Mixed Media

Listen Again: A Journalist's 'Ordinary Day' in Iraq

Iranian-American journalist Farnaz Fassihi was stationed in the Middle East from 2002 until 2006, where she covered the Iraq war and the daily struggles of the Iraqi people. A Shiite Muslim, Fassihi established close personal ties to many Iraqi citizens, who invited her into their homes. She recounts their stories — and their suffering — in her memoir, Waiting for an Ordinary Day.

Now The Wall Street Journal's deputy bureau chief for the Middle East and Africa, Fassihi grew up in Tehran and Portland, Oregon. She received a B.A. in English from Tehran University and an M.S. in journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

Listen to the interview of Farnaz Fassihi originally broadcast on October 27, 2008 on Fresh Air.

Listen Again: Carbon/Silicon on Fresh Air

Old friends Mick Jones, former lead guitarist of The Clash, and Tony James, once of the Billy Idol-fronted Generation X, have teamed up in a band called Carbon/Silicon.

Carbon/Silicon isn't yet as well known as the bands the two co-founders came from, or even the bands the other band members once played in. Leo Williams played bass with Jones in Big Audio Dynamite, and Dominic Greensmith was the drummer for British rock group Reef. But the group's approach to the internet has gained them widespread popularity.

James and Jones began making their songs available on their web site as free downloads in the summer of 2004, and encouraged their fans to record them when they played live and pass those around as well. They've just put out their first full length CD, called The Last Post, but they pledge to keep giving songs away on the internet as well.

Click here to listen to the Fresh Air interview and hear samples from the new CD.