The Dangers of College Drinking.

Alcohol has become a way of life for the majority of U.S. college students. Even walking through the halls of C.S.U.N you can hear students converse about how they got so waisted over the weekend that they were unable to finish their assignments. However whats even more frightening is the many dangers college students are face with through the misuse of alcohol, however I feel that it is important to clarify just how alcohol has affected the average college student. According to MAXIM Magazine 85% of college students have participated in binge drinking. Maxim Magazine pg. 15 2007. Binge drinking is when an average person drinks more than five beers over the course of two hours. Also binge drinking has been the cause of an alarming number of drunk driving deaths each year, as well as sexual assaults. According to the Alcohol Policies Project binge drinkers are 21 percent more likely to have; missed class, driven a car after drinking, had unplanned sexual intercourse, and have fallen behind in their classes. When binge drinkers were asked why they binge drink they said because drinking is part of
the college culture, and drinking is also another way to be socially accepted by their peers. What is even more frieghtning is that many college students don't remember half the stuff they do when they are drunk. Parents and law makers are concerned over the growing number of alcohol consumption amongst todays youth. Alcohol has always been part of the college lifestyle, but the amount of students who participate in binge drinking has spiraled out of control. Binge drinkers don't think of the consequences of over drinking. Students feel that if they over indulge that they will be socially accepted by their peers. Paul Woo a student at San Diego State University says that all of his friends engage in binge drinking every weekend. Woo also admitted that he engaged in some unspeakable activites while being intoxicated. Yet, he does feeel that binge drink should be permitted in college, because alcohol boosts the liveliness of a party. Not much has been done to stop binge drinking amongst college students. However, lawmakers have tried to boost the legal drinking age from 21 to 25. Although the opposing argument to the increase of the legal drinking age, is that if a person is able to enter the military at 18 then they should be permitted to purchase alcohol.Although many are left wondering if the legal drinking age limit is increased would it really put a halt on college binge drinking.

History of Belgium Beer

There are over 450 different varieties of Belgium beer, and the numbers keep rising.
Today Belgium beer is considered the most flavorable and diverse. Belgium people take
their beer so seriously that they have even designed glasses that can only be used when
drinking a specific brand of beer.

In order to discuss the history of Belgium beer, I am also going to provide
you with some insight on the history of beer. Beer is considered the oldest alcoholic beverage
dating back to the 6th millineum B.C. Chemical tests reveal that beer was produced 7,000
years ago in what is today Iran. In Mesopotamia the oldest evidence of beer is believed to be
a 4,000 year old Sumerian tablet depicting people drinking a beverage through reed straws
from a communal bowl. However, later on beer was considered to be a holy beverage for monks
living in the monostaries to consume. In fact Belgiums beer history dates back to the Middle Ages when monostaries began producing beer-and they still do to this very day. These types of beer are known as Trappist beers, and must be carried out by a monk. The "holy beers" are (enkel, dubbel and tripel). Here is a list of the different Belgium Beer Styles.

Amber
Amber, beer is also known as Belgian-Pale ale. Amber beer almost dissapeared from the Belgium beer list, until the last 20 years when it regained its popularity.

Blonde or Golden Ale.
Duvel is the most popular beer in the country. The name means devil, and some other blonde beer follow the same theme. Satan, Lucifer, Brigans etc.

Enkel
Enkel is the name of a beer that has the highest alcohol content in a Belgium Beer.

Flemish Red
This beautifully colored beer, is fermented by a mixture of fermenting yeasts and and maturation in oak. The result is a semi strong beer with a deep reddish color, sour and
somewhat fruity.

Lambic
Lambic is a wheat beer brewed in the Pajottenland od Belgium. Lambic beer is fermented by exosure to the wild yeasts that are native to the Brussels region. The beer then undergoes an
aging process much like wine. The aging process can range from six months to three years.
The result gives the beer a dry, cidery aftertaste.Some major Lambic brands include Geuze,
Kriek and Framboise.

Stout
Belgium stouts divide between sweet and dry versions. Examples include Callewaerts and Ellezelloise and Hercules.

Table beer.
Table beer has a low alcohol content, and is sold in large bottles to be drunk with meals. Table beers used to be sold in schools during the 1970s. However, it has lost popularity due to the popularity of soft drinks and bottled water.

White

This beer is made with a mixture of wheat and barley blended with an herb called gruit. Before hops became popular in Europe beers were flavored with gruit herbs in the middle ages. The mixture today comes in Belgian/Dutch wit beers

Bar tricks without the labor

These things never get old. Hell, when does that happen with a free drink?

Many times you'll read about tricks that are tailored more towards magician demigods like David Blaine or Criss Angel, but these babies can be performed well after a couple rounds (and with at-hand materials).

The Dollar and Bottle

Materials: A dollar bill, empty beer bottle, patience

The pitch: Lay down the bill flat against a hard surface, and place the bottle upside down atop the president's head (the more decadent the bar, the larger the bill).

Tell your buddy to remove the dollar without touching the bottle and without letting it fall. Depending on how inebriated he is, that thing will tower over.

Now, it's your turn.

The solution: Make it so that the width of the bill is facing you. Grab the edges, and slowly roll one end of the bill to the bottle. Imagine rolling-up a Persian rug. Continue at a slow pace, and eventually the bottle will slide off completely.

Beer Money

Materials: A dollar bill, an unopened beer

The pitch: Tell the bartender not to uncap the beers. Instead, bet your friend you can do it with a dollar.

The solution: Take the dollar (a crisp one if possible), fold it in half, and then start rolling it tight like a cowboy cigarette. Now, take it and bend it in half, creating a quasi-arrow. Hold the open end between your thumb and finger (the idea is to turn this into a lever).

Use the other hand as a fulcrum, supporting the bottle as you slip the dollar corner under the cap's lip. Tssst. <-- That's the sound of free beer as you pop that baby off.

Cigarette Bend

Materials: A dollar bill, two cigarettes

The pitch: Do this however you will. Either you lay down your smokes or your buddy's, but what you do is tell them to bend a cigarette in half without breaking it. Don't bring up or even show the dollar, just watch as they break it in half and flick of the tobacco leaves.

The solution: Take out your bill and wrap it tight around the cigarette. What you're doing is creating reinforcement so when you bend it, you can almost touch the cigarette to both sides.

Slowly unroll it and watch the awe-struck spectators marvel at the unharmed, and smokable, cigarette.

Yes, these all involve a dollar and some type of rolling, but there's no fancy set-up and someone's bound to have bills and cigs.