Truck Fire Destroys U.S. Mail / Delays UPS Train

LAKELAND -- Thousands of pieces of priority mail were destroyed in a truck fire on Interstate 4 Thursday night.

A tractor-trailer, owned by Phoenix Transport and Services, was carrying about 3,600 priority packages mailed in areas of Tampa and Pasco County with ZIP codes beginning with 335, 336 and 346.

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The mishap also closed nearby CSX railroad tracks for two hours, delaying a train hauling packages for one of the Postal Service's main rivals."It carried UPS packages," said Cheryl Edwards, a Lakeland Fire Department spokeswoman.

See the full story here : http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050212/NEWS/502120369/1039

Medicine Delivery in Cities After Potential Terrorist Attack

From the Nuclear Threat Initiative website Monday, February 7, 2005 issue.

Experts Question Federal Initiative for Medicine Delivery in Cities After Potential Terrorist Attack

The Bush administration is pressing 21 U.S. cities to develop plans for door-do-door delivery of medicines in case of a terrorist attack using weapons of mass destruction, the New York Times reported today (see GSN, May 21, 2004).

The $27 million Cities Readiness Initiative, an eight-month pilot program announced by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department in May 2004, designated $12 million for the U.S. Postal Service to recruit and train volunteer carriers to deliver drugs from the strategic national stockpile following a possible WMD event.

The initiative partly arises from fears of an anthrax attack, said William Raub, a Health and Human Services emergency preparedness official.

“There are chemicals of a very similar nature sprayed over entire national forests to kill gypsy moths,” he said. “We now realize that an outdoor anthrax release over a city would not be difficult at all.”
New York and 10 other cities have expressed interest in the postal worker plan, according to the Times, but city officials and U.S. Postal Service representatives are still discussing details of such an effort.

“Postal carriers signed up to carry the mail in times of rain, sleet or snow, not anthrax,” said David Heyman, a bioterrorism specialist at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “If there are questions of whether medical personnel would even show up to work under such conditions, it’s certainly not clear that postal carriers would.”

Studies conducted by the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University predict that about 35 percent of New York hospital employees would stay away from work following a biological or radiological attack.

Concerns about home delivery include possible theft of medicine from mailboxes and whether people would even be there when the drugs arrived, the Times reported.

“Estimates indicate that about a third of the population would follow orders if told to shelter in place, a third would head for the hills, and a third would hang around to help mobilize relief efforts,” said Stephen Prior, the director of the National Security Health Policy Center at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. “But these are the types of variables that we have to start figuring out”

(Ian Urbina, New York Times, Feb. 7).

UPS: Valentine's Day Rush in Full Bloom

Valentine's Day Rush in Full Bloom for UPS
Press Release

Valentine's Day Rush in Full Bloom for UPSATLANTA, GA, Feb., 5, 2003 - UPS, the world's largest global transportation company, is now in the midst of its annual peak flower delivery period as Valentine's Day draws closer. By Feb. 14, UPS expects to transport approximately seven million pounds of flowers, worth an estimated $45 million.

"UPS carries almost 10,000 boxes of flowers a day from Latin America. During the Valentine's Day season this increases 25 percent," said Tom O'Malley, vice president, UPS Air Cargo, Latin America. "Not only do we face the challenge of delivering a huge amount of cargo, we also must ensure that the flowers arrive in the United States less than 24 hours after they were picked to ensure they stay fresh."

According to the Society of American Florists, 70 percent of cut flowers sold in the United States are imported with the vast majority coming from Latin America. Eighty-five percent of those flowers come through Miami/Dade County International Airport where UPS is the largest air cargo carrier.

The path of a flower from farm to beloved can cover great distances and each step must be carefully synchronized to ensure the delicate cargo stays in top shape. Once UPS receives the cut flowers, they are loaded onto temperature-controlled aircraft where they are kept between 34 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit. After the flowers arrive in Miami, the company works with U.S. Customs officials to ensure Valentine's Day roses quickly clear inspections. The flowers are kept cool the entire time in UPS's refrigerated warehouses.

After the flowers pass inspections, UPS sorts them according to their final destinations. The company ships them to countries like Japan and Germany, to U.S. florists, and to the homes of loved ones across the United States.

For UPS customer and flower importer Associated Farms, the success of the Valentine's Day season is key to the company's year-round business.

"Valentine's Day is important to our customers, so on-time delivery is critical," said Hilda Varela, vice president of Miami-based Associated Farms. "If we don't take care of our customers for Valentine's Day, then they won't take care of us for the rest of the year. Fortunately, we picked the right transportation partner in UPS, and we know we can rely on them to make our customers happy."

Here are some other interesting Valentine's Day flower facts from the Society of American Florists (visit www.aboutflowers.com for more information):

60 percent of men say they would like to receive flowers on Valentine's Day
Women buy 38 percent of all floral products sold for Valentine's Day
30 percent of men wait until Valentine's Day to purchase flowers
The rose is the state flower of New York
62 percent of women prefer colored roses other than red
More than 130 million roses are typically sold for Valentine's Day
Women are more likely to buy flowers for their mother than any other friend or relative


UPS is the world's largest global transportation company, offering the most extensive range of e-commerce and supply chain solutions for the movement of goods, information and funds. Headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., UPS serves more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. UPS stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange (UPS) and the company can be found on the Web at www.ups.com.

Postmaster Finder - Search Postmasters by City

Have a concern, complaint, suggestion, or compliment and do not know who to call at your local post office? Try this tool offered on the post office website call the Postmaster Finder at http://webpmt.usps.gov/pmt002.cfm . We searched for our local post office and it shows the post masters for the past 100+ Years !!!!!!!

Postmaster Finder
Postmasters by City

LEE POST OFFICE
MADISON COUNTY, FLORIDA

Name Title Date Appointed Thomas L. Boon Postmaster 12/01/1882
Nigel Brass Postmaster 01/08/1887
James J. Sullivan Postmaster 03/15/1895
Mathew D. Williams Postmaster 12/13/1902
Hugh J. Davis Postmaster 02/06/1907
John Towler Acting Postmaster 12/13/1918
John Towler Postmaster 01/31/1919
Sallie S. Ragan Postmaster 11/30/1920
Miss Vesta Blanton Postmaster 10/25/1921
Mrs. Lessie L. McMullen Acting Postmaster 06/30/1944
Mrs. Lessie L. McMullen Postmaster 07/15/1946
E. E. Register Officer-In-Charge 06/30/1972
Leonard Chapman Hicks Officer-In-Charge 02/16/1973
Leonard Chapman Hicks Postmaster 01/05/1974
Tommy D. Jenkins Postmaster 02/01/1986
Wilbur E. Wood Officer-In-Charge 08/27/1988
Marilyn Joyce Musser Postmaster 02/11/1989
Mary M. Santerfeit Officer-In-Charge 01/12/2004

Work-at-Home Scams: They Just Don't Pay!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Postal Inspector Molly McMinn: 703-292-3967
usps.com/postalinspectors/
February 7, 2005

Work-at-Home Scams: They Just Don't Pay!

National Consumer Protection Week is February 6 - 12

Washington, DC - "Make big $$$ working from home. Earn $50 to $200 /hour in the comfort of your home!" You've seen the ads in newspapers, on flyers stapled to telephone poles, and on the Internet. They sound great. In fact, working at home has become more attractive than ever as stay-at-home moms, college students, and retirees look for new ways to earn extra money. But be wary of these offers, warn U.S. Postal Inspectors. There are some genuine job opportunities, but too many don't deliver on their promises.

During National Consumer Protection Week, Postal Inspectors and the Postal Service's Consumer Advocate are joining other federal, state, and local consumer-protection agencies to educate the public about ways to avoid becoming victims of fraud. This year's postal message is "Work-at-Home Scams: They Just Don't Pay."

Chief Postal Inspector Lee R. Heath says, "With so many Americans interested in working at home, it should come as no surprise that job scams have grown in popularity-but too many offers not only don't pay, they cost victims thousands of dollars."

According to the Postal Service's Consumer Advocate Mike Spates, job seekers should do some homework before accepting a work-at-home offer. "Our goal is to educate consumers so we can reduce their chances of falling victim to work-at-home scams," says Spates.

Postal Inspectors report the most common work-at-home scam is envelope stuffing. The ads promise you money in return for stuffing envelopes at home. But Postal Inspectors say that none of the promotions they've seen pay off as promised.

The newest scam is reshipping fraud. Work-at-home shippers are promised substantial amounts of money - all they have to do is receive, repackage, and then mail merchandise to a foreign address. What the shipper doesn't know is that the merchandise was paid for with stolen credit cards. In effect, the work-at-home shipper becomes part of a fencing operation by receiving and mailing stolen goods. Reports to date indicate the scam has cost victims thousands of dollars, but as long as the ads appear, people unaware of the fraud continue to respond.

Other work-at-home jobs may involve product assembly, craft work, and multi-level marketing. Some ask victims to front money for products or more detailed instructions. Others require that you recruit other people to do the work - which continues the fraud.

Postal Inspectors encourage consumers to closely examine offers before responding. They offer these protection tips:
Don't give out personal information to a person or company you don't know.
Be suspicious of any offer that doesn't pay a regular salary or involves an overseas company.
Check out the company with the Federal Trade Commission, the Better Business Bureau, state Attorney General, or your local consumer protection agency.
"Be smart," says Chief Inspector Heath. "There is no easy way to wealth. If the offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

For more than 225 years, the U.S. Mail has been one of the safest and most efficient ways for Americans to do business. The Postal Inspection Service works to maintain that trust. Last year, the Postal Inspection Service received 82,000 complaints from people who believed they were defrauded by offers received in the mail. During the same period, Postal Inspectors arrested 1,446 suspects for mail fraud.

For more information on fraud or to order the free DVD, "Work at Home Scams," visit www.usps.com/postalinspectors. For more information on National Consumer Protection Week, visit www.consumer.gov/ncpw and www.bbb.org.

Media Mail searches raise privacy concerns

From: Daily Trojan Online: http://www.dailytrojan.com

"The U.S. Postal Service searches random packages sent through its Media Mail service."

Media Mail, a cheap way to mail books, is the focus of USPS security checks.

See the full story here: http://www.dailytrojan.com/news/2005/02/03/News/Media.Mail.Searches.Raise.Privacy.Concerns-850782.shtml

USPS: eBAY DAYS ON THE WAY

From www.usps.com

eBAY DAYS ON THE WAY. Watch for special eBay Days at Post Offices nationwide, where customers can learn how quick, easy and convenient it is to sell on eBay and ship with USPS. eBay Days held last year were so successful that hundreds of Post Offices will join in hosting the events this year.

Ground Time in Transit Maps - Zip Code Specific

If you ship via one of the below services, you need their map of package "Time in Transit" for your packages so you can tell your customer when to expect their package. Very useful information. Allows you to input your zip code and returns a color coded map that can be printed, with delivery areas colored differently depending on number of days in transit.

FedEx Ground:
http://www.fedex.com/grd/maps/ShowMapEntry.do?cc=US&language=en

UPS Ground: ( Notice AK, HI and PR are now included on time in transit maps. )
http://www.ups.com/maps?loc=en_US

DHL Ground:
http://www.dhl-usa.com/groundMaps/jsp/GroundMaps.jsp

USPS Priority Mail: Map not available, averages 2-3 days nationwide.

5th Annual Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day

Today is the 5th Annual Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day. It is celebrated the fourth Monday of January.

http://www.fast-pack.com/bubblewrapappreciation.html

Sealed Air News Release below:

Sealed Air Celebrates Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day

SADDLE BROOK, N.J., Monday, January 31, 2005 - For almost 50 years, the Bubble Wrap® brand has been a household name in America. Today, Sealed Air Corporation (NYSE:SEE), the inventor of Bubble Wrap® cushioning, announced the celebration of the 5th Annual Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day, a national holiday for bubble-popping aficionados everywhere.

"We are proud of our innovative history developing this superior cushioning product," stated William V. Hickey, Sealed Air President and Chief Executive Officer. "To this day, Bubble Wrap® cushioning continues to help businesses do business around the world."

Bubble Wrap® cushioning, invented in 1960, was originally intended to be a type of textured wallpaper. However, the inventors quickly realized that it was in fact a superior cushioning material and founded Sealed Air, which today offers a wide range of packaging solutions and has global sales of approximately $3.8 billion a year.

"Bubble Wrap® cushioning may be best known for protecting fragile items being shipped, but it’s also a source of fun and entertainment for the whole family," said Rohn E. Shellenberger, Business Manager - Air Cellular Products for Sealed Air. "Each year, more and more people are showing their appreciation for this beloved ‘pop’ icon."

Some creative and fun ways to celebrate Bubble Wrap® Appreciation Day this year include:
Keep Bubble Wrap® cushioning at your desk at work - pop the bubbles to relieve stress all day long.
Line your kitchen floor with Bubble Wrap® cushioning to keep family members from raiding the fridge for late-night snacks.

Pop Bubble Wrap® cushioning at your upcoming Super Bowl parties to cheer for your favorite team.
In honor of the holiday, log on to http://www.bubblewrap.com/ to play interactive games, including learning your Bubble Wrap® personality type.

end news release

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Also check out http://www.fast-pack.com/bubblewrapappreciation.html

Russia Issues Guns to Postmen

Russian Postal carriers will be issued Pistols, along with mace spray and stun guns. See full story here... http://www.mosnews.com/news/2005/01/28/thepostman.shtml