Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Bishop Franz Anton Marxer


These stamps shown on the cover given to me by Merja, portrays Franz Xaver Anton Marxer who was born in 1703 in Heiligkreuz, were issued by Liechtenstein on 6.6.1974. His parents were Ulrich Marxer and Anna Maria. He worked as an altar boy at an early age which brought him in contact with the Jesuit priest Konstantin Storff, who gave him lessons and later allowed him to visit the Jesuit high school in Feldkirch. In 1720 Marxer went to study of Theology and philosophy in Vienna and finished both subjects and earned a doctorate.

Marxer was consecrated on May 22, 1728 as a priest, and was also at the University. in 1732 where  he became Professor of Theology, and in 1738 the Dean of the theological faculty as well, as Canon of St. Stephan. He was Board member of the Armenkasse and received an order for the reorganization of the system of poor, resulting among other things in 1742 to the creation of the first Vienna orphanage am Rennweg by Maria Theresa of Austria. Marxer was its Director until 1759. In 1761 Maria Theresa of Austria bought the plant, which could seat up to 300 children at the end. In 1746 he received the Manor of Ebersdorf (now Imperial areas village) near Vienna by Maria Theresa of Austria for his services.

In 1749 he was appointed the auxiliary bishop and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Vienna. In 1753, he served as Provost and Chancellor of the University of Vienna until his death. He died at the age of 72, and was buried before the high altar of the sanctuary in Gutenbrunn.

Monday, July 30, 2012

The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) celebrates its 50th anniversary 1.8.2011


The Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) is the lead government agency that plans and executes economic strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global centre for business, innovation and talent. We dream, design and deliver solutions that create value for investors and companies in Singapore. We also ensure Singapore’s future-readiness, building capabilities for innovations that create new products, services and advanced technology. In so doing, we generate economic opportunities and jobs for the people of Singapore, acting as a compass to guide Singapore’s economic future.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

UN Human Rights Series


This FDC given to me by Merja has stamps on it that highlight two important articles of the UN Human Rights Charter, namely Articles 11 and 12. These articles are enunciated in French on the two tabs attached with the stamps. These stamps and the FDS were issued on 16.11.1990. A brief description of these articles is given below.


Article 11.
(1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence.
(2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.

Article 12.
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home, or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Paintings on Greek Stamps


The Europa theme for 1975 was paintings. Accordingly, the three stamps on the this Greek FDC given to me by Merja, show some popular paintings by Greek artists.

Friday, July 27, 2012

Areas of Historical Significance 8.8.2011



This stamp issue dated 8th August 2011, consists of four stamps features two prominent old residential neighbourhoods - Joo Chiat and Taman Jurong of the past and present. These two areas used to house the forefathers of the present residents, who were behind the success of Singapore.
Joo Chiat is situated between Marine Parade and Geylang in the eastern coastal region of Singapore. In its earlier days, it was known as Confederate Estate Road, and was renamed in 1917 after Chew Joo Chia, a major land owner there. In July 1993, Joo Chiat was gazetted as a conservation district, resulting in the preservation of many of its old buildings. Today, the shophouses and bungalows in Joo Chiat still retain the typical architectural styles of the early 20th century as depicted in both 50-cents and S$1.00 stamps.
Located at the other end of Singapore is Taman Jurong, one of the oldest residential precincts in Singapore. From a sleepy rural area mainly made up of coastal swamplands with low hills, shrubs and jungle as reflected in the 50-cents stamp, it has grown into a developed suburban area as featured in the S$1.10 stamp.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

UN International Year of Peace 13.10.1986

The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. To commemorate this day Finland issued the stamp shown on the FDC. Rainbow was selected as the emblem of the international peace year. Date of issue  was 13.10.1986.

Preparations for the International Year of Peace (1986) were activated by a report of the Secretary-General (document A/38/413) on the basis of which the General Assembly adopted resolution 38/56 on 7 December. The Assembly requested the Secretary-General to establish a voluntary fund for the programme of the Year and to carry out during 1984-1985 preparations for the Year, including the organization of regional seminars. The Year's objectives include the promotion of the ideals of peace by the united Nations and its Member States as evidence of their dedication to peace by all possible means. Thank you Pia for this FDC.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Nordia 75 Philatelic Exhibition


"Nordia 1975" International Stamp Exhibition. single stamp on illustrated, unaddressed cover, issued on 26th April 1975 with HELSINKI special exhibition first day postmark. The Nordia 1975 philatelic exhibition was arranged in honour of the 100th anniversary of Finnish four-figured stamps. Sculptor Aimo Tukiainen designed the Nordia 1975 exhibition medal.

On 27 September 1874, a total of 21 countries agreed to establish a universal postal organisation, currently known as the Universal Postal Union (UPU), with a view to organising international postal deliveries between the contracting states. Entering into force on 1 July 1875, this agreement, which also applied to Finland as an autonomous Grand Duchy of the Russian Empire, defined colours for stamps according to their purpose: light-blue stamps were designed for domestic letters, pink ones for international letters and brown for domestic postcards. In addition, postage was no longer based on the distance of the mail delivery but on the mail's weight. Accordingly, it became necessary in Finland to print stamps corresponding to the new postal tariff. The Senate stipulated that the shape of the stamps issued on 1 July 1875 should be similar to the German stamps of the time. These so-called four figured stamps featured a denomination on each corner of the stamp printed in Finnish and Swedish. The colour of heraldic stamps indicated the nature of the letter in 1875. Thank you Pia for this nice FDC.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Tea Time Snacks 8.2.2012



Singaporeans love to indulge themselves with the in-between meals. On 8 February 2012, Singapore Post issued a set of stamps featuring local tea time snacks. Designed by Mr Sherman Lim, the stamps show a colourful illustration of the Lapis Sagu (1st local), Kueh Dadar (50 cents), Bao (80 cents) and Kueh Tutu ($1.10). These snacks are personified and drawn in a cartoonish way, which also brings a smile to those who are eating it. In Singapore, it is not uncommon to see people enjoying food outside the usual hours of lunch and dinner. Designer Sherman Lim really hit the nail on the head this time. Yummy!
Lapis Sagu, Kueh Dadar, Bao (Chinese Buns) and Kueh Tutu that delight the senses are depicted on stamps in a relaxed and cartoonish The Lapis Sagu, commonly known as the nine-layered kueh, is made from coconut milk, tapioca flour and boiled with pandan leaves. The rectangular shaped snack is found in a number of confectioneries, and it is definitely something unique to eat it layer by layer. The Kueh Dadar is a bite-sized coconut pancake. Stir-fried grated coconut flesh and brown sugar are wrapped with a green skin that is made of sifted plain flour with pandan juice. The Bao is a type of steamed Chinese bun with assorted fillings, including meat, vegetables or paste. There are also different sizes to choose from. Traditionally, it has been a common dish in most Chinese cultures, but now it can be enjoyed at any time of the day. The Kueh Tutu is a traditional snack which is commonly found in Singapore. A soft outer layer made of rice flour or glutinous rice flour conceals either shredded coconut or ground nuts as its filling. It is often served on pandan leaves and is certainly available at night markets.

Monday, July 23, 2012

Tenpin World Championships 1987 at Helsinki, Finland


Thank you Merja, for this FDC which commemorates the XI F.I.Q World Tenpin Bowling Championships 1987 for Ladies and Men which were held from June 3rd to 13th at Helsinki, Finland. 230 Men competed in the disciplines: Singles, Doubles, Trio, 5-Player-Team, All-Event and Masters.

Now, what exactly is Tenpin Bowling? The uninitiated would ask. To put it simply it is just "bowling". In the United States and the United Kingdom) it is a competitive sport in which a player (the "bowler") rolls a bowling ball down a wooden or synthetic (polyurethane) lane with the objective of scoring points by knocking down as many pins as possible. The bowler is allowed 10 frames in which to knock down pins, with frames one (1) through nine (9) being composed of up to two rolls. The tenth frame may be composed of up to three rolls: the bonus roll(s) following a strike or spare in the tenth (sometimes referred to as the eleventh and twelfth frames) are fill ball(s) used only to calculate the score of the mark rolled in the tenth.

Bowling has a unique scoring system which keeps track not only of the current score but also strikes and spares, which give multiple marks. Effectively, there are three kinds of marks given in a score; a strike (all ten down in the first ball), a spare (all ten down by the second ball), and an open (missed pins still standing when the turn ends). A strike earns ten points plus the points for the next two balls thrown (for example, if a player got a strike then followed with a 7 then 2, their value for the strike would be 10+7+2, or 19). A spare earns ten points plus the points for the next ball thrown (again, if a player gets a spare then follow it with 7 pins down, their value for the spare would be 10+7, or 17). Open frames are added normally (example: if a player knocks down 5 on their first ball and 3 on their second the first open frame would be worth 8 points). The maximum score in tenpin bowling is 300. This consists of getting 12 strikes in a row in one game (one strike each in frames 1–9, and all three possible strikes in the tenth frame), and is also known as a perfect game.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

100th Aniversary of the Universal Postal Union


The Universal Postal Union (UPU, French: Union postale universelle) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates postal policies among member nations, in addition to the worldwide postal system. The UPU contains four bodies consisting of the Congress, the Council of Administration (CA), the Postal Operations Council (POC) and the International Bureau (IB). It also oversees two cooperatives including the Telematics and EMS Cooperatives respectively. Each member agrees to the same terms for conducting international postal duties. The UPU’s headquarters are located in Bern, Switzerland. The Universal Postal Union (UPU) was formed in 1874 and is the primary means of cooperation between postal services of all the nations of the world. This FDC with the block of 10c stamps with the postmark of UN, New York dated 22.3.1974 was issued to commemorate the 100th Aniversary of the UPU.
French is the official language of the UPU. English was added as a working language in 1994. The majority of the UPU's documents and publications – including its flagship magazine, Union Postale - are available in the United Nations' official languages. This very important cover was given to me by Merja.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Pond Life Definitives 12.3.2012



On 12 March 2012, two new stamps featuring the yellow burhead (Limnocharis flava) and water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) were released by Singapore Post. These two stamps are part of the Pond Life Definitives series.
The yellow burhead featured on the 1st Local stamp has yellow cup-shaped flowers and grows up to nearly one metre above water. In several Southeast Asian countries, as well as India, the young leaves and stems are traditionally eaten as a vegetable. While its seeds are dispersed by water, water birds and animals, this plant is commonly used to feed pigs and fish.
Shown on the 2nd Local stamp is the water lettuce. It has light green leaves arranged like a lettuce and can grow up to 14 centimetres long. They float on the water surface with its long roots submerges in water, as the leaves have parallel veins, wavy margins and are covered in short hairs that form basket-like structures that trap pockets of air and increase its buoyancy. Rarely, one may see its small, white flowers.

Friday, July 20, 2012

For a World without Hunger


When one first looks at the above statement, it looks utopian, doesn’t it? But with the tremendous efforts put in by the United Nations, this dream may not as yet have become a reality, but the situation since the war on hunger so to say, which began worldwide in the late ‘80s has indeed made a marked difference. The standards of living in developing countries have definitely improved. In the less developing countries it may not be so marked, but a step forward has surely been made. I feel that the problem of Hunger in the third world has been compounded by out of control population growth and a shameless political and beauraucratic corruption. Better fed nations prefer to dump millions of tons of food into the oceans to prevent drop in prices, but, wouldn’t think of donating some of this to the poorer nations.

It is neither the intention of this blog to detail UN’s work in this direction, for the simple reason, that the author is completely unqualified in this respect, nor is this the right forum for it anyway. The views expressed in the para above is only a plaintive protestation of a layman.

It was with the aim of achieving this utopian goal that the UN created the FAO and issued stamps and FDCs to popularise this movement. One such is this FDC issued on 28.1.1988 given to me by my friend Merja.

Thursday, July 19, 2012

European and World Ice Hockey Championships 5.3.1974


The 1974 Ice Hockey World Championships were the 41st Ice Hockey World Championships and the 52nd European Championships in ice hockey. The tournament took place in Finland from 5 April to 20 April and the games were played in the capital, Helsinki. Six teams took part in the main tournament, all playing each other twice. The Soviet Union won the world championships for the 13th time, and also won their 16th European title. For the first time in ice hockey World Championship history, two players were suspended for doping. They were the Swede Ulf Nilsson and the Finn Stig Wetzell who tested positive for the forbidden substance ephedrine. Both players were suspended for the rest of the tournament. Nilsson tested positive after Sweden's game against Poland, which Sweden won 4-1. The game was awarded to Poland as a 5-0 walkover. The Finn, Wetzell, tested positive after Finland's match against Czechoslovakia, which Finland won 5-2, which was also awarded to Czechoslovakia as a 5-0 walkover. Thank you Pia for this nice FDC and the impressive stamp on it.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Health in Sports


These two stamps on the cover are part of a set of five issued by the United Nations 0n 17.6.1988. This FDC was issued in Geneva, Switzerland. It highlights the role of the UN in promoting health schemes and encouraging sports around the world to try and achieve the goal of a healthy mankind. Merja sent me this nice UN covers besides others.

Monday, July 16, 2012

UN ILO HQ Building


     
       
 

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is an agency of the United Nations that deals with labour issues pertaining to international labour standards and decent work for all. Its headquarters are in Geneva, Switzerland. The Building for this HQ was built in Geneva, Switzerland and inaugurated on 11th January, 1974. These two stamps on the two covers were issued to commemorate the Opening of the ILO HQs. Its secretariat — the people who are employed by it throughout the world — is known as the International Labour Office. The organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1969. It has no power to impose any sanctions on governments. Maria gave me these two FDCs.


Sunday, July 15, 2012

Scenes from the Local Markets in Singapore 18.4.2012


Singapore is known for its morning markets selling fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and of course, fish. Known as "wet markets”. Wet markets are a great place to shop for fresh food at excellent prices, although the smells and the melting ice water on the floor can be disconcerting. A wide range of fresh vegetables, fruit, meats, fish, spices or flowers can be bought. Generally prices are much lower than they are in the supermarkets. While a shopper can barter, it may not be well received by some stallholders as goods are already priced very low. All wet markets open early to the public; the Senoko Fishing Port Market at Woodlands Avenue opens after midnight at 01:00 (1 am) when the bulk of the customers are stallholders in other wet markets across the island.

Singapore issued a set of 4 stamps on local markets on 18th April 2012.Stamps released at NHBs wet markets exhibition. This stamp issue features common scenes from wet markets that is a fruit stall (S$0.80), a vegetable stall (S$0.80), a fish stall (S$0.80), and a poultry stall (S$0.80)

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Greetings Stamps 10.2.1993


A nice thought indeed by the Singapore Postal Authorities in issuing these six very expressive se-tennant stamps depicting these wonderful greetings and good wishes which are so important in human interaction with each other. The stamps were issued on 10.2.1993. The stamps have been cancelled by a very nice postmark indeed.

Friday, July 13, 2012

50th Anniversary of Finnair 1.11.1973


Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland with its headquarters in Vantaa, Finland and its main hub at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest owner is the government of Finland with 55.8% of the shares. Finnair is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance. In 2006, the airline transported 8.8 million passengers, on a network of 15 domestic and 55 international destinations. In addition there are about 60 seasonal charter-flight destinations. As of early 2012, the Finnish government is considering decreasing its share of Finnair ownership below 50%.Finnair is one of world's oldest continually operating airlines. The company was founded on 1 November 1923. In recent years, a key part of Finnair's strategy has been strengthening the company's position in the Asian market and particularly in traffic between Europe and Asia. The long-haul expansion is nothing new, however. At Finnair, long-haul expansion to the United States was first talked about in the 1930s, in the company's early years. The expansion had to wait, however, as plans were put on hold after the outbreak of the Second World War. Finnair flights from Helsinki via Copenhagen and Amsterdam to New York began on 15 May 1969. The new long-haul route was made possible by revolutionary navigation systems. Finnair flew to New York with DC-8 aircraft, which held nearly 200 passengers.
Today, Finnair's position in traffic between Europe and Asia is well established and growing strongly. In its Asian expansion, the company is supported in particular by Finland's favourable geographical position: the shortest routes from Europe to the Far East pass through Helsinki. Finnair is currently operating scheduled flights to 12 long-haul destinations: Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Delhi, Seoul, Singapore, Toronto and New York. In May 2012 Finnair will also introduce a nonstop flight to Chongqing. The long-haul fleet currently consists of 15 wide-bodied aircraft.
The stamp on the cover, and the cover itself were issued on 1.11.1973 commemorating the 50th Anniversary of Finnair. This nice FDC was given to me by Pia.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012



Merja sent me this nice FDC commemorating the UN's Human Rights Series in 1992. The two special se-tenant stamps have brief details of Articles 23 and 24 on their attached tabs. These articles refer to the Right to Work and the Right to Rest and relaxation respectively. The stamps and the cover were issued in Germany on 20.11.1992.

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Singapore Harbour 17.12.1972



Singapore, with its deep harbour and ideal geographical location, was a natural calling place for ships plying between the Asian and Western routes. It was with this vision that Sir Stamford Raffles arrived one day in February 1819, and founded the free port of Singapore – which today has grown into the world’s fourth busiest port. The vessels, which anchor in Singapore port, are indeed varied – ranging from the early days when movement was totally dependent on the wind to the present giant container ships. A significant vessel in the early days was the Chinese junk, which operated in the South-east Asian region from time immemorial, and in increasing numbers from Raffles’ time. These vessels were basically the only means of communication then between the early Chinese immigrants in Singapore and Mainland China. With the advent of steam, vessels became more sophisticated and ships like the ‘Maria Rickmers’ came into being and were sometimes seen in Tanjong Pagar waters at the turn of the century. 
An area rich in history and culture, Tanjong Pagar is a port district located within Singapore’s Central Business District that’s also home to some of the tallest skyscrapers in the city-state. The lifeblood of Singapore since 1819, the district owes it success to early immigrants, who under British rule, helped establish Tanjong Pagar as an important centre for trade and commerce. Today, the area is still an important focal point for Asia, boasting the world’s busiest trans-shipment hub. Tanjong Pagar is also a major financial centre with several regional and international banks headquartered there. Well into the 20th Century, the port of Singapore had grown into a major international port of call. Singapore is also industrializing rapidly – including the development of the shipbuilding and ship-repairing industry. Symbolic of this development is the ‘Neptune Ruby’, the first Freedom-type vessel to be built in Singapore.
Against this background of development is the increasing sophistication in cargo-handling techniques. Starting with conventional methods, the Port of Singapore Authority entered the container era in June 1972 when its East Lagoon Container Port officially went into operation.
The “Shipping Series 1972” stamp issue comprises three stamps featuring the Chinese Junk, “Maria Rickmers” and “Neptune Ruby”. The three stamps were also produced in a miniature souvenir sheet as shown on the FDC. The sheet also shows a sectional view of the East Lagoon Container Port. These stamps were issued on 17.12.1972.

Monday, July 9, 2012

Gardens by the Bay 29.6.2012



Singapore post issued a set of postage stamps featuring Gardens by the Bay, alongwith a beautiful cover. These were issued on 29th June, 2012. Gardens by the Bay consists of three distinct waterfront gardens – Bay South, Bay East and Bay Central, set in the heart of Singapore’s new downtown Marina Bay, adjacent to the Marina Reservoir. Spanning 101 hectares, Gardens by the Bay is an integral part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a ‘Garden City’ to a ‘City in a Garden’. The stated aim is to raise the quality of life by enhancing greenery and flora in the city. First announced to the public by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during the National Day Rally in August 2005, Gardens by the Bay is intended to become Singapore’s premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon.
An international competition for the design of the master plan, held in January 2006, attracted more than 70 entries submitted by 170 firms from 24 countries. Two firms – Grant Associates and Gustafson Porter – were eventually awarded the master plan design for the Bay South and Bay East Gardens respectively. The Gardens are being developed in phases. Bay South was completed and opened to the public on 29 June 2012.Bay East has been developed as an interim park in support of the Youth Olympic Games 2010, and is opened to the public since November 2011, allowing an alternate access to the Marina Barrage. The full master plan implementation of Bay East and the development of Bay Central are part of the next phase of development.
With a unique collection of plants and trees from every continent except  Antarctica, Gardens by the Bay in Bay South, Singapore  takes its visitors into the realm of nature and all its bounty. Boasting two large conservatories, several outdoor gardens, a lake, a skyway and great views of the entire bay area, exploring nature within a city has just gotten all that more interesting.

I was lucky to see it all happening in January 2012, from a vantage point, namely from the top of the Singapore Flyer.

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Long-tailed pangolin


The long-tailed pangolin (Manis tetradactyla), also called the black-bellied pangolin or ipi, is an arboreal pangolin native to the sub-Saharan forests of Africa. Its common name is derived from its especially long tail (average 60 cm, or 24 inches). Even with the long tail, this species is the smallest pangolin. Theone shown on these FDCs is a specimen from Gabon. This pangolin is a nocturnal insectivore. As with other pangolins, the long-tailed pangolin is covered with overlapping scales, in this case a dark brown color. The tip of the tail is bare and is used to grip branches. The abdomen is covered in dark fur instead of scales.
Pangolins are nocturnal animals which use their well-developed sense of smell to find insects. The long-tailed pangolin is also active by day. Pangolins spend most of the daytime sleeping curled up into a ball. Pangolins lack teeth and the ability to chew. Instead, they tear open anthills or termite mounds with their powerful front claws and probe deep into them with their very long tongues. Pangolins have glands in their chests to lubricate the tongue with sticky, ant-catching saliva. Merja gave me these very interesting and extremely pretty FDCs.    

                                                               

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Strategic Arms Limitation Talks 2.6.1972


The Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) refers to two rounds of bilateral talks and corresponding international treaties involving the United States and the Soviet Union—the Cold War superpowers—on the issue of armament control. There were two rounds of talks and agreements: SALT I and SALT II. Negotiations commenced in Helsinki, Finland, in 1973. SALT I led to the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and an interim agreement between the two powers. Although SALT II resulted in an agreement in 1979, the United States chose not to ratify the treaty in response to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which took place later that year. The US eventually withdrew from SALT II in 1986.
The treaties then led to START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), which consisted of START I (a 1991 agreement between the United States, the Soviet Union) and START II (a 1993 agreement between the United States and Russia). These placed specific caps on each side's number of nuclear weapons.
On the Conclusion of the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks at Helsinki, a Single stamp was issued on 2nd June, 1972 along with a cover. The FDC given to me by Pia is displayed here.

Friday, July 6, 2012

Ocean Shipping in China



China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, known as COSCO or COSCO Group, is a Chinese shipping and logistics services supplier company. It is a government owned company of the People's Republic of China. Its headquarters is in Ocean Plaza in Xicheng District, Beijing. According to the company, it owns over 130 vessels (with a capacity of 600,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU)) and calls on over 1,000 ports worldwide. It ranks sixth largest in number of container ships and ninth largest in aggregate container volume in the world.
The Group contains six listed companies and has more than 300 subsidiaries locally and abroad, providing services in freight forwarding, ship building, ship repair, terminal operation, container manufacturing, trade, financing, real estate, and information technology. The Group owns and operates a fleet of around 550 vessels, with total carrying capacity of up to 30 million metric tons deadweight (DWT). They are the largest dry bulk carrier in China and one of the largest dry bulk shipping operators worldwide. In addition, the Group is the largest liner carrier in China.
On 8.8.2011 China National Philatelic Corporation issued an FDC carrying a set of two special stamps entitled  “Ocean Shipping of China”, with a total face value of 2.40 yuan, as displayed. The pictures on the stamps depict a “container transport” and the other shows “bulk shipping”. My friend Harry sent me this FDC.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

UN-Geneva - Rights of the Child


Throughout history, children have been victims -- of war, poverty, disease and neglect. With the advent of 19th century social reform movements, many religious and private charities were organized throughout the world to care for destitute, abandoned and abused children. Despite these early efforts, the concept of social and community responsibility for providing all children with advantages their parents could not supply, remains a 20th century dream. In 1946 the United Nations created the United Nations International Children's Emergency Relief fund (UNICEF) to provide relief to children in countries ravaged by World War II. The fund expanded after 1950 to establish general child welfare programs in less developed countries. The efforts of this fund -- now called the United Nations Children's Fund -- combined with international, national and community child welfare programs to increase worldwide awareness of children's rights. Today UNICEF labours unceasingly to feed, clothe and shelter the world's children.
To commemorate the 1991 Convention of the Rights of the Child, the United Nations Postal Administration issued on June 14, 1991, stamps and a First Day Cover as displayed. The Swiss currency stamps of 80 centimes and 1.10 francs were designed by Ryuta Nakajima of Japan and David Popper of Switzerland. Nakajima, 19 when his design was selected, graduated from the U.N. school in Geneva and is now enrolled at the University of California at San Diego. Popper, 17, is a student at the Geneva school and hopes to pursue a career in business. He is also a stamp collector. Merja gave me this FDC.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

NABA 1971 Basel Stamp Show




The National Postage Stamp Exhibition was held in Basel, Switzerland 4th to 13th June 1971, known as NABA 1971. This show is held every six years. Designed by Adolf  Fluckiger shows the Rayon II stamp, and a basilisk, Basel’s emblem. The four-stamp minisheet on the cover is very impressive. Maria sent me this cover.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties



The development of traditional Chinese furniture reached its zenith during the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Furniture in the Ming style combines simple, unvarnished design with precise, scientific framework, while the Qing furniture features exquisite carvings, diverse designs, and various decorative elements. Tables, made with excellent craftsmanship, compose an important part of the Ming and Qing furniture. Straight-end table for Chinese painting and calligraphy (pingtouhua'an) usually features a large rectangular surface wide enough to hold "treasures of the study" like the brush, the ink, the paper, and the inkstone. Square table (fangzhuo), as its name suggests, is a framework with a square surface. Besides a diversity of designs, this type also varies in size – some large enough to seat eight adults and thus known as Great Baxianzhuo (literally "table for eight immortals") while smaller ones called Lesser Baxianzhuo. And if you are thinking of adding these to your rooms, remember each of them costs a packet!!!

China National Philatelic Corporation will issue four FDCs, a souvenir sheet cover, and a commemorative cancellation respectively.
Harry sent me this FDC dated 9.6.2012.

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Royal Mail - British Butterflies Presentation Pack


A series of 4 stamps published on the 13th May 1981, during the good old days when you didn't need to take out a small mortgage to send a letter!!
Each stamp featured an illustration by Gordon Beningfield of the Small Tortoiseshell (14p), Large Blue (18p), Peacock (22p) and Chequered Skipper (25p).