[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman, so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like losing our summers!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

Let’s be honest – no one (at least no one who wants hot, dirty sex) waits until they’re 21 to try an alcoholic beverage. Alcohol is so ubiquitous at high school and college parties that the red plastic cup is practically the official symbol of underage consumption. And yet, even in the face of this almost universal fact, the legal drinking age in America continues to be 21 (as if we didn’t have enough problems getting our hooch!).

Now that the Amethyst Initiative - a group of over 135 US college and university presidents who want the drinking age lowered - is making the rounds, the debate has gotten even hotter – and since we’re the ones it really effects, it seems like it’s time we weighed in!

Believe it or not, there is an argument for keeping the drinking age where it is, and it’s even annoyingly legit. One of the biggest points is safety – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that setting the drinking age at 21 has saved more than 25,000 lives since 1975 (about 900 underage drivers a year). Admittedly an impressive statistic, and since no one I know of is pro-car accident, it’s hard to argue against that point. I’ll also give them the fact that in the ’70s, when some states lowered drinking ages, car accidents went up dramatically.

Proponents of the current law also say that students of campuses or states that more forcefully restrict alcohol are less prone to binge drinking, one of the serious problems with underage consumption. And studies have shown that the younger you start drinking, the more likely you are to develop long term health problems like brain damage and substance abuse issues (which explains why I can never remember where I put my keys).

The truth is, most of the arguments against lowering the drinking age are based on the principal that younger people make poorer choices – and I’m not saying we don’t make bad decisions (like my hair, circa 2005 ) – most drinkers do their heaviest, most irresponsible drinking when they’re underage.

However, this is where we come to the big crux of the problem for many: in the US, we’re considered adults at 18 – we can buy tobacco products, own guns, get married, make all our own legal decisions and even choose to die for our country if it comes down to it. We are guaranteed these rights by our country, and yet this same government tells us we aren’t good enough at making decisions to handle alcohol. It’s a back assward stance, any way you slice it. But beyond my general annoyance at being told my decisions are crappy, there are also good reasons for lowering the drinking age beyond the legal mixed-messages.

Remember how those in favor of the current 21 law were saying that binge drinking is lower because of the law? Well according to studies, “among college-age males, binge drinking is unchanged from its levels of 1979; that among non-college women it has increased by 20 percent; and that among college women it has increased by 40 percent.” And while the number of accidents went up in the ’70s when the drinking age was lowered, this was also a time before airbags and mandatory seat-belts and the after school specials that drilled “don’t drink and drive” into our brains – all things that just weren’t there almost forty years ago. And many say that real problem today is not road safety anyway: it’s binge drinking - something that can only be solved by education.

Do you think that lowering the drinking age would help? Or would it just make things worse? Are we just to debaucherously into our booze? Or should it be a question of something other than age, like alcohol education?

I’m not good at much – just ask my IM volleyball team – but if there is one thing I’ve mastered in my lifetime, it’s the art of drinking. It’s not like it came naturally; I’ve devoted much of my adult life to hitting the bottle. It’s been a lot of hard work, dry heaves and hairs of the dogs that bit me, but I am finally a boozing master.

And being that I am a self-proclaimed expert in the subject, I think it is imperative that I share some of my hard earned knowledge with the world. You see, drinking is a difficult task and there are many things to know in order to truly be good at it. Namely: the things that don’t mix well with alcohol.

You may feel the need to go out and try these combos for yourself, but just trust me on this one and stay far, far away from the following mixers:

1. Cereal: Lucky Charms and Baileys sounds like a delicious combo, but it is not. Especially before a long day of classes.

2. Automobiles: Obviously, everyone (well, everyone besides those morons in Hollywood) knows that driving drunk is dumb. But so is riding in the back of a cab. With a window that doesn’t work. You never know how far vomit can splash until you are in that situation.

3. Going commando: There is something about the combination of alcohol and the desire to constantly lift one’s skirt that just doesn’t quite work.

4. Serious talks: If you need to have it out with someone you know, doing it while drunk is not a good idea. Unless, of course, you like screaming/crying/punching/hugging in the middle of a busy street.

5. Cameras: Dropping it and watching the screen shatter while doing the worm in the middle of a dance floor is the least of your problems. In fact, after realizing the sh*tshow that is documented on that memory card, it may just be the solution.

6. Bunk Beds: Top or bottom, you will get injured.

7. Fine Dining: You may think a fine meal isn’t complete without a (few) bottle(s) of wine, but I’m sure the bus boy who has to wipe up your vomit from under the table would disagree.

8. Tights: They look totally hot with that mini, but aren’t so wonderful after you break the seal and have to pee every 10-12 minutes for the rest of the night.

9. Fire: No explanation needed.

10. Slides: “OMGEEE IT WOULD BE SO FUN TO SLIDE DOWN THAT RIGHT NOW…FACE FIRST,” says the girl who now is missing the skin from the right side of her face.

True story. All of them. Just heed my advice and be careful out there.

The most dangerous thing our generation is doing? Texting, apparently.

The New York Times recently wrote an article (published in their ‘health’ section, no less) about the dangers of texting.  The sources scattered throughout the article wail about their teenage son or daughter sending thousands of texts per month (uh…more like per week) and the drastic effects it has on their poor baby’s health.

Seriously, parents and teachers?  You’re worried about excessive texting rather than say, drunk driving or hard drug use?  I mean, a case of sore thumbs can certainly ruin your day, but I’m pretty sure huffing paint thinner is gonna at least eff up your week.

The article cites problems such as anxiety, distraction in school, failing grades (probably a result of the distraction, I’m guessing), repetitive stress injury, and sleep deprivation.  Um, this may just be me, but doesn’t that sound like a normal high school or college student?  Hell, even before I had texting on my phone (yes, I was a late texting bloomer), I had a fair few of those ‘symptoms’ (especially around finals week).

Let’s get serious, New York Times.  Why don’t we set the texting ‘issue’ aside and maybe focus on something else (anything else)?  Besides, in the time it took me to read your ridiculous article, I could have sent 17 text messages to my friends looking for drugs or discussing last night’s nooky. Clearly, our generation has larger issues.

We thought it was only appropriate, then, to honor these fallen celebrities. For without them we would never know the repercussions of driving drunk, grabbing the breast of an underage girl, or buying and selling drugs from the back of a limo. These celebrities have taken the fall so we don’t have to. It’s as if they are channeling Jesus and sacrificing themselves for our sins.

Ok, maybe not. But their mugshot pictures are pretty badass.

There is really nothing better than seeing an ultra glamorous superstar looking like a hot mess at the police station. Especially when that superstar is strung out on some really strong sh*t. So, we took it upon ourselves to pull our Top 10 Celebrity Mugshots together for your amusement. Scroll through, enjoy, and practice your voting skills for this year’s election by choosing your favorite to win the 2008 CollegeCandy Mugshot of the Year award. (There is really no prize, award ceremony, or thank-you speech, but we still want to know which hot tranny mess is your favorite.)

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Which mugshot is your personal f-a-v?

Shia LaBeouf, the adorable movie star who used to seem so sweet and cute, apparently made a promise to himself to become just another one of those a**hole actors by breaking a bunch of laws in recent months. Early this morning (Sunday, July 27th), LaBeouf pushed his a**shole act up a notch by flipping his car on “the corner of Fountain and La Brea” in Hollywood and smashing up his hand bad enough to go into surgery shortly after. As soon as he got to the hospital, LaBeouf was arrested and charged with DUI.

Updates will no doubt come in as the day wears on, but as we all wait for those updates to happen, we here at CC are going to make our own promise to ourselves: no more fantasies involving actors who are lame enough to think that driving while intoxicated is a great way to get around.

The liquor-guzzling maneater has been ordered to spend two days working with the stiffs in a Los Angeles-area morgue as part of a plea bargain over her drunk driving conviction.

Her lawyers say it’s all part of a plan to help her understand the true consequences of drinking and driving / doing cocaine / chasing down celery sticks with Red Bull.

I say they’d better hide the formaldehyde; you already know Blohan will sniff it out.

In other Lindsay news, the A-alcoholic is rumored to have grudgingly returned to AA.

Drinking too much is bad. Urging people to drink safely and stay away from their car after a few beers is good. Using a half-naked chick to tell people drinking too much is bad, especially if they want to drive…is confusing.

Arrive Alive, an organization devoted to ending drunk driving, has recently begun a prevention campaign that consists of lifelike stickers of a totally wasted girl in both men’s and women’s restrooms. The girl in the men’s restroom sticker is sitting with her thigh-high stockinged legs apart, eyes drooping, as though she’s just stumbled into the wrong bathroom and collapsed on the floor. I’ll sober up when I’m behind the wheel, her black shirt states.

The same girl is featured in the women’s restroom sticker, except this time, she’s on all fours, presuming throwing up, her thong underwear clearly showing. I just need to get it out of my system, her shirt explains.

While the idea is certainly a good one, I wonder why the campaign is using a barely-clothed girl as their image. Surely they’re not saying all women who drink too much are sluts? Surely they’re not saying women are the only ones who make stupid decisions when it comes to alcohol? Surely they’re not trying to turn men on, perpetuating the “drunk and easy” stereotype?

The argument that an image of a scantily clad girl catches people’s eye is kind of bullshit when we’re talking about a campaign intended to produce healthy choices. How healthy is it to use a wasted girl to get the attention of men? How healthy is it to emphasize a drunk woman’s sexuality?

What do you think? Just enough shock to scare people straight? Or sexually exploitive?

Don’t be so lazy! There are so many ways an individual can have a large effect on the environment and it can start by simply changing your lightbulb. It takes a lot less effort than you’d think!

A compact fluorescent lightbulb (CFL) is that funny-looking swirl that fits into a standard socket. It costs three to five times as much as a conventional incandescent bulb, yet uses one-quarter the electricity and lasts several years longer. There are many other ways you can contribute if you knew.

I believe Shipwreck said it best, after episode 39 of GI Joe, when he said,

“Knowing how to impact the environment is half the battle, following through on that knowledge is what will make a difference. ”

We haven’t really even begun to scratch the surface of conservation because many people don’t know what they can do to play their part in the Green Movement.

The other half of society thinks that being Green is some taboo activity for hippies and the state of Vermont. A lot of people don’t even realize what their affect on the environment is.

If you want to know what your “carbon footprint” (you know, what Al Gore is always talking about) is, check out this carbon and lifestyle calculator. Your score is calculated based on six categories: Home, energy, work, commute, travel and lifestyle. Each of these categories plays a significant role in the carbon emissions score.

Knowing what your day to day impact on the environment is could make all the difference, and this calculator lets you know just that.

A lifestyle change is going to have to come from our leadership. Leadership is crucial to regulating necessities and determining which poor habits should be sacrificed. Changing our lifestyles would be a huge adjustment, but is very do-able. I know it is easy to preach about caring and wanting to “be Green”, but actually sacrificing is the tough part and we are not there yet.

Take Senator Kennedy from Massachusetts for example. Senator Kennedy was against a wind energy proposal that could have provided three-fourths of the Cape and Islands’ energy. Sounds great right? But sadly it would obstruct the Senator’s view from his shore-front mansion.

The turbines would have been 8-12 miles out to sea, but if our leadership won’t even sacrifice a view how can we expect them to support efforts to save the planet.

Actions speak louder than words, so if our leadership and Government Officials are not stressing the importance of alternative energy we need to continue stressing it for them. Everyone has the opportunity to contribute and to share their knowledge with others.

It is going to take a group effort and take one starting now to undo all the damage we have done to ourselves for so many years. I just fear the environment will have to get worse, before it gets better.

Let’s just hope Teddy doesn’t drive over too many bridges in the meantime.

Yet somehow, this Paris Hilton 3 day county-funded vacation really pisses me off. SO, in my attempt to be proactive about something for once, I did some searching. Below, you will find the email addresses of the LA County Board of Supervisors. You will also recognize them as new members of the Hilton Family “Fruit of the Month Club.”

zev@bos.lacounty.gov; molina@bos.lacounty.gov; seconddistrict@bos.lacounty.gov; don@bos.lacounty.gov; fifthdistrict@lacbos.org

I have even taken the liberty of formatting it for you, complete with semi-colons – i know…dedication! Again, not looking for the death penalty, just think fair-is-fair and little Miss Simple Life should sit in jail and not by her pool. It was drunk driving. I don’t need to rant on the statistics of drunk driving fatalities – but if I see Paris on a MADD PSA – I might go bat-shit insane.

It’s official – Paris Hilton is out of jail after a less than 72 hour stint. Also, and quite sadly, it proves that celebrities can get away with ANYTHING if they put their money to it…i mean mind…my bad Dr. Freud.The reason for the early release? Last time I checked, telling everyone “That’s hot!” was not grounds for early release. OH NO, Paris Hilton was released due to over-crowding. Hate to be melodramatic, but not since the freeing of Barabbas has their been such a tragic miscarriage of justice.

Look – I am not saying we hang her, but little primadona trust-fund babies need to learn than the world has consequences. We are not only doing them a disservice, but every American that pays taxes and relies on the justice system has just been fisted by the LA judicial system. I am sure they are excited about the new Hilton Municipal Recreation Center that her Mommy and Daddy will be building for LA in 5 months, but overcrowding??? SHE HAD A PRIVATE CELL FOR F*&^SAKE! Was it too small for her and her liver?

Overcrowding is not defined as a party of one, but rather a gross overpopulation in a very confined area. Paris in a room the size of my studio apt – is not a crowd. If there is an issue, how about ridiculous marijuana possession “convicts”? According to sources, over half a million people are arrested a year for having miniscule amounts of pot – yet this skank and her dopey-assed binge-and-purge socialite friends drink and drive like it’s an Olympic sport and get away with it.

I throw the bullshit flag! If one of us got caught (after multiple infractions no less), we would be running our tin-can up and down the bars of our local country jail for MUCH longer then the slap on the wrist she received in the first place! The point is, once we as a society establish a double standard for celebrities to commit generally accepted crimes – where does it end?

Ok, OJ aside – and R-Kelly and MJ aside – right…then there was Charlie Sheen and Robert Downey, Jr. – dammit, Mel Gibson got away with it too…

Fine, you win celebrities – we as a public are f*&^ed. It’s true, as a group you are able to commit any crime with zero backlash. Maybe you lose some PR points, but we are fickle and forget about it as soon as you do some stupid-assed PSA about the dangers of whatever crime you committed. Kudoes…I guess.

Sad though, what the hell is this teaching 10 year olds about justice? I mean, I am old enough to KNOW I should be outraged, am I just bitter or does anyone else thing this is a travashamockery?!

paris hilton