Prometheus Statue at Rockfeller Plaza

Outgoing postcard US-3169529 to Russia was a vintage card showing Paul Manship's majestic bronze gilded statue of the Greek legend of the Titan Prometheus recumbent, bringing fire to mankind from the sun. Built in 1934, the 5.5-meter or 18-foot tall and 8-ton statue is a focal point of the fountain in the sunken gardens, which are noted for their trees and shrubs and flowers, at the front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The model for Prometheus was Leonardo (Leon) Nole. The inscription on the granite wall behind was a paraphrase from Aeschylus that reads: "Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends."

Built by the Rockefeller family, Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres or 89,000 square meters panning the area from Fifth Avenue to Sixth Avenue and between 48th and 51st streets in the center of Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York. It was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

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

Vanished Sculptures Outside the Monte Carlo

Expired Postcard US-1945392 to Belarus has reached its 365-day mark and is heading to the postcard graveyard. The postcard shows a sculpture outside the Monte Carlo Resort and Casino with a photo taken on October 12, 2012.

Those frolicking sculptures at the north Monte Carlo entrance were dismantled along with the European facade and famed fountain in June 2013 to make way for a large open-air plaza between the Monte Carlo and New York New York. It is part of the current trend that opens up casinos and converts external facades into profit-making entertainment venues with live entertainment, restaurants and retail stores, similar to what are happening in the MGM Grand and the Treasure Island,

Grand Cascade, Peterhof, Russia

I received Postcard RU-1237795 last year on October 11, 2012, showing the Grand Cascade in front of the Grand Peterhof Palace near Saint Petersburg, Russia. This imperial summer residence in Peterhof is also known as Russian Versailles, which is part of the Historic Center of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments that was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990.

Peterhof is perhaps most famous for its remarkable array of decorative fountains -- 173 fountains, 4 cascades, numerous sculptures and charming pavilions -- including the unmistakable and incredibly impressive ensemble of the Grand Cascade. The Grand Cascade runs from the northern facade of the Grand Palace to the Marine Canal, comprising 64 different fountains, and over 200 bronze statues, bas-reliefs, and other decorations. The first sight for visitors arriving in Peterhof by sea will be the vista of the Grand Cascade with the Grand Palace behind it, which is truly breathtaking.

Neptune and His Horses, Kansas City, Missouri

Kansas City, Missouri is known as the City of Fountains. Among all cities in the world, only Rome, Italy has more fountains. Postcard US-2441790 shows its Neptune Fountain, a 3629 kg or 8000 pound cast lead fountain in an oval pond. It depicts Neptune, the God of the Sea (and father of fictional character Perseus "Percy" Jackson), in his chariot pulled by three mythological attributes, the trident, dolphin and sea horse.

The fountain was cast in 1911 by the Bromsgove Guild of Applied Arts, a group of artists and designers that operated from 1898 to 1966. from Worcestershire, England.  Google books has an ebook on Walter Gilbert who founded the group associated with the Arts and Crafts movement. The fountain was for the Pennsylvania estate of Alba B. Johnson, then president of Baldwin Locomotive Co., who passed away in 1946. Miller Nichols, a local real estate professional who was inducted to the Greater Kansas City Business Hall of Fame in 2011, bought the piece as scrap metal after workmen at a salvage company found it in a railroad car. The JC Nichols Co. installed it on the Country Club Plaza in 1953.

I was in Kansas City for the URISA's 43rd Annual Conference from October 9 to October 12, 2005. However, I missed this fountain. One of the city's most spectacular water displays was the Crown Center Fountains near the conference site Hyatt Regency Kansas City (now Sheraton Kansas City Hotel) at Crown Center, an office, retail, and entertainment complex housing the international headquarters of Hallmark Cards, Inc. I look forward to visiting more fountains when I am in Kansas City next time.

You can find a list of fountains in Kansas City at Wikipedia. ExperienceKC.COM has an article "City of Fountains: tour the stunning structures that gave Kansas City its claim to fame." 

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. 

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.