Nations at odds have long resorted to counterfeiting one another’s currencies, on the theory that doing so can severely undermine a foe’s economy. But the tactic just doesn’t sting like it used to, in part because cash is so less essential today, but also because the increasing sophistication of anti-counterfeiting technology has made the gambit [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Iran'
Fake It ‘Til You Make It
February 9th, 2010 · 4 Comments
Tags:Alabama·counterfeiting·crime·economics·Iran·North Korea
The Terrible Predictability of It All
January 13th, 2010 · 4 Comments
One of the most ghoulish-yet-wise sayings we’ve ever heard is “Earthquakes don’t kill people, buildings do.” (Or, a bit more accurately, “poorly constructed buildings do.”) So as soon as we heard news of Haiti’s latest natural catastrophe yesterday, we knew the death toll would be high. There is little chance that the nation’s relatively weak [...]
Tags:California·concrete·earthquakes·engineering·Haiti·Iran·natural disasters
The Shisheh Problem
October 29th, 2009 · 6 Comments
Given Iran’s reputation for dispensing harsh justice, it surprised us to learn that the country is home to a thriving crystal-meth industry—one so big, in fact, that it’s now exporting to Southeast Asia. As the United Nations graph at right makes clear, use of the drug (locally known as shisheh, or glass) has exploded since [...]
Tags:drugs·Iran·methamphetamine
Nukes for Shale
October 21st, 2009 · 12 Comments
The controversy over Iran’s nuclear ambitions has sent plenty of folks scurrying back to the history books, to examine what made South Africa give up its bomb-building program. In joining the throng, though, we stumbled upon a curious factoid from the annals—an assertion, in an old (and offline) Foreign Affairs article, that South Africa initially [...]
Tapping Into Japan
June 23rd, 2009 · 6 Comments
Last night we started reading Harp of Burma, a book often touted as Japan’s post-World War II version of All Quiet on the Western Front. It provides a soldier’s eye view of Lieut. Gen. Renya Mutaguchi’s ill-fated campaign in Burma, which ended up turning into one giant suicide mission as the war turned against the [...]
Tags:chemical weapons·Haruki Murakami·Iran·Japan·Tokyo subway attacks·writing
Echoes of an Ink-Stained Martyr
June 19th, 2009 · 4 Comments
Among the many ghostly memories conjured up by Iran’s current tumult, the unsolved murder of Paul Klebnikov is one of the most unexpected. After all, Klebnikov was known primarily for his investigative journalism in Russia, where he exposed myriad tales of corruption, thuggery, and outright theft. Yet The Lede recently reminded us of Klebnikov’s fine [...]
Tags:Iran·Paul Klebnikov·Richard Behar·Russia·Sultan of Brunei
Iranian Half-Truths During the Harrison Years
June 17th, 2009 · No Comments
Given our admitted lack of expertise in contemporary Iranian affairs, we’ll henceforth do our best to leave the running protest commentary to far more qualified folks. But since we’re obviously somewhat transfixed by the Iranian opposition’s humble request for electoral fairplay, we couldn’t help but spend much of the morning delving into the nation’s history. [...]
Why Iran Matters to Microkhan
June 16th, 2009 · 5 Comments
We tend to blog best when we’re focused on relative esoterica like competitive eating, bootleg cigarettes, and the films of Klaus Kinski. But as noted in Microkhan’s mission statement, we—okay, I—reserve the right to tackle more mainstream topics when the situation warrants. And the ongoing tumult in Iran is just such an occasion.
I can’t shake [...]
Tags:Iran
Transfixed by the Green
June 16th, 2009 · 1 Comment
Apologies for the slow start today, but we’re completely absorbed in the ever-changing situation in Iran—a situation that appears to be growing more violent by the hour. Packing up and heading to our mobile headquarters (i.e. the Columbia University library) in a matter of minutes. More soon.
Tags:housekeeping·Iran
The Technology of Tyranny
June 15th, 2009 · No Comments
Given that the Iran hostage crisis is one of our formative memories, we’ve taken a keen interest in the recent tumult on the streets of Tehran. Of particular note has been the regime’s effective use of technology to foil grassroots communications. First the mullahs shut off text messaging and The Tubes, then they actually managed [...]
Tags:Iran·satellites·technology
Preventing Scorched Eyeballs in Iran
February 13th, 2009 · No Comments
As the husband of a lingerie designer, I’m accustomed to being surrounded by bra-and-panty images pretty much 24/7. My daily existence, in other words, could not possibly be more un-Iranian. Because as shown above, that nation’s censors make sure that no one gets a peek at non-family flesh.
This photo comes from the must-see Flickr gallery [...]
Becoming an Ayatollah
February 10th, 2009 · No Comments
With the 30th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution upon us, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini is back in the news. How does a run-of-the-mill cleric become an ayatollah in the first place? Here’s the scoop, which I unearthed during my days as Slate’s “Explainer” columnist. Two key tips: Study hard, and work on your rep.
