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Noah Vonleh, a 6-9 power forward rated as the No. 7 player in the Class of 2013 by Rivals.com, a national Internet recruiting service, has committed to play for Indiana.
Vonleh is a versatile player who can play multiple positions, which fits coach Tom Crean's approach that sometimes has 6-9 forward Christian Watford defending point guards.
Vonleh is from Haverhill in Massachusetts and plays for New Hampton Prep School. He was originally in the Class of 2014 before reclassifying.
Vonleh committed after visiting IU this weekend. That included attending the Hoosiers' season-opening win over Bryant Friday night where Assembly Hall fans chanted his name.
Among the schools IU beat out were North Carolina, Kansas, Florida, UCLA and Arizona.
Vonleh is the sixth player in the Hoosiers' class. The others are small forward Troy Williams (ranked No. 37), shooting guard Stanford Robinson (No. 50), small forward Devin Davis (No. 120), small forward Collin Hartman (not ranked) and center Luke Fischer (No. 115).
Wednesday is the first day of the official fall signing period.


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Great Chowdown at Oriental Express in Sparks
A group of eight Reno-area Chowhounds and their friends/significant others held a Chowdown Thursday night at Oriental Express in Sparks with great success.
The idea originally was to have food off a special menu in Chinese that Oriental Express introduced a few months back. Only three of our items, the spicy chicken, the eggplant and the Sichuan tofu, came off that menu. The rest were specially prepared by Oriental Express for our meal.
It was all great. If you were looking for sweet-and-sour chicken, this wasn't the place to be. These were authentic Chinese food items, many with a Sichuan orientation.
The first three items were appetizers: lobster chips, purple meatballs and Chinese spareribs. The purple meatballs were meatballs covered with a sticky rice. The spareribs may have been my favorite item of the night. They're not like any other ribs I've gotten in Chinese restaurants. They were meatier and and had a darker, heavier sauce for flavor. I liked them quite a bit.
We also got fish served in a kind of soup. There was oil and peppers in the soup. You didn't eat the fish like soup. Rather, you pulled out the fish and bok choi and put it on your rice. Also quite tasty. Glenn noticed they used peppercorn on the fish.
Another dish was called tiger skin jalapenos. They took the seeds out of larger jalapeno peppers and grilled served them. They weren't too spicy.
Also we got Sichuan eggplant, which was mildly spicy. Some thought it was one of the better dishes of the night.
I had warned everyone that the spicy chicken would be spicy. When it came, everybody realized I wasn't kidding. It had both red and green fresh peppers and the dried peppers common in Chinese cooking. NVJim and I both liked it. Everyone else seemed to think it was too hot. I have a one-word response to that: Sissies.
We also got a tofu dish that was pretty nice. Like a spicier version of mapo tofu. The last dish of the night was a beef stew soup. Lots of flavorful, tender beef and a tasty broth, I liked this quite a bit, too.
The bill for all of this came to $133, so it was lots of good food for a reasonable price. I liked it so much I think I'll have to do it again.
From left to right are the lobster chips, purple meatballs, Chinese spareribs, fish dish, Sichuan eggplant, tiger skin jalapenos, spicy chicken, Sichuan tofu and beef stew soup.
Gee, wish I had been there; looks great! Jerry is often in Reno on Thursdays; if you plan Chowdown events send me an email and he might want to join you.....
Sounds great. Wish we could have been there. Is the special menu available upon request if you just stop in, or do you have to make arrangements ahead of time?
I stopped by for lunch there a couple of weeks ago and ordered Pepper Chicken, which was reasonably priced but not impressive. I'd like to give them another try with more authentic Chinese cuisine, though.
re: bill2975
I go in and ask what's available on the Chinese menu. The owner looks down the menu and determines what they have in stock and what they can make.
I like if for the more routine items.
Remember, if anyone wants to join our group, send me an email at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Steve, thanks so, so much for organizing this really great banquet. You really outdid yourself.
I start at the beginning of the pix. I don't know the difference between a lobster and a shrimp chip but these were good and a nice antidote when my mouth was doing a little happy but warm dance from the various spicy dishes. I loved those pork/rice balls and want to fix them at home. Did they say they were sticky rice or do you think that got like that from steaming? The little spareribs were perfect. Tender but still some chew to them. And that little sweetness was good. That fish in the oil with the peppers was amazing. The fish were very thin squares of filet that I believe had been poached in the oil and pepper. Eggplant isn't one of my favorite foods but I could have eaten that whole serving myself. I believe the peppers were actually Anaheims which generally aren't spicy and, in my experience, aren't generally on Asian menus. But they were good. Difficult to eat but good. No one who wants to live a long and healthy life should ever call me a sissy (!!!) but I thought the chicken dish was too spicy. For me, the heat overwhelmed the mild chicken. Tofu was fantastic. Loved it. Anyone who thinks they don't like tofu should eat this. And the soup was the prefect finish. (The owner said that's the traditional end to this type of meal.) Although he definitely said "beef," it seem more like pork belly to me. But I'll admit by then my palate wasn't 100% accurate. This meal was a great, great success. It was clear that the owners enjoyed our enjoyment also :) I noticed many smiles from them during our meal.
The only thing some would consider a negative (and it won't stop me from returning) is that we ate off divided "foam" plates, rice was in little styrofoam cups, plastic spoons and odd little chopsticks (narrow in diameter and the same size from one end to the other). They're definitely geared towards take-out. Also no beer or wine. A nice Tsingtao would have cooled things off some:)
I had some insomnia that night and just kept thinking how good every bit of it was. Again, good job, Steve.
Yes, hear hear to Steve for the planning of this Chowdown, my first. My favorite dishes were probably the most wimpy of the selection, but I'm not proud. Those being the eggplant and tofu. I, too, would have happily eaten all the eggplant myself and the tofu I'm sure was of the silken variety (thanks, Elisa), a beautifully smooth texture with a sauce that included scallions and a ground pork or chicken - not sure which. I would have to say my least favorite dish was the poached fish. I loved the fish itself, but the poaching liquid was a bit to floral for me. All in all, it was an outstanding meal and not your run of the mill chinese food. The flavors were not typical and were exquisite. Hats off to the chefs! Oh, and...must get that beer/wine license going - I agree, an Asahi or Tsing Tao would have been perfect!
The chicken wasn't all that spicy, I thought it was quite good and had seconds. I didn't mind the foam plates, plastic spoons,etc as this is a 'fast food' type outlet. It would have been nice to have some imported/microbrews, but they seem to cater primarily to the takeout crowd--while we were there, no one else stayed and ate--they all grabbed their bag of goodies and headed home. The quality of the food was excellent.
re: NVJims
Did you have a favorite dish? The only reason I mentioned the plates etc. so others would know the type of place it is. Wasn't a problem for us.

subset: commoncrawl


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|Softball » News » Schedule » Roster » Coaches » Statistics
2010: Was selected to the Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team … played in 52 games, making 52 starts … made 32 starts at third and 20 at catcher … is the top returning hitter for the Bucs … recorded nine multi-hit games and five multi-RBI contests … became the ninth player to record two home runs in a game after belting a pair of round-trippers vs. Western Carolina on 4/28 … went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs vs. N.C. Central (4/23) … posted a three-run homer vs. FGCU on 4/3.
2009: Named to the Atlantic Sun All-Academic Team … appeared in 29 contests, making 16 starts … drove in a pair of Lady Buccaneer runners at Longwood on 4/5.
2008: Named to the Atlantic Sun All-Academic List … played in 53 games while making 47 starts … recorded her first collegiate hit against Stetson on 2/19 … belted her first home run as a Lady Buc at Coastal Carolina and also drove in a career-best three RBIs against the Chanticleers.
High School: Multi-sport athlete as she was a five-year letterman in softball, four-year letterman in basketball, and two-year letterman in volleyball … was a member of the 2007 1A Tennessee State Champion Team … named All-State in 2006 and All-Tournament from 2004-06 … named All-West Tennessee in 2005 and 2006 … named All-District from 2003-06 … was named to the Tennessee All-State and All-Tournament basketball teams in 2007.
Personal: Daughter of Rickey and Diane Henderson … plans to major in physical education … born June 5, 1989.
2008-09 Softball


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An Indonesian helicopter searching for the missing AirAsia jetliner saw two oily spots in the water Monday, and an Australian search plane spotted objects elsewhere in the Java Sea, but it was too early to know whether either was connected to the aircraft and its 162 passengers and crew.
This year showed how sheltered the U.S. economy is from geopolitical and health crises around the world. The global economy sputtered, but the U.S. powered ahead. Employers are finally hiring enough to lower unemployment. A plunge in gas prices and...
Look, we've nearly all been there: you're stressed out and all you want is to stuff your face with cookies and chips and any other edible guilty pleasure. It's called stress-eating and I have a drawer dedicated to it.
Hooked on getting your weekly fix of �Mad Men� or �New Girl�? Or are you more of an �Orange Is the New Black� binge-watcher? There are dozens of apps out there for couch potatoes who love the small screen, from mobile program guides to an app that...
Tip of the Week
Tip of the Week
Leave it to C.S. Lewis to write things that chase and haunt me. That passage about describing light to people who had always lived in darkness? The one where he explains the same light falls on each of us? Yes, that one:
It�s been a strong year for television dramas. The best of the past 12 months gave us a philosophical detective, a father driven to the brink of madness and two fierce female lawyers. Comedy made less of an impact but there were a few exceptions...
Personally, I regard New Year's resolutions with a touch of suspicion. Perhaps it comes from all the time I spent in the service industry, observing what waiters and mixologists refer to as the December 31st Phenomenon: emptying nightclubs...
Angelina Jolie's�
Alicia Keys�and her husband,�
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Resolutions, schmezalutions: there's a reason why those stinkin' things never last past January 14. Yes, it was totally noble that time you pledged to be super-organized-all-the-time-everywhere and drink-only-green-juice-from-here-to-eternity, but let's get real. We all want to be happier, healthier and wealthier versions of ourselves in 2013, but we have a tendency to set up goals that are so lofty (and expensive, and complicated) that they're next to impossible to carry out.
Well, Gretchen Rubin (author of the immensely successful blog-turned-book The Happiness Project, as well as the new tome Happier at Home) has a message for all of us New Year's grumps: the best resolutions are not really resolutions at all, but quick, d'oh-worthy tips that we're surprised we never thought of. From taking a moment enjoying your favorite scents (hello, beloved morning coffee!) to giving your roommate a warm hello every evening (yes, even when she neglected to take out the trash again), her tips are crazy-simple, yet they can make a huge difference in your health, happiness, and productivity. Read on to learn this wellness guru's tips that you can start right now and get accomplished in five minutes — you'll be on the fast track to your happiest year yet before you know it.
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text: Study Search Results Your query returned 65 results. Results per page: 25 50 100 Sort by: Title A-Z Released/Updated Time Period Most Cited in ICPSR Bib. (?) Study Title/Investigator 1. AIDS-Related Written Court Decisions in Federal and State Courts, 1984-1989: [United States] (ICPSR 6502) Musheno, Michael C. 2. Assessing the Efficacy of Treatment Modalities in the Context of Adult Drug Courts in Four Jurisdictions in the United States, 1997-2002 (ICPSR 3922) Anspach, Donald F.; Bouffard, Jeff; Ferguson, Andrew S. 3. Assessing Local Legal Culture: Practitioner Norms in Four Criminal Courts, 1979 (ICPSR 7808) Church, Thomas W. Jr. 4. Breaking the Cycle of Drugs and Crime in Birmingham, Alabama, Jacksonville, Florida, and Tacoma, Washington, 1997-2001 (ICPSR 3928) Harrell, Adele V.; Marlowe, Douglas; Merrill, Jeffrey 5. Caseflow Management and Delay Reduction in Urban Trial Courts of the United States, 1979, 1983-1985 (ICPSR 9918) Mahoney, Barry 6. Court Workforce Racial Diversity and Racial Justice in Criminal Case Outcomes in the United States, 2000-2005 (ICPSR 25423) Ward, Geoff; Farrell, Amy; Rousseau, Danielle 7. Criminal Case Processing in Metropolitan Courts, 1976 (ICPSR 7750) National Center for State Courts 8. Custody Evaluations When There Are Allegations of Domestic Violence: Practices, Beliefs and Recommendations of Professional Evaluators in New York City, 1997-2009 (ICPSR 30321) Davis, Michael S.; O'Sullivan, Chris S.; Susser, Kim; et al. 9. Dynamics of Change in the Criminal Case Plea Bargaining System: New York City, 1800-1890 (ICPSR 6501) Mirsky, Chester L.; Ortese, Edelle 10. Effects of Cognitive Interviewing, Practice, and Interview Style on Children's Recall Performance in California, 1989-1990 (ICPSR 9789) Geiselman, R. Edward; Saywitz, Karen J.; Bornstein, Gail K. 11. Effects of Defense Counsel on Homicide Case Outcomes in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1995-2004 [United States] (ICPSR 32541) Anderson, James; Heaton, Paul 12. Evaluating a Driving While Intoxicated (DWI) Night Drug Court in Las Cruces, New Mexico, 1997-1998 (ICPSR 3186) Winfree, L. Thomas 13. Evaluating the Impact of a Specialized Domestic Violence Police Unit in Charlotte, North Carolina, 2003-2005 (ICPSR 20461) Friday, Paul C.; Lord, Vivian; Exum, M. Lyn; et al. 14. Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Mental Health Court Initiative at Seven Sites in the United States, 2003-2004 (ICPSR 4114) Steadman, Henry J. 15. Evaluation of a Demonstration for Enhanced Judicial Oversight of Domestic Violence Cases in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Washtenaw County, Michigan; and Dorchester, Massachusetts; 1997-2004 (ICPSR 25924) Harrell, Adele; Yahner, Jennifer; Newmark, Lisa; et al. 16. Evaluation of Hung Juries in Bronx County, New York, Los Angeles County, California, Maricopa County, Arizona, and Washington, DC, 2000-2001 (ICPSR 3689) Hannaford-Agor, Paula L.; Hans, Valerie P.; Mott, Nicole L.; et al. 17. Evaluation of the Midtown Community Court in New York City, 1992-1994 (ICPSR 2311) Rottman, David; Ostrom, Brian; Sviridoff, Michele; et al. 18. Evaluation of Pre-Trial Settlement Conference: Dade County, Florida, Criminal Court, 1979 (ICPSR 7710) Kerstetter, Wayne A. 19. Evaluation of Special Session Domestic Violence Court Processing in Connecticut, 1999-2000 (ICPSR 3603) Lyon, Eleanor 20. Evaluation of Waiver Effects in Maryland, 1998-2000 (ICPSR 4077) Smith, Cindy J.; Craig, Kimberly S.; Brodus, Sallie M.; et al. 21. Federal District Court Civil Decisions, 1981-1987: Detroit, Houston, and Kansas City (ICPSR 9367) Rowland, C.K. 22. Governmental Responses to Crime in the United States, 1948-1978 (ICPSR 8076) Jacob, Herbert 23. Impact Evaluation of the Felony Domestic Violence Court in Kings County [Brooklyn], New York, 1994-2000 (ICPSR 3382) Newmark, Lisa; Rempel, Mike; Diffily, Kelly; et al. 24. Impact of Sentencing Guidelines on the Use of Incarceration in Federal Criminal Courts in the United States, 1984-1990 (ICPSR 9845) United States Sentencing Commission 25. Integrated Approaches to Manage Multi-Case Families in the Criminal Justice System in Maricopa County, Arizona, and Deschutes and Jackson Counties, Oregon, 1999-2005 (ICPSR 20358) Thoennes, Nancy [1] 2 3


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In response to the on-going market consolidation and to take full advantage of potential strategic opportunities IBS has decided to appoint Christian Paulsson in a new full time role as Executive Vice President Corporate Development and M&A
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Update: The response to our petition to end Greyhound racing in the U.S. has exceeded our expectations—it garnered 100,000 signatures within its first week and is officially one of the top 100 active U.S. petitions on Change.org. Please help us keep the momentum going for these suffering dogs: add your name and let's hit 200,000 signatures!
Visit www.change.org/highstakes to take action now.
This post was originally published on February 11, 2015.
The ASPCA and Greyhound-protection group GREY2K USA yesterday released "High Stakes," the first-ever national report to comprehensively document the current state of the Greyhound racing industry in the United States.
The eye-opening report [PDF] includes devastating data on the number of deaths (909) and injuries (11,000) suffered by racing Greyhounds from 2008 to 2014—however, these are just the verifiable, reported figures. Along with Alabama, Florida, which is home to more than half of the nation's active dog racing tracks, does not require Greyhound injuries to be reported at all.
"People don't realize how treacherous the life of a racing Greyhound dog is—broken legs, skulls, backs, severed toes, electrocution, even cardiac arrest because of the stress," says Nancy Perry, Senior Vice President of ASPCA Government Relations. "We want people to understand these aren't dogs playing in a dog park—they are literally running for their lives."
Once their racing days are over, some dogs are killed, others are put into breeding programs, and a relatively small percentage are fortunate enough to be placed for adoption—but no one knows where the vast majority of the estimated 80,000 Greyhounds born into dog racing have ended up.
Due to declining attendance as the public grows increasingly outraged by this "sport," gaming operations are losing tens of millions of dollars by operating racetracks. States are losing money, too, because it costs more to regulate Greyhound racing than it generates in tax revenue. "This cruel 'sport' continues to exploit Greyhounds despite public outcry and overwhelming financial losses," says Perry. The seven states with active tracks are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Texas and West Virginia. By contrast, 39 states have passed outright bans on dog racing.
In conjunction with the release of High Stakes, the ASPCA and GREY2K USA are urging state legislators to bring an end to this inherently cruel sport.
You can help—please visit www.change.org/highstakes to sign our petition to the governors of the seven racing states asking them to support an end to dog racing.
By Matt Bershadker, President & CEO of the ASPCA, and Christine A. Dorchak, Esq., President of GREY2K USA Worldwide.
It's always appalling to see animals abused and betrayed for profit, especially when the activity is legal and defended as a "sport." That's the reality of Greyhound racing, but the reasons this detestable industry still exists defy not just our humane values, but common sense as well.
The cruelty and trauma these dogs suffer is undeniable, and is spotlighted this month in the first-ever national report on Greyhound racing, created by GREY2K USA and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA). The culmination of more than 13 years of research, this report reveals systemic and shocking abuse to dogs caught up in a dying, poorly regulated industry. Greyhound racing benefits a tiny group of cruel breeders at the expense of the more than 10,000 Greyhounds that enter the racing industry each year. As our report shows, this antiquated and unpopular activity also costs taxpayers millions of dollars.
Racing Greyhounds are kept for 20 or more hours per day in warehouse-style kennels. To reduce costs, the dogs are fed raw "4-D" meat from diseased animals. Confined in stacked cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around, large Greyhounds can't even stand fully erect for most of the day.
When let out of their confinement, the dogs' health and lives are placed in even greater jeopardy. Since 2008, over 80,000 Greyhounds have been registered to race and nearly 12,000 racing-dog injuries have been documented, including more than 3,000 broken legs … plus broken necks, crushed skulls, paralysis, seizures and death by electrocution.
At least 909 racing Greyhounds died between 2008 and 2014, 758 of them from injuries. In Florida alone—which takes advantage of having no law requiring tracks to report Greyhound injury statistics—a racing dog dies, on average, every three days.
Greyhound racing continues in seven states—Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Iowa, Texas and West Virginia—and in each one, Greyhound cruelty and neglect have been verified, including at least 27 troubling cases since 2008. Sixteen Greyhounds tested positive for cocaine during this period. One particularly gruesome situation involved a Florida kennel operator who walked away when the racing season ended, leaving 42 Greyhounds to die of starvation, some with their mouths taped shut.
In March of 2013, a two-year-old Greyhound was left to sit in her cage for four days after breaking her leg in a training race at the Wheeling track in West Virginia. Aspirin and a makeshift wrap were the only "treatment" she was given. Thanks to an anonymous tipster, "Kiowa Dutch Girl" was found, shaking in her cage and unable to stand, and ordered to receive medical care. Both trainers fled the jurisdiction in order to avoid criminal prosecution.
This level of wanton cruelty and disregard is reminiscent of some of the worst atrocities people commit against animals for the sake of profit—including dog fighting. But unlike dog fighting, dog racing is completely legal in these seven states.
You might assume there must be a compelling, if heartless, state or social interest that keeps Greyhound racing active in these states. But there's none.
The public doesn't want it. Since 2000, both the number of states with legalized racing and the number of racetracks in operation have been more than cut in half, largely because the public cannot tolerate the cruelty inherent to this activity.
The states don't really want it. State governments often spend more to regulate the sport than they get back in revenue. In Florida—where more Greyhound races are run than in any other state—the state loses between $1 million and $3 million each year on dog racing, because regulatory costs exceed revenues.
It's no wonder that racetrack owners—tired of losing money on costly and poorly attended races—also want out of the industry. But in most of these states, live racing mandates require racing licensees to keep the dogs running in circles, even when nobody's watching. In Florida, for instance, 12 dog tracks lost $42 million on racing between June 2012 and November 2013. During that same time period, every Greyhound track in the state lost money on racing. These tactics are designed only to keep Greyhound racing practitioners and breeders in business, with absolutely no regard for the animals' welfare or the best interest of the public.
With racing dog breeders and trainers putting up a tough fight to protect their own interests, this abhorrent activity continues. But it can end immediately if the governors of these seven states take decisive action against animal cruelty, even when it takes place in a legal operation.
Please sign our petition to urge Governors Bentley, Ducey, Hutchinson, Scott, Branstad, Abbott and Tomblin to follow the humane lead of all other states, and put a long-overdue end to the national shame of Greyhound racing.
By ASPCA President and CEO Matt Bershadker
So why is this abomination still in business? Because for some, Greyhound racing is still big business.
Greyhounds begin their lives on breeding farms, where only a select few actually become racing dogs. Unwanted pups, those who assessed as unfit for racing, are killed or sometimes sent to laboratories, which use them in experiments. Those chosen for the sport spend most of their lives stacked in double-decker cages in warehouse-style kennels for 20 or more hours a day. Most of the areas Greyhounds are kept are not heated or air-conditioned, causing many to suffer during severe weather temperatures. Many also suffer from fleas, ticks and internal parasites.
While this is enough for most states to turn their back on the ugly practice, Greyhound racing still exists in seven states. More than half of all active American tracks, 12 of 21, are in Florida, where a ridiculous law requires gambling institutions to maintain and run dog racing facilities. You read that right: If you want to run a gaming institution in Florida, you must, by law, race dogs as well. More about that oddity in a moment, but first know that when these dogs are sent out to race, many are actually sent to their deaths.
Making use of a recent Florida law requiring that dog track deaths be reported, the Greyhound protection group GREY2K USA, with ASPCA help, put out a report last month revealing that 74 racing Greyhounds died at 10 different racetracks in Florida over the last seven months of last year. Put another way, from June to December, a Greyhound died from a racing-related injury every three days.
And only two months into 2014, there have already been an astounding 18 deaths at Florida Greyhound tracks. If this shocking rate of deaths continues, Florida tracks will have more than 100 Greyhound deaths by the end of the year.
Causes of Greyhound deaths included including fatal injuries suffered during or after races, and heat stroke. Fifty-one of the dead Greyhounds were under three years old; the two youngest dogs were both 17 months old. These majestic, perfectly healthy, gentle and loving animals were essentially run to death.
Of the 21 active dog tracks in the U.S., more than half (12) are in Florida. Florida law requires dog tracks to report all racing-related deaths, and an analysis of these death notifications from 2013 reveals that on average, a Greyhound died from racing-related injuries every three days in Florida last year.
With assistance from the ASPCA, Greyhound protection group GREY2K USA created a report, "The Final Lap," that summarizes last year's devastating deaths at Florida's tracks. The report was released today at a joint press conference held in Tallahassee, during which ASPCA Vice President of State Affairs Ann Church and several state legislators called for the passage of a bill to protect Greyhounds.
Watch GREY2K USA's new video on dog racing in Florida:
If you live in Florida, you can help—please visit aspca.org/FLgreyhounds to urge state lawmakers to eliminate the mandate that requires gaming facilities to hold dog races.
The life of a racing Greyhound is often short and painful. Every year, thousands of young and healthy Greyhounds are euthanized because they are no longer deemed worthy racers, but some of the lucky ones make it to Greyhound rescues. ASPCA staffer Lauren discusses adopting her Greyhound, Lewis, a racing survivor.
Finding Lewis
When my then-fiancé, Grant, and I began looking for a dog, we assumed that we would need to narrow our search to smaller breeds because of our NYC lifestyle. On a whim, I searched for large-breed dogs that are suitable for apartment living. Much to our surprise, Greyhounds were the most recommended! We fell in love with the breed.
A volunteer from an NYC Greyhound rescue visited our apartment with a spotted, male Greyhound who had recently retired from the industry. While this gentle giant had some difficulty climbing the stairs to our apartment, once inside he had no problem exploring every inch—all 400 square feet!
When Linda left that day, Grant and I looked at each other and without words knew we had found our dog. We called Linda the next day and arranged to pick him up. Being an avid Formula 1 fan, Grant decided to name our new dog Lewis after Lewis Hamilton, the race car driver. Considering his retired profession, I found it quite fitting.
Learning about Lewis
As we fell more in love with Lew, I started researching his past. Like all racing Greyhounds, Lewis has ear tattoos: his birthday and litter number on one side, his ID number on the other. I typed his ID number into a registry and learned he'd participated in 40 races and won eight. He raced until he was nearly three, which is a long career. I also learned he'd raced at Ebro Greyhound Park. He was pulled from Ebro in September 2010; in October 2010, an owner at the same track was arrested after 30 dogs died from starvation.
At the track, Lewis lived in a stacked cage, only coming out four times a day: twice to go to the bathroom and twice to train. When we met Lewis, he was fearful, really underweight and had flea dermatitis—but that's really good shape compared to how many Greyhounds come out of the industry. It took three weeks for his personality to come out. But when it did, it was hysterical—Greyhounds are hysterical—he was lying upside down, sneaking on the couch and sneaking onto our bed. It made me think this was likely the first time his personality was allowed to shine.
Suburban Life
Lewis made himself at home in our NYC apartment right away, but shortly before getting married, Grant and I moved to the house in the suburbs. Lew loves the new space, and he's got a dog bed on each floor. He loves car rides—any time we go on any errands he comes along and adores it. Lew lives for the tennis ball and will jump eight feet in the air for it. He spends weekends playing in our backyard and at the neighborhood park.
Lewis loves children, and that's why we're really excited for him to meet his new little (human) brother or sister in the next month! We think he'll be a great big brother. He just turned six on Earth Day. It's cheesy, but I always say his birthday makes sense, since he's my whole world.
Help the ASPCA stop Greyhound racing by making a gift today.


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• jitterbug •
Pronunciation: ji-dêr-bêg • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: 1. A fast, jerking dance done to 'hot' jazz in the 40s. 2. Someone who jitterbugs or who is high-strung, hyperactive.
Notes: Today's Good Word comes from the swing era of jazz and is widely believed to have originated with Cab Calloway, leader of one of the most famous swing bands. The noun is also used as a usual English verb; just remember to double the G when adding suffixes that begin with a vowel: jitterbugs, jitterbugged, jitterbugging.
In Play: Jitterbug is a word that never escaped the 40s—though in some US cities it is making a bit of a comeback. As dance crazes come and go, their names come and go with them. We rarely get a chance to use this word today in situations like this: "My grandma and grandpa can jitterbug circles around you and your hip-hop dancing friends." Back in the 40s and early 50s, however, we talked like this all the time: "We jitterbugged at the party last night until we dropped."
Word History: A jitterbug was someone with the 'jitters', who dances nervously or feverishly. We can only speculate as to the origins of jitter. It probably is a variant of an older word chitter, which referred to shivering or chattering teeth. Chitter may have been derived from chatter under the influence of shiver. Shiver was originally spelled and pronounced chiver so the two may have been blended thus: chi(ver/cha)tter. The change of chitter to jitter is easy. The sounds [ch] and [j] are identical, except that in pronouncing [j] we vibrate our vocal cords. Jitter could then have been a very slight variation of chitter. It originally referred to rapidly vibrating teeth or shivering but its meaning expanded to anything shaking rapidly.
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• The Good Dr. Goodword
Dr. Goodword
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My impression is that high school and college kids today are the reverse of the kids fifty years ago. Very few knew how to jitterbug, which looked like a slightly tamer version of Dancing with the Stars. Most of us sat out anything faster than a fox trot, preferring "hugging set to music" and the slower the better. Now since the twist, they gyrate all ove the place.
- Perry Lassiter
- Grand Panjandrum
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My wife tells me that, back in the day, her mother used to really cut a rug doing the jitterbug. All during the time I knew my mother-in-law, I knew her as a straightlaced, no nonsense person with almost no sense of humor. I cannot imagine her doing the jitterbug. The thought makes me jittery.
Be who you are and say what you feel in your heart. Because those that matter, don't mind. And those that mind, don't matter.
- Lexiterian
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- Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2011 8:20 pm
- Location: The Deep South
If only we had had some dance when I was a youth other than the Texas two step (not the gambling version). All the dancing I ever saw was couples holding each other tightly and simulating, perhaps achieving, coitus on the dance floor. As a result I never learned to dance. I never really discovered dance until Riverdance. When my mom was a girl they danced the Charleston and the black bottom. As an adult, Mother was much too reserved to dance and my dad was definitely anti-dance. Also, the conservative churches began to frown on dancing when my mom was a girl. They hid their dancing by calling it "party games". Certain kinds of dancing through the ages have been censored. King David danced before the Ark of the Covenant, and he was despised by his wife. The waltz had a hard time making it into society during the time of Straus. Imagine a Straus waltz being considered improper.
It is dark at night, but the Sun will come up and then we can see.
- Philip Hudson
- Grand Panjandrum
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Ha! I agree! When I was growing up, most of what passed for "dance" was something I called "The Zombie", which consisted primarily of couples merely rocking back and forth in a stiff-legged fashion. My father was a competitive Rumba dancer in his younger days, a skill I did not inherit (alas!). I would dearly love to learn to ballroom dance one day. Unfortunately, there is no place to take lessons in this small town I live in.
Be who you are and say what you feel in your heart. Because those that matter, don't mind. And those that mind, don't matter.
- Lexiterian
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text:
If God created the universe, what created God?
Many arguments claiming to prove the existence of God have been proposed throughout the centuries. A popular argument is that, since all effects come from causes, there must have been a "first cause" that is outside the material world—an "uncaused cause". The response to many of these arguments, however, is: "If God created the world, what created God?


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I just got an older frame powder coated. The shop that I took it to doesn't specialize in bikes. They mainly do industrial grade powder coating and perhaps a car wheel here and there, so I wouldn't consider them the most knowledgeable people when it comes to handling frames. The frame is lugged steel. Could the heating process influence the frame's integrity?
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Bicycles Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for people who build and repair bicycles, people who train cycling, or commute on bicycles. It's 100% free, no registration required.
No, 400F will not affect frame integrity.


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Eric Church
Eric Church, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum with Stevie Nicks Added as ACM Awards Performers
Church, Keith and Lady Antebellum with Stevie Nicks are the latest round of performers announced for the upcoming Academy of Country Music Awards on April 6.
Highlights From the 48th ACM Awards
The three-hour broadcast of the 48th Academy of Country Music Awards is over now, and the winners have been named and honored. At the top of that list is, of course, Luke Bryan, who walked away with Entertainer of the […]
ACM Awards Winners List
The 48th annual ACM Awards may have wrapped up in Las Vegas for 2013, but these winners get a full 365 days to gloat to the country music world about their big wins. While the night boasted […]
More Top Performers Announced For ACM Awards On April 7
How many performances can you pack into a single award ceremony? Country fans will soon find out, because the Academy of Country Music today announced that Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum and Little Big Town will each perform […]
Nominations Announced For Academy Of Country Music Awards
Nominations were announced Wednesday for the 48th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards!
Bruce Springsteen Nabs Three GRAMMY Nominations; "Springsteen" Gets Two More
Bruce Springsteen & Eric Church ride the Springsteen legend to rock and country recognition by NARAS.
Hunter Hayes, Carrie Underwood, Eric Church Among Top Country GRAMMY Nominees
The long list of country nominees also included Taylor Swift, Ronnie Dunn, country supergroup The Time Jumpers, the Eli Young Band, Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown, and Jamey Johnson.
fun. Dominates Grammy Nominations
Cliches be damned, it was a fun. night at the GRAMMY Nominations Concert on CBS, with the band performing and getting nominations in all four major categories: Album, Song and Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. Kelly Clarkson, The Black Keys and Frank Ocean all grabbed multiple nominations as well.
Download The Complete List Of 2012 Grammy Nominees Now!
Here are the nominations for the 2012 Grammy Awards, to air on CBS Sunday, February 12.
2012 GRAMMY Nominees Album To Be Released January 24
The 2012 GRAMMY Nominees album will be released digitally and in stores January 24, 2012. The album features 22 hits from some of the GRAMMYs' most popular nominees.


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The Rant is The News-Sentinel's anonymous sound-off forum. The readers' views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel.
People who put their leaves in the street are completely thoughtless. They are creating a hazard for children who love to play in piles of leaves; they make it next to impossible for two cars to pass on a residential street; and they cause the sewers to get clogged and flood the streets when it rains. How much more is our national security at risk due to General Patraeus' extra-marital affair than when President Clinton had his with Monica Lewinski? President Clinton should have been expected to resign just as David Patraeus was. Democratic presidents are simply not held accountable for their actions.
It's a shame that the old guard like Sen. McCain can't just go out in style. No, he still thinks that he is part American hero and part Superman to the rescue. If only his handlers would tell him how foolish he looks every time he opens his mouth.
Get ready football bowl officials. You might have a shot at getting Purdue in your game. All they have to do is win out. If they do, the classy thing to do would be to refuse the offer. But who ever said Purdue football was a class act.
Concentrating wealth to fewer and fewer people is causing the middle class to die out.
Calling marijuana a gateway drug is like calling bicycles a gateway to joining an outlaw motorcycle gang.
We didn't win the White House. But at least we don't set things on fire and break stuff because we lost.
I am a lifelong Democrat, but I have some honest advice for soul-searching Republicans. Many of you are embedded in the news bubble of Fox News, right-wing talk radio and other conservative media outlets. As a result, you are not receiving the whole picture of what is happening in the real world … . I earnestly hope that you will open yourself up to other information sources. We need two (if not more) strong political parties who can engage in a probing, respectful, fact-based debate on how to move forward in this nation.
Can we petition GE to take down it's ugly neon sign? It's just a daily reminder of how many jobs they moved from Fort Wayne to overseas.
I used to listen to … (a local radio station) every day. Yesterday, I started listening to podcasts. No commercials as opposed to more commercials than content on … (that radio station). Market driven obsolescence.
On Dec. 26, 1991, the Soviet Union (USSR) completely collapsed. With (President) Obama being re-elected for another four-year term, I deeply believe the United States will do the same. Shame on those that think Obama can lead this once great nation!


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I'm particularly looking for remedies that would be safe for children between 1 and 5 years old.
Take the 2-minute tour ×
Parenting Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for parents, grandparents, nannies and others with a parenting role. It's 100% free, no registration required.
For a immediate fix a steam session is quite helpful for opening up the lungs and make the child more comfortable.
It's also important to learn what sets off an attack in your child, so you can avoid those stimuli. For example running in the cold gives me an attack every time, so I avoid it if at all possible. Others I know have allergies that trigger their attacks, both food and atmospheric.
Above all remember that Asthma can be lethal, and it's better to be medicated than dead.


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- Benjamin McLean
- Independence, MO
- United States
This conversation is closed.
Real ethics is prescriptive, not descriptive.
As I explain in my video on "The Abolition of Man" instinct cannot provide any foundation for ethics as everything we say about instinct is descriptive not prescriptive. It discusses only what we actually do, not what we ought to do and ethics is the question of what we ought to do. http://youtu.be/Z60lncsXQrE?t=2m52s
Kris Rosvold
Apr 17 2012: Just playing devils' advocate here.... then... We also have to look at the whole "Nature vs. Nurture" question. Many of us are trained from not to show any kindness for fear that it will be mistaken for weakness. Many of us are also trained to believe in a lack of resources ie. "There's only so many slices of pie... best to get yours first." i believe that ethics are both prescriptive (they give us a motivation to rise to) and descriptive (they talk about our inherent and natural empathy). I also believe that we all, initially, have a large amount of empathy for the other and that if we loose that empathy it's because our society has trained it out of us. Don't believe me? check out any study on how children share.
- +1
Mitch SMith
Apr 15 2012: "Ought" and "Should" are the language of domination.
- +1
Don't be fooled.
Apr 15 2012: "Don't be fooled" is shorthand for "You ought not / should not allow yourself to be fooled."
Are you saying here that domination is wrong? Or in other words that people should not / ought not dominate others??
So many internal logical contradictions here ...
Apr 15 2012: Touche'
Can I ask - is there a difference between "beware" and "do not"?
And yes - I regard domination as a wrong turn in human development. It has no value that I can discern.
Gabo Moreno
Apr 12 2012: I got what the video would be about within the first few seconds. So, you seem to be attacking a straw man (or a series of straw-men). We recognize where the most basic instincts for "morality" or for "ethics" come from. We evolved as social animals. That's it. Nobody is saying that those basic instincts constitute the whole thing (nobody is saying that instincts "make" our morality). It only means that's where it begins (began). Whether that gives us a prescription, or an "ought to," or not is a different problem.
- +1
All the other cartoons are quite effective rhetoric, but all aiming at a series of straw-men. Again. Not all instincts are basal for ethical behaviour, and no, nobody is proposing that we should follow our instincts alone to decide what is right and wrong. Again, that is just about where our basic inclinations come from.
I am not surprised that the piece would be filled with [fallacious] rhetoric. After all, your basis is C.S. Lewis.
I found the statement that some things are "intrinsic values" to be just a declaration. Just like the whole Tao thing is just a bunch of declarations. I can still ask why and get those infinite regresses you complain about. But, again, this is typical of Lewis. Build straw-men of every alternative explanations, make a set of declarations about his position flourished with "high-wording." Just say that this is ultimate and intrinsic, and you get yourself into an "undefeatable" position. You get everybody trying to dismantle the straw-men before they even try and notice that you just declared your position to be foundational without any demonstration that it was foundational and intrinsic. Lewis hides behind straw-men and red-herrings, letting everybody else do the work of falling into contradictions oblivious to the fact that Lewis did not really propose anything better. Nice rhetorical tactics. But nothing else.
Apr 13 2012: > "We recognize where the most basic instincts for "morality" or for "ethics" come from. We evolved as social animals. That's it. Nobody is saying that those basic instincts constitute the whole thing"
Actually, a number of people have in fact said that. If you're not one, then good.
> "Whether that gives us a prescription, or an "ought to," or not is a different problem."
If you recognize that this is a problem, that we're going to be doing ethics and not just biology, then you've got the point. I hope my clumsy attempt at summarizing the argument did not inadvertently offend you.
> "I found the statement that some things are "intrinsic values" to be just a declaration."
Yes it is. Not everything can be argued for. The basis of all moral arguments cannot be argued for. Unless you assume ethical premises, you will not get any ethical conclusions. (David Hume, fact-value distinction)
> "Just like the whole Tao thing is just a bunch of declarations. I can still ask why and get those infinite regresses you complain about."
No, because you will not get an answer. This is the foundation behind everything and to see through everything is the same as not to see.
I think you mistake "The Abolition of Man" as a defense of Lewis's own position. Lewis does not identify his particular views with natural law. (the Tao) Natural law is not whatever Lewis says it is. He is simply defending the old idea of natural law you will find in thinkers like John Locke that by the way forms the whole philosophical basis of the American political system.
Apr 13 2012: Hi Benjamin,
The problem I had with your video is the obvious misrepresentation of the recognition that our tendency to morality/ethics stems from our evolution as social animals. Which, again, is mischaracterized and made into a cartoon that goes beyond even any real proposal that instincts could be foundational for ethics, which, by the way, would be undeniable even in your declarations (or Lewis's, whoever). After all, if I asked for an explanation for "natural rights" and why are those the ones they are, the ultimate answer has to go to both our natural and most basic instincts for survival, and our evolution as social animals. With those you would ultimately arrive at the trade for giving everybody the same rights to pursue their own freedom, and such and such. Without those natural instincts, there is no way of talking about any natural rights. So, Lewis, or you in your explanation, adds all kinds of disruptive instincts, purposely forgetting that they must trade/balance in the building of a society. You can't call something "natural right" if you forget about what nature is and means. That's my complain. Lewis is stealing from a natural view of foundations only to then transform the natural view into a straw-man and demolish his own foundation while pretending that everybody else who denies his own declared foundation is coming back to it.
I hope that was clear. Of course for developing ethics we have to start with some foundation. We assume sets of axioms. But we should be careful not to mistake our need to start somewhere, with whether actual nature had something to do with it or not. Let alone by mischaracterizing other propositions.
Apr 14 2012: > "After all, if I asked for an explanation for "natural rights" and why are those the ones they are, the ultimate answer has to go to both our natural and most basic instincts for survival, and our evolution as social animals."
Says who?
"Natural law" in the sense we find in thinkers like John Locke does not mean going to animal behavior as a source for our ethical principles.
> "Without those natural instincts, there is no way of talking about any natural rights."
I'm not aware that John Locke appeals to instinct for his theory of natural law.Apr 14 2012: It does not matter what Locke used as a basis, just as it does not matter what Lewis used to get his "Tao." But what about you tell me how both Locke's sources and Lewis's sources can really deny that our tendencies towards ethics, come from our evolved nature both for survival, and as social animals. No cheating allowed. Instead of attacking mischaracterizations of "natural instincts" show how the "sources" are independent of these natural tendencies.
Be very clear, and try and remember the concept of the "hidden variable" before jumping to conclusions.
I'm listening.
(P.S. Nice rhetorical trick mistaking my explained "natural instincts" with "animal behaviour.")
Apr 14 2012: > "It does not matter what Locke used as a basis"
Actually yeah it pretty much does. Because when we talk about natural law: "the laws of Nature and Nature's God" as in the Declaration of Independence, we're not talking about any kind of quasi-Darwinian psychology. We're talking about Locke.
> "But what about you tell me how both Locke's sources and Lewis's sources can really deny that our tendencies towards ethics, come from our evolved nature both for survival, and as social animals."
You have misplaced the burden of proof. The onus of proof is on these so-called "scientists" to prove that evolutionary psychology could fully account for not only the existence but also the objective validity of ethics, not on ethicists to justify ethics from evolutionary psychology.Apr 14 2012: Hi Ben, [corrected the name here]
I am not talking about quasi-Darwinian psychology either (nor about evolutionary psychology, Huitzilopochtli forbid). Read more carefully. I have no burden of proof, You are proposing a barrier between our basic instincts as developed through our evolution as social animals, and the basis for ethics. Since I don't see any such barrier, and, since I find it self-evident that this should provide a basis for understanding why we have such basic tendencies, it is your burden of proof to show that such a barrier exists. That you or Locke, might want to call your stuff "Nature's God," does not make a barrier between actual nature and ourselves appear.
Let me expand a bit. If I were starting to think about basic axioms for ethics, I might think, ok, what would be the basic principles behind ethics in humanity, I might as well also start by thinking, where would most cultures put their principles? Oh, of course, in their religions! And such follow until I could distill those principles, and then improve them into a basic set of rights for the individuals, social contracts, et cetera. That's all very good. But I could also have started by thinking how our evolution might have shaped our basic instincts and get to these principles as well (with much more work perhaps). The thing is, if I want to distill these principles, I might start with religions and save lots of time to start developing my ethics. But it would be a fallacy to think that such basics come from nowhere, or else that they come from somewhere else but our natural evolution as social animals. So, you might understand now how this is self-evident. Very reasonable (this resonates as something I heard before, what could that be?). Now, whose burden of proof is it to show that there is a barrier between our nature and our development of ethics?
As I said, I am listening.
Apr 15 2012: > "Hi Bennie,"
If we're going to start making fun of each other's names, there are lots of places to go with "Gabo Moreno." Let's not go there.
> "You are proposing a barrier between our basic instincts as developed through our evolution as social animals, and the basis for ethics."
Just asserting David Hume's fact / value distinction. Ethical values cannot be derived from any process of deduction from mere physical facts. We either assume some values as axiomatic or we don't do any consistent ethics at all.Apr 15 2012: Benjamin,
Perhaps you are missing that we have evolved instincts and reason. Reason helped us solve problems, survive, and prosper.
Social harmony may have evolutionary dimensions for group dynamics.
Values such as equality, fairness, freedom, the golden rule may have roots in this, but also reflect some higher understanding of what is good for the human condition.
Apr 15 2012: > "Perhaps you are missing that we have evolved instincts"
To say that migratory birds find their way by instinct is only to say that we do not know how migratory birds find their way.
> "and reason."
I have never once heard any evidence that reason was "evolved" in any sense which didn't rely on the fallacious circular justification that "We're here, aren't we." Anyway, read the book. Lewis addresses this.Apr 15 2012: I was not making fun of your name Benjamin McLean (I wrote "Ben" originally, but maybe that's insulting too, then the speller messed up your complete name, but I corrected, sorry for that) but if that's what you think this was about, then I am sorry (I did not know that "Bennie" was some kind of bad word, and now I am too embarrassed to ask what it means). "Gabo" is already a derivative meant to be a tad more friendly, it's a mexican thing, at least, to start shortening names after becoming somewhat familiar. I try and start there with my name to save time.
But no worries. It was a learning experience for me. I had not read about Locke. Quite a discovery, and I do mean it in a good sense. Lewis? Same old same old. Just rhetorics. Beautifully, masterfully constructed, but nothing else.
So, before leaving you, seems like you are mistaking the statement of axioms by assertion with a different question, that of figuring out why we arrive at them. Maybe if you read my explanations you would notice that I made the distinction of goals. One, starting working on ethics. The other, figuring out where those starting points might come from. You might not like the idea that physical reality has something to do with it, but it does. Philosophy alone will not explain everything. Let alone if filled with fallacious rhetoric. But suit yourself. I am out before I insult you by mistake again (maybe I did).
Have fun.
Apr 15 2012: > "I was not making fun of your name"
OK. Ben is fine. Benjamin is fine. "Bennie" sounds patronizing like something you would call a dog or a baby.
> "Lewis? Same old same old. Just rhetorics. Beautifully, masterfully constructed, but nothing else."
Lewis certainly is advocating a set of ideas from the past and says so repeatedly. So yeah, this is a fair description. And it's "take it or leave it" - you either recognize the truth of what he's saying here as the pre-existing commonality he says it is or else you don't.
Seems to me that if we reduce the source of human ethics to wholly non-rational causes then we have as much as shown them to be non-rational and that's not acceptable, it undermines the whole premise of doing science as a search for the truth which this description depends onApr 15 2012: OK Ben,
Tell me exactly where do I suggest that we should forget reason before developing our ethics. That I can point to the "environments" or "circumstances" that lead to our evolution of some basic instincts does not mean that I suggest in any way that in order to develop our ethics we should forget reason. Does it? That I can recognize our origins, our evolutionary history, our relationship with the rest of nature, does not mean I propose the dismissal of reason either. Does it? That you might call something a "pre-existing commonality" does not mean such commonality has no roots in our evolutionary history. Does it? If you read carefully what I said, you will see that I am far from suggesting that we forget reason. After all, to get from our basic inclinations as evolved, to your axioms, I would have to reason my way. Right? (Oh, and to recognize the role of reason in such developments.)
So, I don't think we have much else to talk about. You don't seem to be willing to read and understand, but rather willing to impose some view, while rejecting everything else as transformed into a mischaracterizing cartoon (I might be wrong, but this is my impression).
Let me know if we rather stop this exchange. Does not seem to be going anywhere, I feel like I am just repeating, and repeating, and repeating. You keep adding stuff, so I keep adding clarifications that should not be necessary if instead of assuming that my position is something that it is not, you tried to understand what I am actually saying. Again. Maybe I am wrong in my perception, but it does not look like that.
Again, have fun and might see you in some other chat. Thanks for mentioning Locke, quite interesting. Ciao.Apr 12 2012: i believe the most effective approach is to treat ethics as a process. to examine a situation, the compering values, the impacts on the stakeholders, aiming to improve the human conditio and experience.
blindly relying on religious morality from the past without questioning and testing it is one of the greatest wastse of the capabilities humans have - to reason.
description is good for understanding. prescription is a poor substitute for the process of reaoned ethical examination particularly for complex issues in a changing world. trying to agree on so called rights and values is good. but the most complex issues involve competing rights/values e.g. freedom of religion versus freedom of speech. however if by prescriptive u mean shutting the door further ethical evaluation i disagree.
eg the right to bear arms could cover nuclear weapons. killing adulterers. no thanks. the right to keep slaves. the proble is we have developed and progressed from biblical and even revolutionary times and the world and technology has chag
Apr 12 2012: > "aiming to improve the human condition and experience."
That is prescription. You have prescribed an aim. Your aim / goal / summum bonum is not very clearly defined as you haven't explained what constitutes an improvement but you are in fact giving a prescription, albeit a vague one.
> "blindly relying on religious morality from the past without questioning and testing it is one of the greatest wastse of the capabilities humans have - to reason"
Lewis argues in "Miracles" that:
""Two views have been held about moral judgments. Some people think that when we make them we are not using our Reason, but are employing some different power. Other people think that we make them by our Reason. I myself hold this second view. That is, I believe that the primary moral principles on which all others depend are rationally perceived. We 'just see' that there is no reason why my neighbor's happiness should be sacrificed to my own, as we 'just see' that things which are equal to the same thing are equal to one another. If we cannot prove either axiom, that is not because they are irrational but because they are self-evident and all proofs depend on them. Their intrinsic reasonableness shines by its own light. It is because all morality is based on such self-evident principles that we say to a man, when we would recall him to right conduct, 'Be reasonable.'"
Apr 15 2012: What is the purpose of ethical analysis is a different level to what is ethical.
Its like confusing the scientific process with the theories it tests.
Surely at some point you need to define what ethics means and is about. Agree we can debate the details of this but generally ethics is about right and wrong, mostly in terms of the human perspective and our choices. Yes my view right and wrong often about the human condition, but not exclusively - animal rights for example, but it is about human conduct.
I would hope ethical analysis has an objective to reduce suffering, to improve the human condition. I suggest this could be something universally agreed whereas religious dogma is not. Yes I have an agenda here. If right and wrong comes from what is described in a an old book or from authority we will be forever stuck in medieval or bronze age values reflected in tribal gods or divine dictators.
I'd rather focus on what improves the human condition as a starting point. Isn't that a worthy basis for defining right and wrong.
The old testament says to kill those who work on the sabbath. Most modern Jews don't go around and follow these rules. They are selective
I get the Lewis argument. He probably thinks conscious is innate from god. I think it has a basis in evolution, the development of our reasoning capabilities and cultural programming. A Christian is programmed to think homosexuality is a sin. I don't.
The Taliban may have a deep belief that women are property and seducers. I don't.
If Lewis is right then our wires seem to be crossed.
I can see hopw you could argue the next step that there could be some universal conscious that is misprogrammed.
In the end we have 2 different explanations for the same behaviour.
I would suggest my view that we focus on improving the human condition is better than relying on supposedly divine and often conflicting instructions.
You need to accept the bad with the good if you rely on god given laws.
Apr 15 2012: > "I would hope ethical analysis has an objective to reduce suffering, to improve the human condition. I suggest this could be something universally agreed whereas religious dogma is not."
Lewis does not propose in "The Abolition of Man" to set up any religious dogma as the objective universal set of values he calls the Tao or "natural law." He here proposes universal human values, not specifically or explicitly religious ones and I think any open minded person who actually reads the book will see this. He argues for people to accept Christianity by appealing to their reason and free choice in his other books but in this one he is just advocating for universal human values. You don't have to agree with anything in any of his other books to agree with this one, but you do have to agree with this one to agree with anything in any of his other books.
Now I would point out that what you've proposed is not in fact universally agreed upon and I think all I have to do to demonstrate this is to give it a name. The doctrine you have proposed is called "Utilitarianism" and it is and always has been highly controversial. It also seems to have numerous incongruities with what all of us know to be right and wrong, because it excludes considerations of justice.
> "Yes I have an agenda here."
You said (and I quote) "prescription is a poor substitute for the process of reaoned ethical examination" while in the same post giving a prescription yourself. This is an internal logical contradiction in what you've said. Either prescriptive / imperative statements are what ethics is about as I've said and therefore you've made an error in calling them a "poor substitute" or else they really are a "poor substitute" and you've made an error in giving a prescription yourself.
> "I'd rather focus on what improves the human condition as a starting point. Isn't that a worthy basis for defining right and wrong."
Not really no. No offense meant, but it's ambiguous.Apr 12 2012: > "description is good for understanding"
That may be so. However there is a difference between attempts to explain ethics and attempts to explain away ethics. If you explain away ethics then you've destroyed the whole basis of your discourse as no one has any reason to believe you're telling the truth or that telling the truth is any better than lying.
> "prescription is a poor substitute for the process of reasoned ethical examination particularly for complex issues in a changing world."
How can a house be a substitute for it's foundations?
Apr 14 2012: I think that you shot yourself in the foot. Prescription means something like "by mandate," but Lewis (and presumably you), are arguing for "reasonable," yet equate it with they being "self-evident." But saying that something is self-evident means that it is "naturally true." Thus ethics are declared as natural, thus ethics would be descriptive: "that's the way it is," rather than prescriptive: "you should do this because I say so."
I think this is one big source of most of the confusion in your arguments. I don't think this "idea" will go anywhere else, but continuing confusion.
Be well.
Apr 15 2012: See "Moral Realism" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moral_realismApr 16 2012: The stuff about moral realism does not solve the problem with your "prescriptive" versus "descriptive" terminology, which I suspect might be a false dichotomy. (Did you notice in this wikipedia article that some supporters of moral realism realize the origin of our tendencies towards morality in our evolutionary history?)
Apr 16 2012: First of all, there is no such thing as evolutionary history. There is a reason they call it "prehistoric." There is evolutionary prehistoric speculation and that's all. With no time machine and no sociological or emotional data recorded before recorded history, we have no clue, none. Read G. K. Chesterton's "The Everlasting Man" for his comments about "the Cave Man." (BTW, I'm not Catholic so I don't necessarily share all of Chesterton's views)
Second, there are exclusively descriptive statements but I don't think there are exclusively prescriptive statements. All prescriptive statements do seem to contain descriptive elements. But these comments about ethics like de Waal makes suggests that we can somehow built an ethical framework from the fact that we have certain instincts or the fact that our instincts developed in a certain way. (which are exclusively descriptive facts and not values) No we can't, because without a prescriptive premise, we will not get any ethical statements at all.Apr 16 2012: First of all, of course there is evolutionary history. I don't think that your arguing for semantics will help it. I call it history because it is history, recorded in writing or not. I don't care about Chesterton. For scientific information I consult scientific work, not creationist propaganda. So thanks for the suggestion, but no thanks.
Second, whether there are exclusively prescriptive statements is beside the point(s). You're idea is confusing and seems a lot like a false dichotomy. Also, you mistake the issue of some scientist finding morality, or ethics, whatever, in other animals, with an intention to developing our ethics based exclusively on instincts, or to suggest that our ethics come from such instincts alone, as if our evolutionary history did not include things other than instincts, and as if our overall history did not include our development of cultures. Let me repeat for the Nth time: figuring out where our "principles" have come from, their biological roots so to speak, is not the same as proposing that we should use the most basic of such origins as the sole and single way for developing our ethics. Suggesting that such a thing is what is been proposed is but an oversimplification. Probably an intentional mischaracterization, a straw-man. Most surely that's what Lewis does (demolishing straw-men), if what you present in that video comes from Lewis himself. After all, that's Lewis's M.O.
Apr 17 2012: > "For scientific information I consult scientific work, not creationist propaganda."
Chesterton, as a Catholic, leaned toward a theistic evolution perspective and not a literal Creationist perspective. His beef with Darwinism was it's misapplication to philosophy particularly regarding ethics and anthropology. To describe his works as "Creationist propoganda" on par with the present Evangelical Creationist establishment in the United States is unfair and indicative of someone who hasn't actually read Chesterton.
When it comes to telling the future, which is what Lewis largely does in "The Abolition of Man" there is a fine line between using a reductio ad absurdum argument (like George Orwell who followed on from Lewis's "That Hideous Strength" with his "1984") and setting up a straw-man. Is Orwell's "Big Brother" a straw-man, or it is an intentional parody of the basic direction of collectivist totalitarian statism carried to it's logical extremes? I think it would be fair to characterize the great 20th century dystopian writers (Huxley, Lewis, Orwell, Rand) as setting up intentional parody more than straw-men of current thinkers. Lewis anticipates the rise of post-modernism decades ahead of timeApr 17 2012: Look Benjamin,
If you insert Chesterton into your denial of there being an evolutionary history (look at your comment please), and I go check info about the book and find it to be "a two-part history of mankind, Christ, and Christianity," I can't but think that this book will be creationist propaganda, even if not of the fundamentalist kind. After re-reading your previous answers, along with your new comment, I suppose that I made a partial mistake, but that the mistake was justified.
Orwell's is clearly what it is, while Lewis is clearly straw-manizing with the intent not to pay any attention to, or completely deny, the role of nature in our overall development. I see no reason to set up a "reductio ad absurdum" if you are going to paint a position that is not really held. Scientists investigating on the origins of our basic predispositions will feel offended that her/his position has been taken to places where it did not intend to go, such as your continuing insistence on thinking that because we recognize the origins of our inclinations in our evolutionary history we are thus proposing to develop ethics solely on the basis of instincts (and not just the instincts being recognized, but every kind of instincts to make the cartoon worse). That's beyond absurd, and if you think that such is a valid discourse, then what about I cartoon your position-which I still don't have very clear, but what the heck-and call my cartoon a reductio ad absurdum and never let you out of it, just as you insist on putting my comments into your cartoon?
So what about we stop talking past each other? I think that you are proposing that there is a set of axioms, indispensable for developing ethics. You seem to think that finding ethical/moral behaviour in animals that might point to our basic instincts, means that such research proposes the development of our ethics on instincts alone, thus perhaps denying your axioms. Is this a fair summary? If not let me know.
Apr 18 2012: I'm saying arguing that animal behavior is moral or immoral rather than amoral reduces ethics to a non-rational and purely subjective status, excluding the possibility of any absolute universal truths in prescriptive ethics. Because instincts are non-rational and if ethics are founded in instinct then that implies they are founded in the non-rational.
This also has self-defeating implications for science. Scientists are only able to work together under what purports to be an absolute universal ethic that assumes values of intellectual honesty and objectivity. If this ethic is just a subjective feeling or attitude derived from instinct rather than a rational principle perceived to be not just felt, but merited, then we lose all reason to trust what any other scientist or any other person says.Apr 18 2012: Benjamin,
I think I got it. Let's see:
1. You think that if animals other than humans can have morality, automatically whatever we think of morality/ethics is necessarily non-rational and subjective.
2. You also think that for there to be ethics it has to be based on "absolute universal truths."
3. You think that unless ethics is based on "absolute universal truths" there is no value on anything, so scientists should become all irrational and stop doing anything with honesty. Or, only with such "universal absolute truths" can we trust anything anybody does. Again, nothing can be "absolute universal truth" if any animal can have some basic version of it.
4. Is it fair to say that to you anything other animals can have in common with us becomes automatically subjective and meaningless?
Is that a fair summary now? Did I understand your point(s)?
(I am so tempted to start asking questions, but better wait. If you confirm can we take one at a time?)Apr 14 2012: Agree.
If we are looking for some charter - some code of conduct, we will fail.
In opperation the context of our decisions is local to the situation.
Rules create 3 things - winners, losers and cheats. They are set up to leverage some degree of advantage.
WHat I look for are causal truths - stuff that can be traced right back into the machinery and observed to be true in every case.
Reciprocity and empathy need no rule because they is inherent in our make-up. It requires no enforcement in the healthy human. If they are failing in a human, it indicates a disease that should be addressed.
I don't mind dogma or codes of conduct - but only insofar as they identify generalities that require a lot more examiniation before they can be trusted. One must treat them with the utmost of suspicion because the error contained in the assumptions is the fuel of exploit and unballanced advantage taking.
IF the word "ethics" is to be successfully incorporated in any productive discourse, we must first understand teh dynamics of "advantage" .. before that is defined, there can be no honest statement that uses the word "ethics". And when you hear it you should pry open the mouth that uttered it to look for the liar. SAme with the word "god".
Apr 15 2012: I agree Mitch. Divine law. Inalienable rights. Decided by men or supposedly by various gods or religious different gods - we need to very careful.
In my opinion belief in absolute divine instructions is one of the terrible byproducts of religion.
From no blood transfusions or avoiding modern medicine to entrenching inequality and tribalism.
Apr 15 2012: You could say the same thing about cars. Look at the number of auto accidents! We could reduce that number to zero by banning all automobiles.Apr 15 2012: Benjamin, Cars are a physical reality - we can certainly discuss them as there are no assumptions and all is there to examine. I have done my best to analyse your proposition from a number of different angles. But the word "ethics" is structuraly rendered imaginary by virtue of unresolved assumptions imbedded in the concept.
What I do find, however, is that all terms that propose constraint of future acts are attempts to influence the agency of a living thing. One has to gain absolute perception of motive, and motive is, by nature, inaccessible. Therefore unreliable. To use some shade of "ethic" to influence the examination of motive is a further channel for corruption of clarity.
I bring your attention to the key words "ought" and "ban". These demonstrate a desire for agressive over-rides of the free agency of individuals, I must assume that your motives are to enhance your own personal advantage at the expense of the rest of humanity.
In this light, I can say - firstly, there is no "Real" ethics - only imaginary self-classifications that are referred to as "ethics" and that this reference is neither DEscriptive nor PREscriptive - it is PROscriptive.
And for the record, I have as a matter of conscience, not owned an automobile for some years now - my physical health has improved greatly through this. SImilarly, the removal of television from my life has contributed to improved mental health.
There is much in our community that we can do very well without.
My attention is now on religion, law and money - I suspect they are all superfluous in the healthy human. But I will not make conclusion until my analysis is published and undergoes critique.
I hope this helps your journey - I applaud your effort!Apr 16 2012: > "firstly, there is no "Real" ethics"
OK then, if I meet you, I can kill you. End of discussion.
Mitch SMith
Apr 16 2012: HEya Obey No1,
- +1
Highly recomend you change your handle from a statement to a person.
It will help by being vulnerable - those who attack you make themselves as naked as your name - by their violation of you - that all can see for what it is - and then real discourse happens. And then you claim your power.
And your power is your regard and love for others.
Benjamin is lost in dogma, He does not truly know who he is, he uses faulty semantic logic and makes videos about his delusions .. this is a call for guidance.
IT may be that he lacks the machinery of empathy .. usually this is the sociopath, the psychopath or the unresolved autistic. They all talk of absolutes of domination. THe cutting of the Gourdian knot.
But the Gourdian knot must be unravelled - no sword can do this task. Only empathy can do it.
We have a long way to go and not much time.
We start with our self.
I have some math and some good insight to see that it is by refering to our core self that all things are done.
I do hope that BEn finds his way out .. it's just local minima after all ;)
Apr 16 2012: Hello children and welcome to Informal Logic 101. Today we're going to learn about the "Ad Hominem Fallacy" ...
Apr 16 2012: Ben, ethics is all "hominem".
And you are right - it is a falacy.
This always happens with words that are based on unresolved assumptions - they are like the orouborus - the head goes seeking, but finds only its tail.
The seeking is necessary - much can be found, but when the concept collapses, you have a better idea of teh core assumption - and that is where the seeking must turn next.
In this we talk "about". The words inscribe a circle around the mystery, but cannot enter it.
The topic was always about you.
WE all have this propensity to say "what if" .. it is an essential and intrinsic part of how we function. However, "what if" is not "is". and the endless loop of "what if" always finds itself trapped in absolutes and extremes.
However, life is not about extremes, it is about balances.
If you meet me, sure, killing me is an option, but you won't do that - it simply won't serve your advantage.
The word which the great Orouborus of "ethics" circumscribes is the word "advantage". THat is the mystery that you must unravel in your quest.
I think you will do well.Apr 17 2012: No point in arguing with Mitch Smith. Given that there is no common ground, no real ethics and thus no humanity, the only way to deal with such a creature would be force on the brute animal level. Which means since there is no immediate issue making that force necessary, not dealing with him at all is the answer. If TED had a way to mute somebody, I'd have muted him already.Apr 16 2012: > "Can I ask - is there a difference between "beware" and "do not"?"
"Beware" is still short for "You should beware.'
To try to get rid of all moral judgements is inhuman.
Generally speaking, domination or in other words, lack of respect for people's free agency is wrong. Calling it wrong isn't dominating others. Moral judgements are an essential part of clear thinking.Apr 16 2012: > "Tell me exactly where do I suggest that we should forget reason before developing our ethics. That I can point to the "environments" or "circumstances" that lead to our evolution of some basic instincts does not mean that I suggest in any way that in order to develop our ethics we should forget reason. Does it?"
Ethics being reducible to animal instincts doesn't leave room for saying we "should" do anything. That's the problem.
> "That I can recognize our origins, our evolutionary history, our relationship with the rest of nature, does not mean I propose the dismissal of reason either. Does it?"
You do seem to have embraced a theory that excludes any possibility of reason itself being not merely useful but true. Evolution could only provide useful, not true.
Apr 16 2012: Benjamin,
Show me exactly where did I reduce ethics to animal instincts. The reduction only happens in your straw-man, not in the science. So, for the N+1 time: finding basic instincts towards empathy, for example, and explanations about how these developed through evolutionary history does not mean that we have all it takes for ethics to develop within those instincts. It just means finding basic instincts underlying our tendencies and the possibility for those principles that you love as axioms. Clear enough now? There is much more to ethics than the instincts below its roots. Ethics is still a long way forward (or upward, whatever).
Reading Plantinga instead of science won't help you much if you are going to discuss evolution (if you got Plantinga's argument directly from him, who knows, it could have been a third source). To discuss evolution you have to understand science. Philosophy about science without the proper scientific knowledge is mere mental masturbation.Apr 15 2012: I am afraid you are conflating (confusing?) ethics and morality. Many philosophers have done the same through history. The two, however, are not the same.
Although I have my own quarrels with de Waal and believe he has a tendency to exaggerate the implications and to read way too much into the evidence he offers, I do want to point out that he was not talking about ethics in chimpanzees and other non-human species. He was talking about a "moral sensibility" and I don't believe he made any claim that a sense of morality was rooted only in instinct.
Yes, I agree with you that ethics is rule-based and thus prescriptive. That's why we hold members of various professions (such as doctors, lawyers and others) to "ethical" (but not "moral") standards such as those set forth in each profession's adopted code of professional conduct. So when a lawyer, say, acts unethically by disclosing a privileged communication from a client to a third party, that lawyer is subject to disciplinary action and possible disbarment. We don't, however, discipline doctors or lawyers professionally when they act immorally by, for example, cheating on their spouses
Morality is a much broader concept than ethics and is neither prescriptive nor descriptive. It asks us to have compassion (not pity) and to put ourselves psychologically and emotionally in the position of the other.
Two philosophers, Simone Weil (the radical French Marxist atheist who later became a Christian mystic) and Iris Murdoch (the Oxford don and novelist) each wrote very beautiful, and I think very insightful, essays on moral thought and awareness. Simone Weil's concept of "attention" to others as described, for example, in her essay "The Love of God and Affliction" is very powerful and moving, even for a non-believer like me.
Bottom line: I think you and de Waal are talking past one another that only adds to the confusion.Apr 15 2012: > "Ethics is a way-up-there word that simply means "the kinda guy you are"."
It most certainly does not! In that case, it would be impossible for someone to ever behave unethically.
Seriously ... start, first chapter, Coleridge at the waterfall, yeah. http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/lewis/abolition1.htmApr 14 2012: HAve another look at this one - I think it will help:
Here is the basis of "empathy". The mutually static nature of the physical "self" is the starting point for all human communication.
Our "instincts" are all at the service of maintaining the optimal body state - with the exception of the sex drive.
Whatever actions we take in the world must all work to optimise our body state or we will die.
In this way, instinct is the absolute basis of "morality" (if such a word has any meaning whatsoever).
It is by our mutual acknowledgement of the instincts in each other that defines us as social animals.Apr 13 2012: WHen you say the word "ethics" it's like describing ants from a hot air balloon.
Ethics is a way-up-there word that simply means "the kinda guy you are".
If you want to use pseudo math to describe such generalisations, you would do better to say:
Ethics = (mutual advantage / personal advantage). Which, although still rubbish, is far more succinct than what Either Jesus or Confusious had to say about it. And even more succinct still, you could simply say Ethics = reciprocity.
To do any better than that, you will have to get into the detail.
The detail resides in the machinery - and it is no more than machinery. Certainly, it is wonderful machinery, but none the less.
The machinery consists of how the social animal expands the field of perception in the individual - by co-opting the perceptions of others through communication.
It is the quality of that communhication (by word and deed) that determines the quality of the ethic.
If you infer some kind of ideal in the word "ethic" then it would translate to a consistency of low-noise communication on the part of the individual. However, the individual can contrive to falsify such consistency - a thing we call "reputation". Falsification of such kinds requires concealment. In this way, a person can be regarded as a reliable "pillar of society" with all the benefits of high ethical regard, but in secret be a vile paedophile.
It is in the quality of our expanded perceptive field that our agency is enhanced - good information leads to effective results. An ethical communication will result in increased agency in the other - this is the basis of reciprocity. And it's just machinery.
On top of this, all communication is facilitated through resonant empathetic pairs - they exist only in your head. It is true tha matched empathetic pairs converge between individuals, but will never attain perfect convergence - the senses are noisy, the cognitive machinery is noisy and the motor systems are noisy.
Ethics = least error.


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Product Information
- Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Fly n Slide Clubhouse from Fisher-Price
- Part of the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse brand
- We recommend this product for ages 2 and up
What It Is
The Disney Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Fly 'n Slide Clubhouse comes with 2.75-inch Mickey and Minnie figures that sit and stand on their own, a see-saw, telescope, table, and two chairs. Some fun interactive features include a door that opens and a trapdoor. When you push down on the purple platform, Mickey or Minnie drop down the chute and reappear through the Toodles door on the slide platform. Kids can help the figures down the slide, sit them in the chairs, or have them play on the seesaw. There is also a plane for kids to manually fly Mickey or Minnie around the playset. The plane is detachable so it can be played with anywhere. However, since it is detachable, it's a little flimsy and doesn't feel that sturdy when it's attached to the clubhouse. There's also a handle on top for portable play.
Is It Fun?
As far as playsets go, this one is pretty basic. It doesn't light up or make sounds, but it does offer lots of imaginative play. Kids will have fun bringing the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to life in their very own home. Fans can reenact favorite scenes from the show or create their own adventures for Mickey and Minnie.
Who It's For
The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Fly 'n Slide Clubhouse is for ages 2–5.
What To Be Aware Of
It took us less than five minutes to assemble this playset using the illustrations on the bottom of the box.
In addition to the plane being flimsy, the figures always land on their heads when sliding, and the trapdoor/Toodles door doesn't work consistently. The figures get stuck inside or it sends the figures flying out instead of onto the platform. We still think fans of the show will like playing with this playset, but there are some features that could be frustrating for young kids.
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Interpretive Handbook
8324 :
Cholesteryl Esters, Serum
Clinical Information Discusses physiology, pathophysiology, and general clinical aspects, as they relate to a laboratory test
Cholesterol in the blood serum normally is 60% to 80% esterified with fatty acids, largely as a result of the action of the enzyme lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT), which circulates in the blood in association with the high-density lipoproteins. LCAT transfers an acyl group for lecithin to cholesterol.
Familial deficiency of LCAT is uncommon, usually occurring individuals of northern Europe descent, and is associated with erythrocyte abnormalities (target cells) and decreased (20% or less) esterification of plasma cholesterol. This is associated with early atherosclerosis, corneal opacification, hyperlipidemia, and mild hemolytic anemia.
Persons with liver disease may have impaired formation of LCAT and, therefore, a secondary deficiency of this enzyme and of esterified plasma cholesterol.
Useful For Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful
Establishing a diagnosis of lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency
Evaluating the extent of metabolic disturbance by bile stasis or liver disease
Interpretation Provides information to assist in interpretation of the test results
In patients with lecithin-cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency, the concentration of unesterified cholesterol in serum may increase 2 to 5 times the normal value, resulting in a decrease in esterified serum cholesterol to 20% or less of the total serum cholesterol.
Cautions Discusses conditions that may cause diagnostic confusion, including improper specimen collection and handling, inappropriate test selection, and interfering substances
Cholesteryl ester storage disease in a severe form can be fatal before the age of 1 year (Wolman's disease), and in some cases may be undetected until adulthood in less severe forms. This defect is caused by a deficiency of a lysosomal enzyme, acid cholesteryl ester hydrolase (also known as acid lipase). It causes accumulation of cholesteryl esters in tissues, but it has no effect on the percentage of cholesterol that circulates in esterified form in the blood serum. Detection of the defect requires careful evaluation of the cholesteryl ester hydrolase activity and cholesteryl ester content of leukocytes, cultured fibroblasts, and liver biopsy.
Reference Values Describes reference intervals and additional information for interpretation of test results. May include intervals based on age and sex when appropriate. Intervals are Mayo-derived, unless otherwise designated. If an interpretive report is provided, the reference value field will state this.
60-80% of total cholesterol
Reference values have not been established for patients that are <16 years of age.
Clinical References Provides recommendations for further in-depth reading of a clinical nature
Glomset JA, Assmann G, Gjone E, Norum KR: Lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase deficiency and fish eye disease. In The Metabolic Basis of Inherited Disease. Seventh edition. Edited by CR Scriver, AL Beaudet, WS Sly, D Valle. New York, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1995, pp 1933-1951