China Stamps: 2009-22

China Stamps
Name: 60th Anniversary of the CPPCC (中国人民政治协商会议成立六十周年)
Number: 2009-22
Date of Issue: 21 September 2009
Value: 2 stamps/set

Denominations:
1.20元 (2-1): Emblem of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (中国人民政治协商会议会徽)
1.20元 (2-2): Hall of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (全国政协礼堂)

September 21, 2009 marks the 60th anniversary of the CPPCC (Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference). Over the past six decades, under the leadership of the first three generations of central collective leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC), with Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping and Jiang Zemin at the core, respectively, and the leadership of the present CPC Central Committee with Hu Jintao as general secretary, the CPPCC has grown into a political organization composed of representatives from all the eight democratic parties, personages without party affiliation, mass organizations, all the 56 ethnic groups, five religions, totalling 34 different circles. As a Chinese people's patriotic united front organization, an important institution of multiparty cooperation and political consultation led by the CPC, and an important way to promote socialist democracy in China's political activities, the CPPCC has made significant contributions to the nation's prosperity, people's happiness, and China's national reunification and foreign exchange.

Singapore Sports FDC

Singapore FDC
Name: Countdown to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games
Date of Issue: 14 August 2009

On 21 February 2008, Singapore celebrated with fanfare when the International Olympic Committee announced its decision to hold the inaugural Summer Youth Olympic Games in 2010 in Singapore. Preparations for Singapore 2010 are on track, with progress in the development of an integrated sport, culture and education programme. To commemorate the countdown to this international multi-sport event on 14 August 2009, this set of stamps portrays the warm welcome from the host city (65C), and how Singapore 2010 aims to inspire youths to embrace, embody and express the Olympic values of Excellence (Ist local). Friendship ($ 1.10) and Respect ($ 2.00).

About Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games:
Singapore will be hosting the first Youth Olympic Games (YOG) from1 4 to 26 August 2010. It will receive some 5000 athletes and officials from the 205 National Olympic Committees (NOCs), along with estimated800 media representatives, 20,000 local and international volunteers, and more than 500,000 spectators. Young athletes - aged between14 and 18 years - will compete in 26 sports and take part in the Culture and Education Programme.

The Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games will create a tasting sports, culture and education legacy for Singapore and youths from around the world, as well as enhance and elevate the sporting culture locally and regionally.

Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games Series:
2008 Youth Olympic Games
2009 Countdown to the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games

Singapore Sculptures S/S FDC

Singapore Souvenir Sheet FDC
Name: Sculptures
Date of Issue: 09 August 2009

The art of sculpture has always proved to be a challenge in the arts arena, with sculptors needing ample space to work in and to store the finished pieces. However, thanks to the dedication of Ms Han Sai Por, Mr Tay Chee Toh, Mr Teo Eng Seng, Mr Wee Beng Chong, the late Mr Anthony Poon, the late Brother Joseph McNally, and the late Dr Ng Eng Teng, the art of sculpture is still very much alive and flourishing in Singapore today. Centering on the theme of Sculptures, this year's National Day stamp issue will see works such as the Standing Figure by Mr Wee Beng Chong, Wealth by the late Dr Ng Eng Teng, Nude 2 by Mr Tay Chee Toh, We're Happy. Are Your Happy: by Mr Teo Eng Seng, Aspirations by the late Mr Anthony Poon, Art Trees by Ms Han Sai Por and Signature by the late Brother Joseph McNally, be featured.

Singapore Sculptures FDC

Singapore FDC
Name: Sculptures
Date of Issue: 09 August 2009

Denominations:
50c: Mr Wee Beng Chong
Wee Beng Chong is a painter, sculptor, print-maker, calligrapher and seal-carver. On his ability to move between traditions, he believes that there is no clear boundary between eastern and western art and being an artist, one must also infuse our work with our traditional values and cultural heritage. He was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1979.

50c: Dr Ng Eng Teng
The late Dr Ng Eng Teng aimed to express humanist themes in his works and felt that the human figure best expresses feelings and ideas because it is closest to us. His works are reflections of his thought and experiences in visual form. Dr Ng passed away on November 4, 2001 and was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1981.

50c: Mr Tay Chee Toh
Tay Chee Toh, a painter and sculptor took paths in varied media and modes of visual expression. His sculptural artworks of welded steel, expressed in sensuous curvilinear forms, refer to the artist's allusion to the figure. Yet the lines of the organic abstract forms in their clean arabesque echo the postures and contortions of his two-dimensional figures. He was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1985.

50c: Mr Teo Eng Seng
Teo Eng Seng, being sensitive to his environment has been his impetus for creating works and striding out in fresh directions. While his career is closely associated with paperdysculpt, he continues to search out and experiment-ing with new materials including plastic wastes and fibreglass for sculptural works and installations. He was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1986.

50c: Mr Anthony Poon
The late Anthony Poon's works of pure abstraction shy from statement-making and emotive imagery. They stand as self-referential pure form, demanding attention to their physical presence and materiality. His penchant for making large works manifested itself in public commissions of large-scale relief and sculptural works for indoor and outdoor spaces. He passed away on September 2, 2006 and was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1990.

50c: Ms Han Sai Por
Han Sai Por has made a name as a stone sculptor. With nature as the source of inspiration and reference comes with strongly held views that modernity has severed ties with nature, her sculptures are intended to be evocative while she is most concern about the subject and idea she wanted to deliver. She was awarded the Cultural Medallion in 1995.

50c: Brother Joseph McNally
The late Brother Joseph McNally is a prolific sculptor whose work consists of salvaging discarded wood to make sculpture assemblages of glass and bronzes. While evoking a spiritual “world vision”, his works also fused elements of his Irish heritage and the diversity of Asian cultures he grew to learn while spending most part of his life being an influential art educator and artist in Singapore. He passed away on 27 August 2002 and was awarded the Singapore National Day Meritorious Service Medal in 1997.

China Stamp: 2009-21

China Stamp
Name: 100th Anniversary of Lanzhou University (兰州大学建校一百周年)
Number: 2009-21
Date of Issue: 17 September 2009
Value: 1 stamp/set

Lanzhou University, founded in 1909, (SC: 兰州大学, TC: 蘭州大學, PY: Lánzhōu Dàxué) is a university located in Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China. It provides programs for undergraduate, graduate students on four campuses--three in Lanzhou city centre and one in Yuzhong (榆中), which is about 30 miles away from the main campus. Total enrollment is approximately 20,000. Undergraduate students study at the Yuzhong campus. More...

Lithuania Railway FDC

Lithuania FDC
Name: 150th Anniversary of Railway in Lithuania
Date of Issue: 08 August 2009

Denomination:
2,90Lt: The Steam Locomotive 0-3-0 and The Electric Train EJ575

In February of 1851 the government of tsarist Russia made a decision to build a railway line St.Petersburg–Warsaw, which in the territory of Lithuania had to stretch through Dūkštas, Ignalina, Vilnius, Lentvaris with the branch through Kaunas to Kybartai (Virbalis) also reaching the border of Prussia.

The works for railway line Daugpilis–Vilnius–Lentvaris–Kaunas–Kybartai (Virbalis) were started on 1 May 1859, and already on 4 September 1860 the first locomotive arrived to Vilnius from Daugpilis.

Traffic of trains by railway St. Petersburg–Kybartai (Virbalis) was opened on 15 March 1862, and on 15 December regular traffic to Warsaw started. The trip from St. Petersburg to Vilnius lasted almost 19 hours, from Vilnius to Kaunas – 2 hours 33 minutes.

The first vehicles for the railway St.Petersburg–Warsaw were bought in Austria, Belgium, United Kingdom and France.

While building the firs railway line St.Petersburg–Warsaw in XIX century the first train stations were built (21 station): premium class stations in Kybartai (Virbalis) and Lentvaris, first class stations in Vilnius and Kaunas.

USA Forever FDC

USA FDC
Name: Forever - Liberty Bell (2009 Edition)
Date of Issue: 07 August 2009

In 2007, the U.S. Postal Service issued the Forever stamp, which will always be valid as First-Class postage on standard envelopes weighing one ounce or less, regardless of any subsequent increases in the First-Class rate. The stamp art depicts the Liberty Bell, which is perhaps the most prominent and recognizable symbol associated with American independence. Over the years, the historic significance of the bell's message has transcended our national borders, and today the Liberty Bell is an international icon of freedom. Replicas of the Liberty Bell exist in all fifty states and the District of Columbia.

Comment: If you check the colors of two stamps carefully, you can find these are two varieties. Yes, Please check the year-date 2009 carefully, The copper one is printed by Ashton Potter and the black one is printed by Avery Dennison.

Russia Symbol FDC

Russia FDC
Name: The Historical Character of St. Petersburg - Ship on the Spire of the Admiralty
Date of Issue: 06 August 2009

Admiralty - one of the masterpieces of architecture of St. Petersburg, a monument of Russian classicism. Ship on its spire is one of the symbols of the city along with the Bronze Horseman and the Palace Bridge.

It is believed that the prototype ship became the first Russian ship - a frigate "Eagle", which was built by Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in 1667-1669 gg.

China Stamps: 2009-20

Sheetlet

China Stamps
Name: 300 Tang Poems (唐诗三百首)
Number: 2009-20
Date of Issue: 13 September 2009
Value: 6 stamps/set

Denominations:
1.20元 (6-1): Downstream to Jiangling, Li Bai (下江陵 - 李白)
1.20元 (6-2): A View of Taishan, Du Fu (望岳 - 杜甫)
1.20元 (6-3): Song of a Pipa Player, Bai Juyi (琵琶行 - 白居易)
1.20元 (6-4): Untitled, Li Shangyin (无题 - 李商隐)
1.50元 (6-5): Looking at the Moon and Thinking of One Far Away, Zhang Jiuling (望月怀远 - 张九龄)
3元 (6-6): Ascending the Stork Tower, Wang Zhihuan (登鹳雀楼 - 王之涣)

The Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), considered the golden age of classical Chinese poetry, produced a galaxy of prominent poets in a variety of genres. The creations of Li Bai, Du Fu, Wang Wei and Bai Juyi represent the best of Chinese classical poetic forms. The profound and meaningful poems of the prime Tang period took the Tang poetry to its zenith. Compiled by Sun Zhu of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911), the "300 Tang Poems", a selection of 310 poems, mostly of the prime Tang period, embodies different characteristics and styles of different stages of the Tang. Since its publication during the reign of Emperor Qianlong (1736 - 1795), it has remained the widest-spread and most influential collection of Tang poems.

Comment: This is an excellent set in China stamps history. It has many special effects on this sheet. 1. This sheet contains all of content of the 300 Tang Poems, totally 25,000 Chinese characters, they were micro-printed on this sheet, every Chinese character is only 0.4mm in height; 2. If you use a special talk-pen to click the micro-printed section, you will hear the reading of every poem (I don't know whether it is the first multi-media stamps in the world? Who knows?); 3. The moon on 6-5 stamp used the phosphorescence technology; 4. Some parts of this sheet used the sandalwood smell.

Part of micro-printed effect

Download the Full Text of the 300 Tang Poems (micro-printed) on this set:
Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7.

China Pre-stamped Envelope: JF92

China Pre-stamped Envelope
Name: Opening of China Post Life Insurance Company Limited
Number: JF92
Date of Issue: 09 September 2009

China Post Life Insurance Company Limited is a state-owned national life insurance company initiated by China Post Group and 20 Post Corporations at provincial, autonomous region and municipal levels. It opened its doors for business on September 9, 2009.

Fully relying on the current network and recourses of Post, China Post Life regards the "service to grass-roots and service to agriculture, rural areas and farmers" as its duty, insists on the principle of operation with specialized and distinctive features, and implements the development strategy of "low cost, wide coverage, high yield". It focuses on balancing the insurance industry development between urban and rural areas by starting with the micro-insurance, and does the utmost to create a popular new-style efficient commercial insurance company that satisfying the government and reassures the regulator with its modernized system and standardized management.

Russia Symbol FDC

Russia FDC
Name: The Symbol of Moscow - St. George the Victorious
Date of Issue: 06 August 2009

Since the time of Dmitry Donskoy St. George is the patron saint of Moscow. From the late XIV-XV centuries. in Moscow heraldry constantly at a picture of a rider spearing a serpent. In the popular mind he was perceived as an image of St. George, and in 1730 it was formalized.

Description of The Symbol of Moscow
Coat of arms of Moscow is an image on a dark red heraldic shield with the ratio of width to height of 8:9-scale to the right of the viewer rider - St. George the Victorious in silver armor and a blue mantle (cloak), a silver horse, striking a golden spear black serpent.

USA Flags FDCs

USA FDCs
Name: Flags of Our Nation (3rd Series)
Date of Issue: 06 August 2009
Kentucky
This is a navy blue flag with the state seal in the middle; the seal shows two friends with the words "United We Stand" above them and "Divided We Fall" below them. Snapshot art features horses and the state's Bluegrass region.

Stars and Stripes
The 13 horizontal stripes represent the 13 original colonies; the 50 stars represent the 50 states. Snapshot art depicts the "amber waves of grain" of "America the Beautiful," by Katharine Lee Bates.
Maine
The coat of arms on the Maine flag includes a "husbandman, resting on a scythe" and a "seaman, resting on an anchor" on either side of a shield featuring a moose and a pine tree. Snapshot art also includes a moose.

Louisiana
The state coat of arms at the center of the flag depicts the state bird, a pelican, feeding its young. Snapshot art shows brown pelicans in flight.
Massachusetts
The flag holds the state coat of arms, which features a Native American holding a bow in his right hand and an arrow in his left hand; the arrow points downward as a symbol of peace. Snapshot art shows seabirds in flight, with sailboats in the background.

Maryland
The colors and patterns on this state flag are from the coats of arms of two of Maryland's founding families: the Calverts (yellow and black) and the Crosslands (red and white). Snapshot art shows a red-winged blackbird in a cattail marsh.
Minnesota
The flag design incorporates the state seal, state flower, state name, and important dates in state history. Snapshot art features a grain elevator on a riverbank with swans in the foreground.

Michigan
At the center of the flag is the state coat of arms; the word "TUEBOR" can be translated as "I will defend." Snapshot art shows vessels commonly seen on the Great Lakes.
Missouri
The flag has three broad horizontal stripes of red, white, and blue; centered on the white stripe is the state coat of arms, surrounded by a blue band containing 24 stars. Snapshot art features a paddle wheeler on a river.

Mississippi
In the flag's red union is "a broad blue diagonal cross" emblazoned with 13 stars and bordered with white; the field has three bars of blue, white, and red. Snapshot art shows black bears in a wooded area.

China Stamps: 2009-19

China Stamps
Name: National Library of China (国家图书馆)
Number: 2009-19
Date of Issue: 09 September 2009
Value: 2 stamps/set

Denominations:
1.20元 (2-1): Ancient Books Library (古籍馆)
1.20元 (2-2): North Section of the Headquarters (总馆北区)

The predecessor of the National Library of China was the Beijing Library established in 1909. Today, the library, consisting of its headquarters north of Beijing's Zizhuyuan Park and the Ancient Books Library west to Beihai Park, is a national repository of the home publications, a national bibliographic center, and a national center of ancient books protection. Thanks to a century of cultural deposit, the National Library serves as a systematic national cultural treasury housing a great number of precious ancient books, represented by the Wenjin Chamber copy of Complete Collection of the Four Treasuries and Yongle Encyclopedia. It has made a great contribution to the promotion of the Chinese civilization. With distinctive reading and exhibition halls, state-of-the-art facilities, a wide collection of books, and diverse services, the National Library is now one of the largest and most modern-equipped libraries in the world.

Algeria Road Safety FDC

Algeria FDC
Name: Road Safety
Date of Issue: 05 August 2009

The development of the auto industry promotes the movement of people and their journey, however, the result of growth in the number of vehicles in adverse consequences, primarily the growing number of tragic accidents Traffic that generate hundreds of thousands of casualties and millions of wounded, Algeria is not spared from this scourge.

Thus, the year 2008 saw 40,481 injury accidents in 4422 resulting in road traffic deaths and 64,708 injuries of different levels of severity, this is compounded by other economic losses estimated at 100 billion dinars for the year 2007.

No one can deny the efforts of all stakeholders in road safety through a national policy based primarily on the human factor, first through its education, its development and effective training for it becomes a perfect conductor that respects the foundations of security and traffic on the other hand, the introduction of modern education methods and instruments requiring compliance with the law and repression 'against all those who commit offenses.

Despite the importance attached 'to this factor, we must not neglect the motor factor and the environment by applying periodic inspection for all vehicles.

Regarding the improvement of the environment, several studies have been initiated, such as the development of road network equipped with safety means for ensuring the smooth flow of traffic and solve the problem of congestion.

Continuous efforts should be commonly provided by all agencies and sectors in order to mitigate as much as possible the social tragedy, or even stop the economic bleeding resulting from the misuse of the vehicle in our country.

Taiwan Paintings FDC

Taiwan FDC
Name: Modern Taiwanese Paintings (Issue of 2009)
Date of Issue: 07 August 2009
Number: Sp.534

To introduce the achievements of Taiwanese painters to the general public, Chunghwa Post has issued a series of stamps featuring modern Taiwanese paintings. Earlier sets were released on December 6, 2002, November 20, 2003, and March 25, 2004. Following these sets, Chunghwa Post will release another two stamps from the collection of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, featuring Taiwanese painter Lin Yu-shan's On the Way Home and Two Heads of Cattle.

Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) (1907-2004), who was originally named Lin Ying-kuei. In 1927, Lin became famous overnight when his work Water Buffalo was selected for the first Taiten (Taiwan Art Exhibition). Apart from his depictions of animals such as birds, tigers and cattle, Lin was best known for his landscapes, which he created with a supple use of brushstrokes. On the Way Home and Two Heads of Cattle are two of his most important works.

Denominations:
NT$5.00: On the Way Home (歸途)
A peasant woman walks slowly home with a water buffalo that is carrying a bundle of sugar cane on its back in twilight time. The natural and vivid composition is earnest and moving.

NT$25.00: Two Heads of Cattle (雙牛圖)
The painting portrays two vigorous oxen beside some cactus plants. The composition is bold, simple and powerful.

In celebration of the Philately Day on August 9 and to add interest in philately, the stamps will be printed as a gutter pair. The gutter will bear the Chinese characters for “2009 Philately Day” and a design of a collector pouring over stamps with a magnifier.

Comment: The original issue date of this set is 7th August, because of the Typhoon Morakot was closing in on Taiwan. All government offices and schools as well as the financial market in Taiwan (except Kinmen County) were closed on 7th August. In this case, Chunghwa Post allowed to post this set on next working day (7th Aug. is Friday, 8th and 9th are rest day, so 10th Aug is next working day). That's why you can see an additional seal (颱風郵路阻斷次日處理) on this FDC.

Thailand Puppet Shows S/S FDC

Thailand Souvenir Sheet FDC
Name: Thai Philatelic Exhibition 2009 - Thai Puppet Shows
Date of Issue: 04 August 2009
Number: 874

Purpose: To commemorate 16th Thai Philatelic Exhibition 2009, held between 4-9 August 2009 at Siam Paragon Department Store, Bangkok

Design: Illustrating Thai traditional puppet performances

Hun Lakorn Lek, a type of traditional Thai puppetry, was developed by Kru Krae Sapthawanich on the model of the Ramayana Thai puppets originated in the court of Krom Phra Ratchawang been transmitted to the present day through the dedicated work of Kru Sakorn Youngkhiewsod, also known as "Joe Louis", and members of his family. The first public performance of Hun Lakorn Lek was given at Joe Louis Theater in 1985. H.R.H. Princess Galayani Vadhana later renamed this theater to the "Nattayasala Hun Lakorn Lek" Theater.

The major driving force behiknd the amazingly life-like performance of Hun Lakorn Lek puppetry is the puppet artists themselves who, through their expert Khon performance skills, bring these puppets to live. Three puppet artists are required to manipulate each ppuppet. To give a faultless performance all there artists must be able to fuse their throughs and mind together and perform as one person.

Thailand Puppet Shows FDC

Thailand FDC
Name: Thai Philatelic Exhibition 2009 - Thai Puppet Shows
Date of Issue: 04 August 2009
Number: 874

Purpose: To commemorate 16th Thai Philatelic Exhibition 2009, held between 4-9 August 2009 at Siam Paragon Department Store, Bangkok

Design: Illustrating Thai traditional puppet performances

Hun Lakorn Lek, a type of traditional Thai puppetry, was developed by Kru Krae Sapthawanich on the model of the Ramayana Thai puppets originated in the court of Krom Phra Ratchawang been transmitted to the present day through the dedicated work of Kru Sakorn Youngkhiewsod, also known as "Joe Louis", and members of his family. The first public performance of Hun Lakorn Lek was given at Joe Louis Theater in 1985. H.R.H. Princess Galayani Vadhana later renamed this theater to the "Nattayasala Hun Lakorn Lek" Theater.

The major driving force behiknd the amazingly life-like performance of Hun Lakorn Lek puppetry is the puppet artists themselves who, through their expert Khon performance skills, bring these puppets to live. Three puppet artists are required to manipulate each ppuppet. To give a faultless performance all there artists must be able to fuse their throughs and mind together and perform as one person.

Comment: This is a great real posted FDC, not only my friend sent this FDC from the THAIPEX'09 temporary post office with designer's autograph (Miss Mayuree Narknisorn), but also this is a World Premier First 3D Motion Stamp of Thailand. I hope you can see the effect of this set.

Thailand Communications FDC

Thailand FDC
Name: National Communications Day 2009
Date of Issue: 04 August 2009
Number: 873

Purpose: To commemorate the National Communications Day 2009

Design: Illustrating the delivery of mails in the old ear

Comment: My friend sent this FDC from the THAIPEX'09 temporary post office with designer's autograph (Mr. Thaneth Ponchaiwong).

India College FDC

India FDC
Name: St. Joseph's College, Bangalore
Date of Issue: 01 August 2009

St. Joseph's College is an autonomous institution affiliated to Bangalore University. The college offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in science and humanities.

The college was founded in 1882 by the Fathers of the French Foreign Mission. In 1937, the college was handed over to the Society of Jesus, a Catholic religious order dedicated to the education of young people. The college moved from the Residency Road campus to new premises in the erstwhile Hostel campus at the intersection of Langford Road and Lalbagh Road in 2001. It was one of the five Bangalore colleges that were awarded academic autonomy in the year 2005.

Official Website of the St. Joseph's College, Bangalore

Taiwan Kinmen FDC

Taiwan FDC
Name: Scenery Postage Stamps－Kinmen
Date of Issue: 29 July 2009
Number: Sp. 533

Kinmen has great potential for tourism due to its special geographic location and its abundant cultural assets, war relics, and military structures, as well as natural ecological resources such as protected bird species. To introduce the unique cultural assets and built environment of Kinmen.

Denominations:
NT$5.00: Guningtou (古寧頭):
Guningtou is located at the northwest corner of Kinmen and includes the villages of Beishan, Nanshan and Lincu. It became fortress of democracy and freedom after the Battle of Guningtou in 1949. The traditional buildings in Nanshan and Beishan villages were mostly constructed during the late Ming Dynasty. These buildings are famous cultural and historical sites and tourist attractions.

NT$9.00: Zhaishan Tunnel (翟山坑道):
Located in the southwest of Kinmen, the Tunnel is connecting to the Taiwan Strait. This underground Tunnel comprises two sections: a tunnel and a waterway. The tunnel part is about 100 meters long, 6 meters wide, and 3.5 meters high. The waterway section has a walkway with an attached dock for small boats to berth.

NT$10.00: Qingtian Hall (擎天廳)
Located halfway up Mt. Taiwu, Qingtian Hall is a man-made underground granite cave. It is 50 meters long, 18 meters wide and 11 meters high. The project was so difficult that the late president Chiang Kai-shek gave it the name Qingtian Hall ("hall that holds up the sky"), which he inscribed on a rock wall in the cave.

NT$10.00: Lake Taihu (太湖):
Being an island in the sea, fresh water is hard to come by in Kinmen. To meet household needs and support military readiness, the military has constructed many reservoirs of various sizes in Kinmen. Lake Taihu is one of them. Dug in 1966, it is about 36 hectares in area, and has a capacity of 114 metric tons of water.

Australia Micro Monsters FDC

Australia FDC
Name: Micro Monsters
Date of Issue: 28 July 2009

Denominations:
55c: Hatchet Wasp
55c: Praying Mantis
55c: Ground Beetle
55c: Jumping Spider
55c: Ant
$1.10: Weevil

Micro Monsters is a fascinating issue that reveals a wonderful microscopic world most of us never have a chance to see. Familiar everyday insects, magnified many times, are shown in a new light. The stamps feature an Ant; a Jumping Spider; a Weevil; a Hatchet Wasp; a Ground Beetle and a Dead Leaf Mimic Mantis (or Praying Mantis). The miniature sheet shows a detail of a Common Cabbage White Butterfly's wing. When photographed by a scanning electron microscope (SEM), these tiny insects become fantastically monster-like in appearance, creating a quite different and wonderfully unique experience of these relatively common creatures.

The SEM allows magnification of remarkable strength - well over one million times - and SEM photography became commercially available in the 1960s. In addition to being a crucial research tool in many areas of science, it has changed the way we see the world. By enabling us to view any specimen at such magnification the SEM reveals the beauty and complexity of microstructure in amazing clarity.

The word microscope is derived from the Greek mikros (small) and skopeo (look at). There has always been an interest in being able to look at smaller and smaller details, for example, biologists examine the structure of cells, bacteria, viruses while geologists study the structure of rocks, minerals and fossils.

The technology that allows us to see these insects in such detail was invented by a German, Dr Ernst Ruska at the University of Berlin, who built the first transmission electron microscope in 1931. For this and subsequent work on the subject, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1986.

While SEM images are only ever in black-and-white, these stamps have been colourised with subtlety by designer Wayne Rankin to emphasise specific features. Wayne has designed many stamps for Australia Post including the wonderful Nature of Australia series. All the stamp images are from the collection of the Australian Museum in Sydney and the specialist micrographer is Sue Lindsay.

Issue Highlights
This is a great issue for kids! For the first time the minisheet stamps incorporate thermoprinting technology. Simply apply friction (eg. rub quickly with your thumb) to a special area on each stamp on the minisheet to reveal information on the degree of magnification of each insect.

Comment: This is my first real posted FDC from Australia, thanks my friend!