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Viewpoints Our Views School safety In the aftermath of the tragedy at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., every school in the country has been potentially vulnerable to scare tactics, malicious disruption and rumors. Our schools in Houston County are no exception, and we are glad to see both school officials and law enforcement agencies are proceed ing very sensibly following up on the predictable rumors, bringing extra security to the schools, but continuing with education as usual. Supt. of Schools Charles Holloway set the right tone this week in an open letter to parents in which he explained basic crisis policies have been in place for some time, and that extra security steps that are being taken this week. Holloway also made it clear that the Board will take a zero-tolerance approach to trouble makers. “If a rumor is substantiated," we told parents, “we take swift and forceful action. Students who are found to be involved in incidents that are disruptive to school, such as threats to harm others, will be punished to the full extent of board policy and the law.” It is good to see openness with parents and students and such a healthy mix of caution and common sense during these troubled times for America’s schools. Thanks for food gifts Editor: On behalf of our Board of Directors and the many hundreds of recipients who will benefit from your generosity, we Extend, a big “thank you" for your support this year. Approximately 5,000 pounds of food were gathered during the May 8 Letter Carriers’ Food Drive. To all those who gave to these families, and to all those who volunteered their time for this cause, we are truly grateful. It’s an old, old saying, but we simply could not have accom plished any thing with out your Letters to the Editor P.D. Drawer M, Perry support. Thank you for caring. Alvalyn H. Pope President Loaves and Fishes of South Houston County Support Relay for Life Editor: I doubt if there is a single person in Perry and the surrounding area who has not been touched in some way by cancer. We read in our newspapers from time to time about new and exciting discoveries which are helping to win the war against this dreaded disease. This weekend, through the Relay for Life, all of us have the opportunity to do our little bit in making sure we do win that war. Let me encourage everyone in our com munity to come out to the track at Perry High School on Friday night and walk a lap for two to show your support for what the American Cancer Society is doing to help each of you live a life free from can cer. There will be great entertainment begin ning at 7:20 p.m., and a very wonderful candlelight service at nine o’clock. There is no admission charge and no collections will be taken. Please come join us. Jim Worrall A Cancer Survivor HOUStffl! HOSIB JOUPftftf P.O. Drawer M • 807 Carroll St. • Perry. Ga. 31069 email homejrnOhom.net (912) 987-1823 (voice) • (912) 988-1181 (fax) Bob Trtbble President JJ Johnson Editor and General Manager Ellen T. Green .Advertising Director Phil Clark Sports Joan Dorsett Lifestyles Torey Jolley News and Classified Ailine Kent Sports Pauline Lewis Lifestyles Rob Mead ...News and Circulation Charlotte Perkins News and Composition Paula Zimmerman Bookkeeping / Hr Wf Email and the growing number of urban legends Many people who have access to email enjoy sending messages to their friends. I’m no exception to that rule. Some of the stories which are shared are great. They provide inspiration, humor or some other emotion which brings happiness to both the one who sends and one who readers. One of the problems involved with email is that many senders don't understand either attri bution or copyright laws. I receive many mailings which I know must have been prepared by a professional, yet there is no credit given. Other mailings arrive with dubious attribution, or stories which have circulated around the world many times. ISmhmov of /999 Atmnre mmmmor Puw ahfa X Still more HHJ news from the past Here’s some more memories for you from our Houston Home-Journal bound volumes. We’ve got much older ones than these, but I’m trying to stick with years that a lot of readers may remember. Forty years ago this week: Billy Ethridge had just been elected Jaycee President. The Perry FFA Chapter swept the honors at the district com petition Beverly Jacobs was named District FFA sweetheart and was a special guest at an open house held at Robins Air Force Base for Perry digni taries. Jeanne Connell, Miss Perry of 1959, was getting ready to compete in the Miss Georgia Pageant . Miss Joan Roper, a student at GSCW, was the guest of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Roper over the week end. (For those of you who haven’t lived here 40 years, Joan Roper eventually became the Hedda Hopper of Perry.) Martha Evans announced a vacation play school for chil dren ages 4-6. Miss Susan Ray celebrated her fifth birthday with a really memorable party. There were 50 guests in the assembly room of the Presbyterian Youth Center, which was decorated with pink and green crape paper streamers. Little Susan’s birthday cake matched her dress. South of Perry, the Elko Henderson Home Demonstra- Our Policies Unsigned editorials appearing in larger type on this page under the label Our Views reflect the posi tion of the Houston Home Journal. Signed columns and letters on this page (and elsewhere in this news paper) reflect the opinions of the writers and not nec essarily those of this newspaper. Signed letters to the editor are welcomed. Please limit letters to 300 words and include addressee and a telephone number for verification purposes. Letters are not published without verification. Letters should be sent to P.O. Drawer M. Perry. Ga.. 31069 or brought to the newspaper office at 807 Carroll St., Perry Our liability for an error will not exceed the cost Page 4A Wed., May 12. 1900 JJ Johnson Home Journal Editor When one of those stories arrives, I usually check a web site at http://urbanlegends . miningco. com / mbody. htm?PID =2733&COB=hometo see if that story has been proven true. More than once I have received a story which I would gladly have shared with others but 1 didn’t after I learned it Charlotte Perkins Home Journal Staff tion Club enjoyed a Spend-The -Day at the home of Mrs. Edra Wynn. (Don’t you know they had some good food!) The Houston County Training School Chorus was scheduled to broadcast on Station WBBN . with J. Walker Freeman directing. The General Telephone com pany was boasting of tele phones “in every color but stripes’’ Akin Drugs had Super Plenamins on sale. The Colonial Store was offering five 10 oz. packages of strawberries for 89 cents, and Snows Laundry would diy clean suits for 69 cents! Charles P. Gray and Cohen Walker purchased the cotton warehouse and com shelling plant owned by Mayo Davis, to use it as a Massey Ferguson Tractor dealership. 25 years ago this week: Perry voters elected Gordon Scarborough to City Council and James McKinley as Mayor. A delegation from the Perry Chamber of Commerce went to Washington and met with Third of space occupied by the error. We cannot be responsible for the return of pictures or submitted materials unless a stamped, return address envelope is included. Our Goal The Houston Home Journal Is published proudly for the citizens of Houston and adjoining counties by Houston Publications Inc., Perry, Ga. Our goal is to produce quality, profitable, communtty-oriented newspapers that you. our readers, are proud of. We will rtach this goal through hard work, teamwork, loyalty and a strong dedication toward printing the truth. Member of Georgia Press Association and National Newspaper Association. i .. I | \ District Congressman Jack Brinkley. In the front page photo were Harold Jennings, Rep. Larry Walker, Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Bembry, Mayor McKinley, Bob Richards, Mr. and Mrs. Lamar DeLoach, Arthur White Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Elwin McKinney, Francis Nunn. Annette Whelchel and McKinley Franklin. The mayor proclaimed “E.M. Cheek Day" to honor one of Perry’s outstanding agriculture educators. Elmore’s had a Mother’s Day Sale - suggesting among other items: potting soil, lawn mow ers and durable press halter tops. Mr. and Mrs. Melvin Meeks celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Steve Langston and his fami ly were honored as Top Georgia Farmers and featured in a full page story with photos, includ ing one great one of Farmer Langston with a very quizzical looking pig. Ruby Tharpe reported in her “Personals" column that Master Sgt. James. D. Roberts of Langley Air Force Base spent a few days with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Freeman Roberts. The Perry Drive In was show ing “Red Sky at Morning" and Mildred Warren, in “The Cook’s Nook”, offered a recipe for Chow Mein Candy. (Yep. Chow mein noodles and butterscotch See PERKINS. Page 5A Houston Horn Journal was either attributed incorrect ly or what has come to be the bane of email existence, the urban legend. Urban legends are stories which may have had some sem blance of truth to them at some point or they may just sound so good not one can resist sending die message on to a friend. An example of an urban leg end is the young man in England who was collecting business cards for a shot at a Guiness Book of Records. Unfortunately for the young man and his family, that was almost 10 years ago. The young man recovered from his disease and is fine. His family has appealed to many media outlets to share the message: stop the cards and letters. Last week I violated my own caution about urban legends. I received a mailing which intrigued me. The so-labeled new bill of rights was attributed to a state senator from Cobb County. I forwarded the new bill of rights to about 20 friends for response. One of those friends did the checking I should have, and learned the senator didn’t write the bill. He had received the mailing, and forwarded it to some of his friends. By the time the mail made it back, it was attributed to him. Moral of the story? Be sure you have researched your mail before you mail it. It is possible that sending that email can make someone a victim. Bob Tribble Home Journal President Noah and today’s ark We will all agree that we live in the best country in the world and few of us would move from this great country to a foreign land. We enjoy visits abroad but we are always glad to get back home. Along with living in the greatest nation on earth come some problems in the form of government laws and regula tions. My friend Calvin Jackson sent me a copy of “Noah and Today’s Ark” that I would like to share with you. We don’t know who the author is. The Lord spoke'to Noah a-nd said, “Noah, in six months I am going to make it rain until the whole earth is covered with water and all the evil things are destroyed. “But, I want to save a few good people and two of every living thing on the planet. I am ordering you to build and ark." In a flash of lightning, He delivered the specifications for the ark. “OK," said Noah, trem bling with fear and fumbling with the blueprints. “I’m your main." “Six months and it starts to rain," thundered the Lord." You better have the ark completed or learn to swim for a long, long time." Six months passed and the sky began to cloud up and the rain began to fall in torrents. The Lord looked down and saw Noah sitting in his yard, weeping and there was no ark. “Noah!" shouted the Lord. “Where is the ark?” A lightning bolt crashed into the ground right beside Noah. “Lord, please forgive me!" begged Noah. “I did my best but there were some BIG PROBLEMS. First. I had to get a building permit for the ark’s construction, but your plan didn’t meet their code, so I had to hire an engineer to redo the plans, only to get into a long argument whether to include a fire sprinkler system. “My neighbors objected claiming that I was violating zoning ordinances by building the ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning board. “Then I had a big problem getting enough wood for the ark because there was a ban See TRIBBLE, Page 5A “Congress shall make no law respecting an estab lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Your right to read this news paper is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. The Houston Home Journal (ÜBPS 000471) is pohliabpd weekly for $21.40 per year (including sales tax) by Houston Publications Inc.. 807 Carroll St.. Perry. Ga.. 31060. Periodicals Class Postage paid at Perry. Ga. POSTMASTER : Send addreae changes to the Houston Home Journal, P.O. Drawer M. Perry, Ga. 31069. ISSN: 1075-1874. ’'Or