Posted 6:23 AM by brad
Frightened city mail handlers
take a powder



By LINDSAY FORTADO and MAKI BECKER
DAILY NEWS WRITERS

New York mail handlers came down with a case of the white powder jitters yesterday after news that deadly ricin had been mailed to the Senate and the White House.
Postal Service facilities in Manhattan and Brooklyn were plunged into temporary panic when workers found packages leaking white powder and other substances.

In Brownsville, Brooklyn, all 94 employees at the Rugby Station hightailed it out of their offices at the sight of one suspicious package.

The worrisome white powder turned out to be nothing more than coffee creamer.

There were similar scenes at the Main Post Office, at Eighth Ave. and W. 33rd St. in Manhattan, and a nearby facility on Ninth Ave., where a white ooze caught workers off guard.

"It turned out to be white chocolate," said Jose Ananias, a mail processing clerk.

Workers cannot be blamed for being nervous; the same facility was shut down in 2001 after anthrax-laced letters that sickened employees at several news networks in the city and the New York Post passed through it.

There also was a major ricin scare at a postal station in Wallingford, Conn., yesterday, where dust seeped from an envelope addressed to the Republican National Committee.

It was tested and turned out to be wood ash, officials said.

Anthrax spores were found at the Wallingford center in the fall of 2001 and a 94-year-old woman who was one of five people who died in the unsolved anthrax attacks likely got the bacteria from mail that passed through there, officials said.

With Tamer El-Ghobashy



Originally published on February 4, 2004

Posted 6:05 PM by brad
The United States Postal Service Authorizes The Striking of the United We Stand Collection
Wednesday February 4, 9:53 am ET
WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of the new spirit of public service throughout the country, The United States Postal Service has authorized the striking of the United We Stand Collection, 25 of the most important and historic U.S. stamps recreated as engraved solid silver ingots, layered with pure gold. This unprecedented collection celebrates the individuals, events, and symbols that capture the essence of American pride and patriotism.
To name a few, the United We Stand Collection features America's first postage stamp in 1847, depicting George Washington; the famous 1945 stamp showing U.S. soldiers raising the flag at Iwo Jima; and the 1969 stamp celebrating the first manned moon landing. It is highlighted with the new Heroes 2001 and United We Stand stamps, issued to honor the victims of September 11th.
This collection of 25 solid silver gold-layered ingots, presented in an elegant wood lacquered cabinet, is distributed under license by the Hallmark Group through their international web site: www.unitedwestandcollection.com. The certified minting is limited to only 12,500 sets. In addition, subscribers will receive numerous gifts, including an album of descriptive fact cards, jeweler's cloth & gloves, and a commemorative edition of The American Spirit.
The United We Stand Collection is issued as a lasting tribute to all the men and women who have served the nation in the past, and who stand in the line of duty today.

Source: Hallmark Group Ltd, USA