by Barry Phegan | Jan 17, 2026 | Social comment
We are so accustomed to violent behavior; it is simple to brush over new attacks. Why? Our president recently threatened several members of Congress with hanging. How did we respond? After a brief media kerfuffle, we collectively murmured, “There he goes...
by Barry Phegan | Oct 14, 2025 | Social comment
What is the price we pay when we give people permission to act on their hatred towards others? Because the Supreme Court preapproved all actions of the president, we pay for his unrestrained vengeance, retribution, and disregard of political and legal norms. We...
by Barry Phegan | Aug 1, 2025 | Social comment
As Yuval Harari so clearly points out in his best-selling book Sapiens, every culture is built on a set of fictitious stories that are treated as truths or realities by people in that culture. Perhaps our President’s actions feel so scary and assaultive because...
by Barry Phegan | Nov 25, 2024 | Living Life, Social comment
In October this year, I slipped and fell. I’d been shampooing my carpet and didn’t realize that there was soapy water on the kitchen floor. I stepped on it with bare feet. They immediately flew up into the air, just like in a cartoon. As my hip and elbow hit...
by Barry Phegan | Aug 12, 2024 | Social comment
Dumping carbon dioxide and other waste products into the environment asked Mother Nature to swallow more than she could. She pushed back — in surprising, and costly ways. We have done something similar to our national culture. The educated and wealthy, with...
by Barry Phegan | Jun 4, 2024 | Social comment
Two close friends recently had their homeowner’s insurance canceled. One lives in Berkeley, the other in Rohnert Park. I mentioned this to a friend, who replied that his insurance rates recently tripled. What’s going on? To understand property insurance...
