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While just a small dot on the world map, San Marino , a microstate in Southern Europe completely enclosed by Italy having a land mass of less than 24 sq. miles, has made a major imprint on the philatelic world.  Its prolific and voluminous issuing of commemorative stamp issues has been a major source of its national income and along with tourism, has promoted it presence throughout the world.While many of San Marino's stamp issues, follow traditional postal authority the …

In 1996, the US Postal Service issued the James Dean commemorative stamp as part of its "Legends of Hollywood" series.  Dean the iconic rebel actor of the 1950's optimized the angst of a young generation in his portrayal of restless and troubled teens in "Rebel Without a Cause" and "East of Eden."  Starting out in small television parts in Hollywood, Dean's career only took off after moving to New York and studying at the  Actor's Studio.  There he worked with  …

A ballet about racial injustice?  Economic inequities? No.  It was the groundbreaking, actually earth shattering score of Igor Stavinksy that premiered Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris on May 29, 1913. It has been described as the "trailblazing score that was the most influential musical work of its time."While the Parisian audience may have been prepared for a modern ballet since Stravinksy had already achieved acclaim for this his ballet scores "The Firebird" and "Pétrouchka" …

While many people have a negative  association with sharks resulting from the Spielberg film "Jaws" or violent videos of shark attacks on surfers or beach dwellers, in reality, sharks play a significant and very positive role in our oceans' ecology.   They are an important part of the marine biome balancing some fish populations and cleaning the ocean from carcasses of dead animals.With fossil records dating back 400 million years, sharks have outlived the dinosaurs and many other …

While some people still associate "Lassie" or "Rin Tin Tin" as the classic canine heroes, today, more people associate dogs with rescue and health related assistance work.  While dramatic films like, "Megan Leavy" celebrate life saving work of military dogs on the battlefield, many more service dogs are helping veterans when they transition to civilian life. These dogs help in a variety of ways.  They not only serve vets as companions in aiding them fighting depression, isolation, …