Thursday, March 20, 2008

Rocket Man

Townhall has a full page color picture of Iranian president Amadinejad standing in front of a brand new rocket. The photo is sharp and clear, and the English language labels on the rocket can be read. "SUPPORT HERE", "SUPPORT BAND" and the access hatches neatly numbered "16" and "13". How come an Iranian rocket is labeled in English? Did they buy the whole thing from an English speaking supplier? and who might that be? Pakistan? Surely Russians, North Koreans, French, Germans etc, would have stenciled the labels in their own language? Or could the rocket be home built by a bunch of Iranians who learned their technology and their English at American universities? I have no answers, just interesting questions.
Amadinejad, wearing a light suit and turtleneck, is posed in front of 16 other guys, likely the development team for the rocket project. They all have beards, and half of them are wearing dark glasses. There are three military officers, in uniform, one in a white naval officer's cap, an Army man in olive drab but dressy fatigues, and a pilot in a green flight suit. Got a couple of guys in tribal dress and turbans, and the rest are wearing suits or sports coats, shirts open at the neck.
Photo, courtesy of AP/ISNA/Mehdi Ghasemi is well composed, well lit, nice camera angle (low, looking up to emphasis the height of the rocket. Diameter of the rocket appears to be only 3 foot, no bigger than the ancient German V2, but it looms tall and imposing in the picture. Does ISNA stand for Iran State News Agency? AP has been burned in the recent past by fauxtographs from Al Queda photographers. Makes you wonder just how this picture got from Iran into AP's hands.

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