Tehran

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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