Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Homosexuality and Genetics

2007-09-09T23:59:03Z

Gen2:

A '''gay gene''' which causes [[homosexuality]] has not been identified, though strong evidence for its existence is provided by studies which have produced homosexual fruit flies (''Drosophila melanogaster'') with activation of the so-called "Fruitless Gene."<ref>Rutter, M. (2006). Genes and Behavior. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing</ref> Homosexuality is not "hard-wired" or inevitable in anybody, though there is strong scientific evidence that it is determined before the so-called "age of reason" in humans.<ref>Bailey, J.M., Dunne, M.P., Martin, N.G. (2000). Genetic and environmental influences on sexual orientation and its correlates in an Australian twin sample. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(3)
</ref><ref>Gringas, P. and Chen, W. (2001). Mechanisms for difference in monozygous twins. Early Human Development, 64, (2), 105-117. </ref>

The American Psychological Association supports the view that sexual orientation is not a choice:
"Many scientists share the view that [[sexual orientation]] is shaped for most people at an early age through complex interactions of biological, psychological and social factors." [http://www.narth.com/docs/istheregene.html]

==Work of the Human Genome Project==
*Dr. Collins succinctly reviewed the research on homosexuality and offers the following: "An area of particularly strong public interest is the genetic basis of homosexuality. Evidence from twin studies does in fact support the conclusion that heritable factors play a role in male homosexuality. However, the likelihood that the identical twin of a homosexual male will also be gay is about 20% (compared with 2-4 percent of males in the general population), indicating that sexual orientation is genetically influenced but not controlled by a single gene (perhaps being operated by a mechanism that controls dwarfism<ref>Series]," Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal 50(3): 185. June 1999. PMID 99334125
Mueller, Robert F and Ian D. Young. Emery's Elements of Medical Genetics, 11th ed. (2001)</ref>), and that whatever genes are involved represent predispositions, not predeterminations." [http://www.narth.com/docs/nothardwired.html]
*Regarding the contributions of genetics to areas such as homosexuality, Dr. Collins concluded, "Yes, we have all been dealt a particular set of cards, and the cards will eventually be revealed. But how we play the hand is up to us." [http://www.narth.com/docs/nothardwired.html]

==External links==
*[http://www.narth.com/docs/nothardwired.html "Homosexuality Is Not Hardwired," Concludes Dr. Francis S. Collins, Head Of The Human Genome Project]
*[http://www.narth.com/docs/istheregene.html Is there a "gay gene"?] - explores how the media misrepresented the science

[[category:genetics]]
[[Category:Liberal bias]]

Wine

2007-09-09T23:46:55Z

Gen2:

[[Image:wine.jpg|thumb|300px|Red and white wines in traditional wine glasses]]
'''Wine''' is an [[alcoholic beverage]] made by fermenting [[grape]]s. Although most wines are made from grapes, other [[fruit]]s can be used. Grains can be used to produce wine, for example, barley wine, but this tends to be very rare and technically, barley wine has more in common with [[beer]].

Wines are categorized by color. Red wine, white wine and rose (pink) wine are the three main types and are given their characteristic color by the types of grapes used in their production. Red wine tends to be served at room temperature whereas the others are served chilled.

==Production==

Traditionally grapes were trampled by barefooted vineyard workers to produce a pulp, which was fermented to produce a rich, fruity alcoholic drink. Today this process in most commercial vineyards is mechanized although many "fine wine" producers such as the D'Arenberg vintners in [[Australia]] still proudly claim their wines are 100% foot pressed.

Once pressed, wines are left to mature in vats (large containers). Vats tend to add flavor to the wine and are traditionally made from [[oak]]. Fine wine tends to be given longer to mature to develop the flavor. Cheaper wines may have oak chippings added to give a similar flavor without the need to mature for as long.

==Alcohol Content==

Wines tend to range from 10% to 14% [[ABV]]. Stronger wines such as [[port]] and [[sherry]] are classed as fortified wines. These require further refinement and are sold as such.

==Production==

Wine is produced throughout the world. The top twenty leading wine-producing countries in order of total production are:<ref>[http://www.wineinstitute.org/communications/statistics/keyfacts_worldwineproduction02.htm]</ref> [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Spain]], [[United States of America|USA]], [[Argentina]], [[China]], [[Australia]], [[Germany]], [[Portugal]], [[South Africa]], [[Chile]], [[Hungary]], [[Romania]], [[Greece]], [[Russia]], [[Brazil]], [[Austria]], [[Bulgaria]], and [[Croatia]].

Many of the best-known vineyards are in France but recent competitions place California wine, particularly the vivid reds from the San Bernardino Valley, alongside French wine in quality. Traditional winemaking is centred in the Languedoc region of Southern [[France]] and La Mancha in [[Spain]]. Kentish [[Pinot Noir]] and Welsh [[Riesling]] are also world-renowned wines.

===Wine and Christianity===
Wine has an important role in the Christian religion, reflecting the central role it played in society at the times of Jesus's ministry on [[Earth]]. Plain water was generally not potable at that time and wine was often mixed with water, so that the alcohol in the wine killed some of the harmful microorganisms in the water. (It should be noted, however, that some Christians, primarily fundamentalist Protestants, hold that none of the references in the Bible to "wine" should be understood as referring to an alcoholic beverage, but rather to unfermented grape juice, despite the fact that it was impossible at the time to kill wild yeast and prevent fermentation. Such view is held by only a small minority of Biblical scholars.)

Christ's first miracle, performed at the wedding feast at Cana, was to turn six [[amphora]] filled with water into wine. (John 2:7-10.) At the [[Last Supper]], Christ commands the [[Apostles]] to eat bread and drink wine, which he calls His Body and Blood, and commands the Apostles to do this "in remembrance of me." (Matthew 26::26-29; Mark 14:23-24; Luke 22:20-23.) This is preserved in the liturgy of the Christian Church as [[Holy Communion]]. The different denominations of Christianity have various teachings and doctrines about the place and significance of the wine in the communion service, which are roughly separable into [[memorialism]] and a belief in the [[Real Presence]] of Christ in the [[Eucharist|Eucharistic]] hosts.

Many of the orders of [[Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Roman Catholic]] religious (monks and nuns) established their own wineries in Europe and, in the case of Catholic orders, in the Americas.

===Wine and Judaism===
Wine is an important part of the Jewish Passover seder meal.

==Types of wines==

Wines in the Americas, Australia, South Africa and, in certain places, Germany, are typically named after the varieties of [[grape]] that go into the production. Some of the most popular types are:

:Chardonnay - a popular white wine produced worldwide; Chardonnay can be paired with different kinds of food.

:Merlot - a pleasant, soft red wine with a mild flavor; it is one of the few red wines that can be drunk by itself, without food.

:Cabernet Sauvignon - A very heavy, astringent wine that should ideally be served with fatty red meats; the classic pairing is with lamb.

:Gewurztraminer - sometimes called GWT or GTR for short. A [[German]] varietal now produced worldwide; it has a quirky flavor and goes well with Chinese food.

:Pinot Noir - a red wine commonly grown in Northern California; also used in most varieties of
[[Burgundy]].

:Reisling - a white wine grape commonly used in plonk, such as Piesporter or Liebfraumilch (commonly sold in the United States under the trade name ''Blue Nun'').

Other wines are named after the region in which they are produced.

:Rioja - traditional [[Spanish]] red wine.
:Bordeaux - traditional [[French]] red and white wines.
:[[Burgundy]] - French red wine

Quality of Wines

:Fine Wines - These are generally regarded as higher quality wines. But the name "Fine Wine" is derived from the Fining process of a wine rather than quality. Fining is the cleaning process which filters out impurities in the wine after fermentation. Cheaper wines were not fined and so were not regarded as "Fined Wines" later "Fine Wines"

:Beverage Wines - Everyday drinking wines

== Champagne ==

Champagne can either mean sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region of northeastern [[France]] or it may be used to describe such wines, no matter where produced. European Union rules restrict the use of the "Champagne" names to wines fitting the former description. For a wine to be considered "champagne", it must ferment in the bottle: this is what gives champagne its "fizz", [[carbon dioxide|CO<sub>2</sub>]] dissolved in the wine. However, it is common to see wines in the United States sold as champagne, even if they were produced domestically. The French have protested this, to no avail. Some excellent sparkling wines are produced in [[Australia]] but are not permitted to be sold under the name "champagne". The production of sparkling wines outside France has had the effect of making excellent "champagne" type wines available at far less cost than the French varieties and further diversifying the market.

Sparkling wines that are made by artificially dissolving CO<sub>2</sub> are labeled "Brut."<ref>[http://www.wineinstitute.org/industry/consumer/champagne_sparkling_wine.php</ref>

==References==

http://www.winespectator.com/

[[Category:Alcoholic Beverages]]

Scopes Trial

2007-09-09T22:55:07Z

Gen2:

The '''Scopes Trial''' of 1925 was engineered as a challenge to the Tennessee Butler Act that prohibited teaching in public school the theory that man had evolved. The willing defendant, John Scopes, was convicted of violating the Butler act, though the conviction was later overturned on a technicality. The Scopes trial was made infamous in 1955 with the play ''Inherit the Wind'', and the 1960 Hollywood motion picture with the same title, both of which were fictionalized accounts intended as relevant criticism of current political problems, as opposed to historical accounts.<ref>"'Inherit the Wind' relentlessly distorts what happened in Dayton, Tenn., in 1925."[http://www.beliefnet.com/story/2/story_226_1.html]</ref><ref>As recently as April 17, 2007, the ''Village Voice'' endorsed a new Broadway rendition of ''Inherit the Wind'' as "a dramatization of the 1925 [Scopes] trial."[http://www.villagevoice.com/theater/0716,feingold,76394,11.html]</ref>

== Publicity Motivation ==
The impetus for the Scopes trial began in a meeting among town leaders at a drugstore in Dayton, [[Tennessee]], in response to a newspaper advertisement placed by the American Civil Liberties Union ([[ACLU]]) offering to provide legal services to anyone willing to be prosecuted under the Butler Act.<ref>{{hnb|Larson|2006}}, {{hnb|Linder|2002}}. See also {{hnb|Coulter|2006}}</ref> Town leaders agreed that a trial would provide publicity to the town,<ref>{{hnb|Larson|2006}}</ref> whose population had dwindled to 1,800.<ref>{{hnb|Linder|2002}}</ref> The town leaders found a willing defendant in John Scopes, a gym teacher and football coach who also substituted (sometimes as a biology teacher), though Scopes could not recall ever teaching evolution.<ref>{{hnb|Larson|2006}}. See also {{hnb|Coulter|2006}}</ref> John Scopes told the town leaders, "If you can prove that I've taught evolution and that I can qualify as a defendant, then I'll be willing to stand trial."

== Grand Jury ==
Racing other Tennessee towns, Judge John T. Raulston accelerated the convening of the grand jury and "...all but instructed the grand jury to indict Scopes, despite the meager evidence against him and the widely reported stories questioning whether the willing defendant had ever taught evolution in the classroom."<ref>{{hnb|Larson|2006|p=108}}</ref> He was indicted on May 25, after three students testified against Scopes at the Grand Jury, at Scopes' behest.<ref>{{hnb|Larson|2006|p=89, 107}}</ref>

== The Trial ==
The trial in 1925 of [[John Scopes]] for teaching evolution in Tennessee was a defeat of [[Darwinism]]. The [[ACLU]] and [[liberal]] trial lawyer [[Clarence Darrow]] brought the Scopes case in the hopes of winning a public relations and legal victory, but in fact [[William Jennings Bryan]], the evangelical [[Christian]] who had been Secretary of State in the Wilson Administration, gained victory once Darrow realized the defense's aims were better served by Scopes being convicted.

The [[ACLU]] challenged a Tennessee statute, the Butler Act, that imposed a fine for teaching in government [[school]]s that man descended from more primitive life forms. The statute did not prohibit teaching most aspects of [[evolution]]. The textbook at issue in the case taught eugenics, including that man supposedly descended from lower life forms and that some racial groups had evolved to more advanced levels than others.

The textbook also featured the fraudulent [[Piltdown Man]]. At the time, Darwinists claimed that this and [[eugenics]] were indisputable science to be taught to students.

Bryan quoted for the court how Darrow had previously claimed that murder defendants Leopold and Loeb were driven to crime by what they were taught, which was [[Nietzsche]]'s atheistic philosophy. Bryan quoted Darrow as saying that "Is there any blame attached because somebody took Nietzsche's philosophy seriously and fashioned his life on it? ... The university would be more to blame than he is. ... Your honor, it is hardly fair to hang a 19-year-old boy for the philosophy that was taught him at the university."

Bryan was an extraordinary speaker, recognized to be among the best in American history, despite the fact that he had not argued a case in decades. Darrow wanted to prevent Bryan from making a persuasive closing argument to the jury, and Darrow searched for another way to carry forward his case.

So Darrow stunned the court by requesting to cross-examine Bryan, due to the fact that the court had barred all witnesses presented by the defense<ref>Scopes and Presley, Center of the Storm, 154-56</ref>. Darrow's attempt was unprecedented, because trial attorneys almost never take the witness stand in their own cases. Bryan agreed only on the condition that he could cross-examine Darrow, though some witnesses insist that Bryan wished to regain his reputation after a devastating oration by Dudley Malone, a lawyer for the defense<ref>Scopes and Presley, Center of the Storm, 154-56</ref>.

A witness in a trial is always at a disadvantage on cross-examination, because he can only answer questions that are posed by a hostile adversary. On cross-examination, Attorneys are allowed to ask leading(yes or no) questions to force the desired response, unlike on direct examination. Attorneys are particularly vulnerable, because their knowledge of the law and tendency to speak in legalese hinder their performance.

Darrow undoubtedly thought that he could turn Bryan into the proverbial buffoon that liberals wanted. As the transcript reveals, Bryan may have indeed fallen victim to Darrow's insidious courtroom skills. Bryan repeatedly failed to answer Darrow's questions, which the large courtroom audience found amusing. Here is a sample:<ref>http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/day7.htm</ref>

:Bryan--These gentlemen have not had much chance--they did not come here to try this case. They came here to try revealed religion. I am here to defend it and they can ask me any question they please.

:Judge--All right. (Applause in audience.) …

:Bryan--Those [the audience] are the people whom you insult.

:Darrow--You insult every man of science and learning in the world because he does believe in your fool religion. ....

:Darrow: Wait until you get to me [N.B. this apparently refers to Darrow's agreement to be a witness]. Do you know anything about how many people there were in Egypt 3,500 years ago, or how many people there were in China 5,000 years ago?

:Bryan --No.

:Darrow--Have you ever tried to find out?

:Bryan--No, sir. You are the first man I ever heard of who has been in interested in it. (Laughter)

:Darrow--Mr. Bryan, am I the first man you ever heard of who has been interested in the age of human societies and primitive man?

:Bryan--You are the first man I ever heard speak of the number of people at those different periods.

:Darrow--Where have you lived all your life?

:Bryan--Not near you. (Laughter and applause).

Darrow tried again and again to trap Bryan, but failed to get answers out of his opponent. A later exchange ended, once again, with the audience laughing:

:Darrow--I will read it to you from the Bible: "And the Lord God said unto the serpent, because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." Do you think that is why the serpent is compelled to crawl upon its belly?

:Bryan--I believe that.

:Darrow--Have you any idea how the snake went before that time?

:Bryan--No, sir.

:Darrow--Do you know whether he walked on his tail or not?

:Bryan--No, sir. I have no way to know. (Laughter in audience).

From a legal aspect, the exchanges between the two men failed to lead anywhere, as Bryan's answers, when he gave them, largely fell into the error of an ''ad hominem'' attack on Darrow's motives.

===The conclusion===
The next day, it was Darrow's turn to be cross-examined, but Judge Raulston ruled the exchange irrelevant before the defense had the chance to take the stand.<ref>New York Times, July 22, 1925: 2</ref> Instead, Darrow stunned the public by taking the step of asking the jury for a guilty verdict against his client, the defendant teacher John Scopes. By Tennessee law, Darrow's refusal to make a closing statement also barred Bryan from a closing oration. <ref>http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/day8.htm</ref>

After 8 days of trial, the jury gave Darrow exactly what he requested, after 9 minutes of deliberation. Scopes was found guilty on July 21 and ordered to pay a fine of $100, which was eliminated on appeal. <ref>The Tennessee Constitution had a clause that any fine that high must be set by a jury, not by the judge. The state's Supreme Court vacated the verdict due to that, and then ruled that because Scopes no longer lived in the state, the case was moot.</ref>

== The movie and play ==
The play ''Inherit the Wind'', and the adapted movie, were fictional accounts of the Scopes Trial.<ref>http://www.themonkeytrial.com/</ref> Several modifications were made; characters names were changed, and many crucial facts were changed. The authors have said that the play was really an attempt to mock Senator [[Joseph McCarthy]], and to equate anti-communism with anti-intellectualism.<ref>http://www.onthemedia.org/transcripts/2005/07/08/07</ref> The movie featured the popular Spencer Tracy as Clarence Darrow, and even garnered a few Academy Award nominations.

The movie features an angry mob trying to lynch a jailed teacher; in fact, the ACLU ran advertisements with offers to pay expenses for a teacher to volunteer for the case, and Scopes was never jailed and never paid even a fine.

The movie version heaped mockery on any argument that teaching evolution could be socially harmful.

The movie portrayed the character based on Bryan as a complete buffoon. Bryan's death was also portrayed as happening in the courthouse, when in fact he was an elderly man suffering from diabetes who died peacefully in his sleep.

American history books often describe this case as a catalyst for evolution supporters.<ref>The Enduring Vision, Fifth Edition, Chapter 23: The 1920s: Coping with Change, Paul S. Boyer, University of Wisconsin, Madison; Clifford E. Clark, Jr., Carleton College; et al. (a commonly used American history textbook for Advanced Placement US History classes).</ref>

== Aftermath ==
Bryan, a 65-year-old diabetic lacking in modern treatments, died peacefully in his sleep during his afternoon nap after church five days after the conclusion of the Scopes trial.<ref>{{hnb|Larson|2006|p=199}}</ref> Bryan's victory in the Scopes trial was a fitting end to a principled, illustrious career, which included at least three failed attempts at the presidency.<ref> http://gi.grolier.com/presidents/ea/side/bryan.html</ref> Scopes never had to pay the fine - the judge had set the amount but Tennessee law at the time prohibited judges from setting fines over $50.

The law challenged by the [[ACLU]] in the Scopes Trial remained in effect for over 50 more years. In 1967, Tennessee repealed the Butler Act, and in 1968, the Supreme Court ruled in ''Epperson v. Arkansas'', 393 U.S. 97, that such bans on teaching are unconstitutional if they are primarily religious in intent.

Tennessee continued to downplay evolution in its schools until 2005.<ref>http://www.edexcellence.net/institute/publication/publication.cfm?id=352&pubsubid=1169#1169</ref>
In 2000, Tennessee rejected its own native [[Al Gore]] and caused his defeat in the [[United States presidential election in 2000]] by only one state.

==References==
<references/>
==Sources==
*{{Harvard reference
| Surname = Coulter
| Given = Ann
| Year = 2006
| Title = Godless: The Church of Liberalism
| Publisher = Crown Forum.
| ID = ISBN 978-1400054206
}}
*{{Harvard reference
| Surname = Larson
| Given = Edward J.
| Authorlink = Edward John Larson
| Year = 2006
| Title = Summer for the Gods: The Scopes Trial And America's Continuing Debate over Science And Religion
| Publisher = Basic Books
| ID = ISBN 978-0465075102
}}
*{{Harvard reference
| Surname = Linder
| Given = Douglas
| Year = 2002
| Title = The Scopes Trial: An Introduction
| Publisher = University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
| URL = http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scopes/evolut.htm
}} Retrieved on 05-11-2007

[[category:United States law]]
[[category:evolution]]
[[category:creationism]]