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Theories - Origin of Life
Discussion of everything related to the Theory of Evolution.
Moderator: BioTeam
Re: Theories - Origin of Life
Wrong again, viruses are much simplier than the simplest cell. Usually they contain only the nucleic acid, sometime with protein package. However, if they contain lipid membrane, it originates from the host cell, from which the virus takes it during leaving it.
So, now is logic good enough for you?
Cis or trans? That's what matters.
Re: Theories - Origin of Life
That is correct.
Where have I said anything different.
I merely said that they are very complicated molecules, which of course they are.
What on earth are you arguing against.
It would greatly help your obvious frustration if you actually read what I write, before replying with a shot through your own foot.
Re: Theories - Origin of Life
Your statement above is what you believe.
What evidence can you call upon to substantiate this.
The simple answer is, you are not able to. You can only hypothesise.
Therefore it is only your belief. And if that is what you wish to believe, then believe it.
But don't parade it as scientific fact.
Look even accomplished biologists like Craig Venter , George Church and others including NASA itself openly acknowledge that there are no plausible pathways to these complex biochemical molecules.
Have you not bothered to read the papers and articles from prominent members of the Evolutionary establishment that I have referred to.
Or are you suggesting you know more than them.
Please, please don't say Yes.
Re: Theories - Origin of Life
What I am trying to get over is really quite simple, both in terms of logic and biology.
Now please read carefully.
The Ribosome is an essential part of every cell. It is regarded as one of the most complicated molecules in the cell.
1) It is made up of proteins .
2) It also manufactures the proteins in the cell
3) In other words it manufactures the very proteins it is made from.
How can that be?
Well the only way this can come about is for a protein to be designed and manufactured .
The process then repeated some 50 times or so.
A translation system must then be designed and built.
A Ribosome can then be constructed with these molecules.
Then there must be some method of inserting the translation system that can read the coded sequence of amino acids.
The Ribosome can then be placed into the cell so that it can (along with all the other systems in the cell) commence the manufacturing all the proteins the cell makes.
In other words some outside agency must be involved in the process.
No natural laws have the capacity to do this because natural laws do not function in this manner.
This is a process that some biologists are beginning to attempt to do.
Can you understand why I say that there is no natural process that can overcome this conundrum.
It requires an outside agency.
As I told you already dozen times, the crucial part of the ribosome are the rRNAs, the proteins are just added cosmetics. But you refuses to accept that. You think that if something is nowadays composed from proteins, it had to be composed of proteins billions of years ago.
I'm just curious. This "outside agency" is composed of proteins as well or is it of something else?
Cis or trans? That's what matters.
That's an interesting way of handling the "unnatural" influence question.
Re: Theories - Origin of Life
Ribosomes are made from approx 40% proteins and 60% nucleic acids (rRNA )
So, proteins are just added cosmetics.
Is this supposed to be a serious statement?
Let me take you to a basic biology refresher.
The Ribosome is the translation system for the manufacturing of proteins.
This process starts with Transcription.
This is the first step in decoding a cell's genetic information. During transcription, Enzymes called RNA polymerases build RNA molecules that are complementary to a portion of one strand of the DNA double helix.
What is an enzyme?
Guess what? It is a protein.
So our basic refresher tell us that a Protein is required at the start of a process to make (guess what?) a Protein.
http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpag ... n-14120660
Now let's look at your rRNA.
How does the rRNA come about.
One of the non ribosomal proteins the nucleolin, is considered to play a key role in the regulation of rRNA transcription, perisomal synthesis, ribosomal assembly and maturation.
http://books.google.com/books?id=P_ajeM ... &q&f=false
page 161.
So which came first Protein or rRNA?
Biology is clearly not a strong point with you.
Has it not dawned on you yet, the point is not whether proteins are the crucial part or not.
The point is that Ribosomes, made from proteins, actually make the proteins.
That's the conundrum. So how does that work then.?
Got an answer? Of course you haven't, because there isn't a scientific explanation based on natural processes.
So how best to cope with that scenario.
Well that's easy, just pretend it doesn't exist and ignore it.
This is what is called wilful blindness.
Do you mean that I refuse to accept the so called RNA (world) hypothesis as a fact.
If that is what you mean then you are correct.
I do not accept hypothesises as fact until there is sufficient evidence to confirm them.
The fact that this is still a hypothetical scenario even within the biological community, speaks for itself.
btw cyanobacteria is regarded as the oldest living fossil and is dated to 3.5 billion years ago. And guess what, it contains proteins.
Re: Theories - Origin of Life
The conventional dating which provides the backdrop upon which all evolutionary theory is presented, reveals some interesting information regarding fossils.
The fossils of cyanobacteria are particularly significant.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OKkT ... &q&f=false
Their ability to carry out oxygen producing photosynthesis is a universal characteristic of cyanobacteria that distinguishes it from all other prokaryotes.
These fossils found in Western Australia are dated to at least 3.5 billion years ago.
We don't know as yet how much earlier they may have existed.
However these prokaryotes are fully functional unicellular life with fully functioning transcription and translating systems manufacturing proteins, and of course they are still around today in huge quantities.
Again according to conventional theory the earth is 4.5 billion years old.
And according to the same US Geological Survey the oldest dated rocks in Western Australia are 3.4- 3.6 billion years.
This places the appearance of cyanobacteria around the same time as the appearance of the first rocks and therefore does not leave much if any time for any evolution to take place, let alone such a complicated life form as cyanobacteria which has the additional system of photosynthesis that other prokaryotes don't.
There is of course more to this.
In the Jack Hills of Western Australia scientists have uncovered very interesting evidence of the early earth conditions over 4 billion years ago.
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Featur ... ircon2.php
So the evidence from the US government agencies is painting a picture of an early earth of oceans. A land mass then appearing and the first fully formed complex life appearing in the rocks around the same period.
Where have we read this scenario before?
scottie, you should join another thread about23008.html I'm sure you will have lots to say in there.
Cis or trans? That's what matters.
Re: Theories - Origin of Life
Thanks for the invite, but I think I'll pass on this one.
You may have not noticed this yet, but this thread is entitled "Theories - Origin of Life" not "philosophies of life".
You do seem to display a problem with understanding language, but I am sure you are working on that as I hope you are also on biology!!
I know you would love to get onto the subject of your religion but as I have said before, I don't do religion. Sorry
Do you realize, that difference 0.1 billion of years is 100 millions of years? That's even longer than the humankind is on Earth. That's not long enough for you?
So, if there is no evolution, the humans are as old as Earth, right?
You still didn't respond to my questions regarding the designer. Is he physical or rather something spiritual?
Cis or trans? That's what matters.
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on order $30+
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With another strike of his famous pen, President Obama just passed a law enabling cell phone users to unlock their carrier-locked cell phone
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Evolution or De-evolution?
Discussion of everything related to the Theory of Evolution.
Moderator: BioTeam
Re: Re:
Shell of the crab is PART of the crab. Same as horns, claws, ect. are parts of other animals. Can you take away part of environment and make them die? Of course you can. My point is our environment is essentially artificial. We are too dependent on it by now to be capable of easy transition into natural environment should something happen to our artificial one.
"Man is a singular creature. He has a set of gifts which make him unique among the animals: so that, unlike them, he is not a figure in the landscape - he is a shaper of the landscape."
-Jacob Bronowski, The Ascent of Man
If arguing with people on the internet helps me understand science, then I will do it. FOR THE CHILDREN.
My point is that Molecular Evolution (proven part) = genetic deterioration over time. Therefore, extrapolating that to organisms should mean starting with nearly immortal and highly adaptable (=more genetically robust) organisms and ending with organism of a relatively short lifespan with highly limited ability to adapt. I am talking about humans and our evolution.
This report, which I did on the IV INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE "ideological basis and scientific evidence for intelligent design in the genesis of life and the universe"
Life: the active situational model on the cell membrane, equipped with a polypeptide-nucleic technology
(https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater - )
Re: Evolution or De-evolution?
Any new thoughts anyone?
Re: Evolution or De-evolution?
Evolution is not teleological.
The theory of evolution, as we currently understand it, is the development of the primary replicator in the primordial soup in a very short period of time since the initial cooling of the ocean (less than 4 billion years ago) until which date back to the most ancient remains of bacteria (about 3, 5 billion years ago) powerful, incredibly efficient Polypeptide-Nucleniic technology in that huge technological database - genes on DNA carrier through RNA input-output device is implemented in a polypeptide (protein) interface. Later, at the same time or in the process system appeared and user-developer - the consciousness that, in accordance with the idea of evolution gradually evolved to Homo Sapiens and continues to evolve to Homo Super Sapiens, which according to its hypothetical capabilities equivalent to GOD. thus, we have a typical religion. Scientific alternative - the theory of macro-de-evolution: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater
Your conclusion that biological evolution (which you didn't quite properly explain) leads to a "typical religion" is a non sequitur. What would follow at best is a finite quasi-theism (it doesn't) and even if it did lead to classical theism it still wouldn't follow it's a religion.
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Death notices for April 29, 2014
Steven A. Chrislaw Jr., 30, Clinton, died Monday at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center, Janesville. Arrangements are pending at Brian Mark Funeral Home, Clinton.
Arne Laverne Havey, 78, Evansville and Stoughton, died Sunday at Sienna Meadows Assisted Living, Oregon. Services will be at 4 p.m. Friday at Congregational United Church of Christ, Evansville. Visitation will be from 2 p.m. until the time of services Friday at the church. Ward-Hurtley Funeral Home, Evansville, is assisting the family.
Mildred L. (Millie) Ringen, 85, Beloit, died Sunday at Premier Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing, Beloit. No services will be held. Newcomer Silverthorn Chapel on the Hill, Orfordville, is assisting the family.
Patricia A. Soergel, 76, Janesville, died Friday at Mercy Hospital and Trauma Center, Janesville. Services will be held at a later date. Schneider Apfel Schneider & Schneider Funeral Home and Crematory, Janesville, is assisting the family.


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From the Harvard School of Public Health
Throughout the 10,000 or so years that humans have been drinking fermented beverages, they've also been arguing about their merits and demerits. The debate still simmers today, with a lively back-and-forth over whether alcohol is good for you or bad for you.
It's safe to say that alcohol is both a tonic and a poison. The difference lies mostly in the dose. Moderate drinking seems to be good for the heart and circulatory system, and probably protects against type 2 diabetes and gallstones. Heavy drinking is a major cause of preventable death in most countries. In the U.S., alcohol is implicated in about half of fatal traffic accidents. (1) Heavy drinking can damage the liver and heart, harm an unborn child, increase the chances of developing breast and some other cancers, contribute to depression and violence, and interfere with relationships.
Alcohol's two-faced nature shouldn't come as a surprise. The active ingredient in alcoholic beverages, a simple molecule called ethanol, affects the body in many different ways. It directly influences the stomach, brain, heart, gallbladder, and liver. It affects levels of lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides) and insulin in the blood, as well as inflammation and coagulation. It also alters mood, concentration, and coordination.
What's Moderate Alcohol Intake? What's a Drink?
Loose use of the terms "moderate" and "a drink" has fueled some of the ongoing debate about alcohol's impact on health.
Did You Know… The comparatively low rate of heart disease in France despite a diet that includes plenty of butter and cheese has become known as the French paradox.
Some experts have suggested that red wine makes the difference, but other research suggests that beverage choice appears to have little effect on cardiovascular benefit.
In some studies, the term "moderate drinking" refers to less than one drink per day, while in others it means three or four drinks per day. Exactly what constitutes "a drink" is also fairly fluid. In fact, even among alcohol researchers, there's no universally accepted standard drink definition. (2)
In the U.S., one drink is usually considered to be 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1½ ounces of spirits (hard liquor such as gin or whiskey). (3) Each delivers about 12 to 14 grams of alcohol.
The definition of moderate drinking is something of a balancing act. Moderate drinking sits at the point at which the health benefits of alcohol clearly outweigh the risks.
The latest consensus places this point at no more than one to two drinks per day for men, and no more than one drink per day for women. This is the definition used by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, (3) and is widely used in the United States.
Possible Health Benefits of Alcohol
What are some of the possible health benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption?
Cardiovascular Disease
More than 100 prospective studies show an inverse association between moderate drinking and risk of heart attack, ischemic (clot-caused) stroke, peripheral vascular disease, sudden cardiac death, and death from all cardiovascular causes. (4) The effect is fairly consistent, corresponding to a 25 percent to 40 percent reduction in risk.
Studies: Alcohol and Heart Disease
The connection between moderate drinking and lower risk of cardiovascular disease has been observed in men and women. It applies to people who do not apparently have heart disease, and also to those at high risk for having a heart attack or stroke or dying of cardiovascular disease, including those with type 2 diabetes, (5, 6) high blood pressure, (7, ) and existing cardiovascular disease. (7, ) The benefits also extend to older individuals. (9)
The idea that moderate drinking protects against cardiovascular disease makes sense biologically and scientifically. Moderate amounts of alcohol raise levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol), (10) and higher HDL levels are associated with greater protection against heart disease. Moderate alcohol consumption has also been linked with beneficial changes ranging from better sensitivity to insulin to improvements in factors that influence blood clotting, such as tissue type plasminogen activator, fibrinogen, clotting factor VII, and von Willebrand factor. (10) Such changes would tend to prevent the formation of small blood clots that can block arteries in the heart, neck, and brain, the ultimate cause of many heart attacks and the most common kind of stroke.
Does Alcohol Cause These Benefits?
People who drink in moderation are different from non-drinkers or heavy drinkers in ways that could influence health and disease.
Folate and Alcohol
Folate, the B vitamin that helps guide the development of an embryo's spinal cord, has equally important jobs later in life. One of the biggest is helping to build DNA, the molecule that carries the code of life. In this way, folate is essential for accurate cell division.
Alcohol blocks the absorption of folate and inactivates folate in the blood and tissues. It's possible that this interaction may be how alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast, colon, and other cancers.
Getting extra folate may cancel out this alcohol-related increase. In the Nurses' Health Study, for example, among women who consumed one alcoholic drink a day or more, those who had the highest levels of this B vitamin in their blood were 90% less likely to develop breast cancer than those who had the lowest levels of the B vitamin. (28) An earlier study suggested that getting 600 micrograms a day of folate could counteract the effect of moderate alcohol consumption on breast cancer risk. (26)
Part of a national 1985 health interview survey showed that moderate drinkers were more likely than non-drinkers or heavy drinkers to be at a healthy weight, to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night, and to exercise regularly. (11) Researchers have statistically accounted for such confounders, and they do not come close to accounting for the relationship between alcohol and heart disease. This, plus the clearly beneficial effects of alcohol on cardiovascular risk factors, makes a compelling case that alcohol itself, when used in moderation, reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
The most definitive way to investigate the effect of alcohol on cardiovascular disease would be with a large trial in which some volunteers were randomly assigned to have one or more alcoholic drinks a day and others had drinks that looked, tasted, and smelled like alcohol but were actually alcohol free. Many of these trials have been conducted for weeks, and in a few cases months, to look at changes in the blood, but a long-term trial to test experimentally the effects of alcohol on cardiovascular disease over many years will probably never be done. Nevertheless, the connection between moderate drinking and cardiovascular disease almost certainly represents a cause-and-effect relationship.
Beyond the Heart
The benefits of moderate drinking aren't limited to the heart. In the Nurses' Health Study, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and other studies, gallstones (12, 13) and type 2 diabetes (5, 14, 15) were less likely to occur in moderate drinkers than in non-drinkers. The emphasis here, as elsewhere, is on moderate drinking. In a meta-analysis of 15 original prospective cohort studies that followed 369,862 participants for an average of 12 years, no benefit was observed for heavy drinkers who consumed more than 48 grams of alcohol (the equivalent of four drinks) a day. (5) The social and psychological benefits of alcohol can't be ignored. A drink before a meal can improve digestion or offer a soothing respite at the end of a stressful day; the occasional drink with friends can be a social tonic. These physical and psychic effects may contribute to health and well-being.
Drinking Patterns Matter
What you drink (beer or wine) doesn't seem to be nearly as important as how you drink. Having seven drinks on a Saturday night and then not drinking the rest of the week isn't at all the equivalent of having one drink a day. The weekly total may be the same, but the health implications aren't. Among participants in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, consumption of alcohol on at least three or four days a week was inversely associated with the risk for myocardial infarction. The amount consumed, under 10 grams a day or more than 30 grams, didn't seem to matter as much as the regularity of consumption. (16) A similar pattern was seen in Danish men. (17)
The Dark Side of Alcohol
Spilled red wine If all drinkers limited themselves to a single drink a day, we probably wouldn't need as many cardiologists, liver specialists, mental health professionals, and substance abuse counselors. But not everyone who likes to drink alcohol stops at just one. While most people drink in moderation, some don't.
On the personal level, heavy drinking can take a toll on the body. It can cause inflammation of the liver (alcoholic hepatitis) and lead to scarring of the liver (cirrhosis), a potentially fatal disease. Heavy drinking can increase blood pressure and damage heart muscle (cardiomyopathy). It has also been linked with several cancers: In an exhaustive new report, the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research indicate that there is convincing evidence linking alcohol use to cancer of the mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, breast, and colon and rectum in men, and probable evidence that its use contributes to liver cancer and colorectal cancer in women. (18) The risk is multiplied for drinkers who also smoke tobacco.
Problem drinking also touches drinkers' families, friends, and communities. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and others:
18.2 million Americans meet standard criteria for alcohol abuse or alcoholism. (19)
Alcohol plays a role in one in three cases of violent crime. (20)
More than 16,000 people die each year in automobile accidents in which alcohol is involved. (21)
Alcohol abuse costs more than $185 billion dollars a year. (22)
Even moderate drinking carries some risks. Alcohol can disrupt sleep. Its ability to cloud judgment is legendary. Alcohol interacts in potentially dangerous ways with a variety of medications, including acetaminophen, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, painkillers, and sedatives. It is also addictive, especially for people with a family history of alcoholism.
Alcohol Increases Risk of Developing Breast Cancer
There is convincing evidence that alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer. (23, 24) In a combined analysis of six large prospective studies involving more than 320,000 women, researchers found that having two or more drinks a day increased the chances of developing breast cancer as much as 41 percent. (23)
This doesn't mean that 40 percent or so of women who have two drinks a day will get breast cancer. Instead, it is the difference between about 12.7 of every 100 women developing breast cancer during their lifetime—the current average risk in the US—and 17 to 18 of every 100 women developing the disease. This modest increase would translate to significantly more women with breast cancer each year.
Adequate daily intake of folate, at least 600 micrograms a day, appears to mitigate this increased risk. (25, 26) (Read more about folate and alcohol.)
Genes Play a Role
Twin, family, and adoption studies have firmly established that genetics plays an important role in determining an individual's preferences for alcohol and his or her likelihood for developing alcoholism. Alcoholism doesn't follow the simple rules of inheritance set out by Gregor Mendel. Instead, it is influenced by several genes that interact with each other and with environmental factors. (1)
There is also some evidence that genes influence how alcohol affects the cardiovascular system. An enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase helps metabolize alcohol. One variant of this enzyme, called alcohol dehydrogenase type 1C (ADH1C), comes in two "flavors." One quickly breaks down alcohol, the other does it more slowly. Moderate drinkers who have two copies of the gene for the slow-acting enzyme are at much lower risk for cardiovascular disease than moderate drinkers who have two genes for the fast-acting enzyme. (27) Those with one gene for the slow-acting enzyme and one for the faster enzyme fall in between.
It's possible that the fast-acting enzyme breaks down alcohol before it can have a beneficial effect on HDL and clotting factors. Interestingly, these differences in the ADH1C gene do not influence the risk of heart disease among people who don't drink alcohol. This adds strong indirect evidence that alcohol itself reduces heart disease risk.
Shifting Benefits and Risks
The benefits and risks of moderate drinking change over a lifetime. In general, risks exceed benefits until middle age, when cardiovascular disease begins to account for an increasingly large share of the burden of disease and death.
For a pregnant woman and her unborn child, a recovering alcoholic, a person with liver disease, and people taking one or more medications that interact with alcohol, moderate drinking offers little benefit and substantial risks.
For a 30-year-old man, the increased risk of alcohol-related accidents outweighs the possible heart-related benefits of moderate alcohol consumption.
For a 60-year-old man, a drink a day may offer protection against heart disease that is likely to outweigh potential harm (assuming he isn't prone to alcoholism).
For a 60-year-old woman, the benefit/risk calculations are trickier. Ten times more women die each year from heart disease (460,000) than from breast cancer (41,000). However, studies show that women are far more afraid of developing breast cancer than heart disease, something that must be factored into the equation.
The Bottom Line: Balancing Risks and Benefits
Given the complexity of alcohol's effects on the body and the complexity of the people who drink it, blanket recommendations about alcohol are out of the question. Because each of us has unique personal and family histories, alcohol offers each person a different spectrum of benefits and risks. Whether or not to drink alcohol, especially for "medicinal purposes," requires careful balancing of these benefits and risks.
Your health-care provider should be able to help you do this. Your overall health and risks for alcohol-associated conditions should factor into the equation. If you are thin, physically active, don't smoke, eat a healthy diet, and have no family history of heart disease, drinking alcohol won't add much to decreasing your risk of cardiovascular disease.
If you don't drink, there's no need to start. You can get similar benefits with exercise (beginning to exercise if you don't already or boosting the intensity and duration of your activity) or healthier eating. If you are a man with no history of alcoholism who is at moderate to high risk for heart disease, a daily alcoholic drink could reduce that risk. Moderate drinking might be especially beneficial if you have low HDL that just won't budge upward with diet and exercise.
If you are a woman with no history of alcoholism who is at moderate to high risk for heart disease, the possible benefits of a daily drink must be balanced against the small increase in risk of breast cancer.
If you already drink alcohol or plan to begin, keep it moderate—no more than two drinks a day for men or one drink a day for women. And make sure you get plenty of folate, at least 600 micrograms a day.


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Documents: Prescription drug addictions lead to pharmacy robberies
JANESVILLE—Just after 5:30 Tuesday morning, Kyler Willing pulled on a jacket and hood, covered his face with a camouflage bandana and stuck a shotgun down the front of his pants, police said.
Then, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday, Willing walked into a Walgreens on Milton Avenue in Janesville and handed the pharmacist a note.
"I need oxycottin, oxycodone, morphine," it read, according to police. "Do not hit the panic alarm, do not call the police, no one will get hurt, thank you for your cooperation."
Willing opened his coat so the woman could see the gun, police said, and made off with thousands of dollars worth of drugs.
It was the second time in the past year the Walgreens store had been robbed for the painkillers behind its pharmacy counter, according to court documents, and the second time a robber did so because he was hooked on those drugs.
It's no secret drug addiction is at the root of many crimes in Rock County.
Whether from addicts breaking into homes to steal electronics and jewelry or people reporting their medication stolen so they can get more of it, Janesville Police Chief David Moore has said drugs are a chief driver of the city's property crimes.
Much of the spotlight is on people committing crimes to get illegal drugs such as heroin. But a number of crimes are driven by people's dependence on prescription medication—addictions that might have begun with legitimate prescriptions.
Even if they are prescribed for a medical condition, drugs such as the oxycodone Willing demanded could prove habit-forming, said Heidi Wood, a substance abuse counselor at Mercy Options.
"That's one of the big misconceptions with people: that these are safe medications," Wood said. "It's very easy for people to become addicted to them."
Addiction to prescription drugs also can lead people to use illegal drugs, police say, as they seek a cheaper high.
Willing, 25, of 1147 N. Emerald Grove Road, Janesville, told police he had been in a car accident in 2007, leaving him with three cracked vertebrae in his neck, according to the complaint.
He treated his pain with narcotic drugs, Willing told police, and was in pain the morning he robbed Walgreens.
A Janesville police officer spotted Willing outside the same pharmacy less than 24 hours later and arrested him after noticing he fit the description from the previous night's robbery, according to the complaint.
Willing had the loaded shotgun in his pants and a note in his car demanding more prescription drugs when he was arrested, authorities said.
Once someone becomes addicted to a medication, the chemistry in his or her body changes, Wood said. Addicts actually are thinking with a different portion of their brain, she said, which means they might not consider the consequences of their actions or think logically about what they're doing.
"What ultimately happens is your brain gets hijacked," Wood said. "Once the addiction takes over, that logic portion goes out."
Willing is accused of using a tactic similar to the one 36-year-old Tony D. Taylor of Delavan used during a string of pharmacy robberies around southern Wisconsin—including one at the Milton Avenue Walgreens in December 2012, police said.
Both men are accused of slipping threatening notes to pharmacists and escaping with large amounts of pain medication, a strategy Janesville police Lt. Keith Lawver said the department has seen more of recently.
"It's definitely a concern for us," Lawver said.
Whereas burglaries and thefts require an addict to sell off property and then buy drugs, Lawver said robbing pharmacies could be a way to cut a few steps out of that process and get drugs quicker.
For Mark Johnson, chief pharmacist and owner of Kealey Pharmacy in downtown Janesville, the prospect of bring robbed for drugs has concerned him for a while.
"The drugs are more important to them than the cash," Johnson said of addicts.
He talks with employees every week about what to do in a robbery and regularly works with police to stop fraud or report suspicious people.
"It's been getting worse, rather than getting better," Johnson said.
Taylor was arrested in DeForest after he tried to steal drugs from a pharmacy there in April, police said. He told authorities his addiction motivated him to rob the stores.
A federal grand jury indicted Taylor for nine Dane County robberies later that month, and he pleaded guilty in July to one count as part of an agreement that saw the other charges dropped. Taylor will be sentenced Thursday, Sept. 26.
Rock County prosecutors also have filed five charges of felony robbery with the threat of force against Taylor, though that case has not moved forward because of his federal charges.
Willing made his initial appearance in Rock County Court on Wednesday from the Rock County Jail. He has been charged with armed robbery, attempted armed robbery, carrying a concealed weapon and two counts of misdemeanor theft.
Court Commissioner Stephen Meyer set his bond at $11,500 and scheduled him for another court appearance next week.
Last updated: 1:25 pm Friday, September 20, 2013


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Public works director recommends doubling spending on streets
JANESVILLE--Double the investment and more than double the miles.
That's what Public Works Director Carl Weber suggests the Janesville City Council should do to turn the corner on the city's deteriorating streets.
"We're not keeping up," Weber said. "You should be trying to resurface your streets before they get poor, before you start seeing damage to the base."
Spending money now to resurface streets in fair condition before they deteriorate further would delay more costly full reconstruction and save the city money down the road, he said.
Streets have become an issue for several reasons.
A large number of streets were built in the 1990s and are due for their first resurfacing. At the same time, the cost of materials continues to increase while state aid decreases.
The council over the years has reduced street work to save money. Members shifted some street costs to borrowing, but some council members have pointed to the added cost of doing so.
The average life of a street is about 50 years. During that time, a street is resurfaced several times beginning at about age 25.
Resurfacing earlier in a street's life protects the base and halts deterioration, Weber said.
A street rating system shows pavement conditions in the city continue to decline. The average street rating on a 10-point scale has dropped from 6.46 in 2009 to 6.07 in 2011 to 6.01 in 2013.
About six miles of arterial and collector streets and another 22 miles of local streets were rated "poor" in 2013.
Reconstructing a street is a bigger job and more expensive than resurfacing--about $906,000 to reconstruct a mile compared to $279,000 to resurface.
Some council members have asked Weber for a strategy to accelerate resurfacing and concentrate on more heavily traveled streets.
Weber in the past has said the city should fix 15 miles a year to stay ahead. He lowered that to 12.61 with his new strategy.
In a recent memo, Weber suggests:
-- All collector or arterial streets rated 4 or below be scheduled for resurfacing in the next thee years.
-- All local streets rated 3 be resurfaced in the next three years. The city can't ignore the local streets, but this strategy prioritizes busier streets and "squeezes the last life" out of local streets before reconstruction, Weber said.
-- All streets needing reconstruction be deferred until the rating drops to 2, which is considered very poor condition.
Timely resurfacing halts accelerated deterioration, Weber said.
"The investment in street rehabilitation would increase significantly, but the miles of street improved would increase more significantly due to the increase in the proportionate share of less costly street resurfacing," he said.
"In addition, we would hope to stop the downward trend in average ... ratings.
"It doesn't work unless you invest enough in your program over time," Weber said.
The 2013 program repaired 5.71 miles of street at a cost of about $1.4 million.
Acting City Manager Jay Winzenz has proposed spending about $72,000 more to fix the same number of miles in 2014.
Winzenz set aside $932,652 in the general fund and another $950,000 in borrowing. That's the cap the council set on borrowing for streets.
Weber proposes almost twice as much. He outlined a three-year plan of 12.61 miles per year for a total of 37.84 miles, costing $2.8 million a year for a total of about $8.5 million.
When the overall condition of streets eventually improves, the city can spend less, Weber said.
"Our streets, we're getting to the point now where the condition is poor enough that we're in a bad spot on that slope," he said.


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Editor's Views: Changes to website mean fewer but better comments
The loudest and most consistent complaints about our website, gazettextra.com, before we changed to a new format in late July involved reader comments at the ends of stories.
In the old world, we allowed anyone to comment anonymously, and people by the hundreds took advantage. Our stories generated about 5,000 comments a month, and many of them were less than tactful.
In fact, many were downright nasty. Some were untruthful.
The system was in place for more than five years, and I consistently heard from critics through the years that the comments on our site were unfair and unethical and a poor reflection on our community.
We did our best to monitor comments and remove those that violated the policy posted below every story that called for accuracy and civility. To be honest, though, we didn't have the resources to keep up, and we relied on readers to flag comments that were over the line.
It was far from a perfect system. For years, critics asked us to make changes or eliminate comments altogether.
Finally, with the new site that we introduced July 30, we took a huge step toward improving the quality of comments. At the same time, however, we saw the volume drop precipitously.
Under the new system, only subscribers to The Gazette and gazettextra.com can comment. They can still use fake names, but we know who they are, and they know that we know. That has had a significant impact on the tenor of comments. The system also eliminated trolls who jump from site to site and throw bombs into conversations to generate reactions.
In general, comments are more constructive and less inflammatory. That's a good thing. I'm not as thrilled with the big drop in the number of comments. We knew they would fall, but the statistics are startling.
On active days before the change, the site generated hundreds of comments a day. Under the new system, the most active day produced 52 comments, and we've seen more than 40 only a handful of times. Overall, we average about 25 per day.
Why should we or anyone care? First, we want activity on our site, and we want users to provide content through their comments. People in the community know things that we don't, and they can provide valuable insight or ideas on important issues.
Before the Internet, we talked, and people listened. That's not how things work anymore. We want our website to be a conversation with our readers, and we need their voices to make that happen.
Beyond that, the numbers of comments to some degree reflect traffic on our site. While our overall numbers aren't down by the same percentage, we did lose visitors when we began charging for access. We knew that would happen, and we're still happy with the bottom line at gazettextra.com. Our goal, however, is to gradually build traffic, and that should lead to more comments.
For now, however, I hope the people who had issues with the comments on the old site are reasonably happy with the change and the types of comments we're getting.
The conversation on gazettextra.com might be smaller than before our site and policy changes, but it's better.
Scott W. Angus is editor of The Gazette and vice president of news for Bliss Communications. His email is firstname.lastname@example.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @sangus_.


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Columbus Park
500 S. Central Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60644
(773) 287-7641
Fee: Free
Age Range: Any
A Chicago mainstay for over 20 years, Frieda Lee's swinging vocals moved and grooved countless audiences touring with Joe Williams and Kevin Mahogany and as primary vocalist for Jeff Lindberg's Chicago Jazz Orchestra.
The JazzCity free concert series is a collaboration between the Chicago Park District and the Jazz Institute of Chicago that initiated in 1997 and explores cultural connections in communities throughout Chicago. The simple premise of the series is to connect people of all ethnicities and generations to the legacy (both musical and spiritual) of jazz in Chicago. We make it accessible by presenting it free of charge, and located right in the neighborhood.
JazzCity is co-sponsored by Southwest Airlines.


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Mozart Park
2036 N. Avers Ave. Chicago, Illinois 60647
(312) 742-7535
Fee: Free
Age Range: 3 and up
Drum Circles attract drummers of all ages, levels, and genres to create music together. Come out and play with beats, rhythms and more. Open community drum circle.
The Night Out in the Parks series will make parks a safe haven and a hub of positive activity on summer evenings and weekends. We encourage community members to bring their family and friends, pack a picnic basket and spend the day with us in the park. Planned activities may include art projects, music, dance, drum circle, theatre, a magic show or other fun-filled activities.


text:
Submit story for Tom Seaver
Have you met a star? What were they like?
Did you go to school with a celebrity before they were famous? Bump in to them at Starbucks?
Big, small, mean or nice stars, submit your story anonymously and let the world know what they're really like!


text:
Stanley Jenson, Edgerton (1914 - 2013)
September 1, 1914 - December 22, 2013
Stanley Jenson, age 99, of Edgerton, passed away Sunday, December 22, 2013 at St. Mary's Hospital in Janesville. Stanley was born September 1, 1914 in Albion, WI the son of the late John and Gunda (Larson) Jenson. Stan married Charlotte Richards June 24, 1938 at St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Janesville, WI.
He is survived by two sons: Norman (Joanna) of Janesville, WI and Dale (Deanna) of Edgerton, WI; several grandchildren and several great grandchildren and several great great-grandchildren; two sisters: Betty Nelson and Viola Nelson both of Stoughton, WI; many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and wife Charlotte, three brothers and four sisters.
A Memorial Services will be held at a later date. Burial was in St. Joseph Cemetery, Edgerton.
Albrecht Funeral Homes & Cremation Services, Edgerton
1004 S. Main St. 608-884-6010


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Am I the Next Step in Human Evolution?
Discussion of everything related to the Theory of Evolution.
Moderator: BioTeam
Gifted in all but social intelligence it seems. Work at that and you're on your way to winning at life
Keep in mind though, "forward steps in evolution" and "desirable genetic advancements" are two different things. The difference being: 'desirable' is subjective.
People can't keep up with you in discussions? Consider that this may be your fault. An inability too communicate your ideas to the majority of others usually suggests that there is something wrong on your part, rather than the whole human population. Everybody can think faster than they talk, good teachers are able to slow down to their reasoning to a speed that their students can keep up with.
Last bit of advice: though you may consider yourself superior to the vast majority, be careful about advertising it. I once met a man with no arms or legs, and yet he (in my opinion) was far superior to many strong, healthy athletic, smart people I know. Stuff to think about.
Re: Am I the Next Step in Human Evolution?
Great thread. It inspired me with an idea to better the human race.
People who are economically successful tend to have fewer children - they are evolutionary "conservatives" whose advantage is not to dissipate their economic holdings among many children. They go into a holding pattern. Those who are economically challenged tend to have many children - its an attempt to "evolve" out of their difficulty. It's not a conscious decision, but I think its in the DNA. My great grandfather came from an economically depressed region, he had 9 children. They were more economically successful, averaged three children, and their children were well into the middle class, averaged 1.5 children.
The bottom line in evolution is how many sexually successful children do you produce. Human evolution is concentrated in these economically depressed people. Unless you plan to use all your gifts to raise 10 children, you are less likely to be the next step. Your user name is "IAmAnAlien". "Aliens" tend to have a more restricted choice of mates, particularly "aliens" that are self-centered, as you appear to be, since this is a quality that does not lend itself to stable unions, and is therefore not generally an attractive quality to women. So, for all your gifts, you have some drawbacks. So if you are going to father 10 children, you will have to have some other trick. There are a lot of tricks availiable - insincere seduction, sperm banks, or, best of all, maybe you'll just get lucky. You need to be more than superior to be the next step in human evolution.
Re: Am I the Next Step in Human Evolution?
You guys are kidding right?
You all claim to be super intelligent but can't come up with anything valuable in this discussion. I'm nowhere near genius, neither am I a scientist, and the following is off the top of my head and from memory of obscure books that I've read:
When a species is isolated from natural predators and has enough food and living space to sustain a very large population, what happens is that instead of competing to survive against the odds of being eaten, it begins to compete with itself against the odds of not getting laid. This, due to numerous factors, results in either dwarfism or gigantism but ultimately also leads to general inefficiency and laziness because it becomes more about showing off our large breasts and colorful tail feathers than actually surviving.
I assume that human beings are going through something similar, although its far too early to tell what those changes might be. (you geniuses know that it takes thousands of generations for noticeable evolutionary changes to take hold right? lol)
We can guess at what direction human beings are evolving in by assuming that some traits are more beneficial than others. Let me have a go:
1)It is beneficial to not get depressed, as people who don't smile like idiots all the time have worse social lives and less chances of finding mates. This is because of contemporary society's pressure on individuals to keep good mental health in the face of ever increasing uncertainty and the loss of community. So only one kind of crazy in the future: the grinny kind.
2)It is beneficial to be able to eat a lot of crap and filter out what the body does not need. I'm not saying skinny or fat, I'm saying low cholesterol, crapping out chemicals etc. This is because we are made to eat all kinds of inorganic **** which some of us get sick from and which others seem to be able to excrete. So in the future, digestive systems in the shape of the golden arches.
3)It is beneficial to be of medium intelligence so that we will accept the status quo and go to work every day and buy a house and make babies and ensure that those babies accept the status quo too. It is not beneficial to question and analyze everything and to try to create something different and new because thats kind of like running around in an open world rpg without doing the missions. So in the future, everyone will follow the main storyline of Skyrim.
As for some of the things you suggested are the next steps in an evolutionary process (lol):
1) height: chicks dig guys of all heights. Fortunately, because of our brains, we don't have to end up in either gigantism or dwarfism. What chicks dig is confident guys and confidence is associated more and more with intelligence rather than the right physicality. Thats because the good jobs require us to be intelligent enough to function and not intelligent enough to question and chicks want providers with good jobs for their babies (unless an individual chick has decided that she can provide for her babies herself, in which case she'll bang a few boy toys before having some babies and settling down or buying some cats and watching tv forevermore (whichever one happens first)).
2) Eyesight? Really? Why? Why would we need 20/20 vision or better if we're no longer being stalked by lions? Think about it bud. It doesn't make any sense.
3)I don't know, but three is a nice number.
Now as a conclusion. We are not evolving in the direction of some super intelligent, giant, hunter, leader man. That train has left the station. If anything, we are evolving in the direction of lazy, shallow, sex-crazy, hive mentality having, follower or something.
But more than likely, we're not evolving in any particular direction at all, because of how incredibly large our human population has become. The larger the population, the less of a chance for mutations and "next steps" to take hold on a large enough amount of people and thus for them to stick around in our genes. Imagine, there's this guy, and he's born with a digestive tract that keeps him perfectly healthy no matter how much macdonalds he eats, brain chemistry that makes him perfectly happy with working hard at a decent job and having more facebook friends than real friends, and the confidence to think that he's better than Leonardo DaVinci (even though he isn't by my standards) which makes him hit on any chick he wants to hit on. So imagine this one guy out of 6 billion who might very well be the most beneficial next step for our disease-like species if it wants to someday populate the whole universe. He'll probably bang some real hotties, maybe impregnate one of them and then marry her and he'll probably get promoted a few times for being such an efficient team player. Happy and content at having a hot wife, a house, a decent job, health, etc, he'll have two kids and raise them to be content with life as well. Those two kids may or may not share some of his beneficial genes. If they do share some of them, they'll have kids some day too, and the genes will get even more diluted in the giant petri dish that is the world.
They'll get diluted by people who get fat and have heart attacks (because heart attacks kill us well beyond the normal age for having kids), they'll get diluted by people who are depressed a lot and feel lonely because of a lack of community (because one way to be a part of a community is to start a family (a mini community)), they'll get diluted by people who are too independent and intelligent to accept the status quo and who take risks and have new ideas (although many entrepeneurs fail, chicks still dig rebels and have kids with them), and they'll get diluted by neanderthals too (good looking mentally handicapped people).
This discussion is old, so I hope that at least one person will read the book that I just wrote. haha
Over and out
The next step in human evolution is increased awareness and consciousness. With it, one can connect with others, understand them without need of conventional communication.
So, IAmAnAliean, do you sense something similar? Even at elementary level, are you able to guess what's going on in other person's mind by just observing his/her body language? Some can claim that this is just common sense; but those who are evolved, more aware, get better insight into minds of other people.
The next level after this is, to sit quietly, close your eyes and try to feel your surroundings. Living as well as non-living. Near-by as well as distant. If you can sense or feel you are connected, it's just wow !!
Re: Am I the Next Step in Human Evolution?
Although this thread is very old, this is an interesting question to me that I want to dissect piece by piece.
You may just be comparing your aging to men from different regional backgrounds. Many men of european descent do not develop much hair until well into their 20s or even 30s. There are some I know who cannot grow a full beard in their late 20s and have minimal body hair. They also appear young. But there are also others who appear old and have no body hair (though that is more rare as lack of hair is associated with youth and should not send the signals of maturity) and those with a lot of hair who look younger than they are. Example, my brother grows a very thick beard and has a lot of hair on his chest, arms, legs, but his face is very young looking, not matching his numerical age of 26. Also, the fact that you only look a few years off your actual age cannot be used to claim delayed aging.
Intelligence is relative. There have always been those above and beyond the scope of others, but we can only attribute it to evolution if the trait is selected for and passed on. But yes, I would argue that intelligence is a trait that is selected for, as it is attractive to many people. But incredibly ordinary and below average intelligence people create a large amount of offspring as well so I don't know that this is a trait that will continue to excel. i haven't seen proof for brain increase since the first h. sapiens. It's hard to tell if advances are a result of slowly increasing intelligence over time or if culture propels the advancement through encouraging certain activities and providing a healthier environment for greater brain development.
5'4" is not the average you should be comparing yourself to. Height is heritable but influenced very highly by environment. You need only compare your height to people of similar genetic background who grew up in a similar region to you. Otherwise the comparison means nothing, as height varies greatly from region to region and socio-economic levels. Thus far it seems like you are a well nourished individual but that is all I am gathering.
I am not going to feign a vast knowledge regarding the immune system, but it could have been due to exposure to certain viruses as a child or just a matter of luck in not contracting the illnesses. But a strong immune system should be part of evolution, as healthier individuals will have more viable offspring which will live to age of reproduction. That totally makes sense.
Faster metabolism is just genetic. Many people experience this, many people do not. It's the result of your ancestors probably not being exposed to any risk of starvation in recent generations. Also, once you reach 30, that is when you can decipher whether your metabolism truly is superior. Right now it's a matter of being young. Also your diet may have an effect. If you are eating healthy and a lot of raw foods, the nutrients will be processed more efficiently than fatty processed foods.
No idea about the muscle mass as the type of muscle you have would need to be analyzed in a way that I can't do just by reading a post. But my bed is that the leverage from your increased limb length lends some help there.
I know a lot of people who have eyesight that is better than 20/20. This doesn't seem like a trait that is selected on in modern times or since glasses were invented. Though I am sure clarity and a greater range of vision served an evolutionary advantage to our ancestors in hunting and avoiding predators.
Assuming that one is a step above the rest is somewhat arrogant in my opinion and ignoring human variation. One can have a variety of advantageous traits, but it doesn't mean it is the next step in evolution. If they give you an advantage in survival and reproduction, than yes, overtime the genes which help in such pursuits will be passed on if they make it into the fertilizing gamete. But there is no guarantee of this. And I don't think what you are experiencing is so rare so it could very well be the result of selection.
Of course you are the next step in human evolution Iaman Alien. The new human species has been well documented especially in China and Japan, (although it is widespread throughout the world,) where a large proportion of young men live their entire emotional lives in cyber-space. It is called Homo Geekius. So don't worry about it. You are not alone. You're in very good company.
Re: Am I the Next Step in Human Evolution?
I feel the same way I am a 14 year old East Burke High School Student I'm in 9th Grade and I look like a 20 year yet I lack a lot of Facial hair. I a lot of times feel like I'm irregular compared to other people other than my looks I have Visions in my Dreams I have been told I'm a Prophet of God. Although I'm not sure of that I also feel protected like someone's watching me most of the time. I just want answers please.... Please. I'll take any answers given. Thank you.
That looks more like a mental issue. However, if you believe in the imaginary buddy, than you'r the prophet.
(BTW about which imaginary buddy are we talking here? Just to be sure to which religion should I add to to be redeemed)
Cis or trans? That's what matters.
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LinkedIn is no longer an optional platform. If you like phrases like tipping point or critical mass, then let me assure you that use of LinkedIn by recruiters and employers blew beyond those thresholds a long time ago. And if you are actively interviewing for a position, expect that every interviewer will check out your LinkedIn profile.
Putting your best foot forward on LinkedIn is not time consuming, but you should do it thoughtfully and purposefully. Here are four key tips for getting it right.
1. The photo matters
Like it or not, your headshot is your first impression. Go with a simple business look, preferably with a smile included. You probably have an appropriate public relations shot on file. But if not, spending $200 on a professional photo is money well spent.
2. Don't be picky
A robust number of LinkedIn connections is helpful. As your number of connections increases, so does your visibility with influencers and decision-makers. Moreover, you will be able to see and research more people. Decline invitations from total strangers. Otherwise, just click "yes" to invitations and don't overthink them.
People who decline invitations do so mainly out of fear that new connections will ask for referrals to others in their network. Surprisingly few people actually do that, and you always have the option of politely declining.
3. Make endorsements
Similar to the "like" button on Facebook, it is now very easy to endorse people in your LinkedIn network without writing essay style recommendations. Stay honest in this endeavor, while being generous with your praise of others. Your connections will appreciate the kindness. And yes, many will reciprocate, so make sure you list at least three skills for which you could be endorsed.
4. First person your profile
Unlike my first three tips, this is not a conventional suggestion. You may even reject it. But I encourage you to think about your LinkedIn profile as an opportunity to add to your resume, not replicate it. Write a one to two paragraph narrative highlighting your core professional expertise and values. Writing in the first person "I" is powerful. You are allowing the reader to relate to you, while maintaining a professional message.
Regardless of the writing style you choose, make a real statement in the introductory section of your profile. Tell the world how you should be viewed. Just doing a cut and paste of your resume is lazy and a missed opportunity. Under the specific employer headings, you will have an opportunity to list accomplishments and awards. Those are the areas for resume-like material.


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Turtle Creek elementary students charm visitors in Delavan 'Wax Museum'
DELAVAN—Poor Travin Biging was molting.
Not an easy position for an 11-year-old to be in, especially when he's supposed to be portraying a duck on a bicycle.
�And you thought your childhood was difficult.
On Thursday, fifth-grade students from Turtle Creek Elementary School in Delavan staged the school's annual "Wax Museum."
The event features four sections of fifth-grade students who dress-up as character from children's stories. When visitors drop a coin in a box, the character comes to life, telling the story.
The event is a fundraiser for the fifth grade's class trip to a Brewer game, and this year more than 200 people attended.
Because every school activity—from going through the lunch line to acting out a story while wearing a feather shirt—now has to be tied to curriculum goals, the Wax Museum was, too.
Fifth-grade students had to learn a text thoroughly, summarize a story effectively in writing and speech, understand the literary concept of "points of view" and practice the public speaking, explained teacher Jessica Hack.
Students use children's story books Wax Museum because they're trying to encourage younger kids to go to the library and check the books. One of the participants was even handing out little cards with the names of the books on them.
But back to Biging and his feather problem.
Biging was acting out "Duck on a Bike" by David Shannon, the story of a barnyard duck who wants to ride a bicycle.
�"Memorizing lines is the hardest," Biging said. "Remembering what the animals say is hard."
The cow, instead of saying, "moo," says "That is the silliest thing I have ever seen." The sheep, instead of uttering the traditional "baaa," say "He's going to hurt himself if he's not careful."
His recital of the "Duck on a Bike" story was engaging enough to make people stop and listen. And, he remembered all his lines.
When a passerby pointed out that his feathers were falling off, he said, "Yeah, that happens."
Stories included a children's version of "The Secret Garden," rendered in English and Spanish by Francheska Sandoval, 11; "Kittens First Full Moon" vigorously acted out by Xandria Dreksler, 11; and Jared Greidanus, 11 with a funny and charming version of "Who is Melvin Bubble?"
Just around the corner from Biging was Hadyn Emmerich, 11, another actor grappling with a fowl-related tale.
"Chickens to the Rescue," by Nick Bruel, tells the story of chickens who—wait for it— come to the rescue in various daily emergencies.
Emmerich's feathers were multi-colored, and he also was losing a few of them.
"The hardest part is trying not to laugh when other people laugh," Emmerich said.
Were a lot of people laughing?
"It's about a 50-50 thing," Emmerich said.
When an audience member asked Emmerich to say "cock-a-doodle-do," the young man said, straight-faced, "I'm a hen, not a rooster."
The other difficult part of being a chicken in the Wax Museum?
"After this is done, they're going to cook me," Emmerich said.


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County M road work ending third year
What it is: A four-year, $8 million project to reconstruct 11 miles of County M in Rock County.
"This is our third summer of the project that started in 2011," said Ben Coopman, Rock County Public Works director.
The third phase should be complete by the end of October, he said.
The first phase began in 2011 at Highway 59 just southeast of Milton and went as far as Emerald Grove Road.
During 2012, work continued to County KK in addition to work from County Line Road to Highway 14.
"We didn't get all that piece between County Line and 14 paved, so we finished that this summer," Coopman said.
"Now, we're doing from KK down through Johnstown Center all the way to County MM," he said.
So far, about $6 million in local tax money has been invested in the project. When it's done, the total will be about $8 million, Coopman said.
County employees and contractors have been doing the work.
"This year, we had to bring in two additional subcontractors," Coopman said.
One did storm sewer work in downtown Johnstown Center and another poured concrete, he said.
The road for the most part has been closed to through traffic during the reconstruction, but it was completely closed for storm sewer work in Johnstown Center in September.
"This road was pretty heavily used as an agriculture trucking route, but it was never built to those standards," he said.
The freezing and thawing of moisture trapped under the road made the road so rough it was unsafe, Coopman said.
"It was almost dangerous at times. You had to slow down and heed the advisory speed zones, otherwise you could actually lose control of your vehicle," he said.


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Refutation of Evolution theory
Discussion of everything related to the Theory of Evolution.
Moderator: BioTeam
Refutation of Evolution theory
saw this refutation online of Darwin's Random Evolution Theory and cannot see any holes with the logic. Can anyone crack this simple refutation?
Refutation of the Theory of Random Evolution As for the theory of evolution, which says that living things evolved progressively from mud - first organism - bacteria - fish - animals - humans through tiny random mutations which were advantageous and naturally selected; there's a lot to say on this. All currently living life forms appears to be highly related, sharing the same DNA system and cell structure. This would suggest a common first ancestor as the theory suggests (or better yet - one Designer), however, the most obvious flaw with the theory is that the first organism must have had highly sophisticated intelligent design. There is a minimum requirement for even the most primitive possible life form, without which it could not possibly survive.
Minimum Requirements for First Organism
The first organism must have a system of producing and/or sourcing energy along with subsystems of distribution and management of that energy which interact and work together, otherwise it cannot power critical tasks such as reproduction.
It must have a system of reproduction which necessitates pre-existing subsystems of information storage (DNA), information copying, and information reading/processing which interact with each other and work together. This reproductive system is dependent on a power source, so it must be coordinated with the power system. The reproductive system must also copy/rebuild all critical infrastructure such as the power system and the reproduction system along with the "circuitry" and feedback mechanisms between them, otherwise the child organism will be dead..
It must have a growth system, otherwise the organism will reduce itself every time it reproduces and vanish after a few generations. This growth system necessitates subsystems of ingestion of materials from the outside world, processing of those materials, distribution, and absorption of those materials to the proper place, building the right thing at the right place and in the right amount. It must also have an expulsion system for waste materials.
The growth system must also be coordinated with the reproduction system. Otherwise, if the reproduction trigger happens faster than the growth, it will reduce size faster than it grows in size and vanish after a few generations. The growth system also requires connection to the power infrastructure to perform its tasks.
All the "circuitry", signaling, and feedback infrastructure which allows the different systems and subsystems to coordinate together and work together must be in place before the organism can "come alive". The reproduction system won't work without coordination with the growth and power systems. Likewise, the power system by itself is useless without the growth and reproduction systems and cannot survive. Only when all the "circuitry", etc. is in place and the power is turned on is there hope for the hundreds of interdependent tasks to start working together. Otherwise, it is like turning on a computer which has no interconnections between the power supply, CPU, memory, hard drive, video, operating system, etc - nothing to write home about.
We assume it originated in water since gas is too unstable and solid is too static. If so, the organism must be contained by some kind of membrane otherwise its precious contents will drift away in the water due to natural diffusion or drifting of water due to temperature variations in the water from sunlight, etc. or from heat generated through its own power, or wind, moon, etc. If so, this makes the assembly of such an organism more problematic, since it would need to be closed shut before it can build itself in a stable way. Yet, to build itself it would need to be open for a long time until all systems are built and interconnected.
From the above minimum requirements it is clear that the simplest possible surviving organism is by no means simple. You would need thousands of different proteins/lipids etc., in the right proportions, all intricately folded and actively interacting with each other and with sophisticated organelles. Contemplate this and you will see the necessary complexity of this primitive organism is far more sophisticated than anything modern technology has ever produced. Even the most sophisticated Intel CPU is mere child's play compared with the design of such an organism.
OK, I didn't read it all, but if it's all like the first paragraph, they're assuming that all the "living" was just from the beginning as "complicated" as today. That's not true of course and nobody (except creationists) is saying that.
Cis or trans? That's what matters.
exactly, it suggest that everything "living" must have system of energy production, reproduction, signaling, information storage (DNA!!!) etc. But what signaling does self-replicating RNA need?
Cis or trans? That's what matters.
Re: Refutation of Evolution theory
if RNA is the source of life, at some point it would need to become a living cell with all the above requirements. so it would need to evolve a power source, growth system, and DNA for replicating those sytems
Well, the easiest refutation would be to point out that no biologist talks about a "theory of random evolution." But if that's too nanner-nanner-nanner for you, I'd suggest some of Kenneth Miller's work. He has some very cogent and elegant arguments that blow away all that mousetrap bullshit. His book is awesome (Finding Darwin's God) but a lot of his arguments are on Youtube. Try around minute 40 on this one for the bacterial flagellum stuff:
If you're thinking "but I'm talking about the origin of life, not flagella!" I would point out that these arguments apply equally well to proto-life. The point is that a complex system arises piece by piece, not all at once. There were probably many cell-like structures that were quasi-alive, possessing some of the characteristics of life, but not all of them. Viruses are a good example: they have no metabolism, but they do reproduce. Or prions: no one would argue that prions are alive in any meaningful sense, but they do produce more of themselves. Not that I'm arguing that the first organisms were viruses or prions - that would be absurd - but they are proof of concept that a...thing? Can have some characteristics of life without actually being alive in the traditional sense. I guess what I'm saying is that the line between life and non-life is not as clear as some would make it out to be. The flaw in this argument is that it is assuming too much change too quickly.
The "simplest" organism described above is by no means the simplest system that we could imagine, much less the simplest that may have actually existed. People are still researching this and we are far from having all the answers.
The author is also arguing from ignorance, which is always dubious. Just because you can't think of a way that something could have happened doesn't mean that it didn't happen. Does a murder victim miraculously come back to life if we can't figure out how the murderer entered the locked room to commit his crime?
If arguing with people on the internet helps me understand science, then I will do it. FOR THE CHILDREN.
Re: Refutation of Evolution theory
Whoever the author of this was, it made the typical creationist mistaken assumption that it all had to come together in one instant. They never seem to understand that many small small steps are far more likely to happen than the "tornado in a junk yard" scenario that they seem stuck on.
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution."
Theodosius Dobzhansky
"Most people who hate the idea of evolution do so because if it was working properly, they'd be dead."
Re: Refutation of Evolution theory
This is no refutation of Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection. It's an alleged refutation of something clumsily called "Theory of Random Evolution" - that's not Darwin's theory. In other words, it's a straw man. For instance this so called "Theory of Random Evolution" states "living things evolved progressively from mud " - false. Darwin's theory doesn't teach that. It's not teleological. Nor does it say living "things" evolved from mud. As for the rest, it strings along scientific terms here and there with blind speculation.
Don't you just love it when someone is trying to debunk evolution, yet they obviously don't know anything about it? And when you show them how they are wrong, they continue to argue.... I have wondered why it is that they think that they are qualified to make this criticism? Do they tell a physician how to treat illnesses or pilots how to fly an airplane?
"Nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution."
Theodosius Dobzhansky
"Most people who hate the idea of evolution do so because if it was working properly, they'd be dead."
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The European Central Bank said it may cut Cypriot banks off from emergency funds after March 25 as the island nation's president, Nicos Anastasiades, scrambled to forge agreement on a plan to stave off financial collapse.
The ECB's Governing Council said today that so-called emergency liquidity assistance, or ELA, "could only be considered" after Monday if an aid program from the euro area and International Monetary Fund "that would ensure the solvency of the concerned banks" is in place, the central bank said today in a statement.
The Cypriot government may propose a revamped bank-deposit levy to raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.5 billion), after lawmakers rejected a previous measure, a Cypriot official said. In Moscow, Finance Minister Michael Sarris pressed Russia for aid, offering "opportunities" including banking and natural-gas assets in return.
Euro-area finance ministers on March 16 agreed to an unprecedented tax on Cypriot bank deposits as officials unveiled a 10 billion-euro rescue plan for the country. The government amended an initial proposal to exempt deposits of up to 20,000 euros, but failed to win support in parliament as popular dissent mounted.
Cyprus in June became the fifth euro-area nation to request a rescue after Greece's debt restructuring, the largest in history, trashed the financial health of lenders including Bank of Cyprus Plc and Cyprus Popular Bank Pcl, the nation's two biggest.
Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who leads meetings of euro-area finance chiefs, told European Union lawmakers in Brussels today that it's up to Cyprus to come forward with a new proposal for raising revenue to trigger emergency loans. The Eurogroup has insisted that Cyprus meet its 5.8 billion-euro revenue target, while allowing flexibility on how the levy is structured.
Cyprus central bank chief Panicos Demetriades said in comments broadcast on state-run CYBC television today that he expects a bailout program to be agreed by the ECB deadline.
Anastasiades met with political party leaders this morning. If they reach an agreement, a new bill could be submitted to Parliament today, CYBC reported, without saying how it got the information.
The plan could include the creation of an investment fund capable of issuing bonds linked to future gas revenue, the Athens News Agency reported, without saying how it got the information.
"The government of Cyprus needs to decide what it wants," French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici said today on RMC radio. "It needs to make a choice both for Europe and for its people to find a solution that is durable and fair."
The Cypriot central bank has ordered lenders to remain closed through tomorrow. With a national holiday on March 25, account-holders therefore won't have access to their money before Tuesday.
In Moscow, Sarris said Cyprus is "asking for help clearly, but something that would make also economic sense for Russia." Cyprus seeks the extension of 2.5 billion-euro loan granted by Russia in December 2011, and a fresh loan of 5 billion euros, Vedomosti reported, without citing anyone.
European officials have struggled to find an agreement that would rescue Cyprus, which accounts for less than half of a percent of the euro region's economy, without unsettling investors in larger countries. Other elements of the rescue include asset sales and an increase in the corporate tax rate to 12.5 percent from 10 percent.
The proposed EU bailout of Cyprus is "absurd" and "surprising in its unpredictability and lack of consistency," Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said at a conference today in Moscow.
Bloomberg News


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Progress Energy Florida announced Tuesday morning that it will permanently retire its Crystal River nuclear plant.
The fate of the Crystal River nuclear plant, which has been out of commission since 2009, became clear Tuesday when owner Duke Energy announced it will close the facility and end any possibility it will ever crank out another kilowatt of electricity.
The North Carolina-based utility giant also announced that the company and its insurance carrier, Nuclear Electric Insurance Limited (NEIL), have reached a resolution through mediation requiring NEIL to pay Duke $530 million in settlement costs in addition to the $305 million already paid out.
Duke said its customers will receive the combined $835 million in proceeds.
Duke subsidiary Progress Energy, which operates the plant, previously agreed in a settlement with Florida's Office of Public Counsel that there would be no cost increases associated with Crystal River before 2017.
Progress supplies electricity to more than 1.6 million Florida customers, some of who are scattered across North Central Florida.
The plant, which employs 600 people in Citrus County, shut down more than three years ago when its concrete containment building cracked during an upgrade project that included installation of two new steam generators.
The containment building, which is designed to contain any radiation in case of a leak, is filled with a complex web of tension bars that give the facility added strength.
A March 2011 repair attempt resulted in new cracks in other parts of the containment structure, and more cracks were found during July of that same year. That left analysts to predict new repair costs falling between about $1 billion and $3.4 billion.
Progress already has spent $338 million in repairs thus far.
"We believe the decision to retire the nuclear plant is in the best overall interests of our customers, investors, the state of Florida and our company," Duke Energy Chairman and Chief Executive Jim Rogers said in a statement.
The decision marked the end of at least one chapter of company infighting after Duke merged with Raleigh-based Progress almost a year ago.
Rogers' expected successor, Progress Energy CEO Bill Johnson, was fired by the Duke board, in part because of its dissatisfaction over his handling of the Crystal River repairs. The plant at one time supplied 9 percent of Progress' energy production portfolio.
The 960-megawatt plant became operational in 1977 and was slated to have its license renewed another 20 years after its original operational license expires in 2016.
"I'm saddened by the decision, but it's not a big surprise based on the numbers I was seeing," said Charles Rehwinkel, deputy public counsel, who represents consumers before the Florida Public Service Commission.
"The risk of a successful repair was increasing - not to say it couldn't be done ... it was just a matter of enough money and time," he said.
But time became an ever-increasing problem.
If there had been more complications in trying to repair the containment building, Rehwinkel estimated the plant would have remained off line an additional five or six years.
The goal was to convince Progress to repair the nuclear plant, Rehwinkel said, because the long-term costs to customers will now be larger when the plant is shut down. That belief was reflected by the Office of Public Counsel's 2012 agreement with Progress requiring the utility to pay customers $100 million if repair work didn't commence by December 2012.
Rehwinkel concedes some insurance money will be earmarked to reduce customers' bills. But he still estimates that final costs to customers, because of the plant's closing, will be well more than $1 billion over 20 years.
He predicts rates will increase an average of $10 per month per customer when all the dust settles.
The Florida Public Service Commission now must approve the closing of the plant and decide if it is the most prudent move.
Meanwhile, Duke said Tuesday it was considering whether to build a new, natural gas-fueled power plant to replace the power lost from the Crystal River nuclear plant.
Such natural gas plants typically cost about $1 billion and could be operational by 2018.
Progress also still has in the works plans to build two nuclear reactors in Levy County. Originally slated to be operational by 2016 at a cost of between $4 billion and $6 billion, the estimated price tag has ballooned to as much as $24 billion and the operational date has been pushed back to 2024 at the soonest.
Rehwinkel doesn't think the decision to mothball Crystal River will affect the proposed Levy County facility.
"I don't think it is in any way connected to Levy County," he said.
Rehwinkel thinks the Levy County plant's weakness is its $24 billion price tag, which will eventually derail the project.
"The (Crystal River) plant was doomed to its original life span (slated to close 2016) due to its concrete," he said, noting that the concrete mixture used was uniquely poor in its ability to bend and accommodate the tension bars inside the walls.
Ted Kury, director of energy studies at the University of Florida, predicted the closure is no indication that other nuclear plants will share the same fate.
"You're talking about a specialized type of damage (at Crystal River) and a repair technique that has been used successfully elsewhere," Kury said. "They reached a point where repair costs exceeded benefits."
But the plant's demise should not be a cause for celebration, he said.
"It's another source of energy (nuclear power) that we have in Florida where we didn't have to import fuel on a daily or monthly basis," Kury said.
Currently, there are only two other functioning nuclear power plant facilities in Florida: the St. Lucie Nuclear Power Plant on Hutchinson Island, near Fort Pierce, in St. Lucie County; and the Turkey Point Nuclear Generating Station east of Homestead. Neither is owned by Duke Energy.
Duke owns a total of seven nuclear units, including Crystal River.
Contact Fred Hiers at 867-4157 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Big Ten basketball tourney may add eastern stop
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MADISON--During the 2014 Big Ten men's basketball tournament in Indianapolis, a league official told the Journal Sentinel the event could be moving east—perhaps to Washington, D.C., New York or New Jersey—as early as 2017.
That move is the verge of being finalized.
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany is scheduled to appear at a news conference at noon Tuesday in the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
The 20,000-seat facility is home to the Washington Wizards of the NBA and Georgetown of the Big East.
The Big Ten men's tournament is scheduled to be held at the United Center in Chicago in 2015 and then return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis in 2016.
According to a league official, moving the tournament to the East Coast would not be permanent. Rather, it would be an expansion of the current rotation system between Chicago and Indianapolis.
Indianapolis has hosted the event nine times and Chicago has hosted it eight times.
Washington, D.C., appears to be the best available option for the Big Ten.
The Atlantic Coast Conference in March agreed to hold its 2017 and '18 men's basketball tournaments at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The Atlantic 10 has held its men's tournament in the Barclays Center for each of the last two seasons. The Atlantic 10 tournament is scheduled to play there in 2015 and '16, move to another venue in '17 and then return to the Barclays Center in 2019, '20 and '21.
The Big East is under contract to hold its men's basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan through 2026.
Rutgers and Maryland are set to begin competing in the Big Ten in the fall, the league recently added an office in New York and Delany has stressed repeatedly he wants to expand the league's presence in the east.
Delany and Big East officials announced Monday the creation of the Gavitt Tipoff Games. The series will feature eight games each year, start in the 2015-'16 season and run for eight years.
The games will be played on campus sites each season, four at Big Ten schools and four at Big East Schools.
"You can beam a TV signal into the east," Delany told reporters Monday in New York, "but you need to be here, too. You need boots on the ground."
Adding Washington, D.C., as a site for the Big Ten men's basketball tournament appears to be another part of that plan.


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Police use pepper balls to subdue man accused of handcuffing, beating his mother
JANESVILLE—Police used PepperBall pellets Friday to subdue a Janesville man accused of handcuffing and hitting his mother.
Cory D. Berkley, 41, of 4403 Huntinghorne Drive, is accused of pushing and hitting his 65-year-old mother "during a verbal rant," police said in a news release.
Berkley used handcuffs to pin his mother to the ground during the assault, police said.
Berkley was arrested on charges of false imprisonment, battery, strangulation and disorderly conduct, all as acts of domestic violence.
Police were called at 10:37 a.m. Friday. Officers told Berkley he was under arrest, but he retreated to the home's basement, according to the release.
Officers shot the PepperBall pellets into the basement.
"Berkley initially refused but eventually was overcome by the chemical munitions and surrendered to officers." according to the release.
Berkley was taken to the Rock County Jail pending an initial appearance.
PepperBalls are deployed with a launcher that shoots the balls out of a barrel using compressed air. The balls fragment on impact with a hard surface, spraying a powdered substance of the same origins as the liquid in a pepper-spray canister, police said.


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Washington Views: Why would worker be happy sitting home while wearing coat?
This winter, Katherine Hackett is wearing a hat and coat around her house. In order to save on heating costs, she keeps her thermostat set at 58 degrees. After 17 years in the health-care industry, after raising two sons who are now in the military, Katherine abruptly got a pink slip and has been unemployed for more than a year.
But so far, Congress has shown little interest in throwing her a lifeline. By failing to extend the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program, Congress has cut off the jobless benefits that help Katherine and millions like her keep the lights on and the rent or mortgage paid. In Wisconsin this year, 99,000 unemployed people will feel the impact of a failure to extend this vital assistance.
Nearly 69 million people have received a hand-up from extended unemployment benefits since 2008. Last year alone, the program lifted an estimated 2.5 million people out of poverty. Plus, these benefits act as a broader economic stimulus. They keep money in the pockets of working families, money that gets spent at local businesses, thus promoting growth and job creation. Failure to renew the program would mean an estimated 240,000 American jobs lost, 5,185 of them in Wisconsin.
Extended unemployment insurance during times of economic distress has been a common-sense bipartisan tradition for decades. The current program was launched under President Bush in 2008, at a time when the unemployment rate and the average duration of unemployment were much lower than they are today.
Long-term unemployment remains unacceptably high even as the overall economy has continued to recover. To pull the plug on extended benefits now would be historically unprecedented—we have never done so when long-term unemployment was even half as high as it is now.
The stories I hear in my visits with long-term unemployed workers are heartbreaking. Staring at possible home foreclosure and the depletion of their 401(k) plans, these people see the American Dream slipping away.
Some critics have suggested that the unemployed are lazy and these benefits make the jobless more so. But this is as offensive as it is flat-out wrong. For one thing, an aggressive job search is a precondition for receiving unemployment benefits.
Besides, no one is living the good life on unemployment insurance. On average, it replaces only about half of a worker's earnings—who's going to be satisfied with a 50 percent pay cut? Why would Katherine Hackett rather wear a coat in the house than enjoy the dignity of work? Katherine and the other workers I've met are diligently applying for every position for which they might be qualified.
Benefits expired for 1.3 million Americans on Dec. 28. But unconscionably and irresponsibly, Congress continues to sit on its hands, adjourning for recess without leading on this issue.
President Obama has said that extending Emergency Unemployment Compensation should be the nation's first order of business for 2014. To ease hardship and provide some relief in Wisconsin and nationwide, Congress must act immediately.
Thomas E. Perez is U.S. secretary of labor; email firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Andrei Molodkin: CRUDE
January 26 through March 17, 2013
Andrei Molodkin is an internationally recognized contemporary Russian artist engaged in deconstructing the economic realities of geopolitical praxis. Consisting of his monumental ballpoint-pen drawings and his three-dimensional constructions filled with crude oil, Molodkin's exhibition "CRUDE" effectively articulates the space between people's peaceful, democratic aspirations and the unending conflicts perpetuated by oil-politics. "CRUDE" is a laboratory environment that radicalizes the dynamic between the artwork and the viewer.
Admission is free.
Image: Andrei Molodkin, LIBERTY (HEAD), 2011. Acrylic block and plastic hoses filled with crude oil, pump, compressor, accompanying video projection. 1 acrylic block: 19.25 x 14 x 22 in.