Algeria FDC on "Dates from Algeria"

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Algeria

Dates from Algeria

Date of Issue : 6 October 2010

15DA (on the right) : Deglet Nour
15DA (on the left): Degla Beida

A very nice FDC from Algeria. Thank You very much !

Portugal FDC on "Bustos da República (Republic Busts)"

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Portugal

Bustos da República (Republic Busts)

Date of Issue : 24 June 2010

The female figure as a symbol of the Portuguese Republic was widely divulged at the start of the new political regime established in Portugal in 1910. The bust of the Republic was indeed one of the symbols that gained greatest visibility, especially after 1912 when its presence became mandatory in all public buildings and after it was adopted as effigy on wide circulation coins.

Although there were several artistic versions of the busts of the Republic, the more widely known and divulged were the ones that won the 1st and 2nd places in a contest promoted by the City Council of Lisbon in 1911 with the aim of selecting the one that was to become the “official bust”. Their authors were the sculptors Francisco dos Santos (1878-1930) and Simões de Almeida Sobrinho (1880-1950), respectively.

The Portuguese Mail Service, that since 2007 has evoked on stamps some of the most representative themes of the ephemeris that the Country will celebrate in 2010, proposed to contemporaneous artists to do a free reinterpretation of the traditional bust of the Republic. This issue translates the result of that challenge (through the reproduction of the artistic creations of André Carrilho, Bento Condado, Costa Pinheiro, João Abel Manta, João Machado, Júlio Pomar and Luís Macieira) and also includes one a copy of the “historic” piece signed by Francisco Santos, that won the open tender in 1911.

Estonia FDC on "WWF. Great Crested Newt"

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Estonia

WWF. Great Crested Newt

Date of Issue : 14 October 2010

The great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) lives in North and Central Europe in territories lying north of the Alps and the Danube. In Estonia the great crested newt mainly lives on the continent and is more numerous in Southeastern Estonia. An adult newt can grow up to 18 cm long, the female being slightly shorter than the male. The colour of the great crested newt depends on its living environment, but it is usually dark – black, brownish or grayish on the back and yellow or orange with dark patches underneath. The skin is rough like that of the toad. During the mating period the male develops bluish white stripes on the sides of the tail and a relatively high crest, which stops at the stump of the body and has given the name to the species. Females get a narrow yellow line down the spine, but they have no crest. The great crested newt prefers as its habitat forest lakes with no fish in them, ponds or pools, but can be found also in cultural landscapes with large rive valleys. The great crested newt is a protected species in Estonia.

A very very nice Estonia FDC with 4 beautiful stamps. Thank You very much to my friends !

Oman Postcard - Nizwa Fort

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Oman

My first postcard from Oman showing the Nizwa Fort. The stamps are very nice, and the cancellation is clear. Thank You very much to my friend.

Lithuania FDC on "Churches of Lithuania"

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Lithuania

Churches of Lithuania

Date of Issue : 16 October 2010

--- Kaišiadorys Christ's Transfiguration Cathedral
In 1932, the construction of a neo-Gothic church in Kaišiadorys was completed. The church has a three-sided apse, a tall central tower, and corner turrets; the interior has three naves with cross vaults. On 10 May 1936, the Kaišiadorys Church became a cathedral after consecration performed by the first Kaišiadorys’ Bishop Juozapas Kukta granting the title of the Transfiguration of Christ.

In the crypt of the Cathedral, two bishops are buried: Juozapas Kukta and Teofilius Matulionis.

--- Telšiai Saint Anthony of Padua Cathedral
The history of the Telšiai Cathedral goes back to the year 1624, when the governor of the Telšiai Royal Manor Povilas Sapiega, upon approval of King Sigismund Vasa, invited the Franciscan (Bernardine) friars to arrive in Telšiai and built for them a wooden monastery and a chapel on the Hill of Insula.

In 1762, the construction of a brick two-storey church, a combination of the late Baroque and Classicism elements, started. It was consecrated in 1794 and became a cathedral in 1926. There are seven altars in the Cathedral; two of them are the main. The main altar located on the second storey, the only two-storey altar in Lithuania, is dedicated to Saint Anthony of Padua; the painting depicting him and placed in this Cathedral is considered to be miraculous by the believers.

In the crypt of the Cathedral, three bishops are buried: Vincentas Borisevičius, Pranciškus Ramanauskas, and Justinas Staugaitis.

Two very very nice FDCs from Lithuania. Thank You very much to my friend !

China FDC on "60th Anniversary of Harnessing the Huaihe River"

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China


60th Anniversary of Harnessing the Huaihe River

Date of Issue : 14 October 2010

(Top FDC)
4-1 : Nanwan Reservoir
Nanwan Reservoir, located on the Shihe River (a tributary of the Huaihe), is one of the first large reservoirs built in the early years of new China. Completed in 1955 with a drainage area of 1100 square kilometers, it mainly functions in flood control and irrigation , and can also be used for water supply and electricity generation.

(2nd FDC)
4-2 : Linhuaigang Flood Control Project
The Linhuaigang Flood Control Project, in the middle reaches of the Huaihe River, spans the provinces of Henan and Anhui. It was completed in 2006, with a drainage area of 42200 square kilometers.

(3rd FDC)
4-3 : Huaihe's Entryway to the Sea
Huaihe's Entryway to the Sea, in Jiangsu Province, is a key project designed for flood discharge of Hongze Lake. The construction involves two phases, and with the first phase completed in 2006, the Huaihe River resumed flowing directly into the sea after being deprived of access to any sea for about 800 years. the Huai'an Hub, as part of the project, is currently the largest water intersection in Asia.

(4th FDC)
4-4 : Nansi Lake Water Control Dam
Nansi Lake, which comprises four connected lakes, namely Nanyang, Dushan, Zhaoyang and Weishan, primarily receives water of 53 rivers from Henan, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong. The water control dam constructed since 1958 divides the lake into upper and lower parts.

Huaihe is one of the seven major rivers in China, stretching some 1000 kilometers in length. The Huaihe River Valley, covering Henan, Hubei, Anhui, Jiangsu and Shandong provinces, was historically affected by frequent floods. In October 1950, the Government Administration Council of the Central People's Government issued the "Decision on Harnessing the Huaihe River", heralding new China's era of controlling the flood-prone watercourse. Over the past six decades, remarkable results have been achieved.

San Marino Postcard - The Three Towers

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

San Marino

My first postcard from San Marino showing the three towers. Very nice. Thank You very much to my friend.

Pakistan Aerogramme

Aerogramme
航空郵簡
Bilhete Carta-Avião

Pakistan

Another very nice aerogramme from Pakistan, with very nice stamps and clear UPU World Post Day special cancellation. Thank You very much to my friend.

Slovakia FDC on "Joint Issue with Arab Republic of Egypt"

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Slovakia

Joint Issue with Arab Republic of Egypt

Date of Issue : 8 October 2010

Canopic jars represent a special type of vessels used in Ancient Egypt to store the internal organs during the process of mummification. Their present name was established by the early Egyptologists who followed the antique tradition. Canopic jars were used in Ancient Egypt from the period of the 4th Dynasty (c. 2543 – 2436 BC). Materials used for their production could be alabaster, limestone, pottery, faience, later also bronze. In the process of human body mummification, the viscera, lungs, intestines, liver and stomach in particular, were placed into four canopic jars

Collection of the Archaeological Museum of the Slovak National Museum in Bratislava involves a complete set of four alabaster canopic jars. Hieroglyphic text on the outer side of canopic jars implies that their original owner was a man named Kenamon, and he was a King’s scribe. The canopic jars are dated approximately to the period of the New Kingdom (publications state the 18th or the 19th Dynasty BC).

Pakistan Aerogramme

Aerogramme
航空郵簡
Bilhete Carta-Avião

Pakistan

My friend told me this old aerogramme was issued on 4 October 1979. I very much like the stamps affixed on the aerogramme, especially the triangle shaped stamp. The UPU World Post Day special cancellation is also very nice. Thank You very much to my friend.

Iraq Postcard

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Iraq

Another postcard from Iraq showing the sunset view of Basra Shat Al-Arab with nice cancellation. I like the World Cup 2010 stamp. Thank You very much to my friend.

Cambodia Postcard - Bayon

Postcard
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Bilhete Postal

Cambodia

Another nice postcard from Cambodia showing the view of Bayon. Thank You very much to my friend.

Algeria FDC on "Mosques of Algeria"

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Algeria

Mosques of Algeria

Date of Issue : 15 September 2010

15DA : EL HANAFI-BLIDA Mosque
20DA : Sidi Ali DIB-SKIKDA Mosque
30DA : Grand Mosque of NEDROMA

Hong Kong 10-10-10 Cover

Cover
封
Sobrescrito

Hong Kong

Just 2 covers I sent to myself on 10 Oct 2010. The first one is a registered mail sent at General Post Office (GPO), with definitive stamps of different period. The second one is a simple cover I dropped to a post mailing box nearby. I just like the interesting date 10 Oct 2010.

France Postcard - Notre Dame Cathedral

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

France

A really nice postcard showing the famous Notre Dame Cathedral of Paris. I very much like Mother Teresa. My friend was so kind to affix a Mother Teresa stamp on the card. The pictoral postmark of Dijon is also nice too. Thank You very much to my friend !

Iraq Postcard - Baghdad Abbasid Palace

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Iraq

Another postcard from Iraq showing the Baghdad Abbasid Palace with nice cancellation. Thank You very much to my friend.

Sri Lanka Postcard - Dambulla

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Sri Lanka

A very beautiful Sri Lanka postcard, with 3 very nice stamps, especially the 2010 Youth Olympic Games stamp. Thank You very much !

Estonia FDC on "Estonian Fauna: Garden Dormouse"

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Estonia

Estonian Fauna: Garden Dormouse

Date of Issue : 23 September 2010

The dormouse (Eliomys quercinus L.) is a rodent the size of a young rat. It is an omnivore and eats plant fruits, seeds as well as snails, insects and even smaller rodents. Waking in the spring the animal only weighs about 45 grams but by the fall it acquires an abundant store of fat and then weighs nearly 120 grams. The multiply twice a year, with mostly 4 to 6 young in the litter. Dormice prefer deciduous and mixed forests with the presence of oak and hazelnut trees, as well as dry-stone walls and old farm seats. Sometimes they live in houses and outbuildings. Dormice are found in most parts of Europe but their population has seriously fallen in most parts of its area for unknown reasons. They are only known to nest on the mainland, but there is a community on Suur-Tütarsaar Island in the Gulf of Finland. Due to its relatives rarity the dormouse is listed in the 2nd category of protected species.

Cambodia Postcard - Angkor Wat

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Cambodia

A really very nice postcard from Cambodia showing the Angkor Wat. The cancellation is very clear. I like also the stamps on the card, one bears the country name in French, while the other one bear the country name in English as "Cambodia". Thank You very much to my friend.

Iraq Postcard - Baghdad Liberation Square

Postcard
明信片
Bilhete Postal

Iraq

My first postcard from Iraq showing the Baghdad Liberation Square, with 3 very nice stamps and clear cancellation. Thank You very much to my friend.

China FDC on "Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius"

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China


Temple, Mansion and Cemetery of Confucius

Date of Issue : 28 September 2010

3-1 : Confucius Temple

3-2 : Confucius Mansion

3-3 : Confucian Cemetery

Algeria FDC on "50th Anniversary of The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries"

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Algeria

50th Anniversary of The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries

Date of Issue : 14 September 2010

Slovakia FDC on "Castle of Topolčany"

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Slovakia

Castle of Topolčany

Date of Issue : 17 September 2010

The ruins of Topoľčany castle, which are situated on the rock above the village Podhradie, consist of high residential tower surrounded by semicircular wall with well-preserved hoarding. A couple of years later this wall was enclosed by outer ward with arrow slits. The oldest construction works, tower and the semicircular wall, are dated back to the turn of the 13th and 14th centuries. In the most recent literature (M. Bóna) they are associated with the family of Mathias Czak. Residential palace in the northeastern part of the courtyards is dated back to the 15th century. One of its walls with an east side was directed above the single entrance to the castle courtyards in that time. To defend the castle its natural terrain options were used, for example the entrance to the courtyards was secured by bridge over the moat.

More complex of defence system of so called “defensive wall” with fortified gateways is dated back not sooner than the 16th century. Its look is relatively conservative, and yet its star fort matches with medieval conventions. The area of older castle courtyards was opened out several times due to the threat of Turkish attacks. At the beginning of the 17th century the Habsburg supporter, Zsigmond Forgach, had the last more substantial adjustments done and thus defence function of the castle was strengthened by new watch houses erected in defensive wall. The farm section was additionally built to the residential parts of the castle and the older palace underwent small refurbishments as well. Right in the late 19th century its last owner, the entrepreneur and magnate August Stummer, carried out some minor interventions, such as the individual roof of tower, which is the result of his romantic perception of the Middle Ages.