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Barbara Falconer Newhall

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

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
  • MY EVER-CHANGING FAMILY
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Archives for January 2010

A Case of the Human Condition: The Center of the Universe? It’s a Little Beach in Michigan, of Course

January 30, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A channel crosses a sand beach and empties into Lake Michigan. Photo by BF Newhall

If I were drawing a map of the world, its center would be the little beach in Michigan where the Bass Lake outlet flows into the great, blue Lake Michigan. Read more.

A Case of the Human Condition: Another Threat to Lake Michigan — Asian Carp

January 26, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

My Michigan friends are emailing me about the Asian carp threatening to enter Lake Michigan and the other Great Lakes from the Illinois canal system. The carp would seriously endanger fish and other wildlife in the Lakes and local rivers.

A Case of the Human Condition: Build a Wind Farm — Wreck Lake Michigan

January 23, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Lake Michigan with a colorful sky at sunset, seen from Michigan. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I saw the map and burst into tears. It broke my heart. Windmills, a hundred square miles of them, are being proposed for Lake Michigan – a couple miles off shore. In the lake. Beautiful, serene, life-giving Lake Michigan. Read more.

The Writing Room: Carol Edgarian’s Letter to a Young Writer

January 18, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Whether you’re a brand-new writer or writer of many years, be sure to check out Carol Edgarian’s letter to a young college graduate who wants to write but doesn’t know where to start.

The Writing Room: Different From, Different Than – Which Is It?

January 16, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

[caption id="attachment_7493" align="aligncenter" width="500"]books on shelf by john gardener, sands hall, strunk and white, noah lukeman, robert mckee, theodore m bernstein, stephen koch, susan shaughnessy. Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall Some of my favorite books on the craft of writing. Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall[/caption]

I was at the gym working on my pecs and abdominals the other day when I spotted a flyer announcing, “Belly fat is different than other fat.” Shouldn’t that be different from? What’s correct? I hadn’t a clue. Read more.

Geographic Mobility in America — Watching My Grown-Up Kids Disappear

January 9, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

College student enters airport with suitcases to go to Carleton College for his freshman year. Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall

Most of my grandmother’s children – there were seven of them – lived out their lives within walking distance of their mother’s white frame house in Scottville, Michigan. Not my father. He moved away. So did I. So has my son. Read more.

A (Pillow) Case of the Human Condition: Time to Crack Open That Hope Chest and Live a Little

January 2, 2010 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

hand embroider pillowcase with french knots & daisies. Photo by BF Newhall.

I waited too long to get married. By the time Jon and I said our vows, the contents of my hope chest had become outdated, old-fashioned, fussy — unusable. As a result, after thirty some years of marriage, I continue to be the owner of a dozen or so beautiful, hand-embroidered, virginal pillowcases. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Retired Is a State of Mind — Six Ways to Know If You’re There Yet

A trail alongside Bon Tempe Lake in Marin county, California. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Retired is a state of mind. Not a state of paycheck or work schedule or commute or how much time you spend at the office. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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