Aland, Merry rabbits on this year's Christmas seals

Anita Polkutie has illustrateti this year's Christmas seals. Her merry rabbits adoro the four different seals.

The profit from the sale of thè Post's Christmas seals is used for charity every year. The beneficiaries this year are the Aland Sea Rescue Society and thè Aland Children's Fund.

ALAND SEA RESCUE SOCIETY intends to purchase a defibrillator for thè Christmas seal donation. In 2009, thè Sea Rescue Society has been upgrading its equipment on thè cruiser Rescue Paf with oxygen and stretchers among other things and thè defibrillator will complete thè equipment.

ALAND CHILDREN'S FUND plans to procure a SimNewB for its share of the donation, an interactive baby simulator to be used in ali aspects of neonatal training programs. The baby simulator may be used by ali staff categories with a responsibility for basic and advanced life-saving, professionals as well as volunteers.

Together with Aland Stamp Collectors' Society, the Post organizes a lottery in connection with thè Christmas seals. The winners will be drawn on 12 January 2010. Some of the fine prizes at stake are a €1000 travel gift voucher, two weekend stays at the Hotel Havsvidden in Geta, Aland, and five digitai cameras. The winners will be presented in the Post's ordering catalogue edition 1-2010, in the locai Aland newspapers and at www.posten.ax.

Date of issue: 9 October 2009
Design: Anita Polkutie
Edition: 14 000 sheets of 20 se/f-adhesive seals
Price: €3.75
Size of seals: 23 x 26 mm
Size of sheets: 146 x 210 mm
Paper: 110 g/m2
Printing method: 4-colour offset
Printing ho use: Keab Paper

Belgium, Europa Under the European sky

It was tour hundred years ago - 1609 -that the Italian physicist, astronomer and mathematician Galileo Galilei first looked at the sky through a tele­scope.

He discovered that the Moon was not a perfect sphere, but pockmarked with craters, that Jupiter was clearly orbited by four natu­rai satellites that were
named thè Galilean moons, and that thè Milky Way was made up of billions of stars.

Four centuries later, thè United Nations has declared 2009 to be the International Year of Astronomy (IYA2009). Its theme The Universe, Yours to Discover' is an initiative for ali citizens of our planet. It gives them the opportunity to rediscover their piace in thè universe by admiring the splendour of thè sky. fhe goal is to generate a sense of wonder and discovery in everyone.

We ali need to realise thè impaci astronomy and fundamenfal scìences havo on our daily lite, to understand that scientific knowledge contributes to a more balanced and peaceful society.
Many activities nave been planned at home and abroad. One of them is the Planetarium's request for thè issue of a special postage stamp. The Pianeta-rium, which is part of thè Royal Belgian Observatory, is thè best piace to dis-cover beautiful, mysterious heavenly bodies. When you visit thè Planetarium it's as though you are looking up at the sky from thè Andes, from thèesurface of thE Moon or even from other galaxies.

TECHNICAL DETAIL:

Theme: the EUROPA postage stamp to mark the international Year of Astronomy 400 years after thè first astronomical observation by Galileo Galilei
Creation: Thierry Mordant
Denomination: € 1 or € 0.90
Stamp size: 48.75 mm x 38.15 mm
Sheet size: 125 mm x 90 mm
Composition of thè sheet: 1 stamp
Paper: litho phosphorescent
Perforation: 11"2
Printing method: offset
Engraving (cylinders): De Schutter 'Neroc sa
Printing: Stamps Production Belgium
02 I SPECIAL ISSUES
More info:
International Year of Astronomy 2009
Website: http://www.astronomy2009.org
Planetarium
E-mail: planetarium@planetarium.be
Website: www.planetarium.be

Aland, Two Christmas stamps this year

In 2009, thè Àland Post will be issuing two Christmas stamps for the first time, one with the denomination Julpost, the other with the  denomination Vàrlden.

Together, the two stamps will cover most postage requirements for sending Christmas greetings.

The artist Linn Dahiblom has designed the two Christmas stamps, which have different denominations to fit as postage on greetings to friends both in Aland and abroad.

In 2009, the denomination Julpost (Christmas postage) equals €0.60 in 2009, which is the appropriate postage on Christmas greetings within Aland and to Finland and Sweden during a limited period in November and December, When the future postage for Christmas greetings increases, so does the value of stamps with the Julpost denomination.

The denomination Vàrlden (the world) of thè other stamp may be used on mail up to 20 grams to any destination in the world.

Date of issue: 9 October 2009
Artist: Linn Dahiblom
Editions: 350 000 (Santa's little helpers)
200 000 (girl brownie)
Denominations: Julpost (€0.60)
Vàrlden (€0.90)
Price FDC (not signed): €2.05
Size of stamps: 36 x 26.1 mm
Size of sheets: 2 x 20 stamps
Perforation: 13 per 2 cm
Paper: 102 g/m2
frinting method: 5-colour offset
Printing ho use: Joh. Enschedè Stamps

Aland, Martti Ahtisaari's view of Àland

Finland's formar president Martti Ahtisaari was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 2008, and thE Àland Post is proud to present our My Àland stamp issue produced in dose cooperation with Martti Ahtisaari.

The Nobel Committee decided to award thE Nobel Peace Prize for 2008 to Martti Ahtisaari for his important efforts, on severa! continents, to resolve international conflicts. These efforts have contributed to a more peaceful world and to "fraternity between nations" in Alfred Nobel's spirit. As a peacemaker, Martti Ahtisaari has on several occasions emphasized thè Àland example as a solution to serious and long-iasting conflicts. In 2000, Ahtisaari founded thè organisation Crisis Management Initiative, an independent, non-profit organisation that innovatively promotes and works for sustainable security in thE world.

Martti Ahtisaari visited thè Àland Islands many times during his Presidency 1994-2000. As artist for thE My Àland stamp, Martti Ahtisaari can now express his personal impression of Àland. He has chosen to focus on his visit to Àland for his honeymoon in 1968. The newly married couple Ahtisaari then stayed in a little red cabin by thè water, and this is exactly what is featured on thè stamp.

Date of issue Design: 29 September 2009
Photographer Edition: Martti Ahtisaari/Cecilia Mattsson
Robert Janssen
Edition: 200.000
Denomination: Vàrlden (€0.90)
Price FDC: €1.45
Size of stamp: 36.5 x 32 mm
Size of sheet: 2 x 15 stamps
Paper Perforation: 105 g/m2
Printing method: 4-colour offset + Metal FX
Printing ho useThe Lowe Martin Group

Belgium, Spike and Suzy (self adhesive)

Spike and Suzy are comic strip figures that have grown large in tho collective memory of Belgium and thè Netherlands.

More than 60 years ago, Willy Vandersteen approached thè director ol thè 'De Nieuwe Standaard' newspaper to show him thè rough sketch es of thè 'Rikki en Wiske in Chocowakije' (Rikki and Suzy in Chocova kia) story. Vandersteen wanted to draw two comic strips which would appear as a daily serial in thè newspaper.

The public reacted with enthusiasm and subscriber figures rocketed. Rikki was replaced by thè sturdy Spike in thè second story 'Het eiland Amoras' (An island called Hoboken). Aunt Sidoniagot a larger role and thè joker Ambrose joined a little later. Muscleman Jethro made his entrance in "De dolle musketiers" (The Merry Musketeers).

These comic strip heroes enjoy many crazy adventures together. When thè strip reached a wider public, Willy Vandersteen foundeci Studio Vandersteen, where many cartoonists learnt their trade.

Uninterrupted daily publication spanning many years ensured Ihat many generations experienced enjoyable hours of reading with Spike and Suzy.

As a result of Professor Barabas's inventions, the reader is taken Code: ZB0909' to faraway countries where he can travel in thè past or to thè distaili future.

Everything is possible in this comic strip world and a whole series of eccentric charactois are encountered along thè way. After more than 300 albums, thè Spike and Suzy stories continue; to sell like hot cakes.

A number of pages will be added to the Spike and Suzy success story on 17 June 2009.

The 3D film “De Texasrakkers” will premiere on this date.

In benelux this is biggest ever 3D.

elgium, Christmas & New Year

* Included in thè postage stamps subscription.

This year's Christmas and New Year stamp depicts thè cen­trai stained-glass window of thè Church of St Catherine in Bethlehem.

This window shows thè Baby Jesus with his parents, St Fran­cis and a brother of thè order. The stamp bears Belgium's coat of arms and thè locket por-trait of Cardinal Mercier.

The 9 sq m window was made by thè Ganton brothers of Ghent and presented by Belgium in 1926. On thè initiative of Belgium's General Consul, thè Mestdagh studio, also of Ghent, restored thè window in 2004. To strengthen thè symbolic character of thè stamp's mes-sage of peace, it is fringed by thè words Peace on Earth in English, Dutch, German and French, Hebrew, Arabie, Latin, and Russian, Swedish, Danish and Finish, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

Belgium, German Comunity

The euro turns 10 (self adhesive stamps).

Every country needs a safe, durable and easy to use means of payment.

As from 1832, Belgium used the frane as its currency.

The response was thè introduction of the European Monetary System (EMS) II ilrflwTIIH    jn 197g   based on the new European Currency Unit (ECU).

The next step carne in 1990 with the establishment of the Economie and Monetary Union (EMÙ). The ultimate goal was to introduce a single currency in the EU mem­ber states. Economie efforts were demanded of ali candidates for accession to the System.

In December 1991 the EU member states signed the Treaty of Maastricht, thus accepting the idea of a single European currency, which was given the name "euro" in December 1995. On 1 January 1999 each acceding member state pegged its national currency to the euro, creating a de facto currency union. In Belgium, one euro was worth 40.3399 francs.

The Belgians were asked to hand in their coins between 15 October and 15 November 2001. The first euro mini-kits worth 500 francs went on sale on 15 December 2001.1 January 2002 was an important day for the great European dream, as the euro notes and coins became legai tender. On 28 February 2002 a dozen EU member states voted to adopt the euro as the only legai means of payment. Since that date the European Union has strengthened its economie and politicai position compared with superpowers like the United States and Japan. Daily lite has changed radically since the introduction of the euro. A whole generation had to learn how to count and pay in euros and cents. And you can now pop over the border to Amsterdam, Paris or Cologne without having to buy forex. That's ali thanks to the euro.

* 1 stamp is included in the postage stamps subscription
" The price depends on the rates applying at the time of deìivery
19 01 2009
02, The German-speaking Communi
The history of the German-speaking part of Belgium has certainly been a very eventful one.
Code: 0902*
* Included in the postage stamps subscription
In the Great War the inhabitants of Eupen-Malmedy fought on the side of the German Reich. The Treaty of Versailles (1919-1920) awarded the districts Eupen-Malmédy and Neutral-Moresnet to Belgium. Twenty years later, Eupen-Malmédy and a small number of border areas on the Belgian