Word: odd
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Working the Borderlands I read Aryn Baker's article on Talibanistan [April 2] with interest, since I spent time working in the borderlands of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the early 1980s and '90s. It isn't in the least odd that a Waziri elder in Pakistan should look to Afghan President Hamid Karzai as his leader. When I first went to Peshawar, I discovered that Pashtuns had contempt for Punjabis, that they speak a different language and have very different customs. Lieut. General Hamid Gul may be a former director general of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence, but old soldiers...
Though more tribal violence seems an odd solution for war-torn Iraq, the U.S. is hopeful that Iraqis will finally rise up against al-Qaeda outsiders. In Anbar province, a U.S.-backed council of Sunni sheiks has made it its mission to force al-Qaeda out of the area. On April 6, the council announced it had killed four al-Qaeda operatives. "Our work," read a statement from the sheik heading the council, "continues until we finish them...
...suburb of Washington with a liberal tilt, held a special election to fill a vacant city-council seat. It was the town's latest contest under a 1992 law that allows any adult resident--including noncitizens--to vote for local offices. And since the election occurred at an odd time of year, officials took extra steps to get the word out. They mailed a notice, in Spanish and English, to every home. They sent a second notice to every registered voter. Yet when Election Day came, turnout was light, especially among noncitizens: not one of them cast a ballot...
...asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate company-fed word of mouth and other buzz tactics, which the group says take authentic relationships and unduly commercialize them. Not all firms ask word of mouthers to disclose their corporate connection, but the Word of Mouth Marketing Association requires its 400-odd members to do so as part of its ethics code. There might also be a business case for disclosure, according to Northeastern's Carl. Working with BzzAgent data, he found that agents actually gain credibility by mentioning their affiliation. Word of mouth is built on trust, explains Gerald Zaltman...
...represents neither and that’s probably why I like it. I bought my first and only seersucker blazer in Canada at a thrift shop on summer break after freshman year. It was in mint condition, the right size, and the perfect price ($10). Canada is an odd locale for seersucker suits, and even after attending high school there, I have yet to see any of it worn on the shores of British Columbia. Thus, the blazer has come to represent a poetic irony that is reflective of my Harvard experience. Like my blazer, seersucker itself has an ironic...