Monte Carlo Out, Park MGM In

Postcard US-1987880 to Brazil shows the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino, a 3,000-room, AAA-Four-Diamond rating megaresort in Las Vegas. Named to invoke the Place du Casino in Monte Carlo, Monaco, it opened to the public on June 21, 1996.

MGM Resorts International has recently announced a plan to renovate the resort and to re-brand it as the Park MGM. A smaller, 292-room spin-off will be created as the NoMad Las Vegas, in partner with the Sydell Group who had built the NoMad in New York City. The NoMad will be independently operated, featuring a dedicated lobby, swimming pool as well as separate gaming and food venues.

Fashion Show Mall

Postcard US-3677822 to Brazil shows the Cloud, a plaza that faces the Las Vegas Boulavard in front of the Fashion Show Mall, an over-250-store shopping mall first opened on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1981. The main attraction is a 80-foot retractable runway in the central atrium Great Hall that can be used to host fashion shows.

Currently, in celebration of ReCon 2016, the global convention for the shopping center industry, fashion shows featuring 10 of the mall’s retailers are scheduled at 12:00 pm, 1:00 pm, 2:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 4:00 pm, and 5:00 pm through May 30, 2016.

Friday, May 20: Lucky Brand
Saturday, May 21: U.S. Polo Assn.
Sunday, May 22: Vince Camuto
Monday, May 23: Lorna Jane
Tuesday, May 24: Under Armour Brand House
Wednesday, May 25: Robert Graham
Thursday, May 26: Calvin Klein
Friday, May 27: Macy's
Saturday, May 28: Macy's
Sunday, May 29: Beach Bunny
Monday, May 30: Lululemon

Digital dance shows and live performances art by Girl Power Digital Show and Uptown Dance Funk are scheduled at 12:30pm, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm and 4:30 pm on select days through May 30, 2016.

Another copy was sent to Finland as US-3682362.

Wright Brothers' First Controlled Flight

Outgoing postcard US-3772207 to Brazil has a 37-cent First Flight commemorative stamp in the front, issued by USPS on May 22, 2003 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first controlled, powered, and sustained flight in a heavier-than-air flying machine. At Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903, Wright Brothers tested Flyer I with a four-cylinder engine for the first flight that lasted 12 seconds and 120 feet or 37 meters, followed by three even more successful flights later that day.

The miniature souvenir sheet has ten pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) stamps. The card has address, messages and additional postage on the back. It was sent to the Post Office in Kitty Hawk, NC for the 2015 edition first flight pictorial postmark in a package with several other postcards. Tracking shows the package left Las Vegas on January 16, 2016 and was delivered in January 19, 2016.

I did an inquiry on February 22, 2016 for the service update via USPS.COM, and got a prompt call back the next day asking me for more information, and another call the day after informing me that the cards were mailed out on Monday, February 22, 2016. Sure enough, I received the one addressed to myself today on February 26, 2016.

However, the SURPRISE was that they used the 111th anniversary edition rubber stamp from 2014 with a date of "DEC 17 2014", rather than the 112th anniversary edition on Dec 17, 2015 !!! Interesting.

World Oceans Day

World Oceans Day, celebrated on June 8 every year, was originally proposed by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. It was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008. The 2015 Theme is "Healthy oceans, healthy planet."

The United Nations Postal Administration issued three panes of 12 stamps on May 31, 2013 to raise awareness for World Oceans Day. The artwork by Yoshito Hirano on Postcard JP-240233 from Japan illustrates the important relationship between human settlements and the ocean.

Cataratas do Iguaçu

Postcard BR-228416 from Brazil shows Iguazu Falls, meaning “large water”, which are waterfalls of the Iguazu River on the border of the Argentina province of Misiones and the Brazilian state of Paraná. The total width of the waterfalls is approximately 800 meters or 2,625 feet on the Brazilian side and 1,900 meters or 6,234 feet on the Argentinean side, with the Iguassu River narrowing from 1,200 meters or 3,937 feet in width above the falls, into a 65-meter or 213-foot channel below. The Iguazu Falls consists of about one hundred waterfalls during the average flow, with their heights ranging between 40 meters or 131 feet and 80 meters or 262 feet. The average flow of the river is about 1,500 m³/s, with a low of 500 m³/s in drought and a high of 8,500 m³/s in flood. The largest volume of flows occurs between October and March.

Five main falls are on the Brazilian side; fourteen main falls are on the Argentinean side. Since most of the falls are on the Argentinean side and facing Brazil, the best views are from the Brazilian side.

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With the 2014 FIFA World Cup on the way, the number of foreign visitors to the Iguazu National Park, one the New Seven Wonders of Nature, increased 65%.

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.

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

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

Behalte stets im Herzen

Postcard DE-2794333 from Germany shows a Volkswagen Minibus with the split windshield. Starting from Hanover, Germany from the 1950s to 1979 and then continuing in Brazil until the end of 2013, its production had been the longest in automotive history.

"Always keep in mind,
what you have encountered on your way,
every joy, every smile,
every preserved moment!"