Solovetsky Monastery, Russia

Solovetsky Monastery in Russia

postmarked in 2010 with three Russian stamps

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Solovetsky Monastery, founded in the late 1429 by monks, was the greatest citadel of Christianity in the Russian North before being turned into a special Soviet prison and labor camp (1926–1939).

Today, the Solovetsky Monastery is a historical and architectural museum. It was one of the first Russian sites to have been inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. During last several years the monastery has been through a lot of repairs, but it is still under reconstruction.

Markets of Thailand

The Markets of Thailand

Selling mackerels
old market, chinatown
vegetables, fruits, meats
different colors of chillies

postmarked in 2010 with a Thailand, Hat Cha-Am Beach stamp - 15 BAHT

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Thai cuisine blends five fundamental tastes: sweet, spicy, sour, bitter and salty. Some common ingredients used in Thai cuisine include garlic, chillies, lime juice, lemon grass, and fish sauce. The staple food in Thailand is rice, which is included in almost every meal. Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice, and Thais domestically consume over 100 kg of milled rice per person per year. Over 5000 varieties of rice from Thailand are preserved in the rice gene bank of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), based in the Philippines.

Churches in the Czech Republic

Opava, Czech Republic

1. Hlaska (Watch Tower)
2. Kostel sv. jana Nepomuckeho (Church of St. John Nepomucene)
3. Mariannum
4. Evangelicky kostel (Evangelical Church)
5. Svedska Kaple (Swedish Church)

postmarked in 2010 with two Czech Republic stamps

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Opava is a city in the northern Czech Republic on the river Opava. It has population of 59,843 as of January 1, 2005.

Opava was first documented in 1195.

US Census 2010 Reminder Postcard

United States Department of Commerce
Economics and Statistics Administration
U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC

Census
2010

postmarked in 2010 with a machine stamp

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The United States Census is a census mandated by the United States Constitution. The population is counted, one by one, every 10 years and the results are used to allocate Congressional seats (congressional apportionment), electoral votes, and government program funding.

The census is performed by the United States Census Bureau. The first census after the American Revolution was taken in 1790, under Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson; there have been 21 federal censuses since that time.
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and for the record, our has already been sent in :D

Diving in the Red Sea

The Red Sea

The sender writes:
I'm on a work trip here (diving) and LOVE IT :)

Postmarked in 2010 with two Egypt Stamp featuring King Tutankhamun
125 PT


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The Red sea is known for its spectacular recreational diving sites, such as Ras Mohammed, SS Thistlegorm (shipwreck), Elphinstone, The Brothers, Dolphin Reef and Rocky Island in Egypt.
It became known a sought-after diving destination after the expeditions of Hans Hass in the 1950s, and later by Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

Tourism in the South of Red Sea is presently considered risky because of the presence of pirates originating from uncontrolled zones of Somalia. Large vessels such as cargoes are sometimes attacked by high-speed boats heavily armed. The situation is even worse in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen.

Finland Artist Kaj Stenvall

Artist: Kaj Stenvall
Y ksi vaara aani - One Sour Note, 2008

postmarked in 2010 with a 3-D Finland skiing stamp

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Kaj Kristian Stenvall (born 25 December 1951 in Tampere) is a Finnish artist who became internationally famous when he began his career in 1989 for painting what his site describes as "a very familiar looking duck." Many have likened this duck to the Donald Duck of Disney Comics.

Here are a few more postcards of his work .......

"Margerauma" (1996) - He personally autographed the right hand corner!
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Originalogy - 2004
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'Drophead', 2006

Limousin Bull

Limousin-Stier
(Limousin bull)

Dimitri, 7 Jahre alt, Sohn von Usant und Taiga, mit seinem Besitzer,
dem Zuchter Michel Camus aus Arnac-la-Poste.
1995 erhielt Dimitri den I. Preis beim Salon de l'agriculture in Paris
Salon de l'agriculture - Paris

(Dimitir, 7 years old, Son of Usant and Taiga, with his owner)

Fotografien: Yann Arthus-Bertrand

postmarked in 2010 with two Germany stamps

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Limousin cattle are a breed of beef cattle originally bred in the Limousin and Marche regions of France. They are recognisable by their distinctive golden-red coloring.

The first herdbook was established in 1886 for the improvement of the breed by natural selection. However, the breed may be as old as the history of Europe itself. Cattle found in cave drawings known to be 20,000 years old in the Lascaux Cave near Montignac, France, have a striking resemblance to today's Limousin cattle.

Opossum - Possum

Wassup!

Just Hangin' Out

postmarked in 2010 with a 28 cent stamp

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Opossum also commonly called possums

Adult opossums do not hang from trees by their tails, though babies may dangle temporarily. Their tails are not strong enough to support a mature adult's weight. Instead, the opossum uses its tail as a brace and a fifth limb when climbing.

When threatened or harmed, they will "play possum", mimicking the appearance and smell of a sick or dead animal. The lips are drawn back, teeth are bared, saliva foams around the mouth, and a foul-smelling fluid is secreted from the anal glands. The physiological response is involuntary, rather than a conscious act. Their stiff, curled form can be prodded, turned over, and even carried away. The animal will regain consciousness after a period of minutes or hours and escape.

The Movie Avatar !!

From the Director of 'Titanic'

Avatar

1st card - Showing Neytiri, (actress Zoe Saldana)
2nd card - Showing Sam Worthington and his Avatar, Jake Sully

unused, sent to me from China in 2010
This is an advertising postcard called a 'CoolCard' and has a lot of Chinese writing on the back.

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Avatar is a 2009 American epic science fiction film written and directed by James Cameron

Development on Avatar began in 1994, when Cameron wrote an 80-page scriptment for the film. Filming was supposed to take place after the completion of Cameron's 1997 film Titanic, for a planned release in 1999, but according to Cameron, the necessary technology was not yet available to achieve his vision of the film. Work on the language for the film's extraterrestrial beings began in summer 2005, and Cameron began developing the screenplay and fictional universe in early 2006.

Avatar was officially budgeted at US$237 million. Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production, and at $150 million for promotion. The film was released for traditional two-dimensional projectors, as well as in 3-D, using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D and IMAX 3D formats, and also in 4-D. The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a likely breakthrough in cinematic technology.

Avatar premiered in London on December 10, 2009, and was released overseas on December 16 and in North America on December 18, to critical acclaim and commercial success. The film broke several box office records during its release and became the highest-grossing film of all time in North America and worldwide, surpassing Titanic, which had held the records for the previous 12 years. It also became the first film to gross more than $2 billion. Following the film's success, Cameron stated that there will be a sequel. Avatar was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won three, for Best Cinematography, Best Visual Effects and Best Art Direction.

The Winged Victory of Samothrace

Femme ailee sure une proue de navire,
dite Victoire de Samothrace, vers 190 av J.C
Marbre / 328 cm

unused, from 2010

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The Winged Victory of Samothrace, also called the Nike of Samothrace, is a second century B.C. marble sculpture of the Greek goddess Nike (Victory). Since 1884, it has been prominently displayed at the Louvre and is one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world.

Winged Victory was discovered in 1863, but was estimated to have been created around 190 BC. It is rendered in white Parian marble.

Before she lost her arms, which have never been recovered, Nike's right arm was raised, cupped round her mouth to deliver the shout of Victory.

The statue’s outstretched right wing is a symmetric plaster version of the original left one. As with the arms, the figure's head has never been found, but various other fragments have since been found: in 1950, a team led by Karl Lehmann unearthed the missing right hand of the Louvre's Winged Victory. The fingerless hand had slid out of sight under a large rock, near where the statue had originally stood; on the return trip home, Dr Phyllis Williams Lehmann identified the tip of the Goddess's ring finger and her thumb in a storage drawer at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, where the second Winged Victory is displayed; the fragments have been reunited with the hand, which is now in a glass case in the Louvre next to the podium on which the statue stands.

Lake Mills, Wisconsin, Exaggeration Calendar Postcard

1987 - 5 May
Design reproduced in part from a real photo fantasy exaggeration postcard. The Lake Mills, Wisconsin depot and the C. & N. W. railway post office car are real; the street car was added to the original photo by darkroom manipulation.

1987 Calendar Series.
12-card postcard premium for Postcard Collector magazine.

unused

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I'd LOVE to get more cards from this series!!!

Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada

Crescent Park with St. Andrew's Church,
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan

Moose Jaw Series No. 10

This is a Real Photograph. Hand Coloured.
Copyright, J. Fred Spalding.
Published by The Camera Products Col, 1731, Dunbar Strreet, Vancouver, B.C. (it is spelled Strreet on the postcard)

postmarked in 1944 with a Canada 3 cent stamp

The sender writes:
I wished we could of had more time to look Moose Jaw over for it was a swell place and pretty but only had 25 minutes so just got off and on again.

Map of Kennedy Space Center

Kennedy Space Center
Visitor Complex

The Kennedy Space Center occupies more than 140,000 acres - that's about one-fifth the size of the state of Rhode Island. About 6,000 acres are devoted to space center operations, the rest is a wildlife sanctuary.

Photo courtesy: NASA

This unused postcard was bought in 2010.

I'm Here - World Maps

I wonder how many other cards are there like this out there?????

Florida

I'm here
Ich bin hier
Je suis ici
Estoy aui

This postcard is unused and was bought in 2010.
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I'm here - Turkiye (Turkey)
This one is postmarked in 2007.

Djerba, Tunisia and Star Wars

Djerba, Tunisia

postmarked in 2010 with a Tunisia 'Mediterranean Games' stamp

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Djerba is, at 514 km², the largest island off North Africa, located in the Gulf of Gabes off the coast of Tunisia.

Djerba is a popular tourist destination. One factor drawing some tourists to Djerba is the 1977 location of the Mos Eisley exterior scenes in the first Star Wars movie, filmed in the town of Ajim.

(Mos Eisley is a spaceport town on the planet Tatooine in the Star Wars movies.)

Republique Tunisienne (Tunisia) stamp from 2009

600

Pescara 2009

XVI Giochi Del Mediterraneo

XCI Jeux Mediterraneens

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The XVI Mediterranean Games were held in Pescara, Italy from June 26th to July 5th 2009.

Disneyland, Everyone Loves A Parade!

Disneyland

Everyone Loves A Parade!
The gang's all here - Mickey, Minnie, Donald and their nephews too - all enjoying the colorful excitement of the parade marching down Main Street, U.S.A.

unused, from 1979

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Donalds newphes are Huey, Dewey, and Louie

Mickey's Nephews:

Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse are Mickey Mouse's nephews. They first appeared in Floyd Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse Sunday comic strip continuity titled Mickey's Nephews (1932). Since then they have appeared in lots of comic strips and comic book stories starring Mickey Mouse and Pluto.

In pre-World War II Mickey children's books (not comics) produced by the Disney studio, the nephews were usually called Morty and Monty rather than Morty and Ferdie. Very early books contain three or more nephews with various names, including Maisie and Marmaduke. Morty's name, short for Mortimer, is possibly in reference to the originally planned name for Mickey, Mortimer Mouse and Ferdie (sometimes misspelled "Ferdy") is short for "Ferdinand."

Disney's Grand Floridian

Disney's Grand Floridian Beach Resort

unused, from 1988

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Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa is a Victorian themed hotel and spa located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The property opened on June 28, 1988 as the Grand Floridian Beach Resort. The name changed to Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa during the fall of 1997. (see next postcard)


Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa -
An era of grand elegance and distinctive style is revisited in the Victorian charm of Disney's flagship resort. From the exquisite suites and grandeur of the Lobby to the fine dining and white sand beach, Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa is an inviting escape into a world that is truly grand.

unused - from Dec. 2006.

You can only get this postcard if you stay at the hotel. It's the free one you get in the room!

Then...

After our stay there, Disney sent us this postcard .....



Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa - We have selected a small, but significant, cross-section of our guests for an important survey. To complete the questionnaire, please log on to the Internet web site below and enter the password printed on this card. - postmarked in Jan. 2007

First Rock 'N Roll Concert - Cleveland, Ohio

Rock 'N Roll and Cleveland

Officially coined over the radio airwaves of the city by Cleveland's DJ Alan Freed, Rock 'N Roll is intertwined with the city. Cleveland was the site of the first Rock concert and is the hometown of many famous Rock 'N Roll musicians.

Design/Illustration: Terrell Publishing

unused, from 2010

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The First Rock Concert:

The Moondog Coronation Ball was a concert held at the Cleveland Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on March 21, 1952. It is generally accepted as the first major rock and roll concert.

The concert was organized by Alan Freed (a disc jockey considered to have coined the term "Rock and Roll" at WJW-Radio), along with Lew Platt, a local concert promoter, and Freed's sponsors, including Leo Mintz, owner of the Record Rendezvous store. More tickets were printed than the arena's actual capacity, in part due to counterfeiting. With an estimated 20,000 individuals trying to crowd into an arena that held slightly more than half that - and worries that a riot might break out as people tried to crowd in - the fire authorities shut down the concert after the first song by opening act Paul "Hucklebuck" Williams ended.

Moondog today:

Today, the Moondog is a more controlled concert, but still evokes the spirit of the 1950s. Half a dozen vintage rock and roll performers entertain concert-goers and many of the attendees dress in classic 1950s-style. WMJI radio has sponsored the event in mid-March at the Quicken Loans Arena for several years.

Marvin the Martian and his dog K-9

Marvin the Martian and K-9 his dog
Looney Tunes

unused

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Marvin hails from the planet Mars, but is often found elsewhere. He is often accompanied by his dog "K-9".

Marvin wears a Roman soldier's uniform (a reference to Mars being the Roman god of war) with old-fashioned basketball shoes. His head is a black sphere with only eyes for features. The crest of his helmet appears, with the push-broom-like upper section, to comically resemble an ancient Greek hoplite's helmet.

Marvin is given a timid, nasal voice and often speaks technobabble. He is known for his trademark quotes "Where is the kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!", "Isn't that lovely?", "This makes me very angry, very angry indeed.", and "I am not now, nor have I ever been, a robot."

On numerous occasions, Marvin has tried to destroy the Earth with his "Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator" (sometimes spelled as "Eludium Pu-36"), which resembles a mere stick of dynamite. Marvin attempts to destroy the Earth because, as he says, it obstructs his view of Venus, and Marvin has been trying to destroy the Earth for over two millennia. The original reference to "Uranium Pu-36" changed to "Illudium Q-36" in subsequent cartoons. Marvin is consistently foiled by Bugs Bunny.

Star Trek, Deep Space Nine

Star Trek
Deep Space Nine

unused, from 1993

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) is a science fiction television program that premiered in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 1999. It is rooted in Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe.

A spin-off from Star Trek: The Next Generation, DS9 began while its parent series was still on the air, and there were several crossover episodes between the two shows. In addition, two Next Generation characters, Miles O'Brien and later on Worf, became regular members of DS9.

Unlike the other Star Trek programs, DS9 took place on a space station instead of a starship, so as not to have two series with starships at the same time.

Cyprus - Folk Dancing

Cyprus - Folk Dancing.

The Flour Sifter's Dance
This is a Greek Cypriot dance of craftsmanship. The dancer is trying to keep the four glasses filled with wine in the flour sieve, while dancing and twirling the sieve at great speed. Members of Zorba's Dancing Group are arranged around the flour sifter in the picture.

postmarked in 2010 with two stamps from Cyprus

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Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is a Eurasian island country in the Eastern Mediterranean, south of Turkey and west of Syria and Lebanon. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of its most popular tourist destinations.

2009 XIII Games of Europe 0,43 - Cycling
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2009, Refugee Fund 0,02

International Staff Band, The Salvation Army

International Staff Band, 1978

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This picture is taken outside of the Salvation Army International Headquarters in London.

The International Staff Band (ISB) is the premier brass band of the Salvation Army.
Contents

All bandsmen and women are actively involved in their local Salvation Army Corps, many holding leadership positions. They give their time freely to this additional ministry. The members of the band are drawn from Salvation Army centres as far as Manchester, Bristol, Norwich and Maidstone. While based in the UK, the band has an international reputation and ministry, undertaking regular overseas tours.


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Here is a postcard of what the Salvation Army Headquarters looks like today ...


The Salvation Army
Frugal in Operation
Modern in Design
Evangelical in Purpose

making a difference

The Salvation Army is making a difference in 111 countries of the world

www .salvationarmy. org

International Headquarters (pictured overleaf) is the world centre of The Salvation Army.
Two previous headquarters buildings have occupied the site at 101 Queen Victoria Street, London since 1881.

both cards are unused

Waste from the Copper Mine in Chile

Postcard Book
The Earth From the Air
Yann Arthus-Bertrand

Waste from the copper mine at Chuquicamata, Chile

This giant scallop shell is made of earth. A crane deposits the earth in successive, slightly curved lines giving the appearance of sheets of sand lined up side by side. The earth is extracted with the copper, but it is separated from the ore by sieving. The metal is refined in the Chuquicamata foundry that, thanks to newly installed equipment, can now filter out 95 percent of the sulfur dioxide (SO2) and 97 percent of the arsenic that the process releases. A 1992 law aimed at reducing air pollution has required Codelco-Chile, the state-owned company that runs the mine and its facilities, to invest tens of millions of pounds to modernize them. This has not, however, prevented the company from increasing production capacity; indeed, starting in 2004, the Chuquicamata mine will have ramped up to produce 750,000 metric tons of copper per year, compared with 630,000 metric tons in 2001.

unused from 2002

Kongfrontation - King Kong

Kongfrontation

King Kong is still o the rampage. He's 13,000 pounds and 35-feet of relentless fury. Meet the greatest beast in movie history as he stalks you through Manhattan, crushing everything in his path!

unused, bought in 2008

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Kongfrontation was a ride at the Universal Studios Florida theme park, in Orlando, Florida. It opened as one of the original attractions at the park on June 7, 1990 and was closed on September 8, 2002. Revenge of the Mummy opened in its place on May 21, 2004. It was based on a scene from the long running Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. A King Kong themed roller coaster will open at Universal Studios Dubailand in 2012.

Great St. Bernard Pass and Hospice - Switzerland

1928 Gd St Bernard

Edition Phot. Perrocet, Lausanne

Postmarked from France in 2009 with a France stamp

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Great St Bernard Pass is the most ancient pass through the Western Alps, with evidence of use as far back as the Bronze Age and surviving traces of a Roman road. In 1800 Napoleon's army used the path to enter Italy. Having been bypassed by easier and more practical routes, its value today is mainly historical and recreational.

A hospice for travellers was founded in 1049 by Saint Bernard of Menthon and came to be named after him in the 16th century, along with the pass. It was not the first hospice in the pass. Buildings were probably there since the Roman mansio, but the region was not secure and they were destroyed many times. The first concern of the founder of the current monastery was to clear the region of bandits and keep the pass safe for travellers, the role of rescuers developing naturally. The hospice later became famous for its use of St. Bernard dogs in rescue operations. Pope Pius XI confirmed Bernard as patron saint of the Alps in 1923.

Cuzco, Peru - 1970

Calle tipica de Cuzco
Most Typical Cuzco Street
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Vista Panoramica de la Ciudad
Panoramic View of Cuzco


Cusco or Cuzco is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley (Sacred Valley) of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cusco Province. The city has a population of 348,935 which is triple the figure of 20 years ago. Its altitude is around 3,300 m (11,000 ft). Cusco is the historic capital of the Inca Empire and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO.

both postcards are unused and from 1970

Y.M.C.A. - Estes Park, Colorado

Y.M.C.A., Estes Park and the Front Range. Open to the public with everying that makes for a good vacation. Open year around.

Color Photo: Ted & Lois Mathews

unused

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From their website:

The YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park Center is nestled on 860 acres in the heart of Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Located 8,010 ft above sea level, there is plenty to see!

All seasons at our Center bring abundant wildlife right outside your cabin or lodge room. Cool mountain breezes and brilliant sunshine create the perfect environment for refreshing your spirit and enjoying the natural beauty of the outdoors.

some things to do:

Campfires
Craft and Design Center
Henry Dorsey Swimming Pool
Hiking
Fishing
Roller Skating
Basketball & Volleyball
Mini Golf
Tennis
Horseshoe
Fly Fishing
Climbing Wall
Rafting
Horseback Rides
Mountain biking
Challenge Courses
Gameroom
Winter Activities
Library
Museum
Zip Line

Chic'N Box Restaurant, Salt Lake City, Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah, is the home of Chic'N Box, originating here in 1950.

Golden-rich, served piping hot, and every inviting piece a tasty, tender morsel of superlative goodness - that's Chic 'N Box - a new American eating habit!

unused