November 30, 2000 -- Can you believe it? Direct mail will have one of its own--former Horchow Collections CEO Clay Johnson III--serving as the Executive Director of the George W. Bush presidential transition team.

November 30, 2000 -- If you haven't done so yet, check out PostInsight.

November 30, 2000 -- In a letter to the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service, PostCom asked the postal Board either to implement the USPS-requested change in the maximum weight for automation-rated Standard A Regular Mail or to return this aspect of the Postal Rate Commission's R2000 recommended decision for reconsideration.

November 30, 2000 -- According to Athens News, the Greek national postal operator ELTA is about to wake up from its decades-long slumber if plans by the government to find it a strategic investor come to fruition. Long-suffering Greeks exasperated by the post office's endless queues and inefficient services can only hope that the move will more than just spruce up ELTA's image.

November 30, 2000 -- Be sure to check out the announcement on World e-Post Summit 2001.

November 30, 2000 -- According to TransportTopics.Com, "while Deutsche Post, the German postal service, burst into the world of privatization with a $5.6 billion initial public offering last week, some observers say American carriers and international logistics companies do not have much to fear from the competition. They believe the greater reporting requirements and the need to answer to investors could actually work against Deutsche Post. Its main competitors are United Parcel Service (UPS), FedEx Corp. (FDX) and the former Dutch post office TNT Post Group (TP)."

November 30, 2000 -- The As sociated Press has reported that United Air Lines and American Airlines have begun to offer expanded same-day package delivery service using technology from a company called NextJet Inc. United and American both offer cargo delivery for pickup at airports, but the deal with NextJet would allow them to offer door-to-door service using NextJet's network of about 300 local ground couriers. Both airlines are expected to take an equity stake in NextJet.

November 30, 2000 -- The Nikkei news service has reported that "the online unit of Bertelsmann AG (G.BRT) is expected to soon launch a version of its Japanese online bookstore that can be accessed through mobile phones." Hmmm. Another dent in prospecting by mail."

November 30, 2000 -- According to the British newspaper, The Independent, the Royal Mail has been attacked by British Members of Parliament (MPs) and unions "for endangering the lives of more than 40,000 bicycling postmen by refusing to issue them with helmets." More than 40 MPs, European news sources have reported, have tabled a motion in Parliament condemning the Post Office for its failure to give protective headgear to postmen and women who deliver their letters by bike. The Royal Mail, which has the biggest bicycle fleet in Europe, is on a collision course with the Government which is urging all cyclists to wear helmets.

November 30, 2000 -- American Banker has reported that "unlike the United States, where an assortment of bank and nonbank groups are vying for pieces of the electronic bill payment and presentment market, Canada has two groups battling to become the dominant provider. On one side, Royal Bank of Canada, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Toronto-Dominion Bank, and Bank of Nova Scotia, all based in Toronto, and National Bank of Canada and Mouvement des caisses Desjardins in Montreal have formed a consortium called E-route Inc. On the other side is Bank of Montreal, which through its Cebra Inc. electronic commerce subsidiary has teamed up with Canada Post Corp. to create a service called Epost. The competition may offer would-be electronic billing leaders in the United States some insight into how the market will shape up here.

November 30, 2000 -- According to the MRU Consultancy's newsletter, CEP News (Courier, Express, Parcel), a report in the French newspaper La Tribune has it that French Senator Gerard Larcher (member of the RPR) made a proposal for the privatisation of the French mail company last week. "Mr Larcher believes there is a long-term necessity of floating La Poste on the stock market, similar to the Dutch TPG and the German Deutsche Post AG. The paper further reports that chances are small that anything will come of the proposal. Apparently there is no majority for such privatisation plans in the French parliament. The paper also quotes a spokesperson for the trade union CGT, who declared that a complete or partial privatisation of the mail company was out of the question. France is considered one of the precursors of resistance against the EU Commission’s suggestion to reduce the letter monopoly to 50 grams from 2003."

November 30, 2000 -- CEP News also has reported that the recently resigned head of the German Telecommunciations and Post Regulatory Authority, Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, is likely to be succeeded by Mr Matthias Kurth (SPD), vice-president of the Regulatory Authority.

November 30, 2000 -- CEP News has told PostCom that the Berlin letter service PIN AG (http://www.pin-ag.de) "claims to have invested around 2.6m euros in the establishment of 16 sorting centres in Berlin over the last few months....After the company was granted an extension of its licence by the Regulatory Office in mid-November, PIN is now planning to handle letters within the monopoly limit of Deutsche Post AG and to expand further."

November 30, 2000 -- In case you missed them, here is a goodie on the Postal Rate Commission web site. It's a presentation by Cara Schwarz-Schilling, Head of Section, Economics of Regulating Postal Markets, Regulatory Authority for Telecommunications and Posts, Germany, entitled "Regulation of Postal Markets in Germany."

November 30, 2000 -- According to CNET.Com, "Yahoo has quietly introduced a way for people to send scrambled messages through its email service." Looks like the private sector has discovered its own "trusted third-party."

November 30, 2000 -- According to a study by Andersen Consulting and Online Insight, entitled, "Beyond the Blurr: Correcting the Vision of Internet Brands," companies could realize dramatic returns from online marketing efforts if they targeted their marketing to the 10 percent of the population that buys 70 percent of all products online. That 10 percent is primarily comprised of people 35 and older, and not the GenX segment that many marketers have been spending money to lure. Heck. Any direct mail marketer could've told 'em that!

November 29, 2000 -- Postal commentator Cary Baer addresses "the impact of the PRC's rate case decision" in a perspective prepared for DM News.

November 29, 2000 -- In a postal perspective, Bookspan Senior Vice President Robert Posch takes issue with the Postal Rate Commission's decision not to approve a request to permit a 3.5 ounce breakpoint for mailer barcoded Standard Regular Mail.

November 29, 2000 -- PostalWatch.Org has reported that "in a letter to the Antitrust Division of the US Justice Department Chief Counsel for the Small Business Administrations, Office of Advocacy urged the DOJ to 'review the [Postal Service's] CMRA/PMB rule to determine whether USPS has met its obligations under antitrust laws. I understand that some members of Congress have made a similar request.'"

November 29, 2000 -- The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service are scheduled to meet in Washington on December 4-5, 2000. This is the Board's regularly scheduled monthly meeting. Missing from the agendas for either the open or closed sessions is any mention of consideration of the Postal Rate Commission's recommended decision in the matter of R2000-1. Does this mean an annoucement will not be forthcoming? Don't bet on it. An announcement on R2000 WILL be made on Tuesday morning, December 5. Who knows? By then we might even know who the next President will be.

November 29, 2000 -- Paper-based communication in the United States increased last year, continuing a trend in this country and world wide, according to a new survey of paper use by the PaperCom Alliance. The PaperCom Index US, a survey of paper use in this country, shows that people love paper—and business continues to find it an effective and efficient method of communication and marketing.

November 29, 2000 -- The U.S. Postal Service is about to launch a cooperative advertising campaign with America Online. It will take the form of advertisements on the sides of postal trucks promoting the USPS and AOL as the "ultimate internet vehicle." Some 10,000 postal trucks should begin to roll down America's streets with the new ads by mid-December.

November 29, 2000 -- Contract talks between the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and the U.S. Postal Service have come to an end. The parties now will follow the statutory dispute resolution procedure, which could include mediation and fact-finding and, ultimately, binding arbitration.

November 29, 2000 -- According to ananova.com, "China's post office has started to deliver food to people's homes and brides to wedding ceremonies. Beijing diners can call the post office and have a roast Peking duck from the Guan Ju De restaurant delivered to their door, while Nanchang bridegrooms can have their brides delivered to the wedding hall in a decorated motorcade. Officials say they are moving away from traditional mail deliveries because increasing numbers of Chinese people are communicating via e-mail and telephone." Now THAT'S diversification!

November 29, 2000 -- There's been a change in the leadership at the National Postal Museum. Museum director James Bruns has been promoted to Smithsonian Director of Operations for American Museums and National Programs. An acting director of the Postal Museum is expected to be named. A nationwide search for a permanent Director has begun.

November 29, 2000 -- According to the Nikkei news service, the Japanese Fair Trade Commission has said that the delivery of letters and postcards, now a government monopoly, should be gradually opened to the private sector by around 2003 and fully liberalized by 2006. It will urge the government to implement the recommendation by amending the postal law. Mail delivery, other than packages, is under exclusive government control to protect privacy and ensure uniform, low-cost service nationwide. But the panel says privacy can be adequately protected by imposing stiff requirements on private companies entering the business, and that low-cost, universal delivery is also possible, as shown by existing door-to-door parcel delivery services. For Americans, the shibboleth of needing a monopoly to preserve universal service should have a familiar ring. But if the Japanese are willing to challenge this supposition, why aren't Americans?

November 29, 2000 -- In a recent communique to his members, American Postal Workers Union Executive Vice President William Burrus said: "Negotiations continued today at an accelerated pace, and I can report that both sides--the APWU and USPS negotiators--are making a sincere effort; however, I am convinced that higher-level postal officials have placed arbitrary limits on the wage increase of the next contract."

November 29, 2000 -- State-owned postal service An Post has won a welcome reprieve from further deregulation of the industry after the European Commission failed to open a further 20pc of the market to external competition. In May, commissioner for the internal market Fritz Bolkstein, tabled proposals that would have seen 50pc of the postal market liberalised by 2003. Already 30pc of the Irish market is open following a move by public enterprise minister Mary O'Rourke.

November 29, 2000 -- In a guest editorial for PostMag.Com, Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Executive Vice President Joseph Ball said that the Postal Service's George Martin helped save what could have been a fiasco associated with the Paxis closing by sending "his people and his trucks into...[Paxis'] buildings, to retrieve and to deliver...[abandoned] parcels."

November 28, 2000 -- A day after E-Stamp Corp. said it would exit the business of selling postage via the Internet, Stamps.com Inc. said it would stick with the business and was convinced it was viable.

November 28, 2000 -- Dot-com market woes notwithstanding, Internet retailers did record business in the third quarter of 2000, tallying more than $6 billion in sales, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

November 28, 2000 -- Looks as if United Parcel Service likes to style itself as an integral part of "Santa's supply chain." Who could disagree?

November 28, 2000 -- A Time.Com commentator has written that "people like to complain about everything--taxes, the media, my habit of typing while I pretend to listen to them talk on the phone. And now with the upcoming 1[cent] stamp hike, we're in for another bout of uneducated whining. But I will defend the U.S. Postal Service."

November 28, 2000 -- The mail must go through! That's the mantra at Postal Service headquarters these days. As the Associated Press has reported, "the Postal Service is bringing in thousands of temporary workers, 80 more airplanes, extra trucks and trains and even the residents of Whoville to speed the movement of holiday mail."

November 28, 2000 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "Frederick W. Smith, FedEx Corp.'s chairman, president and chief executive, underwent successful coronary bypass surgery."

November 28, 2000 -- E-stamp, a pioneer in efforts to sell postage over the Internet, will refocus its efforts and resources towards Web-based shipping and logistics. It has exited the electronic stamps business, and it referring inquiries about PC-based postage to Neopost.

November 28, 2000 -- CargoWeb News has reported that "Delta Air Lines may challenge the choice of the Department of Transport (DOT) to give UPS the U.S.-China Aviation Rights, while Northwest will ask Washington to reconsider its allotment, while also FedEx is not satisfied."

November 26, 2000 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito in a recent article for Direct magazine, the time for talking about postal reform is done. Now it's time to work to make it a reality.

November 26, 2000 -- How can mailers live with the new rates, postal commentator Gene Del Polito offers a few thoughts in an article prepared for Circulation Management.

November 26, 2000 -- Traffic World has reported that "nearly two years after the company was launched with great promise and fanfare, Paxis LLC was unceremoniously shut down by its lead investors. Paxis, a small shipment consolidator that took packages from the vendor and dropped them deep into the U.S. Postal Service system for final delivery, stopped accepting packages at 11:59 p.m. Nov. 13. The company promised to deliver whatever packages were in the system at the time but said little about how or if they planned to assist customers through the busy holiday shipping season."

November 26, 2000 -- The Memphis Commercial Appeal has reported that "this is the first year FedEx will be able to offer retailers a more cost-effective way to get packages to your doorstep and compete in a market that, by all accounts, is dominated by Atlanta-based rival United Parcel Service Inc.

November 26, 2000 -- The Sunday Times (U.K.) has reported that "the [British] government has given itself only five weeks to produce a business plan that will guarantee the future of the post-office network. But with time running out, its scheme to turn the network into a 'universal bank' looks doomed. What seemed an ideal solution to the problem of how to safeguard the Post Office when the government switches from cash to electronic payment of welfare benefits in 2003 is now beset by infighting."

November 26, 2000 -- Heaven forfend! The Sunday Mirror (U.K.) has reported that "children's favourite Postman Pat has gone on his last delivery round for Royal Mail. The publicly-owned postal and parcel company has dumped the popular television character because he no longer fits in with its 'corporate image'. Pat and his faithful black-and-white cat, Jess, recently helped to front a campaign to save rural post offices from closure. But they will no longer be used to promote Royal Mail business or charity work. The decision, which takes immediate effect, has shocked Royal Mail staff.

November 26, 2000 -- The Lawrence (KS) Journal-World has reported that "despite the tight labor market, UPS, the U.S. Postal Service and Federal Express expect no unusual delays, although delivery times may stretch out a bit as Christmas approaches."

November 26, 2000 -- According to the Irish Times, "major groups competing with An Post in the parcels trade make no secret that they want to expand their postal business when the EU liberalizes the sector. These include publicly-quoted companies such as Deutsche Post and TNT Post Groep, and Britain's state-owned Post Office. All have significant resources and interests in the lucrative logistics business. They are committed to grow in the international arena."

November 26, 2000 -- As the Irish Times has noted, "trends that will have a profound impact on An Post lie behind what was one of Europe's largest flotations this year....Internationalisation and deregulation are the issues facing An Post, whose business is valued at about £150 million (euro 190 million). The company has no plans to float on the stock exchange but faces challenges as competition from bigger, fitter players becomes a reality."

November 25, 2000 -- The China air route is considered key for future United Parcel Service (UPS) plans.

November 25, 2000 -- Time is money, as the saying goes, and methods for sending cash quickly to international business partners have always been in big demand at the Hungarian postal service, Magyar Posta.

November 25, 2000 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Frits Bolkestein, the EU's [European Union's] internal market commissioner, has backed away from setting a final date for full liberalization of the [postal] market in the face of resistance from within the EU's executive. He said officials would review progress in 2004 with a view to taking another step in 2007. The Commission has been under pressure from business and private couriers to press ahead with opening up the market."

November 24, 2000 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that Germany's leading postal and telecommunications regulator, Klaus-Dieter Scheurle, will leave his post at the end of the year. Mr. Scheurle, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union, was appointed by former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl. Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is expected to replace him with a political ally, according to analysts. Mr. Scheurle's pro-competition stance has put him at odds with the reigning Social Democrats since they took control of the government in October 1998.

November 23, 2000 -- The U.S. Postal Service has noted in Commerce Business Daily that it "is seeking to identify and pre-qualify sources capable of providing a semi-automatic tray takeaway mechanism (SATTAM) for participation in competitive testing at designated USPS processing and distribution center (P&DC) facilities during the March/April 2002 timeframe. The USPS anticipates conducting a 4 week test of differing SATTAM designs in order to evaluate and select a single supplier to provide and install takeaway mechanisms for 362 FSM 1000 Flat Sorting Machines in P&DCs nationwide. The USPS plans to issue a formal Request for Proposal (RFP) in January 2001 to those firms that are found to be pre-qualified under this program.

November 23, 2000 -- The U.S. Postal Service has noted in Commerce Business Daily that it "intends to pre-qualify respondents capable of providing commercially available Inbound Call Center Teleservices.

November 23, 2000 -- According to MediaWeek, "the Postal Rate Commission gave the magazine industry a slight break last week by rolling back to 9.9 percent the 15 percent hike recommended by the U.S. Postal Service for second-class mail, which includes magazines." "We called for the Postal Service to produce witnesses, but they didn't really explain why [magazine] costs are going up," says Robert Cohen, a Postal Rate Commission representative. "It's very disturbing." So what happened to automatable Standard Mail flats?

November 23, 2000 -- More on United Parcel Service's victory for access rights to China as reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

November 23, 2000 -- As The Washington Post has reported, "the National Rural Letter Carriers' Association decided it has reached an impasse in its negotiations that started in September and has moved to the mediation fact-finding stage. The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NMPHU) agreed to extend negotiations that began in August to a new deadline of midnight Tuesday. The unions are seeking a three-year contract that includes a 13.5 percent wage increase plus cost-of-living increases. Also on the table are new health benefits and work rules."

November 23, 2000 -- For a nice comparison of proposed and recommended nonprofit periodical rates, check out the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers web site.

November 23, 2000 -- The French newspaper, La Tribune has reported that "a white paper aiming to transform La Poste, the French post office, into a limited company, was presented yesterday by Gerard Larcher, a senator (of the RPR party).... This could be a preliminary stage to prepare La Poste for when its equity is eventually opened up to investors."

November 23, 2000 -- According to the Irish Times, Deutsche Post is thinking big. The company is transforming itself into a pan-European logistics operation and has rebranded itself Deutsche Post World Net.

November 22, 2000 -- The Association for Postal Commerce, the Direct Marketing Association, and Pitney Bowes, Inc., in a letter addressed to postal board chairman Einar Dyrkopp, asked the Governors of the U.S. Postal Service to delay the implementation of new postal rates to permit mailers sufficient time to install, modify, and test mail preparation software to ensure timely compliance with implementing postal regulations.

November 22, 2000 -- PostMag.Com has posted a new feature on Christmas Watch 2000.

November 22, 2000 -- FedEx Corporation and its subsidiary, FedEx Trade Networks, Inc. (FTN), have formed a strategic alliance with NextLinx Corporation to market and sell unique Web-based tools and services that greatly simplify international shipping for importers and exporters of all sizes.

November 22, 2000 -- According to its CEO, Corrado Passera, Poste Italiane, the Italian post office, aims to be ready for a stock market listing in 2002. Passera said Poste Italiane expects to have a net loss of 700-800 bln lire at the end of the year and noted that this would be around half the 1999 net loss of 1.365 trln lire. He noted that Poste Italiane is proceeding with talks with the French post office La Poste with a view to reaching operational joint ventures in parcel delivery and express courier services.

November 22, 2000 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that U.S. Department of Transportation has selected United Parcel Service as the fourth U.S. carrier entitled to serve the lucrative U.S.-China market. UPS will get six of the 10 new frequencies available to U.S. carriers as of April 1, 2001, with market incumbents getting the rest - two to United Airlines and one each to FedEx and Northwest Airlines. See also the report by Reuters.

November 22, 2000 -- Return.com, a full-service solution to facilitate consumer returns of products purchased online or by catalog, has announced several customer service enhancements.

November 21, 2000 -- Individual contract negotiations between the U.S. Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union and the Mail Handlers Union continued past the Monday midnight deadline. The talks are expected to continue today. The Postal Service and the National Rural Letter Carriers Association, however, have failed to reach a negotiated settlement, and did not continue their talks. The USPS and the rural letter carriers will now move on to mediation, fact-finding, and possibly binding arbitration.

November 21, 2000 -- eWeek has noted that "FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service of America Inc. have been working overtime since the tinsel and the trees came down last year to make sure they can uphold their end of the fulfillment bargain." eWeek said that "UPS expects its package-per-day load from its largest e-tail customers to increase by between 50 percent and 60 percent. Normally, the company delivers an average of 13.5 million packages per day. It's planning for volume to spike to 19 million packages a day over the holidays. FedEx is expecting similar increases. Last year, the average daily package volume carried by its network of trucks increased from 3.2 million packages per day to 4.8 million packages per day a few days before Christmas."

November 21, 2000 -- The London newspaper, The Telegraph, has reported that the Blair Government will place a "formal requirement" on the U.K. post office to keep open village post offices. The Post Office will be expected to shoulder the losses made by small branches until a new system of Government subsidy is introduced in 2003.

November 21, 2000 -- Agence France Presse has reported that German finance minister Hans Eichel has urged the French government to liberalize the French market for postal services, following the example of the flotation of the German post office, Deutsche Post. Germany, he said, should not be alone in its efforts while other countries" maintain the barriers around their domestic markets.

November 21, 2000 -- According to the Associated Press, Three new stamps will be issued Dec. 15 and a fourth in January to handle the new 34-cent postage rate. The new stamps at first will not have a price on them, because the large volume needed meant they had to be printed in advance, before the new rate was determined. Later versions of the stamps with the 34-cent rate on them will be available.

November 20, 2000 -- As the Financial Times has noted, "To most people, the post still means stamps. They don't realize postal services are now a high-tech multi-billion dollar global industry."

November 20, 2000 -- "Who would have thought it," asked the Financial Times. "The German government is privatising its post office, while the UK government has been ridiculously timid. Deutsche Post already has commercial management. Now it will become a proper public company."

November 20, 2000 -- According to The Wall Street Journal, the story about Deutsche Post's IPO is a telling story of the growth of capitalism in former socialist strongholds.

November 20, 2000 -- The AFX news service has reported that the European Commission is inviting comments under the EU's merger regulation on La Poste holding SHFCLP's acquisition of Mayne Nickless Europe Ltd, specialized in document and parcel delivery as well as logistics services.

November 20, 2000 -- The Irish post office, An Post, is working to seal a deal under which post offices may take over some seven million counter transactions from banks.

November 20, 2000 -- And you think the U.S. Postal Service has problems? A letter written 31 years ago by a father to his emigrant son in Germany, which never reached its destination, has returned to the Sicilian village where it was posted, according to the Italian newspaper, La Sicilia. The German postal service sent back the letter years ago after it could not be delivered at the given address in Hamburg. Both father and son now are dead, and the letter actually was delivered to the sender's surviving son. According to La Sicilia, Italian post office officials now are trying to figure out why it took so long to actually return to the village of Ravanusa near Agrigento in southern Sicily.

November 19, 2000 -- As The Wall Street Journal has noted, despite efforts by its archrivals and competitors, shares in the highly anticipated initial public offering for Germany's national postal service, Deutsche Post, will bring in 6.6 billion euros ($5.61 billion). Eight times as many investors have applied for the company's shares as the number of shares available. After a decade-long restructuring and more than two dozen acquisitions in the past three years, Deutsche Post Chief Executive Klaus Zumwinkel has turned a scorned bureaucracy into one of the most aggressive players in the global-shipping business. A parcel delivery division once mired in red tape now competes head-to-head with U.S. giants United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. That's got to make Zumwinkel a very happy...er...a very RICH man.

November 19, 2000 -- Read more on the Fedex acquisition of American Freightways in Traffic World magazine.

November 18, 2000 -- In a recent commentary for Federal Times, Computer & Communications Industry Association president Ed Black wrote that Congress must keep government (including and particularly the U.S. Postal Service) out of e-commerce.

At the same time, postal officials have told Federal Computer Week that they intend to continue developing online services despite complaints from industry organizations that government agencies have no business competing in e-commerce.

November 17, 2000 -- According to TheDailyDeal.Co m, the Deutsche Post IPO will be Europe's biggest IPO this year. But Deutsche Post's rivals, investment bankers and mergers and acquisition specialists will have only half an eye on its razzmatazz flotation on the Frankfurt stock exchange. The opposition is too busy trying to second-guess where Deutsche Post will swoop next. It has been on a whirlwind, $5 billion spending spree over the past two years that has transformed it from a clumsy, overstaffed, underperforming mail monopoly to a global express and logistics giant challenging U.S. corporate icons FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service Inc.

November 17, 2000 -- United Parcel Service (UPS), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (SEMCO), a division of Samsung, to create a task force to streamline SEMCO's international transportation and global supply chain.

November 17, 2000 -- American Business Media has announced that it is "delighted" and "relieved" at the Postal Rate Commission's to reduce the average rate charged to mail periodical publications to below ten percent.

November 17, 2000 -- The Board of Directors of United Parcel Service announced the payment of a 17 cents per share dividend to all holders of Class A and Class B stock. At its regular monthly meeting, the Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service announced...well...that the U.S. Postal Service was in a world of financial hurt.

November 17, 2000 -- European Union regulators have opened an investigation into two proposed international postal joint ventures between Britain's Post Office, TNT Post Group NV of the Netherlands and Singapore Post Private Ltd. The trade bloc's executive arm, the European Commission, said it has "serious concerns" about the impact that the venture operating in Europe may have on competition among mail carriers in Britain and the Netherlands.

November 17, 2000 -- As Th e Washington Post has noted, "a month after a large computer industry group criticized government entities for competing with private companies to offer online services, the U.S. Postal Service defended its actions in a letter to Congress." See also below.

November 17, 2000 -- Zairmail has announced that it has launched the first large-scale mail-on-demand (MoD) distribution service that connects online and offline consumers while eliminating the time consuming tasks associated with sending traditional postal mail. This process is as simple as: o Log on to www.zairmail.com o Compose your personal letter online o Press send Once a consumer presses send, Zairmail will route this message to a print production facility closest to the recipient, where a personal letter is printed on high-speed digital printing equipment, addressed and inserted into an envelope. The U.S. Postal Service then distributes the letter by first-class mail for two-day delivery anywhere in the country, or for overnight delivery in supported markets.

November 15, 2000 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that Deutsche Post, the German mail, express and logistics company, launched its U.S. road show today in a bid to attract American investors to its initial public offering which has already been several times oversubscribed a week before its shares begin trading on the Frankfurt stock exchange.

November 15, 2000 -- The Washington Post has reported that the U.S. Postal Service expects to lose $480 million and to cut as many as 13,200 jobs in fiscal 2001, according to figures it released yesterday. Postal officials suggested that the losses could be even greater because the $480 million figure does not reflect the rate increases recommended by the independent Postal Rate Commission that were significantly lower than the increases USPS requested.

November 15, 2000 -- According to the Financial Times, the British Post Office may face wider price controls than expected when the new Postal Services Commission - the industry watchdog - finalises licensing details and efficiency targets in March. The commission is expected to impose a price freeze or a "rough and ready" calculation based on below-inflation price increases while it works out a permanent retail price index minus x formula.

November 15, 2000 -- The Washington Post has noted that "United Parcel Service, whose brown-uniformed delivery people each lift hundreds of packages a day, shows its workers how to bend, lift and twist safely, UPS spokesman Tad Segal said. UPS has opposed an OSHA ergonomics rule, and Segal said the company's own programs have worked, cutting lost workdays and injury claims by double-digit percentages in the past few years."

November 15, 2000 -- The Australia n Financial Review has reported that "Global air express group DHL Worldwide Express plans to invest $US30 million ($57 million) a year in infrastructure in Australia over the next three years to enable it to capitalize on industry growth that will increasingly be fuelled by e-commerce."

November 15, 2000 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "Federal Express in May 2001 will open a customs-supervised freight-processing warehouse in Monterrey International Airport."

November 15, 2000 -- According to the BBC, "Plans to prevent post offices closing by introducing over-the-counter banking services are making slow progress."

November 15, 2000 -- According to The Times of London, the Royal Mail has been "accused of peddling taxpayer-funded propaganda yesterday after it sent 175,000 glossy brochures to customers extolling the virtues of the single currency. The decision of the state-owned Post Office to spend a six figure sum on a pro-euro campaign was immediately condemned by post office users and trade unionists."

November 15, 2000 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that CNF Transportation Inc. has said that the U.S. Postal Service "has agreed to reimburse CNF's Emery Worldwide Airlines unit up to $125 million in termination fees after the two sides ended a Priority Mail contract."

November 15, 2000 -- Yahoo! has reported that "the Magazine Publishers of America greeted the announcement with a mix of relief and concern. MPA president Nina Link said in a statement, 'we achieved our objective of a single-digit rate increase,' but she added that the periodical rate hike -- set to take effect January 2001 -- is 'significantly above the average rate increase.' (By comparison, the price of a first-class stamp will only rise by a penny, to 34 cents, a 3 percent increase.) Link promised that the MPA 'will continue to push for long-term reform of the postal system.'"

November 15, 2000 -- How can you cope with the just announced postal rate increase? Harte-Hanks has a few suggestions.

November 15, 2000 -- According to the chief operating officer of Princeton eCom, "the Postal Rate Commission's decision to increase rates for first class mail on Monday underscores the value and cost savings of online billing and payment services."

November 15, 2000 -- In a letter to all Members of Congress, the Postal Service's head of public affairs took strong exception to recent characterizations of the Postal Service by advocates of differing points of view as an agency "out of control."

November 14, 2000 -- A pdf version of PostCom Bulletin 49-00 is available for all PostCom members. It contains ALL of the major postal rate charts from the Postal Rate Commission's recommended decision.

November 14, 2000 -- According to PostalWatch.Com, the Postal Service is in the midst of a financial death spiral and requires emergency remediation.

November 14, 2000 -- The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service "unanimously called for reform of the Nation's postal system." Despite cost-cutting and productivity improvement efforts being undertaken by management and the Board, it said, "the difficult present financial condition of the Postal Service will worsen unacceptably in the coming years." Now all we need to do is to convince a new Administration and Congress of the need to act.

November 14, 2000 -- The Postal Service's chief financial officer has told the postal Board of Governors that the USPS will be facing a challenging year ahead.

November 14, 2000 -- The Financial Times has reported that the U.K. Post Office is considering transferring much of its business into private sector joint ventures to cut costs and boost efficiency before new price controls take effect next year. Post Office executives believe huge cuts in overheads can be achieved by joint venturing activities such as cleaning, security, information technology, legal, accountancy and personnel work, vehicle maintenance, training and consultancy.

November 14, 2000 -- The British newspaper, The Guardian, has reported that "the feasibility of the [U.K.] government's plans to turn the Post Office into a "universal bank" have been questioned by a Commons inquiry. A report by the trade and industry select committee into the future of the Post Office highlights the "substantial gap" between its plans "to provide financial services and its ability to do so at the moment". The report, published today, also notes that the Post Office and the retail banks expected to fund the universal bank have "different and sometimes conflicting objectives".

November 14, 2000 -- According to to Ed Black, President and CEO of the Computer & Communications Industry Association, "the U.S. Postal Service's latest increase to the cost of first-class postage is yet another symptom of its ongoing entry into unprofitable, anticompetitive enterprises at the expense of the postal rate base and the private-sector businesses that have to compete with this government agency. According to the GAO, the same Postal Service that has added a penny to the cost of a first-class stamp has lost $85 million by selling products and services that range from pre-paid calling cards, credit card processing and electronic bill payment service to ties, mugs and t-shirts. In addition, it has been estimated that the USPS has spent at least $300 million on advertising to compete against private American businesses. The Postal Service already has clearly demonstrated that it cannot make money on new businesses even when it enjoys the competitive advantages of paying no taxes, obtaining cheaper gas for its trucks and drawing funds from five subcommittees in Congress. The American public should not be forced to cover the cost of the Postal Service's extracurricular activities by paying more for what the Postal Service is supposed to do -- deliver the mail."

November 14, 2000 -- What a crock! The Newspaper Association of America (NAA) is applauding the Postal Rate Commission's decision to reject "big rate reductions for heavy junk mail." Ever weigh the supplements that accompany many major urban Sunday newspapers? Betcha they don't call all that advertising revenue "junk." Given the story that runs above...I suppose you could say they deserve a penalty for "piling on."

November 14, 2000 -- TowerGroup has released highlights from new research on consumer-oriented electronic bill presentment and payment (EBPP). The research tracks current investments by billers, banks and other stakeholders in the billing and payments process -- and estimates the significant savings and revenue opportunities that will accompany the shift to EBPP. By the close of 2000, it said, U.S. consumers will have received 15.4 billion bills -- the bulk of these generated by major billers in four categories: telecommunications, finance, insurance and utilities.

November 14, 2000 -- According to the Journal of Commerce, FedEx Corp. plans to acquire American Freightways Corp., a regional less-than-truckload carrier. The Wall Street Journal has reported that FedEx Corp. (FDX) said Monday it has no plans to merge American Freightways Corp. (AFWY) with its Viking Freight unit when the express delivery giant acquires the regional freight carrier. See also the press release from Fedex.

November 14, 2000 -- postanywhere, a self-styled "postal first that combines the power of the Internet and the reliability of local post offices," has teamed up with Amherst & Reeves to create a global marketing campaign. postanywhere saves Internet users from paying international postage by automatically routing e-mail letters or documents to desired global locations, and then converts them to hard copy through existing domestic and global postal services. Consumers only pay the postal rates of the addressee's location, saving money and time.

November 13, 2000 -- The Postal Rate Commission has released its recommendation in the matter of Docket No. R2000-1 (the year 2000 postal rate case). As you will note, the overall increase recommended by the PRC for all postal rates was 4.6%. The average increases for each individual class or subclass of mail was as follows: 1.8% for First-Class; 9.9% for Periodicals; 4.5% for Enhanced Carrier Route and 8.8% for all other Regular Standard (formerly Standard A); 2.7% for Package Services (formerly Standard B, including Parcel Post); 17.6 percent for Bound Printed Matter; 16% for Priority Mail; 7.2 % for Nonprofit Periodicals; and 4.8% for Nonprofit Standard.

The Rate Commission turned down a PostCom-sponsored proposal to increase the break-point for automated, Standard Mail letters from the present 3.3 ounces to 3.5 ounces. The Commission approved a reduction in the Bulk Return Parcel Service (BPRS) from the present $1.75 per piece to $1.62 per piece.

November 13, 2000 -- The Postal Rate Commission has issued its recommended decision in the matter of Docket No. R2000-1 (the year 2000 postal rate case). The Commission's decision is available on the PRC web site. In the event you have difficulty with the Commission's web site, PostCom members also can have access to the PRC's decision posted on this web site.

November 11, 2000 -- ReturnBuy, reports TransportNews.Com, has formed a strategic alliance with ReturnCentral to provide a complete returns solution for retailers and e-tailers. The entire returns process can be managed with ReturnCentral.com and ReturnBuy's combined solutions, from the time a consumer requests a return authorization through the physical processing of a returned item in preparation for a customer credit or refund.

November 11, 2000 -- "Last year," Logistics Online noted, "many Web merchants were overwhelmed with packages when droves of consumers began returning goods purchased online after the holidays. Now, just in time for Christmas, two of the nation's leading parcel-shipment carriers are offering new programs to help e-tailers handle returned merchandise more efficiently. Both programs ease the return of products ordered online by allowing consumers to print return labels on their home computers."

November 10, 2000 -- The AFX news service has reported that the Swiss and Italian Postal Services have signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture for cooperation in sales of international letter delivery and transport of post to and from Italy.

November 10, 2000 -- Linns.com has reported on changes affecting the philatelic personnel at the U.S. Postal Service.

November 10, 2000 -- Universal Express, Inc. has announced plans to introduce two new divisions for its subsidiary, PBC Network.com. These two Internet based divisions are WorldPost.com and the Business Center Network.com an online Postal Business Center targeted directly to consumers. PBC Network's division, "Business Center Network.com" will be an international online cyber postal business center based on already established affiliate programs. The Business Center Network.com will directly target consumers and businesses for the sale of products and services which will be provided by member postal stores plus additional products and services geared toward the SOHO industry. PBC Network wishes to make this an electronic one stop shop for postal and business needs. The anticipated roll out of these two divisions is expected to be four months or less.

November 10, 2000 -- Bill Burrus, Executive Vice President of the American Postal Workers Union, uses an open letter published by PostMag.Com to communicate with the employees of Emery who will be impacted by the termination of the postal contract.

November 10, 2000 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that FedEx Custom Critical, a FedEx Corp. unit specializing in time-critical shipments, has introduced an online customer satisfaction survey as part of the Shipping Toolkit on its Web site at www.fedexcustomcritical.com.

November 9, 2000 -- "Who wins in Priority Mail Changeover?" That's the question being asked by PostMag.Com editor David Rawnsley.

After discussions today with Bobby Donelson, the National Rep at Large for the American Postal Workers Union, PostMag has agreed to allow the APWU to use its Discussion Forum as a means for the APWU to talk to, and answer questions from, Emery employees. The APWU is currently preparing a Guest Editorial in which it will outline the APWU position. We anticipate that this will be posted by 6-00 p.m. ET. At that time PostMag will open a Discussion Forum entitled APWU which will be monitored by the APWU, who will answer any questions posed by Emery employees. PostMag will provide a list of Official APWU User ID’s, "to avoid any potential mischief."

November 8, 2000 -- When the R2000 postal rate decision is published, you can depend on PostCom to get you the news you need fast.

November 8, 2000 -- The agenda for the next meeting of the U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors is posted on the Postal Service's web site.

November 8, 2000 -- Information Week has reported that "Federal Express Corp. is gearing up for the annual avalanche of Christmas packages with new services for gift givers and an automated customer-relationship management system from Clarify Corp. for itself. In addition to tracking packages and trucks, the shipper hopes to better track its corporate customers--and the employees who work for them."

November 8, 2000 -- A history of U.S. postal rates has been posted on this site.

November 8, 2000 -- According to CEP News (produced by the MRU Consultancy GmbH), "the parcel sector of Schweizerische Post remains burdened with serious service and quality problems. On 29.10.00 the weekly 'Sonntagsblatt' reported that tens of thousands of parcels are left unsorted due to frequent breakdowns in the new parcel centres."

November 8, 2000 -- CEP News (produced by the MRU Consultancy GmbH) has reported that "Deutsche Post AG [has] announced that it will retransfer its shares in the Italian parcel service company Ascoli S.P.A. (1999 turnover: 65.4 m euros), which has been acquired earlier this year....[T]he recent unexpected decision was triggered by the intervention of the European Commission."

November 8, 2000 -- Still more from CEP News, "Poste Italiane and La Poste (France) intend the joint development of express and parcel service offers....Following numerous preliminary discussions between the parties, they are now said to be busy creating the necessary formal prerequisites for their products." Poste Italiane was described by French postal officials as "a 'natural partner'Poste Italiane to be a 'natural partner' of La Poste, as the two companies are extremely well suited to one another, both on a financial and a cultural level.

November 8, 2000 -- As the Chicago Tribune has reported, "the U.S. Postal Service began offering consumers something beyond stamps and money orders: the ability to receive and pay monthly bills like mortgages and utility statements over the Internet. That so many banks, e-commerce giant Yahoo and brokerage Charles Schwab already offered such services hardly seemed to matter to the Postal Service. It did, however, to critics who questioned the wisdom of a quasi-governmental entity competing with private firms and wondered whether the Postal Service has violated a long-standing federal policy banning the government from competing with its citizens.

November 8, 2000 -- According to Internet.Com, United Parcel Service Canada has launched UPS Signature Tracking, a Web feature that is expected to affect the way its customers do business. It's the first interactive Internet membership service to be released on the UPS Canada Web site. The new feature allows customers to verify that a package was received by viewing the recipient's handwritten signature on the Web. Other benefits of the program include the ability to view collect on delivery (C.O.D.) information, as well as full delivery name and address details online.

November 8, 2000 -- Quick! What's most asked question today within the American postal community? If you said "who won the election" you'd be wrong. Forget the election! Postal users want to know what, if any, information has leaked out of the Postal Rate Commission about next Monday's recommended decision in R2000.

November 8, 2000 -- As of today, the U.K.'s Postal Services Commission becomes an independent statutory body and will monitor and work to maintain a universal service at a uniform tariff. Applications can also be made to them for a license to deliver postal services within the new reserved area.

November 8, 2000 -- The Swedish private delivery company, CityMail , has reported a profit of MSEK 54.0 (million Swedish kroners). The new core business, City Mail International, more than doubled its turnover and reported invoicing during the first nine months in the amount of MSEK 40.4. The operating margin for the third quarter was 11.1 percent. CityMail is jointly owned by the U.K.'s Royal Mail

November 8, 2000 -- Airborne Express (www.airborne.com) has received one of the most significant agreements ever for its airborne@home delivery service -- a 3-year, multi- million-dollar agreement with J. Jill (www.jjill.com). The leading specialty direct marketer of high quality women's apparel will expand its use of airborne@home to over one million shipments annually.

November 8, 2000 -- La Poste, the state-owned French post office, is looking to sell stakes in GeoPost, its parcels and logistics business, to boost growth in Europe. La Poste would still maintain majority control.

November 8, 2000 -- Pitney Bowes Capital Services, a division of Pitney Bowes Inc. and Praxinet, an Internet consulting firm specializing in eBusiness financial and supply chain solutions, today announced a strategic partnership to enhance the Web foundation for PitneyEscrow--an online product offered in the PitneyB2BCapital product suite that provides e-marketplaces with escrow management, funds management, secure communications and logistics services. In addition, PitneyEscrow offers both the B2B buyer and seller increased control by securely holding funds until all terms of the purchase are complete.

November 7, 2000 -- As postal commentator Cary Baer has noted in DM News, "the key issue [to the next phase of the R2000 rate case is ] to lobby the governors about is the starting date for the new rates. Lobbying the governors will not be easy, as they have done an excellent job of insulating themselves from postal customers."

November 6, 2000 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service and CNF Inc.'s Emery Worldwide Airlines unit agreed to terminate Emery's contract to help move Priority Mail, clearing the way for FedEx Corp. or another air-cargo carrier to possibly start handling the job next year. The decision prematurely ends a three-year-old contract originally valued at $1.7 billion, the largest in the Postal Service's history. The relationship was troubled almost from the start, with Emery claiming the volume and mix of letters and parcels it was handling differed significantly from initial Postal Service projections, making the arrangement unprofitable for Emery.

November 6, 2000 -- Agence France Presse has reported that FedEx has signed a landmark deal with local partners here to provide the first direct express transportation service between Vietnam and the rest of the world. The new service, which begins on January 2, will offer customers direct connections five times a week from Ho Chi Minh City through the company's hub at Subic Bay in the Philippines to destinations around Asia, Europe and North America.

November 5, 2000 -- According to Traffic World, when it comes to political campaign spending by entities with transportation interests, United Parcel Service leads the PACs. It shelled out some $2.6 million to political candidates. The Teamsters were number two; Federal Express was number three.

November 5, 2000 -- The British newspaper, The Guardian, has reported on its interview with Royal Mail's CEO John Roberts.

November 5, 2000 -- United States District Judge Alvin Hellerstein granted a request from the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) for a preliminary injunction stopping the Postal Service’s attempt to remove APWU Election 2000 posters from union bulletin boards throughout the coun-try. The USPS had ordered the posters removed because the Office of Special Counsel of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board had found the posters in violation of the Hatch Act. [See story below.]

November 4, 2000 -- CNF Inc. has announced that an agreement has been reached by its Emery Worldwide Airlines unit and the U.S. Postal Service to conclude a transportation and sortation contract of Priority Mail. Gregory L. Quesnel, CNF president and chief executive officer, said the contract concludes effective Jan. 7, 2001. The original contract was scheduled to be concluded in early 2002.

November 3, 2000 -- United Parcel Service (UPS) has said it has prepared itself well for the global marketplace and expects the year 2001 to produce revenue growth of about 10% and earnings-per-share growth in the mid-teens.

November 3, 2000 -- A nice synopsis of the remarks given at the Cato Institute's book party for Mail (At) The Millennium has been published on-line by The Daily Deal.Com. See also the review published by GovExec.Com. The entire event is available in a Real Video webcast format.

November 3, 2000 -- TELUS Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding to invest $30 million in EPOST, the world's first electronic post office. TELUS will receive a five per cent stake in EPOST. EPOST was launched last year as a joint venture between Canada Post Corporation and Cebra Inc., Bank of Montreal's wholly owned e-commerce subsidiary.

November 3, 2000 -- Here's more from The Washington Post on the dispute between the U.S. Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) over an APWU election poster that the USPS said was "partisan."

November 3, 2000 -- The Irish post office, An Post, is offering a free billpay facility through its nation-wide network of post offices and over the internet at www.billpay.ie. The post office has recently expanded its billpay payment service on the internet. The new website offers two main services - Bill Presentment and Payment.

November 3, 2000 -- PostNet Business and Communications Services -- a Nevada-based U.S. franchise offering one-stop services from package deliveries to key duplication to faxing -- has arrived in Shanghai.

November 2, 2000 -- According to the Citizens Against Government Waste, in a recent special report entitled: The United States Postal Service: Delivering Waste, Fraud, and Abuse...for You, "the USPS today employs more people than the entire population of Rhode Island – 900,000 people or nearly one-third of today’s federal civilian workforce. It is a bloated and entrenched bureaucracy rife with waste, fraud, and abuse. It keeps little track of data it could use to improve performance and lower costs. Its productivity levels are stagnant. Despite being pressed by its overseers in Congress, it constantly fails to improve. Indeed, the USPS routinely pulls waste from the jaws of efficiency."

November 2, 2000 -- The United States Postal Service (USPS) was awarded the Government Computer News (GCN) Federal Government Agency Award for Excellence for its Anti-Money Laundering Compliance System. The USPS was one of 10 government agencies honored for their demonstrated outstanding record in the application of information technology.

November 2, 2000 -- The rise of the Internet and the flourishing of private package-delivery services have brought the U.S. Postal Service to a crossroads. As more people correspond and pay bills online, dramatically reducing the need for letter carrying, is there a place for the Postal Service in the 21st century? That's the question raised in Mail @ the Millennium, a new Cato Institute book edited by Cato's Director of Regulatory Studies Edward Hudgins. Containing 16 essays by economists, scholars, lawyers and business leaders (including PostCom President Gene Del Polito), the book chronicles the changing face of the package-delivery and communications market and presses the case for market-based reform of the Postal Service.

November 2, 2000 -- AFX India has reported that United Parcel Service Ltd of the U.S. and India's Jetair Ltd are forming a joint venture to provide international express delivery services in India. United Parcel will hold 60 pct in the joint venture company, UPS Jetair Express Pvt Ltd, while Jetair will hold the remaining 40 percent.

November 2, 2000 -- Tampa Electric Company and Derivion, the leading application service provider (ASP) that delivers comprehensive business-to-consumer, business-to-business, and small business e-billing solutions for the Internet, today announced an agreement that will enable more than half-a-million residential, commercial, and industrial customers in West Central Florida to access, view, and pay their electric bills via Tampa Electric's Web site.

November 2, 2000 -- La Poste, France's state postal service, has agreed to buy Mayne Nickless Ltd.'s freight transport business in the U.K. and Ireland for $278 million. La Poste's acquisition of Mayne's Parceline and Interlink Express freight transport businesses comes as the closely held French postal company moves to expand its operations beyond Europe and offset reduced profit from its European postal business.

November 2, 2000 -- According to DM News, "the U.S. Postal Service survived the peak week of its fall mailing season and anticipates smooth sailing until the end of the year for delivery of Standard-A mail."

November 2, 2000 -- Tumbleweed Communications Corp., a leading provider of secure Internet communications services, today announced that the Department of Energy (DOE), General Services Administration (GSA), and the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) under the Food and Drug Administration have chosen Tumbleweed Messaging Management System (MMS)(TM) to secure, monitor and manage the e-mail communication stream between their employees, other government agencies and business partners on the Internet. Tumbleweed MMS is a set of e-mail management products that enables these government organizations to protect sensitive data on the Internet. Each of these organizations can use MMS to set and implement policies for Internet e-mail by applying content control, encryption, access control, attachment management, virus scanning and digital signature policies that are administered centrally and universally across their enterprise. Remember when we were told it was essential for the Postal Service "to be in this space?" NOT!

November 2, 2000 -- Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE) has announced the launch of its new strategic alliance with eBay by offering eBay members the opportunity to win one of 12 luxury cruises to the Caribbean aboard a Princess Cruises luxury ship. And the Postal Service? "On the good ship, Lollipop....

November 2, 2000 -- The Postal Service has published a proposal in the Federal Register to revise USPS STD 7A, which governs the design of curbside mailboxes. The proposed revision was developed through a consensus process and was approved by a committee of representatives from mailbox manufacturers, mailbox accessory manufacturers, and the Postal Service.

November 2, 2000 -- Africa News has reported that the Nigeria Postal Services has introduced new rates for its services, with a minimum cost of postage stamp now fixed at 20 naira against the former price of five naira. According to the new tariff, the first 20 grams for domestic mail will go for 20 naira, local express letters will cost 100 naira each while domestic express parcels will go for 300 naira each. Registration of letters and bulk registration for mailbags will also cost 100 naira and 500 naira, respectively. There will be higher rates for letters being posted abroad, with those within Africa costing 70 naira each for up to 20 grams; North and South America (100 naira); Asia and Far East (100 naira); Europe (80 naira) and Australia and Oceanic (80 naira). Postcards will now cost 50 naira to post them. Got that?

November 2, 2000 -- According to Bloomberg.com, the economy is definitely slowing.

November 2, 2000 -- The German post office is catching up with privatisation in a part sell-off during November. But David Hudson of T heStandard.Com reports that one observer raises a warning over its core business focus--old or new delivery systems.

November 2, 2000 -- According Fran kfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, "everybody in Germany knows the Post and everybody has some personal experience with it. The facts are that these actualities do not always jive with tidy statistics about delivery times and customer satisfaction." Furthermore, it said, "despite all the lovely visions of the Post and e-commerce, that all electronically ordered goods will be delivered by the Post to the end customer, there should be no mistaking the fact that the Post's bread and butter rests in the letter-carrying division for the foreseeable future. This division garners only 35 percent of total sales but accounts for 75 percent of total profit."

November 1, 2000 -- The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) is griping that the U.S. Postal Service has required post offices to take down an APWU-distributed poster deemed "politically partisan" by the Postal Service. The poster espoused the election of a Democratic president and Congress.

November 1, 2000 -- As Circulation Management has noted, some within the postal community firmly believe that "the next Congress--if they're smart--will do something, or things will continue to get worse rapidly....Postal rates will rise faster and delivery will deteriorate until we do have a crisis."

November 1, 2000 -- Stamps.com announced that third quarter revenue was $4.2 million, an increase of 14 percent over second quarter revenue. A 40 percent reduction in headcount is expected to result in cost savings of approximately $30 million annually. Stamps.com also announced that it has selected Bruce Coleman as interim chief executive officer.

November 1, 2000 -- Postal watcher Alan Robinson has noted that a perusal of the latest cargo-mail data compiled by the Air Transport Association shows that "air cargo volumes are down verses last year and mail volume in Sept is growing at a slower rate than the year as a whole."

November 1, 2000 -- The Commen tWire has noted that "as a market leader in B2C delivery as well, UPS will now find itself in an excellent position to offer fully integrated supply chain solutions. UPS Logistics, the contract logistics division of United Parcel Service (UPS), has signed a contract with Hewlett-Packard for the logistics operations of its service parts activities. UPS Logistics will manage parts inventory, transportation, information systems and returns for HP's Commercial Support Services Organization.

November 1, 2000 -- According to Financial Post (Canada), "With trade barriers falling throughout the European Union, competition is fierce to build a continental powerhouse for letter and package delivery. And Bonn-based Deutsche Post, one of Europe's most modern mail carriers, will likely be one of the last ones standing after the dust settles."

November 1, 2000 -- zBox Company announced the upcoming market roll-out of the first "smart" home delivery box, the zBox, in the San Francisco Bay Area. This announcement follows the Postal Service's participation in successful zBox alpha and beta trials and extends the relationship between the Postal Service and zBox Company in the San Francisco Bay Area. zBox Company and the Postal Service will work together to ensure secure and efficient parcel deliveries into zBoxes at consumer households in the San Francisco Bay Area. They will also work together to facilitate parcel returns using zBoxes and integrate the Postal Service's Returns@Ease service into the zBox Company web site for use by zBox customers.