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Tata Safari Storme On Road Price in PanipatChange
|On Road Price
|Ex Showroom Price
|RTO + Others
|Safari Storme LX 4x2 (Diesel)
|Rs. 12,83,634
|Rs. 11,00,976
Rs. 1,12,578.00
Extended Warranty
Rs. 14,100
Std. Accessories
Rs. 2,400
Other Charges
Rs. 8,000
|Rs. 70,080
|Safari Storme EX 4x2 (Diesel)
|Rs. 15,41,714
|Rs. 13,32,431
Rs. 1,31,094.00
Extended Warranty
Rs. 14,100
Std. Accessories
Rs. 2,400
Other Charges
Rs. 8,000
|Rs. 78,189
|Safari Storme VX 4x2 Varicor 400 (Diesel)
|Rs. 17,02,300
|Rs. 14,76,450
Rs. 1,42,616.00
Extended Warranty
Rs. 14,100
Std. Accessories
Rs. 2,400
Other Charges
Rs. 8,000
|Rs. 83,234
|Safari Storme VX 4x4 Varicor 400 (Diesel)
|Rs. 18,85,697
|Rs. 16,40,927
Rs. 1,55,774.00
Extended Warranty
Rs. 14,100
Std. Accessories
Rs. 2,400
Other Charges
Rs. 8,000
|Rs. 88,996
Tata Safari Storme Price in Panipat
Tata Safari Storme price in Panipat starts from Rs. 11.01 lakh (Ex-showroom) on 22nd November 2019. Check on road price (Ex-showroom + RTO + Insurance) of all Safari Storme variants in Panipat. Tata Safari Storme's top competitors are Mahindra Scorpio (price starting at Rs. 10.00 lakh in Panipat) and Mahindra XUV500 (price starting at Rs. 12.37 lakh in Panipat).
Tata Dealer Showrooms in Panipat
Metro MotorsGt Road, 112/60 Km Milestone, Indian Oil Petrol Pump, Karnal, Haryana 132037Phone : 9017810689Email : firstname.lastname@example.com, email@example.com
Aaryaman AutomobilesPlot No.64,Sec-25, Huda, Huda Ind.Area Phase-1, Panipat, Haryana 132103Phone : 7496975001 Phone : 7496975001Email : email@example.com
Price of Safari Storme Competitors
Mahindra Scorpio
Rs. 10.00 lakhScorpio On Road Price Compare with Safari Storme
Mahindra XUV500
Rs. 12.37 lakhXUV500 On Road Price Compare with Safari Storme
Tata Harrier
Rs. 13.01 lakhHarrier On Road Price Compare with Safari Storme
Tata Hexa
Rs. 13.26 lakhHexa On Road Price Compare with Safari Storme
Toyota Innova Crysta
Rs. 14.93 lakhInnova Crysta On Road Price Compare with Safari Storme
Hyundai Creta
Rs. 10.00 lakhCreta On Road Price Compare with Safari Storme
Tata Safari Storme Overview
Must Read Questions & Answers Before Buying Safari Storme
Q. Hi.. may I know about mileage and maintenance of safari?
Q. What is the service coast of Tata safari?Zigwheels | 1 year ago
The total estimated maintenance cost for 5 years is Rs. 26K. It is an approximate1figure excluding labour charges and GST. The price may vary as per the location and condition of the car.1Moreover, you may contact to the nearest authorised Tata service centre for the same as they will be the1better person to assist you in this concern. Click on the given link to get and idea about service cost :1 https://bit.ly/2Igb9qx0 Reply
Q. Is it true to TATA does not give emphasis on maintenance? How often does it break down? Is it true to that the body begins to rattle within a year or two - Safari Storme?Deepak | 1 year ago
All model with problem has been phased out there is no issue in suspension after 2 lakh km in all new vehicle safari storme, ZEST Bolt Hexa Tiago Tigor and Nexon all Tata cars have best suspension and ride quality than competition. New safari storme has been chosen by Army after testing in tough test condition1 ReplyGooGoosDad | 1 year ago
Q. Any discount in Tata employee - Safari Storme?Zigwheels | 6 months ago
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Disclaimer : The data/calculations generated herein is completely and solely based on the information/details provided herein in response to the questions specified by Girnar Software Pvt. Ltd. on its ZigWheels.com Site is only for user's convenience and information purposes in Indian Currency.Read More
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Foreign affairs: McCain, Obama view world in starkly different ways
WASHINGTON — Separated by a generation and by one's legendary military experience, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama offer voters contrasting worldviews, suggesting that they'd pursue different foreign policies as president.
With the presidential campaign overshadowed by the financial meltdown, Obama-McCain debates largely have been limited to a handful of world hot spots: the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the deterioration of Pakistan and whether to talk to Iran.
Yet on a host of other issues — such as free trade, promoting democracy abroad and dealing with the United Nations and Russia — the two candidates differ markedly in tone, if not always in substance, according to their speeches, statements and position papers.
Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden, promise a return to a traditional Democratic foreign policy that some call liberal internationalism. They favor intervention to stop ethnic slaughter, strengthening global rules against the spread of dangerous weapons and working through international organizations when possible.
McCain, who insists that he's not a clone of President Bush, indicates that he'd pursue a more robust application of U.S. power. He favors aggressive efforts to spread democracy overseas, espouses a hostile view of Russia and seems more inclined to use force and act unilaterally to deal with threats to the country.
It's impossible to predict how any candidate, once elected, will pursue world affairs. Eight years ago this month, candidate Bush promised a "humble" foreign policy — a promise that was quickly forgotten in the wake of terrorist attacks nine months after he took office.
Moreover, McCain or Obama will have to grapple with the financial crisis, the worst since the Great Depression, which could divert their attention and reduce U.S. global influence, at least temporarily.
The two candidates share a few bedrock positions. They both evince strong support for Israel. They promise engagement with China, not isolation. Both favor, in general, international action to combat global climate change. And — with important differences — they both pledge to continue Bush's "war on terror."
But their differences are clear:
Obama is more inclined to talk with U.S. adversaries. In July 2007, during the Democratic primaries, he said he'd be willing to meet in his first year in office, without precondition, with leaders such as Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez.
Obama's since backed off slightly, saying that such diplomacy would need careful preparation. In his first debate with McCain, however, he criticized Bush's refusal to talk to enemies, saying "this notion (that) by not talking to people we are punishing them has not worked."
McCain has ridiculed the idea of negotiating with leaders such as Ahmadinejad, Chavez or Cuba's Raul Castro. Unlike Obama, he supported Bush's invasion of Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein, and in years past he's suggested using military force to deal with nuclear-weapons programs in Iran and North Korea.
A senior official in past Republican administrations, asked whether he thought that McCain was too quick to consider using military force, replied simply: "Yes." The former official requested anonymity to speak more frankly.
McCain, whose past and present advisers include several prominent members of the "neoconservative" movement, is a forceful advocate for confronting non-democratic governments and for uniting the world's democracies.
In a May 2007 foreign policy speech, the Republican candidate called for establishing a worldwide "League of Democracies" that "would form the core of an international order of peace based on freedom." The new body, he said, wouldn't supplant the U.N., but could act when non-democratic powers such as Russia and China block agreement in the U.N. Security Council.
Obama and Biden also favor promoting democratic societies. But they've been sharply critical of Bush's approach, arguing that it's been undercut by U.S. actions in the "war on terror" and over-focused on elections, rather than slowly building democratic institutions.
"People around the world have heard a great deal of late about freedom on the march," Obama wrote in Foreign Affairs magazine last year. "Tragically, many have come to associate this with war, torture and forcibly imposed regime change."
During this month's vice presidential debate, Biden suggested that Bush's push for Middle East democracy had endangered Israel by helping elect Islamist parties. Bush "insisted on elections on the West Bank, when I said, and others said, and Barack Obama said, 'Big mistake. Hamas will win. You'll legitimize them.' What happened? Hamas won," Biden said.
Like many Democratic lawmakers, Obama is lukewarm about pursuing free-trade agreements, favoring them in general, but insisting that they must include strong protections for the environment and workers.
During the Democratic primaries, Obama called for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico. In 2005, although he voted against a Central American free trade agreement, it passed. More recently, he opposed a free-trade pact with Colombia, citing violence against labor unions in that country.
"I believe in free trade. But I also believe that for far too long ... the attitude has been that any trade agreement is a good trade agreement," he said during the third presidential debate with McCain.
McCain is a longtime supporter of free trade, backing every major trade deal of recent years. Those include NAFTA, the Central American pact and a pending agreement with South Korea.
During one debate, he criticized Obama for opposing the agreement with Colombia, which he said would lower tariffs, create U.S. jobs and bolster a U.S. ally that's helping fight drug trafficking. "Free trade with Colombia is something that's a no-brainer," McCain said.
McCain has a hard-line view of Russia that even some longtime Republican foreign-policy experts find extreme. He's called for Russia's exclusion from the G-8 group of nations; said a U.S. missile-defense system should be built in Eastern Europe whether or not Russia objects; and has pushed to expand NATO along Russia's borders.
The Republican nominee reacted stridently when Russia invaded Georgia in August, saying that he'd told Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in a phone call, "Today, we are all Georgians."
Obama also has been critical of Russia, but he's been more cautious. His focus has been on working with Russia to secure loose nuclear stockpiles to prevent them from falling into terrorists' hands.
"Although we must not shy away from pushing for more democracy and accountability in Russia, we must work with the country in areas of common interest — above all, in making sure that nuclear weapons and materials are secure," he wrote in Foreign Affairs.
Obama's brief Senate record, his closest foreign-policy advisers and his own multicultural background all point to a predisposition to deal with global issues such as poverty, human-rights abuses and ethnic conflict.
The Democratic nominee has called for strong U.S. participation in the U.N. — although he says the organization needs reform; a "no-fly" zone to help stop attacks on civilians in Sudan's Darfur region; and doubling aid to combat poverty and disease to $50 billion by 2012. Lately he's acknowledged that the dollar goal can't be met in light of the global financial meltdown.
McCain's positions don't differ markedly, although he's put less emphasis on these issues.
During their second presidential debate, Obama said that the U.S. must consider intervening when genocide occurs.
McCain was more reticent, recalling costly peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and Somalia. "You have to temper your decisions with the ability to beneficially affect the situation and realize you're sending America's most precious asset, American blood, into harm's way," he said.
Where Obama and McCain Stand on key foreign policy issues
Obama's foreign policy: moderation, not change
What's McCain thinking when he says boot Russia from G-8?
Read more McClatchy issues stories

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Birth control prevents unwanted pregnancies. The
medical risks of pregnancy and delivery are much higher than the risks of using
any birth control method. Some birth control methods have other health benefits
in addition to the prevention of pregnancy.
Some birth control pills can be taken continuously so that you have fewer or no periods. This is not harmful, and there is no proven health benefit. But many women find it has a lifestyle benefit.
Last Revised:
May 3, 2012
Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:
Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine & Femi Olatunbosun, MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
To learn more visit Healthwise.org
© 1995-2012 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated.


text:
Tolliver Falls
If you love an image (whether it's yours or someone else's) and want to make sure others get a chance to see it, you can "feature" it by choosing the "Spotlight" button.
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Photo license: © All rights reserved
In the Falls of Western Maryland photo essay.
3 responses
Catherine Kurvink gave props (19 Jul 2008):
Oh, I can almost feel and hear this place! I want to be there. This is beautiful. The forest behind looks so fascinating.
Nelson Campbell (Deleted) gave props (19 Jul 2008):
It's still 90 degrees in the night here; close and hot. Boy that looks good.
John Linton gave props (20 Jul 2008):
Another great one.
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Final Report on the Global Forum available!
The final report on the 5th UNAOC Global Forum is available for viewing and download in our...more
The final report on the 5th UNAOC Global Forum is available for viewing and download in our...more
Impact of the EUSDR on the Black Sea Region in the Field of Intercultural Dialogue: Presentation...more
UN Alliance of Civilizations Forum draws to a Close with Vienna Declarationmore
On occasion of the 5th UNAOC Global Forum the Vienna Declaration on the Alliance of Civilizations...more
Entitled "Responsible Leadership in Diversity and Dialogue" the Vienna Forum focused on how responsible leadership can make a difference in the following three major issues:
WELCOME TO THE 5th UNAOC GLOBAL FORUM!
Austria welcomes you to the website of the 5th Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations. The Global Forum is the Alliance's highest-profile event. It brings together decision-makers, experts, and a variety of stakeholders in the field of intercultural and interreligious dialogue from all over the world.
At a time of dizzying change on a global scale, the Vienna Forum will focus on the promotion of Responsible Leadership in Diversity and Dialogue. more
At the turn of the 19th century, Vienna was the capital of an empire that comprised 15 nations and far more than 50 million inhabitants. The city attracted a vast number of migrants and with them a vast diversity of cultures and languages, alongside a great variety of knowledge, creativity and visions. The multinational empire allowed for a unique and mutually enriching synergy of cultures – the foundation of a lifestyle, which we today call "the Viennese". more
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I'm (trying) to read a Japanese spy novel at the moment. It could just be the author's style, but I see lots of sentences end in 〜気配がする。
The more I read, the more I wonder - is there any difference between this and 気がする?
The above example is mine, but it was the context of the book (I am too lazy to go find the page now).
A cursory look in the dictionary tells me that 気配 is more like "sense" whereas the latter may be more like "feeling" - anyone care to help?


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The RNC ruling on Florida underscores the party's problem. As amended in 2010, Rule 15 (b) (2) prohibits in no uncertain terms early winner-take-all contests: "Any presidential primary, caucus, convention, or other meeting held for the purpose of selecting delegates to the national convention which occurs prior to the first day of April in the year in which the national convention is held shall provide for the allocation of delegates on a proportional basis."
Florida's delegates may well be challenged, triggering a wider review of use of winner-take-all rules, given Rule 38. Consider, then, Republican convention delegates elected in a winner-take-all state. If determining that the winner was strongly opposed by most voters in that state — as easily can happen with plurality voting — those delegates may decide to support a different candidate.
These delegates' decision might be all the easier if it's clear that key nomination contests were affected by non-Republicans voting in open primary states. Although centrist pundits often applaud open primaries for giving independent voters greater power to influence party nominations, that goal is in direct conflict with party supporters who seek a truly representative nominee for their party. It's their party's nomination contest, after all, and many Republican activists want to win the White House with a candidate who will be true to party principles…
While Romney is far ahead in New Hampshire, many Republicans will see that contest as tainted. New England Republicanism represents a declining stock in the national party, and non-Republican voters can swing the vote. Gaining the nomination based on a low-plurality win in Florida and narrow victories in New Hampshire and South Carolina grounded in votes from non-Republicans may not be enough to persuade delegates to ignore party rules.


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Dec. 19, 2001
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Senior guard Caroline Gruening led the Santa Clara University women's basketball team to a 20-point victory over Temple 86-66 in non-conference tonight at the Leavey Center.
She posted a game-high 16 points and added six rebounds and five assists in the all-around effort to improve Santa Clara to 8-2 on the season. Athena Christoforakis led the Owls with 12 points and seven rebounds, but saw her team's record fall to 3-5 on the season.
The Broncos shot 54.2 percent from the field, the first time this season the team's surpassed the .500 mark. Three other Broncos reached double-figure scoring, including junior forward Kendra Rhea's 14-point performance on 7-9 shooting. Senior guard Becki Ashbaugh added 13 points and nine assists, while junior forward Tammy Annas posted 12 points and six rebounds.
Both squads opened the game with lots of offense, trading baskets, including a coast-to-coast lay-in by Ashbaugh to put the home team ahead 11-10. SCU went on a 15-5 run late in the first half that saw Rhea knock in four baskets in four minutes as she went 5-6 in the half with the team shooting 59 percent as it took a 42-25 lead at intermission.
Temple pulled within 12 in the second period, but that's as close as they would come, as a Gruening three rattled out before falling in to spur another Bronco run to push the lead back up to 17. A two-pointer by junior forward Julie Butler gave the Broncos their biggest lead, a 21-point margin midway through the period.
The Broncos remain at home and will host Portland State on Friday at 7 p.m. Santa Clara returns to the Leavey Center after the holidays and hosts CS Northridge at 2 p.m. on Saturday, December 29.


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Industries › Technology
GeoEye disappointed by rejection of offer
- May 7, 2012
- |
Herndon-based GeoEye, a geospatial information company, said Monday it was disappointed by DigitalGlobe Inc.'s rejection of its unsolicited $805 million bid for the company.
GeoEye announced Friday that it offered $17 per DigitalGlobe share, half of which would be paid in cash, with the rest coming from GeoEye stock.
"We believe, and DigitalGlobe appears to agree, that combining these two companies makes clear strategic sense," Matt O'Connell, CEO of GeoEye, said in a statement. "A combined company would generate substantial synergies while better satisfying the needs of all customers, domestic and international."
Colorado-based DigitalGlobe said its board of directors believe GeoEye's offer undervalues the company and is not in the best interests of the stockholders. In addition, DigitalGlobe said the proposal does not adequately recognize its better financial track record.
DigitalGlobe said GeoEye had made private unsolicited offers, starting in February. The Colorado company said it countered those proposals with an offer to acquire GeoEye in a deal under which DigitalGlobe's stockholders would own approximately 60 percent and GeoEye stockholders would own about 40 percent of the combined company.
GeoEye said it will consider its options in light of DigitalGlobe's rejection. The company has hired Goldman, Sachs & Co., Convergence Advisors LLC and Latham & Watkins LLP as advisers.


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Royals pull closer to division lead
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - James Shields threw a four-hitter and Alex Gordon homered as the Kansas City Royals won their sixth straight, beating the San Francisco Giants 5-0 on Saturday night.
The Royals have won nine of 10 to move with 1 1-2 games of AL Central-leading Detroit. The Royals, who have not made the playoffs since beating St. Louis in the 1985 World Series, are in second place in the AL wild card standings.
Shields (11-6) gave up three singles in the first four innings. He allowed only two Giants to reach second base. He walked Joe Panik in the fifth and he moved to second on a wild pitch with two outs, but was stranded. Panik doubled in the eighth.
It was Shields' ninth career shutout, his first since Sept. 9, 2012.
Tim Hudson (8-9) gave up a home run to Gordon to lead off the fifth inning.


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Nicholas Academic Centers Celebrate Record Successes at Fourth Annual Thanksgiving Dinner For Inner-City Students
Henry T. Nicholas, III, Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido Praise the "NAC Model", Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez Sends Her Support, Plans to Visit the Centers on Dec. 10
Henry T. Nicholas, III, Ph.D., joins Nicholas Academic Center (NAC) students Erin Davis (left) and Jennifer Nava at the 4th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration. The Broadcom Co-Founder and former CEO told the more than 300 students and their families: "One hundred percent of our students go on to college, and we're going to ensure that every one of them earns a degree." (Photo: Business Wire)
College & University Pressroom
SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Nicholas Academic Centers (NACs) celebrated record student achievement last weekend at their fourth annual Thanksgiving Dinner event for more than 300 inner-city high school students and their families. Broadcom (NASDAQ:BRCM) Co-Founder and former CEO Henry T. Nicholas, III, Ph.D. and Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido praised the "NAC Model"—a nurturing educational "family" that combines personal tutoring, cultural enrichment and social and family support for underserved high school students.
"At Broadcom, Dr. Nicholas used brilliance and drive as a pioneer in the technology industry. Now, in collaboration with Judge Mandel, he has created an inner-city program that rivals the achievements of the nation's best private schools."
"The NACs succeed where others fail because we create a support system that includes students, staff, parents and high school counselors," said Dr. Nicholas, who established the first center in 2008 with retired Superior Court Judge Jack Mandel. "It's a model that works. One hundred percent of our students go on to college, and we're going to ensure that every one of them earns a degree."
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (D-47) sent a statement of support from Washington, D.C. to the gathering at Valley High School and will speak to NAC students at a special event in Santa Ana on Dec. 10. "Education is the foundation of opportunity and the basis of our country's future economic success," Sanchez said. "The Nicholas Academic Centers produce dramatic results and provide a successful model for school districts around the country to follow."
Last summer, a former NAC student who attends Georgetown University interned in Sanchez's Washington, D.C. office, and in May the congresswoman honored a NAC student at the Capitol who had placed first in a national competition ("Cooking Up Change").
Currently, 231 NAC alumni are attending top colleges around the country, such as Notre Dame, Georgetown, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Smith College. Half of the students from the first NAC class are set to graduate from college this yearand 87% will graduate within five years. Among Hispanic students nationally, only 13% finish college, according to the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES).
NAC students have earned more than $3 million in scholarships and financial aid.
"The Nicholas Academic Centers are profoundly changing education," said Mayor Pulido at the event Friday. "At Broadcom, Dr. Nicholas used brilliance and drive as a pioneer in the technology industry. Now, in collaboration with Judge Mandel, he has created an inner-city program that rivals the achievements of the nation's best private schools."
In a statement, Thelma Meléndez de Santa Ana, Ph.D., Superintendent of the Santa Ana Unified School District, voiced her support for the NACs:
"We are fortunate to have many innovative partnerships in our district, and none more important than our work with the Nicholas Academic Centers," the Superintendent said. "The Centers have a profound impact on our students and demonstrate how we can work together to prepare all of our students to be college and career ready, and to assume their roles as part of the global citizenry."
At the dinner celebration, NAC alumna Ivonne Huitron, now a junior at UC Irvine, told attendees how the NAC "family" has changed her life.
"I don't know where I would have been if it were not for NAC," said Huitron, who is majoring in Public Health and thinking about going to medical school or being a teacher. "Now I'm in college and looking forward to a brighter future. From my heart, I am so grateful to everyone at the NAC."
Among other NAC milestones:
- The NAC's 100% college enrollment rate far exceeds the 72% of all California public school graduates who continue on to college. More dramatic is the comparison nationally with Hispanic high school graduates, of whom only 59.7% went directly to college in 2010, according to the NCES.
- To date, 95% of NAC graduates who went on to four-year colleges are still enrolled. This contrasts with nationwide sophomore retention rates for all students of less than 80%, and only 47% for Hispanics, according to the College Board.
- About 25 of NAC alumni now in college are benefiting from the California Dream Act, under which undocumented immigrant students can qualify for financial aid, and the federal Deferred Action program, which enables young, long-time immigrants to avoid deportation.
Event Media links
About The Nicholas Academic Centers (NACs)
The first Nicholas Academic Center was established in 2008 by Henry T. Nicholas, III, Ph.D. in partnership with retired Judge Jack K. Mandel. A second Center opened in 2009. The NACs provide academic assistance, social services, cultural enrichment programs, college connection opportunities, and scholarship opportunities. Since inception, more than 230 students have gone on to college, with most attending top schools such as University of Notre Dame, Georgetown University, Smith College, UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Irvine and Chapman University. NACs students have earned a total of more than $3 million in scholarships and financial aid. The NAC staff works closely with school principals, teachers and guidance counselors, as well as with students' families and community leaders. Awards and recognition for the NACs include receiving the Keys to the City from the Santa Ana City Council and the Innovative Partners Award from the Santa Ana Unified School District. The Centers are funded by the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.naccenters.org/ or call 714-834-0521. Become a fan of the Nicholas Academic Centers on Facebook, or follow the NAC on Twitter.
Nicholas Academic Centers
Robert Magnuson
<< Article Source >>


text:
Innovate as the market changes and expand quickly and easily to new touchpoints and geographies.
"We required an open, scalable platform with the features and functionality to support us now and in the future. As we continue to grow sales worldwide, the Oracle solution will enable us to personalize and enhance the customer experience online, streamline service, and introduce more international sites."


text:
Found 7 resultsAuthor Title Type [ Year]
Filters: Author is Thomas Hickler [Clear All Filters]
Predicting long-term carbon sequestration in response to CO 2 enrichment: How and why do current ecosystem models differ? Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 29(4):476-495.. 2015.
Using ecosystem experiments to improve vegetation models. Nature Climate Change. 5(6):528-534.. 2015.
Comprehensive ecosystem model-data synthesis using multiple data sets at two temperate forest free-air CO 2 enrichment experiments: Model performance at ambient CO 2 concentration. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 119(5):937-964.. 2014.
Evaluation of 11 terrestrial carbon-nitrogen cycle models against observations from two temperate Free-Air CO 2 Enrichment studies. New Phytologist. 202(3):803-822.. 2014.
Forest water use and water use efficiency at elevated CO 2 : a model-data intercomparison at two contrasting temperate forest FACE sites. Global Change Biology. 19(6):1759-1779.. 2013.
Challenges in elevated CO2 experiments on forests. Trends in Plant Science. 15:5-10.. 2010.


text:
Target Warned of Vulnerabilities Before Data Breach
Cyber Security Staff Raised Concerns in the Months Before Hackers Stole Card Numbers
Target Corp.'s computer security staff raised concerns about vulnerabilities in the retailer's payment card system at least two months before hackers stole 40 million credit and debit card numbers from its servers, people familiar with the matter said.
At least one analyst at the Minneapolis-based retailer wanted to do a more thorough security review of its payment system, a request that at least initially was brushed off, the people said. The move followed memos distributed last spring and summer by the federal government...


text:
7 Updo Prom Hairstyles For Black Girls
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Individuals are so varied in 2015, meanings that there's never ever merely one hair style fad that's very hot at any sort of offered time. Every one of record is up for grabs for re-invention. Absolutely, there's very little that hasn't already been done just before. Yet in some way, each manifestation handles a fresh spin, as well as arises fantastic.
The most up to date hair style fads among them is 7 Updo Prom Hairstyles For Black Girls sweep the world gradually, meanings that the life cycle is in fact a couple of years from the birth of a new trend to the eventual fizzle. And afterwards there are those we can not ever before appear to get rid of entirely (dreadful 80's booms), yet that's another article, another time.
Aged Hollywood Prestige - The vintage Hollywood glamour look is distinguisheded by smooth, voluptuous waves, and deep side parts. The most effective techniques to get the look are pin curling and finger swaying. Leading it off with a gorgeous vintage accessory on one side or at the back. Look for items with rhinestones or feathers, especially ostrich feathers ... we'll be seeing a lot of those.
80's Inspired - A return to the 80's means an influence from that time ... appearance as well as activity, much shorter layers throughout the top, whole lots of waves as well as tousled curls. It does not suggest that if you're still showing off a weary aged eighties mullet, you're instantly back en style.
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Baltimore – UMBC sophomore midfielder Dave Brown (Coopersburg, Pa.) scored three goals and added an assist as the host Retrievers edged Binghamton, 8-6, in an America East Conference contest.
The Retrievers won back-to-back games for the first time this season and improved to 4-5 overall and 1-1 in league play. The Bearcats fell to 5-6, 1-1.
Brown was UMBC's America East Player of the Game, while Bearcat freshman attackman Brandon Planck, who scored a pair of goals, earned the honor for his team.
UMBC used a 6-0 run in the second quarter to take control of the contest. Trailing 2-1 after Binghamton David Raleigh midfielder scored 1:28 into the second quarter, Brown tied the game on an unassisted tally 2:46 into the stanza. Sophomore midfielder Neill Lewnes (Arnold, Md./St. Mary's) gave the Retrievers the lead for good, converting a Rob Grimm (Black River, N.Y.) feed on the right wing just 39 seconds after Brown had tied the game.
Brown completed his hat trick with back-to-back scores 57 seconds apart at the 9:38 and 8:41 marks of the stanza. Then, sophomore attackman Scott Jones (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) got into the act, converting a Brown pass at the 6:22 mark and completing the surge with an unassisted tally with 5:34 to play in the first half.
UMBC had scored only 13 second quarter goals through the first eight games, before exploding for the six-spot in the contest.
Binghamton scored the final two goals of the half and trailed, 7-4, at the break.
The Bearcats slowed UMBC down with a zone defense in the second half and scored the lone goal of the third quarter when Planck tallied midway through the period.
UMBC broke a scoring drought of 25:33 when freshman midfielder Zach Linkous (Jarrettsville, Md./St. Paul's) fired in a shot from the left wing after receiving a pass from behind the net by senior midfielder Jamie Kimbles (Centreville, Md./Queen Anne's) at the 11:01 mark of the final stanza.
Raleigh scored his second goal of the game with 4:08 remaining, but UMBC netminder Brian McCullough (Garden City, N.Y.) saved a Tyler Perrelle shot with 1:13 to play and the Retrievers posted their 11th consecutive win over the Bearcats.
Jones and Linkous each scored two goals for UMBC, while Raleigh added a pair for the visitors.
Binghamton outshot UMBC, 33-26, as McCullough and Bearcat freshman goalkeeper Kraig Heston each were credited with six saves.
The six goals allowed by UMBC are the fewest permitted this season and the least since a 6-5 victory over Rutgers in the second game of the 2010 campaign.
The Retrievers travel to Albany to face the Great Danes in a league showdown on April 16.


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Reviewed 4 years ago
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What originally made slap bracelets a novelty in the early '90s, now makes them an easy to use safety accessory with the addition of a few glowing LEDs and some reflective fabrics.
They were once adorned with neon colours and animal prints, but SlapLit bracelets are now even brighter with a durable reflective nylon wrapping and an internal LED light source that illuminates them along their entire length. Like their predecessors they can be easily slapped on your wrist, arm, ankle, bike frame or anywhere you need some extra illumination, or just left flat and used as a glowing wand or signal beacon. The LED can be set to glow steadily or flash if you really want to stand out, and is good for about 100 hours of use before the coin cell battery needs replacing. And at just $US12 it's a no brainer safety accessory if you prefer biking, jogging or running under the cover of night. [SlapLit via GeekAlerts]


text: ICN will approve continuing education activities organised by ICN, or outside organisations, which are deemed suitable for furthering learning and enhancing professional competencies. Thus, the system targets continuing education providers. Continuing education activities may be offered locally, regionally, nationally or internationally. Such approved activities will permit participants to receive ICNECs.


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Watch CBSN Live
The pop star has been criticized on social media for not having enough ice in his bucket.
Credit: YouTube
Carson Daly and Blake Shelton used teamwork to get their "Voice" co-star Adam Levine in on the fun.
Those sunglasses didn't stay on for long.
Winfrey got doused by her good friend and "CBS This Morning" host Gayle King.
The "Wrecking Ball" singer used rice instead of ice with her brother, Braison.
Jennifer Garner caught husband Ben Affleck by surprise.
Timberlake got the whole crew in on the sheninigans.
The pop star managed to stay chic.
Iron Man himself took part in the challenge.
Brace yourself J. Lo.
Even some of the wealthiest people in the world are taking part in the viral craze.
Jimmy Fallon was joined by Rob Riggle, Horatio Sanz, Steve Higgins and The Roots.
Credit: NBC
It may have been hot out, but Kaley Cuoco Sweeting still got a cold rush.
Credit: Instagram
Cuoco Sweeting's "The Big Bang Theory" co-star also did his part.
Madea on ice.
Credit: CBS
The "CBS This Morning" co-host stayed classy in a tux while doing the challenge in Central Park.
O'Donnell's kids had the honors of dousing their mother.
Hope the suit wasn't expensive.
Credit: Bravo
The "Spring Breakers" star almost looks like he's enjoying it.
Watch: Celebrity ALS Ice Bucket Challenges


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Whenever I get sentimental and tell people how my father used to read to me and encourage me, I realize that I'm lying. Is it a gesture of kindness toward him—like "You look marvellous!" (something he used to say), or "Pretty as a picture!" (seldom true), or "Looks good enough to eat!" (of my mother's gristly meat loaf)? Generosity, I suppose, can often verge on the satirical.
My father, apparently a simple, cheery soul, was impossible to know. In his lifetime, I found it hard to see him through his niceness, and now, ten years after his death, he seems more enigmatic than ever. There he stands, at a little distance, jingling coins in his pocket, waiting for someone to need him: a satisfied man, with the sort of good humor and obliging manner I associate with an old-fashioned servant.
A smile is the hardest expression to fathom. He must have known that. In the period I am thinking of, around 1956, he lost his job. Never mind, he said, and found another one. Did he like it? "I'm tickled to death!" he said. He didn't drink. He didn't smoke. He never went out at night, except to church. Bowling and the movies he abandoned after becoming a father. He had few friends, no close ones, no confidants—he wasn't the confiding type.
I was eleven. With two older brothers and a younger sister, I was invisible, in the lower middle of the pack, always a few steps behind, unnoticed. And my father was the insubstantial presence he wished to be, merely a man who lived in the house. Dramatic entrance, and then silence. Dramatic departure, and then silence again.
This all sounds harmonious, yet there was disorder and tension and conflict in our household. It bristled like the angular splinters in the woodwork; it pulsed in the air, a disturbance that was deep, subtle, and voiceless, the vibrant presence of low-pitched rivalries, masked by politeness, or sometimes by hostile displays of affection. The quiet household is often more turbulent than the household of the tyrant or the drunkard.
One of the unspoken conflicts in our house concerned the house itself. My mother's version of the story—the blaming version, the one she wouldn't let him live down—was that my father, having decided that we had to move (four kids in a tiny house and a fifth on the way), was appointed house-hunter. My mother was pregnant and busy, but she was also the sort of person who provoked others to make decisions, so that if they made the wrong ones she could say, "Well, whose fault is that?" She greeted a good choice with silence, a bad one with loud reproach. Deniability was a defense she mastered long before the word was coined.
Dad was like hired help: the house-hunter. Unused to spending large sums of money or to making big decisions on his own, he became more affable, more genial than I'd ever seen him. He did so out of sheer nervousness, a kind of helpless hilarity, like that of an almost ruined gambler at the blackjack table, risking everything on the turn of a card.
He saw three or four houses. They were all unsuitable, though he liked them. My mother was vexed. This was our dinner-table talk. (We children were discouraged from speaking at mealtime, so we listened.) "What's good about it?" my mother would say. "It'll be hard to heat," or "It's not on a bus line," or "That's a bad neighborhood."
One winter night, she was in tears. Dad had seen a house that he liked. He had been told the price. In his anxiety, he had not bargained; he had not said, "My wife will have to see it," or "We'll think it over." He had said, "We'll take it!," with a sudden flourish of cash that startled even the seller of the house, a cranky old woman in a soiled apron. At least, that was my mother's version, and, in the oral tradition of our family, the only version that was allowed.
In a matter of an hour or so, my father had seen the house and agreed to buy it. Another detail to his discredit was that he had seen it only in the dark. It was January, and he worked until five-thirty; he had driven there after work, tramped through the snow, and looked it over, and by seven the deal was done.
The reason for my mother's distress was that, in anticipation of finding the right house, Dad had been carrying five hundred dollars in small bills around with him. The papers he'd signed that night had specified a deposit of that very amount, nonrefundable. "Our whole life's savings!" my mother cried, thumping the table. "How could you?"
Obviously, he'd liked the house; he hadn't wanted to risk losing it; he wasn't a bargainer; and he had been pressed for time, house-hunting after work. Now the situation was: buy the house and pay the rest of the money with a mortgage or lose the deposit. "Our life's savings—wasted!"
"Life's savings" was probably an exaggeration, but not by much; my father's new job was menial, as a shoe salesman. He was grateful for the work, but a man selling shoes spends a great deal of time on his knees.
Dad suffered, smiling sheepishly through a number of scenes at the dinner table—and at other times, too. I heard bedroom recriminations, which were rare in our household. But, in a short time, the mortgage was granted, the house was bought, and we moved—a hugely disruptive event in a family that experienced few, almost no, events that involved a substantial outlay of money. It was the only time we moved in the course of my childhood, and what made it most memorable was the fact that my mother was briefly shocked into silence.
The house was large but odd-shaped—bony and tall and narrow, like a cereal box, with the narrow side to the street, the wide side a wall of windows. It seemed somehow unfinished, the kitchen not quite right, the doors either poorly fitting or missing, the varnished cabinets made of thin wood, the floors creaky and uneven. But it had four bedrooms. My brothers, Fred and Floyd, shared a room with bunk beds. "There's room for the piano," my father said, in a tone of hollow enthusiasm.
That winter, my father never stopped smiling. His smile said, All's well. Mother banged the kitchen cabinets to demonstrate the loose hinges, the broken latches. She tugged at the front door, exaggerating the effort it took to open it. She told everyone that she was coming down with a cold because of the drafts. She sighed loudly—all the sounds and gestures of discontent.
Dad's only response was to say, "I'll see to that."
He was imperturbable—not so chummy as to cause offense, but deferentially amiable: "How can I help?" The kind of submissiveness you'd see in the wan demeanor of a field hand or an old retainer.
Spring came. The roof began to leak; the drains erupted; the nailed-on storm windows proved hard to take down. Now that we were less confined by the weather, we could see that the house needed paint. Dad began to paint it, with a borrowed ladder and a gallon of yellow paint. A neighbor saw him and said in an outraged tone, "You're not going to paint that house yellow!"
So Dad returned the yellow and bought some cans of gray.
"That's better," the neighbor said.
My mother pointed out that he'd dripped gray paint onto the white trim. He repainted the trim.
Mother said, "Now you've gone and dripped white paint on the shingles."
Dad smiled and repainted, never quite getting it right.
Anticipating insects, he put up screens. The screens were flimsy and rusted; holes had been poked through them.
The stove was unreliable, and the fuel oil in the heater gurgled and leaked from the pump, which had to be replaced by a plumber, Dad's fellow choir member Tony Martello. Tony worked for nothing, or for very little, groaning in wordless irritation as he toiled.
My father's new job was a problem, too: long hours and low pay, while my mother was pregnant, home with small children. She was heavy and walked with a backward-leaning gait, supporting her belly with one hand, seeming to balance herself as she moved.
"I lost a child two years ago," she said, as though threatening to lose this one, too.
Dad said, "It's going to be fine."
"How would you know?"
He smiled; he had no reply. As a sort of penance, he washed the dishes, calling out, "Who's going to dry for me?," and, because of the tension, each of us said, "I'll do it!," and pushed around trying to be helpful.
I said that my father had no recreations, but he had one—the choir, legitimate because it was church-related. His voice was confident and rather flat, with a gravelly distinction. "He prays twice who sings to the Lord" was printed on the hymnal. My father believed that. Choir practice was more than a form of devotion, an expression of piety; it was a spiritual duty. Dad always went alone, and he always came back happy. His happiness wasn't audible in anything he said, but his mood was improved—you could tell by his movements, his breathing, the way he listened, with a different sort of smile, a relaxed posture.
April came.
"The house is full of flies."
"I'll take care of it."
He patched the screens with little glued-on squares of screen.
"The faucet drips."
"Say, I'll pick up some washers on the way home from choir."
"This is the second time I've mentioned it."
Dad was putting on his hat, snapping the brim, looking jaunty.
"You never listen."
In fact, all he did was listen, but a certain sort of nagging repetition can deafen you.
We didn't realize then that we'd come to the end of a chapter, that we were starting a new one. After it was over, we knew Dad much better than we had before, and were more bewildered; we'd had a glimpse of what was beneath his smile.
The wickedest episodes of revelation can have the most innocent beginnings. This one began with a song. Looking back, it all seems even weirder and scarier than it did at the time; I remember it with reluctance, embarrassed and ashamed.
My father came home one afternoon carrying a large envelope. Trying to look casual, he got his fingers inside it and, with a self-conscious flourish, took out some pages of sheet music. The illustration on the cover showed a black man in a gleaming top hat, white gloves, mouth open in the act of singing. I could see from his features that he was a white man wearing makeup.
"Say"—Dad was ruffling the pages—"could you play this, Mother?"
Asking a favor always made him shy. Being asked a favor always made Mother ponderous and powerful. Oh, so now you want something, do you? she seemed to reply, with the upward tilt of her head and her triumphant smile.
She looked with a kind of distaste at the sheet music, holding it with unwilling fingers, as though it were unclean—and it was rather grubby, worn at the edges, torn at the crease where it folded. It had a limp, clothlike look, as though it had been propped on many music stands.
After a while, Mother took herself and her big belly to the piano. She spun the stool to the right height and, balancing herself on it, reached over her pregnancy as though across a counter. Frowning at the music, she banged out some notes. I could tell from her playing that she was angry. Dad leaned in with his bifocals.
Mandy, there's a minister handy
And it sure would be dandy . . .
He gagged a little, cleared his throat, and began again, in the wrong key. He could not read music, but he could carry a tune if he heard it enough. In this first effort, he struggled to find the melody.
"You're not listening," Mother said.
"Just trying to—" he said, and clawed at the song sheet instead of finishing the sentence.
He started to sing again, but too fast, and Mother pounded the keys and tramped on the pedals, as though she were at the wheel of some sort of vehicle, a big wooden bus that she was driving down a steep hill with her feet and hands.
Mandy, there's a minister handy . . .
Hearing the blundering repetitions of someone learning something from scratch was unbearable to me. Probably out of exasperation, I knew the song before they did. I was in a fury for it to be over. I left the room, but even two rooms away I heard:
So don't you linger,
Here's the ring for your finger.
Against my will I listened until the song was in my head, not as it was meant to be sung but in Dad's halting rendition.
Later, over dinner, in reply to a question I didn't hear, Dad said, "Fella gave it to me—loaned it. I'll have to give it back afterward."
"Who loaned it?"
"Joe Buffalino."
"Tony Martello loaned it to him."
"What's it for?"
"Minstrel show."
Mother made a face. As though to avoid further questions, Dad filled his mouth with food and went on eating, with the faraway, thoughtful look he assumed when he didn't want to be questioned.
Then, out of the side of his mouth, he said, "Pass the mouse turd, sonny."
We stared at him. He was chewing.
"Tell you a great meal," he said. "Lettuce. Turnip. And pea."
He winked. We had no idea what he was talking about.
The words "minstrel show," he seemed to feel, explained everything—and perhaps they did, though not to me. Words I had never heard before had a significance for him, and a private satisfaction. Mouse turd ?
After that, he practiced "Mandy" every night, singing with more confidence and tunefulness, as Mother played and thumped her pedalling feet. Within a week, he grew hoarse, and from the next room it was as though another man were singing—not Dad but a growly stranger.
Around this time, Dad revealed his new name. This was at the dinner table, Mother at one end, Dad at the other, Fred, Floyd, Rose, and me in between.
"Fella says to me, 'Wasn't that song just beautiful? Didn't it touch you, Mr. Bones?' I says, 'No, but the fella that sang it touched me, and he still owes me five bucks.' "
"Who's Mr. Bones?" I asked.
"Yours truly."
"No, it's not," Fred said.
"Only one thing in the world keeps you from being a barefaced liar," he said to Fred.
We were shocked at his suddenness.
"Your mustache," Dad said, and wagged his head and chuckled.
"I don't have a mustache," Fred said.
Mother got flustered when she heard anyone telling a joke. She said, "Don't be stupid."
"You think I'm stupid?" Dad said eagerly. "You should see my brother. He walks like this." He got up from the table and bent over and hopped forward.
He did have a brother—that was the confusing part.
"You're so pretty and you're so intelligent," he said, striking a pose with Mother, using that new snappy voice.
"I wish I could say the same for you," she said.
Dad laughed, a kind of cackle, as though it were just what he'd wanted to hear. He said, "You could, if you told as big a lie as I just did." He nudged me and added, "She was too ugly to have her face lifted. They lowered her body instead."
With that, he skipped out of the room, his hands in the air, and I thought for a moment that Mother was going to cry.
He had become a different man, and it had happened quickly, just like that, calling himself Mr. Bones and teasing us, teasing Mother. She was confused and upset. Once he mastered the song, he kept humming it, and his jokes, not really jokes, were more like taunts.
"Maybe it's his new job," Fred said in the bedroom, after lights-out.
"It's this house," Floyd said. "Ma hates it. It's Dad's fault. He's just being silly."
"What's a minstrel show?" I asked.
No one answered.
Mother, trying to be friendly, asked Dad about his job a few days later.
"They said I'd be a connoisseur, but I'm just a common sewer."
There was that gesture with the hands—waggling his fingers.
"Said I'd be a pretty good physician, but I said, 'I'm not good at fishin'.' Or a doctor of some standing. I says, 'No, I'm sitting—in the shoe department.' "
Mother said coldly, "We need new linoleum in the upstairs bathroom."
"And you need new clothes, because your clothes are like the two French cities: Toulouse and Toulon."
"Don't be a jackass."
"Mr. Jackass to you."
"I wish Joe Buffalino hadn't given you that music."
"Lightning said I needed it. Tambo gave it to him. Play it for me again. I need a good physic."
Mother began to clear the table.
"I love work," Dad said. "I could watch it all day."
Mother went to the sink and turned on the water. She kept her back to us, but I associated the water running into the dishpan with her tears.
Mr. Bones was at his friskiest in the evening. He had swagger and assurance, and if we tried to get his attention or asked him a question he began to sing "Mandy." He had somehow learned two other songs as well: "Ma Blushin' Rosie" and "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody," Lightning's song and Tambo's, so he said.
I was used to my father singing, but not these songs; used to his good humor, but there was anger in these jokes. And he, who never went out at night except to Benediction or choir practice, was now out most nights. He stopped asking Mother to play the piano for him; he would simply break into a song, drawling it out of the side of his mouth.
When you croon,
Croon a tune
From the heart of Dixie.
He didn't look any different—he dressed the same, in a gray suit and a white shirt and a blue tie and the topcoat he disparaged as "too dressy." One day, one of his sleeves was limp. He flapped it at Mother as though his arm were missing and said, "I know what you're thinking—World War Two." Then he shot the arm out of the sleeve and said, "Nope. Filene's Basement. Bad fit!"
The variation that night—and for nights to come—was the tambourine he had acquired. When he made a joke or a quip, he shook it and rapped it on his knee and elbow and shook it again. Shika-shika-shika.
"R.S.V.P.," he said, holding up a piece of mail. "Remember Send Vedding Present," and he jingled the tambourine.
One day after school, I went to the store where he worked. Instead of walking in, I kept my head down and crept to the side window to get a glimpse of Dad. He was sitting in one of the chairs in the shoe department, his chin in his hand, looking not like Mr. Bones but sad and silent, like a man trying to remember something. The other clerks had gathered at the back of the store and were laughing, but not Dad. Were they ignoring him? He paid no attention. He was reading—unusual, a shoe clerk reading. I didn't know this man, either.
I began to be glad that he was out most nights. At the house we'd moved from, he had spent every evening in his chair in the corner, dressed in flannel pajamas and a fuzzy bathrobe, reading the Globe. Now he sometimes didn't even come home for supper, and if he did it was "Pass the mouse turd," or, holding the pepper shaker, "This is how I feel, like pulverized pepper—fine!"
"The oil burner's back on the fritz," Mother said.
Any mention of a problem with the house these days made Dad smile his Mr. Bones smile and roll his eyes.
"Heard about the King of England? He's got a royal burner."
"We'll have to get Tony to look at it."
"Tambo is a busy man, yes, he is. Says to me, 'What is the quickest way to the emergency ward?' I says, 'Tambo, just you stand in the middle of the road.' "
Mother did not react, except to say, "It's giving off a funny smell."
"Giving off a funny smell!" Dad said, and put one finger in the air—what I now recognized as a Mr. Bones gesture. He was about to say something and wanted attention. "Mr. Interlocutor, what is the difference between an elephant passing wind and a place where you might go for a drink?"
"I don't think you understand," Mother said, in a strained voice. "This house hasn't been right since the day we moved in. First it was the roof, then the paint, then the plumbing. Now it's the heat. We're not going to have any hot water. Everything's wrong."
Dad thought a moment, then looked around the table and said, "Mr. Interlocutor, the difference between an elephant passing wind and the place where you might go for a drink is: one is a barroom and the other is a barroom! " He said it so loud we jumped. He didn't laugh. He drew his chair next to Mother and sang:
Rosie, you are my posey,
You are my heart's bouquet.
Come out here in the moonlight,
There's something, sweet love,
I wanna say.
Mother looked awkward and sad.
He snatched a bowl from the table. "Why is my thumb in your soup, Madam?" he asked. "To keep it warm, Madam."
In a way, by clowning, Dad took her mind off the problems of the house. But she could not get his attention. And who was he, anyway?
He wouldn't refer to Tony Martello as anything but Tambo, and Joe Buffalino was always Lightning. They had never been close friends before.
"Morrie Daigle said he'd help you fix the roof."
"Mr. Interlocutor is too hot to do that. He is so hot he will only read fan mail."
That was how we found out who Mr. Interlocutor was.
"Have you lost your wallet?" Dad said to Floyd.
"No," Floyd said, and clapped his hand to his pocket.
"Good. Then give me the five dollars you owe me."
Floyd made a face, looked helpless, thrashed a little. It was true that Dad had given him five dollars, but he had not brought it up before.
Dad said, "Hear about the Indian who had a red ant?"
I didn't understand that one at all. I pictured an Indian with an insect. It made no sense.
There was something abrupt and deflecting in his humor. Whenever he made a joke, he seemed to expand, pushing the house and his job aside. Mother appeared to be afraid of him now. Before, she had always made a remark, or nagged, or blamed. These days, she just became very quiet and watched him.
Floyd was on the basketball team, Fred played hockey, so they were out most evenings—at practice, they said. I knew it was just an excuse to stay away from home and Mr. Bones. Rose was a little kid of seven, and she actually found him funny, and let him tickle her. But I had nowhere to go. Mr. Bones was a stranger to me, and for the first time, lying in bed at night, I began to think, Who are you? What do you want?
The light went on and I had the answer.
Most of the lights in our house were bare bulbs with no shades, hanging on frayed black cords from the ceiling—another source of Mother's complaints—and the brightness of the one dangling in my bedroom only made things worse. Emerging from sleep, I was half-blinded. Yet I could see enough to be terrified.
A disfigured villain from a horror comic was bending over my bed—only after a few minutes did I realize that it was Dad—his whole face a sticky black, a white oval outline around his lips. He wore a wig like a big woolly hat, a red floppy bow tie, a yellow speckled vest, and a black coat, and he was emphatically gesturing with white-gloved hands. He was smiling under the blackness that shone on his face, and he leaned over me and seemed to shriek.
"Give us a kiss, sonny boy!"
Then he laughed and stood up and waved his gloved hands again and jerked the light chain, bringing down darkness.
His voice had matched his face. He was so black that I assumed he was still in my bedroom, standing there invisible in his floppy tie: Mr. Bones. I had not heard the door close.
I said into the menacing gloom, "Dad—are you there?"
No answer.
I said again, "Dad?," and, in a trembly voice, "Mr. Bones?"
In the morning, the room was empty.
When I went down for breakfast, he was eating oatmeal as usual. He had a decorous way of holding his spoon. I looked closely at him and saw some streaks of black makeup caked in the creases of his neck. I sprinkled raisins on my oatmeal.
"Pass me the dead flies, sonny," he said in his Mr. Bones voice.
By then, his remarks usually silenced the room. We all felt the effect of his angry humor. Floyd and Fred pretended to find it funny and occasionally they teased back. When Dad made his "Toulouse and Toulon" joke, Floyd said, "Well, you're like a town in Massachusetts—Marblehead." Instead of being insulted, Dad smiled and said, "I like that."
He began to come home every night in blackface. Hearing his jokes again and again, I at last understood the one about the Indian and the red ant—red aunt was the point of it, though we never pronounced the word that way.
We were afraid to ask him about his job these days. If Mother mentioned the house—the drips to be fixed, the oil burner to be mended, the linoleum to be laid—I didn't hear it. In response to almost any question, he began singing.
A million baby kisses I'll deliver,
If you will only sing that "Swanee River."
The rhythm was there, a confident drawl, yet his voice was strained from overuse, gargly and cross, as though he were in pain. The weeks of rehearsals had taken away his real voice and given him this new one. He lifted his knees and did dance steps as he sang, and he raised his white gloves.
It seemed so wrong. I was always glancing at the door, embarrassed and scared that someone—a neighbor, the Fuller Brush man, Grandpa—might come in and see him swaying and singing, with that black face and that wig.
He had another song, too:
When life seems full of clouds and rain
And I am full of nothin' but pain,
Who soothes my thumpin' bumpin'
He would always pause after that, then bend over and stick out his head and say, "Nobody!"
When all day long things go amiss,
And I go home to find some bliss,
Who hands to me a glowin' kiss?
The next time I sneaked up to the window of the store after school and looked in, I saw him sitting where he'd sat before, in the chairs reserved for customers, reading. He was not in blackface, yet his assurance, his posture, the way he sat, like the owner of the store, made him seem more than ever like Mr. Bones. He looked thoughtful, his fist against his mouth, a knuckle against his nose. The other clerks seemed to avoid him, talking among themselves.
Louie Buffalino said, "You going to the minstrel show?"
"I don't know," I said. "Are you?"
"My old man's in it. So's yours."
"I don't even know what it's supposed to be."
"It's a pisser. Just a bunch of old guys singing, like a talent show," Louie said.
This big event was just a talent show to Louie; and his white-haired father, who worked on the M.T.A. buses, was just an old guy singing. Yet in our house Mr. Bones had intimidated everyone. He was now someone to fear, saying the things that he normally avoided saying. In his minstrel-show costume, he could be as reckless as he wanted.
It was true that Fred told fibs and didn't want to go to college; true that Floyd owed Dad money and hated trumpet lessons. And it was easy to see that Mother's nagging was what caused him to tease her and change the subject. His jokes were more than jokes; they were ways of telling us the truth. The yellow mustard in big quart jars that we stocked was cheap and tasteless; "mouse turd" was a good name for it. The stale raisins that Mother bought cheap in the dented-package aisle were like dead flies. But it was so odd, hearing these things from his white-outlined mouth, to the accompaniment of his tambourine.
"Dad," we said, pleading.
"Dad done gone. 'That was prior to his decease, Mr. Bones.' I says, 'He had no niece.' "
Shika-shika-shika, went the tambourine.
He was happy, defiantly happy, powerfully happy, talking to us, teasing us in ways I'd never heard before. He had once been remote, with a kindly smile that made him hard to approach; now he was up close and laughing at us and he wouldn't go away. It was as though he'd been turned inside out, and the true Dad was showing. Swanking in the role of a cartoon slave, he'd become a frightening master to us.
Something else I discovered one day, because I kept going to the store to spy on him, was that instead of sitting silently alone in the shoe department he now had company: Tony Martello, Joe Buffalino, Morrie Daigle, and two men I'd never seen before, all of them with their heads together, sitting in the customers' chairs, whispering, as though they were cooking something up. So odd to see this in a store where everyone else was either working or shopping or being loudly busy.
That was his secret—mine, too. These men were like conspirators, with a single plan in their minds, and the sight of them impressed me, because Dad was clearly in charge. I could see it in his posture, as he sat upright, wagging his finger at them like a conductor with a baton, giving directions, issuing energetic commands. Mr. Bones was their leader.
That same night, he came home after dinner, in his blackface and floppy tie and wig, and said, "Listen to Mr. Bones."
Fred was fiddling with the radio. Mother was at the sink with Floyd. I was looking at a comic book.
"I says, listen to Mr. Bones!"
He spoke so loud we jumped, and, as we did, he banged and clicked his tambourine. He was like a drunk you couldn't talk back to, yet he hadn't had a drink.
I ain't never done nothin' to nobody,
I ain't never got nothin' from nobody,
no time,
And until I get somethin' from somebody
I'll never do nothin' for nobody no time!
He searched our faces, shaking his head, and moaned, "Nobody, no time!"
Was it a song? Was it a poem? Was it a speech? It was too furious to be entertainment. Even though it was painful to hear, it was being spoken by a man who had our full attention. We had to listen; we couldn't look away. That proved that he was the opposite of the poor soul he was describing—he was stronger than we were, though I recognized the "nobody" he spoke of: it wasn't Mr. Bones; it was Dad.
After that, he went over to Fred and said, "What are you going to do for Mr. Bones?"
"College," Fred said, blinking fiercely.
"Know the difference between a college professor and a railway conductor?"
"No what?"
"No, Mr. Bones."
"One trains minds and the other minds trains. Which one do you want to be?"
"College professor, Mr. Bones."
Mr. Bones turned to Floyd. "What are you going to do for Mr. Bones?"
"Trumpet lessons, Mr. Bones."
"You always were good at blowing your own trumpet. Ha!" Then he had me by the chin and was lifting it, as Dad had never done. "Who was that lady you saw me with last night?"
With his white-gloved hand gripping my chin, I couldn't speak.
"That was no lady. That was my wife!"
Mother muttered as he shook his tambourine. "You'll need some Karo syrup for that throat," she said, and handed him a bottle and a spoon.
He took a swig straight from the bottle, then said to Fred, "Here, want to keep this bottle up your end?"
I didn't know it was a joke until he lowered his shoulders and shook his tambourine.
I dreaded the show, which was just a week away, and when the day came I said, "I don't want to go. I've got a wicked bad stomach ache."
"Everyone's going," Mother said, with a kind of nervous insistence that I recognized: if I defied her, she might start screaming.
It was a wet Saturday night in May. We went together to the high-school auditorium in our old car, Mother driving. I could tell she was upset from the way she drove, riding the brake, stamping on the clutch the way she stamped on the piano pedals. Dad had gone separately. "Tambo's stopping by for me," he'd said.
I hurried into the auditorium, and slid down in my seat so that no one would see me. When the music began and the curtain went up, I covered my face and peered through my fingers.
Dad—Mr. Bones—and the other men were sitting onstage, their chairs in a semicircle. Mr. Bones looked confident and happy; he was dressed like a clown, in his shiny vest and big bow tie, but he looked powerful. All of them were in blackface, except Morrie Daigle, in the center, who wore a white suit and a white top hat.
"Mr. Bones, wasn't that music just beautiful? Didn't it touch you?" Morrie said.
I pressed my fingers to my ears, and closed my eyes and groaned, so that I wouldn't hear the rest. I wanted to disappear. I was so slumped in my seat that my head wasn't even showing, but although I kept my hands to my ears I heard familiar phrases—doctor of good standing and that was prior to his decease.
The songs I knew by heart penetrated me as I sat there trying to deafen myself. Mr. Bones sang "Mandy." "Rosie," "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby," and "Nobody" were sung by others.
You should see my brother, he walks like this, I heard, and knew it was Mr. Bones. I heard barefaced liar. Even so, I kept my eyes shut, my palms against my ears.
There was much more, skits and songs. People laughing, people clapping, the loud music, the shouts. It was silly and embarrassing, yet the same jokes and songs had intimidated us at home, and Mr. Bones had been different at home, too, not this ridiculous man clowning, far away on the stage, but someone else, someone I didn't want to think of as Dad, making fools of us and getting us to agree with him and make decisions. That was who he was—Dad as Mr. Bones.
At the end of the show, while the men were still taking bows onstage, I said, "I have to go to the bathroom," and ran out and hid in the car.
Back home, afterward, no one said anything about the show. Dad was in his regular clothes, with the faint greasy streaks of black on his neck and behind his ears. He was excited, breathless, but he didn't speak. The strange episode was over.
Later, I got anxious whenever he hummed "Mandy" or "Rosie" while shaving in the kitchen, but he didn't make any more jokes; he didn't tease or taunt us anymore. Watching him through the side window of the store, I saw him standing near the cash register, smiling at the front door, as though to welcome a customer.
The following year, there was talk of another minstrel show, but nothing happened. We had a TV set by then, and the news was of trouble in Little Rock, school integration, black children protected by National Guardsmen, and white crowds shouting abuse at the frightened students who were being liberated. Our bald-headed President made a speech on TV. Dad watched with us, saying nothing, perhaps thinking about how Mr. Bones had been liberated, too, or banished. It was not what Dad had expected. The expression on his face was vacant, stunned with sorrow, but before long he was smiling. ♦


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That's one reason that HCL, Chaterjee says, is trying to do the pricier kind of strategic consulting these days--the kind that's IBM's specialty, the kind that HP and Dell would like to dominate, too.
"You can look at the early signs that the Indian IT model is over," Chanerjee told McDougall.
"Many of these engagements--such as building a digital supply chain to support an e-commerce initiative--require onsite specialists with skills in project management and architectural design," McDougall notes. The kicker: HCL says that going forward, more of these jobs will go to people living in the United States.
[ Want to boost your social networking and professional appeal to recruiters and potential employers? See 10 LinkedIn Tips for IT Pros. ]
But consider the overall numbers: "To meet demand for onshore services, HCL is building out its presence in the U.S. Company officials said about 8,000 of the their 83,000 employees are now in the United States, and that number will grow," McDougall writes. "Ultimately, it wants more than 12% of its employees to be based in the U.S. or Europe by 2015. About 40% of HCL's current U.S.-based workers are Americans or green card holders; the rest are on H-1B and other temporary visas. Officials say they also want a larger percentage of their U.S.-based workers to be citizens or permanent residents."
How much of this is public relations? How many jobs will actually play out for non H-1B applicants? Those are wait and see questions. Check out the still-hot debate around InformationWeek Editor-in-Chief Rob Preston's recent column, Foreigners Don't Take IT Jobs, They Create Them.
But those old babysit-a-server-or-database jobs? There's no career path there, HCL is saying.
As for tomorrow's IT jobs, some of them are a far cry from caring for servers or tweaking databases. For instance, let's talk Ford. Yes, Ford. As my colleague Chris Murphy explains in an intriguing column, Ford just became a software company.
"Sometime early next year, Ford will mail USB sticks to about 250,000 owners of vehicles with its advanced touchscreen control panel. The stick will contain a major upgrade to the software for that screen. With it, Ford is breaking from a history as old as the auto industry, one in which the technology in a car essentially stayed unchanged from assembly line to junk yard," Murphy writes.
Who does Ford need to design and keep revising its own software platform? Traditional software developers, plus human-machine interface engineers "who study how people interact with technology," Murphy writes. "Ford has been cultivating these people from within since the early 2000s. HMI engineers come from a range of backgrounds, from software development to mechanical engineers. They're people who can live in worlds of art and science at once," Murphy notes.
Not exactly your image of a Ford assembly line? Mine either. But if I was a freshly-minted technology or engineering grad, I'd like the sound of those jobs. That type of artist gets an interesting canvas--and doesn't sound easily replaceable.
Laurianne McLaughlin is editor-in-chief for InformationWeek.com. Follow her on Twitter at @lmclaughlin.


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"Fujitsu helped us to work on our checkout waiting times and flow. Auchan wanted to offer its customers choice, both on the shelves and at the checkout. The new concepts, developed in partnership with Fujitsu, have enhanced the experience for our customers and made the sales process more flexible, whilst also improving working conditions for our employees."
Anne Bonjour, National Checkout Director, Auchan
The Auchan group is made up of five independent and additional companies. It employs over 330,000 people in 16 countries and has a turnover of €62.1 billion. The company has subsidiaries in France, Italy, India, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary, Russia, China, Taiwan, Romania and Ukraine. In 2014, Auchan had over 1,700 integrated supermarkets and hypermarkets.
Auchan wanted to improve the experience for customers and staff, to develop a genuine relational dimension by riding the wave of new technology. By reducing waiting times and streamlining the customer's in-store journey, Auchan wanted to develop an additional competitive advantage.


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Hamels' start sets up Brignac's walk-off HR
PHILADELPHIA -- Cole Hamels did not earn the win Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park, despite an impressive eight-inning effort.
He probably should be accustomed to that.View Full Game Coverage
PHILADELPHIA -- Cole Hamels did not earn the win Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park, despite an impressive eight-inning effort.
He probably should be accustomed to that.View Full Game Coverage
Hamels has experienced some of the worst run support in baseball over the past season and a half, but he at least left the ballpark in better spirits when Reid Brignac hit a three-run, walk-off home run in the ninth inning for a 3-0 victory over the Padres. It marks the first time the Phillies have won consecutive games since a three-game winning streak May 17-20.
"I'd like to win them all, and I'd like for my teammates and fellow starters to win all their starts, too," said Hamels, whose 3.52 run-support average ranked 153rd out of 178 pitchers in baseball since the beginning of last season. "But hopefully we can get into a rhythm and get a streak going. … I just want them to know they can count on me to go out there and give them something to play behind."
Hamels allowed five hits and a walk with a season-high 11 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings. It was the 26th double-digit strikeout game of his career, which moved him past Hall of Fame right-hander Jim Bunning for third place on the franchise list.
Only Steve Carlton (70) and Curt Schilling (48) have more.
Hamels has not allowed a run in 16 2/3 consecutive innings, dating to his final inning in a June 1 start against the Mets. He has a 0.40 ERA (one earned run in 22 2/3 innings) in three starts this month and a 1.78 ERA (10 earned runs in 50 2/3 innings) in his past seven starts.
The Phillies are 3-4 in those starts.
"To pull it out was huge because of the way Cole pitched," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said. "To not have that go as a loss, that was huge. Cole was outstanding. You don't want to waste an effort like that. So for the guys to rally there and pull it out and have a couple wins in a row, it can be big for us."
Hamels threw 125 pitches in each of his previous two starts, but he said he lobbied to pitch on his regular day rather than Thursday, when he was originally scheduled to pitch because of a team off-day this past Monday. Hamels has always been someone who loves staying in a routine, and the results have shown recently.
"I like staying on the fifth day," he said. "I have been feeling comfortable and confident with the workout programs I have. I have everything pretty wired in, so I want to stick to that and not change things. I don't want an extra day now, because there's no need. I'm happy that when I lobbied for it they gave it to me. I'm going to stick to the five days and run as long as I can with it."
Both teams struggled to get anything going offensively through eight innings. But then Padres right-hander Nick Vincent walked Domonic Brown with one out and hit Carlos Ruiz with a pitch to put runners on first and second in the ninth.
Brignac hit a 2-0 cutter to right field for a three-run homer.
"It was something that me and Hendu [hitting coach Steve Henderson] had talked about before the at-bat," Brignac said of Vincent's cutter. "The first two he threw in the at-bat were balls, and he left the third one up a little bit."
It was Brignac's second walk-off hit this season -- the first came in the 14th inning on May 30 against the Mets -- and the second walk-off homer of his career. He previously hit a walk-off homer Sept. 13, 2010, against the Yankees, which gave the Rays a half-game lead in the American League East.
Hamels worked out of a couple of jams early in the game, but it should not have been a surprise that the Padres did not score. First, Hamels is on a roll. Second, the Padres have struggled to score all season.
San Diego entered the night having averaged just 3.08 runs a game with a .622 OPS, both of which ranked last in baseball. The Padres are on pace to average fewer runs per game than any team in baseball since 1972, when the Angels (2.93), Rangers (2.99) and Indians (3.03) each averaged fewer. San Diego's .276 on-base percentage is on pace for the worst in baseball since the 1910 White Sox (.275).
Combine San Diego's struggles offensively and Hamels' career success against his hometown team -- 8-2 with a 2.39 ERA in 14 career starts against the Padres entering Wednesday, including 5-0 with 1.47 ERA in his past six starts -- and it seemed as if it were a night tailor made for the Phillies.
"He's the true winner in this game," Brignac said of Hamels.
Todd Zolecki is a reporter for MLB.com.


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Brooklyn had a weekend break between tournaments and we were [supposed to be] back at it this weekend. Their first game was scheduled for 9pm Friday night....no that's not a typo...9pm!! For some 8 year olds!! Our first Saturday game was schedule for 10am so we went ahead and got a room for the night in Southaven. My plan was to get there early and get a good nap before we had to be at the field at 8:15. After we got checked in, I was arranging our clothes/uniform for that night and I saw this....
Apparently there was a baseball team checking in that day also. Actually there were several teams checking in. Our window faced the entrance and we were lucky enough to get a room right by the elevator (ugh...but kinda ironic since I gave up elevators for lent. Thank goodness we were just on the 2nd floor).
Finally we laid down. I don't think we ever really slept for longer than 15 minutes. We hit the field that night ready for an awesome tournament weekend. We played a team that was not aware this was a coach pitch tournament so they did not do so well against us. We won the game by run rule in the 3rd inning....13-0.
The next day we were set to be at the field at 9:15. We got to bed early and set the alarm for 7 to eat breakfast. That morning, Brooklyn got the pleasure of eating breakfast with the "cute" baseball teams she stalked the afternoon before. She was in heaven. The baseball dads and I were glued to the weather channel though while we ate. A storm was headed our way and it was already wet and cold outside. The 8am games were delayed until at least noon, so we decided to take advantage of the indoor pool and hot tub at our hotel!
After the dip in the pool we checked out of the hotel and headed to meet the rest of the team at Steak and Shake, yum! All the girls got to sit together and laugh and talk. Then we all got the bad news text....tournament weekend officially cancelled :( We were all so ready to get out there and show out on the field. I was ready to watch some pop flies get caught and watch some big plays at the plate. Everyone was ready. But it just wasn't meant to be.
Now we just have to get back in the swing of things and get ready for next weekend. The Lady Wildcats are traveling to Batesville, MS on Sunday for four games! Big big day and I hope they have a blast. I am also a little relieved that we are just doing a one day tournament. It will be busy but it means Brooklyn gets to go to a fun skating party for the coolest twins we know!! Should be a fun weekend!
Here's a few more pics from Saturday when we were watching to see what we were doing next...
Watching the rain and hoping it would stop
Being silly as usual :)


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South Korea's fighter decision is subject to final government review
Boeing's F-15SE Silent Eagle has been selected as the only qualified bidder in South Korea's F-X Phase 3 competition for 60 fighters—but the country's air force is lobbying to overturn the decision in favor of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter.
A win in South Korea would extend the F-15 production line into the next decade and launch an improved version that could compete for future fighter requirements in the 2020s. That outcome seems likely following the decision of the South Korean purchasing authority, the Defense Acquisition Program Agency (DAPA), to eliminate first the F-35 as too costly and then the Eurofighter Typhoon for a bidding irregularity—although EADS, representing the consortium in the South Korean deal, disputes DAPA's decision.
A cross-government committee chaired by Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin will meet next month to rule on DAPA's decision. The review group will include air force officers, a member of the parliament's defense committee, an official from the finance ministry and the heads of DAPA and the Agency for Defense Development, which wants to lead indigenous industry in the development of its own stealthy fighter, the KF-X (AW&ST April 29, p. 46).
The finance ministry may back DAPA's fiscally conservative choice, but the air force has already shown its colors in fighting for the F-35.
"Some in the air force complain that the F-X Phase 3 is veering onto a wrong course, contrary to original aims," the Yonhap news agency reported Aug. 20, a few days after DAPA's decision was disclosed. The "original aim," as seen by the unnamed officers quoted by Yonhap, was evidently an F-35 order, and their attitude seems to be that the other two contenders were invited to bid just for the sake of creating competition.
This is a sensitive point. After competing for the F-X Phase 1 program, which the F-15 won in 2002, Dassault appears to have concluded that it had never had a chance and that the competition, for South Korea's benefit, was a waste of time and money in which its product was rejected in public. The French company said it had decided it could not work in South Korea and it would not take part in future competitions there. True to its word, it has not been a contender in either F-X Phase 2, also won by the F-15, or F-X Phase 3.
DAPA says that in F-X Phase 3 it excluded one contender—identified by local media as EADS—because the bidder, with the aim of reducing its price, changed previously agreed conditions of its offer without South Korea's consent. The contentious change was EADS's alteration of its offer from 45 single-seat and 15 two-seat Typhoons to 54 and six, respectively. EADS says there was no such agreement.
Lockheed Martin was excluded because its bid did not meet the budget, 8.3 trillion won ($7.4 billion), but has not given up, saying it "has not to date received an official notification from the Republic of Korea regarding the results of the price bidding for the F-X Program. The F-X source selection process has multiple phases, and we will continue to work closely with the U.S. government as they offer the F-35 to [South] Korea."
If the South Korean government does not overturn the DAPA decision outright, an alternative would be to relaunch the competition. However, the aircraft that F-X Phase 3 is intended to replace—F-4 Phantoms and F-5 Tigers, delivered in the 1970s—are obsolete and close to the end of their service lives.
The F-15SE will not go into production without the South Korean order.Compared to its immediate predecessor, Saudi Arabia's F-15SA, it differs mainly in that it incorporates a suite of features to reduce its radar cross section (RCS), the most important being conformal weapons bays, accommodating either four AIM-120 missiles or two AIM-120s and two 1,000-lb.-class bombs, that replace the F-15's normal conformal fuel tanks (CFT).
Without F-X Phase 3, F-15 production may end in 2019—and earlier for long-lead items—when the last of 84 new-build F-15SAs is due to be delivered. F-X Phase 3 would prolong production until 2021, 49 years after the type's first flight.
Boeing's fighter has had several advantages in the program. Already in South Korean service, it has probably been the cheapest contender—a key advantage, since South Korea's parliament has forbidden DAPA to consider above-budget bids. Last month, DAPA rejected all offers because they exceeded the budget and called for new proposals from the competing companies.
Lockheed Martin not only had to deal with the high cost of the F-35; it also had to offer the aircraft through the U.S. government's foreign military sales (FMS) process, which stipulates that the price cannot be less than the U.S. military pays. Boeing could and did choose to offer the F-15SE as a direct commercial sale, with only weapons and some equipment being supplied through FMS channels.
Another advantage for the F-15 is that Korea Aerospace Industries is already a major subcontractor on the F-15, so it was easier for Boeing to meet DAPA's requirements for local content.
The F-15 almost certainly offered the best weapons capacity and range performance of the three aircraft, because of its size and CFTs. The Typhoon was also politically disadvantaged against competitors from the U.S., which underwrites South Korean security.
If South Korea's government sustains DAPA's decision, it will validate a Boeing strategy that looked quixotic in March 2009, when the Silent Eagle concept was unveiled. At that time, the F-35A was expected to be operational with the U.S. Air Force by 2013, with the sixth low-rate initial production batch being delivered. Contemporary U.S. budget documents predicted a flyaway cost for the F-35A of $70-75 million in South Korea's delivery years. Accordingly, the F-35 appeared very hard to beat.
Today, the F-35A is not expected to be operational with the U.S. Air Force until late 2016, and the service projects a flyaway cost of $96 million for 2020 deliveries. At the same time, Boeing's competitive position has improved with the 2012 Saudi order for the F-15SA, which not only restarts the production line, but funds (and makes less risky) three expensive features also used on the F-15SE: the all-digital flight control system, BAE Systems Digital Electronic Warfare System (DEWS) and redesigned cockpit with 11 X 19-in. flat-panel displays.
Although it is not formally a factor in South Korea's evaluation, the Saudi deal includes the local upgrading of the F-15S fighters to the SA standard; South Korea's F-15Ks could be similarly upgraded.
Boeing has evolved its fighter strategy since 2009. In particular, plans for development of the F-15 and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet have been more closely aligned. The F-15SA and SE cockpit displays use similar glass, processors and software, and Boeing is working on adding capabilities available on or in development for the F/A-18—for example, passive targeting (see page 20). The F-15K already has an infrared search-and-track system similar to that under development for the U.S. Navy's Super Hornets.
As part of the F-15SA program, the new fly-by-wire system and DEWS are in flight testing, while the new cockpit is in the advanced prototyping phase, undergoing integration testing in laboratory environments. Development of the conformal weapons bay is proceeding on schedule, Boeing says, following a 2010 flight demonstration. For most subsystems, requirements reviews are complete and design reviews are underway. Tests for features reducing the radar cross section are continuing.
Deliveries of Saudi Arabia's new aircraft are not due to begin until 2015, although Boeing has rolled out the first and is upgrading 70 F-15Ss to the F-15SA configuration. The company should be able to fill the Saudi order by building one a month, but the South Korean requirement—60 aircraft over four years—might demand more than doubling that rate. Deliveries of F-15Ks for South Korea and similar F-15SGs for Singapore ended in 2012. South Korea bought 61 F-15Ks under F-X Phases 1 and 2. One crashed.
After the F-15K won earlier F-X competitions with a mechanically scanning radar, Boeing sold the F-15SG to Singapore with the Raytheon active, electronically scanned array (AESA) APG-63(v)3 radar, which is the baseline offering for the F-15SE. Boeing says it told DAPA this year that an alternative is the Raytheon APG-82, selected by the U.S. Air Force to refit its F-15Es and due for entry into service in 2014. While the APG-63(v)3 uses a similar array to the F/A-18E/F's APG-79, the APG-82 uses the APG-79 processor and other components—another respect in which Boeing is pushing to make the F-15 and F/A-18 more common.
The impact on the F-35 program of an F-15SE win would be more psychological—being the first competitive loss for Joint Strike Fighter—than material, for the time being. The F-35 team has won in Japan and appears to be headed for a non-competitive selection in Singapore. Firming up commitments in Australia, Canada and Europe and completing development of the aircraft are of greater strategic importance.


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Oh shit, I'm thinking of Rockman Online (which looks phenomenal, and megaman fans would be losing out if it was cancelled)?!I apologize for my foolishness. The word "universe" is associated with online gaming in my mind. Man, feeling dumb sucks.
I think the 3D Megaman games (besides Legends) were a little clunky. With regard to Rockman Online, I have a feeling you clicked the first link google gave you, so I'm going to post this youtube linkhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5DeXQbiJZg&feature=related


text: GMansour's hip-hop debut album, "The Cage," is a testament of a brother who withstands diversity. It reflects a relevant proportion of his life in his youth, in refugee camp and in jail. GMansour is a Sudanese. He came to Sweden in 1994 as a refugee. During his painful years in a refugee camp outside a remote place called Växjö, he embraced Hip Hop to be his personal saviour. GManasour said to FSR crew that he's ready to re-define Hip Hop and put his name and face in every corner of this world and beyond. His hunger for the music industry and Hip Hop became greater than his hunger for women, alcohol and smoking. It didn't take long before he convinced FSR that he would dedicate his life, through ambition and submission, to Hip Hop. The crafty writing of his autobiographical song, "My Life," was the first song on the album to be written, hence the album's title, "The Cage."