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Barbara Falconer Newhall

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

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Barbara’s Riffs on Life

Little Girls Are Superior to Little Boys — Here’s Why

June 12, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A 5-year-old boy wearing shorts holds on to the arm of a 3-year-old girl in a dress. Photo by BF Newhall

Little girls are superior to little boys. This fact is not written down in black and white anywhere. The popular baby books talk warily around the topic of sex differences. And researchers will make only minor, technical concessions to the superiority of girls. Read more.

At the Breast Cancer Center — Where Everyone Is Super Nice to You

June 5, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Image of a breast cancer cell courtesy the National Cancer Institute.

A smiling receptionist greets you as you enter the lobby of the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center in San Francisco’s East Bay. She directs you to the registration desk, where there’s no wait. A nice woman with pretty eyebrows is ready to help. Everyone here is nice, really nice. Read more.

Actor Robert Morse – Sweaty at 36, Sublime at 83

May 31, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A black and white photo of actor Robert Morse as a young comedian gawking for the camera.

The last time I saw Robert Morse there were beads of sweat on his forehead. It was 1967 and he was working the crowd on the set of a local TV comedy show. Robert Morse was on. He was going for laughs and he was going for them with the intensity of a rocket launch. He was doing what mid-life folks do – he was striving.

Robert Morse — Don’t Miss His Madcap “Mad Men” Season Send-Off

May 29, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

actor robert morse in black tie smiling

Spoiler alert — skip this if you haven’t had a chance to see last Sunday’s “Mad Men” half-season finale.

Travel Adventures: The Poop on China – And the Pee

May 22, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

In Suchow, this little boy was set out on the doorstep of his house to pee, To expedite things, his pants were open at the crotch. I have preserved his dignity by retouching the photo to close up his fly. Photo by BF Newhall

I’ve been contemplating writing this little photo essay on the toilets of China ever since I traveled there last September. It’s taken me all this time to overcome my mid-century Midwestern upbringing, where nice people didn’t talk about poop and pee in public. My nose for news finally prevailed, however when a Mainland Chinese couple allowed their toddler to urinate publicly on the streets of Hong Kong.

To the Himalayas and Back — In a Day and Duty Free

May 18, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

An array of wood carvings of gods and goddesses including buddha and ganesh on display table at Himalayan Fair Berkeley, May 2014. Photo by BF Newhall

Bay Area residents — it’s not too late to catch this year’s Himalayan Fair at Live Oak Park in Berkeley. Today’s the second and last day of the annual celebration of the cultures of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and North India — and a terrific shopping opportunity.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Help! My Kids Aren’t Perfect After All

Little girl with broken arm & chicken pox marks. Photo by BF Newhall

The kids were still pre-schoolers at the time, and it had been another night of sleep deprivation for me. “Tell me it gets easier,” I said to my friend Nancy. “Well, actually it gets harder,” she replied. Nancy has a daughter three years older than Peter. She keeps me briefed on the parenting realities ahead. Read more.

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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!

charity-donations

My Deceased Husband’s Mail — I Like Getting It

Lake michigan sunset. The of-courseness of God. Barbara Falconer Newhall travels up and down Michigan's lower peninsula, visiting friends and family and putting on book events for "Wrestling with God."

Isaiah and the Of-Courseness of God

Artist Judy Seidel in her Berkeley studio, her colorful abstract paintings in the background. Photo by BF Newhall

Judy Seidel: Click Here for an Eyeful of Her Life-Affirming Paintings

Barbara Falconer Newhall's book Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith on sale at Book Passage bookstore, Corte Madera, California. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Journalist Kay Campbell: ‘WWG Bows to the Enduring Mystery of the Universe’

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