Malaysia - Ferns

This pretty FDC with the Ferns of Malaysia were sent to me by Mr. Budin.

Malaysia - Joint Malaysia-Korea issue

These stamps and the First Day Cover was issued by Malaysia. This is a Joint Malaysia-Korea issue. Topically very appropriate in the Year of the Tiger.
These were sent to me by Mr Budin.

Netherlands - Amersfoort

The stamps on this miniature sheet are from the collection "MOOI NEDERLAND". It's from TNT and there are several different city's from The Netherlands that are on those stamps. Amersfoort is one of them and Wilma who lives in Amersfoort sent it to me. Thank you.

Astronomy

This expressive miniature sheet of stamps commemorating Astronomy was issued by France, and given to me by my friend Michelle.

Heralding Easter and Spring 8.3.2010

On 8th March, Easter was welcomed with the issue of two stamps by Finland. The "My Easter" series which began two years ago was continued by modernist designer Johannes Ekholm. His stamp design depicts a ring echoing the shape of Easter eggs. The ring was designed by Kirsti Doukas. The designer of the other Easter stamp is Omppu Omenamäki, noted for his postcards, who created the "Easter Twins" stamp.

In spring, thoughts move onward to the summer ahead, with a stamp booklet imbued with the spirit of country romance. On Emil Bertell's stamps are fragrant wild strawberries smell, a tractor carrying a farmer, and an accordion being played on a dance stage.

The "Funny Vegetables" stamp booklet gives you an opportunity for a little hands-on work. You can give the tomato a moustache or put a hat on the asparagus or ears on the cucumber. You can dress up the vegetable stamps designed by Nina Rintala as you wish with the accessories included in the booklet. I copied this from Philately News:

Grinning greens! Cucumber with crown, eggplant with ears; tomato with teeth, potato with pony-tail. This booklet of eight vegetable-stamps includes tens of stickers – you can create your own kind of stamps. Make these vegetables laugh and walk, disguise them as a bunny or as a pig – let you imagination fly!' You can dress up the stamps designed by Nina Rintala as you wish with the accessories included in the booklet.

These pleasing first day covers were sent to me by My dear friend Ella.

500th anniversary of Krishna Deva Raya’s coronation

The Vijaynagar Kingdom rose to its highest peak of glory during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya. Not only was he an able administrator and a great warrior, but, he was also a scholar, a poet, a musician and a good king. His subjects loved him, and he even treated his enemies with honour. He is believed to have won all the wars he waged during his rule.

Much information about his reign comes from the accounts of Portuguese travellers Domingo Paes and Fernao Nuniz. Krishna Deva Raya benefited from his able Prime Minister Timmarusu, who was regarded by the king as a father figure and was responsible for his coronation. Krishna Deva Raya was the son of Nagala Devi and Tuluva Narasa Nayaka, an army commander under Saluva Narasimha Deva Raya, who later took control of the empire to prevent its disintegration. The king's coronation took place on the birthday of Lord Krishna, and his earliest inscription is from July 26, 1509 CE. He built a beautiful suburb near Vijayanagara called Nagalapura in memory of his mother. Krishna Deva was the younger brother of Vira Narasimha who defeated the Sulvas to snatch the throne. Krishna Deva succeeded his brother and soon proved his mettle as an able king. He won all the wars he fought and expanded his kingdom. He defeated the king of Orissa and also the Sultan of Bijapur. He defeated the Bahamani ruler Ismail Adil Shah to put an end to the Muslim dominance in Southern India. His empire extended from Cuttack in eastern India to Goa in the west and Raichur Dobe in the north to the Indian Ocean in the south.

During Krishna Deva's reign the European (mainly the Portuguese) traders came to India and he encouraged foreign trade with the visitors. Krishna Deva was a great patron of art, poetry and music. Tenali Ramakrishna - the scholar who was famous for his wisdom, was a prominent member of Krishna Deva's court. He built the famous Vithalswami and Hazara temple in Hampi.

This Special Cover commemorates the 500^th anniversary of Krishna Deva Raya’s coronation. Mr Veeraraghavan sent me this nice philatelic item.

International Women’s Day 8.3.2010

Women’s Day dates back to 1857, when hundreds of women in New York went on strike to protest low wages, long working hours and inhuman working conditions. Thirty-five years later the day became a time to honour women. International Women's Day has been officially recognised since 1975, or International Women’s Year. Six Finnish women are being honoured this year with their own postage stamp on March 8, International Women’s Day. The Finnish postal services company Itella decided to recognise women in various fields with the booklet of stamps.
Professor Elina Haavio-Mannila, Professor Laila Hirvisaari, the director of the Finnish National Theatre Maria-Liisa Nevala, Academician Leena Palotie, designer Ritva-Liisa Pohjalainen and artist Aira Samulin were all honored with stamps designed by Päivi Vainionpää. The stamps feature a silhouette image as well as the signature and a unique attribute of each woman.
Ella sent this superb cover to me. Next to it one can view the se-tenant set of six stamps.

A nation among nations 22.1.2009

The year 2009 was the commemoration of Year 1809. Many events took place during 2009. The years 1808 and 1809 mark important events in the history of the state of Finland. The Finnish War between Sweden and Russia began on 21 February 1808; the Diet of Finland assembled in the town of Porvoo on 28 March 1809; the Treaty of Hamina was signed on 17 September 1809; Finland obtained its own central administration on 2 October 1809; and the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland was established. These events took place against the international background of the Napoleonic Wars and the ensuing Treaty of Tilst of 1807 and the Treaty of Erfurt of 1808.

The solutions carefully prepared and, to a great extent, already implemented during the war were ceremonially affirmed on 28 March 1809 at the Diet of Porvoo that Alexander I came to open in person. The single most important event at the Diet with far-reaching implications took place on 29 March 1809 when the Emperor gave the sovereign pledge and the Estates an oath of allegiance. As a result, Finland’s special position was guaranteed by the Emperor’s presence. In the grand speeches in honour of the occasion Finland was raised to the status of a nation among nations.

I present before you a very attractive First Day Cover that commemorated this important event in the History of Finland, with a miniature sheet of four very impressive stamps. The portraits of the personalities involved are shown alongside. Ella sent this superb cover and cards to me.

Northern polar lights

Auroras, sometimes called the northern and southern (polar) lights or aurorae (singular: aurora), are natural light displays in the sky, usually observed at night, particularly in the polar regions. They typically occur in the ionosphere. They are also referred to as polar auroras.
In northern latitudes, the effect is known as the aurora borealis, named after the Roman goddess of dawn, Aurora, and the Greek name for north wind, Boreas, by Pierre Gassendi in 1621. The aurora borealis is also called the northern polar lights, as it is only visible in the sky from the Northern Hemisphere, with the chance of visibility increasing with proximity to the North Magnetic Pole. (Earth's is currently in the arctic islands of northern Canada.) Auroras seen near the magnetic pole may be high overhead, but from further away, they illuminate the northern horizon as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the sun were rising from an unusual direction. The aurora borealis most often occurs near the equinoxes. The northern lights have had a number of names throughout history. The Cree call this phenomenon the "Dance of the Spirits." In the Middle Ages the auroras have been called a sign from God (see Wilfried Schröder, Das Phänomen des Polarlichts, Darmstadt 1984). Its southern counterpart, the aurora australis or the southern polar lights, has similar properties, but is only visible from high southern latitudes in Antarctica, South America, or Australasia. Australis is the Latin word for "of the South.". Auroras can be spotted throughout the world and on other planets. It is most visible closer to the poles due to the longer periods of darkness and the magnetic field.

Winter Sports Card in 3D

This is a superb minisheet showing 4 stamps of Finnish Winter Sportspersons. The stamps are in 3D and hence, one cannot really appreciate the beauty of these stamps. This wonderful specimen was given to me by My friend Ella.

Frederic Chopin

Recently John Allison wrote - Huge images of a hip-looking Frederic Chopin that were plastered around Warsaw this spring reflect Poland’s latest attitude towards its greatest composer. His music may have always registered deep within the psyche of the Poles, but for their political masters he has been a multifunctional face since he first rallied revolutionary spirits in the 1830s. Banned by Nazi occupiers only to return as a socialist hero, in his bicentenary year Chopin is now being identified with the trendy rebranding of modern Warsaw.
Allocating an impressive 100 million zloty (£23 million) to the bicentennial celebrations – hard to imagine any government spending even one tenth of that on a composer – the Polish state is wearing Chopin with pride. The bulk of that money has gone towards building projects at the composer’s Zelazowa Wola birthplace and on a new, state-of-the-art Chopin Museum in Warsaw (which opened this month and promises to be the world’s most advanced musical museum); yet most importantly, the music itself is being well served by this year’s rich and extensive programming, which is celebrating Chopin’s universality rather than claiming him for Poland.
There was certainly nothing chauvinistic about the parade of pianists – both Polish and international – that passed through the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall last weekend. Indeed, the soloists in the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra’s big concert on Saturday were both Russians, and they offered contrasting views of the composer.
In the Concerto in E minor, Nikolai Demidenko gave an expansive performance that livened up in a crisp finale and under its chief, Antoni Wit, this richly cultivated orchestra caught the music’s hard-to-define melancholy spirit.
Playing with greater depth than I have heard from him before, Evgeny Kissin followed this with a brilliant account of the Concerto in F minor. His music-making was fresh and even innocent, with sparkling poise and attack well suited to the work. Kissin found all the yearning of the slow movement and framed it with barnstorming outer movements that sounded old-fashioned in the best sense, matching the drama coming from Wit and his orchestra.
In the first of his four encores, the Revolutionary Étude, Kissin showed off his noisy former self but built an excitement that fitted the occasion.
This 'official’ celebration had been preceded the night before with something much more revelatory: a marathon, triple-decker programme of Chopin’s complete works for piano and orchestra, played on instruments of the composer’s day.
The brainchild of the Chopin Institute’s Stanislaw Leszczynski, who has devised a 'Real Chopin’ series of period recordings, it rather movingly featured an Erard piano from 1849, the year of Chopin’s death, in addition to the Orchestra of the 18th Century under Frans Brüggen. Together they summoned Chopin’s sound world and evoked the delicacy for which his performances were renowned.
My friend Ada sent this lovely FDC with a mini sheet of Chopin’s stamp to me.

Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers 18.3.2009

In 2009, Finland, Chile and about 40 other countries issued stamps on climate change. The common theme is Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers. The international stamp campaign is being coordinated by Itella’s Philatelic Centre in Finland. Each participant country will issued its stamps on its own schedule during the period January-March 2009. Each country decided independently on the illustration theme for its issue. A shared feature for the issues is the crystal insignia. This nice First Day Cover with a franked mini sheet was sent to me by Ella.

Poland - Battle of Węgierska Górka

The Battle of Węgierska Górka was a two-day-long defence of a Polish fortified area in south of Silesia during the opening stages of the Polish Defensive War of 1939. Although the Polish position was not completed and only five bunkers were manned, the line was defended for two days and nights against superior Nazi forces of the German 7th Infantry Division. One of the bunkers was successfully evacuated by the Polish 1st Mountain Brigade, but the others lacked radio receivers and did not receive the order to retreat. Eventually, the Germans managed to break through the Polish positions, but with heavy casualties on their side and with a significant delay.

This First Day Cover is to commemorate the exceptional and effective resistance that the small Polish Army displayed in the face of an overwhelmingly large Nazi Force. This cover was sent to me by Ada.

USA - Kelp forests

Kelp forests are underwater areas with a high density of kelp. They are recognized as one of the most productive and dynamic ecosystems on Earth. Smaller areas of anchored kelp are called kelp beds. Kelp forests occur worldwide throughout temperate and polar coastal oceans. In 2007, kelp forests were also discovered in tropical waters near Ecuador. Physically formed by brown macroalgae of the order Laminariales, kelp forests provide a unique three-dimensional habitat for marine organisms and are a source for understanding many ecological processes. Over the last century, they have been the focus of extensive research, particularly in trophic ecology, and continue to provoke important ideas that are relevant beyond this unique ecosystem. For example, kelp forests can influence coastal oceanographic patterns and provide many ecosystem services to humankind. However, the influence of humans has often contributed to kelp forest degradation. Of particular concern are the effects of overfishing nearshore ecosystems, which can release herbivores from their normal population regulation and result in the over-grazing of kelp and other algae. This can rapidly result in transitions to barren landscapes where relatively few species persist. The implementation of marine protected areas (MPAs) is one management strategy useful for addressing such issues since it may limit the impacts of fishing and buffer the ecosystem from additive effects of other environmental dangers.

My friend Ping-Lin gave me this excellent miniature sheet of stamps.

UK - India Vs England Cricket Match

75 Years ago this famous cricket match was played between India and England at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta. Bhagyesh Dash got me this First Day Cover and a replica of the score sheet of that match.

USA – Distinguished Sailors

This splendid Sheet of 4 US Distinguished sailors was given to me by my friend Ping-Lin.

William Sowden Sims (born Oct. 15, 1858, Port Hope, Ont., Can. — died Sept. 28, 1936, Boston, Mass., U.S.) U.S. naval officer. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and later wrote a navigation textbook that became widely used. As naval attaché to U.S. embassies in Paris and St. Petersburg, he observed the superiority of foreign navies. As inspector of naval target practice (1902 – 09), he revolutionized U.S. naval gunnery. In World War I he commanded the U.S. fleet in Europe and helped develop the convoy system to protect Allied ships from German submarine attack. He was president of the Naval War College (1917 – 18, 1919 – 22).

Arleigh Albert Burke (October 19, 1901 – January 1, 1996) was an Admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower administration.. Burke was born far from the sea, in Boulder, Colorado. On June 8, 1923, he graduated from the United States Naval Academy, was commissioned ensign in the United States Navy, and married Miss Roberta Gorsuch of Washington, D.C. Over the next 18 years, Burke prepared himself for combat, serving in battleships and destroyers, and earning a Master of Science in Engineering at the University of Michigan. When World War II came, he found himself, to his great disappointment, in a shore billet at the Naval Gun Factory in Washington, D.C. After persistent effort on his part, he received orders to join the fighting in the South Pacific.
Doris "Dorie" Miller (October 12, 1919 – November 24, 1943) was a cook in the United States Navy noted for his bravery during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He was the first African American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the third highest honor awarded by the US Navy at the time, after the Medal of Honor and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal (today the Navy Cross precedes the Distinguished Service Medal). Miller awoke at 6:00 A.M. and was collecting laundry when the alarm for general quarters was sounded. He headed for his battle station, the antiaircraft battery magazine amidship, only to discover that torpedo damage had destroyed it. He went on deck where he was assigned to carry wounded fellow sailors to safer locations. When Captain Mervyn Bennion was injured by a bomb splinter, an officer ordered Miller to the bridge to help in the effort to move him to a place of relative safety. Miller picked him up and attempted to carry him to a first-aid station; the Captain refused to leave his post and remained on the bridge until his death. When directed to assist in loading a pair of unattended Browning .50 caliber anti-aircraft guns, Miller took control of one and began firing at the Japanese planes, even though he had no training in operating the weapon. He fired the gun until he ran out of ammunition. Japanese aircraft eventually dropped two armor-piercing bombs through the deck of the battleship and launched 5 × 18 in. (457 mm) aircraft torpedoes into her port side. Heavily damaged by the ensuing explosions, and suffering from severe flooding below decks, the West Virginia slowly settled to the harbor bottom as her crew—including Miller—abandoned ship. Miller was commended by the Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox on April 1, 1942, and on May 27, 1942 he received the Navy Cross, which Fleet Admiral (then Admiral) Chester W. Nimitz, the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet presented to Miller on board aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CV-6) for his extraordinary courage in battle.
John McCloy (January 3, 1876 – May 24, 1945) was a sailor in the United States Navy who is one of only 19 individuals to receive the Medal of Honor twice. He received his first Medal of Honor for action in the Boxer Rebellion in June 1900. His second such award came in 1915 for action in Vera Cruz, Mexico in April 1914. ohn McCloy enlisted in the United States Navy on March 7, 1898. He was warranted as a boatswain on July 30, 1903 and commissioned ensign on July 1, 1917. He received his first Medal of Honor "for distinguished conduct in the presence of the enemy in battles of the 13th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd of June 1900, while with the relief expedition of the Allied Forces in China." His second Medal of Honor was awarded to him “for distinguished conduct in battle and extraordinary heroism; engagement of Vera Cruz, April 22, 1914.” Immediately after World War I, he commanded minesweeper USS Curlew (AM-8) clearing the mines of the North Sea mine barrage. For this work he was decorated with the Navy Cross. He retired from active duty as a lieutenant on October 15, 1928, and was promoted in retirement to lieutenant commander on February 23, 1942. McCloy was active in both the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. He was a founding member of American Legion Post No. 1 in Leonia, New Jersey, the first American Legion post in the state. He died on May 25, 1945, in his home in Leonia, and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Year oy the Tiger.

These are two pretty First Day Covers celebrating the Year of the Tiger issued by Hong Kong. The cover above is with the special miniature sheet. The one below has the four special stamps.

These are due to the kind courtesy of Shashi Dash.