Amazon's Holiday Selling Guidelines for Toys & Games 2015

I received the following information in an email recently. Also, it was posted on Amazon's website as of Sept. 1, 2015. I'm just posting this here as a courtesy to the public b/c sometimes this information is so difficult to find on Amazon's website. Basically, if you have any toys or games to sell and you don't sell at least 25 total items between Sept. 1 - Oct. 31, 2015, you will not be able to see any of those toys from Nov. 17, 2015 - Jan. 9, 2016.

Holiday Selling Guidelines in Toys & Games

To maintain buyer confidence in Amazon this holiday season, we are implementing Holiday Selling Guidelines for the Toys & Games store. Effective November 17, 2015, only sellers who meet the following performance criteria will be eligible to sell in the Toys & Games category from November 17, 2015 through the first week in January 2016.

Your first sale on Amazon.com must be prior to September 18, 2015. The sale does not need to be specific to the Toys store.

• You must have processed and shipped at least 25 orders from September 1 through October 31, 2015. The orders do not need to be specific to the Toys store.
• Your pre-fulfillment cancel rate must be no greater than 1.75% from October 1 through October 31, 2015.
• Your late shipment rate must be no greater than 4% from October 1 through October 31, 2015.
• Your order defect rate must be no greater than 1% short term as of November 1, 2015.

Your orders that use Fulfillment by Amazon will not be subject to the holiday season restrictions provided your account is in good standing.
Amazon Services reserves the right to cancel listings, remove selling privileges, and prohibit the sale of specific products to maintain a marketplace that is safe for buyers.
Here are some steps you can take to remain eligible to sell in Toys & Games throughout the holiday season:

• Monitor your customer metrics and take corrective action when necessary.
• Utilize Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) to ship products to customers.
• Check your orders frequently in the Manage Orders section of your account.
• Minimize order cancellations; only show inventory for sale that you have available to ship.
• Ship orders and confirm shipment in a timely manner.
• Ensure your seller policies are up to date.
• If you work with outside drop-shippers, solidify their SLA commitments for providing prompt shipping confirmation.

Romney Was Right About Russia

You can find the article at this link:


http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2014/03/03/why_obama_got_russia_wrong_and_romney_got_it_right.html

The Orpheum Goes Viral

I really like The Orpheum Theater in Hillsboro, IL. I've been there several times and they've got a great movie deal (admission includes popcorn and soda). In the past couple days, The Orpheum has gone viral with their recent marquee. Check it out on the Buzzfeed through the link below.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/ellievhall/illinois-movie-theater-posts-amazing-frozen-marquee

Obama, Putin, and Syria

World Leaders Snubbed By Obama in Favor of an Appearance on THE VIEW

"The president won't hold separate meetings with any key world leaders, citing scheduling concerns. But Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have found time to sit down Monday with the ladies of "The View" to tape an interview."
                                                 -Yahoo! News

So, once again because of "scheduling concerns" the President of the United States, Barack Obama, can't hold any meetings at the UN General Assembly, but he can make time to visit the set of another talk show. Unbelievable. There has never been another U.S. President in the history of the United States how has shown so much dismay at the office that he holds.

President Obama, David Letterman, and Israel

Next week Tuesday, September 18, 2012 is the start of the United Nations General Assembly. On that same date, President Barack Obama will be appearing on the LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN. President Obama will be making another trip to New York a week later for the General Assembly meeting. President Obama is scheduled to arrive that week on Monday, September 24 and leave on Tuesday, September 25. A few days later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be in New York for the UN General Assembly, too. Prime Minister Netanyahu has requested a meeting with President Obama while he is in the U.S., but President Obama has denied that request. Prime Minister Netanyahu offered to come to the U.S. earlier to meet with President Obama, but that request was denied.

So, the Prime Minister of Israel wants to meet with the President of the United States. Israel is one of only a handful of allies we have left in the Middle East (as illustrated by the storming of the U.S. embassy in Egypt and the murdering of the U.S. Libyan ambassador yesterday) and by far our strongest ally. Prime Minister Netanyahu will be in the United States (something that doesn't happen very often) and offered to visit earlier than planned in order to meet with President Obama, but those requests have been denied because of President Obama's "uncertain and hectic election-year schedule." Yet, President Obama can make a special trip to New York a week earlier so he can go on LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN.

Mr. President, I realize that you are in the midst of a re-election and are really worried that you might lose. However, currently you still are the President of the United States. That means that when there are matters of national importance, those matter take precedent over any campaigning you might have planned. A request by the Prime Minister of Israel to meet with you while he is in the United States is of national importance, especially since the "Arab Spring" that you so prominently backed, supported, and helped implement is falling apart. I understand the difference between right and wrong, but when it comes to leading a country, sometimes what's best and most right for the country you are leading is not best and most right for the rest of the world. However, that is what you have been elected to do. Instead of showboating around the country campaigning, you should be leading. Of course, that's something you've never really done. Just because you can make a good speech,  just because you can read a telepromter, just because you pretend you have great listening skills does not make you a leader. President Obama should entitle his first post-Presidential memoir THE AUDACITY OF ARROGANCE

The End of the World As We Know It?

At the end of May of this year, 2012 a man in Miami, Florida attacked and beat a homeless man and then proceeded to literally eat his face off.

Around that same time, another man in Baltimore killed his roommate and then ate his heart and part of his brain.

Also around this same time, a man in New Jersey cut his stomach open and began throwing his skin and intestines at police.

On July 9, a woman in Washington State was attacked by a group of raccoons.

Just a few days later, a group of five chimpanzees escaped from their cage in a zoo in Germany after builing a ladder from tree branches.

So, so far this year we've had the beginnings of a zombie apocalypse and the rise of the Planet of the Apes. How much further away can Armageddon be?

The Day That Freedom Died in China

Twenty-three years-ago today, June 4, the Tianamen Square Massacre took place. On this day, thousands of protestors were murdered by the Communist Party that controled the Chinese government. The people of China wanted democracy, but instead they got a hardline crackdown and now nearly a quarter-century of continued Communist rule. I remember. Do you? And for those of you too young to remember, what do you know of the Tianamen Square Massacre? The events still have a major impact upon the world and our culture and society today. Never forget.

Pearls Before Swine Occupies Sesame Street

Back in January of this year, one of my favorite comic strips, "Pearls Before Swine" took on the Occupy Movement and illustrated how ridiculous much of it is when one of the characters in the strip (Rat) Occupied Sesame Street. Here are the three main strips from that storyline. I think they're hilarious. Maybe Stephan Pastis will finally win the Reuben Award this year.

-Monday, January 9, 2012, "Pearls Before Swine"

-Tuesday, January 10, 2012, "Pearls Before Swine"

-Wednesday, January 11, 2012, "Pearls Before Swine"

Food Police in North Carolina

When I first heard this story earlier today, I thought it was a joke. As it turns out, it's not. A little girl in North Carolina who brought a lunch from home consisting of a turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice was told it didn't meet the proper U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines and was given chicken nuggets instead. If that's not bad enough, they sent her parents a bill for the school lunch. Read the whole story here. This is seriously reminds me of Nazi Germany or Soviet Russia. There's not much I can do about it, but pass along the information and try to change and influence things when given the opportunity.

Post Office Closings

Here's some interesting facts about the possible upcoming post office closings in the next few months (brought to you by the folks at "Who Knew?")

Why Books Aren't Dead.

There's a lot of talk about the death of books. Though the popularity of ebooks rises, that doesn't mean that traditional books are dead. Here's an interesting post from a couple weeks ago that examines the subject in more detail.

Tony theTiger, the Jolly Green Giant, Cap'n Crunch Could Be Criminals?!

Earlier this year there was a rumor floating around that Captain Crunch was being retired by the Quaker Oats Company. It was suggested that the Obama's administration campaign against childhood obesity was the cause (Quaker Oats is owned by Pepsi and the execs at Pepsi were major contributors to Obama and his cronies). A few days later, after cyberspace was being swamped by commentary and complaints about the matter, Quaker Oats issued a statement that in short said they weren't retiring the good ol' Cap'n.

However, that rumor might not have been just a rumor after all. It turns out that a couple of years ago the federal government (a few months after the 2008 election) set up a new agency (do we really need any more federal agencies?) to look into "Food Marketed To Children". Part of the mandate of the new agency was to write standards for the food industry in marketing towards children. A year behind schedule, the group has released a preview of their "voluntary" recommendations. Basically, any food advertisements with cartoons or drawings are recommended to be banned. That means not only no more Tony the Tiger or Snap, Crackle, or Pop or Cap'n Crunch; but it also means no more Jolly Green Giant and Charlie Tuna. Illustrations of cows on milk cartoons (Prairie Farms, this means you) and drawings of personified carrots would be banned, too. The recommendation don't stop with fictional creations either. Celebrity endorsements and likenesses would be banned, too, which would mean good bye to famous sports stars on the front of Wheaties.

You can read a short article about this whole thing here.

Personally, I know there is a place for government involvement in society. However, the government is too involved in our lives right now. This is just another example of that. We the people don't need nannies. We need people who will actually lead. Things like this aren't an example of leadership. They are an example of government gone amuck.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch Culls the Comics

On Monday morning I was reading The St. Louis Post-Dispatch had dropped six comics from its pages and replaced them with six other comics. The comics dropped were:

"Get Fuzzy", "Frazz", "Lola", "Rose is Rose", "Mallard Fillmore", and "9 Chickweed Lane." I'm not sure why these comics were chosen to "die" because in the small blurb in the paper (on the back of the front page completely away from the comics) it doesn't really say. There was no poll or survey; just an editorial decision. I know "Mallard Fillmore" got a lot of complaints, but so does "Doonesbury" and The Post-Dispatch would never drop that "comic". The paper tried dropping "9 Chickweed Lane" a couple years ago, but there was such an outrage they kept it. I like "9 Chickweed Lane", but it's the only one of the six dropped that doesn't have a large fan base.

Of the new comics chosen to replace the "dead" ones, one is a hugely unpopular one that The Post-Dispatch dropped years ago: "Bizarro". "Bizarro" was a comic that always polled at the bottom of every reader survey and poll the paper had. Yet, the editors kept it for many years before finally dropping it. Now, they've brought it back. Unbelievable.

For a newspaper that is struggling in an industry that is on the verge of collapse, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch sure enjoys edging itself further into decline.

Why Gas Causes So Much.

I remember when oil executives and political pundits used to say that the reason gas prices go up so much further than inflation is because there are a variety of factors involved and oil isn't like other things people buy. My reaction to that always was a big question mark.

Well, we all know that's a bunch of hokey now. Speaking of the rising costs of oil even though demand is down, Tom Kloza of Oil Price Information Service said, "The market is just looking for an excuse to go higher."

I told you so, the game is rigged.

Disasters are Good for the Economy?!

I was perusing the St. Louis Post-Dispatch from this past Thursday (June 9, 2011). In the middle of the news section I saw an article from AP with this headline:

"Joplin tornado heats up slow housing market".

The gist of the article is that almost all of the homes that were sale before the tornado hit and that are still standing after the tornado have all been sold. Also, the need for new homes has increased drastically.

Really? This counts as news now. Not only that but the underlying message seems to be that disasters are good for the economy. That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Not only is it bad journalism, but it's stupid, too.

Doctor Who at the Royal Wedding

I missed this. Perhaps my memory was erased. Oh, Doctor, you are one cheeky prankster aren't you.

Our "Silly" President

Two days ago (Wednesday, April 27, 2011), President Obama held a press conference. That's nothing unusual; President Obama can be seen on tv more often than a movie star plugging their latest picture. The press was gathered there under the impression that the President was going to be speaking about his new security team. Instead, the President released his birth certificate. Instead of talking about the real and difficult issues facing our country, President Obama devoted the time debunking a conspiracy theory. Dana Milbank sums up the event best in an essay for The Washington Post.

As Milbank says, "Speaking to 'the vast majority of the American people, as well as to the press,' the president said: 'We do not have time for this kind of silliness. We’ve got better stuff to do.' The President then flew off to Chicago to be on Oprah."

What Makes a Hero?

According to a recent study publicized last week by USA Today, 20% of Americans have acted heroically. "The study, supported by the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford, asked participants "Have you ever done something that other people — not necessarily you yourself — considered a heroic act or deed?" Those who answered "yes" selected from a list the actions most similar to their own: helping another person in a dangerous emergency; "blowing the whistle" on an injustice with awareness of the personal risk or threat to yourself; sacrifice on behalf of a non-relative or stranger, such as an organ donation; defying unjust authority; or other. Among the 20% who met the survey definition, 55% had helped someone during an emergency, 8% confronted an injustice, 14% had defied unjust authority and 5% had sacrificed for a stranger.

So, according to this survey, 1 out of every 5 Americans considers something they have done heroic.

That's a load of crock. To begin with, exactly what did these respondents do. For instance, 14% said they had defied unjust authority. What authority did they defy and what made that authority unjust? I've had troublesome high school students who would say I was being unjust in class and they defied me. Does that make their defiance heroic? What defines a dangerous emergency? Are you talking about burning buildings and people drowning during rough weather at sea or is it more like stopping to help a person with a flat tire on the Interstate on a cold day? What "injustices" were confronted? Did they lose their job because they told their boss the racial joke they made was offensive or did they just tell a friend they didn't like a joke they told and the friend got mad at them for a few days?

You're not a hero just because you do the right thing. The term "hero" is used too often in our society. It's commonly bantered about and has lost a lot of the chutzpah of the meaning. A hero is someone who consistently sacrifices over an extended period of time, often at great risk to themselves (meaning they could lose everything they own and their life is in danger). 20% of Americans haven't acted heroically. They've just done the right thing. I think the real percentage of people who have been heroic is closer to 2%.

Real New York Blizzard Blues

I'm sick of hearing New Yorkers whine about the snow sitting in front of their driveways right now. I hate winter. However, I live in the part of the Midwest where we get our share of winter weather. I complain about the winter weather, but I do what I can before and when the stuff comes: putting salt on the sidewalk and driveways, shoveling snow, covering the windshield or scraping ice if I forget the cover, taking extra time to travel places, etc. It's a pain, but it's a part of what comes with winter. If you live in New York you would be used to lots of snow in winter. From what I've been told, the people there have access to snow shovels and salt just like we do. You can complain about the weather, but you shouldn't expect the government to come around and clean the snow out of your driveway or off your walk.

The current New Yorkers are a bunch of wusses. *From the 18th Century until the early part of the 20th Century before automobiles were standard, the streets of New York City were crowded with more than 100,000 horses at any given time. Those horses produced about 2.5 million pounds of manure each day. During the long, icy winters the city commonly built up a mixture of snow and dung that raised the street level up to five feet. That's one of the major reasons the iconic brownstones feature lifted, second-story stoops. Five feet of frozen ice and poo. That would be something to whine about.

*This info is taken from the book Everybody Poops 410 Pounds a Year by D. Flanagan and David Dudley.