June 2009

Exit left, pursued by an English teacher

June 21, 2009

British government opposes “i before e, except after c.” To be honest, I don’t know where I stand on such a dangerous and controversial topic. In my head, “i before e, except after c” is most often processed as “e before i after c. Usually.” ETA: Husband has informed me of a mnemonic for some [...]

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Hand homonyms: victory or peace?

June 16, 2009

A language question that has baffled me since I was a child (I blame Nixon): how do you know if this two-fingered hand gesture shown below means victory or peace? Written/spoken homonyms are generally understood by their context, but without other words forming a sentence around it, how should this isolated sign be read? The [...]

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Knowledge is power: Political upheaval in the Information Age

June 15, 2009

When I went to bed last night, I had planned on spending Monday morning writing up a progress report to let you kind folks know what I’ve been up to; but while I slept, Tehran exploded. Communication is my vocation, not politics. I don’t intend to go on a spirited rant about the questionable Iranian [...]

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Appropriation is the sincerest form of flattery

June 5, 2009

My friend foobella has decided that my article on stewartcopeland.net embodies her Police reunion tour experience so well that she no longer has to write about the experience herself. Which is enormously flattering. Cheating, but flattering. Thank you, foobella.

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Strange things happen: I have a byline on the Official Site of Stewart Copeland

June 3, 2009

A 2999-word summary of the flag that ate my life. Eventually the page will feature photos of the flag’s appearances around the world, but the site’s redesign is still a work in progress, so I’m waiting until it’s finished before I send the link to my three aunts as my mother would have wanted to [...]

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