November 17, 1999
Page A5
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Insurance company unveils new
name on Rose Parade float
CONTRIBUTED STORY
tor
T he P ortland O bserver
W hile there is som e debate over
w hether the new m illennium should
actually begin w ith the year 2000, or
2 0 0 1 , 2 0 ,h C e n tu r y I n s u ra n c e
Com pany is seizing upon the earlier
occasion to change its corporate name
for the new century and using the
w orld’s m ost fam ous N ew Y ear’s
Parade to m ake the announcem ent to
millions.
20*h C entury Industries, the parent
com pany o f 20,h C entury Insurance
Com pany, w ill becom e 21 ” C entury
Insurance G roup on Jan. 1,2000, with
the new nam e first appearing on the
com pany’s m agnificent 55-foot-long
float entry in the 11,h T ournam ent o f
Roses Parade in Pasadena.
The com pany ’ s float, nam ed V isions
o f W isdom and Im agination, echoes
the parade them e, V isions o f the
Future. The float concept, by designer
Raul Rodriguez, is being built by Fiesta
Parade Floats in Duarte, Calif. It
features reading as a fundamental
tool for learning, the key to wisdom,
e n te rta in m e n t ad v e n tu re , fu tu re
worlds, times and dimensions. Merlin,
the artful wizard is featured bringing
visions from his im agination to life,
including a spectacular two- headed
anim ated dragon.
T he nam e change and float design
w ere celebrated at the com pany’s
W oodland Hills, Calif, headquarters
on N ov. 5, w hen the Rose Parade
Q ueen, Sophia Bush, and her Royal
C o u rt help ed u n v eil the d esig n
incorporating the new name.
The Nov. 5 kick-off for the name
change announcem ent signaled a
busy tim e for the subsidiary o f 20,h
Century Industries, the nation’s ninth
la r g e s t p e r s o n a l a u to m o b ile
insurance stock company. According
to President and C EO W illiam L
M ellick, “O ur new nam e is not ju st a
change to note passage into a new
c e n tu ry , it a lso c e le b ra te s o u r
financial stability, our expansion o f
b u s in e s s
o p e r a tio n s
o u ts id e
California, and the upcoming opening
o f the addition to o u r co rp o rate
h eadquaters b u ild in g , m ore than
doubling our current headquarters
size.”
Founded in 1958, the com pany w as a
p io n e e r o f th e d ire c t re sp o n se
m aketing o f personal autom obile
insurance and specializes in selling
low -cost autom obile insurance to
good drivers only. T he com p an y ’s
insurance is currently available in
California, Arizona, N evada, Oregon
and W ashington.
V is it th e m o n th e in te r n e t at
www.20tliCenturvinsurance.com and
the com pany is traded on the N ew
York Stock Exchange.
We’re Changing our Name to
21st Century
Insurance Group...
And the Whole World is Celebrating on the
Streets of Pasadena on New Year’s Day
Effective January 1,2000, the first day of the New
Millennium, 20th Century becomes 21st Century Insurance
Group...and our float in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses
Parade marks the coming out party for that new name.
Holiday game plans can tackle
family’s unhealthy habits
CONTRIBUTED STORY
for T he
P ortland O bserver
IfT hanksgiving kicks o ff non-stop noshing and sports-
channel surfing at your house you m ight w ant to call a
pre-season tim e -o u t. “Fam ilies w ho engage in too little
exercise and too m any high-calorie snacks are setting
their kid up to becom e overw eight, sedentary adults
p ro n e to c a r d io v a s c u la r d is e a s e , d ia b e te s an d
hypertension,” said Becky G orham , research dietitian
w ith the U SD A /A R S C hildren’s N utrition Research
C enter at B aylor C ollege o f M edicine in Houston. To
help parents develop a strong defense against these
unhealthy habits, G orham offers these tips: Call
interference on excessive television, video and com puter
tim e that keep kids inactive. H old a team m eeting to
negotiate sitting-tim e lim its. B reak up boredom by
sending kids outside to play, help prepare meals.
Negotiate trade-offs involving free-time activities. Trade
participation in fam ily touch football gam es, 20 m inute
w alks or other physical activities for extra tim e to view
those m ust-see football gam es. B uild “team spirit” by
asking the kids to help plan holiday activities, decorate
the yard or prepare hom em ade gifts. Take turns being
th e “ to u r g u id e ” fo r a f te r - d in n e r w a lk s p a s t
neighborhood holiday displays. Plan a fam ily w eekend
tree-cutting excursion, get kids involved in organizing
a neighborhood T urkey T rot or Jingle Bell Run, lead a
canned food drive o r host a holiday skating party. Stock
up on nutritous snacks such as low -fat cheeses, flavored
hum m us dips, low -fat ranch-style dip, ready-to-eat
vegetables, hom em ade cereal and nut m ixes, dried and
canned fruit, ready-to-eat fresh fruit w edges and peanut
butter. Stick to a gam e plan o fbalance and m oderation for
family m eals and activities. Kids and their parents need to
m aintain some routine some structure, especially during
the busy holiday season.
“ Parents ca n ’t expect a couch-potato kid to m iraculously
grow up to be a healthy, active adult. But, by setting a good
e x a m p le , ta c k lin g u n h e a lth y e a tin g p a tte rn s and
encouraging physical activities every day o f the year,
parents can help kid develop winning habits that are likely
to stay w ith them as they grow," G orham said.
Watch for us in the Rose Parade...and all over. Because
our
new name is not just a reflection of the new century,
it represents our continuing commitment to being your
premier source for value-priced insurance and
the finest customer service.
And the best is yet to come.
21st Century Insurance Group
(800) 2 1 1 -SAVE
Open adoption
records cause
controversy
CONTRIBUTED STORY____________________________________________ ___________
for
T he P ortland O bserver
W hat are the pros and cons o f opening adoption
records? W hat is the history and w hy are we discussing
this issue now ? Dr. C onnie D aw son, PhD, co-author o f
G row ing Up Again: Parenting O urselves. Parenting O ur
Children will discuss the im pact o f sealed records on
parties involved during a special w orkshop sponsored
by P S U ’s S chool o f E xtended S tudies.T he d a y ’s
activities will include presentations by representatives
on both sides o f the argum ent, discussion o f the basic
elem ents o f decision m aking involved in an inform ed
problem -solving approach, and close look at the history
o f this em otional topic and w hy w e are, once again, re­
examining our current social policy. Partic ipants will join
in structured
Exercises that encourage decisions based on facts
rather than hearsay o r the opinions o f som eone with
presum ed authority. W hat are the barriers to arriving at
consensus? Is it alw ays possible to reach consensus?
How do you justify your position and w hat are the
factors that im pact the decision m aking process? A,
w orkshops end, participants will be asked to m ake a
forced choice on the topic.
Date: Decem ber 2 , 1999Time: 8 :30am 4pm (Sam check­
in) Location: PSU Smith Memorial Center, Room 327 Fee:
$99 CEU s available Registration: (503) 725-4832
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