New Year means it's time for some fun

Greetings all:

Two things of note:

1  I cleaned up the blog by emboldening names and other important info within my blog, &

2  Below you'll see an odd sort of message.  I have tried to start a Dead Celebrity Pool at TGC and with me friends on Facebook, so it only seemed fitting to post it on here.  So below, you'll find the rules and entry form.   Basically, e-mail me the names of some celebs who you think may no longer exist after this year, and we'll start a pool.  No money involved, though.

I'll keep the pool open till the end of January 2011.

THE 2011 DEAD CELEBRITY POOL
RULES & REGULATIONS

1.0 INTRODUCTION
If you're going to play the game, you have to play by the rules. See below for the Official Rules and Regulations for the 2011 Celebrity Death Watch

2.0 DEFINITIONS
The following terms, when used within these Rules and Regulations, will have the meanings presented within this section.
1          2011 DEAD CELEBRITY POOL or DEATH WATCH shall all mean the activity, managed by Steve Oetting, in which all participants compete to determine who is best at guessing which celebrities will die during a specified calendar year.

2          The winning participant(s) will be awarded bragging rights for an entire year.
3          LIST and ENTRY shall both mean the manner in which participants present their choices for the 2011 Death Watch.  

4          Each list shall be comprised of thirteen (13) picks and one (1) alternate as outlined in the Rules and Regulations.
5          PICK shall mean an individual name listed within an entry.
6          DEATH WATCHER shall mean a participant or team of participants in the 2011 Celebrity Death Watch.
7          BITE IT, KEEL, KEEL OVER, BUY THE FARM, CASH OUT, KICK, KICK OFF, KICK THE BUCKET, PASS-ON, MEET ONE'S MAKER, PUSH UP DAISIES, BITE THE DUST, and SHED THIS MORTAL COIL shall all mean die.

3.0 OBJECTIVE
The objective of the Death Watch is for Death Watchers to pick which celebrities DIE over the course of the 2011 calendar year.

4.0 THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS TO MAKE GOOD PICKS.
1          AGE: Ultimately the years win. But, don't forget people like Bob Hope.  

Age matters but it can fool you, too.  Example: Larry King
2          LIFESTYLE: Someone who lives a “less-than-quiet lifestyle” may just cash out.  Overdoses, gunshots, and overall misdirected angst have a nasty way of killing people. But, let's not forget guys like Tim Leary who lived to tell about his "rough life."  
3          TERMINAL ILLNESS: It may be uncomfortable to list these folks, but:

 Celebrities are people; and people get sick.

Be forewarned though....remission happens. 
4          PUBLIC POSITION: In some cases the very thing that makes a person a celebrity is the thing that can kill them.  Positions of power and fame tend to attract criticism, which can be in the form of a loaded weapon.  Example: Steve Irwin

A list is a personal thing, so do your homework and use resources.

5.0 HOW TO ENTER
1          Do I play as an Individual or as part of a Team?

Each Death Watcher may enter only ONCE as an individual and each team may enter only ONCE as a team.  Each list received is considered a single entry and is judged accordingly.  When playing as a team, each team list constitutes one entry.  
2          All celebrity picks must be listed by common first and last name, except where a single name clearly identifies the celebrity (for example Cher).  

In addition, the Death Watcher MUST indicate who each of their celebrity picks are on the entry (for example: Buddy Hackett, chubby comic).  

3          Where two celebrities have the same name, the Death Watcher shall clearly specify the celebrity to which they are referring (For example: Michael Jackson - King of Pop as opposed to Michael Jackson - Renowned Beer Critic and Author).  

4          If the Death Watcher fails to do this, Steve will determine the celebrity they believe was intended and that decision shall not be debated.

All entries shall be submitted on the Official Death Watch Entry Form attached at the end, or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

Only two manners of submitting lists will be accepted:
1.         FACEBOOK:  Lists may be sent via Facebook Message (not Facebook Chat) to Steve and must be in the possession of Steve at or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on December 31, 2010.

No late entries will be accepted with exceptions at Steve’s discretion.      

2.         EMAIL: Lists may be emailed to Steve at stephen.m.oetting@gmail.com or soetting@iamtgc.net.  Emailed lists must be received at or before 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on December 31, 2010.

Exceptions may be made by Steve for late entries.

6.0 THE DEATH WATCH BEGINS
Throughout 2011 Steve will be tracking the deaths of those celebrities.  Based on reports of celebrity death in the Associated Press, Steve will track each entry.  A running tally of the standings will be posted, at least monthly, by Steve Oetting, both in CFE & on a Facebook note or event.  (Feel free to keep track of your own lists, too.)

Each time a celebrity on a list keels, Steve will mark off that pick on each appropriate list.  At the end of the year, the Death Watcher(s) with the most marked picks wins.  

7.0 THE ALTERNATE
The Alternate is used to replace only one celebrity on a Death Watcher's list in the unlikely event that one of a Death Watcher's picks for 2011 kicks off before the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2011.  In this case, the Alternate will be used to replace the celebrity pushing up daises.  

(Note that an Alternate can be used only once.)

8.0 WHAT CONSTITUTES A CELEBRITY?
Several factors must be met in order for a pick to meet the definition of celebrity.
1          The pick must be alive at the time the list is submitted.

2          A celebrity must be a human being.  No animals, fictional characters, etc.
3          A celebrity must be A BIG NAME, a person many people know.

8.1 CRITERIA
If these criteria are not met, the pick will be removed & the alternate will not be used.
8.1.1. HOW DO WE VIEW CELEBRITY?
Here are the general objective and subjective criteria we will use:
Criteria (A): In order for a pick to be considered a Celebrity their death must be reported in the AP.
Criteria (B): A Celebrity must have at least one of the following: immediate name recognition, immediate face recognition, or immediate character recognition.
Criteria (C): Criteria B must be verifiable by using Google.

Since there is a good deal of subjectivity on Steve's part, here is some info about Steve.
*Steve was born and grew-up in Fort Wayne (Northeastern Indiana), USA.  
*He is college educated, with a degree in the liberal arts and the other in the sciences.
*Politically neutral and follows affairs, both, national and international.
*Steve is not big into professional sports but keeps up on the news in general.

*Steve has a sick fascination with popular culture, entertainment industry especially. *Steve is great with the movie scene and not horrible with the music scene.

The key is widespread notoriety and ease of recognition by name, face, or character.
a          ACTORS/ACTRESSES:  Any actor/actress with immediate name recognition is going to count.  Think more star than supporting role.  Example Tom Hanks.

Additionally, actors/actresses who have widespread face recognition will count.  Example The “Where’s the beef?” Lady.

Finally, there are folks who are so well known for a character they have played the character name eclipses the Celebrity’s name.  Example Jim Varney (Ernest goes...)
b          MUSICIANS:  Some bands are celebrity loaded, while other bands have a celebrity front man and the rest are not celebrities.  

Make sure they’re big names or THE big name in their celebrity band.
c          POLITICIANS: Presidents, Vice Presidents, First Ladies, but not all senators, congresspersons, or cabinet members will count.

Big names or those involved in big scandals are always best, national or international.  
d          ATHLETES: This category is probably Steve's worst.  Sure, Steve follows a bit of baseball and football.  Certainly, Steve knows the BIG names.

But not every hall of famer is a celebrity. In fact, most likely are not celebrities.

e          BUSINESS LEADERS: Think Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, but not Alan Mulally.
f           OTHERS: They’re celebrities because they get notoriety (for better or worse). Think Paris Hilton.  Others include scientists, academics, and various other notables. Again think big names only.

8.2 EXEMPTIONS
The following classes of people will not be considered celebrities even if they meet the above criteria.  

If you enter their names, they will be removed and the alternate will not be exercised.
1          Any pick whose celebrity status is contingent on age qualifiers such as "World's Oldest...," "Oldest Person in...," etc. will not be considered a valid pick.

2          Any pick whose celebrity status is contingent on an illness suffered by that person will not be considered a valid pick, except for maybe Lance Armstrong.
3          Any pick whose celebrity status is contingent on their relationship to another celebrity will not be considered a valid pick.  

No "mother of," "sister of," "wife of," "husband of," or any other familial relationship.  

Picks like John Voight (Angelina Jolie's dad but also an actor) are good.

Picks like Vergie Arthur (Anna Nicole Smith's mother) are bad.
4          Any pick who is killed by a scheduled execution: foreign, federal, or state, (this does not include assassination, overthrow, or coup d'etat) will not be considered valid.  
5          Any pick whose celebrity status is contingent on the issue of any life support and the removal of such will not be considered a valid pick.

9.0 WHAT IS DEATH?
Death is "the death of a celebrity" occurring between 12:00 a.m. EST on January 1, 2011 and 11:59 p.m. EST on December 31, 2011.
In addition, for a death to count, the announcement of death (via the Associated Press) must be made between 12:00 a.m. on January 1, 2011 and 11:59 p.m. on January 10, 2012.  

This allows ten days following the New Year to hear about a death.  If a pick is announced after the deadline, that death will not count towards the 2011 Death Watch.

10.0 WINNING THE DEATH WATCH
The list with the most correct picks at the end of the 2011 season is the winner.

11.0 BREAKING TIES BY SCORE
1          In order to establish a tie breaking system, each dead celebrity pick will have associated with them a point value.  In the event of two or more Death Watchers having the same number of correct picks, the sum of the points on each tying list will be used to determine the score for that list.

2          The highest score will take the winner's position with each lower score being eliminated from that winner's position.

3          How do the points get awarded?

Each dead celebrity on ONLY one list will be awarded 5 points.

Each dead celebrity on ONLY two lists will be valued at 4 points.

Deaths listed on 3 or 4 lists are valued at 3 points each.

Hits that are on 5 or more lists get 1 point.

11.1 WHEN THE SCORE SYSTEM STILL RESULTS IN TIES
In the event of a tie, even after the scoring system is applied, each tying entry, for the position it ties, will evenly divide the prize of bragging rights.
11.2 AN ALL WAY TIE FOR LAST
If not a single listed celebrity dies in the 2011 calendar year, no one wins.

12.0 COST FOR ENTRY
THERE IS NO COST TO ENTER but only ONE entry per individual or team.

13.0 WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Anyone with a sense of the absurdity at all can play, but they must be 18 years old.  

14.0 THE ROLE OF STEVE
1          Steve will be participating.
2          Steve is the judge and jury, and all decisions are final . 

3          Steve is not responsible for any obligations (financial or other) of any Death Watcher.  Each Death Watcher is solely responsible for any obligations.

15.0 AWARDING THE PRIZES
The winner(s) will be notified by e-mail or Facebook no later than January 30, 2012.

16.0 DEBORAH'S RULE
If you submit a list with additional picks, those picks will be removed from the bottom (last pick) up until only 13 picks are left.

The Alternate will remain unchanged.  Your entry will remain valid.

17.0 JODY AND JOHN'S RULE
You need to know who your entries are and must be able to prove a mention of their deaths in the AP if asked by Steve.  

18.0 THE TRANNSFIXUS SED NON MORTIMUS STIPULATION
If you name one Celebrity and describe another, no matter how close their names are, we're using the name only.  Describe them correctly.  

19.0 BETTER READ THIS STUFF
1          This Celebrity Death Watch was created and is managed by Steve Oetting for fun. Steve does not condone, nor will he be held responsible for any illegal acts of Death Watchers.  Any Death Watcher who breaks any laws in conjunction with their participation is automatically disqualified.
2          The tracking of the Death Watch will be done on Steve's Facebook Event.
3          If you hear about a death, e-mail Steve.  It will certainly help keep this thing going.  Pay special attention for names on multiple lists.
4          If you're late with your entry, you will not be allowed to participate.
5          Play by the rules.
6          Steve reserves the right to disqualify participants and the right to cancel the Death Watch should it become necessary.

7          By participating, Death Watchers agree to all Rules and Regulations set forth in this document.  

The Official 2011 Celebrity Death Watch Entry Form

1          Choose the 13 celebrities and 1 alternate you think are most likely to die during the next year (2011).  
Enter their names, first and last in the spaces below (unless they are like Sting etc.. in which case one name will do).
2          Also jot down what makes them famous (lead singer of Kiss, etc.).  
The number of correctly guessed corpses is the primary factor in winning the Death Watch.  
Only one entry per player!  
See the Rules for more information on game play.

NAME:
TEAM NICKNAME (YOU MUST PROVIDE ONE!):
PHONE NUMBER:
EMAIL ADDRESS:

Celebrity Name	Why Famous?
1.	-
2.	-
3.	-
4.	-
5.	-
6.	-
7.	-
8.	-
9.	-
10.	-
11.	-
12.	-
13.	-
Alternate:	-

All entries must be postmarked (email stamped) no later than December 31, 2010.  
All late entries will be returned.  
In the event of any dispute, the decision of Steve will be final.

The Life of a First Full Term AmeriCorps Member: I created an Alumni Survey

The Life of a First Full Term AmeriCorps Member: I created an Alumni Survey

Click here to take survey

I created an Alumni Survey

Though the date may be 12/5/2010, I finished up some simple changes to the survey Matt and I designed.
By taking the changes Joe made, I then took that text (for the most part) and entered it into a Basic Survey on SurveyMonkey.
It is a total of 10 large questions which should take less than 15minutes.
If you're an alum, make it happen and take the survey!
See the link in the following post.

DECEMBER EVENTS

12/3 Operation Good Cheer
It was pretty awesome to unload trucks and know the toys were going to make a child's Christmas better.

12/10  TRAINING AT CFE
We're going to be doing Grant Writing training, I'll be presenting to our group about my experience at the Michigan Roundtable Diversity and Inclusion Youth Leadership Summit, and we'll round it out by getting a grad school prep training by an AmeriCorps Alum, Jess Herzfield.
The event will be from 9-2 in CFE's Excellence Hall.


12/17
Outer Drive/Walter White
Don't have the full details as of yet, but I do know our group will be split into two smaller groups.


12/24
Christmas Eve- Agency is closed.


12/31
New Years Eve - Agency is closed.

11/29-12/4

11/29
You guessed it, I worked on Care Paths again.  Yes, it is really quite an exciting life.  But that is not all I have done today.
I entered in some new variables for a Care Path database.  No, it is not difficult to do, but it is an odd sensation trying to recollect how to do such a thing when you have not done so in quite awhile.
I decided to send Matt to the Cultural Competency event put on by ArabDetroit, as Joe will only pay for one ticket.
I e-mailed Lisa Horvath again about my LST, YAR, and ART certificates.  These certificates are an important means to show not only that I am trained to facilitate groups in these areas but that I am qualified to do such a thing.
I even had the time to e-mail Jordan O'Neil based out of the Grand Rapids Red Cross, to setup a Disaster Preparedness training in January.  As January is coming up, I knew it was time to contact him.  We were originally supposed to go earlier this term, but were unable, and if I do say so, I have been looking forward to it myself.  I received a response within a short period of time from Jordan saying I would need to speak with his supervisor, so I will e-mail his boss soon.


11/30
I entered data again today from more Care Paths and AmeriCorps Teen Surveys.
I e-mailed Joe about an alumni list for our program, so as to contact them to fill out our Alumni Surveys.  His response was to put it up on Facebook first and see what responses we can muster there.
The importance of typing accurately:
 If a form is not filled out correctly, I have to contact a supervisor for clarification.  This was the case for one of the Care Paths I came into contact with today.  I received a Closure Form stating the client was "deceased or to sick to continue services."  Now bear with me, as this is not a critique, merely an example of what writing the wrong thing can cause.
Because the form said the client successfully completed the program, I was curious how the client could be deceased and do so.  This brings me to my earlier point; because of this I had to contact a supervisor in JJ to get clarification.  His response was that the client is very much alive.  My postulation is that it is a template response, as certain case workers have such.
We also had CFE's first building meeting while I have been there.  It was not a real exciting meeting, but a very basic one with introductions, discussion of our holiday party, and of procedures to guard against the entrance of people who should not be in CFE.
I placed another Office Depot order, too.


12/1
Today was a great day for an hour of training.  I started off my day with Care Path data entry.
I created my goals for the term which I need to give to Joe.  These goals are long in number, but I will write them here:

Goals for Supervision

1          I plan on creating a peer mediation group.  This will be based around the 40 point assessment used in the School-Based Department, along with taking into mind the protective and risk factors for youth.  The plan would be to get a Teen Coalition to want to train, train them, and then set the program up at their individual school. 

            If it works, the thought we then be to introduce it to other schools we have teen coalitions.

 2          I want to create and then pitch the idea of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) to TGC.  I will first create a BCP for CFE to present to Pam Cinpak and show the importance of it.

3          I need to continue my schooling.  There is no way around it, so I need to get moving.

            A         I need to look into graduate studies schools. 

            B         Decide on a degree or 2

            C         Apply to the degree program or 2

4          I would like to shadow other programs once a month.  Specifically, I want to shadow a JJ casework like Monique or Phil.  I need to contact them still, but with your permission I will contact them and let you, along with Heidi, know what days this will be.

            I would also like to do the same with United Way 211, if at all possible.  I have talked with Luke Brown about this possibility, and he seems to be okay with it, if you and Heidi are okay with it.

5          I would like to help facilitate a School-Based or JJ group.  I would like to try facilitating an Integrated (LST and ART) or LST group.

 6          I would like to learn more about SPSS and the other programs we use in CFE.

I mentioned earlier that I had a great training today and that is quite true.

Through Kaboom! I participated in "Online to Offline."  This training was about utilizing Social Media to get participation in your area of service.  It is ideal for those seeking to enhance their volunteer or mentoring programs.  Within it's bounds it teaches one the basics of utilizing social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Flickr for the betterment of your service.

It talked about ways to generate strength in causes such as through:

Petition writing by using Care2 or Change.org; the generating of Volunteers through VolunteerSpot; and by Fundraising using CrowdRise or Facebook Causes.

Because of this training, I ended up emailing TGC's PR person to ask if TGC Tweets.  The answer is "no, but who knows, maybe some day."

12/2

I created a new series of variables and database for, what else, Care Paths.

I also redrafted my time sheets and an MNR, while also placing them on OnCorps.

12/3

After our Team Meeting at AQ, we had an hour drive to Operation Good Cheer in Waterford, MI.  At this service event, were not the only ones present.  There were quite a few volunteers at this annual event.  If you were unaware, Operation Good Cheer is designed to distribute toys to underprivileged children throughout MI.  With this in mind, we unloaded multiple trucks, not only emptying them, but also separating them into where they were headed.

At the end of the day, we were all quite tired, but it was a great feeling knowing we helped to make a child's holiday better.
Joe also gave Matt and I permission to attend CFE's Holiday Party which is on 12/17 in the middle of that event.  

12/4

I attempted to join the AmeriCorps Alumni Detroit Chapter, as I have completed a summer term. 
I did this through the website and also managed to view the first session of training on how to become an Alum Chapter Leader.

Here is the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuHQUjijzY0

http://www.slideshare.net/AmeriCorpsAlums/ameri-corps-alums-overview
http://www.slideshare.net/AmeriCorpsAlums/ameri-corps-alums-resume-and-interview
http://www.slideshare.net/AmeriCorpsAlums/education-award
http://encorps.nationalserviceresources.org/whatsnext/index.shtml
http://edaward.org/
I also was able to get a copy of the Conflict Resolution materials AmeriCorps uses, so on Monday I will print them off and review them to try and incorporate them into the foundation of the curriculum I plan to write for a peer mediation group.

11/22 & 11/23

11/22
I had a very busy day.  Today I found out on a trip to pick up forms from AQ that our technical name for the program is Downriver CARES, as opposed to Downriver Cares.   CARES is actually an acronym.
I began the creation of a list of names to be given to Heidi/Deb.  Now this list isn't your average list; it's a list of names of individuals who happen to have Care Paths and there is something different about them.  Basically, I gave them a list of names of Care Paths that have posed a problem, because there was missing information.
 
11/23
Today, I emailed Susan about the display of a splatter paint sheet at Walter White Community Resource Center.  She accepted and will be displaying it there.
I asked Joe why we do not have t-shirts that are based around our program.  What I mean to say is to have t-shirts with Downriver CARES on them.  The answer as you may expect in this day is the same:  We don't have the funds to afford that many shirts.
I even was able to place an order for canned air, so that some day I can clean out my computers at work.
When I went to the clinic to get my 1st shot of 3 in the Hepatitis B series, I got the shot but not any receipt of it, so I had to call the clinic and request a receipt.  I was informed I should have been given paperwork of some sort, though our Billing office will get a payment request soon enough.

11/24
I took the day off.

11/25  TURKEY DAY = NO WORK

11/15-11/20

11/15
I got my Hepatitis B shot today.  Actually, it was the 1st of 3 shots, but the closest place to get them is Dearborn, so I spent nearly 2 hours of work time waiting for a shot which took less than 2 minutes.
It was at a free clinic, which was quite busy, so I would suggest avoiding busy times, such as Monday mornings.

I also got to input more Southwest Care Paths.


11/16
Even though one has worked with a program for what seems like a great deal of time, it does not mean one truly has an understanding of the program or software.  For example:  I had to show my coworker how to open up SPSS v.15.  Now, she works with 17, so she goes through a different process than I do to open the software.  This leads me to the point I am getting at; she was unable to open the software without my assistance.
You may compare this to my inability to open Microsoft Office Word on the computer I use at a cubicle once a week as I could not on 11/17.  MS Word was installed on my computer, but I had to search for it on the computer I use as it was not in the Programs list on my start menu.
In the end, I had to get assistance from my supervisor Heidi.
The moral of the story, though, is one should always be willing to learn more and expect to be flabbergasted at times by the work or service one may do or in which one is involved.
I again worked on entering SW Care Paths.


11/17
I have already told you of the adventure I had attempting to find MS Word.
I again entered Care Paths, but today Matt and I finished up our vision of the Alum Survey Joe requested we create.  I typed it up and sent it to Joe.
I also had the idea of reviewing a training session over JAIS and even found one.


11/18
Today was an important day.  We went to the New Member Celebration in Lansing.
Yes, this means we, as in Downriver CARES, along with every other MI AmeriCorps member met up in Lansing and had a very long day.  To get down to the short and the sweet of it it, there were two workshop sessions.
I shorten this as the day was long but these workshops were the main point of it, so please forgive my overlooking of things.
In Workshop 1, I attended a session all about becoming Community Leaders.  It was put on on by Jeanine Yard, who you can find on Facebook.
I have a copy of the handouts, but the most important to thing to think about is "What does being a community leader mean?"
If you can answer that question than you'll be able to be an effective leader in a community.

In Workshop 2, I went to Leadership Compass put on by CityYear.  This workshop is designed to teach one how to be placed into 1 of 4 types of leaders.  It also was designed to prepare those on how to effectively deal with those least like themselves.  To put it in good terms, it was a beginner's workshop.


11/19
Today, we went to Alternatives for Girls.  At this site, we cleaned play rooms and kitchens.  Some cleaned dining rooms, while others put up holiday decorations.  The staff was happy to have us and incredibly excited to have so many of us.


11/20
Yes, this is a Saturday, and yes my day began at 730am, and yes I went by myself, but I went to the Michigan Roundtable Diversity and Inclusion Youth Leadership Summit.  AND IT WAS AWESOME.
This is a great summit for people in our type of program to attend.  I realize we do not all deal with youth such as teens, but it was a great day for teens such as for those we have in out Teen Coalitions, along with staff members in School-Based, Juvenile Justice, and Community Resource Centers. 
There were 5 different workshops to chose from, and I decided on attending the Sexual Orientation.  Other choices were based on racism or immigration.
What one needs to know about this day:
Facilitators are trained by the MI Roundtable and given the title of interns to develop such presentations.  In the presentation I observed, adults were separated from the teens, so as not to influence them, so there were to semi-separate workshops going on at one time.
What would happen:
The interns would give an introduction to a topic and then play a video clip.
After the clip, the interns would pose 3 questions and have each smaller group reflect on them and share experiences.
In the end, it was a rewarding experience and I am going to be doing a presentation on it during our training day on  12/10/2010.