Corinne McCall

Wow Bruce - really?  I thought you had a sense of humor.

I hope others understood that the msg I posted was in jest!  I am not without my own health & life challenges, but I think it is important to keep a sense of humor, and to be able to laugh at oneself....

I think we all realize that we are nearing the end of our ride here - give or take a few years. I am still trying to reconcile the idea of the young full of life Leanne Kozak, from 8th grade  - having passed from the debilitating ALS.  I can't quite wrap my head around that, and every since the reunion - I still carry her in my heart. 

Part of the value of staying connected with our classmates is the validation of our lives from beginning to end. I am very sorry if I offended any of you regarding my post. I am the same age as all of you give or take a year or so - and I thought that was apparent.   I send love and best wishes to each of you - from one old fogey to the others!! It is time for me to sign off here.    Corinne    

Gail Nisbet (Sutherland)

Bruce Wilson

DC:

I "got" your post. I sure hope you did not get mine. I do have quite a sense of humor. It might not sync up with everybody else's, but it's still intact.

.

Linda L. Keating (Keating)

Dear Classmates,

So grateful we are still here to enjoy our life & have

free will to choose to be happy & content - on purpose.

George Bracey Gillow

I will be 70 this October. So I guess I am one of the oldest in the group.

(I started 1st Grade in South American and because of the season shift, kids my age started 1st grade in April 1952 instead of Sept. 1951.  When we moved to the US in late 1957, I had only finished half of 6th grade. I finished at Lillian J Rice in 1958 putting me a year behind)

So I don't "dig" some of the "age" humor of you youngsters and "composting" by Bruce.

Kind of makes me mad:

Interesting side note: I had to make a speech to the Lyons Club that Halloween and told them because of my company party, I needed to come in costume and then leave early. They said OK.  "Man" did I get teased!

Shayne Maree Schuller (Morgan Sledge)

Happy Chinese New Year, the Year of the Wood Sheep  (no jokes Zitty)

Bruce Wilson

Shayne::

Lester lived in CV and Leo lived in Fullerton? Did Leo ever live in  CV? Did Lester work on the guitars?

How many do you have stashed in your closet?

Gail Nisbet (Sutherland)

Terry Lee Maple

I always thought I was one of the youngest in our class. My birthday is September 10, 1946. I was born on a day that is now known as the last good day before 9-11. So glad the damage wasn't donw on my birthday. BTW my wife and I were married on Watergate Break-in Day, June 17, 1972. I was seventeen when I graduated from HHS and turned eighteen my first week of college. Because of my age I was considered "C" class in junior high school which helped me as a shot-putter on the track team (I didn't have to compete with the big guys). I can't beflieve that Bruce is actually younger than I am. My older brother Brian was one year older than his classmates, a function of schools in LA being ahead of the schools in San Diego (he lost a year in grade school) but that the extra year of maturity was helpful to him. Oddly, in the south, folks often hold their male children back to give them a physical advantage when they get to serious sports. That's how serious folks are about football in these parts. Given the growth that I experienced from my senior year to my freshman year in college, I would have been a 190 pound fullback instead of the mere 175 pounds I packed in high school. I am now doing my best to backtrack those pounds. I weighed in at 225 the other day, my weight in graduate school, so I've got a ways to go until I am living at a healthy size. For too long I occupied the same space as my favorite subject of study, the lowland gorilla. Kay Ochi always considered me a wannabe ape but I considered it a compliment.

Corinne McCall

Hi Terry - I started school at age 4.  Being the youngest of 6 kids - I am guessing my mom wanted to get us all out of the house!!  I was somewhat lost in gradeschool but caught up later.  Best to you! 

Treasa Struble (Skiles)

@Corinne-Many of us started K at age 4. If you recall the cut-off date for kindergarten, at the time, was January 31 after the start of the school year in September. Some of you will remember our classmate, Joyce Norman, whose birthday was in late January. She was one the youngest in our class. I guess Bruce has her beat by a couple of weeks. Anybody know what happened to Joyce? Looking forward to seeing many of you at the 70th.

Corinne McCall

Hi Tereas,

My birthdate is Feb 22, 1947 & started K at Lillian Rice which I attended through 5th grade. Not sure how that happened - maybe I met their quota or something?  I was transferred to Hilltop in 6th grade when the boundary was changed to include the west side of Second Ave. which is when I met many of you Hilltopers.  I do remember Joyce Norman; she was at Rice school with me.  I do not remember seeing her since high school....

George Bracey Gillow

IDENTITY THEFT AND CRIME

After I posted message 1170 joking about the jokes on aging, I wondered if I am putting too much personal information on this website.

I generally think it is not a good idea to put birthdates on a forum that is accessed by the general public.  (Just do a Google search on Bruce Wilson Hilltop High, George Gillow Hilltop High or Hilltop High Message Forum and you will access the forum.)

I know that there are a lot of sites where you can purchase personal information--so it may not matter that much, but I think caution when possible is a best policy.

I am also cautious of putting too much information on the Classmate Profiles where so many have access.  One classmate with a poor password might make access easy for a bad guy.

I have put some documents on my website www.gillow.com on identity theft and crime--Item 6 on my Home page.  These are pdf files that take a few seconds to download:

 www.gillow.com/images/Identity_Theft_Good_Information_from_FTC.pdf  and http://www.gillow.com/images/INFORMATION_ON_CRIMES_2015.pdf

Seniors are particularly vulnerable to crimes.  At this time of the year crooks are either calling people or coming to the door claiming to be from the IRS and that you owe some money and need to pay now or get in big trouble.  The IRS never calls or comes to the door.

Another scam is someone calling a senior pretending to be a family member--like a grandchild--and saying something like they are in jail and need bailout money.  The grandchild faker may pretend to have a cold to explain why their voice is not familiar.   This scam has worked many times.

Here are YouTube videos on the grandparent and IRS scams:

George Bracey Gillow

HILLTOP HIGH REUNION BOOKS

Also on my www.gillow.com website, home page Item #6, I put a pdf of the portrait section of the 25th reunion book.

I have the 20th reunion book, but my cheap website will not let me upload that sized document.  If you would like that one send me a personal message--In the Class Profile section under my name.

Here is the site with the 40th and 45th reunion pictures: https://www.flickr.com/photos/46736806@N04/collections/

I was only at one reunion, the 30th, but do not recall there was a book for that one.

Corinne McCall

Hi George

A friend of mine had the grandson calling from jail scam played on her.  He called and was desparate for bail money which he needed immediately.  Funny thing was is she said it sounded exactly like her grandson & she was wondering if he was scaming her for money.  She didi not fall for it - but she swears it sounded just like him and he swears he never made the call to her....FYI  

PS loved the cave man pic!! Sorry I missed the luncheon the other day with Linda. I hope we can make it another time soon! 

George Bracey Gillow

ON AGING

It is important for all of us to think young and live each day to its fullest.  Don't worry about next week, enjoy today and tomorrow.  And if you are upset about something, remember, in 100 years it will not matter.

I think it may have been Mother Teresa who said "our lives are an instant in time sandwiched in-between two eternities"

Author Bill Bryson once said that "at one time in the history of the universe a bunch of atoms got together and became me.  They will stay that way for a while then go away and forever be something else".

A couple of good books by Bryson are: The life and times of the Thunderbold kid (a great humerous look at growning up in the 1950s) and One Summer, America 1927 (A very well written history of the 1920s)

So have a great today and tomorrow.

Bruce Wilson

Yes all you 4 year old kindergarten starters, we were so much younger then, we're older than that now.

George raises a very important point regarding the possibility of identity theft, which I concur with wholeheartedly.

Be especially vigilant about guarding your email. If it is compromised you could be in for a very rough ride.

Ugly Scenario:

Someone gets ahold of your email id and password and uses it to obtain a password and/or or account name reset on your bank account (or some other account)

The reset key is dutifully sent out by your bank/other account holder to your compromised email account.

 Viola, someone else now "owns" your account.

If you are one of the 80 million hacked Anthem accounts, then your email account name is already gone. Be especially careful about "funnny' looking emails in your inbox.  BTW, have any of you been contacted by Anthem?  Has anybody been contacted by Anthem? [I need to look into this].

I'll look for a concise set of email protection steps you can take.

Later,

Madeline Bazzel (Hooper)

Hi Everyone, I also was a four year old.  My birthday being in January.  I always thought Lynn Iwashita was the youngest of our class, but I don't remember her birth date.

George Bracey Gillow

EMAILS ARE NOT SAFE

The email system is not at all secure even if you have good virus etc. protection on your computer.  I once asked Cox Communications to email me a receipt for a box I had returned.  They told me that "We do not trust emails".   That was from the operators of Cox.net!!!

So I never trust emails even if it comes from a friend.  It is best not to open attachments or click on links unless you are absolutely sure.   The name may look like it is from a friend, but if you click on their name you may discover it is from an email address that you do not recognize.

I am sure most of you are aware of these, but here is a brief list of the scams.  The important thing is never to give out personal information to someone even if the email looks legitimate.  Banks and other companies you deal with will never call or email you asking for personal information.  If you are unsure, call the bank using telephone numbers you have on your records--like a bill.   Don't use telephone numbers on the emails.

1. An email comes from Cox Communications or other email provider stating there is a problem in your email account and it will be de-activated and you need to send information. The crooks then use the information to get into your real account.

2. An email comes from your bank that looks real with proper logos etc. They say there is a problem with your account such as multiple attempts by someone to login. The email asks you to click on the link provided and reset your password. When you click on the link a page appears that looks exactly like the real bank's website (its easy to save a website modify it and use it for malicious purposes with another URL). The crooks will immediately use your username and password to get into your real account. They will change the passwords then can do great damage before you find out.

3. We all are aware of the emails from Nigeria or other places saying you have been trusted to handle a huge amount of money and in exchange will be given millions. This still must be working for the crooks since this scheme has been going on for decades. I first got an official looking letter back in the 1980s. I read where one medical doctor answered the letter and started a communication. When he found out they wanted a $50,000 "good faith" deposit into their account he became suspicious and refused. They sent a couple of thugs to beat him up. So these are extremely dangerous.

4. You get an email from a friend saying they are traveling in some country and have lost their passport and credit card and could you lend them some money to get them home. The crooks have hacked into your friends email account and got his/her email addresses then sent out the scam email that looks legitimate.

5. Virus and other malicious software are hidden in attachments to emails.  Never open an attachment or click on a link unless they come from a well known source.  If in doubt call the person sending the email and ask if it is legitimate.  I am opening fewer attachments and links these days even if they come from someone I know.

Just today I got a scam email that looked like it came from a LA Harbor pilot I know.  It was labled SCAM so that is good, but a look at the source email address was a red flag also:

Bruce Wilson

Rocky Road- Mt. Woodson

Bruce Wilson

ID Thievery.

Here's an email  I received recently purporting to be from a classmate that I correspond with.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 "View Secure Update"

Hello,

Have been trying to send you this file but was unsuccessful with attaching them to my email, maybe something with the network. I managed to upload them via Drop Box: CLICK HERE to log in with your email for secure access Thanks
 

Regards.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Suspicious items:

1. The title

2. The greeting "Hello" is out of character and the case mismatch ("file" and "them") is out of character for the person

3  The "click here" was a link to a known "phishing" site (http://www.fsoares.net/wp-content/languages/plugins/key/kk/smd/index.php) where they asked for email and password

4. If I initiated a reply to the email, it had my classmate's correct email address.

This was clearly an attempt to gain my email password, since they already had my address.

Be careful!

George Bracey Gillow

IDENTIFY THEFT PROTECTION

Here is just one more post on crime.  I know most of you are aware of a lot of the dangers out there.  I am the coordinator of the Neighborhood Watch in our neighborhood and I send out lots of warnings.  It is amazing how many neighbors are still victims of scams and crimes.

So maybe you youngsters--who started school at age 4--can warn your great-grand parents. (My wife has told me a million times not to exaggerate.)

Here is some more on Identity Theft:

A lot of the commercials on TV imply that identity theft is when someone steals your credit card.  This is not identity theft, just stealing of a card.  The problem is usually solved by contacting your credit card company and notifying them.  Federal Law only requires that you to be responsible for $50 of loss. It is important to regularly monitor all accounts.

Identity theft is when a bad guy gets your ID, like Social Security number, and does things in your name like purchasing a car, opening credit cards, getting loans or worse committing a crime.  Fortunately Identity theft does not happen very often.  Strangely with all the hacking that has been going on and all the Social Security numbers stolen, it could possibly be reducing the probability of any one person being a victim.  There are not that many bad guys around.

Here is what I suggest:

Keep monitoring all accounts on a regular basis.  This includes things like 401ks and IRAs as well as bank and credit cards.

Get an identity theft protection from one of the credit companies.  We have it with equifax(www.equifax.com).  There are various options and cost is about $20/month.  We have the following:

1. Automatic monitoring of the Internet to determine if our Social Security numbers, bank account numbers or credit card numbers are being sold.
2. Credit Report Locks--This is important: no person or business can check your credit report unless you unlock it. So it would be almost impossible to get a card in your name.
3. Fraud Alerts
4. Credit File Monitoring

Shayne Maree Schuller (Morgan Sledge)

I was one of the 80 million in the Anthem hacking. I stopped my direct withdrawal and switched to another company (it was a better rate too) Anthem did contact me by email with steps to take.for some protection, much of what George outlined.

When a credit card is lost it is easy to close the account and get a new number. Not so, obviously, with a social security number. It is disconcerting to say the least.

Terry Lee Maple

I've been hacked twice. The one Bruce has is one of them that went out. My apologies to anyone else who received it. AdWare seems to be a popular theme but who knows what the true motives are. Phone scams are even more troubling. I've had more than a few threats over the phone on phony debts. I've contacted law enforcement each time, and one officer actually called the scammers on the telephone and threatened them. I don't think they get prosecuted very much, but I believe an aggressive response is the right thing to do. I've learned to change my password frequently on e-mail. Sadly, a high degree of vigilence doesn't stop it.

Bruce Wilson

Shayne:

Did Anthem tell you explicitly what items of information about you were stolen? Did they contact you via email, regular mail, both?

I used Anthem (outragiously overpriced) when I was self-insuring. I have not been contacted by Anthem so either I wasn't in the group or they are not bothering to notify folks who were not "active" accounts.

I was in the Home Depot group that got hacked. What is most annoying about this is that I was not notified by Home Depot and I had to contact them to get the credit monitoring they were offering.

There needs to be a "Consumer Information Bill of Rights".

Companies collect and fail to protect way to much information.

e.g.something along these lines. Contact Elizabeth Warren and your congressman, senator.

Companies should not have access to your Social Security Number, DL# etc

They should be required to purge information from their databases when your account becomes inactive. (After some reasonable amount of time).

There should be non-token penalties for non-compliance by the companies.

Consumers should have the absolute right to obtain a complete statement of information that is collected by any company.

.