Free Republic

Most mothers would love the idea of a teenage son who enjoys debating and reading, rather chasing girls and staying out late with friends. But one idealistic 16-year old has invented a new way for recalcitrant children to worry their mothers to distraction after he went to Baghdad alone in the name of cutting-edge journalism. Armed with only an Arabic phrase book and some cash, Farris Hassan can count himself lucky to be alive after a series of adventures involving desert taxis and frantic phone calls. Hassan, a 16-year-old from Florida, hopped on a flight without his parent's permission and...

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. ANN ARBOR, Mich. - A homeless man who fell asleep in a commercial trash bin was dumped into the back of a garbage truck Friday and compacted - but escaped serious injury, officials said. "It's really quite miraculous the guy got out without serious injury," said Bryan Weinert, program director for Ann Arbor's solid waste department. Weinert said there is a large, dull steel blade that pushes the waste against the wall of the truck to maximize space. He said a person could be protected by trash that is hard to...