Water Lily vs. Lotus

Postcard US-4015954 to Canada shows a maxi card with a Water Lilies first-class forever stamp issued by USPS in Cleveland, OH on March 20, 2015, and a first-day-of-issue postmark.

The card was produced by SFWMD. It reads on the back: "Lovely fragrant white water lilies are abundant throughout much of southern Florida's ecosystem. The floating aquatic plant provides fish habitat and aquatic wildlife food and cover, and stabilizes sediments.

The Water Lilies stamps, priced at 49 cents at the time of issuance and valued at 47 cents now, have four designs based on existing photos taken by Cindy Dyer of Alexandria, VA in midsummer at the Kenil­worth Park and Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC.

Cindy Dyer is also the photographer of a Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) image, taken at the Kenil­worth Park and Aquatic Gardens, that was used to produce the 11th of 16 stamps in the National Park Service’s Centennial stamp series. Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera), with its blooming period from late June to early September, can grow a bloom in the size of a basketball.

I used to have some confusions between water lily and lotus. The Pond Plant Girl has an excellent article to describe their difference.

Meanwhile, Duanwu Festival 2016 happens today. Eating Zongzi, rice balls wrapped in reed leaves or lotus leaves, is one of the traditions during the festival.

One of the most popular ancient Chinese poems about lotus was Ode to the Lotus Flower (爱莲说) by Dunyi Zhou (周敦頤) (1017-1073). Duanyi wrote: "I just love lotus because she grows in mud, yet never contaminates with it. She floats on waving water, yet never dances with it." (出淤泥而不染 濯清涟而不妖)  In this metaphor, the lotus flower represents someone who remains ethical and noble in spite of general corruptions.

The Centennial of Ellis Island

According to the Palm Beach Post, USPS honored the centennial of Ellis Island on May 11, 1992 with a 19-cent historic preservation postal card. First-day ceremonies were held at 11 a.m. just outside of the Great Hall's Museum. The card's indicium, the imprinted stamp with 19-cent pre-paid postage, was designed by East Norwich, N.Y., artist Howard Kos-low.

From its opening in 1892 through 1954, more than 12 million immigrants were processed through Ellis Island, located in Upper New York Bay. Today, we celebrate its 124th anniversary.

Cobb Hall at the University of Chicago

On January 23, 1992, USPS issued a stamped postal card with a 19-cent pre-printed stamp to commemorate the Centennial of the University of Chicago. The card features the first building completed on campus in 1892 - Cobb Hall, named after benefactor Silas Cobb. Designed by Henry Ives Cobb (not related to Silas Cobb), the building was modeled after the Gothic style featured prominently on the Oxford University campus in England. It currently hosts the humanities and social sciences, as well as the Center for the Study of Languages, and the Renaissance Society Contemporary Art Museum.

The first-day-of-issue postmark, cancelled from the city of Chicago, IL, also features an outline of Cobb Hall.

Update: the card was later sent to Belarus as US-3841631.

Rufous Hummingbird and Rocky Mountain Beeplant

Postcard US-2996988 to Florida was a maxi card of a Rufous hummingbird feeding on flowers of Rocky Mountain Beeplant on Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge in western Sweetwater County, Wyoming. The stamp was a USPS 34-cent Hummingbird stamp with a first-day-of-issue postmark dated February 7, 2014 in Kansas City, Missouri. Photo from the USFWS Mountain Prairie collection by Tom Koerner/USFWS; used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.

Ringling Bros. Ending Elephant Acts in 3 Years

After 145 years, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is ending its elephant acts by 2018, among the concerns over animal treatment.

The circus currently has 13 elephants traveling with its tour units. They will be relocated to the Ringling Bros. Center for Elephant Conservation in Polk City, Florida once their acts end. More than 40 other elephants are already at the Center. However, other exotic animals such as lions and tigers will continue performing.

It's a victory for the animal rights groups such as PETA and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals who have been claiming mistreatment of circus animals for a long time. While the parent company of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus was able to won a nearly $16 million settlement from a number of animal-rights groups including the Humane Society of the United States, ending a 14-year legal battle, it was the shifting consumer perceptions done the elephant acts in.

The stamped card features one of the eight USPS Vintage Circus Posters Commemorative stamps which uses a reproduction of a 1926 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey poster made by the Strobridge Lithographing Company, showing an ornately costumed elephant. The vintage poster used a bragging tag line “5 Big Herds of Performing Elephants in 5 Circus Rings at One Time” to advertise the Greatest Show on Earth. The card has a pictorial first-day-of-issue postmark on May 5, 2014 from Sarasota, FL 34230.

Make Some Noise

Las Vegas honors 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Day with its 33rd annual parade that attracted thousands visitors and locals lining up Fourth Street downtown to watch more than 100 floats, bands, dancers, politicians, classic cars, motorcycles and people from various organizations marching in honor of Dr. King.

The theme of this year's parade was "Living the Dream: Where do we go from here?" It highlights the reflection and debate resulted from the racial tensions exposed after multiple police killings of black men last year. It is also a reminder that the struggle for equality is continuing and there are a lot to be done ahead.

An elderly spectator watches younger marchers streaming by at the 33rd annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in downtown Las Vegas on January 19, 2015.

The featured postcard was a maxi card featuring a self-portrait of me in front of the Newseum in Washington D.C. on August 28, 2013 with a USPS March on Washington Forever Stamp and its first-day-of-issue postmark.

Happy Birthday Jimi Hendrix

Happy Thanksgiving!

Also on November 27, 2014, the great guitar icon Jimi Hendrix would have turned 72 if he were still with us today. Born in Seattle on November 27, 1942, Washington, James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is considered one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame acknowledges him as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music." He passed away in London on September 18, 1970.

Postcard US-2776620 was a maxi card to Philippines showing a portrait of Jimi Hendrix with a Jimi Hendrix Forever Stamp and a first-day-of-issue postmark. USPS issued the stamp at the SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 13, 2014.

USS Constitution

In this Veterans Day, I present this maxi card showing the USS Constitution with a matching stamp and a first-day-of-issue cancellation. It was sent around October 14, 2013 as US-2452560, but went missing along with more than a dozen other cards mentioned in my blog on November 18, 2013. It was kindly registered by the recipient as received when a replacement arrived.

The inception of the card was also storied. When the USPS issued War of 1812: USS Constitution stamps on August 18, 2012, I decided to request the first-day-of-issue postmark for the first time. I sent out 20 stamped covers and postcards, along with a self-addressed return envelop with Priority Mail Flat Rate postage, in another larger envelop by Priority Mail addressed to: The War of 1812: USS Constitution Stamp, Postmaster, 25 Dorchester Avenue, Boston, MA 02205-9998. The tracking record shows that it was received on September 17, 2012.

However, when I received my self-addressed Priority Mail envelop from Kansas City, I was surprised to find 30 First Day Covers that was not mine, along with a letter and a return mailing label saying that two of my items were damaged, I could use the free mailing label to resent two pieces of artworks without stamps to get replacements.

Someone else's FDCs sent to me in error.

So, I returned those FDCs with a letter saying those were not mine, and I was due 20 covers and postcards. So I enclosed 20 un-stamped for them to apply stamps and postmarks. Those postcards were returned after a couple of weeks. The enclosed letter said they wouldn't issue replacement arbitrarily, and I had to sent back damaged cards to get replacement. Hello? did I just send back 30 FDCs that were not mine? Then I realized that if something mixed up at Boston, Kansas people might not have any idea what I had sent in. So I wrote another letter detailing what I sent and when. Only after another round of back and forth, I received all my FDCs and maxi cards after almost six months.

The lesson learned from this experience:

• before you send in your covers or postcards, make a list of inventory and take a picture of them;
• attach a note with diagrams to show your preferred postmark placement;
• include your email and phone number on the note in case you need to be contacted;
• using track service to send in your covers and postcards;
• be patient,

The postcard was purchased at Zazzle.

Home Means Nevada

Postcard US-3038783 to Latvia shows a maxi card that has a big-letter "NEVADA" rubber stamp imprint and a Nevada Statehood Forever stamp with a first-day-of-issue cancellation.

As part of the Nevada’s Sesquicentennial celebration, more than 500 groups around the state participated #NevadaSings to sing the Nevada State Song "Home Means Nevada" at 10 a.m. today, attempting to set a record for people singing one state song at the same time, with one group singing from as high as 25,000 feet or 7,620 meters in the sky. For those who had participated, video or photo proof are still accepted on www.Nevada150.org web site.

Written & Music by Bertha Raffetto, the lyrics of the official song of the State of Nevada are:

Way out in the land of the setting sun,
Where the wind blows wild and free,
There’s a lovely spot, just the only one
That means home sweet home to me.
If you follow the old Kit Carson trail,
Until desert meets the hills,
Oh you certainly will agree with me,
It’s the place of a thousand thrills.Home means Nevada
Home means the hills,
Home means the sage and the pine.
Out by the Truckee, silvery rills,
Out where the sun always shines,
Here is the land which I love the best,
Fairer than all I can see.
Right in the heart of the golden west
Home means Nevada to me.

Whenever the sun at the close of day,
Colors all the western sky,
Oh my heart returns to the desert grey
And the mountains tow’ring high.
Where the moon beams play in shadowed glen,
With the spotted fawn and doe,
All the live long night until morning light,
Is the loveliest place I know.

Home means Nevada
Home means the hills,
Home means the sage and the pines.
Out by the Truckee’s silvery rills,
Out where the sun always shines,
There is the land that I love the best,
Fairer than all I can see.
Right in the heart of the golden west
Home means Nevada to me.

The Muppets Tour the Globe

Postcard US-2921174 to Belarus shows the Muppets Tour the Globe, a Disney themed card purchased at Zazzle. It was sent in for a first-day-of-issue postmark on the Hot Rods forever stamps on August 5, 2014, and reached the destination on October 9, 2014 after 65 days.

The order was apparently held up together with my other first-day-of-issue requests. I received part of the Hot Rods order on September 23, 2014, along with the Harvey Milk order that was requested on July 21, 2014. A separate Nevada Statehood order, requested on July 26, 2014, arrived days earlier on September 20, 2014. A check for the digital-color-postmark fee in the Harvey Milk order was not cashed until October 1, 2014.

Therefore, as the Muppets Tour the Globe, the actual traveling time for the postcard from U.S. to Belarus was about 16 days.

Love is a Force of Nature

I got this Brokeback Mountain movie promotional card during its Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival premiere at Cinema Paradiso in 2005. The movie told a powerful story of two young men, a ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who sheepherded in the Wyoming mountains in the summer of 1963 and formed a life-long bond with love and conflicts.

Sixteen years ago today on October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a student at the University of Wyoming, was beaten, tortured and left to die near Laramie, Wyoming. He was targeted and attacked by two men because he was gay. His death from severe head injuries six days later brought national and international attention to hate crime legislation. However, it wasn't until October 2009 that the United States Congress passed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. President Barack Obama signed the "Matthew Shepard Act" into law on October 28, 2009.

Today on October 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review those cases where state laws banning same-sex marriage were overturned by federal appeals courts, which resulted immediate recognition of same-sex marriage in Indiana, Oklahoma, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin. Wyoming could see same-sex marriages recognized by the end of this year as it was covered by the same circuit appeals courts as Utah and Oklahoma. Five additional states: North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia, Colorado, and Kansas, are also covered.

The card was sent in to obtain a first-day-of-issue postmark on a Harvey Milk Forever Stamp on July 21, 2014, along with other first-day-of-issue postmark and digital color postmarks. It took two months for the fulfilled order to be returned on September 23, 2014.

#HeForShe: Emma Watson on Women's Rights

Harry Potter movie star Emma Watson, a Global Goodwill Ambassador for UN Women, calling on men to join her #HeForShe campaign for gender equality during a powerful speech in New York City on Saturday September 20, 2014.

Gender equality is not only a women's issue, as she pointed out: "I've seen young men suffering from illness, unable to ask for help for fear it will make them less of a man ... I've seen men fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don't have the benefits of equality, either. We don't often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that they are."

An anonymous user at 4Chan website had threatened to leak nude photos of the actress for speaking out. The incident highlights the current unequal social landscape in a long history of bullying against women both on and off the Internet. It adds urgency to act: "If not me, who? If not now, when?"

The featured postcard was a Harry Potter stamped card showing Hermione Granger, a fictional character played by Emma Watson in the Harry Potter series. It was sent in for a black and white or “hand cancel” first-day-of-issue postmark of 1.733" x 1.222″ in size.

All Star Concert at the Smith Center Celebrates Nevada's Sesquicentennial

Nevada’s 150-year history was condensed into a two-hour 250-cast 27-act concert at Reynolds Hall in the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas tonight on September 22, 2014.  It was one of the 450 statewide events that celebrate the 150th anniversary of Nevada Statehood.

Outgoing postcard US-3000615 to New Zealand was a variation of the Las Vegas Springs Preserve postcard, sent in to obtain a first-day-of-issue postmark on the Nevada Statehood Forever stamp by mail on July 26, 2014. The turn around time is usually around 30 days. However, it took longer than usual this time as I just received the order on September 20, 2014.

It's the Journey that Counts

Postcard US-2692599 to Japan shows a 16-foot or 4.9-meter horse, centerpiece of the "Year of the Horse" art installation at The Palazzo's Waterfall Atrium and Gardens, commemorating Chinese New Year that begins on January 31, 2014. Having since concluded on February 16, 2014, there were eight hand-sculpted and hand-painted horses throughout the display. The photo was taken on January 20, 2014.

However, after I sent the card in for the first-day-of-issue postmark, it was returned to me on April 11, 2014 without cancellation. I had addressed the card to Japan with adequate international postage and asked it to be released for mailing.

I added an apology on the card for not being able to secure a first-day-of-issue postmark and re-posted it on the same day on April 11, 2014. A message came on September 1, 2014: "The postcard US-2692599 you sent to marie1112 in Japan was registered by Postcrossing. The account of the receiver was closed and for this reason the postcard was automatically registered."

I am not sure why this card did not get the first-day-of-issue postmark, and I don't know if the card reached the receiver before she closed her account. But, I tried.

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."

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.

Unbought and Unbossed

Postcard US-2692593 to the United Kingdom shows an inverted image of a cactus grown in Las Vegas, Nevada. I pass this location often when I go to a gym in the evening. I have been fascinated by the ever changing impressions of the cactus against the evening skies.

The postcard had a Shirley Chisholm Black Heritage Forever stamp and was sent to Brooklyn, NY along with several items for a first-day-of-issue postmark on April 1, 2014. However, it took a detour to Trenton, and Bellmawr, NJ after it already reached Brooklyn, NY on April 3, 2014. It was finally delivered at Brooklyn, NY on April 10, 2014. I am curious what happened between April 3 and April 10, 2014. 

Shipment Activity	Location	Date & Time
Delivered	BROOKLYN, NY 11256	April 10, 2014 9:54 am
Arrival at Post Office	BROOKLYN, NY 11256	April 10, 2014 9:47 am
Depart USPS Sort Facility	BROOKLYN, NY 11256	April 10, 2014
Processed through USPS Sort Facility	BROOKLYN, NY 11256	April 10, 2014 4:33 am
Depart USPS Sort Facility	BELLMAWR, NJ 08031	April 5, 2014
Processed through USPS Sort Facility	BELLMAWR, NJ 08031	April 5, 2014 5:38 pm
Depart USPS Sort Facility	TRENTON, NJ 08650	April 5, 2014
Processed through USPS Sort Facility	TRENTON, NJ 08650	April 5, 2014 3:41 am
Arrive USPS Sort Facility	BROOKLYN, NY 11256	April 3, 2014 7:14 am
Depart USPS Sort Facility	FLUSHING, NY 11351	April 3, 2014 6:22 am
Depart USPS Sort Facility	FLUSHING, NY 11351	April 3, 2014
Processed through USPS Sort Facility	FLUSHING, NY 11351	April 3, 2014 2:45 am
Electronic Shipping Info Received		April 2, 2014
Processed at USPS Origin Sort Facility	LAS VEGAS, NV 89120	April 2, 2014 12:15 am
Dispatched to Sort Facility	LAS VEGAS, NV 89199	April 1, 2014 6:15 pm
Acceptance	LAS VEGAS, NV 89199	April 1, 2014 5:32 pm

Nevada Statehood Forever Stamp Unveiled

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) unveiled the Nevada Statehood 49-cent Forever Commemorative stamp at the Smith Center for Performing Arts in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on May 29, 2014, with dignities include Vice Chairman of USPS Board of Governors James Bilbray, Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, Nevada Lt. Governor Brian Krolicki, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senator Dean Heller, and USPS Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe.

Musical Tribute Performed by Bilbray Elementary School Choir 

The stamp and other collectibles were on sale and the first-day-of-issue cancellation was available before and after the ceremony. Postcard US-2814029 to New Zealand got a first-day-of-issue postmark, showing the south end of the Las Vegas strip in the old days where motels, a Sambo's, gas stations, the Tower of Pizza, and the wonderful neon signs were lining along the old highway. Those signs towered over the traffic below, giving a sense of scale.

According to the USPS stamp announcement, customers have 60 days to obtain the first-day-of-issue postmark by mail. They may purchase new stamps at their local Post Office, at The Postal Store® website at http://www.usps.com/shop, or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes (to themselves or others), and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:
Nevada Statehood
USPS Customer Relations Coordinator
1001 East Sunset Road, Rm 1030
Las Vegas, NV 89199-9998

After applying the first-day-of-issue postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark up to a quantity of 50. For more than 50, customers have to pay five cents each. All orders must be postmarked by July 28, 2014.

USS Constitution vs. HMS Guerriere

Perfect for commemorating the Memorial Day today, Postcard US-2738814 to Germany shows a combat between USS Constitution and HMS Guerriere during the War of 1812 postcard. The painting was the work of artist Michel Felice Corne (1752-1845). The postcard was affixed a 2012 USPS The War of 1812: USS Constitution commemorative stamp with a first-day-of-issue postmark, thus making it a maxi card.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., an activist and leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his "I have a dream" speech, delivered at the 1963 March on Washington gathering, as shown on the Postcard US-2474576 to China.

Whereas King's birthday is January 15, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a floating holiday observed on the third Monday of January each year under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. In 2014, it falls on January 20.