1. Oracle Corporation
We all know the standard
blue cans. Lemon-lime is
also a must. But perhaps
you’ve glimpsed a new flavor
of Talking Rain floating
around Redwood Shores
recently, the can a slightly
lighter and brighter hue. If
you have, your eyes aren’t
deceiving you – it’s just the
latest phenomenon to sweep
Oracle Plaza. The beverage
in question, of course, is
Peach-Nectarine Talking
Rain. The following is a first-
person account of how this
drink came to grace the re-
frigerators of Redwood
Shores.
Kourosh Safavi (BI Regional
Manager): Many eons ago,
Talking Rain was the bever-
age of choice at Oracle.
Back in June 2013, we only
had the [Natural flavor] blue
cans. Within one year, Lemon
-Lime appeared, which was a
big deal.
But neither could compare to
the discovery of a previously
unknown flavor: Peach-
Nectarine.
Kourosh: There were a cou-
ple of instrumental events to
get this deal done. It all be-
gan when I saw a crumpled-
up orange can in the back of
Patrick Wallach’s car one
day.
Patrick Wallach (Area Manag-
er, SMB): I like Talking Rains,
like most people here.
Kourosh: I ask Patrick, “Hey,
where’d you get this orange
can of Talking Rain?”
Volume 1, Issue 1
“TALK” OF THE TOWN
A N O R A L H I S T O R Y O F P E A C H T A L K I N G R A I N S A T R W S H U B
April 1st, 2016
Q3 Pipeline Gener-
ated by the BDC Org
(All Hubs)
National: 119,384,265
Enterprise: 171,384,840
Public Sector Tech:
13,682,482
Public Sector Apps:
2,484,138
SMB: 75,576,158
SMB Cloud: 1,860,599
I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :
Oracle Renews the Zoo 2
Weekly Headlines 2
Q4 Calendar of Events 3
Old Pro Trivia Night 3
By The Numbers 3
Toast-Mastered 4
BDC Spotlight 4
BDC QUARTERLY
Captivating. Implausible.
Unbelievable. When describ-
ing the political drama of the
2016 election season, words
often feel inadequate. After
months of hard-fought cam-
paigning, however, a dra-
matic conclusion has finally
been reached: Hardware rep
Brandon Kaufman, 22, was
recently elected co-president
of the BDC Council, capping
off one of the closest con-
tests in Council history. “I’ve
said it all along: it’s time the
BDC Council started winning
again,” said Kaufman follow-
ing his victory. Kaufman joins
fellow co-President Craig
Sgambellone in leading the
Council, a group responsible
for training, volunteering,
and camaraderie-building
events at the RWS hub. Oth-
er officers include Co-
Volunteer Chairs Katie Caru-
so and Ade Terry, Outreach
Chair Kreeya Avimukta, and
Development Chair Kristie
Caruso, all of whom ex-
pressed a desire to make the
Council “great, perhaps
greater than it’s ever been
before”. Following the elec-
tion, Kaufman also men-
tioned that all BDCs interest-
ed in “winning way, way
more” are encouraged to
drop by bi-weekly Thursday
meetings in B5002 at 11am.
Kourosh Safavi, Business Intelligence RM and beverage maverick
A Project of the
BDC Council
“I built a fortress
of Cokes and
prayed.”
—Kourosh Safavi, on his harrowing
first Peach-Nectarine experience
BDC CO U N CI L E LE C TS NE W LE A D E R SH I P
K A U F M A N V O W S T O “ M A K E C O U N C I L G R E A T A G A I N ”
Courtesy of Chris Bell
Please turn to Page 2

2. Page 2
“ T A L K ” , C O N T . F R O M P A G E 1
ORACLE RENEWS THE ZOO
B D C S E N H A N C E F O L I A G E , F R I E N D S H I P S A T V O L U N T E E R E V E N T
Talking Rains exceptional.
The problem was, if I put it in
the fridge, it would be gone
in a second.
Patrick: Kourosh saved that
first can of Peach-Nectarine
like a
fine
bottle of
wine.
Kourosh
decides
that
chilling
this
novel
drink is
worth
the risk.
He bur-
ies the Peach Talking Rain in
the back corner of the fridge,
concealed by lesser sodas.
Kourosh: I made a fortress of
Cokes and prayed.
One hour later, he takes his
first sip.
Kourosh: The first thing to hit
you is the aroma. Just that
essence of fruit. I drank a
sip and it took me to another
world. I mean, it was one of
the top five drinks of my
entire life. It became almost
mythical when I told my
team about it.
Not satisfied with a mere
taste, Kourosh tells Patrick
that he’d be honored to try
another Peach TR at any
point. After another month
limited to Natural and Lem-
on-Lime, a second orange
can appears. This time, he
pours samples into cups for
his team members to try.
Chris Bell (BI BDC): I was
sold immediately.
Kourosh: The taste test was
a big hit. Someone even
said, “I’ll stay at Oracle long-
er if we get this drink on our
floor.” Anything to increase
employee longevity.
Chris: I just went up and
hugged him.
Eager to make these dreams
a reality, Kourosh reaches
out to Facilities, and is re-
ferred to Carlos daSilva.
Please turn to Page 3
Patrick: My girlfriend was
working at a local PR firm,
and she would drink Talking
Rains at her office. One day
she brings me this new fla-
vor: Peach-Nectarine.
Kourosh: The thing is, peach
and nectarine are two of my
favorite fruits. When I
learned they were together,
in a Talking Rain?! I almost
spontaneously combusted.
Months pass by, with no
further signs of the elusive
beverage. Then, suddenly,
citrus-tinged lightning
strikes.
Kourosh: One day I get to
work, and there’s a Peach
Talking Rain sitting on my
desk.
Patrick: I finally brought in a
can for Kourosh to try.
Kourosh: There was only one
can, and I didn’t want to
waste the moment by drink-
ing it at room temperature.
Part of the allure of Talking
Rain is the mix of a frosty
temperature combined with
the fizz. That’s what makes
Oracle Recruiter
Lands 3-Star BDC
with “Tremendous
Upside”
Volume 1, Issue 1
Weekly Headlines
Bathroom
Cleaned, Again
Conference Bridge
Tune Shazamed
Opp ID a Phonetic
Mess
Quality of Weekend
Indispensable
Small-Talk Currency
OSN Email
Ignored
Coworker’s Foster
City commute
“Not that bad”

3. BDC Quarterly
At our quarterly happy hour, it
was the happiest of hours.
BDC teams got together,
watched a Warriors game,
drank drinks and fought over
nachos and pizza. When the
time came, our fearless lead-
er Brandon Kaufman kicked
off a sports related trivia
game.
The questions where decent,
although one BDC asked
“Why are there so many ques-
tions about New York?” Kauf-
man’s reps had no comment.
The scandal of the evening
came when an unnamed Ora-
cle BDC brought his sports
trivia prodigy roommate to
help him win the final prize.
The effect of this unsports-
man-like conduct was
brushed off by the council and
the winners remained win-
ners. They went home with
loads of gear, including a hat
and a t-shirt.
#gobigorgohome
#winnerwinner
#chickendinner
Page 3
FRIEND WINS BDC TRIVIA NIGHT
A P A R T M E N T - M A T E T A K E S C R O W N ; D O E S N ' T E V E N W O R K
F O R O R A C L E
of a cannon. I got to the
fridge and I couldn’t believe
my eyes. I’m not sure if they
were on 3B because Carlos
knows I work there, or if it was
just a happy accident. But
frankly, I don’t care. I got the
drink.
For three weeks, Peach-
Nectarine Talking Rains are
stocked daily on floors 3B
and 5C.
Carlos: 3B was because of
Kourosh. And I know a few
folks on 5C.
Chris: The first day there were
like 80 of ‘em. But after 40
minutes the refrigerator was a
desert.
The drink’s popularity reaches
new heights as employees get
their first taste. Word quickly
spreads across all wings of
Oracle Plaza; rumors of the
new flavor’s whereabouts
abound. Special pilgrimages
are made between floors in
pursuit of the chosen soda.
Hand-written notes begin
appearing on other floors
asking for Peach-Nectarine to
be stocked there as well.
Ray Brown (Aramark Refresh-
ments): The new Talking
Rains were flying off the
shelves during the trial peri-
od. We had to work to keep
the shelves stocked. It was
like Christmas came early!
Carlos: The feedback was
extremely positive. As of this
week, Peach-Nectarine Talk-
ing Rains have been fully
implemented at Redwood
Shores, with plans to extend
coverage to every site in the
HQ region in the near future.
Kourosh: It’s really cool to see
the new flavor on all the
floors this week. Knowing
that they’re here to stay is
almost as refreshing as an
actual can of ice-cold Peach-
Nectarine Talking Rain. Ulti-
mately I want the whole break
-room cooler to be only Talk-
ing Rains. They should put
the logo on the side of the
refrigerator! But that’s my
side project. Rome wasn’t
built in a day.
Kourosh’s influence ultimate-
ly reverberates throughout
the entire Redwood Shores
hub. Peach-Nectarine Talk-
ing Rains are a permanent
fixture at 10 Twin Dolphin for
the foreseeable future. But
Kourosh only realizes the full
impact of his actions when he
receives a different sort of
note.
Kourosh: I’m sitting at my
desk the other day, and I get
a Pidgin message from a
name I don’t know. It simply
says: ‘Thank you. Not all
heroes wear capes.’ And you
know what? That’s good
enough for me. ■■
Carlos daSilva (Facilities Man-
ager, Redwood Shores Hub): I
got a call from Kourosh, and
he was really excited about
this new flavor of Talking
Rain. He said it was really
good stuff.
Kourosh: I called him out of
the blue, just like a cold call.
Carlos: We get all kinds of
requests, from Diet Cherry
Coke to specific herbal teas.
Anything you can think of that
they sell in the stores, people
have asked for.
Kourosh: I exaggerated a little
and told him that our entire
floor really wanted this drink.
Carlos: We can’t accommo-
date everyone. Two years ago
we implemented a request for
Tazo Tea, and it got so popu-
lar that people started taking
bottles home, hoarding it. So
we had to pull it. But Peach-
Nectarine was just a new
flavor, not a whole new brand.
I liked the idea.
Carlos agrees to a three week
trial run of Peach-Nectarine
Talking Rain. One week after
their conversation, the goods
arrive.
Chris: I went up to Kourosh’s
office with [fellow BI BDC]
Ryan Hitzler, and we started
waving the Peach-Nectarine
cans in his window.
Kourosh: I ran over to the
break room like I was shot out
BDC Council Calendar
of Events
April 8th
 Volunteering at Marin
Food Bank; post-game
at Harmonic Brewing
April 28th
 Flash Training, R507
May 2nd—27th
 Fisher House Paper
Goods Drive
By the Numbers
142
BDCs currently working at
the Redwood Shores hub
406
Parking spaces in the 10
Twin Dolphin lot
0
Other hubs with the collec-
tive charm, intelligence
and charisma of RWS
BDC Council Leadership
Q4FY16
Presidents: Craig Sgambel-
lone, Brandon Kaufman
Volunteering: Katie Caruso
Ade Terry
Outreach: Kreeya Avimukta
Development: Kristie Caruso
Newsletter: Darya Dehnad
Will Mannon
RM Advisor: Kayla Kearns
These folks do work for Oracle

4. Oracle Corporation
would you eat a tire?
MG: Yes. Would I die?
DD: What’s your favorite
traffic sign?
MG: Definitely yellow
lights, because you're
always taking the
chance, are you going to
go for it? Or are you gon-
DD: What is your
favorite flavor of
Talking Rain?
MG: The green one.
I don’t know which
one that is
DD: Would you ra-
ther get a side
soup, or side sal-
ad?
MG: Fries, please.
Come on.
DD: Being a Cal
Poly mustang, have
you ever wanted a
mustang? Animal or
car?
MG: One time a horse
bit me on my leg so no.
DD: Favorite zip room?
MG: Ping Pong Mail
Room
DD: if you could stop
world hunger forever,
na hold back? Don't for-
get to hit the roof on
yellow.
DD: Aren't babies mira-
cles?
MG: ummmm no.
DD: If you were to dis-
cover a big foot, who
would you tell first?
MG: I'd probably post an
IG, and all my followers
would know. HMU
@mariannegera
DD: Would you rather
marry a tiger or a cup of
soup?
MG: The cup of soup--
because its hot ;)
DD: For $500 million
dollars, would you
change your name to
Oracle?
MG: Definitely. And I'd
name my kids that too.
BDC SPOTLIGHT
1 0 R I D I C U L O U S Q U E S T I O N S W I T H M A R I A N N E G E R A
Cal Poly Mustang turned Oracle BDC
A champion walks among
us. Enterprise Tech BDC
Matt Ramirez recently took
home first place at the
Toastmasters Area H2
Speech Contest for his sev-
en-minute speech titled
“Let’s Talk About Hats.” “My
goal was to get people to
respond emotionally. Or at
least feel something,” Matt
explained. “You always
want people to feel some-
thing.” His speech uses
various hats to represent
different periods of his life,
including a special hat that
symbolizes his work with
Troy Camp, a USC service
organization. Matt first won
the in-house Oracle Direct
Toastmasters competition
Inspirational
Quote Printed,
Hung
Meaning of
“Chunking” Still
Unclear
Manager Ponders
Effective Incentives
Nearly-Full Soda
Indifferently
Placed In Desk
Trash Can
Hardware Rep
Spars With, Verbally
Bests Overzealous
Gatekeeper
Weekly Headlines
(continued)
Alma Maters
Evident
before moving on to the Area
contest. “The first time I gave
the
speech
it was
raw and
organic.
Each
time
I’ve
pre-
sented
it I’ve
taken
feed-
back
and
added
to it. I
aim to make different aspects
pop more without changing the
original purpose.” Public speak-
ing is nothing new for Matt, as he
participated in theater regularly
throughout high school. Thursday
Oracle Direct Toastmasters meet-
ings have become an outlet for his
love of performance. “As a kid, I
always wanted to be an actor. This
is my way of exercising that passion
without being broke.” Matt now
advances to the Toastmasters Divi-
sion H contest in San Mateo on April
21st. If he wins there, it’s on to re-
gionals in downtown SF, which
could ultimately lead to the Toast-
masters International Contest in
Washington DC this summer. De-
spite the heightened stakes, howev-
er, Matt remains unfazed. “I’m pret-
ty confident going into this round,
but for now I’m just having fun with
it. If I advance to the Regional,
that’s when things get serious.”
TOAST-MASTERED
F E L L O W B D C M A T T R A M I R E Z T A K E S A R E A S P E E C H C O N T E S T
The next Tony Robbins