Monthly Archives: May 2012

Squeegee Guys

Posted on 05/31/2012 by paulefallon

Remember the squeegee guys?  Down on their luck fellows, mostly immigrants, who assaulted cars coming off New York City’s bridges and tunnels with soap, sponges and squeegees, spiffing up your car in the hopes of a tip.  Innocent enough until … Continue reading →

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Memorial Day

Posted on 05/27/2012 by paulefallon

Memorial Day has always struck me as a holiday in desperate need of a root cause analysis.  We honor our war dead, who deserve to be honored, but we fail to ask the deeper question, “Why are there so many … Continue reading →

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Slow Go

Posted on 05/20/2012 by paulefallon

I like maxim’s to live by.  They provide structure and form, if not meaning, to our everyday tasks.  I have a new one that has been boiling up for a year or so now.  Slow Go. Slow Go means wherever … Continue reading →

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Nursing Our Children into Debt

Posted on 05/16/2012 by paulefallon

After two weeks of no TV or radio, my favorite pastime upon reentering the United States is to divine what ‘big story’ captivates the nation.  Will it be something inspiring like Occupy Wall Street or tedious, like Mitt Romney’s bully … Continue reading →

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Airplane Nightmare Averted

Posted on 05/12/2012 by paulefallon

One of the many arcane rules of American Airlines is that when you change your ticket in Haiti, they will not assign you a seat on your new flight.  Since I extended my recent stay by a week, I was … Continue reading →

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When I Grow Old I Want to be Like Pastor Beauvais

Posted on 05/07/2012 by paulefallon

Pastor Beauvais is a twig of a man.  Five feet tall and one hundred pounds, maybe; a 36’ belt would surely ring his waist twice.  In a country where the average life expectancy at birth is just over 62 (Index … Continue reading →

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Four Guys from La Gonave

Posted on 05/05/2012 by paulefallon

There’s a group of laborers that have taken to having English / Creole conversations with me.  We talk at lunch, but sometimes also at the end of the work day.  We use my Phrasebook as a starting point; pick a … Continue reading →

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Photo! Photo!

Posted on 05/03/2012 by paulefallon

As soon as I start down the hill after work a woman approaches in a bold black and white full length skirt, a patterned green blouse and a small tree with the root ball firm on her head.  She gives … Continue reading →

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Holding Hands

Posted on 05/01/2012 by paulefallon

As a politically correct American, the only place I ever touch someone in public is their right hand to my right hand.  There are rare exceptions. I might give my friends or my children a hug if we meet at … Continue reading →

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