Date: Fri Sep 28, 2001 5:37 pm Subject: Encina Update (yearbooks/golden/art show/float/parade/homecoming/rally/rsvps/siblings/birchfield/hurley/attack followup/bios/humor/internet/whats new) ENCINA ALUMNI, There was no sponsor for this week's update. We have close to 200 alumni and faculty RSVPs for next week's homecoming party, not including family. If you plan to attend the homecoming party please rsvp. I am going to start printing out nametags soon. So get in touch with your friends, classmates, siblings and put the homecoming party on your calendar. It's not too late. You can see the current RSVP list for the homecoming party here: http://www.encinahighschool.com/homecoming/homecoming2001.htm *** ONLY ONE WEEK UNTIL THE HOMECOMING PARTY ON OCT 5TH *** YEARBOOKS Barbara Rea Fuller 62 loaned me her 1959 yearbook this week. Thank you Barbara! Thanks to Barbara I now have a complete set of Encina yearbooks from 1959 to 2000. I'm missing the 2001 yearbook but I plan to purchase it next Friday when I'm at Encina for the homecoming rally. Becky Hurley wrote that she has students lined up and will start scanning in yearbooks soon. DON GOLDEN I called former principal Don Golden to invite him to the homecoming party and spoke with his wife. Last year Don couldn't come because he had a hunting trip. This year, Don is seriously ill. His wife said he just had an operation this week and is in intensive care. If you know Don and would express your sympathy I have his address and phone. HOMECOMING ART SHOW Don't forget, the alumni show opens next week! I can't attend the opening reception on Thursday but I encourage those of you who are local to attend and meet the alumni artists. I plan to drop by on Friday after the homecoming rally at Encina. "HOMECOMING: THE ALUMNI SHOW October 4 - November 2, 2001 Opening Reception: Thursday October 4 from 3:00 to 6:00 pm Featuring artists who have graduated from Encina High School including John Landgraf 61, Richard Feese 66, Cathy Landgraf, Phil Amrhein 67, Jay Musler 67, Nina Paladino 67, Joe Amrhein, Mike Solomon 66, David Stone, and others. Suzanne Adan who is the Encina gallery curator does not know all of the artists out there who graduated from Encina. She went through the yearbooks and found the ones she knew how to get in touch with. Anyone interested in participating in the show should contact Mike Stevens at 971-5881 Mon-Fri. between 8:00 - 2:00 pm." ALUMNI FLOAT Paul Stewart '76 and the float committee are hard at work on the alumni float. This week they picked up Lisa Lowe Rodland 79's flatbed trailer, which will be towed in the parade by Jim Bain 78's decorated pickup truck. The students have chosen long time teacher Don Brodnansky and current student Daniel Centers to represent Encina on the float. The other pledge riders so far are former teacher Christine Kojima and yours truly, Harlan Lau '73. Pledges are: Lora Saunders 67 - $50 Larry Nee 71 - $100 Tom Dugally 78 - $100 Larry Bain 79 - $50 Kathleen O'Neill Cable 79 - $50 We have invited the alumni challenge basketball team and organizers to ride on the alumni float. Bob Goosmann 74 (yes) Chuck Armstrong 77 Joe Niederberger 79 (no) Chris Dahlberg 80 Henry Meier 80 (out of town) Scott Simon 80 Geoff Shumway 89 Jason Talanian 90 (email and phone no good) Steve Palmer 74 (organizer, yes) I haven't heard back from Chuck, Chris, Scott or Geoff and have no way to contact Jason... HOMECOMING PARADE Many thanks to the alumni who volunteered to drive in the homecoming parade! We rounded up eight convertibles, the exact number needed by the student royalty. The alumni and their convertibles in order of when they volunteered are: Jerry Burk 71 - Harley and American flag Kermit Pahl 61 - 1932 Ford T-Bucket Roadster (Hot Rod) Yon Gomez 81 - 1990 silver Chrysler LeBaron convertible Kris Grasso Elmer 70 - 1996 white Chrysler Sebring convertible Patrick Dunn 73 - 2001 silver Corvette convertible Jerry Burks 71 - 1986 white Mustang convertible Lad Wentzel 76 - Mustang convertible Kim Culver Taylor 76 - VW convertible Lorna Cline Gragg 72/73 - Open Jeep Becky Hurley wrote that the theme for this year's parade is "Scary Movies/Fright Night/Freak Night". You can see pictures of last year's homecoming parade here: http://www.encinahighschool.com/homecoming/homecoming2000/game.htm HOMECOMING 2001 Date: Friday, October 5, 2001 Time: 5pm to 1130pm Place: El Camino HS cafeteria Friday, October 5th, will be here soon. Please rsvp if you plan to attend. For more information and the rsvp list see: http://www.encinahighschool.com/homecoming/homecoming2001.htm The pre-game party is from 5PM to 730PM in the El Camino Cafeteria which faces El Camino Ave. Look for the Encina Homecoming banner. Encina will be selling food and drinks or you can bring your own. We will have tables set up for those who want to eat dinner at the pre-game party. We will have banners for each group of 5 years (61-65,66-70, etc) to make it easier for classmates to rendezvous. We will walk over to the stadium for the homecoming football game from 730PM to 10PM between Encina and Lindhurst HS. Admission is $5. At halftime, the alumni will have alumni cars and an alumni float in the homecoming parade. You can also buy food and drinks from the snackbar in the stadium. After the game, we will reconvene in the cafeteria from 10PM to 1130PM for the post-game party. The Homecoming committee: Bonnie McFarland 63 Rollin Coxe 64 Larry Murray 65 Janine Louther 70 Nancy Cooper Manly 71 Harlan Lau 73 Sande Byerley Jaeke 74 Marla Byerley Windham 76 Paul Stewart 76 Pam Maples Weber 77 Jim Bain 78 Sharon Bordisso Patten 78 Tammy Johnson Baker 78 Gary Kennedy 78 Chris Moser Taylor 78 Lisa Lowe Rodland 79 Lisa Ott Williams 81 Gina Baker Smith 91 For information about last year's homecoming party: http://www.encinahighschool.com/homecoming/homecoming2000.htm If you missed the description of the last homecoming party see: http://www.encinahighschool.com/archives/email/001027.txt HOMECOMING RALLY There will be a homecoming rally at Encina in the morning from 11-1135am. The past two years the alumni have had their own section of the stands and have helped judge the classes. Please let me know if you plan to attend as Encina needs this information in advance. After the rally, I plan to stop by the Encina Art Gallery and see the Alumni Art Show. Then anyone's who still around is welcome to join me for lunch at Applebee's, which has lots of Encina memorabilia on display. RSVPS so far for rally: Irene Leafe Virginia Smith Tom Parks 70? Lorna Cline Gragg 72/73 Harlan Lau 73 Rett Smart 73 Julie Eissinger Meador 74 Karen Elledge 74 Steve Palmer 74 James Collentine 77 La Vonne Foster Facino 78 Kathleen O'Neill Cabe 79 Sue Cantwell 81 Janna Snedden Curtis 83 Carolyn Gibson 87 Debby Larraguivel 96 Last year we had about 50 alumni at the rally. It's quite a nostalgic experience to attend the rally at Encina! HOMECOMING RSVPS Lots of rsvps this week! Cliff LaForge, who taught English at Encina from 1960-1992, will be driving down again this year from Springfield, Oregon. Larry Stallings, who taught math at Encina for many years, had a toe infecton which required amputation, but plans to attend, wheel chair and all. The wheel chair is temporary! Tim Zeka 67 wrote: Harlan, I hope to make the Alumni party on October 5, my 52 birthday. I will be retuning from a week at outdoor school with a class of sixth graders. In the past I've been very tired, I may fade quickly. I especially want to say hello to Jack Dutton, my HS Algebra teacher. Because of Jack I became a math teacher and three years ago I finally got to teach a class in Algebra I. Faculty RSVPs so far: Robin Arnold (new) Jack Bassett Lynn Begg Myrtle Berry Don Brodnansky Eleanor Brown Susan Bush Jack Carey Cheryl Chambers Jack Dutton Louis Huber (Anchorage,AK) Becky Hurley Ray Klinefelter Christine Kojima Cliff LaForge (Springfield,OR)(new) Irene Leafe Romano Luchini Vince Marelich Karen McClelland Lee Susan McGuire Terry Reed Ivory Rubin James W Smith Virginia Smith Larry Stallings (new) Judy Wilson Bill Wise Stephanie Woo New alumni rsvps this week: Sandi Elrod Gallegos 62 Chuck Long 65 Coleen Carney 67 Linda Copley Mullen 67? Tim Zeka 67 Barbara Tedmon 68 Lynda Benvenuti 69 Allen Seamans 69 Jack Bettencourt 70 Tom Park 70 (Yuma,AZ) Jon Dahlberg 71 Roger Petersen 71 Wayne Christie 72 Lorna Cline Gragg 72/73 Kathleen Ketcherside Arceo 73 Todd Brownell 73 Jenny Chapman 73 Janie Davis Nelson 73 Patrick Dunn 73 Diane Schoenborn Kelly 73 Venssa Favero 73/74 Linda Fanning Cabana 75 (4) Jeff Frei 75 Greg Grant 75 Christina Plessas Barry 75 Teresa Wooten 75 (2) Kim Culver Taylor 76 (2) Lad Wentzel 76 James Collentine 77 David Dahlberg 77 (3) Linda Kasline Grant 77 Ed Ragle 77? Max Fuentes 78 Myra Calhoun Placencia 79 Kelly Murphy 79 Terri Durham Fuentes 79 Kathy Ragle Martinez 79 (2) Janet Russel Mason 79 Pam Wilbur O'Kane 79? Sandy Conley Skrobecky 80 (2) Steven Ivy 80 Becky DeVere Ivy 81 Kathy Morrow 81? C Jay Dow 87 Carlo Gomez 87 Jinne Webb Horger 90 Penelope Webb Yanez 92 Erika Morris 94 LaToya Givens 95 Ernestine Holmes 95 Lisa Zavala 95 (maybe) Tywa Phillips Reali 96 Tina Phillips Pritchett 99 SIBLINGS Melissa Arner 99 is in contact with Marilyn Rodseth 99 David Lester 79 wrote: David Lester 79 Kristine Lester 02 (daughter) Kandis Lester 02 (daughter) Candice Pickett 01 wrote: Shavon Pickett 00 Candice Pickett 01 Marcus Pickett 02 Carol Jones 66 wrote: Carol Jones 66 Gordon Jones 68 Steven Lawrence 89 wrote: Shannon Lawrence 88 Steven Lawrence 89 Samuel Hovey 67 is married to Pamela Coombs Hovey 66 IRENE BIRCHFIELD CAMPBELL 68 Sacramento Bee, September 27, 2001 Volunteer Profile by Gloria Glyer Featured volunteer: Irene Campbell, who has just been elected to the Sacramento SPCA board of directors, attended her first Reigning Cats & Dogs Gala more than a dozen years ago and has been involved ever since. Her big task is the drawing, which is one part of the fund-raising aspect of the event. "The gala committee meets monthly to plan for this event," said Campbell, who shares ownership with dentist husband Matthew Campbell of a pair of dachsunds. A Sacramento native who attended Encina High School and California State University, Campbell was employed in aviation for 25 years. "I was executive assistant at Patterson Aviation at Executive Airport. Petterson has become Sacramento Jet Center," said Campbell, retired for three years. Campbell served on the SSPCA Capital Campaign project to raise funds for construction of the new shelter. Other volunteer activities include the Sacramento District Dental Alliance Charity organization - she is vice president - and she has been chair for the past two years of the Sacramento Kings Women's Organization. BECKY HURLEY The following profile for Becky Hurley appeared in a recent Encina Bulldog Barks newsletter. We best know Becky from her role as Activities Director and her help in organizing the Alumni Challenge and the Homecoming parties! "Streaming through the hallways of Encina leaving dust, brush, and people in her wake comes super Hurley determined to give every ounce of energy to her profession. Becky Hurley was born in Akron, Ohio to Walter Ratay and Mary Catherine Eckerman. Akron was humid in summer but had plenty of snow in winter to slide down the hills and made for a great place to be raised. Becky's mother was a legal secretary and awesome role model. Living in Akron was great. Everyone knew each other and looked after each other. Which was a very positive experience. Becky remembers the lock on the front door being broken for two weeks and never feeling any fear. Everyone went to dances, rallies, and public events. Becky really liked elementary school because she attended school with all of her friends. Her favorite teacher was Mrs. Campbell who taught science and was very sensitive to all students' needs. She always stood up for kids who were picked on and chastised others in a positive manner. Hyer Junior High was very scary because Becky was not ready for the transition which made her lose 15 pounds. Sports became an outlet, and basketball was her favorite game. She was an honor roll student. Becky describes high school as a blast that she truly enjoyed. She was involved in Spirit Club, Spanish Club and basketball. 9th grade was great because of the fantastic clothing she could wear including mini skirts, flared bell bottom pants and high-heeled shoes. Fun! Fun! She loved being loud, going to all the games, dating, eating pizza, hanging out with friends and playing practical games on her friends. She remembers "T.P."ing her boyfriend's house at 1:00 a.m. and, all of a sudden, a light flashed and she heard, "HOLD IT! STOP WHERE YOU ARE! UP AGAINST THE WALL! Instantly she felt afraid. The police caught them, scared them, and let them go. Whew! 30 minutes later they were all back completing the job. The police knew they were only having fun. Cruising was the most happening thing to do. With her humorous boyfriend Pete, cruising was a great way to date and socialize. It was no crime just having fun laughing, honking horns, blasting music and hanging out. In 1976 her family moved to Sacramento California and lived on Howe Ave. Her brother, Rod, attended Encina. His favorite teacher was Mr. Mohammed Solami who would always say, "Wonderful", "Very nice too". He always wanted to help and make students feel important. Rod, 39 years old today, is self-sufficient with a wonderful life. Becky is a Sacramento State alumni. She belonged to the Delta Gamma Sorority and attended every party she could, hanging out by the pool catching delicious sun rays, having 10 college boys at her beck and call. HEAVEN! HEAVEN! Sacramento State is a great school to attend. Hanging out with friends, getting to know new people, and attending a multi-cultural college was so rewarding. She took ballet and jazz. Becky's favorite job was being a waitress at "Eppaninondes". She was a Criminal Justice major and worked at the Sacramento Youth Authority, she taught Human Sexuality. After graduation she wanted to work for the CYA; however, there was a hiring freeze. Her plans for a law degree were on hold. She worked as a waitress and bookkeeper at the Ancient Moose, next to the Rusty Duck; she decided that working as a teacher would fulfill her desire to work with youth. She met her future husband, Charlie, during her last year of college. She was completing a psychology project with her best friend, Meg. It was a quirky experiment; you will have to pry it from her. Charlie coerced her telephone number from her when she said "I would not give you my phone number for a million dollars." After Becky returned from the ladies' room he gave her a check for ONE MILION DOLLARS. One thing led to another and she said, "I do". Of course, Charlie's humor, gregarious personality, fun attitude, and love of animals didn't hurt the relationship. Charlie owed a landscaping business when they were first married and he is now a songwriter and singer doing children's and history shows. They have 3 children: Monica who is a sophomore at Bella Vista; Leah who is an 8th grader at Carnegie; and Pat who is a 3rd grader at Roberts Elementary. Becky has three famous stories: 1. She was robbed at knife point at the Ancient Moose restaurant. Two men came in brandishing knives. One stuck a knife in her neck and said "Give me the money, or I'll kill you." She gave him the $1532, and lived to tell the story. 2. Working as a legal secretary, she was walking home, and an individual in a truck kept following her and making provocative suggestions. He would even pull ahead and cut her off trying to move her into an isolated alley. She eventually ducked into a business and watched him circle 3 times around the business. She contacted the authorities and they told her that because he did not touch her, there wasn't anything they could do. She gave them his license plate and his description. Two weeks later the police contacted her because this individual was arrested for raping and leaving a young lady for dead. 3. Working at a mental health center, she was grabbed by one of the patients, by the neck, strangling her until she started to see stars and stopped breathing. He then let her go after she used a self-defense strategy to get out and said while smiling, "I was only kidding." Becky loves being at Encina. Her advice to Encina's students is to always be determined and have a sense of humor. Be confident and be patient. Becky's final thought during this interview was of her nurturing mother and her importance in her life. Her uncle was a missionary and her aunt was a nun. Humanitarianism was the most important goal in their family. I really liked doing this interview with dynamo Becky who always has a smile and positive attitude. She is sooo involved with Encina students. Mock Peer Court, Student Government and Activities Director, WASC Steering committee, Site council member, SAFE member, and Rotary Club liason, Becky Hurley, an incredible "BULLDOG", exemplifies the statement, "Great things come in small packages" (like diamonds). Stephen Gatewood Vice Principal Encina" ATTACK FOLLOW-UP Sue Kehoe Jacobsen 72 wrote: "Harlan, It is so hard for me to go on with life as normal. Wake in the morning, get the kids to school, go to work, soccer practice, Friday night bunko with the ladies, enjoy a great glass of wine, etc. It is hard for me to answer the question, "How are you today?" I am not doing well, with all that is happening in our world. Hey, I should consider myself lucky that I was not a victim or a survivor of someone who was lost in the horror, or even knew someone that knew someone that was affected. I should live my life normal as usual as nothing has happened. I try. I do not want this terror to get the best of me. I should live one moment at a time (that is all we really have, right)? Six days before this horror began, I gave my only son, Sam a tearful hug goodbye as he went on his way overseas fresh out of boot camp to a US Army base in Germany. I guess he will be part of one of many ground troops that will go into enemy territory. Don't get me wrong, I am very proud that my son is a solider. He will do what he has to do to protect our liberty and our freedom. He knew going into the Army that it was not a game. He knew that he would have to go on a mission somewhere. I guess what we did not expect was that he would have to go so soon to do what he has to do! It is so hard for me to go on with life as normal. I don't know if I will ever see my son again. God Bless America, and the men and women who defend her! Sue Kehoe Jacobson 1972" Bonnie Van Buskirk Sullivan 62 sent this... "Where was God in all of this? God was in the rescue workers who were running into the buildings as most people were running out. God was in the flight attendant who called her husband as her plane was being hijacked to tell him that she loved him. God was in the two men who carried a wheelchair-bound woman down 70 flights of stairs to safety. God was in the people who stood bleeding, in line to give blood. God was in the strangers in cars, picking up strangers stranded in the city and taking them home to their families. God is in the people who are begging to volunteer, to do anything to help. God is in the thousands, if not millions who are flooding blood banks thousands of miles away to help people they have never met. God is in the people who are comforting someone even when they don't know what to say. God is in the people who watched and cried for people who may remain anonymous in name, but never in their sacrifice. God is in my neighborhood where I see flags waving from every home. God is in the men and women, looking at 110 stories of rubble, and seeing only the opportunity to find survivors. God is with the heroes, most of whom will never be on the news, whose stories will only be told to their closest friends and family; but who saved someone's mother, father, sister, brother, daughter, son, husband, wife, grandmother, grandfather, aunt, uncle, cousin, lover, colleague, acquaintance, teacher, mentor or friend with a single act of kindness, compassion and bravery. God was not in the hearts of the people that caused these inhumane events. However, God was indeed there, where he was needed the most. -Anonymous" Kathie Kloss Marynik 67 wrote: "Over the airplane's public-address system came a most incredible announcement from the captain of United Flight 564 as it was about to pull out of the gate at Denver International Airport last Saturday, writes Peter Hannaford, a public-affairs consultant in Washington and former adviser to President Reagan. "I want to thank you brave folks for coming out today," the pilot began. "We don't have any new instructions from the federal government, so from now on, we're on our own." The passengers listened in total silence. "Sometimes a potential hijacker will announce that he has a bomb. There are no bombs on this aircraft and if someone were to get up and make that claim, don't believe him. If someone were to stand up, brandish something such as a plastic knife and say, 'This is a hijacking' or words to that effect, here is what you should do: "Every one of you should stand up and immediately throw things at that person - pillows, books, magazines, eyeglasses, shoes - anything that will throw him off balance and distract his attention. If he has a confederate or two, do the same with them. Most important: get a blanket over him, then wrestle him to the floor and keep him there. We'll land the plane at the nearest airport and the authorities will take it from there. "Remember, there will be one of him and maybe a few confederates, but there are 200 of you. Now, since we're a family for the next few hours, I'll ask you to turn to the person next to you, introduce yourself, tell them a little about yourself and ask them to do the same." The end of this remarkable speech, Mr. Hannaford says, brought sustained clapping from the passengers." Christy Cooper 80 wrote: "Thank you for your wonderful e:mails. The flag you sent is now wallpapered on my computer and those of many friends and colleagues. I now have to share the unPC. In my foreign business travels, it became clear to me that there is much info about the U.S. that does not get printed in U.S. papers. I was raised to believe that we are usually on the side of right. Unfortunately, not only is that not true, there often is no clear right side, no "good vs. evil." We like to look at it that way, but alas, the world is not that simple. I am not expert, but have been to the Middle East and Africa a few times. Many loving Egyptians, who wanted to move to the U.S. more than anything, understood how we could bomb Saddam Hussein but did not understand the hypocrisy of bombing him while funding other regimes. When Mobutu of Zaire fell and our papers hurrahed the loss of such a murderous man, I had to find out from the London Times that our own CIA had helped put him in power 20 years earlier. And my classmates will remember the influx of Persians when the Shah of Iran fell - our man in Iran. Was he a good man, a fair leader? In a word, no. As horrible as last week was, the world still has greater threats than the terrorists - India and Pakistan developing nuclear arsenals to bomb each other, for instance. So far, President Bush has done an outstanding job. I didn't vote for him, but he is my President and I stand behind him. And pray. I hope the hyperbole is just that. It is one thing to go to war against the terrorists, quite another to go to war against a country. I have often felt that we didn't finish off Saddam because it would have left Iraq so vulnerable to Iran, a strong country that is feared by many other Muslim countries. Now Iran is supporting our bombing of Afghanistan, a country that has already been bombed to smithereens. Hmmm. I certainly do not have any answers. Just a wish that everyone stay open-minded to all points of view and not use the warmth of unity and patriotism to justify bombing the heck out of "them" and risk uniting the entire Middle East against the West. The Europeans are scared to death of what we are going to do, and they understand the region a lot better than we do. God Bless America, Christy Cooper 80 I attach the following article as an even less PC warning. ----------------------- From: Date: Fri, 21 Sep 2001 09:14:37 -0500 ABOUT THE AUTHOR OF THE ARTICLE: For those unfamiliar with counter-voices from the Middle East, meet Robert Fisk who writes for the UK's Independent. Fisk has lived in and written about the region for over 25 years, and is one of the few journalists who consistently "speaks truth to power" about events and entanglements in the Middle East. He also remains consistent in not taking sides -- he has no more love for Yasser Arafat and his "corrupt and impotent regime" than he does for Ariel Sharon. Fisk doesn't pull his punches either, so some of what follows makes difficult reading. But it provides an informed and important perspective on recent events. __________________ ARTICLE Robert Fisk: Bush is walking into a trap 16 September 2001 Retaliation is a trap. In a world that was supposed to have learnt that the rule of law comes above revenge, President Bush appears to be heading for the very disaster that Osama bin Laden has laid down for him. Let us have no doubts about what happened in New York and Washington last week. It was a crime against humanity. We cannot understand America's need to retaliate unless we accept this bleak, awesome fact. But this crime was perpetrated -it becomes ever clearer - to provoke the United States into just the blind, arrogant punch that the US military is preparing. Mr. bin Laden - every day his culpability becomes more apparent - has described to me how he wishes to overthrow the pro-American regime of the Middle East, starting with Saudi Arabia and moving on to Egypt, Jordan and the other Gulf states. In an Arab world sunk in corruption and dictatorships - most of them supported by the West -the only act that might bring Muslims to strike at their own leaders would be a brutal, indiscriminate assault by the United States. Mr.'s bin Laden is unsophisticated in foreign affairs, but a close student of the art and horror of war. He knew how to fight the Russians who stayed on in Afghanistan, a Russian monster that revenged itself upon its ill-educated, courageous antagonists until, faced with war without end, the entire Soviet Union began to fall apart. The Chechens learnt this lesson. And the man responsible for so much of the bloodbath in Chechnya - the career KGB man whose army is raping and murdering the insurgent Sunni Muslim population of Chechnya - is now being signed up by Mr. Bush for his "war against people''. Vladimir Putin must surely have a sense of humour to appreciate the cruel ironies that have now come to pass, though I doubt if he will let Rm. Bush know what happens when you start a war of retaliation; your army - like the Russian forces in Chechnya -becomes locked into battle with an enemy that appears ever more ruthless, ever more evil. But the Americans need look no further than Ariel Sharon's futile war with the Palestinians to understand the folly of retaliation. In Lebanon, it was always the same. A Hizbollah guerrilla would kill an Israeli occupation soldier, and the Israelis would fire back in retaliation at a village in which a civilian would die. The Hizbollah would retaliate with a Katyusha missile attack over the Israeli border, and the Israelis would retaliate again with a bombardment of southern Lebanon. In the end, the Hizbollah - the "centre of world terror'' according to Mr. Sharon -drove the Israelis out of Lebanon. In Israel/Palestine, it is the same story. An Israeli soldier shoots a Palestinian stone-thrower. The Palestinians retaliate by killing a settler. The Israelis then retaliate by sending a murder squad to kill a Palestinian gunman. The Palestinians retaliate by sending a suicide bomber into a pizzeria. The Israelis then retaliate by sending F-16s to bomb a Palestinian police station. Retaliation leads to retaliation and more retaliation. War without end. And while Mr. Bush - and perhaps Mr. Blair - prepare their forces, they explain so meretriciously that this is a war for "democracy and liberty'', that it is about men who are "attacking civilisation''. "America was targeted for attack,'' Mr. Bush informed us on Friday, "because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world.'' But this is not why America was attacked. If this was an Arab-Muslim apocalypse, then it is intimately associated with events in the Middle East and with America's stewardship of the area. Arabs, it might be added, would rather like some of that democracy and liberty and freedom that Mr. Bush has been telling them about. Instead, they get a president who wins 98 per cent in the elections (Washington's friend, Mr. Mubarak) or a Palestinian police force, trained by the CIA, that tortures and sometimes kills its people in prison. The Syrians would also like a little of that democracy. So would the Saudis. But their effete princes are all friends of America - in many cases, educated at US universities. I will always remember how President Clinton announced that Saddam Hussein, -another of our grotesque inventions, -must be overthrown so that the people of Iraq could choose their own leaders. But if that happened, it would be the first time in Middle Eastern history that Arabs have been permitted to do so. No, it is "our'' democracy and "our'' liberty and freedom that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair are talking about, our Western sanctuary that is under attack, not the vast place of terror and injustice that the Middle East has become. Let me illustrate what I mean. Nineteen years ago today, the greatest act of terrorism - using Israel's own definition of that much misused word - in modern Middle Eastern history began. Does anyone remember the anniversary in the West? How many readers of this article will remember it? I will take a tiny risk and say that no other British newspaper - certainly no American newspaper - will today recall the fact that on 16 September 1982, Israel's Phalangist militia allies started their three-day orgy of rape and knifing and murder in the Palestinian refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila that cost 1,800 lives. It followed an Israeli invasion of Lebanon -designed to drive the PLO out of the country and given the green light by the then US Secretary of State, Alexander Haig - which cost the lives of 17,500 Lebanese and Palestinians, almost all of them civilians. That's probably three times the death toll in the World Trade Centre. Yet I do not remember any vigils or memorial services or candle-lighting in America or the West for the innocent dead of Lebanon; I don't recall any stirring speeches about democracy or liberty. In fact, my memory is that the United States spent most of the bloody months of July and August 1982 calling for "restraint". No, Israel is not to blame for what happened last week. The culprits were Arabs, not Israelis. But America's failure to act with honour in the Middle East, its promiscuous sale of missiles to those who use them against civilians, its blithe disregard for the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqi children under sanctions of which Washington is the principal supporter - all these are intimately related to the society that produced the Arabs who plunged America into an apocalypse of fire last week. America's name is literally stamped on to the missiles fired by Israel into Palestinian buildings in Gaza and the West Bank. Only four weeks ago, I identified one of them as an AGM 114-D air-to-ground rocket made by Boeing and Lockheed-Martin at their factory in - of all places - Florida, the state where some of the suiciders trained to fly. It was fired from an Apache helicopter (made in America, of course) during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, when hundreds of cluster bombs were dropped in civilian areas of Beruit by the Israelis in contravention of undertakings given to the United States. Most of the bombs had US Naval markings and America then suspended a shipment of fighter bombers to Israel -for less than two months. The same type of missile - this time an AGM 114-C made in Georgia - was fired by the Israelis into the back of an ambulance near the Lebanese village of Mansori, killing two women and four children. I collected the pieces of the missile, including its computer coding plate, flew to Georgia and presented them to the manufacturers at the Boeing factory. And what did the developer of the missile say to me when I showed him photographs of the children his missile had killed? "Whatever you do," he told me, "don't quote me as saying anything critical of the policies of Israel." I'm sure the father of those children, who was driving the ambulance, will have been appalled by last week's events, but I don't suppose, given the fate of his own wife - one of the women killed - that he was in a mood to send condolences to anyone. All these facts, of course, must be forgotten now. Every effort will be made in the coming days to switch off the "why'' question and concentrate on the who, what and how. CNN and most of the world's media have already obeyed this essential new war rule. I've already seen what happens when this rule is broken. When The Independent published my article on the connection between Middle Eastern injustice and the New York holocaust, the BBC's 24-hour news channel produced an American commentator who remarked that "Robert Fisk has won the prize for bad taste''. When I raised the same point on an Irish radio talk show, the other guest, a Harvard lawyer, denounced me as a bigot, a liar, a "dangerous man'' and - of course - potentially anti-Semitic. The Irish pulled the plug on him. No wonder we have to refer to the terrorists as "mindless''. For if we did not, we would have to explain what went on in those minds. But this attempt to censor the realities of the war that has already begun must not be permitted to continue. Look at the logic. Secretary of State Colin Powell was insisting on Friday that his message to the Taliban is simple: they have to take responsibility for sheltering Mr bin Laden. "You cannot separate your activities from the activities of the perpetrators,'' he warned. But the Americans absolutely refuse to associate their own response to their predicament with their activities in the Middle East. We are supposed to hold our tongues, even when Ariel Sharon a man whose name will always be associated with the massacre at Sabra and Shatila - announces that Israel also wishes to join the battle against "world terror''. No wonder the Palestinians are fearful. In the past four days, 23 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank and Gaza, an astonishing figure that would have been front-page news had America not been blitzed. If Israel signs up for the new conflict, then the Palestinians - by fighting the Israelis - will, by extension, become part of the "world terror'' against which Mr Bush is supposedly going to war. Not for nothing did Mr Sharon claim that Yasser Arafat had connections with Osama bin Laden. I repeat: what happened in New York was a crime against humanity. And that means policemen, arrests, justice, a whole new international court at The Hague if necessary. Not cruise missiles and "precision'' bombs and Muslim lives lost in revenge for Western lives. But the trap has been sprung. Mr Bush -perhaps we, too -are now walking into it. http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=94254 I thought this was a good analysis by ptnewell on the Motley Fool board... Could bin Laden be innocent? The investigation of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack is still in full swing, and the details revealed have been scanty. Thus some with good faith might have genuine concerns whether the U.S. has been too hasty in assigning blame. These concerns are misplaced. Let us recall what was already known about bin Laden BEFORE September 11, 2001: (1) He was indicted in the bombing of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Thus prosecutors believed they had the evidence needed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable in open court, if given a chance. (2) Only three governments in the world recognize the Taliban. This is because of the Taliban's refusal to turn over bin Laden after previous terrorist attacks. In other words, virtually the whole world has been convinced of bin Laden's guilt before September 11, and believed the evidence against him strong enough that sheltering the indicted terrorist was unconscionable. How many chances should the Taliban get, each at the expense of American lives? I believe they have been already given at least two chances too many. (3) In the World Trade Center bombing (the 1993 attack) trials recently held in New York, a former close associate of bin Laden (who fled Afghanistan after having been discovered embezzling slightly over $100,000 for bin Laden's Al Qaeda organization) testified as to bin Laden's knowledge in, and participation in, several major terrorist attacks. Thus testimony from a former close bin Laden associate has been given in open court as to his terrorist involvement. (Yes, of course not about September 11). (4) bin Laden has openly issued a fatwa, a declaration that all Muslims are duty bound to kill any American male or any ally of America anywhere in the world. This 1998 version supersedes his earlier fatwa declaring all U.S. military targets subject to attack. The 1998 version specifically REQUIRES the murder of ALL American males (President Bush slightly exaggerated last night when he mentioned bin Laden made no distinction between men and women. bin Laden does make that distinction in theory, although obviously he is not too worried in practice, as the attacks make clear). Given bin Laden's millions, his fame, his strong influence, and the fact that many past associates have been caught in acts of terror, the United States was perfectly justified based on the 1998 fatwa alone in taking military action against bin Laden. I am not a lawyer, but if a person makes credible death threats against you, and quite openly insists to fervent followers that it is their duty to kill you, self-defense applies. I would support whatever the U.S. chooses to do to bin Laden. This was true BEFORE September 11, 2001. (5) Algerian terrorists who had received training in bin Laden's camps hijacked a jet in France around 1996 (the year may not be right). The plane was sitting on the runway being re-fueled at the hijackers insistence when the French police overheard the hijackers speak of their plan to crash the plane, once fully fueled, into the Eiffel Tower. The police stormed the plane at once, even though some passengers died in the shoot out. Again, it does not matter whether it can be proven that bin Laden had specific knowledge of the specific plans of these hijackers. They had trained at his camps, and they were acting in accordance with the principles bin Laden has openly espoused. Again, given his open proclamations against the U.S. and all allies, and his training camps, fame and money, how many attacks will be endure? It does not matter (to me) whether he hatches out the details of each plan with his terrorist camp alumni. (Though the U.S. government believes it WAS bin Laden's idea to crash jets into national landmarks). (6) Before the Cole attack, and also before the embassy bombings, bin Laden openly boasted to a number of Arab journalists that something big was coming. Afterward he congratulated the criminals, many of whom he had known personally. He wrote a poem in praise of the Cole attack which he read on video tape. The tape was widely distributed by his own organization. He pretty much wants the Arab world to know he is responsible, indeed he does not even seek plausible deniability. Implausible denials are enough. The pattern holds for the September 11 attack. He told a Palestinian journalist about two weeks before the attack that a huge event was coming. Afterwards he congratulated the criminals, but denied personal involvement. The U.S. goverment would have to be run by children to be thus dissuaded. (7) The Taliban leader is married to the daughter of bin Laden's favorite wife (he has four I believe). bin Laden has funded the Taliban extensively, and his Al Qaeda has done some of the fighting that allowed the Taliban to gain control of most of Afghanistan. (The recent assassination of the Northern Alliance resistance leader was believed to be at bin Laden's urging). It is absurd to think the United States should try to "convince" the Taliban. (It is not even entirely clear whether the Taliban does not take orders from bin Laden). The United States rightly regards the Taliban and Al Qaeda together as terrorist organizations at war with America. Whatever the final results of the September 11 attack prove, bin Laden is complicit in multiple mass murders of American citizens. He openly demands many more such murders, and runs training camps on how to accomplish such acts. In going after bin Laden the United States need not worry whether they are going after an enemy with American blood on his hands. BIOS STEVE MEMERING 62 Occupation: Teacher/artist Bio: Graduated from Berkeley. Got a masters and a teaching credential from CSUS. Have been teaching at W.E. Mitchell Middle School for last 26 years with no time off for good behavior. Hobbies: I'm into scuba diving, skiing, taveling. I've been everywhere. Grade_school_friends: Gary Hastings, Rick Larson, Diana Draper. Memorable_teachers: Mrs. Saliden. Mr. Patatucci Story: I'm in several galleries in town. Smith Gallery on Marconi and Fulton. Elliot Fouts Gallery in Rosville on Douglas. Fire and Rain in Folsom. I have a show coming up at the Smith Gallery in November with the reception on the second saturday. Nov. 10th. 6pm to 9pm. DAVID LESTER 79 Occupation: Real Estate Broker Bio: I retired from construction in 1988 and went back to school. I earned an Associate of Arts degree in Mathematics at American River College. Then, I went to Sacramento State and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Phychology and a Master of Science in Business Administration. Currently, I have my own real estate company in Carmichael and have twin daughters who are 17. Trivia: I used to sell drugs at school....I have gone legitimate and now sell homes. Friends: Steven McPhale, Valerie Schneringer, Debbie Moore, and others. Hobbies: Movies, running, working out...when I have time. Kids: Pete and re-Pete...just kidding. My twins names are Kandis Marie Lester and Kristine Diane Lester. They are 17, and have gone to Encina (against my advise!!!) Kristine is on the Basketball and Softball teams. Kandis got kicked out (just like her dad)and now goes to Leo Palmiter continuation school. Grade_school: Brookside Elementary, Baechtel Grove, Sam Brannen, Fern Bacon and Placer High. Grade_school_friends: None Junior_high: None Junior_high_friends: None Memorable_teachers: Eric Dahlin....I was so loaded I majored in ceramics. Favorite_memory: Pouring a full large coke down a girls halter top at McDonalds at lunch. Heard_about_website_from: My daughter MARNY DAEHLER YOUNGDAHL 89 Occupation: Mom Bio: I finished school, married my handsome prince, taught 7th grade history for 5 years, and I'm now a proud mommy. Friends: My best friends were Nicolee Sorenson, An Nguyen, Anne Mikesell, Laurie Pryde, Elissa Dow, Katie Estes, and Peggy Crans. I know I'm forgetting someone. Hobbies: Who has time for hobbies? But, sometimes I sneak in time in the wee hours of the morning to play computer games or read. Kids: Beautiful Sarah Brynn is 6 mos old. She fills my heart with the deepest love. Grade_school: Liembach, John Reith, Cottage, Winterstien, St. Michaels Favorite_memory: My favorite memory is just a general memory of feeling happy, involved in things, surrounded by friends, and feeling secure about the possibilities in my future. I knew that I had my whole life ahead of me. CHERYLONDA RAMZY 97 Occupation: Full-time Student; HR Intern Bio: Since graduating hish school I have been in Las Vegas and Dallas Texas. I went to UNLV for a year. Then I tranferred to a UT School in Texas. I now have a Bachelor's in Human Resources, and I graduated Magna Cum Laude (3.80 GPA). After graduating this past August, I decided that I wanted to become a physican. So, I am taking classes towards med school, and I plan to take the MCAT in about a year. In the mean time I am using my Bachelors to fund my way through school. Trivia: I am engaged with my fiance of over 2 years. I am still best friends with Ayona McCullough and Leila Alexander. Ayona is here in Teaxas with me. And Leila is in the military with one year left to serve. Friends: I was and still am best friends with Ayona and Leila. I lost contact with Joel Gomez (who I still miss) and Dan Cosgrove. Hobbies: I play raquetball, hang out with my buddies, drink (socially), talk on the phone, club, and sometimes attend frat parties. Kids: I never, ever, ever, ever, want any kids Memorable_teachers: I really liked Mr. Luchini, Mr. Sasse, and Ms. Johnson. Favorite_memory: All the good times I had with my friends and associates at Encina. HUMOR Courtesy of Shaun Sullivan 62... Honest, people--this is my wife's idea! Not politically correct, but funny, and applies in general to men also. CLASS REUNION OF A 40+ LADY. I had prepared for it like any intelligent woman would. I went on a starvation diet the day before, knowing that all the extra weight would just melt off in 24-hours, leaving me with my sleek, trim, high-school-girl body. The last many years of careful cellulite collection would just be gone with a snap of a finger. I knew if I didn't eat a morsel on Friday, that I could probably fit into my senior formal on Saturday. Trotting up to the attic, I pulled the gown out of the garment bag, carried it lovingly downstairs, ran my hand over the fabric, and hung it on the door. I stripped naked, looked in the mirror, sighed, and thought, "Well, okay, maybe if I shift it all to the back..." bodies never have pockets where you need them. Bravely, I took the gown off the hanger, unzipped the shimmering dress and stepped gingerly into it. I struggled, twisted, turned, and pulled and I got the formal all the way up to my knees ... before the zipper gave out. I was disappointed. I wanted to wear that dress with those silver platform sandals again and dance the night away. Okay, one setback was not going to spoil my mood for this affair. No way! Rolling the dress into a ball and tossing it into the corner, I turned to Plan B. The black velvet caftan. I gathered up all the goodies that I had purchased at the drug store; the scented shower gel; the body building, and highlighting shampoo & conditioner, and the split-end killer and shine enhancer. Soon my hair would look like that girl's in the Pentane ads. Then the makeup: the under eye "ain't no lines here" firming cream, the all-day face-lifting gravity-fighting moisturizer with wrinkle filler spackle; the all day "kiss me till my lips bleed, and see if this gloss will come off" lipstick, the bronzing face powder for that special glow...But first, the roll-on facial hair remover. I could feel the wrinkles shuddering in fear. OK - time to get ready...I jumped into the steaming shower, soaped, lathered, rinsed, shaved, tweezed, buffed, scrubbed, and scoured my body to a tingling pink. I plastered my freshly scrubbed face with the anti-wrinkle, gravity fighting, "your face will look like a baby's butt" face cream. I set my hair on the hot rollers. I felt wonderful. Ready to take on the world. Or in this instance, my underwear. With the towel firmly wrapped around my glistening body, I pulled out the black lace, tummy-tucking, cellulite-pushing, ham hock-rounding girdle, and the matching "lifting those bosoms like they're filled with helium" bra. I greased my body with the scented body lotion and began the plunge. I pulled, stretched, tugged, hiked, folded, tucked, twisted, shimmied, hopped, pushed, wiggled, snapped, shook, caterpillar crawled, and kicked. Sweat poured off my forehead but I was done. And it didn't look bad. So I rested. A well-deserved rest, too. The girdle was on my body. Bounce a quarter off my behind? It was tighter than a trampoline. Can you say, "Rubber baby buggy bumper butt?" Okay, so I had to take baby steps, and walk sideways, and I couldn't move from my butt cheeks to my knees. But I was firm! Oh no, I had to go to the bathroom. And there wasn't a snap crotch. From now on, undies gotta have a snap crotch. I was ready to rip it open and re-stitch the crotch with Velcro, but the pain factor from past experiments was still fresh in my mind. I quickly sidestepped to the bathroom. An hour later, I had answered nature's call and repeated the struggle into the girdle. I was ready for the bra. I remembered what the saleslady said to do. I could see her glossed lips mouthing, "Do not fasten the bra in the front, and twist it around. Put the bra on the way it should be worn- straps over the shoulders. Then bend over and gently place both breasts inside the cups." Easy if you have four hands. But, with confidence, I put my arms into the holsters, bent over and pulled the bra down...but the boobs weren't cooperating. I'd no sooner tuck one in a cup, and while placing the other, the first would slip out. I needed a strategy. I bounced up, and down a few times, tried to dribble them in with short bunny hops, but that didn't work. So, while bent over, I began rocking gently back and forth on my heel and toes and I set 'em to swinging. Finally, on the fourth" swing- pause- and lift", I captured the girls. Quickly fastening the back of the bra, I stood up for examination. Back straight, slightly arched, I turned and faced the mirror, turning front, and then sideways. I smiled. Yes, Houston, we have "lift- up!" My breasts were high, firm and there was cleavage! I was happy until I tried to look down. I had a chin rest. And I couldn't see my feet. I still had to put on my pantyhose, and shoes. Oh... why did I buy heels with buckles? Then I had to pee again. I put on my sweats, fixed myself a drink, ordered pizza, and skipped the reunion. INTERNET From David Pogue's NY Times Circuits newsletter... Money for (Almost) Nothing I may be going out on a limb here, but it looks to me as though the economy's high-flying days are truly over for a while. This week, in hopes of raising a little extra pizza money, my wife and I checked out a strange, relatively new program on Amazon.com, in which you can list a used book on Amazon's regular page for that book. Suppose some guy goes to buy Job Hunting Online for Dummies, let's say. He could pay $17 for a new copy from Amazon, or he could click the Used Items button and buy your copy for $11. It's the Napster of the used-book world. Frankly, I don't know how Amazon can afford this program. True, Amazon gets $1 plus 15 percent of your sale -- but it just cheated itself out of a new-book sale. Anyway, my wife and I dug up 60 books, many of them surgery books from her medical training, and plugged them into Amazon. We listed them at about half their cover prices. (We had tried Half.com -- another used-book bazaar -- but it repeatedly froze our browsers.) Within 24 hours, we had sold nine of these books, netting us an effortless $150. Ka-ching! Now we mail the books to the lucky buyers, using the $2.23 extra that Amazon pays for postage. That experience got me fired up by the great ways you can make money from the Web without actually having to work for it. If you've never de-cluttered your attic or electronics drawer by listing its contents on eBay, watching in astonishment as people all over the world bid to buy it, you're missing an enormous opportunity. You just wouldn't believe how much people will pay for old junk. I'm also a huge fan of affiliates programs, in which commercial Web sites send you money every time your Web site, if you have one, refers a customer. For example, every time someone buys a book at Amazon via a link on MY site, Amazon pays ME 15 percent of the price. (Want to hear something really insane? That's almost double what the actual author gets from the sale!) Unless you have a high-traffic Web site, this scheme may only get you a few bucks a month, but hey -- it's free money. (Participating in this program is also free.) Then there's Upromise.com, another no-lose proposition with a potentially huge upside. You plug in your credit card and grocery card numbers--or those of good-natured friends and relatives. Now, whenever you buy stuff (or services) from AT&T, McDonald's, ToysRUs, AOL, CVS, Border's, Avis, Staples, or dozens of other companies (even supermarkets), they kick back between 1 and 10 percent of your purchase into a college savings fund for your kid, where it grows, tax-free. It may amount to only $10,000 by college time, or (especially if you buy a house via Coldwell Banker or a car via GM) it could be far more substantial. Either way, it's automatic, requiring no effort on your part or any changes in your spending. Web sites like these ought to have a slogan: "Free money: It's not just for fat cats any more." Visit David Pogue on the Web at DavidPogue.com. WHAT'S NEW 9/27/01: Steve Memering 62 bio, Frank Starkel 92/bio, Desmon Bragg 00, Pamela Coombs 66, Samuel Hovey 67, Burt Presnell 63, Carter Brusch 63, Jack Van Valkenburgh 63, Norm Siefkin 63, Fred Nelson 63, Steve Wehr 63 9/26/01: Ed Ragle 77, Shannon Bice 89 update, Marny Daehler 89/bio update, Steve Memering 62, Stuart Soloff 66, Vicki Speere 70 update, John Hyland 77 update 9/25/01: Pam Wilbur O'Kane 79, Shaun Sullivan 62 bio, Amy Horch 95 bio, Michelle Freeman 89, Elaine Anderson 75/76 update, Ian Murdock 78 update, Martha Enriquez 79, Karen Elledge 74 update 9/24/01: Scott Palmer 75 update, Candice Pickett 01, Shavon Pickett 00, Marcus Pickett 02, Peggy Crans 89 update, Jack Bettencourt 70, Jeff Copley 72 update, Carol Jones 66, Gordon Jones 68, Amy Horch 95 9/22/01: Patricia Michael 73 update, Grady Raley 76, Sandi Shields 79, Jim Benvenuti 77, Jason Fuller 86 update, Chris Heimburg 73 update, Chris Dahlberg 80 update, Chuck Armstrong 77 update, Melissa Arner 99, Marilyn Rodseth 99, Terrance Williams 96 update, Alfred Arrington 62, Kristine Lester 02/bio, Kandis Lester 02, David Lester 79/bio, Tom Mathews 61 classmates.com: Mike Freese 63, Timothy Wheelis 63, Mike Walden 64, Carolyn Smith 68, Tim Leslie 75, Sam Miller 77, Katherine Taylor 78, Susan Sepanski 85, Titia Clouse 85, Melodi Sickels 89, Misty Cheney 95, Luigi Garibaldi 96, Jonathan Sullivan 01 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 Harlan Lau '73 Encina HS alumni webmaster www.encinahighschool.com harlan@rambus.com