Dreams, War & La La Land

By Dr. Jim Ferguson My wife Becky remembers her dreams; mostly I don’t. Perhaps it’s because dreams are so often random if not totally wako. Some years ago I wrote an essay about dreams concluding that no one knows why these nocturnal visions are necessary for our...

Sabeteurs

By Dr. Jim Ferguson Perhaps the most influential science fiction novel of the 20th century was “Dune,” written by Frank Herbert. Too often people discount the science-fiction genre as Flash Gordon-esk with cheesy plots and ray guns. If this is what you think, I can...

Hooting

By Dr. Jim Ferguson I have to admit that I’ve never cared much for Valentine’s Day. Maybe it was because I was a boy, but the heart shaped candies and little Valentine cards in grammar school never did much for me. People complain about the commercialization of...

Winter Doldrums

By Dr. Jim Ferguson C.S. Lewis begins his wondrous little book, “The Great Divorce,” by describing a “long mean street” shrouded in semi-darkness and drizzling rain. I feel much the same about cold and dreary February, whose only redeeming aspect is its shortness. I...

Euphemisms

By Dr. Jim Ferguson Make no mistake about it, we are engaged in a civil war – even though we’re not shooting at each other. The word civil is defined as being courteous or polite. The state of our country is now anything but civil. The acrimony is at a fever...

Reflections

By Dr. Jim Ferguson I can honestly say I had never watched a Presidential inauguration until January 20, 2017. I guess it was because I was always working. My son-in-law said he first watched an inauguration in grammar school. When I was coming up TVs were a rarity in...