ifsda Magazine – February 2011

The following editorial from the January February 2011 issue of the Collectors Club (New York) Philatelist is especially important news for members receiving registered mail from foreign destinations in the USA, or to those sending registered mail to the USA.

Warning to all who might receive registered mail from overseas: Inquiries by overseas senders regarding missing registered mail have discovered a disturbing problem.

Since June 2009, all registered mail arriving in the U.S. from overseas is treated by the U.S. Postal Service as ordinary mail from its original arrival at the U.S. exchange office, and is not given the usual processing that is expected from registered mail.

A post inspector has commented that any such registered mail items can be considered the same as having a “Steal Me” label on them. The applicable regulation, taken from the USPS International Mail Manual, says: 752.13 Treatment of Registered Items – All registered mail by the country origin must be handled domestic First-Class mail stream from the exchange office to the office of delivery. A signed delivery recipient must be obtained at the time of delivery.
The second sentence show that simply because the recipient has to sign on delivery does not mean that the mail was given the secure handling expected of registered mail.
“Traveling in the domestic First Class Mail mailstream” means that the letter or package will be sent along with all other ordinary first class mail. Registered mail within the U.S. remains the same secure process as before, as does registered mail send to overseas addresses. The danger is restricted to arriving mail. The best alternative is to use either Express Mail or Courier Services. Be warned, and tell your overseas correspondents.
(Source: Editorial by Robert P. Odenweller, The Collectors Club Philatelist, Jan. – Feb. 2011)

http://www.ifsda.org/ifsda2011.pdf

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Cachet: In French, cachet means a stamp or a seal. On a cover, the cachet is an added design or text, often corresponding to the design of the postage stamp, the mailed journey of the cover, or some type of special event. Cachets appear on modern first-day covers, first-flight covers and special-event covers.

On the 50th anniversary of the first man’s flight in Cosmos (Yuri Gagarin), on the 30th anniversary of the first Romanian’s flight in Cosmos (Dumitru Dorin Prunariu) and on the 50th anniversary of the first session of COPUOS (UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space), Romfilatelia introduces into circulation the postage stamps issue entitled COSMOS 2011.

On the postage stamp with the face value of lei 3.00 is reproduced the image of Dumitru Dorin Prunariu, the first Romanian cosmonaut.
Dumitru Dorin Prunariu was the first Romanian to ever take part in a space flight (Soyuz 40mission) within the Intercosmos Program, aboard Salyut 6 station (14th – 22nd of May 1961).

Together with the Russian cosmonaut Leonid Ivanovich Popov, Dumitru Dorin Prunariu performed several scientific experiments, among which, an important study on the terrestrial magnetic field.

On the postage stamp with the face value of lei 4.70 is reproduced the image of the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968).
In 1961, on the 12th of April, the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin aboard Vostok 1 capsule was the first man to ever go on an orbital flight in the outer space.

50 years ago, it was held the first Session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).

The postage stamp of the souvenir sheet of the issue,with the face value of lei 8.70 reproduces the image of the Earth seen from the outer space, at which is added the explanatory text of the anniversary event: 50 years – the First COPUOS Session.
The Committee was established by the UN General Assembly in 1959 for the purpose of harmonising international cooperation in the field of the peaceful uses of outer space.
Romania is a founding member of this Committee and was registered with COPUOS since 1959.
As reward for the activity and involvement of Romania in this field, our country holds the COPUOS Presidency, for the period June 2010 – June 2012, the elected President being the Romanian cosmonaut Dumitru Dorin Prunariu.
From 9 to 12 May 2011, the International Academy of Astronautics holds in Bucharest the second Conference on protecting our planet from impacts by asteroids and comets, 2011 IAA Planetary Defense Conference – From Threat to Action.

For the documentary assistance and the images offered for the accomplishment of this postage stamps issue, we would like to thank the Romanian Space Agency, the first Romanian cosmonaut Mr. Dumitru Dorin Prunariu, the United Nations, the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Bucharest, The Federal State Unitary Enterprise in the Russian Federation – The Publishing and Trading Centre MARKA and also to the family of the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

[Show as slideshow]

 The man’s dream of flying has always existed… And also since then there existed the dream of the earthling of reaching the Moon …
The first person who wrote about the flight of some people on the Moon was Jules Verne in his novel From Earth to the Moon.
And those who made this dream become true were the Americans, by their Apollo program, carried out between the years 1961 and 1972.
The Apollo program began with a series of tests of the carrier rockets from the Saturn series, reaching to piloted space flights, with human crew, around the Moon. As a result of the announcement of the president J.F. Kennedy, in 1961, that USA will send a human crew on the Moon and until the end of the ´60, the program has been radically modified for this purpose.
For 8 years, the missions preparing the landing on the moon were carried out in an accelerated rhythm, even after the failure of the Apollo 1 test on the ground, on the launching platform, when the first victims among the astronauts were registered.
Apollo 11 was the first mission with human crew which landed on the Moon, the 5th flight with human crew and it has been the 3rd trip to the Moon.
A Saturn V rocket launched the Apollo 11 ship, having on board crew made of Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin Jr., from the Kennedy Space Centre, on July 16th 1969. The control module had the name of Columbia and the lunar module, Eagle, the eagle being the symbol of the United States.
On July 20th, historical day for the earthlings, Neil Armstrong being the first man who stepped on  another celestial body said: “That’s one small step for man, a giant leap for mankind”. A few minutes later he was followed on the lunar ground by his mission colleague, Edwin E. Aldrin Jr.
After this cosmic flight, other 10 people have stepped on the Moon until the end of the Apollo program, the last mission being Apollo 17.

The event organized by Poşta Română will begin with the opening of an exhibition presenting the works of young artists participating in the painting contest “Art as a means of communication – in the footsteps of Joan Miro”. The exhibition was inspired by the work of the Spanish artist Joan Miro, “Flood II”, donated by the latter to the Romanian State and hosted by the National Philatelic Museum in Bucharest. The opening will be followed by a charity auction supported by Goldart Auction House. All the money raised on this occasion will be donated to UNICEF Romania for the rehabilitation of schools in areas affected by the flooding in June 2010.

First Prize: Bartos Vadim-Alexandru

“By means of this initiative we want to be closer to disadvantaged communities affected by this year’s floods, but also to support arts and Romanian and international cultural values, to promote young artists and to create as much as we can a framework for asserting their value” said Daniel Neagoe, President and CEO of Compania Naţionala Poşta Română.

“We are extremely pleased to be partnering with Poşta Română and together we can put a smile on the faces of children affected by this summer’s flooding. Even if the waters receded long ago, the children and their communities still need our help for their lives to get back to normal. Together with the representatives of C.N. Poşta Română S.A. we have decided that the money raised from the auction be used for the rehabilitation of schools affected by this year’s floods and come in this way in support of children facing difficulties in the educational process and in danger of dropping out of school”, said Edmond McLoughney, UNICEF Romania Representative.

The event brought together C.N. Poşta Română S.A., Goldart Auction House, the Romanian Professional Designer Association, the Artists Union, representatives of the National University of Arts in Bucharest and Romfilatelia.

http://www.posta-romana.ro/press/concursul-de-arta-plastica-organizat-de-c-n-posta-romana-s-a-si-a-desemnat-castigatorii_632

Continuing the events dedicated to promoting the postage stamps issue Cosmos 2011 and the three important events celebrated this year, Romfilatelia presented in a selected atmosphere and a distinguished company, at the Romanian Academy, the philatelic issue dedicated to the cosmos and to the outer space flight.

The events were held Friday, 13th of May this year, at the Romanian Academy Hall, with the occasion of the Tribute Session, organized by the Romanian Academy, the Romanian Space Agency, Science and Technology Magazine and Romfilatelia, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first man’s flight in Cosmos and 30th anniversary of the first Romanian’s flight in Cosmos

This event was attended by Mr. Major Gr. (r) Dumitru Dorin Prunariu, President of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and the first Romanian who flew space, Gr. (r) Leonid Ivanovich Popov, commander of the spaceship on board which flew the first Romanian, Mr. Dipl. Ing Franz Viehböck, first Austrian in space, Mr. Russell Louis “Rusty” Schweickart, U.S. astronaut and Mr Aleksandr Panayotov Aleksandrov, second Bulgarian cosmonaut.

In the opening, the host of the event, Mr. Ionel Haiduc, President of the Romanian Academy, delivered a welcome message to the five cosmonauts, offering them a diploma of recognition of the entire work from the Romanian Academy.

Messenger of events that changed the world, the postage stamp celebrated this moment by joining with its specific activities this event. In her speech, Ms. Cristina Popescu, President & CEO Romfilatelia, mentioned the importance of values and awareness of our history, because they define our national identity.

Closing his congratulatory message addressed to the cosmonauts, the President & CEO of Romfilatelia invited Mr. Ionel Haiduc, President of the Romanian Academy, and the five astronauts to sign the presentation panel of the postage stamps issue Cosmos 2011.

The distinguished audience was joined by the President Ion Iliescu (1992-1996, 2000-2004), HRH, Prince Radu Duda of Romania, as well as H.E. Mr. Alexander Churilin, the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Bucharest, together with numerous guests of the media, academicians and great personalities of the Romanian space.

The event continued with a series of presentations of various projects undertaken at the international level, to which Romania has an important contribution, both human and technical support.

http://www.romfilatelia.ro/marci/colectia.php?ContentID=568