Barbara Falconer Newhall

Confessions of a Carnivore: Why Eating Meat is OK — Sorta

April 24, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Cattle feed lot at Harris Ranch, CA. Photo by BF Newhall.

Cattle feed lot at Harris Ranch, Central Valley, California. Photo by BF Newhall

Here’s my essay for the “Why It’s OK to Eat Meat” contest the New York Times Magazine put on a few weeks ago. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I didn’t win and I’m OK with that; some of the other essays were truly superb.

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

When our son was a boy he was tormented by headaches. Tests showed he was allergic to the seven-story cypress tree growing outside his bedroom window. “Cut that tree down,” said the pediatrician.

My husband and I were taken aback. [Read more...]

Filed Under: A Case of the Human Condition Tagged With: carnivore, cypress trees, ethical living, meat-eater, new york times ethicist carnivore contest, vegetarians

I’m a Meat-Eating Loser – I Didn’t Win the New York Times Ethicist Contest

April 22, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Chicken wings, legs and breasts in butcher's case. Photo by BF Newhall

Chicken wings, legs and breasts for sale at my local Whole Foods. Photo by BF Newhall.

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I’m not bitter. I didn’t win the “Why It’s OK to Eat Meat” contest the New York Times Magazine put on a few weeks ago. I didn’t even make the final six, which were published today on the Times website.

But I’m OK with that. [Read more...]

Filed Under: A Case of the Human Condition Tagged With: don't miss, eating meat, ethics, new york times ethicist carnivore contest, vegans, vegetarianism

Joan Chittister: The View from the Second Half of LIfe

April 17, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Joan Chittister. Photo by Ed Bernik.

“I looked back over all the open meadows and tangled underbrush of my life and knew in an instant that whatever had been, it had been right. Where I had been born was right, how I had lived life had been right, even all its wrong parts had been right . . . ”

– From Joan Chittister’s new book, Following the Path, which goes on sale today.

Following the Path: The Search for a Life of Passion, Purpose, and Joy, by Joan Chittister, Image, 2012, $18, hardcover, eBook $9.99.

Filed Under: Book Openers Tagged With: following the path, joan chittister, the second half of life

A Makeover in the Works — We’re Updating My Website

April 9, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

DB Falconer hammers planks to branch of tree for a treehouse for his grandchildren. Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall

My dad building a treehouse for his grandchildren, 1988. Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall

Things are changing fast around here. Lots of new features are being added to this website by my trusty consultants Lesley and Cheryl.

Hope you like the new look. More improvements are on the way.

Meanwhile, our apologies if things aren’t working quite right yet. Pls hang in there with us! Thanks. — Barbara

Filed Under: A Case of the Human Condition Tagged With: building awebsite, DB Falconer, tree house

Wanna Sing? Go to Church on Easter — Or to a Baseball Game

April 8, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Children place flowers on a wooden cross. St. John's Episcopal Church, Oakland, CA. Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall

By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The really nice thing about Easter is — you get to sing. Good and loud. And if you go to my church, you get to sing the Alleluia Chorus from “The Messiah,” which if you’re me, you learned as a kid in the Cecelian Choir at the First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, Michigan.

I was a soprano then. [Read more...]