"Dear Mama..."

So, coincidentally, I was thinking about the idea of mothers the other day. It is a concept that seems almost foreign to me based solely on personal experience. I mean, I have a mother--someone who went through "hours of pain just to give me life!"-- but I think there is a fundamental difference between having a mother and having a mom. Do you? Myself, I had a mother. If you think there is a difference, what do you think it is? What is your definition of a mother? A mom? What is your earliest recollection of your mother (or other maternal figure)? Girls, do you want to be a mom? Boys, are there certain qualities in girls that you associate with the idea of moms? Do you want to be like your mom? In what way? If there was one thing you could tell your mother on this blog that she didn't know before, what would it be? (400words/50pts)

Fall Feast to National Holiday

Thanksgiving. The word alone fills me with joy. I am not really sure why, though. Food? Sure, but to be honest, the type of food that is normally served for Thanksgiving meals is not even close to being my favorite, so although it is good, I don't crave it at any other time. Football? Pass. I can watch for about 10 minutes before I am so confused, my brain starts to itch. Family? Hard to say; it's been so long since I had one. Maybe it's the just the idea of what it represents. Maybe it's the fact that the best shopping in the world happens the day after. Maybe it's the notion of Christmas being 4 weeks away. Like I said, I am not really sure what it is, but I love this holiday more than any other. So, in the spirit of this fine celebratory day, let's do a little self-reflecting.
What are you thankful for? Don't be hasty in answering, really consider the idea of thankfulness. And while we're on the subject, tell me about the best Thanksgiving you ever had. What made it so special and memorable? How about the worst one? Do the two have anything in common? Do you have any family traditions? Will you carry them on when you have families of your own? Do you celebrate Thanksgiving at all or do you do something else? (While not traditionally a religious holiday, some people are philosophically opposed to the idea of it, for obvious reasons)
And finally, what is your favorite part of the day? If it's the food, tell me what your meal consists of, if it is family, talk about why. If it's football (J.W.), well, explain something that will make me understand the game so I can watch it for longer than 10 minutes. (400-450 words/50pts)

Just Say No? But...to what?

John P. Walters, Director of the White House Office Of National Drug Control Policy said the following in a recent statement:
"By giving students an incentive to stay away from drugs, random drug testing helps them lead healthy, successful lives. For that reason, it's one of many tools we believe schools should use to fight drug use among teens."
He is, basically, preaching the pros associated with random drug testing in high schools. Now, there are many people from many different groups that tout the benefits of this policy, and of course there are just as many waving their fists and screaming "civil rights violation!"
What are the benefits to this policy? What are the drawbacks? Does allowing random drug testing in public schools pave the way for other types of "safety precautions?" What about random search and seizures? Is there a racial bias to those types of ideas? What about a sexual bias? Are boys more likely to get pulled for random testing? Black kids? Tell me what you think and for this blog it is VERY important to respond to someone else's post. (450-500 words/55pts)