Date: Fri Dec 14, 2001 4:53 pm Subject: Encina Update (email/hosting/feast/gallery/new years/top 5 bob/siblings/search/haleva/esparcia/bios/humor/internet/shopping/store/whtas new) ENCINA ALUMNI, Greg Grant '75 is the sponsor of this week's update! Many thanks to those of you who wrote, asking how you could help. I look forward to receiving your voluntary contributions . Steve Palmer '74 has heard from ONLY FOUR alumni pledging JUST $75 in support of next Tuesday's Freshman Feast on December 18th. I'm appalled by this poor showing. With so many successful, affluent, caring Encina alumni, surely we can do better than that. Please take a moment and contact Steve at spalmer@innotek.com or 530-676-2775 and let him know how you can help. See the Freshman Feast section below for details on what is needed. To make it even easier, you can contribute online by PayPal and email your contribution to harlan@rambus.com and I will forward the money to Steve for the Feast. EMAIL ADDRESSES This past week I've received numerous change of email addresses notes from those with @home.com addresses. This is painful not only for you, but for me, as I must update numerous mailing lists and the class directories. Might I suggest that those of you with ISP email addresses like @aol.com or @att.net, etc, sign up for a FREE, non-ISP based email address like those provided by hotmail.com or mail.yahoo.com or any number of other free email services. These email addresses can be accessed from any computer with a web browser and internet access. I would chose hotmail or yahoo as they are most likely to stay in business. The advantage of having such an address, as those of you with such addresses know, is you don't have to change your email address when you change providers. This avoids the problem many of you had with @home.com. I would say the primary disadvantage of browser based email like hotmail or yahoo mail is the browser interface, which requires you to be online and is somewhat cumbersome. However, if you use Outlook Express as your mail client at home, you can use it to access email, rather than using the browser based mail interface for hotmail. You can also access your yahoo mail account (and indeed most POP mail accounts) via Outlook Express or Eudora, so long as your ISP's mail server is not behind a firewall. This allows you do process your email offline. I do not use either of my ISPs email addresses and it's saved me a lot of grief in terms of notifying folks about changes in email address. Also, for those of you who changed email addresses recently, remember to change your reply-to address from your old @home.com to your new @attbi.com address. Otherwise, replies to your messages will go to your old @home.com address. HOSTING AVAILABLE Greg Munsill 79 wrote with this generous offer... I just wanted to let you know that, in case anyone ever needs hosting services for any of the other class websites, Infostations is a local ISP owned by three alumni (Debbie Ferguson Doss -- Class of 80, Eric Perryman -- Class of 77, and myself -- Class of 79) and we would be happy to donate hosting services for the sites. Greg Munsill Infostations 916.630.7456 / 888.216.0707 5050 Rocklin Rd., Suite A4 Rocklin, CA 95677 ENCINA FRESHMEN FEAST The freshman feast is next Tuesday... Steve Palmer '74, co-organizer of this year's Alumni Challenge, is helping to organize the Second Annual Encina Freshman Feast on December 18th. I hope you will take this opportunity to support Encina! If you are interested, please contact Steve at the email or phone shown below. Encina Freshman Feast 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2001 ENCINA CAFETERIA * * * * CALLING ALL ALUMNI! * * * * Looking for a great way to help others during the holidays? Here's an opportunity to help kids you know and an opportunity to get to know them better! The Second Annual Encina Freshman Feast will bring together 225 freshmen, 22 Senior Guides, faculty and alumni for a delicious holiday turkey dinner on December 18 in the Encina cafeteria. Last year's Feast was a great success. Several alumni, working with the Point West Rotary Club, provided the food and served more than 200 great meals. There was no doubt that the students really appreciated the food and our support! Again this year, alumni can help by providing food and by cooking and serving. To serve more than 250 people we'll need lots of food and help. Please consider donating a food item (or the money to buy it) for the Feast and/or helping to cook and serve at the event. THE NEED FOR DONATIONS ---------------------- The following food items are needed. PLEASE contact Steve Palmer (spalmer@innotek.com), 530-676-2775 if you are able to buy an item (or part of one) and deliver it to Encina by Friday, Dec 14. If you'd like to sponsor an item through donation, please email or call Steve. We need your support! Gravy: 50 packets each serving 4 $25 ($.50 each) Potatoes: 8 boxes each serving 30 $24 ($3.00/box) Cranberries: 33 cans each serving 6 $50 ($1.50/can) Yams: 40 cans each serving 5 $64 ($1.60/can) Brown Sugar: 3 lb bags $ 4 ($1.33/lb) Marshmallows: 4 bags $ 7 ($1.80 per bag) Rolls: 21 bag each serving 12 $42 ($2.00/dozen) Milk: 3 gal. $ 9 (3.00/gallon) Margarine: 6 boxes/lbs $ 8 ($1.33/lb) Sodas: 150 cans (25 each 6 packs) $50 ($2/6 pack) (West Point Rotary is providing the turkeys and pies.) This year's Feast will be held from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. We need people to help cook and serve. Cooks should arrive between 11:00 am and 11:30 am on Tuesday, December 18. Servers should arrive by 2:00 pm. If you plan to help, PLEASE (beg, beg), contact Steve Palmer at spalmer@innotek.com, 530-676-2775. We are going to have a fun time and provide a great meal. Please join us! Thanks in advance, from the Freshman of class 2005! HERE'S SOME INFO ON THE SENIOR GUIDES PROGRAM AT ENCINA FROM ACTIVITIES DIRECTOR BECKY HURLEY -------------------------------------------------- We have 225 freshmen, and 22 Senior Guides. The idea is to provide a function to ensure all freshmen have an opportunity to have a holiday meal, or festive feast (I'm an English teacher - I like alliteration) and to provide an opportunity for the Senior Guides to spend time with their freshmen, as well as provide an opportunity for freshmen to be special, instead of being at the bottom of the heap. Senior Guides "lead" their freshmen through their first year of high school. All freshmen have a senior guide, who has gone through an interview process after being selected on their merits reflected in their resume/application. Senior Guides are links to school activities, the people working on campus, programs offered/provided, and big brotherly/sisterly advice and aid when necessary. The Senior Guides are also a part of the Freshmen Success Team, which is a group of freshmen teachers, an administrator, Senior Guides, who bring freshmen into an intervention when they are struggling academically, behaviorally, etc, and make a plan to succeed. The Sr. Guides are the link. They follow up on their freshmen to ensure they are following through on their plans to be successful. They also provide assistance (maybe tutoring, or "guidance") if necessary. As far as alumni help, last year we had about 9 who came to help at the function itself. That would be great to repeat again this year. The kids like our alumni. They talk fondly of them, and I think it is a great connection for them. I think it is a connection for our kids to see that they can graduate from here and have a good life. I think they also see it as someone cares. ART GALLERY Last week of "The Dreidel" show... For holiday fun, visit "The Dreidel," an art show and Hanukkah bazaar featuring dreidels crafted by 25 regional artists at the Encina High School Art Gallery. The eight-year event, which continues through Dec. 19, has shown and sold dreidels from two- to three-inches high to one as high as five feet. Call 488-4252. What: The Dreidel Show Where: Encina Art Gallery When: December 6-19, 2001 Opening reception: Thursday, December 6, from 6-8pm Guest Curator: Julia Himovitz Participating artists: Fred Babb Heidi Bekebrede Roger Berry Donna Billick Steven Bradford Eric Dahlin * Julian Faulkner Richard Feese * Brenda Louie Jay Musler Tony Natsoulas Nina Paladino * Joan Parazette Greg Ries Joe Scarpa Jimmy Siegel Michael Stevens D.R. Wagner NEW YEARS Spend New Year's Eve with Shelley Burns '70, Tom Phillips '65 and Georgia Kazimier '71(write if you know what year Georgia was, I couldn't find her in my yearbooks). Join Shelley Burns and Avalon Swing! Tom Phillips, guitar, Erik Kleven, Bass, Daryl Van Druff, drums and Bill Dendle, trombone 7:30pm -12:30 am New Year's Eve celebrating the new year and Shelley's new jazz CD "Let Yourself Go" Recorded in LA with all-star musicians! Geogia Kazimier-Barron's Chateau...by a shot of class 2627 Town & Country Village (behind Wm. Glen) $125.00 per person including tax and gratuity Please make reservations (916) 977-1877 Shelley, Tom and Georgia are all Encina graduates! TOP 5 BOB How many of you know that Top 5 Bob of KGBY is Encina alumni Bob Nannini '73 ??? Courtesy of Diane Schoenborn Kelly '73... Top 5 Christmas Song Lyrics That Sound Naughty from Top 5 Bob KGBY Radio 92.5 FM, Sacramento 5. Won't you guide my sleigh tonight? 4. Don we now our gay apparel 3. Thumpity, thump, thump. Thumpity, thump, thump. Look at Frosty go! 2. Six geese a-laying 1. If you ever saw it, you would even say it glows! SIBLINGS Jill Harden 74 wrote: Linda Harden 67 Kay Harden 70 Joan Harden 72 Jill Harden 74 Edward Harden 77 Lillian Koppelman 64 wrote: Lillian Koppelman 64 Charles Koppelman 67 Janis Harry 68 wrote: Lynne Harry 65 Janis Harry 68 Anne Vander Wegen 82 wrote: Richard Vander Wegen 72 Barbara Vander Wegen 74 Patty Vander Wegen 75 Betty Vander Wegen 79 Anne Venger Wegen 82 Linda Valencia 78 wrote: Linda Valencia 78 Nancy Valencia 80 Jim Hillman 74 wrote: Bob Hillman 73 Jim Hillman 74 ALUMNI SEARCH Please write if you know the whereabouts of: Richard "Dick" Hughes 64 Jerry Edelman 64 ANDREA HALEVA This profile for counselor Andrea Haleva is by vice principal Stephen Gatewood... Staff Proflie: Andrea Haleva The Fourth Noble Truth of Buddism is that people can overcome their desires and reach the state of enlightenment (release from pain and selfishness), or nirvana, by following the Middle Path. If one follows the Middle Path by following the guideline known as the Eightfold Path which includes “right knowledge, right purpose, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right mindfulness, and right meditation,” anyone could attain nirvana and escape suffering. We have such a lady at Encina who exemplifies all of these guidelines. Andrea Haleva, 5th generation Sacramentan, was born at Sutter Memorial. and raised in the affluent neighborhood of McKinley Park. Andrea’s father Alvin Kahl, a math guru, was a civil engineer who worked on building dams at Folsom, Oroville, and some smaller projects. Andrea’s mother, Rita, is a partner at Potter Taylor Investment Co, in Sacramento. “She is the glue that held the family together”. Her mother was gregarious, energetic, and reminds her daughter of the energizer rabbit who just keeps on going. Rita believes in strong family values stemming from her Jewish background. Family values are the most important thing in life. Rita believed that women should be independent and not limit themselves to a subservient lifestyle. She is a terrible cook and believes one of the best inventions ever was instant foods. After Alvin retired, he decided that he better take over the cooking duties immediately. Andrea's brother David, a math teacher in the bay area, is divorced and has 4 children. One of his children, Nicole, has been “adopted” by Andrea. Laurie, her sister, is married to Roger Resnikoff and has three children. All of them went to Rio Americano. Andrea attended El Dorado Elementary School which is now an adult day care center. She went to junior high at Kit Carson which has been rebuilt. Growing up in McKinley Park in an Italian and Greek neighborhood and being the only Jewish family was fun. Going to the Catholic church with friends and socializing was an opportunity to get out of the house. It was the last innocent decade. (50’s) Everyone knew everyone, no one locked doors at night, and you could walk in the park at night. High school was terrific because she had a group of friends who participated in most activities. Her best friend, Betsy Prucha, shared a lot of special times. In fact both Betsy and Andrea’s mothers are still best friends. She was the Editor of the school newspaper called the X-Ray. Andrea’s favorite teacher was Mrs. Maxwell, who taught English. Mrs. Maxwell would send Andrea’s poems to competition and she won several poetry awards from the American Poetry Society. Mrs. Maxwell was a positive person. She emphasized moral behavior, and always expected the best from her students and “you just did your best.” Andrea had a boyfriend named Omar Peterson. She was attracted to him because he was “big, blond , and beautiful.” Their last date was Senior Ball. She remembers a lot more counselors present at school than today. She went to Sacramento State College as a Journalism major instead of English because reading and studying books like Beowolf were just to heavy for her. She met Norman Blakley in the cafeteria and was married at 18 years of age. They had a boy, Marcus, who was born premature, leaving him multiply handicapped. Andrea said, at the time, it wasn’t a tragedy because you just adjusted your life and went on. He went to school, participated in sports and was mainstreamed in class. He has his family trait of “I can do this” attitude. Marcus lives on his own. He works on his collection of books through the internet. He has a savant ability when it comes to baseball. He can tell you everything about baseball. He is an honorary member of Beer Dogs Band and sang a song on their CD. He is also an avid reader and collects mystery books. Andrea’s first husband was a military officer. They lived in the Philippines and had another son, Clayton, after two years. Clayton has a degree in Marketing and is a Chief Ad executive for Comstock Magazine. He is also a Mentor at Encina for our Business Academy. Andrea and Norman divorced and after this parting of the ways, Andrea buckled down to getting her education at Sac State and worked at many odd jobs. Sacramento State maintained its reputation as the “Trolling Grounds” for men, so Andrea could not help herself. She met Jerry Haleva, dated for about 1 year, and married. Jerry was a lobbyist, and was an a character actor in movies. He was in the movies “Top Gun”, “Hotshot”, and “The Big Lobowski”, because he was the exact image of Sadam Hussein. In fact, he had to shave his moustache off because he was constantly harassed. This marriage did not last becuase of the demanding effect of lobbying, but they are still good friends. Determined never to get married again, Andrea lived alone for eleven years, finished college, raised her children and took in two foster children. Andrea’s motto became “Just do it”. Darren, the first foster child, got his masters in English with a minor in Russian and lives in the Czech Republic. Shawn, the second foster child, has disappeared into the sunset. While finishing her masters, Andrea met Richard Scovil, a Sacramento native and graduate of Burbank High School, during a meeting. They were best friends for 2 years, and have been married 15 years. Richard’s best qualities are his humble personality and his quietness. He was a custom carpenter but Richard now works at Home Depot and really likes it. He likes working on Victorians and playing Jazz guitar, Conga Drums, and Keyboard. They both have many hobbies. They love their 20-acre lot with a cabin in Nevada City. There is no electricity or television, and cooking is done outside; both bathtub and shower are outside. They sleep in an enclosed room, and have a screened room for a dining room. Truly primitive! Andrea loves to express her love of art (in which she has a degree) in gardening. Art is everywhere in her residences. Richard spends time playing his guitar and listening to the Madrone tree bark popping in the heat of summer. They love to travel. Just last summer, they traveled to Germany, Czechoslovakia Republic, Norway, and Sweden. Her family collects antiques. Her favorite pieces are women figures, compacts, and anything to do with being a girl. Andrea’s vehicle has a dashboard with about 30 to 40 figurines. It started on a day when she glued a cake decoration called “Lady in the Red Dress” to her dash. After that friends and family used the theme and the rest is history. Her dash is famous even in the Parade magazine. In Europe this year she found the exact same lady but in white and that is the culmination of this art work. Part of her family is her 3 dogs: Swede (a golden lab), Lotta (a wannabe border collie), and Diva (a chocolate lab, who is queen of the house). Andrea has worked in the San Juan School District in the Student Assistance Program. Andrea was considering going into Psychology, and setting up her own practice. However, she became ill and changed to school counseling. Counseling would allow Andrea to use her gregarious personality to help others. Mike Parks and Joe Tucker talked her into going into the counseling program. When the opportunity came to work at Encina, she jumped on it because she felt that she could make a great impact. “I love it; it’s small and I get to know everyone of my students.” Andrea’s advice to students is to “Never give up.” Andrea had to battle a rare kind of cancer, adrenal, and it almost killed her. This was discovered when she got sick with a kidney stone. A doctor she had met earlier recognized her at the hospital and came into her room to watch the Winter Olympics. A conversation started up, and he diagnosed the disease. Today Andrea believes in the Buddhist way of life, treating everyone with kindness. Andrea exemplifies this quote from the Buddhist Doctrine: “Diligently cultivate moral precepts, concentration, and wisdom. Put an end to greed, hatred and stupidity.” Stephen Gatewood Vice Principal Encina SUSAN ESPARCIA Girl's PE teacher Susan Esparcia retired last year. Another profile by vice principal Stephen Gatewood... Staff Profiles: Susan Esparcia A loud, menacing voice shatters the silence. “NEXT’ bellows across the gym floor. Students smile saying it’s just Ms. Esparcia. A seventh generation native of California born in a small town Oakley, she lived in the same home for 27 years. Her great, great grandfather was the interim Governor of California Fernando Pacheco, and Pacheco is named after him. Esparcia is a family name of significance to the Spanish landlords of early Concord, California. Susan Esparcia and her twin brothers Dolph and Darrell were raised by their energetic mother. Vivian, who recently passed away on Mother’s Day two years ago of cancer at 89. Her family has longevity because her grandmother also lived to 95. The secret was being able to deal with stress and the “Sanity of Gardening”. She has always had a garden of fresh vegetables. Vivian always took an interest in the children, was an excellent listener, and was very passionate towards life. She came from the old school and admired the work ethic. Her mother was close to her neighbors, and Susan is still close to them. A lot of Susan’s values and qualities come from her mother Vivian. Every gentleman she has considered as a future husband always wanted to move and she would have to give up her life as a teacher at Encina. She just couldn’t leave her students and her secure life at Encina. “I love my life at Encina”. Susan went to Liberty Union High School and was an active participant in sports and student activities. High school has a very important place in her heart. One piece of advice she would endow to the students of Encina “Enjoy every minute of high school. If I were a parent I would never let my children work during school. I want them to enjoy every aspect of school.” She went to Diablo Valley Junior College. CSUS for her Bachelors and relieved her masters at San Francisco State. She worked while putting herself through college. Susan has received numerous accolades. She co-wrote the Navigational and Ocean codes for the State of California. Boating and Safety Regulation can be traced back to Susan. There used to be a curriculum in the San Juan School district that was used for water safety and field trips for students. It was canceled due to insurance liabilities. Susan Esparcia was a student teacher at Encina in 1968 and 69, and started full time teaching in 1969. She remembers when Encina was the marquee school for the San Juan School District. Encina had numerous programs: Further Farmers of America, Auto Shop, Wood Shop, Future Homemakers, etc. There were pigs and cattle, and horticulture, a huge band, Chorus and choral singing, swimming, water polo, field hockey, volleyball (she coached a team to the state championship and took eighth in the state), Girls’ basketball was totally different. Only three players could go past half-court. She used to teach Bicycling and Back Packing. Her fondest memories of Encina are the incredible students she has known: their success, their wonderful character and, the desire to achieve. Some names that quickly came to her mind were Kaye Garrison, Sarah Montasian, and Greg Grant who returned as a student teacher and is now a full time teacher. Susan has traveled extensively, all over the United States, Europe, Alaska, and Hawaii. She really liked Ireland the most because of the serenity. Her advice to students is to be responsible for themselves and take initiative and responsibility for their life and choices. They must set priorities and make long range goals. In the future Ms. Esparcia will retire and do exactly what she wants. One major problem is her eyesight is dwindling because of the disease of muscular degeneration which will eventually leave her blind. She has extreme problems reading student assignments because her vision in her left eye is almost gone. She is hopeful that a cure is in the future. While completing this interview, I found myself going through a myriad of emotions. She elicits humor. I have just met a wonderful, dedicated, sincere, loving master teacher who has touched thousands of students. What a wonderful day. (The boys’ football team also crushed Highlands) to remember. Thanks Susan! I learned a lot. Stephen Gatewood Vice Principal, Encina BIOS DOUG ANDERSON 68 Occupation: COMPUTER LAPTOP TECH SUPPORT Bio: MOVED TO EUREKA THEN MOUNTAIN VIEW THEN BACK TO SACTO THEN TO SANTA CRUZ FOR 10 YEARS, THEN TO CLEARLAKE THEN TO TEXAS IN 93, WORKED DOING AUTO BODY REPAIR FOR 30 YEARS AND DID SOME MGMNT FOR SHOPS, HAD CARPL TUNNEL SURGERY WHEN I CAME TO AUSTIN, TEXAS AND NOW WORK IN THE COMPUTER INDUSTRY FOR DELL Friends: GEORGE BRERETON,LOST, STEVE HOFF,LOST, JAY MCGUIRE,ONCE IN A WHILE, GLEN STIDGER, GAVE ME THE ENCINA WEB SITE, FRANK KEARNEY, LOST, TIM BUCKLES, LOST, TOM DUHANE, LOST, TOM BOUTOUS, LOST, MIKE OHM, LOST Hobbies: SAILING, FISHING, TRAVEL, PLAY BASS GUITAR, AND COMPUTER PC STUFF, LINUX, WINDOWS, NO MAC, Kids: SON IS DIVORCED IN AUSTIN HAS DAUGHTER AND SON, WORKS FOR HIGH END SYSTEMS, DAUGHTER IS DIVORCED HAS 1 SON WORKS IN VET HOSPITALS Grade_school: COTTAGE Grade_school_friends: BOB AND BILL CONRAD, STEVE JOHNSON, RAY AND CATHY SPENCER, Junior_high: JONAS SALK Junior_high_friends: BLURR Memorable_teachers: LARRY FOSTER NEED I SAY WHY Favorite_memory: DANCES Heard_about_website_from: GLEN STIDGER PAUL NIKLEWICZ 82 Occupation: Broadcast Support Engineer Bio: Convinced that I was going to be a rich rock star by the age of 30, I decided that I had all the school I was going to need. >> Fast-forward 12 years.>> After a brief marriage (to a woman)in the mid 80's, followed by a not-so-brief marriage (to a band) 87-94, I found myself facing the stark realization that I may have made a serious vocational error. Then came 31. Having missed my goal of obscene wealth and ungoverned debauchery through music by age 30, I decided I would have to cut all my ties with my beloved 'scene' and play a little educational catch-up. I moved to San Francisco and attended Computer Arts Institute and became a freelance graphic artist. 1998 saw me back in Sacramento, briefly. That is when I was offered a job at my current place of employ, Pinnacle Systems in Mountain View. I'm responsible for the character generators that display graphics and scores that are onscreen during events like the Superbowl, the U.S. Open and the upcoming Winter Olympics. Pretty ironic for a guy who absolutely loathes televised sports. Trivia: Refusing to abandon adolescence entirely, I played Gene Simmons in a successful KISS tribute band for a couple of years. This resulted in my head literally catching on fire...TWICE! Due to profuse sweating and a flame-retardant wig and armor, I sustained absolutely no permanent damage. *FYI* Eyebrows can take as long as 6 weeks to grow back! Friends: Telly Tasakos, Kirk McCaleb, Skip Rountree, Eric Moeszinger ('81), jim nelson 82. Ted Rankin 82. I haven't seen Skip since the 10 year reunion. Hobbies: I still play music, although in a much more casual capacity. I am fascinated by technology and enjoy building/rebuilding computers. I work with PC's, but I am a Mac enthusiast and I refurbish old throwaways to give to those who would otherwise be unable to own one . Kids: Do you know something I don't.....? Grade_school: Cottage Elementary Grade_school_friends: Bob Mayer, Mark Turner, Gary Clayton Junior_high: Jonas Salk Junior_high_friends: Mark, Telly and Jim. Memorable_teachers: Mr.Derderian because I regularly draw upon information taught by Mr. D more so than any other teacher. Mr.Chambers & Mr.Greenbaum because they put up with me. Mr.Stallings because he gave me a break when others would not have. DELFINO BAEUERLEN 96 Occupation: Military Police Officer 270th Mp Co. US Army NG, Sacramento,CA Bio: Well a week after I graduated I started US Air Force basic training in San Antonino, TX. I got married in Feb. of 97'. I spent a few years as a C-5 Galaxy Crew Chief at Travis AFB,CA. I also went to school for a while. Then I transfered to the California Army National Guard and became an Military Police Officer 95B10. I was attending the Sacto Sherrif's Academy for a few weeks but in Oct 01' my National guard unit was activated for Operation Enduring Freedom. I am now stationed at Fort Lewis, WA. Hobbies: Right now I try to relax by come home to Sacramento every chance I get, and just taking my mind off all of the world's troubles. Kids: No kids to report of. Grade_school: Thomas Edison Elem. Junior_high: Arden Middle School Memorable_teachers: Mrs Bush, she was real down to earth. Didn't treat her students like children. Was always there for you. Thanks Mrs Bush Favorite_memory: Playing football. And graduation, finally getting there after 12 years. Now I wish I could go back. HUMOR Courtesy of Lou DeCosta 66... The Washington Post's Style Invitational asks readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter and supply a new definition. Here are the 2001 winners: Intaxication: Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with. Reintarnation: Coming back to life as a hillbilly. Foreploy: Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid. Giraffiti: Vandalism spray-painted very, very high. Sarchasm: The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person who doesn't get it. Inoculatte: To take coffee intravenously when you are running late. Hipatitis: Terminal coolness. Osteopornosis: A degenerate disease. (this one got extra credit) Karmageddon: It's like, when everybody is sending off all these really bad vibes, right? And then, like, the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious bummer. Glibido: All talk and no action. Dopeler Effect: The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly. And, the pick of the literature: Ignoranus: A person who's both stupid and an asshole. INTERNET From the December 10, 2001 Wall Street Journal... Legal Steps, New Technology Cut Online Credit-Card Fraud By THOMAS E. WEBER Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL HERE'S THE MOST important thing you need to know about using your credit card online. If a hacker steals your number and runs up your bill, you are out $50 at most. That's a federal law. In practice, banks will usually let you off the hook altogether. Even so, a startling number of people remain fearful of using a credit card on the Internet. A survey by the UCLA Internet Project found that 94.5% of consumers express some concern about credit-card security online. That number actually rose this year, up from 91.2% of users in 2000. Consumers may be nervous, but it's the businesses that sell goods and services online that ought to be worried. When fraudulent credit-card charges occur in cyberspace, merchants eat the losses. It's a growing problem now that e-commerce has become routine, and better solutions are needed. Yet the fact that ordinary shoppers remain so spooked is still worth noting. It shows how mistrustful people tend to be about technology where security and privacy are at stake. And that underscores why everyone -- merchants, banks and even software companies -- needs to do a better job of making the Internet feel less scary. FOR STARTERS, the industry should remind consumers incessantly that they won't be responsible for unauthorized credit-card charges. (Debit cards, by the way, are subject to different rules and are much riskier.) Many major credit cards have zero-liability policies that offer explicit protection beyond the $50 federal maximum. Banks and online stores still have work to do in getting that message out. They walk a fine line where those reassurances are concerned, though. They want consumers to shop freely, but they also need consumers' help to tighten online security. Problem is, that help can mean some extra inconvenience for consumers even though they won't benefit directly from their cooperation. Credit-card giant Visa just announced a new program called Verified by Visa. It's touted as a consumer-safety measure. "Create a password that protects you when you buy online," Visa's Web site tells cardholders. "You get added safety, and the reassurance that only you can use your Visa card online." It's an innovative system that allows consumers to sign up for a password, similar to the PIN codes used with ATM cards. When shoppers buy at a participating site, they will be prompted for the password. But the site won't ever see the secret code. Instead, it will be beamed to the credit-card bank, which will then give the retailer an all-clear on the transaction. If it catches on, the approach could cut down on online fraud. But that mainly helps out online merchants. A typical online sale is considered a "card-not-present" transaction in the industry (as opposed to "card-present" sales at brick-and-mortar stores, where shoppers sign receipts). When a consumer challenges a card-not-present charge, the merchant is liable for the loss. The password is intended to stand in for a paper-receipt signature, and cut down merchants' liability. E-mail Tom Weber at tweber@wsj.com. Reducing fraud, obviously, helps everyone. Even though consumers don't have to pay for unauthorized charges, they wind up paying indirectly when retailers raise prices to cover fraud-related costs. Erasing the bad charges can also be a time-wasting hassle, requiring phone calls and letters to retailers and card issuers. THOSE HASSLES can multiply in the case of a full-blown case of identity theft. That's when a criminal takes your personal information -- things like your address, phone number and Social Security number -- to pose as you. The thief might then use the data to pass a bad check at a liquor store instead of charging your credit card online. Internet companies amass huge quantities of such data, but how well do they protect it? We hear about holes all the time. A few weeks back Microsoft was forced to close a portion of its Passport service for more than 48 hours after Marc Slemko, a Seattle-area programmer, discovered a flaw that could expose users' credit-card numbers and other personal information. Receive e-mail notifying you of the latest publication of E-World. See the Personal Journal e-mail setup page for details on how to subscribe. Is it any surprise, then, that so many consumers worry about their credit cards online? Our daily encounters with computers teach us that they often don't work the way they are supposed to. E-mail programs succumb to viruses, PCs crash and Web pages deliver cryptic error messages. Despite all the advances in software and technology, we see bugs everywhere. Whenever computers appear unreliable, they chip away at the trust between consumers and merchants. If retailers and banks really want to ease consumers' online doubts, they need to begin holding technology companies to higher standards. Meanwhile, here are a few strategies you can follow to minimize credit-card problems online: Be sure you trust the merchant. That doesn't mean patronizing only well-known stores, but it does suggest checking out a store before you buy from it. Also, make sure that Web pages where you're asked to enter personal information use encryption (signified by a gold padlock icon in the lower right corner of an Internet Explorer window). Avoid using debit cards instead of credit cards. And most of all, challenge any irregularities. SHOPPING From Forbes, some shopping advice about coupons I was not aware of... "Capture coupons. Sites like techbargains.com and 2save247.com include hundreds of virtual coupons, rebates and special offers--from free shipping to sizable discounts. Before you click to seal a Web purchase, open a new browser window, do a quick Google search on, say, "flower coupons," and almost instantly find a discount code. That procedure recently cut $12 from an $80 bouquet." I was impressed. I checked on amazon.com and there were lists of the current discount codes to use during checkout. ENCINA STORE As you surf the net making christmas purchases, remember that you can support the Encina website at no cost to yourself, by accessing your favorite internet stores via the Encina store page: http://www.encinahighschool.com/store.htm The Encina alumni website is an affiliate of popular etailers like: amazon.com barnesandnoble.com buy.com cameraworld.com dell.com etc If you access these websites from the Encina store page, the website will receive a small commission from your purchase, at no cost to you! WHAT'S NEW 12/12/01: Anne Vander Wegen 82, Richard Vander Wegen 72, Barbara Vander Wegen 74, Patty Vander Wegen 75, Betty Vander Wegen 79, Rich Wright 80, Ardis Duensing 66 update, Julie Quirk 75, Aimee Johnson 87, James Crain 72 12/11/01: Doug Anderson 68/bio, John Nativo 66 update, Roger Hanna 84, Crystal Quigley 96 update 12/10/01: Laura Mihail 82, Lillian Koppelman 64, Charles Koppelman 69, Max Fuesntes 78 update, Terri Durham 79 update, Andrea Howard 83 update, Harry Cavaiani 62 update, Larry Doney 81 update, Steve Giguere 73 update, Jack Bettencourt 70 update, Tim Schott 82, Janis Harry 68, Lynne Harry 65, Eric Perryman 77, Robert McPherson 87 12/9/01: Delfino Baeuerlen 96 bio, Greg Munsill 79 update, Carla Baker 70 update 12/7/01: Karl Pryor 82, Janis Harry 68, Gary Young 66 update, Vicki Speere 70 update, Sharon Apted 72, Barbara Apted 75, Kurt Pearsall 74 update, Reggie George 92 update, Cruz Tovar 82 classmates.com: Carley Adams 61, Roberta Climent 64, Vivian Fritz 66, Canda Roush 66, Gene Whitsett 67, Sharon Twarry 70, George Spanfelner 76, Michael Hart 77, Rene' Dichristina 78, Jim Jensen 81, David Smithers 81, Jerry Bettenhausen 84, Bradley Croft 86, Aimee Johnson 87, Rhonda Lastar 87, Dominique Devito 88, Gloria Mestas 89, John Faust 93, Adam Way 94, Serafin Soto 96, Bonnie Yates 99 12/6/01: David Lester 79 update, Paul Niklewicz 82/bio, John Niklewicz 85, Robert Bury 65, Sheran Weatherford 62 update, Nadine Cabrera 90 update, Janet Russel 79 update, Marny Daehler 89 update, Michele Brown 88 bio, Gene Brown 86, Sheryl Witt 88, Debbie Totaro 82, Michael Duarte 89/bio, Judi Adams 68, John Nelson 65 update, Fred Head 69, Bill DiPinto 83/bio, Jill Harden 74, Kenneth Klaman 62, Richard Gerber 66 update Don't forget to submit your contact information or bio: contact: www.encinahighschool.com/directory/submit_contact.htm bio: www.encinahighschool.com/submit_bio.htm REMEMBER As you do your holiday shopping on the net, don't forget to link to the Encina store: http://www.encinahighschool.com/store.htm Harlan Lau '73 Encina HS alumni webmaster www.encinahighschool.com harlan@rambus.com