Sweden Issues Charity Stamp

Sweden Post is now offering the opportunity to support a good cause when sending a letter. When you buy one of these stamps, SEK 1 per stamp (approx 16 cents US) will be donated to Save the Children’s efforts to help children in countries affected by emergencies and armed conflicts to learn to read and write. Save the Children promotes a child’s right to an education, which is the best way to help a country develop and empower its citizens out of poverty. The following story has been supplied by Sweden Post.

Adama Traore is nine years old and in second grade in Bouake, Ivory Coast. She describes how her classes improved after Save the Children began working with her school. “Save the Children came to tell us that the teachers aren’t allowed to hit us anymore, on the same day they taught us about our rights. The teacher also told us the same thing. He said that whoever wants anything can approach him and ask without being afraid. Because of this, now everyone comes to school every day.” Education is so much more than just learning to read and write. It is the foundation upon which our democratic society is built and plays a crucial role in the stability and development of a country.

Across the world, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty if all children left school with basic reading skills. Save the Children not only teaches children about their rights so they can demand them, but  educates teachers and parents about not using violence or physical and humiliating punishments since these methods have a negative effect on a child’s development, Instead, Save the Children provides adults with other tools for raising children. Every child has the right to go to school, which is why Save the Children works to change attitudes towards children who are being discriminated due to gender, handicap or ethnicity to also be allowed to attend school. Save the Children also exerts influence on governments to set aside the resources needed to ensure that all children will receive quality basic education. Save the Children builds and renovates schools; distributes teaching materials to teachers and school packets to children containing pencils and paper, to ensure that the proper conditions are in place to enable children to learn.
Since 1999 Save the Children has helped 40 million children receive a better education, but it is estimated that there are still 69 million children that do not have access to proper education. you can help by supporting Save the Children, to read more go to www.raddabarnen.se  which is the Swedish office for Save the children.  Others may go to www.savethechildren.org for more information.

The First Day Cover for this issue

The stamps pay the basic letter rate in Sweden. One stamp show children reading while the other stamp show students doing math problems. The stamp illustrations are by Paivi Unenge. Oscar Liedgren was the graphic designer for the set.  The offset printed stamps were produced by the Sweden Post Stamps. At the bottom of each stamp their is an indication that 1KR is being donated to Save the Children.

New Taiwan Postage Stamps Show Domestic Fish

The native freshwater fish of Taiwan’s rivers, lakes, and estuaries comprise the most diverse group of vertebrates within the island’s terrestrial ecosystem. Chunghwa Post has planned a series of postage stamps to introduce the beauty of Taiwan’s freshwater fishes. The first set of the series features Taiwan endemic fishes: Candidia barbaws. Opsariichthys pachycephalus, Spinibarbus hollandi, and Squalidus banarescui. The stamps were released on March 10, 2011. The designs are as follows:
1. Candidia barbatus (on the NT$5 stamp): This silver white fish has an obvious deep blue lateral stripe extending from its gill cover to the base of its caudal fin. It typically measures about 6 to 12 centimeters long, but large examples can sometimes reach 20 centimeters. It is commonly seen in the upper stretches of rivers and their branches in western Taiwan. As a result of human introduction in recent years, it can be found in the rivers of the Hualien and Taitung.
2. Opsariichthys pachycephalus (NT$5): An adult male has some ten blue-green vertical streaks on the sides of its body and displays nuptial coloration in the area below its gill covers as well as at its pelvic, pectoral, and anal fins. Vigorous and ferocious, the species’ strong predatory characteristics make it a popular target for stream fishing. It typically measures about 8 to 15 centimeters long, but large examples 1can reach 20 centimeters. It is commonly seen in the rivers of western Taiwan.
3. Spinibarbus hollandi (NT$12): The fish has a medium-to-large mouth aperture and two pairs of barbels. The back of its body is slate gray and its sides are silver white. This large carp typically measures about 20 to 40 centimeters long. The largest examples can reach 60 centimeters in length. The stamp features a medium-sized adult. It can be found in the middle stretches of rivers in southern and eastern Taiwan.
4. Squalidus banarescui (NT$25): This fish is slightly transparent, with a black and gold lateral line on the sides of its body. There is a black marking that resembles the Chinese character for eight “A-” on each of its lateral line scales. This small carp measures about 8 to 10 centimeters long. It can only be found in relatively deep and slow and slightly muddy rivers in central Taiwan.
A first-day cover, folders with and without crystal mounts and a looseleaf album page will be released along with the stamps and will go on sale on March 8, 2011. A pre-cancelled FDC with the full set of stamps or with a NT$5-denominated stamp will go on sale on March 10, 2011, the issuing date of the stamps. The stamps are the work of Chen 1-Shiung, professor at the Institute of Marine Biology of National Taiwan Ocean University. The stamps were designed  by the marine painter Mr. Jheng Yi-lang and were printed by Central Engraving and Printing Plant by the color offset method of printing on phosphorescent coated stamp paper. The stamps have a size of 40 X 30 mm with the perforation being 13 ½. Each sheet is composed of  20 stamps in a 5 X 4 format.

Sweden issues Bicycle Set of 5 on Jan 27

Crescent Folding Bicycle
As cars grew in popularity during the 1950s, people began to look for a bicycle that could be taken apart or collapsed in order to easily fit into the trunk. Many odd designs appeared on the market, but the quality of Crescent’s collapsible frame that was introduced in the 1960s was very high and many of them are still in use today. Crescent’s folding bicycle was designed in Uppsala and manufactured in Varberg.

Carolus
Carl Svensson in Angelsberg sold this classic women’s bicycle in the 1930s. There have been around 2,500 bicycle brands sold in Sweden throughout the years, and many local bike stores created their own brand using parts bought from large manufacturers  such as Nymans (in Uppsala), Wiklunds (in Stockholm) or Monark (in Varberg).  Riders took special care of their bikes keeping them well-oiled and replacing parts as they wore out — and many of these bikes can still be seen on the streets today.

Skeppshult 100 years
Skeppshult is a Swedish bicycle brand founded in 1911. This lightweight, sporty men’s bike is partly manufactured in Sweden, although many of the components are imported, for example well- tested foreign gearshifts, hubs and wheels. Today’s bikes are lightweight, and they must be durable. Buyers also often want to be able to customize some of the components on the bike to give it a personal style.  For more information of Skeppshult see:  http://www.skeppshultbikes.com/models.htm

A  Child’s first bike
Many Swedish bicycle manufacturers made tricycles between the years 1930—1950. This typical Swedish model from Skeppshult was available in the 1940s in raspberry red or sky blue. The front wheel is slightly larger than the other wheels, which increased the speed.For more information on Swedish Bicycles see: http://www.cykelhistoriska.se/historyeng.htm