Sunday, September 27, 2009

FDC from Russia/FDC de la russie

Weapon of the Victory/Arme de la Victoire

7 (R):Rifles (SVT-40) and (AVS-36).
8 (R):Revolver 1895, gun (TT) 1933.
9 (R):Submachine guns (PPS-43) and (PPSH-41).
10 (R):Machine guns (DP) and (SG-43).

Friday, September 25, 2009

Cover from Palestine/enveloppe de la Palestine


Cover from Mauritius/enveloppe de la Maurice

FDC from South Korea/FDC de la Corée du Sud

Asia Becoming One through Stamps/
L'Asie Devenant Un par les Timbres



As is known by all of us, a stamp is attached to an envelop as an indication of the fee paid to send a piece of mail. The letter attached with a stamp, as if it had wings, flies across the sea, treks through the desert, and travels across the jungle to send the message across to the world. Besides playing such a role, the stamp has been an object that is widely collected and appreciated as the smallest-sized work of art in the world. The big world in a small square, the funny and interesting stories contained in stamps, and the stamps that continue to evolve in line with the changing times enchant all of us. Through the medium of such tiny stamps, numerous people around the world communicate and interchange with each other. At PHILAKOREA 2009 24th Asian International Stamp Exhibition, we can meet the Asia that, through stamps, becomes one and lives together in unity. PHILAKOREA 2009 that will be held from July 30 to August 4, 2009, is the first Asian International Stamp Exhibition to be held in Korea. Held under the patronage of FIAP which has 32 Asian countries as members, this exhibition will provide a wonderful opportunity to understand Asia’s history, culture and life. Wishing for the success of PHILAKOREA 2009, commemorative stamps are issued, featuring the award-winning works in the Youth Category of the 2009 International Postage Stamp Design Contest: the Grand Prize-wining work by Jaeseong YUN of Korea and Award of Excellence-winning work by Yu Hoi Dick Cherie of Hong Kong, China.

FDC from South Korea/FDC de la Corée du Sud

Love for the Earth/Amour pour la Terre



The earth is dying! Snow is falling in Africa. Unseasonable waves of cold and scorching heat are battering the earth. Glaciers in the polar regions are melting, causing coastlines to sink under water. Human efforts to make their lives more convenient and bountiful such as the industrial and technological revolutions have led to many problems such as the release of industrial wastes, destruction of the ozone layer, global warming, disruption of the eco system, etc. And now, human life itself is being threatened. Wouldn’t you think all of these problems are the earth’s warning to stop the reckless development and abuse of the nature, which resulted from selfish human being’s desires? The earth is both an asset for mankind and the basis of the life of our descendents. Now is the time for all mankind to put into practice their love for the earth, in order to rescue our one and only earth. This requires joint efforts across the world: efforts by individuals are called for, not to speak of the efforts at the national level such as energy saving, waste recycling, reduced use of fossil fuels, taking care of the forests, etc. In wishing for a green earth where human beings and nature can live together, new stamp are issued. The new stamps feature the award-winning works of the 2009 International Postage Stamp Design Contest: the Grand Prize-winning work by Seo Hye Min of Korea and the Award of Excellence-wining work by Cho Zaw Aung of Myanmar.

FDC from South Korea/FDC de la Corée du Sud

Old & Historic Trees of Korea/
Arbres vieux et Historiques de la Corée



Through the new “Old & Historic Trees of Korea Series,” superb and beautiful trees that represent Korea and are the basis for cherished and mysterious legends will be introduced during the next 4 years. Fir tree in Cheonhwangsa temple, Jinan (Natural Monument No. 495) Boasting the largest size among fir trees in our country, the 400 year-old fir tree in Cheonhwangsa Temple, Jinan is 35m tall and 5.2m in circumference. Planted on a mountainside south of Cheonhwangsa Temple in wishing for the prosperity of the temple, the majesty of this tree overwhelms its surroundings. Zelkova tree, Danjeon-ri, Jangseong (Natural Monument No. 478) Displaying the elegance of the semicircle-shaped tree, the zelkova tree in Danjeon-ri, which is 10.5m in circumference, is the thickest among all zelkova trees documented so far. Called “Janggun Namu (a general’s tree),” this tree is regarded as a divine tree because it was planted to commemorate a general who died defending his nation during the Japanese invasion of Korea. Seoksongnyeong, Cheonhyang-ri, Yecheon (Natural Monument No. 294) With thick side branches spreading out as far as 30m, this tree is approximately 600 years old. A resident of the village who loved this tree named it Seoksongnyeong and bequeathed his land, making it one of the most rare trees in the world to possess its own property. Gingko tree, Yongmunsa temple, Yangpyeong (Natural Monument No. 30) As the tallest and oldest gingko tree in our country, this tree is 41m tall and is estimated to be 1,100 years old. Legend says that this tree has sent warnings by crying out whenever Korea has faced a great crisis. This tree was even granted an official rank during the Joseon Dynasty.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

FDC from Algeria/FDC de L'Algerie

National day of the Handicapped People/
Journée Nationale des Personnes Handicapées




National day of the Handicapped People

The number of invalid people knows a constant growth. This category of people constitutes approximately 10% of the population of the world, that is to say the equivalent of 500 million physical and mental handicapped people.

Arab Le Monde account an average of 15% people handicapped on her population. In Algeria, the National office of the Statistics counts 1,8 million invalids.

Following the example valid people, the Algerian State made the required efforts for the assumption of responsibility of the people handicapped in their guaranteeing all the average materials and financial allowing them to be integrated on the plans professional and social, and to fit fully and effectively in the process of the national development.

Thus, this category of people did not cease occupying the place which returns to him while being essential in particular in the field of the sport. Indeed, Algerian selection of the handisport fur the best ambassador who, through his multiple achievements, could represent with dignity and honourably Algeria at the time of the various international sporting events.

Following her participation in the Olympic Games organized in 2004 in Athens (Greece), the Algerian team of the handisport collected a total of 13 medals including 6 gold medals, 2 money medals and 5 bronze medals.

It was not only success since, four years later, at the time of the plays of the 29th Olympiad which sheltered the Chinese capital, Beijing, the Algerian athletes of the category in question were also crowned by a total of 15 medals among which 4 gold medals appear, 3 money medals and 8 bronze medals.

The merit of the creation of the handisport in be allocated to the English doctor and professor, Ludwig Guttman, which organized on July 22, 1948 in the United Kingdom, first plays of the handisport. Nowadays, paralympic the account 23 plays officially recognized of which 19 plays of summer and 4 plays of winter, adapted to the various types of handicap.

Algeria proclaimed dated March 14 each year “national day of the handicapped people”. The commemoration of this day comes to confirm the dedication of the principle relating to the protection and the promotion of the handicapped people.

The celebration of the national day of the people handicapped aims promoting a better comprehension of the problems involved in handicaps and at mobilizing all energies in order to ensure the respect of dignity, the rights and the good being of the handicapped people.

Journée Nationale des Personnes Handicapées

Le nombre de personnes invalides connaît une constante croissance. Cette catégorie de personnes constitue environ 10% de la population du monde, soit l'équivalent de 500 millions d'handicapés physiques et mentaux.

Le Monde Arabe compte une moyenne de 15 % de personnes handicapées sur sa population. En Algérie, l'Office Nationale des Statistiques recense 1,8 million de d'invalides.

A l'instar des personnes valides, l'Etat Algérien a déployé les efforts nécessaires pour la prise en charge des personnes handicapées en leur garantissant tous les moyens matériels et financiers leur permettant de s'intégrer sur les plans professionnel et social, et de S'inscrire pleinement et efficacement dans le processus du développement national.

Ainsi, cette catégorie de personnes n'a pas cessé d'occuper la place qui lui revient en s'imposant notamment dans le domaine du sport. En effet, la sélection algérienne de l'handisport fur le meilleur ambassadeur qui, à travers ses multiples réalisations, a pu représenter dignement et honorablement l'Algérie lors des différentes manifestations sportives internationales.

Suite à sa participation aux Jeux Olympiques organisés en 2004 à Athènes (Grèce), l'équipe algérienne de l'handisport a récolté un total de 13 médailles dont 6 médailles d'or, 2 médailles d'argent et 5 médailles de bronze.

Ce ne fut pas le seul succès puisque, quatre ans plus tard, lors des jeux de la 29ème olympiade qu'a abrité la capitale chinoise, Pékin, les athlètes algériens de la catégorie en question ont été également couronnés par un total de 15 médailles parmi lesquelles figurent 4 médailles d'or, 3 médailles d'argent et 8 médailles de bronze.

Le mérite de la création de l'handisport en revient au médecin et professeur anglais, Ludwig Guttman, qui a organisé le 22 juillet 1948 en Grande Bretagne, les premiers jeux de l'handisport. De nos jours, les paralympiques compte 23 jeux reconnus officiellement dont 19 jeux d'été et 4 jeux d'hiver, adaptés aux différents types d'handicapes.

L'Algérie a proclamé la date du 14 Mars de chaque année « journée nationale des personnes handicapées ». La commémoration de cette journée vient confirmer la consécration du principe relatif à la protection et à la promotion des personnes handicapées.

La célébration de la journée nationale des personnes handicapés vise à promouvoir une meilleure compréhension des problèmes liés à l'handicape et à mobiliser toutes les énergies afin d'assurer le respect de la dignité, des droits et du bien être des personnes handicapées.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

FDC from Canada/FDC du Canada

Preserving the Poles/Protégeons les pôles






“We are playing Russian roulette with features of the planet’s atmosphere that will profoundly impact generations to come. How long are we willing to gamble?”
David Suzuki

Much more than just marvellous mounds of snow and ice, glaciers are the world’s largest freshwater reservoir. So large, in fact, that together they cover an expanse the size of South America. The rapid loss of these ice cores due to climate change threatens essential supplies of water necessary to maintain all forms of life on this planet.

By the end of this century, global temperatures are expected to rise between 1.4 and 5.8°C. Scientists predict that a 4°C temperature increase would melt nearly half the world’s glaciers. As they melt, we will see an increase in floods, water shortages, and a rise in sea levels that will destroy many, if not all, coastal communities and habitats. Climate change has already wiped out an entire ecosystem on the crumbling ice shelves of the Arctic.

As part of Canada Post’s commitment to the global community, and in partnership with approximately 30 countries from around the world, two stamps will be issued this spring under the theme, “Preserve the Polar Regions and Glaciers,” to raise awareness of the dangers of climate change as well as the many creatures impacted by its effects. Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services at Canada Post, is delighted to be participating in this international stamp campaign. “It provides a great opportunity for Canada Post to connect, interact with and learn from other members of the greater network of postal administrations to which we belong.” Each participating issue features the crystal insignia, the symbol for the campaign, created by Finnish graphic designer Saku Heinänen.

The stamps, featured on a souvenir sheet, were designed by Tiit Telmet of Toronto’s Telmet Design Associates. “Polar regions and glaciers respond very quickly to climate change,” says Telmet. “Their loss directly impacts human populations and ecosystems.” Creatures that inhabit the Arctic and Antarctic polar regions, the first to feel the dangerous effects of climate change, are featured on the stamps and souvenir sheet. “By focusing on these animals, our goal was to highlight the dangers they will face if action is not taken to preserve their habitats.”

In the top half of the souvenir sheet, an Arctic Fox explores a snowy Arctic landscape, alongside a stamp featuring a polar bear. In the lower half, a group of penguins congregate in an Antarctic setting, surrounding a stamp that features an Arctic Tern. “This bird serves as a link between the Arctic and Antarctic regions, since it migrates yearly between the North and South Poles,” adds Telmet. Though the Poles may seem far from home, these animals remind us that our actions have consequences, that all is connected, and that the loss of their habitats foreshadows the loss of our own.

« Nous sommes en train de jouer à la roulette russe avec les composants de l’atmosphère de la planète qui auront de très grands impacts sur les générations à venir. Combien de temps sommes-nous encore prêts à jouer à ce petit jeu? »
David Suzuki

Les glaciers sont beaucoup plus que d’impressionnants amas de neige et de glace; ils constituent le plus important réservoir d’eau douce du monde. Leur envergure est telle qu’ils couvrent une étendue de la taille de l’Amérique du Sud. La disparition rapide de ces noyaux de glace en raison du changement climatique constitue une menace pour les sources d’approvisionnement en eau essentielles à la survie de toutes les formes de vie sur Terre.

On s’attend à ce que d’ici la fin du siècle, les températures mondiales augmentent de 1,4 à 5,8°C. Selon les chercheurs, une hausse de température de 4°C ferait fondre près de la moitié des glaciers de la planète. Cette fonte occasionnera une augmentation des inondations et des pénuries d’eau ainsi qu’une hausse du niveau des mers qui détruira plusieurs, voire toutes les collectivités et les habitats côtiers. Le changement climatique a déjà décimé un écosystème entier sur les plateformes de glace en effritement de l’Arctique.

Dans le contexte de son engagement envers la collectivité mondiale et en partenariat avec quelque 30 pays, Postes Canada procédera au printemps à l’émission de deux timbres ayant pour thème « Protégeons les régions polaires et les glaciers », afin de sensibiliser la population aux dangers du changement climatique et à leur incidence sur de nombreuses créatures. Jim Phillips, directeur, Timbres et services connexes, à Postes Canada, est ravi de participer à cette initiative d’émission commune. « C’est l’occasion pour Postes Canada d’interagir avec d’autres membres du vaste réseau d’administrations postales auquel nous appartenons et de tirer profit de cette expérience. » On trouve sur chaque émission des pays participants un cristal de glace, symbole de la campagne, créé par le graphiste finlandais Saku Heinänen.

Les timbres du bloc-feuillet ont été conçus par Tiit Telmet de la maison torontoise Telmet Design Associates. « Les régions polaires et les glaciers réagissent très rapidement au changement climatique, explique le concepteur. Leur disparition influe directement sur les populations humaines et les écosystèmes. » Les figurines et le bloc-feuillet ont pour motifs les créatures vivant dans les régions polaires arctiques et antarctiques qui sont les premières à subir les dangereux effets du changement climatique. « En privilégiant ces animaux, nous voulions mettre l’accent sur les dangers auxquels ils s’exposeront si rien n’est fait pour préserver leurs habitats. »

Dans la moitié supérieure du bloc-feuillet, figure, à côté du timbre illustrant un ours polaire, un renard arctique sur un paysage enneigé. Dans la moitié inférieure, un groupe de pingouins évoluant dans leur milieu naturel entoure la vignette ornée de la sterne arctique. « Cet oiseau symbolise le lien entre les régions arctiques et antarctiques, car il migre annuellement d’un pôle à l’autre », ajoute Tiit Telmet. Bien que les pôles puissent sembler aux antipodes de chez nous, les créatures qui les habitent nous rappellent que les gestes que nous posons sont lourds de conséquences, que tout est lié et que la disparition de leurs habitats laisse présager de la disparition du nôtre.

Friday, September 11, 2009

FDC from Hong Kong/FDC du Hong Kong

Stamp sheetlet to commemorate Hongkong Post's participation in CHINA 2009 World Stamp Exhibition/
Timbrez sheetlet pour commémorer la participation de Poste Hongkong à l'Exposition de Timbre de Monde de 2009 de Chine



"The CHINA 2009 World Stamp Exhibition will be held in Luoyang City, Henan Province, from April 10 to 16. CHINA 2009, presented in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, aims to foster closer ties and co-operation among philatelists and stamp collectors worldwide, and promote philately as a universally enjoyable hobby. The event also offers Hongkong Post an excellent chance to showcase quality stamps from Hong Kong to stamp lovers on the Mainland and around the globe."-Hong Kong Post

FDC from Japan/FDC du Japon

The 50th anniversary of the wedding of their majesties the emperor and empress./
Le 50ème anniversaire du mariage de leurs majestés l'empereur et l'impératrice.



Tuesday, September 8, 2009

FDC from Belarus/FDC du Bélarus

Belarus Folk Holidays and Celebrations/
Les Vacances de Gens et les Célébrations du Bélarus




(1)(2)
(4)(3)

(1)Kaliady is the main winter holiday connected with the day of winter solstice. It was celebrated from the 7th till the 19th of January and later was adopted for Christmas celebration by the Christian Church.
(2)Spring greeting is an ancient heathen ceremony opening the cycle of celebrations designed to awake mother Earth from the winter sleep. In different regions the celebration began in different days from Shrovetide till Easter.
(3)Kupalle is an ancient ceremony festival timed to summer solstice when the lands fertility is reaching its biggest power. Following the introduction of Christianity Kupalle was timed to the Nativity of St John the Baptist and now it is celebrated in the night from July 6 to July 7.
(4)Dazhynki is an ancient Belarusian holiday dedicated to harvesting. Traditionally it was celebrated on the last day of rye reaping.

FDC from Russia/FDC de la russie

The 150th anniversary of birth A.S.Popov (1859-1906), physicist and electrical engineer, inventor of radio./
Le 150ème anniversaire de naissance A.S.Popov (1859-1906), physicien et électrotechnicien, l'inventeur de radio.




Alexander Stepanovich Popov (Russian: Алекса́ндр Степа́нович Попо́в; March 16 [O.S. March 4] 1859 – January 13 [O.S. December 31, 1905] 1906) was a Russian physicist who first demonstrated the practical application of electromagnetic (radio) waves, although he did not apply for a patent for his invention.

Beginning in the early 1890s he continued the experiments of other radio pioneers, such as Heinrich Hertz. In 1894 he built his first radio receiver, a version of the coherer. Further refined as a lightning detector, it was presented to the Russian Physical and Chemical Society on May 7, 1895 — the day has been celebrated in the Russian Federation as "Radio Day". The paper on his findings was published the same year. In March 1896, he effected transmission of radio waves between different campus buildings in St Petersburg. Upon learning about Guglielmo Marconi's system, he effected ship-to-shore communication over a distance of 6 miles in 1898 and 30 miles in 1899.

Alexandre Stepanovitch Popov (en russe : Александр Степанович Попов ; 16 mars 1859 - 13 janvier 1906), ingénieur russe, précurseur de la Radio.

Né dans l'Oural à Krasnotourinsk près de Perm, il étudie les émissions électromagnétiques des orages quand il a l'idée d'améliorer la sensibilité du récepteur équipé d'un radioconducteur de Branly en y raccordant le fil d'un paratonnerre. Il venait d'inventer l'antenne. Cette découverte permet à Marconi de réaliser les premières liaisons radiotélégraphiques en 1899 (expérience de Wimereux).

En 1899 à Paris, Alexandre Popov a collaboré avec l'ingénieur Eugène Ducretet. Il fut nommé professeur à l'Institut Electro-Technique de Saint-Petersbourg en 1905.

Alexandre Popov est enterré au cimetière Volkovo à Saint-Pétersbourg.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

FDC from Poland/FDC de la Pologne

Polish contemporary sculpture - Władysław Hasior/
La sculpture contemporaine polonaise - Władysław Hasior




Władysław Hasior (1928-1999)
The artist was born in the town of Nowy Sącz. He graduated from the Liceum Technik Plastycznych art school in Zakopane where he was educated under the tuition of professor Antoni Kenar. Between 1952 and 1958 he studied at the faculty of sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, receiving professional guidance in the atelier of professor Marian Wnuk. Having finished his studies, he embarked on numerous journeys and took part in many exhibitions, which was made possible owing to, among others, a scholarship of the French Ministry of Culture. Up to 1968 he taught in his former secondary school in Zakopane, and in the early 70s he worked in Wrocław, lecturing at the Higher School of Fine Arts and creating stage design for the Polish Theatre there.

Hasior was an active participant of the artistic life of Zakopane, paying particular attention to the activities of his gallery, which was established in 1985 as a branch of the Tatra Museum. That museum was also the beneficiary of Hasior's last will, and received his works after the artist's death. Many of Hasior's other creations are kept by state museums in various Polish towns and cities and in national galleries worldwide, including Stockholm, Oslo, Paris, Rome, Milan, Montevideo and Sao Paulo, not to mention those in the hands of the private collectors.

The work

Władysław Hasior was an outstandingly original artist who never copied any trends. In his work he utilised various kinds of material, including some finished objects (such as dolls, pitchforks, mirrors) and fragments of others. That was because he claimed that the traditional sculptor's medium is not capable of conveying the message he wanted to send. He used to say "I'm using materials which have some meaning. Each and every object has its sense, and if you put them together, you get an aphorism. [...] I believe the artist's work consists in provocation, both in the intellectual and the creative aspect."
In his outdoor creations the artist utilised fire, water, wind, sound and glass. One of his original creative inventions was using holes made in the ground in order to cast cement figures. Critics saw the influences of Dadaism, surrealism and pop art in Hasior's work. He was also inspired by folk arts, and was a careful observer of everyday reality, in particular that of the countryside. The artist liked to watch and document the cheap aesthetics of something he called "county arts"(sztuka powiatowa), which he then referred to in his work. He also reached into the mythology and conjured up memories of the war, invariably presenting the subjects in an unconventional manner and attaching new meaning to trite symbols, mixing macabre and cruelty with grotesque, irony and jest. His exhibitions were full of controversy, but at the same time prompted the viewers to reflection.

Banners

Hasior's assemblages, inspired by religious procession banners, started to appear in the mid 1960s. Although they were constructed with the use of fabric, plastic objects, wood, metal or glass, the artist called them "paintings." They are very large, reaching between 1,5 and 4 metres in height and around 1 metre in width, and they are a mixture of both solemn symbols and the everyday aspects of life, which is seen from their titles such as: The Banner of St. Pensioner (Sztandar Św. Emeryta), The Banner of the Bird Spider (Sztandar Ptasznika), The Banner of Mona Lisa (Sztandar Mony Lisy), The Banner of Poland (Sztandar Polski), The Banner of the Black Angel (Sztandar Czarnego Anioła), The Flinging Blaze Banner (Sztandar Blaskomiotny), The Banner of Ecstasy (Sztandar Ekstazy). The artist used those banners in his outdoor performances such as the procession called The Feast of the Blooming Apple Tree (Święto Kwitnącej Jabłoni) in Łąck.