Cyrus Farivar

So after much speculation, discussions, and email exchanges with French bureaucrats, Becky and I are be going to be English Teaching Assistants in France, a program arranged through the French government. What does that mean? We’ll be working 12 hours a week for 28 weeks (October through April) to teach French high schoolers our native tongue, and améliora our French in the process. Did I mention that this includes all the baguettes and croissants we can eat — oh, and…

The New Yorker: Chicago is not Obama’s home town, but it’s where he chose to forge his identity. Several weeks ago, he moved many of the Democratic National Committee’s operations from Washington to Chicago, making the city the unofficial capital of the Democratic Party; his campaign headquarters are in an office building in the Loop, Chicago’s downtown business district. But Chicago, with its reputation as a center of vicious and corrupt politics, may also be the place that Obama needs…

Gas at the 76 station closest to my parents’ house in Santa Monica is $4.83 a gallon.

So after reading about how even stubbornly car-driving Angelenos are finally making the switch to public transit, I thought that maybe I could attend my Friday 7 pm show at the Glasshouse in Pomona by taking some sort of public transit out there. After all, it’s two blocks from the Pomona Transit Center/Amtrak station. Ok, so how would this work? Ride Metro Rapid 704( DOWNTOWN LA – UNION STA) heading east From: SANTA MONICA BL/26TH ST(SW corner) Lv: 03:57PM To:…

I’m headed to Santa Monica on Thursday. Anyone want a ride?

Dear Friends, I’ve been informed that my radio piece on a new startup that is bringing wireless Internet to BART will be on Morning Edition tomorrow (July 7). It will be available on any of these stations (and their Internet streams). New York – 5 am to 9 am Eastern – WNYC – 820 AM – www.wnyc.org Washington, DC – 5 am to 10 am Eastern – WAMU – 88.5 FM – www.wamu.org Los Angeles – 2 am to 9…

Dear Friends, I’ve been informed that my radio piece on the new bill in the Iranian Parliament that would make “corrupt weblogs” punishable by death, will be airing today. It will be available on any of these stations (and their Internet streams): New York – 3 pm Eastern – WNYC – 820 AM – www.wnyc.org Washington, DC – 8 pm Eastern – WAMU – 88.5 FM – www.wamu.org Los Angeles – 12 pm Pacific – KPCC – 89.3 FM –…

Vanguard: Dr Aja Nwachukwu, the Education Minister, told newsmen in Abuja that the scheme was discovered to be a “white elephant” project. “We discovered that the scheme is a conduit pipe to siphon public fund,” he said. Nwachukwu said the ministry was working on other options to promote the deployment of ICT at all levels of education. [via OLPC News]

Dear Mr. Stursberg [Richard.Stursberg at cbc.ca] and Ms. Mitton [Susan.Mitton at cbc.ca], I am appalled at the decision that was made to cancel Search Engine. I have been a longtime listener and fan of the show down here in the Lower 48 ever since it won Best of 2007 iTunes Podcasts. I didn’t know the show existed until then and since, have been a loyal fan and devotee. As a producer and reporter on American public radio, I understand the…