October 30, 2004 -- According to AFX Europe, "The Italian government plans to cut its direct and indirect stake in the Italian post office Poste Italiane SpA to 51 pct through a private placement and an initial public offering. The post office is currently owned by the economy ministry and the state-owned financial group Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. The economy ministry intends to keep a 30 pct stake in the post office and cut CDP's stake to 21 pct from 35 pct."

October 30, 2004 -- The BBC Monitoring Service has reported that Japanese "Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda admitted Friday  that he belongs to a group opposing Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's postal privatization drive as an opposition lawmaker grilled him in the Diet."

October 30, 2004 -- Asia Pulse has reported that "In preparation for the future privatization of Japanese postal operations, a panel of experts discussed the structure of the postal savings segment and proposed the transfer of the full balance of guaranteed pre-privatization accounts to the newly privatized entity in the form of a special deposit."

October 29, 2004 -- From the BusinessWire: "DHL hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on the expansion of its Air & Ground Hub at the Wilmington Air Park, and announced details about the facility. Governor Bob Taft was the guest of honor at the groundbreaking, which was hosted by John Fellows, CEO of DHL Americas. Senator George Voinovich as well as federal, state and local elected representatives and leaders from the Wilmington community were present at the ceremony. The expanded Wilmington hub, which will provide hundreds of new jobs in addition to the 6,000 already provided by the facility, is part of DHL's $1.2 billion investment program to significantly increase the capacity of its North American network, enhance customer service and increase network efficiency."

October 29, 2004 -- PostCom Members: The latest copy of PostCom 's Postal Operations Update has been posted on this site. The topics addressed include: USPS moves to surface visibility system; POSTALONE workgroup in need of periodical mailers; More polywrap testing needed; Workgroup looks for ways to reduce sacks; USPS to introduce AECII service; Address quality barriers identified; Workgroup looking at packaging of machinable parcels; Compensating Confirm subscribers for service deficiencies; Service updates on USPS website; New MERLIN web site; New Search engine on USPS.com; PostCom intelligent mail workgroup formed.

October 29, 2004 -- The U.S. Postal Service has responded to comments submitted by PostCom on the USPS proposal to amend its purchasing regulations. A copy of that response has been posted on this site.

October 29, 2004 -- Information Week has done quite a spread on industry-leader Acxiom:

• Data Demands Respect
• True Grid: Acxiom Outgrows Symmetric Multiprocessing
• Acxiom Privacy Leader Jennifer Barrett: A Few Questions
• Taking Aim at Acxiom

October 29, 2004 -- The Postal Service's press release on the reorganization of its mail classification centers has been posted on this web site.

October 29, 2004 -- The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel has reported that "Global delivery giant DHL plans to add 600 jobs over the next three years at its Americas headquarters in Plantation, executives said Thursday at a ceremony attended by Gov. Jeb Bush and Broward County leaders. The expansion comes as DHL takes on domestic market leaders UPS Inc. and FedEx Corp. in the United States, unveiling plans in June to invest $1.2 billion in North American operations. DHL also began a six-month, $150 million marketing campaign in June to build its brand name among Americans."

October 29, 2004 -- From the PR Newswire: "The U.S. Postal Service has received the Alexander Hamilton Bronze Award for excellence in cash management from Treasury & Risk Management magazine."

October 29, 2004 -- Expatica has reported that "DHL workers have taken to the streets of Brussels in protest at planned job cuts at the courier firm's Belgian hub. They were joined by postal workers and Volkswagen staff, bringing the number of demonstrators to several thousand. The demonstration, dubbed 'the march for employment', began at 8am at Gare du Nord and proceeded to Rue de la Loi. DHL unions are demanding that Belgian jobs be guaranteed after 2008."

October 29, 2004 -- According to the Wall Street Journal, "United Parcel Service Inc. plans to impose a bigger increase for ground-delivery rates early next year than it did a year earlier, underscoring the heightened demand for delivery services. The move will push up prices for ground-based shipments by 2.9% on Jan. 3, compared with this year's unusually slim 1.9% rise in rates for those shipments. UPS is the king of the U.S. ground-delivery business, which generates about half the company's revenue and three-fourths of its package volume. UPS ground shipments have climbed in price by an average of 3.1% annually since 1997. UPS takes the lead on pricing for the $50 billion-a-year U.S. package-delivery industry, and its yearly increases generally are matched by rivals FedEx Corp. and the DHL unit of Deutsche Post AG. The U.S. Postal Service, ranking second behind UPS in ground shipments, is expected to begin seeking approval for its next rate increase in the spring. At any given time, UPS is transporting more than 5% of the total U.S. economic output in its planes and trucks, with an average daily load of nearly 14 million packages."

October 29, 2004 -- icDumfries (U.K.) has reported that "Postal deliveries out of Dumfries are set for a radical shake-up under plans announced by the Royal Mail. As of November 8, no deliveries will be made before 9am after the company decided to scrap the two-delivery a day system. But that has upset many people, who are used to getting their post before they leave for work in the morning but now the only commitment they will get is that mail will be sent out by lunchtime. But a spokesman for the Royal Mail hit back saying this was part of a nationwide three-year programme. The spokesman said: "Dumfries Delivery Office is due to move to single daily delivery around November 8, this is a necessary move to improve quality of service and drive down costs. Second deliveries account for just four per cent of the daily mailbag but cost us 20 per cent to deliver."

October 29, 2004 -- The News and Star (U.K.) has reported that "Egremont postal workers have called off industrial action which would have affected thousands of homes and businesses this weekend. Staff at the Egremont delivery office were planning a 24-hour walk-out on Saturday after voting four-to-one in favour of a strike in a dispute over bullying claims. That has now been scrapped following last-minute negotiations with Royal Mail."

October 29, 2004 -- DM News has noted that "A coalition of mailers (spearheaded by PostCom) has told the Postal Rate Commission that a decision on whether added costs should be charged for the use of "yellow stickies" on direct mail ought to be made as part of the upcoming postal rate case."

October 29, 2004 -- According to MadeForOne.com, "Avery Dennison, the adhesive products specialist, has entered the personalised stamp market with Avery Fun Stamps(TM). The new online postage label design service allows anyone to personalise official U.S. Post Office postage by simply going to www.funstamps.com, selecting the official postage stamp offered, attaching your own jpeg or pdf photo and placing your order. Orders are typically processed and shipped within seven to ten days via First Class Mail. Each sheet contains 20 personalised postage labels featuring a professionally printed, high-quality image of the selected photo next to an affixed official U.S. postage stamp."

October 29, 2004 -- According to the Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, "The same day postal officials publicly denied responsibility for 58,000 missing absentee ballots, an internal e-mail sent by the South Florida District Manager to his employees expressed concern that his staff was not handling ballots within the region properly....The same day the e-mail was sent out, Postal Service officials said they were not to blame for the backlog."

October 29, 2004 -- As DM News postal commentator Cary Baer has noted, "The lead business story Oct. 12 in The New York Times dealt with the business tax reduction bill that had just passed the Senate. According to the Times, "... the Senate passed a $137 billion corporate bill on Monday that gave something to almost everyone." Of course, one corporation that didn't receive any benefits from the bill was the U.S. Postal Service."

October 29, 2004 -- From the PR Newswire:

• The following is a statement by Azeezaly S. Jaffer, Vice President, Public Affairs and Communications of the U.S. Postal Service regarding Florida ballots: Postal Service employees throughout Broward County recognize the importance of handling election materials quickly, accurately and professionally. And that is exactly what they are doing. The Postal Service continues to deliver all absentee ballots as they are received to voters across Broward County. Allegations linking missing absentee ballots in Broward County, Florida to the Postal Service are groundless at best and, in fact, insulting to hard- working and dedicated postal employees throughout Florida.
• The U.S. Postal Service will soon provide customers with more shipping options just in time for the holiday mailing season. Using Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes, customers will be able to mail packages -- regardless of the parcels' weight or destination -- for just $7.70 each. The Governors of the Postal Service approved this new Priority Mail option as a two-year test, and it will be available Nov. 20, 2004 at most Post Offices and online at USPS.com. The new boxes don't have to be weighed, and there are no zone chart and rate calculations required.

October 28, 2004 -- If you haven't heard about topics such as MERLIN, PostalOne!®, or FAST (Facility Access and Shipment Tracking), then you won't want to miss this iSummit Web seminar on Wednesday, Nov. 3 at 11:30 a.m. Eastern time (10:30 a.m. Central). Join Anita Pursley, VP of postal affairs for Quebecor World, and Firstlogic's Chris Lien as they discuss modern improvements to mail acceptance. Register today at www.firstlogic.com/events to learn the benefits of these new technologies and how they will impact your organization.

October 28, 2004 -- The Argonaut has reported that "Picketers stood outside the Alla Vista Post Office in the Del Rey area for 12 hours Friday, October 15th, to indicate their opposition to U.S. Postal Service plans to close the post office and adjacent Marina Processing and Distribution Center. Members of the American Postal Workers Union (APWU) and National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) combined forces in the informational picket, held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. in front of the Marina Center, 13031 Jefferson Blvd. The U.S. Postal Service has submitted a proposal to its headquarters in Washington D.C. to close the Marina Center facility and consolidate the distribution center into a larger processing center in South Los Angeles."

October 28, 2004 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Privatisation of Japan's postal service could be delayed two years by the technical difficulties of developing a new computer system needed to split the business into four units."

October 28, 2004 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, is planning to reduce its charges by an average of 0.7 per cent next year. This is a result of the calculation process prescribed by law, according to which the company must reduce its average prices by the rate at which its productivity has progressed (1.8 per cent) minus the inflation rate (1.1 per cent). The reduction will apply to three different types of services."

October 28, 2004 -- The Scotsman (U.K.) has reported that "In the run-up to Christmas, when millions of Scots will be putting their faith in the Royal Mail, an organisation that this year failed every one of the 15 targets set by the government regulator Postcomm, The Scotsman teamed up with Postwatch Scotland, the consumers' mail watchdog, to conduct an exclusive survey of postal services. The major finding was that 45 per cent of second-class mail posted from London arrived in Scotland late - a failure rate 30 times the acceptable level. Under the government-set target, just 1.5 per cent of second-class mail is permitted to be delivered outside of three working days. However, items of mail posted in London to a variety of addresses in Scotland arrived six, eight and, in one case, nine working days later."

October 28, 2004 -- icBirmingham (U.K.)  has reported that "Around 1,500 workers at Birmingham's Mail Centre have won themselves a £26 a week pay rise after turning loss into profit at the Aston complex. All employees at the centre have been awarded the bonus after helping to drive the mail centre into the black, it was revealed today. The cash bonus comes as Royal Mail bosses revealed the Birmingham area had surpassed national targets forfirst classmail,with96.8 per cent of items delivered the next day across the area. Despite a flood of criticism over the new single delivery system, Birmingham Royal Mail area manager Dave Schofield said this was the city's best run of success for around eight years."

October 28, 2004 -- Cameroon-Info.net has reported that "The Cameroon Postal Services (CAMPOST) administration is bent on instilling in its workers a true spirit of entrepreneurship and a veritable culture of hard word. A letter addressed to the workers by the corporation's General Manager, Maurice Bayemi, warns against any recalcitrant behaviour that is capable of compromising output and efficiency."

October 28, 2004 -- The Guernsey Press and Star has reported that "After the trading difficulties in the financial year 2002/3 and 2003/4, Guernsey Post is expecting to break even and perhaps achieve a small profit for the current one."

October 28, 2004 -- UPS has announced package shipping rate adjustments and a change in the fuel surcharge that will take effect on Jan. 3, 2005.

October 28, 2004 -- As the Associated Press has reported, "Election officials are questioning how many of a batch of 58,000 absentee ballots reached Broward County voters who requested them more than two weeks ago. Hundreds of people have called the county elections office to complain that they never got their ballots. The county blamed the U.S. Postal Service. Postal officials said the post office was not to blame." Must be the handiwork of  "Postal Workers for Buchanan."

October 28, 2004 -- As the DataMonitor has noted, "TPG has released positive quarterly results, with its express and logistics divisions helping to grow its margins. The improvement will allow the company to pursue its expansion plans in China. However, with European postal deregulation just around the corner, it must not miss opportunities closer to home."

October 28, 2004 -- As Computer Business has noted, "The .post application, filed by the Universal Postal Union, would map the database of standardized global postal codes into the domain name system."

October 28, 2004 -- From the Federal Register: "This proposed rule would amend the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) to require an endorsement requesting forwarding or return on certain mailpieces containing checks sent at Standard Mail postage rates, including ``convenience'' and ``balance transfer'' checks. Written comments must be received on or before November 26, 2004. Written comments should be mailed or delivered to the Manager, Mailing Standards, United States Postal Service, 475 L'Enfant Plaza, SW., Rm 3436, Washington DC 20260-3436."

October 28, 2004 -- Direct has reported that "Mailing industry observers gave mixed reactions to the U.S. Postal Service's new rules for standard mail eligibility and centralized structure for making pricing and classification decisions." Also, on this site you will find two "fact sheets" issued by the Postal Service on this matter. The first is the Eligibility for Standard Mail Fact Sheet and the second is the Consistency Fact Sheet.

October 28, 2004 -- The Prague Post (Czech Republic) has reported that "The Chamber of Deputies economic committee voted Oct. 20 in favor of granting Ceska posta a price advantage over potential competitors. If signed into law, the decision would fortify Ceska posta's monopoly over home delivery of direct mail by requiring lone competitor Mediaservis to charge a higher rate. The move would effectively cost Mediaservis its 10 percent share of the market. The proposed amendment to the law regulating postal services would require competitors of state-run Ceska posta to charge 19 Kc (80 cents) for delivering addressed mail weighing less than 100 grams. Ceska posta delivers the same mail for 6.50 Kc."

October 28, 2004 -- According to the BBC Monitoring Service, "The Tonga Government Printing Department and the Post Office will become corporatized bodies in January 2005."

October 28, 2004 -- AllAfrica.com has reported that "NIPOST's Area Postal Manager for Lagos Island territory, Mr. Babatunde Fajinmi, has revealed that the advent of GSM business in Nigeria has had some adverse effect on postal services. Fajinmi who spoke in Lagos last week, revealed that in Lagos Island where he is in charge, a survey by his company indicated that NIPOST lost about 85% of its business to GSM services between 2002 and 2003. He said that with GSM which gave subscribers the ability to send quick text messages and make calls easily, much of NIPOST's local mail delivery services were affected adversely. But he assured that NIPOST was introducing some services which involve quick delivery to tackle the challenge."

October 28, 2004 -- WJLA has reported that "Two new Internet domain names - ".post" and ".travel" - could appear online as early as next year as the Internet's key oversight board announced preliminary approval on Wednesday. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, in advancing the applications for postal services and the travel industry, said they were still considering eight other proposals including ".asia," ".jobs," and ".xxx." Separately, ".eu" for the European Union also is in the works."

October 28, 2004 -- The Governors of the U.S. Postal Service have accepted the Postal Rate Commission (PRC) Recommended Decision in the Discover NSA case. A copy of the decision may be found on the PRC's website.  

October 27, 2004 -- According to Government Computer News, "When the 109th Congress convenes next year, an application will be available to help representatives track and manage contacts with constituents."

October 27, 2004 -- From the Business Wire: "Newgistics, Inc., the leader in returns management solutions for direct retailers, has announced Intelligent Returns Management (IRM), the first suite of services aimed at streamlining the entire returns process from customer satisfaction to operational efficiencies. The newest IRM service, Returns Marketing, will extend the services currently offered with Newgistics SmartLabel(R) and SmartLabel Returns Center, which was launched in September."

October 27, 2004 -- From the Federal Register: "The Postal Service adopts an amendment to Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) standards concerning material eligible for mailing at Standard Mail postage rates. The revised standards clarify the circumstances in which mail containing ``personal'' information may be eligible for Standard Mail, rather than First-Class Mail, rates. The amendment also reorganizes and renumbers other standards for First- Class Mail and Standard Mail to better describe the service provided under each class. EFFECTIVE DATE: June 1, 2005."

October 27, 2004 -- Also from the Federal Register is the agenda for the November 4 meeting of the USPS Board of Governors.

October 27, 2004 -- The Washington Post has published a piece on House Government Reform Committee chairman Tom Davis (R-VA).

October27, 2004 -- WFTV (FL) has reported that "Broward County officials blamed the U.S. Postal Service Tuesday for misplacing nearly half of the absentee ballots requested in the county, as frustrated voters trying to find out what happened overwhelmed phone lines at the elections office. The Postal Service denied responsibility for the missing ballots, but Broward officials said they sent about 58,000 ballots more than two weeks ago, on Oct. 7-8. As of Tuesday, 126,220 absentee ballots had been requested." 

October 27, 2004 -- WBRZ News has reported that "J.R. Madden's a confused voter, and his confusion doesn't involve the candidates. Because he's working in southern New Jersey, he got an absentee ballot for the Nov. 2 election from the East Baton Rouge Parish Registrar of Voters' Office. He filled it out as instructed and sent it "priority mail with delivery confirmation" from Mount Laurel, N.J., on Oct. 19. But on Oct. 22, when he checked on his ballot's status by using the Postal Service's Web tracking tool, the response was "Your item was delivered at 8:57 a.m. on Oct. 21, 2004, in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00802."

October 27, 2004 -- The Atlanta Business Chronicle has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. Chairman and CEO Michael L. Eskew will join the IBM the board on Jan. 1, 2005."

October 27, 2004 -- As SwissPolitics.org has noted, "In a continued effort to adapt to market liberalisation, the Swiss Post Office is restructuring further to increase efficiency and profitability. This includes the closure of several local post offices. The initiative "postal services for all" called on the government to guarantee basic postal services and to include the communes in decisions affecting the network of post offices. The initiative was supported by the trade unions, consumer organisations and representatives of the leftist parties. The government and a majority in parliament opposed the initiative."

October 27, 2004 -- The Borneo Bulletin has reported that "Postal Services Department has appointed nine postal representatives in the country with the intention of providing better facilities to the rural population, especially those residing in places which are difficult to be reached by postmen."

October 26, 2004 -- From the PR Newswire: "Globally Boundless, the leading marketing solutions provider for franchisors, today announced the successful launch of Marketing Engine for Mail Boxes Etc. (MBE), Canada's largest chain of neighborhood business service centers. MBE is using Marketing Engine Brand Control to ensure consistent use of high quality marketing tools across the network. With Marketing Engine, the corporate marketing department at MBE, can ensure that creative campaigns are deployed nationwide in both official languages while allowing users to input store specific information like phone number, address and locator map."

October 26, 2004 -- The Fina ncial Times has reported that "TPG, the Dutch postal group, yesterday said it was eyeing three or four acquisition candidates in China to boost its logistics activities, but noted with concern the poor performance of its French transportation operations. The Danish government will announce on November 15 the outcome of a process to sell a 25 per cent stake in Post Danmark. TPG is among the European postal companies that have bid for the stake, which would offer a valuable first-mover advantage in the consolidation of the European mail market."

October 26, 2004 -- As the Wi chita Eagle has reported, "For more than three years, Eureka Scales has prayed and waited for her daughter, Jaquilla, to come home. Her little girl --the one who loved McDonald's, hair barrettes, wearing dresses, and singing and dancing to R&B music -- disappeared from her bed on Sept. 5, 2001. Jaquilla's photo is on more than 85 million postcards being distributed nationwide by Advo Inc., a direct-mail advertising company. The cards should be in mailboxes in the Wichita area within the next week, said Vince Giuliano, a company senior vice president."

October 26, 2004 -- According to The Everett Herald, "Just because you order something from a catalog, it doesn't mean you should have to be bombarded with unsolicited catalogs to the point that you can't get your first-class mail. I think this is such a shame, because apparently you can't just get the ones you care about without getting a dozen more that you don't care about."

October 26, 2004 -- Bloomberg has reported that "The German government won't assume the pension liabilities of Deutsche Telekom AG and Deutsche Post AG in exchange for the companies' pension reserves, the Finance Ministry said in an e-mail to news organizations. Deutsche Telekom and Deutsche Post have about 18 billion euros ($23 billion) in remaining pension liabilities until 2090."

October 26, 2004 -- The Portland Press Herald has reported that "A sprawling mail-processing plant planned for the Scarborough-South Portland line is moving forward after a two-year delay. In recent weeks, the U.S. Postal Service has started to discuss the multimillion-dollar project with officials in the two communities."

October 26, 2004 -- The New York Daily News has reported that "Budget cutbacks are accomplishing what neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night could do: making the mail late and a mailbox harder to find. That's according to officials with three unions, who charged yesterday that Postal Service cutbacks have led to slower deliveries and fewer collection boxes on Manhattan sidewalks. Letters dumped in Manhattan boxes after 1 p.m. aren't picked up or processed until the next day, eliminating two later-day pickups."

October 26, 2004 -- According to GovExec.com, "The first case brought brought to the Merit Systems Protection Board involving a federal agency accused of violating the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act will set an important precedent for federal agencies and managers, according to Office of Special Counsel chief Scott Bloch. The case, which is being brought by the special counsel against the U.S. Postal Service, was initiated in June and is set for an MSPB hearing in early January."

October 26, 2004 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "TPG's financial figures for the third quarter of 2004 show its ‘TNT Express' parcels division driving growth, with a modest improvement by its logistics division and a decline in both profits and revenue in its mail business. TNT Express European home market was particularly strong showing over 10% growth over the quarter despite higher fuel costs. Revenue at the Mail business drifted lower by 1.8%, to €881m from €897m. Despite cost cutting, margins deteriorated to an operating profit of €155m, down from a Q3 2003 of €163m. The core Netherlands market remained flat but cross border revenues saw a steep decline."

October 25, 2004 -- According to the Federal Times, "The U.S. Postal Service and leaders of postal management organizations are considering tougher standards for pay-for-performance raises in fiscal 2005."

October 25, 2004 -- The Financial Times has reported that:

• It is no wonder that TPG is mentioned whenever other European postal services are looking for a partner. In the third quarter, the Dutch postman delivered 13 per cent underlying growth in net income, with revenues up 5 per cent, mostly because of organic increases. That was one of TPG's weaker quarters lately, largely because of lower profitability in its domestic business. Like its rivals, it suffers from increasing competitive pressures, especially in direct mail. But in terms of operational efficiency and capital discipline, it remains far ahead of the likes of Britain's Royal Mail and Germany's Deutsche Post.
• TPG, the Dutch postal group, on Monday said it was eyeing three or four acquisition candidates in China to boost logistics activities, but struck a note of concern over the poor performance of its French transportation operations. Jan Haars, chief financial officer, said TPG was mulling acquisitions priced at €150m-250m. In August it completed the €257m purchase of Wilson Logistics, a Swedish freight forwarding company. The world's second-largest logistics operator cautioned that it faced challenging conditions due to higher-than-anticipated costs resulting from price pressure in France.

October 25, 2004 -- AzerTaj (Azerbaijan) has reported that "Delegation of the state company Azerpocht has taken place at the All-Ukrainian Postal Forum held in Kiev to mark the 130th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union. The two-day forum dealt with cooperation in postal matters. During the forum, Azerbaijani delegation read out Azerbaijani Minister of Communications and IT Ali Abbasov' congratulation letter. According to Ukrainian Minister of Communications and Transport Georgiy Kirpa, such meetings pave the way for further cooperation among the countries in all spheres including communications."

October 25, 2004 -- As Fortune magazine has noted, "FedEx's Anchorage hub, which has become a heaven on earth for the $25 billion transportation giant. As the market for FedEx's signature product, overnight express delivery in the U.S., has flattened, Anchorage has come to represent a big part of the company's future. That's because it is the gateway to FedEx's booming business with China, which is up 50% (by volume) over last year. Revenue for FedEx's international priority unit, of which China is a key part, soared 25% in the most recent quarter and now accounts for one-fifth of the company's overall sales."

October 25, 2004 -- An update on news and activities from the Mail and Jobs Coalition has been posted on this site.

October 25, 2004 -- As the Federal Times has noted, "President Bush's re-election campaign is concerned that letter carriers will not deliver ballots and election materials to Republican homes. Campaign general counsel Thomas Josefiak told Postmaster General John Potter in an Oct. 20 letter the campaign has received anecdotal reports that letter carriers are considering withholding election materials. Josefiak asked Potter for reassurance that all carriers will do their job regardless of voters' political affiliation. The National Association of Letter Carriers the next day released a statement from President William Young that called the allegations unsubstantiated and demanded an apology."

October 25, 2004 -- The Guernsey Press and Star has reported that "Guernsey Post has been given extra time to tell the regulator why or if its service obligations are too tough."

October 25, 2004 -- The Asahi Shimbun has reported that "Japan Post will inform the government today that it will be difficult to split the postal corporation into four entities by April 2007, citing the need for more time to install new computer systems."

October 25, 2004 -- Reuters has reported that "Dutch postal and logistics group TPG has reported a smaller-than-expected rise in third-quarter core profit, sending its shares lower as benefits of a cost-reduction programme receded." See also Dow Jones.

October 25, 2004 -- As the Financial Times (U.K.) has reported, "Anoto, a Swedish start-up that has developed a digital version of an ancient product - paper. Digital paper looks and feels like ordinary paper - it even makes the same noise as ordinary paper if you scrunch it into a ball. The most intriguing Anoto licensee is the Swedish Post Office and its digital postcards. Say you're a sun starved Swede about to fly to Mexico. Before you go, visit your local post office and purchase some digital paper postcards, complete with scenes of Cancun. In Cancun, with your digital pen, write a few lines on one of the postcards for Auntie Ingrid back in Uppsala. Be sure to include her address. Via your mobile, send what you've written to a printing plant outside Stockholm. The plant prints the card; picture on one side and text in your handwriting on the other, along with a first class stamp. The post office delivers the card and Auntie Ingrid knows you're thinking about her."

October 25, 2004 -- The Times of India has reported that "The Bihar postal circle has planned to launch its new service, Logistic Post, by January for sending heavy parcels with a minimum weight of 50 kg."

October 24, 2004 -- According to the Tri-Valley Herald, "A growing chorus is suggesting American voters don't necessarily need to go to the polls Nov. 2 but rather elect the leader of the free world from the comfort of their own homes. Most Americans apparently don't need telling: Nationwide, elections officials are seeing a remarkable surge in voters signing up to vote by mail."

October 24, 2004 -- According to the Jerusalem Post, "The average Israeli receives 109 pieces of mail each year compared to 662 received by his American counterpart, according to the latest Postal Authority statistics. This is so even though postal rates (NIS 1.30 for a regular letter compared to NIS 1.62 in the US and NIS 3.35 in Sweden) are the cheapest in the Western world."

October 24, 2004 -- Symbian One has reported that "Cardmine, Inc. today announced the introduction of its Wireless Paper Postcard, a real paper postcard service that allows users to send picture postcards directly from their wireless camera phone to anyone in the world via regular postal mail."

October 24, 2004 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail is facing potential strike action over the issue of Christmas working hours. Management and the Communication Workers Union met last week to discuss deliveries, but both sides remain at loggerheads over Christmas Day. One insider said: "The 25 December is a Saturday so the bank holiday is transferred to Monday. Royal Mail is saying that Christmas Day is not a bank holiday - it's a non-service day - and we don't get a day off for it. The hours have got to be put back." Industrial action is likely if the two sides cannot agree."

October 24, 2004 -- The Shropshire Star (U.K.) has reported that "You could be forgiven for thinking that one of Britain's longest-running institutions, the Post Office, has got that sinking feeling. For more than a century it has been a much-loved feature of the very communities which, in turn, it has helped to thrive. Colin Doyle from the Knockin Post Office: 'It feels like we're fighting a losing battle' But government moves to regenerate the service has seen the axe fall on thousands of subpostmasters, with another nine on "commercial death row" after an announcement this week."

October 23, 2004 -- According to Direct magazine postal commentator Gene Del Polito, "State taxing authorities want to impose a sales tax on a "tax" (postage) you already pay to satisfy the requirements of a federal government agency. A tax upon a tax! This is nuts."

October 23, 2004 -- According to Linns Stamp Washington correspondent Bill McAllister, "If the photo-stamp experiment is not revived, Vermont stamp collector John A. Lutz thinks his idea for a form of personalized postage could be a likely replacement, especially for bulk mailers."

October 23, 2004 -- From the U.S. Newswire: "A statement has been issued by William H. Young, president of the 300,000- member National Association of Letter Carriers, in response to a letter by Thomas Josefiak, general counsel of Bush-Cheney '04, to Postmaster General John E. Potter charging that letter carriers may be failing to deliver election mail in Florida and other states "from homes that appear Republican."

October 23, 2004 -- The letter from the Office of Personnel Management to the Postmaster General in which OPM said that the Board of Actuaries reaffirmed OPM's decision regarding the calculation of the USPS' retirement-related obligations has been posted on this site.

October 23, 2004 -- As the Delta Democrat Times has noted, "If there's one government entity that needs some serious overhaul it's the U.S. Postal Service. This quasi-public/private corporation, with its own board of commissioners, is a money-losing proposition and more so each year — as in the billions of dollars — while FedEx, United Parcel Service and several other regional carriers chip away at what once was a monopoly on mail and package delivery. And now as the Internet, e-mails, wireless communications, text messaging and other technological advances become more prevalent, the U.S. Postal Service is fast becoming an anachronism. To say that it needs reform would be an understatement."

October 23, 2004 -- Mori.com has reported that "New research carried out by MORI jointly on behalf of Royal Mail, Postwatch, the consumer watchdog for postal services, and Postcomm, the industry regulator into the current perceptions and requirements of the postal service is released today. This survey is part of a larger review process undertaken by Postcomm to ensure that the new Royal Mail Quality of Service targets, to take effect from April 2006 as part of the new price control, encourage the operator to reach and maintain an acceptable level of service relative to price and customer expectation."

October 23, 2004 -- News Today (India) has reported that "TNT India Private Limited, the wholly owned subsidiary of logistics major TNT Post Group (TPG), has launched TNT Scholar Pak for 2004 a tailor made service for students planning to study overseas. Through this service, the company offers a reliable option for students sending applications to universities abroad. As most universities mention only postal box addresses, there have been several instances where deliveries have been delayed. With Scholar Pak, applicants can rely on a speedy service that delivers directly to the relevant universities an efficiency that is backed by a network of over 200 countries, a superior consignment tracking system and 24-hour customer service support."

October 22, 2004 -- PostCom Members: Jack Kirkwood has posted in the PostCom Forum a note that "If anyone is interested, I have four Kirk-Rudy 535 tabbers for sale. They are 4 months old and come with the base, conveyor and friction feeder. I need to get $18,500 each." Check it out!

October 22, 2004 -- PostCom Members: The latest copy of PostCom's Postal Operations Update has been posted on this site. The topics addressed include: MTAC Drop Shipment process improvements, bundle integrity issues, common MERLIN errors, redesign of the MERLIN web site, address accuracy verification, BMC pallet bundle shrinkwrap requirements, envelope reflectance meter, business mail training courses, and the new flats automation template.

October 22, 2004 -- WebIndia123 has reported that "Come Ramadan, the holy month of Muslims and the aroma of "haleem", a delicious non-vegetarian dish, pervades Hyderabad. Instead of the usual restaurant waiter serving the delectable dish, it is the city's postmen who do the job. To cope with the heavy rush during the Ramadan month, the city's restaurants have enlisted the services of the state-run postal department to supply the dish. The service, which was started last year has been a huge hit with both the hotel-owners and customers."

October 22, 2004 -- . "On the Road," an exhibit opening Nov. 15 at the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum, explores the history of city mail vehicles from the first tests in 1899 to the present. Visitors will learn how the "horseless wagon," at first a novelty, became essential to city mail delivery. Visitors to the Smithsonian's National Postal Museum have a new way of exploring the museum. Hand-held computers, similar to Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), enhance the visitor's experience through interactive features, bonus information and audio and video components that complement the museum's exhibitions. The National Postal Museum's Personal Digital Assistants are made possible by Ford Motor Company Fund, which also supported the creation of the Ford Education Center.

October 22, 2004 -- UTV has reported that "The main postal union in the Irish Republic is urging the government to ensure retired staff get their pension increases. The CWU says former workers have not received a five per cent increase due since last November. It`s claimed pensioners, some who worked for the Department of Post and Telegraphs are paying the price for poor decisions by management."

October 22, 2004 -- Business Mailers Review has reported that:

• The Postal Service looks to have lost a battle on another front in its efforts to fix inequities in the law that changed how it funds the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). The Board of Actuaries of the U.S. Civil Service Retirement System has sided with the Office of Personnel Management in the Postal Service's challenge of the methodology OPM used to determine the amount of Postal Service obligation to the CSRS and the amount of potential overfunding to the system. 
• The best advice for planning your 2006 postage budget seems to be "plan for the worst and hope for the best." The worst-case scenario appears to be an average rate increase of 12%-15% in 2006. Most pundits expect the Postal Service to file its rate case with the Postal Rate Commission in spring 2005. Standard mailers could see slightly larger-thanexpected increases due to the paradigm change in mail volumes. For the first time ever, Standard Mail volumes are expected to surpass First Class volumes in 2005. This means that Standard Mail might have to absorb a greater share of institutional costs.
• In early 2005, a new financial contractor will facilitate electronic funds transfers for postage payment through the Centralized Account Processing System (CAPS), marking the genesis of CAPS' migration to PostalOne!, which will allow the Postal Service to expand electronic payment options to all Permit Mail customers.
• The Postal Service stopped taking credit cards as a payment method for bulk mailings "two treasurers ago," Pedersen said. It is not being contemplated again, as it is not cost effective for the USPS due to the transaction fees. Many mailers enjoyed paying for bulk mailings with credit cards because they were able to earn frequent-flier miles or cash-back equivalents on various credit cards.
• If Congress does not pass postal reform legislation, it could result in a loss of tax revenues of $2 billion to $3 billion, the white paper, "Postal Reform: An Investment in Jobs and the Economy," says. The analysis calculates the tax revenues that would be lost when jobs are affected by raising postal prices. The deficit problem is actually made worse by the impact that higher postal prices would have on the revenue side of the federal budget, the white paper says, as opposed to the Congressional Budget Office's analysis showing increased costs associated with postal pension reform and its impact on the cost side of the budget.

October 22, 2004 -- Bloomberg has reported that "Japan Post, the state-run postal, savings and insurance group, said its alliance with convenience store chain Lawson Inc. to distribute parcels doesn't violate the nation's anti-monopoly law. Japan Post said at a Tokyo court hearing it doesn't have an unfair advantage over commercial services because it must operate nationwide, while private companies can ignore unprofitable areas. Yamato Transport Co., Japan's No. 2 delivery company, filed suit last month against the postal system's tie-up with Lawson."

October 22, 2004 -- Khaleej Times has reported that "Qatar's Commercialbank and Qatar General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) have recently signed an outsourcing agreement, enabling Q-Post to take over the printing, storing and despatching of the bank's Customer Statements."

October 22, 2004 -- According to the Canton Repository, "Three times, the U.S. Postal Service has accused Benjamin Suarez of making false or misleading representations in his direct mailings and, according to court records, state attorneys general in Indiana, Idaho, Washington, Connecticut and West Virginia have filed civil lawsuits against him. In several of the cases, Suarez agreed to stop the ads and paid penalties or refunds, court records show. Suarez maintains that most of the complaints against him were made for political reasons. Every company has scrapes with regulators and most of his ads have not been challenged, he said. "It's a subjective thing to say that an ad is misleading," Suarez said. Suarez Corporation Industries hasn't been the target of a consumer complaint in the last 10 years, he said. The company didn't change the way it did business, he said; it showed that it was willing to fight."

October22, 2004 -- The Associated Press has reported that "UPS Inc. violates anti-discrimination laws by barring the deaf and hearing-impaired from driving parcel delivery trucks, a federal judge ruled Thursday. In a class-action case here representing as many as 1,000 would-be drivers, Henderson said those with poor hearing should "be given the same opportunities that a hearing applicant would be given to show that they can perform the job of package-car driver safely and effectively." The company said it was considering appealing."

October 22, 2004 -- Canada.com gave its postal situation a: "Thumbs Down: To the backlog of 150,000 parcels at Vancouver's main postal depot -- and we're not even into Christmas season. Frankly, we don't know whether to blame Canada Post management, postal workers, the U.S. or mean dogs for this mess. But we can offer a tried-and-true solution: Hire Celine Dion to introduce new mailman uniforms and a post-office theme song. After all, it's the Canadian way, n'est-ce pas?"

October 22, 2004 -- DM News has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is evaluating whether it will let Stamps.com continue offering PhotoStamps, according to deputy postmaster general John Nolan. Nolan said the USPS is examining every aspect of the product. For example, it is ensuring that the PhotoStamps barcode is situated in the best possible spot. "We want to get it right the first time," he said. "We don't want to have to keep tweaking it." Security is another USPS concern, Nolan said, citing The Smoking Gun Web site. That site this fall tried to get stamps processed featuring Lee Harvey Oswald, the Unabomber and Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano. Though these were rejected, the Web site successfully ordered stamps featuring Monica Lewinsky's blue dress, Slobodan Milosevic and others. "This is the kind of thing we are looking into as well," Nolan said."

October 22, 2004 -- Les Echos (France) has reported that "French postal service operator La Poste has announced plans to invest 30m euros in the construction of a new national, state of the art industrial platform in the northern city of Lille. The platform is part of La Poste's 3.4bn-euro 2004-2010 program to transform its French industrial equipment in the context of the liberalisation of the French postal services sector. The new platform will be equipped with the latest technology, and be able to sort more than 400,000 letters per hour. It will commence operation in 2007."

October 21, 2004 -- From the Market Wire: "Envelope Manager Software announces the availability of the Mac version of its leading Endicia Internet Postage™ service. Endicia™ for Mac V1.0 is the first software-only Internet Postage service designed for the Macintosh platform. This native Mac software lets users print USPS mailing and shipping labels for domestic and international destinations, and comes loaded with premium shipping features such as integrated private insurance, hidden postage amounts, electronic Delivery Confirmation, automatic e-mail shipment notifications, a convenient Express Mail solution, integration tools, electronic refunds/reprints, label customization, and support for popular thermal printers and postal scales. Endicia for Mac is offered at the same service fees as its PC counterpart."

October 21, 2004 -- The Business Standard (India) has reported that "Though there is no official decision yet, the department of posts is discussing the proposal internally. In case the proposal is cleared by the department, it will approach the finance ministry with a formal plan to be allowed to lend to individuals and corporates."

October 21, 2004 -- From the PR Newswire: "OfficeMax® announced today that it has been selected as a 2004 U.S. Postal Service Quality Supplier Award winner. The awards program recognizes suppliers that have made a difference in helping the Postal Service by adding value to its services, improving efficiencies and reducing costs. OfficeMax provides office supplies to Postal Service facilities nationwide."

October 21, 2004 -- The U.S. postal reform saga à la Shari Lewis: "This is the song that doesn't end Yes it goes on and on my friend Some people started singing it Not knowing what it was And they'll continue singing it Forever just because This is the song that doesn't end Yes it goes on and on my friend Some people started singing it Not knowing what it was And they'll continue singing it Forever just because This is the song that doesn't end Yes it goes on and on my friend Some people started singing it Not knowing what it was And they'll continue singing it Forever just because This is the song that doesn't end Yes it goes on and on my friend Some people started singing it Not knowing what it was And they'll continue singing it Forever just because This is the song that doesn't end Yes it goes on and on my friend...."

October 21, 2004 -- According to the Grimsby Telegraph (U.K.), "Postal workers across the Grimsby area may strike as Christmas approaches. A ballot will be held in the next two weeks, with any walkouts likely to take place in late November and early December. The Communication Workers' Union (CWU) claims that its full-time workers have not been paid weekly staff bonuses of £26.28 and part-time workers payments in the region of £18, promised by Royal Mail in January when round lengths were extended to three-and-a-half hours across the county."

October 21, 2004 -- Asia Pulse has reported that "Korea Post, South Korea's postal service agency, lost 166.2 billion won (US$145 million) last year after buying stocks in two troubled companies, LG Card Co. and SK Global Co., the Ministry of Information and Communication said Thursday. Last year, the postal service also reported an investment loss of 22 billion won in managing some derivative products, the ministry said in a report to an annual parliamentary audit."

October 21, 2004 -- The Financial Times has reported that "A new competition law that Singapore plans to introduce in 2006 has been criticised for exempting some government businesses that dominate local services in the city-state of 4m people. Some key industrial sectors, such as telecommunications, media, postal services, transport, power generation, water and waste management, would be exempt from the competition law."

October 21, 2004 -- According to The Telegraph (U.K.), "If this were adventure fiction, Heyrick Bond Gunning would be the perfect name for the ill-equipped, under-prepared protagonist who bumbles into a war zone on a mission impossible, and, after a series of improbable scrapes, somehow comes home covered in glory. It has exactly the right ring of oddity, pedigree and old-fashioned derring-do. But Bond Gunning is the real thing: a contemporary adventurer, cannily disguised as a quiet businessman. At the end of the official conflict in Iraq, he was on the first civilian plane to Baghdad after the airport had been secured, charged with establishing a foothold for DHL, one of the world's biggest postal companies."

October21, 2004 -- The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has reported that "Calling security a top priority for business, FedEx Corp. Chief Executive Fred Smith appealed Wednesday in Miami Beach for tough legislation against e-mail tampering, identity theft and other offenses on the Internet. He also urged Washington to work more closely with companies on security programs that both facilitate business and thwart threats, rather than imposing regulations or hoarding access to databases. The appeals came at an air-cargo industry conference, where more than 400 people also are discussing such topics as the pain of soaring oil prices and the boom in China trade."

October 21, 2004 -- From the Business Wire: "FedEx Corporation has announced a new brand identity for recently acquired national parcel consolidator Parcel Direct -- FedEx SmartPost(SM). The New Berlin, Wisconsin-based subsidiary of FedEx Ground, the small-package ground delivery unit of FedEx Corporation, will begin operating under the new brand immediately."

October 21, 2004 -- From the PR Newswire: "Stamps.com(TM) has announced that third quarter net income was $0.7 million, or $0.03 per fully diluted share, in the first ever profitable quarter in the Company's history. In addition, the Company announced that third quarter total revenue was $10.7 million, up 101% versus the same quarter last year -- the highest quarterly year over year growth rate ever for the Company." But what impact with the cancellation of pictures on stamps have on the company's viability and bottom line?

October 21, 2004 -- UPS has reported solid third quarter growth with revenues rising 7.7% and net income increasing 20.4%. Total worldwide average daily volume increased by 445,000 packages per day to 13.7 million, a 3.4% increase. Total international export package volume grew 13.2%, while UPS Supply Chain Solutions posted strong growth with revenue up 10.1%.

October 21, 2004 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "DHL Worldwide Express decided to pull its international hub from Brussels because of an unresolved dispute with the government over night flights over the Belgian capital, a move that is likely to cost 1,300 jobs. DHL's unions reacted immediately with a strike that paralyzed work at the international parcel service Thursday."

October 21, 2004 -- The Winston-Salem Journal has reported that "RFD and house-to-house delivery of mail in towns has become one of the greatest services offered by the Postal Service. When we built inside the town limits of Kernersville 40 years ago, I recall the postmaster telling me that now they could begin delivering to our front door on Harmon Court. Over the years, this has been a distinct advantage for town residents. Unfortunately, delivery is no longer assured."

October 21, 2004 -- The following ad comes from the postalnews.com web site. This must be what Jack Potter is doing with redundant staff.

October 21, 2004 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "The European Commission has decided to authorise a subsidy of €503m by the French government to state owned express parcels company Sernam despite non-adherence to many of the original conditions. The money will be provided to allow the loss making subsidiary of SNCF, the French Railways, to re-structure. However the Commission also decided that a later unlawful subsidy of €41m will have to be repaid."

October 21, 2004 -- WSTM.com has reported that "Lockheed Martin plans to add up to 100 jobs at a facility near Binghamton. Company officials this afternoon announced a primary support center will be opened for a US Postal Service program."

October 21, 2004 -- Author Christopher Corbett will be lecturing on the facts and fiction of the Pony Express legend at Smithsonian's National Postal Museum Museum from 1 - 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6.

October 21, 2004 -- Associated Press has reported that "The European Union Commission on Wednesday banned parts of a German law preventing private mail sorting companies from competing against Deutsche Post. Present German law breaks the rules by discriminating against different types of operators, according to the EU Commission. Specifically, it bars private mail preparation companies from receiving discounts granted to bulk mailers who feed self-prepared mail directly into Deutsche Post's sorting centers. The law "induces Deutsche Post to abuse its dominant position thereby putting commercial operators at a considerable disadvantage," said EU Competition Commissioner Mario Monti." See also AFX Europe.

October 21, 2004 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "DHL Worldwide, a unit of German mail and express provider Deutsche Post, has opened a new regional sort center in Phoenix. The facility is part of a $1.2 billion investment program to significantly increase the capacity of DHL's North American network, enhance customer service and enable greater connectivity within DHL's pickup and delivery network and between ground and air services. The Phoenix hub will employ approximately1,900, and joins DHL's neighboring Global Data Center in Scottsdale, a customer call center in Tempe and three local pickup and delivery centers, as well as an air shipment facility at the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport."

October 21, 2004 -- According to Asia Pulse, "A six-person panel in charge of drafting postal reform recommendations gave an in-principle endorsement on Monday to a plan to move postal workers who provide over-the-counter customer service to the payroll of a new entity to be set up to manage the post office network. Their endorsement so far concerns only about 60,000 employees at post offices that do not handle mail delivery operations."

October 20, 2004 -- The U.S. Postal Service is alerting customers mailing items to Canada they must comply with strict Canadian Customs and postal administration addressing requirements. All postal items (except postcards) that do not display the complete name and address of both the sender and the recipient -- in roman letters (A, B, C) and Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) -- are being denied entry into Canada.

October 20, 2004 -- According to one South Florida letter-shop owner, she's mad as hell at the Postal Service's ham-handed approach to marketing its services with absolutely no regard to what they're doing to her business...and she's not going to take it anymore!

October 20, 2004 -- Catalog Age has reported that:

• You need to dig deep to determine whether a second George W. Bush presidency or a John Kerry presidency would be best for catalog businesses. The key political issues of concern to catalogers — use taxes, postal affairs, privacy regulation — obviously aren't commanding the same attention as the war in Iraq, terrorism, or unemployment rates.
• The good news in the fight for postal reform is that there has been more legislative progress during the current session of Congress than there has been since John McHugh started the crusade in 1995. This important achievement is the result of a great deal of effort by many individuals and organizations. Now for the bad news: It is clear that passage of any bill by this Congress, much less a bill good for the mailing community, is by no means a sure thing. Congress does not move quickly until there is a clear and present crisis.

October 20, 2004 -- Expatica has reported that "The European Commission on Wednesday gave the German government a two-month deadline to comply with European Union legislation on opening up its national postal services. Officials said the Commission - the European Union's executive arm - was prepared to take Berlin to the European Court of Justice if postal laws, which currently protect Deutsche Post from competition in the handling of pre-sorted mail, remained unchanged."

October 20, 2004 -- As the Wall Street Journal has noted, "Night flights by expanding express-delivery companies are causing turbulence throughout Europe, calling into question the expansion of congested airports on this crowded Continent."

October 20, 2004 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• In a joint statement the German Confederation of Industry and the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce advocate a more rapid opening of the country's postal market than planned.
• In the context of growing criticism of the regulatory framework for the German mail market, press reports exposing an ever poorer performance from Deutsche Post are on the increase.
•  
• The Swedish post is now facing the prospect of a strike. The bone of contention is the employers' attempt to shorten the period of redundancy notice and to slacken the cushioning measures connected with redundancies.
• Ulrich Gygi, CEO of Switzerland's post, would like his fellow countrymen and women to fall in love more often - and to use pink letters to express their love. Mr Gygi, who spoke at a press conference last week, said that SMS and e-mails were increasingly substituted for letters and that the number of letters handled by the Swiss post would have dropped by 16% in 2010.
• Austria's Supreme Court has reached a decision - which may act as a guideline in similar cases abroad - in the dispute concerning the yellow colour used by post companies. Osterreichische Post (OP AG) had filed a suit against Schweizerische Post and its use of the colour yellow in Austria, claiming that yellow was its own registered trademark . In its decision (40b136/04k), the Supreme Court argued that the `post yellow' was not the sole property of Osterreichische Post. Yellow - which is also the colour of the Thurn and Taxis family's coat of arms - had been a postal symbol from the very beginning, along with the postman's horn. This was the case not only in Austria, but in Germany, France, Spain and Sweden, among other countries. Yellow was therefore to be considered a background colour, which merely indicated a link with the post.
• DHL Worldwide Express and American Airlines Cargo have agreed to extend their co-operation. Last Thursday, the two companies said the move was intended to open up further possibilities on the US market.
• Osterreichische Post wants to extend its parcel network further into Eastern Europe before the end of the year.

Don't be satisfied with a less than complete report on the courier, express, and postal market in Europe. Get your subscription to CEP News, today..

October 20, 2004 -- Reuters is bullish about Pitney Bowes.

October 20, 2004 -- Quad Graphics postal affairs director Joe Schick tells mailers what to expect in the next rate case in an article printed in PrintWriter.

October 20, 2004 -- Business World has reported that "The European Commission is likely to take a case today against Germany to force it to open its postal system to more competition, the Financial Times Deutschland reported citing Commission sources. The reason for the action is the German government's refusal to give competitors of Deutsche Post access to the so-called "post-preparation services market", the paper said. The commercial collection, sorting and franking of letters under 100 grams is currently exclusively guaranteed to Deutsche Post under postal laws."

October 20, 2004 -- Chuck Muth, president of Citizen's Outreach, wrote in a UPI release that "The bad news, according to Postmaster General John Potter (no relation to Harry, unfortunately -- the post office could use some magic), is that if Congress doesn't pass significant postal reform legislation this year you and I are looking at a new hike in postal rates in 2006. The good news is, if Congress does pass significant postal reform legislation this year -- in the lame duck session -- Potter says we'll still need a postal rate hike in 2006. Thus is the nature of the government-enforced monopoly over mail delivery in these United States: Taxpayers just can't win no matter what they do."

October 20, 2004 -- From the PR Newswire:

• Postmaster General John E. Potter has recognized eight companies the United States Postal Service considers "the best of the best" in supplying its employees with the equipment, tools and services they need to deliver superior products and services to the American public.
• USPS Vice President of International Business, James Wade, has been elected chairman of the Postal Operations Council of the Universal Postal Union (UPU). Wade was selected for the post at a recent meeting of the Council held during the 23rd UPU Congress, a three- week gathering of 175 member countries whose common goal is to improve worldwide mail service. The meeting was held in Bucharest, Romania. Newly appointed to work with Wade in Postal Operations Council action groups are USPS colleagues Chief Postal Inspector, Lee Heath, who will head the UPU Postal Security Action Group, and Senior Vice President of Intelligent Mail and Address Quality, Charlie Bravo, who will lead the UPU Standards Board.

October 20, 2004 -- As the Cleveland Plain Dealer has noted, "One piece looks like an express envelope sent overnight, complete with a tracking number and the signature of the sender: Democrat John Kerry. Another has a voter-registration application folded inside a card featuring an image of Ronald Reagan, the popular Republican president who died this year after a long battle with Alzheimer's. In another, a mother living in New York City offers a personal two-page anti-President Bush letter tucked into a handwritten envelope. Voters here and in other key battleground states are likely receiving a record number of political enticements. And like mortgage brokers and insurance and credit-card companies, Kerry and Bush and their supporters have been dressing up their mail to win the attention of Ohio voters." Hope they all remember that when postal reform is discussed again next year.

October 20, 2004 -- According to Information Week, "Outsourcing logistics operations can make sense when small and midsize companies grow larger or have special needs. UPS Supply Chain Solutions, a unit of United Parcel Service Inc. that now handles all customs brokerage and ground, air, and ocean transportation using its UPS Trade Direct Cross Border software. The proprietary software compiles and consolidates orders, routing them for transport and expediting customs clearance."

October 19, 2004 -- The EMA Foundation has released its final report on "The Intelligent Document Task Force"  and its "White Paper on Postal Reform."

October 19, 2004 -- According to Business Week, "Surfers are increasingly sharing passwords to gain access to online content, threatening ad revenue at registration-only sites. To boost ad sales, many content providers require viewers to answer questions about their gender, age, and income level before allowing access to their site. With that information, they can tell their advertisers exactly what kind of demographic groups they would be reaching and then charge a premium to advertise to those readers. Take away such registration, and the future of the $6.6 billion online advertising market begins to look fuzzy. Advertising typically accounts for 85% to 90% of an online content provider's revenues, so this has got to be troubling." Think MAIL!!

October 19, 2004 -- DM News has reported that "The Universal Postal Union's 190 member countries adopted a five-business day international standard for priority letters at their recent 23rd Universal Postal Congress in Bucharest, Romania."

October 19, 2004 -- As the Amarillo Globe Mail has noted, cities have "ordinances that prevent parking in front of fire hydrants, Dumpsters and access points for people with disabilities. But nothing is on the books to prevent blocking mailboxes. When one is blocked, the postal carrier will put a notice on the resident's door that the mail won't be delivered until the box is cleared. Amarillo is one of the last Texas cities not to have an ordinance prohibiting mailbox blocking."

October 19, 2004 -- Reuters has reported that "FedEx Corp., the world's largest air-express shipper, on Monday said it was building the nation's second largest private solar power system atop its hub in Oakland, California. The 904-kilowatt system will be second in size only to Fala Direct Marketing's solar system in Long Island, New York, which is 1.02 megawatts. FedEx's project, to be built at its hub at Oakland's international airport, is scheduled to begin operations in May, 2005."

October 19, 2004 -- Midi Libre (France) has reported that there is considerable consternation over La Poste's planned reorganization of its retail postal services in rural France.

October 19, 2004 -- Dow Jones has reported that "French Finance Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said Tuesday that it's "high time" the country's state-owned postal company La Poste is reformed."

October 19, 2004 -- As Air Force Link has noted, "In a deployed environment, morale is very important and comes in many forms, shapes and sizes, but often by mail."

October 19, 2004 -- According to Information Week, "The U.S. Postal Service has hired government contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. to deliver the next phase of a project to create an organizationwide network that ties together voice, data, video, and other services, saving the government money and providing high-speed data access to 15,000 field offices. The 18-year contract is valued at as much as $3 billion. Moving from networking company MCI--which has provided the Postal Service with network services since 1997 and will continue its service through 2008--to Lockheed Martin will take the Postal Service at least two years, says Bob Otto, chief technology officer. The Postal Service spends as much as $200 million each year on a variety of telecommunications services, including data, LAN, voice, and wireless functions, and Otto says it can save 20% to 30% of those costs by using Lockheed Martin."

October 19, 2004 -- The Poughkeepsie Journal has reported that "A letter carrier who was arrested Friday for allegedly dumping mail will resign, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said."

October 19, 2004 -- ABC Queensland has reported that "Customs officers are to go on strike on Friday, threatening delays at airports, seaports and in postal Centrex in every Australian state."

October 19, 2004 -- The Edmunton Sun (Canada) has reported that "Canada Post is battling an onslaught of complaints and a massive backlog of stinky mail from Asia. The huge cache of parcels - some packed with perishable goods - is piling up in Vancouver due to a staff shortage at the Canadian Border Services Agency. "There's a health issue now, because a lot of this stuff is perishable, and it's starting to go bad," said Canada Post spokesman John Caines. "It stinks."

October 19, 2004 -- BCC Software, a developer of high-performance PC-based solutions for professional mailers, this week announced that Mail Manager 2010 and Mail Manager 2010 LE, the company's flagship products, have earned Zone Analysis Program (ZAP) certification from the United States Postal Service® (USPS®). A new USPS standard, ZAP certification determines whether a presorting product complies with current USPS zone designations used in Periodical mailings, and automatically assigns the correct zones using the most up-to-date zone data.

October 19, 2004 -- The Japan Times has reported that "The government will restrict the right of mail delivery staff to strike after postal privatization begins in April 2007, government sources said Monday. The measure follows concerns by members of the Liberal Democratic Party over possible work stoppages by mail delivery staff, the sources said. Postal privatization will spell the end to Japan Post workers' national public servant status, giving them the right to engage in labor disputes."

October 18, 2004 -- PostCom Members: The minutes of the October 12, 2004 meeting of the PostCom Postal Operations Committee has been posted on this site. 

October 18, 2004 -- According to the Belfast Telegraph (U.K.), "A survey has found that many of Ulster's post offices are not user-friendly for disabled customers and fall behind current legislation."  

October 18, 2004 -- 4NI (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail has been told to "tighten" its procedures in an effort to try to stop fraudsters using the postal system to get to consumers. The Trading Standards Institute (TSI) made the calls after statistics revealed that 67% of complaints about scams aimed at consumers relate to items delivered through the post." 

October 18, 2004 -- Wickwire Gavin LLC will be holding its next seminar on "Contracting with the U.S. Postal Service" on November 16, 2004 at the Tysons Corner Marriott. The goal of the seminar is to provide practical advice on how to work successfully within the Postal Service's unique procurement environment. More information concerning the seminar is available at www.postalservicecontracting.com, or by calling our Seminar Coordinator Beth Hughes at (703) 790-8750. 

October 18, 2004 -- According to the Federal Times, "Seven agencies have been cleared by the administration to pay their senior executives up to 15 percent more in salaries and bonuses under a new pay-for-performance system. The Interior and Transportation departments, the Social Security Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Merit Systems Protection Board, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Federal Trade Commission can all move ahead with new pay reforms worth up to $28,700 for top executives, officials at the Office of Personnel Management said. For 2004, total income under the performance-based system is capped at $203,000, compared with $175,700 under the old system. Before agencies can pay the higher salaries, OPM and the Office of Management and Budget must first certify each agency's appraisal system." No, the Postal Service isn't among them. This is something that requires the Governors' attention.

October 18, 2004 -- According to New York Newsday, "Progress in growing the number of women serving on boards of top companies in this country may seem remarkably slow. As of last year, women held just 13.6 percent of board seats on the Fortune 500. But, when compared with other companies in the world - Fortune magazine's Global 200 - U.S. firms make the best showing by far. The four global firms with the most impressive showings: Albertson's, a U.S. retail food and drugstore chain, where women hold 50 percent of the seats; Statoil, Norway's petroleum company, 44.4 percent; Wells Fargo, 35.7 percent; SBC Communications, 35.3 percent; and tied for fifth place, all with 33.3 percent: Hewlett-Packard, J.C. Penney, Royal Ahold of the Netherlands and United Parcel Service. 

October 18, 2004 -- eMediawire has reported that "Recent court papers filed by United Parcel Service, Inc. have asked a federal judge in Pittsburgh to dismiss an ADA class action lawsuit." 

October 18, 2004 -- From the PR Newswire: "Group 1 Software, a wholly- owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes Inc. has announced that NovaLIS Technologies is integrating Group 1's data quality technology to provide important value-added functionality within their product offerings. This additional functionality will give NovaLIS' customers verified and enriched customer data for use in their applications. NovaLIS, based in Charlotte, North Carolina, is a leading provider of land information management products to government entities." 

October 18, 2004 -- From the Business Wire:  

• IONA(R) Technologies, a world leader in high-performance integration solutions for mission-critical IT environments, today announced that Deutsche Post AG has selected Artix(TM), IONA's extensible enterprise service bus (ESB), as the foundation for the German postal and logistics company's major IT integration projects. Artix is a key component in Deutsche Post's Service Oriented Platform infrastructure, a next generation platform that will allow seamless and efficient Web and enterprise services-based integration of the IT systems supporting the global operations of the Deutsche Post Group, including DHL. 
• Melissa Data, a leading provider of data quality software and services, today announced the release of SmartMover, an add-on to its best-selling MAILERS+4 presort software. SmartMover was designed to support NCOALink(TM), the new change-of-address technology from the United States Postal Service (USPS(R)). Melissa Data is certified by the USPS as a NCOALink Interface Developer and Interface Distributor. With a subscription to SmartMover, mailers can apply to the USPS for their own certification as a NCOALink end-user or service provider. One of the criteria set by the USPS is that applicants must have a monthly subscription to CASS-certified postal software from a licensed Interface Distributor for NCOALink. Melissa Data's MAILERS+4 fulfills that software requirement. MAILERS+4 software with SmartMover will allow mailers to update their in-house lists with the most recent address changes from the USPS. The data is updated monthly and delivered directly to the end user for list cleansing.

October 18, 2004 -- The Washington Post has reported that "Consumers are constantly pitched new products and services through direct mail, telemarketing calls, e-mail spam, and television and radio spots. But how effective are the ads? Which ones actually make people want to buy a new cell phone or sign up for digital cable? Are advertising campaigns targeting the right audiences? Upper Quadrant says it can help companies answer those questions more effectively. Reston-based Upper Quadrant, founded in January 2002, offers a subscription-based, Web-hosted application that enables companies to compile and share marketing information in a central database." 

October 18, 2004 -- The Financial Post (Canada) has reported that "U.S. firms such as Massachusetts-based Navic Networks are marketing specialty software designed to allow cable companies to deliver what they call "addressable advertising," via the digital set-top boxes used by digital cable subscribers. And advertisers are salivating over the possibilities. Forrester Research, the Boston-based technology research company, found in a recent study that 93% of U.S. advertisers are interested in targeting their television ads to individual households." 

October 18, 2004 -- Arab News has reported that "The Saudi Postal Corporation will start distributing letters, parcels and money orders at the addressees' doorsteps from next month as part of its efforts to modernize postal services."

October 18, 2004 -- Japan Today has reported that "The government plans to impose some restrictions on the right of those engaging in mail delivery services to strike after postal privatization starts in April 2007." 

October 18, 2004 -- The American Postal Workers Union told its members that "Postal workers may remember Gallagher as the chairwoman of the Workforce Subcommittee of the President's Commission on U.S. Postal Service, which recommended that Congress: Create a Postal Regulatory Board that would determine the "comparability" of postal pay to private-sector pay and eliminate any "postal premium;" Require postal unions to bargain for federal pension and healthcare benefits, which currently are guaranteed by law; Consider severing postal workers from federal pension and healthcare programs; Change the ground rules for contract negotiations, reducing the time period for negotiations and mediation and employing a "final offer" mechanism; and Limit the rights of injured postal workers. President Bush is expected to make the appointments while Congress is in recess, bypassing the Senate confirmation process that is normally required of Board of Governor nominees. The White House announcement of the appointments, issued Oct. 8, made no mention of Gallagher's role on the President's Commission. APWU President William Burrus said Gallagher's appointment was bad news for postal workers. "If postal reform is considered by Congress again in 2005 as we expect, Ms. Gallagher's presence on the Board could be an important factor when new legislation is drafted," he said."

October 18, 2004 -- The Lawrence Journal-World has reported that "Neither snow, nor rain nor workplace gloom will keep the nation's post office employees from getting the mail delivered on time. Advertisement But low morale and verbally abusive supervisors are common in post offices across the nation, including Lawrence, according to a book self-published by a retired Oregon letter carrier." 

October 18, 2004 -- According to AFX Europe, "The merchant bank Mediobanca SpA is interested in buying a significant stake in the state-owned post office, Poste SpA, the newspaper La Repubblica said citing financial sources. However, the government still has to decide whether and how to privatise the post office, which is 65 pct owned by the economy ministry and 35 pct by the government-owned financial group Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. The government is studying the option of selling part of the ministry's shares in Poste in a global offering, or breaking up the company into two, one entity containing the post office business and the other the banking operations of Bancoposta." 

October 18, 2004 -- The Times (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail is having to recalculate the pension entitlements of more than 120,000 employees after sending out wrong information in virtually all of the annual statements for its workforce." 

October 17, 2004 -- According to the Nordic Business Report, "The Swedish national union of postal workers has reportedly threatened to go on strike over pay and conditions at the end of October. If the union's demands are not met, 2,000 postal workers would reportedly walk out of their posts on 25 October 2004." 

October 17, 2004 -- After the state-run Japan Post is privatized and split into four entities in April 2007, the postal savings and kampo life insurance companies will each have several thousand employees, while mail delivery and over-the-counter service network management companies will have 260,000 workers in total, according to the government's blueprint obtained Saturday by the Yomiuri Shimbun. 

October 17, 2004 -- The Kyodo News Service (Japan) has reported that "Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's ruling Liberal Democratic Party would lose in an election if he dissolved the lower house to give voters the power to decide on his plan to privatize postal services, Former Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said Sunday." 

October 17, 2004 -- According to the Lafayette Journal and Courier, it was an Indiana balloon flight that was the first try at air mail. 

October 17, 2004 -- The Duluth News Tribune has reported that "When a community's post office is somehow endangered, residents can become upset over the issue." 

October 17, 2004 -- The Evening Standard (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton is on course for a showdown with the Government over his plans for the partial privatisation of the business. Leighton, whose contract with Royal Mail ends next March, has been told bluntly by the Department of Trade and Industry that his ideas for a workers' buyout are dead in the water." 

October 16, 2004 -- SitNews has reported that "Alaska Governor Frank H. Murkowski announced Friday that he regretfully accepted the resignation of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Ernesta Ballard, who leaves state service on October 25th to accept a position as a senior vice president at Weyerhaeuser Company. She was appointed in 1997 by President Clinton to serve on the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service where she chaired the Audit Committee." 

October 16, 2004 -- More on the story about the Tacoma postmaster who ended the program by which UAA Cds, books, and other items were "donated" rather than having them go directly to a mail recovery center. 

October 16, 2004 -- According to B2B magazine, "Direct marketing spending is on the rise for many in the industry, which is welcome news, but the real excitement is centered around good old-fashioned direct mail. Despite indications that direct mail has taken a hit the past few years, including mail volume declines year over year cited by the U.S. Postal Service, the medium is experiencing a resurgence with marketers. Fifty-six percent of marketers report they intend to increase spending on direct mail this year, beating out search engine marketing, print advertising, e-mail and e-newsletters, according to a direct marketing trend survey published in late September by Kern Direct, a direct marketing advertising agency. The key factor that could slow down direct mail's growth is a postal rate increase." 

October 16, 2004 -- Workday Minnesota has reported that "By almost 3-to-1 margins, Postal Workers voting by mail re-elected their top two officers, President William Burrus and Secretary-Treasurer Terry R. Stapleton." 

October 16, 2004 -- According to El Pais (Spain), "The chairman of Spanish postal services provider Correos, Jose Damian Santiago, has said that the company plans to request permission from the Spanish finance ministry for a 2.8 per cent increase in charges for postal services, effective from next year."

October 15, 2004 -- Virtual Systems Corp.® joins Window Book, Inc.® in announcing the release of Window Book's Interface to Mail-Shop™, the popular business management information system for Direct Mailers. This strategic partnership allows Mail-Shop users to create and edit their postage statements and to bring final postage data into Mail-Shop quickly and easily. The added ability to access data electronically saves users tremendous time and money that they would have spent manually entering data into Mail-Shop. This also provides Mail-Shop users with greater accountability—the Window Book Interface to Mail-Shop provides users with the postage usage data necessary to proper invoicing, better accounting and advanced budget planning.

October 15, 2004 -- According to the union group, Uni Asia, "Pressures to privatise and de-regulate postal services in the Asia Pacific region are being spread by two viruses - the World Bank and the World Trade Organisation."

October 15, 2004 -- Traffic World has reported that "UPS opened its new operations centre in Kwai Chung. Located at the ATL Logistics Centre in the Kwai Tsing district of Hong Kong, the 36,421 sq.ft package-sorting facility will expand the company's infrastructure and strengthen its operations in Hong Kong."

October 15, 2004 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, "Being a participant in this past year's postal reform efforts has been akin to being on the receiving end of a Chinese water torture. The slow drip, drip, drip of missteps, empty promises, barely warmed left-over proposals, and an the lack of interest of those who should have been fully engaged has been a real trip."

October 15, 2004 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "The value for money of Energywatch and Postwatch, the consumer watchdogs, was challenged yesterday by the National Audit Office. The NAO report has implications for a range of other consumer bodies and comes amid signs of government concern over their cost and effectiveness."

October 15, 2004 -- The Kyodo News Service (Japan) has reported that "The state-backed postal entity said it will make available on its website from next Monday guidelines for the exams that applicants will take and the criteria it will adopt to select qualified people. The move is intended to recruit promising personnel and strengthen post offices' operations ahead of the government's postal privatization due to start in April 2007, Japan Post officials said."

October 15, 2004 -- The Amarillo Globe News said in an editorial: "The U.S. Postal Service has announced that the cost of a first-class stamp is going to remain at 37 cents in 2005. The Postal Service was able to cut costs sufficiently to avoid an announced rate increase. This is great news for Americans who have grown weary of the rising - in some cases, skyrocketing - cost of virtually everything. With that, the Postal Service has managed to stave off an increase, at least for the time being. No promises are forthcoming about 2006 and beyond, but Americans ought to rejoice in the knowledge that the cost of snail mail will stay the same."

October 15, 2004 -- The latest National Association of Major Mail Users (NAMMU) update concerning the latest meetings between the NAMMU leadership and the leadership of Canada Post has been posted on this site. Thanks to NAMMU for permitting this courtesy.

October 15, 2004 -- The History of Air Cargo and Airmail by Camille Allaz is the first and so far only comprehensive work on this subject over a 200 year period in the English language. There is no aspect of mail or cargo transport by air that has not been thoroughly researched and documented by Allaz, from the first brief transport of animals by balloon in France in 1783 to the vast global networks of the integrated express carriers in the 21st century.

October 15, 2004 -- Traffic World has reported that "FedEx appears to be on a roll whether or not shippers speed up the movement of their goods. The numbers from the world's largest express operator suggest the company and its market are undergoing dramatic change. Demand for international airfreight is strong but the slowing U.S. domestic business reflects shippers' increasing preference for time-definite ground services. FedEx says the growth of FedEx Ground and FedEx Freight is allowing the company to bid for business across various modes, and pick up freight even though industrial shippers in the domestic market remain focused on keeping costs lower through cheaper ground services."

October 15, 2004 -- According to Le Figaro (France), "A French employment tribunal has ruled that the Indre regional division of the French post office, La Poste, abused the system of fixed-term contracts by signing 345 of them with one employee over seven years. The worker in question, a woman, performed tasks such as counter service and cleaning during the period in question in various post offices in the Indre region."

October 15, 2004 -- The Ironwood Daily Globe (Canada) has reported that "It's been over a year and a half since the post office in Gile closed. Curbside delivery is increasing, and now Montreal officials are concerned about placement of mailboxes. Placement of mailboxes in both Montreal and Gile came under attack at Tuesday's city council meeting."

October 15, 2004 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "Complaints about lost, damaged and late post have rocketed by more than 300 per cent in two years and are likely to reach 40,000 by the end of the financial year, according to new figures from the independent postal service watchdog. Postwatch, the organisation set up to monitor Royal Mail, handled 28,000 complaints last year, up from just 6,300 in 2002, and says complaints this year are already on course to reach 40,000 by April. Of the 28,000 complaints handled by the watchdog last year, only 88 were about companies other than Royal Mail."

October 15, 2004 -- Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Josette Sheeran Shiner presented a lengthy list of recommendations for regulatory and economic structural reform to the government of Japan on October 14, according to a press release issued by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) the same day. The United States placed special emphasis on Japan's plans to privatize important government entities, such as the country's postal businesses, which heavily influence financial and insurance industries. "Japan Post privatization should be market-oriented and carried out in a transparent way that establishes a level playing field for all participants in the market," said Shiner. Shiner praised an October 12 statement by Prime Minister Koizumi before the Japanese Diet. The premier said that Japan's development depends on structural economic reforms.

October 15, 2004 -- CNET has reported that "Amazon.com plans to enter the DVD rental business in a move that will put the online retail giant in direct competition with Netflix. Netflix, which rents DVDs on the Internet and delivers them via the U.S. Postal Service, plans to introduce a movie download service in 2005 in partnership with TiVo, which sells personal digital video recorders."

October 15, 2004 -- According to the Tullahoma News, "The Tullahoma Area Chamber Business Development Committee is hosting a seminar on "Exploring New Services Through the U.S. Postal Service" on Thursday, October 28, 2004."

October 15, 2004 -- Japan Times has reported that "A former Cabinet minister demanded Thursday that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi reach a compromise with the Liberal Democratic Party over his plan to privatize the nation's postal services. Toranosuke Katayama, a former posts and telecommunications minister and the current secretary general of the LDP's Upper House caucus, made the demand during the day's plenary session of the House of Councilors. It is rare in the party-oriented Diet system for a member of the ruling party to criticize the government in this fashion during a plenary session."

October 15, 2004 -- UPS will announce its third quarter results on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2004, at approximately 8 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time. At 10 a.m. EDT, UPS Chief Financial Officer Scott Davis will conduct an investor conference call. This call will be open to reporters and the public, on a listen-only basis, via a live Webcast. To listen to the live Webcast: Go to UPS Investor Relations and click on "Earnings Webcast." The Webcast audio then will remain accessible on the Investor Relations Website for a limited time.

October 14, 2004 -- As the Was hington Post has noted, "As lawmakers straggled out of town for the final three weeks of their campaigns, a bitterly divided 108th Congress left behind a huge stack of unfinished business -- and dead bills -- on issues that had been top priorities for both parties." Quick! Name one legislative issue that was unanimously approved by congressional authorizing committees in their respective chambers that never came up for a full floor vote. Riiiight! Postal reform! Now comes the endl