September 30, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has filed with the House Committee on Government Reform its proposal regarding the use of P.L. 108-18 savings for fiscal years after 2005 and its proposal regarding the requirement within P.L. 108-18 concerning military retirement payments.

September 30, 2003 -- The Ft. Worth Star-Telegram has reported that "Charles McKinley, the adventurous New Yorker who gained his 15 minutes of fame when he air-mailed himself in a crate from Newark, N.J., to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to visit his parents in DeSoto, on Monday tasted freedom again for the first time in three weeks."

September 30, 2003 -- AllAfrica.com has reported that "Zampost has finished its restructuring process in terms of operations and has reduced its workforce by 240. A Zampost official said that due to liberalisation of the postal market, competition had become stiff as new players joined the market and that it was important to take advantage of technology in order to diversify and make money."

September 30, 2003 -- The BBC has reported that "the Royal Mail is to be fined £7.5m for failing to meet targets, regulator Postcomm has announced. The fines relate to two services for business customers: First Class Post Paid Impression (PPI) and First Class Response Services. The Royal Mail was ordered to improve the services in December. But Postcomm found not enough had been done to ensure performance improved as it remained 6% below agreed targets for both." See also Skynews and The Times.

September 30, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "the European Union and the United States will start negotiations Wednesday aimed at opening the trans-atlantic aviation market. The U.S. has pushed for an incremental approach leading EU airlines to believe that Washington wants to limit a new treaty to international flying rights and exclude issues of ownership and EU access to the U.S. market. The 15 EU member states favor a comprehensive agreement. Brussels is pressing for changes in foreign ownership limits of airlines, currently 49 percent in the U.S. It also wants Washington to allow European carriers to operate in the domestic U.S. passenger and cargo markets and drop the requirement that U.S. officials and cargo fly on U.S. airlines."

September 30, 2003 -- According to Traffic World:

• Reverse supply chain holds no profits, but revamping can cut losses, create savings.
• The first electronic product code show demonstrates RFID market interest

September 30, 2003 -- MAIL: The Journal of Communications Distribution has taken note of PMG Potter's willingness to tackle the big issues facing the Postal Service 'After two plus years at the helm, PMG Potter has toiled hard to manage in a difficult environment,' the article said."

September 30, 2003 -- InformationWeek has reported that "in an effort to slash costs, United Parcel Service Inc. is spending $20 million to develop logistics software that will aggregate ZIP code information and map out how packages should be loaded onto trucks for the most efficient deliveries. The software, which is connected to a database containing customer and U.S. Postal Service information, will generate new shipping labels that include information a customer may forget to fill out, such as a ZIP code, and drive automatic sorting machines that will put packages on pallets in the most efficient order for loading."

September 30, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service faces a fight over its plans to shut down a post office in Birmingham, Ala. The spat underscores the resistance faced by the agency as it tries to shrink its enormous delivery network to overcome a falloff in many kinds of mail volume."

September 30, 2003 -- Kyodo News (Japan) has reported that "Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told parliament Tuesday he will make privatization of the postal services in an election pledge of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)."

September 30, 2003 -- The Washing ton Times has reported that "the problems with postal delivery are plaguing publishers and advertisers, both of whom want to get their information to readers at a certain time. The publishers want to get news out while it's still news; the advertisers want current ads in front of their prospects. That's where PDF comes in rather handy."

September 30, 2003 -- Ire land Online has reported that "An Post is reportedly seeking legal advice after discovering that several Irish companies are using the British postal system to send mail to Ireland in order to avail of cheaper rates. The Irish companies transfer their mail to Britain, where it is then posted back to Ireland by Royal Mail. The companies are reportedly making savings of around 25% because of the move." See also the Irish Examiner.

September 30, 2003 -- According to the Business Report (South Africa), "the communications department's postal business unit was exploring a relationship with Brazil on the roll-out of public internet terminals through the South African Post Office (Sapo)"

September 30, 2003 -- Ananova (U.K.) has reported that "the Royal Mail is urging people not to post letters in London on Wednesday because of a strike by postal workers which will cripple deliveries." See also ThisIsLondon.

September 30, 2003 -- Die Welt (Germany) has reported that "Deutsche Post, Germany's postal service operator, has signed a co-operation agreement with Post Danmark, its Danish counterpart, as part of which the latter will start working for DHL Express, the former's subsidiary, in Denmark. The German group is also among the future bidders for the 25 per cent stake which the Danish state intends to sell in Post Danmark in the near future. The co-operation agreement is expected to improve Deutsche Post's chances of being chosen as the buyer of the 25 per cent holding."

September 30, 2003 -- Datam onitor has reported that "the US Postal Service (USPS) is currently proceeding with plans to cut services and downsize its workforce as part of a drastic cost cutting process. It has trimmed its workforce by 25,000 in the last year alone. The US postal operator may be able to readdress its finances before the end of 2005 as it continues cutting costs. A forecasted recovery of the US economy in 2004 could also help in the process and reduced pension contributions may also give USPS access to billions of dollars. In sharp contrast with the USPS’s problems, its German counterpart, Deutsche Post (DP), is a picture of health."

September 30, 2003 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, "for the past two years, the Postal Service has been talking about intiating a redesign of its mail products. Talking, however, is about all the Postal Service has been doing, and mailers are getting frustrated with the "on again-off again" nature of the mail redesign project. Mailers also are frustrated with the very modest aims the Postal Service has had for redesign. Mailers have had enough with propping up a long-in-the-tooth, anachronistic, top-down pricing structure filled with enough inefficiencies and waste to float any bureaucrat's boat."

September 30, 2003 -- The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) membership has voted to accept both collective agreements negotiated by the union with Canada Post Corporation (CPC).

September 30, 2003 -- As Computerworld has noted, "you can't just throw money at innovation. And savvy CIOs know that it's not a question of how much you invest in IT but how wisely you do so. But there's a difference between creative spending during tough times and investing in IT to achieve competitive advantage. Companies such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc., United Parcel Service Inc. and RadioShack Corp. have continued to increase their annual investments in IT—albeit in low, single-digit increments—to help them maintain or achieve leadership positions in their markets."

September 30, 2003 -- American Shipper has reported that "Eric Keane will become vice president and chief information officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa, based at FedEx' European headquarters in Brussels."

September 30, 2003 -- According to R euters, "the deadly 2001 U.S. anthrax attacks may have been carried out by someone who did not intend to cause any harm, a top FBI official said on Monday. Of the possibility that a scientist wanted to issue a wake-up call about the bioterrorism threat and it went out of control, FBI Assistant Director Michael Mason told a news conference, 'That's a possible theory, but it's all conjecture.'" It sure is! I mean...I pulled the trigger, but I didn't mean any harm....Please, gimme a break.

September 29, 2003 -- The Boston Globe has reported that "Germany's postal service, Deutsche Post, plans to sell a minority stake in its Postbank banking business in an initial public stock offering in the next 18 months. Deutsche Post chief executive Klaus Zumwinkel told a news conference Monday that his company would keep a controlling stake in Postbank, and planned to sell at most 50 percent minus one share. He said the most likely timing for the offering was the fall of 2004."

September 29, 2003 -- According to Tim Kin and David Peikin writing in this month's Mailing Systems Technology, "A common misconception in the mailing industry is that this software is complex to use. However, that is only partially true. Direct marketing software can be complex to use — but only if you want it to be!"

September 29, 2003 -- DM News has reported that "deputy postmaster general John Nolan caused a stir at the forum when, speaking at a breakfast before 65 mailers, he said that a double-digit rate increase could be in place by the end of 2005. The statement appeared to contradict postmaster general John Potter's promise that no rate increase would be implemented before 2006, and the USPS acted quickly to correct Nolan and affirm Potter's guarantee. Nolan apparently mistakenly said that Potter's promise referred to fiscal year 2006, which includes the end of calendar year 2005, sources in the mail industry said. He later said that he misspoke. Nolan's statement spread swiftly through the forum and then to industry members nationwide who weren't in attendance. However, the USPS did not retract Nolan's reference to a double-digit rate increase."

September 29, 2003 -- Sofia Morning News (Bulgaria) has reported that "Bulgarian Posts and the French posts 'La Poste' signed on Monday a cooperation memorandum in the filed of the post services. The agreement aims to boost postal financial services cooperation including transfer of international post orders.

September 29, 2003 -- AMEInfo (UAE) has reported that "Minister of Industry of the Republic of France, H.E. Ms. Nicole Fontaine and Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Egypt, H.E. Dr. Ahmed Nazif, have signed an MOU on post, telecommunications, and information technology. The five-year Memorandum aims at considering the importance of the long-lasting relationship between France and Egypt, and empowering the principles shared between both countries. Additionally, the MOU recognizes the importance of the ICT as an economic and social tool for development.Within the scope of cooperation, Egypt and France will work on strengthening co-operation in the key sectors of post, telecommunications and information technology, focusing on projects like e-government, deregulation, modernization of postal services, human resources training and education, and the development of IT-oriented technology parks."

September 29, 2003 -- The General Services Administration has published in the Federal Register its "Federal Management Regulation; Mail Management; Interim Rule."

September 29, 2003 -- Th e Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "a fresh wave of national strike ballots among Royal Mail sorting office and logistics staff is threatened unless the company re-opens talks on its 14.5 per cent pay offer. Amid signs that the conflict between management and the leadership of the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has grown since the vote against a national strike on 17 September, branch representatives were summoned to union headquarters in London yesterday for briefings on plans that could effectively resurrect the nationwide stoppages."

September 29, 2003 -- The Financial Times has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal services and logistics group, could list Postbank, its banking arm and the country's biggest retail bank, on the stock market as early as the spring or summer of next year."

September 29, 2003 -- According to GoMemphis.com, "FedEx can no longer funnel hundreds of thousands of dollars from corporate revenue in 'soft money' contributions to political parties, but the company continues to show the many ways it can help politicians."

September 29, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "while Sept. 11 opened people's eyes to the general need for increased workplace security, the anthrax attacks that soon followed brought home to many corporations and government agencies just how crucial -- and vulnerable -- their mail operations could be. Once an overlooked backwater at some companies, corporate mail centers are now more often considered vital to physical security and the handling of information."

September 29, 2003 -- As the New York Times has noted, "Netflix spends considerable time and effort perfecting the red envelopes it uses to mail DVD's to minimize weight, maximize protection for the discs and enhance the speed at which the envelopes can be processed by the Postal Service."

September 29, 2003 -- AFX Asia has reported that "Western Union plans to boost the number of counters to 30,000 from the current 6,900, with 10,000 targeted for the end of this year. The company plans to increase its distribution network in China by increasing the number of partners it works with. Western Union currently has tie-ups with the Agricultural Bank of China (ABC) and the State Postal Bureau as a way around restrictions on foreign financial institutions in China."

September 28, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "the U.S. economy grew at a faster pace than previously reported in the second quarter amid a healthy increase in consumer spending and a jump in federal defense spending. Business spending also picked up, but corporate profits dropped. Gross domestic product, a measure of all the goods and services produced in the U.S., rose at revised 3.3% annual rate, up from an earlier estimate of 3.1%, the Commerce Department said Friday in its final report on GDP for the period."

September  28, 2003 -- As the Indianapolis Business Journal has noted, "several factors are pushing the Fedex emphasis to ground delivery, Dada said. Chief among those is the development of the Internet, which reduces the need to hurriedly ship documents, and a proliferation of Web-based mail-order businesses, which has dramatically increased the need for ground shipment of packages."

September 28, 2003 -- The Independent (U.K.) has reported that "the Dutch post office is threatening to tear up its plans to set up in direct competition with Royal Mail, claiming that the Government's deregulation proposals are flawed. TPG Post, which owns the TNT delivery service, already has a licence to deliver mail in the UK and is expected to be the biggest threat to the loss-making Royal Mail when the market is fully open by 2007. But in a letter to the postal regulator, Postcomm, TPG warns that, as the proposals stand, it will 'have to fundamentally reconsider its business plans for establishing an alternative delivery network'. TPG wants to set up an entirely new seven-day postal operation. But it is concerned about Postcomm's proposals to allow Royal Mail to charge rival companies to use its sorting and delivery network. TPG claims this so-called 'access charge' is set too low, in effect making its own plans to set up a rival network uneconomic.

September 28, 2003 -- As the Wash ington Post has noted, "the Supreme Court has long recognized a distinction between political and artistic speech, which are entitled to the highest degree of protection from government regulation, and commercial speech, defined as statements about the price and quality of goods or services. Commercial speech is given less protection because the government needs to protect consumers from false advertising and other forms of fraud. But that seemingly clear distinction has proved increasingly fuzzy in an age of socially aware corporate communications."

September 28, 2003 -- The Pittsburgh Business Times has reported that "Giant Eagle Inc. is looking at another new way to deliver more customers to its stores. After establishing Starbucks coffee locations within several of its grocery stores, Giant Eagle is testing Post Net, a mailing service retail franchise, as a potential addition to its ever-broadening array of offerings. Giant Eagle could play a major role in helping Post Net reach that number, estimating that Post Net could be a compatible presence in 40 percent of Giant Eagle's more than 200 stores." 

September 28, 2003 -- As the Asso ciated Press has noted, "that letter to your congressman takes a curious detour these days, a 115-mile road trip to a sprawling industrial park in southern New Jersey. In a ritual that has outlived the anthrax scare that prompted it, 9,000 pounds of mail addressed to congressional offices and federal departments arrive here each day to be exposed to enough radiation to neutralize any germs that might be lurking. Postal Service spokesman Bob Anderson said the round trip adds two to three days to a letter's delivery schedule. Additional House and Senate security procedures - a slit is made in each envelope, and the air is tested - tack on a few more days. The Associated Press mailed two test letters to Capitol Hill from downtown Washington on Aug. 27. One took nine Postal Service business days to reach the intended recipient; the other took 12."

September 27, 2003 -- The Brenha m Banner-Press has reported that "efforts to get a new post office in Brenham are being stepped up. A local delegation - joined by U.S. Rep. John Carter - met Friday in Austin with Postal Service officials and Congressman Tom Davis, who chairs the U.S. House's Government Reform Committee. Local efforts to secure a new post office have been under way for years, but thus far have been unproductive. Officials here say the facility is undersized and parking is severely limited."

September 27, 2003 -- The Charleston Post Courier has reported that "the Bush administration reached back 228 years into American history Friday to counter growing criticism in Congress about spending $20 billion on Iraq's reconstruction, including $9 million to modernize the postal service and create ZIP codes."

September 27, 2003 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online.  (with addendum)

September 27, 2003 -- Business Mailers Review has reported that:

• Comments from a handful of major Postal Service customers illustrated how valuable intelligent mail data and address quality are to their businesses.
• Despite the aggressive use of address hygiene products, some mailers are seeing undeliverable as addressed (UAA) mail returns of 10% on their mailings.
• The Postal Service plans to merge two data collection systems, its Revenue, Piece, Weight (RPW) report with the Origin Destination Information System (ODIS).

September 27, 2003 -- ComputerWorld has reported that "United Parcel Service Inc. this week said it's starting to roll out a $30 million package-flow system designed to let the company more efficiently plan deliveries made by its 70,000 drivers in the U.S."

September 27, 2003 -- According to The Independent (U.K.), "the decision by Royal Mail to abandon trains in favour of road transport was bitterly opposed by the Department of the Environment. In a private letter to the leader of the rail network's biggest union, the Environment minister Lord Whitty registered his dismay over the move, declaring it was in contradiction to government policy."

September 27, 2003 -- The Asso ciated Press has reported that "Segway scooters, touted as almost untippable when unveiled two years ago, are being recalled. It turns out they don't work so well when the batteries get low - riders have fallen off and been injured. The U.S. Postal Service has bought 40 of the scooters to test. "

September 27, 2003 -- The Jap an Times has reported that "flush with his sweeping victory in the Liberal Democratic Party presidential election, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi vowed Friday to privatize postal services in April 2007. In a speech to kick off the extraordinary Diet session, Koizumi reiterated that a blueprint for privatizing the three services -- mail delivery, postal savings and life insurance -- will be drawn up by next autumn and bills submitted to the Diet in 2005."

September 27, 2003 -- The West ern Producer (Canada) has reported that "the decade-long Liberal moratorium on rural post office closings is effectively over, says a Saskatchewan New Democratic Party MP. But instead of announcing a rural post office closing, Canada Post is now announcing 'amalgamations' in rural Canada."

September 27, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service unveiled the Sickle Cell Disease Awareness commemorative stamp on Thursday evening, Sept. 25, at the 31st annual convention of Sickle Cell Disease Association of America Inc. Hosted by the Sickle Cell Disease Foundation of California, the event was held during the Dorothy Boswell Gala Awards Banquet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills. The Sickle Cell Disease Awareness stamp will be issued in September 2004.

September 26, 2003 -- In a presentation given at the American Enterprise Institute, PostCom President Gene Del Polito said that "any real postal reform is possible until we jettison the anachronistic concepts of 'attributable' and 'institutional' costs. Instead, the concepts such as 'marginal,' 'incremental,' and 'stand-alone' costs should be substituted as an economically more rational alternative."

September 26, 2003 -- According to two Cato Institute scholars, "if the president wants to toss an extra $87 billion at Iraq, he should think about cutting the $90 billion devoted to corporate welfare every year. He should also cut education spending, which has skyrocketed under his watch. Can we really justify billions going to 21st-Century Community Learning Centers or to vocational and adult education? The work of many government employees, among them NASA workers and air traffic controllers, can be privatized, along with federal assets such as land, mineral stockpiles and buildings. The National Endowments for the Humanities and for the Arts should be terminated. The federal government should also sell its defective business operations, including the Postal Service, Amtrak and electric utilities."

September 26, 2003 -- Unisto is showing Post-Expo (Brussels, Belgium) the newest Encrypta products from the recently formed Electronic Seals Division provide sealing, event recording and management information for transport and logistics. Second, the unique Qubis range of padlocks which can be sealed to give absolute control over access. Third, polyethylene envelopes which are individually designed for mail and high security operations.

September 26, 2003 -- Japan Today has reported that "posts minister Taro Aso on Friday criticized a proposal for privatizing Japan's postal services that was put forward last year by an advisory group to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi." See also the Asahi Shimbun.

September 25, 2003 -- Agenzia Giornalistica Italia has reported that "in the second quarter of 2003, the turnover indexes registered, compared to the same period the previous year, a positive variation in three of the economic sectors considered (telecommunications, technology and postal services). The postal services registered an increase in turnover of 1.2 percent, with a slight slowing down compared to the first quarter (a long term variation of +1.9 percent)."

September 25, 2003 -- In comments filed with the Postal Rate Commission with regard to its proposed rules governing the consideration of negotiated service agreements, the Association of Postal Commerce said that "at the outset, it is not entirely clear to us whether this is the appropriate time for the Commission to undertake to establish separate and specific rules -- putatively procedural in character, but carrying evidentiary and therefore substantive consequences -- to govern rate and service agreements. While it is true that Negotiated Service Agreements and their equivalents have long been used in the electric and telecommunications industries, they are of extremely recent origin in the postal context and the Commission's rules are necessarily based on its experience in a single case. There is simply no way to know whether that case turns out to be typical of future 'baseline' cases, whether there is a meaningful difference between 'baseline' cases and 'functionally equivalent' cases, or whether the term 'functionally equivalent' is a fair characterization of an NSA that is modeled on an earlier one."

September 25, 2003 -- Be sure to check out FirstLogic's Mail Automation eNews.

September 25, 2003 -- AllAfrica.com has reported that "the costs of posting letters and renting post boxes are to go up in Namibia from October 1. On average, prices will rise by 10 per cent, NamPost said in a press release yesterday."

September 25, 2003 -- On October 2, the Cato Institute will be holding a half-day seminar on the report of the presidential commission on the future of the Postal Service. Interested parties should contact kbrand@cato.org

September 25, 2003 -- As linkOnline has reported, "When it comes to revenue, the same ol' same ol' isn't going to cut it," says Flushing, NY, Postmaster William Rogers. "If we want new revenue, we have to do some things differently."

September 25, 2003 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "postal workers yesterday announced they would stage a one-day strike in London on Wednesday. They also threatened to carry out action with other unions if their dispute was not settled. The Communication Workers' Union, which wants increased pay weighting in the capital, may co-ordinate future strikes with Unison, the local government union."

September 25, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Deutsche Post AG will maintain existing prices for regular mail and reduce prices for most mass mailings in 2004, the company said Thursday. The price for a standard letter weighing up to 20 grams for European delivery remains at EUR0.55, while the price for non-advertising mass mailings drops to EUR0.40 from EUR0.45. Deutsche Post said its prices ranked seventh in comparison with other European postal services. The U.S. Postal Service charges $0.37 for domestic delivery of letters up to 28.6 grams."

September 25, 2003 -- According to the Asahi Shimbun, Japan "needs specific measures, not propaganda. As president of the Liberal Democratic Party, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi needs to do more than repeat his vows. He must set out specific measures to hasten the reform process and see how voters react in the approaching Lower House election. Koizumi's notion that private sector businesses and local governments should take on what the central government bureaucracy now does is correct, as far as it goes. While any mammoth ship is bound to move slowly, this one is simply too slow. Koizumi has always put privatization of the government-led public highway corporations at the top of his agenda, together with privatizing postal services, but the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport is making sure to fillet any recommendations made by the Promotion Committee for the Privatization of Four Highway-related Public Corporations."

September 25, 2003 -- The Jap an Times has reported that "new home affairs minister Taro Aso expressed skepticism Wednesday over the timetable put forward by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to privatize the postal services entity. Aso, former policy chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, emerged as the head of the Public Management, Home Affairs, Posts and Telecommunications Ministry following the latest Cabinet shakeup. 'Making a law (to privatize the body) is a big deal,' Aso said. 'I wonder if the timetable (Koizumi has put forward) is sufficient to prepare' the envisaged legislation."

September 25, 2003 -- The Czech News Agency has reported that "former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright, current U.S. ambassador to Slovakia Ronald Weiser and Culture Minister Rudolf Chmel are just some of the people who have had the technical section of the Slovak postal service put them on a stamp.In less than a year of instituting this service, the Slovak Postal Service has received thousands of orders for the stamps. Slovakia was the first country in the region to institute such a service."

September 25, 2003 -- The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Keenan, J.) dismissed for lack of jurisdiction claims asserted against John E. Potter, United States Postmaster General, arising out of the clean-up of anthrax contamination by the United States Postal Service (“USPS”) at its Morgan Processing and Distribution Center (“Morgan”). The action was brought by the New York Metro Area Postal Union, APWU, AFL-CIO; its president, William M. Smith; and Dennis O'Neil, a postal worker employed at Morgan.

September 25, 2003 -- The Federal Times has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service plans to request a postage rate increase of at least 10 percent — or about 4 cents — in October 2004, according to the organization’s second-in-charge. John Nolan, the deputy postmaster general, on Sept. 23 told an audience at the National Postal Forum in Kansas City, Mo. that the Postal Service will apply for the rate increase, which he said likely would take effect a year later in October 2005. The next day, postal spokesman Mark Saunders said Nolan misspoke and the rate increase would begin no earlier than January 2006."

September 25, 2003 -- As CNET News has noted, "the U.S. Supreme Court has said that commercial speech such as advertisements and marketing information receives less protection than "core" expression such as political speech. Because California's ant-span law is so restrictive, however, it bans unsolicited commercial communications sent through e-mail that would be perfectly acceptable if sent by way of the U.S. Postal Service. More so than any other state antispam law, the California measure is worded so broadly it is thought to be especially vulnerable to expected legal challenges, either from unapologetic spammers who claim it violates their constitutional rights or from legitimate businesses that claim it interferes with traditional marketing practices."

September 25, 2003 -- Japan Today has reported that "Japan Post's capital stood at 1,260 billion yen as of April 1, when it was launched to take over the Postal Services Agency's three services of mail delivery, postal savings and "kampo" life insurance, officials of the public entity said Thursday. The ratio of capital to its assets came to 0.3%, signifying the fact that the new public corporation is struggling with the excessively small capital."

September 25, 2003 -- According to CNET News, "business and consumer services led the first quarter increase in online-advertising spending, demonstrating that the Net is gaining momentum in capturing the attention of traditional advertisers. Traditional advertisers, which also include everything from clothing retailers to automakers, continue to spend the bulk of their ad dollars on print publications, television and radio. However, the latest results show further signs that they're shifting a larger portion of their ad budgets to Web advertising."

September 25, 2003 -- A copy of "The Expansion of Automatic Letter Processing," by Peter Traber, Head of Technology Development, PostMail, SWISS POST (which was presented at the 15th International Conference on Postal Automation 2003) has been posted on the PostInsight web site.

September 25, 2003 -- The Universal Postal Union (UPU) has reported that "World Post Day is celebrated each year on 9 October, the anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in the Swiss Capital, Bern. The Posts in many countries use the event to introduce or promote new postal products and services. In most countries philatelic exhibitions are organized during this period and special stamps and date cancellation marks are issued on 9 October. Other activities include the display of World Post Day posters in post offices and other public places; open days at post offices, mail centers and postal museums; the holding of conferences, seminars and workshops; as well as cultural, sport and other recreation activities. The UPU in cooperation with UNESCO has, for the past 33 years, organized an International Letter-writing Competition for young people. Most participating Posts use World Post Day to award prizes to the winners of the competition." A message from the Secretary General of the UPU has been posted on the UPU web site.

September 25, 2003 -- The General Services Administration has reported that "the amendment to the Mail Management Interim Regulation will be published in the Federal Register on Monday September 29, 2003. This will be the official notice extending the deadline for agencies to convert to commercial payment. The deadline for agencies to convert to commercial payment will be extended from October 1, 2003 to December 31, 2003. Please contact Mail Communications Policy for more information at 202 208-7663."

September 25, 2003 -- Traffic World has published a directory of logistics service providers.

September 25, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "TPG NV, the Dutch mail, express and logistics company, on Wednesday said it has acquired the Italian print and mail company Full Service. TPG has made the acquisition through its Italian mail subsidiary TPG Post Italia. Full Service offers data processing, printing and outsourcing of data-related services. In 2002, it had revenues of 2.5 million euros ($2.87 million)."

September 25, 2003 -- USPS Service and Market Development V.P. John Wargo received the Postmaster General Leadership Award at the National Postal Forum in Kansas City, MO. PMG Jack Potter praised Wargo for his leadership in building the forum over the past two decades and for "his creativity, his perseverance, his commitment to growing this business, and most of all, his genuine concern for the needs of our customers."

September 25, 2003 -- The International Herald Tribune has reported that "an American ban on foreign airlines picking up and delivering cargo within the country may soon be lifted for flights that stop in Alaska, a move that could be a boon to carriers that depend on Asian routes. . Legislation proposed by Senator Ted Stevens, an Alaska Republican, would let American carriers and their foreign partners transfer global freight at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, a common stop for cargo flights between the United States and Asia."

September 25, 2003 -- Buffalo Business First has reported that "a corporate restructuring will see Buffalo's district office of United Parcel Service merge with its counterpart in Syracuse." Can you imagine what would happen if the Postal Service decided to do something like that?

September 25, 2003 -- According to the Times of India, "spams may force e-mail users back to snail mail."

September 24, 2003 -- MSNBC has reported that "London postal workers will stage a 24-hour walkout on October 1 which is set to cripple the capital's postal service as part of a pay dispute with the Royal Mail, their union announced on Wednesday." See also Business Europe and Th e Independent.

• Nicole Fontaine, the French Minister for Industry responsible for postal communications, recently spoke against a privatisation of La Poste. In an interview with the magazine ‘ouest france’ last week, Ms Fontaine said the post would remain in state ownership.\
• The tendering methods practised by the Norwegian post Posten AS are due to be investigated. Norway’s Audit Office is already investigating accusations that the post had for many years passed contracts worth several billion Norwegian kroner to subsidiary firms without public invitation to tender.
• Erik Olsson, CEO of Sweden’s Posten AB, demands to be given a free hand when it comes to establishing postage rates.
• The German Association of Newspaper Publishers has lodged a complaint with the Federal Cartel Office against a new offer presented by Deutsche Post. The publishers believe that the post’s so-called ‘Purchase Now’ project violates the ground rules of market economy competition.
• Swiss Post International Germany, which operates in Germany on behalf of Schweizerische Post, is attempting to gain more customers through a discount policy. New customers may send their first 100 letters or a maximum of 5 kilos free of charge before 31 December. Campaigning under the kite-mark ‘Swiss Made’, the post is targeting customers wanting to send international mailings and bulk mail.
• The Danish government appears to consider a more rapid market liberalisation than stipulated by the EU.
• United Parcel Service (UPS) is investing 135m USD in a new transhipment centre at the Cologne/Bonn airport in Germany. This represents the largest sum ever invested by UPS outside the USA.

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..

September 24, 2003 -- Ananova (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail has warned the postal workers union it has no mandate for a strike in London and the company has robust plans to deal with industrial action."

September 24, 2003 -- According to one Was hington Post commentator, "in the 159 years since Samuel F.B. Morse strung the first copper cable from Washington to Annapolis Junction, the humble pine pole has taken on ever-increasing responsibility, delivering telephone service, cable television, the Internet and electric power to homes and businesses. As a result, it now takes only a strong gust of wind to bring the capital of the free world to a virtual standstill. What this points up is that all the whining this week by politicians that [local power companies] didn't do enough to prepare for the hurricane is largely beside the point. It conveniently distracts attention from the real problem, which is that politicians themselves failed to take steps to modernize a vital public service. Market economies don't thrive when essential public goods are neglected. We can either pay for those goods directly or try to fool ourselves by paying the cost in the form of lost income and economic growth. One way or another, however, we will pay."

September 24, 2003 -- Le Figaro (France) has reported that "plans by La Poste, the French national postal service operator, to expand its financial services, have met with criticism from the French banking sector."

September 24, 2003 -- According to the Ealing Times (U.K.), "postal union officials will today reveal a list of dates for industrial action in London. The strike action by postal workers is part of pay dispute over the amount of London weighting offered by Royal Mail. The Communication Workers Union will announce the dates at a press conference this afternoon."

September 24, 2003 -- The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that "Gov. Gray Davis has signed a law that prohibits spam in California and penalizes advertisers and others who send unsolicited e-mail messages hawking sexual enhancers, prescriptions and other products. 'This is the toughest bill of its kind in the nation and will hopefully be a model,' said Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Los Angeles, who introduced the bill. E-mail spam differs from postal junk mail because it is the customer who ends up paying for the unwanted message, Murray says. Consumers have to pay for their Internet connection, and unwanted e-mail simply increases the time they have to spend sorting through their mail." Not the best characterization in the world for advertising mail, but at least he's a legislator who appreciates the difference.

September 24, 2003 -- Congresswo man Candice Miller has announced her membership on the bipartisan Special Panel on Postal Reform and Oversight, which will focus on reforming the current postal service. On taking the appointment she said, "the postal service is a $900 billion industry, and whether you are an individual user or a catalogue like Land's End or Time Magazine, postal rates have a huge impact on our economy and our ability to communicate."

September 24, 2003 -- According to Business 2.0, "by converting truck drivers into sales machines and bringing its ground-shipping tech into the 21st century, FedEx is giving UPS a run for its money."

September 24, 2003 -- According to Bloomberg, "Japan aims to put together a basic plan for the privatization of its postal service by autumn next year, the Nihon Keizai newspaper said, citing Minister of Economy and Financial Services Heizo Takenaka."

September 24, 2003 -- The Peninsula (Qatar) has reported that "a law regulating the operations of foreign and local courier firms in Qatar is expected to come into force early next year. A revised postal tarrif for mail will also be enforced around the same time, Ali Mohammad Al Ali, chairman of the General Postal Corporation (Q-Post), said yesterday, the Al Sharq daily reports. Ali said that the draft law on the operations of courier firms is with the Planning Council, which will later send it to other authorities. He said that Qatar was the only GCC state where courier companies were being allowed to function without proper regulations."

September 24, 2003 -- WESH.com has reported that "enough mail to fill two trucks was found in an Orlando apartment Tuesday, and investigators are working to determine how it got there."

September 24, 2003 -- The China Post (Taiwan) has reported that "thousands of Chunghwa Telecom workers and labor union leaders from across the country rallied outside the Legislative Yuan yesterday, demanding the government to halt privatizing public enterprises to fatten business groups. Labor union representatives from Hong Kong, Korea, the United States and Australia addressed the rally in support of the CTWU's campaign against privatization. The UNI has over 50 million members from 1,000-plus labor unions in telecom, postal, banking and finance sectors worldwide, including the CTWU.

September 24, 2003 -- icWales has reported that "the threat of industrial action by postal workers in London came a step nearer when union leaders drew up plans for strikes in a dispute over pay. The Communication Workers Union is expected to announce the dates for walkouts, which will cripple mail deliveries in the capital and have a knock-on effect across the country." See also the BBC and The Telegraph.

September 24, 2003 -- The Board of Governors of the U.S. Postal Service will conduct its monthly meeting in Wilmington, DE, at the Hotel DuPont, 11th & Market Streets, on Thursday, Oct. 2, and Friday, Oct. 3. While the Thursday meeting is in closed session, the public is welcome to observe Friday morning's open session that is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.

September 23, 2003 -- Business Line (India) has reported that "the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) will try to involve the post office network in Tamil Nadu to expand the self-help group (SHG) scheme, according to Mr C.R. Patnaik, Chief General Manager, Nabard Regional Office, Tamil Nadu. NGOs and commercial bank branches were involved, and post offices with their wide network covering every village were an ideal choice. The programme is in its initial stage and discussions have been initiated with the Chief Postmaster-General."

September 23, 2003 -- UPS< /a> has unveiled a dramatic new technology system that will improve customer service and provide greater internal efficiency, including simplification of work and training. The suite of package flow technologies includes software, hardware and process changes. Together with the next-generation wireless computer for UPS drivers and cutting-edge wireless scanners worn by employees, the company’s broad high-tech platform is expanding to deliver customized solutions for UPS customers and even more reliable service.

September 23, 2003 -- According to postal commentator Gene Del Polito, "the quickest and surest way of turning the corner to a better postal future would be to push as hard as possible for the enactment of postal legislative reform--one that would combine the best elements of the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission on the Postal Service and the proposals that already have been laid out by several key players in Congress. Unfortunately, simply 'wishing' is not enough to make postal reform a reality. Indeed, if it is to happen at all, our industry must be willing to shoulder the burden of educating an otherwise ill-informed and disinterested Congress on the benefits of postal legislative reform."

September 23, 2003 -- The Postal Service's chief operating officer, Patrick Donahoe, has told a delegation of PostCom members at the National Postal Forum that he would like them to join in a commitment to get a multi-class service performance measurement system up and running by fall 2004.

September 23, 2003 -- According to Edwin Feulner of the Heritage Foundation, "there are some things that can be done only by the government. Delivering mail is not one of those things. Private carriers are more efficient, more dependable and could do the same job for less money, if we’ll let them. That’s why it’s time for the taxpayers to deliver a message to Congress about the post office: Privatize—and start competing."

September 23, 2003 -- Di rect has reported that "Massachusetts residents will be signing up on a do-not-mail list soon if State Rep. Susan Pope (R-Wayland) has her way. The bill, introduced by Pope and scheduled to be heard next week at the Statehouse, would let people add their names to the list by checking a box on their annual tax returns. The do-not-mail list would apply to unsolicited mailings to generate new customers or new donors for a charity. Catalogers or businesses would be required to send postcards to customers they have not heard from in two years. If the postcard is not sent back requesting mailings, the marketer would have to stop mailing. Violators could face penalties up to $5,000."

September 23, 2003 -- DM News has reported that "Canada Post Corp. hired Wunderman Canada, Toronto, as its direct marketing agency in an overhaul of its advertising vendors as part of a new $75 million marketing push over three years. The Ottawa-based postal service also named Publicis for general advertising and its Publicis Dialog sibling's Capital C division for sales promotions. Blitz, Montreal, will handle direct marketing in Quebec, an important French-speaking market for government."

September 23, 2003 -- The Ass ociated Press has reported that "the Bush administration wants $100 million for an Iraqi witness protection program, $290 million to hire, train and house thousands of firefighters, $9 million to modernize the postal service, including establishment of ZIP codes."

September 23, 2003 -- According to the Daily Yomiuri (Japan), "the structural reforms, including the privatization of postal services, that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has touted since he became president of the Liberal Democratic Party in April 2001 have produced few tangible results. In regard to the reforms, there is still much to be done."

September 23, 2003 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "TNT Express is reviewing how it will re-structure its US distribution network when its present contract with Airborne Express comes to an end next year. Airborne has recently been acquired by rival Deutsche Post for $1.05bn and inevitably TNT is now seeking other ways in which it can serve the US market from Europe and Asia Pacific other than through its competitor. TNT has its own existing network on both the east and west coasts of the US and Airborne’s role has been to service the rest of the country. Although it has not ruled out building on its own operations, it is understood that the company is already looking at potential partners in the market. The options for the company include either choosing a single partner or developing a solution based on a number of regional operators."

September 23, 2003 -- Siemens Dematic announced at the National Postal Forum the U.S. Postal Service has awarded the company a $127M fixed price contract for the Automated Tray Handling System (ATHS-100), an enhancement to the Automated Flats Sorting Machine (AFSM-100) program. The base contract (Phase I) will consist of 350 systems installed at 137 sites around the country with production deployment beginning in October 2004.

September 23, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "FedEx Supply Chain Services Inc. announced Monday that it has launched a new integrated technology platform to serve customers using the supply-chain capabilities of FedEx. The FedEx Corp. subsidiary developed the platform in conjunction with Cap Gemini Ernst & Young U.S. LLC, a provider of consulting, technology and outsourcing services. FedEx said the platform provides seamless connectivity to FedEx fulfillment and transportation-management services."

September 22, 2003 - Postmaster General Jack Potter stressed that USPS and mailers need to work together to move the Postal Service forward in the 21st century. Potter said USPS efforts at improving service and cutting costs paid off during Fiscal Year 2003. Service for overnight First-Class Mail, as measured by EXFC, has hit a record-breaking 95% for the past two quarters. Potter told attendees USPS is $1.2 billion under budget in non-personnel costs. On postal reform, he praised the entire mailing industry for supporting the effort that led to CSRS reform legislation. The legislative change will save the Postal Service billions that otherwise would've resulted in overpayment into the Civil Service Retirement System.

September 22, 2003 -- The latest in a continuing series of excellent texts on postal regulatory economics, "Competitive Transformation of the Postal and Delivery Sector" edited by Michael A. Crew of the Center for Research in Regulated Industries (CRRI) Graduate School of Management Rutgers University Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A. and Paul R. Kleindorfer of the Risk Management and Decision Process Center The Wharton School University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.  has been published by Kluwer Academic Publishers. You can learn more about this book on the CRRI web site. The Center also has issued its call for papers for the 12th Conference on Postal and Delivery Economics which will be held on June 2-5, 2004 at the Jurys Hotel, Cork Ireland. Interested parties should know that abstracts are due by December 20, 2003.

September 22, 2003 -- African news sources have reported that "the South African Post Office (SAPO) says it is has made tremendous progress on transformation and is committed to break even by March 2004. SAPO Chief Executive Officer Maanda Manyatshe told Parliament yesterday that over the past three years, remarkable progress had been made in the transformation process of the Post Office."

September 22, 2003 -- Firstlogic, Inc., a global provider of enterprise information quality and postal automation solutions, has announced the schedule for iSummit 2003, the company's second annual online conference. iSummit 2003 offers over 25 interactive sessions with leading authorities on the subjects of improving mail efficiencies, business intelligence, customer relationship management (CRM) and data warehousing. The free online conference series kicks off Oct. 1 with a panel discussion on "Information Quality Best Practices featuring Dr. Claudia Imhoff, noted business intelligence author and founder of Intelligent Solutions, Inc., James Ruan, a leading expert in information quality practices for PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Frank Dravis, vice president of Information Quality at Firstlogic. On Oct. 2 a second panel discussion featuring industry USPS representative Tom Mazzei, and industry leaders Joe Lubenow (Lubenow & Associates), Anita Pursley, (Quebecor World), and Christopher Lien (Firstlogic's Postal Market Director) will discuss how USPS transformation is changing the landscape of direct marketing.

September 22, 2003 -- Traffic World has reported that "the hearing on the corporate citizenship of AStar Air Cargo is off the fast track. Department of Transportation Administrative Law Judge Burton S. Kolko has pushed aside a Sept. 19 deadline for concluding the hearing and took a break from the case last week while waiting for DHL Worldwide Express and DHL Holdings to produce subpoenaed documents."

September 22, 2003 -- According to B usiness Week, Deutsche Post, "Europe's express-delivery king is going after the U.S. market."

September 22, 2003 -- Asahi Shimbun (Japan) has reported that "Japan Post's furusato hometown parcel service, which sells and distributes specialty goods particular to various regions of the nation, is gradually being introduced in other parts of Asia. The postal services corporation, which is looking to increase the amount of overseas business its Express Mail Service handles, has already inked deals with counterparts in South Korea and China, and intends to expand further into Asia. Japan Post and Korea Post set up a Web site in Japanese, Hangul and English in April to promote the International Furusato Parcels products of both nations."

September 22, 2003 -- DeHavilland (U.K.) has reported that "postal union negotiators meet today with Royal Mail representatives to discuss plans for a strike in London. The impasse surrounds postal workers' pay deal and the London weighting."

September 22, 2003 -- American Shipper has reported that while "Russian Customs generally prefers to develop information technology from within, it’s not averse to looking to the private sector for help. The agency recently asked New Jersey-based firm, AmeRussia Shipping Co., to initiate a program to pre-clear imports from certain approved American shippers."

September 22, 2003 -- According to The Express (U.K.), "leaders of the postal workers union will meet to decide their next move in the wake of the surprise rejection of industrial action over pay by thousands of Royal Mail employees."

September 22, 2003 -- The Arizona Republic has reported that "it's no wonder Scottsdale residents dread going to the post office. Like other Valley cities, the U.S. Postal Service workforce in Scottsdale is not keeping up with the city's rapid population growth, according to a Scottsdale Republic review of post office data and census figures."

September 22, 2003 -- The BBC News has reported that "hundreds of postal workers in Oxford are holding an unofficial strike action in a dispute over pay and conditions."

September 22, 2003 -- Vang uard has reported that "the Post-master General of the Federation, Alhaji Abubakar Musa Argungu, has said the Nigerian Postal Services (NIPOST) will be self-reliance by the year 2006 just as he announced measures to checkmate mail pilfering in the country."

September 22, 2003 -- HiPakistan.com has reported that "Japan’s Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who began a fresh three-year term as ruling party president on Saturday, has used his popular appeal to overcome factional politics instead of relying on allegiances sealed in back-room deals. The 61-year-old Koizumi was comfortably returned as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has the power to nominate the country’s premier because of its dominance in parliament. With the party victory under his belt, Koizumi is back to work on his two and a half year-old reform drive, notably his long-cherished goal of privatising the mail, postal savings and postal life insurance services."

September 21, 2003 -- A commentator for the Canton Repository has written that "once again, there is talk of doing away with the U.S. Postal Service and letting private firms take over the business of delivering our mail. I hope that day never comes. The argument is that the Postal Service is bloated and inefficient. The postage rates keep going up while service keeps going down. Critics say that private industry could deliver our mail cheaper and faster. Well, call me a skeptic."

September 21, 2003 -- The Telegraph (U.K.) has reported that by "drawing heavily on his experience of improving staff morale at Asda, where he was chief executive, Leighton has made a monumental effort to wipe out the Us-and-Them culture that has blighted the Royal Mail since the dark days of the early 1970s, when the late Sir Tom Jackson led the first national postal strike and all but bankrupted his union in doing so. By aligning himself with the workers (but not the union leaders), Leighton has bought the company some time. Privately, he accepts that levels of pay are embarrassingly low (the average basic weekly wage is still under £300), but he insists that the only way this can be improved is by making the Royal Mail more efficient and returning it to profit."

September 21, 2003 -- Ta sley Eastern Shore News has reported that "a New York woman who leads a group dedicated to keeping rural post offices open does not think the U.S. Postal Service is treating Seaview postal customers fairly. Betty Eickler, co-chair of the Committee for the Preservation of Historic Universal Postal Services, said Friday that the rural seaside community was being treated 'very unfair."

September 21, 2003 -- Air Cargo World has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service will sharply curtail use of private air cargo airlines for annual and lucrative delivery of Christmas season mail this year, costing domestic freighter operators millions of dollars in highly-sought flight contract. The decision, extending a dramatic revamp of the USPS's management of transport operations, effectively ends the so-called 'C-Net' - for Christmas Network - system that has funneled huge volumes of greeting cards, parcels and very profitable revenue to a handful of domestic airlines. 'We are going to diminish our use of the C-Net significantly and rely instead on FedEx and greater use of ground transportation,' said USPS spokesman Mark Saunders. 'Customer service will not be impacted.'"

September 21, 2003 -- Lu's News and Views (a postal employee web site) is carrying the story that "John M. McGovern, Jr., a member of the North Jersey Area Local filed a lawsuit on September 11, 2003 in U.S. District Court against APWU. McGovern is seeking access to APWU books, records and documents necessary to verify the accuracy of Annual Financial Reports ( LM-2) submitted to Dept. of Labor in the years 1995 through 2001 In a letter addressed to National APWU Secretary-Treasurer Robert Tunstall, dated December 11, 2002, McGovern alleges, "I have recently examined copies of the LM-2's {financial documents filed by labor unions with the Department of Labor} of the American Postal Workers Union [the 'APWU'] for the years 1995 through 2001. It appears that, upon their face, these LM-2 Reports of the APWU are NOT accurate and correct." (note: McGovern was an unsuccessful candidate for National APWU President in the years 1998 & 2001)."

September 20, 2003 -- El Pais (Spain) has reported that "Correos, the Spanish post office, has bought 921,405 euros worth of new computer equipment from Iecisa, subsidiary of Spanish department store group El Corte Ingles. Correos has announced that the purchases will replace existing equipment in 440 offices."

September 20, 2003 -- The Malta Business Weekly has reported that "the Malta Communications Authority (MCA) last week published its report on the outcomes of the consultation process on the introduction of a new regulatory regime for the postal sector."

September 19, 2003 -- The Wilmington News Journal has reported that "for the first time since ABX Air became a publicly held company as result of the Aug. 14 acquisition of Airborne Express’ ground operations by German shipper DHL, the airline’s leader visited with the nation’s investment community Thursday. DHL-Airborne will likely remain ABX Air’s largest customer “for a long time,” but added the airline will aggressively seek third-party business by handling cargo for other shippers, selling excess capacity to the United States Postal Service and expanding its maintenance and flight training services."

September 19, 2003 -- TNT Express, the express arm of TNT Post Group, the $13 billion Netherlands-based express, logistics and mail group, today announced that it has combined its U.S. and Canadian capabilities to create a North American organization. Headquartered in Melville, NY, TNT North America will be led by Curtis Watson, President and supported by six Regional Vice Presidents. The appointees are Mary LaPonte, Regional Vice President of General Services & Compliance; Matt McDonough, Regional Vice President of Operations; Shawn McMahon, Regional Vice President of Finance & Administration; Mark O'Dell, Regional Vice President of IT and Communications; Peter Reed, Regional Vice President of Sales & Marketing; and Joe Schaffer, Regional Vice President of Human Resources.

September 19, 2003 -- Computer Weekly (U.K.) has reported that "a deal to outsource the management of Royal Mail's online platforms to IT services group Sapient has helped to reduce losses to £611m this year, the organisation said this week."

September 19, 2003 -- The Times (U.K.) has reported that "the Royal Mail is considering legal action against a far-Right party in Italy that plans to sell British stamps bearing the face of its leader next to the Queen’s head. To the embarrassment of the Post Office, the Northern League, a populist right-wing party in Italy’s coalition Government, announced that it was to sell Royal Mail stamps bearing not only the head of the Queen but also the face of Umberto Bossi, its leader. The Northern League, which campaigns for a breakaway north Italian state called 'Padania', had used a Royal Mail service that allows customers to customise stamps, and ordered a batch bearing the image of Signor Bossi. The service, known as “Smilers”, was intended as a novelty to allow customers to put pictures of their children or pets on stamps to brighten up greetings cards. The first-class “Bossi” stamps are not valid in Italy but can be used on letters sent within or from Britain."

September 19, 2003 -- As the Daily Mail (U.K.) has noted in an editorial, "had [postal workers] heeded their union and voted for a strike, it would certainly have spelled disaster for a service Britain has enjoyed for more than 150 years. They deserve all credit for their realism. The once proud and profitable Post Office last year recorded a loss of pounds 611m. It is a business that is continuing to lose customer confidence, while privatised overseas competitors fall over themselves in the scramble to muscle in."

September 19, 2003 -- The Australian Broadcasting Corporation has reported that "home delivery of mail has come a step closer on Saipan in the Northern Mariana islands. Workers started putting up street name signs last week. Some 2,000 are now in place, and 400 will follow. Lack of signs was a problem, particularly for visitors who will no longer need to ask for as many directions. Acting Governor, Diego Benavente also says street signs will help in the government's plan to introduce home mail delivery. Northern Marianas residents rely on Post Office Box mailing adresses, and there is only one Postal Service Station on Saipan where they can send and collect mail."

September 19, 2003 -- The Louisville Courier-Journal has reported that "FedEx may be known for its ability to fly packages across the country overnight, but trucks may be the company's future. The shipping conglomerate increasingly is turning to its FedEx Ground subsidiary to continue the battle against United Parcel Service for the country's shipping market, and it is beginning to turn the tide, thanks in part to its aggressive expansion plans."

September 19, 2003 -- Re uters has reported that "the Dutch Finance Ministry said on Friday that the state retains its "golden share" in Dutch telecoms group KPN and has no plans to surrender this soon. Finance Ministry spokesman William Lelieveldt said that the proceeds from the sale of a 12 percent stake in KPN, estimated to be about two billion euros, would go into a state fund for infrastructure spending on projects like roads. Lelieveldt declined comment on whether the Dutch government also plans to reduce its around 30 percent stake in postal group TPG.

September 19, 2003 -- The Financial Times has reported that "among those quietly celebrating the surprise defeat of union militants at the Royal Mail is John Keggie, a moderate leader of the Communication Workers Union who was ousted by the hard left in May. Dave Ward, his successor as deputy general secretary and head of the union's mail division, swept to power claiming to speak for a disgruntled majority among the union's 164,000 postal workers who were willing to strike rather than accept management restructuring plans."

September 18, 2003 -- Backstage.com has reported that "the board of governors of the U.S. Postal Service, acting in tandem with the U.S. Postmaster General, has endorsed new regulations to dismantle the 'cooperative mailing' rules which govern mailing rates for not-for-profit fundraising. Commercial fundraisers who work on behalf of nonprofit groups will now be able to reap the benefits of rates that are up to 10 cents less per parcel than first-class."

September 18, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service will have its Flats Communications Website up and running  by September 19. The site is reached by going to the "RIBBS" bulletin board (http://ribbs.usps.gov) and then clicking on the "Corporate Flats Strategy" title on the left side-bar. The site will include: * The U. S. Postal Service's Corporate Automation Strategy Document * Frequently Asked Questions (about FSS & DPP) * PowerPoint Presentations (concerning FSS & DPP) * Upcoming Events/Conferences - effecting flats mailers. If you have any questions or need any additional information, please contact Franco Spencer at 703-292-3855 or via email at fspencer@usps.gov.

September 18, 2003 -- DM News has reported that "postal reform is urgent but time remains for Congress, labor and postal management to design the solutions that will make the U.S. Postal Service viable for the next two decades, a member of the presidential reform commission told lawmakers yesterday." See also GovExec.com.

September 18, 2003 -- The New Zealand Herald has reported that "state-owned mail agency New Zealand Post announced a 24 per cent rise in after-tax profit to $27.1 million for the year ended June 30. NZ Post was facing a trend of declining domestic mail volumes -- by about 1 per cent annually -- but had seen a growth in business mail volumes. The growth in business mail volumes was driven largely by retail, finance and utility companies using mail as a communications tool with customers. "

September 18, 2003 -- HR Gateway (U.K.) has noted that British "postal workers voted to avoid national strike action by the narrowest of margins, while the English capital could face postal strikes over London Weighting levels."

September 18, 2003 -- The Daily Yomiuri has reported that "the privatization of the three postal services and the four road-related public corporations--two core goals of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's much-touted structural reforms--is certain to raise objections from many Liberal Democratic Party members, even if he is reelected as LDP president, observers said."

September 18, 2003 -- American Postal Workers Union (APWU) President William Burrus told his members that "the presentation by James A. Johnson, co-chair of the President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service confirms that the commission report...was fundamentally dishonest, purporting to represent progressive and modest reform when in fact it recommends radical change that would seriously erode service to the American public. The American Postal Workers Union continues to object to any changes that would result in the closing of plants and small offices serving rural America; that encourage contracting out and worksharing at a cost greater than when the work is performed by postal employees, and that empowers a politically appointed regulatory board with the authority to modify universal rates, the mail monopoly, universal service and employee wages."

September 18, 2003 -- NALC President William H. Young praised the coalition representing major corporate mailers for its outspoken opposition to a recommendation by the President's Commission on the Postal Service to impose wage caps on current and future postal employees. In the most recent issue of NALC's Postal Record, Young told his members that "the President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service launched a direct attack on the pay, benefits and collective bargaining rights of letter carriers, far exceeding any steps needed to reform the agency to meet the challenges of the Internet age."

September 18, 2003 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that:

• The failure of attempts to launch a nationwide postal strike is a victory for the unconventional management style of Allan Leighton, who showered employees with personal letters and posters in an attempt to appeal to the workforce over the heads of union leaders. Breaking with the company's traditional industrial relations practices, the Royal Mail chairman cultivated a high profile and toured sorting offices in a manner more reminiscent of a tub-thumping politician than a public sector manager. The upshot is that Royal Mail has now cleared the main obstacle to its efforts to get into the black - before the strike threat it was forecasting an operating profit of more than £100m - and the company can drive forward its modernisation strategy knowing that the union has already shot its bolt.
• Postal workers snubbed union leaders' calls for a national strike mandate on Wednesday, in an unexpected victory for the Royal Mail that challenged perceptions that Britain is entering a new age of industrial militancy.

September 18, 2003 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "in an embarrassing reverse for union leaders, members of the communication workers union (CWU) voted by a majority of fewer than 2,000 against staging a series of walkouts. The outcome of the national ballot surprised and delighted Royal Mail executives who had warned that the troubled state-owned organisation faced losses of £20m a day if the strikes went ahead."

September 17, 2003 -- The co-chairman of the Presidential Commission on the Postal Service testified today before the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee on his commission's report. A copy of his testimony has been posted on the committee's web site.

September 17, 2003 -- Ey efortransport.com has reported that "UPS is seeking to make use of potential business opportunities in the Southeast Asian markets."

September 17, 2003 -- The Evening Standard (U.K.) has reported that "the threat of a national postal strike ended today when Royal Mail workers narrowly rejected taking industrial action over pay."

September 17, 2003 -- If you're looking to find out "Who's on first" as far as the U.K.'s postal strike threat is concerned, be sure to check out the overview provided by The Times (U.K.).

September 17, 2003 -- FedEx has reported a first-quarter profit that handily beat analysts' consensus, and left its outlook for the full year intact.

September 17, 2003 -- Handelsblatt has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, has indicated that it is not fundamentally opposed to plans by the EU to impose VAT on stamps with the planned deregulation of the EU postal market in 2009. The company has not yet decided whether it will increase prices when VAT is introduced."

September 17, 2003 -- Expansion has reported that "Spanish tobacconists have threatened to stop selling stamps unless Correos, the Spanish post office, provides it with vending machines."

September 17, 2003 -- The Hindu (India) has reported that "Union Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology S Thirunavukkarasar launched the country's first Postal Packing material and the Bill Mail services here today."

September 17, 2003 -- G lobes Online (Israel) has reported that "Postal rates will go up 12% on January 1, 2004, when the Israel Postal Authority is converted into a government company. The cabinet made the decision on Monday, when it approved the establishment of the post office as a limited partnership company and the opening of the market to competition. VAT on postal services accounts for five-sixths of the 12% raise. One-sixth of the raise is based on recommendations by McKinsey and Co. The Ministry of Communications commissioned McKinsey to examine the situation of the Postal Authority, the opening of the market to competition, and converting the Postal Authority into a company."

September 17, 2003 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• Johnny Thijs, CEO of Belgium’s La Poste, intends to turn the post into a competitive company by 2006 at the latest.
• In Spain the socialist trade union UGT in Catalonia has protested against the post Correos' plan to introduce its new logo in Castilian only.
• In Germany, private postal service providers are allowed to use the term 'post' in their name. The Patent and Brands Office in Munich decided accordingly last week, after Deutsche Post had lodged an objection to the brand TPG Post Deutschland being introduced in Germany.
• Rumours concerning a possible sale of Royal Mail's European parcel holding company GLS had been cleared out of the way. Royal Mail is satisfied with the way the subsidiary was developing.
• For the first time the French La Poste’s European parcel network DPD now offers an international c.o.d. service.
• New York is the uncontested world capital of bicycle couriers. According to the International Federation of Bike Messenger Associations, 2,000 bikers work for around 400 courier firms in the Big Apple.

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..

September 17, 2003 -- According to the Jamaica Gleaner, "the island's postal service continues to face serious problems despite the attempts over the past five years to reform its management structure and operations."

September 17, 2003 -- As the BBC has noted, "Allan Leighton was personally appointed by the prime minister early last year, to turn around the loss-making Royal Mail. The 50-year-old, who is now grappling with the threat of the first national postal strike in seven years, is considered one of the top businessmen in the UK."

September 17, 2003 -- According to the Cybercast News Service, "If I tell you, "The check's in the mail," you probably won't look for it any time soon -- if at all. But if I tell you I've sent the check via FedEx, you'll probably plan a trip to the bank. We know we can count on private services like FedEx and United Parcel Service to deliver on time. If they didn't, they'd go out of business. And we also know -- many of us from bitter experience -- that we always can't count on the post office. That's because the post office is a government-protected monopoly; 19th century laws make it illegal for anyone else to deliver letters. It's also exempt from state and federal taxes and free from most government regulations. That combination is a recipe for disaster."

September 17, 2003 -- The Croydon Advertiser (U.K.) has reported that "figures published by [postal] watchdogs last week showed a wide gulf in the speed of delivery between neighbouring parts of the borough. Our survey produced a 100 per cent success rate, a first-class performance by the Royal Mail. The result appears to back its claim that things may not quite as bad as Postwatch suggested."

September 17, 2003 -- On Tuesday evening, September 16, the House of Representatives approved, by an overwhelming 426-0 majority, the Postmaster Equity Act for final White House action. The House was required to pass the Postmasters Equity Act for a second time because, although the text of H.R. 2249 and S. 678 were identical, it is required that a bill sent to the President must have one bill number. House sponsor, John McHugh (R-NY), and Senate sponsor Daniel Akaka (D-HI) agreed that the President would receive the bill that bore the Senate number, S. 678, for his signature. Upon receipt of S. 678, President Bush has ten days (excluding Sunday) to either sign the bill into law, or veto the bill. S. 678 would automatically become law if the President neither signs, nor vetoes it. NAPUS President Wally Olihovik declared upon learning of final Congressional action, "With remarkable bipartisan support, the Postmaster Equity Act has departed Capitol Hill and is arriving at the desk of our President. I am confident that President Bush will join hands with his postmasters and sign into law this important piece of legislation."

September 17, 2003 -- KCRA-TV told its viewers that "identity theft is the fasting-growing crime in the nation, according to officials. Now, the federal government is ready to teach Americans how to protect themselves. Authorities say the most common tool used in identity theft is a mailbox. With that in mind, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is teaming with a wide range of agencies to launch a new campaign called 'Operation Identity Crisis.' The U.S. Postal Service does more than deliver mail. Its inspectors also send suspects accused of identity theft to jail. And now, they're using the money seized in investigations to fight the crime."

September 17, 2003 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "talks to prevent the first national strike by postal workers for seven years continued in London last night, with both sides knowing the first walkout could be as little as a week away." See also the Washi ngton Times and The Times, and the BBC.

September 17, 2003 -- Transport Intelligence has reported that "the failure of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks in Cancun, Mexico will have serious repercussions for the development of global supply chains. This in turn will hinder the growth prospects for all logistics suppliers which are presently building worldwide infrastructure. The talks, which ended without resolution, foundered on the inability of the developed trade blocs, namely USA and the European Union, to find common ground with a group of developing nations, including Brazil, India, China, Turkey and South Africa. The major sticking point was the reform of farm subsidies (such as the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy) although other contentious issues included the levels of competition and investment by Western companies in developing nations."

September 17, 2003 -- According to American Printer, "as printers fight for customers in a crowded market, more are turning to mailing and fulfillment as a natural extension of their services."

September 17, 2003 -- Law enforcement agencies have united in the fight against cross-border fraud. The Competition Bureau, along with Alberta Government Services, RCMP "K" Division, the Calgary Police Service, the Edmonton Police Service, the United States Federal Trade Commission and the United States Postal Inspection Services, today announced the creation of the Alberta Partnership Against Cross-Border Fraud. The purpose of this joint venture is to coordinate law enforcement activities among the parties, identify fraudulent, deceptive and misleading marketing practices with an Alberta connection, facilitate information sharing among the parties and support each other's law enforcement actions against people and companies that engage in various types of deceptive marketing practices.

September 17, 2003 -- The Sacramento Bee has reported that "the regional office of the Better Business Bureau is alerting auto dealers throughout Northern California of a scam to collect money through a mailing that resembles notices sent from state government offices in Sacramento. BBB officials said an organization calling itself the California Motor Vehicle Dealers Bureau has mailed 'what could be mistakenly taken as an official government notice' to some Northern California new-and used-car dealerships. The BBB said the mailing looks similar to notices sent by the state Department of Motor Vehicles. The BBB said the fraudulent mailings are marked 'Final Collection Notice,' but small print on the statements says the recipient is 'under no obligation to make payment.' The statements refer to a prior balance being paid, but they also show that 'current charges' of $63.50 are due."

September 17, 2003 -- InternetNews.com has reported that "Bank One is partnering with the US Postal Inspection Service and other government entities for a new national crime prevention campaign to raise awareness among business and consumers facing the specter of identity theft."

September 17, 2003 -- The Wichita Eagle has noted that "ABX management is introducing itself to industry analysts on Thursday as the company begins operations as an independent entity."

September 17, 2003 -- Ananova (U.K.) has reported that "last-ditch talks aimed at averting the first national mail strike for seven years were adjourned tonight - just hours away from a crucial ballot result. Negotiations between the Communication Workers Union and Royal Mail managers broke up at conciliation service Acas without any sign of agreement. Postal workers across the country are currently awaiting the result of the vote - expected to be announced by the CWU tomorrow - which could see walkouts begin as early as next week. The union has balloted 160,000 workers on whether to strike in protest at an offer said by Royal Mail to be worth 14.5% but linked to productivity."

September 17, 2003 -- RSA Security Inc. has offered its support for Operation: Identity Crisis, a new U.S. Postal Inspection Service campaign to help the general public guard themselves against identity theft. In addition, RSA Security, a founding member of The Coalition on Online Identity Theft, has outlined its perspective on the actions individuals and organizations should take in order to prevent identity theft in the online world.

September 16, 2003 -- Key mail products and services available from the U.S. Postal Service are targeted specifically to the priorities and needs of small and home-based businesses. Many tools available to help small businesses attract, fulfill, retain and grow their enterprises can be found conveniently at local post offices or on the Internet at www.usps.com.

September 16, 2003 -- Flightstar Aircraft Services, Inc. has announced that it was recently awarded a program to convert ten B727-200 aircraft, owned by BATA, LLC - a joint venture between Boeing Capital Corp. and ATA Holdings Corp., from passenger to freighter configuration. The ten aircraft will be operated by ASTAR Air Cargo. Earlier this year, Flightstar completed conversions for four B727 aircraft also being operated by ASTAR Air Cargo."

September 16, 2003 -- Corpor ateLocation.com has reported that "DHL will move most of its IT activities from the UK and Switzerland to the Czech Republic."

September 16, 2003 -- Haaretz.com (Israel) has reported that "Workers at the National Insurance Institute and Postal Authority will begin a series of open-ended sanctions as a prelude to a general strike, while port workers are continuing the sanctions they launched on Sunday. Post office workers will start sanctions in protest of the government's decision to turn the authority into a government corporation as of 2004. Post office branches will close at 2:30 P.M. every day."

September 16, 2003 -- The Business Times (Singapore) has reported that "FedEx Express will add 13 weekly flights through Hong Kong after being granted US regulator approval, the air express group announced yesterday."

September 16, 2003 -- Major European logistics systems company INFORM has launched in the UK making some of the world's most advanced 'Intelligent Decision Support' software directly available to UK industry. INFORM's pioneering optimisation technology, which improves productivity and reduces costs without compromising customer service, is used by companies such as BMW, Bosch, British Airways, Siemens and Swiss Postal Services.

September 16, 2003 -- The Belfast Telegraph (U.K.) has reported that "the result of a UK-wide strike ballot by Royal Mail workers to be announced tomorrow could force Northern Ireland postmen into a strike against their wishes."

September 16, 2003 -- A report of the August teleconference of the UPU's Direct Mail Advisory Board has been posted on this site.

September 16, 2003 -- China News has reported that "several of China's largest publishing and distributing giants have joined hands in investing in Xinhua Publications Distribution Group Corp, which was officially founded on Friday in Beijing. Partner companies include Xinhua General Bookstore, one of China's largest book wholesalers, and China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corp. Both companies are members of the China Publishing Group. The State Postal Bureau, another partner of the new Xinhua Publications Distribution Group Corp, has taken the lion's share in newspaper and magazine distribution in China and has established a gigantic distribution network across the country. The new company is viewed as China's answer to the fierce competition likely to come in the industry."

September 16, 2003 -- KARE-TV has reported that "the crime of identity theft has become a huge problem for many Americans. Last year alone, 9.9 million Americans were victimized, costing $5 billion. Now, the people charged with protecting the nation’s mail system are leading the fight against our fastest growing crime. Tuesday, U.S. postal inspectors will launch a massive campaign, intended to teach each of us how to protect ourselves from thieves. Some say, help couldn’t come fast enough."

September 16, 2003 -- Family News In Focus has reported that "you may soon see an increase in charity solicitations in your mailbox. The U.S. Postal Service is changing rules to allow fund-raising companies to partner with nonprofit organizations. Charities already use the mail to raise funds — but this change is sure to increase the number of requests stuffed into your mailbox. Neal Denton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Nonprofit Mailers, said it will become difficult to tell valid letters from rip-offs."

September 16, 2003 -- The W all Street Journal has noted that "making Europe more competitive is one of the European Union's top priorities; subsidy control is one of the most effective ways of getting there. Subsidy control in the EU rests on three "pillars:" recognition that subsidies tend to distort competition and commerce between our member states; an obligation on the part of EU member states to inform the European Commission -- the union's antitrust watchdog -- of any planned subsidies; and most importantly, the need for commission approval before any subsidy can be paid. Postal services remain highly regulated but the commission stands prepared to intervene when it finds that state subsidies are funding postal incumbents' below-cost pricing strategies that foreclose competition. In the case of Deutsche Post our policy against state-funded below-cost pricing has done much to open postal markets. When it comes to opening up public-utility markets, America acknowledges that Europe's subsidy control is on the cutting edge."

September 16, 2003 -- Eyefortransport.com has reported that "Japan Post President Masaharu Ikuta said he would not get involved in a debate over privatising the postal service, while emphasizing that they should continue to provide unified postal services nationwide."

September 16, 2003 -- Computer Troubleshooters USA Inc., an onsite computer service franchise that caters to small businesses, has partnered with PostalAnnex+, the nation's third largest postal service company with 270 franchises, it was recently announced. Computer Troubleshooters USA, which has more than 100 U.S. franchisees, specializes in providing services to small businesses - companies with up to50 computer systems. The four-year-old company provides a full range of computer services, including repair, networking and upgrading, at the customer's location. Under the partnership, customers with computer problems can drop their computer off at a participating PostalAnnex and a local Computer Troubleshooters franchisee will perform the services required. Also, PostalAnnex franchisees will receive a 20 percent discount on Computer Troubleshooters services.

September 16, 2003 -- CC3, a  national provider of both traditional and online direct marketing services, announced today that it will open a new 95,000-square-foot production facility in Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX, to meet the growing needs of its clients and extend its services to the Central region of the United States. The new CC3 Central facility expands the company's national production capacity to 700,000 square feet and enables CC3 to produce and distribute up to three billion pieces of mail annually.

September 15, 2003 -- The ranking minority committee members of the House and Senate committees charged with postal jurisdiction have written to Postmaster General Jack Potter "to urge you to reconsider the Postal Service's proposed change to the cooperative mailing rule. We are deeply concerned that the change proposed by the Postal Service would open the door again to...abuses. We are not opposed to reasonable changes in the cooperative mail rule. However, we are opposed to a return to an era of abuses of the nonprofit mail rate. The Postal Service has long recognized that protecting consumers and businesses from fraudulent and abusive mailing practices is an important part of the Service's mission.' To avoid such an undesirable outcome, there must be safeguards in place to protect public confidence in nonprofit mailings. We urge you in the strongest terms possible to give additional thought to the need for safeguards before finalizing this change."

September 15, 2003 -- PostalWat ch filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the U.S. Supreme Court antitrust case, United States Postal Service v. Flamingo Industries. The brief strongly supports the 9th Circuit Court's finding that the Postal Service does not enjoy broad "status-based" sovereign immunity from the Nation's antitrust laws.

September 15, 2003 -- The European express and parcels industry has entered a new era, according to industry analysts Transport Intelligence. Research in their latest report, European Express Leaders 2003 shows that the industry has been transformed by sustained acquisition activity in the late 1990s and into 2000 as the Post Offices, led by TPG and Deutsche Post, built owned networks. This activity has now diminished as they face the reality of integrating the acquisitions into a cohesive unit. The report includes a survey which demonstrates this trend. More details can be obtained by contacting John Manners-Bell on +44(0)1954 212858 or by email: jmannersbell@transportint elligence.com.

September 15, 2003 -- According to NorthJersey.com , "the U.S. Postal Service has uprooted 55 of its 461 traditional blue mailboxes from the streets of Passaic County's three largest cities during the past year. Boxes that averaged less than 25 pieces of mail per day were either moved to a busier location or permanently yanked as part of a nationwide cost-cutting move."

September 15, 2003 -- CentreDaily.com has reported that "e-commerce with Cuba is flourishing, says Enzo Ruberto, a Canadian middleman whose fledgling efforts in 1997 have evolved into a six-Web site enterprise - partnered, of course, with the Cuban government. There's just one catch: U.S. citizens and residents who turn to third-country companies to deliver gifts or money are, for the most part, violating the U.S. embargo on trading with the island nation. In addition to goods and cash, the sites offer legal aid, insurance and personalized postal services in Cuba."

September 15, 2003 -- AMEInfo (UAE) has reported that "Emirates Post today announced the opening of a new post-office in the concourse hall of the Dubai International Convention Centre. The post office, which will be used by the delegates at Dubai 2003 convention, will become a permanent post office to serve the needs of the area around the Dubai World Trade Centre."

September 15, 2003 -- The Washington Post has reported that "Global trade talks collapsed abruptly this afternoon in an unprecedented uprising by scores of the world's poorest nations against the United States, European Union countries and other wealthy nations. The impasse among the 148 nations of the World Trade Organization threatens to derail prospects for a global trade agreement that was supposed to be concluded by 2005. Negotiations were launched two years ago in Doha, Qatar, to lower trade barriers with special emphasis on increasing development in poor nations."

September 15, 2003 -- The Herald (U.K.) has reported that "the Trade and Industry select committee is set to launch an investigation into union claims that Royal Mail exaggerated its losses."

September 15, 2003 -- DMNews has reported that "Senate Governmental Affairs Committee chairwoman Susan Collins issued a letter to the U.S. Postal Service last week demanding to know why the USPS is cutting back on rural post office hours. Collins, R-ME, said the postal service's 'standardization program' has resulted in the closure of post offices during lunch hours and the scaling back of services in rural areas in her state. About 200 of Maine's 425 post offices have been affected, and another 99 have posted notices describing upcoming cutbacks, Collins said in her letter to Postmaster General John Potter."

September 15, 2003 -- The Evening Standard (U.K.) has reported that British "postal workers have voted in favour of a national strike in their long-running pay dispute."

September 15, 2003 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail and the postal workers' union, the CWU, are to hold last-ditch, face to face talks today in an attempt to prevent the first national strike for seven years being called later this week."

September 14, 2003 -- "Wanna keep track of packages?" Wired has asked. "Follow the data packets. That's the MO at UPS, which handles more than 13 million parcels a day. The company is spending $120 million to turn drivers into high-speed nodes at the edge of its vast wireless network. Information bounces from the customer to the driver to the warehouse to the Web quicker than you can say 'next-day air.'"

September 14, 2003 -- Traffic World has reported that:

• Free guarantees are fine but shippers prefer to see freight delivered on time to getting their money back.
• A Wall Street report predicts that pricing for U.S. air freight shipping will remain relatively stable through at least 2005. UBS Warburg analysts looked at the looming presence of a stronger third competitor in the form of a combined DHL and Airborne Express and concluded that the new, larger player is unlikely to significantly affect pricing during its first couple of years on the U.S. scene.

September 14, 2003 -- The Jerusalem Post (Israel) has reported that "the Postal Authority is ready and eager for the government to open up mail services to competition from private companies, but only gradually, says authority chairman Yossi Shelli, commenting on the Treasury's budget proposal that calls for turning the authority into a government company."

September 14, 2003 -- As the Baltimore Sun has noted, "President Bush is proposing to break Amtrak into a network of regional systems supported by a combination of private and state money and significantly reduced federal aid -a plan widely viewed as a virtual death sentence for the national rail system. Congress is expected to begin pondering Amtrak's future soon. Its decision will be felt across America. In an efficiency move, Amtrak has begun eliminating many of its business and postal deliveries."

September 14, 2003 -- ThisIsMoney.com (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail bosses face a grilling by MPs over almost 18,000 'missing' postal workers who have cost the firm £449m. The powerful Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee will this week demand to know why Royal Mail has made the massive provision for nearly 20,000 redundancies when its books show that fewer than 2,400 jobs have gone." See also The Guardian.

September 14, 2003 -- The St. Petersburg Times has reported that "For three years, Jack Greifenberger has purchased shiny silver, platinum and gold coins. They arrive promptly at his home a day or two after he purchases them from shopping networks, wrapped in packages bearing the purple and orange FedEx logo. But the Spring Hill collector recently learned that companies enjoy some shipping privileges not extended to consumers. Greifenberger shipped $2,900 worth of gold and platinum coins about 100 miles south to Sarasota via FedEx, which lost his coins and has since refused to reimburse him for their value. The Memphis, Tenn., company has produced for Greifenberger a long list of "prohibited items." No. 1 on the list: collectible coins. Under its "terms and conditions," FedEx refuses to insure prohibited items. But the fine print does not apply to everyone."

September 14, 2003 -- According to HiPakistan, "Prices of utilities in the country have increased by 71 to 135 per cent since the military takeover in 1999 except the electricity tariff which went up by only 17.5 per cent. The ordinary envelop of the postal department available at Rs2 in 1999 is being sold at Rs4 per envelop, showing an increase of 100 per cent. Similarly, a 20-gram registered post costing Rs10 in 1999 has now gone up to Rs15, showing a rise of 50 per cent."

September 14, 2003 -- The Ventura County Star has reported that "rather than deliver to individual boxes, mail carriers who stop at Renaissance drop off a plastic tub filled with unsorted pieces of mail. The receptionist at the front desk sorts the mail into envelopes and doles it out. Renaissance residents don't like the setup one bit."

September 14, 2003 -- The Ithaca Journal has reported that "as the nation continues to struggle with a restricted job market, it seems many businesses are finding themselves faced with this dilemma and the U.S. Postal Service is no exception. In an effort to cut costs and increase revenue, many local post offices are cutting back their hours of operation."

September 14, 2003 -- The Times Herald has reported that "to make the U.S. Postal Service profitable, a presidential commission recently issued a 208-page report on how to reorganize the Postal Service. One of its key recommendations was that some of the nation's small post offices be closed. Members of the commission are set to testify before Congress on Wednesday. Postal officials are quick to point out that no post offices are slated to close. But they do say reform is needed to help the Postal Service, the nation's second-largest employer, overcome $92 billion in debt."

September 14, 2003 -- According to The People.co.uk, "union bosses are plotting to undermine Tony Blair by calling a national postal strike on the eve of the Labour Party conference. The move is timed to create 'maximum embarrassment' for the PM as he attempts to spell out the strength of Britain's economy to activists."

September 13, 2003 -- Bloomberg News has reported that "United Parcel Service will rely on service rather than price cuts to counter competition for ground shipments, Chief Executive Officer Michael Eskew said. "We don't think price is the only value proposition here," Eskew said in an interview with Bloomberg News. "Service is the real differentiator when it comes to some of that competition. With service and technology and our people, we think we'll stack up real well." Atlanta-based UPS holds about 70 percent of the U.S. market for ground deliveries, based on volume. During the past four years, its market share has fallen about 4.8 percent, according to UBS Securities LLC. FedEx Corp. has risen 3.4 points to 15.3 percent, and Airborne Inc., recently acquired by a unit of Deutsche Post AG, has gone from zero to 1.7 percent in two years."

September 13, 2003 -- Computerworld has reported that " United Parcel Service Inc. has decided to dip into the booming public-access Wi-Fi market with a test of the service at 66 of its retail outlets -- The UPS Store -- in Chicago."

September 13, 2003 -- InfoWorld has reported that " RFID (radio frequency identification), the technology behind wireless sensors used for tagging products to track their location, is getting attention across a number of industries, including manufacturing, retailing, transportation, and logistics. Giants like Wal-Mart, Target, and General Motors are already incorporating it into their supply-chain operations. Although all those RFID tags are barely out the door, RFID vendors are now adding a business intelligence layer to the location-based stack to help a company measure and improve its operations."

September 13, 2003 -- San Luis Obispo.com has reported that "Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge acknowledged Friday that the man who shipped himself from New York to Dallas on a cargo plane has exposed airborne security gaps that have yet to be plugged." See the background for this story as reported by WFAA.com.

September 13, 2003 -- The Star (Malaysia) has reported that "efforts by the Malaysian Government to enhance delivery systems has increased the nation's competitiveness and continuous improvement would ensure smooth and effective policy and strategy implementation."

September 13, 2003 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "Postal workers are poised to vote for their first national postal strike in seven years, union leaders across the country believe. Representatives from the Communication Workers' Union are convinced that there will be a yes vote when the count is taken on Thursday, according to an FT survey. Several representatives said that the large bonuses paid to Adam Crozier, Royal Mail chief executive, and Elmar Toime, deputy chairman, earlier this year had angered members."

September 13, 2003 -- As the Federal Times has noted, "the U.S. Postal Service is entering its usual late-summer decline in business with a sizeable bankroll of $4.7 billion in net income that will carry it into the black for the first time in four years. The positive balance comes from several sources. Roughly $3 billion came from a retirement fund windfall discovered late last year, which resulted in the Postal Service slashing its contribution to the Civil Service Retirement System. Chief Financial Officer Richard Strasser attributed the other $1.7 billion to improved productivity, reduced expenses, and last year’s 3-cent rate increase. The net income is for the fiscal year through July 11."

September 13, 2003 -- According to the National Association of Postal Supervisors' Bruce Moyer, "Congress will not take up postal reform legislation this fall, but prospects for Congressional action next year look brighter, yet far from certain. A combination of factors are likely to block serious progress on postal reform this fall. But Congressional action on USPS liability for military pensions and escrowed retirement savings next year could provide an opening for wider-ranging reform."

September 13, 2003 -- GovExec.com has reported that "The Homeland Security Department is considering excusing the Postal Service from meeting a new regulation designed to strengthen port security. In December, the department's Customs and Border Protection Bureau (CBP) plans to implement a new regulation requiring all air, sea, rail and truck carriers to electronically file information on their cargo before arrival or departure from the United States to try to prevent any high-risk threats related to terrorist activity. But the Postal Service 'may or may not be included within the scope of the proposed rule,' according to the agency's economic analysis, which would exempt an estimated 30 million letters and parcels the Postal Service ships to foreign destinations per year."

September 12, 2003 -- Logistics Management has reported that "Atlanta-based consulting firm The Colography Group says that the airfreight industry in 2002 suffered one of the worst years in its history. Domestic U.S. shipment volumes last year fell by nearly 6 percent compared to 2001's levels, Colography reported in its Domestic Air Cargo Trends study."

September 12, 2003 -- Eyefortransport.com has reported that "China Post and China Mobile will cooperate in three ways. First, the two companies will treat each other as key corporate clients and will subsequently offer services at favourite rates. Post offices at different levels will preferentially choose telecom services provided by China Mobile, while subsidiaries of China Mobile will use postal services provided by China Post to deliver their bills. Second, postal outlets at the provincial, municipal, and especially at the county level and lower will act as agents of China Mobile, providing customer services to China Mobile subscribers and payment collection services."

September 12, 2003 -- PR Week (U.K.) has reported that "Royal Mail Group has appointed Sunday Telegraph deputy City editor Mary Fagan as corporate affairs director."

September 12, 2003 -- B92 (Yugoslavia) has reported that "it had learnt that at today's Cabinet meeting a decision was made to remove the general director of Serbia's postal and telecommunications company PTT, Srdjan Blagojevic."

September 12, 2003 -- Ananova (U.K.) has reported that "last-ditch talks aimed at averting a national postal strike are to be held next week. Leaders of the Communication Workers' Union will meet Royal Mail managers on Monday and Tuesday in a bid to resolve a row over pay."

September 12, 2003 -- The latest issue of the PostCom Bulletin is available online.

September 12, 2003 -- InternetNews.com has reported that "web publishers admit the current torrent of pop-up advertisements bother many Internet users, but few agree on how to solve the problem. In what was billed as a town hall meeting, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) on Wednesday invited the online advertising industry to weigh in on whether pop-up standards were needed to improve the industry's reputation."

September 12, 2003 -- Financial Times Deutschland has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal service operator, is reported to be working on the creation of special packaging for the transportation of medicines, named 'Medicalpack'. The company is hoping to enter into mail order business with medicines next year if the relevant legislation is amended by that date. The German government is reported to be considering the authorisation of mail order business with medicines as part of a plan to save costs in the country's health service."

September 12, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has announced that "customers who take advantage of the Postal Service's Parcel Select Service will soon receive discounts for their merchandise return items if they pick them up at the same locations. Effective October 19, the enhanced service will allow Parcel Select customers to pick-up merchandise return items while dropping off packages for delivery."

September 12, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "China's protection of its postal monopoly and its rules on domestic commerce are slowing the growth of foreign express-delivery companies and undercutting Beijing's drive to create jobs, a Washington-based business group's report said. The report by the U.S.-China Business Council touts the benefits of liberalizing the express-delivery market not just for companies that dominate the business world-wide -- FedEx Corp., United Parcel Service Inc., TPG NV and DHL Worldwide Express Ltd. -- but for the droves of multinational companies shifting manufacturing to China. Growth in air deliveries of Chinese imports and exports has exceeded that of overall trade during the past decade, with the value of air-cargo deliveries projected to hit $100 billion this year."

September 12, 2003 -- The Minneapolis Star- Tribune has reported that "Patrick Nilan, a union leader for postal workers in Minneapolis and across the nation for 44 years until his retirement in 1992, died Saturday. He was 85."

September 12, 2003 -- The Age (Australia) has reported that "more than 32,000 Australia Post employees have received a $300 bonus for delivering the mail on time. An audit by accounting firm KPMG found Australia Post set a performance record last financial year with 96.5 per cent of standard mail reaching its destination on time or early. Eligible award staff received the bonus under Australia Post's current enterprise bargaining agreement. Australia Post mail and networks manager Jim Marshall said the improvement in delivery performance was consistent across Australia." Here you go....An excellent example of management and labor building a performance-related incentive into the workforce's compensation scheme.

September 12, 2003 -- And, don't forget. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will be holding a hearing on September 17, 2003 on the Postal Service Commission's Report on "U.S. Postal Service Reform: What Can Be Done to Ensure Its Future Viability." This hearing was rescheduled from September 3. The witnesses will be: James Johnson and Harry Pearce, co-chairman, Presidential Commission on the U.S. Postal Service. The hearing will be held at 342 Dirksen Senate Office Building. 10 a.m.

September 12, 2003 -- The Postal Rate Commission has noted in the Federal Register that "the starting time for a United States Postal Service briefing on a proposed merger of two major data reporting systems (previously noticed at 68 FR 52802) has been changed. Instead of beginning at 10 a.m. on September 17, 2003, the briefing will begin at 2 p.m. in the Postal Rate Commission's hearing room (1333 H Street NW., Washington, DC 20268-0001, Suite 300). The briefing is open to the public and is expected to last about two hours.

September 12, 2003 -- The China Post (Taiwan) has reported that "The Taipei City Government (TCG) plans to hold open bidding for its multibillion dollar telephone and postal services in order to slash costs. The move is expected to be followed by other county and municipal governments. The TCG has been using the services from the state-owned Chunghwa Telecom Co. and Chunghwa Posts Co. for over five decades."

September 12, 2003 -- UPS has extended its congratulations to the governments of the United States and Thailand for successfully negotiating an agreement that extends "open skies" authority to American and Thai air express and cargo carriers. The agreement eliminates restrictions on how often carriers can fly, the kind of aircraft they can use and the prices they can charge for their services. UPS predicted that businesses and shippers in both countries would benefit from the pact, since the free movement of products will spur economic activity. Indeed, UPS said it plans to expand its existing service in Thailand in the coming months.

September 12, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "a judge has ordered DHL Worldwide Express, the U.S. arm of DHL Express, to hand over documents requested by FedEx Corp. and United Parcel Service in the investigation into the ownership of Astar Air Cargo, formerly DHL Airways. Some of the documents sought by FedEx and UPS involve the financial relationship between Brussels-based DHL International, and William Robinson, the former principal owner of DHL Airways."

September 11, 2003 -- Good grief! According to Hoovers Online, "Charles D. McKinley said he never intended to fly from New York City to Dallas locked in a shipping crate just large enough to fit his 5-foot-8-inch frame. He only wanted a free ride." Next time, take a bus!.

September 11, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service trimmed its huge work force by 3,700 jobs in the four-week period ended Aug. 8, boosting the total number of jobs eliminated over the past year to more than 25,000. The world's largest mail agency, handling more than 40% of all mail, is in the midst of an across-the-board job-reduction push aimed at shrinking its costs as delivery volume stagnates. The latest cuts push the overall number of career, temporary and transitional jobs eliminated since John Potter became postmaster general in mid-2001 to 64,000, or 7.8%. The agency is making the cuts through attrition, since most of the employees in its heavily unionized work force are protected against layoffs."

September 11, 2003 -- The Cheboygen Daily Tribune has reported that "An order to replace mailboxes on houses with boxes on the curb of some city streets has been temporarily rescinded so that city and postal officials can discuss the issue. Cheboygan Postmaster David Kiss canceled the order - which was to take effect next week - after angry citizens packed the Cheboygan City Council chambers on Tuesday night. Debate went on for more than an hour, with speakers complaining that the street-side mailboxes would be too much of a burden."

September 11, 2003 -- The law firm of Wickwire Gavin are holding a seminar on "Changes, Modifications, and Claims under U.S. Postal Service Contracts." The seminar is an advanced course on postal contracting and will be presented on November 6, 2003 at the San Diego Marriott and Marina. For registration, or to receive more information about the seminar, contact seminar coordinator Rose Shaheen at 703.790.8750.

September 11, 2003 -- The first of several efforts to inform and mobilize NALC members in the union's fight to save letter carrier jobs and the Postal Service has begun. A letter from NALC President William H. Young has been mailed to all active members with information on how they can contribute to NALC's Committee on Letter Carriers Political Education (COLCPE) through payroll deduction. Easy-to-follow instructions appear on the reverse of the letter, advising NALC members to use PostalEASE to initiate voluntary withholding of COLCPE contributions.

September 11, 2003 -- The Australian postal workers' union (CEPU) has told Australia Post to withdraw its policy on no chairs at counters in Post Shops or face further action. The threat of further action follows claims by the postal workers' union that Australia Post is trying to circumvent a recent Federal Court decision which the union says has effectively overthrown its no chairs policy in retail PostShops.

September 11, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "Dutch postal and logistics company TPG NV (TP) said its TNT Logistics Benelux unit and Transitions Optical EDC LTD, subsidiary of Transitions Optical Europe, have signed a three and half year contract under which Transitions will outsource to TNT Logistics its warehousing operation, formerly based in Tuam, Ireland. TNT Logistics Benelux will be responsible for inbound, storage and outbound activities at its existing multi-user site in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. Currently the transfer of goods, which started on May 13, takes place and will be completed in the coming months. After the build up, TNT Logistics will operate the complete scope of activities."

September 11, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "moving to shorten customer lines and accelerate deliveries, the U.S. Postal Service plans to sharply increase its construction budget for new post offices and mail-processing facilities. The agency said it expects to set aside a total of $637 million for such projects in the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, a 46% jump from the $435 million it committed to new buildings or major renovations of existing facilities in the current fiscal year. The move will allow the Postal Service to tackle some projects that were stuck in limbo while the agency was piling up combined losses of $2.6 billion from 2000 to 2002."

September 11, 2003 -- DMNews has reported that "a private provider, RGC Communications, has taken over management of the NetPost Mailing Online service formerly offered by the U.S. Postal Service, RGC announced yesterday. RGC, Roselle, IL, will own and operate NetPost under license to the USPS. Launched in September 2000, NetPost was an experimental service that let small and midsized businesses send documents and mailing lists to the USPS, which then would send them to printers near their delivery point to maximize cost savings. The postal service announced the termination of the experiment earlier this month after three years. RGC, which partnered with the USPS in 2000 to provide printing and mailing services as part of the original NetPost program, will take over the operation full-time in partnership with the postal service. The transition will be transparent to NetPost users, who still will be able to access the NetPost Web site at MailingOnline.com, RGC said. Enhanced document design and printing and improved site navigation are planned by January 2004. RGC has partnered with L2 Solutions Inc., Palo Alto, CA; and Poste Digital, Arlington, VA, to develop the improvements."

September 11, 2003 -- AFX Europe has reported that "CWU general secretary David Ward yesterday called on the all-party group to look at Royal Mail after accusing management of exaggerating the extent of the company's problems. Committee chairman Martin O'Neill told AFX News he would be summoning all parties to a hearing in early October when parliament returns after the political party conferences."

September 11, 2003 -- Le Figaro (France) has reported that "a study carried out by the AT Kearney consultancy on behalf of the French government has found that plans by the French post office (La Poste) to enter the property finance, non-life insurance and consumer credit sectors would result in competition for the mutual sector, above all. The establishment most affected, says the study, would be the French rural bank Credit Agricole. The in-depth survey, which concerns the competition implications of an expansion of La Poste's financial services, was submitted to the government in July."

September 11, 2003 -- The Telegraph (U.K.) has reported that "It's High Noon: the unions are back in town and the Government could well do a Grace Kelly and run off at the first sign of trouble. So where is Gary Cooper? The man in the line of fire, the one who is taking the first shots from the union bosses, is Adam Crozier, the new chief executive of the Royal Mail."

September 11, 2003 -- From September 29th to October 1st 2003, renowned scientists and business professionals will present the latest developments in direct marketing and give advice for efficient one-to-one customer contact at the DIMA fair now taking place in D�sseldorf. Trend-setting for the future is DIMA Monday: key players from different lines of business have been invited by DDV to present their strategies for innovative direct marketing under the header "Dialogue is efficiency is success". The programme also includes upcoming issues concerning decision makers as well as users within one-to-one communication. For further information see www.dima.com. Registration

September 11, 2003 -- As Kim Brennan noted in DMNews, "in legend, Merlin was the sorcerer who guided King Arthur into manhood to become the king of England. Merlin gave Arthur the advice and counsel that let him rule justly. In modern times, MERLIN, or Mailing Evaluation Readability Lookup Instrument, is a new U.S. Postal Service tool that gives mailers an unbiased ruling on their mail piece address and sortation quality. Thanks to MERLIN, companies that produce 100 percent accurate mail can expect savings in postage costs."

September 11, 2003 -- The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) has informed its members that "the Postal Service has notified employees that decisions to elect or revoke Voluntary Early Retirement must be made in writing no later than Oct. 27, 2003."

September 11, 2003 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• Erik Olsson, CEO of Sweden's Posten AB, plans to initiate fundamental changes within the company starting this autumn, in order to bring Posten back into the black. Certain divisions will be dissolved altogether and others will merge with existing departments. In the end, Posten will consist of two big divisions only: marketing and production & logistics.
Post Danmark and the Danish DHL Express are planning to work closely together in the future. The Danish post is to take over collection, sorting and distribution of domestic DHL Express (formerly A-Post) parcels.
• In its latest issue the German news magazine 'Der Spiegel' (8.9) reports that high expenses towards former Deutsche Post employees would strain the federal budget considerably in years to come.
• Those members of staff at Post Danmark who are best at detecting insufficiently stamped mail are treated to coffee and cakes by their employer.
• The Dutch TNT Post Group does not intend to extend its involvement on the US domestic express market in the near future.
• Chronoexpres, the joint venture between the Spanish post Correos and the French Chronopost, has announced its intention of expanding further following its merger with Servipack.

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..

September 10, 2003 -- Business World (U.K.) has reported that "A new study into customer satisfaction with An Post has added to the misery at the State owned postal company. A survey carried out for the latest ComReg Quarterly Report shows that businesses are increasingly unhappy with the level of service offered by An Post. The Commission said the survey highlights 'a number of worrying trends'."

September 10, 2003 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "the Royal Mail has turned down the offer of further talks to avert the first national postal strike for seven years, after rebutting a claim by the main postal workers' union, the CWU, that it had exaggerated financial losses to justify shedding 30,000 jobs and limiting pay increases for 160,000 staff."

September 10, 2003 -- Ananova (U.K.) has reported that "Post Office workers poised on the brink of strike action were urged by their new boss today not to "kill the company through greed". Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier has told The Daily Telegraph that he fears there will be a strike which would not only be bad news for customers, but workers too."

September 10, 2003 -- The Atlanta Journal Constitution has a good story on UPS and its pursuit of productivity gains.

September 10, 2003 -- GovExec.com has reported that "the Postal Service has completed a 15-city test of a new anthrax detection system, an agency spokesman told Global Security Newswire Tuesday, describing the test as a 'resounding success.' The system works by testing the air surrounding mail-handling equipment for anthrax spores, according to reports. If spores are detected, the system automatically sends an e-mail to designated officials who then will use fire alarms to alert workers. While the system can be expanded to test for other biological weapons agents than anthrax, there are currently no plans to do so."

September 10, 2003 -- The Business Review has reported that "Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-Chappequa) announced this week that she had written a letter to the postmaster general of the U.S. Postal Service urging him not to allow the closure of processing centers in Colonie and Fishkill."

September 10, 2003 -- The Associated Press has reported that "the Postal Service expects to end this fiscal year $4.2 billion in the black, allowing it to pay down a substantial amount of debt, the agency said Tuesday. Chief Financial Officer Richard Strasser said the financial plan is to reduce debt by $3.8 billion this year to $7.2 billion. In addition, the agency expects a $2.1 billion net income for the 2004 fiscal year, which begins in October, allowing further reduction in debt, Strasser told the agency's Board of Governors. Strasser said the post office expects to finish this fiscal year with income of $68.9 billion, $1.5 billion less than planned, and spending of $64.7 billion, $1.8 billion less than expected." See also the Washington Post

September 10, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "U.S. Postal Service Chief Financial Officer Richard Strasser said the post office will be seeking a special $779 million federal appropriation in fiscal 2005 for costs associated with preventing the spread of another bioterrorism attack through the mail."

September 10, 2003 -- According to The Independent (U.K.), "the Royal Mail was accused yesterday of exaggerating its losses to justify plans to make 30,000 workers redundant."

September 10, 2003 -- The BBC Monitoring Service has reported that "Kuwait and the interim ruling council in Iraq have agreed that Kuwait plays the part of the third party in postal exchange between Iraq and the rest of the world."

September 10, 2003 -- The Herald (U.K.) has reported that "POST Office union leaders at the congress said yesterday they believed there was 'a good chance of a deal' if Royal Mail management was serious about resolving the dispute over pay. Calling for a parliamentary inquiry into Royal Mail finances, the union's leaders condemned management's stated intention of cutting 30,000 jobs from the postal industry."

September 10, 2003 -- Universal Express, Inc. has announced that its subsidiary, WorldPost, its private postal network, today retained the services of Marshall Stanek of San Diego to assist in its national sales efforts.

September 10, 2003 -- RosBusiness Consulting has reported that "The Russian Telecommunications Ministry and the Hungarian Information Technology and Telecommunications Ministry have signed an agreement on cooperation in the sphere of information technologies, the press service of the Russian ministry reported. The document was signed during a visit of a Russian delegation headed by Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov to Hungary. The basic directions of cooperation of the two ministries will include the development of telecommunication services, especially satellite communications and digital TV broadcasting. Collaboration in the IT sector envisages joint activities in the sphere of electronic government, distance education, e-commerce, the upgrade and development of postal services and other directions. According to the signed document, a Russian-Hungarian task force for information technologies will be formed."

September 10, 2003 -- Femail.com (U.K.) has reported that "he biggest postal workers union has called for a parliamentary inquiry into Royal Mail's finances after questioning the organisation's huge losses. The Communication Workers Union, which is balloting 160,000 of its members for strikes over pay, said it disputed figures showing the service was losing €750,000 a day. Deputy general secretary Dave Ward urged the Trade and Industry Select Committee to hold a special inquiry into the Royal Mail's finances.

September 10, 2003 -- Haveeru Daily has reported that "shops operated in resort islands can be designated as postal agents, according to Maldives Post Limited. Operators of shops in resort islands can now apply to act as postal agents."

September 9, 2003 -- The- Signal.com has reported that "until October of 2001, few people worried if their mail could kill them. That all changed when a deadly white powder started showing up in letters and America went on a fear-filled frenzy, wondering where anthrax spores would turn up next. Although that terrifying spell has apparently ended, the fact remains: we live in a world where terror can strike at any time or place even in the daily mail run. In an effort to keep anthrax out of the mail stream and people one step ahead of illness, the United States Postal Service plans to soon install Biohazard Detection Systems (BDS) at 282 of its processing and distribution centers across the country."

September 9, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has told its employees via LinkOnline that "Northern VA P&DC employees bid farewell to the sack-sorter in their building this summer. With the 15,000 square feet gained by removing the sorter, the P&DC closed an annex and brought its operations back to the plant, saving USPS more than $300,000 in yearly rent. The additional floor space improved safety conditions by reducing congestion, aiding traffic flow and allowing better layout of aisles."

September 9, 2003 -- According to Marketing Week (U.K.):

• Mail has angered the direct marketing industry by asking postal regulator Postcomm to consider a proposal to price mail by size rather than weight. Royal Mail claims that the method is an easier pricing system that more accurately reflects the costs of handling mail because it is the size and shape, not the weight, which determines the cost of processing and delivering most mail. Many direct marketing companies believe that the proposals will be a handicap to the industry. A common claim is that the proposed charging system will stifle creativity, forcing the industry to move towards standard small packaging.
• British postal regulator Postcomm intends to open up the entire UK postal market to competition by 2007. In the meantime, Royal Mail will still make all final deliveries in the UK, but the price it is allowed to charge rival operators for this service will not be decided until November this year.

September 9, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "ABX Air has received an order from USA Jet Airlines worth approximately $1.1 million to modify eight DC-9 aircraft. ABX, the all-cargo airline spun off from Airborne Express after Deutsche Post World Net acquired Airborne's ground network and merged it with DHL Worldwide Express's delivery operation, plans to install Reduced Vertical Separation Minima equipment on three aircraft before year-end and on the other five next year. It also has an option for similar work on four other aircraft in 2005."

September 9, 2003 -- Business Line (India) has reported that "the Department of Posts has launched a new scheme, 'Postal Finance Mart', aimed at enhancing the patronage for its financial products."

September 9, 2003 -- The Polish News Bulletin has reported that "full restructuring of Poczta Polska (PP), the national post office, will not be finished before Poland's EU entry, leaving the giant vulnerable to competition. A new Post Act is needed to transform the company into a holding providing a range of postal, logistic, financial and Internet services. After EU entry, PP will lose exclusivity rights for delivery of parcels with weight in the range of 350-2000 grams and the market will be fully liberalised in 2009. Fearing competition from foreign postal firms, which are already present on the Polish market through subsidiaries offering courier services, PP wants to diversify and more rationally manage its assets. The share of income from post services will shrink from the current 65 percent to 35-40 percent of total sales."

September 9, 2003 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German postal operator, appeared close to gaining ground in the UK postal market yesterday after Postcomm, the industry regulator, said it was considering giving the company a long-term mail licence. The news added to the troubles of Royal Mail, which is trying to defend its position as the provider of a universal postal service in the face of increasing competition and industrial unrest."

September 9, 2003 -- According to the Simi Valley News, "the Postal Service is committed to consolidating bulk mail windows nationwide. The closures of bulk mail windows at smaller post offices around the country began in 2001 when the Postal Service began experimenting with a new bar code-reading machine called the Mailing Evaluation Readability and Lookup Instrument. It is known by the acronym Merlin."

September 9, 2003 -- The Evening Standard (U.K.) has reported that "Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown squared up to militant union leaders and prepared to take them on over pay and controversial reforms to schools and hospitals. The Chancellor sent out a clear message that "unaffordable demands" which would put the stability of the economy at risk would not be tolerated by the Government. The Chancellor's toughest message will come over pay amid a background of possible strike action by postal workers nationwide and civil servants across Whitehall."

September 9, 2003 -- According to Cellular News, "Vodafone is launching a service in Portugal that allows postcards to be posted anywhere in the world using a mobile phone. Vodafone customers can use their mobile phone to take photographs, add text and send it to the home of family and friends. To use the service simply send a photograph by MMS to the number 1599, together with the name and address of the person who is to receive the postcard. Free text can also be added. Immediately after successful delivery of the Postcard, Customers will receive a message confirming the reception and the forwarding by post of the message to the indicated address."

September 9, 2003 -- HSBC Bank USA has announced that, effective September 14, 2003, it will make its Personal Internet Banking Bill Pay service free for all customers. The Bill Pay service, which is available 24 hours a day, allows customers to pay virtually all their bills and make payments to anyone in the United States -- all online, without checks, stamps or trips to the post office. It's the continuation of a trend.

September 9, 2003 -- According to InfoShop News, "protesters, peasants and political pundits will make a show of force as world officials gather for the World Trade Organization summit set to open in Cancun, Mexico. Trade talks have become such magnets for controversy because the negotiations behind closed doors translate into policies that affect daily lives. From questions over whether water systems, educational services and even the postal system will become fair game for privatization to whether the California champagne can actually bear the name, trade talks are about much more than tariffs."

September 9, 2003 -- ebizQ has reported that "SeeBeyond, the provider of business integration and composite application assembly solutions, says it's been chosen by the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO (APWU) Health Plan."

September 9, 2003 -- The postal world lost one of its giants, said PostCom President Gene Del Polito, in the passing of Moe Biller.

September 8, 2003 -- The Modesto Bee has reported that "An employee is suing the U.S. Postal Service, claiming discrimination because his co-workers allegedly mocked, taunted and threatened him because he is gay."

September 8, 2003 -- The Internet Retailer has reported that "Retail is keeping the United Parcel Service's e-commerce operation busy: it now receives an astonishing 7.9 million online package tracking requests per day, a far cry from the 100,000 it received on average per month in 1995. It's one indication of the increasing technical savvy and information demands of both UPS's business customers and the consumers they serve, which in turn is one reason UPS has been broadening its e-commerce strategy."

September 8, 2003 -- Traffic World has reported that "Less-than-truckload carriers FedEx Freight, Con-Way and USF are upping the ante with free and automatic money-back guarantees. FedEx will be first out of the blocks with its LTL guarantee beginning Sept. 15. Con-Way's begins Oct. 1. After those announcements, USF unveiled its "USF Guaranteed 4 Free" service will start Sept. 15 as well. All three companies offer a free guarantee that shippers will get on qualified shipments without having to request it or check a box on a bill of lading. But only USF promises that refunds will be automatic as well, without having to file a claim."

September 8, 2003 -- And here's an interesting letter to the Oregonian: "Recently I took a package weighing less than 3 pounds to a privately owned mailing company in Murrayhill and asked to have it sent the cheapest way it could go. When the charge was $16, I said, then send it by mail. I was told there would be only a few cents difference. The next day I took another package, same weight, same address, to a U.S. Post Office. The charge was $5.77. By all means, let's privatize the U.S. Postal Service."

September 8, 2003 -- DMNews has reported that "seven industry professionals will receive Silver Apple awards on Nov. 14--among them, John R. Wargo, vice president of marketing at the U.S. Postal Service."Congratulations, John!

September 8, 2003 -- Business World (Ireland) has reported that "troubled semi-state postal company An Post is planning a major overhaul of its management structure in a bid to drag itself back into profitability. The company, which is forecast to lose €50m this year, has cancelled management bonuses, banned attendance at international conferences and slashed its capital expenditure budget in a bid to save cash. Chief executive Donal Curtin is also preparing to cull some of the group's 80-strong management team."

September 8, 2003 -- Reuters has reported that "popular Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, looking strong in his bid for re-election as ruling party chief, pledged Monday to keep fighting deflation and get a grip on the bulging public debt. He reiterated a pledge -- anathema to many in the LDP -- to privatize the postal services system from April 2007."

September 8, 2003 -- The Market Wire has reported that "TMI, an established leader in document management services for the transportation industry, and Airborne Express, a DHL company, today announced the launch of the first low-cost, next-day delivery product designed specifically for use by America's truckers. TripPak OVERNIGHT(tm) is initially being offered for sale at more than 600 truck stops nationwide, including TravelCenters of America, Petro Stopping Centers, Pilot, Loves and other TripPak partner stops. It will also be available to fleets for sale through their company stores."

September 8, 2003 -- The Washington Business Journal has reported that "United Airlines has laid off 49 of its Dulles-based air freight workers as part of the carrier's ongoing bankruptcy restructuring plan to cut costs by outsourcing functions not core to its business. Leo Schefer, president of the Washington Airports Task Force (www.washingtonairports.com), says United's move is a sign of the times in a rapidly changing industry. 'There's been a definite trend ... to look at functions which could be outsourced,' Schefer says. 'It's United doing what they need to do to get healthy.'" Well...the "doctors" over at the Presidential Commission seem to have written a similar prescription to help cure what ails the U.S. Postal Service.

September 8, 2003 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "Anxious ministers will exert strong pressure on Communication Workers Union leaders in Brighton this week to resume talks with the Royal Mail before a pay ballot commits the CWU to the first national postal strike for seven years."

September 8, 2003 -- According to Continuity Central, "the Communications Workers Union is currently balloting its members about taking strike action over a wages dispute with the Royal Mail. The ballot is due to close on September 17th and strike action is likely to follow shortly afterwards. UK businesses would be wise to begin assessing their vulnerability in case of strike action and determining the contingency measures that could be taken."

September 7, 2003 -- As the Milford Daily News has noted, "rain, sleet and snow have yet to slow the mail carrier, but tough competition from the Internet has pared hours postal workers spend behind the retail counter in a handful of area towns."

September 7, 2003 -- The Cincinnati Enquirer has reported that "FedEx may be known for its ability to fly packages across the country overnight, but trucks may be the company's future. The shipping conglomerate increasingly is turning to its FedEx Ground subsidiary to continue the battle against United Parcel Service for the country's shipping market, and it is beginning to turn the tide, thanks in part to its aggressive expansion plans."

September 7, 2003 -- The National Postal Mail Handlers Union has told its members that "the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has now granted to the Postal Service the authority necessary to offer voluntary early retirement to eligible mail handlers. In the coming weeks, approximately 8,400 eligible mail handlers will receive a mailing from the Postal Service which asks them to indicate their interest in possible early retirement. To be part of this group of eligible employees, a mail handler must have either 25 years of federal/postal service, or have 20 years of service and be at least 50 years of age. Actual early retirements will not occur until some time after October 1, 2003."

September 7, 2003 -- The Guardian (U.K.) has reported that "Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt has been drawn into the Royal Mail pay dispute, which became deadlocked last month after the Communication Workers' Union called a strike ballot of its 160,000 postal members. Hewitt met senior officials at the CWU head office last week to explore ways of moving on from the union's rejection of a 14.5 per cent productivity-linked pay offer. Whitehall sources indicate she is ready to contact Royal Mail chairman Allan Leighton to try to bring the two sides back to negotiations and avert the first national postal strike for seven years."

September 6, 2003 -- Suddeutsche Zeitung (Germany) has reported that "Hermes-Logistik, the logistics subsidiary of German-based company Otto, the world's largest mail order group, is determined to extend its parcel forwarding services before Christmas. The company, which already forwards a third of all parcels sent from businesses to customers, will thus become a fierce competitor of Deutsche Post, Germany's postal service operator. Hermes will start offering its logistics services to private customers at its more than 9,000 branches across Germany. The subsidiary of Otto, which will also offer to pick up parcels from the homes of private customers, has not yet commented on the prices of its new services." See also Die Welt.

September 6, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that "FedEx Corp. said Friday that it won its appeal of a federal district court decision in a lawsuit over shipments delayed by a strike in 1997. The ruling means that the express provider will not be liable for refunds of transportation charges for shipments delayed due to the strike by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters against United Parcel Service in 1997. The district court ruling would have required FedEx to pay $70 million in damages, including attorney fees and court costs."

September 5, 2003 -- Reuters has reported that "FedEx Corp has said it is considering moving its Asia-Pacific express hub to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou from the Philippines as it jostles for a bigger slice of China's booming parcel market."

September 5, 2003 -- Direct magazine has reported that "Oracle, Hewlett-Packard, MCI and Tyson Foods are among the charter members of the newly launched EcoLogical Mail Coalition, a group working to cut down excess promotional direct mail. The group estimates that millions of dollars are wasted each year in lost time and materials, as corporate mail center staffs sort through and dispose of the huge volume of promotional direct marketing mail sent to individuals no longer employed there."

September 5, 2003 -- The Associated Press has reported that "Moe Biller, longtime president of the American Postal Workers Union, died Friday, the union announced. Biller, 87, headed the union for more than two decades and was still president emeritus. He died in New York where he had been living in recent years."

September 5, 2003 -- Euractiv has reported that "the Doha Development Agenda, launched in November 2001, calls for further market opening and additional rule making, as well as the better integration of developing countries in world trade. The EU is fully supportive of these objectives and has set the Doha round of talks as its number one trade policy priority. Among the priorities: improved access in the services sector, while respecting sectors where principles of public interest are at stake (healthcare and education); where public authorities have a historic involvement (energy and postal services); as well as the right of countries to defend their cultural diversity in negotiations."

September 5, 2003 -- Con-Way Transportation Services, Inc. (Con-Way) has announced that its LTL carriers will begin a program on October 1 that will provide a transit time money-back guarantee on all shipments moving under the current version of its Tariff CNWY-599. There will be no additional fee for this service. The program will cover all points served direct by Con-Way in the United States and Canada. If delivery is not completed within the published transit time a shipper can receive a complete payback of all linehaul charges, including fuel surcharges.

September 5, 2003 -- The Poughkeepsie Journal has reported that "The U.S. Postal Service is telling 216 employees of its Remote Encoding Center at Fishkill today that the site will be closed by March 2004. The center, located at the Dutchess Mall, has been operating for seven and a half years and once employed several hundred. The closure was expected because it, like the others, was set up to serve a temporary need, which is reading handwritten addresses that machines can't. A spokesman said technology has improved and that 35 of the original 55 centers have already been closed."

September 5, 2003 -- Wi-Fi Planet has reported that "exMailit.com of Vancouver, British Columbia, is announcing today that it will be acquiring all the issued and outstanding shares of Cirond Netwoks, Inc. to acquire the company. exMailit.com provides an e-mail-to-mail service that allows users at computers with almost any platform to send hard-copy postal mail twenty-four hours a day. This purchase will bring them into the Wi-Fi network management realm with companies like AirWave Wireless."

September 5, 2003 -- icSouthLondon (U.K.) has reported that "standards of mail delivery in the borough differ wildly between postcode areas, new figures reveal. While CR postcode areas are in the Britain's top 20 for prompt delivery of first-class letters, those with SW postcodes receive the country's worst service. The result means that residents in roads which start in one postcode area and end in another can receive completely different levels of service, the Advertiser has learned. Postwatch, which acts as the voice of the consumer in all postal matters, has revealed the post-code lottery in statistics published this week."

September 5, 2003 -- World Airways has announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Postal Service to operate at least eight all-cargo flights between Newark, New Jersey and Bahrain during the month of September. The award is the result of a competitive bid solicitation issued by the U.S. Postal Service, and flights, using DC-10-30F aircraft, will carry U.S. mail to and from American service personnel serving in Iraq.

September 5, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that "The government agency that insures 44 million workers' retirement benefits said the nation's pension system is in worse financial shape than previously believed, a politically charged warning at a time when economic uncertainty, unemployment and rising fears about the loss of manufacturing jobs overseas already are stoking debate in Washington. It raises the prospect that companies could be forced to contribute more to the government insurance plan, that benefits to retirees could be reduced and even that taxpayers ultimately could have to bail out the pension-guarantee program. But some experts say the agency is overstating the problem in order to force companies to pay it higher premiums."

September 5, 2003 -- The Pine Bluff Commercial has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service is asking for some Jefferson County roads to be repaired and has said it may not deliver residents' mail if the repairs aren't made."

September 5, 2003 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "Post offices could lose almost half their income because of the government's decision to pay benefits directly into bank accounts, subpostmasters have warned."

September 5, 2003 -- According to the Heritage Foundation, "the markets reeled last year from accounting scandals in the corporate world, at firms ranging from Enron and WorldCom to Tyco International and Global Crossing. America's politicians decried the state of corporate accounting and demanded more transparency, disclosure, honesty, and integrity in bookkeeping. Congress swiftly passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act to stiffen accounting regulations, requiring--among other things--that each firm's chief executive officer (CEO) personally vouch for the firm's financial statements. In this regard, the United States Postal Service (USPS) deserves particular attention. The Postal Service's budget for 2002 was about $67 billion, which is almost 0.75 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). The USPS is the second largest civilian employer with 854,000 employees and a significant part of the $900 billion mailing industry.2 Given the Postal Service's role in the economy and the investment by U.S. taxpayers in the Postal Service, it is critical that taxpayers have accurate and sufficient information so that they can fully understand the Postal Service's financial viability and assess its progress toward its goals. Yet the USPS has had substantial difficulty in maintaining and reporting full and accurate accounting information."

September 5, 2003 -- The Naples Daily News has reported that "at Greeting Card Outlet in Golden Gate, customers can now buy a book of stamps with their next batch of birthday cards. Last week, the outlet, along with the Chevron station at the corner of Pine Ridge Road and Collier Boulevard, joined the seven other Naples area retail stores that currently offer full post office services. The Naples Postal Service asks retail stores to carry postal services primarily to help relieve the area's five post offices and also to provide customer convenience, said Jaime Herrilko, supervisor of customer service for the Naples Postal Service. The partnerships with retail stores, which have been going on for 15 to 20 years, also help keep stamp rates down."

September 5, 2003 -- The Irish Times has reported that "up to 1,500 staff at An Post could be facing redundancy as the company attempts to tackle a crippling trading loss for this year, now put at €47 million. The company yesterday announced a recovery plan designed to return it to a break-even position by 2005. This envisages between 1,000 and 1,500 redundancies, said Mr Ciaran McGivern, its financial controller. Unions at the company have been informed, and the drive to reduce staff numbers begins immediately. A spokesman for An Post said staff reductions would be sought after each section of the company was examined in detail. A voluntary redundancy and early-retirement scheme would be used."

September 5, 2003 -- Government Computer News has reported that "Norman Lorentz will leave his post as the Office of Management and Budget's chief technology officer this month to join a Washington-area IT company. His last day at OMB will be Sept. 19. Lorentz informed OMB officials of his intention to step down on Aug. 30, he said. He will join DigitalNet of Herndon, Va., as a senior vice president." Prior to his work at OMB, Lorentz had served as the U.S. Postal Service's CIO. See also Information Week.

September 5, 2003 -- The Postal Rate Commission has announced in the Federal Register that "the United States Postal Service will present a briefing on September 17, 2003 at 10 a.m. in the Postal Rate Commission's hearing room on the proposed merger of two major data reporting systems. The systems affected by the merger are the Revenue, Pieces and Weight (RPW) system and the Origin Destination Information System (ODIS). The briefing is open to the public."

September 5, 2003 -- According to the Montreal Gazette (Canada), "there will be no Canada Post probe into selling of mail routes despite customer complaints that home deliveries are late, and coming by different carrier."

September 5, 2003 -- U.TV (Ireland) has reported that "The Irish Republic's An Post state-backed postal company was tonight told by the Dublin government to present a recovery plan within four weeks because of its 'deteriorating financial position.' Communications Minister Dermot Ahern directed the plan should outline short, medium and long-term recovery action."

September 5, 2003 -- The Financial Times (U.K.) has reported that "Britain's trade unions are in the midst of one of their occasional debates over the future of the movement. Modernisers want the Trades Union Congress to become a more effective lobbyist, to strengthen its influence in government. A new generation of militant union leaders prefers confrontation - using strike action to win disputes. It is still not clear, however, that either group has a convincing mission statement, apart from 'What we have, we hold.' Two current disputes illustrate this thesis. The threatened industrial action by postal workers is an old-style confrontation to defend jobs - even though the employer has promised no compulsory redundancies and a fat pay rise. If successful, Royal Mail's competitiveness would be undermined, as would the job security of the union members now voting on action."

September 5, 2003 -- Datamonitor has reported that "Wolfgang Clement, the German Economy Minister, has announced that the telecoms and post regulator RegTP will also police the energy market. The experience this body already has in facilitating competition and reducing costs will be crucial if real competition in the energy market is to be enforced. The German Economy Minister has given notice that RegTP will take responsibility for regulating the German energy market. A number of candidates, including the Cartel Office, were considered. However, RegTP was always the likely candidate due to its experience in engendering competition within the previously monopolistic telecommunications and postal sectors."

September 5, 2003 -- The Wall Street Journal has reported that the "Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs has rescheduled its postal commission oversight hearing for Wednesday, September 17, at 10:00 a.m., SD-342. Commission Co-Chairs Pearce and Johnson will still be the sole witnesses."

September 5, 2003 -- The Associated Press has reported that "Preliminary data from a report Pew is to release this fall shows Krcik fitting a pattern in which the older tech elite, ages 42 to 62, are fond of technologies yet fall back on more traditional ways and means of doing things. Forty-four percent of this group go online for news on a typical day, but many more, 60 percent, pick up the newspaper. By comparison, 39 percent of the younger tech elite, ages 18 to 29, get news online and 42 percent read a newspaper."

September 5, 2003 -- Japan Today has reported that "Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda indicated Thursday that the government would be flexible over the timing of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's contentious plan to privatize postal services in fiscal 2007 in light of opposition from an influential lawmaker."

September 5, 2003 -- Firstlogic has announced that it will be holding iSummit 2003, which will include a number of sessions on topics relating to data quality including data profiling, data process improvement, and customer implementations. In addition, it will offer sessions dedicated to subjects like the USPS Transformation Plan, product redesign, NCOALink, and innovations in mailing service offerings.

September 4, 2003 -- Congressional Quarterly has reported that "more than 30 years after its last overhaul, the Postal Service, heavily in debt to the U.S. Treasury and running huge annual deficits, is on the brink of crisis, according to a July 31 report from a presidential commission. The commission made several recommendations that mirror those included in recent years in Postal Service modernization legislation sponsored by Rep. John M. McHugh, R-N.Y. And its conclusions are expected to jump-start congressional deliberations about the Postal Service's future. Hearings are being planned for this fall on both sides of the Capitol, but McHugh predicted that the complexities of the issue will keep legislation from becoming law this year."

September 4, 2003 -- The Parcel Shipping & Distribution Forum www.parcelforum.com, October 20-22, 2003 at the Radisson O'Hare Hotel located in Rosemont, Illinois

September 4, 2003 -- Traffic World has reported that "first they built it. Then they came. Chicago was raised - literally - from Lake Michigan mud and transformed in just a few decades into the nation's leading transportation and logistics hub. The "Metropolis of the Northwest" already was the nerve center of America's expanding rail network by the 1860s, linking the eastern United States with the soon-to-be opened West. More than a century later, the commodities may have changed - Chicago is no longer the livestock center of the Midwest, for example, as its famous stockyards closed in 1971 - but the trains are still there, alongside thousands of trucks, cargo planes and ships. Chicago is as important a hub for logistics and transportation activity in 2003 as it was a century ago. 'Chicago has been and always will be the hub in the United States for all modes of transportation,' said Kirk Williams, vice president of freight management for the Americas at APL Logistics, Oakland, Calif. 'It's the crossroads.'"

September 4, 2003 -- According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, "Nearly 77 years ago, Northwest Airlines took to the sky with a "fleet" of two rented open-cockpit biplanes a Thomas Morse Scout and a Curtiss Oriole to ferry mail from the Twin Cities to Chicago. Mail not passengers is what got most old-line carriers like Northwest up and flying. Now, Northwest is poised to exit the domestic mail business, saying it's no longer worthwhile financially, though the airline will continue to carry international mail. The termination date for ending its contract to carry domestic mail is undetermined at this time."

September 4, 2003 -- The Malta Financial & Business Times has reported that "privatisation has seen 160 Maltapost employees being passed through to the revolving door back to the civil service. Email has definitely had its mark felt on the international postal service. Although figures were not available on the changes in the volume of mail for Maltapost in the last two years, The Malta Financial and Business Times spoke to business development manager Michael Stewart on the effects of email on Maltapost."

September 4, 2003 -- AFX Asia has reported that "to protect the local industry, the Chinese government bans foreign forwarding firms from the domestic express mail delivery sector and only allows them to offer international courier service through joint ventures with local partners. However, restrictions have failed to curb foreign firms rapidly expanding in the country. Major global players, such as DHL Worldwide Express, FedEx Corp, United Parcel Service Inc and TNT Express, have grabbed a 62 pct combined market share in the international forwarding service sector over the past 10 years."

September 4, 2003 -- According to the Picayune Item, "The U.S. Postal Service has reduced operation hours in the Northeast and Great Lakes regions to cut costs, but officials say there are no immediate plans to do so in Mississippi. Still, Postal Service managers in Mississippi and nationwide are looking for ways to trim costs without cutting service. Partly because of increased use of e-mail and online bill paying and of alternative private mail carriers like Federal Express, first-class mail volume handled by the Postal Service has been steadily declining: From last September to August, volume fell 2.6 percent to 84.7 million pieces. At the same time, the Postal Service has racked up debts and liabilities that total more than $90 billion."

September 4, 2003 -- American Airlines Cargo division has announced plans to launch online booking on its AACargo.com(SM) Web site early next year. The electronic booking capability will be available on the Web site to all American Airlines Cargo customers and will be powered by Global Freight Exchange (GF-X). The booking function will give Cargo customers immediate access to American Airlines Cargo capacity any time of day, from anywhere in the world.

September 4, 2003 -- The New York Daily News has reported that "a City Council candidate suspects that someone deliberately dumped nearly 29,000 pieces of his campaign mail last week."

September 4, 2003 -- Business World (Ireland) has reported that "beleaguered State postal service An Post has come under fire again, this time from the Government which has accused it of providing "seriously inaccurate" information about its worsening financial situation. In a scathing letter sent by Communications Minister Dermot Ahern to An Post chairwoman Margaret McGinley, concern is expressed at the jump in the company's losses at a time when its finances were supposedly under control."

September 4, 2003 -- Here's a story you should file in the "gimme a break" department. DMNews has reported that "the postponement of yesterday's scheduled Senate hearing on postal reform has prompted worries that initial optimism about congressional passage of a reform bill by year's end may have to be dampened." PostCom had been told the hearing had been postponed because of a key player's illness. Postal reform will happen if WE within the mailing community make it happen!

September 4, 2003 -- The Postal Rate Commission has published in the Federal Register a "notice that the Commission is establishing a docket to address the first in a series of anticipated rulemakings concerning negotiated service agreement dockets. This initial rulemaking concerns baseline and functionally equivalent negotiated service agreements. It provides guidance to the Postal Service and others on the procedures the Commission proposes following for certain negotiated service agreement requests. It also establishes the organizational framework for the comprehensive set of rules. Adoption of these rules, with any revisions deemed appropriate after considering comments, will facilitate expeditious consideration of negotiated service agreements. Initial comments due September 29, 2003; reply comments due October 14, 2003."

September 4, 2003 -- As the Wall Street Journal has noted, "FedEx, intent on reinventing itself now that growth in U.S. air shipments has stalled, is launching a $90 million campaign that reminds viewers about its fleet -- of trucks. Ground delivery brings in roughly half the revenue of a U.S. air shipment, and customers increasingly are making the shift to save money. Often only the most important or time-sensitive documents are shipped through air these days. This is why FedEx is spending $1.8 billion over six years to double the capacity of its ground-based delivery operations."

September 4, 2003 -- HP is celebrating its longstanding relationship with the United States Postal Service with a nationwide advertising campaign highlighting the role of HP technologies in the mail processing and delivery process.

September 4, 2003 -- The Postal Service's online employee newsletter, Link Online has noted that at the 2003 National Executive Conference in Washington, Postmaster General Jack Potter told his managers "'What the Postal Service is all about continues to be selling postage and delivering the mail.' As a framework when he became Postmaster General he told employees that his focus would be on five main areas, illustrated by the five points of a star: people, reform, costs, service and revenue. 'That focus hasn't changed,' the PMG told the NEC attendees. 'And employees are delivering results.'"

September 4, 2003 -- CTV.CA (Canada) has noted that "some may call it a form of work sharing, but others see it as a practice that has to end. A group of Canada Post letter carriers in Montreal is accusing co-workers of paying under the table wages to other staffers to help out with mail delivery. At one Montreal postal station, there are claims that one-quarter of all letter carriers are picking up the extra work. And some of Canada Post's customers say the practice is hurting mail delivery service. The practice is called "selling your route." It involves paying a colleague to do your afternoon deliveries, so you can go home. The going rate for doing someone else's deliveries is about $20 for 90 minutes of work. The employee selling the route keeps the rest of his salary, and benefits -- for doing nothing."

September 3, 2003 -- The Irish Examiner has reported that "ISME, the Irish Business Organisation, has questioned the role and judgement of ComReg in approving postal increases. This comes in advance of a report commissioned by them verifying increased levels of inefficiencies in An Post. The report indicates that 71% of single piece mail items were delivered next day against a target of 94% laid down by ComReg."

September 3, 2003 -- CEP News (Courier-Express-Postal) has reported that:

• Despite a decline in the letter segment's turnover, Austria's österreichische Post has been able to turn the lasting negative turnover trend around for the first time.
• Switzerland's Schweizerische Post suffered declining volume figures during the first half of 2003. Last Friday the company confirmed that standard letters (- 3.6%), international letters (- 1.1%), unaddressed advertising mail (socalled Promopost 1.6%), newspapers (- 8%), express consignments (- 8%) and parcels (- 1.8%) all suffered a decline in volumes. Only the so-called 'B-post' achieved a 0.2% volume increase.
• Over the last few weeks Royal Mail has quietly sacked three top managers. Managing director Jerry Cope (CEP News 27/03) had to go along with Royal Mail International director Kevin Williams and Mick Linsell, director of delivery operations. Neither Royal Mail nor any of the dismissed managers was available for a comment.
• The communication workers' union says plans developed by Schweizerische Post for the outsourcing of express mail (2002 turnover: 61.9m euros, around 5 million consignments) are unlawful.
• Considerable extraordinary expenses during the first half of 2003 have brought Sweden's Posten AB into the red.
• Finland's Posti enjoyed growing letter volumes and a definite increase in the electronic sector (+ 9%) during the first half of 2003.
• Last week the supervisory board of österreichische Post authorised the acquisition of a private parcel service provider in Croatia.
• The Norwegian National Audit Office (Riksrevisjonen) has accused Posten AS of violating legal regulations pertaining to public purchases.
• A new over-night express system was launched on the German market under the name Ilonexs, which is an acronym for Independent Logistics Overnight Express Services.
• DHL intends to open another of its new Global Data Centers in Prague.

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..

September 3, 2003 -- As the Washington Times has noted, "the day someone retires from the federal government, health insurance costs go up, even as his or her income drops usually about 40 percent to 50 percent. That's why legislation by Rep. Thomas M. Davis III, Virginia Republican, to extend Premium Conversion to retired feds is at or near the top of the must-pass legislative lists of many groups representing both retired and active duty civil servants."

September 3, 2003 -- The Dallas Morning News has reported that when "you're late for your flight, and there it is an engraved jackknife or pepper spray canister nestled deep inside your carry-on bag. Federal security screeners won't let you through. Beginning Wednesday, passengers traveling through Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport may, for a $6 fee, ship such no-nos home via U.S. mail. Fill out a form, seal an item in a provided zipper-lock bag and drop it inside one of 17 concrete-lined boxes in front of the airport's security checkpoints."

September 3, 2003 -- RTE News (Ireland) has reported that "the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) yesterday afternoon said that An Post would not meet targets set by the regulator for next day delivery of single piece mail items."

September 3, 2003 -- According to the Montreal Gazette, "Canadian Mail carrier Jade Sambrook has voiced concerns about postal employees who hire out their routes to other carriers for cash under the table. Sambrook, who works out of de Lorimier postal station, was suspended after he denounced the practice to his superiors." See also Canada.com.

September 3, 2003 -- Kudos! The Associated Press has reported that:

• Rodger Parker was on his way home last October when a truck ahead of him veered off the road and plunged into a lake. His work in saving a married couple won him the Hero of the Year Award. Parker, 37, delivers mail in the Memphis, Tenn., suburb of Germantown. The Navy veteran and two other rescuers dove into the lake to rescue Betty Byington and then went back for her husband, Robert, the union reported.
• Marilyn M. Bonacorso of San Jose, Calif., for saving the life of an elderly man along her postal route in Cupertino. On a sweltering day she noticed the man had not picked up his mail, closed a garage door or turned off his stereo since the day before. She contacted a neighbor and they found the man on the floor, dehydrated and dazed.

September 3, 2003 -- According to The Guardian (U.K.), "it is a fairly safe bet the 160,000 men and women who deliver our letters will vote to walk out over pay this month in their own postal ballot. When the returned slips are counted on September 17, the result will pose a major headache for Royal Mail bosses and Patricia Hewitt who, as trade secretary, is custodian of the publicly owned service."

September 3, 2003 -- The National Association of Major Mail Users (Canada) will be holding its Data Management Forum on September 25, 2003 in Toronto, Canada. Among the topics to be discussed: AIP (Address Improvement Program), NCOA 'opt out' issues, and Industry partnering and industry initiatives. Come see what's underway register today!

September 3, 2003 -- Scripps Howard News Service has reported that "proposed customs rules that are supposed to improve homeland security would mean long truck lines at U.S. borders, delays in foreign air shipments and higher costs for consumers, cargo and importing companies warn. FedEx said a 'wheels-up' notice could cut two hours from delivery deadlines. FedEx and United Parcel Service also object to exempting letters and documents carried by the U.S. Postal Service from the regulation."

September 3, 2003 -- According to Datamonitor, "the Royal Mail hopes to generate GBP100 million of new business with the launch of a new special delivery service. This initiative to challenge the highly competitive UK courier market shows Royal Mail's determination to survive in the liberalized market but, even if Royal Mail manages to hit its ambitious targets, it will need to keep innovating to get out of its current financial difficulties."

September 3, 2003 -- Michael J. Critelli, chairman and CEO of Pitney Bowes Inc., affirmed that, 'contrary to the predictions of a paperless environment, mail remains a vital piece of the business communications flow,' during a presentation at Solomon Smith Barney today."

September 3, 2003 -- ABC News has reported that "DHL will lay off 2,870 U.S. workers due to its acquisition of the ground-express delivery operations of Airborne Inc. The layoffs represent about 6 percent of the company's total U.S. work force of more than 44,000 employees." See also Newsday and Bloomberg.

September 3, 2003 -- TurnToTen.com has reported that "the post office is cutting back business hours at some branches across New England in an attempt to save money. More e-mail and less snail mail means lower revenues." See also CNN Money.

September 3, 2003 -- The Journal of Commerce has reported that:

• Cargo volume handled by U.S. air carriers was up 1 percent in July compared with the same month last year, according to the Air Transport Association. Volume totaled 104.7 million ton miles of domestic and international mail for the month, a 7.4 percent increase, but barely more than half the 200.3 million ton miles flown in July 2000. The comparison is even worse for domestic mail. This July they flew 68.2 million ton miles, but that's only 42 percent of the 160.8 million domestic ton miles from July 2000, but up 5 million ton miles from July 2002. International mail in July was up 6.2 percent to 36.5 million ton miles.
• UPS Supply Chain Solutions unveiled Supplier Management, a service to coordinate the logistics activity of international vendors and suppliers on behalf of a customer's supply chain. The company is a subsidiary of United Parcel Service. UPS Supply Chain Solutions, acting on a customer's operating instructions as well as vendor purchase orders, will manage the offshore logistics for the importer. The service provide order information from sourcing to fulfillment to give customers more control over order and shipment management. The UPS Supply Chain Solutions Supplier Management standard services include vendor compliance and order management; global information management, and regulatory compliance and transportation management.

September 2, 2003 -- The Bank of New York has been reappointed by The United States Postal Service (USPS) to serve as its primary depository bank in the New York metropolitan area and to provide cash and cash letter processing for all USPS branches in the region.

September 2, 2003 -- RSA Security Inc. has announced that The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHU/APL) has integrated RSA BSAFE(R) encryption technology into a prototype digital video authentication solution it developed in response to a U.S. Postal Inspection Service requirement. JHU/APL is using RSA BSAFE software to apply digital signatures to digital video to help ensure video evidence is admissible in a U.S. court of law.

September 2, 2003 -- The Senate Governmental Affairs committee hearing on the report of the President's Commission on the Postal Service has been "postponed."

September 2, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service has notified the Postal Rate Commission that its loss-marked NetPost Mailing Online Experiment (Docket No. MC2000-2) "is being permitted to expire."

September 2, 2003 -- According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, "as his motorcade blew through the intersection of Ohio 303 and Brecksville Road yesterday, President Bush saw hundreds of waving, screaming people. Most of the 400 or so who gathered to catch the president's eye waved signs and shouted 'Jobs, not war' or 'We won't be silenced, we won't be tamed, the war on the world is not in our name.' Among the protesters was a busload of postal workers from Cleveland who oppose privatization of the postal service and the potential closing of some local post offices."

September 2, 2003 -- The Washington Times has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service has begun shrinking the hours of operation at some post offices as a slump in first-class mail grows. About half the post offices in Maine have scaled back operations in recent months, opening later or closing earlier or at lunchtime. Similar moves are under way in Vermont and upstate New York, and managers across the country are weighing the possibility of additional cutbacks, according to an agency spokesman."

September 2, 2003 -- Out-Law.com has reported that "Royal Mail has won the first round of a court action to protect its rights in a database known as its 'postcode address file,' or PAF. The English High Court rejected an argument from the company behind 192.com that the PAF had been used under licence. Database rights stem from a 1996 European Union Council Directive on the legal protection of databases. It grants copyright protection to database creators in the selection and arrangement of the information contained in databases, regardless of whether the database creator owns the copyright in the information contained within the database. The Directive gives creators the right to control or prohibit temporary reproduction of all or substantial amounts of the database content but the extraction of insubstantial amounts of data is permitted."

September 2, 2003 -- According to the BBC (U.K.), "almost everyone gets it, but does anyone really want it? Direct marketing is on the increase, and now the industry behind it is about to launch an advertising campaign of its own - to make us appreciate junk mail." "Junk mail??" Somebody at the BBC is writing with a pen that deserves a good washing out.

September 2, 2003 -- As one writer for American Shipper has noted, "the World Trade Organization will hold its ministerial meeting this month in Cancun. With the creation of the WTO, there was suddenly a multilateral forum to encourage trade between nations. Transportation and logistics companies know that trade in goods requires movement of goods, yet we often forget that our underlying services may become subject to the rules that govern trade as well."

September 2, 2003 -- The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has published in the Federal Register a "final rule that amends the regulations for indemnity claims as set forth in the Domestic Mail Manual (DMM) S010, Indemnity Claims and related provisions of DMM S913, Insured Mail and DMM S921, Collect on Delivery (COD) Mail. Other than the changes concerning time periods for filing claims and retention periods for undelivered accountable mail, the changes clarify existing DMM provisions or codify, in the DMM, policies not currently set forth in that manual. This rule becomes effective on October 1, 2003."

September 2, 2003 -- The Polish News Bulletin has reported that Poczta Polska (PP), the Polish post office, plans to purchase several cargo planes from a firm owned by Zbigniew Niemczycki, White Eagle Aviation (WEA), which has provided cargo services to PP. This idea is one of several to build a strong logistics company."

September 2, 2003 -- According to Teletext, "The Royal Mail's monopoly as national postal services provider should be lifted temporarily if its employees strike, said businesses in Birmingham. In a poll conducted by Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, three out of four members voted to relieve Royal Mail of its monopoly in the event of a strike. A spokeswoman said: 'Members will look elsewhere if the service gets worse.'"

September 2, 2003 -- Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has reported that "Deutsche Post, the German post service, is raising its postage charge for parcels as a result of the toll on heavy goods vehicles which is to be introduced on November 2. These changes will initially only affect private customers, although the toll will be taken into account when the next price change for branch customers is introduced. An additional charge of 8 euro cents per package is already being planned for commercial express and parcel deliveries. There is to be no change at present in the cost of sending letters."

September 2, 2003 -- Marketing Week (U.K.) has reported that "the launch date for the Royal Mail's autumn advertising campaign is under threat because of possible industrial action by UK postal workers. The strike would directly affect the planned launch of Royal Mail's TV campaign, which is due for a mid-October release."

September 2, 2003 -- Workday Minnesota has reported that "The nation's postal unions blasted a Bush administration panel's recommendation to weaken--if not destroy--collective bargaining rights for the nation's 500,000-plus U.S. Postal Service employees. Letter Carriers President William H. Young said the Bush panel's recommendations "would render Letter Carriers and other postal employees second-class citizens" by depriving them of rights other workers enjoy. Postal Workers President William Burrus agreed, vowing his union would lobby hard against the Bush panel's plan. NALC and the Mail Handlers also vowed to lobby lawmakers against the Bush plan, and the AFL-CIO Executive Council voted in early August to join the postal workers unions' effort."

September 2, 2003 -- Dow Jones has reported that "the U.S. Postal Service has begun reducing the hours of operation at some post offices as part of a push to cut costs amid a growing slump in first-class deliveries, Tuesday's Wall Street Journal reported. About half the post offices in Maine have scaled back operations in the past several months, opening later or closing earlier or at lunchtime. Similar moves are under way in Vermont and upstate New York, and Postal Service managers across the country are weighing the possibility of additional cutbacks, according to an agency spokesman. The Postal Service hasn't set a target for the number of hours that will be trimmed nationwide. It says it is making cuts at times of the day when few customers are buying stamps or sending packages, and that customers are being told in advance about the changes. The moves are the latest in a belt-tightening campaign under Postmaster General John Potter aimed at reducing costs without eroding service quality. The world's largest mail-delivery operation continues to quietly downsize its gigantic work force, with almost 47,000 full-time jobs, or 6%, eliminated through attrition since Mr. Potter took the top job in mid-2001."

September 2, 2003 -- WATE-TV has reported that "As Americans celebrate Labor Day, it's worth noting that postal workers make up one of the larger labor unions in the country with about 860,000 members. The union has identified some of their jobs as "high risk" for exposure to stress. Local mail carriers told 6 On Your Side about a number of problems. The postal service is going through change. There is more automation. Fewer first class letters are being delivered, but there are more packages to deliver. And the problems are getting worse. The postal service projects mail volume will decrease over the next 7 years, but postal routes will get longer because the number of addresses to which mail is delivered is increasing."

September 2, 2003 -- The Washington Post has reported that "A prospective change in postal regulations soon could open the door to mail solicitations that enrich commercial fundraisers operating under the guise of raising money for charitable groups, nonprofit advocates said last week. The U.S. Postal Service is expected to publish in the Federal Register this week changes to the cooperative mailing rule, which governs the use of less expensive postal rates for fundraising appeals by nonprofits. A new exemption would remove the ban on the use of preferred mailing rates by partnerships between nonprofit organizations and for-profit businesses such as direct mailers. The ban was intended to ensure that only nonprofits benefited from the cheaper postal rates, which can shave as much as a dime off the cost of each piece of mail."

September 2, 2003 -- As DMNews has noted, "The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee will hold a hearing 10:30 a.m., Sept. 3, to discuss postal reform and changes to the U.S. Postal Service proposed by the Presidential reform commission. Testifying at the hearing will be James A. Johnson and Harry Pearce, co-chairs of the commission, which issued a report in July that recommended widespread changes including increased automation, fewer employees, changes to the collective bargaining process and increased power to close unprofitable post offices. Postal labor unions have announced their opposition to some of the reforms." This hearing is expected to be webcasted by the Senate.

September 2, 2003 -- The Clarion-Ledger has reported that "The future of the Pelahatchie (MS) post office, as well as many of the other 28,000 that serve small towns and rural areas, would be uncertain if Congress acts on the recommendation of the President's Commission on the U.S. Postal Service. The commission, created by President Bush in December, believes that an independent panel modeled after the one that recommends military base shutdowns should be established to identify post offices that could be closed to help the U.S. Postal Service turn a profit. The commission includes one union member and nine others who come from industry and the president's political circles."

September 2, 2003 -- According to the American Forces Press Service, "the U.S. Postal Service and the Military Postal Service Agency process about two million pounds of mail a week for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Depending on where it originates, a letter or package spends a couple of days in the civilian system before it reaches either San Francisco or New York City. Then it travels another 16 to 19 hours by plane before landing in Kuwait or Bahrain. From there, it is picked up and delivered by motor vehicle. Once in theater, a letter takes seven to 14 days to reach the servicemember, while a package usually takes 14 to 24 days, he said. Packages make up 90 percent of the mail."

September 1, 2003 -- According to The Oregonian, "Even before Americans had a nation, they had a postal service. Ensuring reliable communication between people in different colonies, territories and states was one of the first and most important roles of government in this country. It should remain so -- no matter how much pressure Congress might get to undermine the nation's public mail system."

September 1, 2003 -- MENA-FN.com has reported that "Qatar's General Postal Corporation (Q-Post) has embarked on four major projects aimed at offering world-class services, sources said. These include installation of web cameras at all major post offices, electronic keys for subscribers of post boxes, electronic payment of utilities bills and connecting all post offices in the country with a computer network."

September 1, 2003 -- As Advertising Age has noted, "employee communications is still the most underutilized of the marketing communications tools. Perhaps it's because it sounds about as sexy as tidying a sock drawer. Fed Ex, working with Omnicom's Ketchum, is another champion of employee communications, as is its biggest rival, UPS. Both know their delivery people are their most potent marketing tool, and they work hard to ensure those staff know how to demonstrate their brand values. How good are your FedEx and UPS people? Those who deliver to Ad Age are smart, courteous and reliable. It is no surprise that the U.S. Postal Service has turned to the Martin Agency's new internal branding consultancy for advice on what it, too, can do to turn its workers into a marketing asset rather than a liability.

September 1, 2003 -- The Atlanta Business Chronicle has reported that "with the U.S. Postal Service at a major crossroads, UPS has been trying to put its own stamp on its competitor's future."

September 1, 2003 -- The World Guide to Direct Mail Marketing has been released for distribution by the Universal Postal Union. You can order a copy by going to the UPU web site.

September 1, 2003 -- The Wichita Falls Times Record has reported that "post offices in tiny North Texas towns could be the first to be uprooted though a 2002 "transformation plan" currently being discussed by U.S. Post Office administrators, officials said."

September 1, 2003 -- The Daily Yomiuri (Japan) has reported that "Bicycle courier service Losstime Co. will become the nation's first private mail delivery operator on Oct. 1 in a limited area within Kyoto Prefecture. The company says it will deliver mail "within about three hours" from being received in central Kyoto at charges that will be decided "in consideration of Japan Post's mail charges." Private companies became eligible to offer mail delivery services in April as part of the deregulation of postal service on condition they deliver the mail within three hours. Licensed operators are allowed to deliver postcards, letters, credit cards and other documents."