Thursday, April 30, 2009

Cocos (Keeling) Islands - 400 Years




Date of Issue - 21 April 2009



Hi ! Here is the recent magnificent set by Australia to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the first European sighting of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in 1609. The beautiful stamps can be included in different themes such as Darwin Stamp collection, Marine life or tourism too. The stamps, FDC and gutter sheets are very attractive. The stamp depicting the whale is very nice and can become a beautiful part of marine life collection ! The four stamps depict - 55c - 1609 Captain William Keeling's first sighting ,55c - 1836 Charles Darwin visited the islands on The Beagle,$1.10 - 1827-1978 Clunies Ross family , and $1.65 - 1955 An Australian Territory . This is all for today !.....Till Next Post ......Have a Wonderful Time !........




Cocos (Keeling) Islands - 400 Years


Gutter Strips



Courtesy - Australia Post

It's May Day....




100 years anniversary celebration on the 1st of May from 1880 -1990


Today is 1st May and May Day occurs on this day . In many countries, May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Day, which celebrates the social and economic achievements of the labour movement. As a day of celebration the holiday has ancient origins, and it can relate to many customs that have survived into modern times. Many of these customs are due to May Day being a cross-quarter day, meaning that in the Northern Hemisphere it falls approximately halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. As the International Workers' Day is used interchangeably with May Day, it is a celebration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement. May Day commonly sees organized street demonstrations and street marches by millions of working people and their labour unions throughout most of the countries of the world .Here are some stamps and a special cover related with May Day !





GDR's 1st May


May Day Centenary 1886-1986

The Cover shows a statue " Triumph of Labour " by Debi Prasad Roy Chowdhary" and one of the stamps depicts logo of International Labour Organization.


Wednesday, April 29, 2009

New Stamps on Astronomy





Date of Issue- 6 May 2009


Hi ! Here are some new awesome issues on Astronomy by Czech Republic, Azerbaijan, Lithuania and Serbia. 2009 being The International Year of Astronomy, many beautiful stamps are being issued by various postal administrations. The International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA 2009) is a global celebration of astronomy and its contributions to society and culture marks the 400th anniversary of the first use of an astronomical telescope by Galileo Galilei. The aim of the Year is to stimulate worldwide interest, especially among young people, in astronomy and science under the central theme "The Universe, Yours to discover". IYA2009 events and activities will promote a greater appreciation of the inspirational aspects of astronomy that embody an invaluable shared resource for all nations. The Science Centres of different countries are organizing special programmes to create interest for Astronomy in all especially amongst children. For detailed check list of stamps visit http://europa-stamps.blogspot.com/ . This blog gives quick updates about all stamps issued on EUROPA 2009 theme. Here are some recent issues which I liked most. The stamp of Czech Republic depicts great astronomer Kepler. It's nice to see Kepler too, on EUROPA 2009 Theme of Astronomy stamps as he was the most renowned astronomer of all time like Galileo. Johannes Kepler was a German mathematician and astronomer who discovered that the Earth and planets travel about the sun in elliptical orbits. He gave three fundamental laws of planetary motion.The design of the Czech Republic Stamp is very appropriate, giving a clear explanation of Kepler's theory. This is the particular observation of a stamp designer that makes stamp special and different from other stamps. Today's Post is dedicated to great astronomers. This is all for today !....Till next Post....Have a Nice Time !........





Johannes Kepler (December 27, 1571 – November 15, 1630)
Kepler was a German mathematician, astronomer and astrologer, and key figure in the 17th century scientific revolution. He is best known for his eponymous laws of planetary motion, codified by later astronomers based on his works Astronomia nova, Harmonices Mundi, and Epitome of Copernican Astrononomy. They also provided one of the foundations for Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation. He also did fundamental work in the field of optics, invented an improved version of the refracting telescope (the Keplerian Telescope), and helped to legitimize the telescopic discoveries of his contemporary Galileo Galilei.

Kepler lived in an era when there was no clear distinction between astronomy and astrology, but there was a strong division between astronomy (a branch of mathematics within the liberal arts) and physics (a branch of natural philosophy). Kepler also incorporated religious arguments and reasoning into his work, motivated by the religious conviction that God had created the world according to an intelligible plan that is accessible through the natural light of reason.Kepler described his new astronomy as "celestial physics", as "an excursion into Aristotle's Metaphysics", and as "a supplement to Aristotle's On the Heavens", transforming the ancient tradition of physical cosmology by treating astronomy as part of a universal mathematical physics.



Serbia - 5 May 2009





Azerbaijan - 13 April 2009




Galileo (15 February 1564– 8 January 1642)
To commemorate 400 years of exploring the universe using astronomical telescopes, 2009 has been designated the International Year of Astronomy. Italian scientist Galileo Galilei was the first astronomer who turned the telescope to the sky in 1609. His astronomical observations and discoveries unleashed a scientific revolution that has virtually changed our perception of the universe and our place in it. 400 years later, astronomers explore celestial bodies with modern telescopes on Earth and in space in almost all wavelengths 24 hours per day.He was a physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who played a major role in the Scientific Revolution. His achievements include improvements to the telescope and consequent astronomical observations, and support for Copernicanism. Galileo has been called the "father of modern observational astronomy", the "father of modern physics", the "father of science", and "the Father of Modern Science." Stephen Hawking says, "Galileo, perhaps more than any other single person, was responsible for the birth of modern science."






The motion of uniformly accelerated objects, taught in nearly all high school and introductory college physics courses, was studied by Galileo as the subject of kinematics. His contributions to observational astronomy include the telescopic confirmation of the phases of Venus, the discovery of the four largest satellites of Jupiter, named the Galilean moons in his honour, and the observation and analysis of sunspots. Galileo also worked in applied science and technology, improving compass design.





Lithuania- 25 April 2009


Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Great Artists - Francis Bacon..






Date of Issue - 24 April 2009


Hi ! Here is the recent stamp issued by An Post to commemorate great artist of all time, Francis Bacon. This stamp has been issued to mark 100 years since the birth of this renowned artist , featuring a self portrait of this great man on 24 April. 28 April is also the death anniversary of Francis Bacon. Bacon's artwork is known for its bold, austere, homoerotic and often violent or nightmarish imagery, which typically shows room-bound masculine figures isolated in glass or steel geometrical cages set against flat, nondescript backgrounds. The minisheet depicts his famous London studio which was relocated piece by piece to the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin. The FDC Envelope shows Francis Bacon's Untitled - Final Unfinished Portrait. Today's Post is about the art and the artist. Sure to be liked by art lovers besides philatelists. Here are the nice philatelic items issued to commemorate Francis Bacon's Birth Centenary.This is all for today !......Till Next Post.....Have a Nice Time !.




Artist's London Studio which was later shifted to Dublin

Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon (28 October 1909 – 28 April 1992) was an Irish born British figurative painter. A late starter, Bacon did not begin painting until he was in his late 20s. It was in Paris that he was inspired to become an artist, when he visited an exhibition of Picasso drawings in 1927. Returning to London at the end of the 1920s, he found some measure of fame as an interior designer, but Francis Bacon's destiny lay elsewhere. He devoted himself to painting. He painted sporadically and without commitment during the late 1920s and early 1930s, when he worked as an interior decorator and designer of furniture and rugs. He later admitted that his career was delayed because he had spent so long looking for a subject that would sustain his interest. His breakthrough came with the 1944 triptych Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion, and it was this work and his heads and figures of the late 1940s through to the early 1960s that sealed his reputation as a chronicler of the grotesque. From the mid 1960's, Bacon mainly produced portrait heads of friends.



The FDC Envelope shows Francis Bacon's Untitled - Final Unfinished Portrait.

Most of the rest of his life was spent in London, where he led the life of a successful painter, creating portraits of many of the eccentrics he encountered in bohemian Soho. He died of a heart attack in Madrid on 28 April 1992. After his death, his studio was relocated piece by piece from 7 Reece Mews, London to the Hugh Lane Gallery, Dublin. When sold, Bacon's paintings command high prices, reflecting his stature as an artist. For example, in May 2008, Russian millionaire Roman Abramovich paid $86.3 million for Bacon's work 'Triptych'





The Minsheet FDC features the 82c stamp and shows a photograph of the artist's studio, as seen from the door.
Courtesy - An Post


Monday, April 27, 2009

Protect Biodiversity.....





Hi ! The Portuguese Post Office (CTT) has recently issued a very beautiful set of stamps, Miniature sheets and Max Cards on Biodiversity.These nice philatelic items issued on 22 April 2009 depict images of ponds with birds, fishes or trees.The 32 centimos stamp includes the image of a snipe, the 68 centimos, a butterfly, the 80 centimos stamp, a Dragonfly and the 2 euros stamp, a Cedar tree. The issue is a joint effort between CTT and the Institute of the Conservation of the Nature which celebrates the diversity of life in the region and ongoing efforts to protect habitats. Here are the awesome philatelic items on Biodiversity. Well, all the Max Cards are so beautiful that anyone would like to include them in wildlife / biodiversity / environment theme collection. Just wonderful items from Portugal ! Hope you would enjoy all these items. This is all for today !.....Till Next Post ....Have a Nice Time !.....






Magnificent Max Cards






FDC and Miniature sheets



Biodiversity - Lagoas – Azores

This issue, with a regional theme from the Azores, publicises some of the lakes of the archipelago: Lagoa Comprida (Flores Island), Lagoa do Caldeirão (Corvo), Lagoa do Capitão (Pico), Lagoinha (Terceira), Lagoa da Fajã de Santo Cristo (São Jorge) and Lagoa das Furnas (São Miguel). By depicting the natural environment of these six lakes, the issue also evokes the plant and animal communities of the surrounding areas. The Azores juniper (Juniperus brevifolia) and the ivy (Hedera azorica) represent the flora. For the local fauna appear the woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), the brown butterfly (Hipparchia azorina) and the dragonfly (Anax imperator), the tufted duck (Aythya ferina), the common teal (Anas crecca), the capped heron (Ardea cinerea) and the rosy tern (Sterna dougallii), besides the clam (Ruditapes decussatus), the famous Fajã de Santo Cristo clam, the common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and the tessellate moray (Muraena helena).


Through their natural beauty, the lakes on the Azores have contributed substantially for the archipelago to be considered, by international sustained tourism, as the second-best group of islands in the world. In fact, from the geological, biological and economic point of view, the lakes represent an important heritage that should be protected. They are fundamental, for instance, for the water cycle, for balancing the landscape and for the Atlantic routes of migratory birds. By selecting these six lakes on the Azores as philatelic theme, the Portuguese Post Office (CTT Correios de Portugal) aim to underline some of the features of the surrounding biodiversity.



This issue is the result of a protocol signed between the Portuguese Post Office and the Institute of Nature and Biodiversity Conservation, and follows the company’ desire to contribute to the major European objective of ”stopping biodiversity loss before 2010”.

Courtesy - The Portuguese Post Office (CTT)

Sunday, April 26, 2009

It's Day to remember Morse Code ! ..-.-..






Samuel Morse - Born on 27 April 1791



Hi ! Today is the Birth Anniversary of Samuel Morse, the inventor of Morse Code which was a remarkable invention in the history of communication. This special Post is dedicated to this great man who left a milestone in the field of communication by his invention that changed our life and now from telegraphic system of communication we are able to use fastest way of communication i.e. Internet. Samuel Morse was not a scientist - he was a professional artist. Educated at Phillip’s Academy at Andover, he graduated from Yale in 1810 and he lived in England from 1811 to 1815, exhibiting at the Royal Academy in 1813. He spent the next ten years as an itinerant artist with a particular interest in portraiture. He returned to America in 1832 having been appointed Professor of Painting and Sculpture at the University of the City of New York. It was on this homeward voyage that he overheard a shipboard discussion on electromagnets. This was the seed out of which the electric telegraph grew. Morse is remembered for his Code, still used, and less for the invention that enabled it to be used, probably since landline telegraphy eventually gave way to wireless telegraphy. Beginning in 1836, Samuel F. B. Morse and Alfred Vail developed an electric telegraph, which sent pulses of electrical current to control an electromagnet that was located at the receiving end of the telegraph wire. Morse code was also extensively used for early radio communication beginning in the 1890s. For the first half of the twentieth century, the majority of high-speed international communication was conducted in Morse code, using telegraph lines, undersea cables, and radio circuits. Many Postal administrations have issued stamps to commemorate Samuel Morse and his remarkable invention. I am giving some of them here as a philatelic tribute to Samuel Morse . This is all for today..!....Till Next Post....Have a Nice Time !.....




Samuel Morse
Samuel Finley Breese Morse, inventor of several improvements to the telegraph, was born in Charlestown, Mass. on April 27, 1791. As a student at Yale College, Morse became interested in both painting and in the developing subject of electricity. After his graduation in 1810, he first concentrated on painting, which he studied in England. He would later become a well-known portrait artist.



After moving to New York in 1825, he became a founder and the first president of the National Academy of Design. He also ran for office, but was defeated in both his campaigns to become New York mayor. Meanwhile, Morse maintained a steady interest in invention, taking out three patents for pumps in 1817 with his brother Sidney Edwards Morse. It wasn't until 1832 that he first became interested in telegraphy.



That year, Morse was traveling to the United States from Europe on a ship, when he overheard a conversation about electromagnetism that inspired his idea for an electric telegraph. Though he had little training in electricity, he realized that pulses of electrical current could convey information over wires. The telegraph, a device first proposed in 1753 and first built in 1774, was an impractical machine up until that point, requiring 26 separate wires, one for each letter of the alphabet. Around that time two German engineers had invented a five-wire model, but Morse wanted to be the first to reduce the number of wires to one.




Between 1832 and 1837 he developed a working model of an electric telegraph, using crude materials such as a home-made battery and old clock-work gears. He also acquired two partners to help him develop his telegraph: Leonard Gale, a professor of science at New York University, and Alfred Vail, who made available his mechanical skills and his family's New Jersey iron works to help construct better telegraph models.




Morse's first telegraph device, unveiled in 1837, did use a one-wire system, which produced an EKG-like line on tickertape. The dips in the line had to be de-coded into letters and numbers using a dictionary composed by Morse, this assuming that the pen or pencil wrote clearly, which did not always happen. By the following year he had developed an improved system, having created a dot-and-dash code that used different numbers to represent the letters of the English alphabet and the ten digits. (His assistant Vail has been credited by Franklin T. Pope--later a partner of Thomas Edison--with inventing this "dots and dashes" version). This coding system was significantly better, as it did not require printing or decoding, but could be "sound read" by operators. In 1838, at an exhibition of his telegraph in New York, Morse transmitted ten words per minute using the Morse code that would become standard throughout the world.






In 1842, Morse convinced Congress to provide $30,000 in support of his plan to "wire" the United States. Meanwhile, Morse also solicited and received advice from a number of American and European telegraphy experts, including Joseph Henry of Princeton, who had invented a working telegraph in 1831, and Louis Breguet of Paris. In 1844, Morse filed for a patent (granted 1849) of the printing telegraph. He had already proved that his device worked over short distances, and the Federal funds he raised had allowed him to string a wire from Baltimore to Washington.




On May 11, 1844, Morse sent the first inter-city message. Soon thereafter, he gave the first public demonstration, in which he sent a message from the chamber of the Supreme Court to the Mount Clair train depot in Baltimore. The message itself was borrowed from the Bible by the daughter of the Commissioner of Patents and said, "What hath God wrought?" By 1846, private companies, using Morse's patent, had built telegraph lines from Washington to Boston and Buffalo, and were pushing further. The telegraph spread across the US more quickly than had the railroads, whose routes the wires often followed. By 1854, there were 23,000 miles of telegraph wire in operation. Western Union was founded in 1851, and in 1866, the first successful trans-Atlantic cable link was established. Though Morse didnât invent the telegraph and did not single-handedly create Morse Code, he may have been telegraphy's greatest promoter, and undoubtedly contributed to its rapid development and adoption throughout the world.
Morse died of pneumonia in New York on April 2, 1872.

Saturday, April 25, 2009

The Polish Year in Israel !...






Hi ! It has been along time, I have not written about beautiful stamps of Poland. As I always love to see and write about Polish stamps because of their exquisite design and nice subjects, so I have a selected a recent Polish stamp for today's Post. It is about Polish Year in Israel. The stamp was issued on recently on 22 April 2009. Well it is very interesting to note that The Polish Year is celebrated in Israel. It is to show the love for Poland by Jewish people.Since 9 April 2008 a major event of culture and science - The Polish Year, has been celebrated in Israel in order to demonstrate the legacy of Poland, a country which is dear to many Jewish people. Its a great a way to show concern and respect for a country. The stamp is in the form of a souvenir sheet. Here is the beautiful stamp which features a portrait of Berek Joselewicz sitting on a horse, wearing a captain's uniform, and heading a regiment formed during the battle of Kock. The image on the miniature sheet is a copy of a painting made in 1893 by an outstanding Polish painter, Juliusz Kossak. This is all for today ! .....Till Next Post.......Have a Nice Time !


The Polish Year in Israel
Since 9 April 2008 a major event of culture and science - The Polish Year, has been celebrated in Israel in order to demonstrate the legacy of Poland, a country which is dear to many Jewish people. The rich agenda of the scheme, including film presentations, performance of well known Polish and Israeli artists, seminars, workshops and science conferences, is coordinated by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in Warsaw, the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Tel Aviv and the Polish Institute in Tel Aviv. The crowning of the celebrations is a joint postage stamp issue, commemorating the person of Berek Joselewicz - a hero of the Polish bids for independence.





The Polish Post, in cooperation with Israel Post, issued a postage stamp block in order to commemorate the Polish Year in Israel and to stress the amiable nature of the relations between both states. The stamp features a portrait of Berek Joselewicz sitting on a horse, wearing a captain's uniform, and heading a regiment formed during the battle of Kock. The image on the postage stamp is a copy of a painting made in 1893 by an outstanding Polish painter, Juliusz Kossak. The FDC features a bibliographical note on Berek Joselewicz.



Berek Joselewicz

Berek Joselewicz was born in 1764 in Kretynga, Lithuania. He earned a living as a horse trader. Upon the outbreak of the Tadeusz Kościuszko uprising in 1794, with the help of Józef Aronowicz he wrote an appeal in the Yiddish language calling the Polish Jews to arms. With around five hundred volunteers who responded to his call, he built a cavalry regiment. He persuaded Kościuszko to allow that the Jewish freedom fighters observe their religious customs, including wearing beards, eating kosher meals and celebrating Sabbath whenever it's possible in the circumstances. Berek Joselewicz's squadron was beaten during the battle to defend the Praga district of Warsaw, with only a few survivors remaining, including the captain. After the fall of the uprising, Berek Joselewicz emigrated to Italy, where he joined the Polish Legions of general Jan Henryk Dąbrowski as "colonel, Captain of the Polish Cavalry." He took part in numerous battles of the Napoleonic campaign, including the ones of Hohenlinden and Austerlitz.

Following the constitution of the Duchy of Warsaw (Księstwo Warszawskie) in 1807, he remained in the army as squadron leader in the 5 Mounted Riflemen Regiment. In 1808 he was awarded with the Virtuti Militari Knight's Cross, and he also received the National Order of the Legion of Honour prior to that. He died during the battles of Kock in 1809. The patriotic traditions of fighting for the freedom of Poland were passed on to Berek Joselewicz's son, Józef Berkowicz (1789-1846), and his grandson Leon. Józef Berkowicz began to fight side by side with his father in the armed forces of the Duchy of Warsaw. He struggled against the Austrians near Kock, and after his father died, he fought in Napoleon Bonaparte's Russian campaign in 1812. He received multiple wounds, but his bravery in battle never withered away. Similarly to his father, his accomplishments on the battlefield earned him the National Order of the Legion of Honour (with a Golden Cross). After that, he and his son Leon fought in the November uprising, and after its failure he emigrated to France, and then to Great Britain, where he lived until his death.


Berek Joselewicz earned himself a great deal of fame. The example that he set by committing his life to fighting for the freedom of the country where his family had lived for generations, and which he considered to be his motherland, was the strongest encouragement for many Polish Jews in the following years. Numerous Polish patriots of Jewish origin fought in the armed bids for independence. They were the ones who did not agree to stand idle and watch the Polish land being engulfed with the ravages of war. So they joined the army, and they gave proof of their courage and valour. The descendants of Berek Joselewicz fought on every front of World Wars I and II, including in the armed forces of general Władysław Anders, the 1st Polish Army and the Polish underground forces. That is because no one could understand what it means to dream of the freedom of one's mother country, and sacrifice their life for that cause, better than the Poles and the Jews.
Courtesy - Polish Post

Universal Declaration of Human Rights - New Maxim Card...





Date of Issue - 10 December 2008



Here is the new Max Card designed by our distinguished member Mr. Hemant Kumar Jain of Jabalpur based on stamp issued on dt.10-12-08 to commemorate 60 Years of Universal Declaration of Human Rights". For more details about this beautiful card Contact Mr. H.K. Jain E - Mail : jainhk60@gmail.com



60 Years - Universal Declaration of Human Rights

10 December 2008

Friday, April 24, 2009

Club News.....



Hong Kong 2009
The 23rd FIAP Asian International Stamp Exhibition is under the patronage of Federation of Inter Asia Philately (FIAP) and organized by the Hong Kong Philatelic Society. Hongkong Post is the main sponsor for this event. The Exhibition will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wanchai. Approximately 600 frames will be on display. The Exhibition will open on Thursday, May 14, 2009 and close on Sunday, May 17, 2009. Mr. Dhananjay Desai of Ahmedabad is the National Commissioner from India and Mr. Sunder Bahirwani is the member of Jury from India. The list of exhibits from India and abroad can be viewed at http://www.hkpsoc.com/hk2009/exhibits.html


This is a specialized FIAP exhibition in six exhibition classes only - total 800 exhibition frames tentatively classified as below:

§ 666 frames for competitive class in the Traditional Class, Postal History Class, Thematic Philately Class, Youth Philately Class, One Frame Class and Philatelic Literature Class

§ 48 frames for the Court of Honour

§ 100 frames for 10th Inter-school stamp exhibits competition

Total of 814 frames of top class exhibits

Venue: Hall 5G, Level 5, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Wanchai.
Daily Theme:
· 14 May 2009 (Thurs): Youth Day
· 15 May 2009 (Fri): Friendship Day
· 16 May 2009 (Sat): Collector Day
· 17 May 2009 (Sun): Family Day
Date stamps: Four different pictorial postmarks, one for each day Hong Kong 2009 Temporary Post Office date stamps

Sales of stamps and stamp products by Hong Kong Post: $50 Sheetlet and First day Cover on opening day 14 May 2009



Souvenir covers on Hong Kong 2009
A set of four souvenir covers titled "Board Games", one for each day will be released by the organizer Hong Kong Philatelic Society for the exhibition. Tangram (Chinese: Qi Qiao Ban) is a dissection puzzle made by cutting a square into seven pieces. The challenge is to put these pieces together to form different shapes, and the number and variety of shapes that can be formed is only limited by imagination. Chinese Chess (Chinese: Xiang Qi) is widely played in Chinese communities. The board is a symbolic representation of a battlefield with a river in the middle separating the two armies at the beginning of the game. The objective is to capture the general of the opponent. Chinese Checker (Chinese: Dan Zi Tiao Qi) is a game for two to six players. The board is in the shape of a hexagram with holes for marbles to rest on. Each marble is moved by placing it in an adjacent hole or by jumping over another marble. The first player to move all his marbles across the board to fill up the star point directly opposite is the winner. Flying Chess (Chinese: Fei Xing Qi) is a simple board game for two to four players. Each player has four plane pieces in his chosen colour. The objective is to fly all four planes to the depot at the centre of the board. The players take turn in rolling the dice to determine the number of steps their planes move. The first player to land all his planes on the depot wins.





New stamps from Sri Lanka
Courtesy - Pradip Jain
, Patna




Errors and Varieties on Indian Stamps


Black Color omitted




Yellow Color omitted

Courtesy - Pradeep Kumar Agarwal , Patna



Auction

ITS POSTAL AUCTION #44Indian Thematic Society indianthematicsociety@gmail.com is holding Auction Sale #44 closing on April 30, 2009. There are 130 lots in this sale. The scans of some lots are available at http://www.flickr.com/photos/its_offers


ZEPPELIN STUDY GROUP - meeting at PIPEX 2009 stamp show at Portland, ORThe ZEPPELIN STUDY GROUP is meeting at PIPEX 2009 stamp show at Portland, Orgeon (USA). Meeting date is Sunday May 24, 2009. If you plan to attend that meeting, please get in touch with Dickson Preston who is organizing the meeting. Dickson can be reached by email dicksonp@u.washington.edu Further details online at http://www.ezep.de/meet/pip.html

- new board for zeppelin mail and airship memorabiliaA new board for zeppelin mail and airship memorabilia was launched some days ago. At http://www.ezeptalk.de/you will find a board where you can post and discuss everything about zeppelin mail and airship memorabilia. If you have a question or if you simply want to share a nice cover, please do so at eZEPtalk.de. You can also respond to questions or participate in discussions started by other board members.