Australian Jetties
Date of Issue : 21 February 2017
Dehradun March
2017 Vol. X No. 111
Readers
are requested to send reports of philatelic activities in their area for
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RAINBOW
Dear Reader
I am pleased to release
March 2017 Issue of Rainbow Stamp News . Next Regional Meeting of Philatelic
Congress of India is scheduled to be held on 4th March 2017. I wish
to draw the attention of all the members of Governing Council of the PCI to
bring a change in the rules of awarding system in One Frame Class upto the National
Level. One Frame Class is an important class of the stamp exhibitions and if we
analyse rationally, it is the only class that will survive in the years to come
like T 20 Cricket. In fact a collector can display the exhibit in 16 pages. No
doubt one can participate in this class by preparing a quick exhibit in a short
duration of time. There are a number of participants in this class but very
little credit is given to the exhibitors of this class as they are awarded
points instead of medals. Now philately has become a hobby of small enthusiast
group of people and needs to be promoted at least among those who are
participating in the exhibitions. Awarding points in this class is not enough
to recognize and appreciate the worth of the one frame exhibit. The medal
should be given as per points awarded to the exhibit. However the frame fee in
this class could be increased to the
double or more in order to manage the cost of medals in this category.
March is the month of
famous colorful festival of India “ Holi ” .Wishing you all a very Happy Holi.
This is all for this
month.....More in next issue.
Contents
§
From the Desk of Naresh Agrawal
§
Recent Indian Issues
§
In The News
§
Doon Philatelic Diary
§
Beginners’ Section
§
Specialized Section
§
Readers’ Right
§
New Issues from Other Countries
§
Lighter Side
§
Philatelic Clubs and Society
§
Blogs & Websites on Philately
§
Current Philatelic Magazines –
Newsletter
FEEDBACK FORM FOR NATIONAL COMMISSIONERS
This
has been the ultimate desire of most of the philatelists to participate in
International or world level shows. For this life time efforts, after spending
good part of their hard earned money, huge time of their limited life time
span, massive search and research; everyone likes to see that the final journey
to this goal should be smooth, pleasing and satisfying. But as it is said that
way to the glory is not that easy all the times. Reason may be many but smooth
way is hard to get.
Well,I
am indicating towards functioning of the
National Commissioners appointed for
particular exhibition in India or abroad by PCI. The Commissioners are
appointed for the purpose of promoting and supporting all exhibitions granted
FIP patronage, auspices or recognition to take care of the interests of the
exhibitors and to help them.
They
are there to smoothen the journey of exhibit to and fro. Their main function is
to ease out the administrative and governmental hurdles by way of getting
clearance form different departments, fulfill all requirement and complete all the formalities such as
arranging insurance, getting temporary permit to carry exhibits abroad, custom
clearance, ASI clearance etc.. To carry the exhibits, get those displayed,
receive back and carry back and deliver back to the exhibitor along with awards/medals/
literature whatever he feels like sharing / delivering. In other sense, he is
the true representative of an exhibitor though ambassador of the country.
Frankly speaking, a tough and responsible job accepted and done voluntarily.
In
spite of all the best efforts being put in by the commissioners, they are
always found to be on receiving end. Exhibitors of different mind sets have
different issues with them. Some complains about poor/delayed response to the
queries raised to them, reporting any action to be taken, lack and poor
communication, delayed return of exhibits, return of exhibits in poor state,
non delivery of appropriate literature or information of the material collected
for exhibitor etc. . In general different applicants / participants have
different experiences which mainly depends upon one’s own state of mind, report
with the commissioner.
Mrs.
Jeevan Jyoti has taken up this issue in her last editorial which genuinely
needs consideration by PCI. Well, not to speak too much on this, I would also endorse her suggestion that there should be a feedback form for every exhibitor who has to submit the
same with in stipulated period after receipt of the exhibit. The feedback form
should have components like dates,
condition of exhibit, nature and speed of communication, total expenditures etc
etc. . This feedback from the exhibitor should be made mandatory.
We
must also look in to the essential requirement to become a commissioner such as
prompt in actions, fast and prompt communication skills, physically fit and
healthy, willing to share information, and good co-ordinator.
Recent Indian Issue
1
January 2017 – Splendors of India – 12 x Rs 25 + 1 MS Rs 300 + 12 MS of RS 25 each
5
January 2017 - Guru Gobind Singh 350th Prakash Utsav Rs 10 + MS
7January
2017 - India Portugal Joint Issue
- Rs 5 = Rs 25 + MS
17
January 2017 M G Ramachandran - Rs 15
25 January 2017
- Nature – 6 x Rs 5 + MS
30
January 2017 – India Post Payments Bank – Rs 5
10
February 2017 – Headgears of India – 16 x Rs 10 + MS
11
February 2017 - The Poona Horse Regiment of Indian Army –Rs 5
13 February
2017 – Ramjas College – Rs 5
23
February 2017 – Ladybird Beetle – 2 x Rs 5 + 2 x Rs 15 + MS
Recent Special Covers
25
February 2017 GOPEX 2017 : Pt Ram Prasad Bismil - Gorakhpur
24
February 2017 : Consecration & Unveiling of Adiyogi - The
Source of Yoga – Hyderabad
13
February 2017 : District level
Philatelic Exhibition – Ludhiana 4 special Covers10 February 2017 : 30th All India Postal Basketball Tournament 2016 -17
6 February
2017 : Tikkar Tal – Morni Hills HARPEX
2017 - Ambala
5 February
2017 : HARPEX 2017 - Ambala GPO, Ambala
4 February
2017 : Solapex 2017. Solapur
4 February
2017 : HARPEX 2017 -Postal and RMS Emplyees Co-operative Bank Ltd. Ambala
3 February
2017 : HARPEX - 2017 Jyotisar – Janmasthali of Gita, Ambala
3 February
2017 : Sunrise at Chandrabhaga - Sun Temple Konark , Konark
3 February
2017 : SOLAPEX 2017 – Solapur
In The News
Canada Post and Indian Post to jointly issue Diwali
stamps
In celebration of Canada’s 150th
anniversary, Canada Post and India Post have decided to produce a first-ever
joint stamp to mark Diwali. This stamp will be released in September.
Canada
Post President and CEO Deepak Chopra presenting an album of Canadian stamps to
B.V. Sudhakar, Secretary of Department of Posts, India
This decision was officially
announced by Canada Post President and CEO Deepak Chopra, who is of Indian
origin, and his Indian counterpart B.V. Sudhakar, Secretary of India’s
Department of Posts, after their meetings in Ottawa and Toronto.
“This stamp - to mark the
festival of Diwali - is Canada Post’s first joint issue with India. Not only
will it represent our country’s proud diversity, it will celebrate the close
bond between both countries,” said Chopra.
“Issuing a joint stamp
celebrating Diwali is a meaningful way to recognize the importance of this
relationship to both countries,” said Sudhakar. “I am proud to have conducted
the first ever visit to Canada Post,” he stated.
Chopra alluded to his last year’s
visit to India, when he met “many of the big eCommerce platforms including
Snapdeal, Flipkart, Craftsvilla and others, and shared with them Canada as a
cross-border e-commerce market for Indian products, including handicrafts that
Canadian consumers crave for.”
It was during his visit to India,
Chopra told The Indian Diaspora, that he discussed with his Indian counterparts
about Canada celebrating its 150th anniversary “and we would love to do a joint
(stamp) issue.”
“The joint stamp issue will
feature two stamps marking Diwali, the festival of lights, with one stamp
design from each country,” reveals Canada Post. “The stamps will be released in
each country on the same day in the fall of 2017.”
Indian Consul-General in Toronto
Dinesh Bhatia said: “Both these initiatives are major milestones in
Canada-India relations and I applaud Mr. Chopra and Mr. Sudhakar for their
initiative and leadership in building new bridges for trade and goodwill
between our two countries.”
Recent Stamp
Exhibitions
BRASILIA -2017
Brasilia-2017 is a
Specialized World Stamp Exhibition. The Exhibition will open on 24 October
2017 and close on 29 October 2017. Mr Ajay Kumar Mittal is the
National Commissioner. Interested philatelists may contact him at email : ajaymittal1957@gmail.com
BANDUNG
2017
BANDUNG
2017 Specialised WORLD STAMP EXHIBITION, 3-7 Aug 2017 Exhibition under FIP
Patronage
Shri Sahdeva Sahoo is National Commissioner
for this exhibition. emails
: sahadevasahoo@gmail.com &
sahadevas@yahoo.com Phones +91 9337103542
+91 674 2432251 (LL)
+91 674 2432251 (LL)
MELBOURNE 2017
MELBOURNE 2017, 34th FIAP Asian International Stamp Exhibition
will be held in Melbourne, Australia from 30 March to 2 April 2017.
Mr. Madhukar Jhingan is the Indian National Commissioner for the
MELBOURNE 2017.
Doon Philatelic Diary
Rashtriya
Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun
RIMC, Dehradun was inaugurated by his
Royal Highness , Prince Edward VII, the Prince of Wales in 1922 as Prince of
Wales Royal Indian Military College. It was established by the British Empire
to train native Indian cadets for an entry into the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst,
so that they can get entry as officers in the British Indian Army. The government order appointed a
military commandant of the rank of Lt Colonel, a civilian headmaster, senior or
junior British Masters and Indian Masters. During
his address to the first thirty-seven cadets, Prince of Wales said, "It is
the first few blows on the anvil of the life that give the human weapon the set
and temper that carry him through life's battles". Nested in the foothills
of the Shivalik ranges in the sylvan surroundings of the Doon Valley, the RIMC
has a sprawling campus of 138 acres; an ideal setting green and serene for
developing young minds. After India gained independence in 1947, the school
continued to train young men to become a part of the Indian
Armed Forces.
The college is administered by the
Union Ministry of Defense, through the Directorate General of Military
Training, Army. RIMC (Limca Book of Records confirm) is perhaps the only
institution in the country where exams for Class X and XII are conducted twice
a year, in May and November. Alumni
of the RIMC are known as "Rimcollians". Over the year the alumni has
produced many leaders of society, both military as well as civil. Four chiefs
of Army staff and one chief of the Air staff in India; one Commander-in-chief
of the Army and two chief of the Air staff in Pakistan.
Hugh
Catchpole is a name which is very much revered at RIMC. Catchpole joined the
RIMC in 1928, as an assistant master and went on to become the principal of the
college in 1947 and remained the principal till 1953 when an order of the
Indian government restricted the contract periods of foreign nationals to one
year. It was then that he left for Pakistan where two Rimcollians, Habib Akbar
and Abdul Qayyum, assisted him in setting up the Punjab Cadet College at Hasan
Abdal. He died in Islamabad on February 1, 1997 at the age of 90. During
the Catchpole centenary celebrations at Dehradun in 2007, Rimcollians from all
around the world gathered and paid there homage to the legendary teacher. A
cricket match was also played between the cadets of India and Pakistan.
References
1.
www.rimc.gov.in
Beginners’ Section
A POST OFFICE FOR YOUR VALENTINES
It itself is named “Loveland Post Office”
situated in Colorado, USA and is always a busy place, but especially so during
the first two weeks in February , when many people come to Loveland to mail
their Valentines with a special "LOVELAND" postmark. Even celebrities
like Oprah Winfrey and President Barack Obama had visited here.
The Loveland Chamber of Commerce and the United States Postal Service have been teaming up for 65 years with their internationally renowned Valentine Re-mailing Program. This program re-mails more than 160,000 cards each year from all 50 states and more than 110 countries. They also issued stamps cards throughout the year with its annual cachet that reads "There is nothing in this world as sweet as love."
The Chamber of Commerce also holds a local contest to gather artistic designs and verses toward the development of a new cachet each year. They also produce the “official Loveland valentine card” which is generated from the creative works of local artists and residents who design the card front, inside verse, and the cachet stamp.
Love landers are very proud of their program that sends a message of love around the globe. In fact, there is a waiting list for people who would like to be one of the 60 plus volunteers who lovingly hand-stamp each card with a specially designed cachet for first two weeks in February.
On the
126th anniversary of Agatha Christie's birth
© Dr.Satyendra Kumar
Agrawal
Year 2016 was marked as 125th anniversary
of her birth, the centenary of Christie writing her first detective story as
well as the 40th anniversary of her death (which was in January 1976).Postal
administrations all over the world honoured this all-time great Mystery
novelist issuing commemorative stamps and other philatelic products.
PHILATELIC
TRIBUTES IN CHRISTIE STYLE
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa
Christie
Royal Mail chosen six of
the sixty-six detective novels that Christie penned including her first
published detective novel “The Mysterious Affair at Styles” for its 2016
commemorative issues. Other novels depicted on the stamps include: “Murder on
the Orient Express”, “And Then There Were None”,” A Murder is Announced”,” The
Murder of Roger Ackroyd” and “The Body in the Library”. All in true Christie
style designed by London-based Studio
Sutherland in collaboration with British illustrator Neil Webb Jim, containing
hidden elements relating to key scenes and principal characters from Christie’s
mystery novels.Printed mostly in moody black and white, they make extensive use
of micro printing to include references
to book titles, plots and characters, as well as the six letters which comprise
her first name, as if they were hidden clues. To unfold these secrets one will
need a mix of body heat, UV light and a magnifying glass.
FDC, GB 2016
“MURDER ON
THE ORIENT EXPRESS”: SUSPECTS ARE ALL PRINTED IN MICRO TEXT
“Murder on the Orient
Express” published in 1934,was inspired by an actual incident when the Orient
Express was blocked by snow.Agatha journeyed frequently on the Orient Express
to and from Baghdad with her second husband Max Mallowan, the well-known
archaeologist who excavated several important sites in the Middle East.
In Murder on the Orient
Express, just after midnight, a snowdrift stopped the Orient Express in its
tracks. The luxurious train was surprisingly full for the time of year. But by
the morning there was one passenger fewer. An American lay dead in his
compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside.With
tension mounting, detective HerculePoirotfinds that everyone travelling in his
coach has a motive. Hecomes up with not one, but two solutions to the crime.
When the Albert Finney
film adaptation of ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ opened, more than 3,000,000
copies of its, were sold in 1974 alone.
“The red kimono character is
a red herring, distracting the viewer from the killer hidden behind a heat
sensitive ink curtain (you simply put your finger on it and curtain
disappears),” Sutherland said. “The suspects are all printed in micro text
along the train rail. I loved the idea that you need magnifying glass to read
some of the clues—as stamp collectors use them as well as sleuths.”
This famous novel is also commemorated on
an early issue of GB 1991 as a pane of a Booklet depicting only a knife.
“THEN THERE
WERE NONE”: KEY TO THE PLOT IN MICRO TEXT IS THE MOON’S REFLECTION
“Then There Were None” is the Christie’s
best-selling novel and one of the biggest sellers of all time – with 100
million copies sold. This book has had more adaptations than any other of
Christie’s work, as well as eight film versions.Published in 1939, this novel
sees a group of people lured into staying on a remote island under various
pretexts, and then being murdered one after another, apparently in retribution
for earlier sins.
“The island is the profile
of the unknown killer and host,” Sutherland said. “The poem, key to the plot,
is the moon’s reflection. The mysterious U.N. Owen appears at the lit window.”
“THE BODY
IN THE LIBRARY”: MISS MARPLE BOOKS IN SHELVES NAME IN MICRO TEXT
In “The Body in the
Library”,published in 1942, the case follows Miss Marple investigating a
complex mystery in which the identity of the victim is far from clear, never
mind that of the murderer.
“Miss Marple investigates a
body found in the library,” Sutherland said. “Her previous books appear on the
shelves behind.”
“A MURDER
IS ANNOUNCED”: UV INK REVEALS THE CLOCK FACE
“A
Murder is announced”,published in 1950, is the 50th Christie mystery
imaginative tale concerns a killing which is advertised in advance in a local
newspaper, and is followed by more. Solving the case requires all of Miss
Marple’s intuition. Its first edition sold record breaking 50,000 copies.
Killer bursts in at a
preannounced time (6:30) to shoot at the hostess,” Sutherland said. “She holds
the newspaper where he announced his plans. UV ink reveals the clock face. Miss
Marple appears on the scene.”
BOOKS ADOPTED FOR TV AND FILMS
Television
adoption of Miss Marple and Poirot books achieved critical acclaim as well as
popular success. Most of her books and short stories have been adapted for radio, video games, comics and more than
thirty feature films.
Series of 13 British crime
drama comprising 70 episodes, based on Agatha Christie's Poirot aired on ITV
during 1989-2013
Peter Ustinov as Inspector
HerculePoirot in movies: Death on the Nile (1978); Evil Under the Sun (1982);
Thirteen at Dinner (1985) (TV); Dead Man's Folly (1986) (TV); Murder in Three
Acts (1986) (TV); Appointment with Death (1988)
She was named ‘Mystery Writer of the Century’ and in 1972 she was
immortalised in Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum...
SHE HAS A
ROSE NAMED AFTER HER
Beautiful rich, pink Hybrid
Tea shaped blooms that are lightly fragrant. A strong growing,
disease-resistant climber with outstanding dark-green glossy foliage and Repeat
Bloom
EVEN HER
TYPEWRITER ON WHICH SHE WROTE MANY OF HER NOVELS IS ON VIEW IN TORRE ABBEY IN
TORQUAY
Her Typewriter
The Mysterious
Affair at STYLESher first mystery plot
Reverse
side of the Booklet pane, GB 1991
She
is the only crime writer to have created two equally famous and much loved
characters - Hercul ePoirot and Miss Marple
United States Columbian Issue
Contd from the last issue …..
The design for this
stamp, "Columbus Presenting Natives", was modeled after one of the
paintings created by Luigi Gregori for the administration building at the University
of Notre Dame after it was rebuilt following an 1879 fire, and was one of five
designs engraved by Robert Savage. This denomination was originally intended to
pay the fee for registered mail. However, the change in registered mail fees
that necessitated the introduction of the 8-cent Columbian also changed the
most common purpose of this value; it instead paid the full postage for
registered first-class mail, rather than just the additional fee. A total of 16,516,950
ten-cent stamps were issued.
10¢ Columbian bottom sheet-margin
plate "No. 99"
15¢ Columbian
"Columbus Announcing His Discovery" depicts his
return to court from his first voyage. The original painting by Ricardo Baloca
y Cancico is lost and is believed to have been destroyed during the Spanish
Civil War. Originally intended to pay postage for international registered
letters, the change in the registered mail fee left this stamp with fewer
direct uses. Although it would pay the cost for a triple-rate international
letter, it was most commonly used in combination with other stamps to meet more
expensive heavyweight charges.
30¢ Columbian
The title of painter Felipe Maso's work, "Columbus before the
Franciscans at La Rabida" was shortened to "Columbus at La
Rabida" when it was adapted for use in the Columbian Issue. This value was
most commonly used to pay for mail to expensive foreign destinations and 1,576,950 were issued.
50¢ Columbian
A painting by A. G. Heaton was the basis for "Recall of
Columbus", the first 50-cent stamp issued in the United States. Like all
high-value Columbians, it was primarily used in combination to meet the needs
of heavyweight or international shipments. Only 243,750 of these stamps were
issued.
A. G. Heaton’s Recall of Columbus
$1 Columbian
This design was based on a painting by Antonio Muñoz Degrain, and, like many others in the Columbian Issue, engraving for
this design was done by Robert Savage. Prior to the printing of "Isabella
Pledging Her Jewels", no United States postage stamp, as aforesaid, had
been issued with a value above 90 cents. This stamp, like all stamps equal to
or greater than a dollar in value in the set, paid no specific rate at all.
Although all five are known to have been used for heavy international
shipments, there is speculation that they were primarily intended as Exposition
advertising and as revenue for the Post Office Department. Most uses of the
dollar-value Columbians were on philatelic covers.
Because they were so
expensive, there were far fewer of these dollar-value stamps printed; in the
case of the one-dollar Columbian, only 55,050 were ever produced. The
one-dollar “Isabella Pledging Her Jewels” was recently ranked #24 in the book 100 Greatest American Stamps by
Janet Klug and Donald Sundman, 2008.
$2 Columbian
"Columbus in
Chains", its image derived from a painting by Emanuel Leutze, is one of only two
stamps in the series to depict Columbus on land in the New World (along with the
2-cent). Here, he is shown facing charges of administrative misconduct after
his arrest in San Domingo by Don Francisco de Bobadilla.
Only
45,550 were printed. The two-dollar “Columbus in Chains” was recently ranked
#48 in the book 100 Greatest American Stamps by Janet Klug and Donald Sundman, 2008.
Emanuel Leutze’s Columbus in Chains
$3 Columbian
"Columbus Describing Third
Voyage" was one of five designs engraved by Robert Savage. All of these
were his sole work, engraved without collaboration with either of the other two
engravers working on the Columbian Issue. Engraving was based on a painting by
Francisco Jover Casanova, the same artist whose work was adapted for the 8-cent
stamp's design. The
three highest value Columbians were printed in much smaller quantities than
less expensive members of the set, 27,650 in the case of the 3-dollar value. As
with the 6-cent Columbian, a colour variety exists that is awarded minor number
status. While this stamp is normally described as yellow green, the variant is
considered to be olive green. Only 24,713 of these stamps were sold. This stamp was recently ranked
#36 in the book 100 Greatest American Stamps by Janet Klug and
Donald Sundman, 2008.
$4 Columbian
"Isabella and
Columbus" was the first United States stamp to bear the portrait of a
woman. Queen Isabella's place on U.S. postage in that regard would not
be equaled until Martha Washington was depicted on a 1902 definitive. The portrait
of Columbus on the right was adapted from one by Lorenzo Lotto. Only 26,350 were printed, the least of any of the
Columbians. Only 22,993 of these
stamps were sold. The four-dollar “Isabella and Columbus” was
recently ranked #40 in the book 100
Greatest American Stamps by
Janet Klug and Donald Sundman, 2008.
As with the 6-cent
Columbian, a colour variant exists that is awarded minor number status. While
this stamp is normally described as crimson lake, the variety is considered to
be rose carmine.
The design for both
was taken from an earlier Columbus medal struck in Madrid, probably designed in
turn by Olin L. Warner of New York. The figures on the left and right of
Columbus were probably engraved by Charles Skinner. Alfred Jones engraved both
the stamp and the original half-dollar coin issued by the United States Mint
with the "Columbus" portrait, which faced the opposite
direction from his engraving work on the Columbian Exposition half dollar. The two framing figures were engraved by Charles Skinner.
Some 27,350 were printed, of which 21,844 sold.
The most popular
stamp in the Columbian series, the five-dollar Columbian “has an almost
mystical aura in the United States philatelic community,” according to
Alexander Haimann of the National Postal Museum. Philatelic historian Lester
Brookman describes this stamp as “the very peak of desire for a great many
collectors.” Only 21,844 were sold. An additional 5,506 were printed, but were
subsequently destroyed by the Postal Department in June, 1899. The five-dollar
“Columbus” was recently ranked #4 in the book 100 Greatest American
Stamps by Janet Klug and Donald Sundman, 2008.
The 1892 and 1893 Columbian half dollars were the first commemorative coins issued by the United States
The 16 stamps of the United States Columbian Issue
Related Issues
A series of four envelopes,
or preprinted postal stationery, was issued along with the stamp set. This series
included 1-cent, 2-cent, 5-cent, and 10-cent values depicting the heads of
Columbus and Liberty.
Design of 1¢ and 2¢ Columbian envelope
Design of 5¢ SPECIMEN Columbian envelope
10¢ Columbian envelope
Postal cards were also issued to commemorate the Exposition. There were 12 different designs
related to the Exposition. The cards were sold individually or as a set in a
paper wrapper. One, depicting the Women's Building, is known in two slightly
different versions. The pre printed stamp was not specifically designed for the
Exposition, and was the same on all versions.
Complete
set of 12 (series No. 1) Official 1893 Chicago World's Columbian Exposition
postal cards
The stamps used to pay the 10-cent special delivery fee were printed in blue. There were concerns that the 1-cent Columbian, also printed in blue, might be too similar for post office employees to distinguish quickly, resulting in confusion or underpayment for services. It is not clear if this problem ever actually occurred; no covers are known using a 1-cent Columbian to pay for the special delivery charge. However, the Post Office Department issued a new special delivery stamp, colored orange, to remedy the potential problem. Although not officially part of the Columbian Issue, this stamp is sometimes referred to as the "Orange Columbian" by collectors due to its origin.
10¢ Orange Columbian
In 1992, in
an international postal endeavor of unprecedented scope, the United States,
Italy, Spain and Portugal − the four nations most closely associated with
Columbus − each issued a set of six souvenir sheets on which all sixteen of the
1893 U. S. Columbian stamps were replicated. The sets of all four countries had been
jointly designed and proved largely identical, differing only in details
relating to language and national postal usage. The American issues reproduced
the original stamps almost exactly but altered the date in the upper right
corner from 1892 to 1992.
Three
stamp-images appeared on each of the sheets except for the sixth, which was
devoted entirely to the original $5 Columbian. The American and Italian sets
each offered sixteen perforated stamps, denominated in sixteen values. The
Spanish and Portuguese sets, by contrast, included many imperforate images, for
only one stamp on each sheet was perforated, and in each of these two sets, all
the perforated stamps bore the same denomination — respectively, 60 Spanish
pesetas and 260 Portuguese escudos (no denominations appeared on the
imperforate images).
References
1.
Brookman, Lester G. (1947). The 19th century
Postage Stamps of the United States, Vol. III. H. L. Lindquist
2. Haimann, Alexander
T. (2006-05-16). "Columbian
Exposition Issues (1893)", NPM
3. The
World’s Fair Collection: 1893 Columbian Issue, Sale 1055, Siegel Auction Galleries, Inc., 2013.
Incredible ! Mosquitoes earned three Noble Prizes
-ILYAS PATEL
Contd. from the last…..
Treatment
Malaria is treated with anti-malarial
medications; the ones used depend on the type and severity of the disease. While medications against fever are
commonly used, their effects on outcomes are not clear. Uncomplicated malaria
may be treated with oral medications. Recommended treatment for severe malaria
is the intravenous use of
anti-malarial drugs. For severe malaria, artesunate is superior to quinine in
both children and adults. Treatment of severe malaria involves supportive
measures that are best done in a critical
care unit. This includes the management of high fevers and the
seizures that may result from it. It also includes monitoring for poor
breathing effort, low blood sugar, and low blood potassium.
Resistance
Drug resistance poses a
growing problem in 21st century malaria treatment. Resistance
is now common against all classes of anti-malarial drugs apart from artemisinins. When properly
treated, people with malaria can usually expect a complete
recovery. However, severe malaria can progress extremely rapidly and cause
death within hours or days. In the most severe cases of the disease, fatality rates can reach
20%, even with intensive care and treatment.
Malaria Research and Noble Prize
Scientific studies on malaria made
their first significant advance in 1880, when Charles
Louis Alphonse Laveran—a French army doctor working in the military hospital
of Constantine in Algeria—observed
parasites inside the red blood cells of infected people for the first time. He
therefore proposed that malaria is caused by this organism, the first time
a protist was
identified as causing disease. For this and later discoveries, he was
awarded the 1907 Nobel
Prize for Physiology or Medicine. A year later, Carlos Finlay, a Cuban doctor
treating people with yellow fever in Havana, provided strong
evidence that mosquitoes were transmitting disease to and from
humans. This work followed earlier suggestions by Josiah C. Nott, and work
by Sir
Patrick Manson, the "father of tropical medicine", on the
transmission of filariasis.
Ronald Ross was
born on May 13, 1857, as the son of Sir C.C.G. Ross, a General in the English
army. He commenced the study of medicine at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in
London in 1875; entered the Indian Medical Service in 1881. He commenced the
study of malaria in 1892. In 1894 he determined to make an experimental
investigation in India of the hypothesis of Laveran and Manson that mosquitoes
are connected with the propagation of the disease. After two and a half years'
failure, Ross succeeded in demonstrating the life-cycle of the parasites of
malaria in mosquitoes, thus establishing the hypothesis of Laveran and Manson.
In 1899 he joined the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine under the direction
of Sir Alfred Jones. He was immediately sent to West Africa to continue his
investigations, and there he found the species of mosquitoes which convey the
deadly African fever. Ronald Ross was awarded a Nobel Prize for his discovery
of the life cycle of malaria parasite, although he
considered his epidemiological mathematics to be a much more valuable
contribution. He did not build
his concept of malarial transmission in humans, but in birds, nor did he
identify the exact species of mosquitoes. In 1897, an Italian physician and
zoologist Giovanni
Battista Grassi, along with his colleagues, had established the developmental
stages of malaria parasites in anopheline mosquitoes; and they described
the complete life cycles of P.
falciparum, P. vivax and P.
malariae the following year.
When the 1902 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine was considered, the Nobel Committee initially intended the prize to be shared between Ross and
Grassi. The weight of favour ultimately fell on Ross, largely due to the
influences of Robert Koch, the appointed
"neutral arbitrator" in the committee; as reported, "Koch threw
the full weight of his considerable authority in insisting that Grassi did not
deserve the honor". Ross was
the first to show that malaria parasite was transmitted by the bite of infected
mosquitoes, in his case the avian Plasmodium
relictum, which is a harmless parasite. However, Grassi's work was
more directly relevant to human health as he demonstrated that human malarial
parasites were transmitted only by female Anopheles.
Indeed, it was Grassi who both correctly identified the mosquito species as Anopheles
claviger and in 1898
established the complete life cycle of P.
falciparum, the first human malaria parasite for which this had been done.
Thus the first Noble for malaria research went to Ronald Ross in 1902.
The findings of Finlay and Ross were
later confirmed by a medical board headed by Walter Reed in 1900.
Its recommendations were implemented by William C. Gorgas in the health measures undertaken during
construction of the Panama Canal. This
public-health work saved the lives of thousands of workers and helped develop
the methods used in future public-health campaigns against the disease.
The first effective treatment for
malaria came from the bark of cinchona tree, which
contains quinine. This tree grows
on the slopes of the Andes, mainly in Peru. The indigenous
peoples of Peru made a tincture of cinchona
to control fever. Its effectiveness against malaria was found and the Jesuits introduced
the treatment to Europe around 1640; by 1677, it was included in the London
Pharmacopoeia as an anti-malarial treatment. It was not until
1820 that the active ingredient, quinine, was extracted from the bark, isolated
and named by the French chemists Pierre
Joseph Pelletier and Joseph
Bienaimé Caventou.
Julius Wagner-Jauregg (1857
– 1940) was an Austrian physician, who won the Nobel
Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1927. His Nobel award was "for his
discovery of the therapeutic value of malaria inoculation in the treatment of dementia
paralytica". The main work pursued by Wagner-Jauregg throughout his life was
related to the treatment of mental disease by inducing a fever, an approach known as pyrotherapy. In 1887 he
investigated the effects of febrile diseases on psychoses, making use of erisipela and tuberculin (discovered in 1890 by Robert Koch). Since these
methods of treatment did not work very well, he tried in 1917 the inoculation
of malaria parasites, which proved to be very successful in the case of
dementia paralytica (also called general
paresis of the insane), caused by neurosyphilis, at that time a terminal disease. It had been
observed that some who develop high fevers could be cured of syphilis. Thus,
from 1917 to the mid 1940s, malaria induced by the least aggressive parasite, Plasmodium vivax, was used as
treatment for tertiary syphilis because it produced prolonged and high fevers
(a form of pyrotherapy). This was considered an acceptable risk because the
malaria could later be treated with quinine, which was available at that time.
This discovery earned him the Nobel
Prize in Medicine in 1927. His
technique was known as malariotherapy; however, it was
dangerous, killing about 15% of patients, so it is no longer in use. Thus
second Noble went to malaria research not directly but indirectly.
Quinine became the predominant
malarial medication until the 1920s, when other medications began to be
developed. In the 1940s, chloroquine replaced quinine as the treatment of both
uncomplicated and severe malaria until resistance supervened, first in
Southeast Asia and South America in the 1950s and then globally in the 1980s.
Malaria vaccines have been an
elusive goal of research. The first promising studies demonstrating the
potential for a malaria vaccine were performed in 1967 by immunizing mice with
live, radiation-attenuated sporozoites,
which provided significant protection to the mice upon subsequent injection
with normal, viable sporozoites. Since the 1970s, there has been a considerable
effort to develop similar vaccination strategies for humans.
Eradication
efforts
Several notable attempts are being
made to eliminate the parasite and eradicate
it worldwide. In 2006, the organization Malaria No More set a
public goal of eliminating malaria from Africa by 2015, and the organization
plans to dissolve if that goal is accomplished. Several malaria vaccines
are in clinical trials, which are intended to provide protection for children
in endemic areas and reduce the speed of transmission of the disease. As of
2012, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis and Malaria has distributed 230 million insecticide-treated
nets intended to stop mosquito-borne transmission of malaria. The U.S.-based Clinton
Foundation has worked to manage demand and stabilize prices in the artemisinin
market. Other efforts, such as the Malaria Atlas Project, focus on
analysing climate and weather information required to accurately predict the
spread of malaria based on the availability of habitat of malaria-carrying
parasites. The Malaria
Policy Advisory Committee (MPAC) of the World
Health Organization (WHO) was formed in 2012, "to provide
strategic advice and technical input to WHO on all aspects of malaria control
and elimination". In November 2013, WHO and the malaria vaccine
funders group set a goal to develop vaccines designed to interrupt malaria
transmission with the long-term goal of malaria eradication.
Malaria has been successfully
eliminated or greatly reduced in certain areas. Malaria was once common in the
United States and southern Europe, but vector control programs, in conjunction
with the monitoring and treatment of infected humans eliminated it from those
regions. Several factors contributed, such as the draining of wetland breeding
grounds for agriculture and other changes in water management practices,
and advances in sanitation, including greater use of glass windows and screens
in dwellings. Malaria was eliminated from most parts of the USA in the
early 20th century by such methods, and the use of the pesticide DDT and
other means eliminated it from the remaining pockets in the South in the
1950s.
Research
Vaccine
Immunity (or, more accurately, tolerance) to P. falciparum malaria
does occur naturally, but only in response to years of repeated
infection. An individual can be protected from a P. falciparum infection
if they receive about a thousand bites from mosquitoes that carry a version of
the parasite rendered non-infective by a dose of X-ray irradiation. An
effective vaccine is not yet
available for malaria, although several are under development. The
highly polymorphic nature of
many P. falciparum proteins results in significant challenges
to vaccine design.
Other
A non-chemical vector control
strategy involves genetic manipulation of malaria mosquitoes. Advances in genetic
engineering technologies make it possible to introduce foreign DNA into the
mosquito genome and either decrease the lifespan of the mosquito, or make it
more resistant to the malaria parasite. Another new application of genetic
technology is the ability to produce genetically
modified mosquitoes that do not transmit malaria, potentially allowing biological
control of malaria transmission. In one study, a genetically-modified strain
of Anopheles
stephensi was created that no longer supported malaria transmission,
and this resistance was passed down to mosquito offspring.
World Malaria Day (WMD)
World
Malaria Day (WMD) is an international
observance commemorated
every year on 25 April and recognizes global efforts to control malaria.
World Malaria Day sprung out of the efforts taking place across the African
continent to commemorate Africa
Malaria Day. WMD is one of eight official global public health campaigns currently marked by the World Health
Organization (WHO), along with World Health Day, World Blood Donor
Day, World Immunization
Week, World Tuberculosis Day, World No Tobacco Day, World Hepatitis Day and World AIDS Day.
World Malaria Day was established
in May 2007 by the 60th session of the World Health Assembly, WHO's decision-making body. The day
was established to provide "education and understanding of malaria"
and spread information on "year-long intensified implementation of
national malaria-control strategies, including community-based activities for
malaria prevention and treatment in endemic areas." Prior to the
establishment of WMD, Africa
Malaria Day was held on April 25 that began in 2001,
Noble Prize 2015
- Press Release
The Nobel
Assembly at Karolinska Institutet has today decided to award the 2015 Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine with one half jointly to William C. Campbell and
Satoshi Ōmura
for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites and the other half to Youyou Tu for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria Diseases caused by parasites have plagued humankind for millennia and constitute a major global health problem. In particular, parasitic diseases affect the world's poorest populations and represent a huge barrier to improving human health and wellbeing. This year's Nobel Laureates have developed therapies that have revolutionized the treatment of some of the most devastating parasitic diseases.
for their discoveries concerning a novel therapy against infections caused by roundworm parasites and the other half to Youyou Tu for her discoveries concerning a novel therapy against Malaria Diseases caused by parasites have plagued humankind for millennia and constitute a major global health problem. In particular, parasitic diseases affect the world's poorest populations and represent a huge barrier to improving human health and wellbeing. This year's Nobel Laureates have developed therapies that have revolutionized the treatment of some of the most devastating parasitic diseases.
William C. Campbell and Satoshi
Ōmura discovered a new drug, Avermectin, the derivatives of which have
radically lowered the incidence of River Blindness and Lymphatic Filariasis, as
well as showing efficacy against an expanding number of other parasitic diseases.
Youyou Tu discovered Artemisinin, a drug that has significantly reduced the
mortality rates for patients suffering from Malaria. These two discoveries have
provided humankind with powerful new means to combat these debilitating
diseases that affect hundreds of millions of people annually. The consequences
in terms of improved human health and reduced suffering are immeasurable.
Figure 1: The
distribution of the most devastating parasitic diseases: River Blindness,
Lymphatic Filariasis (Elephantiasis) and Malaria is collectively shown in blue
on the world map.
Youyou Tu was born in 1930 in
China and is a Chinese citizen. She graduated from the Pharmacy Department at
Beijing Medical University in 1955. From 1965-1978 she was Assistant Professor
at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, from 1979-1984 Associate
Professor and from 1985 Professor at the same Institute. From 2000, Tu has been
Chief Professor at the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Malaria was traditionally treated by
chloroquine or quinine, but with declining success. By the late 1960s, efforts
to eradicate Malaria had failed and the disease was on the rise. At that time,
Youyou Tu in China turned to traditional herbal medicine to tackle the
challenge of developing novel Malaria therapies. From a large-scale screen of
herbal remedies in Malaria-infected animals, an extract from the plant Artemisia
annua emerged as an interesting candidate. However, the results were
inconsistent, so Tu revisited the ancient literature and discovered clues that
guided her in her quest to successfully extract the active component from Artemisia
annua. Tu was the first to show that this component, later called
Artemisinin, was highly effective against the Malaria parasite, both in infected
animals and in humans. Artemisinin represents a new class of anti-malarial
agents that rapidly kill the Malaria parasites at an early stage of their
development, which explains its unprecedented potency in the treatment of
severe Malaria.
The discoveries of Avermectin and
Artemisinin have fundamentally changed the treatment of parasitic diseases.
Malaria infects close to 200 million individuals yearly. Artemisinin is used in
all Malaria-ridden parts of the world. When used in combination therapy, it is
estimated to reduce mortality from Malaria by more than 20% overall and by more
than 30% in children. For Africa alone, this means that more than 100 000 lives
are saved each year. The discoveries of Avermectin and Artemisinin have
revolutionized therapy for patients suffering from devastating parasitic
diseases. Campbell, Ōmura and Tu have transformed the treatment of parasitic
diseases. The global impact of their discoveries and the resulting benefit to
mankind are immeasurable.
Reference: (1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria
Reference: (1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaria
Acknowledgments: The author thankfully acknowledges
all source of information without which it was difficult to prepare this
article. The author is thankful to Mr Prathmesh Patel of Anand for providing
scan images of Meghdood postcards and Dilip Naik of Ahmedabad for providing all
Meghdood postcards from his collection for study and preparation of this
article.
- Ilyas Patel - email : iap.patel@gmail.com
Readers’ Right
INDIAN PHILATELY-- Past, Present, Future
Swamynathan R
Traditionally,
the word "Philately" originates from the study of postal
communication which includes postal marks on the letters, stamps affixed on it,
routes taken by the letter, rates etc. Philatelic activity is a means for
learning and sharing. It’s also a cultural and an educational activity.
This
article mainly focuses on the SCENARIO of Indian Philately of PAST (from the
post independence, excluding the British Philately), PRESENT and how Indian Philately
must be in FUTURE. Initial days (upto mid 1950's) of Indian Philately were
dominated by British settlers in India who were great researchers and published
many books on Indian Philately mainly on Lithograph stamps of 1854-1855, Handstruck cancellations and Early
cancellations etc.
1. Early Days of Philately (PAST)
In the
earlier days, one started the hobby of Philately by collecting stamps due to
its colorful appearance, attractiveness, interesting details etc. Philately in
the past was deeply rooted in the postal communication. Also in the earlier
days, life was slow and peaceful due to which everybody had considerable long hours of free time along
with peaceful mind conducive for hobbies
to be pursued giving self satisfaction. Generally, the primary motive to pursue
philately was to fulfill one's own interest. Exhibiting and participating in
competitions were secondary.
General
Weakness
a.Lack
of Archiving
The rich
philately Literature which India had in the past has never been archived as
libraries, electronic formats. Therefore, the Indian philately of the past is being forgotten. In such a scenario, the current
generation is ignorant of Indian
philately of the past and they do philatelic activity as they think is the
best.
b.
Lack of Analytical Approach
The
analytical style of writing the Philately literature was never developed. The
descriptive writings have too much of unnecessary words for expressing a point.
c.
Lack of Foundation & Evolution to India Philately
Philately
in India could never build a "Strong foundation and consciously Evolve
with time" which is a basic requirement to keep the Philately in India to
be lively for a long time.
Overall
there was no conscious effort from the philately community as a whole to think
about the future philately who can "Uphold the richness of the past and
lead the Future".
2. Impact on Philately in Modern Times
(PRESENT)
Impact
1--Reduction in Postal Communication
With time,
Technology has given rise to virtual communication due to which letter writing
or postal correspondence has almost reduced to negligible. The Philatelic
activity has reduced its scope to collect unused commemorative stamps. By just
collecting unused commemorative stamps, the Philately gets disconnected from
Postal Communication which is the foundation to Philately.
Impact
2--Too much focus on Philately Exhibitions.
Modern
Philately is too much focused on
exhibitions and the importance and encouragement to Philately as a hobby
for one's own interest and enjoyment has been ignored. This has reduced the
scope and variety in Philately.
Impact
3-- Challenges of Modern Times
-- The
daily life has become too fast and stressful due to which pursuing any hobby is
getting difficult.
-- Many new
entertainment areas have come up due to which getting new comers to philately
is becoming difficult.
3. Reviving Philately(FUTURE)
Philately,
in modern times has to redefine itself to suit the modern times. Peace of mind
and good Leisure time is the key to pursuing any Hobby. In today's circumstances with stressful daily
life and less leisure time, pursuing hobbies are difficult and hence innovative
methods and approach have to be devised to pursue Philately. Here are a few
suggestions :
--
Holistic suggestions :
a. For
youngsters, the approach must be to convince the school management, the
teachers and the parents about the importance of hobby. With the support of
school management, teachers and parents, promoting any hobby to youngsters becomes easy.
b. For
individuals other than youngsters, regular hobby seminars and workshops to be held at various occasions.
c. Modern
Philately must include various philatelic activities so as to give various
choices for the philately hobbyist.
--
Specific suggestions :
a. Letter
writing in an interesting way needs to be encouraged. Letter writing has its
own importance irrespective of change in time and technology.
To encourage
letter writing, USA Post(USPS) issued the following stamps
-- In 1980.
Three stamps were issued with each stamp having one of the following phrases :
Letters
Preserve Memories
Letters
Shape Opinions
Letters
Lift Spirits
-- In 2015,
USA post issued a forever stamp to encourage letter writing with words
"From ME to YOU"
b. The
various aspects of the Philately needs
to be encouraged so that Philately becomes "relevant and
interesting" to the current
generations. For e.g. Philately chapter in schools, seminars, booklets etc.
c. Regular
philately awareness programs must be done.
d.
Philately literature material in different formats must be made available in
abundance.
e. The
"Scope" of Philately activity needs to widen / increase. For e.g.
Hand Folded Envelopes, Philately Journalism etc.
f. The
concept of "Open Philately" must be explored which was discussed in
the seminar held on the occasion of 75th Anniversary of Mumbai GPO. The same
has been published in the proceedings. My Stamp is an example of Open
Philately. "My Envelope" is one such suggestion for "Open
Philately"
g. Bringing
in many variety in philately related "Products and Services".
Conclusion
Enormous effort is required to keep
the philately going in modern times for which both the Philately community and
India Post will have to work together.
Secondly, Philately needs to be looked
from two perspectives :
-- General interest in Philately
-- One's specialization in Philately.
Happy Philately…..
New
issues from other Countries
Australia
21
February 2017 – Australian Jetties
Many of the countless
jetties and piers that punctuate Australia’s coastline and waterways were
originally built to moor vessels transporting goods and passengers.
While some have since
fallen into disuse, others are still popular for recreational fishing, diving,
snorkelling and other tourist activities.
Busselton Jetty, located
on Geographe Bay in Western Australia, is the longest wooden jetty in the
world, originally built for the transportation of timber. A railway now carries
tourists to an underwater observatory at the end of this historic jetty.
A jetty at Tumby Bay on
the Spencer Gulf in South Australia was first constructed in 1874 to facilitate
the shipping of anticipated supplies of copper from nearby Burrawing Mine. The
current jetty was constructed in 1908–09 and is now a well-known fishing spot
and scuba diving destination.
The picturesque jetty on
secluded Shelley Beach lies near the resort town of Portsea on the Mornington
Peninsula, Victoria. The small jetty near Kincumber, New South Wales, is
situated between Kincumber and Davistown on the Brisbane Water, an estuary in
the Central Coast region north of Sydney.
Croatia
20 February 2017 : Children's World - Pets -
Terrarium
GREEN IGUANA
Iguana
iguana
Iguana is native to Central and North
America and is found in various colors, depending on the site, but the basic
and most common is green. During the 19th century, sailors began to bring them
to Europe as exotic animals, and in the 20th century they were very often kept
as pets.
Iguana is a herbivore and eats
virtually all kinds of vegetables and fruits and cooked rice, corn and polenta.
Only when they are young, ie. during first months after hatching, it' is
advisable to feed them with worms or insects and boiled egg as a supplementary
food from time to time. In addition, they should occasionally get calcium and
vitamins for the reptiles. It can grow up to 1.5 meters in length, and reach up
to 10 kg of weight. The difference between the sexes is in the size of the head
and spines on their backs, with males being larger.
As a pet is not too demanding when it
comes to food and care, but requires a lot of space, a terrarium should be 2
times longer and 3 times higher than its size. A pair of thick branches should
be put inside the terrarium because it enjoys climb them for sunbathing. Sun
should be replaced with special lamps that can emit UV rays which are important
to it. Also terrarium should be heated because iguana enjoys the temperature
between to 20 to 30 ° C, provided that the daytime and nighttime temperatures
must differ by 10 degrees. We can adjust temperature for our pet by getting
thermostatic heaters which are available at stores.There should also be a water
container in the terrarium for bathing because iguana likes to dip when it
needs to change its skin.
When purchasing iguana, it is
advisable to get a young animal because it adapts much easier to people and the
environment, and can be trained to get on a hand, and to respond to the name we
give it.
At
last, it is a favorite pet for reptile lovers who have enough space and time to
devote because for every moment of
dedication it gets, it returns several times more with its behavior and joy
when surrounded by human friends..
VEILED CHAMELEON
Chamaeleo calyptratus
Just like its name says, its homeland
is western Yemen, as well as the southern part of Saudi Arabia. It lives in
mountain area and feeds on insects.
During the 20th century it was adopted
in Europe and has been successfully raised or kept as a pet for years. It grows
quite large for a chameleon, so males are about 50 cm and females up to 35 cm
in length. It has a casque on its head which is called a helmet, and wens on
its legs. Both of them are used for determining gender of the pet. The male has
a spur on its feet, and his helmet is larger compared to the female's one.
Chameleons are very protective of their territory and it is not advisable to
have more of them as pets, unless we raise them. In that case, they must not
see each other because if they do, they will not feel well and will constantly
be under stress.
Chameleon can be kept in the glass
terrarium, but also in a metal cage with plasticized grids. Just like other
reptiles, it is cold-blooded animal so we must provide it with heating, as well
as with the light that radiates UVB rays which it needs in order to be able to
synthesize vitamin D that it is important for its proper growth and
development. It feeds on crickets, cockroaches, locusts, various kinds of
worms, and when it gets larger we can feed it with the baby mice, so called
"Pinkies". All the food we give to it should be sprinkled with
supplements based on calcium at least twice a week because chameleon needs it
for proper development. Unfortunately the food we provide it with must be live
because chameleon catches the prey with
its long sticky tongue with incredible speed. Chameleons take water from the
dew drops and that can be provided by sprinkling the interior of the cage or
terrarium. This can also be achieved with fogger for chameleon likes it
especially when it needs to change skin because
it makes its skin moist and easier to shed.
Chameleons move very slowly because by
adjusting body color they blend with the environment, and with quick movements
they would scare away their prey.If we want to play around with them, it is not
good to catch them so we should let them climb the hand on their own and walk
over it.
MILK SNAKE
Lampropeltis triangulum
As the Latin name suggests, this beautiful
snake is tricolor. Namely the main color is red, with rings of black and white,
yellow or orange. It originates from North and Central America and is found in
various habitats. It feeds on snakes, including venomous snakes, lizards,
rodents, birds and eggs of birds or reptiles. With its colours it resembles a
coral snake which is its prey.
During the 20th century it was brought
to Europe, where it has become a common pet with fans of snakes because of its
beautiful looks and peaceful nature.
In captivity it feeds on rodents and
eggs. It grows up to 2 meters and is kept in a terrarium, from which it can be
released sometimes, of course under the supervision as it could crawl and hide
anywhere. Terrarium should be adjusted to the size of the snake, and the
longest front side should be twice longer than its length. We must also put a
heater and a special lamp that mimics the sun. The container with water is
required for drinking and bathing. While small, the snake sheds every month,
and later on it happen less frequent, but it grows all its life and can live
for thirty years. With eggs and rodents occasionally it should be given
vitamins and minerals adapted for snakes. They have poor eyesight, but they
have a highly developed sense of smell, so they will remember and recognize
their human friends by their smell. Occasionally they can be taken out and
played with, but if the opportunity occurs, it would be good to put them in the
sun because it is very important for their metabolism and shedding the skin.
Once a year would it would be good to lower the temperature in the terrarium to
allow them go into hibernation, but at the same time we must take into account
when it ate, since it needs up to two weeks to digest food. At that point we
should not lower the temperature in order to avoid leaving undigested food
inside the snake because it could begin to rot in it.
Finally,
it is a nice pet for the fans, but not for those who would just like to boast
with it and after a while forget on it.
MUSK TURTLE
Sternotherus odoratus
The area in which this turtle lives is
spread in several states in the USA and partly in Canada.
Swamp and quiet backwaters of rivers
are its home in nature. It is mostly a carnivore and feeds on worms, snails,
aquatic insects and small fish. As an adult it also eats water plants. It grows
up to 15 cm and is one of the smaller turtles.
Since the end of the last century it
is being imported to Europe as a substitute for red-eared slider since the
latter had been identified as invasive and were banned for import and breeding
in most EU countries. Musk turtle is not as colorful as red-eared slider, but
it is smaller, has an interesting shell, it is less demanding and is much more
resistant than other species. Since it is aquatic turtle, it is kept in aquatic
terrarium which size for an adult should be 80 x 35 x 40 cm. It would be good
to have a heater in aquatic terrarium in order to maintain a temperature at 25
° C, filter for purifying water and lighting. The terrarium should contain
bigger rocks and stumps that will allow the pet to get out in the sun and heat.
Namely it is good to place the lighting lamp above the stone or stump in order
to make that place warmer. When possible, it would be nice to put the turtle to
sunbathe, making sure it does not take too long to avoid overheating.
We feed it with dried shrimps, small
fish and a variety of insects. We can give it also live insects (crickets, mealworms,
earthworms, aquatic snails and tubifex). It is also possible to buy to buy
pelleted turtle food, though it is not recommended to keep giving it the same
food.
It is not recommended to put two males
in the same terrarium, but it is possible to put a couple of females with one
male. The sexes differ by the size of their heads and the thickness and length
of their tails. Males have every part bigger but are not bigger in total size,
so females are slightly larger than males.
While young, when frightened, turtle
emits the scent of musk, after which it was named.
San Marino
17
January 2017 : 2017 -
International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development
The year 2017 has been declared by the
United Nations as International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development and
with this, it aims to raise awareness on this issue, with special interest in
promoting economic growth; Social inclusion, employment and poverty reduction;
Resource efficiency, environmental protection and climate change; Cultural
values, diversity and heritage and, finally, peace and security.
The two stamps present a similar image
of prints engraved on the sand and snow respectively. Both
stamps also collect the logo of this celebration, which is represented by a
dandelion that begins to undo and fly through those two landscapes so
desirable.
7 March 2017 : 30th anniversary of
the birth of Marco Simoncelli
San Marino Post will issue a
commemorative stamp featuring great motorbike racer Marco Simoncelli on 7th March 2017.He is a
hero for all bike lovers. Marco
Simoncelli would have turned 30 on the 20th January 2017. Fate precluded him
this milestone in his life on the 23rd October 2011 in Sepang, Malesia. After
five years his memory lives on in the hearts and minds of many fans. San
Marino, State near to his town Coriano and to the Romagna motorvalley,
dedicated to Marco a philatelic set made up of a value of €2.00 with his nice
portrait, while the strip on the left of the sheet shows the rider doing a
wheelie on his motobike in Brno and his racing number “58”.
Switzerland
23
February 2017 : 200th anniversary of the bicycle
Bicycles are very popular
in Switzerland, a haven for cyclists. German inventor Karl Drais from
Baden must have caused quite a sensation on 12 June 1817 as he rode through
Mannheim on his self-constructed “running machine” at around three times the
speed of walking.
Patented under the name
“draisine”, this new means of transport was soon forgotten, but not the idea
behind it: The invention of pedals in 1866 soon led to the development of the
high wheel or penny-farthing, which proved quite dangerous and was immediately
banned in many places. It wasn’t until the introduction of the rear wheel chain
drive in the 1880s that the modern bicycle took off.
Today the bicycle is seen
as an efficient and highly ecological means of transport that enhances the
quality of life. It doesn’t create exhaust or noise emissions and only takes up
a few square metres of parking space. Swiss Post is also very much pro bicycles
on account of their good sustainability qualities. The company encourages its
employees to cycle to work and provides e-bikes free of charge. Consciously
printed in black-and-white, the two special stamps both show the draisine and a
modern bicycle. One stamp has the former in the foreground, the other the
latter.
Lighter
Side
Octogenarian Artist who Weaves Magic out of Postal Stamps
By Tamara Mathias
Meet the
82-year-old woman who has spent over 40 years painstakingly creating beautiful
artwork from discarded Indian postage stamps and her son who passionately
preserves philately. Deepa Melkote speaks at the lightening pace of a woman on
a mission.
The 82-year-old
homemaker is a woman of many talents, but her specialty lies in the intricate
collages she has created over the last four decades. Her subjects are varied:
historical monuments, dancers in colourful lehengas, brightly coloured birds
and mythological figures. Each piece is comprised of vivid stamps that have
been segregated, cut into tiny pieces and glued neatly onto a sketch.
“I once read in
a magazine about a British woman who collected stamps and used it as wall paper
for her home,” she explains. “That gave me an idea to do something with
discarded stamps. The colours are what attracted me.”
Understandably,
Deepa’s hobby has been culled by the scythe of modern technology. She complains
that she no longer receives snail mail and, when she does, is uninterested in
the monotonous stamps affixed to it, unlike the brightly coloured specimens she
used to work with when she first began her artistic hobby in the 70s.
High above the
treetops on Bangalore’s Raj Bhavan road extends a majestic dome atop an
imposing, stone building. It has been a hallmark of the city’s skyline long
before it was joined by swooping metro rails, tacky hoardings and the penthouse
suites of tall, business hotels. If you crane your neck, you can just about
make out the logo affixed to the front of the building: three yellow wings that
zip across a red square. This is the General Post Office, an architectural and
historical marvel, with a reputation for efficiency.
On the first
Sunday of every month, a group of philatelists meet here to resuscitate what is
quickly becoming the lost art of stamp collecting. Formally, they comprise the
Karnataka Philately Society, established in 1975 to promote the hobby of
philately and build and disseminate philatelic knowledge around it.
Despite
dwindling interests in the art, on paper, the organisation boasts more than 500
life members. Their General Secretary is Nikhilesh Melkote, who has been
collecting stamps since he was eight years old. He also happens to be Deepa’s
only son, and the reason she began using postage stamps as material for her art
projects.
“My son used to
collect stamps as a school boy. He has many wonderful thematic collections,”
Deepa says, proudly. Today, Nikhilesh works tirelessly to share the passion
that changed his childhood with other young people. He began by collecting all
sorts of stamps but, over time, realised that a more scientific, educational
method would involve acquiring thematic collections.
At present, he
has a stunning range of flag and cricket-themed stamps. He speaks warmly of how
both his parents supported his hobby by buying him all the books and materials
he needed to pursue philately. “I could not have reached the level I did,
winning international awards and visiting foreign stamp exhibitions, without
their unstinted support,” he says.
Like her son,
Deepa understands being passionate about a hobby, because she has several. On a
regular morning, Vividh Bharati radio is on loud at the Melkote’s Indiranagar
residence. Deepa sits in her usual spot, listening to music but focusing on the
task at hand, usually needlework. She first took to embroidery as a schoolgirl
in Dharwad and keeps at it, 70 odd years later, stitching beautiful patterns
onto tablecloths or patiently sewing geometric kasuti designs onto saris for
friends.
In all her years
as a seamstress, Deepa has never considered going professional. “No, no!” she
says, appalled, when the question is raised. “Needlework is my hobby! I just do
it for my friends.” She is also an ace at crochet work and knitting, is a club-
and state-level Bridge player and never misses an Indian cricket match on TV.
Much of her
adult life has been transitory. Deepa’s husband, an IAS officer, was posted in
a different part of Karnataka every two or three years and the family moved
with him across the state, from Gulbarga to Raichur. Despite their fluid
lifestyles, Deepa and Nikhilesh always managed to pack up their stamps and
continue where they had left off at their next destination.
“I hate throwing
things out!” Deepa laughs. “I used to collect all the damaged and discarded
stamps my son did not want and use them to make collages. At one point, all the
peons in my husband’s office were instructed not to throw away any stamps but
to collect them and give them to me.”
Nikhilesh fondly
recollects similar memories of his mother. “Sometimes she would get stuck
because of the lack of a particular colour. I would ask all of my collector
friends and also search envelopes in my Dad’s office till we got her the right
colours. During my school days, I remember watching my mother patiently and
diligently cutting and pasting stamps to make her stamp craft.
She would ask me
for my spare, unwanted and damaged stamps. I no doubt learnt the qualities of
patience and hard work from her. These are especially required for a
philatelist who wishes to excel.” Deepa is one of those people whose packrat
tendencies nearly always have creative outcomes; when she’s around, even used
matchsticks can be turned into crafted flowers on a tray.
Last Christmas
she cleaned out aluminium foil used to wrap food and turned it into garlands
that now hang from her friends’ Christmas trees. Among her creations are
intricate collages of the Madurai Meenakshi Temple, the Tungabhadra Dam, the
Howrah Bridge and Bangalore’s Vidhana Soudha.
“The sketching
is done very quickly,” she says. “The rest depends on whether I have all the
stamps I need. Sometimes I have to wait for the right colours. If I have enough
stamps I can sit from morning to night and finish a piece.” The most remarkable
aspect of her work is that it has remained largely hidden for 40 years, save a
few exhibitions she allowed her son to display her pieces at, and the times she
showed them to her friends.
“People don’t
have patience with these things,” she says, referring to her craft ventures in
general. “Some of my friends wanted me to teach them kasuti but after two days
they said they didn’t have the patience. You have to be willing to sit quietly
and keep working.” Despite the fact that she has not held a full-time job since
she married – Deepa worked as a lecturer of Sanskrit at the Karnatak University
Dharwad she never has trouble filling her day.
“I was a very
good student!” she tells me when I ask what other Renaissance Woman surprises
she has up her sleeve. “I got a First Class in all three of my degrees. I also
have an LLB Law degree.” Deepa’s long-term plans don’t extend further than her
evening card game at the Bowring or Indiranagar Club, but Nikhilesh is working
hard to continue promoting philately. With the KPS, he travels to schools in
urban and rural Karnataka to share his passion for stamps with the younger
generation. The organisation also conducts workshops and helps existing
collectors participate in, and develop, world class exhibitions.
Courtesy - The
Hans India – 31 Jan 2017
Acknowledgement
Ananthapuri Stamp
Bulletin February 2017
Blogs
& Websites
Philatelic Clubs & Societies
Ananthapuri Philatelic Association, Thiruvanthapuram
Chandigarh Philatelic Club
Deccan Philatelic Society – Pune, Maharashtra
Ludhiana Philatelic Club
Numismatic &
Philatelic Association of Vellore Fort http://numismaticphilavellore.site40.net/index.htm
Philatelic Society of Rajasthan, Jaipur
Rajkot Philatelic Society – Rajkot, Gujarat
Gujarat Philatelic Association - Ahmedabad
The Army Philatelic Society, Pune
RAINBOW
STAMP CLUB
This is a blog of
e-stamp Club www.rainbowstampclub.blogspot.com . The idea of this
blog is to extend philatelic fraternity in all corners of the world. Readers
may write about themselves with their collecting interests and share new ideas
with other philatelists. New Post on
recent issues, news on stamp activities and Contribution by members are
published every day on this blog. Readers may also express their views on any
philatelic matter which will be published under Club News at Rainbow Stamp Cub
Blog. Philatelic Clubs and Societies may also send brief write ups. News about
new issues of India and abroad and other information related with Philately are
regularly posted on this blog. Readers may send reports on new issues, special
covers, cancellations & philatelic activities of their area for inclusion
in this Blog. - Editor
Current Philatelic Magazines – Newsletters
VADOPHIL, Editor -
Prashant Pandya and published by Baroda Philatelic Society, Vadodara. Website -http://www.vadophil.org/
ITS Stamp
News - Quarterly - Editor: Suraj Jaitly Publisher: Indian Thematic
Society website - http://itsstampnews.blogspot.com/
Ananthpuri
Stamp Bulletin - Monthly e -stamp
bulletin of Anathapuri Philatelic Association, Thiruvanthapuram
Journal
of the Army Philatelic Society : Editor – Col Jayanta Dutta
Stamp of India Collectors’
Companion - India’s
first weekly e-newsletter edited by Madhukar and Savita Jhingan from Stamps of
India, New Delhi. E- mail: mjhingan@yahoo.com Website: www.stampsofindia.com
India Post – Quarterly
Journal of the India Study Circle publishes original articles submitted by members
of ISC.
GPA News – Published by Gujarat
Philatelists’ Association, Ahemadabad.
Stamps Today – Stamp & Coin
Magazine edited by Vijay Seth
Courtesy - News and Image Resource to this
issue :
Indian Philately Digest , Stamps of India ; WOPA , Suresh
R.- Bangalore, Sreejesh Krishnan – Trivandrum, Prakash Modi – Toronto Canada,
Sandeep Chaurasia - Gorakhpur
Address for communication:
Jeevan Jyoti,
c / o Mr. Ajay Srivastav Wildlife Institute of India, Post Box No. 18,
Chandrabani, Dehradun – 248002. India
Last date for receiving write ups – 25th of every month.
Kindly send images in jpg compressed format & text in MS Word only. If you liked this issue please forward it to your friends
and help in promoting philately.
A Request to Readers &
Contributors -
Please do not send
the text in scan form or PDF. Send your write ups in MS Word only.
Kindly specify your
contribution such as article/News/ Reader’s Right / Beginners’ Section/ Lighter Side etc.
Please do not send
forwarded messages for promotional section if you want to give any information
for promotion please write personally with brief write up. As this newsletter
is not used for any commercial purpose in any manner.
Attention -
Please send limited number of images in compressed jpg format only with your article. Please send text and images separately. Please do not send text or image for publication in PDF.
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Any material from this
newsletter may be reproduced only with the written permission from the
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…..Happy
Collecting…………………………………………………………………
Rainbow
Stamp News is edited and published monthly by Jeevan Jyoti, from Dehradun (
Uttarakhand) India.
