Tag Archives: detective

Gay Lesbian Syrian Blogger? Or a Bearded American from Edinburgh?

Here’s a cautionary tale about how hard it is to verify whether someone is who they say they are: Syrian lesbian blogger is revealed conclusively to be a married man Tom MacMaster’s wife has confirmed in an email to the Guardian that he is the real identity behind the Gay Girl in Damascus blog Syrian… Read More »

PR That Doesn’t Bark, Or Barks Too Much

This is my weekly Loose Wire Service column, an edited version of which was recorded for my BBC World Service slot. Audio to follow. There’s a moment in All The President’s Men that nails it. Bob Woodward is telling his editors about when he’d called up the White House to confirm that Howard Hunt, one… Read More »

The Lego Scam

A man after my own heart: AP reports that a man has been arrested accused of stealing a truck full of Lego: A 40-year-old man is behind bars, accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars of a toy geared toward the 6-and-up crowd: Legos. To haul away the evidence, agents working for the U.S.… Read More »