Literally meaning ice mountain, an iceberg is a large piece of ice formed from freshwater that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice-shelf and is floating in open water.

The largest recorded icebergs have been carved, or broken off, from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. Iceberg B-15, when photographed in 2000, measured 295 km long by 37 km wide, with a surface area of 11,000 kilometres. Icebergs are generally described by shape and include tabular, dome, pinnacle, wedge and dry-dockan eroded iceberg resulting in a “hole”.

Including all its islands and ice shelves, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia, covering 13,661,000 square kilometres. The Australian Antarctic Territory is 5,896,500 square kilometres, or 42 per cent of the region.  (read more)

published June 14th, 2011

On 7 June, 2011, An Post issued a set of six stamps commemorating Ireland’s national parks.

These are Glenveagh National Park in Co Donegal; Ballycroy National Park in Co Mayo; Connemara National Park in Co Galway; the Burren National Park in Co Clare; Wicklow Mountains National Park in Co Wicklow and Killarney National Park in Co Kerry.

Ireland’s exceptional national parks are known for their unrivalled natural beauty, with a wide variety of landscapes, including bogs and grasslands, heaths, woodlands, lakes, hills and valleys. The parks also have many species of flora and fauna, and provide delightfully tranquil surroundings.

(read more)

published June 13th, 2011

Summer Visiting Birds feature on the latest set of stamps to be issued by Jersey Post on 16 June.

According to Philatelic Researcher, Melanie Gouzinis, birds illustrated on stamps are always highly sought after by stamp collectors. “Jersey stamps are well known amongst collectors for the quality of the artwork”, explained Mrs Gouzinis, “and this stamp issue is a perfect example of the high standard that we enjoy.”

This is in fact the fifth issue in the Jersey Birdlife series.  Previous issues have featured migrating, garden, threatened and woodland birds and all have been painted by local artist, Nick Parlett.  A Jersey man, Nick is a self-taught artist; his passion for the natural world is evident in his work and is a consistent theme throughout.

(read more)

published June 13th, 2011

Royal Mail is celebrating some of the world’s most beautiful gems in a spectacular collection of eight new stamps featuring the Crown Jewels.

Issued on 23 August 2011, the Crown Jewels stamps feature some of the most important and iconic pieces from this fabulous collection; with images specifically chosen to reflect their beauty and intricate workmanship.

This year marks the 350^th anniversary of the making of many of the items featured on the stamps, which were created for the coronation of King Charles in 1661, following the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660.

(read more)

published June 12th, 2011

The Turtle Ship

As a pioneering type of war ship of the Joseon Dynasty, the Turtle Ship was conceived in 1592 by Admiral Yi Sun-Shin who anticipated a Japanese invasion. The shape and tactical capabilities portrayed by Admiral Yi Sun-Shin himself are as follows:

“Wooden planks are laid on the upper deck of the ship, and on those planks, narrow cross-shaped ramps are placed to enable people to walk through, with sharp spear heads and spikes lodged on the rest of ship’s surface. The bow of the ship is shaped like a head of a dragon, while the stern takes the shape of the tail of a turtle. There are gun ports fore and aft and also six gun ports port and starboard respectively, where large projectiles are loaded and fired. When enemy soldiers attempt to board the vessel, a straw mat is placed over the blades on the back of the Turtle Ship so they cannot be seen. The Turtle Ship will hereinafter be in the vanguard of naval  warfare, with its sharp spear heads and spikes stopping enemy soldiers from climbing onto its back. When enemy ships try to siege the Turtle Ship, it can fire its cannons simultaneously fore and aft, port and starboard.”

(read more)

published June 12th, 2011

Royal Mail is celebrating HRH The Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh’s landmark 90th birthday by issuing a special Commemorative Sheet of stamps.

The sheet comprises of ten 1^st Class Union Flag stamps alongside photographs taken throughout HRH Prince Phillip’s distinguished life. These include photographs from The Prince’s career in the Royal Navy to the present day in his role as Britain’s longest serving Royal consort.   

Throughout his life The Prince has worked tirelessly, not only for the monarchy but also for charities, universities, the armed forces, sporting and young people’s organisations, the fields of science and technology, and for British and Commonwealth interests.  

(read more)

published June 11th, 2011

On May 12, 2011, An Post issued five stamps to celebrate Year of Craft 2011.

Crafts have been essential for many decades in developing Ireland’s creative and economic growth. The Year of Craft will focus domestic and international attention on Ireland’s craft makers, and raise the profile of craft designers, promoters and collectors of exquisite craftware produced in Ireland. It will create a strong platform for the craft industry in the 21st century.

(read more)

published June 11th, 2011

Toronto, Canada – May 24, 2011 – Carbonzero is pleased to announce they have been selected as the official carbon offset provider for The Lowe-Martin Group, assisting in the reduction of their fiscal 2010 operational emissions. This partnership will enable The Lowe-Martin Group to offset the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the operations at their Mississauga office and printing facilities. The Lowe-Martin Group is officially recognized as a Carbon zero Certified company for fiscal 2010.

The Lowe-Martin Group has chosen to partner with Carbonzero reflecting their commitment to lead the way towards the implementation of sustainable print production. This partnership will produce measurable, verified emissions reductions that will provide the host communities of Niagara, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec with clear environmental, economic and social benefits.

(read more)

published June 9th, 2011

This year, in 2011, it is The Queen’s 85^th birthday and the 90^th birthday of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. 

Chosen for their natural qualities, Guernsey commemorative stamps celebrate the life of Her Majesty and Prince Philip; and here we look back at their early years and marriage.

Born in Mayfair, London on 21 April 1926, The Queen was the first child of The Duke and Duchess of York, who later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

The only son of Prince Andrew of Greece, The Duke of Edinburgh was born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark in Corfu on 10 June 1921. 

The couple, who announced their engagement in 1947, had known each other for many years and were married in a low key ceremony at Westminster Abbey later that year on 20 November.

(read more)

published June 8th, 2011

On May 5, 2011, Ireland Post issued two stamps for the annual Europa series.

The common subject chosen by PostEurop (European Post Offices) for 2011 was forests, with each country designing stamps to match this topic. For Ireland, two outstanding examples were chosen.

One stamp shows a little girl sitting under the Tulip Tree, at Knockabbey Castle and Gardens, Co Louth. These gardens date back to 1730 and in just over a decade they have been wonderfully restored to their former glory. The other stamp shows a young boy crossing the River Walk on the Avondale estate in Co. Wicklow. The estate has just over 200 hectares of forest, while the house now fully restored, was once the home of Charles Stewart Parnell.

(read more)

published June 7th, 2011

Exactly 50 years ago, in 1961, the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) replaced its predecessor organisation the OEEC, which for its part had been founded in 1947 with the assistance of the United States and Canada to coordinate the Marshall Plan for the reconstruction of Europe after the Second World War. The OECD took up its headquarters in the Château de la Muette in Paris, which is still today the organisation & headquarters.
The new organisation, the OECD, was intended to help its member countries to achieve optimum economic development and employment and a higher standard of living, thereby contributing to the development of the global economy. At the same time, the OECD was to assist the countries to maintain financial stability. The Founding Act of the organisation, the OECD Convention, sets out as further objectives a contribution to healthy economic growth in other countries and the expansion of world trade on a multilateral non-discriminatory basis.
In order to fulfil its functions, the OECD has considerably expanded its field of action beyond the circle of the 34 member states. Today, its analyses and experiences are made available to over 100 developing and newly industrialised countries, thereby taking account of changes in the global economic environment.

(read more)

published June 7th, 2011