Kesäterveiset

It was a delight to receive postcard FI-2129218 from Finland in the last day of June. Kesäterveiset, in Finnish, means "summer greetings." In a previous post, I found the winters in Chicago, IL and Helsinki, Finland similar. However, for the summer, it seems much more pleasurable in Finland in comparison with Las Vegas. The high temperature is 16.7°C or 62°F with a low at 9,4°C or 49°F in Helsinki on July 1, 2014. In Las Vegas, an excessive heat warning has been issued for Tuesday and Wednesday, with a forecast of high temperature at 45°C or 113°F and low at 27.8°C or 82°F for tomorrow on July 1, 2014. One year ago on June 30, 2013, the temperature at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas tied the all-time high record of 117°F or 47.2°C, first set on July 24, 1942 and next on July 19, 2005. It also broke the previous record high in June, which was 46.7°C or 116°F on June 15, 1940.

The photo on the top right of the postcard shows cloudberry (Rubus chamaemorus), native to alpine and arctic tundra and boreal forest. It produces red edible fruits similar to those of raspberry or blackberry we have here. According to Wikipedia, "unlike most Rubus species, the cloudberry is dioecious, and fruit production by a female plant requires pollination from a male plant."

What else can beat the summer heat better than a glass of tropical triple fruit smoothie? The bottom layer was blended with strawberry and banana using coconut water; a mix of avocado and blueberry was in the middle; while the top layer consists of mango and banana. I would try to substitute blueberry with cloudberry once I could find the supply.

Color Our World with Pride

Member of Balloon Magic Marches in the 42th SF Pride Parade on June 24, 2012.

The 44th Annual San Francisco Pride Parade kicked off at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday June 29, 2014.  attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators and participants to this one of the largest LGBT gatherings in the nation. The theme of this year's parade was "Color Our World With Pride."

Balloon Magic marches along the Market Street in 2014 (Screen capture from livestream)

Adding a splash of colors to the parade, the group Balloon Magic has been a staple over the years and one of my favorites. They have usually been marching between the leading Dykes on Bikes and Cheer San Francisco. The featured postcard was made from one of my photos taken on June 24, 2012.

Balloon Magic in the 43 the Pride Parade on June 30, 2013 (Screen capture from livestream)

Golden Gate Bridge Gets Safety Nets

Outgoing postcard US-2849014 to Poland shows the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.

The Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District's Board of Directors approved funding for a suicide barrier, a decades-long effort for the advocates, on the Golden Gate Bridge Friday, June 27, 2014. The 76-million-dollar project will install steel-cable nets 20 feet beneath the east and west edges of the bridge, with construction planned from 2015 to 2018. Once built, the barrier would deter people from jumping to their deaths or catch them in the nets if they have actually done so. At least 1,600 people have jumped to their deaths from the Golden Gate Bridge since it was completed in 1937, including a record high of 46 last year in 2013.

The plan was not without controversy, in the past critics have complained that a barrier would ruin the bridge's appearance. More important, with underlining crises unsolved, it would simply displace suicides to elsewhere. Nonetheless, as mentioned in a SFGate article, statistics from a study shows suicide barriers on other bridges successful in deterring jumpers. #LifeIsWorthLiving

All In or Nothing

Expired postcard US-2293198 to Ukraine, sent on June 28, 2013, was about to enter the postcard graveyard after 365 days. It features a fantastic sunset view of the famous music water fountain at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino, with a column of gaming-chip styled tokens to spell out "Las Vegas."

At the 2014 FIFA World Cup yesterday, USA lost to Germany 0:1. However, helped by the result of the match between Portugal and Ghana, Team USA still advanced to the next round. It sounds like a typical Las Vegas story: you try hard, but may still lose; yet with a little luck, you may still come out ahead.

So, give your best shot, and leave the rest. #allinornothing

Pride + Joy: One Year After Historic Supreme Court Ruling

One year ago, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two landmark rulings on June 26, 2013: one striking down part of the the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that denied federal recognition to same-sex marriages and the other allowing same-sex couples to marry legally in California.

Since then, huge advances for the same-sex marriage have brought pride and joy to many couples who could not marry before. Before the rulings, same sex couples could marry in only 10 states and the District of Columbia; today, that number has almost doubled to 19 states and the District of Columbia, covering near 44% population of the country.

Most recently on Wednesday June 25, 2014, a federal judge struck down same-sex marriage ban in Indiana. Meanwhile, a 2-1 decision from the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, the first issued at the level of the federal appellate courts, ruled that the same-sex marriage ban in Utah was unconstitutional. Marriage-equality lawsuits are now pending in all 31 states where same-sex couples are still barred from marrying.

Postcard US-2333973 to Indiana, which was sent on July 25, 2013 and has since expired, was made out of a hand fan distributed by Macy's during the 2012 Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Pride Parade in San Francisco. The 2014 Parade, themed "Color Our World with Pride," will start at Market & Beale and end at Market & 8th Street in downtown San Francisco at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday June 29, 2014.

Maxi Card with a 2014 Love Stamp and a Digital Color Postmark

Postcard US-2813946 to the Netherlands features a sketch of a heart-shaped sculpture in San Francisco, with a 2014 USPS limited-edition Love Stamp and a first-day-of-issue digital color postmark. The sketch was made out of a photo I took on June 24, 2012. The Cut Paper Heart Forever Stamp, according to a USPS news release, "depicts a large white heart enclosing a smaller pink heart with a saw-toothed edge along its left-hand side. Surrounding the central hearts are pink swirls with smaller hearts imbedded in the design, and a ragged-edge motif that echoes the edging on the small pink heart. The hearts and swirls are contained within a red square that has "pinked" edges, as if cut with pinking shears. A white border frames the entire design."

Only select stamp issues offer a digital color postmark. To order a digital color postmark, customers will have to use envelopes or postcards made of “laser safe” paper, with no glue on the flap of envelops and no coating on the postcards. The maximum size of all digital color postmarks is 2" high x 4" long. Allow sufficient space on the envelope to accommodate the postmark. Do not use self-adhesive labels for addresses on the envelope or postcard. Two extra items must be included for testing. A minimum of 10 envelopes or postcards at 50 cents per digital color postmark is required, paid by a check, money order, or credit card.

USPS may reject hand-painted and other cachet envelopes that are not compatible with their digital color postmark equipment, and substitute traditional black rubber postmarks if use of non-specified envelopes or postcards results in poor image quality or damage to equipment.

The rest of procedure is similar to requesting traditional black rubber postmarks: "customers should affix the stamps to the envelopes and address them to themselves or others for return through the mail. Or, they may include an additional self-addressed return envelope, large enough to accommodate their canceled items, with sufficient postage affixed for return of their postmarked items. Mail the request for a first-day-of-issue digital color postmark to the corresponding city of issuance. Post Offices will then forward all customer requests for digital color postmarks to Cancellation Services, Stamp Fulfillment Services, PO Box 449992, Kansas City, MO 64144-9992. After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes to the customer by U.S. Mail."

13th Winter Olympic Games, Lake Placid, NY

Outgoing postcard US-2814046 to the United Kingdom was a 14-cent stamped postal postcard, issued by USPS, for the 13th Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, NY from February 13 to February 24, 1980. A FDC on sale at SportStamps shows the first-day-of-issue date as January 15, 1980.

According to Wikepedia and Akdart.COM, the domestic postcard rate was 10 cents between May 29, 1978 and March 22, 1981. Therefore, I am curious why the postage on the card was 14 cents rather than 10 cents. Yet, there was indeed a 10-cent stamped postal postcard for the 22nd Summer Olympic Games in Moscow during the same period. If you know the reason, please leave your comments below.

Arcos da Lapa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Postcard BR-263063 from Brazil show the Carioca Aqueduct in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Built in the middle of the 18th century in the Lapa neighborhood to transport fresh water from the Carioca River to the city, with an elegant style of colonial architecture and engineering.

The aqueduct was decommissioned at the end of the 19th century, as new alternatives to supply water to Rio de Janeiro were developed. The aqueduct has served as a bridge for the Santa Teresa Tramway since 1896, connecting the city center to the Santa Teresa neighborhood uphill. Originally inspired by the tramway system in Lisbon, Portugal, the yellow tram, as seen on top of the aqueduct, was well-used by residents and tourists alike until an accident killed six people on August 27, 2011. After making design changes to improve safety, it was scheduled to open before the 2014 FIFA World Cup. However, the construction was delayed.

Rio de Janeiro is also home to the Maracanã Stadium (the Estádio do Maracanã), an official football venue with 78,838 seats for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. It hosted a Group F game where Argentina won over Bosnia and Herzegovina 2:1 on June 15, 2014; and a Group B game where Spain lost to Chile 0:2 on June 18, 2014. Belgium defeated Russia 1:0 in a Group H match here on June 22, 2014. Ecuador will play against France in a Group E match on June 28, 2014.

São Miguel, Portugal

Postcard PT-357733 from Portugal shows São Miguel Island, named for Saint Michael, the largest and most populous island in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Also referred as "the Green Island," it has a Special Protection Area containing the largest remnant of laurisilva forest on the island, habitat to the endemic and critically endangered bird, the Azores Bullfinch.

It is also the hometown of Pauleta (Pedro Miguel Carreiro Resendes, born April 28, 1973), a football player for the Portuguese National Team. Pauleta scored 47 goals in 88 matches for Portugal, a national record at the time of his retirement. He played in two World Cups and two European Championships.

In a Group G match against the United States during the 2014 FIFA World Cup at Arena Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil today, Silvestre Varela of the Portuguese National Team scored his team's second goal in the last minute, keeping Portugal alive with a 2:2 draw on June 22, 2014.

#451062278 / gettyimages.com

Marvel Heros

"Amazing Las Vegas Comic Con" returns to Las Vegas for the second year from Friday June 20 to Sunday June 22, 2014. South Point Casino is hosting 300 exhibitors, an international artist's alley with more than 200 artists, and a video game arena, showcasing the best and brightest in comic book and pop entertainment. Enthusiastic fans dressed as their favorite fiction characters, and a costume contest was on Saturday tonight, Tomorrow is Sunday Kid’s Day; admission for kids 10 and under are free with paid adults.

Outgoing postcard US-2813945 to Malaysia shows some Marvel Heroes, fictional characters by Marvel Comics.

Annecy, France

Postcard FR-401752 from France shows Annecy, a commune (equivalent to township or incorporated municipality in the United States) in south-eastern France. It is located at the northern tip of Lake Annecy, 35 kilometers or 22 miles south of Geneva, Switzerland.

Also today, France crushed Switzerland 5:2 in a Group E match at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Salvador, Brazil on June 20, 2014. A pitch invader rushed the field towards Mathieu Valbuena and Yohan Cabaye of France at Arena Fonte Nova to celebrate during the match.

#450950876 / gettyimages.com

The Circus Is In Town

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus came to town yesterday, with elephants and performers of the circus posing for pictures in front of the fabulous Welcome Sign. It will perform LEGENDS from their all-new Blue Tour at the Thomas and Mack Center from Thursday June 19 to Sunday June 22, 2014.

Photo: Steve Marcus via @LasVegasSun

Outgoing postcard US-2813947 to Taiwan, with the Vintage Circus Poster stamps, shows the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus train in Safety Harbor, Florida in January, 1992. Photo credit: © James G. Howes 1992.

Alkmaar, the Netherlands

Postcard NL-2528251 from the Netherlands shows the city views from Alkmaar, the Netherlands. It is famous for its traditional cheese market, as shown on the bottom right. The North Holland Canal, as seen on the left, was dug through Alkmaar and opened in 1824.

Alkmaar is home to the professional football team AZ (Alkmaar Zaanstreek) with a 17,000-seat stadium, the AFAS Stadion, where the Dutch national football team trained in preparation for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In today's Group B match, the Netherlands beats Australia with a score of 3:2.

Open Training Session at the AFAS Stadion on June 3, 2014
(Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

Canada Geese and Moon

Postcard DE-3239862 from Germany shows "Canada Geese and Moon." According to Wikipedia, "the Canada goose (Branta canadensis) is a goose with a black head and neck, white patches on the face, and a brown body. Native to arctic and temperate regions of North America."

It's Soccer Time!

The USA soccer team prevailed 2:1 in its opening game against Ghana on June 16, 2014 in the group known as the group of death, Considering Ghana had put the USA team out of the last two World Cups, today's win was not a small feat. Next, the USA team will face Portugal on June 22, 2014. Then it will play against Germany at the group stage finale on June 26, 2014.

#450733310 / gettyimages.com

While the soccer has never been a top sport in the U.S., I hope things will gradually change over time. I am proud to see that UNLV, our local university, has both men's and women's soccer teams. Postcard US-2136566 to Ukraine shows their schedules in 2012 season.

Hallmark Made First Father's Day ECard for Two Dads

In this Father's Day, Hallmark, the largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States, has made its first ECard dedicated to two dads. Titled "I'll Take Two," the ECard was created by transgender artist Kylie Summer Wu, showing a girl shopping for Father's Day gift for her dad and pop.

Meanwhile, President Obama honored fathers, gay or straight, inclusively in his presidential proclamation for Father's Day. Advocate also had an article featuring 33 Famous Gay Dads for Father's Day. 

Based in Kansas City, Missouri and founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark first introduced same-sex themed wedding cards in 2008. It later added its first-ever Mother's Day cards for lesbian moms and Valentine's cards for same-sex couples. You can see more of the spectrum collections, part of the company's "Love is..." design series, here in honor of LGBT Pride Month.

Discover Nevada State Parks Day

As an official Nevada 150 event of the Silver State’s Sesquicentennial celebration, and in conjunction with National Get Outdoors Day, “Discover Nevada State Parks Day” offers visitors free day use admission and free fishing (no license required) at all of Nevada’s 23 State Parks on June 14, 2014.

I went to see the Old Mormon Fort in Las Vegas, a state historic park located next to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. It was the first European settlement in Las Vegas, Nevada. One hundred fifty nine years ago, thirty missionaries arrived and started to build a 46-meter or 150-foot square adobe fort on June 14, 1855. Therefore, June 14th is remembered as Settlement Day, the day the first non-native permanent residents set foot in the Las Vegas valley. The Mormon outpost served as a way station for travelers. The first post office in Las Vegas was established on site in 1893.

The postcard, featuring art work by local artist Ali Tenney Boyer, was a gift from completing a survey after the visit.

Finding Luck on Friday the 13th

I found interesting that someone would choose a card, as shown on US-2741852, with a set of dices. Maybe she understood that I, living in the Sin City, could use more chances and lucks. Las Vegas Sun, a local newspaper, ran an article today arguing 13 reasons  for Las Vegas to be a lucky place even on Friday the 13th. Some of the postcards happen to show those lucky places mentioned in that article. Among them are the Brahma Shrine at Caesar Palace, Statues at Caesars Palace, Bellagio Fountains, and the Welcome Sign,

Did I also mention that there was a full moon at its perigee as well? Awoo...

FIFA World Cup Opens Today

2014 FIFA World Cup opens with music and dance in São Paulo, Brazil today. The official anthem and slogan is "We Are One".

However, a protest, against the money lavished on football stadiums instead of essentials for people and schools, broke out in the very morning and was met with police forces. Meanwhile, Fifa's decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar is under on-going scrutiny with allegations of corruption.

Brazil team won over Croatia with a 3:1 victory in the opening game. While the Brazilian players like Neymar did beautiful job on the field, they could not escape from the controversies such as the over-generous penalty call and the staged training session.

Nonetheless, as the month-long tournament starts, watched by millions of people around the globe, we hope that we can be united and find more consensuses in the end. The 2014 World Cup plays from June 12 to July 13, 2014. The featured postcard was made from a team sticker by Hyundai, an official sponsor.
  

#450511240 / gettyimages.com

Polar Bears and the Moon

Postcard US-2776626 to Poland shows two polar bears gazing at the moon, from a Coca-Cola advertisement campaign in 2002. You can read more about how the Coca-Cola polar bears came to life by visiting the Enduring History of Coca-Cola's Polar Bears; and see more polar bear posters and other Coca-Cola's advertising postcards.

If you get a chance to visit the Everything Coca-Cola store in Las Vegas, make sure to have your picture taken with the polar bear. You may even find the bear dancing!

Happy Postcrossing from Belarus

I am really fond of heart-shaped themed postcards. So, postcard BY-1267018 from Belarus really struck a chord with me.

With an excessive heat warning issued for this week and the temperature hit 41°C or 106°F today, I found some cherry smoothie photos and recipes on Pinterest refreshing. There are some tips on where to go and what to do to keep cool during hot summer months in Las Vegas. For the less fortunate, the City of Las Vegas has opened several cooling shelters.

Clean, Safe and Sanitary Water for a Better World

Postcard US-1864022 to California shows a field survey photo I took at Banda Aceh, Indonesia during the aftermath of the 2005 Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami. The earthquakes damaged city's water supply and sewerage systems. Drinking water had to be trucked in and supplies were often in shortage. Residents had often resorted to nature water bodies for their needs, as shown in the inserted photo on the left where the woman dressed in red was doing her laundry downstream of the river. Meanwhile, as seen in the enlarged photo on the top right showing the house upstream by the right side of the bridge, raw sewage had been discharging into the river directly. Providing clean, safe and sanitary water has been a challenge for many parts of the world, especially after natural or man-made disasters.

I was ecstatic to see that 11-year-old Audrey Zhang, a student from Island Trees Middle School in Levittown, New York, won first place in Google's annual Doodle 4 Google competition by drawing of a transformative water purifier machine to make the world a better place.

As Zhang describes her machine, "It takes in dirty and polluted water from rivers, lakes, and even oceans, then massively transforms the water into clean, safe and sanitary water, when humans and animals drink this water, they will live a healthier life." Her artwork was displayed on Google's search page on Monday, seen by millions of people.

California Wind Energy

Postcard US-2822274 from California is a multi-view card that shows wind farms in California. The description on the card reads "California contains the world's largest concentration of wind turbines. Every year the 15,000 wind turbines in the Altamont, Tehachapi, and San Gorgonio Passes produce enough electricity to meet the residential needs of a city the size of San Francisco. And they do so without producing any air pollution or contributing to global warming. California's use of wind energy has become a model for counties around the world." Photo credits by Lloyd Herziger and Ed Linton.

Badlands

I got this postcard from a Capital Pride Festival in Washington D.C. more than 10 years ago, showing Badlands that was located near the Dupont Circle and first opened in 1983. Once billed as Washington D.C.’s most progressive and longest running gay dance club, it later changed its name to Apex and was abruptly shutdown on July 5, 2011 after 28 years. The space, listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Codman Carriage House and Stable, is now occupied by Phase One of Dupont, a 21+ lesbian venue.

Today, for the first time in the Annual Capital Pride Parade's 39-year history, the U.S. Armed Forces color guards marched along with the rainbow flag. An eight-member color guard team from the U.S. Army Military District of Washington led off the parade, started at 4:30 pm on June 7, 2014. It is the same team that presents the flags at congressional and White House events. The Department of Defense authorized the participation. Celebrations continue tomorrow at the Capital Pride Festival from 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm on June 8, 2014.

Same-sex Marriages Started in Wisconsin

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb declared the gay marriage ban in Wisconsin unconstitutional Friday, June 6, 2014. Same-sex couples began getting married in Madison and Milwaukee shortly after the ruling, in spite of confusion over the effect of the ruling. Republican Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen's vowed to appeal the ruling and to seek an emergency order in federal court to stop the wedding.

Wisconsin is the latest of the 15 consecutive lower court cases won for the same-sex marriages since a landmark Supreme Court ruling in June, 2013, although many of those rulings are still being appealed.

Postcard US-2576413 shows the Wisconsin State Capitol Building in Madison.

Chocolate World Opens at New York-New York

Hershey’s Chocolate World opened at New York-New York on Tuesday, June 3, 2014. The 13,000 square foot, two-story flagship store features an 11-foot, 800-pound replica of the Statue of Liberty that was hand carved from milk chocolates. There is also a replica of the Empire State Building, made out of 1,800 Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bars. Customers can mix and buy their favorite Hershey’s candies, customize their candy bar wraps, and purchase a large selection of accessories such as T-shirts, stuffed animals, mugs and key chains.

On an unrelated note, one year ago, Edward Snowden revealed highly-classified National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance documents through Glenn Greenwald's report in the Guardian on June 5, 2013, sending a shockwave throughout the world. It is important for us to continue the debate so that the freedom and liberty can be preserved, and Lady Liberty wouldn't end up just being a prop.

Postcard US-2236311 to Ukraine and US-2566020 to Italy shows a half-sized replica of the Statue of Liberty in front of New York-New York Casino and Hotel. In 2011, The U.S. Postal Service issued a Statue of Liberty stamp, accidentally based on this replica in Las Vegas rather than the original in New York City.

25th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protest

I mailed myself a card today to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protest in 1989. It is slightly different from the one I made last year. It was a big disappointment that there had been no redress so far after 25 years. However, there is no doubt that who is on the right side of the history. I am confident that it will not take another 25 years to properly honor the memories of innocent people who lost their lives in and around Tiananmen Square.

Update: the card was received next day

Fun With Hummingbirds

Postcard US-2738805 to Ireland shows a Immature Anna's Hummingbird from a Flickr photo Fun With Hummingbirds Today by Linda Tanner under a Creative Common 2.0 license with attribution. The photo was taken on January 23, 2011.

It had a 34-cent Hummingbird stamp from USPS on the front, and was sent to Hummingbird Stamp
Cancellation Services, 8300 NE Underground Drive, Pillar 210, Kansas City, MO 64144-0001 for a first-day-of-issue postmark.

Yellow Crane Tower

Postcard CN-988823 from China shows a night view of the Yellow Crane Tower (黄鹤楼), a historic tower first built in 223 A.D., overlooking the Yangtze River from the Snake Hill in Wuhan, Hubei, China.

Hubei (湖北), a province in the easternmost part of central China, covers the territory of the ancient state Chu (楚) during the Warring States period of the Zhou Dynasty, where its minister and poet Qu Yuan (circa 340–278 B.C.) called home. Once served in high offices, Qu Yuan was banished for his opposition to the alliance with the powerful state of Qin, and accused of treason. Qu Yuan was very productive and wrote a lot of poetry during his exile. Twenty-eight years later since his exile, Qin captured Ying (郢), the capitol of Chu. With his early prediction validated, Qu Yuan threw himself into the Miluo River (汨罗江), a branch to the Dongting Lake in the Yangtze River watershed, in protest by suicide.

The legend says that local people, who admired him, raced out in their boats to save him, which became the origin of dragon boat races. In despair, they also dropped sticky rice balls into the river to distract fish so that those fish would not bite Qu Yuan's flesh. Those rice balls thus became the origin of zongzi. The date of his death has been commemorated as Duanwu Fesitival or Dragon Boat Festival to celebrate Qu Yuan's patriotism, which occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional lunar calendar. The date varies from year to year on the Gregorian calendar. In 2014, it falls on June 2.

If Not Now, Then When?

June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month, as declared in a proclamation by President Barack Obama on May 30, 2014, calling on Americans to eliminate prejudice “everywhere it exists.”

Presented by Human Rights Campaign, UNLV Spectrum, LGBT Bar Association and Freedom Nevada, a special preview screening of the HBO Documentary "The Case Against 8" was held at the Student Union Theater, University of Nevada, Las Vegas at 2 p.m. today. The film offered a behind-the-scenes look inside the historic case to overturn California Proposition 8 that bans same-sex marriage in the state. It highlights that "battles are won because they are fought!" The documentary will premiere in theaters on June 6, 2014 and debuts on HBO on June 23, 2014.

The postcard to Taiwan, one of several from the Cirque du Soilei show Zumanity, depicts a scene where "the lovers dance a tumultuous tango. Through their fierce choreography, a passionate story of love and anger unfolds. Again and again they attract and repel in intense conflict until the magnetic energy between them becomes more than they can bear."