Saving the Vanishing Species Stamps

Earlier this month, the U.S. Postal Service released a new stamp that will benefit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to support the Multinational Species Conservation Funds. Net proceeds from the sales of the stamp will be divided among the African Elephant Conservation Fund, Asian Elephant Conservation Fund, Great Ape Conservation Fund, Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Fund and Marine Turtle Conservation Fund.

The stamp features  an illustration of a tiger cub by artist Nancy Stahl. The artwork on the full sheet of 20 stamps is dark green and includes silhouettes of a rhinoceros, a tiger, a gorilla, Asian and African elephants and a marine turtle. Stahl based both the stamp art and the silhouettes on photographs of wildlife. The phrases “Save Vanishing Species” and “Amur tiger cub” appear on the left side of the stamp. Derry Noyes served as the art director, designer and typographer for the stamp.

This is a "semipostal," a stamp that is sold at a cost higher than the rate required for a first class letter; the excess money collected is used to benefit a specific cause. In the past, semipostal stamps have benefited breast cancer research, FEMA and programs to stop family violence.

The Vanishing Species stamp costs 55-cents each but is a first class letter stamp, worth 44-cents in postage.

For more information, visit www.usps.com.

War Letters

The PBS program "American Experience" showed a segment on "War Letters." It is a documentary-style film that features actors and actresses reading the real letters written to and from Americans serving during wartime, from the Revolutionary War to the Persian Gulf War.

I just watched the 52-minute film online, and I can tell you that it is heart-wrenching and, at times, heart-breaking. Additionally, some of the things they write about and some of the pictures and videos that accompany the letters show the graphic violence that is war.

I think the film also illustrates the importance of writing letters, especially to those at war, as well as the benefits of saving letters. Like few other formats, letters preserve what someone is thinking at a specific time and place. Reading them years later gives us more insight into history than the text books can possibly offer.

But, I think the lessons learned from the film can be carried over beyond soldiers and wartime. Writing,  saving, reading and re-reading letters from and about all aspects of life is something that our society needs to keep everyday life in perspective.

You can watch "American Experience: War Letters" online. There's also a website with additional video and interviews, a book, a related initiative to preserve correspondence from U.S. veterans — The Legacy Project, information about preserving your letters, and much more. Follow the links on the two main websites (PBS and The Legacy Project). 

 On April 21, 2011, in Washington, DC, the U.S. Postal Service issued the Wedding Roses commemorative stamp, which shows two white roses resting atop a piece of wedding correspondence. A white ribbon is visible in the background.

The new stamp is a “Forever” stamp, priced at 44 cents. in one design in a pane of 20 stamps. It is also available as a block of 10 stamps or a block of four stamps. For collectors, the stamp is available as a First Day Cover for  88 cents, as a Digital Color Postmark for $1.60, and as a Keepsake package that includes the Digital Color Postmark and a pane of 20 stamps for a total of $10.95. You can order online now.

Designed by Ethel Kessler from Bethesda, Maryland, the Wedding Roses stamp features a photograph taken by Renée Comet of Washington, DC.

The stamp is meant for use on the RSVP envelope often enclosed with a wedding invitation and on announcements, thank-you notes and other correspondence.

Wedding Roses can be combined with the Postal Service’s other wedding-themed stamps, including the 44-cent Wedding Rings stamp and the 61-cent Wedding Cake stamp (for letters up to two ounces, such as wedding invitations). There are also several custom stamps with wedding themes, but they are priced higher.

Letter Writing Topics 107-113

Here in this part of Texas, we've been overwhelmed by wildfires this week. Thousands of acres not far from us have burned. We wake up every morning to a house that smells like a campfire. Everyone is on edge, hoping that the fires are put out soon.

Many people who live near the fires have been evacuated. We have city fire departments, volunteer fire departments, out-of-town and out-of-state fire departments, the Texas Forest Service and now federal firefighters here helping to extinguish the wildfire.

People from the communities in this area are making donations upon donations. They're giving clothing, toys, bedding, etc. for the evacuees and those who have lost their homes, and they're donating water and other drinks, food, eye wash, etc. for the firefighters.

Last night, we started getting a little bit of rain, and it's been cloudy and humid for most of the day, so hopefully, they'll be able to get this situation under control.

All of that brings me to the first letter writing topic for this posting:

Letter #107: Write a letter of thanks to someone who might not hear "thank you" often enough. Consider firefighters, police officers, deputies, police department dispatchers, 9-1-1 operators, ambulance drivers and other emergency workers. Tell someone how much you appreciate what her or she does.

Letter #108: What is your favorite way to relax? A warm bubble bath? New age music? A hammock in the shade? Write about it in a letter today.

Letter #109: Do you spring clean? Or, is your house always clean? Tell someone today how you keep house.

Letter #110: On my desk is a paperweight that my cousin gave me for my birthday. It is a crescent moon featuring a quote by Anais Nin: "Dreams are necessary to life." It's a greatly inspiring quote, and I enjoy reading it every day. What quote inspires you? Write about it in a letter today.

Letter #111: As I mentioned above, neighbors have been helping neighbors around here this week. From giving a place to stay to plowing up a firebreak around someone's house, everyone has come together to survive the wildfires. Who are your neighbors? Do you know them? Do you share a cup of coffee every morning, or are you more like nod-and-wave neighbors? Tell your penpal about your neighbors.

Letter #112: Do you talk to yourself? I don't, usually. But, all around me, people talk to themselves. When I'm in the same room with someone, and I hear them talking, I think they're talking to me. So, I'm constantly trying to answer people who say, "Oh, I'm just talking to myself." Is it normal to talk to yourself all the time? Is it normal not to? Discuss it in a letter, maybe even a letter to yourself.

Letter #113: Are you a copy cat or an original? Do you love to spot a new fashion trend that someone else is wearing and then try it out yourself? Or, do you prefer to be like no one else and do your own thing? Write about your personality in a letter today.

Happy letter writing!

Typewriter Revival

A recent New York Times story tells how today's generation of young people are fascinated with manual typewriters, using them to write, among other things, letters!

The Digital Generation Rediscovers the Magic of Manual Typewriters says, "At a series of events called 'type-ins,' they’ve been gathering in bars and bookstores to flaunt a sort of post-digital style and gravitas, tapping out letters to send via snail mail and competing to see who can bang away the fastest."

I've written a few blog posts about typewriters. Click here for a list of posts on this blog that have the word "typewriter" in them.

New U.S. Postage Prices

The good news is...the price for mailing a regular, 1-ounce or less letter will not go up. On the other hand, the cost of mailing postcards and heavier letters will increase a few pennies.

Beginning Sunday, April 17, 2011, the cost of mailing a regular-sized postcard within the United States will cost 29 -cents. Additionally, the postage for a 2-ounce letter will cost 64 cents, and the cost of a 3-ounce letter or a square or odd-shaped 2-ounce letter will increase to 84 cents.

First class 1-ounce letters will remain at 44 cents, and square or odd-shaped 1-ounce letters will stay at 64 cents. There are a few other increases, which you can read about online at the USPS website. For all US postage prices, click here.

I love these new stamps!

Have you seen the new postcard stamps? I love them!

Earlier this month, the U.S. Postal Service issued the new 29-cent Herbs stamp in five designs, featuring various herbs used for fragrance, flavoring, medicine, and/or decoration.


According to the USPS, artist Teresa Fasolino, of New York, N.Y., created original oil paintings for each stamp. Each stamp depicts a particular species in bloom, as well as a typical leaf and flower or seed capsule. The species shown are Origanum vulgare (oregano), Linum perenne (flax), Digitalis purpurea (foxglove), Lavandula angustifolia (lavender), and Salvia officinalis (sage). Only the common names appear on the stamps.

The stamp was designed by Phil Jordan of Falls Church, Virginia.

The stamps are available in a pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) pane of 20 stamps and a roll of 100. They also are available in a pane of 10 or a strip of 5.

The new stamps will be necessary to mail postcards within the U.S., beginning Sunday, April 17, when some postage prices go up. Postcards will cost 29 cents to mail domestically.