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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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DON'T MISS!

I've written hundreds and hundreds of posts over the years. To help you find your way to the best of the best, I've tagged my favorites "Don't Miss!" Scroll down here to find them.

Another way to locate Riffs on Life that you might enjoy is to click above on your favorite category – "My Ever-Changing Family," perhaps, or "Funny Button." You can also use the search box located way up top to hunt for stories by topic. There's fun reading at "garden," "aging," "kids" and, of course, "Jon."

The Politics of Housework, Revisited

September 10, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Men and housework and childcare. A man carries his affectionate toddler girl. Photo by Barbara Newhall

As a feminist conversant with the politics of housework, I tried not to be too preoccupied with clean. Then I learned I was allergic to the dustballs under my marital bed. Read more.

I Love Pope Francis — Or Do I?

September 3, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A score of Catholic clergy were present at the annual conference of the Religion Newswriters Association in Philadelphia, August, 2015. Photo by Barbara Newhall

My honeymoon with Catholicism’s newest pope is over. I’m done with getting all goosebumpy over Pope Francis and the tone he’s setting for his church. Read more.

Tori Isner, Poet: ‘You Are a Vehicle for Spirit’

August 27, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Tori Isner appreciates rocks. Here monzogranite rock formation at Joshua Tree National Park. Photo by Barbara Newahll

Tori Isner is an adopted Lakota Sioux and — in my opinion — a poet. We’re honored, she says, “just to live, just to be.” Read more.

Weight Lifting Can Kill You — Shall I Email the News to My Weight-Lifting Son?

August 20, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Peter Newhall, a young man in his 30s, bench presses at a gym. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Weight lifting can kill you. Death by dead lift and dumbbell can sneak up on you long after you’ve put the weights back in the squat rack. Read more.

Author Don Lattin: Americans Are More Thoughtful About Religion Than We Think

August 13, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

As part of the THIRST temporary art installation, hundreds of prayer flags hang from the circular path from the pedestrian bridge down to Lady Bird Lake in Austin. Photo by BF Newhall

Religion writer Don Lattin says there’s more to religion in America than atheists vs. fundamentalists. The real story is less alarming and much more interesting. Read more.

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

August 6, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

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

My Religion Newswriters Association colleague Kay Campbell says this about Wrestling with God: Stories of Doubt and Faith. Read more.

Dying Jesus . . . Dying Churches?

July 23, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The flogging of Jesus Christ, and crucifixion, a painting at the Melk Abbey, Austria. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I saw a lot of Jesus in the old European churches I visited last month. Sad to say, in church after church, Jesus was almost always dead or dying. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Widowed: We Were Two People — And a Marriage

jon-barbara-newhall-wedding

Jon and I were two people — and the marriage we’d created over the years.  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!

religion-bookshelf

The Top Religion Stories of 2025 — From Religion News Association

samsung-galaxy-s21-ultra

Widowed: I Called Tech Support and Got Ageism

Christina Newhall says yes to the dress. Her wedding dress -- with a sign from the Nordstrom store. Photo by Barbara Newhall

The Bride Said Yes to the Dress . . . The Mother-of-the-Bride Diaries Begin

File:Partirdge & Blackwell.jpg (category Department stores in Michigan) & Blackwell Department Store in Detroit, Michigan Date 1910 Source Library of Congress-Prints & Photographs online catalog Author Detroit Publishing Company

A Lost Child in Wartime Detroit — A Headscarf Story

MORE DON'T MISS!

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