World Oceans Day was officially recognized by the United Nations in 2008 and is now celebrated on 8 June each year. This special day is an opportunity to celebrate our world’s shared ocean and our personal connection to the sea, as well as to raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives and the important ways in which people can help protect it.

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published July 19th, 2013

This issue celebrates the bicentennial of the “Pelican State”. Known for its vibrant music, authentic cuisine, and dynamic mingling of cultures, Louisiana became the 18th state in the Union on April 30, 1812.

The flags of France, Spain, and Great Britain all flew over present-day Louisiana before it became U.S. soil. President Thomas Jefferson bought most of the land from Napoleon Bonaparte as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. In 1804 Congress created the Territory of Orleans, setting the approximate boundaries of the state of Louisiana, formed just eight years later.

Visitors flock to New Orleans each year to celebrate Mardi Gras, a holiday brought to Louisiana by French Catholics. The city’s first Mardi Gras parade took to the streets in 1837. Besides tourism, other major industries in the state include petroleum, natural gas, tree farming, and soybeans.

The stamp art features a photograph of Flat Lake. In the image, a setting sun casts the shadows of bald cypress trees hung with Spanish moss across the dark water. Flat Lake is located in the Atchafalaya Basin, the largest contiguous river swamp in the United States. Its bayous are home to alligators, crawfish, snakes, turtles, nutria, owls, and eagles.

Source: USA Post

published July 12th, 2012