Friday, June 24, 2011

Maximum card from Japan/cartes-maximum du Japon

Anime - The Rose of Versailles/La Rose de Versailles










Monday, June 13, 2011

FDC from Japan/FDC du Japon

Anime - The Rose of Versailles/La Rose de Versailles


The Rose of Versailles (ベルサイユのばら Berusaiyu no Bara), also known as Lady Oscar or La Rose de Versailles, is one of the best-known titles in shōjo manga and a media franchise created by Riyoko Ikeda. It has been adapted into several Takarazuka Revue musicals, as well an anime television series, produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and broadcast by the anime television network Animax and Nippon Television. The show remains incredibly popular in Italy.

The Rose of Versailles focuses on Oscar François de Jarjayes, a girl raised as a man to become her father's successor as leader of the Palace Guards. A brilliant combatant with a strong sense of justice, Oscar is proud of the life she leads, but becomes torn between class loyalty and her desire to help the impoverished as revolution brews among the oppressed lower class. Also important to the story are her conflicting desires to live life as both a militiant and a regular woman as well as her relationships with Marie Antoinette, Count Axel von Fersen, and servant and best friend André Grandier.

It features elements of the yuri genre embodied in the relationship between Oscar and her protégée Rosalie Lamorlière, the secret daughter of the scheming Madame de Polignac, whose admiration for Oscar may be interpreted as either idol worship or romantic love coming from her possible bisexuality. Many of the court ladies also greatly adore Oscar, openly admiring her at parties and become very jealous when she brings female companions to them.

La Rose de Versailles (ベルサイユのばら, Berusaiyu no bara) de Riyoko Ikeda est un manga de type shōjo paru pour la première fois au Japon en 1972. Le monde francophone ayant découvert la série à travers son adaptation animée de 1979, Lady Oscar, ne verra la parution du manga en français qu'en 2002.

Berusaiyu est la translitération de la prononciation japonaise de Versailles. Berusaiyu no bara signifie la - ou les - rose(s) de Versailles.

L'action se situe en France, avant et pendant la Révolution française. Dans la première partie de l'histoire, le personnage principal est la jeune et étourdie Reine de France, Marie-Antoinette, mais plus tard, l'histoire se recentre sur une femme du nom de Oscar François de Jarjayes. Le père d'Oscar, le général de Jarjayes, désespéré de ne pas avoir de fils (il a six filles), et décide d'élever sa plus jeune fille, comme un homme. Il la forme aux arts de l'escrime et de l'équitation. Oscar s'exerce souvent avec son meilleur ami, compagnon et (techniquement) serviteur, André Grandier. André est le petit-fils de sa nourrice et, de ce fait, ils ont passé la plupart de leur temps ensemble dans une amitié harmonieuse; qui, près de la fin de l'histoire, se change en amour. Oscar est le commandant de la garde royale et responsable de la sécurité de Marie-Antoinette, ainsi que du reste de la famille royale. L'histoire tourne autour de la prise de conscience grandissante d'Oscar sur la manière dont la France est gouvernée, et sur le sort des pauvres. Un autre point important de l'histoire, est l'amour entre Marie Antoinette et le comte suédois Hans Axel de Fersen. Leur relation fait l'objet de rumeurs à travers toute la France, mettant en danger la réputation de la Reine et conduit Oscar à demander au comte de quitter le pays. Le comte décide alors de partir et de s'inscrire à la guerre d'indépendance en Amérique ; Marie-Antoinette se laisse aller au désespoir. Elle commence à dépenser de l'argent en bijoux et vêtements coûteux, assiste à des bals tous les soirs, dans le but de se détourner de la nostalgie des moments passés avec le seul homme qu'elle ait jamais aimé. Cette situation pèse encore plus lourd sur les contribuables français et la France s'enlise dans la pauvreté en raison du gaspillage de l'argent par Marie-Antoinette. Surviennent ensuite l'affaire du collier et l'apparition de la comtesse de Polignac qui aggravent la haine des Français envers leur Reine. Le 14 juillet 1789, c'est la prise de la Bastille : la foule se révolte, mais manque de stratégie à l'avantage de l'armée et devient une cible facile pour les tirs de canons. Toutefois, Oscar et le régiment des Gardes Françaises qu'elle commande alors arrivent pour aider à organiser les insurgés. Au cours de la prise de la Bastille, Oscar est tuée, mais la Bastille tombe finalement, frappant symboliquement la monarchie française. Une fois la Bastille prise, les révolutionnaires font irruption dans le Palais à la recherche de Marie-Antoinette et de sa famille. Un grand nombre de miliciens sont tués et la famille royale est faite prisonnière. Un long procès commence alors pour Marie-Antoinette et Louis XVI, mais les deux sont finalement déclarés coupables et guillotinés.

Friday, June 10, 2011

New Issue: Owls of Taiwan/Les nouveautés: Owls de Taiwan

Owls (Order Strigiformes) are known as “cat head hawks” in Chinese because their flat faces give them a catlike appearance. Most owls are nocturnal and prey on insects, small birds and mammals. Currently, there are 12 species of owls in Taiwan, all of which are listed as protected species. To increase public understanding and raise awareness about the issues of wildlife conservation, Chunghwa Post has planned a set of four stamps featuring owls of Taiwan. The designs follow: 

1. Asio otus (TWD5):
About 35 to 40 centimeters long, it has a light yellowish brown facial disc and long ear-tufts. Its upperparts are grayish white and light yellowish brown with vertical blackish brown streaks. Its belly is yellowish brown to creamy white in color, with dark brown vertical streaks and fine horizontal bars. This rarely seen migratory bird overwinters in Taiwan. It prefers thin broad-leaved and coniferous forests.

2. Otus sunia (TWD5): About 15 to 18 centimeters in length, its inconspicuous facial disc is dark brown with a touch of mottled gray. It has ear-tufts. Its upperparts are largely dark brown with fine black vertical streaks. Its foreneck and breast are light yellowish brown with subtle dark brown vertical streaks and fine horizontal bars. There are two types—one reddish and the other grayish brown. A transient bird species in Taiwan, it only occasionally winters.

3. Strix aluco (TWD10):
About 35 to 40 centimeters long, its facial disc has a prominent black ring, giving its face the appearance of a halved apple. It has no ear-tuft. Its crown and hindneck are dark brown and mottled with black spots. Its underparts are yellowish brown with prominent blackish brown vertical streaks and fine horizontal bars. Mainly found in mid- to high-elevation broad-leaved or coniferous forests, it is especially fond of higher elevation coniferous forests.

4. Glaucidium brodiei (TWD25): About 15 centimeters in length, its head is small and rounded with no ear-tuft. Its upperparts are brown and its crown is a bit grayer with small white spots and larger creamy yellow spots. Its belly is white, with irregular dark brown vertical streaks along the sides. It can often be found resting in open woodlands or the forest’s edge. It is one of a few owls that are active both during the day and at night.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

FDC from North Korea/FDC de la Corée du Nord

Chollima



Chollima or Chonma is the Korean name for a mythical horse. Its name roughly means "thousand-mile horse", is often portrayed as a winged horse and several such statues are found in the North Korean capital Pyongyang. It is also the nickname of the North Korean national football team. The Chollima Movement was also named after the creature.

The Chollima Movement
was a state-sponsored movement in North Korea, analogous to the Chinese Great Leap Forward, intended to promote rapid economic development. It was launched in 1956. North Korea intensified the work-harder campaign by launching the "three-revolution movement" in 1973. As in other countries, the state planning mechanism allowed for the total utilization of resources, hence resulting in rapid industrialization. However, after some time, the movement failed to continue to achieve the same results, because the capacity of the labour supply was fully taken up, whilst technology and technique were still lacking.

Note: D. P. R. of Korea post restart international registered mail after two years of disruption.