Isle of Man Post Motor Racing Magic

ISLE OF MAN POST Holiday Greeting Card featuring Thomas the Tank Engine, which  was one their stamp sets issued for 2021. A complementary stamp sheetlet on Manx Motoring Racing Magic from The Isle of Man Post, valued at approximately £6, if I'm not mistaken, was sent along with the card. I received these as a result of making a few purchases from IOM Post this year. Gotta love the old fashioned "Thank You", personally signed by the staff at IOM Post. That's a touch of class! And I certainly will purchase from them in future, God willing.

 

USPS 400th Birth Anniversary of William Shakespeare.

USPS on 14 August 1964 issued a first day cover stamp commemorating the 400th birth anniversary of William Shakespeare. Over 123,000,000 were printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The method of printing was Rotary Press with 10 1/2 x 11 perforations. The colour was black brown on tan paper. Cancellation was in Stratford, Conneticut.

It was first issued at the home of the American Shakespeare Festival Theatre and Academy in Stratford, Connecticut. The stamp pictures the legendary playwright on the stage of an Elizabethan theatre. He holds a quill in his right hand, next to which is the famed skull of Yorick from the play, Hamlet.
 
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford, England, in 1564. So it was only fitting that Stratford, Connecticut, bearing the name of Shakespeare’s hometown, became the site of the American Shakespeare Festival Theater.
 
The American Shakespeare Festival Theater opened in 1955. During the 1960s, its performances earned the theatre an international reputation. It featured many world-renowned actors and actresses, including Katharine Hepburn, Jessica Tandy, and Hal Holbrook. Unfortunately the theatre is no longer used for performances.

Shakespeare produced the majority of his works between 1589 and 1613.  Many of his early plays were comedies and histories.  He then transitioned to tragedies (such as Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth) until about 1608.  After that, he spent his final writing years on tragicomedies, also known as romances, and worked with other playwrights.

Shakespeare spent much of his life between time with his family in Stratford and as part of the theatre scene in London.  It’s believed he retired to Stratford in 1613 but continued to visit London in his later years.  He died in Stratford on April 23, 1616, at the age of 52.  Today, Shakespeare is considered the greatest English writer, England’s national poet and the Bard of Avon.  Over the course of his life, he wrote about 39 plays, 154 sonnets, and two long narrative poems.

Source: Mystic Stamps

USPS Legends of Hollywood - James Stewart

USPS on 17 August 2007 honoured actor James Stewart as the 13th honoree in the Legends of Hollywood Series. The stamp was postmarked Universal City, CA. The quantity issued was 55,000,000

 

James Maitland Stewart (1908-97) was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania. After graduation from Princeton University in 1932, a friend asked him to join a young theatre group performing on Cape Cod. The budding actor continued on to Broadway and then to Hollywood.
 
Stewart’s first film was “Murder Man” (1935). He was nominated for an Academy Award for “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” (1939). In 1940, he received an Oscar for his performance in “The Philadelphia Story.” Stewart projected an all-American-boy image – rural, righteous, idealistic, always ready to defend the underdog. The actor’s unique, hesitating style made his characters natural and believable. Stewart left America a legacy of more than fifty years of memorable performances.
 
A licensed pilot, Stewart enlisted in the Army Air Corps in March 1941, months before the U.S. entered World War II. Despite his stardom, he requested the same combat duty as other pilots and flew 20 combat missions. He remained in the Air Force Reserves after active duty and retired in 1968 as a brigadier general.
 
After the war, Stewart starred in “It’s A Wonderful Life”, directed by Frank Capra. Since its release in 1946, the film has become a Christmas tradition. The cachet shown here refers to that movie.

USPS Cover of 1970s Postage

 

USPS 1970s cover stamps received from a seller/collector in the United States.

Helvetia Set of Notable Swiss Personalities

SWITZERLAND (HELVETIA) in 1979  issued a set of first day cover stamps honouring Paul Klee, Rainer Maria  Rilke, Hermann  Hesse, and Thomas Mann. The FDC ser was postmarked Bern. Each of these four men at one time lived in Switzerland, and hence were so honoured.

René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke (1875 – 1926), better known as Rainer Maria Rilke was an Austrian poet and novelist. He is "widely recognized as one of the most lyrically intense German-language poets". He wrote both verse and highly lyrical prose. Several critics have described Rilke's work as "mystical". His writings include one novel, several collections of poetry and several volumes of correspondence in which he invokes images that focus on the difficulty of communion with the ineffable in an age of disbelief, solitude and anxiety. These themes position him as a transitional figure between traditional and modernist writers.

Paul Klee (1879 – 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented with and eventually deeply explored color theory, writing about it extensively.

Hermann Karl Hesse (1877 –  1962) was a German-Swiss poet, novelist, and painter. His best-known works include Demian, Steppenwolf, Siddhartha, and The Glass Bead Game, each of which explores an individual's search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality. In 1946, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Paul Thomas Mann (1875 – 1955) was a German novelist, short story writer, social critic, philanthropist, essayist, and the 1929 Nobel Prize in Literature laureate. His highly symbolic and ironic epic novels and novellas are noted for their insight into the psychology of the artist and the intellectual. His analysis and critique of the European and German soul used modernized versions of German and Biblical stories, as well as the ideas of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Arthur Schopenhauer.

Netherlands Antillies Opening of Radio Netherlands' Relay Station on Bonaire

NETHERLANDS ANTILLES on 6 March 1969 issued a first day cover stamp marking the opening of Radio Netherlands' relay station in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. This particular cachet features a watercolour of the relay station and Radio Netherlands logo.

The most memorable aspect of Radio Netherlands was their interval signal, which was a version of the Eighty Years' War song Merck toch hoe sterck played on a carillon. The original recording was made at the cathedral in Den Bosch. It was replaced in August 1987 by a recording of the carillon in Grote Kerk (Breda).

On 11 May 2012 at 20:00 GMT (22:00 CEST), the Dutch service signed off at the end of a 24-hour radio marathon broadcast. This included several interviews with past staff members of the station, including the former Director General Lodewijk Bouwens. On 29 June 2012, Radio Netherlands ended broadcasting in English at 20:57 GMT (22:57 CEST) after a similar celebratory 24-hour broadcast. The final show was posted online by Jonathan Marks, the former Radio Netherlands Programme Director (1992–2003) and host of Media Network.

Source: Wikipedia

La Poste Cameroun Folklore Set

LA POSTE CAMEROUN on 21 April 1972 issued a set of first day cover folklore stamps. Two from this set are featured here, including

La Poste Monaco 225th Birth Anniversary of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

LA POSTE MONACO in 1981 issued three first day cover stamps marking the 225th anniversary of the birth of classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)..  The stamps feature a portrait of Mozart by F. Ch. Baude, Mozart at age 7 with his father and sister, and Mozart conducting "The Requiem".

 

Egypt Honours Slain Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat

EGYPT in 1981 issued two first day cover stamps honouring the late Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat. The set entitled "Lived for Peace and Martyred for Principles" depicted an illustration of Sadat and the Great Pyramid of Giza with a Cairo cancellation.

Muhammad Anwar el-Sadat (1918 -1981) was an Egyptian politician who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until his assassination by fundamentalist army officers on 6 October 1981. Sadat was a senior member of the Free Officers who overthrew King Farouk in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and a close confidant of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, under whom he served as Vice President twice and whom he succeeded as president in 1970. In 1978, Sadat and Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel, signed a peace treaty in cooperation with United States President Jimmy Carter, for which they were recognized with the Nobel Peace Prize.

In his eleven years as president, he changed Egypt's trajectory, departing from many of the political and economic tenets of Nasserism, re-instituting a multi-party system, and launching the Infitah economic policy. As President, he led Egypt in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 to regain Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had occupied since the Six-Day War of 1967, making him a hero in Egypt and, for a time, the wider Arab World. Afterwards, he engaged in negotiations with Israel, culminating in the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty; this won him and Menachem Begin the Nobel Peace Prize, making Sadat the first Muslim Nobel laureate.The peace treaty was also one of the primary factors that led to his assassination; on 6 October 1981, militants led by Khalid Islambouli opened fire on Sadat with automatic rifles during the 6 October parade in Cairo, killing him.

Sadat’s death set in train the disastrous road to the war in Lebanon in 1982, the creation of Hezbollah, and the seeds of al-Qaida.
Ariel Sharon embarked on the disastrous June 1982 invasion that led to the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian refugee camps massacre in September, the April 1983 suicide bombing of the U.S. Embassy that killed 63 people including seven CIA officers, and the October 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks at Beirut airport that killed 241 Marines, sailors, and soldiers. The invasion also led to the creation by Iran of Hezbollah, which ultimately drove the Israelis out of even the most southern part of Lebanon in 2000. President Ronald Reagan withdrew the Marines after the bombing of the Marine barracks and Syria and Iran were triumphant.

On the fringe of the assassination plot in 1981 was a prominent Egyptian doctor named Ayman al-Zawahiri who was arrested in the police sweeps after Sadat’s murder. Because of his language skills and demeanor, Zawahiri became the spokesperson for the plotters in prison. Released for lack of evidence, Zawahiri has been on the run ever since.As Osama bin Laden’s deputy and eventual successor, Zawahiri has been the leading ideologue of al-Qaida since its birth. He articulated its goal as being to destroy America’s will to support Israel. 

Source: Wikipedia and Brookings Institute

USPS "Hawaiian Missionaries" Souvenir Sheet

USPS on 24 October 2002 issued a first day cover "Hawaiian Missionaries" souvenir sheet, postmarked New York. This water-activated gum (WAG) souvenir sheet contained four 37-cent stamps. The sheet, designed by Richard Sheaff. Sales were restricted to the full pane of stamps. No individual, single-stamp sales were permitted.

The 2002 Hawaiian Missionaries stamps were reproduce examples of Hawaii's first four postage stamps, which were issued in three denominations: 2 cents, 5 cents and 13 cents. The stamps are called "Hawaiian Missionaries" by philatelists because most of them were used on correspondence mailed by Christian missionaries from Hawaii to their families, friends, and business associates. These rare stamps are now considered among the world's foremost philatelic items. Only 28 covers bearing Missionary stamps are known to exist, and only one surviving cover bears the 2-cent stamp: the famous "Dawson cover" shown on this souvenir sheet.

USPS 100th Birth Anniversary of Eleanor Roosevelt.

USPS on 11 October 1984 issued a first day cover stamp marking the 100th birth anniversary of Eleanor Roosevelt. Over 112,000,000 deep blue stamps were printed by the American Bank Note Company. This engraved stamp featured 11 perforations and cancellation was from Hyde Park, NY. It was one of many stamps that have over the years  honoured her many humanitarian contributions.

When her husband Franklin Roosevelt was elected President in 1932, Eleanor dreaded the traditional roles of hostess and domestic affairs. As such, she made it her mission to redefine the role of First Lady. Eleanor continued her busy speaking schedule and was the first First Lady to hold a press conference. She would hold 348 while in the White House and banned male reporters, forcing newspapers to hire female reporters. She also wrote a newspaper column, “My Day,” which was another first. The column ran six days a week from 1936 until her death in 1962 and included her daily work as well as humanitarian issues.One of the projects dearest to Eleanor was Arthurdale, a community in West Virginia. In 1933, she visited homeless miners in Morgantown, West Virginia. She proposed building a new community where they could make their living with subsistence farming, handicrafts, and a manufacturing plant.

Another issue of great importance to Eleanor was civil rights. She frequently spoke out for the rights of African Americans, even challenging her husband’s New Deal policies because they did not equally benefit all races. In 1939, she stood up for African American singer Marian Anderson, who was denied the use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

When World War II broke out, Eleanor encouraged her husband to allow European refugee children to immigrate to America. She hoped he would allow more immigration for those persecuted by the Nazis, but FDR did the opposite.

Eleanor co-chaired the Office of Civilian Defense (OCD), which gave volunteers more responsibility in war preparation. She also pushed for women and African Americans to take a larger role in the war effort, particularly giving women factory jobs a year before it became common practice. Eleanor also gave her support to the Tuskegee Airmen, flying with one of their pilots and bringing national attention to their training programme.

When FDR died in April 1945, she left the White House and moved to New York. Later that year, she was appointed a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly. The following year she became the first chairperson of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights and later helped draft its Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Over the years she refused several offers to run for political offices. She averaged 150 national and international speaking tours per year and received 35 honorary degrees.

Eleanor Roosevelt died on 7 November  1962. At her memorial service, Adlai Stevenson asked, “What other single human being has touched and transformed the existence of so many?”

Source: Mystic Stamps

Deutsches Reich Commemoratives for Army Day and Hero Memorial Day

DEUTSCHES REICH  on 21 March  1943 issued 12 stamps for Army Day and Hero Memorial Day. The stamp designs from the lowest to the highest denomination feature a submarine, Schutz-Staffel Troops, a motorised marksman, signal corps, engineer corps, grenade assault, heavy artillery, anti-aircraft units in action, dive bombers, parachuting troops, a tank, and a speed boat. The 5 Pf. and 15 Pf. values also exist imperforate.

Iceland 50th Anniversary of Broadcasting

 

ICELAND issued on 20 November 1983 a single first day cover stamp commemorating 50 years of broadcasting in Iceland.

 

Luxembourg Post Wildlife Conservation - Banded Agrion

LUXEMBOURG POST in 1987 released a series of Wildlife Conservation stamps. This endangered species set featured a White-throated Dipper, Salamander, Banded Agrion and Garden Dormouse. Among the first day cover stamps was this Banded Agrion issued on the maxim card shown here.

Republic of Mali UNESCO Sites of Venice

REPUBLIC OF MALI on 31 August 1972 issued three first day cover stamps of UNESCO sites in Venice. The World Heritage sites featured on the stamps included Venezia Piazza San Marco, Venezia Ponte Di Rialto and Venezia Molo.

 

La Poste France Commmemorative of George Sand

LA POSTE FRANCE on 22 March 2004 issued a first day cover stamp of  19th century French  author George Sand. The stamp depicts Sand in her youth and at the home she inherited from her grandmother. The method of printing is Taille-douce.

Aurore Dupin (George Sand), was the daughter of an officer of the imperial army who died in 1808. She was born 1 July 1 1804, and was taken in by her grandmother, in Nokant, in Berry, France.

A Parisian convent enabled her to complete her education. She returned to Nokant in order to marry Baron Dudevant at the age of eighteen. From this union were born Maurice and Solange. Very quickly, Aurore, regaining her independence, discovered her way thanks to Jules Sandeau with whom she wrote Rose et Blanche. It was then that she adopted the pseudonym of George Sand as a sign of gratitude.

In the 1830s the romantic works, Indiana, Valentine, Lélia and Mauprat, were written. George's work eventually turned towards social inspiration with Le Meunier d'Angibault. A keen interest in the peasant cause made her write novels like La Mare au Diable, La Petite Fadette, or François le Champi.

The year 1848 saw her pen political writings. With Les Maîtres Sonneurs, in 1853, she inaugurated a new genre: the regionalist novel. After having hit the headlines with tumultuous loves, "the honorable lady of Nohant" put her humanitarian ideals into practice with the very people who gave her this sweet nickname. Charity, beneficence, generous impulses, did not hinder her intense intellectual activity until her death.

This great lady who rubbed shoulders with Dumas, Sainte-Beuve, Taine or Gautier, Flaubert, Tourgueniev, Victor Hugo and Chopin, knew how to reach the hearts of men, understand them and paint them with infinite respect. Of writing, she said: "We believe that the mission of art is a mission of feeling and love."

 George Sand died in 1876, at age 71.

La Poste France Commmemorative of Jacques-Yves Cousteau

LA POSTE FRANCE on September 10 2000 issued a first day cover stamp of  Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Artist  Marc Taraskoff provided the illustration, whereas layout design was provided by  Jean-Paul Cousin. The printing method used was Héliogravure.

Cousteau was born in Saint-André de Cubzac in Gironde, France on June 11, 1910. He died in Paris on June 25, 1997. He was a member of the French Academy, naval officer, explorer, filmmaker, he opened the eyes of the world public to the beauty of the seabed submarines. Thanks to the knowledge accumulated during forty years of campaigns aboard the Calypso, he sensitised political leaders and populations on the need to safeguard the seas and oceans for future generations.

Isle of Man Post Honours Manxman Sir Barry Gibb

ISLE OF MAN POST on 3 November 2021 issued a set of seven first day cover stamps to celebrate the iconic superstar singer/songwriter/producer and Manxman Sir Barry Gibb. IOM worked closely with Barry to select these most personally-significant images from his life and career and the Bee Gees 1969 Cucumber Castle TV special, Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band film and his Music Legend spot Glastonbury 2017 are particular highlights.

The set was presented on a superior envelope and completed by a black postmark for the day of issue in Douglas, Isle of Man. Housed within the envelope is an informative text card detailing Sir Barry Gibb’s fascinating life and career.  

Only a limited edition of 3,500 FDCs was released.

USPS Commemorative of Robert F. Kennedy

 

USPS on 12 January 1979 honoured former U.S. Senator and U.S. Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy (RFK).  The stamp design was taken from a family photo suggested by his wife, Mrs. Ethel Kennedy. The cachet is a facsimile of a similar photograph/pose with a George Bernard Shaw  quote he is most famously noted for: "Some men see things as they are, and say why. I dream of things that never were, and say why not."

Robert F. (Bobby) Kennedy was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on November 20, 1925, though the family moved to New York two years later.

Bobby was the seventh of nine children born to Joe Kennedy, Sr., a businessman and leading figure in the democratic party who hoped one of his sons would grow up to be president. While he focused on preparing Bobby’s older brothers for such a feat, he encouraged the younger siblings to study current events so that they too could enter public service.

Beginning in 1959, Bobby began devoting his time to running his brother’s presidential campaign, as he had done in 1952 during John’s senatorial campaign. After John won the 1960 presidential election, Bobby was appointed attorney general and also acted as the President’s closest advisor. These roles gave Bobby considerable influence in both foreign and domestic affairs. He had greater power as attorney general than anyone else who has held that position and used it to pursue leaders of organized crime and the mafia. During his term, convictions against these people rose enormously.

Bobby used his influence to push for civil rights reform. He supported the Freedom Riders and sent US marshals to enforce a federal court order to integrate the University of Mississippi.

In 1965, following his term as attorney general, Bobby ran for a seat in the US Senate, representing New York State. After three years as a US Senator, sensing the vulnerability of Lyndon Johnson, Bobby decided to run for President of the United States. He was immensely popular, as people saw him as the embodiment of his slain brother.

Bobby won the California primary on June 4 and delivered his victory speech. Shortly after midnight on June 5, 1968, a Jordanian immigrant (Palestinian) named Sirhan Bishara Sirhan shot him. Bobby died on the morning of June 6, 1968, at just 43 years old.

Source: Mystic Stamps

Kenya Post Origins of Mankind

KENYA POST & TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION in 1982 issued four first day cover stamps dedicated to early man, entitled "Origins of Mankind'. The four stamps featured fossilised skulls found in various regions of Kenya  --  Australopithecus Boisei,  Homo Habilis, Homo Erectus, and Proconsul Africanus. These complete fossilised skulls were discovered in Kenya by anthropologists Richard Leakey, Mary Leaky and Louis Leakey.

Kenya Post Ceremonial Tribal Costumes

KENYA POST & TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORPORATION on 18 December 1981 issued five first day cover stamps dedicated to the "Ceremonial Costumes" of Kenya tribes. Featured in this series included the Kamba, Turkana, Giriama, Masai and Luo. Unfortunately the FDC shown has only four of the five stamps released. In subsequent years and up till 1987, additional traditional tribal costume stamps were issued.

USPS 150th Birth Anniversary of Henry David Thoreau

USPS in 1967 honoured American naturalist, essayist and poet Henry David Thoreau on his 150 birth anniversary. The design featured an illustration by American multi-genre artist Leonard Baskin, who drew it in one of his familiar styles. In 2017, another first day cover stamp of Thoreau was released on his 200th birth anniversary. Shown here is a maxim card with FDC postmark affixed to the 1967 commemorative stamp of Thoreau.

Henry David Thoreau spent most of his life in Concord, Massachusetts, west of Boston.  He attended Harvard University, taught for a short time, and worked at his father’s pencil factory.

After a few years, Thoreau was asked by Ralph Waldo Emerson to be his live-in handyman.  The author and philosopher helped Thoreau improve his writing and influenced his worldview towards Transcendentalism (a philosophical belief in the importance of the senses and intuition over scientific knowledge).  The new writer was able to publish some of his first poems and essays with Emerson’s help.

When Thoreau returned to his parent’s home and factory, he desperately sought quiet to continue his writing, but could not find it.  In 1845, Emerson offered him a part of his land near Walden Pond.  Thoreau built a small cabin and stayed there for two years. During this time, the author began writing "Walden" to answer neighbors’ questions about what he did at the pond.  He stayed there a total of two years, two months, and two days. 

Source: Mystic Stamps

UN Postal Administration (UNPA) 50th Anniversary of the Recording of “Imagine”

UN POSTAL ADMINISTRATION (UNPA) on 21 September 2021 issued a series of first day cover stamps and souvenir sheets marking the 50th Anniversary of the recording of “Imagine” by John Lennon. The stamps and souvenir sheets feature photographs by Bob Gruen, Iain Macmillan and David Nutter and the stamps were illustrated by Martin Mörck based on those photographs. The stamp issue was designed by the UN’s Rorie Katz. A surcharge has been added to the stamps to help fund UN peacekeeping operations worldwide. Shown here all three stamps on FDC envelope and postmarked UN offices in New York, Geneva and Vienna.

The souvenir issue includes the lyrics of John Lennon’s classic anthem to world peace, “Imagine”, together with his signature, and three different photo portraits of the former Beatle from the later stages of his life.

The song has been performed at some of the world’s biggest events, including concerts for peace, hunger, New Year celebrations, and the Olympic Games - always a hopeful message during troubling times. Its lyrics encourage us to put aside all differences and unify to imagine a world of peace, without greed, hunger, or barriers separating people and nations, UNPA noted.

The International Day of Peace was created in 1981 to underscore that all people have the right to live in peace. People are being encouraged to best honour the occasion, said UNPA, by “standing up against acts of hate, and by spreading compassion, kindness, and hope so the world can “live as one”, just as Lennon’s iconic song imagined.

Source: UN News

Pitcairn Island via Bounty Post of the Women of Pitcairn

PITCAIRN ISLAND via Bounty Post on 30 March 2017 issued a series of first day cover stamps dedicated to the Women of Pitcairn. Three stamps of various denomination (from NZ$1.80, NZ$2.20 to NZ$2.80) were released. The stamps depict and list the names of the 12 Polynesian women and a baby girl who left Tahiti with the crew of the Bounty. One of the activities they maintained on Pitcairn was the weaving tapa which is shown as well in these stamps. Shown here is the souvenir sheet in this FDC set.

The souvenir sheet was purchased directly from Pitcairn Island. It was literary shipped aboard the island's monthly mail ship and delivered to New Zealand where it was dispatched to my residence in Malaysia.  It was sent by Mike and Brenda Christian, presumably descendants of Fletcher Christian.

In September 1789, after the mutiny and while staying briefly on Tahiti, Fletcher Christian became concerned that some of his men were ready to rebel against him. Spurred also by fear of discovery and arrest from Britain, he made a hurried departure. He and eight members of the Bounty crew sailed from Tahiti with six Polynesian men, 12 Polynesian women and a baby girl.

Searching for a new home took four months until uncharted Pitcairn was sighted on 15 January 1790. A decision was made on 23 January to burn the Bounty and the fate of all to remain on the island was sealed. The women consorts soon adopted a survival mode by growing crops, fishing, making tapa for warmth and clothing and ensuring Tahitian culture remained an integral part of Pitcairn's identity through music and dance.

Pauline Reynolds in her "Textile History" article* writes how the production of tapa and gifting "reveals information regarding their social, ritual and innovative activities, and their contribution to the Bounty/Pitcairn story". This activity was exclusively a female role but one that gave them a degree of power, status and prestige (depending on the fineness of the cloth). It also provided an outlet for their creative talents and helped bind social relationships.

Reynolds added, "The making and felting of cloth by the women of the Pitcairn community was symbolic of the binding and weaving of relationships, particularly amongst the women and their children". Their innovative designs and experimentation led to unique Pitcairn tapa cloths which are different to those from Tahiti (French Polynesia) and very recognisable today. Reynolds concluded that the Bounty women were "active agents in their community, playing a dynamic role in shaping the social landscape".

Designer: Lucas Kukler, Bangkok, Thailand.
Printer:     Southern Colour Print, Dunedin, New Zealand
Process:     Offset Litho
Stamp size:     40.0 mm x 30.0 mm vertical.
Format:     Miniature sheet containing 3 vertical stamps
Perforation Gauge:     13.33 x 13.60
Denominations:     NZ$1.80, NZ$2.20 and NZ$2.80
Paper:     106gsm Tullis Russell Red phosphor stamp paper.
Period of Sale: 30 March 2017 for a period of 2 years.

*Source: Tapa Cloths and Beaters: Tradition, Innovation and the Agency of the Bounty Women in Shaping a New Culture on Pitcairn Island from 1790 to 1850. - Pauline Reynolds, 2016.

Solomon Islands 20th Anniversary of the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union

SOLOMAN ISLANDS on 2 July 1982 issued four first day cover stamps marking the 20th anniversary the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. Among the stamps featured was Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) studio, SIBC Broadcasting House, village drummers and Radio City Guadalcanal. The stamps carry the British Crown Head of QEII with spiral perforation. The cachet depicted the SIBC logo along with the ABU  initials.

Radio broadcasting in the Solomons was first established by US military forces in the British Solomon Islands Protectorate (BSIP) during World War Two. In 1944, the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS) developed small, mediumwave stations at Lunga on Guadalcanal and Munda, New Georgia.

By 1952, the broadcasts were on a much stronger footing, and the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Service (SIBS), an arm of the Government, was established. In 1976, new legislation converted the SIBS into the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC), a totally independent public service broadcaster charged with providing national radio coverage and a full range of news, educational, and entertainment services.

Instrumental in the development of the station was Dr. Martin Hadlow. He worked with SIBC from 1982 to 1984. He had been recruited by the Australian aid agency to help the SIBC board and management as the Advisor. He did much more than advice. He trained and mentored and even recorded the very first group for an audio cassette titled ‘Solomon Bamboo‘ at Ughele on Rendova. He is remembered fondly and with great respect by many of us at SIBC.

SIBC remains on air transmitting via shortwave, medium wave and FM.

Aereo Ecuador 50th Anniversary of Radio Station HCJB

AEREO ECUADOR in 1981 issued three first day cover stams marking the 50th anniversary of Radio Station HCJB

Save perhaps for Vatican Radio, which was founded in February 1931, the earliest major religious shortwave station was HCJB, in Quito, Ecuador. The creation of American evangelists Clarence W. Jones and Reuben E. Larson, it too began broadcasting in 1931, on Christmas Day. Starting out with a 200 watt transmitter, it increased power over the years, reaching 500 kW in 1982. Over the years HCJB developed a major shortwave presence.  It had  strong technical and production capabilities, and its extensive English and foreign-language schedule served listeners throughout the world. 

For decades it was one of the first stations a new SWL -- including yours truly -- would hear, and it was very friendly toward the SWL community.  It's DX programme, "DX Partyline," was on the air for over 40 years, and the related HCJB-sponsored ANDEX club was similarly long-lived (1974-96).

Starting in 1997, budget constraints, plus the need to remove its antennas due to nearby airport construction, brought about a rethinking of the entire HCJB ministry, and the next decade saw major cutbacks.  Although today the station operates on but a single 10 kw. channel, and only in Spanish and a few other Latin American languages, it boasts a legacy as one of the world's true shortwave pioneers.

Bangladesh Post 75th Anniversary of Bangladesh Betar

BANGLADESH POST on 15th December 2014 issued a single first day cover stamp marking the 75th anniversary of Bangladesh Betar.

Bangladesh Betar or BB is the state-owned radio broadcaster of Bangladesh established after Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971. It was also known as Radio Bangladesh between 1975 and 1996.

Radio transmission in the region now forming Bangladesh started in Dhaka on 16 December  1939 as part of All India Radio. Initially, the station was located in Nazimuddin Road, old Dhaka. Its maximum transmission range was 45 kilometre. In 1954, broadcasting started in Rajshahi. On 8 September 1960, the radio station was moved to a modern office in Shahbag with six professional studios and renamed to Radio Pakistan. More regional stations were opened in Sylhet in 1961, Savar in 1963, Rangpur in 1967 and in Khulna in 1970.

The station played an important role during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. On 26 March 1971, the broadcasting centre of Radio Pakistan was used to transmit a declaration of independence, which was picked up by a Japanese ship in Chittagong Harbor and retransmitted. During the war, the Pakistan Army took over the Radio Station in Dhaka and the Bangladeshi operated Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (Independent Bengal Radio Station) clandestinely. Because of heavy shelling, the station had to be relocated several times, and ultimately moved to Calcutta on May 25, from where it would broadcast until the end of the war. On December 6, it was renamed Bangladesh Betar. Its current headquarters were completed in 1983 at National Broadcasting House, Agargaon

Denomination : 20.00 TK
Stationary Value : 10.00 TK
Size : 20x10 cm
Color : Multicolor
Process of Printing : Offset
Printer : Postal Prtinting Press, Tongi, Gazipur
Designer : Anowar Hossain
Post Office Issued : Dhaka Gpo, Chittagong Gpo, Rajshahi Gpo, Khulna Gpo, + All Head Post Offices (H.O.)

 Sorce: Wikipedia

Correos Argentina 30th Death Anniversary of Ernesto Che Guevara

CORREOS ARGENTINA on 9 October 1997 issued a 30th anniversary stamp marking the  death of Ernesto Che Guevara. Hundreds of people purchased some 18,000 stamps, whose value was 75 cents. The first day cover sold out on the first day of sale. Although Guevera was a native son of Argentina, his image was prohibited in this South American nation in the previous decades.

Dr. Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928 - 1967) was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, guerrilla leader, diplomat, and military theorist. He is one of history's more revered and reviled historical figures, depending largely on one's political perspective. His conflicting actions also contribute to the controversy. After the Cuban Revolution, of which he was a key proponent, Guevara performed a number of key roles in the new government. These included reviewing the appeals and firing squads for those convicted as war criminals during the revolutionary tribunals, instituting agrarian land reform as minister of industries, helping spearhead a successful nationwide literacy campaign, serving as both national bank president and instructional director for Cuba's armed forces, and traversing the globe as a diplomat on behalf of Cuban socialism. Such positions also allowed him to play a central role in training the militia forces who repelled the Bay of Pigs Invasion, and bringing Soviet nuclear-armed ballistic missiles to Cuba, which preceded the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. Additionally, Guevara was a prolific writer and diarist, composing a seminal guerrilla warfare manual, along with a best-selling memoir about his youthful continental motorcycle journey. His experiences and studying of Marxism–Leninism led him to posit that the Third World's underdevelopment and dependence was an intrinsic result of imperialism, neocolonialism, and monopoly capitalism, with the only remedy being proletarian internationalism and world revolution.

As a result of his perceived martyrdom, poetic invocations for class struggle, and desire to create the consciousness of a "new man" driven by moral rather than material incentives,  Guevara has evolved into a quintessential icon of various leftist movements. In contrast, his ideological critics on the right accuse him of promoting authoritarianism and endorsing violence against his political opponents. Despite disagreements on his legacy, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century.

Eventually, in early October 1967, Guevara was captured and executed in Bolivia. A Cuban exile turned CIA Special Activities Division operative, advised Bolivian troops during the hunt for Guevara in Bolivia. An informant apprised the Bolivian Special Forces of the location of Guevara's guerrilla encampment in the Yuro ravine. He was sick, wounded and imprisoned, then executed a few days later by firing squad on 9 October 1967.

Personally, and to a certain extent, I can empathise with Ernesto Che Guevara. There is and was much social injustice that needs(ed) to be righted in this world. Capitalism -- and Marxist Communism -- can be both forces for constructive change; but, as so often has been the case, certain individuals who may have had the sincerest intentions to correct those wrongs eventually become part of the problem and perverted the ideology they espoused. Che Guevara was no different. He recognised, or so he believed, what those socioeconomic ills were, subscribing to Marxist revolution as the force for change. He however could be ruthless and uncompromising, and this perhaps more than anything else contributed to his downfall. Still, he remains a legend...an iconic role model for socioeconomic justice in many parts of the world.

 

Papua New Guinea Centenary of Radio

PAPUA NEW GUINEA 11 September 1996 released a First Day Cover of four stamps to commemorate the centenary of radio. These colourful stamps featured a radio control tracking desk, radio transmitter with pedal powered generator, satellite dish and radio DJ. A brochure accompanied  this FDC with details about the stamps and the write up on the  centenary of radio in Papua New Guinea.