Crack essays

Crack essays Crack (rock) and cocaine are both stimulant drugs, which are widely used in our country today. They both present problems for us because of their potency and highly addicted addicts that can not seem to escape their grasp. Crack and cocaine also have various street names such as coke, snow, blow, base, C, ice, flake, sniff, rock and the list goes on. Cocaine is sold in a white powder form, which is sniffed, injected, or smoked (free-basing) and is much more expensive than its cousin crack (rock). Crack is a powerful form of cocaine and comes in a small crystal form, which is smoked, in a crack pipe or suitable utensil. "Cocaine by binding to the sites that normally reabsorb neurotransmitter molecules, cocaine blocks the reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. The extra neurotransmitter molecules therefore remain in the synapse, intensifying their normal mood altering effect and producing an euphoric rush. When the cocaine level drops, the absence of these neurotransmitters produces a crash"(D.G.Meyers PG 233). The high that a user will experience from cocaine lasts approximately fifteen to thirty minutes. Crack is another name given to cocaine, which has been processed with hydrochloride to a free basing state. " Rather than requiring the more volatile method of processing cocaine using ether, crack cocaine is processed with ammonia or sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and water and heated to remove the hydrochloride, thus producing a form of cocaine that can be smoked. The term "crack" refers to the cracking sound heard when the mixture is smoked, presumably from the sodium bicarbonate".(NIDA's home PG 1). This process produces a small white to tan looking pellet that has the texture of porcelain. Crack smoke reaches the lung tissue through the bloodstream to the brain in seconds. Its instant effect or ...

The History of Candy Canes

The History of Candy Canes Almost everyone alive grew up familiar with the hard red-and-white candy with the curved end known as a candy cane, but few people realize just how long this popular treat has been in existence. Believe it or not, the origin of the candy cane actually goes back hundreds of years to a time when candy-makers, both professional and amateur, were making hard sugar sticks as a favorite confection. It was around the beginning of the 17th century that Christians in Europe began to adopt the use of Christmas trees as part of their Christmas celebrations. The  trees were often decorated using foods such as cookies and sometimes sugar-stick candies. The original Christmas tree candy was a straight stick and completely white in color. Cane Shape The first historical reference to the familiar cane shape though goes back to 1670. The choirmaster at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany first bent the sugar-sticks into the shape of canes to represent a shepherds staff. The all-white candy canes were then given out to children during the long-winded nativity services. The clergymens custom of handing out candy canes during Christmas services would eventually spread throughout Europe and later to America. At the time, the canes were still white, but sometimes the candy-makers would add sugar-roses to further decorate the canes. In, 1847, the first historical reference to the candy cane in America appeared when a German immigrant named August Imgard decorated the Christmas tree in his Wooster, Ohio home with candy canes. Stripes About 50 years later, the first red-and-white-striped candy canes appeared. No one knows who exactly invented the stripes, but  based on historical Christmas cards, we know that no striped candy canes appeared prior to the year 1900. Illustrations of striped candy canes didnt even show up until the beginning of the 20th century. Around that time, candy-makers began adding peppermint and wintergreen flavors to their candy canes and those flavors would soon become accepted as the traditional favorites. In 1919, a candymaker named Bob McCormack began making candy canes.  And by the middle of the century, his company, Bobs Candies, became widely famous for their candy canes. Initially, the  canes  had to bent by hand to make the J shape. That changed with the help of his brother-in-law, Gregory Keller, who invented  a machine  to automate candy cane production. Legends and Myths There are many  other legends and religious beliefs surrounding the humble candy cane. Many of them depict the candy cane as a secret symbol for Christianity during a time when Christians were living under more oppressive circumstances. It has been claimed that the cane was shaped like a J for Jesus and that the red-and-white stripes represented Christs blood and purity. The three red stripes were also said to symbolize the Holy Trinity and the hardness of the candy represented the Churchs foundation on solid rock. As for the candy canes peppermint flavor, it represented the use of hyssop, an herb referred to in the Old Testament. However, no historical evidence exists to support these claims, although some will find them pleasant to contemplate. As noted earlier, candy canes werent even around until the 17th century, which makes some of these claims improbable.