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A cube drone loses it and goes nuts destroying the office. At least 5 or 6 guys are there along with an several women and the guys just stand around holding their hands over their faces. What a wussed out society!

Remember the old Saturday Night Live skit about the First CitiWide “change bank” that does nothing but make change? Our customers ask us how we make a profit, quips the bank’s spokesman. “The answer is simple – volume.” As laughable as this dubious business plan sounds, it bears many similarities to the business plan the management of the U.S. Postal Service has been practicing for much of the past decade. And, as might be expected, the model isn’t doing much to help the Post Office – which lost $5 billion last year – cover its costs. This week, the Service...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 14, 2008 – Military families have long used the U.S. Postal Service’s flat-rate shipping boxes to send care packages around the globe. Beginning March 3, they’ll get a price break. The discount applies only to the new “Priority Mail Large Flat-Rate Box,” which normally carries a $12.95 price tag for shipping. However, when the 12-by-12-by-5.5-inch box is sent to an AFO or FPO address, a $2 discount applies, dropping the cost to $10.95. “This is the first time the Postal Service has offered a special price for our armed forces serving overseas,” said Postmaster General John Potter....

WASHINGTON, DC (AFPN) -- Planning to send a care package to a military service member serving abroad? Send it after March 3 to take advantage of a new flat-rate box from the Postal Service that is 50 percent larger and delivered for $10.95 to an APO/FPO address -- $2 less than for domestic destinations. "This is the first time the Postal Service has offered a special price for our armed forces serving overseas," said Postmaster Gen. John Potter. "We're proud that family and friends will be able to use this new larger-sized box to send much appreciated packages from home to our dedicated troops overseas."...

This is one of the kindest things I've ever experienced. I have no way to know who sent it, but there is a kind soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service. Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:...

OBERLIN, Kan. — A postcard featuring a color drawing of Santa Claus and a young girl was mailed in 1914, but it's journey was slower than Christmas. It just arrived in northwest Kansas. The Christmas card was dated Dec. 23, 1914, and mailed to Ethel Martin of Oberlin, apparently from her cousins in Alma, Neb.

Mailman arrested for stealing cards BY JOHN MARZULLI DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER Saturday, December 8th 2007, 4:00 AM Every thief has a hallmark, and a Brooklyn letter carrier is the Greeting Card Bandit. The feds arrested Michael Olivio this week after an elaborate sting operation to identify the Grinch-like mailman in Bath Beach who intercepted hundreds of greeting cards for the cash inside, the Daily News has learned. After receiving complaints from residents in the 11214 area code, the bait was set. Special Agent Stephen Dolloff mailed "test greeting card letters" to the postal customers who had complained. One customer...

Peeved Patron Plugs Postal Worker Resident Shoots Chicago Postal Worker for Allegedly Delivering the Mail Too Late The Associated Press CHICAGO A postal worker in Chicago was shot in the leg late Tuesday after a resident along his postal route allegedly became angry that he was delivering the mail too late. Police said Denny Robinson, 31, was delivering mail around 6:30 p.m. in Chicago's West Pullman neighborhood when he was shot in the thigh. Robinson was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment for the non-life-threatening injury. Authorities said witnesses reported hearing a person yelling the postal worker was delivering...

Police: Mailman In Uniform Arrested In Drug Sting Postal Worker Intended To Sell Cocaine, Authorities Say POSTED: 3:26 pm EDT July 24, 2007 UPDATED: 7:04 am EDT July 25, 2007 INDIANAPOLIS -- A postal carrier wearing his work uniform was arrested this week after he tried to buy crack cocaine from undercover officers with the intention of dealing it, police said. James A. Hunter, 46, was arrested Monday at 2708 E. Thompson Road on suspicion of smoking a small sample of cocaine he allegedly accepted from the officers and asking for a price on 2 ounces of the drug, police...

Dogs Bite Mail Carriers Most In California (May 17, 2007)--It looks like mail carriers have a better chance of being bitten in California than any place else in America. As Dog Bite Awareness Week kicks off Thursday, the Post Office is releasing information on where the biggest problems are for carriers, and noting safety tips for dog owners. The New York metropolitan area had no record of a mail carrier bitten last year. Santa Ana, Calif. had the most: 96. In fact, of the top-five most likely places where mail carriers are bitten, three are in California. One carrier in...

Post office delivers letter 52 years late BY FRANK SOJAK The Tribune-Democrat — Whoever sent this letter with a 3-cent stamp was overcharged. The missive to a young man in Ferndale just arrived – 52 years late. The letter, postmarked Oct. 26, 1954, presumably was lost in the mail. Brian McAteer, who resides at the Ferndale Avenue home now, said he was shocked when the letter, encased in a large, United States Postal Service window envelope, allowing the address to be seen, arrived at his home a couple weeks ago. The letter had a return address of Fieldstone Avenue in...

THE LIST The King of Stamps December 28, 2006 The Postal Service recently announced its list of the most-collected stamps. The top five, with year of introduction and how many of them have been saved by Americans, in millions: 1. Elvis Presley (1993) 124.1 2. Wonders of America (2006) 87.5 3. Wildflowers (1992) 76.1 4. Rock & Roll/Rhythm & Blues (1993) 75.9 5. DC Comics Super Heroes (2006) 73.0

Unions were created to serve an important purpose -- to protect workers' rights and safety. But in their zeal to negotiate as many benefits as possible, some may be hurting the very employees they represent.

A former postal worker who poured urine into his co-workers' coffee must serve six months in a jail work-release program. Thomas Shaheen, 50, of suburban Springfield Township, also must pay $1,200 to the people he used to work with to cover their cost of making a secret video of his role in tainting the office coffee. Shaheen stood and apologized to several postal workers in Akron Municipal Court where he pleaded guilty on Monday to two misdemeanor charges of tainting food. "I don't know what became of me," said Shaheen, a postal employee for 13 years fired from his job...

Former Postal Official Denies Accusations Thursday August 31, 2006 9:46 PM WASHINGTON (AP) - The former head public affairs official of the U.S. Postal Service is denying charges made by the agency's inspector general alleging improper activities ranging from overspending to excessive drinking. Azeezaly Jaffer left the agency June 30, declining at the time to discuss his reasons. A Postal Inspection Service report dated June 19 includes accusations of Jaffer running up an excessive hotel bill at a three-day event in Washington, of bypassing the Postal Service travel agency in order to obtain travel promotional benefits, and spending extravagantly on...

Bitter philosophical disagreements between companies that accept advertising and messages from anti-hunting groups, while refusing pro-hunting messages, are nothing new in the outdoors. But a refusal to create a special postage stamp referencing sportsmen as conservationists by ZAZZLE.com, an "official licensed vendor" for the U.S. Postal Service, has led to the filing of a pair of complaints with United States Postmaster General John Potter. An original complaint, field August 11 by REACT Consulting Group of Olympia, Washington, centers on ZAZZLE's rejection of a stamp bearing the legend "Sportsmen - America's First Conservationists" and the headline "$1.7 Billion for Conservation Annually"...

Sportsmen's Action Needed to Stop U.S. Postal Service from Promoting HSUS- (06/22) The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is allowing the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) to place its anti-animal use rhetoric on postage stamps, and use money gained from the sale of the stamps to further its anti-hunting, anti-animal use mission. Sportsmen’s action is needed immediately to stop this outrage. Zazzle.com, the company offering the HSUS stamps, reports that through its Community Giving Program 20 percent, or more, of the sales of the HSUS stamps goes to the HSUS. Earlier this year, Congress amended an 1872 law that...

The U.S. Postal Service gained share of the U.S. domestic air cargo market in the first six months of 2005, a phenomenon that hasn't occurred for years, The Colography Group Inc. said in the midyear 2005 edition of its Domestic Air Cargo Trends report. The report, issued May 9, is one of a series of semiannual reports on the U.S. domestic air express and air cargo markets. U.S. air shipment growth in Q2 2005 exceeded growth in the nation's gross domestic product, which the Atlanta company called encouraging for U.S. domestic air trade. This was the first quarter dating to...

Silver Spring, MD (AP) - A U.S. Postal Service worker was arrested Saturday in a bomb threat that forced the evacuation of two charter buses and the closure of the Capital Beltway for 90 minutes. The woman, whose name was not released, called a passenger aboard a charter bus carrying other postal workers from Merrifield, Va., to Atlantic City, N.J., and said there was a bomb aboard the bus, said Sgt. Russell Newell, a Maryland State Police spokesman.

David Burke, an employee for USAir, now US Airways had his job terminated after he allegedly stole $69 from the airline fund. He pleaded for leniency, which did no good for him. Raymond Thompson was his supervisor and fired him afterwards on December 7, 1987. Thompson tells Burke to have a nice day and Burke cryptically says, "I intend on having a very good day." Later that day, he buys a one-way ticket for Pacific Southwest Airline Flight 1771 from Los Angeles International Airport to San Francisco International Airport. The airplane was a BAe-146 and at the time carried 38...

LOWELL -- Santana Baez and Luis Carmona didn't want to keep any illegal drugs in their apartment in case it got raided, police said. So they put their stash inside their mailbox at 11 Allen St., Unit 302, in the city's Belvidere neighborhood, apparently forgetting the postal carrier comes on Monday, said Police Sgt. James Trudel. According to police, the carrier thought the boxes were outgoing mail but then found heroin in one and cocaine in the other.

BAKER CITY, Ore. -- A postal employee accused of killing a co-worker behind the city post office first ran over the woman, then shot her several times after he tried to find his boss but couldn't, the county prosecutor said Wednesday. Baker County District Attorney Matthew B. Shirtcliff said it was unclear whether Lori Hayes-Kotter died from being run over by letter carrier Grant Gallaher Tuesday afternoon or from shots allegedly fired by him. However, Shirtcliff said the gunshot wounds "would have been fatal." Gallaher, 41, had just finished his shift when he drove into the post office parking lot,...

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) - A postal worker was sentenced Wednesday to a year of probation for causing the deaths of his two young sons by leaving them in the back of his sport-utility vehicle in midday heat. Derrick Strothers, 39, could have received up to six years in prison on each of two charges of involuntary manslaughter. Federal prosecutors had sought five years of probation. Authorities said Strothers dropped off his wife at her job on Aug. 15, 2003, then headed to the East Orange post office where he worked. His sons - Derrick Jr., 2, and Dylan, 1 -...

LOS ANGELES - A woman who went on a deadly rampage inside a postal facility believed that she was threatened by a conspiracy among workers there, authorities said Friday. Jennifer San Marco left writings at her New Mexico home alluding to a vague plot involving the plant where she once worked, a local medical facility and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department, said sheriff's Sgt. Erik Raney in a telephone interview. "She obviously felt that the post office was out to get her in one way or another," Raney said. "That establishes as good of a motive (for the killings)...

A former postal employee opened fire at a mail processing plant, killing six people before committing suicide, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Jim Anderson said early Tuesday.

GOLETA, Calif. (AP) -- A Santa Barbara County Fire captain says two people are dead and at least two others wounded in a shooting at a postal facility in Goleta. Fire Captain Keith Cullom says the two injured were taken to the hospital in critical condition. He was not able to confirm if there are additional victims. Cullom says the gunman remains at large while one of the victims was close to the building entrance and was pulled out by a paramedic.

CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq (Dec. 24, 2005) -- A war zone may be a dangerous place to fly especially if you are carrying thousands of pounds of presents, and wearing a bright-red suit. However, Santa Clause is not worried this year, because he has the perfect group of “helpers” to make sure his gifts get to the good boys and girls here in Iraq. Even though the Marines of 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward) will not be home for the holidays, they will still receive their boxes of joy during the holiday season, thanks to the Marines of Postal Detachment, Headquarters...

The Postal Service is in a position not many Americans can claim: debt free. But even a projected surplus won't stop next month's postal rate increase, which the service says is needed to a congressionally mandated expense. Once $11 billion in the red, the post office paid off the remaining $1.8 billion of its debt in 2005, postal Chief Financial Officer Richard Strasser said Tuesday. It's the first time the Postal Service has been without debt since it was organized from the old post office in the 1970s. Overall, the Postal Service finished fiscal 2005 with a $1.4 billion surplus...

Dear Postal CustomerWith the holiday season upon us, I would like to take this opportunity to say "HAPPY HOLIDAYS" [snip]

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- "Pack it well" and "mail it early" are two tips a military postal official offered regarding holiday mailings to service members overseas Nov. 3. The Defense Department announced recommended holiday mail dates Oct. 31. The first deadlines occur Nov. 12 for Parcel Post items headed overseas to APO and FPO ZIP codes. Deadlines for other mail classes continue with Nov. 26 for Space Available Mail; Dec. 3, Parcel Airlift Mail; Dec. 10, Priority Mail; and Dec. 19, Express Mail. Mark J. DeDomenic, assistant deputy director of the Military Postal Service Agency, covered a variety of military mail...

MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Oct. 28, 2005) -- In honor of the 230th anniversary of the United States Marine Corps, the U.S. Postal Service is scheduled to release the U.S. Marine Corps Heritage Collection of four distinguished Corps postage stamps. The Distinguished Marine Stamps honor four of the most reputable Marine Corps war heroes including Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, Sgt. Maj. Daniel J. Daly, Lt. Gen. John A. Lejuene and Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller. Purchase of the stamps will be available exclusively on Marine Corps installations Nov. 10 at $7.40 for a book of 20...

Infamous Film Director Uwe Boll Signs Suicide Pact with Game Developer 'Running With Scissors' Start firing those AK-47s into the air because "Postal", the game franchise that politicians, parents groups, countless cowardly reviewers and over a dozen sovereign nations don't want you to play has just become the latest game to make the transition to the big screen. Running with Scissors (RWS), the world's most dangerous software company, has signed an appropriately apocalyptic deal with renegade filmmaker Uwe Boll to bring the most controversial franchise in gaming history to the screen in all its blood-drenched, ironic glory. Despite everyone from...

Now that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has a clear mandate for economic reform, he has wasted no time in transforming his electoral capital into practical results. Japan’s stock market – indeed, its entire economy – is poised for years of sustained growth. This growth will help to bouy the world economy, too. Last Friday, Japan’s Diet (Parliament) approved legislation that will privatize the $3 trillion held by Japan’s postal service. The postal service? In Japan, the “Yubin” is more than just mailing letters. For the last 130 years, post offices have also served as local savings banks for conservative...

SNELLVILLE, Ga. — Earl Lazenby had delivered mail for years to the aging brown home with overgrown plants in the yard and a National Rifle Association sticker on the front door. The home's owner was always friendly, sometimes chatting with Lazenby at the grocery store in this Atlanta suburb. But what Lazenby didn't know was that William Crutchfield was deep in debt and looking for a way out. Crutchfield apparently watched with envy as Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph was headed to prison for life and aspired to the same fate — allowing him to live off the government while behind...

Japan's lower house of parliament has narrowly approved plans to privatise the country's huge postal system. The move is set to create the world's largest bank, as Japan Post controls 350 trillion yen ($3.2 trillion) in savings and insurance funds. The 233-228 vote was a victory for Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who had pledged to push the reforms through before leaving office in 2006. But it was a tight call, with members of his own party voting against him. Under the proposed reforms, Japan Post would be split into four entities in 2007 in the hope of stimulating competition. Its...

A Labour councillor who stole postal votes in a local council election was jailed for three years and seven months yesterday. Judge Peter Openshaw, who described the system as being "wide open to fraud", said: "The defendant has literally stolen votes." Muhammed Hussain, 61, had arranged the collection of blank ballot papers posted to homes in the ward he was contesting in Blackburn, Lancs, Preston Crown Court was told. Campaigners went from house to house asking voters to hand over papers, saying: "Don't worry we'll take care of them." Hussain pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to conspiring to defraud...

Some time ago, I read about the handling of "mail flats" here on FR. If you have specific knowledge of this end of postal procedures, I would appreciate it if you would contact me here. ( Use private reply if desired. ) Thanks !

Breaking

1 Dead After Bowling Alley Shooting GLENWOOD, Iowa -- A man opened fired at a Glenwood bowling alley Sunday night, killing a man. Police respond to a Glenwood, Iowa, bowling alley after a man opened fire. A man with a rifle walked into Midwest Lanes just after 6 p.m. The man, in his mid-40s, started shooting at another man who was bowling. At least four shots were fired. One of them hit the Pacific Junction man in the chest. Two people in the bowling alley jumped the shooter and held him down until police arrived. There were more than two...

i need some help. my latest union newsletter is so hateful to Bush is made me sick. i think a union is a good balance to management but ours, like so many others is a lapdog of the libs. i am writing an artical to counter all this crap but i need some help. topic. 1.the "job loss" of Bush. can someone site a source showing the huge turn around Bush made to the positive. 2.why bush was better for postal workers then kerry 3.truth about postal reform and the postal commission. 4.and this is the BIG one, why do...

American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2004 -- With so many military families scrambling to ship holiday care packages to their loved ones deployed around the world, the U.S. Postal Service is stepping in to make things a bit easier. It's offering a package of free packing materials, including 10 boxes, 10 customs forms with envelopes, 10 "Mili-Pac" shipping envelopes, which are specially printed to reflect the complexities of military mailing addresses, and a roll of Priority Mail tape. Postal Service spokeswoman Sue Brennan said USPS started the service Oct. 25 as an extension of an offer the Postal...

"...After sharply criticizing President Bush for the invasion of Iraq and his post-war policies, delegates at the APWU convention on Aug. 23-27 approved a resolution that stated: "Resolved, the AMERICAN POSTAL WORKERS UNION, AFL-CIO calls for an end to the U.S. occupation of Iraq, the implementation of a plan to turn over sovereignty to the people of Iraq as soon as possible, and the return of U.S. troops to their homes and families."...

No Mail or Telephone Calls for Troops? Communication Workers & Postal Workers Oppose War in Iraq

TORONTO - A man from New Brunswick who called off a shooting spree after a chance encounter with a friendly dog appeared in court in Toronto on Thursday to face several weapons charges. The 43-year-old man, who turned himself in to police on Wednesday afternoon, said he'd loaded his car with guns and ammunition in New Brunswick before setting out with plans of randomly shooting people in Toronto. On arriving in east-end Toronto, the man reportedly went into a nearby park to load his weapons. There, he told police, a playful dog approached him. That encounter apparently changed his mind....

The Postal Service has asked its inspector general to investigate a computer glitch that caused 41,000 employees to receive too much money in their paychecks this week. "We have taken it upon ourselves to ask the inspector general to look into it," said Gerry McKiernan, a spokesman for the Postal Service. As a result of the error, the Postal Service sent out $103 million more than it should have, an average mistake of $2,500 for each employee. McKiernan said postal officials are asking the inspector general to develop ways to prevent the mistake from occurring again. The problem reportedly originated...

Two pro-life groups are waging postcard campaigns this month in separate endeavors to spotlight Advocate Health Care System’s abortion practices. Advocate owns 10 Chicago area hospitals, two of which are children’s hospitals. Advocate is the parent company of Christ Hospital, embroiled in a public relations nightmare since 1999 when it was revealed the hospital is involved in second trimester abortions that sometimes result in babies being aborted alive. Advocate also owns Lutheran General Hospital, where pro-lifers have been battling its abortion practices for nearly 20 years. Monthly picketers outside the hospital usually include Virginia McCaskey, part owner of the Chicago...

The US Postal Service created a stamp with a picture of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to honor her achievements as the First Lady of our nation. In daily use it was shown that the stamp was not sticking to envelopes. This enraged Senator Clinton, who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing, a special presidential commission made the following findings: *The stamp was in perfect order. *There was nothing wrong with the applied adhesive. *People were spitting on the wrong side.

WASHINGTON - FedEx chairman Frederick W. Smith told a Senate panel looking at postal reform Thursday that it has two choices: Liquidate the Postal Service as technology encroaches on its primary business or force it to compete. Smith, whose Memphis-based package delivery and logistics company is both in partnership and in competition with the 750,000-employee government mail-delivery giant, laid out a list of proposals aimed at improving service, adjusting Postal Service pricing structures and ending the USPS monopoly by 2008. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee is considering the first comprehensive overhaul of the Postal Service since the early 1970s while...

POSTAL OFFICIAL RAPS FOX-TV FOR SCURRILOUS PROGRAM WASHINGTON - In an unprecedented move, a senior U.S. Postal Service official called upon the nine million employees of the mailing industry and the three-quarters of a million employees of the Postal Service to contact the head of FOX Entertainment Group to protest the scurrilous and abusive depiction of postal workers in a "Mad TV" segment set to air Saturday. In a promo for this coming Mad-TV show, two postal employees are seen brandishing guns, talking about a shooting spree as customers cower near the floor. In a reference to the movie "Network"...

MILWAUKEE -- A four-foot alligator chewed its way out of a shipping carton before a postal worker tossed it into a hamper and called animal control officers.