Aside

Big ups to my cousin Karim Sadjadpour for his latest interview in FP: Foreign Policy: Last week, Iran sounded conciliatory notes when Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki hailed a “new trend” in negotiations with the West over the nuclear issue. But this week, Iranian officials vowed to strike back against any U.S. or Israeli attack and test-fired missiles that they claim can hit Tel Aviv. What explains this shift in tone? Karim Sadjadpour: The last two weeks have been very representative…

I’m going to visit my brother in Tokyo this week. See y’allz on the flip! Any recs for the Land of the Rising Sun? Email me!

Reports FP: The 25 men are members of the Iranian national basketball team, invited to participate in the NBA summer league in Utah as they prepare for their first Olympics in 60 years. Meanwhile, the 18-year old captain of the Iranian junior national team has been training in Texas, hoping to become the first of his countrymen to play college hoops in the United States.

Dear Friends, I’ve been informed that my radio piece on the proposed new US Interests Section in Tehran 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 – www.kpcc.opg Boston – 4 pm Eastern –…

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…