Douglas DC-3

Outgoing postcard US-3429583 to Florida was produced by Smithsonian Institution and printed in Singapore in 1988. It shows a Douglas DC-3, a fixed-wing propeller-driven airliner with a cruise speed of 207 m/h or 333 km/h and a range of 1,500 miles or 2,400 km, exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum. It bears an Eastern Airlines logo. Billed as the most successful airliner in history for its streamlined, versatile design and strong wing construction, the Douglas DC-3 dominated both commercial and military air transportation from its introduction in 1935 until after World War II. At least 400 of these airplanes are still flying today.

Update: The card reached the destination after 38 days on July 17,2015.

Need It, Want It, Got It

I found this GoCard I collected many years ago during a house cleaning that advertised Recycler Classifieds, a Los-Angeles-based classifieds-only newspaper, first started in 1973. Its print editions expanded into 10 regional markets including Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas by 1998.  Its digital edition Recycler.com was one of the first vast online classified advertisements communities with thousands of local ads covering cars, merchandise, employment, real estate and anything else. However, after several rounds of corporate buy outs, it missed the opportunity to compete with and stand out from other online sites such as eBay and Craigslist.

Postcard.com that produced this GoCard advertising is now a New York-based public benefit corporation with strives to achieve the highest standard for socially responsible businesses.

On a separate note, on this World AIDS Day in 2014, there is a #weareALLclean Shower Selfie Campaign that promotes HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, and eliminatse stigma for those people who are infected by the virus.

Penguin One

Postcard US-3014308 to Japan shows one of Southwest Airlines' specialty planes, Penguin One, taking off from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. It is the latest co-branded 737 jets under the partnership with SeaWorld since 1988. The current SeaWorld fleet includes Shamu Two, entering service on May 30, 1990; and Shamu Three, on September 7, 1990. The first jet Shamu One, introduced on May 23, 1988, has since retired.

However, animal rights activists have protested Southwest Airlines' relationship with SeaWorld for its treatment of the killer whales and other sea mammals in captive. Under the pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and other animal rights groups, Southwest announced on July 31, 2014 that it would concluded its 26-year partnership with SeaWorld by the end of the year. Penguin One, just introduced to the fleet last year on June 20, 2013, will be painted back to the traditional Southwest color scheme along with Shamu Two and Shamu Three.

Tamsui, Taiwan

Postcard TW-908889 from Taiwan offers an aerial view from the north of Tamsui District (淡水區) in New Taipei City, Taiwan. It is a sea-side district where the Tamsui River, whose name means "fresh water", flows west into the Taiwan Strait. As a natural harbor, Tamsui was a major fishing and trade port in history because of its proximity to mainland China.

Twenty six years ago, the Tamsui Line,  a railroad branch line operated by the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) and connected Taipei and Tamsui, closed on July 15, 1988. The Taipei Metro Tamsui Line was later built along the route. Upon the completion of the Metro Line in 1997, Tamsui experienced a dramatic increase of tourist traffic. Tamsui is popular for viewing the sunset into the Taiwan Strait, for various activities on several riverside parks, and for shopping at open-air markets specializing in traditional handicrafts and street-vendor snacks. Visitors can also visit a fisherman's wharf, and take ferries traversing across and along the river.

Tamsui is home to three universities: Aletheia University, Tamkang University, and St. John's University. On the upper left of the postcard, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) can be seen in the background.

Bass Harbor Head Light, Maine

Postcard US-2859863 from Maine shows Bass Harbor Head Light, located within Acadia National Park on the southeast corner of Mount Desert Island, Maine. According to Wikipedia: "the history of Bass Harbor Head Light started in 1855 when it was deemed that there was sufficient reason for a lighthouse at the mouth of Bass Harbor. $5000 was appropriated by Congress for its construction in 1858. The construction of a fog bell and tower, which no longer remains today, was completed in 1876 with a much larger 4000 pound (1800 kg) bell being placed inside the tower in 1898. The keeper's house remains in its original configuration with the exception of a 10-foot addition that was added in 1900. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Bass Harbor Head Light Station on January 21, 1988, reference number 87002273. In 1902, an oil storage house constructed of brick was built 205 feet northwest of the lighthouse."

US Mint issued the Acadia National Park quarter in 2012 as part of the America the Beautiful Quarters Program, featuring a view of the Bass Harbor Head Light and other representative elements such as the coastline, the pine trees and the ocean.

My Neighbor Totoro

Postcard NL-2367054 from the Netherlands shows a scene from My Neighbor Totoro (龍貓), a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film that tells the story of a professor's two young daughters Satsuko and Mei, who move to the country to be near their ailing mother in postwar rural Japan. They have adventures with the friendly forest spirits. The film won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize and the Mainichi Film Award for Best Film in 1988.

Julien Dubuque Monument

Postcard US-2566039 shows the Julien Dubuque Monument, final resting place of the founder of Dubuque, Iowa. Julien Dubuque was a French Canadian from Champlain, Quebec, one of the first European men to settle in the area that is now known as Dubuque, Iowa. He initially received permission from the Meskwaki Indian tribe to mine the lead in 1788,  eventually married Potosa, daughter of Peosta, the chief of the Mesquakie Indians. He subsequently submitted the claim to Spain since Spain controlled the territory prior to 1801. The Spanish approved a land grant for him in 1796.

Julien died of pneumonia on March 24,1810, and was buried on the bluff above Catfish Creek. After his death, the Meskwaki built a log crypt for him, covering his grave with a wooden and stone shelter. In 1897, the structure was replaced by an imposing stone monument built of Galena limestone quarried from the bluff. The founder was buried four feet into the ground inside the monument. The final cost of the twelve-foot diameter, twenty-nine foot high Late-Gothic-Revival style structure was $560.

The Monument was listed on National Register of Historic Places on November 21, 1988; it was declared a National Historic Landmark on November 4, 1993.

Ram Island Ledge Light, Maine

Postcard US-2378450 traveling to Czech Republic shows an aerial view of the Ram Island Ledge Light in Casco Bay, Maine. It was built during 1903 and 1905 as a result of repeated shipwrecks in the past and the steamship "Californian" accident on February 24, 1900. The lighthouse was electrified in 1958, automated in 1959, and converted to solar power in 2001. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as "Ram Island Ledge Light Station" on March 14, 1988.