Author Archives: paulefallon

About paulefallon

Greetings reader. I am a writer, architect, cyclist and father from Cambridge, MA. My primary blog, theawkwardpose.com is an archive of all my published writing. The title refers to a sequence of three yoga positions that increase focus and build strength by shifting the body’s center of gravity. The objective is balance without stability. My writing addresses opposing tension in our world, and my attempt to find balance through understanding that opposition. During 2015-2106 I am cycling through all 48 mainland United States and asking the question "How will we live tomorrow?" That journey is chronicled in a dedicated blog, www.howwillwelivetomorrw.com, that includes personal writing related to my adventure as well as others' responses to my question. Thank you for visiting.

Rumblings of Revolution

Posted on 06/23/2013 by paulefallon

In 1977 I spent beautiful spring afternoons in an overheated classroom with a view of a trash compactor in MIT’s nondescript Building 12 snoozing through Urban Sociology, the last of my Humanities requirements and perhaps the most boring course ever … Continue reading →

Posted in United States | Tagged Gini, Gini Coefficient, inequality, MIT, revolution | Leave a comment

Same Little Boy – All Grown up

Posted on 06/16/2013 by paulefallon

The ENR McGraw-Hill 2013 Best Global Projects Awards was well organized, like most social events orchestrated by engineers. Dinner prompt at 6:30; alphabetically ordered project descriptions at 7:30. Winning teams paraded to the platform in business suits; there was only … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged 1956, Christmas, ENR, McGraw-Hill | 1 Comment

Fifty Years On – Can We Recapture the Spirit of Peace?

Posted on 06/10/2013 by paulefallon

Fifty years ago today President John F. Kennedy gave the commencement address at AmericanUniversity that announced steps towards peace with the Soviet Union. Although the speech lacks a singular punch line such as ‘Ask not what your country can do, … Continue reading →

Posted in United States | Tagged American University, John F. Kennedy, Kennedy speech at American University, Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, peace | 1 Comment

Be Like Brit Dines Among the Big Boys

Posted on 06/07/2013 by paulefallon

Last night Be Like Brit orphanage in Haiti won the McGraw-Hill / Engineering News Record 2013 Best Global Project Award for Residential / Hospitality projects. We were honored along with two other community-based efforts in the developing world: the El … Continue reading →

Posted in Haiti | Tagged Be Like Brit, Best Global Projects, China Central Television, CUSD, El Rodeo Suspension Bridge, Engineering News Record, ENR, Haiti, Handel Architects, McGraw-Hill, Michael Arad, National 911 Memorial, Rem Koolhaus, Renzo Piano, The Shard | 3 Comments

The Queen of Versailles

Posted on 06/02/2013 by paulefallon

My definition of a good movie is – do I wake up thinking about it the next morning? According to this criterion, Queen of Versailles is one of the best movies ever made because I can’t get it out of … Continue reading →

Posted in United States | Tagged David Siegel, financial crisis, Jackie Siegel, Marie Antoinette. Versailles, Orlando, Queen of Versailles, Wal-mart. Louis XIV | 2 Comments

Tough Yoga

Posted on 05/30/2013 by paulefallon

The line between success and failure can be fine, but once we trip over it, we cannot always raise ourselves to the other side. I knew an evening class would be grueling, but I thought it doable. I had been … Continue reading →

Posted in Yoga | Tagged Bikram, Bikram yoga, yoga | 3 Comments

Fly China

Posted on 05/25/2013 by paulefallon

On a short trip to China – I was gone just a week – the proportion of time on a plane is great, but it is as revealing a place to find cultural differences as anywhere. There are no boarding … Continue reading →

Posted in China | Tagged air travel, China, China Eastern, Hong Kong, Nanjing | Leave a comment

US and China – Going Green

Posted on 05/19/2013 by paulefallon

The United States is going green, albeit in fits and starts, with modest increases in automobile fuel efficiency, a smattering of wind power, and a shrugging acceptance of electric cars. Conservation is not a word that falls easily off the … Continue reading →

Posted in China, United States | Tagged China, climate, climate change, emissions standards, fracking, Green, Nanjing, pollution, United States | Leave a comment

China in the Rear View Mirror

Posted on 05/12/2013 by paulefallon

It is not possible for an American to visit China without contemplating the politics of the place. I am here only a few days, to prepare and present a proposal to design a new hospital in Nanjing. Still I have … Continue reading →

Posted in China | Tagged bullet train, China, Communist Party, Nanjing, Shanghai, United States | 1 Comment

Chinese Laundry

Posted on 05/08/2013 by paulefallon

I am a prudent guy; okay frugal. Actually, some people call me cheap, but they are just folks who do not appreciate ascetic satisfactions. Regardless where I rest near the bottom of the proliferate scale, I am out of my … Continue reading →

Posted in China | Tagged China, Chinese laundry, Hilton, laundry, Nanjing, Nanjing Hilton | 2 Comments