International Year of Forests - stamps by UNPA

The United Nations Postal Administration has issued three mini-sheets of eight stamps to commemorate the International Year of Forests.
Designated by the United Nations General Assembly, 2011 is the International Year of Forests. During this Year, everyone from Governments and the United Nations system, to major groups and other forest-related organizations are coming together to raise awareness on strengthening the sustainable management, conservation and development of all types of forests for the benefit of current and future generations.
United Nations Secretary-General BAN Ki-moon said, "By declaring 2011 as the International Year of Forests, the United Nations General Assembly has created an important platform to educate the global community about the great value of forests - and the extreme social, economic and environmental costs of losing them".

Subway of Algiers postage stamps

The Algerian Post has released a set of two stamps dedicated to the construction of subway in Algiers.
All studies of urban transport in the city of Algiers conducted since 1970, led to the recommendation of the development of a subway for traffic rehabilitation. The subway will deal with the population explosion and the need for public transportation responding the requirements of comfort and security, and providing regular transport availability. It will also save space for communities and reduce environmental damage (air pollution and noise).
Design studies and engineering of the Algiers metro, completed in 1982 defined a subway scheme consisting of three lines totaling 56 km of line and 54 stations. Line 1 from the first stage of the Algiers metro will contain 10 stations (including 9 underground) of 9.5 km. 14 modern and comfortable trains are planned for the operation on the first metro line. Each such train with a length of 108.5 m can carry 1234 people and reaches the top speed of 70 km/h. A stretch of 4 km between "Bachdjarah" and "El Harrach", consisting of four stations would be commissioned in winter 2012, two extensions of Line 1 are planned for 2012 and 2013.

Christmas 2011 stamp from Luxembourg

The Luxembourg Post is issuing a stamp celebrating the coming Christmas 2011. The Christmas 2011 stamp shows a happy family seated around a table and eating biscuits. Christmas decorations, including a tree, garlands, and golden stars, emphasize the festive side and magic of the moment.
The stamp was created by Luxembourg artist Muriel Moritz, illustrator of children's books, school books, and exhibitor. Muriel Moritz runs workshops for children at the Academie d'ete de Luxembourg (CEPA) and at Kulturhuef Grevenmacher.

Sheep stamps from Algeria

The Algerian Post has issued a set of two stamps illustrating the widespread breeds of sheep in Algeria: Ouled-Djellal and Hamra.
The "Ouled-Djellal" sheep composes the largest ethnic group of Algerian sheep, occupying most of the country with the exception of some areas in the southwest and southeast. This is the true sheep of the steppe, the most suitable to nomadism. This is an all-white sheep. Wool covers the entire body to the knees and hocks, his head is white with spiral horns. Their long and strong legs support walking for long distances. This is a breed resistant to arid zones; it uses very different highland pastures of the steppe and rangeland of Sahara.
The "Hamra" breed is a dark-skinned animal with black mucous membrane. Its head and legs are brown red, almost black. The wool is white with brown red. The sheep has medium spiral horns. The range of this race is located in the southwest, it is found also in the foothills of the Saharan Atlas. It is considered the best beef breed in Algeria because of the delicacy of its meat and the roundness of its lines. This is a breed highly resistant to cold and icy winds from the steppes of Oran.

New Christmas stamps from Norway

This year's Christmas stamps by Norway Post are dedicated to old postcards.
Anyone who has had the pleasure of sifting through piles of old postcards will have noticed the great variety in this pictorial material.
The oldest Norwegian postcards date back to the 1880s and even then Christmas cards were predominant. Norway's Christmas gnome was an important feature then and he has been a familiar figure on Norwegian Christmas cards ever since.
As card manufacturers learned more about marketing, they began to appeal to people's emotions. When Christmas celebrations focusing on children and family grew in popularity, romantic Christmas traditions came to the fore, particularly Christmas Eve customs. Going to church by horse and cart, bringing home and decorating the Christmas tree and close-up shots of oat sheaves with bull finches and titmice are recurring themes. Christmas in the country is almost a whole genre in itself, with a prevalence of cliches from well-to-do farming communities: sleigh rides, Christmas parties and the romantic farming life. Food and drink are also well represented. The menus are something of a mixture, often showing a full spread of cakes, fruit, chocolate, meat dishes and desserts.
During the Prohibition (1917-26), Christmas gnomes were often used humoristically to convey a view of Norwegians' alcohol habits.
Children are the subjects of the postcards on this year's Christmas stamps. Children are often part of the scene, especially when it comes to Christmas preparations or opening parcels. Parcels are of course another frequent Christmas card motif - before, during and after opening.