Wine Writer Information Blog

8:51 PM

November 2008 - Wine Developers

A Wine Developers Artilce for Your Viewing

Why The Jews?Martin Winer




This question has been asked throughout the ages without any definitive answer. Thus, it behooves us to first take a look at some previous attempts and understand where they fail. Previous attempts take a look at any number of possible causes individually; one at a time. There are six primary commonly proffered causes which are: economic, 'the chosen people', scapegoating, deicide, being outsiders, and racial inferiority. Authors will typically try and focus on one cause at a time and find some time in history when it was absent and anti-Semitism persisted and thus disprove it as a cause. The flaw in any such analysis is the result of perceiving anti-Semitism as a single-cause effect.

Like so many things in the world, anti-Semitism is a multi-causal effect. That is, you can't remove any one cause and remove the effect of anti-Semitism. Human height is determined similarly, as a multi-causal (polygenic) trait. There are many genes (units of inheritance) that determine human height, all of which interact with one another. Thus simply turning off one gene for human height has complicated effects on the overall resulting height of any given person. This multi-causal type analysis must be applied to anti-Semitism in order to yield any meaningful results.

Anti-Semitism should be conceived as a tree of causes and effects. At the root of that tree is a societal need for an underdog. What started the tree growing was one of the proffered causes: 'the Chosen People'. I'm reminded of the story my father tells from his youth. He went around the neighbourhood proudly announcing that he was Superman. One of the older boys decided to challenge his claim and threw him straight over a fence saying: "If you're Superman, let's see you fly!" My father landed face first in the dirt laying his claim to rest.

Like the older boy was to my father, the Roman Empire was the challenger to the Jewish empire's claims of being the chosen people of God. The Roman Empire conquered many peoples throughout its existence, but none with the 'pomp and circumstance' embodied in the 'Judea Capta' coin, coined to celebrate the victory of the Roman Empire over the 'Chosen People'.
(http://www.bible-history.com/sketches/ancient/judea-capta-medal.html)

The defeat of the Jews at the hands of the Romans set off a host of effects which themselves, historically, also became causes of anti-Semitism. As a dispersed people we were outsiders in the many countries of the Diaspora. Persecution of outsiders and using such people as scapegoats is a side effect of the predatory instinct. The 'proud' lion of the animal kingdom doesn't attack the leader of the pack wildebeest but instead attacks the weakest of the herd. Likewise in human relations, we tend to pick on the people with the least chances of mounting an effective reprisal. Thus we see that the chosen people quickly became the people of choice when it came to choosing a scapegoat.

Recall in grade school, that there was always that one kid that the rest of the kids chose to pick on. Once the group had decided that s/he was the 'one', there was very little that the bullied kid could do about it. So too is the story of the disenfranchised Jews. This brings us to the next proffered cause of anti-Semitism that is deicide, that is, killing Jesus. Tom Harpur in his book, "The Pagan Christ" discusses the advent of Christian dogma. The authors of the gospels were left with a choice as to whom to pin the blame for the death of Jesus on. Given that they were living in a Roman dominated world, and were wary of further ruffling the feathers of the Roman eagle, they chose to pin the blame on the Jews who were incapable of offering a defense. This incipient pattern of scapegoating the Jews for any number of problems would be repeated time and again throughout history.

Jealousy of Jewish successes and wealth is another commonly offered explanation of anti-Semitism. As a scattered and shattered people, our choices of employment were few in the Diaspora. Throughout the middle ages, excluded from the feudal and manorial systems, they were relegated to be artisans, traders and moneylenders. In a forced separation of the Jews and the secular world, the Jews developed high intellectualism in the study of the Holy Torah, the sole survivor of our former glory. This penchant for developing intellectualism in isolation is, at once, our strongest and weakest characteristic. Nonetheless, the Jews developed economically valued skills by virtue of our intellectualism and our forced experiences as moneylenders. This accounts for our disproportionate contributions and participation in lucrative economic realms.

Finally, we deal with the anti-Semitic accusations that the Jews are of a 'lesser' race. This is best exemplified by Hitler's use of Hegel's precepts of euthanasia. Hegel mutated Darwin's work to allow for the application of 'natural selection' to human populations. This pseudo-scientific theory allowed the Jews to be viewed as 'less fit' than other races, and the horrors of the Second World War that followed. To any rational being, any such race based attacks fail immediately, since the Jews are a people encompassing many races. However, the purpose of anti-Semitism is to allow for a scapegoat people. In order to do that, humans must circumvent their natural empathy for fellow humans, by reducing them in status. Thus it is necessary to see the Jews as a lesser race in order to make way for blaming them for any conceivable need. Thus when it comes to categorizing a people, it is necessity, rather than logic, that is the mother of invention.

Another cause for anti-Semitism, not commonly discussed, is historical disadvantage. As far as labels go, they tend to stick. If "all the world is a stage" as the Bard suggests, then the Jews are typecast as the underdog. This suggests that were we able to remove all the multi-causal causes of anti-Semitism, anti-Semitism would persist due to a deep-seated societal need for underdogs, with Jews as the long favoured choice. It will always be possible to find reasons to hate the underdog as long as the need for the underdog exists.

Thus, the only solution to anti-Semitism is to eliminate the societal need for an underdog. How does one eliminate the need for an underdog? I leave you to the privacy of your own thoughts where the answer resides.

This question has been asked throughout the ages without any definitive answer. Thus, it behooves us to first take a look at some previous attempts and understand where they fail. Previous attempts take a look at any number of possible causes individually; one at a time. There are six primary commonly proffered causes which are: economic, 'the chosen people', scapegoating, deicide, being outsiders, and racial inferiority. Authors will typically try and focus on one cause at a time and find some time in history when it was absent and anti-Semitism persisted and thus disprove it as a cause. The flaw in any such analysis is the result of perceiving anti-Semitism as a single-cause effect.

Like so many things in the world, anti-Semitism is a multi-causal effect. That is, you can't remove any one cause and remove the effect of anti-Semitism. Human height is determined similarly, as a multi-causal (polygenic) trait. There are many genes (units of inheritance) that determine human height, all of which interact with one another. Thus simply turning off one gene for human height has complicated effects on the overall resulting height of any given person. This multi-causal type analysis must be applied to anti-Semitism in order to yield any meaningful results.

Anti-Semitism should be conceived as a tree of causes and effects. At the root of that tree is a societal need for an underdog. What started the tree growing was one of the proffered causes: 'the Chosen People'. I'm reminded of the story my father tells from his youth. He went around the neighbourhood proudly announcing that he was Superman. One of the older boys decided to challenge his claim and threw him straight over a fence saying: "If you're Superman, let's see you fly!" My father landed face first in the dirt laying his claim to rest.

Like the older boy was to my father, the Roman Empire was the challenger to the Jewish empire's claims of being the chosen people of God. The Roman Empire conquered many peoples throughout its existence, but none with the 'pomp and circumstance' embodied in the 'Judea Capta' coin, coined to celebrate the victory of the Roman Empire over the 'Chosen People'.
(http://www.bible-history.com/sketches/ancient/judea-capta-medal.html)

The defeat of the Jews at the hands of the Romans set off a host of effects which themselves, historically, also became causes of anti-Semitism. As a dispersed people we were outsiders in the many countries of the Diaspora. Persecution of outsiders and using such people as scapegoats is a side effect of the predatory instinct. The 'proud' lion of the animal kingdom doesn't attack the leader of the pack wildebeest but instead attacks the weakest of the herd. Likewise in human relations, we tend to pick on the people with the least chances of mounting an effective reprisal. Thus we see that the chosen people quickly became the people of choice when it came to choosing a scapegoat.

Recall in grade school, that there was always that one kid that the rest of the kids chose to pick on. Once the group had decided that s/he was the 'one', there was very little that the bullied kid could do about it. So too is the story of the disenfranchised Jews. This brings us to the next proffered cause of anti-Semitism that is deicide, that is, killing Jesus. Tom Harpur in his book, "The Pagan Christ" discusses the advent of Christian dogma. The authors of the gospels were left with a choice as to whom to pin the blame for the death of Jesus on. Given that they were living in a Roman dominated world, and were wary of further ruffling the feathers of the Roman eagle, they chose to pin the blame on the Jews who were incapable of offering a defense. This incipient pattern of scapegoating the Jews for any number of problems would be repeated time and again throughout history.

Jealousy of Jewish successes and wealth is another commonly offered explanation of anti-Semitism. As a scattered and shattered people, our choices of employment were few in the Diaspora. Throughout the middle ages, excluded from the feudal and manorial systems, they were relegated to be artisans, traders and moneylenders. In a forced separation of the Jews and the secular world, the Jews developed high intellectualism in the study of the Holy Torah, the sole survivor of our former glory. This penchant for developing intellectualism in isolation is, at once, our strongest and weakest characteristic. Nonetheless, the Jews developed economically valued skills by virtue of our intellectualism and our forced experiences as moneylenders. This accounts for our disproportionate contributions and participation in lucrative economic realms.

Finally, we deal with the anti-Semitic accusations that the Jews are of a 'lesser' race. This is best exemplified by Hitler's use of Hegel's precepts of euthanasia. Hegel mutated Darwin's work to allow for the application of 'natural selection' to human populations. This pseudo-scientific theory allowed the Jews to be viewed as 'less fit' than other races, and the horrors of the Second World War that followed. To any rational being, any such race based attacks fail immediately, since the Jews are a people encompassing many races. However, the purpose of anti-Semitism is to allow for a scapegoat people. In order to do that, humans must circumvent their natural empathy for fellow humans, by reducing them in status. Thus it is necessary to see the Jews as a lesser race in order to make way for blaming them for any conceivable need. Thus when it comes to categorizing a people, it is necessity, rather than logic, that is the mother of invention.

Another cause for anti-Semitism, not commonly discussed, is historical disadvantage. As far as labels go, they tend to stick. If "all the world is a stage" as the Bard suggests, then the Jews are typecast as the underdog. This suggests that were we able to remove all the multi-causal causes of anti-Semitism, anti-Semitism would persist due to a deep-seated societal need for underdogs, with Jews as the long favoured choice. It will always be possible to find reasons to hate the underdog as long as the need for the underdog exists.

Thus, the only solution to anti-Semitism is to eliminate the societal need for an underdog. How does one eliminate the need for an underdog? I leave you to the privacy of your own thoughts where the answer resides.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Martin Winer is a Jewish author interested in social issues.
By day, he's a Computer Scientist, developing http://www.rankyouragent.com/



Another short Wine Developers review

Why The Jews?Martin Winer


This question has been asked throughout the ages without any definitive answer. Thus, it behooves us to first take a look at some previous attempts an...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Wine Developers Products we recommend

The FTD Pink Splendor Bouquet - Deluxe


Spring's best flowers are gathered together in this beautiful bouquet of pink tulips, mini pink gerbera daisies, yellow daffodils and more in a glass vase. B14-3229D


Price: 69.99 USD



Wine Developers in the news

Interview with Alexandre Julliard - Head of the Wine Project

Wed, 08 Oct 08 14:21:42 -0700
In this interview we talk with Alexandre. In specific, we talk about: * Developing an open source project in cadence with Windows * Philosophies about how Linux should reach out to Windows users * The leadership model used in the Wine project and deciding what goes in * Deciding what applications to support and what to leave out

Interview with Joseph Hill on Mono Project at Novell.

Wed, 08 Oct 08 14:19:01 -0700
In this interview we talk with Joseph. In specific, we talk about: * The case for developing for Mono under Windows * Challenges in coupling open source development to Microsoft platforms * The relationship (or lack thereof) between Mono and Wine * Microsoft tools as they relate to Mono development

WineConf 2008 keynote address from Alexandre Julliard

Tue, 30 Sep 08 15:59:01 -0700
Here is a flash video of the 2008 Wineconf keynote address given by Alexandre Julliard the lead maintainer the Wine project. Alexandre was one of the first developers of Wine back when the project first started in 1993. In 1994, he assumed the responsibility for maintaining the Wine project, and has led the project ever since then.

Rohan Skea Knows Good Red

Mon, 29 Sep 08 23:16:06 -0700
Rohan Skea, a law and business professional from Western Australia, was the founder and developer of Mt Shadforth Estate Vineyard and Wine Production facility and believes he knows the value of a good red.

A Day Exploring Vezer Family Vineyards, Suisun Valley, Calif

Fri, 26 Sep 08 05:51:13 -0700
Vezer Family Vineyards is developing a big reputation for terrific wine well beyond the confines of the Suisun Valley. Visiting Vezer is a terrific reason to cross the hill from the Napa Valley into the up and coming Suisun Valley, which actually has been around longer as a wine region, but is only now coming into its own with top vintners.

Bear Farming

Mon, 22 Sep 08 02:11:05 -0700
"Horrific and inhumane methods of bile extraction have been developed by the bear farming industry to create products, including medicine, shampoo and even wine, for use in Traditional Medicine. All of these methods cause severe mental and physical trauma to captive bears."


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4:10 PM

Saturday - Spanish Wine

Today's Spanish Wine Article

The Truth About Red Wine and Heart Disease?


Red Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and Knights in Shining Armor

Red Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and Knights in Shining Armor

What is so special about wine? What is it that makes it potentially more protective against coronary heart disease, and perhaps other diseases, that other forms of alcohol?

In recent years, scientists have concluded without doubt that many human diseases such as heart disease, cancer and the aging process is caused or stimulated by a ravenous group of chemicals called free radicals. These highly charged little villains prowl the body and attack healthy cell membranes through a process that is called oxidation. In this scenario, there is however a knight in shining armor that jumps to the rescue and purges these ever hungry little killers. The name of our crusader is antioxidants.

Without getting too technical, the oxidation process in our bodies is crucial for health, without it, for instance, we would not be able to extract energy from our food. But if there are too many free radicals in our bodies this can be harmful.

Our body has its own defenses against free radicals, in the form of enzymes that are able to turn the hungry little sharks into harmless water. However, sometimes our bodys natural defense mechanisms cant cope. Other times, external events can cause huge increases of free radicals within our bodies, such as x-rays, cigarette smoke and exposure to toxic substances. At times, this surge of free radicals can swamp our defenses and illnesses such as radiation sickness may take place.

So what does all this have to do with heart disease?

Low density lipoproteins, commonly know as bad LDL, can penetrate and gather against the inner walls of our arteries, under certain conditions, forming fatty streaks and plaque. Taken alone, LDL particles arent so dangerous it seems, however, when attacked by free radicals they turn into dangerous and somewhat aggressive cells, capable of actually penetrating and harming the smooth inner walls of our arteries. This process is called oxidation. Oxidized LDL is known to be the culprit in stimulating atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke.

Antioxidants, as the name suggests (anti-oxidants) can help stop the oxidation process, which are the results of free radicals doing their stuff. Most antioxidant research has been carried out on vitamins (A, E, beta carotene) but quite a lot of work has also been done on the healthy benefits of red wine. While most research on red wine has been done in relation to coronary heart disease, it seems that the benefits of wine dont stop there.

Red wine and Coronary Heart Disease

Red wine contains a wide range of flavanoids; these are the chemicals that give the wine its particular taste and character, making one different from another. Many of these flavanoids act like antioxidants. Perhaps the forerunner of wine research was carried out by a certain Serge Renaud, who discovered the French Paradox, which suggested that wine was the decisive factor in protecting the people in southern France from their very high fat diets and ultimately coronary heart disease. Even if these people do eat large quantities of high fat cheese, pt, and salami they have some of the lowest rates of heart disease in the world.

Another study, statistical rather than practical, by a Professor Grey of the University of Bern in Switzerland focused on the low, medium and high coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality figures of the World Health Organization.

What did he find? Well from among the high mortality areas were Finland and Scotland, the middle areas included Ireland, and the low CHD areas included Spain, Italy and France. He then compared heart attack rates with antioxidant levels in blood samples taken from men living in those areas.

What he found was very interesting, the results showed that high antioxidant levels, in particular vitamin E, coincided with low death rates of heart disease. Moreover, his results showed that vitamin E levels were 94% more accurate in predicting CHD rates than were cholesterol levels or blood pressure figures! Apart from diet, the high CHD regions drink very little, if any wine, whereas the low regions traditionally accompany their meals most days with wine.

It certainly seems strange that two much studied cities; Glasgow in Scotland and Toulouse in France show many similarities and yet many differences. The inhabitants of both cities eat tremendous amounts of high fat foods, traditionally take little exercise and drink alcohol. The surprising difference is that while the people of Glasgow have one of the highest rates of CHD in the world, the fortunate people of Toulouse have one of the lowest. Traditionally beer and spirits are the preferred drinks in Glasgow, while the folks in Toulouse drink red wine.

It has also been suggested that drinking in moderation together with meals is beneficial, while binge drinking at bars in the evening is harmful. It seems the southern Europeans dont drink for the alcohol buzz, but just as a pleasant accompaniment to their meals.

At first the large heart institutions such as the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association ignored both antioxidants and frowned upon wine. While it is clear that it could be potentially dangerous for a physician to recommend his patients start drinking alcohol, it is also strange that they pretended for so many years to ignore the evidence. Well, now even if they dont promote the taking of vitamin pills; antioxidants and free radicals are now recognized.

However, according to the AHA There is no scientific proof that drinking wine or any other alcoholic beverage can replace conventional measures ... No direct comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease or stroke. Just ask yourself who would pay for such studies. Clinical Trials have the purpose of showing one thing to be better than another, or whether a certain substance is beneficial to health. The costs of clinical trials is so high that only the pharmaceutical industry have the financial clout to invest in them invest is the correct word. What a surprise.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


http://www.allabout-heart-disease.com the site that tells you how it is, about getting your life back and living it to the full! Articles, tips, advice and the latest news on how to take care of your heart. You can get articles like this in your mailbox each month by submitting to our eZine The Webs Heart at: http://www.allabout-heart-disease.com/webs-heart-subscribe.html



Short Review on Spanish Wine

The Truth About Red Wine and Heart Disease?


Red Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and Knights in Shining ArmorRed Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and Knights in Shining Armor What is so...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Spanish Wine Products we recommend

The FTD Pink Opulence Rose Bouquet - Premium


An explosion of pink and white comes from the roses, asters, snapdragons and greens in this beautiful arrangement that arrives in a glass vase. Prices may vary in some areas. B20-3266P


Price: 89.99 USD



Headlines on Spanish Wine

Wait... Where's My Purse? - Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and Canary Islands

Thu, 30 Oct 08 04:08:48 -0700
Jump to the full entry & travel map Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain and Canary Islands I would have to say I love Barcelona 100 times more than Madrid. It is seriously my favorite place I've been so far. People aren't as rude, the beach is right there, and it's warm and old an beautiful. Today we attempted to go on a free walking tour of the city, but we were too late, so instead we made up our own tour. First we went to the Museum L'Erotica, it was really interesting,

10.30.08

Wed, 29 Oct 08 22:28:38 -0700
highs: white bean soup, red wine & spanish olives. my flip camera arrived! low: cold outside, SO...

A.M.Smith Novel Online in Twenty Weeks

Wed, 29 Oct 08 20:11:39 -0700
Alexander McCall Smith is delivering a novel through The Telegraph Online, day by day in twenty weeks. Corduroy Mansions is on chapter 33 today, and you can read it at The Telegraph site or get them in your email or rss feed. It begins "in the bathroom." Passing off, thought William. Spanish sparkling wine - filthy stuff, he thought, filthy - passed itself off as champagne. Japanese whisky - Glen Yakomoto! - was served as Scotch. Inferior hard cheese - from Mafia-run factories in Catania - was s


Grape Wines

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