text:
How to Block Glare From an LCD TV
By Erica Kasper
An LCD TV is a great choice for watching the shows and movies you love, but the mirror-like screen can often cause glare and reflections that reduce your picture quality. Even if your screen is a matte finish, light can still spread across the surface and negatively impact your viewing experience. Fortunately, there are a few ways that you can block the glare from an LCD TV and go back to enjoying your entertainment as it was meant to be seen.
Move Things Around Until the Glare is Gone
Take a good look at the space where your TV is located. Are there windows directly across from the screen that are reflecting on its surface? How about lamps in different areas of the room that could be causing a glare from where you're sitting? Consider moving your furniture, lamps or even the TV itself so that there are no light sources reflecting off the screen. You may wish to mount the TV on a pivoting stand so that you can turn or adjust the screen's position as needed to compensate for lighting. If you have the means to change the setup of your lights, soft or indirect light that's located beside or behind the TV can help reduce or remove glare from just about any seat in the room. If windows are a problem but you don't have the option of moving your TV, you may wish to purchase some dark curtains or shades that can keep light out.
Adjust Your LCD TV's Backlight Control to Enjoy Shows in Total Darkness
Watching TV in a completely dark room will eliminate glare, but it can tire your eyes. To reduce eye strain, you can change the backlight control on your LCD TV so that it isn't as bright or harsh to look at. Almost all LCD TVs have a backlight control built in; to find it, visit the TV's on-screen user menu or check the manual. Once you have accessed the backlight control (which is probably preset to be at or near the maximum level), turn it down to a moderate level to give your eyes a break and still enjoy the same images and contrast ratios as before.
Try an Anti-Glare TV Protector
If glare and safety are both issues for you, you may wish to invest in a specialized anti-glare TV protector. These protectors mount in front of your LCD TV screen and prevent fingerprints, scratches and other damage to the screen's glass, and they also help to reduce glare on glossy screens with anti-glare, anti-reflective technology. They are made of acrylic and come in assorted sizes to fit just about any flatscreen TV. The downsides of these protectors are that they can be pricey (up to $100 or more) and that they don't eliminate glare completely. But if you are concerned about securing your screen and reducing the reflection of light from it, an anti-glare protector may be the best choice.
Invest in a TV with Light Sensor Technology
Some LCD TVs today come with technology that measures the light in the room and then adjusts the brightness of the screen to compensate. These sensors are intended, in part, to control power usage, but in a well-lit room, a TV that can adjust its own brightness settings can often mask a lot of the reflection or glare that can affect your viewing enjoyment. Brands like Samsung, Toshiba, Panasonic, LG and Sharp have sensors like these built into their TVs; some of them also offer glare-reducing filters that are applied directly to the screen to reduce or remove all light reflection.
CNET: How to Rid Your HDTV of Reflections
Paul's TV Community: How to Reduce HDTV Reflections and Glare
Erica Kasper has been a professional writer and editor since 1999. Based in Jacksonville, Fla., she has written and edited educational, marketing and web copy for nonprofit organizations, technology companies and online marketing firms. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism (honors) and psychology from Washington and Lee University.


A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about why it makes sense to partner up with your market research agencies for insights management – from the promotion of work to both company and research agency seeing the benefits of having well-structured knowledge readily available. In addition to these reasons for collaboration, research agencies can also help your company write findings. As I've recently discussed in my previous blog, findings make life much easier when it comes to insights management.
How so? Let's take a stroll down memory lane: findings are a great way to quickly understand what your company knows regarding specific business questions. Searching through findings instead of documents provides you with a broad overview of consumer, shopper, market, and industry knowledge across different projects and markets. They are also a great asset when it comes to insight workshop preparation or desk researches and internal analyses.
Now that your memory is jogged on both the importance of collaboration with market research agencies and on trusting in the power of findings, let's take another refresher course on what's needed to create stellar findings and how they should be written to make them valuable and reusable.
Remember, findings are standalone pieces of information that are self-explanatory and need no further information. So, where do the research agencies come into play? Although findings are a huge time saver, it's also an investment to write findings – which results in hours that market researchers in companies typically don't have. But, this shouldn't discourage you –the benefits of findings greatly outweigh the initial effort. Plus, we have a solution to writing findings – collaborate with your research agencies.
Research agencies are the ones who know the research results best. They'll need less time to identify and extract the key insights of a study to then turn into reusable, actionable findings. For them, it's just a small part of the final deliverable that comes with the report.
It's in the research agency's best interest to write great findings that will be used again. Typically, they don't want their insights to be buried in pages of reports, getting covered in dust and never to be read.
And last but not least, it's a fantastic way to promote their work. Colleagues within the company will see the valuable insights they put into findings and the chances of using the agency for their next research study increases knowing that they write insightful findings.
Of course, some investment from your side is required in the beginning. You'll need to ensure the findings meet your expectations, which means a little bit of training and quality assurance. In the end, you (as a researcher in the company) will remain the gatekeeper of all research results, including documents and findings, before they are shared widely within your insights management software. However, this isn't a lot. You'll only have to review what you receive, ask for rework if needed, and then publish the new insights. There's nothing to lose, but much to gain.
Do you have questions on how to involve your research agency with writing great findings for your insights management? I'm happy to help!


I hear screeching from the tub, and I enter to find Milo stretched full length attempting to practice his bubbling at the expense of Naomi's space and comfort. Rugs were askew, and water soaked the bath mat. A sodden washcloth was dripping over the side onto the floor, where the lino has already been patched after buckling under the moisture.
"Right, Milo, you're first to get your hair washed." More screeching. I don't care. In the back of my mind I know there's more peaceful, humane way to bathe children, but I'm too frazzled to figure it out. So frazzled, in fact, that I try rubbing conditioner into his scalp and then wonder why it doesn't lather.
There the agreeability ended. I put the towel on wrong. She didn't want her hair rubbed. She wanted to leave the bathroom and trail water over the living room carpet. "No! no! NO!" she squawked, while my nerves jangled. Forcefully dried just shy of dripping, she exited at full tilt. I don't remember how Milo got out, but he must have reached his towel on his own and gone streaking through the door.
I surveyed the soggy mess that we call a bathroom, then went and got a clean pair of undies from my drawer. I needed a shower too. And the bathroom needed a clean, or at least the tub did. No use doing the sink on a Sunday, when Jeremiah shaves on a Monday. I turned the key in the lock, the one door in the house that has a lock, hoping for a few moments of solitude.
Thirty seconds later the mayhem started outside the door. There's an unwritten rule of motherhood—if you close yourself behind a door, the kids will suddenly feel the urgent need to be with you. Naomi, insulted by something or other, started wailing and pounding on the door. "Mommy! MomMee! MoMEEEE!" Milo, not to be outdone, started jiggling the door nob, peeved at finding it unyielding. I undressed, then started cleansering the tub.
The hubbub gets louder outside. I turn on the warm water, and stand under it for a moment. I hear some hard object hit the door, and vaguely wonder what it was. Jeremiah's home, so presumably if real damage is being done, he'll intervene eventually.
The noise outside doesn't abate. I consider my exit strategy. There is one window to the outdoors, but it's narrow and awkwardly high above the laundry wash sink, with a significant drop to the ground below. Plus it's on the neighbor's side.
I slowly wring out the myriad washcloths the kids had used, plus the sodden hand towel that had been roped into the scene. I leisurely pulled on my clothes. I plucked a few eyebrows. I considered washing the toilet. I wished I had remembered to grab my phone so I could read national geographic. I leaned on the door, contemplating the yowls still going strong on the other side. Then I felt foolish. How could I expect to escape mommy responsibilities by hiding in the bathroom? That's five-year-old logic.
And besides, it didn't work.
I sighed, wondering how life got to be so chaotic, and turned the key.
Unbeknownst to me, Jeremiah wasn't trying to assuage the situation, but was instead recording it.
Good to see Jeremiah was supervising the children. You could have taken a longer break and plucked a few more eyebrows.


text:
Boston Globe Urges End to Lifetime Alimony in Massachusetts
By Jason V. Owens
Massachusetts divorce attorney Jason V. Owens reports on a Boston Globe editorial calling for an end to "lifetime alimony".
The Boston Globe has released an editorial making an impassioned plea to "[p]lug the loopholes in alimony reform". It is unclear if the Globe's piece will break the logjam in the Massachusetts Senate Judiciary Committee, where the bill endorsed by the Globe is presently mired. The bill, H.740, seeks to close loopholes in the Alimony Reform Act of Massachusetts, passed in 2011, by providing for the reduction or termination of alimony when an alimony payer reaches retirement age or when a recipient is cohabitating with a new romantic partner.
Globe Targets Brownsberger For Slowing Alimony Reform
Brownsberger Seeks to Delay Alimony Reform Vote to 2018
Lifetime Alimony Survives: Cohabitation and Retirement Age Won't Stop Alimony for Pre-2012 Divorces
Real World Impact: Constant Stream of Pre-2012 Alimony Payers
Next Steps for Alimony Re-Reform Bill?
The Globe's editorial appears to point a finger directly at "State Senator William Brownsberger, whose judiciary committee is looking at the legislation". Advocates for the bill have pointed to Brownsberger as the main force preventing passage of H.740 in the Massachusetts Senate. According to the Globe:
[Brownsberger] called [H.740] a zero-sum game, and he's right: Someone is going to come away feeling robbed. But while applying the reforms retroactively will undoubtedly create disruption, legislators should approve a bill that would extend the 2011 reforms. As a matter of fairness, all couples in Massachusetts should be subject to the same rules.
The Globe's endorsement comes on the heels a May 2017 Boston Globe Magazine opinion piece urging the passage of H.740. However, the May editorial represented the views of a single contributor to the Globe's Magazine. Sunday's endorsement represents the view of the entire Boston Globe editorial board, which holds greater sway on Beacon Hill. Alimony reform advocates hope that the Globe's full-throated support for H.740 will overcome opposition from Brownsberger and others on the judiciary committee, where H.740 has stalled for weeks.
In a recent email to supporters, Stephen K. Hitner, the President of Massachusetts Alimony Reform, called out Brownsberger and other members of the judiciary committee, writing:
The chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Will Brownsberger seems to be ignoring the urge to push thing along claiming that he is afraid of causing pain. While there are some recipients of Spousal Support that may experience some discomfort with the Passage of H 740, it is a question of NEED vs. GREED. At least one of the complaints at the Judiciary Hearing was mostly HOT AIR as she is worth well over a million dollars. As I have repeated many time, a recipient spouse with solid evidence of need is protected by Judicial Discretion in the form of Deviation Factors.
Currently Senator Brownsberger says that the Judiciary is working on other issues and will not be dealing with the Alimony Reform issue until next February, 2018. While I do respect the Senator as an honorable person, I do not feel very comfortable that after all of our efforts he is not sympathetic to the plight of the Alimony Payer.
If Brownsberger succeeds, it will be the second year in a row that advocates have seen their hopes dashed in the Senate. In 2016, an identical bill passed by a unanimous 156-0 vote in the Massachusetts House, only to become mired in a senate subcommittee. The bill seems to be hitting the same bottleneck in 2017, despite substantial support from individual senators.
According to the Globe, unless H.740 is approved, a substantial portion of Massachusetts divorcees will continue to be subject to lifetime alimony awards:
That means that some of the bizarre outcomes that were possible under the old alimony system endure. Writing recently in the Globe Magazine, one author related how her partner has to continue sending alimony checks to his ex-wife, even though she has found a new partner. Under the courts' interpretation of the 2011 law, paying spouses who divorced before then also must keep paying alimony after they retire. Those spouses also can't automatically end alimony at retirement (though they can ask a court to modify alimony if their circumstances change).
Lest anyone think that alimony cases involving pre-2012 divorces are rare, it is important to note that at any one time, our law office is always handling multiple cases for clients who are paying alimony from pre-2012 divorce agreements. Indeed, as the alimony-paying population ages, the two-class system used in Massachusetts becomes ever more stark. For nearly all of those divorced after 2012, alimony stops when the payer reaches federal retirement age. For those divorced before 2012, alimony continues into the payer's 70's. For pre-2012 divorcees, it is not unusual to see a husband still paying alimony 30 years after a divorce for a marriage that only lasted 20 years.
The view advocated by opponents like Brownsberger – that applying the retirement and cohabitation provisions to pre-2012 would be unfair to former spouses who negotiated under the old law – does not make much sense. Under Massachusetts law, parties have long had the ability to make alimony obligations modifiable or unmodifiable. Unmodifiable alimony agreements would not be affected by H.740. Only alimony orders that both parties agreed could be modified by a subsequent court order would be affected by a payer reaching retirement age or a recipient cohabitating with a new partner.
Given Sen. Brownsberger's opposition to H.740, alimony reform proponents are pessimistic about the bill's passage in advance of the end of the 2017 legislative session on July 31, 2017. Perhaps the Globe's editorial will change the dynamic on Beacon Hill, but it is difficult to see this happening without a significant increase in public focus on the judiciary committee.
About the Author: Jason V. Owens is a Massachusetts divorce lawyer and Massachusetts family law attorney for Lynch & Owens, located in Hingham, Massachusetts.
Try the Lynch & Owens Massachusetts Alimony Calculator
Think you have an alimony case in Massachusetts? Estimate the amount and duration of alimony in your case with the Lynch & Owens Massachusetts Alimony Calculator:
Schedule a consultation with Jason V. Owens today at (781) 253-2049 or send him an email

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Removing an element while traversal . Sometimes elements are not removing from concurrentskiplistset.
My question is safe to use above to pattern to remove elements ?
any modifications subsequent to construction.
So yes, this should work as expected as long as every e is unique.
entries which are equal to each other.
> My question is safe to use above to pattern to remove elements ?
I wrote a test program to verify.
* Created by dmandapam on 5/16/17.
Looks like there is a bug in ConcurrentskipListSet.
That's not a valid compare method.
that part of your code would do nothing different than the previous.
totally independent of your list instance and whatever you do with it.
Thanks, I rewrote the program. I ran into a strange situation. I am mutating a field which is used in the comparator. Now remove method is returning false for most of the times.
* Created by dmandapam on 5/17/17.
But if i try  with TreeSet then remove method always returns true. Could you guys help me in uderstanding the problem.
of Java's basic collection classes before you start with this.
> returning false for most of the times.
> * Created by dmandapam on 5/17/17.
> that part of your code would do nothing different than the previous.
> totally independent of your list instance and whatever you do with it.
mutable state. Your comparator is broken.
What are you trying to do exactly? Identify how the set fails when the behavior it depends is broken? When an entry is added to the set with a specific comparator result, the result must not change for as long as the entry exists in the set. In general, comparators must not depend on mutable state. Your comparator is broken.


text:
CHAD & JETS KEEP THE DREAM ALIVE ; TOPPLE TITANS TO MAINTAIN SLENDER PLAYOFF HOPES
By Mark Cannizzaro
The Jets wanted this game desperately.
Not only do they still harbor scant playoff hopes with dreams of running the table and finishing 9-7, but they were hell-bent on using last night's Monday Night Football appearance as a platform to show the nation that they're better than the 4-7 record they brought to the dance against the Titans at Giants Stadium.
Well, after their emotional and stirring 24-17 upset, without question their finest performance of the season considering their elite opponent, the Jets are better than 4-7. They're now 5-7, having won two in a row.
"I told the players this was our Monday night game; this was a playoff game for us," Herman Edwards said. "This was a very frustrated football team. A lot of people probably thought, at 4-7, we were going to just show up and roll our helmets out there. I felt all week we were going to win this game and I told the players."
The players took Edwards' words to heart.
"Herman made it plain to us," Curtis Martin (24-67, 1 TD rushing) said. "He said, 'We will not leave this stadium unless we're 5-7,' and now we're leaving the stadium 5-7. Those words give you confidence; they make you believe. You feel obligated to carry it out. We all feed off his fire."
The Jets carried out Edwards' plan, stunning the Titans and recording their first victory over a winning team this year.
Meanwhile, they dropped the Titans to 9-3 despite the fact that Tennessee ironman QB Steve McNair (21-of-35, 272 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 79.7 rating) played after not practicing all week with a slight pull in his right calf.
McNair was much less a factor than was Chad Pennington, who shook off a shaky start (two first-half INTs) and completed 18-of-23 for 231 yards and two TDs, good for a 101.3 rating. Pennington was 8-of-8 for 134 yards and two TDs in the second half.
"One thing about the Jets," Pennington said, "is that we play with heart, we play with will and we believe in each other. We believe we're a good team. We just didn't make the plays earlier in the season. [Last] night, Jets stood up and made plays."
Among them were surprise stars Kevin Swayne and Curtis Conway.
Swayne, who was recently demoted to the fourth WR, caught a 27-yard Pennington TD pass with 3:32 remaining in the third quarter to give the Jets a 17-10 lead. It was not only Swayne's first career TD reception in the NFL, but it was his first reception of the season.
Conway, who's been labeled a disappointing free-agent signing by many, made his finest play as a Jet, catching an eight-yard Pennington scoring pass to give the Jets a stunning 24-10 lead with 10:45 remaining in the game. On the play, Conway did a masterful job of keeping his feet inbounds before falling out of the end zone.
All of the offensive fireworks should not overshadow the Jets' finest defensive performance of the season.
Not only did they contain McNair, picking him off twice (once by FS Tyrone Carter and once by SS Sam Garnes), but they didn't let Titans' power RB Eddie George gash them the way so many backs have this season. George rushed for 73 essentially harmless yards on 18 carries.
The Jets' maligned defense was at its best preserving the 24-10 lead when it held the Titans on a stirring goal-line stand, which was climaxed when Garnes broke up a McNair pass to TE Erron Kinney in the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the Jets' three-yard line with 5:21 remaining.
THE 'DYESS MAN COMETH - ALL SYSTEMS GO TONIGHT FOR ANTONIO
Masahiro Tanaka's time with Yankees seems to be ending


Comfy and casually chic are what best describe this stylish collection by Awabox. Specially designed for a perfect fit, this trendy outfit provides utmost comfort which will keep your baby looking super adorable. Specifications Brand - Awabox Type - Dress Fabric - Blended Sleeves - Full Sleeves Neck - Collar Neck Occasion - Casual Wear Fit - Regular fit Wash Care Instructions Machine wash Wash dark colors separately Items Included in Package 1 Dress Pre order : Our Firstcry customers get the privilege of being ahead in the race by a leap. You can now pre order a huge range of international products at competitive prices & assured international quality. Pre order products are generally at your doorstep within 2-3 weeks.


A package ordered days or weeks ago finally arrives on your doorstep. Too bad you weren't home to actually receive it.
In the industry this is known as the last mile, or the actual fulfillment of an order placed online or via some other portal for ultimate delivery. Unsurprisingly, last mile is extremely important to customer satisfaction; it's the realization of the promise made by the point of purchase. Meet or exceed expectations via beating expected delivery time, careful and attentive packaging, or other perk and your customers will remember your brand in the most positive light, increasing their chances of shopping again or passing on a referral. Violate these expectations and not only have you likely lost a customer, but you may also find yourself issuing refunds and apologies and putting yourself into the red.
In most of North America, Amazon is the set standard to meet or beat in not only online customer experience, but in their incredible ability to fulfill orders anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days with their Prime service.
But my recent experience with two items ordered from Amazon Prime challenged not only their abilities in last mile fulfillment, but exposed some holes in their customer experience that likely stem from their exponential growth.
Yes, ladies, gentlemen, and folks of all kind: even Amazon can screw up the last mile. And yes, it ended up costing them as a result of the poor customer experience I had.
Here's the tale of how I unintentionally pushed the bounds of Amazon Prime fulfillment… and how they let me down.
I've been an Amazon Prime Member since February 12, 2016.
I guess that makes me an earlier adopter than most; Prime only launched in Canada in 2013 so I was only a few years behind the curve. An occasional shopper on the ecommerce marketplace before I joined the club of 'why don't we just Prime it?', Amazon cleverly lured me into the program with a free trial. And I haven't looked back since.
Most of my experiences with Prime have been pleasant ones, holding true to the high benchmark Amazon continually strives to set in all they do. In the past, I've experimented with 2-hour delivery only to see a clearly privately-owned vehicle pull up in front of my house and a non-Amazon or fulfillment company employee to hand me my package (a decidedly neat and interesting experience for me). I've sent gift-wrapped packages to friends and family where I never laid my hands on the items I purchased. One year, Prime served as my Santa Claus stand-in.
And I've challenged the bounds of what can be delivered.
I've ordered consumer goods, electronics, food (although no fresh grocery… yet), clothing, tools, hardware… you name it. I'm a very seasoned online shopper — just ask my credit card. And it's not a characteristic of my cohort, nor of my lack of desire to go out into the world and into a physical store to buy these things. Like many, my Prime shopping habits are a combination of convenience and an inability to find the items I need in store easily.
I needed a 128 oz jug of cleaning liquid, and… a 65″ 4K Ultra HD Smart QLED TV.
Now, I can feel your side-eye from here: a TV from Prime? I had very good reasons for ordering both items on Prime. The cleaning liquid was a refill of a specialty product that was only available in certain stores. The original bottle was given to me by a tradesperson who had done some work on our house, and I subsequently fell in love with it. When it ran out, I discovered that the closest store where I could buy it was a full two cities away from where I live. So, Prime it was.
Without a second thought, I placed my orders for both items on the same day: July 29. Both were Prime orders, both were guaranteed 2-day delivery, and both (oddly enough) required a signature at the door for delivery. Informed by my past positive experiences with Amazon Prime, I thought no more of my orders… until a few days later.
And that's where things started to fall apart.
Before I realized, a full week had passed. No deliveries.
I did the only thing that most consumers can do in this situation: tried to be patient, and fervently watched the order progress bar and my inbox for any updates.
The cleaning liquid just appeared to be moving slowly. Now, I come with more understanding and sympathy for these admittedly unusual orders and what it takes to deliver liquids and large, heavy items, given what VL OMNI does. I wasn't too worried about the cleaning liquid; it would arrive when it would arrive, and I know from past experience that sometimes the 2-day delivery promise doesn't always work out that way for whatever reason. So long as it arrived eventually and I still had tracking visibility on it, I would be more or less happy.
But the TV was a bit more concerning. It was a far more expensive purchase, and we were honestly excited for it to arrive. The order notifications I was receiving both in email and on my Amazon Prime portal were legitimately causing concern. Multiple times I was made aware that the ship date was confirmed, only to be subsequently notified that the date was pushed back. This happened at least three times. So much for the 2-day promise.
There is an interesting additional element I should add in at this point: I just so happen to live in a city with 8 Amazon warehouses. With my industry-insider knowledge, I know that these warehouses are a combination of FBA and Prime warehouses. But the song and dance in my last mile delivery up to this point started to make me think that both these items were either Seller Fulfilled Prime, or else the fulfillment was being completed by a third party as a part of the FBA structure.
But let's be honest here for a second: I'm not your average Prime customer. Most customers simply don't care about this level of detail or, frankly, how their stuff gets to their door, so long as it gets there when and how they expect it to. I'm likely far more patient and understanding when compared to your average Prime shopper.
10 days in to my 2-day delivery, it was now time to up the ante with Prime.
I made my peace with the cleaning liquid, and focused my energy on the TV. It was a higher value item, and my customer experience was already offset with the delay combined with the confusing notifications. I was starting to regret my online order; after all, I could have simply walked over to Best Buy and had them price match Amazon's listed price. But the scientist in me took over, and I dug in deeper.
I actually called Amazon Prime.
This is something I've only done one other time. It takes a lot for a customer to reach the point where they feel the need to reach out to actually speak with a marketplace or e-tailer; some of us specifically shop online to avoid the human interaction. And I'm also not one to complain; again, I know how complicated ecommerce and multichannel commerce can get, and have a lot of sympathy and understanding as a result.
We took the opportunity to also discuss how the TV was going to be delivered. Both my partner and I work long daytime hours; no one is home at least 5 days a week to receive packages. In the past year, our Prime orders have been dumped on our stoop via a third-party fulfillment company that also emails a digital picture confirming the delivery of the package at my house, which is both convenient and reassuring. I also have several cameras on the exterior of my home that I can access via my smartphone. Worst case scenario is that if something gets snatched, the liability is on the last mile fulfillment and not me — and especially true for items that require a signature upon delivery.
Unsurprisingly, the TV was a signature-required delivery. We brought up the fact that we likely won't be home during the day when the TV was (finally) going to be delivered — a full 10 days after my initial order placement, by the way — with the Amazon representative over the phone. We asked if it could possibly be delivered in the evening when we would be home, letting them know that having to wait another 24 hours to pick up packages from fulfillment centers is extremely inconvenient should we not be home to sign. She said she would see what she could do, which I understood as perhaps Amazon was going to work their customer service magic and have the TV delivered in the evening.
August 7th rolled around: both the TV and the cleaning liquid were due to arrive. There was no estimated delivery time (which seems to be a perk that only certain 3PLs offer).
Murphy's Law saw to it that on that day, a work day (of course), I was going to be in quite a few meetings and would not have access to my personal phone and hence the delivery notification emails from Amazon and their fulfillment provider for my last mile delivery. I had been lulled into a false sense of confidence and security with the TV, having spoken to Amazon a couple days earlier, and having past experiences with Amazon customer service promises always ringing true. Plus, they had issued that refund, a sure gesture of good-will and favour from the delivery gods… right?
Wrong. It was almost 4 PM by the time I got to my phone. To my horror, I had several delivery notices from the fulfillment provider, who, as per their usual, had sent me photos of my house number and my packages on my front step to confirm my delivery.
The TV and the cleaning liquid — both which required signatures as clearly outlined in my order history on Amazon — were sitting on my front step.
Open and exposed to the neighborhood and the elements, and anyone who cared to meander down my street.
My stomach hit the floor. I looked at the timestamp on the emails, and both items had already been sitting on my step for at least an hour. I quickly turned to my home security app on my phone to see if I was going to come home to anything — there had been a rash of delivery scams in my neighborhood — and thankfully my live view showed both packages sitting there, albeit unattended.
I didn't know what to do. No one was available for me to call and have them, what, sit on my step and babysit my items for the 2 more hours when I'd finally be home? I desperately tried calling a couple shot-in-the-dark contacts for help or at least advice, but to no avail.
So I did the only thing I could do in that situation: I set up my live-camera view of my front door on my phone to keep a constant eye on the TV. I ultimately ended up leaving work early. And like a good millennial, I carpool, so this also meant my colleague had to leave early.
Thankfully, the TV and all other items were accounted for by the time I arrived. I also thanked my lucky stars that this particular afternoon just so happened to be one of the few days it did not rain, as the TV was not fully covered by the veranda.
Remember the cleaning liquid? Well, it looked like someone had violently chucked it at the threshold to my front door. The box was deformed, upside-down… and wet. Of course, I didn't notice that the box was also actively leaking until I had carried it through my house (good thing it was a cleaning product?) and opened the actual box. Despite the Amazon seller having carefully padded the 128 oz bottle with bubble wrap, cellophane wrapping the actual bottle, and adding extra tape around the lid to keep the good stuff in, all of these precautions did nothing to protect from the damage that was inflicted on the bottle. The handle was indented and on closer inspection, the inflection points on the plastic from the dent had created holes. Mystery leak discovered.
In the interests of bringing this issue up to the retailer and Amazon (and honestly not to complain; I genuinely want to let these retailers know when things go off in my experience so that they can improve for the next person), I reached out to the seller and sent a couple of pictures of the bottle as proof. And to my genuine surprise, they issued a full refund.
This is definitely a rare negative customer experience story for Amazon, and especially for Prime. Their customer experience is well-known for the high standard it sets for their sellers, never mind other ecommerce and multichannel retailers. But no one's perfect, and we're all navigating the complex and rapid changes in commerce across all channels these days.
Speaking from our expertise in working with many complex and growing merchants for 25 years and having seen this scenario play out on behalf of our customers with Amazon and many other sales channels (including their own), there are likely two things going on here.
First, it's no secret that Amazon is undergoing some incredible growth, and with that comes complexity. With more complexity comes heavier requirements on systems and how they communicate with each other. If my intuition and experience is correct on my two items being Seller Prime Fulfilled, then there's a disconnect between Amazon and the seller's ability to fulfill at a certain standard at the very least. In other words, Amazon is growing so quickly that they are having difficulty enforcing their own standards across all levels of Sellers, and things are slipping as a result. By way of admitting their errors, I received not one, but two refunds — one partial, and one full. This ultimately hurts not Amazon (are they worth $1 trillion, yet?), but the retailer. If these penalties weren't paid from the get-go by the Sellers, they'll likely show up soon enough as charge-backs. And if my items were instead third-party fulfilled FBA, you can bet that Amazon's not footing that charge-back bill, either.
Second, Amazon is clearly adding more third parties to manage the consumer demand driving Amazon Prime's growth. A year ago, Prime was delivered to my house by a veritable hodgepodge of fulfillment services and 3PLs. These days, it's almost exclusively this single fulfillment provider — the one who sends picture confirmations of their deliveries. But in adding more partners to help with the workload, standards are slipping here as well. A simple signature was required, or else the packages should have been taken back to the fulfillment center. Instead, they were left, signature be damned.
But not to fret: growing pains are to be expected, and these speed-bumps can (and will, in the case of Amazon — I'd put money on it) be ironed out. Ultimately, visibility — both on the customer side and Amazon's controller side of this story — clearly needs to be improved. This can be easily improved with better data integration, connecting applications, partners, and of course Amazon Sellers into Amazon's systems better and tighter so that Amazon can have better control over their empire while maintaining their customer experience standards.
In fact, had data integration and connecting applications, partners, and Sellers into Amazon in a way that's not only meaningful to all parties, but that is also elastic and allows for changes and adjustments, my story may never have happened. That's the power of great data integration: if done right, you'll never even know it's there. It just works.
As a customer, my experience during last mile delivery was negatively impacted by misleading delivery guarantees, confusing notifications, and a betrayal of the promise made by Amazon in requiring a signature upon delivery that was carelessly bypassed. This cost me time (in pursuing what had happened), it cost Amazon a bit of credibility in my customer experience, and it cost the Sellers — literally — via volunteering a partial and a complete refund on my items to keep me happy (and likely to keep me off the message boards; sorry guys, I wrote an editorial article instead).
The moral of the story is that even the big guys make mistakes — or, that there's always room for improvement. Conversely, this tale also shows that Amazon is not the untouchable demigod of ecommerce, either. If they're making missteps like those made with me, then that presents a competitive advantage to other marketplaces and ecommerce sites that can provide better last mile delivery and an overall better customer experience as a result.
So merchants, learn from this tale and capitalize on Amazon's learning curve at my expense. Don't underestimate the power and importance of your data integration strategy to your customer experience from start to finish… otherwise it may surprise you in unpleasant ways.


TUTTOFOOD is the international B2B show dedicated to food & beverage and organised by Fiera Milano from 6th to 9th May 2019.
In just 6 editions, it has become the perfect showcase for presenting one's products to the national and international markets.
Inside the exhibition area, the Company Mission "EEN Business Meetings @Tuttofood 2019" (7th and 8th May 2019) will be organised by the SIMPLER consortium partners, with the support of Enterprise Europe Network partners from Malta, Spain and other countries.
The Company Mission offers to international companies (producers or wholesalers, retailers, importers, distributors, agents in the food&drink sector) the opportunity to plan an agenda of selected meetings with companies from Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions and from Turin province, aiming to start new commercial collaborations.
For Further information on how it works, agenda, venue etc please visit the event website here.


The reservation is home to the Blackfeet tribe. Of the approximately 15,560 enrolled tribal members, there are about 7,000 living on or near the reservation. Nearly 27 percent of enrolled members are of three-fourths or greater Indian blood.
The Blackfeet Indians are commonly thought to have acquired their name because of the characteristic black color of their moccasins, painted or darkened with ashes.
A manufacturing plant on the reservation produces pencils, pens and markers. Several other businesses operate under Siyeh Development, Inc. Major uses of the land are ranching and farming. The principle crops are wheat, barley and hay.
There are eight major lakes and 175 miles of fishing streams. Tribal permits are required and guides are available through Fish, Wildlife & Parks. The tribe operates four campgrounds.
The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council consists of nine members elected from four districts of the Blackfeet Reservation. These districts include Browning, Heart Butte, Seville and Old Agency Districts. The tribal business council serves four-year terms. Terms are staggered, and elections are held in June of every even numbered year. The next general election is set for June of 2018.
The Blackfeet Reservation, headquartered in Browning, is the third largest reservation in Montana encompassing approximately 1.5 million acres.
The reservation is home to 56% of the enrolled tribal members and is the largest Indian population in Montana.
There are three branches of the Blackfeet peoples-the Northern Blackfeet (Siksika), the Blood and the Piegan or Pikuni.
The tribe call themselves "Niitsitapi" (nee-itsee-TAH-peh) meaning "the real people."
The reservation's economy is primarily agriculture based. The principal crops are wheat, barley and hay.
The tribe's annual celebrations include North American Indian Days and the Heart Butte Society Celebration.


>> the native client was doing at the time I made the change).
>> What was moved to every hour is a "Ping".
> client and Pidgin together to compare.
I get buzzed or if it is when I get messaged by a bot.
It seems to be more likely when one of those events occur.


A New Agent Joins Us!
We are thrilled to announce that Tamela Hancock Murray is joining The Steve Laube Agency as a new literary agent for the firm. For the last ten years she has been with the Hartline Literary Agency representing a number of successful authors.
She interned on Capitol Hill and at the U.S. Department of State before graduating with honors in Journalism from Lynchburg College in Virginia. Tamela brings significant writing expertise to the agency as an author of over twenty novels, novellas, and nonfiction works. When she's not working as an agent Tamela spends time with her husband and their two daughters.
She will be working out of her office in Virginia, giving the agency a specific East Coast connection.
Proposals meant for Tamela can be sent to ewilson@www.stevelaube.com.
How much time does it take to get published?


text:
THE MEADOWS' AWARD-WINNING POND PROGRAM
Jul 1, 2021 News 0 comments
START is pleased to offer the following report about The Meadows community's exemplary water quality work with their stormwater ponds.
The Meadows is a community of 3,560 condominiums, villas and single-family homes built during the period from 1974 to 1995, in the northeast corner of Sarasota County bordered by 17th Street and Honore Avenue.
The pond enhancement work has been underway since 2018, through the community's Water and Wildlife Committee (WWC) under the auspices of founding Chairman Dr. Robert Hueter. The objectives of the WWC include:
* Oversee The Meadows' 85 ponds and 25 miles of shoreline in terms of water quality, aquatic and shoreline vegetation and wildlife, seeking to optimize the ponds' ecological functions in balance with their engineering functions of water retention and drainage
* Lead activities to preserve and improve the natural ecology of these water features and surrounding habitats including enhancement of water quality, management of aquatic landscapes and conservation of wildlife
* Educate Meadows residents and visitors about the importance and functioning of water features and wildlife within the community
Dr. Hueter likes to say the WWC's mission is to "eco-beautify" The Meadows' water features. You won't find the term in the dictionary, but everyone knows that he means preserving the ecological integrity of the ponds and water features, while making The Meadows community even more beautiful and appealing.
Since its inception, the WWC has effectively monitored the health of the community's ponds and lakes and organized a number of volunteer planting events that help protect the pond banks from erosion, filter nutrients from the water, and provide habitat for wildlife. The latest planting event on May 20th involved 20 volunteers who worked for nearly four hours to plant 1,185 aquatic plants in five different ponds. START provided a grant to help cover the cost of the native plant stock that included bullrush, yellow canna, pickerelweed, spike rush and swamp hibiscus.
In addition to the pond plantings the WCC has also accomplished the following:
* Formed an Alligator Panel that created new guidelines to deal with alligator nuisance complaints, to limit removals and educate residents about the importance of alligators
* Joined the Florida LAKEWATCH Program with a team of volunteers working with researchers from the University of Florida to collect water samples as part of a statewide effort to increase understanding of Florida water bodies
* Enhanced The Meadows' reputation in Sarasota County environmental affairs by meeting and sharing experiences with county officials and neighboring communities that have also taken leadership roles in water quality and wildlife issues
* Won a $2,985 grant from the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program for "environmental improvement of waterways and wildlife habitat"
* Took a lead role in gaining nearly 100% commitment from the 52 Meadows' resident associations to follow a new policy of maintaining Low Maintenance Zones (LMZs)–officially adopted by the Board of the Meadows Community Association–consisting of borders at least three feet wide and 10-12 inches high around the shorelines of all water features to the fullest extent possible
* Educated residents on water and wildlife issues through informational articles on pond water quality, the importance of aquatic plants, alligators and other environmental topics in The Meadoword, the community's monthly newsletter
The WWC's multi-faceted environmental work quickly brought recognition to The Meadows in November of 2018, when the community was given the Keep Sarasota County Beautiful Award by Sarasota County.
Other communities interested in working with START on a community water quality education program and applying for grant funding to help cover the cost of a pond enrichment program should contact Sandy Gilbert at sandem133@aol.com.
Photo a pond at the Meadows
Tagged as: aquatic plants, ponds, water quality
THE OYSTERS ARE BACK
MICROFOREST NUMBER FIVE
START Needs Your Help
Previous: Tomato-Basil Shrimp Tortellini
Next: Gulf Dead Zone Annual Check Up


THUH3DAY MORNING, SEPT. 19, 1873.
very variety of pottery can he manufactured.
great deal of useful work is being turned out.
application for writ of habeas corpus of Geo.
able on the 21st of September at 9 o'clock A.
Iosed and arranged by Mr. Louis JJodecker.
another outbuilding on the place of Mrs.
contained about ten tons of hay.
Tuesday's labor to the yellow fever sufferers.
'Xbe total sum realized for the day was $21 75.
The gold excitement is still on the Increase.
About thirty men left this city on the Fanny Lake.
IiVe makes her next trip.
city is rent us under date of Sept. 13th, by W. H.
guson aud Ward. The town Is almost deserted.
appeared to be a sandbar In the dry bed of a river.
logging camp?, md many of them were deserted.
No Hate circuit com t yesterday.
Great quantities of grain pouring in.
Tally freight trains on the east side road.
lastcrn Oregon carried off tho prize this time.
Nights are cool and inclined to be a Utile foggy.
regular work, as the senatorial contest Is over.
frm the Sound a few dajsago.
lapidated sidewalks which require attention.
Tcrtiseineat of the Palace L-kLjIus Houc.
.awesi prkas. Try tuma. "
stands at the head of caterer.
JcLn Barber. 32 Yamhill street.
Bank of IirftMiCluntlria. 011 on hhn.
"Vrcrk arc sure to draw patronage.
EEOCULE JIEEnSC, EXIT. 15, 1S73.
itor and clerk, and Officar Hudson la attendance.
Members present Andrus, Lambert Opitz.
Absent Simon. Stephens and Yocum.
foothold in this city. epectfullr.
L. BESSEIt, Chief of Police.
rutbers streets ; referred to committee on streets.
seet; referred to committee on streets.
ferred to committee on landings and wharves.
took a recess for ten minutes', in order to consult.
recommending the granting of the petition.
relative to the widening of North Second street.
Co.. Si; h. Ssxton, 27 50; Harry Brown. $10; A.
Dtlley, 51375; J. A. Emmet. 517 50; J. A. Drew.
8120 31: P. G Baker, S35S 15; Irving & Winner.
5105 25; fcamud Bolle, 5372 75.
second and third time and passed.
ferred to toe committee on streets.
. euvli, Atcait tii ctuu jam uver.
fund. Kead three time and passed.
Making an appropriation out of the general fund.
Bead three times and passed.
Relating to the obstruction of streets: passed.
Eleventh street from Jefferson to Columbia; passed.
streeWrom Front to Second; passed.
file the same as soon as practicable.
pletion of ihe proposed works.
named in thu mauuer provided by law.
directed to cuiorce the provisions of ordinance No.
sonable notice, cither by publication or by servin"
the examination and interrogation of witnesses.
Sept 21. 1S;S. 10 o clock a. M.
specialty Orders can bcieft at u. W. Prentice&.
of Fifta and Mam streets.
at Harris' Emporium of Fashion.
lin chemise or drawers 15 cents each, at Mr;.
Chas. Ticbnor's, corner First and Yamhill sis.
fPEOCEEMXGJ OF A XCETIXu HELD LAST EVZSIXC.
A communication was received from W. VT.
recently been Introduced into the legislature.
Mr. Corbett presented the name of Mr. W S.
receive their pro rata dividend."
telegram dated 12th, that my wife was quite sick.
presence of the Investigator. E. S. McGOMAS.
Pom land, Sept. IS, IS7S.
deceased Order for final settlement.
removed their stock of furnitnr to tim n.
Cabinets for $3 per dozen.
street, between Alder and Morrison.
for Decker &. Son Pianos (established by M.
that participate will be greatly benefited.
nary organs, are cured by Hunt's IlnEnr.
belm's. Asbna. is a Ship Master' Keadtne lt.wm.
t here the iateLhipping papers are on rile. Also.
Ivr Uto. V. Weld.cr'a steam Tugi and Lifters.
SPEECH OS THE ItATiOAD ouvs.
the railroad and other material interest cf Oregon.
Portland. Oregon. Sept. IS, 1S7S.
the 21st inst. at Oro Fino Theater at 8 o'clock. P.
G.E Fipzkiewuz and wr. O Ohon, wife and Fch.
from liver complaint, kidney disease or dyspepsia.
For sale at every drugstore In Oregon.
Willamette Fever and Ague mixture !
Buy it I Try it! Sold by all Druggists.
New Market Theater Block. Portland.
Three new very Important improvements added !
Through which the most perfect tone isobtained !
No other manufactory of Pianos has it!
Call! See! and hear the Instruments!
You will be convinced it is the truth.
Warerooms Third street, bet Taylor and Salmon.
bottle for.ten cents. Three doses will relieve you.
strictly following directions. Price 51.25.
Dr. Mlntlc'rf EnslWH Dandelion Pill.
ted from whatever causa, to their pristine vigor.
f to ourlarj a .d o:o;loti stocfc, now open.
complete than at any previous ti me.
BLACK GROS GRAIJf SILKS "
lieve con fined to ourselvts.
meet nearly every demand in these particulars.
plied with the latest slvles in each season. Mrs.
stock or at lower prices than ourselves.
193 First st., near Taylor.
S. E. cor. Stnrk nn:l Second SU.
GAME of all kinds. Country orders solicited.
HILL FEED, FL6UK, BUTTER, EGGS.
Bergman Bros.' Stone & Earthen AVarc.
orders promptly filled. P. O. Box 553.
"A," in Barreld and Cases.
"O. It. No. 1." " "
These Whiskies are mannractured by Milton J.
Sole Agents for the Pacific Coast.
cure and restoration will hw your reward.
or in person free Call or address DR SAL'r'IELl .
In Centennial Block, on Second Street.
And havo been selected with thesreatost of care.
Suitable for town and country trade.
merit tha confidence and patronage of tbe public.
Black Drap D'cte for Cloaking. ?
be finished in about 6 days.
M. FSlMLIN BROS. & CO.
NEXT DOOR TO FIRST NATIONAL BANK.
M. FRANKI.li; BR03. & CO.
125 Warren st. New Tr ork City.
JJ. FRANKLIN BROS. & CO..
33 Eattorj- t San Francisco.
the Eyesight It is not a QPACK NObTRUJI.
will do the work thoroughly and well.
prietor. A. E. MINTIE. M. D.
Physicians say these troubles cannot be cured.
IR. A. il. M.KT1E &, CO., "
Or 11 Kearny Street San Franphco.
ings. Sundays, 11 A. M. to 1 P. M. only.
Congestive, and all other fevers caused by malaria.
NEW rUBLICATIONS RECEIVF.D HVHRY DAY.
WEST END' OF JB STREET.
Corner First and Pine streets.
Try it and ji1ko Its q-uallty.
13 and 11 North Front St.


Feelings of sadness and worry are a normal part of life and affect us all. But if these feelings become overwhelming or remain constant, you may be suffering from depression and need to seek professional help. Lakeside Clinic in Newcastle is available to all adults needing help for depression.
Located at Warners Bay Private Hospital, Lakeside Clinic delivers professional treatment programs for depression for Newcastle locals. We provide the highest standard of care and treatment for people with depression, both inpatient and day programs, to help with a positive outcome for each individual.
For more information contact Lakeside Clinic today on (02) 4958 4288 or fill in our online contact form.


With the GMES Masters 2012 Radar Challenge, Astrium aims to encourage the development of innovative products and applications based on radar satellite data, particularly TerraSAR-X 's X-band imagery.
Astrium is inviting the submission of inventive ideas that offer a clear benefit (e.g. for the environment, security, or specific industries…), and build on the unique features of TerraSAR-X data.
The solutions or applications proposed may also include the integration of data or information from additional data sources, such as satellite imagery from other commercial or public sensors.
Participants – whether it be students, entrepreneurs, developers, or SMEs – are invited to submit their innovative approaches and ideas between 1 June and 16 September 2012 through the GMES Masters website.
The winner of the challenge will be announced on 25 October 2012 and will receive a data package (radar and/or optical satellite data) worth EUR 25,000 and operational support to help advance their idea.