The Mask

By Dr. Jim Ferguson The sign of our times is the “Mask.” I was always curious seeing Asian cultures such as the Chinese and Japanese wearing masks in public. Understandably, the polluted air of Beijing and industrial areas of China might require a filter – or an...

Ventilation

By Dr. Jim Ferguson The Right Reverend Martin Luther King’s famous words, “Free at last, free at last…” popped into my mind last week as I severed my connection with Facebook. For years I enjoyed pictures of my friends and their families, memories and conversations,...

Mots Justes

By Dr. Jim Ferguson Somewhere along the way, I developed an appreciation of history and language. Maybe I was born with recessive historical or writing genes which somehow became activated. I don’t know how this occurred, but I’ve come to understand there are a lot of...

Quotations

By Dr. Jim Ferguson As I write this column, it is day forty-four of our “sheltering in place,” and we’ve had enough. Tonight, our neighborhood friends will join us in Blount County at our favorite Mexican restaurant to celebrate “liberation” with margaritas and...

Skeptic or cynic?

By Dr. Jim Ferguson I have to admit that the more I listen to “experts” the more confused I become. As a citizen and physician, I believe it is my duty to stay informed. So, I read widely.  And I watch the daily White House Coronavirus Task Force briefings....

Dichotomies

By Dr. Jim Ferguson A common idiom holds that there are two sides of a coin. The interpretation of this saying, or dichotomy, is a contrast between oppositional perspectives. Philosophically, I’ve always held that with any concept you can conceive of its opposite....