Great Poets of the world - Czeslaw Milosz

 

 

Date of Issue : 30 June 2011

100th ANNIVERSARY OF THE BIRTH OF CZESŁAW MIŁOSZ

 

Czeslaw Milosz

Czeslaw Milosz ranks among the most respected figures in twentieth-century Polish literature, as well as one of the most respected contemporary poets in the world, being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980. He was born in Lithuania, where his parents moved temporarily to escape the political upheaval in their native Poland. As an adult, he left Poland due to the oppressive Communist regime that came to power following World War II and has lived in the United States since 1960.

Milosz's poems, novels, essays, and other works are written in his native Polish and translated by the author and others into English. Having lived under the two great totalitarian systems of modern history, national socialism and communism, Milosz writes of the past in a tragic, ironic style that nonetheless affirms the value of human life.

Born in Lithuania in 1911, Milosz spent much of his childhood in Czarist Russia, where his father worked as a civil engineer. After World War I the family returned to their hometown, which had become a part of the new Polish state, and Milosz attended local Catholic schools. He published his first collection of poems, Poemat o czasie zastyglym ("Poem of the Frozen Time"), at the age of twenty-one. Milosz was associated with the catastrophist school of poets during the 1930s. Catastrophism concerns "the inevitable annihilation of the highest values, especially the values essential to a given cultural system. . . . But it proclaims . . . only the annihilation of certain values, not values in general, and the destruction of a certain historical formation, but not of all mankind," Aleksander Fiut explained in World Literature Today. The writings of this group of poets ominously foreshadowed World War II.

Besides the Nobel Prize for Literature, his other honors include an award for poetry translations from the Polish P.E.N. Center in Warsaw, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Neustadt International Prize for Literature. He has written virtually all of his poems in his native Polish, although his work was banned in Poland until after he won the Nobel Prize. He has also translated the works of other Polish writers into English, and has co-translated his own works with such poets as Robert Hass and Robert Pinsky. His translations into Polish include portions of the Bible (from Hebrew and Greek) and works by Charles Baudelaire, T. S. Eliot, John Milton, William Shakespeare, Simone Weil, and Walt Whitman. He died on August 14, 2004.

Love by Czeslaw Milosz

Love means to learn to look at yourself
The way one looks at distant things
For you are only one thing among many.
And whoever sees that way heals his heart,
Without knowing it, from various ills—
A bird and a tree say to him: Friend.
Then he wants to use himself and things
So that they stand in the glow of ripeness.
It doesn’t matter whether he knows what he serves:
Who serves best doesn’t always understand.

Forget by Czeslaw Milosz

Forget the suffering
You caused others.
Forget the suffering
Others caused you.
The waters run and run,
Springs sparkle and are done,
You walk the earth you are forgetting.
Sometimes you hear a distant refrain.
What does it mean, you ask, who is singing?
A childlike sun grows warm.
A grandson and a great-grandson are born.
You are led by the hand once again.
The names of the rivers remain with you.
How endless those rivers seem!
Your fields lie fallow,
The city towers are not as they were.
You stand at the threshold mute.

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New Special Covers…

Centenary Celebrations of M. George Muthoot

18 June 2011

India Post, Kerala Postal Circle issued a Special cover on 18-06-2011 on the Occasion of Centenary Celebrations of M. George Muthoot (1911-2011).  M George, born in the Muthoot family at Kozhencherry, after a career in the Army, launched his own business venture in 1939-40, realising the potential of the banking and finance sectors.  Today, his business has expanded across the country and abroad.  His vision of earmarking a part of his business profit for social causes, for protection of the environment and the needy continue to inspire the endeavor of the Muthoot Group.

 

   

Loyalla School, Trivandrum

4 June 2011

India Post, Kerala Postal Circle released a Special Cover on Loyola School - 50th Year of Excellence in Education on 04-06-2011.Envisioned by the Jesuits and established in 1961, Loyola School, Thiruvananthapuram celebrates its Golden Jubilee in 2011-2012.

25 Year of Papal visit to Thrissur

1 May 2011

Kerala Postal Circle released a Special cover on 01-05-2011  on the occasion of 25 Year of Papal visit to Thrissur and Blessing of the Papal Rostrum at Thrissur .

Cover design depicts the portrait of Pope John Paul II with Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Dolours Shrine built in 1940 in the Indo-gothic style and cancellation design depicts Papal Rostrum n the Bible Tower square at Thrissur.

The Shrine Basilica of Our Lady of Dolours, Thrissur, Kerala is a Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Centre.  Its 260 foot tall Bible Tower is believed to be the highest Church Tower in India.  The Papal Rostrum in the Bible Tower square is a memorial marks the Silver Jubilee of the visit of Pope John Paul II to Thrissur on 7th Febrauary 1986. 

 

Wind Power India

7 April 2011

India Post, Tamil Nadu Circle issued a special Cover on 7-4-2011 on the occasion of International Conference and Exhibition - WIND POWER INDIA -April 7-9, 2011 at Chennai.

India ranks fifth in the world in terms of installed capacity of wind power and contributes about 4% of the total power generation in the country.  Being a clean energy source, wind power can help in arresting Global Warming.  Currently, wind power is the most dominant player in the renewable energy segment.  India is a matured market with technologically advanced manufacturing which can easily meet domestic requirement and export opportunities.

: Sreejesh Krishnan - Trivandrum

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Industrial Design stamps from USPS….

 

Date of Issue : 29 June 2011

The U.S. Postal Service  dedicated a new sheet of stamps honoring 12 of America’s most important and influential industrial designers on 29 June 2011.

Frederick Hurten Rhead helped pioneer the design of mass-produced ceramic tableware for the home. He is best remembered for the sleek Fiesta® line (shown on the stamp) introduced by The Homer Laughlin China Company in 1936.

Industrial design emerged as a profession in the United Sates in the 1920s, but really took off during the Great Depression. Faced with decreasing sales, manufacturers turned to industrial designers to give their products a modern look that would appeal to consumers. Characterized by horizontal lines and rounded shapes, the new, streamlined looks differed completely from the decorative extravagance of the 1920s. The designs evoked a sense of speed and efficiency and projected the image of progress and affluence the public desired.

Walter Dorwin Teague, known as the “dean of industrial design,” Walter Dorwin Teague believed that good artistic design fit both form and function into a single aesthetic package. During his career-long collaboration with Eastman Kodak Company, he designed several popular cameras, including the 1934 “Baby Brownie” (shown on the stamp)

Consumer interest in modern design continued to increase after World War II, when machines allowed corporations to mass produce vacuums, hair dryers, toasters and other consumer goods at low cost. Industrial designers helped lower costs further by exploiting inexpensive new materials like plastic, vinyl, chrome, aluminum and plywood, which responded well to advances in manufacturing such as the use of molds and stamping. Affordable prices and growing prosperity nationwide helped drive popular demand.

 

Even as streamlining gave way to new looks in the 1960s, the groundbreaking work of industrial designers continued to transform the look of homes and offices across the country. Today, industrial design remains an integral component of American manufacturing and business, as well as daily life.

 

Each stamp features the name of a designer and a photograph of an object created by the designer, as well as a description of the object and the year or years when the object was created. The selvage features a photograph of the "Airflow" fan designed by Robert Heller around 1937. Derry Noyes, whose father is honored on this sheet of stamps, was the art director.

 

 

Greta von Nessen specialized solely in lighting, and none of her designs is better known than the “Anywhere” lamp (shown on the stamp). Introduced in 1951, the lamp featured a tubular aluminum base and an adjustable shade made of enameled metal.

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Flightless birds from New Zealand…

Date of Issue : 6 July 2011

New Zealand Post recognizes that just as the native endangered flightless birds need  help in order to thrive, so too do the children that attend Health Camps around the country. It is for this reason that three of them feature in 2011's Children's Health stamps. These are two gummed stamps and one self-adhesive stamp.

As a supporter of Children’s Health Camps since 1929, New Zealand Post is proud to lend a hand once again with the 2011 Children’s Health stamp issue. Te Puna Whaiora - the New Zealand Foundation for Child and Family Health and Development - specialises in helping at-risk children aged five to 12 to overcome barriers to healthy lifestyles. The 10-cent surcharge on each stamp in this issue goes directly to Te Puna Whaiora's seven Children’s Health Camps throughout New Zealand, each playing a crucial role in helping children and their families in times of need.

The flightless birds featured on the stamps are also in need of love and support. The kiwi, kākāpō and takahē were all once more abundant and widely distributed throughout New Zealand than they are today. It’s only through the ongoing help of conservation programmes that people are now able to enjoy these unique and precious birds.

The individual stamps in this issue are as follows:

Kiwi - 60c + 10c surcharge (gummed)

Easily identified by its long beak, round body and hair-like feathers, this nocturnal bird belongs to a group of birds called ratites and has been adopted as one of New Zealand's most national symbols. This stamp features the brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli), one of five species of kiwi.

Kākāpō - $1.20 + 10c surcharge (gummed)

The kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus) claims the titles of the heaviest parrot in the world, as well as the only flightless parrot. Unfortunately for the kākāpō, this rare bird alerts predators such as stoats to its presence due to its distinctive musty odour.

Takahē - 60c + 10c surcharge (self-adhesive)

With its blue and green feathers, red beak and stout legs, the takahē looks very similar to a pūkeko - only much bigger. The largest living member of the rail family, the takahē spends most of its days looking for nourishment in grass stalks, fern roots and insects.

The collection also includes a takahē-shaped miniature sheet to remind us that with some support and encouragement both these birds and struggling children can emerge as stronger individuals.
: New Zealand Post

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Making the best Maximum Card….

 

Hi !  Maxim Cards are very popular among collectors these days. I often receive scans of Max Cards prepared by my readers for publication on this blog. In today’s Post I am reproducing an article on Maxim Cards by Dr Jagtap. It was earlier published in Rainbow Stamp News sometimes back. It is a guideline for the lovers of Maximaphily and those who prepare maxim cards. This is all for today….Till Nest Post…..Have a Great Time !

What is a Maximum Card ?

© Dr. Avinash B. Jagtap

Collecting Maxim Cards has become a craze among stamp collectors these days . Maximaphily has also become a favorite class in exhibitions. But sometimes many Maxim Cards do not exhibit almost 100% concordance of the three elements with one another, The Picture Postcard, The Stamp and The Cancellation (or Postmark). Here is a very comprehensive article by Dr Avinash B. Jagtap with the latest rules and guidelines on Maximaphily  given by FIP. I hope the article will be an eye opener for those collecting and creating maxim cards on different themes. - Editor

A Maximum Card (“MC”) could be defined as a philatelic entirety comprised of three basic elements, such as a picture postcard, a postage stamp and a cancellation tied to the postage stamp and the picture postcard. These three components are chosen in such a way that they offer a maximum concordance with one another. They are complimentary to one another in every philatelic aspect and they together represent an entirety.

1948, Baden- French.Sector / Post-War Germany, Theme: Costumes, Headgears

Stamp issued on May 1, 1948, Pictorial cancellation from Unteruhldingen, on Lake Constance, where this costume is worn. Date of cancellation: June 20, 1948

1. Picture Postcard:

The picture postcard is normally printed privately and is available on the market or could have been issued by the postal authority of a country prior to the issue of the postage stamp. The rear side of the picture postcard could be blank with adequate space to write an address. The back side of the picture postcard may carry a stamp-imprint. Neither a private photographic reproduction nor a “Collage” is allowed on the view side. Photomontages, drawings, documents specially devised for the stamp issue to be printed privately on photo-paper with due thanks to computer are not used for creating maximum cards. It is strictly prohibited to reduce the size of a postcard by cutting it.

2000, Uster, Switzerland Theme: Sports, Cycling, Racing “Tour de Suisse”

Stamp was issued on February 29, 2000 Pictorial Cancellation date: June 13, 2000, shows a cyclist participating in Tour de Suisse.

Countries like Sweden, Australia have been issuing their own maximum cards. In Switzerland special picture post cards are offered to the philatelists prior to the official date of issue of new stamps. Thus the enthusiasts are given an opportunity to create their own maximum cards. No differentiation is made by the Jury at philatelic exhibition between officially or privately made maximum card.

Official Maximum Card issued by Australia

A picture postcard used to create a maximum card has a normal, internationally (as per Universal Postal Union Convention) well defined size (i.e. 9 x 14 or 10.5 x 14.8 cm). In case of old cards (prior to 1940), cards with smaller sizes are accepted. According to special regulations approved by the 68^th FIP Congress in Singapore, on 1^st & 2^nd September 2004, postcards of square size or 12 x17 cm that are becoming more attractive and popular may be tolerated. Only square and rectangular formats of picture postcards are allowed, all others are excluded. These picture postcards may be black & white or coloured. From the aesthetic point of view, they may offer a faint coloured or white space in order to affix a postage stamp, so that the cancellation could be viewed in a better way. Many official maximum cards are furnished with a narrow margin on one side of the card, which offers a suitable place for affixing a stamp. The picture postcard, should as a rule, offer not less than 75% space of the total area for an illustration (in ideal case even 100 %!). However, according to the latest requirements, agreed upon by the FIP Maximaphily Commission Conference held in Malaga on October 12, 2006, this space limitation (min. 75%) has not been specifically mentioned. But the emphasis is laid on the size of the picture. It is said “The larger the picture is, the better the quality of the maximum card is considered to be.” In view of this very vague requirement, I shall advise all philatelists to stick to the old requirement of more than 75% space for the illustration on the postcard. In case of older maximum cards this restriction could be overlooked.

A picture postcard must offer the best possible direct VISUAL and NOT an imaginary concordance with the motif on the stamp and with at least one of these, in case the stamp shows several motifs. It should not show a sketch or a draft of the stamp design. Postcards with multiple pictures as well as those with holograms are not allowed. All picture post cards with full reproduction of the stamps with their perforations, face values and country-names are forbidden.

1999, Madunice, Slovakia, Theme: Costume, Headgear, Embroidery

Stamp issued on March 18, 1999, First Day Pictorial Cancellation showing the costume worn by women in Madunice Province of Slovakia

2. Postage Stamp:

The postage stamp must have a conspicuous theme or a motif depicted on it and should have a direct relationship with the illustration on the picture postcard. The stamp is affixed to the postcard on the front (on picture side). Care should be taken that it is valid at the time of cancellation. Its colours and the perforations should be in optimal condition. The stamp on the card may preferably be used on the day of issue or within a tolerable time limit (such maximum card could be called as a maximum card of 1^st Quality). Only ONE postage stamp valid for postage is affixed to the picture postcard. (The guidelines for judging Maximaphily, accepted by the FIP Maximaphily Commission Conference held at Malaga on October 12, 2006 and approved by FIP Board in Luxemburg on March 3, 2007, allows the whole set of se-tenant stamps, devoted to a single subject to appear on a single postcard. (This is rather very strange recommendation which I personally can not understand. I would better advise Indian philatelists to abide by the golden rule “Only One Stamp for One Picture Postcard” in order to avoid any conflict with the Jury!). So-called “official” stamps which are used for governmental mail (excepting UNO, UNESCO and European Council Stamps) or parcel stamps (as they are common in some European countries, like Belgium) should not be affixed to the postcard. A maximum card should not bear a block of four or two stamps with identical designs issued by two countries (the so-called “bilateral-” or “sympathy-issues”). Depending up on the individual themes on the postage stamp, there is a possibility of creating multiples of maximum cards. The use of an illustrated postal prepayment impression dispensed by automatic vending machines affixed on the view side of the postcard can be used. A postage stamp which is cut out from postal stationery is allowed only if the issuing postal service permits its use. In general, abstract or symbolic subjects do not suit Maximaphily and are excluded from its field.

2004, Wald (ZH), Switzerland Theme: Forest, Wood, Environment

The stamp and the Cancellation both were issued on May 7, 2004, here even the name of the Post-office “WALD” means “Forest” in German language! This is more than a 100% Maximum Card! This was the first-ever wooden stamp of the world !!

3. Cancellation:

The postmark or the cancellation must be clearly visible and legible. It must be applied to the stamp (leaving the major part of the motif on the stamp clear) and to the picture postcard." Care must be taken that the ink used for the postmark does not smear and impart an untidy look to the maximum card. The cancellation essentially contains the date and the name of the post office.(this requirement is there in the “Guidelines for Judging Maximaphily Exhibits”, but there is no mention about the requirement of “Date” in the cancellation (Art. 3.3. )in “Special Regulations for the Evaluation of Maximaphily Exhibits at F.I.P. Exhibitions (SERV)”. This is certainly a grave anomaly, which I have brought to the notice of the F.I.P. Commissioner for Maximaphily, Mr. Nicos Rangos. He writes in his reply, that it does imply, although not specifically mentioned, that the cancellation should show the name of the post-office and also the date of cancellation.). It could be ordinary simple date stamp without any illustration, but it should respect the concordance of place. For example if a card depicts a personality then the cancellation may incorporate the birth place, or the region where the deceased person had worked during his / her life-time, or where he / she died. If it is a monument, building or a famous painting, then the name of the place where these are situated or could be found. The cancellation in such cases may show the nearest possible post-office. In case of pictorial cancellation, the illustration must have some direct bearing with the illustration on the stamp and/or on the picture post card, but it is not a “Must”. In any case the name of the post office is important. The cancellation must have been applied by an official post office and not by a “private” or “semi-official” post-office. The cancellation on the stamp must be applied by the post office of the stamp-issuing country. Nowadays the postal authority booths participating countries at international philatelic exhibitions not only sell their products, but also obliterate their stamps with pictorial or normal cancellations with the logo of the exhibition! This “maximum card” with the card and stamp issued in a distant country and defaced by a pictorial or normal cancellation of the host country (i.e. the country where the exhibition is held) can not be regarded as a maximum card.

The cancellation is considered to be “most appropriate” when it is applied on the commemoration day of an event or a person concerned. It is “very good” if the cancellation is applied on the first day of issue of the stamp, provided it contains the data in concordance with the picture post card and the stamp affixed to it. It is regarded as “satisfactory” if the cancellation is applied on some other day, but not too apart from the day of issue of the stamp. It is “tolerable” if the validity of the stamp affixed has expired within a few days it had been affixed to the picture post card and was cancelled. There are several types of cancellations applied by the post-offices. Of these red meter marks, which are employed by eminent firms for application on their out-going mail, should not be used on a maximum card, since such meter marks are not intended for defacing postage stamps.

P.S. Any inquiry or comments on my article are welcome by letter or by e-mail on this address:

Dr. Avinash B. Jagtap, Weihermattstrasse 2, CH-4102 Binningen, Switzerland

e-mail : abjagtap@hotmail.com

From our Readers ……

Maxim Cards

In this column Maxim cards prepared by readers are published. The computer generated cards used for preparing maxim cards are not suitable and are not regarded as good maxim cards . These cards are downgraded in a philatelic exhibition.

Max Cards prepared by John Emanuel Boben of Trivandrum.

 

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Clown Care – best way to treat patients

 

Date of Issue : 27 June 2011

Hi ! Israel Post issued a wonderful stamp featuring Clown Care on 27 June 2011. Clown care is a way of treating patients by humor, games and clowning as well as giving them required medicines in order to cheer patients' spirits and enable them to get well soon. It is the best way to treat patients and make them to smile and forget their illness ….it would be really nice if it is used in every child’s hospital. This is all for today…Till Next Post..Have a Nice Time !

Clown care..

The image of a clown entertaining a sick child in hospital that appears on this stamp has become the symbol of clown care in Israel and around the world.

In the 1970's Dr. Patch Adams, considered to be the founder of clown care, was determined to change doctors' patronizing attitude toward their patients and to get them to see those patients as people, not just as cases. Patch Adams claimed that combined treatment of both the body and the spirit is the best way to defeat disease. He utilized a lot of humor, games and clowning in order to improve patients' spirits. The highly successful 1998 film 'Patch Adams', starring Robin Williams, portrayed his work.

A number of years after Patch Adams began his mission, real clowns from the Big Apple Circus began visiting children's wards in New York hospitals. Adams' message spread quickly and today medical clowns operate in most countries around the world, working in conjunction with medical teams.

Clown care came to Israel in 2000, with Shlomi Algosi considered to be the first Israeli medical clown.

New Philatelic Issues from Israel Post, June 2011

Improving Tomatoes through Breeding

 

Butterfly Booklet from Israel Post

Israel Post has recently issued a beautiful stamp  booklet  of butterfly stamps.

Special Covers

Bihar

Ashok Stambh ( Vasishali)- Wheeler Senate Hall Patna

BIPEX 82 – 8.2. 1982

: Ashwani Dubey - Gorakhpur 

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Covers with special postmarks..

 

Discussion

Critical Analysis of the cover :

Mr Pradip Kumar Malik of Patna has sent scan of this cover for Critical analysis. I am giving here special comments  on this cover by Dr Avinash B. Jagtap .

 

Expert Comments by Dr Avinash B. Jagtap

The cover sent from the USA with the personality stamp depicting one of the best character representing screen-play actor Gregory Peck. The cancellation reads "Mocking Bird Station". Late Mr. Gregory Peck acted in the film with the caption " To kill a Mocking Bird". Of-course the post office from where the envelope was dispatched has the same name (of course it must have been given after the film with the name "To kill a mocking Bird" was screened). It is a pictorial cancellation. The cover can be shown in a display which is based on "Famous Actors" or "Famous Films". Unfortunately the cancellation is rather too big and touches only one side of the stamp affixed to the cover. Had it been fully applied to all three stamps, it would have been difficult to read it (as the stamp itself is in grey-black colour). The cover can also be displayed in a collection on birds, but only with some reservations.

My recent Covers

I have received two special covers from Mrs Radha Ramalingam  of Thiruvannamalai. Many thanks to Mrs Ramalingam for the covers.

Critical analysis of the cover :

On the Brihadeesarar Temple  cover the  special postmark does not touch the stamp so philatelically it cannot be regarded as  an appropriate special cover.

Cover from USA

I received this cover with nice stamps from USA, sent by Mr Charles. The cover is not cancelled and it bears a personalized stamp with two stamps from USPS.

Thanks to Mr Charles Jensen, Florida- USA

 

Thanks to Mr Wolfgang Bayer, Germany

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