Las Vegas Pride Parade

Las Vegas Pride Parade is one of the few, if not the only one, Pride Parades held at night. The 15th Annual Las Vegas Pride Parade will march up the 4th Street from West Charleston Blvd to Ogden Avenue starting at 8 pm on September 6, 2013 in downtown Las Vegas. The 2013 parade, presented by the MGM Resorts International and led by Grand Marshal Edward Padilla and Celebrity Grand Marshals from the cast of Divas Las Vegas, brings together the gay and straight business community, nonprofit organizations, LGBT service agencies, civic groups, and churches for a big celebration.

The postcard shows the banner of Las Vegas Pride projected on the giant Viva Vision LED display canopy at the Fremont Street Experience on April 30, 2010. The parade was changed to be held in September since.

Polar Bear in a Bank

Polar Bear at First Interstate Bank

I am sending this postcard US-2359330 I bought at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum to Australia. It shows a 1600 lbs or 725.75 kg and 11 ft or 3.35 m tall Polar Bear on display in the lobby of the Main office at First Interstate Bank of Nevada, Reno, NV. It says on the back of the postcard that the bear was shot by A.M. Smith 50 miles north of Cape Uelen, Siberia in Russia. However, it didn't say when it was shot and how it ended up there in the bank. If you have additional information on this bear, send me an email.

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe

In comparison with Lake Baikal, Russia discussed yesterday, Lake Tahoe, located along the border between California and Nevada in the United States, is also a large freshwater lake. At a surface elevation of 1,897 m or 6,225 ft, Lake Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America. With a depth of  501 m or 1,645 ft, it's the second-deepest lake in the United States. The deepest lake in the United States is Crater Lake in Oregon at 593 m or 1,945 ft; and the deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal in Russia at 1,642 m or 5,387 ft.

Lake Tahoe is ranked as the 26th by volume in the world at 151 cu km while Lake Baikal is the largest with a volume of 23,600 cu km. Lake Tahoe was formed about 2 million years ago. It is relatively young, compared to Lake Baikal's age at 25 million years.

Although Lake Tahoe is known for its great clarity, the clarity of the lake had been decreasing historically, with the rate of decrease slowing. Furthermore, the lake's clarity has increased from 2011 to 2013. We hope this trend will hold.

Postcard US-2193280 showing Lake Tahoe was received on April 25, 2013.

Gangnam Style

One year ago, South Korean K-pop musician Psy released his 18th single "Gangnam Style" (강남스타일) on July 15, 2012 and debuted at number one on South Korea's Gaon Chart. It gained popularity as it became the first Youtube video to surpass a billion viewings on December 21, 2012 and many different individuals and groups made cover videos or parodies and dance mobs attracted thousands of participants around the world. By July 15, 2013, "Gangnam Style" has been viewed over 1,742,800,200 times on YouTube.

The traveling postcard US-2246671 to China shows Santa Claus was dancing to the "Gangnam Style" at the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas on December 1, 2012.

Paintbrush Gateway

This card US-2168207, with a dimension of 5.5 inch x 8.6 inch , is an informational card about a public art project located in the 18b Las Vegas Arts District in Downtown Las Vegas. The Paintbrush Gateway consists two brushes that located on the intersections of Casino Center @ Charleston Blvd and Fourth Street @ Charleston. The brushes lean toward each other so that the searchlight beams from each brush cross paths. "The Paintbrush Gateway projects a stroke, 2,000 feet log, going into darkness, thus echoing an artist's excursion into the unknown", as Dennis Oppenheim, the artist who designed it, explained. The search light beam was produced by an 850 watt HD lamp while the aluminum brush bristles are decorated by flexible LED color-changing string lights with 144 nodes. There are 20 color changing spots inside the steel brush handle as well.

The Paintbrush Gateway was dedicated two years ago on June 2, 2011.

International Day for Biological Diversity

Water and Biodiversity

My postcard US-1889056 sent to Sweden can be a perfect remembrance of the International Day for Biological Diversity, or World Biodiversity Day. currently held on May 22. It is sanctioned by United Nations to increase awareness of biodiversity issues. It was first held on December 29 from 1993 to 2000 to mark the day when the Convention on Biological Diversity went into effect in 1993. However, the date was shifted in 2000 to commemorate the adoption of the Convention at the Rio Earth Summit on May 22, 1992 . The theme for 2013 is Water and Biodiversity.

The picture on the card was taken at Mirage's indoor fountain area on September 22, 2012. Water use by casinos in Las Vegas has long been a topic for study and debate as lavish and ambitious water features in the middle of the desert often give the impression of water waste. A 2003 UNLV thesis "Consumptive Water Use at the Mirage Hotel and the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada" by Johann A. Feller indicated that consumptive water use at the Mirage Hotel and the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is much less than previously estimated. Sara Tabatabaie, a doctoral student at the University of Colorado Boulder also discussed the water use myth in her blog in 2012. However, researchers from the Pacific Institute argued in their report Hidden Oasis that much more could be done in improving water conservation and efficiency in Las Vegas.

There are many places in Las Vegas where you can appreciate biodiversity. You can visit Springs Preserve, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Valley of Fire State Park, Spring Mountain Ranch State Park, Mount Charleston or Lake Mead National Recreation Area where you can observe native animals and plants. In particular, I found this site birdandhike.com very informational on bird watching and hiking around Las Vegas. They even have a section for dragonflies, (and AIRCRAFTS). 

For tourist attractions, Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage, Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo, Bellagio Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, and Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay are a few places where you can see exotic plants and animals. 

Space Day: the First Friday in May

STS-41C Mission Insignia for the Space Shuttle Challenger

The Space Day was first introduced in 1997. It is the first day in May every year. Space themed postcards are among my favorites. I would like to highlight this US-1999692 card to mark the Space Day for 2013 on May 3rd. The postcard shows the STS-41C mission insignia. Originally numbered as STS-13, it was NASA's 11th Space Shuttle flight, and the 5th for the Shuttle Challenger. It was launched on April 6, 1984 from the  Kennedy Space Center, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base on April 13, 1984.

I found quite a few space themed postcards in the Planetarium gift shop at the College of Southern Nevada. Programs are presented on the domed screen very Friday at 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm and 8:00 pm and every Saturday at 3:30 pm, 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm & 8:00 pm. Check their Event Calendar for the current line up. Weather permitting, the telescopes at the Student Observatory will be open for viewing After the 8pm presentation.

Clare has a blog post on the 10 Stamps for the Space Day. Hope I can collect them all some day.

Where the postcard was bought:  Planetarium and Observatory at the College of Southern Nevada

From Las Vegas with Love

Happy Valentine's Day

Since the Chinese New Year (Sunday, February 10, 2013) and the Valentine's Day (Thursday, February 14, 2013) is only four days apart, This Happy New Year card is perfect to mark both occasions. Two snakes, commemorating the Year of Snake, form a heart-shaped love symbol, with the Paris Las Vegas Hotel in the background.

Sealed with Love (Forever) Stamp 2013

The U.S. Postal Service issued a Sealed with Love (Forever®) stamp on January 30, 2013 showing an envelope fastened with a red wax seal where a small heart enclosed inside a larger heart.

Copies of the postcard, made via VistaPrint. were sent as US-2055999, US-2062588 and US-2080030 etc. You can also purchase a copy from Zazzle.com.

Brahma Shrine at Caesar Palace

Postcard US-2032250 to Thailand shows the Brahma Shrine at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. It is a replica of one of the most famous Buddhist shrines, the Erawan Shrine at the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand.

At the first glance, it may feel strange to see the shimmering blue-and-gold motif among the surrounding white pillars of Roman Square. Nonetheless, since donated to Caesars in 1984 from Thai newspaper tycoons Mr. and Mrs. Kamphol Vacharaphol and Mr. Yip Hon, a prominent figure of Hong Kong, the Shrine has become a symbol of prosperity and good luck. It features a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu god Brahma. The four faces of the Brahma statue represent the Four Divine States of Mind: Loving Kindness or Benevolence (慈), Compassion (悲), Sympathy or Empathetic Joy (喜), and Equanimity (捨).

The Shrine was cast in bronze and plated in gold, weighted more than 360 kilograms or 8,000 pounds and measured 4.3 meters or 14 feet tall. It was dedicated twenty nine years ago today on February 5, 1984 under the supervision of Buddhist monks. It is open to people of all faiths as explained by the full inscription of the shrine's plaque.

Sunset at Bellagio Hotel and Casino

Postcard US-1555333 reached Portugal in 12 days. It shows a beautiful sunset view at Bellagio, a luxury hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The design was inspired by the Lake Como town of Bellagio in Italy, It is famous for the large music water fountain on an 8-acre or 3.2 ha lake, as shown in front of the hotel on the card. I usually come here to watch New Year's fireworks.