Mail Services is reminding its campus clients of this weekend's increase in U.S. postage, and pointing out one of the bigger changes in pricing, for international mail, as well as a major change in the customs form process.

For domestic mail, the rate for first-class mail (single letter, up to 1 ounce) is going up a penny, to 46 cents (additional ounces are unchanged at 26 cents), and the postcard rate is going up a penny, to 33 cents, effective Sunday (Jan. 27).

For international mail, the Postal Service is doing away with different rates for different destinations. Effective Jan. 27, the rate will be $1.10 for a 1-ounce letter (a 25-cent increase for letters to Mexico and Canada, and a 5-cent increase for letters going elsewhere in the world.

The Postal Service also announced the availability of the new Global Forever Stamp for first-class mail, for $1.10. See all the new Postal Service rates.

Also, effective Jan. 22, all customs forms must be processed online, with handwritten forms no longer be accepted.

Questions can be directed to Bulk Mail Services, (530) 752-8806 or bms@ucdavis.edu.

Shapiro snags the 'inaugural' cabbage white — again

Professor Art Shapiro appears to have snagged the first Pieris rapae of the season — waiting out a freight train to win his own beer-for-a-butterfly contest once again. He caught the cabbage white at about 1:15 p.m. Monday (Jan. 21), Inauguration Day, and later noted that he made the winning catch of 2009 on President Obama’s first Inauguration Day.

“Yes (Obama’s the charm?)” Shapiro wrote as the subject for his email announcing his 2013 catch.

Shapiro, of the Department of Evolution and Ecology, has been running the contest for 40 years, in Yolo, Solano and Sacramento counties, to aid in his studies of biological response to climate change.

Read more.

WorkLife: 'Tips for Telecommuters' and the 'No Time Workout'

The campus’s WorkLife and Wellness unit announced a free webinar next week for telecommuters, and people who may be thinking about asking to work from home, along with a brown bag for people who don't think they have the time to work out.

• “Tips for Telecommuters: Setting Up an Effective Workspace" — Cornell University is originating this webinar, which will be presented by Todd Baker, lead ergonomics consultant in Cornell’s Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention Program. Participation by UC Davis employees is made possible by the university’s affiliation with the College and University Work Family Association. 11 a.m.-noon PST Tuesday, Jan. 29.

More information on the webinar is available online. This is also the registration site; webinar instructions will be sent by email 24 hours prior to the start of the webinar. More information about workplace flexibility for UC Davis employees is available here.

• "No Time to Workout Workout" — Can you get a full body workout at home, with little or no equipment, in under 30 minutes? "Yes," says Rose Zahnn, who is leading this brown bag. She teaches a series of exercises that people can do at home for increased strength and endurance, and better overall fitness, without taking up much time or space. All fitness levels can benefit from this simple yet effective  workout program. Brown bag, noon-1 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 31, MU II, Memorial Union. No pre-enrollment.

Seats will go fast for ADMAN conference

Registration opens next Friday, Feb. 1, for ADMAN’s Mid-Management Conference — and remember, this annual program usually fills up fast.

This year’s conference is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 27, in the ARC Ballroom. ADMAN, the Administrative Management Group, announced the theme as “Balancing the Work-Life Puzzle.”

More information (including the registration link, starting Feb. 1). Fees (including a buffet breakfast and a catered, sit-down lunch): $105 Feb. 1-11, $115 Feb. 12-20, with no more registration after Feb. 20.

Questions? Contact ADMAN Chair Kerry Hasa, (530) 754-9751 or klhasa@ucdavis.edu.

Way to go! 2-day blood drive nets 794 pints

Like letter carriers making their appointed rounds in the rain, so too did UC Davis students — making the trek to The Pavilion at the ARC to donate blood on Wednesday, the second day of a two-day blood drive that netted 794 pints.

“In my opinion UC Davis has some of the best students around,” said Brie Leon of Sacramento-based BloodSource, which runs the ASUCD Blood and Marrow Drives several times a year.

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