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Postage stamps are sites of nationalist imagery, produced continuously by the US government since 1847. Over time, a limited group of people deemed worthy of representing the nation on stamps—white male politicians and military heroes—was diversified to include different kinds of persons: women, Native Americans, African Americans, and people in the arts, sciences, athletics, and entertainment. This paper focuses on a singular exception to this iconographic diversification: workers, people who labor. Stamps that seem to be about labor (those devoted to such topics as labor leaders, collective bargaining, and employment for the disabled) are, we claim, about something other than "labor as such." Drawing on Marx's Grundrisse , we argue that in capitalist societies, waged labor and pauperism are indissolubly linked because laborers have no control over the reliability of their employment. Laborers are "humanity ground zero," people deemed (in capitalist common sense) to have accomplished nothing beyond working for a wage and who therefore cannot be represented in postal iconography as builders of the nation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As government documents, postage stamps are a rich source of information about a government's policies on a wide range of subjects. In this article, a comparative semiotic analysis of the first seventy-five years of North and South Korean stamps is used to illustrate the similarities and differences in their attitudes towards 'religion' and religious practice. A corpus of stamps on a 'religious' theme was created for stamps issued by both governments from which a series of themes and motifs was noted. The semiotic analysis of the themes and motifs showed that while on South Korean stamps Buddhist motifs constituted the majority of stamps commemorating cultural history, there were few references to the commemoration of Buddhism itself. The reverse was found to be true for Christianity. Although Christianity was not shown to be a major expression of Korean culture, Christianity itself was commemorated extensively. On North Korean stamps, folklore and Christian motifs predominated as projections of cultural history, but the Christian motifs referred only to foreign cultures, not Korean culture. Motifs relating to the foundation myth of Tan'gun were common to both North and South Korea. However, in the South, motifs from the myth referred to the nation, while in the North they referred to the ruling family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the worldwide situation of child abuse through international documents and explains the effective role of design through stamp designs by focusing on its physical, emotional and psychological effects. The aim is to develop a perspective through stamp design examples by focusing on child abuse, to attract the attention of the society and to inform. The descriptive analysis technique, one of the qualitative research methods, was used. In this context, the written data of the article were created by conducting a literature review. Then, the content of the article was enriched through visual expression by adding postage stamps suitable for the theme. The findings consist of a total of 11 stamp designs commissioned by India, San Marino, Switzerland, the USA and the United Nations between 1927-2019. These designs reflect the difficulties experienced by children and their efforts to claim their rights, pointing out that not only states but also international organizations have a responsibility in the fight against child abuse and calling for joint action. As a result, the visual and textual elements in the article convey important messages to the society by reflecting the gravity of child abuse and neglect. In this context, it emphasizes the importance of both design and philately and provides an understanding that it can be used as an effective tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2008, Ruben Salazar was memorialized on a US postage stamp, one of several media icons of moral courage that included John Hersey, George Polk, and Martha Gellhorn, so honored at the same time. Unlike most postage stamp journalists, Salazar—whose career is a study in civil rights reportage—has largely faded from public memory and journalism history. Salazar lived and died civil rights reporting, killed by authorities while covering a Mexican American Vietnam War protest. This essay traces Salazar's impact as a narrator of the Mexican American freedom struggle, putting his work at the Los Angeles Times, and at Spanish-language station KMEX, in context with the broader civil rights movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postage stamps, despite being somewhat cloaked over time by both obscurity and sheer ubiquity, are important official, primary source state documents. The iconography and visual data on the stamp have been used by states to project an official narrative, at times crossing into propaganda. Scholars have analysed these data to access how a given state has sought to portray itself to both domestic and international audiences. Over the course of its first 30 years of post-Soviet independence, Kazakhstan has produced 1130 visually distinct postage stamps. Visual content analysis reveals that much (nearly 45%) of this state's philatelic representation can be assigned to two thematic categories: Nature and Notable People. Iconographic representations found on Kazakhstan's first stamp issue (and others featuring the Golden Man), selected representations of flora and fauna species, a selection of stamps displaying Nursultan Nazarbayev imagery, and other selected stamps displaying multiple themes are scrutinized. These representations additionally project a concretization of the state and its territory, as well as sovereignty. While the messaging medium is miniature, for Kazakhstan the narrative itself is monumental. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Scripta is the property of Scripta and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Scanning micrο X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF) and multispectral imaging (MSI) were applied to study philately stamps, selected for their small size and intricate structures. The μ-XRF measurements were accomplished using the M6 Jetstream Bruker scanner under optimized conditions for spatial resolution, while the MSI measurements were performed employing the XpeCAM-X02 camera. The datasets were acquired asynchronously. Elemental distribution maps can be extracted from the μ-XRF dataset, while chemical distribution maps can be obtained from the analysis of the multispectral dataset. The objective of the present work is the fusion of the datasets from the two spectral imaging modalities. An algorithmic co-registration of the two datasets is applied as a first step, aiming to align the multispectral and μ-XRF images and to adapt to the pixel sizes, as small as a few tens of micrometers. The dataset fusion is accomplished by applying k-means clustering of the multispectral dataset, attributing a representative spectrum to each pixel, and defining the multispectral clusters. Subsequently, the μ-XRF dataset within a specific multispectral cluster is analyzed by evaluating the mean XRF spectrum and performing k-means sub-clustering of the μ-XRF dataset, allowing the differentiation of areas with variable elemental composition within the multispectral cluster. The data fusion approach proves its validity and strength in the context of philately stamps. We demonstrate that the fusion of two spectral imaging modalities enhances their analytical capabilities significantly. The spectral analysis of pixels within clusters can provide more information than analyzing the same pixels as part of the entire dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We would like to think that Maramureş mining and thematic philately had a common destiny. The merging of the two areas of interest, although it started timidly, has continued to capture the public's interest more and more frequently in the period after 1988 and up to the present. Through the present work, we aimed to highlight the philatelic elements (postage stamps, first day of issue envelopes/FDCs, illustrated postcards, special and anniversary envelopes, maximum postcards, etc.) that appeared and promoted part of the activity of local mining, especially the one in Maramureș County. The identification, indexing, analysis, and description of the philatelic pieces were carried out starting from the existing material on several specialist websites with a philatelic profile and e-commerce platforms (Allnumis®, Colnect®, Delcampe®, eBay®, Jurnalul Filatelic, Romfilatelia, WOPA+®, WorldStamps®, etc), as well as that placed at the disposition of colleagues, philately enthusiasts and frantic collectors. The results of our current research have materialized in an impressive series of manifestations of the creation of Maramuresi philatelists, who have not forgotten for a moment that the basis of local development in the past was mining, through its economic, operational, and cultural contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While much has been written about how imperialist and Indian nationalist historiographies have approached 1857, scant attention has been paid to how it has been remembered in Pakistan. This article endeavours to explore the ways in which 1857 has been articulated by the state in India and Pakistan through a study of their commemorative postage stamps. On the face of it, India's emphasis on nonviolence and Pakistan's quest for an Islamic history make 1857 a misfit within the historiographies of both states. However, the paper outlines that during the centenary in 1957, both India and Pakistan commemorated 1857 while maintaining some discursive distance from it. While Pakistan chose to memorialise it as the beginning of its struggle for independence, India recessed it within the broader framework of independence itself. The paper goes on to demonstrate how this position has changed drastically over the years. In order to weave a composite and inclusive history of the country, India now celebrates the legacy of 1857 by appropriating it within the frames of national unity, patriotism, and anti-imperialism. Pakistan, on the other hand, uses 1857 merely as a means to segue into a discussion of reform efforts led by the subcontinent's Muslim elite, thereby relegating it to the background of the Pakistan movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The birth of pharaonism was due to Ahmad Lutfi Al-Sayid who was interested in the history of ancient Egypt and its monuments. He tried to awaken the feeling of national pride among the Egyptians. The apogee of this tendency was in the 20s and 30s of the 20th century. Several themes of the pharaonic heritage ensure the continuity between ancient Egypt and modern Egypt, from the beginning of the 19th century until the revolution of 1952. The pyramids, the sphinx, Tutankhamun and Isis have crossed time. These themes are expressed through literature, art, postage stamps and banknotes. Although there are - until today - areas that are inspired by ancient Egypt, this flow of pharaonism did not really reach the people. One of the reasons for the reluctance of Egyptians to accept this tendency was that its proponents did not correctly identify the character of the people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Black Sea / Karadeniz is the property of Black Sea / Karadeniz and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Water pollution with plastic waste continues to be one of the biggest environmental problems of the modern world. Its impact is not only significantly negative but also materialized long-term repercussions, affecting the dynamics of marine life and the development of tourist activities. Beyond the various scenarios regarding the long-term sustainability of some measures and solutions, an impressive effort must be made to reduce and prevent other situations of a similar nature. In this sense, we sought to identify if there are solutions aimed at promoting work scenarios in the case of water pollution with plastic waste. What we noticed, are several philatelic effects (postage stamps, first-day covers/FDCs, envelopes and blocks, illustrated postcards, maximum postcards) that have appeared in the last 7-10 years, internationally, most being intended to emphasize and impose the (re)adaptation of scenarios to fight against pollution. Consequently, it matters not only what we propose to do, but also what each of us can do; or in this case, promoting the problems faced by the environment, and their associated solutions, are a niche that deserves more attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postage stamps have in recent years been positioned as token purveyors of nation, with countries disseminating carefully curated ideas of national identity to their own citizens and international audiences. This article complements existing research by using South African music-themed postage stamps to read the changing narratives of the nation, or 'music nationalism' in philately. The article analyses music-themed postage stamps issued in South Africa between 1961 and 2015. It confirms that the representation of music nationalism in apartheid philately aligned with Afrikaner nationalist politics, with clear divides between 'White' and 'Black' genres. Post-apartheid music-themed stamps draw attention to forgotten music histories previously overshadowed by apartheid ideology while still engaging with musical threads of the apartheid past. Most significantly, the article illuminates the other forces at play behind what many accept to be a process solely steered and controlled by the state, revealing much about South Africa's democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italy had a colonial empire in Africa in the areas of Libya and East Africa during the first half of the 20th century. The postage stamps issued for these areas served as instruments of propaganda for that empire. This paper uses the method of quantitative content analysis to determine which themes and ideological messages appear on the postage stamps of the Italian African colonies. The results show that, although more than half of them have an attitude of respect for the life of the indigenous population or the civilizational benefit of the colonial government, with the purpose of expressing the benevolence of its power, almost a quarter reflect attitudes of domination, especially in East Africa. Overall, an image of exoticism emerges that reinforces the idea of the Italian nation as a new empire that aimed to show itself to the world as such, especially starting in the 1930s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with representation of eye examination and eye disease prevention methods in philately. The work represents the primary methods used for eye disease diagnosis and demonstrates the role of stamps in raising awareness among people regarding basic medical knowledge. The article is supplied with illustrative material, explanatory descriptions and comments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even small monetary incentives, e.g., a one-dollar bill in a postal invitation letter, can increase the response rate in a web survey. However, in the euro currency area, the smallest amount of monetary incentive for a postal invitation is a five-euro bill, which is costly. As such, we conducted a random experiment with prepaid stamp and postcard incentives as affordable alternatives. We compare the effect of our experimental groups with a control group in terms of response rates, response rates in a subsequent wave, data linkage consent, and data collection costs. Compared with the control group, the postcard incentive has no effect on our outcomes except overall costs. Using a prepaid stamp incentive increases the response rate overall but with different effect sizes for subgroups. We find no effect of stamp incentives on response rates in a subsequent wave or data linkage consent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the representations of the disabled body by unpicking the messages transferred through the artistic illustrations of disability found in 250 postage stamps. The theoretical framework employed derives from cultural, critical and feminist disability studies, while the tripartite model of disability served as a critical framework to the analysis of the representations of the disabled body. The first-level coding led in the classification of postage stamps into eight categories according to the impairment. The second-level coding involved visual semiotic analysis for an in-depth cross-categorical analysis with emphasis on the representation of the disabled body on a number of selected stamps and is presented in two main sections: (i) the disabled body as the impaired body and (ii) the disabled body among other bodies. Such research is useful for disability studies and its interdisciplinary directions that seek to challenge dominant oppressive representations and rhetoric around the disabled body. This article looks into at the representations of the disabled body in postage stamps. Postage stamps were grouped into eight categories according to the impairment and then visual semiotic analysis was employed with emphasis on the representation of the disabled body. The impaired body seems to coincide with the disabled body which is represented as a body that matters, as the opposite of the non-impaired body, and as disembodied body parts or as figure silhouette images. When the disabled body is among other bodies, it is represented as dependent on the non-disabled body, as an element calling for inclusion and as part of a group of other disabled bodies. The findings suggest that interpreting the images in the stamps requires the consideration of more than one aspects related to disability. Such research is useful as it explains and challenges the dominant oppressive representations and rhetoric around the disabled body on postage stamps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postage stamps are information products of a state that reflect how the state wishes to present its place in the world. Two changes in stamp production may affect this self-presentation. "Geopandering" (place manipulation) is an extreme form of self-promotion. Stamps of many small and relatively poor sovereignties account for most geopandered stamps, which have little or nothing to do with the sovereignty's culture, history, or place in the world. Driven by the profit motivation to produce stamps for a worldwide clientele of collectors, these stamps serve as a source of revenue that is contractually shared with the private sector company that designs, produces, markets, and/or distributes them. A second construct is "hypernationalism," which refers to an extreme focus on indigenous themes, people, places, and events with less concern about the intrinsic appeal of these stamps to worldwide collectors. More benign forms of hypernationalism are nothing new. Most stamps issued before the 1960s were of this type—celebrations of domestic achievements, events, and personalities that served both educational functions and "banal nationalism"—an often taken-for-granted and overlooked means of reinforcing patriotism and loyalty to the state. We illustrate the concepts of geopandering and hypernationalism using examples of stamps from different countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a new concept of a film-shaped micropump array for biomedical perfusion. The detailed concept, design, fabrication process, and performance evaluation using prototypes are described. In this micropump array, an open circuit potential (OCP) is generated by a planar biofuel cell (BFC), which in turn generates electro-osmotic flows (EOFs) in multiple through-holes arranged perpendicular to the micropump plane. The micropump array is thin and wireless, so it can be cut like postage stamps, easily installed in any small location, and can act as a planar micropump in solutions containing the biofuels glucose and oxygen. Perfusion at local sites are difficult with conventional techniques using multiple separate components such as micropumps and energy sources. This micropump array is expected to be applied to the perfusion of biological fluids in small locations near or inside cultured cells, cultured tissues, living organisms, and so on. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Soiuz” in Russian means “union” — a key word in the formal name of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Once the world’s largest state, the Soviet Union comprised 15 republics and more than 100 distinct ethnic groups. The country celebrated its diversity while at the same time emphasizing the unity of all Soviet peoples. Throughout the 1922–1991 history of the USSR a highlydeveloped system of symbolic representations was used to portray the strength of the union. For example, the state emblem visually bound the Soviet republics to the state through a heraldic ribbon using all the titular languages of the republics. Likewise, the national anthem celebrated the “unbreakable union of free republics”. The Soviet symbol set also included unique, but visually unifying, symbols to represent the 15 union republics—their flags, emblems, and anthems. There were also flags for the autonomous republics within these union republics, based upon the republic flags. In addition to the symbolic portrayal of the cohesiveness of the Soviet Union, there were two other types of “unions” that were vital to Soviet symbolism — the unity of workers and peasants, as well as the brotherhood of all the world’s communists. Both concepts were central to the symbolism of the Soviet flag and the state emblem, and to other uses of symbols within the country. This paper will examine the many ways in which the concepts of union and unity were symbolically portrayed in Soviet society including the use of flags, emblems, imagery, and slogans. It will demonstrate the importance of the concept of “soiuz” in the Soviet Union. Finally, it will show how unity symbols were central to Soviet messaging both domestically and internationally.

This study analyses the Israeli stamp series 'Landscapes of Israel' issued between 1971–1980, revealing the series' geographical pattern, themes and hidden messages. The stamp images and information folders were critically examined within their historical context. The analysis revealed that the spatial distribution of sites also included captured territories, and by this Israel indirectly drew its own borders. Moreover, colour value was used to highlight important topics or create an atmosphere. Furthermore, apart from using the stamps to promote tourism, many of the sites and areas chosen served to promote issues of national pride, connect the Jewish people to the land and illustrate the struggle for Jewish revival and independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In December 1969, the Jordanian government issued an unusually large set of postage stamps, containing 60 stamps. The issue commemorated two closely related experiences, which together form one of the most politically sensitive topics in Jordanian history: the memory of the defeat in the 1948 war against Israel and the problem of Palestinian refugees, hundreds of thousands of whom fled to Jordan during the war, following which the term Nakba (e.g. catastrophe) was coined, denoting the disaster that the Palestinians experienced. Commemorative postage stamps are a multi-faceted means and vehicles through which governments may utilize the state-owned this mass media for propaganda purposes. This study attempts to analyse the stamps, within the context of the historic period of the issue, and their articulation within the complex trilateral relations between Jordan, the Palestinians and Israel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When conducting a postal survey, a traditional recommendation is to use paper postage stamps instead of an automated postage system, to make sure that invitations have a more personal and attractive appearance. In this research note, we investigate whether this traditional recommendation is still valid. In the autumn of 2020, a postal survey was conducted among high-school teachers in Belgium strictly adhering to the Dillman protocol. The overall response rate was 43.4%. Invitations with a real paper postage stamp had a three-percentage points higher response rate (44.9% versus 41.8%), but this difference proved not to be significant. There are no significant gender or age differences between the groups. In addition, the presence or absence of a paper stamp did not influence the respondents' choice for answering the questionnaire online or on paper, as those who received a stamped envelope were equally likely to choose the online answering tool. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Anatolian Clinic Journal of Medical Sciences is the property of Hayat Saglik ve Sosyal Hizmetler Vakfi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article intends to call the attention of specialists, and not only of them, on the most significant propaganda postage stamp issues during the early days of the communist regime in Romania. Those issues that were dedicated to the Romanian Association for the Strengthening of Soviet Union Ties (A.R.L.U.S.). Throughout its 20-year presence and propaganda activity, the association put several postage stamp issues in circulation. According to acknowledged stamp collectors, only 8 of these postage stamp issues were dedicated explicitly to A.R.L.U.S. (1945-1948 issues, 1950-1952 and 1955 issues), while the rest of the postage stamps in circulation until 1964 (when the association was dissolved) were dedicated to the Romanian -- Soviet Friendship Month. Comprising of a series of symbols and graphics with a direct appeal to the communist ideology, the A.R.L.U.S. postage stamps were a significant part of the propaganda mechanism employed by the communist regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]