quiz from dianthus

This one I had a few comments on....( silliness ensues )

that's some homework assignment

News item from the New York Times:

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 30 - A Florida teenager secretly made his way to Iraq this month for firsthand impressions of the war, and was returning home on Friday to family members who said they were galled by his recklessness but thankful he was safe.

The teenager, Farris Hassan, 16, financed the three-week journey with his own savings from investing in the stock market, said his mother, Shatha Atiya of Fort Lauderdale. He left South Florida on Dec. 11, flying to Kuwait City and reaching Iraq on Christmas Day, said his older brother, Hayder Hassan. He said American officials questioned Farris before allowing him to return here.

The family learned of Farris's adventure in e-mail messages he sent after arriving in Kuwait City, telling them not to worry or to expect him home soon. He even reminded another brother, Mehdi Hassan, to feed the cat in his absence.

"I'm going to give him a hug, a spanking," Hayder Hassan, 23, said in an interview, "and say, 'Welcome home, glad to see you. What were you thinking?' " ( He embarked on the journey, he said, after being assigned to write editorials on Iraq for an "immersion journalism" class at Pine Crest School, where he is a junior. )

[sarcasm] Guess this is more proof that sealing borders is easy, right? [/sarcasm]

(And no, the student was not assigned to GO TO Iraq. In fact, the article says the school refused to accept his essay...presumably to show its disapproval of the little jaunt...)