJanuary2010(again).• InternetExplorer(58.69%)• MozillaFirefox(28.04%)• GoogleChrome(5.63%)• Safari(4.97%)• Opera(2.05%)• Other(1.32%)

Asyoucansee,oneof the favorites is InternetExplorer.Myguessisitisbecausewedon’thave

that“browserchoice”screen.Mostofusjuststickwithwhatwegotatthebeginning.Mylastadvicefortoday–don’tputyourselfinabox.Explore!

TocontactBogdan:bogdan.komlyk@gmail.com

IgotthebananabreadrecipebelowfromabookcalledStudent’sVegetarianCookbook.I’vetriedmanybananabreadrecipes,butthisonehastobeoneofmyalltimefavorites.Ifyougetachancetotrythisrecipe,please letmeknowwhatyouthink.Emailyourcommentsortherecipesyouwouldliketosharetomontgot@arc.losrios.edu.BonAppetite!

Vegetarian Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 1½cupsflour• ¾cupGrape-Nutscereal• 1/3cupsugar• ½cupraisins(Iusedriedcranberriesinstead)• 1teaspoonbakingpowder• ¼teaspoonbakingsoda• ¼teaspoonsalt(optional)• 2eggwhites• 1cupmashedveryripebanana(2-3medium)• ½cupplain,nonfatyogurt• ¼cupvegetableoil

• 2teaspoonsvanilla

Mixing and Baking Instructions:

1. Preheatovento350degreesF.

2. Combineflour,Grape-Nuts,bakingsoda,bak-ingpowder,salt,andraisins/cranberriesinalargebowl.

3. Inanotherbowlbeateggwhitesuntil frothy.Thenaddyogurt,sugar,oil,mashedbananas,andvanilla.

4. Combinethewetingredientswiththedryin-gredientsandstiruntilevenlymixed.(Don’tstirtoolong.)

5. Lightlygreasewithbutteroroil8½X4½X3inchloafpanandpourinbatter.

6. Bakefor45-50minutesoruntildone.

12 The Parrot

Differences between Internet Browsers

Prof. Montgomery with Happy Eater

Dear Artie,

IrecentlyenjoyedvisitingtheCartier,AmishandTutanka-menexhibitsthatyouwroteaboutinyourlastcolumn.CanyoutellmeaboutsomeotherartexhibitstovisitthisSpring?

Sincerely,

On the Go Art Lover

Dear On the Go,

Certainly,first,letmealerteveryoneto a local exhibit at the Solomon-Dubnick Gallery now. Don’t missMaija Peeples -- Bright’s TerrificRaken ceramics andpainting showat101725thStreetinSacramento.Thenameoftheshowis“Favorites”be-cause the artist has included mostofherfavoritepiecesforgallerydis-play.These includewhimsical rakupieces depicting animal and hu-manfigures aswell as someofherlargebrilliantandvibrantpaintings.WhenIvisitedtheshowonopeningday,mysenseswereovercomewithreds, oranges, yellows and blues.Whatatreat for theeyes!Theartist,herself,wasroamingthe gallery speaking to as many art lovers as possible. Isensedthatshelovestoportraybright,playfulfiguresandsubjects.Takeanextrahourandseetheshow,“Favorites.”

For thoseofyouwho likehandcrafts, takeadriveup theroadtotheNevadaMuseumofArtinReno.Onceyouarrive,findthe“SurveyofGee’sBendQuilts”thatcomefromGee’sBend,Alabama,asmall townintheAlabamaRiver.Gee’sBend boasts a longstanding tradition of quilting amongthewomen of that area. JosephGee founded the originalplantationwhereGee’sBendeventuallygrewup.Untilthe

Roosveltera,thecommunitylivedinlongcabinswhereonecould “see the stars” and feel thewind and rain throughgapsintheceilingsandwalls.Atthissametime,quiltingwasarareopportunityforcreativepersonalexpression.

Divided into four sections, theGee’sBendQuilt showex-plores thehistory,aesthetics,artistic influenceandthefu-tureofGee’sBendquilts.Untilrecently,thequiltsofGee’sBendwere the exclusive products of thrift and necessity,

assembled fromdiscarded fabricscraps. Theywere created to “keepthe childrenwarm.”These interna-tionally esteemed quilts have alsobeen lauded in the “TheNewYorkTimes”as“someofthemostmiracu-lous works of modern art Americahasproduced”andcallintoquestiontheoldparadigmofwhatconstitutesart.

Finally, lets look at gardens andshopa little.Whynot takea trip to“Cornerstone Gardens” located atthe southern gateway toNapa andSonomawine country.CornerstoneSonoma is an eclectic collection of

shops,wineries,andgourmetcafesetamidstnineacresofgardeninstallations.Theseinstallationswerecreatedbytheworld’sleadinglandscapearchitects.Formoreinformation,googlehttp://cornerstonegardens.com.Thisexhibitisaper-fectway to inspire your owngardens for the SacramentoSpringandSummer.

Letmeknowhowyouliketheartshows.It’salwaysnicetohearfrommourreaders.

Artie

TocontactArtie:braccop@arc.losrios.edu

Artie’s Easel

ProfWhite--Artie’sMentor

The Parrot 13

Typical Quilt Patterns

Boots on the Ground: Get Slick with Trail Mick Down-and-Up and Long Valley Trails Loop, Cronan Ranch BLM Park

Onceacattleranch,CRONANRANCHisawonderfulnewpublichikingparkdevelopedbytheUnitedStatesBureauofLandManagement(BLM)incooperationwiththeAmericanRiverConservancy.TheparkislocatedintheSierrafoothillsoffHighway49.Twelvemilesofmarkedtrailsarespreadoutoverthousandsofacresofland.

TogettherefromtheSacramentoarea,driveonU.S.High-way50 east toPlacerville.Once in town, turnnorth (left)ontoHighway 49. This winding route takes you throughthehistoric gold rush townofColoma.Keepgoing on 49pastColoma, crossing theSouthForkof theAmericanRiverat the junctionofLotusRoadandHighway49.Onceyou cross the bridge, continue on 49northwardfor5moremilesuntilyouseeasignpostforPedroHillRoadonyour left. Turn onto PedroHill Road.Almost immediately youwill see theCronanRanchtrailheadparkinglotontheleftside.Pullinhereandparkyourcar(nofee).

Atthefarendoftheparkinglot,nexttoalockedgateisaglassdisplaycasecontaining a large map of the park.Fromthemapyouwillseeseveraltrailoptions to choose from. I recommend the Down-and-UpandLongValleyTrails loop,whichoffersafinevarietyofsceneryandterrain.Allowatleasttwohoursforthisroundtriphike,whichtotals4.5miles.WalkpastthelockedgateontotheParkServiceRoad,whichis justawidedirttrail.Followthis“road”foraboutaquartermileuntilyouseetheDown-and-UpTrailsignpostonyourleft.Onceonthetrailyouwillclimbgraduallyupontoasortofplateau.Thisareaofferswideopenviewsof a largepartof thepark,whichconsistsofgrasslands interspersedwith standsof (mostlyoak)trees.Whenyouarriveatatrailjunctiontaketheleftfork,whichistheDown-and-Uppath.Theplateaucontin-ues for about anotherquartermile; then the trailplungessomewhatsteeplyintoalittlecanyonfilledwithtrees.Oncetheterrain levelsoutagainyoucanhear thesoundof theSouthForkof theAmericanRiverflowingofftoyour left.Nowyouareinthepartwherethetrailderiveditsname!Forthenexthalf-milethetrailtraversesseverallittleravinesinterspersedwithridges–thismeansdown,thenup,then

down,etc.Soonyouarriveatanothertrailsplitmarkedwithapost.Choosetheleftfork,whichwilltakeyoudowntotheAmericanRiver.ThetrailendsthereatthefarthestextentoftheParkRoad.TheRiverisaniceplacetorestandhaveapic-nic.Becareful,asthewaterflowsswiftandcold.Whilemygroupwaspicnicking,thewaterlevelcameupoverafoot,forcingustomovetohigherground!Followthedirtroaddownstream for about a half-mile until it starts climbingawayfromtheriver.Afteraquartermileofgradualclimb-ingyouwillemergeontoaflatarea.Thereinfrontofyou,isascenethat looks likesomethingoutofanoldwestern

movie.That’sbecause it is!Twentyorthirtyyearsagoasmall ranchspread(containingawoodenhouse,barn,andachickencoup)wasconstructedforamovieset.Though theset is indisre-pair,it’saninterestingplacetoexplore.Onepicnictableprovidesagoodplacetorestorhaveasnack.TheoldmoviesetislocatedatthejunctionoftheParkRoadandtheLongValleyTrail.Thisistheotherpartofyourloop.TheLongValley trail continues gently upwardthroughopengrasslandforabout thenext mile, paralleling a little creek.Whilewewerethere,wesawandheard

lotsofsmallfrogsinandaroundthecreek.TheLongValleyTraileventuallyendsattheParkServiceRoad.Followthispathforanotherhalfmilebacktothetrailheadparkinglot.

CronanRanchParkisopendailyfromdawntodusk.Nomo-torvehiclesofanykindarepermittedbeyondthetrailheadparkingarea,andnoovernightcampingisallowed.FishingfortroutispermittedintheAmericanRiverforthosepos-sessingavalidCaliforniafishinglicense.Rattlesnakes,coy-otes,andmountainlionsexistinthepark,thoughIhaven’tseenany.Allthetrailsareopentomountainbiking,horse-back riding, andhiking.Dogs are okayon leashes. Therearenofacilitiesavailableintheparkexceptportabletoilets,locatedatthetrailheadandalongtheriverfrontage.Besuretobringyourownwaterandsnacks.

Happy hiking!

TrailMick

TocontactTrailMick:braccop@arc.losrios.edu

Micksaysdon’tforgettohydrate!

14 The Parrot

Hemisphere consider the winter months, DST is observedfromlateOctobertolateMarch.

• Three large regions inAustralia do not participate inDST.WesternAustralia, theNorthernTerritory, andQueenslandstayonstandardtimeallyear.Theremainingsouth-centraland southeastern sections of the continent (which iswhereSydneyandMelbournearefound)maketheswitch.Thisre-sultsinbothverticalandhorizontaltimezonesDownUnderduringthesummermonths.

• China, which spans five time zones, is always eight hours

aheadofGreenwichMeanTimeanditdoesnotobserveDST.

• InJapan,DSTwasimplementedafterWorldWarIIbytheU.S.occupation. In1952 itwasabandonedbecauseofstrongop-positionbyJapanesefarmers.

Continued form page 1

tobewhenIgrewup,andIthought,gosh,Iwouldn’tmindworkingatacollegeandhelpingpeoplewhoare likeme,lost

andnotknowingwhattodo,andsoIthoughtIwouldgointocareercounseling,andthen,asIwasgettingmymastersdegreeincounseling.IworkedwithalotofstudentathletesattheuniversitythatIwasin,sowhenIstartedatAmeri-canRiverCollege,Iwashiredtobetheathleticcounselor,toonlyworkwithstudentathletic,and thenmovedon togeneralcounselingandafewyearsago.

Parrot:Interesting!Hmmm...Whatdoyoulikeaboutwork-inghere?

Lisa: I love thepeople. I love thedifferent students that Imeet,andIlovewatchingsomeonegofrombeingabrandnew student, to achieving their goal, and so sometimesthat’saveryshortperiodoftimeandforsomestudentsitmaytakealittlelonger,butit’snicetoseepeoplewhostriveandworktowardsthegoal,andactuallyachieveitandbepartofacelebrationattheend.

Parrot:Howwouldyoudescribeatypicaldayinthisposi-tion?

Lisa: Everydayisdifferentandthat’sanotherthingthatIloveaboutit,becauseyouneverknowwhatkindofissuesyou’re going tohelp a studentwith thatday.And soyouknow,atypicaldayItalkto,Idon’tknowsomewherebe-tweentenandtwentydifferentstudentseveryday,depend-ingonwhatmyday is scheduled to look like,andhmm..andeachstudentbringsintheirownuniquequestionsandtheirownuniqueproblemsthattheyneedtodealwith,andso, as the counselor,youserveas the resource tohelp in-dividualsfindtheanswerstotheirproblems.That’swhat’sreallycool.

Parrot:Arethereanyexamples?

Lisa:Ithinkthat,that,youknowsomedaysyoumayspendmoretimehelpingstudentsfigureoutwhatclassesareap-propriate.Otherdays,you’rehelpingstudentsfindresourc-eswithin the community.As counselors,we all have ourdayswhenwehavesomeonewhoisworriedaboutwheretheirnextmealmightcomefromorwhetherthey’regoingto lose theirhome, andhowdoyouhelp thembe able tofindaresourcetohelpthemthroughthatcrisisintheirlife?

Hmmm.Other days you spend a lot of time helping stu-dentsdiscoverwhatdifferent careersfields thereare, andwhatitmeanstobecomeadentalassistant,orwhatitmeanstobecomeamechanic.Whatisthatsalarylike?Whatarethejob opportunities there? Those kinds of things.And thenotherdays,youspendalotoftimetalkingaboutdifferentuniversitiesandisitbesttotransfertoCaliforniaStateUni-versity ofSacramentoorUCDavisforaparticularmajor,ordoIwanttogooutsideofCaliforniaorsouthernCalifor-niaandtalk tostudentsabout theirvaluesandwhat theyshouldlookforinafour-yearUniversity.

Parrot: Reallyimportant.Whatdoyouthinkisthemostim-portantcharacteristicofacounselor?

Lisa:Ohwow,that’sahardone.Justthinkaboutsomebodywhoisveryopen.Hmm..Notjudgmentalandwillingtolis-ten.Ithinkthosearehuge.

Parrot: IknowyouworkwithESLstudents.DoyouhaveanysuggestionsforESLstudents?

Lisa:Yeah.PracticeyourEnglishasmuchaspossible.AndIyellatdifferentstudentsintheofficeofNatomasconstantlyaboutthat.Because,andIonlysayIamhorribleintryingtolearnforeignlanguages.Inhighschool,IstudiedFrench,incollegeIstudiedSpanish,andIhadahorribletimewithlearningaforeignlanguage.AndIknowforsomepeopleitcomeseasierthanothers.Iwouldneverattempttoevenpre-tendthatIcoulddowhatmanyofourESLstudentsdo,andtrying to learnEnglish,which is oneof themore compli-catedlanguages.Ah-h,andsoIadmirethefactthatwehavesomanystudentswhoareworkingsohardtolearnEnglish.Ialsoknowthat’s it’shardtosay:“Youneedtogoall thewaytoESL310beforeyoustartthinkingaboutcareersandtrying to take classes towards amajor “ and that type ofthing.Butbecauseit’ssohardtolearnEnglish,that’swhy,sothatyoucanthenfullyunderstandtheotherclasses.It’stimejust...Iadmireeverystudentwhoisabletogothroughtheprogramsandbesuccessful,becauseit’shard.Ittakesalotofpracticeanddedication.

Parrot:Yeah,it’strue.OKthankyouforyourtimeandforyourhelp.

Ms.ShokurESLL310

The Parrot 15

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Continued from page 1

What do I do to get my classes for next semester?

Inorderforyoutoregister, theseare thethingsyouneedtodo:

• SeeacounselorbetweennowandtheendofApril.Call484-8572tomakeanappointment.Remember:appoint-mentsaremade twoweeks inadvance, sodon’twait.Callsoon.Togetthebestselection,callonFridaymorn-ings. Counselorsarealsoondrop-inalldayFridays,butbeprepared towait,becausestudentsareseenon the“first-come,first-served”basis.

• You must update your informationevery semester by filling out the“Supplemental Data Form” on line.YoucandothisstartingonApril1.

• Take care of all your college obliga-tions,suchasfees,overduebooksetc.beforeyoucanregisterforclasses.

• Check for your registration appoint-mentonline.ItcanbeanydayortimebetweenMay3andMay16.Besureto registeras soonasyoucanbecause this is thefirstpriorityperiod.Toregisterearlymeansyouhaveabet-terchanceofgettingtheclassesatthetimesanddaysthatyouwant.

• Check your grades on line, beginning May 26, 2009.GradesareNOTmailedtostudents.

• Printoutyourunofficialtranscripttoshowyourinstruc-torsaspre-requisitesforthenextclassinthesequencethatyouaregoingtotake.

• CheckfortheclassscheduleonlinearoundApril1.Itisnolongeravailableinprint.

Follow Up Questions

1. WhyismyregistrationalwaysattheendofPriority1,canmycounselorchangethedateandtimeforme:

• Registration appointments are randomly assigned by the com-puter.. Counselors cannot assign, or change these appoint-ments

2. WhencanIgetanearlierregistrationdate?

• The computer randomly assigns these appointments, even IT doesn’t have a plan.

3. DoesitmatterwhenItrytoregister, theESLclassesIwantarealreadyfull.

• TheESLclassesfillupveryfast,likemathandEnglishclassesbecause they are basic skills that everyone must have in order to earn a college degree. You should try to register as soon as you can when you are given the registration appointment.

Thisappointmentmeansthatitisthefirstop-portunity for you to register. You can register asmanytimesasyouwishafterthatdateandtime.

Whenaclassthatyouwanttoenrollinisfull,youshouldtryanyorallofthese:

1. Getonthewaitinglist.

2. Whetherornotyouareonthewait-inglist,checkontheclassatleastonceaweekfor:

a.Peopledroppingtheclassmakingroomforthewaitinglist.Ifyouwereonthewaitinglist,youmaybemoveduponthewaitinglistorovertotheenrolledlist.Ifyouaremovedovertotheenrolledlist,youmustpaywithinten(10)daysoryoumaybedroppedfornon-payment&havetostarttheprocessoveragain,unlessyouhavetheBOGG-feewaiver.

b. If youareon thewaiting list, be sure togo to thefirstclassmeeting. If thereisroomintheclass,but ifyouarenotthere,professorsassumethatyouaredon’twanttotaketheclassanymore;theywillgotothenextpersononthewaitinglist.

c.Evenifyouarenotonthewaitinglist,it’sevenmoreim-portantthatyougotothefirstclass(orfirstweekofclasses)anyway.Theremaybeachanceforyoutobeaddedifsomeofthepeopleenrolledintheclassoronthewaitinglistdon’tshowup.

ThuanBuiCounselor

TocontactThuanBui:BuiT@arc.losrios.edu

From the Counselor’s Corner

16 The Parrot

Pleaseletusknowwhatwecandotoimprove“TheParrot.”Weappreciateanyandallfeedbackyouarewillingtogiveus.Sendusane-mail,call,orjustdropbyProfessorBracco’sofficeD387(DaviesHall),orcall(916)484-8988,braccop@arc.losrios.eduSeniorEditor:ChristianValenzuela,parrot-arc@live.com

Questions/Comments?

ARC Instrumental Jazz Ensembles Tribute to Duke EllingtonThursday,March11

7:30p.m.

The Community Jazz, Latin Jazz, and Studio Jazz En-sembles, directed by Dr. Dyne Eifertsen, will perform

bigbandandLatinjazzstan-dardsbyDukeEllingtonandTitoPuente.SpecialguestsontheprogramwillbetheBellaVistaHighSchoolJazzBand.Theconcertwilltakeplaceinthe ARC Theater at 7:30pm.Ticket prices are $8.00 Gen-eral;$5.00Student/Senior.Formoreinformation,contact

Dr.DyneEifertsen,484-8676.

“What a long strange trip it’s been...” An ARC School of Nursing Graduate’s Career (so far)

Tuesday, March 1612:15 pm - 1:15 pm

Whatalongstrangetripit’sbeen...-AnARCSchoolofNursing graduate’s career (so far)asanemergencydepartmentnurse,flightnurse,anddisasterresponderAftergraduatingfromARCin1984GordonWorleypursuedhisvaryinginterestsinemergencynursingandemergencymedicalservices(EMS),leadingtoacareerasflightnurseonanEMShelicopter.Alongthewayhispassionfortheoutdoorsandwilder-nessmedicinehasledhimtoworkindisasterresponse,search and rescue and on international humanitarianmedical missions. Gordon is a nationally recognizedspeakerandauthor.He’llprovideaquick,andhopefullyentertaining,viewofhowoneARCgraduatehasshapedaninteresting,rewardingandsometimesstrangecareer,aswellasapeekatwhatthefuturemayhold.

Location: Raef Hall 160

How Far Have We Come? The Right to Vote for Women

Wednesday,March1712:00pm-12:50pm

Women,didyouvote in the2008presidential election?The right to vote bywomenwas obtained in theUnit-edStatesaftera72-yearstrugglebeginningin1848ataconventioninSenecaFalls,NewYork.Ninetyyearslaterwearecelebrating.ComemeetandhearElizabethCadyStantonandotherfamoussuffragists.

Location: Raef Hall 160

InterviewSuccessWorkshopTuesday,March162:00 pm - 3:00 pm

Thisworkshopincludesinformationonresearchingtheorganization, reviewinganticipated questions, spe-cific strategies, assessingyour skills,making a pro-fessionalpresentation,andbodylanguageandpresen-tation.PleasecalltheCareerCen-ter and register for this

workshop.916-484-8492

Location:Career&JobOpportunityCenter

Out of the CageThe Parrot 17

“How to Find Federal Jobs” EventThursday,March1812:00pm-1:30pm

Help launch your career!Learnhowtofindandap-plyforfederal jobsandin-ternships while becomingknowledgeable in navigat-ingthefederalprocess.Call 916-484-8492 to regis-ter.

Location:TechnicalEducationRoom#325

Fertility Treatment: Octo-Mom vs. Test Tube Baby?

Thursday, March 1812:15 pm - 1:15 pm

Everythingyouwantedtoknowabouthavingababywithoutintercourse*(butwereafraidtoask?)Buildingafamily?Whenisittimetoseekfer-

tilitytreatment?Howdoyouknowwhenyoushouldseekhelp? What is fertility treat-mentreallyabout?Howtogetsupport and help others in the

process? A professional and per-sonalexperiencesharedbyalocal.

Location:RaefHall160

“The Power of You! How to Get Everything That You Need to Succeed!” Workshop

Thursday,March1812:20pm-1:20p.m.

(Retention Series) Inspiring and enlightening! Bring afriend because you will be em-poweredtoliveyourbestlifeandachieve your personal and aca-demicgoals.Find out how to garner fundsfor college and receive academicsupport.Discover justhowmuchpower you possess in attainingyourultimatesuccess!

Location: Orientation Room inStudentServicesBuilding

DoYouHaveaFACEBOOKPage?AddusasaFan!

“ARCESLDepartment”Has a FACEBOOKpage for our

students!!

PostandReadItemsAbout:

• TheARCcampus

• FunthingshappeningaroundSac-ramento and CA -- Your favoriterestaurants, art exhibits..., parksandhikes...

• Yourdanceormusicalrecital

• What’s happening in ESL -- coollinks to use to study that crazyEnglishgrammar.

SearchforARCESLDepartmentandclickon“BecomeaFan”

18 The Parrot

The Cultural and Curricular Significance of Science Fiction

Tuesday, April 1312:15 pm - 1:15 pm

Science fiction has served as aspeculative vehicle for evalu-ating and understanding theworld inwhichwe live. It isatypeoffictionwhichisdeeplyrooted in themythologyofman.Sincetheearlybeginningsofstorytelling, man has utilized specula-tivefictiontonotonlymakesenseoftheworld,buttohypothesizeaboutthefuturebasedonthepresent.Inthissense,sciencefictioncanbesaidtorepre-sentatypeofmythology,anarrativethatservesasbothculturalmirrorandculturalteacher.Itisatimelesscul-turalphenomenonthatcanbeusedasavaluableteach-ing tool acrossdisciplines inorder to inspireunbiasedcriticalthinkinganddiscussionaboutconceptsinlitera-ture,science,andsocialscience.Thisdiscussionexplorestheculturalimpactofsciencefictionwhilealsoofferingspecificexamplesofhowitcanbeutilizedintheclass-roomforvariousdisciplines.

Location:RaefHall160

Colonialism and Modern Day Political Conflicts in KenyaWednesday,March2412:00p.m.-12:50p.m.

Following thedisputed2007elections inKenya, there-sultingethnicviolenceledtothedeathofover1,200and

internal displacement ofover 300,000 people. Howcould this happen in a na-tion enjoying relative peacesince independence fromtheBritishin1963?Prof.Ka-mau Kinuthia, Economics,explores the contribution of

colonialandpostcolonialpoliciesinsowingtheseedsofethnictensionsinKenya.

Location:RaefHall160

CSUS Representative Visits American River College

Wednesday,March249:00am-4:00pm

CSUSrepresentativevisitsAmericanRiverCollegefrom9:00a.m.to4:00p.m.drop-insfrom12:00p.m.to1:00p.m.Call theTransferCenter today to schedule an appoint-mentat916-484-8685orstopbytheTransferCenter.

Career Exploration Process WorkshopWednesday,March242:30pm-3:30pm

Confusedaboutyourcareerormajor?Doyouknowwhatyou want, but you’re notsure how tomake it hap-pen? Finding your idealcareer is like solving amystery. YOU are the de-tective looking for cluesto answer the questions:WhoamI?WhatamIheretodo?Thisworkshopreviews4stepstohelpyouinthisprocess:1)Knowyourself,2)Explorecareers&majors,3)Clarifyyourdirection&makeachoice,4)Setgoals&takeaction! Identifyyourvalues, skills, strengths,pas-sions.Learntouseresearchtoolsonlineandin-person.Applyingthese4stepshelpsthesearchgomoresmooth-ly,takingoutsomeoftheguesswork.Learntofindthesecluestohelpsolveyourmystery!PresentedbyaCareerCounselor

PleasecalltheCareerCenterandregisterforthiswork-shop.916-484-8492

Location:Career&JobOpportunityCenter

Chicana/o and Latina/o Student Transfer at American River College: Transfer Issues

Tuesday,April612:15pm-1:15pm

Based on recent dissertation work focusing on cur-rent literature in educational research, this session will review the status of Chicana/o and Latina/o transfer at ARC. The topic will include an overview of the status of Chicanas/os and Latinas/os in higher education from a regional and statewide perspective to include (1) an analysis of the educational pipeline; (2) an overview of CSU and UC transfer data; (3) key factors that impede and promote transfer; and (4) institutional characteristics that promote a “transfer culture”. This session is the first of a two-part series.

Location:RaefHall160

The Parrot 19

Free Income Tax Preparation Assistance

American River and Cosumnes River Colleges invite all students, staff, and neighbors in the Los Rios District to use the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance services provided by the students and faculty advisors in conjunction with the Internal Revenue Service.

American River College Cosumnes River College Where? Howard Hall (next to Admin

Building)4700 College Oak Drive, Sacramento

Room BS145 A

When 5 Saturdays:Feb. 6, 20; Mar. 6, 20 & 27

Fridays 9:30-2 Feb. 5 thru April 9 (closed 2/12 and 4/2)

Saturday 2/27 & 3/209:30 -2

Who qualifies for service?

Low to moderate-income taxpayers (to $50,000).Students at any college, staff, and neighbors are all welcome.

What service will be provided?

Forms 1040EZ, 1040A and 1040, CA 540. Federal and California taxes filed electronically. Bring Social Security Card (taxpayer & dependents) & Picture ID.

More information

By appointment only. Call 568-3100 after Jan. 29 & leave message on voice mail box 12334. See webpage:http://ic.arc.losrios.edu/~vita

No appointmentsWalk-in

20 The Parrot