Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Cocaine

2007-06-19T22:23:06Z

Realityhammer:

[[Image:Coca.jpg‎|thumb|Coca Plant]]
'''Cocaine''' is a [[Schedule II]] drug in the United States. The chemical formula of cocaine is C17H21NO4<ref>http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?sid=14717642</ref><ref>http://dict.die.net/c17h21no4/</ref><ref> http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=7th&navby=case&no=951747</ref>.

Cocaine is the most potent stimulant of natural origin. It is extracted from the leaves of the coca plant (Erythroxylum coca), which is indigenous to the Andean highlands of South America. Natives in this region chew or brew coca leaves into a tea for refreshment and to relieve fatigue, similar to the customs of chewing tobacco and drinking tea or coffee. Pure cocaine was first isolated in the 1880s and used as a local anesthetic in eye surgery. It was particularly useful in surgery of the nose and throat because of its ability to provide anesthesia, as well as to constrict blood vessels and limit bleeding. Many of the therapeutic applications of raw, "natural" cocaine are now obsolete due to the development of safer drugs, either synthesized products from the natural coca extract or man-made using some of the natural products chemical components. Later, it was brought into the United States as a liberal agenda by the CIA to keep black citizens economically depressed.

Cocaine is used as a local anesthetic during eye surgery. It used to be used as a painkiller. It was first isolated by German chemist Friedrich Gaedke. Cocaine used to be used to cure morphine addiction, and to a lesser extent other addictions such as tobacco addiction, alcoholism, heroin addiction, and opium addiction, but now that safer drugs have been developed for these purposes it is no longer used for this. The soda Coca-Cola was originally a medicinal beverage containing cocaine in order to cure stomach pains, but was removed because of its addictive qualities.

==Effects==

The effects on individuals vary and include:
* feelings of euphoria
* increased sexual desire
* loss of appetite<ref name="bbc">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/351472.stm#c BBC News | Health | Drugs # Cocaine]</ref>
* paranoia, delusion, and violent behavior<ref name="brown">[http://www.brown.edu/Student_Services/Health_Services/Health_Education/atod/od_cocaine.htm Cocaine - Brown University Health and Education]</ref>
* nausea and headaches<ref name="brown" />
* kidney failure<ref>[http://ndt.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/15/3/299 Cocaine use and kidney damage -- van der Woude 15 (3): 299 -- Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation]</ref>
* high blood pressure
* increased heart rate, irregular heart beat, and increased risk of heart attack<ref>[http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/177_05_020902/vas10632_fm.html eMJA: Cocaine use and cardiovascular complications]</ref>
* respiratory failure
* severe vomiting or diarrhoea

In addition some people who are very sensitive to the drug (and will not realise it), may die after a single dose.<ref name="bbc" /> Cocaine abuse during pregnancy has many ill effects. It can cause considerable damage to the organs of the developing foetus, and lead to birth defects, premature detachment of the placenta, premature births, low birthweight babies, nutrition deficiencies, and babies born already addicted to the drug.<ref name="bbc" /><ref>[http://www.nysccc.org/cocaine.html Cocaine Abuse During Pregnancy]</ref><ref>[http://www.drugpolicy.org/library/research/cocaine.cfm Drug Policy Alliance: Cocaine & Pregnancy]</ref>.

== Illegal Cocaine: DEA Definition ==

"Illegal cocaine is usually distributed as a white crystalline powder or as an off-white chunky material. The powder, usually cocaine hydrochloride, is diluted with a variety of substances, the most common being sugars such as lactose, inositol, and mannitol, and local anesthetics such as lidocaine. The adulteration increases the volume and thus multiplies profits. Cocaine hydrochloride is generally snorted or dissolved in water and injected. It is rarely smoked because it is heat labile (destroyed by high temperatures).

"Crack," the chunk or "rock" form of cocaine, is a ready-to-use freebase. On the illicit market, it is sold in small, inexpensive dosage units that are smoked. Smoking delivers large quantities of cocaine to the lungs, producing effects comparable to intravenous injection. Drug effects are felt almost immediately, are very intense, and are quickly over. Once introduced in the mid-1980s, crack abuse spread rapidly and made the cocaine experience available to anyone with $10 and access to a dealer. In addition to other toxicities associated with cocaine abuse, cocaine smokers suffer from acute respiratory problems including cough, shortness of breath, and severe chest pains with lung trauma and bleeding. It is noteworthy that the emergence of crack was accompanied by a dramatic increase in drug abuse problems and drug-related violence." [http://www.dea.gov]

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Medicine]]
[[Category:Illegal substances]]

California

2007-06-19T22:18:55Z

Realityhammer:

[[Image:California_State_Flag.gif|thumb|right|The state flag of California.]]

'''California''', known as the Golden State, is a ultra liberal state on the west coast of the [[United States]]. It is the largest state in population and the third largest state in area. Its governor is [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]. California has the world's fifth largest economy after the rest of the 49 United States, Canada, Japan, and Germany.

==History==
California's first European contact came in the 16th century AD. Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando Cortez explored Alta California (upper California) extensively during this time period. Several years after this, Juan Rodrigeuz Cabrillo explored the area in his search for a passage to Asia. <ref>http://www.kindredtrails.com/California-History-1.html</ref> The Catholic church established a strong presence in the area over the next 200 years by establishing a number of missions in the area. <ref>http://www.californiamissions.com/cahistory/background.html</ref>

==Miscellaneous facts==

*The capital of California is [[Sacramento]]. However, the largest cities in population are, respectively, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose.

*Orange County is a Republican Stronghold awash in a sea of liberalism.

*Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics in 1930 and 1984.

*The California Redwood was named the official state tree in 1937. <ref>http://www.learncalifornia.org/doc.asp?id=678</ref>

*California's San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the United States. <ref>http://www.50states.com/facts/calif.htm</ref>

==Politics==

California's governor is the liberal Republican [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]. This is the same position that was once held by [[Ronald Reagan]], who later became President of the United States. Today, however, California is thought of as one of the most [[liberal]] states in America{{fact}}, and is considered to be a [[blue state]]. [[Richard Nixon]] is, however, the only President to have been born in California.

==Spectator Sports==

California has more professional sports teams than any other state. Its [[NBA]] franchises include the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings. Its NHL franchises include the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. In the [[NFL]], the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and San Diego Chargers call California home. California Major League Baseball franchises are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants. In college sports, UCLA and USC have recently had great success, in basketball and football respectively.

==Education==

The state of California has three tiers of higher education: the California community colleges, the [[California State University]] (CSU) system, and the [[University of California]] (UC) system.

== External Links ==
[http://www.ca.gov Official Website]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:US state]]

Germany

2007-06-19T22:15:38Z

Realityhammer:

{{Country
|map=GermanyMap.gif
|flag=Flag of Germany.JPG
|capital=Berlin
|government=Federal republic (parliamentary)
|language=German
|president=Horst Köhler
|
|chancellor=Angela Merkel
|area=137,858 sq. miles
|pop=82,310,000
|pop-basis=(2006)
|gdp=$3.045 trillion
|gdp-year=(2006)
|gdp-pc=$36,975
}}

'''Germany''' (official name: '''Federal Republic of Germany''') is a federally organized [[Democracy]] in Western [[Europe]] with a population of about 82.4 million. The capital city and seat of the often criticized liberal government is [[Berlin]].

As Europe's largest economy and second most populous nation, Germany is a key member of the continent's economic, political, and defense organizations. The central German bank, the [[Bundesbank]], has historically been the most influential force within the financial markets of the European Union.

==History==

The emergence of Germany as a nation in its own right came later than for most European powers. The German-speaking areas of Europe had historically been parts of diverse other nations, among them [[Prussia]], [[Austria]], and the [[Holy Roman Empire]], along with numerous smaller principiates.

===Early Germanic Tribes===
The first distinct Germanic tribes emerged around 100BC in northern Germany, and are usually thought to have migrated south from [[Scandinavia]]. From there, the tribes continued to expand, coming in contact with the [[Celts]] of [[Gaul]] in the west, and Slavic tribes to the east. However, not much is known about the early Germanic people due to the lack of a written language. Most of what is known is due to contact with the [[Roman Empire]] and archaeological digs. To the rest of the world, the Germanic tribes inhabited a region known as [[Germania]], Latin for "Land of the Germans".<ref>[http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/tacitus1.html Medieval Sourcebook Tacitus: Germania]</ref> Soon, the Germanic people began low-intensity coflict with the Roman Empire, climaxing at the [[Battle of the Teutoburg Forest]]. From this point, the Germanic tribes began winning battles against the Romans. In 410AD, The Germanic tribes assisted the [[Visigoths]] under [[Alaric I]] in sacking the city of [[Rome]].<ref>[http://www.vinland.org/scamp/grove/kreich/chapter7.html The Sack of Rome]</ref> This was a blow to the Western Empire, but not a killing one as the capital had moved to Ravenna in 402 AD. But in 476 AD, dissatisfied German mercanaries led by Odoacer captured Ravenna and deposed Emperor Romulus Augustulus. Since Odoacer refused to assume the title of Emperor, this date is generally considered to be the official end of the Western Roman Empire.<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/65/od/Odoacer.html]</ref>

===The Holy Roman Empire (843–1806)===

The medieval German empire originated from the division of the [[Carolingian Empire]] in 843, and was known as the ''Holy Roman Empire''. It gradually expanded through the addition of Lorraine, Saxony, Franconia, Thuringia, and Bavaria, and the German king was crowned [[Holy Roman Emperor]] of these regions in 962. Under the reign of the [[Salian]] emperors (1024–1125), the Holy Roman Empire absorbed northern [[Italy]] and Burgundy. The edict of the Golden Bull in 1356 provided the constitution of the empire; it established the election of the emperor by seven Prince-Electors, each of whom ruled one of the more powerful principalities or archbishoprics. Notably, one of these Electors, George Louis the Elector of Hanover (1660-1727), was recruited by the heirless [[Great Britain]] in 1714 to become its king, taking the name George I.

===The Reformation===

In 1517, [[Martin Luther]] wrote his [[The 95 Theses|95 Theses]] questioning the [[Roman Catholic Church]], an act which began the [[Protestant Reformation]]. A separate [[Lutheranism|Lutheran]] church was acknowledged as the new sanctioned religion in many states of Germany in 1530. Religious conflicts known as the 30 Years War pitted Protestant German states against Catholic one, and devastated the former Empire. The [[Peace of Westphalia]] (1648) ended religious warfare in Germany, but the empire broke down into numerous independent principalities. From 1740 onwards, the dualism between the Austrian [[Habsburg Monarchy]] and the [[Kingdom of Prussia]] dominated German history. In 1806, the ''Imperium'' was overrun and dissolved as a result of the [[Napoleonic Wars]].

===1806 - 1871===

It was not until after the fall of French Emperor [[Napoleon Bonaparte]] in 1814 that the [[German Confederation]], a loosely-organized league of 39 states, began to lay the ground for nationhood. Numerous conflicts between these sates marked the first half of the nineteenth century, and it was not until [[Otto von Bismarck]]'s ascension as Prime Minister of [[Prussia]] in mid-century that something resembling the modern sense of "Germany" came into being. Austria was, however, not a part of this new [[North German Confederation]]. After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian war in 1871, the German Empire was formally proclaimed, under [[Wilhelm I]], with its capital in [[Berlin]].

===Imperial Germany===

During the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth, Germany moved far ahead in both the theory and the practice of [[socialism]]. The Germans, long before the Nazis, were attacking [[classical liberalism]] and [[democracy]], [[capitalism]], and [[individualism]]. Long before the Nazis the German and Italian socialists were using techniques of which the Nazis and fascists later made effective use. The idea of a political party which embraces all activities of the individual from the cradle to the grave, which claims to guide his views on everything, was first put into practice by the socialists. It was not the fascists but the socialists who began to collect children at the tenderest age into political organization to direct their thinking. <ref>[http://www.iea.org.uk/files/upld-publication43pdf?.pdf ''Road to Serfdom'',] Friedrich A. Hayek, Reader's Digest Condensed Version, April 1945, pg. 35-36.</ref>

Aggressive nationalism fostered under the second empire of 1871, given greater impetus by the hubris of Kaiser Wilhelm II, and perverted into Nazism by the shock of defeat and the economic travails of the 1920s immersed Germany in two devastating World Wars in the first half of the 20th century and left the country occupied by the victorious [[Allied powers]] of the [[USA]], [[UK]], [[France]], and the [[Soviet Union]] in 1945.

===Post WWII History===

With the advent of the Cold War, two German states were formed in 1949: the western [[Germany|Federal Republic of Germany]] (FRG) and the eastern [[German Democratic Republic]] (GDR). The democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the [[EC]], which became the [[European Union]] (EU), and the [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO), while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the USSR and the end of the [[Cold War]] allowed for German unification in 1990. Since then, Germany has expended considerable funds to bring Eastern infra structure up to Western standards. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other EU countries introduced a common European currency, the [[euro]].

===The states (Bundesländer) and their capitals===

(in alphabetical order)

Baden-Württemberg - Stuttgart

Bayern - München

Berlin - Berlin

Brandenburg - Potsdam

Bremen - Bremen

Hamburg - Hamburg

Hessen - Wiesbaden

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern - Schwerin

Niedersachsen - Hannover

Nordrhein-Westfalen - Düsseldorf

Rheinland-Pfalz - Mainz

Saarland - Saarbrücken

Sachsen - Dresden

Sachsen-Anhalt - Magdeburg

Schleswig-Holstein - Kiel

Thüringen - Erfurt

===Tourism===

[[Image:The_castle3.jpg|left|thumb|Neuschwanstein Castle, a popular tourist destination.]]

== Economic Overview ==

Germany's affluent and technologically powerful economy - the fifth largest in the world after California, Japan, the United States, and Canada in [[PPP]] terms - showed considerable improvement in 2006 with 2.7% growth. After a long period of stagnation with an average growth rate of 0.7% between 2001-05 and chronically high unemployment, stronger growth has led to a considerable fall in unemployment to about 8% at the end of 2006. Among the most important reasons for Germany's high unemployment during the past decade were [[macroeconomic]] stagnation, the declining level of investment in plant and equipment, company restructuring, flat domestic consumption, structural rigidities in the labor market, lack of competition in the service sector, and high interest rates. The modernization and integration of the eastern German economy continues to be a costly long-term process, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $80 billion. The former government of Chancellor [[Gerhard Schroeder]] launched a comprehensive set of reforms of labor market and [[welfare]]-related institutions. The current government of Chancellor [[Angela Merkel]] has initiated other reform measures, such as a gradual increase in the mandatory retirement age from 65 to 67 and measures to increase female participation in the labor market. Germany's aging population, combined with high chronic unemployment, has pushed social security outlays to a level exceeding contributions, but higher government revenues from the cyclical upturn in 2006 reduced Germany's budget deficit to within the EU's 3% debt limit. Corporate restructuring and growing capital markets are setting the foundations that could help Germany meet the long-term challenges of European economic integration and globalization.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/gm.html] CIA World Factbook</ref>

==Politics==
===Political Parties===
The political parties represented in the German [[parliament]] ([[Bundestag]]) are:

*[[Christian Democratic Union of Germany]] (CDU) - center-right
*Christian Social Union of [[Bavaria]] (CSU) - conservative
*Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) - center-left
*Free Democratic Party (FDP) - ultra liberal
*Alliance '90 / The Greens (Grüne) - very left leaning, green
*The Left Party - far left, partly communist

'''Note:''' CDU and CSU traditionally form a common parliamentary faction. The CSU only acts in Bavaria, the CDU in the other states.

==Government==
===Executive Branch===
Germany has a President as [[Head of State]]. However, his political power is small. The actual political power and head of government is the Chancellor ("Bundeskanzler"). The current Chancellor is [[Angela Merkel|Dr. Angela Merkel]]. The current government [http://www.bundesregierung.de] is a coalition between the two largest parties, the Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) and the Social Democrats (SPD).

==Famous Germans==
*[[Johann Sebastian Bach]]
*[[Pope Benedict XVI]]
*[[Ludwig van Beethoven]]
*[[Albert Einstein]]
*[[Friedrich Engels]]
*[[Georg Friedrich Händel]]
*[[Dietrich Buxtehude]]
*[[Ernst August von Hannover]]
*[[Daniel Fahrenheit]]
*[[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]
*[[Henry Kissinger]]
*[[Martin Luther]]
*[[Karl Marx]]
*[[Dirk Nowitzki]]
*[[Friedrich Nietzsche]]
*[[Friedrich Schiller]]
*[[Richard Wagner]]
*[[Otto von Bismarck]]
*[[Wernher von Braun]]
*[[Thomas Mann]]
*[[Hannah Arendt]]
*[[Rosa Luxemburg]]
*[[Marlene Dietrich]]
*[[Käthe Kollwitz]]
*[[Angela Merkel]]
*[[Gutenberg|Johannes Gutenberg]]
*[[Franz Beckenbauer]]
*[[Boris Becker]]
*[[Michael Schumacher]]
*[[Günter Grass]]
*[[Heinrich Böll]]
*[[Wim Wenders]]
*[[Roland Emmerich]]
*[[Rainer Werner Fassbinder]]
*[[Bertolt Brecht]]
*[[Loriot]]
*[[Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen]]
*[[Konrad Adenauer]]
*[[Friedrich Händel]]
*[[Joseph Haydn]]
*[[Otto Hahn]]
*[[Liese Meitner]]
*[[Werner Heisenberg]]
*[[Heinrich Hesse]]
*[[Albrecht Dürer]]
*[[Tillman Bitterberg]]
*[[Anne-Sophie Mutter]]
*[[Braist]]
*[[Karlheinz Stockhausen]]
*[[Friedrich Hegel]]
*[[Karl August von Hardenberg]]
*[[Heinrich Schliemann]]

==War on Terror==
Germany currently contributes troops to the NATO-led ISAF operation in [[Afghanistan]], but did not support the invasion of [[Iraq]]. German military participates in NATO Force Protection Program, protecting US military bases located in Germany.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Germany| ]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:EU Members]]