TESTING FOR ANTHRAX. USPS conducted precautionary testing for anthrax last night at the V Street government mails facility in Washington, DC, following notification by the Federal Reserve Board that tests on their mail produced one positive result for the potential presence of anthrax. Employees were asked to vacate the facility as a precaution. Mail destined for the Federal Reserve headquarters normally passes through the V Street facility. USPS VP Tom Day, Engineering, emphasized that the tests were purely precautionary, and that there was no evidence of contamination at the facility. If the tests are negative, operations at the facility could resume this morning.

PORN BUSTERS. News of recent overseas arrests in connection with child pornography result from intelligence passed on by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service to Britain's National Crime Squad. The arrests were part of the largest global action ever undertaken against child pornographers, with over 4,000 search warrants served in countries around the world. Arrests have been made in Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Norway and Switzerland.

The massive global effort that began in 1999 stems from the investigation of Landslide Productions in Fort Worth, TX, that ran a child pornography web site. "Operation Avalanche" was initiated by Postal Inspectors in conjunction with the Dallas Police Department, and resulted in hundreds of searches and arrests in the United States.

BAD INFORMATION. The Journal of Commerce incorrectly reported a relaxation of the ban on domestic passenger flights carrying individual pieces of mail weighing more than 16 ounces. According to the Transportation Security Administration, the Journal was in error and nothing has changed with regard to the 16-ounce rule.

NEW STAMPS. The Spring 2003 issue of USA Philatelic — the comprehensive quarterly catalog of U.S. postage stamps, postal stationery and related products — provides images of two upcoming but previously unannounced definitive stamps. A new 1-cent coil stamp in the American Design series features a Tiffany lamp, while a new $1 stamp in the American Culture series features an illustration of the central Wisdom statue in the Art Deco piece called Wisdom with Light and Sound at Rockefeller Center in New York City. Details are pending, but the new stamps will be issued in February or later. The catalog can be requested by calling 800-STAMP-24, or online at www.usps.com.