Free Republic

A Reddit user asked people to share life skills you can learn in five minutes Over 1,000 people submitted their suggestions on the thread Ideas include jump-starting a car, learning a magic trick and how to tie a knot From cooking a boiled egg to perfecting a firm handshake, some life skills don't take a lifetime to master. From changing a car tyre to cooking a perfect egg or tying a secure knot, there are useful traits that can be picked up in a matter of moments. When a Reddit user asked people to submit skills that could be learned...

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich.,- A Michigan university said its 40th annual list of "banished" words includes "bae," "polar vortex," "hack," "skill set," "swag," and "foodie." Lake Superior State University said its annual "List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness" was chosen by members of a committee from submissions by the public. Topping the list this year was "bae," a term of endearment that came into common use this year. "Meaning 'before anyone else.' How stupid! Stop calling your boyfriend 'bae,'" Evie Dunagan of Manheim, Pa., wrote in submitting the word for banishment. LSSU...

“I’m ready to offer my services for ur project. Contact me at ur earliest convenience 2 arrange for interview. Thanks in advance for ur consideration.” That’s a real cover letter from a real person claiming to be a real professional, who thinks she can get a real job. The letter was fielded by publicist and trend-spotter Richard Laermer, who gets so many of these he collects them and, when asked, forwards them to reporters for fun. The letter “just made me shake my head till it nearly fell off.” But it isn’t rare. In fact, Laermer says, it’s typical. “Lazy...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY, Iraq – District leaders, administrators and hundreds of students attended the reopening of the Civil Support District Training Center in Baghdad’s Al Karadah district Dec. 30. Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad, were also in attendance to assist in security measures and meet the center’s administrators in a show of partnership. The center teaches students vocational skills, offering courses in road repair, generator repair, plumbing, electrical installation, sanitation and landscaping. Renovations took approximately six months to complete. More than 550 students...