Teenage Drinking and Driving Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Teenage Drinking and Driving - Research Paper Example A research conducted by CDC in 2008 revealed that, almost 3,500 teenagers who were between the age bracket of 15 and 19 died because of car crashes. Furthermore, 25% of the deceased teens involved in those accidents tested positive to high levels of alcohol count in the blood system (CDC ). Drinking among teenagers is due of immense peer pressure among the concerned age group. Most of the programs aired in the media tend to lure teenagers into drinking since they fail to highlight on the multiple catastrophes of alcohol. It is therefore evident that drunk driving kills’ people, people become used to drunk driving and people often lose control while driving. One of the causes of teen drinking in USA is the individual’s urge to be rebellious. Most of the accidents correlated to drunk driving are because of teenagers’ rebellion. Some other acts of rebellion manifest through teens staying out past curfew or ditching classes. Universally all teens are famous on their rebellious acts of defying authority (Thompson 16). There have been several engagements targeted at advising youths against alcoholism, but the rebellious nature f the youths have overridden the efforts. Teens have a tendency of swanking of how they manage to drink and drive as long as there are no negative consequences suffered. Although society views drunk driving as a serious social epidemic, teenagers view it as a comfortable way of massaging one’s ego thus molding and directing them to the path of defiance. When in adolescence stage, teenagers undergo a period when a chemical substance in the known as dopamine is in its highest activity. Dopamine is responsible for most of the youth desired experiences like pleasure and feel of reward (Sifferlin). Coupled with poor ability to respond to impulse, teenagers end up indulging in undesired behaviors such as driving while drunk, which they view as pleasure. The second cause for the unnecessary phenomenon of drunk driving among teenagers is their reluctance to stop this epidemic. As teenagers, they themselves play a part in the dominance of this social hardship. Teenagers let it happen; they let the river take its cause. Presently, teenagers have a problem of failing to speak out against drunk driving among teenagers. As compared to the previous generations, teenagers of this era tend to maintain silence even when driven by drunk drivers. A further research conducted by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that in 2007 alone, almost three out of ten teenagers within the US reported cases of being passengers driven by drunk drivers. Teenagers are exposed to lengthy risks since they are afraid to speak out against drunk driving thus endangering their own lives and the lives of other passengers. Through the actions of teenagers failing to speak up and say NO against teen drunk driving; they are obliquely and inadvertently accommodating the actions committed by the drunk drivers. By acceptin g such social affliction, the teenagers create a dangerous cycle whose epitome is drunk driving among teenagers (Kelli and Traci). Since their peers fail to mention negative remarks against drunk driving, other teenagers tend to assume that driving under the influence of alcohol complies with the social norms set by the society in general. The act of failing to speak against the social affliction is in itself a representation of

Engineering - Anaerobic Digestion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Engineering - Anaerobic Digestion - Essay Example Leading in the Go Green, campaign is biogas. Biogas is defined as a mixture of carbon dioxide and methane gas, which is sourced from the breakdown of organic matter, usually waste, in a process referred to as anaerobic digestion. The process is a method by which raw biogas is converted into cleaner, efficient and easier used energy sources. Planning a biogas plant Designing a biogas plant is an engineering problem that has to be approached by considering all the operational, economic, environmental and sustainability conditions. Before designing the biogas plant in the Middle East, the engineer has to first engage in plans, which are conceptualized ideas, but not suited for any one given application. In planning, some of the considerations to look into include the naturally occurring resources, agricultural development, social conventions, customer energy requirements and possible construction site. Careful planning is necessary to eliminate present and cumulative or multiplier effec ts on the design. As a biogas digester (production unit) is a costly investment, it cannot be simply set up as a temporary station. Design The design of the biogas unit is dependent on the conditions a given society poses to the objective. A biogas unit is affected by numerous conditions such as the environmental conditions, design and socio-economic conduct of the people of that region. The choice of the design is determined by the conditions of the chosen site. Designing a biogas unit in the Middle East is a generalized idea, to come up with a perfect unit, the engineer has to analyse the conditions and challenges a given site provides. Just as any system, the biogas production plat is affected by the input and any additional disturbances, which are reflected in the output (which in our case is biogas). Physical conditions Physical conditions are one of the most influential factors when it comes to designing and setting up a biogas digester. Since the anaerobic process of biogas p roduction is quite sensitive to temperature, then care should be taken in considering the climate of a given locale. Other conditions apart from the climate of a location that may be put to test include the soil conditions, the feedstock or substrate for digestion, and the available building material. The design considerations in terms of the substrate and size of the digester are determined by the consumers as well as the available building material. Insulation of the digester happens to be the main consideration in setting up the plant. The anaerobic process operates at temperatures of between 30 and 60 C. keeping the temperature between these limits is of great necessity to ensure that the bacteria involved in the digestion process lives, for high or low temperature leads to their death. Skills and labour Another requirement in designing is skills and labour. The technology involved in setting up a biogas plant is sophisticated and requires skills from both the constructors and d esigners. The complexity of the design usually dictates the type and level of skill involved in the construction process. Depending on the size, distance and costs, the biogas digester may be prefabricated or made in-situ. Standardization Although plants may be designed to fit the needs of a given consumer, there is a need for standardizing the design.