Iran

With Iran currently the most interesting place in the world, the question in the back of everyone's mind is this: just how tall is Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? When he appears with Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, he looks absurdly short. It's a visual contrast that immediately brought to my mind this duo of recent fame, although I feel like there's just a grain of racism in the comparison somehow.

I can't find anything decisive. This site says he's 5'2" and "may be shorter", but it's also a site devoted to something called Psychodiagnostic Chirology. (I don't know what that is, and I'm going to assume it's too stupid to even bother plugging into Wikipedia.) IMDB claims that he's 5'6", but that mostly raises the question "why the fuck does IMDB have an entry on Mahmoud Ahmidenejad?" Which then leads directly to the further question, "what movie would be most improved by the addition of Mahmoud Ahmidenejad?" What do you think? For some reason, Good Will Hunting came immediately to my mind but I guess that's just because I enjoy imagining he and Robin Williams switching places in the world.

Anyway. What's happening in Iran is incredible and I can't stop compulsively checking the NY Times's excellent Lede blog devoted to tracking new developments. Also, good stuff from Slate and Juan Cole and (just for you, Ethan) a story about the role of Twitter in the unfolding of events thus far.

Good luck to all of you devoted readers in Tehran, and let me know if I can do anything.