Amped Up For War

Going to war can be a very exhausting thing. For hours and even days, your body will be depleted of food, sleep and energy. But, what if there was a quick fix? What if doctors had a drug that could make the user feel wide awake, more alert, and a more positive person? These were the common side effects from the use of amphetamines in time of war. A couple times throughout history the drug has been given to soldiers to help them. The most renown time is WWII; Japanese, American, and even Nazi soldiers were having amphetamines pumped into there veins. The Nazis used a slightly different formula though, they used a tablet with cocaine, amphetamine, and morphine. The use of drugs in this war solved much of the short term consequences for soldiers, but it also led to a huge number of soldiers that became addicted, and this, in my opinion, wasnt worth the risk of using drugs in war. Im sure that a lot of soldiers experienced serious paranoia, and of course we already know the effects of amphetamines on the heart. In short, amphetamines were a quick fix to some of the tough components of war, but how could we addict our soldiers to a drug we knew so little about at the time?

Good Hustlers Always Know When the Game's Changing

"For the future of hip hop, all that glitters is not gold teeth" is an article written by the Daily News writer Stanley Crouch. The article focuses mainly on the evolution of hip hop. He claims, and I agree with his claim, that a culture that was once about dance beats and rhymes,now prides itself on "personal, social, and criminal corruption." Since I have been about 12 years old, I have loved rap music. Even so, I sometimes wander how the hip hop culture has gotten to be as extreme as it is. Lets take a look at the values of rap: murder, assault sex (rape), drug use and trafficking, vandalism, grand theft auto, robbery, gun possesion, materialism, baggy clothing (as if to conceal weapons or drugs), and the list goes on and on. Why, then, is rap so appealing to this generation? This is a complex answer that starts with the home environment. When young people are exposed to such music, then they believe that it is normal and thus, they gain a tolerance for it. As hip hop has gotten more and more mainstream, more people have started to see it as an "ok" way to live... and perpetuating it even more. Even older people these days are getting big rims and loud stereo systems. Another reason for its popularity, in my opinion, is that it serves as a subcultures identity (black/hip hop) and the middle to upperclass kids envy the hard way of life. Furthermore, by listening to this music they now have something in common and feel apart of the subculture.....