Cosmo gives ball crushing as advice to get even with a cheating boyfriend.

[Richter]

Eric, that's cold, involving the mother. There was a story years ago about a woman in Japan getting her boss stupid wasted at the office christmas party and replacing his balls with marbles and sewing him back up. It sounds SO fictional but it did make the news.

[bbbb]

You still haven't told me...

There's an awful lot you've avoided answering too whilst demanding I answer your Q's... Why the double-standard? Oh, you're pro-feminist... there's the reason.

who these feminist lobby groups are or how they have so much power over politicians/judges etc. Surely if they are so massive and organised there would be clear evidence of who they were and what their policies were.

Well as an example, let's look at feministing.com's founder's words about numbers of those who lobby for feminist causes.

In just a week, the protest—organized by Women, Action & the Media (WAM), Everyday Sexism and writer Soraya Chemaly—generated nearly 5,000 e-mails and 60,000 tweets directed at Facebook’s advertisers

Now tell me that isn't persuasive power there. NOW (national organization of whingers) has been known to turn up to court in numbers so as to intimidate Judges. Feminist pages are continually swamped with pictures showing dozens (sometimes 100s) of feminists standing united for whatever cause. Pretending they hold no sway is marginalizing their power.

Maybe the problem was that a bunch of men were discussing women's reproductive rights as if they should have power over them? Wouldn't you be offended if a bunch of women were talking about how all men should be ****** to donate sperm or some other thing that meant we didn't have control over our bodies?

1) You're avoiding the issue addressed (censorship) by distraction techniques, 2) It was a drawing/cartoon, it wasn't a real picture (it was attempting to portray men as evil overlords, as is typical for feminist minded authors).
Going back to point 1), the fact is that when a pointed out men today do not have equal rights with women, he was shouted down and censored by feminists - as is typical of them.

I don't see the problem with removing 'jokes' about **** and domestic violence from facebook.

Nor do I. But they aren't talking about that. They're talking about only female victims and as usual ignoring male victims of both crimes. If they were against abuse in general, it would be reflected in their words AND actions... By their own words and by their actions, they only seek to speak out for half the victims. You yourself have used the typical feminist defense to point out that it might be men committing the crimes - which makes it perfectly ok to ignore black crimes too, right?

You are also completely misinterpreting people. 'Nothing less than equality is acceptable' clearly states that the equality is satisfactory and being less than equal isn't good enough. It says nothing about wanting to being superior. If they wanted superiority then equality wouldn't be acceptable would it?

Convert this into basic maths..
<= is less than or equal to. => is equal to or greater.

Feminists, as I quoted, frequently state outright "at least" meaning more if available which is =>.

If white people kept stating, "Whites are at least as good as blacks" you would understandably pick up on the 'at least' statement and it's implied connotations.

Please give some examples of demanding preferential treatment for the same crime...

You'll note I haven't said that. What I've said is they claim to want equality but they do NOT lobby for equality (which is either negative to women OR positive for men) such as equal jail-terms for same crimes. Have you EVER even once heard of a feminist pushing for equal jail time? No.. nor have I. In fact, feminist groups often lobby for law changes to enable women to get away with certain crimes that men could not get away with. For example, if a man dumped a baby he would face charges - women don't. r4p3 is a male-only crime in England and most parts of USA, no feminists I know have once lobbied for equality. Men in USA have to agree to be cannon-fodder if they 1) want a driver's license, 2) need a college loan and 3) require a passport.. Women don't. Again, where is the feminist demand for equality?

Nonetheless, here's a feminist pushing for differential laws to (primarily) benefit women.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...pe-prison.html

The change to the murder law was championed by Labour’s deputy leader Harriet Harman, when she was Minister for Women.

When it was unveiled in January last year she said the move will "end the injustice of women being killed by their husband and the injustice of them then being blamed”.

You may note that this article rightly points out men & women could potentially make use of the law.. BUT feminists continually push for "men abuse - women as victims" standards, so very few men, if any at all would be able to realistically use this as a defense whilst any woman must be believed if she *claims* she is a victim of domestic violence. Again, if feminists were simply against all abuse - they'd stop pushing the man bad/woman victim template they rely on so heavily to keep their funding coming in.
Of course, you may disagree with me... So feel welcome to link me to a poster campaign funded by feminist groups reflecting woman bad/man victim instead? I'm betting you can't. How about a woman abuser/child victim portrayal instead? No.. I bet you can't find that either. The ONLY template feminists rely on is man bad - woman good/victim. Why? Because they simply do not care about men and want to promote fear of men by otherwise rational women.
You may also notice that she's happy for men who murder to be held accountable (I don't blame her for that)... but the law she is pushing enables women to murder the husband and then blame him for it.

Hypocrisy?

Of course... what else could one expect from a feminist



And finally, here is feministing.com's twitter page's tag-line, showing 'equality' all the way and not focusing on hating men at all.

Funny how an 'equality' lobby group would reference sexual assault on male genitals in their heading, right? Must be a mistake, right?

"Breaking news and busting balls." as found @ https://twitter.com/feministing

[Richter]

bbbb, what you've just said ... is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul...

[jabby]

There's an awful lot you've avoided answering too whilst demanding I answer your Q's... Why the double-standard? Oh, you're pro-feminist... there's the reason.

Maybe if you made your posts a bit easier to read and dropped the whole 'typical feminist' shtick I could identify your questions and answer them.

Well as an example, let's look at feministing.com's founder's words about numbers of those who lobby for feminist causes.
Now tell me that isn't persuasive power there. NOW (national organization of whingers) has been known to turn up to court in numbers so as to intimidate Judges. Feminist pages are continually swamped with pictures showing dozens (sometimes 100s) of feminists standing united for whatever cause. Pretending they hold no sway is marginalizing their power.

I'm not saying they hold no sway, I'm saying they aren't responsible for the things you think they are. I have never seen any examples of large numbers of feminists protesting for the superior treatment of women. I certainly couldn't find any examples of 'intimidating judges' into giving lesser sentences to women.

1) You're avoiding the issue addressed (censorship) by distraction techniques, 2) It was a drawing/cartoon, it wasn't a real picture (it was attempting to portray men as evil overlords, as is typical for feminist minded authors).
Going back to point 1), the fact is that when a pointed out men today do not have equal rights with women, he was shouted down and censored by feminists - as is typical of them.

I'm not avoiding the issue - I agree with the censorship in this case. Firstly because jokes about r@pe and domestic violence harm victims (who could be male or female). Second because 'pointing out' that men have less rights than women is bullshit. Apart from a few select areas women face a lot more discrimination and sexism in society. And even in areas where men are disadvantaged (like child custody and prison sentences) it's usually outdated ideas about 'chivalry' and gender roles that is the cause. And its usually men disadvantaging other men.

But they aren't talking about that. They're talking about only female victims and as usual ignoring male victims of both crimes.

Removing r@pe and domestic violence 'jokes' helps both men and women.

If they were against abuse in general, it would be reflected in their words AND actions... By their own words and by their actions, they only seek to speak out for half the victims. You yourself have used the typical feminist defense to point out that it might be men committing the crimes - which makes it perfectly ok to ignore black crimes too, right?

Most feminist groups are formed with the idea of improving things for women through gaining equality. You are asking 'why don't they focus on improving things for men as well?' Maybe because that's not what the majority of their members are interested in? Don't get me wrong, the closer we get to equality the better things will get for men too, but don't expect a group of women who want to make their lives better to spend a bunch of time and effort focusing on men's issues (usually as I said issues caused by other men). They have enough issues to deal with. Plus by fighting for the equal treatment of women and men they are fighting the root causes of these problems anyway.

Saying a majority of feminists should focus on men's issues (because of course, some do) is like saying the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People should hold a bake sale for white people.

If white people kept stating, "Whites are at least as good as blacks" you would understandably pick up on the 'at least' statement and it's implied connotations.

I agree that 'women can do anything at least as well as a man' is a bit of a sexist statement, not to mention not true in a lot of areas. But 'nothing less than equality will do' isn't, it just means the goal is equality and nothing less.

In fact, feminist groups often lobby for law changes to enable women to get away with certain crimes that men could not get away with. For example, if a man dumped a baby he would face charges - women don't. r4p3 is a male-only crime in England and most parts of USA, no feminists I know have once lobbied for equality. Men in USA have to agree to be cannon-fodder if they 1) want a driver's license, 2) need a college loan and 3) require a passport.. Women don't. Again, where is the feminist demand for equality?

I haven't seen any of this lobbying for preferential treatment. Can you elaborate what you mean by dumping a baby? I already said I think the law in England should be changed, but why don't you campaign for it instead of expecting feminist groups who focus on women's issues to do it? Not sure what you mean by the cannon fodder thing...

Nonetheless, here's a feminist pushing for differential laws to (primarily) benefit women.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...pe-prison.html

This benefits domestic violence victims. Are women the main victims of domestic violence? Yes, but that doesn't stop the law being equally applied to male victims.

The real question is why do male victims of domestic violence get taken less seriously than women. Is the answer A) Feminists did it, or B) Men are expected to be stronger and more dominant than women, and the idea of being beaten by a woman and losing their 'masculinity' is seen as a weakness and ridiculed by a lot of society.

Look at it this way, who is more likely to believe a woman is capable of physically abusing a man, a feminist or a non-feminist?

Funny how an 'equality' lobby group would reference sexual assault on male genitals in their heading, right? Must be a mistake, right?

It's a play on words. Can't say I like it myself, but Feministing is one of the more hardcore sites out there. Besides, outside our particular fetish to 'bust someone's balls' is far more likely to mean 'give them a hard time' than literally assault their testicles.

To boil it down, you are saying feminists are responsible for this and that injustice, but providing no evidence that they actually are. You see inequality where none exists (in domestic violence law for example) and you demand that groups composed mainly of women who are sick of being treated as second class citizens spend huge amounts of time and effort trying to improve the lives of men. Presumably while you yourself do nothing about these issues you care so deeply about.

Here's a question: are you for the equal treatment of men and women?

[kdunstfan]

The history of horse breeding goes back millennia. Though the precise date is in dispute, humans could have domesticated the horse as far back as approximately 4500 BCE. However, evidence of planned breeding has a more blurry history.

One of the earliest people known to document the breedings of their horses were the Bedouin of the Middle East, the breeders of the Arabian horse. While it is difficult to determine how far back the Bedouin passed on pedigree information via an oral tradition, there were written pedigrees of Arabian horses by A.D. 1330.[16] The Akhal-Teke of West-Central Asia is another breed with roots in ancient times that was also bred specifically for war and racing. The nomads of the Mongolian steppes bred horses for several thousand years as well.

The types of horse bred varied with culture and with the times. The uses to which a horse was put also determined its qualities, including smooth amblers for riding, fast horses for carrying messengers, heavy horses for plowing and pulling heavy wagons, ponies for hauling cars of ore from mines, packhorses, carriage horses and many others.

Medieval Europe bred large horses specifically for war, called destriers. These horses were the ancestors of the great heavy horses of today, and their size was preferred not simply because of the weight of the armor, but also because a large horse provided more power for the knight’s lance. Weighing almost twice as much as a normal riding horse, the destrier was a powerful weapon in battle.

On the other hand, during this same time, lighter horses were bred in northern Africa and the Middle East by Muslim warriors, who preferred a faster, more agile horse. The lighter horse suited the raids and battles of the Bedouins, allowing them to outmaneuver rather than overpower the enemy. When Muslim warriors and European knights collided in warfare, the heavy knights were frequently outmaneuvered. The Europeans, however, soon made up for the lack of speed of their native breeds by incorporating genetic traits from captured oriental horses such as the Arabian, Barb to their stables. This cross-breeding led both to a nimbler war horse, such as today's Percheron, but also to created a type of horse known as a Courser, a predecessor to the Thoroughbred, which was used as a message horse.

During the Renaissance, horses were bred not only for war, but for haute ecole riding, derived from the most athletic movements required of a war horse, and popular among the elite nobility of the time. Breeds such as the Lipizzan were developed from Spanish-bred horses for this purpose, and also became the preferred mounts of cavalry officers, who were derived mostly from the ranks of the nobility. It was during this time that gunpowder was developed, and so the light cavalry horse, a faster and quicker war horse, was bred for a “shoot and run” tactic rather than the close hand-to-hand fighting seen in the Middle Ages.

After Charles II retook the British throne in 1660, horse racing, which had been banned by Cromwell, was revived. The Thoroughbred was developed 40 years later, bred to be the ultimate racehorse, through the lines of 3 foundation Arabian stallions.

In the 18th century, James Burnett, Lord Monboddo noted the importance of selecting appropriate parentage to achieve desired outcomes of successive generations. Monboddo worked more broadly in the abstract thought of species relationships and evolution of species. The Thoroughbred breeding hub in Lexington, Kentucky was developed in the late 18th century, and became a mainstay in American racehorse breeding.

The 17th and 18th centuries saw more of a need for fine carriage horses in Europe, bringing in the dawn of the warmblood. The warmblood breeds have been exceptionally good at adapting to changing times, and from their carriage horse beginnings they easily transitioned during the 20th century into a sport horse type. Today’s warmblood breeds, although still used for competitive driving, are more often seen competing in the show jumping or dressage arenas.

The Thoroughbred continues to dominate the horseracing world, although its lines have been more recently used to improve warmblood breeds and to develop sport horses.

The predecessor of the American Quarter Horse was developed in the 18th century, mainly for quarter racing (racing ¼ of a mile). The breed was later adapted for work in the west, and “cow sense” was particularly bred for as their use for herding cattle increased. However, because there was also a need for animals suitable for sprint racing, the modern Quarter Horse has two distinct types: the sleeker racing type and the stock horse type. The racing type most resembles the finer-boned ancestors of the first racing Quarter Horses, and the type is still used for ¼-mile races. The stock horse type, used in western events, is bred for a shorter stride, docile temperament, and cow sense.

The need for horses for heavy draft and carriage work continued until the industrial revolution and the advent of the automobile and the tractor. After this time, draft and carriage horse numbers dropped significantly, though light riding horses remained popular for recreational pursuits. Draft horses today are used on a few small farms, but today are seen mainly for pulling and plowing competitions rather than farm work. Heavy harness horses are now used as an outcross with lighter breeds, such as the Thoroughbred, to produce the modern warmblood breeds popular in Olympic and sport horse disciplines.

[ddrbst27]

All feminist are evil man hating extremist and all people who do not identify as a feminist obviously hate women and women's right and equality. Obviously that was exaggerating and sarcasm (sadly people stand firm in there believes to these kind of extremes) but there's always an argument for two sides of anything and there's a place for certain arguments to take place but I have to agree with Richter the original post guy who was just making an interesting point and one comment however ignorant it was that could of still been ignored caused uproar. This is an interesting topic with Cosmo and yet were all members sharing an equal interest lets not bring up all our differences and just discuss from an unbiased view or neutral standpoint about the original post!

[Richter]

HEY! This guy's trying to be SENSIBLE!

[bbbb]

Here's a question: are you for the equal treatment of men and women?

Absolutely, which is precisely why I am anti-feminist; I want men & women treated as full equals, not selective equality when only for women's benefit or men's detriment which is what feminists currently push for.


All I've seen from you is pretty much ignore questions you don't want to answer, blame men for issues you do manage to respond to and trivialize issues faced by men and fully deny a shred of responsibility on feminism's part for any & all issues.

Then you wonder why I call you a typical feminist...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wuoytL8S7c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iARHCxAMAO0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GEm8XaV8rY&t=2640
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiqTt...4s8_xzb788Uxbo
http://agentorangefiles.com

Here are some feminists demanding men not speak about their issues whilst simultaneously blaming men for everything. The final link is a collection of screen-grabs from a feminist board discussing poisoning men & (pregnant with male babies) women as well as other means of killing off men... but those jesting feminists ain't man-haters, of course


Pretending feminism is a peaceful, loving movement is at best ignorant and blatantly untruthful & deceptive at worst. Do your research, Sir.

[jabby]

Absolutely, which is precisely why I am anti-feminist; I want men & women treated as full equals, not selective equality when only for women's benefit or men's detriment which is what feminists currently push for.

fem·i·nism
/ˈfeməˌnizəm/
Noun
The advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

Hate to break it to you, but if you want equality, you're a feminist. You just don't want to associate yourself with feminists because you mistakenly think a minority of extremists speak for the entire group.


All I've seen from you is pretty much ignore questions you don't want to answer, blame men for issues you do manage to respond to and trivialize issues faced by men and fully deny a shred of responsibility on feminism's part for any & all issues.

Ask me any questions you like. And of course I deny that feminism is responsible for all the issues you say it creates. You are the one blaming the movement, you provide the evidence.

Here are some feminists demanding men not speak about their issues whilst simultaneously blaming men for everything. The final link is a collection of screen-grabs from a feminist board discussing poisoning men & (pregnant with male babies) women as well as other means of killing off men... but those jesting feminists ain't man-haters, of course

You mean some women are angry when instead of working towards equality men try and make everything about them, despite being incredibly privileged in society? No kidding.

And of course there are random nutters all over the internet. You are the one saying that represents every single person who describes themselves as a feminist. It doesn't.

[bbbb]

The advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

The dictionary definition is lovely - shame feminist actions speak louder than their words.

Hate to break it to you, but if you want equality, you're a feminist. You just don't want to associate yourself with feminists because you mistakenly think a minority of extremists speak for the entire group.

No sir, you see, I want to see full equality rather than selective equality. We've already established that feminists do not promote true equality because they do not demand equal jail time, protection for baby boys and men from MGM (look at the way Sharon Osbourne hooted with laughter at a male victim of sexual mutilation) and don't believe f0rcing women into jobs they don't necessarily want via quotas is anything to do with 'equality'.

Ask me any questions you like. And of course I deny that feminism is responsible for all the issues you say it creates. You are the one blaming the movement, you provide the evidence.

I have - and you did precisely as I stated above, you trivialized it and marginalized feminism's involvement. (see your next quote)

You mean some women are angry when instead of working towards equality men try and make everything about them, despite being incredibly privileged in society? No kidding.

You clearly didn't review a single link.
Why are you feminists so scared of men being allowed to congregate and talk about issues affecting them? The feminists in the videos refused to allow men to speak. That is bullying.

And of course there are random nutters all over the internet. You are the one saying that represents every single person who describes themselves as a feminist. It doesn't.

But it's not just a random one or two... It's seen over & over & over again.. the single factor that brings them under one umbrella is their affiliation with a hate movement known as feminism.

Now, you claim I'm privileged due to being male...

Do I get laws that elevate me above women, such as VAMA or similar?
Do I get well-funded organisations dedicated to giving me a boost up in my work/career?
Do I get groups who will attend court with me to help me put a woman behind bars if a falsely accuse her of a crime?
Are women held accountable for R@p3 & sexual assault in general?
Does society often look to explain away men's crimes (e.g. r@p3) or women's crimes (e.g. false allegations of r4p3)?
Are crimes against me treated as more severe (i.e. if someone kills me in an auto-mobile accident and another car runs over a woman, which car driver will face the stiffer penalty)?
Are crimes women commit not even recognised under law (paternity fraud, false CSA claims, r4p3, etc.)?

Now please, tell me, how on Earth am I remotely privileged compared to a woman?

[skweezme]

Oh dear. Some very boring rants on here. I thought the original post was somewhat humorous. If you're not a little turned on by the idea of ball-busting why are you here?

[Richter]

Now please, tell me, how on Earth am I remotely privileged compared to a woman?

Wait... what did I miss?

[kdunstfan]

The apple forms a tree that is small and deciduous, reaching 3 to 12 metres (9.8 to 39 ft) tall, with a broad, often densely twiggy crown.[3] The leaves are alternately arranged simple ovals 5 to 12 cm long and 3–6 centimetres (1.2–2.4 in) broad on a 2 to 5 centimetres (0.79 to 2.0 in) petiole with an acute tip, serrated margin and a slightly downy underside. Blossoms are produced in spring simultaneously with the budding of the leaves. The flowers are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, five petaled, and 2.5 to 3.5 centimetres (0.98 to 1.4 in) in diameter. The fruit matures in autumn, and is typically 5 to 9 centimetres (2.0 to 3.5 in) in diameter. The skins of ripe apples range from red to yellow to green in colouration, and covered in a protective layer of epicuticular wax,[4] while the flesh is pale yellowish-white. The center of the fruit contains five carpels arranged in a five-point star, each carpel containing one to three seeds, called pips.[3]
Wild ancestors
Main article: Malus sieversii

The original wild ancestor of Malus domestica was Malus sieversii, found growing wild in the mountains of Central Asia in southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Xinjiang, China.[3][5] Cultivation of the species, most likely beginning on the forested flanks of the Tian Shan mountains, progressed over a long period of time and permitted secondary introgression of genes from other species into the open-pollinated seeds. Significant exchange with Malus sylvestris, the crabapple, resulted in current populations of apples to be more related to crabapples than to the more morphologically similar progenitor Malus sieversii. In strains without recent admixture the contribution of the latter predominates.[6][7][8]
Genome

In 2010, an Italian-led consortium announced they had decoded the complete genome of the apple in collaboration with horticultural genomicists at Washington State University,[9] using the Golden delicious variety.[10] It had about 57,000 genes, the highest number of any plant genome studied to date[11] and more genes than the human genome (about 30,000).[12] This new understanding of the apple genome will help scientists in identifying genes and gene variants that contribute to resistance to disease and drought, and other desirable characteristics. Understanding the genes behind these characteristics will allow scientists to perform more knowledgeable selective breeding. Decoding the genome also provided proof that Malus sieversii was the wild ancestor of the domestic apple—an issue that had been long-debated in the scientific community.[13]
History
Wild Malus sieversii apple in Kazakhstan

The center of diversity of the genus Malus is in eastern Turkey. The apple tree was perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated,[14] and its fruits have been improved through selection over thousands of years. Alexander the Great is credited with finding dwarfed apples in Kazakhstan in Asia in 328 BCE;[3] those he brought back to Macedonia might have been the progenitors of dwarfing root stocks. Winter apples, picked in late autumn and stored just above freezing, have been an important food in Asia and Europe for millennia, as well as in Argentina and in the United States since the arrival of Europeans.[14] Apples were brought to North America by colonists in the 17th century,[3] and the first apple orchard on the North American continent was planted in Boston by Reverend William Blaxton in 1625.[15] The only apples native to North America are crab apples, which were once called "common apples".[16] Apple varieties brought as seed from Europe were spread along Native American trade routes, as well as being cultivated on Colonial farms. An 1845 United States apples nursery catalogue sold 350 of the "best" varieties, showing the proliferation of new North American varieties by the early 19th century.[16] In the 20th century, irrigation projects in Washington state began and allowed the development of the multibillion dollar fruit industry, of which the apple is the leading product.[3]

Until the 20th century, farmers stored apples in frostproof cellars during the winter for their own use or for sale. Improved transportation of fresh apples by train and road replaced the necessity for storage.[17][18] In the 21st century, long-term storage again came into popularity, as "controlled atmosphere" facilities were used to keep apples fresh year-round. Controlled atmosphere facilities use high humidity and low oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to maintain fruit freshness.[19]
Cultural aspects
Main article: Apple (symbolism)
"Brita as Iduna" (1901) by Carl Larsson
Germanic paganism

In Norse mythology, the goddess Iðunn is portrayed in the Prose Edda (written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson) as providing apples to the gods that give them eternal youthfulness. English scholar H. R. Ellis Davidson links apples to religious practices in Germanic paganism, from which Norse paganism developed. She points out that buckets of apples were found in the Oseberg ship burial site in Norway, and that fruit and nuts (Iðunn having been described as being transformed into a nut in Skáldskaparmál) have been found in the early graves of the Germanic peoples in England and elsewhere on the continent of Europe, which may have had a symbolic meaning, and that nuts are still a recognized symbol of fertility in southwest England.[20]

Davidson notes a connection between apples and the Vanir, a tribe of gods associated with fertility in Norse mythology, citing an instance of eleven "golden apples" being given to woo the beautiful Gerðr by Skírnir, who was acting as messenger for the major Vanir god Freyr in stanzas 19 and 20 of Skírnismál. Davidson also notes a further connection between fertility and apples in Norse mythology in chapter 2 of the Völsunga saga when the major goddess Frigg sends King Rerir an apple after he prays to Odin for a child, Frigg's messenger (in the guise of a crow) drops the apple in his lap as he sits atop a mound.[21] Rerir's wife's consumption of the apple results in a six-year pregnancy and the Caesarean section birth of their son—the hero Völsung.[22]

Further, Davidson points out the "strange" phrase "Apples of Hel" used in an 11th-century poem by the skald Thorbiorn Brúnarson. She states this may imply that the apple was thought of by Brúnarson as the food of the dead. Further, Davidson notes that the potentially Germanic goddess Nehalennia is sometimes depicted with apples and that parallels exist in early Irish stories. Davidson asserts that while cultivation of the apple in Northern Europe extends back to at least the time of the Roman Empire and came to Europe from the Near East, the native varieties of apple trees growing in Northern Europe are small and bitter. Davidson concludes that in the figure of Iðunn "we must have a dim reflection of an old symbol: that of the guardian goddess of the life-giving fruit of the other world."[20]
Greek mythology
Heracles with the apple of Hesperides

Apples appear in many religious traditions, often as a mystical or forbidden fruit. One of the problems identifying apples in religion, mythology and folktales is that the word "apple" was used as a generic term for all (foreign) fruit, other than berries, including nuts, as late as the 17th century.[23] For instance, in Greek mythology, the Greek hero Heracles, as a part of his Twelve Labours, was required to travel to the Garden of the Hesperides and pick the golden apples off the Tree of Life growing at its center.[24][25][26]

The Greek goddess of *******, Eris, became disgruntled after she was excluded from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis.[27] In retaliation, she tossed a golden apple inscribed Καλλίστη (Kalliste, sometimes transliterated Kallisti, 'For the most beautiful one'), into the wedding party. Three goddesses claimed the apple: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris of Troy was appointed to select the recipient. After being bribed by both Hera and Athena, Aphrodite tempted him with the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite, thus indirectly causing the Trojan War.

The apple was thus considered, in ancient Greece, to be sacred to Aphrodite, and to throw an apple at someone was to symbolically declare one's love; and similarly, to catch it was to symbolically show one's acceptance of that love.[28] An epigram claiming authorship by Plato states:

I throw the apple at you, and if you are willing to love me, take it and share your girlhood with me; but if your thoughts are what I pray they are not, even then take it, and consider how short-lived is beauty.
—Plato, Epigram VII[29]

Atalanta, also of Greek mythology, raced all her suitors in an attempt to avoid marriage. She outran all but Hippomenes (also known as Melanion, a name possibly derived from melon the Greek word for both "apple" and fruit in general),[25] who defeated her by cunning, not speed. Hippomenes knew that he could not win in a fair race, so he used three golden apples (gifts of Aphrodite, the goddess of love) to distract Atalanta. It took all three apples and all of his speed, but Hippomenes was finally successful, winning the race and Atalanta's hand.[24]
The forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden
Adam and Eve
Showcasing the apple as a symbol of sin.
Albrecht Dürer, 1507

Though the forbidden fruit in the Book of Genesis is not identified, popular Christian tradition has held that it was an apple that Eve coaxed Adam to share with her.[30] This may have been the result of Renaissance painters adding elements of Greek mythology into biblical scenes (alternative interpretations also based on Greek mythology occasionally replace the apple with a pomegranate). In this case the unnamed fruit of Eden became an apple under the influence of story of the golden apples in the Garden of Hesperides. As a result, in the story of Adam and Eve, the apple became a symbol for knowledge, immortality, temptation, the fall of man into sin, and sin itself. In Latin, the words for "apple" and for "evil" are similar (mālum "an apple", mălum "an evil, a misfortune"). This may also have influenced the apple becoming interpreted as the biblical "forbidden fruit". The larynx in the human throat has been called Adam's apple because of a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit remaining in the throat of Adam.[30] The apple as symbol of sexual seduction has been used to imply sexuality between men, possibly in an ironic vein.[30]
Cultivars
Red and Green apples in India
Main article: List of apple cultivars

There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples.[31] Cultivars vary in their yield and the ultimate size of the tree, even when grown on the same rootstock.[32] Different cultivars are available for temperate and subtropical climates. The UK's National Fruit Collection, which is the responsibility of the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs, has a collection of over 2,000 accessions in Kent.[33] The University of Reading, which is responsible for developing the UK national collection database, provides access to search the national collection. The University of Reading's work is part of the European Cooperative Programme for Plant Genetic Resources of which there are 38 countries participating in the Malus/Pyrus work group.[34] The UK's national fruit collection database contains a wealth of information on the characteristics and origin of many apples, including alternative names for what is essentially the same 'genetic' apple variety. Most of these cultivars are bred for eating fresh (dessert apples), though some are cultivated specifically for cooking (cooking apples) or producing cider. Cider apples are typically too tart and astringent to eat fresh, but they give the beverage a rich flavour that dessert apples cannot.[35]

Commercially popular apple cultivars are soft but crisp. Other desired qualities in modern commercial apple breeding are a colourful skin, absence of russeting, ease of shipping, lengthy storage ability, high yields, disease resistance, common apple shape, and developed flavour.[32] Modern apples are generally sweeter than older cultivars, as popular tastes in apples have varied over time. Most North Americans and Europeans favour sweet, subacid apples, but tart apples have a strong minority following.[36] Extremely sweet apples with barely any acid flavour are popular in Asia[36] and especially India.[35]

Old cultivars are often oddly shaped, russeted, and have a variety of textures and colours. Some find them to have a better flavour than modern cultivars,[37] but may have other problems which make them commercially unviable from low yield, disease susceptibility, or poor tolerance for storage or transport. A few old cultivars are still produced on a large scale, but many have been preserved by home gardeners and farmers that sell directly to local markets. Many unusual and locally important cultivars with their own unique taste and appearance exist; apple conservation campaigns have sprung up around the world to preserve such local cultivars from extinction. In the United Kingdom, old cultivars such as 'Cox's Orange Pippin' and 'Egremont Russet' are still commercially important even though by modern standards they are low yielding and susceptible to disease.[3]
Cultivation
Breeding
See also: Fruit tree propagation
Apple pot

In the wild, apples grow readily from seeds. However, like most perennial fruits, apples are ordinarily propagated asexually by grafting. This is because seedling apples are an example of "extreme heterozygotes", in that rather than inheriting DNA from their parents to create a new apple with those characteristics, they are instead significantly different from their parents.[38] Triploid varieties have an additional reproductive barrier in that 3 sets of chromosomes cannot be divided evenly during meiosis, yielding unequal segregation of the chromosomes (aneuploids). Even in the case when a triploid plant can produce a seed (apples are an example), it occurs infrequently, and seedlings rarely survive.[39] Most new apple cultivars originate as seedlings, which either arise by chance or are bred by deliberately crossing cultivars with promising characteristics.[40] The words 'seedling', 'pippin', and 'kernel' in the name of an apple cultivar suggest that it originated as a seedling. Apples can also form bud sports (mutations on a single branch). Some bud sports turn out to be improved strains of the parent cultivar. Some differ sufficiently from the parent tree to be considered new cultivars.[41]

Since the 1930s, the Excelsior Experiment Station at the University of Minnesota has introduced a steady progression of important apples that are widely grown, both commercially and by local orchardists, throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin. Its most important contributions have included 'Haralson' (which is the most widely cultivated apple in Minnesota), 'Wealthy', 'Honeygold', and 'Honeycrisp'.

Apples have been acclimatized in Ecuador at very high altitudes, where they provide crops twice per year because of constant temperate conditions year-round.[42]
Rootstocks
See also: Malling series

Rootstocks used to control tree size have been used in apple cultivation for over 2,000 years. Dwarfing rootstocks were probably discovered by chance in Asia.[citation needed] Alexander the Great sent samples of dwarf apple trees to Aristotle, in Greece. They were maintained at the Lyceum.

Most modern apple rootstocks were bred in the 20th century. Research into the existing rootstocks began at the East Malling Research Station in Kent, England.[citation needed] East Malling later worked with the John Innes Institute and the Long Ashton Research Station to produce a series of different rootstocks with disease resistance and a range of different sizes, which have been used all over the world.[citation needed]
Pollination
See also: Fruit tree pollination
Apple blossom from an old Ayrshire variety
Orchard mason bee on apple bloom, British Columbia, Canada

Apples are self-incompatible; they must cross-pollinate to develop fruit. During the flowering each season, apple growers often utilize pollinators to carry pollen. Honey bees are most commonly used. Orchard mason bees are also used as supplemental pollinators in commercial orchards. Bumblebee queens are sometimes present in orchards, but not usually in enough quantity to be significant pollinators.[41]

There are four to seven pollination groups in apples, depending on climate:

Group A – Early flowering, 1 to 3 May in England (Gravenstein, Red Astrachan)
Group B – 4 to 7 May (Idared, McIntosh)
Group C – Mid-season flowering, 8 to 11 May (Granny Smith, Cox's Orange Pippin)
Group D – Mid/late season flowering, 12 to 15 May (Golden Delicious, Calville blanc d'hiver)
Group E – Late flowering, 16 to 18 May (Braeburn, Reinette d'Orléans)
Group F – 19 to 23 May (Suntan)
Group H – 24 to 28 May (Court-Pendu Gris) (also called Court-Pendu plat)

One cultivar can be pollinated by a compatible cultivar from the same group or close (A with A, or A with B, but not A with C or D).[43]

Varieties are sometimes classified by the day of peak bloom in the average 30 day blossom period, with pollenizers selected from varieties within a 6 day overlap period.
Maturation and harvest
See also: Fruit picking and Fruit tree pruning

Cultivars vary in their yield and the ultimate size of the tree, even when grown on the same rootstock. Some cultivars, if left unpruned, will grow very large, which allows them to bear much more fruit, but makes harvesting very difficult. Depending on the tree density (number of trees planted per unit surface area), mature trees typically bear 40–200 kilograms (88–440 lb) of apples each year, though productivity can be close to zero in poor years. Apples are harvested using three-point ladders that are designed to fit amongst the branches. Trees grafted on dwarfing rootstocks will bear about 10–80 kilograms (22–180 lb) of fruit per year.[41]

Crops ripen at different times of the year according to the variety of apple. Varieties that yield their crop in the summer include Gala, Golden Supreme, McIntosh, Transparent, Primate, Sweet Bough, and Duchess; fall producers include Fuji, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Chenango, Gravenstein, Wealthy, McIntosh, Snow, and Blenheim; winter producers include Winesap, Granny Smith, King, Wagener, Swayzie, Greening, and Tolman Sweet.[16]
Storage

Commercially, apples can be stored for some months in controlled-atmosphere chambers to delay ethylene-induced ripening. Apples are commonly stored in chambers with higher concentrations of carbon dioxide and high air filtration. This prevents ethylene concentrations from rising to higher amounts and preventing ripening from occurring too quickly. Ripening continues when the fruit is removed from storage.[44] For home storage, most varieties of apple can be held for approximately two weeks when kept at the coolest part of the refrigerator (i.e. below 5 °C). Some types, including the Granny Smith and Fuji, can be stored up to a year without significant degradation.[45][46]
Pests and diseases
Leaves with significant insect damage
Main article: List of apple diseases
See also: List of Lepidoptera that feed on Malus

Apple trees are susceptible to a number of fungal and bacterial diseases and insect pests. Many commercial orchards pursue an aggressive program of chemical sprays to maintain high fruit quality, tree health, and high yields. A trend in orchard management is the use of organic methods. These use less aggressive methods of conventional farming. Instead of spraying potent chemicals, often shown to be potentially dangerous and maleficent to the tree over time, organic methods include encouraging or discouraging certain cycles and pests. To control pests, organic growers might introduce its natural predator to reduce pest population. Organic apples generally have the same of conventionally grown apples, with cosmetic differences.[47]

A wide range of pests and diseases can affect the plant; three of the more common diseases/pests are mildew, aphids and apple scab.

Mildew: which is characterized by light grey powdery patches appearing on the leaves, shoots and flowers, normally in spring. The flowers will turn a creamy yellow colour and will not develop correctly. This can be treated in a manner not dissimilar from treating Botrytis; eliminating the conditions which caused the disease in the first place and burning the infected plants are among the recommended actions to take.[48]
Aphids: There are five species of aphids commonly found on apples: apple grain aphid, rosy apple aphid, apple aphid, spirea aphid and the woolly apple aphid. The aphid species can be identified by their colour, the time of year when they are present and by differences in the cornicles, which are small paired projections from the rear of aphids.[48] Aphids feed on foliage using needle-like mouth parts to suck out plant juices. When present in high numbers, certain species reduce tree growth and vigor.[49]
Apple scab: Apple scab causes leaves to develop olive-brown spots with a velvety texture that later turn brown and become cork-like in texture. The disease also affects the fruit, which also develops similar brown spots with velvety or cork-like textures. Apple scab is spread through fungus growing in old apple leaves on the ground and spreads during warm spring weather to infect the new year's growth.[50]

Among the most serious disease problems are fireblight, a bacterial disease; and Gymnosporangium rust, and black spot, two fungal diseases.[49] Codling moths and apple maggots are two other pests which affect apple trees. Young apple trees are also prone to mammal pests like mice and deer, which feed on the soft bark of the trees, especially in winter.

[Richter]

Learning is fun!

[skweezme]

All hail Eris! With Her apple (not a mac)

Hail Discordia!