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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017
Norwegian horse joins PEO at Regatta parade
MORE NOTES
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Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center,
1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Sug-
gested donation of $3 for those
older than 60; $6.75 for those
younger than 60. For information,
call Michelle Lewis at 503-861-
4200.
Columbia Senior Diners —
11:30 a.m., 1111 Exchange St.
The cost is $6. For information,
or to have a meal delivered, call
503-325-9693.
Warrenton Senior Lunch
Program — noon, Warrenton
Community Center, 170 S.W.
Third St. Suggested donation of
$5 for seniors and $7 for those
younger than 60. For information,
or to volunteer, call 503-861-3502
Monday or Thursday.
Submitted Photo
Astoria PEO Chapter DL’s entry in the Astoria Regatta parade included a Norwegian fjord horse pulling a cart and mem-
bers marching to raise awareness of PEO’s mission to provide scholarships, grants and loans for women’s education.
Pictured, front row, from left, Jeannie Finkbeiner, Jean Sprouse and Eva McClintock. Back row, Diane Pinkney, Debrah
Miles, Brenda Penner, Ann Bales, Sunny Pedersen, Melanie Ryan and Nancy Autio holding Sonja the horse.
Shopping by voice on Amazon
or Google device could cost you
By ANICK JESDANUN
Associated Press
NEW YORK — In the
name of convenience, Amazon
and Walmart are pushing peo-
ple to shop by just talking to a
digital assistant.
Shopping by voice means
giving orders to the Alexa
assistant on Amazon’s Echo
speaker and other devices,
even if your hands are tied up
with dinner or dirty diapers.
And next month, Walmart will
start offering voice shopping ,
too, with the Google Assistant
on the rival Home speaker.
Voice shopping is still new.
But once you start using it,
look out — you might never
know if it’s offering you
the best deal. Because these
devices can’t say much with-
out tiring your ears, voice
shopping precludes some of
the savvy shopping practices
you may have relied on to find
the best bargains — in partic-
ular, researching products and
comparing prices.
You’d be leaving much of
the buying decision to Ama-
zon, Walmart or other retailers.
Hooked on Amazon
Amazon has had more than
a year’s head start, and dom-
inates voice shopping. Goo-
gle introduced shopping to
Home in February, letting peo-
ple order essentials from more
than 40 retailers like Target
and Costco under its Google
Express program. Its partner-
ship with Walmart means hun-
dreds of thousands of items
will be available to customers
in late September.
With websites and apps,
many customers place items
in the cart, but change their
Amazon
Amazon shows models of the Amazon Echo Show. With
Echo Show, Amazon has given its voice-enabled Echo
speaker a touch screen and video-calling capabilities as
it competes with Google’s efforts at bringing “smarts” to
the home. Amazon has been ramping up efforts to get
more people to shop using the Alexa voice assistant on
Echo speakers and other Amazon devices.
minds before completing the
order, said Lauren Beitel-
spacher, a marketing professor
at Babson College in Massa-
chusetts. Voice shopping elim-
inates those intervening steps.
And with Amazon so far
ahead, voice shopping with
Alexa is another way of get-
ting you hooked on Amazon
. Although Amazon allows
some third-party ordering
through Alexa, including pizza
from Domino’s and hotels
through Kayak, general shop-
ping is limited to Amazon’s
own store. If Alexa orders dia-
pers for you just as you run
out, for instance, Amazon
locks in the order before you
have a chance to visit Walmart.
“You can’t get away from
Amazon,” Beitelspacher said.
“I don’t know if gimmick
is the right word, but (voice
shopping) is part of a strategy
to be omnipresent in consum-
ers’ lives.”
Assistant in charge
Ask Alexa to buy some-
thing, and it presents you with
something you’ve bought
before or an educated guess
based on some undisclosed
mix of price, satisfaction rating
and shipping time. Amazon
won’t provide more details.
You can get a product’s aver-
age customer-satisfaction rat-
ing, but not specific reviews,
even on screen-equipped Echo
Show devices.
Brian Elliott, general man-
ager of Google Express, says
that with most affiliated retail-
ers, personalization occurs as
the assistant learns shoppers’
preferences, but the integra-
tion with Walmart will happen
more quickly.
In some ways, shopping by
voice assistant is a throwback
to the days when you were
largely limited to what sales
representatives recommended
at a physical store.
Amazon’s website gives
you a lot of information about
most products, from color
options and sizes to the spe-
cific reasons other customers
hated a product you’re con-
sidering. You’re able to com-
pare similar items and choose
something cheaper if you’re
willing to sacrifice some fea-
tures or take a chance on an
unknown manufacturer.
And, of course, you can
also compare Amazon’s prices
with those of other online
merchants.
But with Amazon’s voice
shopping, it’s back to what
the company’s representative
recommends.
Voice shopping requires
membership in Amazon’s
$99-a-year Prime loyalty pro-
gram, and it works with most
of the tens of millions of items
eligible for free shipping. But
someone browsing on the web
might find deals in non-Prime
items; Alexa won’t let you buy
them.
In addition, Alexa’s inter-
actions with shoppers are con-
strained by the fact that lis-
tening and speaking can be
a lot slower than reading and
clicking.
And while Amazon’s web-
site won’t necessarily list the
cheapest option first either, the
alternatives are easier to view
on a screen.
Justin Evans, an engi-
neer in Whitman, Massachu-
setts, bought oatmeal and
smart plugs using Alexa to
claim exclusive discounts,
but he prefers browsing and
reviewing products for gen-
eral shopping. “I’m a less
impulsive shopper than I
think their target market is,”
he said.
Seaside Rotary Club —
noon, Outlet Mall, 1111 N. Roo-
sevelt Drive, No. 206, Seaside.
Lunch costs $15. All are welcome.
For information, go to http://sea-
siderotary.com
Survivors Circle — noon to 1
p.m., The Harbor, 1361 Duane St.
Trauma Recovery and Empower-
ment Model Peer Support Group
for survivors of intimate partner
and sexual assault. Held in a safe
confidential place to explore the
causes, effects and methods of
healing from trauma; emphasis
is on empowering survivors. For
information, contact Shannon Sy-
monds at 503-325-3426 ext. 106.
Astoria-Warrenton Dupli-
cate Bridge Club — 12:30 to 4
p.m., Astoria Senior Center, 1111
Exchange St. Anyone may play if
they have a partner; to request a
bridge partner, call 503-325-0029.
Trivia — 6:30 p.m., Uptown
Cafe, 1639 S.E. Ensign Lane,
Warrenton. Teams of up to four
players. Three $2 games, winners
take each pot. Rolling jackpot
builds from week to week if no
one answers jackpot question.
For information, call 503-861-
5639.
Jam Session — 6:30 to 8:30
p.m., Astoria Senior Center, 1111
Exchange St. Open to the public.
For information, call 503-325-
3231.
FRIDAY
AAUW Walking Group —
9:30 a.m. Seaside Branch of
American Association of Univer-
sity Women weekly low-impact
group walk, followed by coffee
and fellowship. For information,
call 503-738-7751.
Senior Lunch — 11:30 a.m.,
Bob Chisholm Senior Center,
1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Sug-
gested donation of $3 for those
older than 60; $6.75 for those
younger than 60. For information,
call Michelle Lewis at 503-861-
4200.
Columbia Senior Diners —
11:30 a.m., 1111 Exchange St.
The cost is $6. For information,
or to have a meal delivered, call
503-325-9693.
Community Skate Night — 5
to 9 p.m., Astoria Armory, 1650
Exchange St. Admission $3. Lim-
ited roller skate rentals available
for $3; roller blades available. For
information, call 503-791-6064 or
go to www.astoriaarmory.com
SELF-HELP GROUPS
Al-Anon (Astoria) — 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Peace Lutheran Church,
565 12th St.; 12 p.m. Wednesday,
First United Methodist Church,
1076 Franklin Ave. For informa-
tion, call 503-325-1087; 7 p.m.
Thursday, Crossroads Commu-
nity Church, 40618 Old Highway
30, Svensen. For information, call
503-458-6467.
Al-Anon (Tillamook) — 7:30
p.m. Wednesday, St. Albans Epis-
copal Church, 2102 Sixth St., call
503-842-5094 for information;
noon Friday, 5012 Third St., call
503-730-5863 for information.
Al-Anon Family Groups
information, Oregon Area Al-
Anon website. oregonal-anon.
org
Celebrate Recovery — 6
p.m. Thursday, The Table Church,
852 Broadway, Seaside. Faith-
based 12-step program designed
to help anyone struggling with
hurts, habits and hangups, in-
cluding drugs and alcohol, anger,
co-dependence, domestic abuse
or sex, food or pornography ad-
dictions. Being religious not re-
quired. Free dinner and child care
provided. For information, call
D.B. Lewis at 503-741-5977.
Eating Disorders Anon-
ymous — 1:10 to 2:10 p.m.
Wednesdays, River Zen Yoga,
399 31st St. A 12-Step program.
For information, call Susan Wil-
liams at 510-417-5553.
Kick Butts Group Meets
(Nicotine Anonymous) — 6:30
to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Seaside
Public Library, 1131 Broadway.
Men’s Sexual Purity Recov-
ery Group — Tuesday nights.
Part of the Pure Life Alliance
(www.purelifealliance.org)
in
Portland. For information, call
the confidential voice mail at 503-
750-0817 and leave a message.
Narcotics Anonymous —
The Northwest Oregon Area of
Narcotics Anonymous (NWONA)
holds meetings in Clatsop County.
For full schedule details, as well
as upcoming special events, call
the Helpline at 503-717-3702, or
go to www.nworegonna.org
TOPS (Take Off Pounds
Sensibly) (Astoria) — 5 p.m.
weigh-in, 5:30 p.m. meeting Tues-
day, First Lutheran Church, 725
33rd St. For information, call Tri-
sha Hayrynen at 503-298-9058.
TOPS (Seaside) — 9:15 to
10:15 a.m. meeting Tuesday,
North Coast Family Fellowship
Church, 2245 N. Wahanna Road.
All are welcome. For information,
call 509-910-0354.
TOPS (Warrenton) — 9
to 9:45 a.m. weigh-in, 10 a.m.
meeting Wednesday, First Bap-
tist Church, 30 N.E. First St. For
information, call Marilyn Barnard
503-861-2918 or Jeannie Pike
503-861-1404.
More than 200 doomed Puerto Rico dogs saved by airlift to US
Pups faced a
grim future
By RICARDO
ARDUENGO
Associated Press
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico
— They were a mix of breeds
and sizes, ranging from pup-
pies to seniors. All faced a
grim future in Puerto Rico ani-
mal shelters, where chronic
overcrowding results in many
dogs being euthanized.
That changed Wednesday
for 205 abandoned canines
that arrived on the U.S. main-
land in an airlift organized
by animal welfare advocates
working to ease the load.
“The shelters in Puerto
Rico have no choice,” said
Kimberly Alboum, director of
policy engagement and shelter
outreach for the Humane Soci-
ety of the United States. “They
run out of room and, unfortu-
nately, they have to euthanize
for space. It’s heartbreaking
for the staff and it’s devastat-
AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews
Alba Crivello, 7, separated by a glass door, sits and plays
with puppies secured inside a kennel at the Animal Haven
animal shelter Thursday in New York.
ing because these animals are
all highly adoptable.”
The island territory has
struggled with dog overpopu-
lation for years due to factors
such as poorly funded shelters
and low spaying and neutering
rates.
It’s common to see packs of
what locals refer to as “satos”
roaming through Puerto Rican
communities, and one stretch of
coast near the town of Yabucoa
became so infamous for aban-
doned and abused pets that it
was dubbed Dead Dog Beach.
Activists in Puerto Rico
and on the mainland have been
working on the problem and
say there are signs of improve-
ment. Christina Beckles,
founder of the Puerto Rico-
based Sato Project, said fewer
dogs are ending up on Dead
Dog Beach thanks in part to a
campaign to spay and neuter in
Yabucoa.
But there have also been
setbacks, including a deep
economic crisis that led many
islanders to decamp for the
mainland and leave their pets
behind.
“People are leaving the
island in droves because they
can’t afford to live here,”
Beckles said. “I would never
condone someone abandoning
an animal, but I understand.”
While various organiza-
tions have airlifted dogs out
of Puerto Rico in recent years,
this latest effort is believed to
be the largest number in a sin-
gle trip.
Many of the animals came
from two shelters: One in the
hills above Mayaguez that has
a hard time finding people to
adopt its animals because it
is so remote, and another in
a condemned building with
no power or water near Cabo
Rojo that had to clear its entire
population for a badly needed
renovation.
Dellymar Bernal Martinez,
president of the Saint Fran-
cis of Assis Animal Sanctu-
ary in Cabo Rojo, cried as
she hugged a departing beige,
medium-sized dog that had
been born at the shelter three
years earlier. “It’s bittersweet.
I’m sad she is leaving but she
is going to a better place.”
The dogs were checked by
veterinarians, taken to the San
Juan airport and then flown
in two planes provided by a
group called Wings of Rescue.
They landed in Fort Lau-
derdale, Florida, dogs peek-
ing nervously out of their car-
riers as volunteers unloaded
them and transferred them to
waiting vans. One planeload
of dogs was destined for shel-
ters around the state. The other
aircraft refueled and went on
to North Carolina, with its
canines continuing on to vari-
ous shelters including Animal
Haven in New York City.
About two dozen ended
up in air-conditioned pens at
a facility run by the Humane
Society of Broward County in
Fort Lauderdale.
“They’ll all get adopted,”
shelter director Mary Steffen
said. “They will go fast.”
Associated Press writer
Ben Fox in Miami contributed
to this report.
Pioneer
Presbyterian
Church
( On Hwy 101 next to Camp Rilea)
presents
Drawing as Meditation
any skill level, with Rhonda Grudenic
Sunday August 27, Noon–2:00
Pie & Ice Cream Social
with old fashion hymn sing along
Sunday, September 17, Noon–2:00
Seekers Group
faith in the 21st. Century
Sundays 6–7:30 pm
Sunday Services 10:00am
✦
503-861-2421 ✦