Earth Hour.. !

Date of Issue - 11 March 2009

Hi ! Here are the cute and lovely stamps to be issued by Australia today to create an awreness about climate Change and Global Warming which is the need of the hour. These stamps have been given a very appropriate title Earth Hour. The stamps are so nice and the other philatelic products are equally interesting. I must admit Australian stamps are just wonderful. The specially designed stamps feature an owl, a possum and an orang-utan and carry messages to conserve energy. What a wonderful idea to create awareness in such an interesting way ! Why can't we have such nicely designed stamps in India ? Well I am giving here all the items issued on this theme by Australia and it will take attention of everyone and will leave an impact of civic sense ! Philatelically these are very suitable items for environment theme. This is all for this morning !......Have a Nice Day....! In India its Holi - the festival of colours and fun... ...being celebrated in most parts of the country today but we, living in Kullu celebrated here this festival of colours yesterday. Greetings to all on the joyous occasion of Holi !.....Have a Fantastic Time !......

Earth Hour
Earth Hour is an initiative of WWF-Australia, conceived to raise awareness of global warming and to show how the small actions of individuals can together make a big difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping save the planet.

The three stamps in this issue feature the text "Earth Hour 8.30pm 28.0309". The stamps all feature a simple graphic representation of an animal – a Leadbeater’s possum, an owl and an orangutan, two of which are an endangered.

The messages featured on the stamp are:
Lights Out
Switch Off
Save Energy

This is the third year of Earth Hour, an event organised by WWF Australia in conjunction with Fairfax Media. It has grown from 2.2 million participants in Sydney in 2007 to an estimated 50 million in 35 countries last year. This year it hopes 1 billion people will switch off and send a strong message to politicians who will meet in December to thrash out a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
Courtesy - Australia Post

Wonderful Max Cards

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Festivals of India - Holi

Wishing you all a very Happy Holi !

Hi! ! It's Holi - one of the biggest Festivals of India. It is the festival of colours which signifies love and fraternity and celebrated all over India and some countries with Hindu community. Besides the colours being special part of Holi, there are a variety of food specialities that are prepared during the festival. "Gujhiya" is one of the most impotant and specific items of Holi prepared from Khoya and dry fruits especially in North India. People love to eat them. Many more special food items are prepared at home to make the festival special. So this is special post - a "Philatelic Gulal" for you !.....Have a Wonderful Splashing Holi !......With all colours of Life !......

Holi - Festival of Colours
Holi (referred to as Phagwa in Bhojpuri), also called the Festival of Colours, is a popular Hindu spring festival observed in India, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad, UK and Nepal. In West Bengal, it is known as Dolyatra (Doljatra) or Boshonto Utsav ("spring festival").

Krishna celebrating Holi with Radha and Gopis

The main day, Holi, also known as Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is celebrated by people throwing coloured powder and coloured water at each other. Bonfires are lit the day before, also known as Holika Dahan (death of Holika) or Chhoti Holi (little Holi). The bonfires are lit in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahlad had when Demoness Holika, sister of Hiranyakashiyap, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, escaped without any injuries due to his unshakable devotion. Holika Dahan is referred to as Kama Dahanam in Andhra Pradesh.

Famous Lathmar Holi of Barsana

Holi is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalugna or Falguna (Phalgun Purnima), which usually falls in the later part of February or March. This year Holi (Dhulandi) is on 11th March and Holika Dahan is on 10th March. But in Himachal Prdesh it is being celebrated today with great joy and enthusiasm. Rangapanchami occurs a few days later on a Panchami (fifth day of the full moon), marking the end of festivities involving colours.

Phagwah Festival (Holi) - 4 stamps issued by Guyana in 1969

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Amazing stamps !....

Hi ! I recently came across two amazing stamps issued in 2008 . These stamps are sure to come in the category of unique stamps. One shown above is for its marvellous color effect and the other has a very unique feature of showing live picture of the stamp design when the sheet is turned . These are two of the most wonderful stamps issued in 2008. Here are the magnificent stamps and Miniature sheets with the details. I have one more set in this amazing category shown at the bottom issued by Guernsey. It's equally amazing with superb scenes. In India It's Holi Time - the biggest festival of colours ! Greetings to all on this colorful festival of Love & Fraternity! Enjoy the wonderful stamps here and Have a Fantastic Time !....

Stamps feature jellyfish with glow-in-the-dark effect
A set of special stamps featuring jellyfish was issued on 12 June, 2008 by Hong Kong, printed with a glow-in-the-dark effect. The six stamps are Flower Hat Jelly ($1.40); Octopus Jelly ($1.80); Brown Sea Nettle ($2.40); Moon Jelly ($2.50); Lion's Mane Jelly ($3); and Pacific Sea Nettle ($5).

Living images on Alpine Skiing stamps
On January 2008 Finland issued a miniature sheet bearing a total of 11 different 1st class non-value indicator stamps. The miniature sheet dedicated to Alpine skiing has an illusion of movement which is made possible by the imaging and printing technology used. When you turn the sheet in your hands, the picture comes to life. This makes Tanja Poutiainen speed downhill on the slalom stamp. The stamp is in the lower right corner of the miniature sheet. The picture is from the Finnish round of the slalom World Cup in Levi. The 27-year-old skier from Rovaniemi is also shown at speed next to the stamp, on the edge of the stamp sheet. Tanja Poutiainen's achievements also include a silver medal at the Turin Olympics in 2006 and numerous other victories and high placements in world cup championships over a period of years.

The stamp dedicated to snowboarding features a stunning performance by Antti Autti. The upper left of the sheet shows Matti Raty, a 19-year-old exponent of newschool skiing and a student at the University of Kuopio, strutting his stuff. The stamp shows a 'drop'. The stamp on the lower left shows Tapio 'Arska' Saarimaki on powder. Saarimaki now lives year-round in the village of Verbier in the Swiss Alps, where he practises cross-country and downhill biking in addition to Alpine skiing. In freestyle, helicopters are sometimes used to take skiers to virgin slopes, and this explains the chopper on the upper edge of the stamp sheet.

Fabulous pieces of Art
Here is a set of stamps issued by Guernsey in 2008 . The images featured on the stamps are all fabulous pieces of art in their own right, so striking that it is tempting to think they have been digitally enhanced. However, they are simply the result of great skill, diligent research, superb subjects and just a tiny bit of luck in terms of Mother Nature's performance on the day.Guernsey's coastline has been photographed countless times over the years, with amateurs and professionals keen to capture its breathtaking beauty. Many have done so, but few have captured the scenes with the sort of ethereal quality achieved by local photographers Nick Despres and Alex Wallace. These are one of the amazing stamps of 2008.

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About Art and Artist ....

Date of Issue - 27 January 2009

Hi ! In the morning post I wrote about the new stamp on science by Portugal. Here is a beautiful stamp depicting a painting by famous Portuguese artist, Henrique Pousão who died at the young age of 25 , he was a major figure in the history and culture of Portugal. The set of 2 stamps depicting art and the artist was issued on 27 January 2009 The stamp represents a painting ' Waiting for Success ' painted in 1882 depicts the inside of the painter’s studio, where the model, a popular figure of a Roman boy, shows a childish drawing during a break between posing. This work still possesses features that are strikingly academic, in terms of the composition structure though particularly rich in referents, which might suggest a more in-depth interpretation.Here are the beautiful stamps and FDC depicting an important figure from Portuguese history and culture. This is all for this Evening !....Till Next Post ....Have a Nice Time !.....

Henrique Pousão (1859 – 1884)

Henrique César de Araújo Pousão was born in Vila Viçosa on January 1, 1859. He was the son of a judge, Nunes Pousão. Due to his father’s profession, he lived in several cities before settling in the North of the country in 1872, where he began his artistic studies in the Fine Arts Academy of Porto (Academia Portuense de Belas Artes). Among his masters in the first years of his studies, António José da Costa, with whom he had private lessons, and João António Correia and Marques de Oliveira, at the Academy, stand out.In November 1880, after having won a few months earlier a state scholarship to study abroad, he left for Paris together with Sousa Pinto. He enrolled in the Fine Art Academy where he studied under the painters Cabanel and Yvon. He worked intensely during the first months, on small annotations and landscape studies.

The severe Paris winter soon proved inadequate for his feeble health. The following summer he travelled to the centre of France in search of a better climate and, at the end of the year, in December 1881, after applying for a transfer, he moved to Rome. Some of his most symbolic works are from this new phase. Another fundamental stage of Pousão‘s artistic path is linked to his stay on the island of Capri, which he visited during the time he lived in Rome, between June 1882 and September 1883. The Mediterranean light and the intense colours fill the studies to which the artist fastens pieces of landscape or plain street scenes. The advance of the disease forced him to return to Portugal. Pousão died of tuberculosis, in March 1884, at the young age of twenty five.

Courtesy - Portugal Post

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Aquihaselo - Science in Portugal ...

Hi ! Here is a very nice and beautiful stamp on Science issued by Portugal on 3 March 2009. On the first look it gives the appearance of some fresh red frruits but it actually depicts a highly scientific phenomenon . The design was selected by a competition of stamp designing in Portugal which is known as AQUIHASELO in Portuguese meaning hobby challenge. If someone is reading from Portugal please let me know the correct meaning of 'aquihaselo'.

About the stamp design :
The illustration on this stamp represents the active centre of an enzyme called CotA-lacase, which has been identified in the bacteria Bacillus subtilis; it has some very interesting features from the functional point of view, given its wide-ranging applications in the field of biotechnology. Besides its capacity to wear-down compounds produced during industrial processes, the so called highly pollutant phenols, this enzyme has a potential in bioremediation, in the formation of biopolymers (most commonly used in plastic manufacturing), in the processing of fruit juices, as biosensors, and in the wear-down of a vegetable fibre called lignin.On the stamp, different atoms in the enzyme’s activity centre have been coloured; among these, the central orange atom stands out; it represents the copper atom that enables the enzyme to function. In its role as a cultural and social disseminator, the stamp discloses an important scientific discovery which, after all, can also be an artistic representation.

Well this is the beautiful stamp on biotechnology . It will be very much appreciated by those collecting on Chemistry or other associated Science themes. This is all for this Morning !....Till Next Post...Have a Nice Time !

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Famous Women of Cine World...

Here are the stamps issued on famous cine star of Hollywood, Marilyn Munroe and legendary actress of Indian Cinema -Madhubala. She was the most beautiful and versatile actress of Hindi Cinema. Both of these personalities are recognized for their exquisite beauty and performance all over the world.

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Great Women of the World.....

On women's Day, I am giving here stamps issued on Great women of the world Florence Nightinglae and Hellen Keller and two famous women of India Annie Besant and Sarojini Naidu.Their contribution to the world will remain in golden letters for ever !


Here are the links on stamps issued on famous women of the world.

Famous Women

http://www.geocities.com/ZOMIRP/st-galer-a-desna.htm

Famous Canadian Women

http://famouscanadianwomen.com/stamps/hopkins.htm

Helen Keller (June 27, 1880 – June 1, 1968) was an American author, political activist and lecturer. She was the first deafblind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree. The story of how Keller's teacher, Annie Sullivan, broke through the isolation imposed by a near complete lack of language, allowing the girl to blossom as she learned to communicate, has become known worldwide through the dramatic depictions of the play and film - The Miracle Worker.

Keller went on to become a world-famous speaker and author. She is remembered as an advocate for people with disabilities amid numerous other causes. At the age of 22, Keller published her autobiography, The Story of My Life (1903), with help from Sullivan and Sullivan's husband, John Macy. It includes words that Keller wrote and the story of her life up to age 21, and was written during her time in college. Keller wrote The World I Live In in 1908 giving readers an insight into how she felt about the world. Out of the Dark, a series of essays on Socialism, was published in 1913. Her spiritual autobiography, My Religion, was published in 1927 and re-issued as Light in my Darkness. It advocates the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, the controversial mystic who gives a spiritual interpretation of the Last Judgment and second coming of Jesus Christ, and the movement named after him, Swedenborgianism.Keller wrote a total 12 published books and several articles. She is a great inspiration to all.

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), often known as "the lady with the lamp", was the great reformer of hospital nursing. Her reforms have influenced much of modern health care. Her contribution to nursing is a milestone.

ANNIE BESANT
Annie Besant worked whole heartedly for the advancement of India in every field - educational, social, religious and political. Though born an English woman she turned an Indian by her love for this country. She was the founder of Theosophical Society in Madras. In 1917 she was elected the Congress President at the Calcutta Session.

SAROJINI NAIDU
She was a great poetess and freedom fighter and is known the Nightingale of India. Sarojini Naidu was in the forefront of the National Movement. She was elected the Congress President at Kanpur Session in 1925. After Independence she became the Governor of UP.

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