Q: Is it true that the United States Postal Service is issuing a Hanukkah stamp, a Kwanzaa stamp and a gingerbread house stamp, but no Christmas stamp?
—Ken Uyl, Gainesville
A: The U.S. Postal Service has several Christmas-themed stamps, in addition to stamps commemorating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, spokesman Michael Miles told Q&A on the News in an email. USPS offers stamps called Holy Family, which shows "Joseph leading a donkey that carries Mary and Jesus, guided by a star shining in the twilight of a desert sky," according the USPS website; Virgin and Child, featuring a painting by Jan Gossaert; and one depicting Madonna of the Candelabra, a 1513 painting by Raphael. A recent USPS flyer featured the gingerbread stamp, along with Hanukkah and Kwanzaa stamps, because they were the "most recent newly issued stamps. "We did not look to offend or exclude any religion," the USPS said on Twitter. Miles added that the Christmas stamps "were not depicted in the holiday mailer due to design constraints." The USPS also offers holiday stamps featuring poinsettias, wreaths, decorations and Santa Claus. The holiday stamps can be viewed here: holidaystamps.usps.com and ebay.com/holidaystamps.
Q: Some TV news and other programs have been showing the number sign (#) before some captions. What is the significance?
—Roy Graham, Sandy Springs
A: The "#" symbol, or hashtag on the social networking site Twitter, is a way to categorize a "relevant keyword or phrase" when people send tweets on Twitter. Users can click on a word or phrase that's been hashtagged, and that will take them to other messages that include the same word or phrase.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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