Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? - From Lynn Allison, Donetsk, Ukraine

The time/date statistic works on May 4th in Europe since they reverse the day and month. I had a
hard time explaining it to my Ukrainian friends until I told them it would occur on 04/05 (May)/ 06.
They also thought it was interesting. Smoke Signals, an international newsletter.

SEND US PICS AND STORIES OF YOUR VACATION!! If your vacation involved something that would
be of interest to the class, send 2 or 3 pics to Bob Pepper for publishing in the IN THE NEWS
NOW WITH VIEWS section.

MEMORIES from The Very Rev. Dr. Curtis I. Crenshaw

It was my first year at Central, and I had Mr. Pennington for Algebra II. He had several of us students
at the blackboard as he was explaining a problem. He then had us try to work the problem. I was facing
the board and said under my breath, "How does he expect us to work this thing. This is stupid." Guess
who was looking over my shoulder! I got royally reamed out, and I deserved it!

On another occasion, I was in biology class, Mrs. Greene as I recall. We were dissecting frogs.
I had been hunting bullfrogs for several years by this time with my uncle at night with bow and arrow
and the old carbide lights worn on the head. The girls--and some of the boys who did not want
admit it--were very squeamish about cutting into a frog. Thus I had the dubious distinction of doing
so for many of the girls. What they did not realize was that one could take the spinal cords that went
from spinal column to the back legs, rub them together, and the back legs would jerk involuntarily.
Boy did I have girls screaming as I had them hold the back legs as I dissected. Mrs. Greene never
did catch on to what I was doing. My uncle and I had done this for years to each other, and to my
mother and grandmother.

Visit Curt’s Church web site http://www.stfrancismissionrec.org/

“The Snow Nuts Chronicles” by Gene Johnson

(Dickie and the Garage Wall)

The summer of ‘55 was glorious… but then, again, anytime young boys were out of school, it was
glorious + any other superlative adjectives you may choose to use in the circumstance.

This particular summer was noteworthy because we had weathered the ‘wicked’ summers of ’52,
’53 & 54 when the temperature stayed above 100^o for days on end, and no one had air conditioning,
yet. In fact, during the summer of ‘54 Dickie and I were felled with heat stroke at the same time riding
our bikes, together… talk about some concerned, ‘wailing’ mothers… we had em.’ Obviously, we
survived because I’m writing about the summer of ’55.

Back to the story… Mr. Cooper had gotten us some scrap lumber, plenty of nails, hammers and saws.
You see, Dickie had this wonderful tree outside his kitchen door, so we spent every day that summer
building a tree house. The next day we would dismantle yesterday’s tree house and build today’s tree
house. After a while, the wood began to look like Swiss cheese, and the tree looked as if it had been
overwhelmed by a ‘herd’ of tree borers. That didn’t stop us, though. We were up in a tree doing some-
thing which was great fun for any little boy… building just like Frank Lloyd Wright!!!

Anyway, when the time came each day for me to go home, Dickie and I would always sit on his
swing set swings and strategize the next day’s architecture. Then one day came the dare!!!…
There was a garage in the back yard opposite the swing set, and Dickie decided that we would swing
high, launch ourselves out of the swings and see who could come closest to the garage wall. There
was no goal… just some remaining pent-up energy needing release.

Well… I came so close to the wall that my feet were at right angles to my shins, and I landed
just like some Olympic broad jumper sitting down on my butt. I didn’t realize that Dickie had launched.
I was concentrating with pleasure on my accomplishment when… KAAWHOOOM!!! Dickie hit the
garage wall. He must have truly thought he could beat me… just for an instant he looked like some of
those cartoon characters who had to be peeled off the walls they hit.

Dickie came down on his back and lay on the ground face up, spread eagled. I eased over to him and
sat there cross-legged studying him… “Are you okay?” “I think so,” he said. “Can you get up?” “I’m
not sure,” he said.

Just then Ms. Lucille (Dickie’s mother) leaned out the back door… “Richard Nash Cooper (She always
called him Richard Nash Cooper when she was upset), what is all of this commotion I’m hearing?”
Commotion was the right word… Ms. Lucille knew her son, well.

“I can get up, now,” he said. I went home.

Send your Central Memory to PAULA

SAY WHAT?!!

"When gas prices go up 5 cents a gallon, that's maybe an extra $10 a week out of consumers' pockets.
But when they're going up 15 cents and more, it means $20 extra a week,"

Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with market research firm NPD Group.

Warnings to Warriors – Marilyn Busselle writes that cocoa mulch, sold at many mass merchandisers,
contains dangerously high levels of theobromine, a caffeine-like chemical. Pets, especially dogs, are
attracted to the mulch and ingestion may be harmful or fatal.
CLICK FOR MORE

FROM THE LAUGH TRACK from the sick mind of Bettye Jo Olive Johnson

Just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you
with all they have.

Jim and Edna were both patients in a mental hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital
swimming pool, Jim suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sank to the bottom of the pool and stayed there.

Edna promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled Jim out. When the Head Nurse
Director became aware of Edna's heroic act, she immediately ordered her to be discharged from the
hospital, as she now considered her to be mentally stable.

When she went to tell Edna the news, she said, "Edna, I have good news and bad news. The good news
is you're being discharged. Since you were able to rationally respond to a crisis by jumping in and saving
the life of another patient, I have concluded that your act displays sound mindedness.

The bad news is that Jim, the patient you saved, hung himself in the bathroom with his bathrobe belt right
after you saved him. I am so sorry, but he's dead."

Edna replied, "He didn't hang himself, I put him there to dry." "How soon can I go home?"

SEND US A SHORT BIO ALONG WITH A RECENT PHOTO SO WE CAN PUT YOU
IN “THE SPOTLITE”. Use this well done Bio. PINKY as a guide.

IN THE NEWS NOW WITH VIEWS send news of new jobs, retirement, kids, grandkids,
anything of interest going on in your life to Bob Pepper

May 12 – The Senate confirmed Marc L. Kesselman, son of Fred and Sally Walter Kesselman, as
general counsel of the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. TEMP LINK

NEWS FOR THE OUT-OF-TOWNER for more, visit Commercial Appeal

May 1 – The Memphis School Bd. approved $22million to demolish and rebuild the 72-year old Crump
Stadium. The new stadium, due to be complete by the fall of ’06, will serve Central, Northside, South
Side and Hamilton high schools, Bellevue Jr. High and Snowden Elementary.

Remember, the second place winner is really just the first loser. With all precincts reporting,
Joey Cooper has lost his County Commission Dist. 5 primary bid to Steve Mulroy. Cooper garnered
34% of the vote to Mulroy’s 60%. This campaign was replete with lawsuits and accusations of
wrong doings.

May 4 – Local Fox news anchor Ron Meroney was arrested on a thirty-six year old statutory rape
charge in Wicomico County, Md. Meroney was alleged to have had sex with a child under 14 in
1974. No explanation was given as to why the charges were just now being filed. In the ‘50s
Meroney replaced Wink Martendale as host of WHBQ’s “Top Ten Dance Party”

Back in “The Day” East High was the “Country Club” school, now it’s the “Gun Club” School -
Friday, May 5th, shots again rang out on the parking lot of East High School, sending two men to
local hospitals. The latest shooting occurred after a school dance. Another shooting took place on
East High’s parking lot earlier this year, after a basketball game.

LINKS YOU’LL LOVE

TEMP LINK Commercial Appeal article on ’06 Central’s soccer team – Ed.

TEMP LINK Commercial Appeal article on ’06 prom night various schools, incl. Central – Ed.

EYES FOLLOW MOUSE, TYPE AND SHE TALKS – Mike Blackwell

NOSTALGIC TRIP – Roma Leah Trobaugh Allen

HENRY’S CORNER

Charlie Chaplin once lost a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest.

Speaking of Gunsmoke,, as of 2003, at 20 years and over 600 episodes it is

the longest running, American prime-time TV drama.

With 10 times more PEA, the happy hormone, than chocolate, cheese not
only boosts your sex-life, beats stress and acts as a painkiller, but it also provides calcium.
According to the British Cheese Association.

Scientist stops his preaching and goes to meddling

In a University of Western Ontario lecture series, renowned U.S. zoologist Louis Guillette reports
that pesticide contamination can reduce penis size. Guillette continues that he ”..won’t use
pesticides on his own lawn.”