America Should Lower the Drinking Age Essay Example for Free

America Should Lower the Drinking Age Essay The National Minimum Drinking Age Act of 1984 prohibits States from allowing people under the age of 21 from purchasing or publicly possessing alcoholic beverages (Alcohol Policy Information System). Supporters of having 21 as the minimum drinking age point out that between 1982 and 2001, there was a 60% decrease in fatal alcohol-related crashes for drivers ages 16-17 and a 55% decrease among drivers aged 18-20 (Elder and Shults 169). However, while the number of traffic fatalities may have declined, the higher drinking age has also been associated with other problems, including an increase in binge drinking resulting in the death of a growing number of college students (Roan F-1). Instead of focusing almost exclusively on minimum age drinking laws for the reduction of alcohol-related traffic fatalities, law makers should look at the larger picture regarding alcohol use among young adults. If eighteen-year-olds are mature enough to choose whether or not to enlist in the military, then they are mature enough to be expected to be responsible with alcohol. The national minimum drinking age should be lowered to 18. The goal of minimum age drinking laws is to reduce the number of alcohol-related fatalities. As Elder and Shults pointed out, there has been a significant reduction in alcohol-related traffic fatalities since minimum drinking ages were raised to 21. Correlation, however, is not necessarily the same as causation. Other factors may have also contributed to the reduction in fatalities. The effects of improved drivers education, an increased public awareness of the effects of alcohol on driving, and stiffer penalties for all driving under the influence must also be considered. Elder and Shults also noted that among drivers age 21-24, there was a 41% decrease in alcohol-related traffic fatalities during this same period and that drivers over the age of 25 had a 39% decrease. Because these older drivers were not affected by the minimum age law, these reductions in traffic fatalities can only be attributed to education and law enforcement. Rather than promoting the responsible use of alcohol, minimum age laws actually have the opposite effect. Before drinking laws were put into place, the drinking behaviors of adolescents and young adults were controlled by family traditions, community expectations, peer groups, and self-restraint (Ford). While this system did not eliminate the problems of alcoholism and other alcohol-related complications, it did present alcohol as a normal part of the young adults environment. Minimum age drinking laws have attempted to remove alcohol from this environment. As a result, students are more likely to abuse alcohol when it is available. There has been a dramatic increase in binge drinking among college students (Courtney and Polich, 142). Concern for this problem led more than 100 college and university presidents to call for a new debate on lowering the drinking age (Roan). Finally, unenforceable minimum age laws undermine the credibility of law enforcement. The inability of young adults to purchase obtain alcohol legally means that students and other young adults who drink must resort to illegal activities in order to obtain alcohol. Yet despite these legal barriers, many students obtain alcohol with no legal consequences. As a result of this policy, students learn that laws can be circumvented and that law enforcement can be rather selective in choosing which laws will be enforced and which violations will be overlooked. Over time, students may apply this same belief to drug laws, driving laws, and other laws that they believe are not likely to be enforced. Enforcement of the law also places a burden on law enforcement agencies and prevents police from pursuing other illegal activities that are potentially more harmful to the community. Conclusion The National Minimum Age Drinking Act was signed into law in 1984. In many ways, the law reflects Americas political lurch to the right that occurred during the 1980s under President Ronald Reagan, the Moral Majority, and other socially conservative elements that were in power at the time. These groups knew that there were limits to their ability to legislate morality. Prohibition during the 1920s proved that outlawing alcohol would not work. They were, however, successful in passing the minimum age drinking law, a form of prohibition that was limited to people under 21. Minimum age drinking laws are an example of what happens when lawmakers try to legislate morality. By virtually any measure, the current minimum age laws are no more effective than Prohibition was during the 1920s. These laws, like the 18th Amendment, should be repealed. A better solution for Americas alcohol problem would be to educate young people about the responsible use of alcohol, including the potential risks that are associated with this drug and the penalties that people face when they abuse alcohol. This type of knowledge does not magically appear when someone turns 21, but is the result of a culture that gradually prepares the individual to accept the responsibilities of adulthood. Lowering the drinking age to 18, for example, would allow colleges to serve alcohol at official events where student drinking could be monitored and problems could be addressed before they result in a medical emergency. Eighteen-year-olds are old enough to vote, to marry, to enlist in the military, and to sign a legally binding contract. If they are old enough for those adult responsibilities, then they are old enough to decide whether or not they want to drink. Works Cited Alcohol Policy Information System. The 1984 National Minimum Drinking Age Act. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Online. Undated. 15 March 2009. http://alcoholpolicy. niaaa. nih. gov/index. asp? SEC=%7B9937ACFC-DB3A-4159-B068-A302CEEE0EDF%7DType=B_BASIC Courtney, Kelly, John Polich. Binge Drinking in Young Adults: Data, Definitions, and Determinants. Psychological Bulletin 135. 1 (2009): 142-156. Elder, RW and RA Shults. Involvement by Young Drivers in Fatal Alcohol-Related Motor-Vehicle Crashes – United States, 1982-2001. JAMA 23. 2(2003):169-170. 8 January 2003. 15 March 2009 http://jama. ama-assn. org/cgi/reprint/289/2/169 Ford, Gene. Why We Should Lower the Drinking Age to 19. Alcohol: Problems and Solutions. Sociology Department, State University of New York, Potsdam, NY. 2007. 15 March 2009. http://www2. potsdam. edu/hansondj/YouthIssues/1046348192. html Roan, Shari. A Lower Legal Drinking Age? Health Experts, College Presidents Debate. LA Times. 1 September 2008. 15 March 2009 http://articles. latimes. com/2008/sep/01/health/he-drinking1? s=gn=nm=Broadrd=www. google. comtnid=1sessid=d49a16c9fafce18046e3bd9ba60cef8d9fdf7a4fpgtp=articleeagi=page_type=articleexci=2008_09_01_health_he-drinking1pg=1

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Tyler Miller Communications Mrs. Seiler January 15, 2013 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone One dark night at Number 4, Privet Drive Albus Dumbledore, the head of a Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, meets Professor McGonagall, a teacher at Hogwarts, and Hagrid, the grounds keeper of Hogwarts, outside the Dursley home. Dumbledore tells McGonagall that Lord Voldemort, a dark wizard who was doing his best to plunge the world into darkness, has killed Mr. and Mrs. Potter and tried unsuccessfully to kill their baby son, Harry. Dumbledore leaves Harry with the only family he has the Dursleys, much to the dismay of Professor McGonagall and Hagrid, with an explanatory note in a basket in front of the Dursley home. Ten years later, the Dursley household is dominated by Dudley, the Dursleys’ son, who torments and bullies Harry. Mysterious letters begin arriving for Harry, from Professor Dumbledore. The letters begin to worry Mr. Dursley, who vainly tries to keep them from his nephew, but the letters keep arriving through literally every crack in the house. Finally, in a last ditch effort to keep the letters from reaching Harry, Mr. Dursley moves his family to a dark dismal shack in the middle of nowhere near the coast. On the eve of Harry’s eleventh birthday, Harry makes a wish and Hagrid bursts through the shack’s door and ,after giving Dudley a pig’s tail, whisks the eleven year old Harry away from his sadistic relatives. The next day, Hagrid takes Harry to London to shop for school supplies. First they go to the wizard bank, Gringotts. Followed by a shopping spree on Diagon Alley, where Harry buys his books, ingredients for potions, and, finally, a magic wand. A month later, Harry goes to the train station and catches hi... ...rised and makes him state what he sees. Harry, oddly enough, sees himself with the stone in his pocket, and at that same moment he actually feels it in his pocket. Harry tells Quirrell that he sees something else. Voldemort tells Quirrell that the boy is lying and requests to speak to Harry face to face. Voldemort ultimately, instructs Quirrell to kill Harry, but Quirrell is burned by contact with the boy. and his body begins to break down into dust. A struggle ensues and Harry passes out. When Harry awakens, he finds himself in the school’s hospital wing with Dumbledore. Dumbledore explains that he saved Harry from Quirrell just in time. He adds that he and Flamel have destroyed the stone, because they fear the stones powers are too great to exist any longer. The school year comes to an end, and Harry sadly must returns to the Dursley’s home till next year begins.

Doppler Effect

Doppler effect The Doppler effect, named after Christian Doppler, is the change in frequency and wavelength of a wave as perceived by an observer moving relative to the source of the waves. For waves that propagate in a wave medium, such as sound waves, the velocity of the observer and of the source are relative to the medium in which the waves are transmitted. The total Doppler effect may therefore result from motion of the source, motion of the observer, or motion of the medium. Each of these effects is analysed separately. For waves which do not require a medium, such as light or gravity in special relativity, only the relative difference in velocity between the observer and the source needs to be considered. [pic] [pic] A source of waves moving to the left. The frequency is higher on the left, and lower on the right. | | Doppler first proposed the effect in 1842 in the monograph Uber das farbige Licht der Doppelsterne und einige andere Gestirne des Himmels – Versuch einer das Bradleysche Theorem als integrierenden Teil in sich schliessender allgemeiner Theorie (On the coloured light of the binary refracted stars and other celestial bodies – Attempt of a more general theory including Bradley's theorem as an integral part). [1] The hypothesis was tested for sound waves by the Dutch scientist Christoph Hendrik Diederik Buys Ballot in 1845. He confirmed that the sound's pitch was higher as the sound source approached him, and lower as the sound source receded from him. Hippolyte Fizeau discovered independently the same phenomenon on electromagnetic waves in 1848 (in France, the effect is sometimes called â€Å"effet Doppler-Fizeau†). It is often overlooked that in Doppler's publications (and also Einstein's in his discussion of the Doppler effect) he explicitly acknowledges that his formulae are only approximate since he made several mathematical approximations in his derivation. Doppler's derivation is repeated more or less verbatim in most modern textbooks but often without the warning that the formulas are only valid in some (experimentally often seen) limits. In Britain, John Scott Russell made an experimental study of the Doppler effect. In 1848, Russell reported his study of the Doppler effect. (J. S. Russell, â€Å"On certain effects produced on sound by the rapid motion of the observer†, Brit. Assn. Rep. , vol. 18, p. 37 (1848). An English translation of Doppler's 1842 monograph can be found in the book by Alec Eden, â€Å"The search for Christian Doppler†, Springer-Verlag 1992. In this book, Eden felt doubtful regarding Doppler's conclusions on the colour of double stars, but he was convinced regarding Doppler's conclusions on sound. [pic] [pic] An illustration of the Doppler effect[2]. The relationship between observed frequency f' and emitted frequency f is given by: [pic] where pic]is the velocity of waves in the medium (in air at T degrees Celsius, this is 332(1 + T/273)1/2 m/s) [pic]is the velocity of the source (the object emitting the sound) Because we are using an inertial reference system, the velocity of an object moving towards the observer is considered as negative, so the detected frequency increases (This is because the source's velocity is in the denominator. ) Conversely, detected frequency decreases when the source moves away, and so the source's velocity is added when the motion is away. In the limit where the speed of the wave is much greater than the relative speed of the source and observer (this is often the case with electromagnetic waves, e. g. light), the relationship between observed frequency f? and emitted frequency f is given by: |Change in frequency |Observed frequency | |[pic] |[pic] | where [pic]is the transmitted frequency [pic]is the velocity of the transmitter relative to the receiver in meters per second: positive when moving towards one another, negative when moving away [pic]is the speed of wave (3? 08  m/s for electromagnetic waves travelling in air or a vacuum) [pic]is the wavelength of the transmitted wave subject to change. As mentioned previously, these two equations are only accurate to a first order approximation. However, they work reasonably well in the case considered by Doppler, i. e. when the speed between the source and receiver is slow relative to the speed of the waves involved and the distance between the source and receiver is l arge relative to the wavelength of the waves. If either of these two approximations are violated, the formulae are no longer accurate. Analysis It is important to realize that the frequency of the sounds that the source emits does not actually change. To understand what happens, consider the following analogy. Someone throws one ball every second in a man's direction. Assume that balls travel with constant velocity. If the thrower is stationary, the man will receive one ball every second. However, if the thrower is moving towards the man, he will receive balls more frequently because the balls will be less spaced out. The converse is true if the thrower is moving away from the man. So it is actually the wavelength which is affected; as a consequence, the perceived frequency is also affected. It may also be said that the velocity of the wave remains constant whereas wavelength changes; hence frequency also changes. If the moving source is emitting waves through a medium with an actual frequency f0, then an observer stationary relative to the medium detects waves with a frequency f given by [pic]which can be written as: [pic], here v is the speed of the waves in the medium and vs, r is the speed of the source with respect to the medium (positive if moving away from the observer, negative if moving towards the observer), radial to the observer. With a relatively slow moving source, vs, r is small in comparison to v and the equation approximates to [pic]. A similar analysis for a moving observer and a stationary source yields the observed frequency (the observer's velocity being represented as vo): [p ic], where the same convention applies  : vo is positive if the observer is moving way from the source, and negative if the observer is moving towards the source. These can be generalized into a single equation with both the source and receiver moving. However the limitations mentioned above still apply. When the more complicated exact equation is derived without using any approximations (just assuming that everything: source, receiver, and wave or signal are moving linearly) several interesting and perhaps surprising results are found. For example, as Lord Rayleigh noted in his classic book on sound, by properly moving it is possible to hear a symphony being played backwards. This is the so-called â€Å"time reversal effect† of the Doppler effect. Other interesting cases are that the Doppler effect is time dependent in general (thus we need to know not only the source and receivers' velocities, but also their positions at a given time) and also in some circumstances it is possible to receive two signals or waves from a source (or no signal at all). In addition there are more possibilities than just the receiver approaching the signal and the receiver receding from the signal. All these additional complications are for the classical—i. . , nonrelativistic Doppler effect. However, all these results also hold for the relativistic Doppler effect as well. The first attempt to extend Doppler's analysis to light waves was soon made by Fizeau. In fact, light waves do not require a medium to propagate and the correct understanding of the Doppler effect for light requires the use of the Special Theory of Relativity. See relativistic Doppler effect. Ap plications [pic] [pic] A stationary microphone records moving police sirens at different pitches depending on their relative direction. Everyday The siren on a passing emergency vehicle will start out higher than its stationary pitch, slide down as it passes, and continue lower than its stationary pitch as it recedes from the observer. Astronomer John Dobson explained the effect thus: â€Å"The reason the siren slides is because it doesn't hit you. † In other words, if the siren approached the observer directly, the pitch would remain constant (as vs, r is only the radial component) until the vehicle hit him, and then immediately jump to a new lower pitch. Because the vehicle passes by the observer, the radial velocity does not remain constant, but instead varies as a function of the angle between his line of sight and the siren's velocity: [pic] where vs is the velocity of the object (source of waves) with respect to the medium, and ? is the angle between the object's forward velocity and the line of sight from the object to the observer. Astronomy [pic] [pic] Redshift of spectral lines in the optical spectrum of a supercluster of distant galaxies (right), as compared to that of the Sun (left). The Doppler effect for electromagnetic waves such as light is of great use in astronomy and results in either a so-called redshift or blueshift. It has been used to measure the speed at which stars and galaxies are approaching or receding from us, that is, the radial velocity. This is used to detect if an apparently single star is, in reality, a close binary and even to measure the rotational speed of stars and galaxies. The use of the Doppler effect for light in astronomy depends on our knowledge that the spectra of stars are not continuous. They exhibit absorption lines at well defined frequencies that are correlated with the energies required to excite electrons in various elements from one level to another. The Doppler effect is recognizable in the fact that the absorption lines are not always at the frequencies that are obtained from the spectrum of a stationary light source. Since blue light has a higher frequency than red light, the spectral lines of an approaching astronomical light source exhibit a blueshift and those of a receding astronomical light source exhibit a redshift. Among the nearby stars, the largest radial velocities with respect to the Sun are +308 km/s (BD-15 °4041, also known as LHS 52, 81. 7 light-years away) and -260 km/s (Woolley 9722, also known as Wolf 1106 and LHS 64, 78. 2 light-years away). Positive radial velocity means the star is receding from the Sun, negative that it is approaching. Temperature measurement Another use of the Doppler effect, which is found mostly in astronomy, is the estimation of the temperature of a gas which is emitting a spectral line. Due to the thermal motion of the gas, each emitter can be slightly red or blue shifted, and the net effect is a broadening of the line. This line shape is called a Doppler profile and the width of the line is proportional to the square root of the temperature of the gas, allowing the Doppler-broadened line to be used to measure the temperature of the emitting gas. Radar Main article: Doppler radar The Doppler effect is also used in some forms of radar to measure the velocity of detected objects. A radar beam is fired at a moving target—a car, for example, as radar is often used by police to detect speeding motorists—as it approaches or recedes from the radar source. Each successive wave has to travel further to reach the car, before being reflected and re-detected near the source. As each wave has to move further, the gap between each wave increases, increasing the wavelength. In some situations, the radar beam is fired at the moving car as it approaches, in which case each successive wave travels a lesser distance, decreasing the wavelength. In either situation, calculations from the Doppler effect accurately determine the car's velocity. The proximity fuze which was developed during World War II also relies on Doppler radar. Medical imaging and blood flow measurement An echocardiogram can, within certain limits, produce accurate assessment of the direction of blood flow and the velocity of blood and cardiac tissue at any arbitrary point using the Doppler effect. One of the limitations is that the ultrasound beam should be as parallel to the blood flow as possible. Velocity measurements allow assessment of cardiac valve areas and function, any abnormal communications between the left and right side of the heart, any leaking of blood through the valves (valvular regurgitation), and calculation of the cardiac output. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound using gas-filled microbubble contrast media can be used to improve velocity or other flow-related medical measurements. Although â€Å"Doppler† has become synonymous with â€Å"velocity measurement† in medical imaging, in many cases it is not the frequency shift (Doppler shift) of the received signal that is measured, but the phase shift (when the received signal arrives). Velocity measurements of blood flow are also used in other fields of medical ultrasonography, such as obstetric ultrasonography and neurology. Velocity measurement of blood flow in arteries and veins based on Doppler effect is an effective tool for diagnosis of vascular problems like stenosis. [3] Flow measurement Instruments such as the laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV), and Acoustic Doppler Velocimeter (ADV) have been developed to measure velocities in a fluid flow. The LDV and ADV emit a light or acoustic beam, and measure the Doppler shift in wavelengths of reflections from particles moving with the flow. The actual flow is computed as a function of the water velocity and face. This technique allows non-intrusive flow measurements, at high precision and high frequency. Underwater acoustics In military applications the Doppler shift of a target is used to ascertain the speed of a submarine using both passive and active sonar systems. As a submarine passes by a passive sonobuoy, the stable frequencies undergo a Doppler shift, and the speed and range from the sonobuoy can be calculated. If the sonar system is mounted on a moving ship or an another submarine, then the relative velocity can be calculated.

Introduction Into American Politics An Understanding And...

Stephen Kress Professor Messmer Introduction into American Politics 30 November 2015 Political Reform After reading and researching through the websites provided I was able to gain more of an understanding and insight on political reform. When you hear the word â€Å"reform† we think of possibly, improvement, or of an amendment of what is mistaken, corrupt, and even potentially unacceptable. We want to improve the laws and agreement with prospects of the public. Throughout my research of political reform, I came across an article that is called, â€Å"No Labels Begins Its Journey†. This began in 2010. This article was rather interesting to me as a reader because of how we are trying to fix our nation, and that is exactly what we need to do. No Labels was a way of conducting our nation’s hindrance with the Beltway’s idea of business and a productive effort to change the way our country is doing things. This article wanted to focus on goals that are problem solving for our country as a whole. â€Å"No labels was the first organization to ca ll on our leaders to come together to focus on fixing America’s most pressing problems†. I liked that in this article D.C. was accepting different viewpoints from different people of different ethnicities, religion, liberals and conservatives. â€Å"No labels† was in fact something for people to share their thoughts of America’s strengths and their weaknesses. Moving into the upcoming years this article shows how our country was progressing. And problemsShow MoreRelatedA Long Link Of Barricaded Police Struggles1436 Words   |  6 Pagesexpansion in business associations. 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