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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

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Archives for June 2009

GodsBigBlog: Will Obama Meet with Muslims This Weekend?

June 30, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The Islamic Society of North America will meet in D.C., over the Fourth of July weekend. Spekers include Rick Warren of Saddleback Church and noted Islam scholar Hamsa Yusuf. And possibly President Obama.

GodsBigBlog: Hindus in America

June 30, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Want to know more about Hinduism in America? Check out the Hindu American Foundation website — Obama’s Cairo oversight, America’s National Day of Prayer, Hindus and Jews meet.

A Case of the Human Condition: I Did It — I Offed Those Frightful Snapdragons

June 29, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I yanked those ugly maroon snapdragons out by the roots. My front yard color scheme has been restored, and all is right with the world.

A Case of the Human Condition: I Want to Kill My Snapdragons

June 26, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Maroon snapdragons growing in the yard of Barbara Falconer Newhall. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Those maroon snapdragons in my front yard are ugly. But they’re alive. Can I rip them out? Read more.

Book Openers: Barack Obama — How He Got So Smart

June 23, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

President Barack Obama at his desk, thinking. White House photo.

Barack Obama was a president who could think. His memoir, “Dreams from My Father,” explains how Obama got so smart. Read more.

The Rhetorician in the White House — Or, How I Learned to Love the Passive Voice

June 22, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Barack Obama at pyramids during 2009 cairo visit.

The passive sentence gets a bad rap — it’s weak, it’s vague, it’s passive. But sometimes a neatly turned passive sentence is just what our ever-shrinking world needs. Obama’s Cairo speech is an example. Read more.

In the Garden With the Grammar Geek: Is It Ever OK to Use the Passive Voice?

June 19, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Garden Artisan Jillian Steinberger prunes the camellias in Barbara Falconer Newhall's yard. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Passive sentences can be wordy and vague — or useful. For me, a passive sentence is one that, like it or not, obscures the doer of the action. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

The Shame of Aging: The Big Seven-Five Has Finally Arrived

The shame of aging -- a writer has tossed old filed in a wastebasket. the Big Seven-Five. Photo by Barbara Newhall

It’s here. My birthday. The Big Seven-Five. I’m now officially old. But I don’t wear my trousers rolled. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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