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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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Amazing Places: A Walk Around Oakland’s Jingletown

July 3, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

a car entirely covered with mosaics parked in Oakland, CA, Jingletown neighborhood. Photo by BF Newhall

Is Oakland the next Brooklyn? Lots of people are saying so. As rents and living expenses skyrocket in San Francisco, thanks to the tech boom, hipsters and artists are relocating across the Bay to Oakland. Read more.

SXSW: Austin — A City With Its Soul on Its Sleeve

November 7, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A statue of the Virgin Mary in blue and white clothes and outstretched arms in a front yard in Austin, TX. Photo by BF Newhall

 

Austin has the reputation of being not your typical Texas town — it’s more liberal and more secular than the rest of this Bible Belt state. Perceptions aside, there’s plenty of religion going on in Austin, and you can see it from the street. Read more.

American Hispanics: They Like the Pope, but the Church — Not So Much

October 3, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A mural dipicting Jesus on the cross is painted on an fuse box next to a telephone at a convenience store in east Austin, TX. Photo by BF Newhall

More news from the Religion Newswriters Association conference I attended in Austin – a Public Religion Research Institute survey of Hispanics in America turned up some surprises. For example, 69 percent of Hispanics in general have a favorable view of Pope Francis, but only 54 percent look favorably on the Catholic Church. Read more.

Why Pray? — Some Thoughts from Karen Armstrong

June 5, 2009 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Multicolored Tibetan prayer flags strung on a rope fly at the Himalayan Fair Berkelely 2014. Photo by BF Newhall

Why pray? Karen Armstrong, one of my favorite authors, has some answers for the skeptical. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Crazy-Making Crazy Quilt — Finished at Last

Sue Mary Fox quilting stitches a crazy quilt -- quilt top, batting and backing -- with her long arm sewing machine in her Berkeley, CA, studio. Photo by Barbara Newhall

In desperation I took the crazy-making crazy quilt that I’d begun–but never finished–over to Sue Mary Fox’s quilting studio in Berkeley. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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  • A Case of the Human Condition
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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

DON’T MISS!

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

Book Openers: Barack Obama — How He Got So Smart

Facade of the National Cathedral, Washington, DC. Photo by BF Newhall

The Rise of the “Nones” – Young Americans Are Doing Without Church

A 7-year-old boy makes a face by stretching his mouth wide. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Small Boys: Reading, Writing — And Yucky

Jasmin Darznik, author of "The Good Daughter" | Photo by Sarah Cramer Shields

The Writing Room: Writing Tips from Jasmin Darznik of “Good Daughter” Fame

MORE DON'T MISS!

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