Welcome...and initial guidelines...

This blog will be used in the spring of 2008 by 80+ students at Drexel University to investigate the effects of Iraq on culture and the reverse. Our goal will be to better understand why the US is in Iraq, and to question whether literature can help us on this journey.

Weekly plans and other materials will always be posted in Vista, not this blog. So go to Bb Vista to get the discussion prompts and other instructions.

I intend this blog to manage our discussions and track our collective investigation.

You should have received an email from me inviting you to become a contributor to this blog. The email was sent Monday afternoon to your official Drexel email address.

Monday, May 26, 2008

DWI

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of the summer season. Many people spend this weekend at the beach or having a bbq with friends and family. I myself, choose to bbq at the beach with friends. After making it through the traffic and arriving in Wildwood, we were thrilled that the weather was warm and sunny- both perfect for tanning. While driving down Ocean Avenue, I noticed many of the houses we passed had flags outside. These were to commemorate the people who have lost their lives serving our country. In addition to homes that proudly displayed the American flag, many businesses had flags out as well. In fact, we passed one restaurant that had a sign out front that read “we support our troops.”

Without these brave men and women, my friends and I might not have the freedom for such a fun-filled weekend at the shore. However, there is also a sad side to this last weekend in May. Many people drink excessively and unfortunately get in car accidents. I was looking at the Mother’s Against Drunk Driving website and discovered that Memorial Day is actually one of the deadliest drunk driving days of the year. On out car ride home we even noticed a police barricade on the highway that was stopping and randomly checking cars. Clearly, this holiday that is meant to be observed as a day to commemorate and appreciate soldiers is used as a day off from school and work to go out and get psyched for the summer.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/05/24/049117.html

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