TresSugar

Study Abroad Sans the Glamour: Soldiers Take Classes in Iraq

CitizenSugar — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:01:55 -0800

Study Abroad in Iraq? The headline jumped out of the Daily Beast, and I knew I had a story. Until, that is, I read it and learned the average American student cannot register for a semester in Baghdad the way they can in Strasbourg. But mon Dieu!, someday soon they will.

As for now, only US service members can sign up. Courses like child psychology, American government, and cultural anthropology are offered in makeshift classrooms, ranging from tents to conference rooms once reserved for Saddam Hussein.

Last November, the University of Maryland began offering these classes, as it's been doing for over 50 years on military bases in Asia and Europe. Students, who juggle six to seven 12-hour work days per week, usually only take one course at a time, but can earn two- and four-year degrees along with masters.

The fact that classes are being offered indicates Iraq's increasing stability and new sense of normalcy. It allows students to leave the rigidness of military life, if only for an hour, to be called by their first names and discuss ideas openly.

Source

Briefing Book! Levi Johnston Opens Up to Tyra Banks

CitizenSugar — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 12:00:15 -0700

Levi Johnston talks safe sex with Tyra Banks. - Huffington Post
Birth control and grapefruit diet don't go well together. - Jezebel
Michelle Obama's euro style. - FabSugar
The return of riches to rags tales. – Good
Senator threatened to strip University of Maryland of $500 million in funding if it screened a porn on campus. - The XX Factor

Rod Blagojevich gets harassed at Disney World. - Wonkette

More Sign Language

GiggleSugar — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 09:46:10 -0800

Sign Language...why do we even bother? Although the following list is a hybrid of promotional, instructional and sign language--its unifying quality is the scary fact that all of this somehow made it to print.

"How To Repair Your VCR." -- The title of a how-to video tape.
"Great New Taste!" and "Same Great Taste!" -- On opposite sides of a drink cooler in a grocery store.
"Free Parking ($1.50 per day)" -- A sign at a parking lot in Ocean City, Maryland.
"If you can't read or write, phone this number."
"Lunch and Learn Seminar: 'Who's controlling your life?' (get your manager's permission before attending)" -- The contents of a flyer for corporate seminar.
"We expect to return to normal service the soonest time possible. Please check back after that time." -- Part of an automated customer support response message that was sent when a user sent email to technical support about an issue with Hotmail.
"Hours: Sun-Thurs: 10:00 AM - Closing. Fri-Sat: 8:00 AM - Closing." -- A sign in a bowling alley in Katy, TX.
"Saturday: 12 noon to 12pm." -- A sign at a University Center.
"Do not open this door when locked." -- A sign on a gym door.
"HIGH PRICES!!" -- A sign at a gas station called 'El Cheapo.'
"Speed Limit 5 Miles per hour" / "No vehicles beyond this point" -- Two signs on the same sign post at a camp site.
"Welcome to the Flippin Church of Christ." -- A sign outside a church in Flippin, Arkansas.
"Ear Piercing Pregnancy Testing" -- A sign in a local drug store that offered both ear piercing and pregnancy testing services.
"Please put the toys back when you are threw with them." -- A sign in a thrift store's toy section.

Source and Source