Stamps

Many thanks to my friend Raymond for this cover featuring two stamps from the series "Gulf Coast Lighthouses of U. S. A." issued in June 2009. The stamps feature Sand Island (Alabama) and Biloxi (Mississippi) Lighthouses.

Republic of China (Taiwan) Mandarin Ducks express registered FDC, posted on May 22, 2013 from Taipei Sanchong post office.

Bosnia and Herzegovina (Croatian Postal Administration in Mostar) received on 23th May 2013

Monaco received on 23th May 2013

Belgium received on 23th May 2013

Australian 2013 World Stampex souvenir cover, posted on May 10, 2013 from Melbourne to Taipei with arrival postmarked on May 17, 2013.

    Post Aruba issued a set of stamps dedicated to cruise ships. The first cruise ship to visit the island of Aruba was the M.S. “Libertador,” which combined cargo and passenger facilities. The first all-passenger ship was called the “Tradewind” and first stopped at Aruba in 1957. A party was thrown to welcome passengers to Aruba’s first luxury hotel, which was then under construction. The growth of cruise tourism was remarkable during the 1970?s when Aruba began to receive the visits of larger cruise companies such as the ltalian Line, Cunard, Holland America Line, Costa Line, Sitmar Cruises, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line and the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line. The biggest cruise ship to hit the port of Aruba was the Allure of the seas from the Royal Caribbean cruise line in 20’11. This is a cruise ship that houses 5000 passengers and a crew of 2000 that’s seven thousand people on one ship. Cruise ships illustrated on the stamps  are: First cargo/passenger cruise ship named MS Libertador; First passenger cruise ship named Tradewind; Princess Cruises line, Love Boat; The biggest cruise ship to hit the port of Aruba, Allure of the Seas from the Royal;   New Pictorial Cancellation from Germany     On June17, 2013 a new pictorial cancellation will be issued in 90562 Heroldsberg in Germany. The cancellation is featuring a Dinosaur.Interested philatelists may please contact: Wolfgang Beyer,Vice Chairman of the German Philatelic Collector Group ARGE ZOOLOGIE. Mail: Wolfgang.beyer1@aol.de . Postage rates: 0,75 Euro AIRMAIL, 2,80 Euro Registered AIRMAIL.

Germany flowers registered cover, posted on May 8, 2013 from Kiel to Taipei with arrival postmarked on May 23, 2013.

On the stamp affixed to the FDC commemorating the 75th Anniversary of TARBUT, namely, the Hebrew EducationaL and Cultural Organisation, are photographs of students in the chemistry laboratory of the Bialystok Hebrew School, and an exercise class at the Tarbut School in Wolyn. The tab shows a picture of students at the Tarbut School in Rovno, Wolyn District, Poland. In the photograph, taken in 1919, the year the school was founded, the school's name can be seen in three languages - Hebrew, Ukrainian and Polish.The goal of the Tarbut' schools was to inculcate Hebrew culture into the Jewish people in the Diaspora. The movement arose at the end of World War I, after the stabilization of the border lines in all of Poland, Lithuania and even in parts of Rumania. The central enterprise was the wide-ranging net of kindergartens and Hebrew schools. Tarbut helped the Jewish children acquire the treasures of the Jewish heritage of all generations as well as the blossoming new culture of Eretz Israel.Most of the Tarbut elementary schools were founded in Eastern Poland, in the districts of Wilno, Nowogrudek, Polessie, Bialystok, Wolyn and Galicia.At the same time Hebrew high schools were also established. In 1926-1927 there were 16 Hebrew high schools in Poland. In the early 1920s, three Hebrew teachers' seminaries were established in Wilno, Grodno and Lwow respectively. In 1937-1938 there were 42,976 pupils in the Tarbut schools and 1,400 teachers in 267 institutions. This number amounted to 42% of the total Jewish pupil population in the non-government schools. The financial burden of maintaining the schools was on the parents' shoulders, practically without any government support. The teachers' salaries were meager. However, their spiritual satisfaction was enormous.Thank you Dear Merja for this nice FDC.

My first cover from Nepal was sent by Dinesh from Kathmandu, thank you! It was posted on April 21 and arrived on May 6, 2013. There are four stamps attached, which were issued on  September 4, 2012. The stamps are a joint issue of Nepal and Israel and commemorate the highest and lowest places on earth, which are the Mount Everest (8848 m) and the Dead Sea (–423 m).