Taiwan Bridges (II) FDC

Taiwan FDC
Name: Bridges of Taiwan (2nd Series)
Date of Issue: 12 May 2008
Number: Sp.519

Denominations:
NT$5.00: Wurih Bridge, Taichung
Spanning the Han River, this beautiful cable-stayed bridge is the gateway to Taiwan High Speed Rail's Wurih Station for Taichung City, Taichung County and the Nantou area. Opened to traffic in January of 2004, it has a total length of 179 meters and a width of over 20 meters. This stylish steel bridge has become a new landmark in Wurih Township.

NT$5.00: Jilu Bridge, Nantou
Spanning the Jhuoshuei River, the Jilu Bridge connects Jiji and Lugu Townships. It was opened to traffic in 2004 and has a total length of 967 meters and a width of 24 meters. It was the first side-spar cable-stayed bridge entirely built of concrete in Taiwan. The under-the-bridge illumination creates spectacular nighttime scenery. The bridge supports both transportation and tourism.

NT$12.00: Shueiyun Bridge, Shueili
Spanning the Shueili River, the bridge has a total length of 96 meters and a width of 3 meters. Completed in 2005, it was the first bridge in Nantou County to fully adopt solar lighting for nighttime illumination. Its colorful flashing lights are a traffic stopper.

NT$15.00: Sindong Bridge, Miaoli
Spanning the Houlong River, this bridge in Gongguan Township is the gateway to Miaoli City. Opened to traffic in 1997, this symmetrical twin-tower cable-stayed bridge has a total length of over 320 meters and a width of 21 meters.

Latvia Lighthouse FDC

Latvia FDC
Name: Akmeņraga Lighthouse
Date of Issue: 10 May 2008

Akmeņraga or Akmeņrags (Stone Cape) lighthouse is a 35 m tall lighthouse. It is located on a cape about 35km north of Liepāja. The first lighthouse on this location was built in 1884, then destroyed during WWI and rebuilt in 1921.

Comment: It is very difficult to find detailed information of this lighthouse. What a pity! Latvia Post doesn't supply the official information on its website. So I must search the detailed information by myself each time. To compare with its Baltic brothers, it should be improved.

2008 Latvia Akmeņraga Lighthouse FDC
2008 Estonia Mehikoorma Lighthouse FDC
2007 Germany Lighthouses FDC
2007 Indonesia Lighthouses FDC

Estonia Strandman FDC

Estonia FDC
Name: Republic of Estonia heads of state 1918-2018 - Otto Strandman
Date of Issue: 09 May 2008

Otto August Strandman (30 November 1875 – 5 February 1941) was a Prime Minister of Estonia and Head of State. He was born in Vanda, Undla rural municipality, Virumaa and died in Kadrina, Estonia.

He was Estonian Prime Minister from 8 May 1919 to 18 November 1919 and Elder of State from 9 July 1929 to 12 February 1931, one of the eleven men to serve as Estonian head of state during its period of independence (1918 to 1940).

In 1917–1918, he was Chairman of the Estonian Province Assembly (Eesti Maanõukogu); in 1918, Minister of Justice, and in 1918–1919, Minister of Agriculture of the Provisional Government. In 1918, he was arrested by the German occupation powers. In 1919, he was Prime Minister and also Minister of War, 1920–1921 Minister of Foreign Affairs, 1921 Chairman of I Riigikogu, 1924 Minister of Foreign Affairs, later Minister of Finances, 1927–1929 Estonian Envoy to Poland, Czechoslovakia and Romania, 1933 Envoy to France, Belgium and the Vatican. 1917-1919 Member of the Estonian Province Assembly, 1919–1920 Member of the Constituent Assembly (Estonian: Asutav Kogu), 1920–1937, member of the I-V Riigikogu.

In 1941, he shot himself to death when the NKVD (People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs, here the Soviet State Secret Police) officers came to arrest him.

Russia President FDC

Russia FDC
Name: Inauguration of the President of Russian Federation
Date of Issue: 29 April 2008

Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev (Russian: Дми́трий Анато́льевич Медве́дев; born 14 September 1965) is the 3rd and current President of Russia, inaugurated on May 7, 2008. He won the presidential election held on March 2, 2008 with about 70% of the vote.

Medvedev was appointed First Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian government on November 14, 2005. Formerly Vladimir Putin's chief of staff, he was also the Chairman of Gazprom's board of directors, a post he had held, for the second time, since 2000. On December 10, 2007, he was informally endorsed as a candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections by the largest Russian political party, United Russia, and officially endorsed on December 17, 2007. Medvedev's candidacy was supported by former President Vladimir Putin and pro-presidential parties. A technocrat and political appointee, Medvedev had never held elective office before 2008. More...

Poland EUROPA FDC

Poland FDC
Name: EUROPA 2008 - Letter
Date of Issue: 05 May 2008

Comment: The design of this stamp is very funny. Knife, fork and FDC. Do you want to eat it?

EUROPA 2008 Series - Letter FDCs:
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Vatican.

Russia EUROPA FDC

Russia FDC
Name: EUROPA 2008 - Letter
Date of Issue: 05 May 2008

Comment: The illustration of this FDC depicts an email. I'm curiously what's the meaning of this email, who could translate it?

EUROPA 2008 Series - Letter FDCs:
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Vatican.

Lithuania EUROPA FDC

Lithuania FDC
Name: EUROPA 2008 - Letter
Date of Issue: 03 May 2008

Designs:
2,45 Lt: The Great Duchy of Lithuania letters of Gediminas for Europe cities.1323.
2,45 Lt: The letters to Vilnius – To European culture metropolis.

Letters will be the main theme of stamp series Europa of 2008. Therefore, in the first stamp the author wants to remind us of a milestone of the written word in Lithuania – the letters of our Grand Duke Gediminas who wrote them in 1323 – 1324. These letters were addressed to Pope John XXII and Catholic Western Europe. By sending these letters, Grand Duke Gediminas invited various craftsmen, artisans and experts to come to the country. In these letters Vilnius was mentioned for the first time ever as the capital of the country.

The second stamp depicts the significant role of letters in our modern world. Nowadays both letters and e-mails spread the news to the world about Lithuania and its capital Vilnius which is preparing to become European capital of culture in 2009. The program under the title European Capitals of Culture has been implemented since 1985 providing cities with the possibility to introduce their culture to the citizens of other countries. Vilnius has already received numerous letters asking about the future events organized in the city, about traditions and history of Lithuania, already preparing to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of its statehood in 2009. In their letters people also inquire about the current situation of the country and its people.

Comment: This design is ingenious, not only has catered to the EUROPA topic, but also narrated a section of Lithuanian history.

EUROPA 2008 Series - Letter FDCs:
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Vatican.