Abandoned in Point Erin Park. Photo / Supplied
Opinion
Lost and lonely in Point Erin Park.
Real life of private investigators
"Guy calls me to help catch his neighbour who is knocking over his trash cans at night. We set up a small night vision camera to catch the guy. Watch the video the next day — it is
the wind. The client freaks out, says his neighbour could have an invisibility field or have been moving too fast (like the Flash) to show up on camera. Wants to pay us thousands of dollars to rent a heat-seeking camera or one that can shoot thousands of frames per second. Turns out lots of crazy people call PIs to investigate."
Pointing the index finger at history
The English word index is rooted in an earlier word meaning "to show". Medieval texts refer to it as the "greeter" and "teacher". In Anglo-Saxon times, it was known as the "scythe finger", for reasons that are murky, and as the "shooting finger", because it was used to draw back a bowstring. Around the world, the index finger is associated with other functions. In Iranian languages, it is considered the finger of beckoning, cursing and protecting. It is also known as the "prayer finger" or "testimony finger" in modern Turkish because of its use in the Muslim practice of shahada, or profession of faith. One of its most colourful nicknames was based on its penchant for swiping up sauces — the "pot licker".
(daily.jstor.org)
