11 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
My Asian Americana by Anida Yoeu Ali for White House AAPI "What's Your Story?"
[Ljava.lang.String;@1213f2b
10 Temmuz 2012 Salı
9 Temmuz 2012 Pazartesi
Give a Shout Out ('Yahoo') to Donovan
To contact us Click HERE
"Yahoo" for Palms Central City Carrier Rory Donovan. Last month, Rory earned a Million Mile Award from the NationalSafety Council. WPBF Reporter Shelly Lockhart heard the good news and interviewed Rory about his stellar safety record. The television station's video went “global" with Rory’s story posted on YahooNews at http://news.yahoo.com/video/safe-drive-25-postal-carrier-160211107.html.
"Yahoo" for Palms Central City Carrier Rory Donovan. Last month, Rory earned a Million Mile Award from the NationalSafety Council. WPBF Reporter Shelly Lockhart heard the good news and interviewed Rory about his stellar safety record. The television station's video went “global" with Rory’s story posted on YahooNews at http://news.yahoo.com/video/safe-drive-25-postal-carrier-160211107.html.
Preparing for the Good Life
To contact us Click HERE
Employees who have seen the Postal Service’s new retirement counseling videos for Civil Service Retirement System and Federal Employees Retirement System employees are telling USPS they’re worth watching.
“The 3-step video on line was very helpful in filling out my retirement forms,” one prospective retiree told the Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC).
Another employee went a step further, saying, “The retirement videos are great. They should be required viewing before the counseling sessions since they answer so many of the questions.”
The videos are for the benefit of employees who have started the retirement process and have already received their paperwork. They include the same information retirement specialists at the HRSSC would give employees over the phone.
But unlike a telephone conversation, each 20-minute session can be viewed as many times as employees need — and they can pause to finish paperwork or rewind to review information.
The counseling videos at LiteBlue are in addition to a set of general retirement videos which includes information for new employees as well as those preparing to retire. The general retirement videos are not available on ACE computers.
Employees who have seen the Postal Service’s new retirement counseling videos for Civil Service Retirement System and Federal Employees Retirement System employees are telling USPS they’re worth watching. “The 3-step video on line was very helpful in filling out my retirement forms,” one prospective retiree told the Human Resources Shared Services Center (HRSSC).
Another employee went a step further, saying, “The retirement videos are great. They should be required viewing before the counseling sessions since they answer so many of the questions.”
The videos are for the benefit of employees who have started the retirement process and have already received their paperwork. They include the same information retirement specialists at the HRSSC would give employees over the phone.
But unlike a telephone conversation, each 20-minute session can be viewed as many times as employees need — and they can pause to finish paperwork or rewind to review information.
The counseling videos at LiteBlue are in addition to a set of general retirement videos which includes information for new employees as well as those preparing to retire. The general retirement videos are not available on ACE computers.
Another Problematic and Inadequate Moving Alternative: Atlas' Smart Move Program
To contact us Click HERE
As someone whose firm has helped over 100,000 customers with shipments less than 2000
lbs, moving from one state to another (interstate moving), I was shocked and surprised to see that one of the nation's leading Van Lines, Atlas, chose to embark on a unique Small Shipment
Program, aptly named, Smart Move.
I can't find anything smart about it.
As the first firm in the nation to actually interact with the Less than Truckload Freight Industry,
Box Brothers simply created a system that allows for small shipments to be transported across state lines, by utilizing the existing infrastructure of the United States Freight system.
At the time, everyone in the moving industry, simply felt that they had nothing in common with the freight industry, as plain and simple, the movers were specialists and the freight guys were just haulers. As is often the case, there has always been more synergy between these two industries than anyone in either industry has admitted.
After all, about 25 years ago, it was a railroad, Norfork Southern, who owned North American Van Lines, and who decided it was foolish to have drop frame trailers, as someone there theorized that if they had equipment and orders but not the right equipment to haul freight, even if they were going in the same direction, they could not capitalize on it, due to the fact that
drop frame trailers were not suitable for palletized freight shipments.
Conceptually, this was not a bad idea, but it never worked and North American Van Lines, never seemed to get up to speed hauling a lot of freight. It could be that the Moving and Storage Industry is sometimes, decentralized with agent drivers and agents, who did not want the freight and of course, there were those who argued that it would be penny wise and pound foolish
to have a van line driver miss a job to load 5000 lbs when the freight firm needed 400 lbs picked up and delivered in a few days--something that the household driver and industry was simply not prepared to work out--then.
So here comes Atlas with this idea to create these heavy duty plastic type containers, similar to what we call a lift van, but much sturdier, and I suspect, as a very high cost. Never mind the carbon footprint so often discussed today.
But then, Atlas did something new in its program, it announced that it would not use the Atlas
over the road fleet to help facilitate the movement of these units, instead, deciding to put the
whole program onto a freight platform, to most likely obtain the benefit of quicker delivery dates than the moving industry can deliver, due to its structure of utilizing owner operators for interstate service.
Of course, the problem here is the same problem with all of the other small shipment solutions
the van lines have come up with in the past, merely addressing the need to offer a small shipment alternative, but with nothing compelling to the customer or nothing that moves the service and price quotient any closer to giving the customer a good and valuable transparent service, which is just what the industry is lacking today.
How does one size fit all a good solution. If you have 200 pounds to move, it will cost over $10.00 a pound just to ship it through their system. How come they can't tell the customer that the coverage they claim to provide to the customer that is included with each shipment,
is bogus. I think you would need to have a spaceship land on your container for you to be able to make a claim, as the whole issue here as with all of these new alternatives, is that the customer, becomes self insured and two, he moves himself, but pays as much as he would for a
full service move and does not have insurance to cover any losses.
This is the crap we get from one of the nations largest van lines. No transparency, no value in pricing and they do not tell anyone that their coverage will not cover the customer for self loading or packed by owner boxes. If this is a do it yourself service, how come they can't just tell you the truth? Why do they need to lie. Do you go to the market and buy fruits and vegetables, do you have to pay for 5 lbs of carrots, if you only want to buy one lb?
How does this help the moving industry, to promote a non transparent and one size fits all service, when the entire industry is about being able to deliver good service for a fair price. In
this day and age of renewed called for more regulation, not less, do we get a service that only promises an 11 day transit, over the freight system.
Maybe someone should tell Atlas and their "Smart Moving" program that Fedex, for example,
will take LTL freight from my dock on Monday, 4/16/12, and have it delivered to someone's
new home by this Friday, in New York, on 4/20/12, with standard freight delivery.
I might be wrong, but when we created our Small Shipment Services Program at Box Brothers, over 20 years ago, we set out to create an environment that leveled the playing field for the
smaller loads and their customers: We gave them certain dates and specific times for our crews
to do the pick ups; we took professional inventories; we packaged their possessions like they were our own, utilizing more and better packaging (air cushioning, void fill, eps foam sheeting, ethafoam for very heavy and breakable items like stone, glass, and statues, piano's, etc, and we boxed everything in customized cartons that were made to fit the item, not the other way around, and finally, palletized the shipment so that the only way that the shipment was moved, was with a forklift or a pallet jack--so that no item would be moved individually.
We also worked to obtain a mutually beneficial insurance program with a third party insured,
who specifically covers all items which need to be declared and valued prior to the move. We offer different deductibles, replacement cost protection and in the event of a claim, 99% of them are closed within 30 days after a formal claim form is submitted by the claimant.
But the biggest factor in our continued success is that we have a top to bottom commitment to the customer and to rendering top quality service, no matter how small the job is. You turn your lemons into lemonade and and you do not mislead your customer, nor do you convince him or her that a one size solution is best for all.
Atlas is a fine van line, one of the best, but I think this program, including suggesting the use of stock boxes, not official moving boxes is also a mistake by Atlas here, as on the one hand, they tell people that dish packs should be used for packing dishes and glasses--the standard for many decades in the moving industry--and they encourage the use of a single wall carton if you do it
yourself. Why?
I just wish that sometimes, large firms do their due diligence correctly, as we seem to forget what we have learned over the years, that we need to be service oriented and we need to provide good solutions for our customers, not something that is only a partial and not a complete
solution for their current and future small shipment customers. At the same time, these efforts only ensure that firms like Box Brothers will continue to play a part in this segment of the industry.
lbs, moving from one state to another (interstate moving), I was shocked and surprised to see that one of the nation's leading Van Lines, Atlas, chose to embark on a unique Small Shipment
Program, aptly named, Smart Move.
I can't find anything smart about it.
As the first firm in the nation to actually interact with the Less than Truckload Freight Industry,
Box Brothers simply created a system that allows for small shipments to be transported across state lines, by utilizing the existing infrastructure of the United States Freight system.
At the time, everyone in the moving industry, simply felt that they had nothing in common with the freight industry, as plain and simple, the movers were specialists and the freight guys were just haulers. As is often the case, there has always been more synergy between these two industries than anyone in either industry has admitted.
After all, about 25 years ago, it was a railroad, Norfork Southern, who owned North American Van Lines, and who decided it was foolish to have drop frame trailers, as someone there theorized that if they had equipment and orders but not the right equipment to haul freight, even if they were going in the same direction, they could not capitalize on it, due to the fact that
drop frame trailers were not suitable for palletized freight shipments.
Conceptually, this was not a bad idea, but it never worked and North American Van Lines, never seemed to get up to speed hauling a lot of freight. It could be that the Moving and Storage Industry is sometimes, decentralized with agent drivers and agents, who did not want the freight and of course, there were those who argued that it would be penny wise and pound foolish
to have a van line driver miss a job to load 5000 lbs when the freight firm needed 400 lbs picked up and delivered in a few days--something that the household driver and industry was simply not prepared to work out--then.
So here comes Atlas with this idea to create these heavy duty plastic type containers, similar to what we call a lift van, but much sturdier, and I suspect, as a very high cost. Never mind the carbon footprint so often discussed today.
But then, Atlas did something new in its program, it announced that it would not use the Atlas
over the road fleet to help facilitate the movement of these units, instead, deciding to put the
whole program onto a freight platform, to most likely obtain the benefit of quicker delivery dates than the moving industry can deliver, due to its structure of utilizing owner operators for interstate service.
Of course, the problem here is the same problem with all of the other small shipment solutions
the van lines have come up with in the past, merely addressing the need to offer a small shipment alternative, but with nothing compelling to the customer or nothing that moves the service and price quotient any closer to giving the customer a good and valuable transparent service, which is just what the industry is lacking today.
How does one size fit all a good solution. If you have 200 pounds to move, it will cost over $10.00 a pound just to ship it through their system. How come they can't tell the customer that the coverage they claim to provide to the customer that is included with each shipment,
is bogus. I think you would need to have a spaceship land on your container for you to be able to make a claim, as the whole issue here as with all of these new alternatives, is that the customer, becomes self insured and two, he moves himself, but pays as much as he would for a
full service move and does not have insurance to cover any losses.
This is the crap we get from one of the nations largest van lines. No transparency, no value in pricing and they do not tell anyone that their coverage will not cover the customer for self loading or packed by owner boxes. If this is a do it yourself service, how come they can't just tell you the truth? Why do they need to lie. Do you go to the market and buy fruits and vegetables, do you have to pay for 5 lbs of carrots, if you only want to buy one lb?
How does this help the moving industry, to promote a non transparent and one size fits all service, when the entire industry is about being able to deliver good service for a fair price. In
this day and age of renewed called for more regulation, not less, do we get a service that only promises an 11 day transit, over the freight system.
Maybe someone should tell Atlas and their "Smart Moving" program that Fedex, for example,
will take LTL freight from my dock on Monday, 4/16/12, and have it delivered to someone's
new home by this Friday, in New York, on 4/20/12, with standard freight delivery.
I might be wrong, but when we created our Small Shipment Services Program at Box Brothers, over 20 years ago, we set out to create an environment that leveled the playing field for the
smaller loads and their customers: We gave them certain dates and specific times for our crews
to do the pick ups; we took professional inventories; we packaged their possessions like they were our own, utilizing more and better packaging (air cushioning, void fill, eps foam sheeting, ethafoam for very heavy and breakable items like stone, glass, and statues, piano's, etc, and we boxed everything in customized cartons that were made to fit the item, not the other way around, and finally, palletized the shipment so that the only way that the shipment was moved, was with a forklift or a pallet jack--so that no item would be moved individually.
We also worked to obtain a mutually beneficial insurance program with a third party insured,
who specifically covers all items which need to be declared and valued prior to the move. We offer different deductibles, replacement cost protection and in the event of a claim, 99% of them are closed within 30 days after a formal claim form is submitted by the claimant.
But the biggest factor in our continued success is that we have a top to bottom commitment to the customer and to rendering top quality service, no matter how small the job is. You turn your lemons into lemonade and and you do not mislead your customer, nor do you convince him or her that a one size solution is best for all.
Atlas is a fine van line, one of the best, but I think this program, including suggesting the use of stock boxes, not official moving boxes is also a mistake by Atlas here, as on the one hand, they tell people that dish packs should be used for packing dishes and glasses--the standard for many decades in the moving industry--and they encourage the use of a single wall carton if you do it
yourself. Why?
I just wish that sometimes, large firms do their due diligence correctly, as we seem to forget what we have learned over the years, that we need to be service oriented and we need to provide good solutions for our customers, not something that is only a partial and not a complete
solution for their current and future small shipment customers. At the same time, these efforts only ensure that firms like Box Brothers will continue to play a part in this segment of the industry.
Vote for Box Brothers Reader's Choice Award 2012
To contact us Click HERE
You may log out and come back to finish up at your convenience.
Voting ends Tuesday, JULY 3, 2012
Here Is The Link : http://la-dev.com/ReadersChoice/LADN/index.php?action=displayLogin
Welcome to the Los Angeles Daily News Reader's Choice Contest!
Some of the worlds best people, places and things are found right in our own community. That is why we are asking our readers to choose their favorites in a number of categories. Please take a moment to complete the survey below.We like to thank you for participating in this year's Reader's Choice Awards. Please provide your e-mail address to register to vote. One ballot per valid e-mail address.You may log out and come back to finish up at your convenience.Voting ends Tuesday, JULY 3, 2012
Here Is The Link : http://la-dev.com/ReadersChoice/LADN/index.php?action=displayLogin
Investing in History I
To contact us Click HERE
There are many ways to save and invest for the future. Buying stocks, bonds, precious metals, collectable works of art, and classic automobiles have the potential to lead to healthy returns in the future. The major catch is that some of these investment choices cost so much that it makes them unaffordable. The remaining options are usually dull and offer limited to no opportunity for enjoyment. When was the last time anyone showed off their bond collection to their kids?
One of the more interesting opportunities to invest in the future and have a little fun in the process is stamp collecting. These small pieces of paper have immediate value when purchased and they are affordable with most budgets. The cost of a first class stamp is only 45 cents and there are no trading fees involved in the purchase. Compare the purchase of a single stamp to a single share of stock.
Buy one stamp at a Post Office and the cost is 45 cents. Buy a single share of stock and the cost, in general, can be as little as a few cents to as much as several hundred dollars. Add a commission of $5 to $15 to the price of the stock every time more shares are purchased and it could be years before the value of the stock rises to what was paid for it.
We’ll go over a few more advantages of stamp collecting tomorrow. Until then, see if you can find a stamp that interests you on http://www.usps.com.
8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar
Catch the Safety Bug in WPB!
To contact us Click HERE
A/Safety SpecialistRuth Dombroski says catching bugs is a good thing! Ruth teaches newly- hired employees in West Palm Beach thatsafety is important, not only in the Postal Service, but in their personallives. Ruth begins teaching her Safetycourse by asking employees about their activities. Ruth points out that if an injury occurs, thePostal Service and its customers may be affected. Ruth further explains activities that we enjoy outside of work suchas boating, bicycling, jogging, and swimming also could be affected if we don’tuse extra caution while we are performing our duties. This week Ruth “infected” approximately 12newly-hired employees with her enthusiastic teaching performance. Transitional employees, mail handlers, and Rural Carrier Associates have learned thatSafety is contagious! --- Lu Ann Warner, Customer Relations Coordinator, West Palm Beach
NAPUS Hosts Q&A with USPS Execs
To contact us Click HERE
Panel participants (L to R) Jeffrey Becker, South Florida District Manager; Eric Chavez, North Florida District Manager; Diane Tindle, A/MPOO 1 South Florida District; Nancy Rettinhouse, Suncoast District Manager.
Story & Photo: Lu Ann Warner
South Florida District Manager Jeffrey Becker participated in apanel discussion at the NAPUS FL Chapter State Convention inClearwater FL.
Panel participants (L to R) Jeffrey Becker, South Florida District Manager; Eric Chavez, North Florida District Manager; Diane Tindle, A/MPOO 1 South Florida District; Nancy Rettinhouse, Suncoast District Manager. Story & Photo: Lu Ann Warner
South Florida District Manager Jeffrey Becker participated in apanel discussion at the NAPUS FL Chapter State Convention in
At Your Service: 10 Post Offices Join Customer Contact Concierge Program
To contact us Click HERE
EAS and craft employeeswho are working together in the Customer Contact Concierge Program understandthat outstanding customer service is our “bread and butter.” This program aims to improve customersatisfaction, which in turn, creates customer loyalty, and results in revenue generation andretention for the Postal Service.
“Customerperception is really how we measure!” said an enthusiastic Lillian Castro,district program coordinator. “Earlierthis year, we implemented the program in 42 Post Offices in ZIP spans 331, 333,and 334, and our Customer Experience Measurement (CEM) scores improved. Now we’re training employees in therole of ‘concierge’ at 10 Post Offices in the 330 area.”
Just what is a concierge? A hotel staff member who assistsguests by handling the storage of luggage, recording and delivering messages,and making reservations for tours. Acaretaker who lives on the premises of an apartment or a hotel and overseespeople entering and leaving the building, handles the mail, and providesjanitorial services. In thePostal Service, a concierge is an employee who takes ownership of a customerissue, focusing on the resolution from start to finish “closing the loop.” ParticipatingPost Offices were selected based on the high volume of responses to the CEMsurvey and the most opportunity for improvement. One EAS and one craftemployee from each location are enrolled in the program. During trainingsessions, Marketing instructors reviewed procedures and specific job aids toensure that consistent and accurate information is provided to the customer infield offices. Atyour service are the 330 participating Post Offices added to the CustomerContact Concierge Program: BrightStation Hialeah Main OfficeHollywood Hallandale Miami Garden sHialeah Palmetto Lake sHialeah Lakes
“Customerperception is really how we measure!” said an enthusiastic Lillian Castro,district program coordinator. “Earlierthis year, we implemented the program in 42 Post Offices in ZIP spans 331, 333,and 334, and our Customer Experience Measurement (CEM) scores improved. Now we’re training employees in therole of ‘concierge’ at 10 Post Offices in the 330 area.”
Just what is a concierge? A hotel staff member who assistsguests by handling the storage of luggage, recording and delivering messages,and making reservations for tours. Acaretaker who lives on the premises of an apartment or a hotel and overseespeople entering and leaving the building, handles the mail, and providesjanitorial services. In thePostal Service, a concierge is an employee who takes ownership of a customerissue, focusing on the resolution from start to finish “closing the loop.” ParticipatingPost Offices were selected based on the high volume of responses to the CEMsurvey and the most opportunity for improvement. One EAS and one craftemployee from each location are enrolled in the program. During trainingsessions, Marketing instructors reviewed procedures and specific job aids toensure that consistent and accurate information is provided to the customer infield offices. Atyour service are the 330 participating Post Offices added to the CustomerContact Concierge Program: BrightStation Hialeah Main Office
Inspection Service Preserves Trust
To contact us Click HERE
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is mandated to safeguard the entire Postal Service system — from the more than 546,000 employees who process and deliver the U.S. Mail to the millions of customers who use it daily.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is mandated to safeguard the entire Postal Service system — from the more than 546,000 employees who process and deliver the U.S. Mail to the millions of customers who use it daily.
- One of the country’s oldest federal law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has a long, proud and successful history of protecting the Postal Service, securing the nation’s mail system and ensuring public trust in the mail.
- Postal Inspectors arrested more than 5,500 suspects for crimes involving the mail or against the Postal Service in 2011. About half of the arrests involved mail theft and more than 750 involved mail-related fraud.
- Postal Inspectors arrested 83 suspects in conjunction with Operation Homeless, which targeted mail thieves who recruit homeless people to cash stolen checks. Victim losses exceeded $7 million.
- Postal Inspectors are members of the Identity Theft & Economic Crimes Task Force, national and state Joint Terrorism Task Forces and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, among others. They work closely with the financial service, airline and mail order industries to maintain America’s confidence in the U.S. Mail.
- To quickly respond to incidents such as natural disasters, the Postal Inspection Service has 18 mobile command centers and a mobile mail-screening station ready for action.
- Postal Inspectors deploy state-of-theart screening equipment designed to identify hazardous substances and suspicious items in the mail and to ensure safety at postal facilities while keeping the mail moving.
- In 2011, Postal Inspectors responded to more than 3,550 incidents involving suspicious items, substances, powders or liquids in the mail or at postal facilities. Of those incidents, 212 involved improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
- Postal Inspectors seized $13.1 million in proceeds related to illegal drugs from the mail in 2011.
- Postal Inspectors participated in Operation Due North, a multi-agency effort targeting criminal networks specializing in telemarketing and lottery fraud. This initiative resulted in disrupting 11 major criminal networks operating out of Montego Bay, Jamaica. A large amount of cash and dozens of high-value items were seized and 14 suspects were arrested.
- The Inspection Service participated in national mail fraud initiatives with the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission. The Gulf Coast Oil Spill Fraud Initiative focused on fraudulent claims related to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Operation Empty Promises focused on business opportunity fraud initiatives targeting small businesses and work-at-home schemes.
- Postal Inspectors intercepted over 5 million foreign lottery mail pieces containing counterfeit checks totaling over $675 million.
- In 2011, Postal Inspectors seized approximately 143,000 counterfeit postal and non-postal money orders worth nearly $155 million mailed to the U.S. from criminal groups.
- Postal Inspectors participated in National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW) in March 2011, holding over 600 events nationwide. The national theme “Your Information Destination” highlighted consumer education resources. Over 375,000 pounds of documents were shredded for consumers in conjunction with the NCPW event.
- Postal Inspectors, investigating those who use the mail to sexually exploit children, identified more victims under the age of 5 than in previous years. In 2011, courts ordered more than $1 million in restitution to child victims identified by Postal Inspectors during these investigations, a 100% increase over the previous year.
Give a Shout Out ('Yahoo') to Donovan
To contact us Click HERE
"Yahoo" for Palms Central City Carrier Rory Donovan. Last month, Rory earned a Million Mile Award from the NationalSafety Council. WPBF Reporter Shelly Lockhart heard the good news and interviewed Rory about his stellar safety record. The television station's video went “global" with Rory’s story posted on YahooNews at http://news.yahoo.com/video/safe-drive-25-postal-carrier-160211107.html.
"Yahoo" for Palms Central City Carrier Rory Donovan. Last month, Rory earned a Million Mile Award from the NationalSafety Council. WPBF Reporter Shelly Lockhart heard the good news and interviewed Rory about his stellar safety record. The television station's video went “global" with Rory’s story posted on YahooNews at http://news.yahoo.com/video/safe-drive-25-postal-carrier-160211107.html.
7 Temmuz 2012 Cumartesi
Is the TSP for Me?
To contact us Click HERE
Saving money for retirement is important to ensure a comfortable living after our working years are behind us. A return on that money makes retirement all the more enjoyable. One of the best ways to enjoy both options is to invest in an employer sponsored investment account. For Postal Service employees, that means investing in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).
The TSP is a sound investment vehicle that allows federal employees to invest pre or post tax dollars into a collection of core investment options:
- G fund – short-term U.S. treasuries
- F fund – government and corporate bonds
- C fund – medium and large sized U.S. companies
- S fund – small and medium sized U.S. companies
- I fund – international stocks
- L funds – a combination of the previous five funds tailored to meet an individuals anticipated retirement date
Individuals can invest up to 100 percent of their account balance in one or any combination of these investment options.
In future posts, we’ll go over these investment options in more detail and describe how the overall plan works. For now, log on to www.tsp.gov to learn more on your own and see how the plan can work for you.
Do you invest in the TSP? Comment here.
I ordered a parcel from the uk and it still hasn't arrived after double the specified delivery time?
To contact us Click HERE
I ordered it 2 weeks ago today and it was specified as taking 4-6 days. ( i live in aus) i also used this http://www1.auspost.com.au/gc/ and it said it shouldve arrived last friday. I spent $130 on this so its really important i find out a quick solution and the seller is unable to give a refund for 28 days. What is best to do in this situation?I ordered a parcel from the uk and it still hasn't arrived after double the specified delivery time?
Mailing times are always longer at Christmas, that's why we're always being told to post early! There will be a huge volume of mail coming from the UK and it all needs to be checked by Australian Quarantine before going into the mail system so expect some delays there. Plus Australia Post were on strike yesterday which doesn't help.
Expecting the package to get here in 4-6 days at this time of year was overly optimistic. A more realistic timeframe would be 2 to 3 weeks. If you haven't received it after 3 weeks contact the sender. I ordered something from Canada three weeks ago, and I honestly don't expect to see it until the New Year.
The link you gave is simply Australia Post's 'expected date calculator', not a guarantee that an item will arrive on a specified date.
Dunno, but I live in the UK and I can tell you that the postal system here is in crisis with loads of delayed mail piled up in sorting offices.I ordered a parcel from the uk and it still hasn't arrived after double the specified delivery time?
I think you'll find that Australia Post is on strike, nothing you can do about it I don't think. I hope it arrives for you before christmas.
Well the seller won't be able to do anything about it if the post lost it.
You should contact them and tell them if it still doesn't arrive by next week.I ordered a parcel from the uk and it still hasn't arrived after double the specified delivery time?
They cheated you. Call the company and threaten that you will sue them for false delivery and item.
Coo-ee! Maybe the postman left it at the billabong, and the bloody dingos got it!!
You either got ripped off, or there is a major lag: Holiday, shipping problem, wrong address, and kept..
Mailing times are always longer at Christmas, that's why we're always being told to post early! There will be a huge volume of mail coming from the UK and it all needs to be checked by Australian Quarantine before going into the mail system so expect some delays there. Plus Australia Post were on strike yesterday which doesn't help.
Expecting the package to get here in 4-6 days at this time of year was overly optimistic. A more realistic timeframe would be 2 to 3 weeks. If you haven't received it after 3 weeks contact the sender. I ordered something from Canada three weeks ago, and I honestly don't expect to see it until the New Year.
The link you gave is simply Australia Post's 'expected date calculator', not a guarantee that an item will arrive on a specified date.
Dunno, but I live in the UK and I can tell you that the postal system here is in crisis with loads of delayed mail piled up in sorting offices.I ordered a parcel from the uk and it still hasn't arrived after double the specified delivery time?
I think you'll find that Australia Post is on strike, nothing you can do about it I don't think. I hope it arrives for you before christmas.
Well the seller won't be able to do anything about it if the post lost it.
You should contact them and tell them if it still doesn't arrive by next week.I ordered a parcel from the uk and it still hasn't arrived after double the specified delivery time?
They cheated you. Call the company and threaten that you will sue them for false delivery and item.
Coo-ee! Maybe the postman left it at the billabong, and the bloody dingos got it!!
You either got ripped off, or there is a major lag: Holiday, shipping problem, wrong address, and kept..
Strength in Numbers Dirt Jumping - Aptos, California
To contact us Click HERE
Strength in Numbers Dirt Jumping - Aptos, California Tube. Duration : 6.73 Mins.
Get the full film and support the filmmakers: anthillfilms.com Available now on DVD+BluRay : www.pinkbike.com and iTunes itunes.apple.com worldwide. Share this video and help spread the stoke of mountain biking facebook.com twitter.com #strengthinnumbers Song: "Send Me a Postcard" by Shocking Blue anthillfilms.com The quaint beachside community of Aptos, California is located ten minutes south of Santa Cruz down highway CA 1. Across the road from the bustling Post Office sits a vacant lot. This is home to the aptly named and world-renowned Post Office Dirt Jumps. These jumps have given rise to a community of riders who have grown up around them. With the jumps ultimately slated for demolition, the riding community has adopted a vision that transcends the quest to maintain the perfect set of jumps, instead realizing that just being a part of the quest means everything.
Tags: Action Sports Mountain Biking, Biking, Freeride, dirt jumping, Mountain bike movie, Mountain Bike Films, Anthill films, Aptos, Post Office, Cam mccaul, Ryan Howard, Alex Revelas, Tyler mccaul, Greg Watts, Jamie Goldman, Kyle Jameson, Red Bull
Get the full film and support the filmmakers: anthillfilms.com Available now on DVD+BluRay : www.pinkbike.com and iTunes itunes.apple.com worldwide. Share this video and help spread the stoke of mountain biking facebook.com twitter.com #strengthinnumbers Song: "Send Me a Postcard" by Shocking Blue anthillfilms.com The quaint beachside community of Aptos, California is located ten minutes south of Santa Cruz down highway CA 1. Across the road from the bustling Post Office sits a vacant lot. This is home to the aptly named and world-renowned Post Office Dirt Jumps. These jumps have given rise to a community of riders who have grown up around them. With the jumps ultimately slated for demolition, the riding community has adopted a vision that transcends the quest to maintain the perfect set of jumps, instead realizing that just being a part of the quest means everything.
Tags: Action Sports Mountain Biking, Biking, Freeride, dirt jumping, Mountain bike movie, Mountain Bike Films, Anthill films, Aptos, Post Office, Cam mccaul, Ryan Howard, Alex Revelas, Tyler mccaul, Greg Watts, Jamie Goldman, Kyle Jameson, Red Bull
Sheet Sets Bedding Stefanimorgan Ur3
MASTODON - "March of the Fire Ants"
To contact us Click HERE
MASTODON - "March of the Fire Ants" Tube. Duration : 4.48 Mins.
MASTODON - "March of the Fire Ants"; taken from the critically acclaimed album 'Remission' - available now via Relapse Records. Producer/Director: Chad Rullman for Supercollider Films
Tags: Mastodon, March of the Fire Ants, Remission, Relapse Records, Progressive Metal, Post-Hardcore, The End, Burst, Neurosis, Dillinger Escape Plan, Baroness, High On Fire, Mars Volta, Sludge Metal, Prog, Prog-rock, Sludge, Post-Metal, Metallica
MASTODON - "March of the Fire Ants"; taken from the critically acclaimed album 'Remission' - available now via Relapse Records. Producer/Director: Chad Rullman for Supercollider Films
Tags: Mastodon, March of the Fire Ants, Remission, Relapse Records, Progressive Metal, Post-Hardcore, The End, Burst, Neurosis, Dillinger Escape Plan, Baroness, High On Fire, Mars Volta, Sludge Metal, Prog, Prog-rock, Sludge, Post-Metal, Metallica
Flip Video Digital Camcorder
Walter Williams: Up From the Projects
To contact us Click HERE
Walter Williams: Up From the Projects Video Clips. Duration : 28.83 Mins.
In 1981, Secretary of Health Education and Welfare Patricia Harris wrote in the Washington Post that libertarian economists Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell are "middle class" so they "don't know what it is to be poor." In fact, Williams grew up in a single-parent household in a poor section of Philadelphia. He was raised by his mother, who was a high school dropout. The family spent time on welfare, and eventually moved into the Richard Allen public housing project. (Sowell, whose father died before he was born, was the son of a maid.) Drafted into the peacetime Army, Williams eventually earned a PhD from UCLA in the late 1960s and quickly became a sought-after researcher and public intellectual. His best known book, 1982's The State Against Blacks, argues that a major cause of black unemployment is government intervention in the labor market. Williams' contrarian views have had wide exposure through documentaries, public appearances, and for the past 30 years, a syndicated weekly column. Since 1992, Williams has also been a frequent guest host of Rush Limbaugh's radio show. Now a professor emeritus at George Mason University, Williams has taught at Temple University, California State University-Los Angeles, and other universities. (Go here for his personal web page.) His new book, Up from the Projects: An Autobiography, is a fascinating look at his childhood, his half-century-long marriage to his recently departed wife, his unusual career path, and the genesis of his ...
Keywords: Walter Williams, Nick Gillespie, Reason.tv, Libertarian, State Against Blacks, Up From the Projects, Reason Magazine, Reason Foundation, Philadelphia, George Mason University
In 1981, Secretary of Health Education and Welfare Patricia Harris wrote in the Washington Post that libertarian economists Walter Williams and Thomas Sowell are "middle class" so they "don't know what it is to be poor." In fact, Williams grew up in a single-parent household in a poor section of Philadelphia. He was raised by his mother, who was a high school dropout. The family spent time on welfare, and eventually moved into the Richard Allen public housing project. (Sowell, whose father died before he was born, was the son of a maid.) Drafted into the peacetime Army, Williams eventually earned a PhD from UCLA in the late 1960s and quickly became a sought-after researcher and public intellectual. His best known book, 1982's The State Against Blacks, argues that a major cause of black unemployment is government intervention in the labor market. Williams' contrarian views have had wide exposure through documentaries, public appearances, and for the past 30 years, a syndicated weekly column. Since 1992, Williams has also been a frequent guest host of Rush Limbaugh's radio show. Now a professor emeritus at George Mason University, Williams has taught at Temple University, California State University-Los Angeles, and other universities. (Go here for his personal web page.) His new book, Up from the Projects: An Autobiography, is a fascinating look at his childhood, his half-century-long marriage to his recently departed wife, his unusual career path, and the genesis of his ...
Keywords: Walter Williams, Nick Gillespie, Reason.tv, Libertarian, State Against Blacks, Up From the Projects, Reason Magazine, Reason Foundation, Philadelphia, George Mason University
3288bayliner.com Carsubwoofers Reviews Rating Legos For Sale
5 Temmuz 2012 Perşembe
A Day in the Life ... By the Numbers
To contact us Click HERE
Each day the Postal Service picks up, processes and delivers millions of letters and packages. No single operation in the world comes close to this level of connectivity to so many households and businesses. Here's ONE day in the life of your United States Postal Service. (Figures are averages.)
216.9 million — revenue received, in dollars
554 million — number of mail pieces processed and delivered
242.6 million — pieces of First-Class Mail processed and delivered
279.5 million — pieces of Advertising Mail processed and delivered
159 million — dollars paid to postal employees in salaries and benefits
214,520 — number of packages picked up through Carrier Pickup
4 million — number of miles driven by letter carriers and truck drivers
8,250 — number of letter carriers who deliver mail entirely on foot — The USPS Fleet of Feet
136,964 — number of address changes processed
2,100 — number of addresses added to our delivery network
1.2 million — number of people who visit usps.com
778,877 — dollar amount of online stamp and retail sales at usps.com
1.5 million — amount of money spent on postage for Click-N-Ship labels
18,701 — number of passport applications accepted
382,256 — number of money orders issued
284,000 — number of transactions processed on 2,500 APCs
1.7 million — dollars spent at APCs
6.1 million — customers served at more than 36,000 retail locations
0 — tax dollars received for operating the Postal Service
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With nearly 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $66 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
216.9 million — revenue received, in dollars
554 million — number of mail pieces processed and delivered
242.6 million — pieces of First-Class Mail processed and delivered
279.5 million — pieces of Advertising Mail processed and delivered
159 million — dollars paid to postal employees in salaries and benefits
214,520 — number of packages picked up through Carrier Pickup
4 million — number of miles driven by letter carriers and truck drivers
8,250 — number of letter carriers who deliver mail entirely on foot — The USPS Fleet of Feet
136,964 — number of address changes processed
2,100 — number of addresses added to our delivery network
1.2 million — number of people who visit usps.com
778,877 — dollar amount of online stamp and retail sales at usps.com
1.5 million — amount of money spent on postage for Click-N-Ship labels
18,701 — number of passport applications accepted
382,256 — number of money orders issued
284,000 — number of transactions processed on 2,500 APCs
1.7 million — dollars spent at APCs
6.1 million — customers served at more than 36,000 retail locations
0 — tax dollars received for operating the Postal Service
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 151 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With nearly 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $66 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 35th in the 2011 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.
To contact us Click HERE
On June 26, 2012, Corporate Communications announced a procedural change with respect to the use of Tag 57 to identify political campaign mailings. Prior to today, Tag 57 was permitted for use in identifying Political Campaign Mail from Political Candidates, Campaign Committees and Political Party Committees.
Today’s announcement from Corporate Communications expands the definition of mail which is eligible to receive Red Tag 57 identification. The expanded definition now includes Political Message Mail, which will be eligible for Tag 57. Political Message Mail is mail that is political in nature and is entered from various politically-minded entities. Some examples of political-minded entities that can enter Political Message Mail are PACs, Super PACs, and other organizations engaging in issue advocacy or voter mobilization. As with all other mailings which are identified with Tag 57, Political Message mailings should be logged and tracked.
On June 26, 2012, Corporate Communications announced a procedural change with respect to the use of Tag 57 to identify political campaign mailings. Prior to today, Tag 57 was permitted for use in identifying Political Campaign Mail from Political Candidates, Campaign Committees and Political Party Committees. Today’s announcement from Corporate Communications expands the definition of mail which is eligible to receive Red Tag 57 identification. The expanded definition now includes Political Message Mail, which will be eligible for Tag 57. Political Message Mail is mail that is political in nature and is entered from various politically-minded entities. Some examples of political-minded entities that can enter Political Message Mail are PACs, Super PACs, and other organizations engaging in issue advocacy or voter mobilization. As with all other mailings which are identified with Tag 57, Political Message mailings should be logged and tracked.
Grow Your Business Days Seminars
To contact us Click HERE
The U.S. Postal Service ispartnering with the Indian River State College Small Business Development Center
Learn about Every Door Direct Mail(EDDM), a simple, low-cost service that allows local businesses to market toevery address in their neighborhood without the need to rent mailing lists.EDDM Retail is ideal for any kind of local business that is not currently usingthe mail. Every Door Direct Mail saves mail preparation time and is deliveredby the local, trusted Postal Service carrier. Dependent upon your business’advertising needs, permits may not be required or special fees added.
Thursday, August 9, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, IRSC Main Campus, 3209 Virginia Avenue, Building Y, Room 108, Fort Pierce FL 34981
Wednesday, September 12, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, IRSC Chastain Campus, 2400 SE Salerno Road, Building C, Room 102, Stuart FL 34994
Learn about Every Door Direct Mail(EDDM), a simple, low-cost service that allows local businesses to market toevery address in their neighborhood without the need to rent mailing lists.EDDM Retail is ideal for any kind of local business that is not currently usingthe mail. Every Door Direct Mail saves mail preparation time and is deliveredby the local, trusted Postal Service carrier. Dependent upon your business’advertising needs, permits may not be required or special fees added.
Thursday, August 9, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, IRSC Main Campus, 3209 Virginia Avenue, Building Y, Room 108, Fort Pierce FL 34981
Wednesday, September 12, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm, IRSC Chastain Campus, 2400 SE Salerno Road, Building C, Room 102, Stuart FL 34994
Give a Shout Out ('Yahoo') to Donovan
To contact us Click HERE
"Yahoo" for Palms Central City Carrier Rory Donovan. Last month, Rory earned a Million Mile Award from the NationalSafety Council. WPBF Reporter Shelly Lockhart heard the good news and interviewed Rory about his stellar safety record. The television station's video went “global" with Rory’s story posted on YahooNews at http://news.yahoo.com/video/safe-drive-25-postal-carrier-160211107.html.
"Yahoo" for Palms Central City Carrier Rory Donovan. Last month, Rory earned a Million Mile Award from the NationalSafety Council. WPBF Reporter Shelly Lockhart heard the good news and interviewed Rory about his stellar safety record. The television station's video went “global" with Rory’s story posted on YahooNews at http://news.yahoo.com/video/safe-drive-25-postal-carrier-160211107.html.
Flags and Fireworks on the Fourth
To contact us Click HERE
Wednesday, July 4, isIndependence Day, one of the six days each year postal facilities are requiredto fly the POW–MIA flag. The flag and its display at postal facilities honorthe sacrifices made by members of the armed forces held as prisoners of war orlisted as missing in action.U.S. England United States Washington DC
Wednesday, July 4, isIndependence Day, one of the six days each year postal facilities are requiredto fly the POW–MIA flag. The flag and its display at postal facilities honorthe sacrifices made by members of the armed forces held as prisoners of war orlisted as missing in action.
4 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
End of Bush Cuts Means Higher Taxes
To contact us Click HERE
I hadn't paid much attention to all the ballyhoo over Bush's tax cuts. I assumed it was just more of the class warfare we've seen so much of lately. They're scheduled to end at the end of this year.
Turns out, when those tax cuts expire, everyone's taxes are likely to go up. No more 10% tax bracket. The lowest will be 15%. I'm wondering how I'll fare? My income taxes already more than doubled this last year so this could be a big problem for me.
More on what's expiring and what's not from Yahoo News.
Turns out, when those tax cuts expire, everyone's taxes are likely to go up. No more 10% tax bracket. The lowest will be 15%. I'm wondering how I'll fare? My income taxes already more than doubled this last year so this could be a big problem for me.
More on what's expiring and what's not from Yahoo News.
Money In Politics: A Look At Wisconsin's Recall
To contact us Click HERE
A well thought out look at the money spent on the recent recall election in Wisconsin. The author points out Walker likely would have won even if he hadn't received a large amount of money from outside the state:
"So there’s your money effect, folks. Go from a 2:1 money advantage to a 7:1 money advantage, and it could increase your vote share by a full percentage point! Woo hoo!"
"I don’t mean to sound snide, but I’d say in general that if you pair the same candidates up against each other for the same office, you’ll probably get similar results. And I’d say that the real lesson here is how little the electoral results changed after a vast change in financing."
I'd suggest money could have a greater effect in some instances. Prop 29, for instance: Large infusions of cash can help the underdog. It allows them to make their case and possibly change electoral outcomes, but not always.
In the case of Prop 29, the minority might well have lost without the added infusion of funds that allowed them to present their side of the issue. In the local case of WalMart trying to change zoning on the Balloon Tract, the money- and the argument presented with it- wasn't enough.
Hat tip, as usual, to Radley Balko for the link.
"So there’s your money effect, folks. Go from a 2:1 money advantage to a 7:1 money advantage, and it could increase your vote share by a full percentage point! Woo hoo!"
"I don’t mean to sound snide, but I’d say in general that if you pair the same candidates up against each other for the same office, you’ll probably get similar results. And I’d say that the real lesson here is how little the electoral results changed after a vast change in financing."
I'd suggest money could have a greater effect in some instances. Prop 29, for instance: Large infusions of cash can help the underdog. It allows them to make their case and possibly change electoral outcomes, but not always.
In the case of Prop 29, the minority might well have lost without the added infusion of funds that allowed them to present their side of the issue. In the local case of WalMart trying to change zoning on the Balloon Tract, the money- and the argument presented with it- wasn't enough.
Hat tip, as usual, to Radley Balko for the link.
Wendy's Closure Was ADA Related
To contact us Click HERE
I bumped into a fellow on Saturday who was in the position to know. He told me the closure of Eureka's Wendy's restaurant was, indeed, because of the Americans with Disabilities Act. He didn't know if local scuzbag, Jason Singleton, was involved.
There were a number of supposed violations and the chain's management decided it wasn't worth the expense to make the corrections so they shut the place down. Another one bites the dust because of the ADA.
On a related note, looks like Senator Dianne Feinstein is using the issue to get her name in the paper in an election year. She's made some waves so there might be some legislative resolution to the ADA issue on the horizon.
There were a number of supposed violations and the chain's management decided it wasn't worth the expense to make the corrections so they shut the place down. Another one bites the dust because of the ADA.
On a related note, looks like Senator Dianne Feinstein is using the issue to get her name in the paper in an election year. She's made some waves so there might be some legislative resolution to the ADA issue on the horizon.
Open Office: How Rude!
To contact us Click HERE
Some time ago I got rid of MS Office and installed Open Office, that free open source word processing program. I've generally been satisfied with it, until I downloaded the first upgrade yesterday. Now, every time I boot up the computer, Open Office starts.
HOW RUDE! I realize it's a free program but I can't imagine why anyone would want a word processing program to start on boot up? If anything, running on start should be an option, not the default. I didn't see anything on installation that gave the option of having it start on boot up. Maybe I missed it?
I've been trying to figure out how to make it stop. Found an Open Office icon in my start menu and thought I removed it by dragging it to the desktop (worried about registry errors if I deleted it). Nope. It still opens once the computer boots up. Can't find any reference to this in its Help section. Any suggestions?
HOW RUDE! I realize it's a free program but I can't imagine why anyone would want a word processing program to start on boot up? If anything, running on start should be an option, not the default. I didn't see anything on installation that gave the option of having it start on boot up. Maybe I missed it?
I've been trying to figure out how to make it stop. Found an Open Office icon in my start menu and thought I removed it by dragging it to the desktop (worried about registry errors if I deleted it). Nope. It still opens once the computer boots up. Can't find any reference to this in its Help section. Any suggestions?
Fred's Garden Update
To contact us Click HERE
Some of you might recall I've been clearing out my old garden area after letting it go for about ten years. I cleared out even more this last year but the problem of morning glory and blackberries remains.
I wasn't quite sure what to do as spring came around. I was tempted to let the beds sit and spend the summer trying to clear the weeds that keep popping up. After all, what's the point in planting vegetables if the berries and morning glory pop up right in the middle of them? I finally decided to make a go at planting a few things. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Here's what it looks like now. I started out with bush peas which you can't really see on the backside of the potato plant because there's not much left. They were a flop. Slugs and snails got to them from a start. What was left didn't do well and I gave up.There's some onions scattered in front of them and in the bed to the back and right. They haven't done well, either. I think it's either a nematode or onion maggot problem.
You can see the funky trellises I made for Blue Lake pole beans. They're just starting to climb up the netting. They're doing ok but I lost a bunch on the row to the left due to slugs and snails.
Out a bit further, you can see some of the broccoli with a zucchini in the middle. I grew two zucchini plants this time. Hardly any fruit on them yet. What's with that?
The broccoli is doing pretty well, despite a rough start. About the only problem is it looks like most of them are going to mature around the same time. I wanted the harvest spread out a bit more. Funny that I tried planting them weeks apart but they still mature the same time.
We had the large head to the left for dinner last night.
For once I've had no problem with cabbage worms or loopers. Unlike last year, I applied Bacillus Thuringises a couple times this time. Probably in a bit stronger dose than recommended. They say to use it every two weeks, but I sprayed it last time over a month ago and no caterpillars are to be seen.
This picture shows the zucchini with some fave beans on the far side. To the left of those favas I just planted another bunch of favas that haven't come up through the ground yet.
Here's from the far side of the yard looking back towards the greehouse. Doesn't look so bad from here, huh?
Here you can see the lame fence the neighbors put up a while back. It turned out to be a bit of a blessing. We helped clear the area for the fence. It used to be filled with a sprawling banksea rose with ivy and other weeds overgrown through it- never mind the old fence.
Once the fence was up, it actually made the yard look bigger, probably just because of the clearing we did. That gave us the idea to clear out even more to give us a bunch more gardening space. It's taken me a few days but I've cleared it out to the old compost piles (far end of picture). The debris on the bottom right is part of what I cleard. It's laying on the old banksea rose.
We both enjoy artichokes so we're thinking of cramming this whole new area full of artichoke plants. We'll have to wait and see what sort of stuff pops up after the soil gets wet again. I'm sure there will be all kinds of berries and morning glory that I've missed.
Here's a close up of the far end of the picture. Towards the back is my old wooden compost bins (covered with berries and morning glory) and to the left what used to be a cleared area I grew tomatoes in years ago. That's kind of what the cleared area looked like before we cleaned it up. Now I've got to work my way through to the left about ten feet and I'll have yet more freed up space. After that I'll have to fight the stuff growing out of the old compost bins.
Not sure if I'll plant any more veggies in the near future. I will try and start some brussell sprouts in a couple months so we can have some for winter or early spring. I botched my attempt at brussell sprouts last year.
These six packs are my last planting for now. They're dwarf marigolds "Sparky". I like them cause they only grow to about 6" and add color to the garden, along with repelling some pests. I'll fill in some empty spots with them. They should pop up out of the soil by Friday or Saturday.
So that's it for now. I'll be working on clearing the weeds and brambles all summer and beyond, I'm sure.
I wasn't quite sure what to do as spring came around. I was tempted to let the beds sit and spend the summer trying to clear the weeds that keep popping up. After all, what's the point in planting vegetables if the berries and morning glory pop up right in the middle of them? I finally decided to make a go at planting a few things. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Here's what it looks like now. I started out with bush peas which you can't really see on the backside of the potato plant because there's not much left. They were a flop. Slugs and snails got to them from a start. What was left didn't do well and I gave up.There's some onions scattered in front of them and in the bed to the back and right. They haven't done well, either. I think it's either a nematode or onion maggot problem. You can see the funky trellises I made for Blue Lake pole beans. They're just starting to climb up the netting. They're doing ok but I lost a bunch on the row to the left due to slugs and snails.
Out a bit further, you can see some of the broccoli with a zucchini in the middle. I grew two zucchini plants this time. Hardly any fruit on them yet. What's with that?The broccoli is doing pretty well, despite a rough start. About the only problem is it looks like most of them are going to mature around the same time. I wanted the harvest spread out a bit more. Funny that I tried planting them weeks apart but they still mature the same time.
We had the large head to the left for dinner last night.
For once I've had no problem with cabbage worms or loopers. Unlike last year, I applied Bacillus Thuringises a couple times this time. Probably in a bit stronger dose than recommended. They say to use it every two weeks, but I sprayed it last time over a month ago and no caterpillars are to be seen.
This picture shows the zucchini with some fave beans on the far side. To the left of those favas I just planted another bunch of favas that haven't come up through the ground yet.
Here's from the far side of the yard looking back towards the greehouse. Doesn't look so bad from here, huh?
Here you can see the lame fence the neighbors put up a while back. It turned out to be a bit of a blessing. We helped clear the area for the fence. It used to be filled with a sprawling banksea rose with ivy and other weeds overgrown through it- never mind the old fence.
Once the fence was up, it actually made the yard look bigger, probably just because of the clearing we did. That gave us the idea to clear out even more to give us a bunch more gardening space. It's taken me a few days but I've cleared it out to the old compost piles (far end of picture). The debris on the bottom right is part of what I cleard. It's laying on the old banksea rose.
We both enjoy artichokes so we're thinking of cramming this whole new area full of artichoke plants. We'll have to wait and see what sort of stuff pops up after the soil gets wet again. I'm sure there will be all kinds of berries and morning glory that I've missed.
Here's a close up of the far end of the picture. Towards the back is my old wooden compost bins (covered with berries and morning glory) and to the left what used to be a cleared area I grew tomatoes in years ago. That's kind of what the cleared area looked like before we cleaned it up. Now I've got to work my way through to the left about ten feet and I'll have yet more freed up space. After that I'll have to fight the stuff growing out of the old compost bins.Not sure if I'll plant any more veggies in the near future. I will try and start some brussell sprouts in a couple months so we can have some for winter or early spring. I botched my attempt at brussell sprouts last year.
These six packs are my last planting for now. They're dwarf marigolds "Sparky". I like them cause they only grow to about 6" and add color to the garden, along with repelling some pests. I'll fill in some empty spots with them. They should pop up out of the soil by Friday or Saturday.So that's it for now. I'll be working on clearing the weeds and brambles all summer and beyond, I'm sure.