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The U.S. Post Office is especially busy during the Christmas season. The lines are longer than usual as people wait patiently to send carefully packaged gifts to loved ones across the country, as well as Christmas cards to those both near and far. Business is good, albeit frantic, and once you get up to the counter you have a choice when it comes to stamps: Snowmen or Mary, take your pick. The question may be phrased differently depending on which location you visit, but these were my choices when I asked for Holiday Stamps ... I later discovered that the...

Link to the image since the port office pulled it from their website. Remember, the president had to approve this.

The Postal Services created a stamp with a picture of President Obama. But there was a problem with the stamp not sticking to the envelopes. This enraged the President, who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing and $1.73 million in congressional spending, a special Presidential commission presented the following findings: The stamp is in perfect order. There is nothing wrong with the adhesive. People were spitting on the wrong side! **ENJOY YOUR DAY AMERICA**

When President Barack Obama increased unemployment benefits as part of his economic stimulus, he also made some Americans ineligible for hundreds of dollars a month in food stamps. Under the economic recovery plan, laid-off workers have seen a $25 weekly bump in their unemployment checks as part of a broad expansion of benefits for the poor. But the law did not raise the income cap for food stamp eligibility, so the extra money has pushed some people over the limit.

WASHINGTON – It's not all doom and gloom in the U.S. economy. Some products are bucking the recession and flying off store shelves. Sales of chocolate and running shoes are up. Wine drinkers haven't stopped sipping; they just seem to be choosing cheaper vintages. Gold coins are selling like hot cakes. So are gardening seeds. Tanning products are piling up in shopping carts; maybe more people are finding color in a bottle than from sun-worshipping on a faraway beach. Strong sales of Spam, Dinty Moore stew and chili helped Hormel Foods Corp. post a 6 percent increase in first quarter...

WASHINGTON – Peel it and weep: It'll cost an extra 2 cents to mail a letter starting Monday. The price of a first-class stamp will climb to 44 cents, though people who planned ahead and stocked up on Forever stamps will still be paying the lower rate. It's the third year in a row that rates have gone up in May under a new system that allows annual increases as long as they don't exceed the rate of inflation for the year before.

Postage rates are increasing on Monday, May 11 for first class postage and other services. .. it's not too late to lock in the current rate by buying Forever Stamps. "If you buy them today at today's price, it doesn't matter if you use them in numerous years to come, even 100 years from now, that stamp will still be good as a first class stamp, even though you paid 42 cents for it," But time is of the essence, because the Forever Stamp rate also will increase on Monday.

LEBANON, Ohio (AP) - A southwest Ohio county is threatening to ignore new food stamp rules because officials say relatively well off people are getting benefits. Commissioners in Warren County near Cincinnati said Tuesday they want to go back to the old eligibility standards. They were angry after learning that a woman with $80,000 in the bank, a paid-off $311,000 home and a Mercedes qualified for $500 a month in food stamps after she lost her job. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services says a change made in October bases eligibility on income. Savings, stocks, cars or other...

(CNN) -- Sending a letter will soon be a little more expensive, the U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday. The U.S. Postal Service announced Tuesday a 2-cent increase on first-class stamps, effective May 11. The Postal Service said the price increase was necessary because of rising production costs. Under law, the price of stamps is not allowed to rise faster than the U.S. consumer price index, which measures inflation.

(Very) Poor Man's Gold. The post office sells the new Liberty Bell "Forever" stamps, which have no denomination, but are good each for one first-class letter. These are not only convenient (you don't have to remember the latest first-class rate), but they are like gold. They increase in nominal value as the first-class rates increase, and are a hedge against inflation. As with gold, you also lose the use of the money invested in them, so you get no interest; but on the other hand, there does not seem to be any way for the tax people to get you...

Rome, Aug 26, 2008 / 04:22 am (CNA).- The head of the Vatican Philatelic and Numismatic Office, Dr. Pier Paolo Francini, has revealed the story behind the stamps that were used at the Vatican during the interregnum period of 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II. The design used for stamps during that time came after one of his co-workers saw a fresco by the Italian artist Carlo Malli that he thought would be appropriate for the occasion.Francini told the L’Osservatore Roman that “by tradition the stamps during a Vacant See should be printed as soon as...

NEW YORK — The devil, as they say, is in the details. So when an astute stamp collector recently discovered that one of the Old Glorys in the U.S. Postal Service's "Flags 24/7" series appears to have 14 stripes, it was bound to send a wave of excitement through the philatelic community. "Is there any icon better-known to Americans than their own flag?" said Fred Baumann, a spokesman for the American Philatelic Society. "This is something somebody should have caught along the way." The stamp in question, "Night," was released by the Postal Service on April 18 as part of...

WASHINGTON, DC — Frank Sinatra, one of the most iconic entertainers of the 20th century, will be commemorated on a postage stamp next spring, Postmaster General John Potter announced today. Sinatra’s three children — Nancy, Frank, Jr. and Tina Sinatra. — will preview the stamp image during a special ceremony in Beverly Hills, CA, on Sinatra’s birthday, Wed., Dec. 12. “Frank Sinatra was an extraordinary entertainer whose life and work left an indelible impression on American culture,” said Potter. “His recordings, concert performances and film work place him among America’s top artists, and his legendary gift for transforming popular song...

  Religious stamps welcomed   Stamps ... religious theme  Published: Today   THE Church of England has welcomed the Royal Mail's return to a religious theme for its 2007 Christmas stamp collection. It follows criticism last year about a lack of Christian images on the designs. This year’s set of eight stamps is illustrated with pictures either of angels or the Madonna and Child. Next year’s collection is expected to feature classic pantomime characters, according to a Royal Mail spokesman. “Royal Mail alternates annually between secular and religious Christmas stamps,” the spokesman said. “Last year featured a series of...

The Postal Service announced the new 2007 Christmas stamp "The Madonna of the Carnation" for Catholics. Also, the USPS came out with the Christmas stamps commemorating the Muslim holiday of EID (Sep 28). Plus, USPS will release stamps recognizing Kwanzaa and Hanukkah (Oct 26). And for those in the "none of the above" category, the Holiday Knits stamps series will be available as of today. I commend the Postal Service for its political correctness. However, as a Christian that believes in Jesus Christ, where is the Christmas stamp to represent the Christian belief? Has our country moved so far away...

Powell Presents Purple Hearts; Postal Service Reissues Stamp Honoring Medal WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2007 – Retired Army Gen. Colin Powell presented Purple Heart Medals to two wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center here today, as the U.S. Postal Service reissued a stamp honoring the medal and those who wear it. The medal, which features George Washington’s family crest and the first president’s silhouette set against a purple heart, is awarded to U.S. servicemembers wounded by an instrument of war in an enemy’s hands. Powell received a Purple Heart after a booby trap wounded him in 1963 near the...

WASHINGTON -- As a new version of the Purple Heart stamp was unveiled Tuesday, more wounded soldiers received Purple Hearts of their own. In a ceremony at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Retired Gen. Colin Powell awarded Purple Hearts to two men wounded by IEDs in Iraq. "When the time came, they were there. When the time came, they showed up, when the time came they showed bravery. When the time came, they stood by their fellow buddies. When the time came they stood by the nation, they did not turn away, did not blink, did not find an excuse...

WASHINGTON – Endowed with superhuman strength, yet looking different as day and night, the Amazing Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk will stand shoulder-to-shoulder as the Postal Service launches its latest set of super hero stamps. The 20-stamp set premieres Thursday at Comic-Con, the comic book and pop culture show in San Diego. The 41-cent stamps honor the creations of Marvel Comics, and also include Sub-Mariner, The Thing, Captain America, the Silver Surfer, the Spider-Woman, the Invincible Iron Man, Elektra and Wolverine. In addition, 10 of the stamps highlight covers of comic books featuring the characters. Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man,...

ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE. Md., May 18, 2007 – The annual Joint Service Open House here kicked off today in tandem with a preview of two new military-themed, high-soaring postage stamps. Left to right: Air Force Col. Margaret H. Woodward, commander of the 89th Airlift Wing; David Failor, the U.S. Postal Service’s executive director of stamp services; and Marine Col. Andrew W. O’Donnell Jr., commander of Marine Helicopter Squadron One, participate in a May 18 ceremony that kicked off this year’s Joint Services Open House and previewed new postage stamps commemorating Air Force One and Marine One at Andrews...

The stamps were launched by Star Wars characters Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia are among the characters featured on a set of US stamps marking 30 years of the Star Wars films.A set of 15 stamps is being issued as a poster, and members of the public will be asked to vote for their favourite. The set will go on sale on 25 May, shortly after the basic US postage rate is raised to 41 cents (21p). Earlier this month, 400 postboxes were decorated to look like R2-D2, the robot from the landmark sci-fi saga. The US...

Nearly 189,000 Minnesotans -- more than 40 percent of those eligible -- don't use the federal food stamps to which they are entitled, according to a report being released today. That leaves many children and parents hungry, puts Minnesota in the bottom third of states in food stamp usage and deprives the state's economy of more than $170 million a year in federal dollars, the report said. "It's distressing," said Jessica Webster, who wrote the report for the Legal Services Advocacy Project in St. Paul. "We have this incredible federal resource within the state's grasp, and we're not using it."

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

WASHINGTON - This year's Wonders of America set climbed to second place in the most popular stamps, but Elvis is still the King, the Postal Service said Tuesday. Some 124.1 million of the 1993 Elvis Presley stamps were saved by Americans, according to the post office, which does an annual survey of 10,000 households to determine which stamps are most popular.

BUNGLING mail chiefs were yesterday accused of taking the Christ out of Christmas. They unveiled this year’s festive stamps – which ignore the season’s holy background. Furious Christian politicians joined the Church of England to condemn the Royal Mail over its six faith-free designs. Instead of biblical scenes like the Nativity, the Star of Bethlehem and the Three Wise Men, executives opted for secular symbols including snowmen, reindeer and Santa Claus. Last night critics accused the Royal Mail of snubbing Britain’s Christian heritage in a politically-correct bid to avoid offending other religions. A Church of England spokesman said: "Last year...

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"...

A few months ago, Secretary of State Colin Powell gave a posthumous award for "constructive dissent" to Hiram (or Harry) Bingham, IV. For over fifty years, the State Department resisted any attempt to honor Bingham. For them he was an insubordinate member of the US diplomatic service, a dangerous maverick who was eventually demoted. Now, after his death, he has been officially recognized as a hero. Bingham came from an illustrious family. His father (on whom the fictional character Indiana Jones was based) was the archeologist who unearthed the Inca City of Machu Picchu, Peru, in 1911. Harry entered the...

WASHINGTON - The Postal Service said Wednesday it wants to raise the price of a first-class stamp by 3 cents — to 42 cents — and proposed a "forever" stamp that people could use as hedge against future rate increases. The changes would take effect in the spring of 2007 if approved by the independent Postal Rate Commission. "A forever stamp would help ease the transition to any future price adjustments," board Chairman James C. Miller III said. Postmaster General John E. Potter said the agency would not be making a rate change if it were not necessary. "The Postal...

SATIRIST Barry Humphries and his alter ego Dame Edna Everage have joined the ranks of Aussies to be featured on an Australian postage stamp. Mr Humphries' face, along with that of the glamorous Moonee Ponds housewife, will appear on the 2006 Australian Legend stamp, in recognition of their contribution to Aussie culture and entertainment. "For more than 50 years, he (Barry Humphries) has helped shape our nation's identity, culture and importantly sense of humour with hilarious character creations," said Australia Post managing director Graeme John. "Dame Edna's signature catchcry "Hello Possums!" has also become a typically Australian greeting that's recognised...

It will cost Americans 2 cents more to mail a letter starting Sunday. First-class postage rises to 39 cents for the first ounce. The increase follows legislation requiring the Postal Service to place $3 billion in an escrow account this year. Another rate boost is likely next year to cover rising costs for the agency. Stamp prices last went up in June 2002. Many rates, such as parcel post and advertising mail, vary by distance or whether the material is presorted. Rate changes taking effect, including some estimates for typical mailed items: _Post card, and each additional ounce in first...

While the U. S. Postal Service still issues a Christmas stamp, note the poster in many post offices advertising its seasonal stamps. At the top of the poster is an stamp featuring cookies. Then comes the Hanukkah stamp, only then the Christmas stamp, then the Kwanzaa and Eid (Moslem holiday) stamps. Here's the rub. All holidays are clearly labeled on the poster: Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Eid--except for the Christmas stamp. That one is labeled "Madonna and Child." They won't use the "C" word on the poster (though it is used on the stamp).

I bought 10 sheet of "Distinguished Marines" 37 cent stamps. Of the four great Marines pictured, I noticed that John A. Lejeune, c. 1924 was with the 2nd Infantry Division. But they show the Army insignia on his picture. Was he attached to the Army? Or why did they show an Army insignia on "Distinguished Marines" picture? Semper Fi!

Official announcement came today that the comic book publisher that put “Truth, Justice, and the American Way” on the map will get a nod from the US Post Office next year, when DC Comics characters get their own postage stamps, this according to a USPS release listing the various stamp designs coming in 2006. “Our 2006 program commemorates a wide range of diverse American icons with something that will appeal to everyone,'' Postmaster General John E. Potter said in announcing the planned designs. One touch of reality though – the new stamps of 2006 will cost 39 cents, as the...

My daily trip to the USPO was one for the books today. As I was having my packages stamped a Women came along side of me and asked the clerk if they sold any stamps that didn't promote violence. The clerk was miffed, I was pissed, as she cut into my space. The Women said the American Flag stamps represent murder around the World. I suggested she move to Cuba as she will be able to buy several books of Castro stamps. She called me a Bush-Fool, a new one to me. I asked her to tell me exactly how...

Today if you are purchasing Christmas stamps and want Christian religious Christmas stamps from the USPS, you will have to ask for them. Ask for the Madonna and Child stamps. Apparently the postal service is too embarrassed to hang any posters advertising them in the postal offices (at least in my area}. I would love to see a real uptick in Madonna and Child stamp sales this year because I read that the leftist postal powers that be are thinking of discontinuing this American tradition.

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

Going first class: Snail-mail stamps will cost 39 cents ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON - The cost of mailing a letter will increase to 39 cents on Jan. 8. The Postal Service's board of governors approved the two-cent increase in first-class postal rates late Monday. It is the first increase since June 2002. The cost of mailing a postcard will increase a penny, to 24 cents, as part of the roughly 5.4 percent, across-the-board hike in most rates and fees. The increase fulfills a requirement, passed by Congress in 2003, that the Postal Service establish a $3.1 billion escrow account. Congress is...

MARINE BARRACKS WASHINGTON, Washington DC (Nov. 10, 2005) -- Gen. Michael W. Hagee, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and John E. Potter, Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service,unveiled the Distinguished Marines commemorative 37-cent U.S. Postage stamps at Marine Barracks Washington on the 230th Birthday of the Marine Corps, Nov. 10. The stamps depict legendary Marines, Daniel Daly, John Basilone, John A. Lejeune and Lewis "Chesty" Puller. Other participants included the U.S. Marine Drum and Bugle Corps performing elements of the Barracks' Friday Evening Parade, and Aaron Tippin, country music recording artist. Another first-day dedication ceremony took place at...

Marine stamps available today November 10,2005 BY Chris Mazzolini View stories by reporter Freedom ENC A new postal stamp depicting the face of Lt. Gen. John A. Lejeune won't make mail deployable by land, air or sea, nor will it give a letter the ability to command a division-size force. But it, along with three other Distinguished Marine stamps, will give a letter some character, honor even. Moreover, they'll give senders and recipients alike an opportunity to remember four of the finest Marines to ever join the Corps. Today - the Marine Corps birthday - the U.S. Postal Service will...

WASHINGTON - A 2-cent boost in the price of a postage stamp was approved Tuesday by the independent Postal Rate Commission. Under the recommendation, which now goes to the Postal Service’s Board of Governors for final action, the cost of a first-class stamp will go from 37 cents to 39 cents and the postcard rate will rise a penny to 24 cents. The Postal Service requested the increase last April. It is expected to go into effect in January. The increase is needed so the post office can make a $3.1 billion escrow payment required by Congress. A bill that...

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...

Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez called the criticism regarding Memín “a total lack of respect for our culture.” We agree. Racist caricatures are a beloved tradition in Latin America—and where the hell do Americans get the gumption to attack our stereotyping of J**s, c***s, I****s and n****s? We love ’em—so much, we use them to hawk everything from flour to peanuts. Consider the following products, all purchased at local Latino grocery stores.

Cuando era un pequeño muchacho, Viví en Ciudad de México. ¿Entienda? Oh, sorry; forgot to switch to English. Er, ah… When I was young, I lived in Mexico City for a year. I also spent a lot of time traveling in Latin America. One thing I learned very quickly there: The darker your skin, the worse you were treated. That type of thinking still pervades official Mexican institutions.Vicente Fox, el presidente de México, una persona blanca – a white man of the ruling Spanish clan – has stuck his foot in his mouth again. Today, he is defending two official...

MEXICO CITY - Facing renewed U.S. allegations that theirs is a racist society, many Mexicans were scratching their heads again Thursday. The controversy surged Wednesday with news that Mexico is issuing postage stamps depicting Memin Pinguin, a rambunctious black youth who has been a popular comic-book character here for more than 60 years. Memin's physical attributes — exaggerated lips, large eyes and somewhat simian body language — might scream racism to sensitized minds. African-American leaders and U.S. government officials have denounced the stamp and Memin as relics of a bygone era when stereotypes were standard and racism was the rage....

MEXICO CITY (AP) - U.S. activists called on the Mexican government to withdraw a postage stamp depicting an exaggerated black cartoon character known as Memin Pinguin, saying the offense was worse than recent remarks about blacks made by President Vicente Fox. Mexico defended the series of five stamps released Wednesday, which depicts a child character from a comic book started in the 1940s that is still published in Mexico. But the Rev. Jesse Jackson said President Bush should pressure Mexico to withdraw the stamps from the market, saying they "insult people around the world." "The impact of this is worse...

Beatle John Lennon's Childhood Stamp Album Acquired by Postal Museum The Associated Press Jun 24, 2005 WASHINGTON (AP) - Beatles star John Lennon collected stamps as a schoolboy - and the public will soon have a chance to see them. The Smithsonian's National Postal Museum announced Friday it has acquired Lennon's stamp album and plans to display it in October. The museum purchased the album from a British stamp dealer but declined to disclose the purchase price. The museum said the album contains more than 550 stamps from around the world, including many from former British colonies such as India...

WASHINGTON - The Postal Service gives its executives moving expenses of $10,000 or $25,000 without requiring receipts, allowing employees to pocket any leftover money. The mail service says it uses the payments as a way of easing transitions to new, sometimes more expensive cities and ensuring that executives won't be lured away by competitors. One senior vice president received $75,000 — $25,000 each for three moves from June 1998 to February 2001. The mail service gave 265 executives $10,000 each and 10 others $25,000 each in the past two years, according to information gathered by Senate Finance Committee investigators.

The nation's 40th president, Ronald Reagan, will once again have his uplifting image featured across the country - and in time immemorial- when the U.S. Postal Service launches a new stamp in his honor today. A first-date-of-issue for the stamps, which bear a broadly smiling image of the late commander-in-chief, will take place during a dedication ceremony at his Simi Valley, Calif. presidential library and museum, postal officials said. Other dedications are also scheduled to take place at the state capitol building in Sacramento and in Washington, D.C. The essence of Reagan, who was always known for his quick...

Saturday after Thanksgiving is the traditional day to purchase stamps for my annual Christmas card mailing... [snip] So, shortly before noon on that most recent post-turkey day, I sauntered into a neighborhood "U.S. Postal Store," [snip] and headed for the stamps-only section. I quickly found a packed wall of display racks offering a panoply of first-class postage devoted to the various elements of the year-end holiday season, specifically: 1) Christmas, featuring colorful, contemporary designs of Santa Claus with an array of inanimate, secular Yule symbols; 2) Kwanzaa, with not just one but two stamps promoting a totally fabricated "harvest holiday"...

This is new to me...and I hope I have not overlooked a previous post. Follow the URL and see for yourself.....we now issue an Islamic Postage Stamp.

It isn't easy being green. It isn't easy getting on a U.S. postage stamp either, but Kermit the Frog will manage it next year, along with his Muppet friends. New stamps also will recall the late President Ronald Reagan, singer Marian Anderson, actor Henry Fonda and songwriter Yip Harburg, notable scientists, famous Marines and sports cars, the U.S. Postal Service said Thursday. It's a wide variety, says Dave Failor, who is in charge of stamps for the Postal Service "I think there's just going to be a lot of really fun stamps, and a lot of really good educational stamps...