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Home>Livestock>Animal Health
President Trump impeached for second time
Better Senecavirus tests provide better surveillance tool
TAGS: Animal Welfare
South Dakota State University/Diego Diel
Vesicle caused by Senecavirus A on the snout of an experimentally infected finisher pig, six days post-infection.
The development of these antibody tests will soon give veterinarians another tool in SVA surveillance.
By Russ Daly and Steve Lawson, South Dakota State University
Clinical problems due to Senecavirus A, formerly known as Seneca Valley Virus, have quickly expanded from sporadic oddities in far-flung groups of pigs to well-established infections throughout the pig-producing world. The virus is implicated in outbreaks of vesicular (blister-like) sores on snouts and feet of growing pigs, as well as increased mortality in baby pigs.
While SVA can cause these production losses, it's perhaps even more problematic because of how its clinical signs are identical to foot-and-mouth disease. When vesicles pop up in pig populations, they need to be investigated with the urgency of a foreign animal disease. This makes diagnosis of SVA — and its proper differentiation from FMD — a critical need for regulatory and clinical veterinarians.
The veterinary diagnostic community, including the South Dakota Animal Disease Research and Diagnostic Laboratory, quickly responded to the emergence of SVA by developing molecular-based polymerase chain reaction testing to detect the virus in tissue samples and swabs from affected pigs. This test has been widely adopted by veterinary diagnostic laboratories and has greatly aided veterinarians in sorting out vesicular problems in pigs.
The PCR testing process, however, can be involved and relatively expensive, and depends upon the immediate presence of the virus (or its nucleic acid) in the tested population. What if there were diagnostic methods for SVA that were less expensive and could detect ongoing — maybe even subclinical — exposures, therefore better lending themselves to use for routine and regular surveillance?
That's where serology comes into play — the detection of antibodies in the animal's bloodstream, indicating previous exposure to a disease agent. Serologic tests for SVA are rapidly being developed, and much of that work is being done by researchers at the SD ADRDL, including a team consisting of Steve Lawson, Eric Nelson, Diego Diel, Aaron Singrey, Travis Clement and Jane Hennings.
By definition, serologic tests indicate the presence of antibodies in a sample by taking advantage of the very specific, very strong bond between the antibody and an antigen (a germ, or more typically, a protein molecule specific to that germ). This interaction then has to "made visual," often through the addition of fluorescent markers to the test components.
The work that goes into developing an accurate serologic test cannot be overestimated, especially for emerging pathogens such as SVA.
Researchers must first work with the virus itself, in order to find the specific portions, often structural proteins, of the virus that are the best "targets" for antibodies. In this case, SDSU researchers took the whole genome sequence of a typical SVA strain and compared it to the sequences of different picornaviruses (the family containing SVA). This step ensured that the SVA test would only identify SVA and not other closely related viruses. After these SVA-specific proteins are identified, they're "manufactured" by cloning specific nucleic acid from the SVA into E. coli vectors, which produce the proteins in large enough quantities to use in test development.
Then it falls to a lot of trial-and-error to see which of these protein candidates work the best in a test to detect antibodies. Useful in this process are real-world serum samples from pigs that have gone through SVA outbreaks, as well as from pigs on farms that have never seen the virus. In the case of the SDSU work, a structural protein known as VP2 became the best candidate to use in serology.
The SDSU group is working on several different serologic tests, including virus neutralization, indirect fluorescent antibody, competitive ELISA, fluorescent microsphere immunoassay, as well as others. Most of these use the purified SVA proteins in various arrangements with antibodies and fluorescent markers or enzymes to visualize antibody in a sample. All of these tests have their own plusses and minuses, with the virus neutralization tests in general showing the best specificity (fewer false positives) and the ability to detect an SVA-positive animal in as little as five to seven days post-infection. Work continues on refining the other methods, particularly the ELISA tests that can be more efficiently automated.
The development of these antibody tests will soon give veterinarians another tool in SVA surveillance. Serologic testing is also critical for manufacturers testing SVA vaccine candidates, and offshoots of the test development process such as monoclonal antibodies are important in diagnostic processes such as virus isolation. As time goes on, researchers continue to refine these tests to make them more and more applicable to all of us trying to sort out this confounding virus.
Keep Senecavirus on your radar
SHIC provides Senecavirus A insight
Senecavirus strain change has industry watching closely
Senecavirus A cases outbreak in packing plants


We're finally back. 2017-2018 Truman Anime Club officially started 25 minutes ago!
The final meeting is May 5th. I hope you come and enjoy it with us. CANDY PRIZE is available to be won at the Oh No! hour game!!!
Ongoing anime is starting today Feb 17, 2017. The winners from the vote are Danmachi, and Baccano! Come and enjoy them with us.
Have a nice winter break and come back rested and ready for more Anime Club! We'll miss you!
Hi everyone T-shirt voting will be this friday October 7th, come to club and vote!


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Nicholas W. Allard (born October 4, 1952) is an American attorney and founding Dean of the Jacksonville University College of Law.

Biography
Allard grew up in Northport, Long Island, New York, and in Suffern, New York. He was inspired to go to law school when as a child he watched To Kill a Mockingbird at a drive-in movie theater. Allard graduated with an A.B. from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University in 1974 after completing a 311-page long senior thesis titled "Assessing Community Corrections: The Promise and Pitfalls of Neighborhood Residential Treatment Centers." He then studied at Merton College, University of Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar and received an M.A. in politics, philosophy and economics in 1976. He went on to study at Yale Law School, where he received a J.D. in 1979.

Allard was a law clerk for Chief Judge Robert Francis Peckham of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, and for Judge Patricia Wald of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. He then worked for Senators Edward Kennedy (1983–1986) and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (1986–1987).

He was a partner at Latham & Watkins, where he chaired the firm's Government Relations Group through 2005. Allard then served as chair of the Public Policy Department and co-chair of the Government Advocacy Practice Group at Patton Boggs.

Allard served as the eighth dean of Brooklyn Law School from 2012 to 2018, and as president from 2014 to 2018. Allard is Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, and teaches courses on Government Advocacy, Privacy Law in a Digital World, and Introduction to Legal Process. He also serves as senior counsel in the public policy and regulation practice at Dentons law firm since 2015. In December 2018 the law school announced its intention to establish the Nicholas W. Allard Chair in Global Legal Studies, in recognition of Allard's legacy of global engagement.

He was named on the City & State 2017 "Brooklyn Influencers" list, received a top ranking in "Government Relations" by Chambers USA (from 2012 to 2015), was named one of D.C.'s "Top Lobbyists" by The Hill (from 2008 to 2013), was on the Super Lawyers list of The Washington Post (2012 to 2015), and received a Hermes Award for Contribution to Study of Communications from the Syracuse University College of Law. Allard has published scholarly articles on internet law, new media, and privacy.

In July 2022, the Jacksonville University College of Law announced that Allard would serve as its inaugural Dean.

References

External links
Nicholas W. Allard (Winter 2015). "A Dean Grows in Brooklyn," 46 University of Toledo Law Review 273.
Nicholas W. Allard (March 17, 2017). "Intolerance Must Not be Tolerated," Times of Israel.
Nicholas W. Allard (Winter 2017). "Nonsense You Say," 48 University of Toledo Law Review 189.
Nicholas W. Allard (Winter 2019). "Love's Labors Found," 50 University of Toledo Law Review 199.
Nick Allard (July 18, 2019). "Former Brooklyn Law School Dean Nick Allard Shares Poignant Letter to Grandson at Russian Forum," Brooklyn Daily Eagle.

Yale Law School alumni
Princeton School of Public and International Affairs alumni
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Brooklyn Law School faculty
Deans of Brooklyn Law School
1952 births
Living people
People from Ramapo, New York
People from Suffern, New York
People from Northport, New York
American expatriates in the United Kingdom
Lawyers from Washington, D.C.
New York (state) lawyers
American Rhodes Scholars
Alumni of Merton College, Oxford

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The Snakes & Ladders dress creates an unexpected synergy with its feminine silhouette and exclusive reptilian inspired digital print satin. A sculpted bodice with an empire waistline adds definition with ruching and frill details. Finished with a peplum hemline, this midi style is an effortless summer piece that combines both relaxed and tailored elements.


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Sundance Coverage International Reviews Indie Interviews Festival Videos All Reviews
August 10 2015, 12:01 PM
Review: STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, An Artful And Entertaining Musical Biopic
Christopher Bourne
Featured Critic; New York City, New York
"You are now about to witness the strength of street knowledge." So begins the title track of NWA's seminal 1988 album Straight Outta Compton, a hip-hop landmark that almost single-handedly changed the direction of the art form. The making of this album, the experiences of its creators, and the social and political circumstances that served as a Petri dish for the genesis of this influential work, are given visceral dramatic force in F. Gary Gray's artful and entertaining biopic Straight Outta Compton.
NWA's ethos was all about confrontation and brash, swaggering braggadocio, from their name - which stood for "Niggaz Wit Attitudes" - to the subject matter of their songs, which vividly and cinematically described life in the drug and crime-ridden streets of Compton, California, where violent death seemingly lurked around every corner, and the police served as a domestic occupying army. "I'm a journalist just like you," NWA's chief lyricist Ice Cube (played by O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Cube's real life son) tells a clueless, superficial interviewer at one point in the film.
This statement succinctly expresses what made Straight Outta Compton sound so vital, visceral, almost revolutionary, not to mention deeply frightening to many observers, especially many white folks and law enforcement. This was the soundtrack to insurrection, the cri de coeur of oppressed people living in severely economically depressed circumstances, where practically the only prosperous people around were the local drug dealers. Chuck D of Public Enemy famously called rap music "Black America's CNN," and NWA most certainly took this sentiment to heart.
Parents were especially horrified to learn that this was what their kids were listening to. If the one fleeting reference to masturbation on one track of Prince's Purple Rain caused enough outrage to engender Tipper Gore's Parents Music Resource Center, then surely the entirety of the Straight Outta Compton album induced heart attacks. Appropriately, the typography of the film's title on screen and on posters is identical to those of the parental advisory stickers adopted by the music industry as a result of congressional legislation proposed by the PMRC.
The film clearly understands the value of NWA's art in terms of its reportage. It pertinently points out that while the mass media called NWA's music "gangsta rap," that's not what they themselves called it. Instead, their term for it was "reality rap." In this way, the film serves the important revisionist service of revealing the appellation of "gangsta rap" for the flippant, trivializing, and stereotyping term it is. The fact that rappers later embraced the "gangsta" label (including the members of NWA themselves) doesn't mitigate the term's descriptive inadequacy and its misunderstanding of this music.
Besides the music - which is beautifully detailed in many scenes and a few montage sequences - the most powerful scenes of the film depict the notoriously draconian methods the LAPD used to control ordinary citizens, especially those in poor black neighborhoods like Compton. In our current times, when people like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, and Sandra Bland have become household names for the most tragic reasons, the scenes showing how the police treated those under their control will resonate deeply with many viewers for obvious reasons.
These issues with the police, of course, impacted the members of NWA personally. One example of this occurs in the film's opening pre-credits sequence where, in a scene that recalls Gray's previous films Set It Off and The Italian Job, neighborhood drug dealer Eric "Eazy-E" Wright (Jason Mitchell), after a tense stand-off with some clients, runs to escape a police raid that includes a battering ram, which knocks a woman into a wall. (This use of military grade weaponry by local police departments, of course, was a major issue in the case of Ferguson, Missouri.)
Another example is a powerful scene in which, outside of the recording studio where NWA are laying down the tracks for Straight Outta Compton, they are harassed and made to lay down on the ground by cops (led by a black officer) who assume they are gangbangers. The efforts of their manager Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti) just barely gets them out of this mess. The police scoff derisively at the very notion that these black kids are "artists," as Heller refers to them.
As the film tells it, NWA defiantly sets out to prove those cops wrong by recording their most incendiary track, "Fuck Tha Police." This searing clarion call, which hasn't aged one iota in the nearly 30 years since its creation, was what put them on the FBI's radar and truly made them public enemy number one in the eyes of law enforcement. This culminates in another thrilling scene, at a Detroit concert where NWA defiantly violates the local cops' edict against doing the song. This leads to the group getting arrested and audience members rioting.
However, it must also be acknowledged that along with all this bold truthfulness, and fearlessly telling it like it is, there existed a great deal of casual misogyny, and homophobia as well. As much as the album still holds up - especially Ice Cube and Eazy-E's charisma and verbal dexterity, as well as Dr. Dre's consummate producing skills, already evident this early in his career - this misogyny is an inextricable element in the fabric of NWA's worldview.
Straight Outta Compton admirably strives to be a warts-and-all portrait of its subjects, which doesn't shy away from their personal failings, such as Eazy-E's collusion with Jerry Heller to cheat the rest of the group (especially Ice Cube) of their rightful earnings, as well as NWA's tendency to resort to violence as a way to resolve issues. Unfortunately, this forthrightness doesn't extend to depicting the ways they treated women. The women in the lives of the group are mostly marginalized and kept on the sidelines, from the anonymous groupies populating hotel rooms and beach parties, to Dre's angry wife leaving him, and Eazy-E's widow standing by his side as he's dying from AIDS.
Sometimes the misogyny is even played for laughs, as in one scene when an armed angry boyfriend storms NWA's hotel room party searching for his paramour. The failure to effectively critique or interrogate NWA's misogyny - or worse, its apparent disinterest in doing so - is Straight Outta Compton's biggest weakness. In this context, the omission of Dr. Dre's assault against TV host Dee Barnes is especially egregious, and is indicative of the tendency toward hagiography which often afflicts biopics, and which Straight Outta Compton is by no means immune to.
The structure and stylistic contours of Straight Outta Compton mostly follow that of the standard biopic. In a very straightforward, linear fashion it goes through all the main points of the NWA historical timeline: Eazy-E meeting with Dr. Dre and Ice Cube, and using his drug money to start their record label, Ruthless; their meeting with Jerry Heller and distribution deal with Priority Records, whose biggest act up to then was the California Raisins; the recording of their first single "Boyz-n-the-Hood" (with Eazy-E on vocals) and the subsequent full-length album Straight Outta Compton; their rapid rise and exploding popularity; their harassment by the FBI as a result of "Fuck Tha Police"; their dissolution as Ice Cube and then Dr. Dre leave the group over money issues; the firing of Heller and a reconciliation and planned reunion which is cut short by Eazy-E's death from AIDS.
So don't look for Straight Outta Compton to reinvent the biopic wheel. The beauty of the film lies is in its lovingly recreated details, and how evocatively it paints the picture of the time period in which it is set. F. Gary Gray's spirited, lively direction, Matthew Libatique's wonderfully burnished and textured cinematography which nicely captures both the grit and glamour of NWA's story, and Jonathan Herman and Andrea Berloff's meticulous screenplay help to create a compelling and skillfully crafted work.
The main actors, all relative newcomers, are instrumental in bringing this vital tale to vivid life. O'Shea Jackson, Jr., making his screen debut as Ice Cube, uncannily evokes his father's charisma, gestures, and demeanor. But this is no mere impersonation; Jackson fully embodies the role and demonstrates real talent that will augur well in future roles. Corey Hawkins (as Andre "Dr. Dre" Young) and Aldis Hodge (as Lorenzo "MC Ren" Patterson) are also fine in their roles, but the biggest impression is made by Jason Mitchell's excellent turn as Eric "Eazy-E" Wright. Mitchell near-perfectly captures the swagger and supreme Napoleon-esque confidence that made up for Wright's diminutive stature. He also affectingly yet subtly nails the notes that marked Eazy-E's tragic succumbing to the HIV virus.
Straight Outta Compton, in the end, is far more than merely the story of a rap group. It presents a vibrant portrait of a time and a place, and events that could very well have happened yesterday. Police brutality, poverty, friendship, betrayal, music, and art come together in an indelibly memorable way in this essential movie.
Straight Outta Compton opens in theaters on August 14.
Jonathan Herman (screenplay)
Andrea Berloff (screenplay)
S. Leigh Savidge (story)
Alan Wenkus (story)
Andrea Berloff (story)
O'Shea Jackson Jr.
Jason Mitchell
Neil Brown Jr.
Corey HawkinsF. Gary GrayJason MitchellNWAO'Shea Jackson Jr.Straight Outta ComptonJonathan HermanAndrea BerloffS. Leigh SavidgeAlan WenkusNeil Brown Jr.BiographyCrimeDrama
More about Straight Outta Compton
NYC Happenings: "Set It Off: LA Hip-Hop On Film" Revisits 90s West Coast Rap In The Wake Of STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
Destroy All Monsters: Universal's Monster Movies Ate The Summer Of 2015
STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON: Watch The Red Band Trailer

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Watching any of the 24/7 news channels can be real nauseating as hosts and commentators, depending on their political bent, will say and spin anything, even switching gears in midstream just to benefit their party of choice.
I recently detailed my close observations on radio/TV host Sean Hannity and chronologically demonstrated that he truly lacks a solid belief system, or a core.
Of course, Hannity is not alone, he is just a real obvious example. Then there are those linked to a party who are general unknowns, but express their thoughts on social media and an observer can gauge from a relatively short time how positions and rhetoric changes, again demonstrating a lack of a core.
One example is former South Florida Republican US House candidate and current co-host at The Truth Is Out There-Voice of the People Radio Show, Joe Goldner.
Goldner is a fixture on social media and just a few short months ago, he continually blasted current Republican Presidential nominee, Donald Trump. Equivalent to Glenn Beck, Goldner was so deep in bed with Ted Cruz, to the point where it was sickening. He defended Cruz on every point and battled against Trumpsters with a great deal of enthusiasm.
I AM SICK AND TIRED OF LISTENING TO TRUMP SUPPORTERS TRYING TO TELL ME THAT AT LEAST TRUMP IS NOT AS BAD AS HILLARY!
HOW SO AND MORE IMPORTANTLY___ SO WHAT?
Is he honest?- NO! Is he ethical?- NO! Is he moral?-NO! Does he have principles?-NO! Does he have scruples?-NO! Is he fit to be America's President?-NO! Is he a Conservative or even really a Republican?-NO! Does he have integrity?- NO! does he oppose abortion?-NO! Is he willing to abide by the Constitution? NO! Does he oppose amnesty for illegal Aliens?-No! Is he mentally stable?-NO! Is he supported by the majority of his own Party?-NO? Is he someone who obeys the law of the land?-NO! If he trustworthy?- NO! Do the American People respect him?-NO! Do the majority of the American people even like him-NO! Is he a President that we and our children can look up to and admire? NO! Does he support the 2nd Amendment unconditionally?-NO! Does he support the 1st Amendment- NO! Do we know for certain that he will only appoint Conservatives to the SCOTUS?-NO! Does he have self control?-NO! Does he have any experience?-NO! Has he ran a clean honest campaign-NO! Does he even have a clue?-NO!
IS HE AN CORRUPT UNSTABLE PSYCHOPATHIC LIAR?- YES!
Am I going to vote for him?-HELL NO!
Pretty harsh–unethical, dishonest, no integrity, an unstable pathological liar…clearly the "conservative" mouthpiece did not think Mr Trump was worthy of much of anything, clearly not his vote.
Just a few days later, Goldner again made it very clear what he thought of Trump writing, NO ROCKET SCIENCE needed to realize Trump is a fraud! See the meme he posted on Facebook a few months ago to the left to see how Goldner felt about Trump supporters. Wow, a lot has changed!
Yesterday, he writes about Trump supporters–Trump Supporters are AMAZING!!
Goldner writes Trump sounds like John Kerry. he is a disgrace for that comment. We can stop this idiot at the convention. All the delegates , I mean all of them must follow the rules and vote who ever is the right person to be Commander in Chief even on the first ballot. Trump with this statement disqualifies him from that post.
On June 7, he effectively compared Trump to Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders–350 MILLION Americans and THIS (as things stand now) is the best we could do? A possible election between two whining liberals? Thank GOD I have enough sense to vote for a true Constitutional Conservative!#NEVERTRUMP, #NEVERHILLARY, #NEVERBERNIE. And by the way…don't be blaming me…I didn't get EITHER of these liberals to the nomination.
Goldner has attacked Trump on the Constitution and the Bible– Trumpsters sold their Constitutional Rights to a man named Donald Trump who has not studied the Constitution or Bill of Rights! Let alone read the Word of God!
On Trump's treatment of women and an interview published with Barbara Bush several months ago, Goldner wrote: None of this would be happening if Trump did not trashed Bush and the family on public TV . Trump also has a long history of trashing women , just ask the women that worked for him in the past.
Just yesterday, he wrote on a social media account: Concerning abuse and treatment of women–everything that is happening to Trump right now is a hoax , a fairy tale, a con job to discredit him because he will defeat Hillary and they know it so this is the lie.
Good grief!! Politics is such phony-baloney nonsense and the shame is people put so much faith in these candidates and political parties as if it will make any discernible difference.
Goldner, now on the Trump train (not clear what changed, has all those points he made above changed about Mr Trump?). I get it that Hillary Clinton is bad, very bad, but Goldner talked about Trump very clearly just a few months ago of how terrible he is, and he sounded very definitive.
Not clear what changed. Is Trump a real conservative now? Do we now know for certain he'll appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court now? Does Trump now support the 1st and 2nd amendments?
Apparently, Goldner thinks Trump had some magical Constitutional epiphany and is a totally different candidate from June. Or maybe Goldner, like Hannity, has no core.
Last words from Joe Goldner as of Saturday–Trump is what the people want. It is a movement and this record proves it. Get on board the Trump Train now! Vote for Donald J trump for President on November 8th.
Ted Cruz: Does he believe in bailouts or not?
What do I want from the President?


TYWKIWDBI ("Tai-Wiki-Widbee"): Illustrations from "The Red Tree"
I highly recommend his book "The Arrival", a beautiful and moving story about immigration.
Requested from the library. Tx, John.
I cannot recommend this book enough. I teach ESL to refugees with very little English language skills and many are illiterate. This book is always a hit and sparks conversations.
The evocative illustrations, coupled with one sentence, reminds me of The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg - it's one of my favorites.
I second John's recommendation of The Arrival.
Normally I clean up the blog by deleting accidentally-doubled comments, but in this case I'll leave the first one there so that your reply will continue to make sense and amuse people.
Blogworthy. Thank you, anonymous person.


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About Those Poll-Driven Centrists
by Ed Kilgore, May 18th, 2007 12:01 PM EST
In his contribution to the TAPPED/Third Way colloquoy on the 2006 elections (see my last post), Ezra Klein goes off into a digression about the alleged "obsession" of centrist groups with polling, adding this unhelpful "hunch" about its origins:
My hunch is that both liberals and conservative intuitively understand that their philosophies have a certain instinctual resonance with the broader public, while the DLC-types are similarly aware that nobody-but-nobody wakes up in the morning yearning for a ruling class of reflexively cautious technocrats, and so they spend endless time trying to prove their support among voter's heads because they know they're not in sync with their guts.
This being a broadly-held and (to me) maddening stereotype of "centrist" Democrats, I'm going to try to go through this real calm-like.First of all, there's a big difference in importance and reliability between "polls" and "exit polls," since the former are subject to all sorts of hidden agendas, differential methodologies, questioning techniques, and timing issues, while the latter, while hardly flawless, provide a common factual base for discussion about how and why people have actually voted. The Third Way report is based on exit polls, and whatever you think of it, ought to be debated and critiqued, not dismissed as representing some sort of invidious attempt to cook the books and justify the unjustifiable.Second of all, Ezra's impressions notwithstanding, it's just not true that "DLC-types," as he calls them, spend "endless time" conducting and analyzing polls while those good, principled liberals wouldn't descend to such pedantry. Looking around the blogosphere, I see endless discussion of polls and endless assertions about electoral trends; there's a reason so many progressive bloggers can claim to be far more interested in winning elections than in any liberal ideology. Meanwhile, the DLC has conducted exactly one poll in the last four years. It was on attitudes towards globalization and it produced results that didn't nicely reinforce any "centrist" point of view. And third of all, the whole invidious head/gut distinction Ezra cites is, well, rather obviously anti-intellectual. It reminds me a lot of the debates back in the 1980s over the relevance of the statistical analysis of baseball, with baseball "traditionalists," especially in MLB itself, endlessly dismissing the geeks who hadn't played the game themselves and thus needed their silly statistics to claim a place at the table with the professionals who knew the game in their "gut."As pioneering baseball analyst Bill James often observed at the time, everyone connected to baseball carried around certain assumptions about what mattered in measuring success and failure; the difference was that "traditionalists" valued less-reliable stats like batting averages and RBI, because they knew them to be right in their "gut," while others actually wanted to find other measurements that told a larger and more accurate story, based on empirical evidence.And so it also goes in political analysis. I don't know about Ezra, but in the run-up to the 2006 elections, I must have read fifteen newspaper columns, thirty magazine articles, and maybe 100 blog posts asserting that there were no longer any such thing as "swing voters," and that this would be a "base mobilization" election in which differential turnout patterns, not persuasion, would be critical. With the frequent and honorable exception of MyDD's Chris Bowers, few of these "analysts" bothered to offer much in the way of empirical data for this claim, before or after the election. They apparently knew it in their "gut." I see no reason to assume there's some sort of conflict between having ideological principles and being interested in public opinion research. As for the suggestion that "centrists" are so out of touch with the hearts and values of Democrats that they have to rely on sophistry in an effort to get them to betray their principles–well, it must be nice to just know, in your gut, that you are the values-bearer of the progressive tradition and that others aren't, without having to look at any contrary evidence (e.g., that a sizable majority of Democratic voters, for some perverse reason, persistently identify themselves as "moderate" or "conservative," not "liberal," or that "DLC-type" Bill Clinton is adored by the Democratic base). As it happens, I'm never been happy with the "centrist" label, and don't consider myself squarely in any intra-Democratic "camp." But when anyone in the party comes forward with a fact-based case for a point of view about policy or politics, I'm willing to look at it without immediately deriding their credibility or doubting their motives.


We have created a 2019 ranking of the best colleges in Indiana that offer Entertainment degrees to help you find a school that fits your needs. Each school's ranking is based on the compilation of our data from reliable government sources, student surveys, college graduate interviews, and editorial review. In addition, you can view our entire list of all 3 Entertainment schools located within Indiana. We also provide reviews, facts, and questions and answers for schools on our site and offer you access to get valuable information from colleges and universities today.
Butler University offers 2 Entertainment Degree programs. It's a medium sized private university in a large city. In 2015, 22 students graduated in the study area of Entertainment with students earning 22 Bachelor's degrees.
Valparaiso University offers 1 Entertainment Degree program. It's a medium sized private university in a large suburb. In 2015, 10 students graduated in the study area of Entertainment with students earning 10 Master's degrees.
Marian University offers 0 Entertainment Degree programs. It's a small private university in a large city.


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Punjab beats Haryana as Bhajji grabs 4 in Vijay Hazare Trophy
4 March, 2017 Mannat Sibal
Punjab's very own skipper Harbhajan Singh put in a match-winning shift as he picked four wickets to lead Punjab to a five-wicket win over Haryana in a Vijay Hazare Trophy Group A match in New Delhi on Friday. Harbhajan ended with figures of four for 33 as Punjab bowled out Haryana for a total of 196. Gurkeerat Singh Mann then scored an unbeaten 91 to help Punjab chase down the total with 50 balls to spare. This is Punjab's third win in five games.
The win for the Harbhajan-led side means that they still stay in the reckoning for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Batting first, Haryana could score only 196 as Harbhajan's four wicket burst left them reeling at 129 for 7 from a relatively comfortable 75 for 1.
Punjab got the runs in 41.4 overs with Gurkeerat again anchoring the chase with an unbeaten 91 off 86 balls studded with 14 boundaries.
All of Harbhajan's four wickets were LBWs as he extracted good bounce from the Palam strip.
Chaitanya Bishnoi (38) got an off break while Shivam Chauhan (1) was done in by a straighter one. Rahul Dagar failed to read Harbhajan's straighter one.
His final wicket was former India teammate Joginder Sharma (0) caught plumb in front without troubling the scorers.
Harbhajan's final figures read 10-1-33-4.
Punjab were also in trouble at one stage with 75 for four as Yuvraj Singh (8) was cleaned up by Harshal Patel as he was beaten for pace.
But Gurkeerat kept his cool during the chase and it was a comfortable win in the end.
"It was good to get a four-wicket haul. The tournament has gone well for me so far as I have been economical in four of the five games. Hopefully we can beat Odisha and qualify for the knockouts," Harbhajan said after the match.


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Maintainability
Performance (including Braking Performance)
For zero-emission vehicles, the Fuel Economy test measures the vehicle's energy efficiency and its driving range on a fully-charged energy storage system. Zero-emission vehicles are not subject to the Emissions test.
2.0 Partial Testing
The FTA allows variants of bus models that previously completed full testing, and are subsequently produced with major changes, to undergo Partial Testing. When a bus model is eligible for Partial Testing, only those tests in which the data may be expected to be significantly different from the original test data need to be performed. The remaining test data that would not be expected to be significantly different is then obtained from the prior Bus Testing Report on the original bus configuration.
Even if a variant of a previously-tested bus model is eligible for Partial Testing, a manufacturer may choose to submit that new variant for full testing. Opting for full testing offers benefits including avoiding the time required for FTA review of partial testing requirements and making the reporting on that bus model clearer and easier to use. The FTA encourages full testing for variants of older bus models that do not have a Pass/Fail Bus Testing Report.
The essential criteria for determining which test procedures (if any) are required under a Partial Test, is:
Which test data could reasonably be expected to be significantly different if that test procedure is performed on the revised model?
A partial list of changes that might result in different data and could require additional testing includes major changes in:
Overall vehicle dimensions, weights, or weight distribution
Primary structural material(s)
Major load paths
Number, size, and/or configuration of doors, windows, lifts, ramps, or other structural discontinuities
Propulsion system
Number, location, and or powering of axles
Primary components, especially ones that have not been tested in similar bus models
Pre-sale modifications by a final-stage manufacturer to a chassis produced by a third party
When an FTA recipient acquires a bus model covered by a Partial Bus Testing Report, the recipient must certify that it possess not only the Partial Testing Report, but also the "baseline" full Bus Testing Report that describes the previously-tested bus model that the new version is based on. In some cases, the recipient may also need to obtain one or more full and/or partial testing report(s) of similar bus(es) that taken together present all the data that would have been included in a full test report of the bus model in question. The reports required in these cases may be specified in an FTA determination provided to the bus manufacturer. Recipients should verify the basis of a manufacturer's claim that a bus model has satisfied Bus Testing requirements.
2.1 Determining Partial Testing Eligibility and Requirements
49 CFR § 665.7(b) says, "In dealing with a bus manufacturer or dealer, the recipient [emphasis added] shall be responsible for determining whether a vehicle to be acquired requires full testing or partial testing or has already satisfied the requirements of this part. A bus manufacturer or recipient may request guidance from FTA."
If, after reviewing the information on this page and website, you still have questions about Partial Testing requirements for a bus model, you can submit a request for a determination of testing requirements using the FTA Bus Testing Portal.
Sometimes a bus is eligible for Partial Testing but due to the impact of the changes made, FTA would expect different data in most or all of the individual test procedures. In such cases, FTA may determine that Full Testing is required.
If a manufacturer anticipates that Partial (or Full) Testing of the new configuration may be required, they can save time by seeking an authorization to test the bus in the same inquiry, if the required details of the test unit bus can be provided to FTA. See the Determinations and Authorizations page for guidance.
2.2 Minimizing Overall Testing of Related Bus Models
While specific situations may be different, manufacturers that plan to offer a range of variants of a bus model can sometimes reduce the overall amount of testing required by beginning with full testing of the variant that is:
Longer/larger
Has the greatest passenger capacity
Has more weight on the roof/higher center of gravity
Is made of stainless steel (rather than mild steel)
Has a powertrain that provides greater power and/or torque
Has the greatest fuel tank and/or battery capacity
Has a greater number of and/or larger body openings (doors, windows, etc.), wheelchair lifts, and/or ramps
These configurations are more likely to represent a "worst-case" configuration. While any change that could result in significantly different data will trigger a requirement for additional testing, FTA generally considers a change that may reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on the data that would be collected from additional testing to be more significant than a change that might reasonably be expected to result in a favorable effect. For example, moving weight from low in the bus to the roof or vice versa would both affect the stability of the bus (as measured by the Safety test). However, moving the weight higher would adversely affect stability and would likely require repeating the Safety test, while moving the weight lower would favorably affect stability and probably would not require repeating the Safety test.
2.3 Family of Vehicles
The FTA generally permits a manufacturer of a bus body that has been tested on one unmodified third-party chassis to offer the same or closely related body built on another similar unmodified third-party chassis that has been tested at the Bus Testing Center (on one of its own similar buses or on a competitor's similar bus), without requiring additional testing. This "Family of Vehicles" policy is limited to buses in the 4-year and 5-year service life categories only.
Consistent with FTA's "worst-case" policy for determining whether additional testing is required, manufacturers should test the longest and heaviest (overall length and wheelbase) version of a bus model in order to minimize requirements for additional testing.
3.0 Buses not Subject to FTA Bus Testing
Mass-produced vans are thoroughly tested by the manufacturer. Therefore, unmodified mass-produced vans are exempted from FTA Bus Testing, but only in the 4-year, 100,000-mile service life category. Unmodified mass-produced vans offered in the 5-year, 150,000-mile (or higher) service life category are subject to FTA Bus Testing.
The FTA only requires a Bus Testing Report for buses that are acquired with FTA grant funding.
Last updated: Tuesday, April 12, 2022


Very nice and cosy place. The staff was so nice to us. Would definitely recommend.
Wait time for starters was way too long.
Starters were nice - main courses not as good.
The waiting time was quite long even the restaurant was not really full. However, the waitress was helpful to make sure that the food coming as soon as possible. The angus burger was lack of balance, bigger meat but lack of cheese and flavour. The steak was soft but a bit cold. Frites was homemade and nice. Overall rate is 6.5 out of 10.
We had a lunch at thoms. Very nice atmosphere, with nice variety of chairs and tables. Staff is very friendly. Although openend only last week they managed to ask for drinks and food and serve them on time. I took the runderlende, which was very tender and had a nice flavor. Truffle sauce combination was good. Bread was very difficult to cut though. My partner took the burger which came on a lovely tomato salsa, with a poached egg and bacon. Meat had a nice smokey taste (because of the special roasting technique).


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Posts Tagged 'Buff Stadium'
We Once Had a Home Where the Buffalo Roamed
"You Can't Roller Skate in a Buffalo Herd!"
It was good to see Randy Harvey of the Houston Chronicle check in today on the side of doing something with the Astrodome other than tearing it down for more McNair/Rodeo parking space. His commentary is on the front page of the Sports Section in this morning's Sunday, June 9, 2013 Houston Chronicle.
Perhaps, we may draw some lessons from the last great demolition of a venerable baseball park in Houston, and I don't mean Colt Stadium, that fry-your-brains-in-the-sun skillet of a temporary venue that served as home to the new Houston big league club for three seasons from 1962 to 1964. The place wasn't here long enough to have earned "venerable" as an attributed state of its emotional attraction to fans, nor was it ever intended as anything other than a game site drooling pad for fans to watch major league baseball (of sorts) as they also watched the birth of the Astrodome over a 36-month gestation period.
No. I'm talking about the loss of Buff Stadium, home of the Houston Buffs from 1928 through 1961. Not counting the three Texas League World War II seasons in which no Buff games were played (1943-45), Buff/Busch Stadium served as home of Buffs league play for 31 active seasons.
31 seasons was long enough for the patina of all that is venerable to have settled deeply into place cam over time to watch the fates of Buffs baseball rise and fall and rise again, over time.
When "Buff" Stadium went down to the wrecking ball in 1962, Houston was still neck-deep in the psyche of tear-it-down-and-build-a-parking-lot in almost every instance of anything "old", but it escaped total ignominy because the baseball friendly Finger family bought the stadium and grounds for a new furniture store on the Gulf Freeway at Cullen that would include a new sports museum within the new facility. It was also built in an area that included an accurately retained spot where home plate at the ballpark actually still resided.
It was great. We almost forgot, at first, that we had lost the ballpark. Then the newness of this fairly good idea began to wear down. Long before curator Tom Kennedy came on board to breed new, dynamic life into the artifact displays at the Finger's Museum, people began to tire of seeing the same old things each time they visited.
If you had seen it a few times in the 1960's, you'd only have seen it grow slowly as the place began to add football and basketball items as it tried to become the "Houston Sports Museum." There was nothing churning at the museum that would inspire a taste for return visits and this was happening at the same time that the furniture-shopping baseball public was beginning to shop differently and elsewhere.
Baseball historian, writer, and curator Tom Kennedy arrived in time to restore the museum beautifully, and dynamically, with the help of multi-media basic disks and recordings to its baseball roots, but the timing was unfortunate. The furniture store site was not working and would have to close, taking the museum with it.
The Finger family, aided by Mr. Kennedy, are now in the process of looking at ways to re-open the museum in some conjunctive partnership with the Sugarland Skeeters independent baseball organization.
My stadium point is much simpler. When Buff Stadium went down, it was lucky to have had anything done in its memory. The Finger family deserves the credit here, even if their desire to save the heart of Buff Stadium history was eventually consumed by other business realities. It went down because back in 1962, Buff Stadium was about the past and only the Astrodome was about the future. Today Buff Stadium might have survived to have served some other end, perhaps, as an athletic facility site for the neighboring UH program.
And today the developers do a little more public relations dancing in Houston before they call in the old wrecking ball. They have to. The voices of savvy, politically connected preservationists are alive and growing into a force of some reckoning power.
If you are among those who want to see the Astrodome preserved, pay attention to what's going on in the near days to come – and especially to how Commissioners Court words any referendum they may propose to the voters.
Tags:Astrodome Future, Buff Stadium, Randy Harvey Astrodome Article
A Buff Stadium Pictorial
Houston Sports Museum (on site of old Buff Stadium)
Buffalo/Buff Stadium was located on what is now the site of Finger Furniture Store on the Gulf Freeway at Cullen Boulevard. This ballpark was the home of the minor league Houston Buffs from 1928 through 1961. Technically, it was renamed by Cardinals/Buff owner August Busch in his own family image in 1953, but few of us old-time Buff fans ever made the emotional change to the full acceptance of its new identity as Busch Stadium from 1953 through 1961.
The mural featured above, plus a nice display of memorabilia from the era of the Buffs is on display at the Houston Sports Museum located in the Finger store. In fact, the original site of home plate is commemorated in place on the floor there. Drop inside sometime and take a look at the place and its collection of materials on Houston's professional sports history.
Buff Stadium Home Plate Site at Houston Sports Museum.
First Opening Day, Buff Stadium, April 11, 1928.
Buff Stadium, 1928: Check out the buffalos on the left field wall.
Game Day, 1930s & 1940s.
Field of Dreams, From Early On.
Night Ball Lighted Buff Stadium through the Great Depression.
Lights Awakened Summer Nights of the 1950s too.
Note the circles above the front entrance to Buff Stadium.
Those eighty 36″ metal circles were medallions that each featured a buffalo silhouette. There were a total of eighty spread along the exterior walls of the ballpark and, when they tore old Buff Stadium down in 1963, they fell like a clanging steel rain upon the concrete surface below. Those that survived were sold for four dollars a piece to the few persons who showed up to watch Houston go through an everyday act of work for that era. It was called "tearing down the past to make room for the future."
One of the survivors. Close to all my memories. Close to all in my heart.
Houston has changed. We still aren't perfect and never will be, but we now live a more invested idea of preserving and restoring the past. If we were not that way, many of us would not be so upset today that Houston has been denied the opportunity of keeping one of the space shuttles as an artifact of our deep history with NASA and the space program. Those forces of community outrage weren't so strong on the day they tore Buff Stadium down and threw out the Buffs as our historic baseball identity.
Sometimes our best energies are spent on researching and discerning the truth about our various local histories, whether its our legacy from baseball or space exploration. Good research and reporting live at the heart of historic restoration and preservation – and each serves the end of any honest museum and hall of historic commemoration that is ever built on any deserving subject.
That statement will either mean everything to you or it won't matter at all. Find your category and move on from there.
Tags:Baseball, Buff Stadium, culture, History
Ballpark Fences: The Art of the Distance.
The prevailing wind at Buff Stadium came from right field. Check the flag for proof.
When baseball promoters started fencing in their ballparks in the late 19th century, it wasn't so their players would have home run distances to shoot for. They were just trying to make sure that any crank or fan who watched their product on the field had a purchased ticket for the privilege. As most of you know, baseballs did not travel all that hard and fast during the pre-cork center days. Incredibly faraway acreage also dominated most outfields, except in certain parks, but that was OK. Baseball venues traditionally have been built to fit the land available. It's one of the great urban culture stories about why baseball is the game it is. Once you get past Cartwright's ninety feet distances between the diamond of bases to cover for a score, almost all other space-length marks, including the distance of the pitching rubber to home plate, have remained in flux.
Unlike most other sports, unless you include golf, baseball is built around variants to time and space that are unheard of in, say, football. The length of games and the total size of the playing space is always at variance from game to game, day to day, and place to place.
When Buff Stadium opened on April 11, 1928 as the sparkling new model for minor league baseball park development, the place featured incredibly distant fences as the hitting challenge for power hitters. It was 344 feet down both lines and 430 feet to dead center, a much better place for line drive gap hitters than it was as a breeding tank for any of the new Ruth-copying sluggers. Remember, the Yankees had built the original Yankee Stadium only five years earlier in 1923 with Babe Ruth in mind. Their right field distance down the line was only 297 feet, some 47 feet nearer home plate than the closest right field distance at 1928's Buff Stadium.
Buff' Stadium's right field distance in the 1950s had "shrunk" to 325 feet.
In addition to the distance, a couple of other factors worked against left-handed batters at Buff Stadium. One of these is clearly visible in the first feature photo of the old ballpark and that was the prevailing wind. The Gulf of Mexico breezes blew in from the south across the right field wall like a steady gale throughout the summer months. Sometimes they blew straight in to home plate. Most of the time they took a right field to left field course, as is clearly shown by the straight out position of the center field flag. With high fly balls to right, you could sometimes see the effects best from the first base stands. What began as a sure-sounding homer to right would suddenly hang in the air before changing course, depending on the exact wind direction, either further to center field as an easy fly out – or back toward the infield as a Candlestick Park like fly ball out. Some of those catches were interesting. Buff Stadium simply lacked the constant swirl of the bay winds. Thank God.
Sometimes the prevailing winds at Buff Stadium helped a few home runs to left, but, most of the time, they were more of a factor in blowing balls foul that were hit down the left field line.
The other factor that worked against home run hitting early at Buff Stadium was the fact the Buffs started playing night games there on July 22, 1930. The early lighting was OK for its time, but some of the players of that era complained that they couldn't see the ball as well at night. How much of that complaint was truth and how much of it was players coming up with another excuse for bad hitting is lost in time. All I Know is that I played on some night fields that were far worse lighted than Buff Stadium ever was. Sad to say, but badly lighted night baseball neither significantly helped my pitching nor hurt my batting over what it was in the bright of day. Sometimes things just are what they are.
By 1938, Buff Stadium fence distances had crept even higher to 340 feet in center and 345 feet down the lines. After World War II, new President Allen Russell quietly adjusted things to the needs of power hitters like Jerry Witte and Larry Miggins. Right field in this photo is only 325 feet from home. The same distance to left was shortened to 330 feet. Center settled in to about 424 feet. They could have come in closer down the middle, but nobody wanted to lose the flagpole from the playing area in center field.
Buff Stadium had character. As the character of the game changed, the face of the old ballpark took a few beauty lifts with the changing times as well.
One ongoing problem in Houston existed as younger players worked their way up to Houston from New Iberia of the Evangeline League. This vignette is the best argument I've ever encountered about why big league clubs need to be very careful where their raw recruits are starting out.
The New Iberia Cardinals of the 1930s played their home games in a football stadium. Home plate was located somewhere near the 50-yard line, leaving the players to play on a field that was under 300 feet to center field and about 600 feet to left and right. The dimensions taught batters to hit straight away and influenced pitchers to hope batters would pull the ball. These traits then had to be corrected once the players reached Houston.
Red Munger and Howie Pollet both came to Houston from New Iberia. Red used to say that the manager there tried to steer them away from those local tendencies, but he also admitted that it wasn't easy. "When you're standing on that mound," Red liked to say, "you never forgot that the wall in center was less than 300 feet away."
I could go on all day. The art of the distance at various ballparks has many stories to tell. We will re-visit the topic here again sometime. Before then, I hope you will leave us with some of your own thoughts on the matter of outfield distances. That's what the comment section below is all about. The more we dialogue, the more we will be able to carry a topic to other levels of consideration.
The sun is hining. Spring is coming. Have a great day too with this thought: Opening Day 2010 is less than three weeks away!
And not just "by the way," – HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
Tags:Baseball, Buff Stadium, History
Seems Like Old Times.
Buff Stadium in Middle Right of Gulf Freeway, Early 1950s.
It was located four miles east of downtown Houston. When its first Opening Day came around on April 11, 1928, many Houstonians still grumbled over the fact that Buffalo Stadium, the new baseball home of the Houston Buffs had been built so far out in the sticks from the city. West End Park, after all, had been right there on Andrews Street, off Smith, near where almost everybody lived back in the booming 1920s. The old park may have found its way to some dilapidation and it may have offered inadequate seating capacity, but it was close. And close counted for something back in the pre-freeway days.
The city had rallied to the travel problem by making sure that rail service to the new ballpark from downtown was easy to use. Union Station, the current home site of Minute Maid Mark, in fact, was one primary place to catch the ballgame train that went out to Buff Stadium on what was then known as St. Bernard Avenue in 1928. That same thoroughfare is called Cullen Boulevard these days. It's been Cullen so long now that hardly anyone alive still remembers it by its earlier identity.
Buff Stadium was the brain child of Cardinals General Manager Branch Rickey. Buffs President Fred Ankenman oversaw the ballpark's construction in 1927-28, bringing in the project on budget at a cost of $400,000 much harder dollars then the kind we see today. Mr. Rickey even came down from St. Louis on the train to attend the 1928 grand opening of the new ballpark in Houston and he brought Baseball Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis with him. Judge Landis was most impressed too, pronouncing the new Buff Stadium as the finest new minor league baseball park in America.
Landis's favorable impressions were important to Rickey. Rickey hoped to soften the old man's heart from the idea that major league ownership of minor league clubs was bad business for the local community. The original 8,000 seat Buff Stadium stood as a symbol of progress and improvement in Houston minor league baseball under Cardinal ownership. To some extent, Rickey had accomplished his mission in bringing Landis to Houston in April 1928. Nothing ever really cured the contentious relationship between these two men, as Rickey would learn years later when Landis freed Pete Reiser and a few others from reserve clause capture by the St. Louis Cardinals, but that's a story for another day.
Look at the Houston skyline in the picture. The Gulf and Esperson buildings were still the icons of Houston architecture in the 1950s – and that freeway and its rascally pal roadways had only begun to play their role in Houston's massive spread to the hinterlands.
The Houstonians of 1928 thought that the four-mile trip to Buff Stadium from downtown was a major expedition. Today we drive four miles just to reach a Whataburger or rent a DVD movie. So where's all this progress we keep talking about?
Tags:Baseball, Buff Stadium, History, Houston, Houston Buffs
Houston, Baseball, & Other Musings.


Stunning home with abundance of living space!
This two-storey home is located walking distance to the shops, transport, and Bounty Boulevard School. With established and beautiful gardens, you are sure to feel tucked away on holiday!
The high ceilings upon entering make the property feel bright and airy. There is a large study or formal lounge room at the front and the hall opens to the kitchen, living and dining with access to the covered alfresco and private garden. The kitchen has heaps of bench and cupboard space with a stainless-steel chefs' oven and windows that overlook the beautiful backyard. The dining and living area are all tiled for easy cleaning and will easily fit a large 10 seat dining table.
Upstairs opens to another living area or kids retreat with beautiful views across to the city. All 4 bedrooms are generously sized with built ins and ceiling fans. The master bedroom makes a king size bed look small and the ensuite offers plenty of room with his and hers sinks.
There is ducted air con and ceiling fans throughout the property so you'll be able to stay cool in the summer months. The backyard is lined with established palms which offer privacy and shade. The feature water fountain also adds to the space, so you are sure to want to entertain!
Contact us today to organise your inspection as this is sure to tick your boxes! 07 3180 2800 or 0452 189 878.


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Fighters From Syria, Weapons From Iran CausingProblems in Iraq, Pentagon Report Says
WASHINGTON – Despite increased counterterrorism efforts by Damascus, as much as 90 percent of the foreign fighters in Iraq cross the border from Syria, according to a Pentagon report that says Iran's support for Shiite militants also is hurting efforts to improve Iraq security.
As those external pressures dog coalition and Iraqi forces, the government of Iraq is also hamstrung by internal corruption and persistent problems getting basic services to the people, the report said.
The Defense Department's quarterly report on progress in Iraq, released Tuesday, said that militants continue to find safe havens and logistical support in Syria.
"It is not clear that Syria has made a strategic decision to deal with foreign terrorists using Syria as a transit point into Iraq," said the report, which covers events from December through February.
In late January, Iraqi officials suggested that about 150 foreign and Iraqi fighters slipped into the country from Syria a few months earlier and were responsible for a devastating explosion in northern Iraq that killed at least 38 people and wounded more than 200.
On the other border, meanwhile, Tehran's support for Shiite militant groups remains a sizable threat to stability in Iraq. The report asserts that the Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, still provides much of the explosives for the militants.
Several military commanders in recent weeks have said that despite recent promises by Tehran to help promote stability in Iraq, there is continued evidence that Iran is training and funding Shiite extremists.
During a recent visit to Iraq, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad dismissed the allegations and said instead that the U.S. presence there was the problem.
The Pentagon report reflects the ongoing decline in violence in Iraq, bolstered by last year's increase in U.S. forces and the continuing growth of the Iraqi troops.
But while it specifically points to improved security conditions in Anbar Province, Baghdad and some surrounding areas, it also said al-Qaida remains strong in parts of the Tigris River Valley and in Ninewa Province.
Al-Qaida members, it said, have been targeting key figures in the groups of Sunni tribesman that have joined to fight the terrorists. The U.S.-funded groups are called the Sons of Iraq, and the report said they numbered about 91,000, with more than 71,000 being Sunni and the remainder Shiite.
Overcoming corruption in the government, the judiciary and prison systems continue to be key challenges. And the Iraqi government is still struggling to provide basic services to its citizens. Electricity demands have grown and — as of the report date — outpaced supplies by 57 percent.
While electricity generation hit a record high in December, it then dropped sharply in January due to maintenance and fuel distribution problems.
In related testimony on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, auditors told Congress that Iraq isn't spending much of its own money, despite soaring oil revenues that are pushing the country toward a massive budget surplus.
The expected surplus comes as the U.S. continues to invest billions of dollars in rebuilding Iraq and faces a financial squeeze domestically because of record oil prices.
"The Iraqis have a budget surplus," said U.S. Comptroller General David Walker. "We have a huge budget deficit. ... One of the questions is who should be paying."
Walker and the other auditors did not give a figure as to the likely surplus. U.S. officials contend that Iraq's lack of spending is due primarily to Baghdad's inability to determine where its money is needed most and how to allocate it efficiently. Two senators have called for an investigation into the matter.
Democrats say the assessment is proof that the Iraq war as a waste of time and money. The U.S. has spent more than $45 billion on rebuilding Iraq. And while officials in Iraq contend that much progress is being made, many projects remain unfinished and U.S. troops are still needed to provide security.
"They ought to be able to use some of their oil to pay for their own costs and not keep sending the bill to the United States," said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.


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Rob Fixmer
Rob Fixmer from 2005 to 2020 was the editor of Travel Weekly, responsible for overseeing Travel Weekly's editorial staff and all aspects of the news operation in print and on digital platforms. He retired from the post in March 2020 but plans to continue contributing to the publication. He began his career at his hometown newspaper, The (Madison, WI) Capital Times, upon graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. In 1986, he moved to the Dallas Times Herald as lead business writer, then served in turn as that paper's Sunday Editor, State Editor and Deputy Metro Editor.
In 1991, he joined the National Desk of the New York Times, where he served variously as Wire Editor, Assignments Editor and Weekend Editor. Four years later, he was named Cybertimes Editor, one of three staff members chosen by the Times to found the New York Times website. He returned to the newsroom in 1998 as the Times' Technology News Editor and Personal Computing columnist. Fixmer left the Times in 2000 to become Editor-in-Chief of Interactive Week, a leading technology trade newspaper published by Ziff Davis.
More Articles by Rob Fixmer
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https://www.travelweekly.com/Rob-Fixmer


Pools, playgrounds and beaches are just the basics when you stay at a Haven park. Add in our massive range of activities, sports facilities and free evening entertainment for every age range and you start to realise why families of all generations just keep coming back for more. Make the most of our free activities like mini fencing and seaside games or pay a little extra and get your pulse racing on our zip wires or Aerial Adventure courses. From tots to teens, mums to grannies, the hardest thing about our holidays is choosing what to do first.
We offer loads of activities for every age. Join in the fun and take your pick from a whole host of facilities and activities included in the cost of your holiday. Availability of the following activities varies from park to park.
There's a whole range of different free shows and activities to keep your little ones entertained during the day.
Thanks to the great location of our holiday parks, when you stay with Haven, you can enjoy the best beach holiday breaks in the UK. Most of our parks have direct beach access and some are within walking distance. So whether you want to lie on the beach and relax or get active with some surfing, a beach holiday with Haven offers you the perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the weather.
Make this a holiday you will never forget by filling your days with different sports, water activities and a massive choice of other fun stuff.
Whether you're grabbing a quick snack on the go, preparing a tasty picnic for the beach or settling down for a meal with your family, you have so much to choose from when it comes to food and drink at our parks.
Our takeaways and restaurants offer something for every taste and budget, so even the fussiest of eaters are catered for! And there's no need to pack house and home when you stay with Haven, we have everything you need in our on-site shop. Our Mini Market has everyday essentials plus seaside souvenirs.
Take some time out to indulge in our special relaxation and deep cleanse treatments on a UK spa break.
Let us pamper you with professional massages, manicures, facials and much more. All designed to nurture, calm and revitalise.
The authentic spa environment is at the core of the Rockley Park and Haggerston Castle experience.
Bring along your budding stars of the future to our new Futsal to Football programme.
Learn all about fossils in our new activity, dinosaur fossil casting. You'll even be able to create your own fossil and play a game of dinosaur bingo!
Elvis to the Beatles - Carnaby to California crosses the pond to get your hips shaking!
There's so much to do across our parks and plenty of it is free. From activities to evening entertainment - we've got it all covered. Plus, there are some fun things to do that cost just a little bit extra. Here's a snapshot we've pulled together of some of our favourite things to see and do in our parks.
Get your little ones behind the wheel of their own mini off-roader and watch the concentration on their faces as they tackle the twists and turns of our specially constructed track. They will love the freedom as they sit behind the steering wheel and show you how they can drive, just like mum or dad. If they can reach the pedals, they can drive!
Take a break from it all and play a round on one of our beautifully maintained golf courses. Try for an albatross – or even a hole in one – at one of our 11 parks where you can find a golf course. Clubs are available for hire and you're welcome to bring your own as well.
It's pretty much crazy golf but bigger, crazier and more exciting! Bring your putter to the green, place your ball and off you go. Be wary – there are different routes that the ball can take, and with each one having more obstacles to tackle, it might not be as easy as you think. So plan your stroke with care! This will certainly keep the novice players on par with the pros in the family.
Do you like a challenge and want to push yourself to new heights? Then this adventure is perfect for you. Climb up to the platform, and keep your safety line to hand as you watch your step on this gravity defying, adrenaline-charged high-ropes course.
Our little water vehicles look like something between a floating dodgem and a jet ski – your kids will just love riding around the pools.
Your little tadpoles can really let off some steam as they quickly turn the handles that spin the double paddlewheels of these cute and colourful boats. It's a great way to tire out particularly energetic youngsters!
Let our underwater AquaJets take your kids on a ride around the pool. As they hold on tight, they'll swiftly glide through the water, making twists and turns whilst chasing each other – you'll wish you could join in too!
Got a strong arm and steady eye? Why not become a bowman for the day? With help from our expert instructors you'll be firing like Robin Hood in no time.
Come and get creative whilst having lots of fun at the same time. Work your way around the stations making a suncatcher, doing some leaf rubbing, and maybe even painting a picture before getting stuck in to making some gloop… it's likely the grown-ups will have just as much fun as the children! You will also have the opportunity to create a fantastic take-home memory with the help of the instructor.
Come along and join in our fantastic water extravaganza where you'll be divided into teams and use the catapults to fire water balloons at the other team and their station. Be the first to hit the target on your opponent's station and set off the depth charge full of water to soak them! If you're 3 years and above you can join in (children must be accompanied by an adult) and 5 balloons per person.
Ahoy me hearties, come on board and join your pirate captain as we seek to unlock the pirates' treasure chests. Fire your water balloons, as if they be cannon, and hit the target to drench your rivals and claim the booty inside! Pieces of eight! Shiver me timbers, don't let the other team beat thee.
There's nothing better than soaking up the beautiful views whilst riding on a bike. Let the wind whip through your hair as you explore our many acres. We have big bikes, little ones, bikes with stabilisers and all the ones in between – so no one needs to be left behind.
All aboard! Become a mini skipper during your holiday at Primrose Valley, and with the help of your trusty crew roam uncharted waters across the lake.
Who doesn't love bouncing on a trampoline? We're certain your little ones will love bouncing around for ages. Get them to pop on a harness and attach the elastic bungee cord – all with our expert's help of course – and watch them reach for the sky. They can really go as wild as they wish as our bungee cord will stop them flying away, and our friendly instructors will be on hand to make sure they stay safe.
Not to be confused with the kayak, this great open-deck boat is perfect for gliding across Lakeland's beautiful lakes – an experience you can only get at this park.
Restrictions: Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Learn basic canoe/paddle skills with our friendly instructors. And once you've mastered the art of paddling your canoe, you can pit your skills against others in our fun competitions.
It's party time! But not just any old party – this is a Chocolate Party. There are lots of fun games about chocolate for your child to play, such as bingo or Chocolate Tester and there's lots of chocolatey prizes to be won. Your little one can also have a go at making their own chocolatey treats, it's going to be Choctastic!
Have a head for heights? Feeling adventurous? Our climbing walls will not only test your bravery; they're a great workout too. After being strapped into a harness, build your strength, endurance and flexibility in this great outdoor activity.
Kids, come and decorate your very own cupcake treat to take home. Our friendly instructor will show you decorating techniques, give you some coastal-themed ideas and provide you with everything you need to create your own spectacular cupcake. Sessions are split by age/ability and we offer a 3-5 years or 6-8 years session. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
Kids can make their own sand bottle in this creative coastal session. Choose a bottle/key ring/shape and fill it with different layers of coloured sand, creating a unique souvenir from your break. Accompanying adults can help to layer the sand and a label can be designed and attached to the sand creation, making it a perfect gift or memory of a special holiday.
Head to our colourful courses with your putter and scorecard in hand – it's time for some friendly competition. Navigate around the holes carefully as each one is different to the last and has its own surprises, traps and obstacles for you to overcome. Progress through and the winner could be you!
You can really take it easy at our freshwater (Blue Dolphin and Primrose Valley) and coarse fishing lakes (Allhallows, Burnham-on-Sea, Golden Sands, The Orchards and Thorpe Park). Relax on the banks and enjoy the surrounding beauty of our park – all you have to do is bring your own rod and licence along with you.
Ooh la la Mesdames et Messieurs – who's for a game of French boules? This game is available at Doniford Bay and is perfect for all the family. Unlike our traditional bowls, there's no lawn involved; it's played on sand so your technique is key. You can point, shoot or lob your boule at the jack – how continental!
Futsal Niños is a fun and exciting futsal coaching session for 3-5 year olds. Sessions will include learning the fundamentals of futsal/football, improving hand and eye coordination, teamwork, learning basic Spanish and most importantly, having fun. This is the perfect way to introduce your little one to futsal – who knows, perhaps we might discover the next Messi or Ronaldo!
Kevin de Bruyne, Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo? Bring along your budding stars of the future to our new Futsal to Football programme. It's challenging but fun. Sessions are split on age/ability and are open to 5-8 year olds and 9-12 year olds. Coaching sessions include ball skills, one-on-ones, and small sided games with rolling substitutes to keep everyone involved. Futsal originated in South America in the 1930s and is a 5-a-side game that has helped develop football superstars such as Pelé, Messi, Neymar and Ronaldo.
Think you're the next Lewis Hamilton or Jenson Button? Then take to your engines and battle for pole position. Complete with our very own go-kart tracks and tyre barriers – all you have to do is pop on your safety helmet and get behind the wheel.
Let's get physical as our friendly instructors lead your little ones through a series of fun exercises. Parents can help them balance, and encourage them to stretch, bend and jump. There's also a soft play assault course where parents can interact with their budding gymnasts. Try jelly on a plate and see how long it is before you wibble, wobble. Fun for little ones and parents alike.
Kids can become a Haven Junior Chef and create a tasty treat to take home with them. They'll choose their ingredients and make some yummy snacks such as Sweetie Pizzas, Marshmallow Pops or Jelly Beach Pots. We'll then make boxes to take them away in!
Little ones can create a tasty treat to take home with them. They'll put on their apron, choose ingredients to decorate biscuits to create teddy bear faces or a design of their choice, then make their own box to take them away in!
Climb, balance and swing your way through our mid-air high-ropes obstacle courses. It's a long way down, but you're completely safe with our harness and helmet.
Parks: Burnham-on-Sea, Cala Gran, Doniford Bay, Golden Sands and Rockley Park.
Appropriate clothing and footwear are needed.
Set off on the right foot and enjoy the thrill of a scooter ride! Our scooting activity, in partnership with Micro Scooters Limited, is great fun and gives your little ones the freedom to express themselves on the move.
Your junior racers will soon be weaving in and out of obstacles and competing against each other on the Ninebot miniPRO Segways. Let our friendly instructors help them master these amazing Segways on our fantastic sports courts or suitable all-weather surface.
Take a break from walking or driving around the park and put your pedal power to the test. Hire one of our karts and see what a nice change it makes.
Parks: Single riders are not available at Berwick, Church Farm, Combe Haven, Devon Cliffs, Far Grange, Golden Sands, Lydstep Beach, Marton Mere, Penally Court, Perran Sands, Quay West, Reighton Sands, Riviere Sands Rockley Park and Thornwick Bay.
Family riders are not available at Berwick, Combe Haven, Devon Cliffs, Far Grange, Lydstep Beach, Quay West, Reighton Sands, Rockley Park and Thornwick Bay.
Join our friendly instructors for a fun coached lake kayaking session at Primrose Valley or Lakeland. It's a great way to relax and see some of the wildlife on the parks.
You must be water confident.
Hire a kayak and using the double-bladed paddle to power you, explore the beautiful lakes at our Lakeland and Primrose Valley holiday parks. Kayaking is a very relaxing activity and a great way to see some of the wildlife on our parks. There are single and double seat kayaks to hire.
Get to grips with this brilliant water sport on our beautiful lakes at Lakeland and Primrose Valley. Join in the fun and have a go. As soon as you can co-ordinate the standing and paddling you'll be off exploring the lake.
Restrictions: Children must be accompanied by an adult and able to swim 25m unaided.
Our water sport instructors at Lakeland and Primrose Valley will take you through the basics of paddleboarding. It's then time to hit the water. You may find you end up in the water a lot as you get to grips with standing up while paddling the board, but don't worry, you'll soon get the hang of it.
Become part of a team in an attempt to score points by tagging targets in this fun outdoor game. You'll be using our awesome infrared signalling technology and covert cover where you can capture the flag and return it to base, protect the VIP from the opposing team, or even win the match!
Get all the family together, step to the rink and let's aim for the jack. This classic family sport is perfect for some light exercise. Who'll knock out all the other balls to take home the glory?
One small step for man, one giant leap for you! We'll kit you out with all of your safety gear so that you can do the steep climb up to the leap platform. Take a deep breath and look at the beautiful views. You'll need a bit of courage as you leap forward and reach for the hanging bar – will you be able to grab it?
As you know, being able to swim is a great life skill, brilliant exercise and lots of fun too. Our expert instructors will teach your tots some basic strokes to really gain confidence in the water. This session is for kids aged 4 years and over, and we do need a grown-up to come along too – your whoops of encouragement will mean a lot! We do advise you book more than one session to really make a lasting improvement.
Let our team of pre-school experts give your little ones the confidence and balance to set off on their first set of wheels. Our Balanceability programme, Learn2Bike is especially for kids between 2½ and 6 years old. You will need to stay with your little one during the session.
Sing and dance your way through a series of simple moves that build body awareness and balance with your virtual instructor. Children of all ages will love these moves specially tailored for their age – sessions are available for: 4-5, 6-7, 8-12 and 13-17-year olds. It's fun, it's original, it's action-packed, it has great music! What more could you want?
Come and join us in the Pic 'n' Paint Studio for some fun and get creative with our Mask 'n' Bobble session. Select a wooden mask from lion to a princess and bring it to life with our colourful foam clay and take it home with you.
Get your little ones swinging and leaping on their own-sized wooden Aerial Adventure as you support them in their harness. Mini Aerial Adventures are positioned just one metre above the ground, and you accompany them as they navigate the course collecting puzzle pieces which will become a great memento of their adventure.
Your little ones will love our mini sports created especially with them in mind. They can try their little hands at archery or fencing! Some parks also offer a mix of these sports and others like football. These great sports are free to enjoy but vary across parks. Who knows? We may find some future Olympians!
Your little ones will love our mini sports created especially with them in mind. They can try their little hands at archery or fencing!
Join our Rangers as we head to the beach and explore the seashore and see what wildlife we can spot. We'll give you one of our printed guides as a reference. You can learn about how plastic waste can damage the environment and how to stay safe while on the coast with our water smart message. Then we'll teach you how to use a mirror to do Morse code in case of emergencies at sea.
Join the park Ranger for a stroll to our bird hives. Put on one of our discovery packs packed with all you need for birdwatching – binoculars and an identification pack – then take a stroll with the park Ranger to the bird hives. Keep an eye out for the host reed warbler, sedge warbler and reed bunting. Children and adults alike enjoy this session. Children, please come along with a grown-up.
Creepy-crawlies to beautiful butterflies – our brainy Rangers can teach you all about them in our guided hunt for mini beasts. You can explore our parks from top to bottom, find out where the best hiding places are and discover all there is to know about a bug's life.
This is a fun session for all that will get your creative juices flowing as our Rangers guide you through the art of creating all kinds of wonderful things. From leaf art or stick creatures, to recycled creations, or even making a jellyfish or octopus – the possibilities are endless.
Essential for any young explorer – learn the ways of the forest with a little help from our expert Rangers. Find out how to create shelters with only the natural surroundings at hand.
Come and join us for a walk along the beach as our friendly Ranger takes you through a history of the dinosaurs and how they became extinct. Kids, and adults, can then create their own dinosaur sand sculpture and get everyone to try to guess what it is. Do you know your Tyrannosaurus Rex from your Stegosaurus? We have lots of pictures and interesting facts to share with you so you can impress your friends with your dinosaur knowledge.
Come along to the Nature Rockz Area where our friendly Rangers will teach you all about fossils. Then choose your favourite dinosaur fossil mould, fill it with plaster of Paris, and while you're waiting for it to dry you can take part in a fun game of dinosaur bingo!
Essential for any young explorer – learn the ways of the forest with a little help from our expert Rangers. Find out how to light a fire with only the natural surroundings at hand. There may even be a tasty treat at the end.
Come and make your own flowerpot man. Watch as his hair grows and then cut it all off again!
Fancy making a few birdies chirpy? Or giving a bat a home? With the help of our crafty Rangers you can build a home for the creatures that live in our park – or you can take it home with you to place in your own garden! Our Rangers will show you the best places to perch these habitats, so you can easily spot a robin or two.
Perfect for all the budding Van Goghs in the family, and you'll end up with your very own sunflower. Grab a brush and paint your plant pot. Let your imagination run wild with spots, stripes, flowers or even a face. When your design is finished, fill the plant pot with compost, plant a sunflower seed, take it home and then sit back and watch it grow!
Join our Rangers and let them help you create some fantastic pebble art. Can you make a cat, caterpillar or even a ladybird? Build your creation using a variety of stones of all shapes and sizes, then start painting and dazzle your friends with your amazing design. This activity costs £5 for two pebbles and the whole family can enjoy it. Kids must be with a grown-up.
Ahoy, me hearties! Grab your crew and use the clues from our Rangers to help find the items and solve the clues in our pirate treasure hunt – will you find the 'x' that marks the spot?
Discover all the different critters and creatures of our sub-aquatic pond life on selected parks. Make friends with some newts and maybe come across some snails – there's plenty to explore.
Take a deep breath of the fresh outdoor air on our free guided nature trail sessions. With our very own expert Rangers you can learn all about the wildlife that lives on our parks and along the coast, and find out about the history and the heritage of the park itself.
Want to spot a starfish, or how about a hermit crab? Then head down to the beach for a guided tour with our expert Rangers. You're sure to find plenty of wet and squidgy wildlife under those rocks!
Let our Rangers take you to the beach where you'll create your very own sand sculptures and decorate them with the best pebbles or shells you can find. Whether you want to make a giant mermaid, or something completely unique, our friendly Rangers will help you make your creation and will be sure to fill you in on a few interesting facts about the coastline too.
Create and build your own parachute cord survival bracelet. They're a must-have for all adventurers (and it looks cool too). The bracelet can be unwoven in an emergency and can be used as fishing line, sewing thread or net. During the 82nd Space Shuttle mission, the astronauts used their cords to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
Join us for fun and friendly old school games such as football, tag rugby, frisbee or rounders. It's a chance to meet other families and get some gentle exercise, and the best part is that we'll arrange it, so all you need to do is turn up! We'll work around the weather, so we could be on the sports court or sometimes we'll head to the beach.
If your kids are aged 0-4 it's likely they'll love our nursery rhyme and painting activity. Come and join us in the Pic 'n' Paint Studio, where they can listen to a popular nursery rhyme, then let them use their imagination to paint a pottery character from the rhyme, which they can take home as a treasured memory of their holiday.
Parks: Available at selected parks throughout the season.
Drift slowly across the water in a pedalo and sail at whatever speed you wish; it's so simple to control, you can go forwards, backwards, left and right. Everyone in the family is welcome, so zip up your jackets and get grandma involved in some peaceful paddling.
Restrictions: Children must be accompanied by an adult and a life jacket must be worn.
This is exactly what it says on the tin. Bring the family along to our indoor craft studio and pick out your own piece of pottery to decorate. Under 8s must be with a grown-up. You can choose between potted animals, jugs, jars and vases, then add your own creative detail by using the paint provided – you can even finish off with a glaze. Leave it to dry and collect it a little later to take home with you.
Not ready for the challenge of crazy golf just yet? Or, maybe you just want to practice before the big game? We have small grass courses where you can make short chip shots onto the green. Sounds nice and easy, don't you think? Bring along all the family; it's available all season and costs vary per park.
Grab your board and take to the water on one of our open-deck pool kayaks. We'll kit you out and show you how to get the hang of paddling about. Our pools are lovely and warm so you'll have no worries about bumping into a fish or two.
Restrictions: Guests are asked to arrive 10 minutes before the start for a safety briefing.
Come and join us in the Pic 'n' Paint Studio where you can enjoy some peace and quiet, relax and spend some quality time painting a masterpiece using paint or crystal glaze, which you can take away with you at the end of your holiday.
Everyone loves a precious memory of their nearest and dearest so why not let them turn their footprint or handprint into a lion, tractor or butterfly? Let their imagination run wild! Kids (0-8 years) can make prints and we'll turn them into memorable gifts for nan or grandad, mum or dad.
Let your imagination run wilder than a river when you design and build your own raft to sail the seven seas (or lake as we know it). Build your raft, give it a name, then have a splashing time. And don't forget to bring a change of clothes as it's very likely you'll get wet!
Participants must be water-confident and able to swim 25m unaided.
Our roller discos provide bright lights and funky tunes so you can really show off your moves.
A fun, family focused activity led by one of our friendly park Rangers. Take part in a variety of games, learn how to keep safe by the water and find out more about the RNLI.
Kids love sand, and in this fun activity they can sprinkle colourful variations to create their very own masterpiece. And the best bit is they can take their work home to treasure forever.
Whether you're big or small, tots or adults you'll be able to scoot your way around Rockley Park and Thornwick Bay exploring all those out-of-the-way places on our top-of-the-range scooters (in partnership with Micro Scooter Limited).
Calling all young budding scientists! Put on your gloves, goggles and lab coats. It's time to get stuck in at the Coastal Laboratory and take part in our range of crazy experiments. Uncover seashells, make tornados, create magical moving fish and make your very own rain cloud! It's crazy stuff. This activity is for 3–5 year olds accompanied by a grown-up.
Availability: Runs all season except for Craig Tara (runs from summer 2019†).
Hire a kayak and paddle, using the double-bladed paddle, through the waves to explore the open water alongside our Lydstep Beach and Rockley Park holiday parks. See the beauty of the coast up close as you travel along.


text:
Antonio Tudisco, AmSat, PTA, BA
Antonio earned his certification as an Alexander Technique Teacher from The Alexander Educational Center, Berkeley in 2004. In 1995, he became licensed as a Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA). In 1991 He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education from San Francisco State University, and also graduated from the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley as a Certified Acupresssure/ Massage Therapist. He continues to work in Outpatient Physical Therapy clinics throughout the Bay Area as well as maintaining his private Alexander practice with Ergobal. He also works, as needed at The Alexander Educational Center as an assistant teacher in training future Alexander Technique Teachers (since 2004). He has worked at The American Conservatory Theater (ACT) , in schools, Nursing Homes and Hospitals in San Francisco. Antonio has also assisted and conducted workshops for actors and musicians in the Bay Area and Japan, and IT workers in Bangalore, India.
His patients/pupils include injured workers, athletes, dancers, martial artists, massage therapists, actors, musicians and the elderly. Antonio has also practised the Chinese martial art Shaolin Ssu for over 30 years, played and coached soccer at both the youth and adult levels, and worked with children of all ages in both regular and mentally challenged programs in high schools, middle schools and children centers. On a personal level, the Alexander Technique has helped Antonio improve his own performance practising Shaolin, classical guitar, and percussion instruments. The Alexander Technique has also helped Antonio successfully manage his own injuries.
Antonio's eclectic experience has made him an astute and a well rounded teacher/therapist. It has enabled him to better assess the cause of pain and provide patients with a valuable platform for self care. Once discharged from Physical Therapy, private Alexander Technique lessons are recommended for those patients who wish to continue learning and advance to a higher level of performance. Antonio believes that BALance, in all spheres of life, is key to good health.
Home | Mission | What is the AT | What you learn | Benefits of AT | FAQ |
What health professional say | Applications to medical rehabilitation | CVC | MSD facts | Certification | Testimonials | Useful links
Balance results from avoiding the extremes of behavior and maintaining a life-style that is harmonious and in synchrony with one's environment. -Elliot S. Dacher, M.D.


text:
Q: adding a script-based field to an elasticSearch index mapping I am following the following docs: https://www.elastic.co/guide/en/elasticsearch/reference/current/runtime-indexed.html
I have a field which I would like to not be scripted on runtime but rather on index-time, and according to above I can do that simply by putting the field and its script inside the mapping object as normal.
Here is a simplified version of the index I'm trying to create
{
  "settings": {
    "analysis": {
      "analyzer": {
        "case_insensitive_analyzer": {
          "type": "custom",
          "filter": ["lowercase"],
          "tokenizer": "keyword"
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "mappings": {
    "properties": {
      "id": {
        "type": "text"
      },
      "events": {
        "properties": {
          "fields": {
            "type": "text"
          },
          "id": {
            "type": "text"
          },
          "event": {
            "type": "text"
          },
          "time": {
            "type": "date"
          },
          "user": {
            "type": "text"
          },
          "state": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        }
      },
      "eventLast": {
        "type": "date",
        "on_script_error": "fail",
        "script": {
          "source": "def events = doc['events']; emit(events[events.length-1].time.value"
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

I'm getting this 400 error back:
{
    "error": {
        "root_cause": [
            {
                "type": "mapper_parsing_exception",
                "reason": "unknown parameter [script] on mapper [eventLast] of type [date]"
            }
        ],
        "type": "mapper_parsing_exception",
        "reason": "Failed to parse mapping [_doc]: unknown parameter [script] on mapper [eventLast] of type [date]",
        "caused_by": {
            "type": "mapper_parsing_exception",
            "reason": "unknown parameter [script] on mapper [eventLast] of type [date]"
        }
    },
    "status": 400
}

Essentially I'm trying to create a scripted indexed field that is calculated off the last event time in the events array of the document.
Thanks

A: Tldr;
As the error states, you can not define your script in here.
There is a specific way to create runtime fields in elasticsearch.
You need to put the definition at the root of the json in the runtime object.
Solution
{
  "settings": {
    "analysis": {
      "analyzer": {
        "case_insensitive_analyzer": {
          "type": "custom",
          "filter": ["lowercase"],
          "tokenizer": "keyword"
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "runtime": {
    "eventLast": {
      "type": "date",
      "on_script_error": "fail",
      "script": {
        "source": "def events = doc['events']; emit(events[events.length-1].time.value"
      }
    }
  },
  "mappings": {
    "properties": {
      "id": {
        "type": "text"
      },
      "events": {
        "properties": {
          "fields": {
            "type": "text"
          },
          "id": {
            "type": "text"
          },
          "event": {
            "type": "text"
          },
          "time": {
            "type": "date"
          },
          "user": {
            "type": "text"
          },
          "state": {
            "type": "integer"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

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