E-Mail Tax Still A Hoax: Some rumors refuse to die-no matter how many times they have been put to rest. The fictional Congressman Schnell is making the Internet chat room circuit again, proposing a 5-cents surcharge on e-mail messages. This was a hoax when it first circulated several years ago, and is still a hoax today. There is no Congressman Schnell, and there has never been a Bill 602P. In addition, the USPS has already said it would not support this type of legislation. For more information on this urban legend, go to http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/. Click on "search" and type in "Bill 602P."

 USPS Wireless Access: The USPS has created a wireless application that allows users to Track/Confirm the status of a USPS shipment, identify the ZIP Code of any address in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, and locate nearby post offices.

 24/7 Postal Store: Looking for those hard-to-find Celebrate The Century stamps? Or the just-issued Winter Sports stamps? You can find them at our electronic Postal Store at www.usps.com, open 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Customers can purchase the latest stamp releases as well as stamps going back as far as 1997. Other postal products are also available. Talk about ease of use! A shipping and handling fee applies to each purchase.

 Proud to be Postal: Of the nearly 90,000 employees who responded to USPS's Voice of the Employee (VOE) survey for Quarter I, 71% responded favorably to the statement, "I am proud to work for the Postal Service." That's a 3 percent increase over the same quarter last year. Fifty-four percent of career employees responded to the survey. The VOE survey regularly measures the attitudes and perceptions of postal employees. The information obtained from the survey is used to help improve the USPS workplace environment.

 Consolidating Accounts: USPS will be cutting its ad and marketing accounts from four to one. "We're looking to consolidate into a single agency to make [the advertising process] more efficient and to achieve cost-savings," says Larry Speakes, USPS manager of advertising. Other agencies are invited to compete, he says, "It's wide open." Bcom3 Group's Leo Burnett (lead ad agency); Interpublic Group's Foote, Cone & Belding (direct marketing); Frankel (in-store promotions); and Grey Global Group's Mediacom (media buying), presently hold the four USPS ad and marketing accounts. For more information, go to www.fedbizopps.gov or call (877) 472-3779.