Studying X-ray Binary Systems

Studying X-ray Binary Systems 1.0 Mission overview (0.5 pages max.) In response to the recent XMM Mission, relating to a mission of studying X-ray binary systems, The XMM-Newton mission helped scientists in solving a numerous cosmic mysteries, starting from the enigmatic black holes to the details about the origins of the Universe. Observation time on XMM-Newton is provided to the scientific community, which is applying for observatory periods. The proposed orbit details provide an order of magnitude lower particle background than those of other missions like Chandra and XMM-Newton, which would allow the detailed study and analysis of low-surface-brightness diffuse objects. This proposed mission will be advancement on previous studies by the improvement in capabilities with response to scientific developments of the last few years and would match well with the goals set out in the recent call for ideas on x-ray observations. It can be also possible to increase the focal length of used micropore optics, which improves the high-energy response curve, hence this mission would thus be very highly significant in scientific and technological steps beyond Chandra/XMM-Newton and would serve important and timely inputs for the next upcoming generation of huge X-ray observatories like XEUS and Con-X planned for the upcoming years 2015-2025 horizons. This proposed next generation mission focuses on Image restoration technique as well as ultra high photon imaging using the concepts of morphological Image processing and enhancing image quality. All software and electronic hardware scientific research like VLSI design, SoC design are taken care in digital signal proc essing of the Image. The proposed mission is called N-XMM Mission (Next Generation XMM Mission). That comprises solutions for next generation imaging devices. 1.1 Instruments European Ultra high Photon Imaging Camera (EUPIC) The MOS CCDs, EEV type 22, have 600 x 600 pixels, each 40 microns square; they are frame-transfer devices and front illuminated. One pixel covers 1.1† with Image restoration technique. This instrument would work upon the quality of image capturing (i.e. Ultra high quality) and initial Image Rendering Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) – It contains 182 identical types of gratings. The gratings are supposed to be mounted at grazing incidence into the in-plane or classical configuration, where both the incident as well as diffracted X-rays lies in a plane that is perpendicular (900 angle) to the grating grooves. This instrument is helpful in spectrum sensing and processing of X-rays as well as determines the elemental composition of specimen that is to be analysed Optical Monitor (OM) The Optical/UV Monitor Telescope is mounted on the mirror support platform alongside the X-ray mirror module devices. It can provide coverage from 170 650 nm of that central 17 arc minute square region of the X-ray field, thus permitting routine multi-wavelength analysis and observations of Multi Mirror targets simultaneously in X-ray as well as UV/optical bands of frequency. This instrument helps in sensing simultaneous bands of energy waves that can be used for further analysis and can be digitally processed using SoC electronic devices in between only. 1.2 Mirror The main mirror of the telescope will be Deployable Mirror. This will allow the spectral instruments to achieve resolutions from 0.000005032 arcseconds to 0.005032 arcseconds in the optical region of the spectrum. 1.3 Cooling System The cooling system on board will be Passive, to achieve a temperature of 470 Kelvin. The minimum operating temperature required by the instruments is 40 Kelvin. 1.4 Comments? (max. 50 words) Cooling System is taken Passive because the satellite has a mass of 50 kg and passive cooling is best for mass of 50 kg of for EUPIC, RGS and OM with a temperature of 470 Kelvin R = 1.22 (lambda/D) where, R is resolution, lambda is the wavelength and wavelength for x-rays are ranging from 0.01nm to 10nm and D=0.5m. 2.0 Mass budget The total mass of the satellite will be 73 kg. The breakdown of the individual components is given below: Mass budget Satellite Structure: 50 kg Mirror: 3 kg Cooling System: 20 kg Instruments: 0 kg Total Satellite mass: 73 kg 2.1 Orbit Selection The satellite will observe from Lower Earth Orbit, at a distance of Less Than Thousand kms from Earth. The orbital period will be 90-100 minutes, and the maximum fuel lifetime for maintaining such an orbit is 10 years. The mission duration will therefore be 5 years. 2.2 Launch vehicle and site To reach orbit, the satellite will be launched on a Soyuz, operated by Roscosmos (Russia), from Baikonur, Russia. The maximum capacity of this launch vehicle is 8 t. 2.3 Comments? (max. 50 words) LEO Taken because it is having a desired launch cost and supports every cryogenic and passive cooling systems 3.0 Financial budget The total cost of the mission will be 257 million, broken down over the following areas: Cost breakdown Satellite Structure: 100 million Mirror: 12 million Cooling System: 5 million Instruments: Development cost: 117 million Launch cost: 120 million Ground control cost: 20 million Operations cost: 140 million Total mission cost: 357 million 3.1 Comments? (max. 50 words) Now advancement is required in image restoration techniques, morphological kind of image processing techniques and SAS analysis of DATA. In all these fields new software’s can be made and used for clearer details. 4.0 Technical Scientific Justification X-ray physics astronomy in space depends on the focusing of X-ray photons by low-angle scattering from fine shaped shells. In most of the cases this kind of optics contains two sets of nested concentric shells with their shapes identical and similar to sections of different cones. Two grazing-incidence scatters would result in focusing of the X-rays on the shell axis. The previous ESAs XMM-Newton mission had three mirror modules with outer diameter 70 cm, that too each having 58 nested shells that would be focusing on the X-rays onto CCD detectors some distance of 7m from the mirrors. XMM is in a highly eccentric orbit having apogee distance 114000km, perigee distance 7000km and inclination angle 39à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ °. In this highly eccentric orbit, it is exposed to fluxes of electrons and ions of various high energies from Magnetospheric and Heliospheric sources. Big Data sets used for the analysis of different mission-critical engineering problems were produced by various scientific missions (IMP, SOHO, ACE, Equator-S, ISEE) which would never anticipate such applications N-XMM has its own on-board radiation monitor similar to that we had in X-NMM, to which there can be an early resistance in the project preparation. It would be an important resource on the spacecraft; Spacecraft operators would have a keen interest in the state of the space weather and hence would certainly use the predictions of particle enhancements. N-XMM wouldinclude the following types of science instrument: European Ultra high Photon Imaging Camera (EUPIC) 3 CCD cameras are used for X-ray imaging, high resolution spectroscopy, and X-ray photometry; XMM-Newtoncarries 2 MOS cameras and one pn. The gratings change the direction of about half of the telescope incident flux to the RGS detectors so that about approx. 44% of the original incoming flux sets to the MOS (Motor only sync) cameras. The EUPIC instrument at the focus point of the third X-ray telescope with an highly energised unobstructed beam; uses pn CCDs and hence is directed to as the pn camera. The EUPIC cameras perform task of extremely sensitive imaging analysis over the telescope’s field of view (FOV) of 25 arcmin and in the energy ranging from 0.11 to 24 keV with moderate spectral density (E/ΔE ~ 20-50). All EUPIC CCDs operates in photon counting mode with a fixed frequency and mode dependent frame read-out frequency Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) Contains two very identical spectrometers for the purpose of high-resolution X-ray spectroscopy as well as spectro-photometry. Optical Monitor (OM) – Used for optical imaging, UV imaging and grism spectroscopy Comparison: XMM-Newton 6 15 0.15 15 4650b 40 Chandra 0.2 0.5 0.1 10 800 50 N-XMM 3.5 7 0.1 24 400 1.3 4.1 Figures/Diagrams/Tables for Technical Scientific Justification Figure.1 – Payload Design Figure.2 – Mechanical Design of XMM-OM Telescope Figure.3 – Schematic view of available orbits. Figure.4 – Images Taken by LASCO and EIT Figure.5 Optical Design of RGS Transmitter: Frequency range 2200 .. 2290 MHz Antenna output transmitting power +36 dBm (+2 dBm / 0 dBm) Transmitter modulation BPSK 4 Mbps Power consumption à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ £30 W Receiver: Frequency range 2025 .. 2110 MHz Frequency 2058 MHz holding range à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ±100kHz Error bit rate Less than10-6@–105 dBm Receiver demodulation BPSK 256 kbps Power consumption à ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ £3 W Receiver sensitivity -105 dBm min @ error bit rate = 10-6 Antenna: Polarization circular/ RHC Covering Hemispherical Power max. 40dBm CW Impedance 50à ¯Ã‚ - Operational temperature -40 ° †¦ +120 °C Uplink frequency range 2025 †¦ 2110 MHz Downlink frequency range 2200†¦2290 MHz

Oryx and Crake Summary

In Orgy and Crake Margaret Atwood highlights this ethical issue through the lives of characters directly involved in this business to show that impasses both in the novel and in today's society use poor and desperate people to further their businesses and turn a profit. Tattoo's novel focuses on a community dominated by bio engineering and genetic sciences in a time where restrictions on what companies could do with technology are limited.The main character Jimmy and the important figures in his life (his parents, Crake, Orgy, etc) live in a society where their comfortable lifestyles are only possible through the revenue they make off of the biomedicine developments they make. Atwood uses the desires of people like Jimmy who live in the engineering compounds, and the desperate conditions of the poor inhabitants in the slums, known as the planeloads. At the end of the novel, Atwood creates a catastrophic apocalypse stemming directly from a disease created by a company distributed to t he plebes, who were eager to receive what they thought was a life changing medicine.Atwood uses this to illustrate issues that are prevalent in modern society. In both modern times and in Tattoo's novel the upper-class takes advantage of the lower-class' desperation for a better lifestyle to make a profit and continue to live their ivies comfortably at the expense of others. Atwood uses the way companies in the novel manipulate and take advantage of the lower-class to draw a parallel to today's society. In the novel the first example shown of economic manipulation is through an argument Jimmy's parents have over the ethics of the recent breakthrough in drug advancements.In this excerpt, Jimmy's father comes home celebrating advancements in genetic engineering at his company, but his mother refuses to celebrate as she sees this as â€Å"yet another way to rip off a bunch of desperate people. â€Å"(Atwood 26) As the argument regresses Jimmy's father maintains the argument that the new technology being created gives people hope a. Jimmy's mother relays that it gives hope â€Å"At Nonskid' prices it is. You hype your wares and take all their money and then they run out of cash, and it's no more treatments for them. They can rot as far as you and your pals are concerned†¦ Make] life better for people -? not just people with money' (26). In this passage Atwood uses Jimmy's parents and the false hope companies' products like â€Å"Nonskid† give to represent companies and people, profit and generosity and the struggle between aging money and helping others. This reveals an issue that concerns not only the characters in the novel, but also people today. The way companies rip off â€Å"a bunch of desperate people† is seen today with businesses that take their drugs overseas to take advantage of desperate people in need of a miracle, and instead test their products on them for half the cost and little consequence.In an article called â€Å"Drug Te sting Goes Offshore† in Fortune Magazine, Abraham Illustrate states that â€Å"nearly 40% of all clinical trials are now conducted in poorer countries such as Russia and India, where costs are rower and patients more vulnerable. â€Å"(Fortune) This parallels the disparity shown in the novel where Jimmy's father and the company he works for uses the poorer people in the â€Å"planeloads† to test their products on to do the same principles of low cost and vulnerability.Additionally the article reveals that â€Å"The very business model that summons drug companies to those places also risks exploiting the vulnerability of foreign patients–they are eager to sign up because they lack a viable alternative and tend to have blind faith in medicine,† (Fortune) showing how truly desperate the patients are and easily impasses in both the novel and today's society are able to take advantage of that as a business opportunity rather than a chance to help others.The a rticle also shows how the companies make individual profit by explaining that â€Å"trials investigators in Russia can make ten times his salary by recruiting his patients into studies,† (Fortune) and also tells how â€Å"Patients in SST. Petersburg told stories about bribing doctors, passing on a few dollars to ensure they would get a repeat visit or admission to a clinic† (Fortune). Atwood uses products like â€Å"Nonskid† and the arguments Jimmy's parents make to present the same involvement companies in modern society use the same form of manipulation to make money instead of helping the people they deceive to grow financially.Atwood also shows another side to the company's forms of manipulation through a controversial statement Jimmy's friend Crake makes about how companies are always able to create new drugs for a seemingly increasing amount of new diseases. In this passages Jimmy asks â€Å"But don't they keep discovering new diseases? â€Å"(Atwood 1 2 6) In which Crake replies â€Å"Not discovering, they're creating them†¦ [they insert] a hostile oviform started in he plebe population†¦ [and] it more or less runs itself.Naturally they develop the antidotes at the same time as they're customizing the bugs, but they hold those in reserve, they practice the economics of scarcity, so they're guaranteed high profits† (Atwood 126). This radical business concept mirrors the same tactics of manipulation seen previously with deception of the â€Å"plebes† and the immediate advantage taken in finding a way to make money off of them. But even in the novel this concept seems to manipulative and far- fetched to be believable, or relatable to modern society.However the concept of â€Å"disease mongering' or the creation of diseases to convince people to buy products to cure them is more prevalent in society than expected. In the British Journal of Nursing and article called â€Å"Marketing disease: is osteoporosis an example of ‘disease mongering? ‘ this concept is explored in a disease that is more or less excepted as an accurate condition that people need drugs for. In the article it explains that: â€Å"Osteoporosis is often described as a disease, yet the symptoms are imperceptible and reliable diagnostic criteria have not been formulated†¦ E manufacture of ‘lifestyle' drugs has been costly without significant improvement in mortality or morbidity. The influence of the medical profession and large drug manufacturers is [and] the manufacture of illness is [shows] there may be significant risks attached to treating non-existent diseases† (BBC). This shows that not are there diseases that are believed to be problematic and prevalent, but that companies are in fact making them up and furthermore using them to make money by selling treatments that could even be harmful to the consumer.This was shown as he case with â€Å"hormone replacement therapy, which resulted i n the unnecessary deaths of thousands of women,† (BBC) revealing that as long as there are people desperate enough to seek relief to their ailments, companies will take advantage of that for personal gain whether it leads to hurting people and in this previous case, even death. Here Atwood shows that the evil and deceitful actions taken by the fictional characters in the novel share a striking parallel with the companies in today's drug market.Although it is easy to take away from these examples that there are manipulative people in today's society as well as in Tattoo's novel, Atwood encourages that a further step is taken with this. These examples of disparity in the ethics of drug companies not only reflects the looming threat of big scary companies always out to get people, but reflects how as a population, people are ready to throw themselves at whatever drug comes their way as their miracle.Atwood pushes the realization that people aren't safe just because they're not im poverished or seeking free medical care, but that even the wealthy and the everyday individual in modern society are vulnerable to this manipulation. It is unfortunate that today the dream of living a life with good health and medical protection for families is used to support an already wealthy society that continues to flourish while the poor are left to depravity. Although companies use the lure of low prices and free trials to continue their lives of leisure, the victims pay an even larger price than anticipated.A shown in the novel and the articles, many pay with being worse off than before and even death. The price people pay for these â€Å"miracle pills† and a chance to enjoy a better way of life can't be valued, however companies still make a refit off of the hardships of the destitute and despairing. This lack of empathy and simple decency is the foundation that breeds the inhumane suffering of others and, as Atwood illustrates, can lead to the same catastrophic dow nfall constructed in her novel.

Fact and Fancy in children’s education Essay

When Dickens was a very young child, he would think about anything a normal child would think about. E.g. castles and dragons, this is the world of fancy, but this is also in conflict with, his education at school, the world of fact.  The world of fact is a name for how the children of those times were taught; they wouldn’t talk about anything to do with the world of fancy, only facts were useful for their future job so only facts were taught. In Dickens’ book Hard Times he describes this method of teaching as having one part of their â€Å"tender young imaginations† replaced by a â€Å"grim mechanical substitute.† This also relates to the title of the chapter, ‘Murdering the Innocents’  Thomas Gradgrind also numbers his pupils, â€Å"Girl number twenty† like machinery, computer 1 and computer 2.Again, Dickens shows how Gradgrind’s style of education turns the children into an object rater than a person by giving them numbers.  At the end of Chapter 1 he referred to the children as vessels â€Å"then and they’re arranged in order,† he must have been referring to this numbering system. In modern times in the army, a solider in training is referred to as a â€Å"jarhead†, an empty â€Å"vessel† that is filled only with useful information (fact) and is emptied of all useless information (fancy). This could be used to state that the children were b eing trained for one main purpose. The main character is introduced, Sissy Jupe or Cecilia Jupe. Sissy lives by the philosophy of emotion, (fancy) she is a character who is only new to the world of fact as she is from the circus which is the world of fancy. Sissy has trouble adjusting to this world of fact and fact alone as she curtseys and blushes. Sissy Jupe’s father is part of the traveling circus in town for a short while and Thomas Gradgrind hates everything the circus stands for, with all its fun and creativity (fancy) so he reshapes her into a more respectable form. The circus where Sissy comes from is seen by Gradgrind to be opposed to the style of education at that time. Thomas Gradgrind has a hatred for Sissy because they both oppose each other, Fact Vs Fancy. When Bitzer is introduced, Sissy is not able to recollect factual definitions off by heart on the spot, Dickens’ gives us an interesting description of Bitzer compared to Sissy.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"That she seemed to receive a deeper colour from the sun, the boy was so light-eyed and light-haired that the rays appeared to draw out of him what little colour he ever possessed.†Ã‚  This is Dickens’ telling us about the children of Thomas Gradgrind’s style of teachings. The sunlight is the world and has different effects on these two children. Sissy is a child  of the natural world, and her innocence has not been taken away, the sunlight seems not to have her taken away her colour. However, Bitzer on the other hand is a product of the education system; all natural life is taken away from him and you get the sense that he has been drained of spirit and personality making him no more than a robot who only responds when he is put into action by Thomas Gradgrind.  This was how dickens was brought up; as he wanted to become a writer he was always faced with the conflict of Fact versus Fancy in his life. Although this was the case he is one of the greatest 19th century writers ever and his books are still being read all over the world and are used as prime examples of life in the 19th century.

The Legal Drinking Age Around the United States is 21 - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2229 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/07/01 Category Society Essay Level High school Topics: Lowering The Drinking Age Essay Did you like this example? It has not always been that way and there is a chance it will not continue to be that way. The main argument for having the drinking age set at twenty-one is that our brains are not fully developed until we reach that age. The problem with this is that, just because we raise the drinking age does not mean it will stop underage drinking. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Legal Drinking Age Around the United States is 21" essay for you Create order In fact, it may actually be hurting the people under the age limit that continue to drink and party in private. We cannot stop underage drinking ever, but we can try to do the best we can to minimize the possible harm done to those who drink under the age of 21. There are many different views on drinking alcohol especially underage drinking. Everyone is different in his or her views on the drinking age. Some think it should be lowered and other believe that it should be raised. Then there are some that believe that is should remain the same at age of twenty-one years old. Keeping the alcohol consumption age at twenty-one limits the dangers to only those not over twenty-one. Lowering the drinking age may cause more problems than it fixes, but people will argue against that, and other countries have lower to no age requirements at all. Alcohol causes many problems in the society we live in today. Not only does it affect a persons mental health, but it also could harm a person physically. Alcohol could not be too friendly to the human body, it can affect how many different organs function. Lowering the legal drinking age from twenty-one to eighteen is not a new concept, in fact lowering the drinking age has been considered for years. In July of 2008, over a hundred of college professors and other education officials gathered to reevaluate the legal drinking age and start the Amethyst Initiative. The United States has a higher drinking age (twenty-one) than Canada (eighteen), Mexico (eighteen), and European countries (sixteen). The reasoning behind this initiative is that the United States drinking age causes more dangerous behavior than it would if it were lowered to eighteen. The minimum age of eighteen has been considered for many countries because of the privileges an eighteen-year-old may receive. In the United States, when you reach the age of eighteen you are no longer considered a dependent. It is no surprise that alcohol consumption is high in under age kids in the United States. According to the 2017 NSDUH, about 7.4 million Americans between the ages of 12 and 20 report current alcohol consumption. I think having the drinking age at 21 does not help in many situations. I personally have seen many underage kids consuming larger amounts of alcohol than one should, but that does not stop them. I think that having the drinking age at 21 is actually very unsafe for everyone. We know people are going to drink under the age of 21 but now we lower the possibility of them calling for help when something goes wrong because they may be afraid of punishment of underage drinking. According to NIAA Drinking continues to be widespread among adolescents, as shown by nationwide surveys as well as studies in smaller populations. According to data from the 2005 Monitoring the Future (MTF) study, an annual survey of U.S. youth, three-fourths of 12th graders, more than two-thirds of 10th graders, and about two in every five 8th graders have consumed alcohol. And when youth drink they tend to drink intensively, often consuming four to five drinks at one time. MTF data show that 11 percent of 8th graders, 22 percent of 10th graders, and 29 percent of 12th graders had engaged in heavy episodic (or binge) drinking within the past two weeks. So binge drinking for kids under the age of 21 is very common and can be very negative. Bad choices and unfortunate circumstances in underage drinking can cause the loss of life or the fear of calling for help. I believe that if we lower the drinking age to 18, we will provide a much safer environment for those who will be consuming alcohol regardless of what age we say is allowed. They will call for help if needed and maybe consume less in one night at a party if they know they can drink whenever they would like. Also lowering the drinking age will take out a large number of fake IDs that are going around which will in return kill the market for fake IDs. According to Justin Deffenbacher, The fake ID business has become a lucrative industry for not only foreign providers in countries like China, but also for college students looking to capture some of the student market while simultaneously profiting from the high demand. Competing with popular international companies such as 21overnight and idchief, producers aim to convince students that their fake ID is the superior product. A successful producer makes an average of $1500 a week, according to The Economist. According to Hall, prices can run as high as $300 depending on the quality of the ID. The market is usually divided between three tiers of value. The lowest tier averages around $100 while the highest rounds up to $300. This being said, the market for fake IDs is very high. Hundreds and thousands of dollars are spent on fake IDs for college students and high school students. Lowering the drinking age would almost eliminate any need for a fake ID market. Eighteen years old is the age of adulthood in the United States, I believe this allows us to make the decision if we want to consume alcohol or not. Turning 18 gives us the rights and responsibilities to vote, smoke cigarettes, serve on juries, get married, be prosecuted as adults, and allows us to make the choice to join the military which includes risking our own lives. With all these decisions available to us at the age of 18 then why should we not have the choice to consume alcohol as we please. If we have all these hard choices to make for the rest of our lives and the government sees fit that we are able to make these decisions at this age, then why would we not be able to make the decision to consume. Teenagers have to make very difficult decisions that will affect the rest of their lives and what they go on to do to contribute to our society. Regardless of the age of legal consumption we still suffer a high number of casualties related to drinking and driving. Raising the drinking age to 21 does not lower the number of instances of a DUI. The decline of drunk driving fatalities started to decline 2 years before the MLDA was changed to 21. With a MLDA of 21 the United States still has a higher percentage of drunk driving traffic accidents and fatalities than other countries with a MLDA of 18. According to ProCon, In the United States, 31% of road traffic deaths involve alcohol. This percentage is higher than many countries with a drinking age lower than 21 such as France (29%), Great Britain (16%), Germany (9%), China (4%), and Israel (3%). So therefore, having a drinking age of 21 is not helping us lower the amount of traffic deaths involving alcohol. Lowering the drinking age would help our economy as well. If we were to lower the drinking age to 21 the amount of alcohol purchased and taxed from those 18+ would help our economy. If we were allowed to legally purchase alcohol at the age of 18 there would be a lot more alcohol purchased and taxed by those under the age of 21. It would also diminish the thrill of breaking the law by consuming. Some people under 21 consume just because they are told they cannot. This number would likely go down because there would be no thrill of breaking the law to consume at a party or just because they think they can. Teens will consume regardless of the MLDA so the MLDA 21 is largely ineffective. The biggest concerns of underage drinking are driving under the influence and the brain not being fully developed until early to mid 20s. One of the biggest advocates for stronger enforcement on driving under the influence is MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). The founder of MADD lost her daughter to a drunk driver in California. He was a repeat offender but was still somehow on the road and able to drive. MADD was a heavy influence in the decision to raise the drinking age to 21, this would minimize the number of teenagers drinking and driving possibly causing harm to others or themselves. According to MADD, 50,000 American teenagers had died in alcohol-related crashes from 1974 to 1984, roughly equivalent to the number of Americans killed in the Vietnam War. They were seeking to make a change in that margin. No one should ever have to lose a loved one or family member due to drunk driving. Alcohol is a depressant, in other words it controls how slow your body functions. It could alter with a persons movement, emotions, and vision. Alcohol impedes messages that your brain is trying to receive. You are more relaxed depending on how much you drink. The more you drink the more intoxicated you are and the sicker feeling you could get. Depending on the person, you could either be an angry, friendly or maybe a sad drunk, making you act not yourself. When you drink, you react to things slower, thats why people should not drive intoxicated. Consuming too much alcohol in a short period of time can have a result of alcohol poisoning; the first symptom is usually vomiting. Resulting more symptoms such as extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, low blood sugar, unconsciousness, or even death. While some parents may feel relieved that their teen is only drinking, it is important to remember that alcohol is a powerful, mood-altering drug. Not only does alcohol affect the mind and body in unpredictable ways, but teens lack the judgment and coping skills to handle alcohol wisely. Some teenagers are brought up with the attitude that drinking is pure evil. But most of the time this just causes rebellious behavior and makes them want to try it even more, and once they try it they could possibly get addicted. According to associate professor Deborah Deas and assistant professor Suzanne Thomas from the Medical University of South Carolina, more senior high school students use alcohol than any other drug. Once a teenager gets completely smashed, they are likely to do it again. Why? Well they will tell you that its fun, unless of course they had a really bad experience while drunk. The teens that do have fun will most likely continue drinking. Some teens will experiment and stop, or continue to use occasionally, without significant problems. Others will develop a dependency, possibly moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others According to DrugFreeWorld Drinking is more harmful to teens than adults because their brains are still developing throughout adolescence and well into young adulthood. Drinking during this critical growth period can lead to lifelong damage in brain function, particularly as it relates to memory, motor skills (ability to move) and coordination. Drinking before your brain is fully developed can have severe consequences to the body and to the mind. I believe that the effects of drinking at a young age when your brain is not fully developed is a very serious matter and should not be taken lightly. Although, I do also believe at the age of 18 you should be able to make those decisions on your own. When you are old enough to decide if you want to risk your life fighting for our country you should also be able to make the choice to drink and possibly harm your development. I think we should do the best we can in our schooling system to best prepare kids to be ready to make that decision. The best we can do is give them as much information and warning as we can and allow them to make the decision. I do not believe it should be the government or state decision on the age we can consume alcohol. I also believe the age of legal drinking and the traffic accidents and fatalities that occur are not connected to the MLDA. Regardless of the legal age to drink we are still going to have people who drive under the influence and get into accidents when under the influence. We have a higher margin of fatalities do to drinking and driving than any other country whos drinking age is less than 21. The lifelong damage that can occur is not something to take lightly but I think by the age of 18 we can make those decisions on our own. All in all the drinking age will remain 21 until the government or states decide it might be better to lower or even raise the minimum drinking age. Both sides have many harms and benefits of the drinking age. I say alcohol should have never been created in the first place but we cant do much on that now. All we can do now is educate our young as best that we can and hope they make a safe decision for them and their future. When its all said and done, they will drink and do whatever they want at any age they decide. Its our job to keep them safe and educated.