Canada Post in the red for first time in 16 years
from The Globe and Mail
by Barrie McKenna
The time-honoured practice of putting the cheque – and virtually everything else – in the mail is vanishing, and with it Canada Post’s already meagre profits.
After 16 years of profitability, Canada Post recorded a pretax loss of $253-million in 2011 – the result of dwindling mail volume, a costly pay equity ruling and June’s strike and lockout.
And the federal Crown corporation isn’t happy with its fading presence in Canadians’ lives. The front cover of its annual report spells out “transformation” in large, block letters, highlighting chief executive officer Deepak Chopra’s desire to shift the post office from a letter carrier into a thriving e-commerce business.
“Transitioning from a stable, predictable and profitable environment to a rapidly changing, unpredictable and competitive environment will take hard work,” Mr. Chopra, the former Pitney Bowes Canada executive who took over as CEO last year, acknowledged in the report.
The fundamental challenge for Canada Post is that it must work harder every year to deliver less mail to a generation hooked on Facebook, Twitter and texting. Canada Post’s core business of delivering letters to Canadians is in steady, and apparently, irreversible decline.
Canada Post’s 2011 loss compares to a $134-million profit in 2010, according to the annual report, released Tuesday. Revenue was $7.5-billion – the same as last year. The loss would have been larger without a small profit from its Purolator courier subsidiary.
CONTINUE>>>
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April 16, 2012
Man's 10,000 stamp panic: Stampede for stamps leaves a 1st class mess as Royal Mail introduces rationing ahead of 30% rise
from Daily Mail
By MAIL ON SUNDAY REPORTER, COLIN FERNANDEZ and JOHN STEVENS
A man walked into a post office and ordered 10,000 second-class stamps as panic buying spreads in the face of looming price rises.
He spent £3,600 on the 36p stamps at Hilton Post Office in Derby.
The Royal Mail is increasing first and second-class prices by 14p on April 30.
The price of second-class stamps will rise even more steeply - by 39 per cent, from 36p to 50p. The increases are the biggest since 1975.
A spokesman at the branch said: ‘We couldn’t believe he wanted so many, but 14p is a big rise in the current climate.’
Royal Mail’s decision to ration postage stamps ahead of steep price increases led to panic buying and growing anger yesterday.
Small businesses will be hit particularly hard by the increases, with the price of first-class stamps going up from 46p to 60p from April 30 – a rise of 30 per cent.
The price of second-class stamps will rise even more steeply – by 39 per cent, from 36p to 50p. The increases are the biggest since 1975.
CONTINUE>>>
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April 9, 2012
Royal Mail to honour British Olympians
from ITV News
Every British gold medal at this summer's Olympics will be marked with a special stamp from Royal Mail.
The designs will include photographs of the athletes in action at the games, or collecting their medals.
Royal Mail Chief Executive Moya Greene said: "Royal Mail is proud to be involved in this once-in-a-lifetime event and to recognise the success of Team GB.
"Our gold medal stamps will be unique souvenirs of the Games, marking the great achievements of our talented athletes."
Even if the medal is won late in the evening, the stamps will be available the very next day at selected post offices.
Royal Mail issued its first Olympic stamps, bearing the Olympic rings, in 1948.
Olympic stamps were not issued to mark the 1908 London Games. At that time, only images of the reigning monarch could be used.
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April 9, 2012
The great age of the Post Office is past, here and indeed all over the world
from The Guardian
by Ian Jack
Stretching above the Corinthian pillars of New York City's main post office runs the famous inscription: Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds. Can there be any more majestic description of delivering a letter? Even Auden's Night Mail, crossing the border to bring the cheque and the postal order, never manages to convey such a stern sense of the heroic.
When I first saw those chiselled words 30 years ago, I imagined, like many passers-by before and since, that they were the official motto of the US Postal Service. Later, just as imaginatively, I attributed them to Benjamin Franklin, whom I remembered had been a postmaster in the years before US independence. In fact, the line comes from Herodotus, and describes how dutifully Persian messengers went about their work in the reign of the first Xerxes. Its presence on the post office's grand facade seems almost accidental: the architects who designed the building thought an inscription would look good, and one of their partners fished out the line from an English translation. The post office has graced 8th Avenue since 1912, surviving a neighbouring building by the same architects that it was meant to compliment: the original Pennsylvania Station, which bit the dust around the same time as the Euston Arch, and whose absence, just like the Euston Arch's, has been a source of grief and recrimination ever since.
Still, New Yorkers have their general post office. It no longer stays open all night or sends its traffic down chutes to the train tracks below, but when Americans in future want to remember the grandeur of one of their greatest institutions – the postal service is behind only Walmart as the country's biggest civil employer – they will, with any luck, still have this building as a kind of working memorial to a vanished idea of public enterprise, as well as to an old technology. Britain hasn't been so lucky, or rather when it comes to post offices it has been more careless – a tradition of carelessness exactly 100 years old.
CONTINUE>>>
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April 6, 2012
Joint stamps mark 20 years of China-Israel relations
from The Jerusalem Post
by By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
The governments of China and Israel have jointly issued two commemorative stamps to mark 20 years of diplomatic relations as a sign of cooperation between the countries.
The theme of the stamps is “Symbol of Peace” – Israel’s stamp shows a white dove and China’s shows a multicolored Bohemian waxwing.
A ceremony was held to launch the stamps on Wednesday at the Jerusalem Music Center at Mishkenot Sha’ananim.
Present were Matan Vilnai, who will soon be the new ambassador to China; Chinese ambassador to Israel Gao Yanping; Chinese Parliament chairman Zhou Tienong; Israel Postal Company chairman Sasi Shilo; Liu Minggaung, vice president of the China Post Group; and Yaron Ratzon, director of the Philatelic Service.
The launching of the stamps took place in China two weeks ago, attended in Beijing by an Israeli delegation.
CONTINUE>>>
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April 2, 2012
Japan Post Service expected to return to black for 1st time in 3 years
from The Mainichi Daily News
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan Post Service Co., the postal services unit of the Japan Post Group, is expected to log an operating profit of 9.7 billion yen in fiscal 2012, returning to the black for the first time in three years, the government said Friday.
For fiscal 2011 ending Saturday, Japan Post Service is expected to post a loss of 41 billion yen, compared to a loss of 103.4 billion yen the previous year.
The expected return to profitability in fiscal 2012 is due to a forecast increase in revenue from the Yu-Pack parcel delivery service, according to the business plan approved by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for the year starting April 1.
While continuing cost-saving efforts such as cuts in bonuses in fiscal 2012, Japan Post Service anticipates the number of Yu-Pack parcels for delivery to rise 1.5 percent to 390 million.
But the number of pieces of mail to be delivered is forecast to continue falling -- by 3.7 percent to about 18.2 billion in fiscal 2012, according to the business plan.
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March 29, 2012
Eight-foot snake discovered inside parcel sent from Harlow
from The Harlow Star
by Chris Moss
SHOCKED postmen were left rattled after discovering a live eight-foot snake inside a parcel sent from Harlow to Exeter.
The albino reticulated python was spotted as the box was scanned by an X-Ray machine at Stansted Airport, where it was due to be put onto a plane to complete its journey.The reptile – a species commonly kept as a pet - had already spent eight hours in the UK postal system.
Royal Mail immediately called the RSPCA to rescue the snake, which was then taken to an Essex wildlife centre while its owner was traced.
Inspector Steve Reeves said the creature - which was unharmed despite its ordeal - had a lucky escape.
“Snakes are very sensitive to their environment and could well become ill if this is wrong,” he said.
CONTINUE>>>
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March 26, 2012
Australian Post office launches online letterbox
from Adelaide Now
AUSTRALIANS will soon be able to receive their letters online with Australia Post's new digital mailbox.
The online letterbox will allow customers and businesses receive their mail through an online portal that can be accessed 24 hours a day.
Users will be able to connect with service providers they have a relationship with - such as banks, utilities and government entities and use the digital mail box as a personal digital vault to upload and find documents.
A spokesperson for Australia Post said the biggest difference between the new digital mailbox and an email account will be the ability to view relationships with service providers on one page and the security of the account.
“The Australia Post Digital Mailbox is a total system for storage, management and payment of statements and bills - customers can log in to view bills and pay them with one click,” the spokesperson said.
CONTINUE>>>
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The online letterbox will allow customers and businesses receive their mail through an online portal that can be accessed 24 hours a day.
Users will be able to connect with service providers they have a relationship with - such as banks, utilities and government entities and use the digital mail box as a personal digital vault to upload and find documents.
A spokesperson for Australia Post said the biggest difference between the new digital mailbox and an email account will be the ability to view relationships with service providers on one page and the security of the account.
“The Australia Post Digital Mailbox is a total system for storage, management and payment of statements and bills - customers can log in to view bills and pay them with one click,” the spokesperson said.
CONTINUE>>>
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Canadian Postal Museum displays over 600 stamps showing Queen since 1952
from The Associated Press
GATINEAU, Que. - Regular mail — the kind with a stamp on it — isn't the everyday fact of life it used to be. And that means we might not get to see the Queen as often as Canadians did in the past.
The Canadian Postal Museum is marking Elizabeth's diamond jubilee with an exhibition of over 600stamps issued since 1952 that bear her likeness.
"This collection of postal portraits provides an excellent historical account of one of many examples of the Queen's presence in the everyday lives of Canadians," Heritage Minister James Moore said in a release.
"Designed for a Queen: Celebrating the 60-year Reign of Queen Elizabeth II through Stamps" features stamps from Canada, other Commonwealth countries and British overseas territories. Places represented include Jamaica, Belize, Gibraltar, Tuvalu, Swaziland, Papua New Guinea and the Falkland Islands.
The tradition of showing British monarchs on postage stamps dates back to the first stamp ever produced, the 1840 Penny Black depicting Queen Victoria. The museum says Queen Elizabeth approves every stamp with her image on it.
The exhibition opened March 19 and runs till October.
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March 20, 2012
Canada Post commemorates Canadian Titanic ties with stamps
OTTAWA, March 20, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Canadian recovery efforts saluted in marking 100th anniversary of the ship's disaster
Canada Post unveiled today the images of the five stamps that will be issued on April 5 to mark the centennial of the sinking of RMS Titanic. The collection, created by Haligonian design team of Dennis Page and Oliver Hill, showcases the best-known ship in the world with depth and realism and adds some poignant Canadian attributes.
Canadians, and the citizens of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in particular, played a central role in the Titanic event through recovery efforts. "To this day, Canada, and especially Halifax, has an enduring and remarkably human connection to the Titanic story," says the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Regional Minister for Nova Scotia. "The Canadian legacy of the Titanic still resonates strongly with everyone."
Creating a detailed image of a ship that has been under water for a century presented a wonderful challenge for Halifax-based designer Dennis Page. "This was the biggest man-made moving object on earth that after setting off on her maiden voyage hit an iceberg and ended in disaster. That really stuck with me and how I was going to show that feeling." Page basically put himself in the moment. "I imagined myself standing below her bow looking up which really gives that vantage point and perspective at how vast something like this could be."
Through this stamp collection Canada Post takes pride in respectfully marking an event in which so many lost their lives, and honouring the countless Canadians who helped in the recovery mission. "This is really our way of paying tribute to the Canadians involved," says Mary Traversy, Canada Post's Senior Vice-President of Mail. "With these stamps, we hope to preserve the legacy of the Canadians whose lives were deeply touched when Titanic sank off our coast."
March 20, 2012
Canada Post commemorates Canadian Titanic ties with stamps
from Market Watch
Canada Post unveiled today the images of the five stamps that will be issued on April 5 to mark the centennial of the sinking of RMS Titanic. The collection, created by Haligonian design team of Dennis Page and Oliver Hill, showcases the best-known ship in the world with depth and realism and adds some poignant Canadian attributes.
Canadians, and the citizens of Halifax, Nova Scotia, in particular, played a central role in the Titanic event through recovery efforts. "To this day, Canada, and especially Halifax, has an enduring and remarkably human connection to the Titanic story," says the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Regional Minister for Nova Scotia. "The Canadian legacy of the Titanic still resonates strongly with everyone."
Creating a detailed image of a ship that has been under water for a century presented a wonderful challenge for Halifax-based designer Dennis Page. "This was the biggest man-made moving object on earth that after setting off on her maiden voyage hit an iceberg and ended in disaster. That really stuck with me and how I was going to show that feeling." Page basically put himself in the moment. "I imagined myself standing below her bow looking up which really gives that vantage point and perspective at how vast something like this could be."
Through this stamp collection Canada Post takes pride in respectfully marking an event in which so many lost their lives, and honouring the countless Canadians who helped in the recovery mission. "This is really our way of paying tribute to the Canadians involved," says Mary Traversy, Canada Post's Senior Vice-President of Mail. "With these stamps, we hope to preserve the legacy of the Canadians whose lives were deeply touched when Titanic sank off our coast."
CONTINUE>>>
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March 20, 2012
The man who posted himself: The suburban accountant who tested the Royal Mail to its limits, exasperated Hitler and became one of Britain's greatest pranksters
In his everyday life, he observed the many rules and regulations drawn up by bureaucrats of the time — keep off the grass in public parks, refrain from spitting in the street and avoid putting your feet on train seats.
In short, he seemed a model citizen, but as in so many of us, within W. Reginald Bray there lurked an impish spirit that longed to cock a snook at officialdom.
Its positioning could not have been more fortuitous for a man whose hobby was to test the postal system to its limit.
He did this by attaching address labels to the strangest objects imaginable and sending them, unwrapped, through the post. Some, like an old slipper or a half-smoked cigar, were small enough to be slipped anonymously into the letterbox.
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March 19, 2012
A funeral fit for a Pharoah: Retired postal worker, 89, has spent $10,000 and 25 years carving his own Egyptian coffin
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February 28, 2012
Sanquhar post office celebrates 300 years
This year marks the 300th anniversary of what appears to be the oldest working post office on the planet - at Sanquhar in Dumfriesshire.
Its origins have been traced back to 1712 - easily beating its nearest rivals in Sweden and Chile.
The site started out as a staging post for runners moving mail about the country on foot and horseback and developed from there over the years.
Surviving outbuildings to the rear were probably stables to rest the horses.
March 20, 2012
The man who posted himself: The suburban accountant who tested the Royal Mail to its limits, exasperated Hitler and became one of Britain's greatest pranksters
from Daily Mail
by David Leafe
He was a most unlikely prankster, an Edwardian husband and father whose neatly clipped moustache and smart suit gave his neighbours no reason to believe he was anything but a respectable accountant.
In his everyday life, he observed the many rules and regulations drawn up by bureaucrats of the time — keep off the grass in public parks, refrain from spitting in the street and avoid putting your feet on train seats.
In short, he seemed a model citizen, but as in so many of us, within W. Reginald Bray there lurked an impish spirit that longed to cock a snook at officialdom.
And a clue as to his target was the red post-box outside his home in Forest Hill, a leafy suburb of South London.
Its positioning could not have been more fortuitous for a man whose hobby was to test the postal system to its limit.
He did this by attaching address labels to the strangest objects imaginable and sending them, unwrapped, through the post. Some, like an old slipper or a half-smoked cigar, were small enough to be slipped anonymously into the letterbox.
March 19, 2012
A funeral fit for a Pharoah: Retired postal worker, 89, has spent $10,000 and 25 years carving his own Egyptian coffin
from Daily Mail
An 89-year-old man has painstakingly created his very own sarcophagus from prime cedar wood and even plans to be fully mummified when he dies - just like a Pharaoh.
He's crafted the casket by teaching himself expert carpentry skills from scratch and studying ancient Egyptian designs through second hand textbooks.
Determined Fred Guentert has now nearly finished his very own tomb, which now weighs over 21 stone - over 315 lbs - and is seven feet long.
February 28, 2012
Sanquhar post office celebrates 300 years
from BBC
A south of Scotland post office has hit a world-beating landmark.
This year marks the 300th anniversary of what appears to be the oldest working post office on the planet - at Sanquhar in Dumfriesshire.
Its origins have been traced back to 1712 - easily beating its nearest rivals in Sweden and Chile.
The site started out as a staging post for runners moving mail about the country on foot and horseback and developed from there over the years.
Surviving outbuildings to the rear were probably stables to rest the horses.
CONTINUE>>>
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February 22, 2012
Canada Post navigates new world
There's room for Canada Post in a digital world. That's the message of the storied public postal service's chief executive officer, one difficult year into the job.
Last summer, an impasse in labour negotiations led him to lock out 48,000 workers, resulting in the first Canada Post labour disruption in 16 years. The episode fed the popular perception of Canada Post's decline to irrelevance as it succumbs to forces making traditional mail obsolete.
Greatly exaggerated, counters Deepak Chopra. "There's a wonderful opportunity shaping up," he said, in laying out the makings of a major transformation at Canada Post. "But we have to shape up for it. I can see in the end a viable, healthy, vibrant company. To get there, we have to go through some adjustments. It's a race against time."
He envisions a model in which digital offerings complement physical delivery through Canada Post's vast network spanning the country. "Get ready for this next bull run," he said. "It's called e-commerce."
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February 22, 2012
Canada Post navigates new world
from The Times Colonist
by Tim Shufelt
Last summer, an impasse in labour negotiations led him to lock out 48,000 workers, resulting in the first Canada Post labour disruption in 16 years. The episode fed the popular perception of Canada Post's decline to irrelevance as it succumbs to forces making traditional mail obsolete.
Greatly exaggerated, counters Deepak Chopra. "There's a wonderful opportunity shaping up," he said, in laying out the makings of a major transformation at Canada Post. "But we have to shape up for it. I can see in the end a viable, healthy, vibrant company. To get there, we have to go through some adjustments. It's a race against time."
He envisions a model in which digital offerings complement physical delivery through Canada Post's vast network spanning the country. "Get ready for this next bull run," he said. "It's called e-commerce."
CONTINUE>>>
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February 6, 2012
New Postage To Spotlight Artists With Autism
February 2, 2012
Canada Post issues stamp honouring human rights pioneer Viola Desmond
Desmond, an African-Canadian beauty salon owner from Halifax, was arrested on Nov. 8, 1946, for sitting in a whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow.
Unaware the theatre only sold main floor tickets to white people, Desmond refused to move to the balcony. She was dragged out of the theatre and taken to a local jail where she spent the night.
Desmond was tried without counsel and convicted of defrauding the province of the additional one-cent tax on seats in the whites-only section. She was also fined $20.
Desmond later unsuccessfully fought the charge.
February 6, 2012
New Postage To Spotlight Artists With Autism
from Disability Scoop
by Michelle Diament
The work of eight artists with autism from around the world will be emblazoned on a series of postage stamps launching in April in honor of World Autism Awareness Day.
The United Nations Postal Administration will issue eight autism awareness stamps starting April 2. (Courtesy: U.N. Postal Administration)
The stamps will be issued by the United Nations Postal Administration starting April 2 and will be available at U.N. offices in New York, Geneva and Vienna. The postage is valid for mailing correspondence from any U.N. location globally.
Each year the U.N. Postal Administration issues stamps to call attention to seven different causes that are important to member nations. This is the first time that the U.N. will offer stamps to highlight autism awareness. In addition, the agency plans to release stamps this year focusing on endangered species, the environment and other issues.
Artwork for the stamps was solicited from artists with autism around the globe. The eight winners include five from the United States.
“It was an extremely difficult and challenging process to choose only eight designs from all of the artwork submitted,” said Rorie Katz, creative director for the U.N. Postal Administration. “All of us were personally touched by the stories of the artists and their families who are extremely passionate and supportive about raising awareness for autism.”
Winning designs feature everything from flowers to geometrics. Different stamps will be issued in New York, Geneva and Vienna, with two designs included on each sheet of 20 stamps, according to the U.N. Postal Administration.
Officials say they expect to make about 1 million of the autism stamps available to the public.
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Canada Post issues stamp honouring human rights pioneer Viola Desmond
from Cape Breton Post
by Erin Pottie
A commemorative stamp featuring a portrait of the late Viola Desmond was unveiled Wednesday at an ceremony in Halifax.
Desmond, an African-Canadian beauty salon owner from Halifax, was arrested on Nov. 8, 1946, for sitting in a whites-only section of the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow.
Unaware the theatre only sold main floor tickets to white people, Desmond refused to move to the balcony. She was dragged out of the theatre and taken to a local jail where she spent the night.
Desmond was tried without counsel and convicted of defrauding the province of the additional one-cent tax on seats in the whites-only section. She was also fined $20.
Desmond later unsuccessfully fought the charge.
CONTINUE>>>
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January 31, 2012
Canada Post and love: A match made in postal heaven
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January 24, 2012
Fear of mass post office closures averted as Royal Mail agrees 10 year lifeline
from The Telegraph
by Christopher Hope
Royal Mail has agreed a 10-year deal to keep using post offices to sell stamps and handle parcels after the company is broken up at privatisation.
The deal is a relief to campaigners who had feared that Royal Mail would have been free to stop using the post office network once it was spun off as a private company.
January 31, 2012
Canada Post and love: A match made in postal heaven
from Canada Newswire
Cards, wedding invites worldwide sent via Love, Sask. or St-Valentin, Que. post offices to get special cancel
OTTAWA, Jan. 31, 2012 /CNW/ - Whether it's a Valentine's Day card or wedding invitations, two very special post offices see an influx of mail at this time of year. The Love (Saskatchewan) and St-Valentin (Quebec) post offices, because of their aptly named towns, will cancel twice as much mail as usual over the coming weeks, with a special cancel designed for the romantic at heart. Already, mail is coming in from across Canada and also from countries such as China, Japan, Hungary, United States, Switzerland and France.
Love (SK): With a name like "Love" it is difficult not to make the link with Valentine's Day or any romantic gestures. While the post office has been serving the community since 1935, it was in 1984 that the first cancel was created. The village is home to about 100 residents and local postmistress Connie Black-Sturby is in her first year as postmistress.
St-Valentin (QC): Canada Post's love story with the municipality of Saint-Valentin goes back to February 1994 when a special cancel was first created for this post office. Each year, this little post office serving about 500 residents sees thousands of mail items coming through for local, provincial, national and international destinations.
For those who would like to obtain the special cancel on time for Valentine's Day, send your addressed card and affix postage. Place it in a larger envelope (with proper postage) and send to:
| Liliane Baribeau, Postmaster | Connie Black-Sturby, Postmaster | ||||||
| Canada Post, Saint-Valentin | Canada Post, Love | ||||||
| 790 4E LIGNE ST | LOVE SK S0J 1P0 | ||||||
| SAINT-VALENTIN QC | |||||||
| J0J 2E0 CONTINUE>>> |
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January 24, 2012
Fear of mass post office closures averted as Royal Mail agrees 10 year lifeline
from The Telegraph
by Christopher Hope
Royal Mail has agreed a 10-year deal to keep using post offices to sell stamps and handle parcels after the company is broken up at privatisation.
That would have jeopardised thousands of post offices which rely on Government subsidy and Royal Mail’s work to stay in business.
The new “inter-business agreement”, which starts on April 1, is twice as long as had been thought, and as been agreed with lawyers for Royal Mail and the Government.
Ed Davey, the Post Office minister, said the agreement meant that the future of the post office had been “secured”.
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January 13, 2012
Post offices in Beijing selling train tickets
from China Daily
by Quan Li
Twenty-four post offices in Beijing began selling train tickets, providing another way to buy tickets during the Spring Festival travel rush, Beijing Times reported Friday.
The 24 offices will stay open until 10 pm every night, four hours longer than other ticket agents, said Wang Xiaodong, vice-general manager of Beijing Post Co.
The new ticket outlets, most of which are located in the city’s suburbs, are expected to help migrant workers during the peak travel time, Wang said, as many of them live in suburban areas and don’t know how to use a computer or have no Internet access to book tickets online.
Migrant workers’ difficulty in getting train tickets during the Spring Festival period was brought into the media spotlight when Huang Qinghong, a migrant worker from Chongqing, slammed the online ticket booking system in an open letter to the Ministry of Railways after he failed to get a ticket after waiting in line for days at the railway station.
Post offices in Beijing also sell air tickets and concert tickets, Wang said, and they also provide information about flights through a messaging service.
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January 5, 2012
January 4, 2012
Chinese Year of the Dragon stamp deemed too ferocious
from NPR
by Bill Chappell
December 27, 2011
Postal chiefs unveil the official stamps of the London 2012 Olympic Games
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December 23, 2011
Post offices transform into Santa's village
from Hacinema
Marking its seventh year, Korea Post is running 'Santa Post Office of Love'
at several post offices in Korea from December 12 to the end of the month.
A total of nine post offices including Seoul Central Post Office, post offices in such cities as Uijeongbu, Changwon, and Gongju are decorating their buildings with Christmas ornaments.
On December 22, nearly 100 Santa postmen from all around the nation gathered at the Seoul Central Post Office along with several important figures including the Minister of Knowledge Economy Hong Seok-woo and president of Korea Post Kim Myung-ryong for a welcoming ceremony.
The Santa Post Offices are decorated with the theme of Santa's Village and employees at the office all welcome customers with wearing Santa costumes. Children can take pictures with Santa Claus at the post office and receive a special stamp with Santa or other Christmas symbols.
The Santa postmen wearing Santa costumes deliver packages during the duration of the event and also bring gifts such as rice, stationery, and household items to the needy.
The participating post offices are also holding temporary events including writing a letter of hope, a small concert for needy teenagers, a magic show, and a stamp exhibition. Volunteer events are also hosted by the Santa postmen such as visits to welfare centers and flea markets for fundraising.
Uijeongbu Post Office and Gongju Post Office are hosting a time machine event. Those who want to receive a letter on the same day next year can drop it off at those post offices. The event allows participants to write their New Year's resolutions and send them to themselves a year in the future.
By Jessica Seoyoung Choi
Korea.net Staff Writer
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December 22, 2011
Job in a Million
from The British Postal Museum & Archive
Today’s episode of The Peoples Post focused on the life of postal workers in the 1930s. Included were extracts from the film Job in a Million, made in 1937 by the GPO Film Unit.
The paternalist air of Job in a Million seems patronising to us today, but it reflected the public service ethos of the time. As well as boys and men, girls, women and disabled people were all employed in large numbers by the Post Office, particularly during and after the First and Second World Wars.
At the start of the First World War the Post Office was once of the largest
employers in the world (employing 249,606 people), and in 1934 it was the second
largest employer in Britain (employing 227,882 people). Even today Royal Mail
Group employs 185,602 people, putting it amongst the UK’s largest employers.
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January 13, 2012
Post offices in Beijing selling train tickets
from China Daily
by Quan Li
Twenty-four post offices in Beijing began selling train tickets, providing another way to buy tickets during the Spring Festival travel rush, Beijing Times reported Friday.
The 24 offices will stay open until 10 pm every night, four hours longer than other ticket agents, said Wang Xiaodong, vice-general manager of Beijing Post Co.
The new ticket outlets, most of which are located in the city’s suburbs, are expected to help migrant workers during the peak travel time, Wang said, as many of them live in suburban areas and don’t know how to use a computer or have no Internet access to book tickets online.
Migrant workers’ difficulty in getting train tickets during the Spring Festival period was brought into the media spotlight when Huang Qinghong, a migrant worker from Chongqing, slammed the online ticket booking system in an open letter to the Ministry of Railways after he failed to get a ticket after waiting in line for days at the railway station.
Post offices in Beijing also sell air tickets and concert tickets, Wang said, and they also provide information about flights through a messaging service.
January 5, 2012
Thai customs intercept tiger parts sent by post
from m&c
Bangkok - Thai customs officials have foiled an attempt to smuggle 60,000 dollars worth of tiger skins and bones via the country's postal service, officials said Thursday.
Customs officials prevented the posting of four tiger skins and assorted tiger bones from Hat Yai, southern Thailand, to Mae Sai, norther Thailand, earlier this week, but failed to arrest the sender.
Royal Thai Customs Director General Somchai Poolsawasdi said that stricter law enforcement against traffickers using road routes had prompted them to switch to the postal service.
The Customs Department will further investigate who was behind the tiger parts posting, he told a press conference.
'Traffickers must be investigated, caught and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law if we're going to have any chance of averting the extinction of this magnificent animal,' said FREELAND Foundation's Tim Redford.
FREELAND, a non-governmental organization that opposes animal trafficking, often colludes with Thai authorities to crack down upon smugglers of endangered species.
The number of wild tigers in Asia have dropped from 100,000 a century ago to only 3,200 now, largely due to a huge local demand for tiger meat, skins and other parts.
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Chinese Year of the Dragon stamp deemed too ferocious
from NPR
by Bill Chappell
To welcome the Year of the Dragon, China's postal service plans to release commemorative postage stamps featuring the fabled beast. But many customers are finding the image to be a little over the top.
Here are some reactions cited by China's Xinhua news agency:
"'The moment I saw the design of the dragon stamp on newspaper, I was almost scared to death,' wrote Zhang Yihe, on weibo.com, China's Twitter-like social networking service and microblogging service provider, on Tuesday.'The dragon on the stamp looks too ferocious,' echoed one post on the Web.'It is roaring and intimidating," read another."
The new image for year 4710 is quite a turnaround from that of 4709, which was the Year of the Rabbit. The stamp issued by China Post to mark that occasion features a cuddly rabbit with a shy streak — a far cry from the roaring demon staring out from the new stamp.
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December 27, 2011
Postal chiefs unveil the official stamps of the London 2012 Olympic Games
from Daily Mail
With just 213 days remaining until the start of the London 2012 Olympics, the official stamps commemorating the Games were released by the Royal Mail.
The range of ‘definitive’ stamps – the most commonly used kind – includes some bearing the chosen Olympics logo, as well as others featuring the emblem for the Paralympics, which will all be available in books.
It is the first time a logo has featured on the front of a definitive stamp.
December 23, 2011
Post offices transform into Santa's village
from Hacinema
A total of nine post offices including Seoul Central Post Office, post offices in such cities as Uijeongbu, Changwon, and Gongju are decorating their buildings with Christmas ornaments.
On December 22, nearly 100 Santa postmen from all around the nation gathered at the Seoul Central Post Office along with several important figures including the Minister of Knowledge Economy Hong Seok-woo and president of Korea Post Kim Myung-ryong for a welcoming ceremony.
The Santa Post Offices are decorated with the theme of Santa's Village and employees at the office all welcome customers with wearing Santa costumes. Children can take pictures with Santa Claus at the post office and receive a special stamp with Santa or other Christmas symbols.
The Santa postmen wearing Santa costumes deliver packages during the duration of the event and also bring gifts such as rice, stationery, and household items to the needy.
The participating post offices are also holding temporary events including writing a letter of hope, a small concert for needy teenagers, a magic show, and a stamp exhibition. Volunteer events are also hosted by the Santa postmen such as visits to welfare centers and flea markets for fundraising.
Uijeongbu Post Office and Gongju Post Office are hosting a time machine event. Those who want to receive a letter on the same day next year can drop it off at those post offices. The event allows participants to write their New Year's resolutions and send them to themselves a year in the future.
By Jessica Seoyoung Choi
Korea.net Staff Writer
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December 22, 2011
Job in a Million
from The British Postal Museum & Archive
Today’s episode of The Peoples Post focused on the life of postal workers in the 1930s. Included were extracts from the film Job in a Million, made in 1937 by the GPO Film Unit.
The paternalist air of Job in a Million seems patronising to us today, but it reflected the public service ethos of the time. As well as boys and men, girls, women and disabled people were all employed in large numbers by the Post Office, particularly during and after the First and Second World Wars.
With this history it unsurprising
that the majority of the UK population have either worked for or have an
ancestor who worked for the Post Office or Royal Mail. Here at the BPMA we
receive enquiries every day from family historians wanting information on the
working lives of their ancestors.
Find out how we can help with your search at
www.postalheritage.org.uk/genealogy, or for
information on working lives in the Post Office see www.postalheritage.org.uk/history.
To watch the episode, click here.
