POSTCARD: USA - FLAG of ILLINOIS

COVER: UKRAINE

POSTCARD: GERMANY

POSTCARD: BELARUS

COVER: SOUTH KOREA

COVER: CANADA

COVER: ALGERIA

Islands of Greece

Winter in Thessaloniki, Greece

MALAYSIA : Petronas Twin Towers

 

Petronas Twin Towers was completed in 1999, and currently ranks as the fourth tallest building in the world.

THESSALONIKI: View of the town

THESSALONIKI, GREECE : The White Tower

Malaysia postcard

Traditional fishing boats in Mandiangin, West Sumatra

GREECE POSTCARD - THESSALONIKI: Kamara (OLd card-postal)

EL JEM. The Amphitheatre. IIIrd C - TUNISIA

COVERS: GREECE 11/12/13

COVER: INDONESIA

COVER: MALAYSIA

POSTCARD : GREEK ISLANDS

COVER: NORWAY

POSTCARD: INDONESIA

COVER: NORWAY

COVER: FRANCE

COVER: ROMANIA

COVER: TAIWAN

COVER: INDONESIA

COVER: MALAYSIA

COVER: GREECE

COVER: TUNISIA

AGION OROS ATHOS 2012 - KATHOLIKA OF THE HOLY MONASTERIES IV

 

COVER: 1932 GREECE

UK 2013: DINOSAURS

 Polacanthus
The heavily armoured Polacanthus was protected from predators by a host of spikes and studs.

Ichthyosaurus
Adapted to life in the sea, the Ichthyosaurus breathed air and gave birth to live young in the water.

Iguanodon
The herbivorous Iguanodon was able to walk on all fours, but would run using only its hind legs.

Ornithocheirus
This relative lightweight flew mainly by soaring and gliding, catching fish by skimming the sea.

Baryonyx
With a name meaning ‘heavy claw’, the thumb claw alone of the Baryonyx was more than 40cm long.

Dimorphodon
With its one metre wingspan and two types of teeth, the Dimorphodon preyed upon fish.

Hypsilophodon
The long shins of the Hypsilophodon suggest that a speedy escape was its main means of defence.

Cetiosaurus
The Cetiosaurus was a herbivore thought to weigh as much as 20,000kg, the same as 20 cars.

Megalosaurus
The fearsome Megalosaurus grew up to nine metres in length, and preyed upon other Dinosaurs.

Plesiosaurus
With its vast paddles, the Plesiosaurus hunted fish and other marine prey at an estimated 8kph.

COVER: THAILAND

Horror Island (1941)

Starring: Dick Foran, Leo Carillo, Peggy Moran, Hobart Cavanaugh and Foy Van Dolsen
 
Director: George Waggner

 Story: 

A struggling businessman (Foran) organizes a "mystery weekend" excursion to an old, supposedly haunted pirate hideout as part of a new tourism venture. He and his customers are soon haunted by a very real killer.

 

The film cost $93,000 and was made between March 3, 1941 -March 15, 1941.

 The working title of this film was Terror of the South Seas. While Ralf Harolde's character is referred to as "Rod Grady" in the film, some reviewers listed the character as "Rod Hogan." A Hollywood Reporter news item from January 1941 states that writer Samuel J. Warshawsky was assigned by supervising producer Joseph Santley to work on the screenplay for this film, but it has not been determined if either man contributed to the released film. According to Universal press materials, this was the first picture that actor Leo Carrillo made as part of his new contract with the studio. Hollywood Reporter stated in March 1941 that Universal signed director George Waggner to a seven-year contract because of his work on this film and Man-Made Monster . Hollywood Reporter also reported that actor John Eldredge's scenes in the Universal film The Black Cat (see entry above) were rushed so that he could appear in the film. Modern sources list Walter Strenge as camera operator and include Eddie Parker, Dale Van Sickel and John Burton in the cast.

More at http://universalhorrorarchive.blogspot.gr/2010/03/horror-island-is-barely-worth-visiting.html , http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/78382/Horror-Island/ , http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/horror-island/

COVER: UK

COVER: FINLAND

GREECE 2013 - NATIONAL HISTORICAL EVENTS 1913 PART A' - THE 100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE LIBERATION OF IOANNINA

 

The war waged by the Balkanallies against the Ottoman Empire ended with many issues unresolved. In early 1913, operations on the Epirus front had ground to a halt, and the Hellenic Army was endeavouring to liberate Ioannina.

 In mid-January 1913, the Hellenic forces in Epirus were encountering difficult conditions. The Commander-in-Chief, Crown Prince Constantine, who assumed command  of the Army of Epirus in the middle of the same month, took a series of measures that aimed to improve the men's living conditions and nutrition, thus raising their morale and increasing their fighting ability, which had been considerably reduced. He also improved the flow of supplies to units at the front by utilising all available means of transport behind the lines, and put into operation a new plan for the capture of Ioannina. February 19th marked the beginning of the end, with a whole day of artillery fire. After many months of struggle, the much-anticipated liberation would be achieved by force and not by negotiation. On 21 February 1913, the Hellenic Army entered Ioannina.

COVER: GREECE

COVER: MALAYSIA

COVER: INDONESIA

Katy Perry on beau John Mayer: 'I actually am dating my crush'

Katy Perry might have had a rough end to her marriage with Russell Brand, but she's on to better things in her love life.

 "I actually am dating my crush".  "I had a crush on him for a long time and it so happens we fit together great."


The singer, whose album "Prism" came out this week, also opened up about her marriage.

"It was a new, fun, exciting journey," the pop star said. "But I like how I am now, and I think all things happen for a reason."




 photo by: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/katy-perry-dating-crush-article-1.1492966#commentpostform

One Direction Top Rich List For Under-30s

One Direction have earned a combined fortune of £59.33m, knocking Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe off the top of a Rich List for British celebrities under 30.



The highest new entry in the list is DJ and music producer Calvin Harris, who is worth an estimated £22.1m.

Names falling out of the top 30 this year include Paolo Nutini, Jamie Bell, Natasha Bedingfield and Sienna Miller.


The financial dealings, including TV shows, films, record sales and product endorsements were examined by a panel of industry experts to compile the list for Heat magazine.

One Direction were included as a single entry for their total earnings because the money was generated by the group rather than for any solo work.

Read more at: http://news.sky.com/story/1157818/one-direction-top-rich-list-for-under-30s

COVER: INDONESIA

COVER: CROATIA

USA 2013 - Ray Charles

Ray Charles an extraordinary composer, singer, and pianist, blind since childhood, went beyond category, blending blues, gospel, country, jazz, and soul music in a unique and highly influential pop music style. His many hits included “I've Got a Woman,” “Georgia on My Mind,” and “I Can't Stop Loving You.”

The stamp art features an image of Charles, taken later in his career, by photographer Yves Carrère. The stamp sheet was designed to evoke the appearance of a vintage 45 rpm record sleeve. One side of the sheet includes the stamps and the image of a sliver of a record seeming to peek out the top of the sleeve. A larger version of the photograph featured on the stamp and the logo for the Music Icons series appear on the reverse side.

Looking back over the course of his long career, there seemed to be little Charles couldn't do. His work spanned almost the entire breadth of American music and brought him 17 Grammy Awards, plus an award for lifetime achievement in 1987. Countless other prizes include the Polar Music Prize in 1998; the National Medal of Arts, awarded in 1993; and the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986. That same year, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Ray Charles performed for seven presidents: Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush.

USA 2013 - Johnny Cash

 

Johnny Cash (1932-2003) is best remembered internationally as a country music artist, but we feel his influence just about everywhere—from rock and folk to blues and gospel. The Johnny Cash (Forever®) stamp is being issued this year as part of the exciting new Music Icons stamp series.

Resembling the appearance of a 45 rpm record sleeve, the square stamp features a photograph taken by Frank Bez during the photo session for Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash (1963). In the photo, Cash stares out at the viewer through a veil of shadow, his brooding expression fitting for an artist known to so many people simply as “the Man in Black.”

Cash found inspiration for his music in the stories of outlaws and laborers, and in his own life experience. A child of the Depression, he grew up in rural Arkansas, and the culture of that time and place—especially the Bible and gospel and country music—remained with him all his life. Themes of redemption, loneliness, love, loss, and death colored his music with a gritty realism that differed markedly from other socially conscious popular music. “I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die,” he sings famously in “Folsom Prison Blues.”

By the 1960s, Cash had become one of the top names in country music, with a string of hits that included “Cry, Cry, Cry,” “I Walk the Line,” and the Grammy award-winning “A Boy Named Sue.” Though his popularity waned in the 1970s and 1980s, Cash made a remarkable resurgence in the 1990s, culminating in several more Grammy awards. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

TAIWAN 2013 - Owls of Taiwan

 

After releasing “Owls of Taiwan” stamp sets in 2011 and 2012, Chunghwa Post is following up with another set of four stamps in 2013 featuring Otus lettia, Tyto longimembris, Ketupa flavipes and Otus elegans botelensis. The designs follow. 

 1. Otus lettia (NT$5): About 22-26 centimeters in length, it has a tawny-gray facial disc with random black markings. The edge of its facial disc is black. It has prominent ear tufts. Its body is tawny-grey. Breast and underbelly feathers have arrow-shaped streak. The center of its belly is white. It can be found nesting in old growth forests, orchards and even city parks. 

 2. Tyto longimembris (NT$5): About 34 to 42 centimeters in length, it has a heart-shaped facial disc, which is red-brown when birds are young, gradually lightens over time. Its facial disc is edged in black dots that connect to create a dark outline. It lacks ear tufts. The top of its head and its back feathers are dark brown, it breast feathers are tawny, and its underbelly is off white. It lives in grassy areas of the mountains and foothills. 

 3. Ketupa flavipes (NT$10): About 55-60 centimeters in length, it is the largest scops owl in Taiwan. It has an orange-yellow facial disk, with yellow-brown ear tufts and head and breast feathers. The feathers on its dark brown back are edged with orange. It is found in broad-leaved forests near creeks, rivers and lakes.  
 4. Otus elegans botelensis (NT$25): About 19-22 centimeters in length, it is a subspecies of Otus elegans that is found only on Orchid Island, which is off the East Coast of Taiwan proper. It has a brown facial disc and ear tufts. Its head and upper body feathers are brown with dark brown and tan stripes. Its breast and belly feathers are tawny. It lives mainly in forests. A pictorial will also be released along with the stamps. The pictorial, a brilliant blend of text and images, includes all three sets of “Owls of Taiwan” stamps released between 2011 and 2013, and 12 postcards designed by the stamps’ designer.