I was shocked to learn that my favorite comedy troupe, Monty Python and the Flying Circus, got started 50 years ago. It was enjoyable to watch an interview with Eric Idle, one of the group’s founders, and reminisce along with him as their history was reviewed. Their sketch comedy show began airing on the BBC in 1969, and a total of 45 episodes were made over four seasons. In the summer of 1974 it was our local PBS-TV station (KERA) that was first to air the Pythons' comedy shows in this country. Ratings shot through the roof, providing an encouraging sign to the other 100 PBS stations that had signed up to begin airing the show in October 1974—exactly five years after their BBC debut.

When President Trump was first asked about the alleged murder of US resident and journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, in early October in the Saudi consulate, Istanbul, his first and firm response was that should this be true, the USA could not risk the billions we profit from Saudi Arabia because other nations would eagerly replace us. This response to rogue behavior has a common ring in history, and has always put profit before human rights.

It's not how you celebrate but who you're with, right? Each October Lanny and I celebrate our wedding anniversary in a "suits us" fashion. I'll not soon forget the year our special day was honored by going to the pharmacy and getting the shingles vaccine. Tender, isn't it? I wasn't sure what Lanny had up his sleeve for our 6th anniversary, but I decided that if he gave me a burial policy, he'd need one sooner than I would.

This is the second of two columns examining the history of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in relation to its impact in Sherman. In a period of less than nine months the Pandemic killed an estimated 675,000 victims in the United States, and worldwide deaths may have reached 50 million; but what effects did it have in Sherman? Remember we discussed the fact that railroads were instrumental in spreading the virus across the country and many deaths attributed to pneumonia were in fact a complication of influenza.

There's a kindred spirit at the Arthritis Center in Dallas. While a knobby hand holds the door for a "walker and rider" to enter the lobby, a cane is inserted between the closing elevator doors to allow shuffling patrons a second chance to board. Jack Benny once said, "I don't deserve this, but I have arthritis and I don't deserve that either."

One hundred years ago, in September 1918, the citizens of Sherman were thinking about the upcoming visit of the Liberty train, as part of an aggressive campaign to sell US Government bonds to support the allied cause in World War I. What they failed to anticipate was a visit by the "Spanish Flu," or more precisely, what has come to be known as the 1918 Influenza (flu) Pandemic.

My dad's drugstore was like a bait shop/boutique, with each employee being a specialist. He had them all---a jeweler, a soda jerk, a pharmacist, a TV repairman, and a bus station ticket agent. My favorite was the soda jerk.

Our country and our government which was founded September 17, 1787, were both born and exist today through effective communication, open dialogue, collaboration, and compromise from diverse citizens who didn’t all look alike or think alike.

Plato said: "They deem him their worst enemy who tells them the truth."

Most children enjoy words that sound funny, like “nincompoop,” and I was no exception. As a senior citizen I still haven’t outgrown that interest, so I was delighted to discover a book entitled The 100 Funniest Words in English, by Robert Beard, a linguist also known as Dr. Goodword and the author of an internet blog on unusual words. Let's examine a few of those funny words.

The use and abuse of the word "evangelical" in US media depends on the writer's understanding of religion, or whether the topic is about religion’s influence on politics or vice versa.

To a kid growing up in the 50s, the only thing larger than Daddy was the family car. It was a big squatting hulk of steel with running boards, hood ornaments, and massive fenders. The backseats were large enough to transport cattle, where kids, unfettered by seat belts or car seats or any other safety device, had plenty of room to roam and punch each other. It gulped gas, and on a quiet night, we could hear it rust.