My L.V. Beethoven Stamps from Arabia

These are the LV Beethoven stamps from Arabia numbering 58. I have all the stamps except Fujeira 1972 Michel block 132, Fujeira 1971 MK 681 -Planche and Ras Al Khaima 1971 Michel BF 114.

The Oldest Beethoven Stamp

The oldest Beethoven stamp in my collection is a local stamp from Altona, Germany issued in 1889. Its initial value on issue was 20 pfennic (penny). Present value is around US$ 30.

Altona is the westernmost urban borough of the German city state of Hamburg, on the right bank of the Elbe river. From 1640 to 1864 Altona was under the administration of the Danish monarchy. Altona was an independent city until 1937. In 2006 the population was 243,972.

It was founded in 1535 as a village of fishermen. In 1664 it received city rights from Danish King Frederik III. Until 1864 Altona was one of the Danish monarchy's most important harbour towns. The railroad from Altona to Kiel, the Christian VIII Baltic Sea Rail Line, was opened in 1844.

Because of the severe restrictions on the number of Jews allowed to live in Hamburg , a major Jewish community developed in Altona. Members did business both in Hamburg and in Altona itself. All that remains is the Jewish cemetery, but in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries it was a major center of Jewish life and scholarship.

During the Weimar era following World War I, the city of Altona was disturbed by major worker strikes and street disorders. Inflation in Germany was a major problem. In 1923 Max Brauer the mayor of Altona, directed that city personnel be paid in part with gas meter tokens, as these coins were did not lose value with inflation. The most notable event at this time is the bloody Sunday of Altona on July 7, 1932 when several persons were shot by the police force during a demonstration of Nazi groups. After police raids and a special court, on August 1, 1933 among others Bruno Tesch was found guilty and beheaded. The convictions of Tesch and the other men who were executed were reversed by the Federal Republic of Germany in the 1990s.

The Greater Hamburg Act removed Altona from the Free State of Prussia in 1937 and merged it (and several surrounding cities) with the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg in 1938.

On 1 February 2007 the Ortsämter (Precincts) in Hamburg were dissolved. In Altona were the precincts Blankenese, Lurup and Osdorf with local offices. On 1 March 2008 the Schanzenviertel neighborhood, which had spanned across parts of the boroughs of Altona, Eimsbüttel and Hamburg-Mitte, became the Sternschanze quarter, the entirely of which is now in the Altona borough.

Conquering Taal Volcano

Taal Volcano is a complex volcano on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. It is situated between the towns of Talisay and San Nicolas in Batangas. It consists of an island in Lake Taal, which is situated within a caldera formed by an earlier, very powerful eruption. It is located about 50 km (31 Miles) from the capital, Manila. It is one of the active volcanos in the Philippines, all part of the Pacific ring of fire.

To get to the Taal Volcano Lake, one has a 20 minute banca ride from Talisay, Batangas to the shores of Taal Volcano. One may the opt to walk or run the trail or ride a horse for around 20 minutes to reach the crater. The view around the crater is breath taking. The serenity is soul-quenching. Eccentrically located near the middle of the lake, is a lonely islet, small enough to host 5-10 people. Whats exotic living organisms lurk in this terrain? This is truly a unique geographical wonder- an islet in a lake in a volcano in a lake in an island! Bravehearts my opt to go down the lake but I think this is prohibited due to the recent increased seismic activity in the area. The trail is as diverse as it gets- sand, rainwater, mud, volcanic rock, grass, gravel- and the odor ranges from horse manuric, muddy to floral. I think this is one of the most challenging off road courses in the Philippines- a trail runner's dream or nightmare. Hope that North Face will sponsor a train run here- will definitely join if it ever happens.

The volcano has erupted violently several times, causing loss of life in the populated areas surrounding the lake, the current death toll standing at around 5,0006,000. Because of its proximity to populated areas and eruptive history, the volcano has been designated a Decade Volcano worthy of close study to prevent future natural disasters. It was thought to be named as "a volcano inside a volcano" because many believed that the lake that circles the volcano was once a crater or mouth of a volcano.

The Decade Volcanoes refer to the 16 volcanoes identified by the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) as being worthy of particular study in light of their history of large, destructive eruptions and proximity to populated areas. The Decade Volcanoes project encourages studies and public-awareness activities at these volcanoes, with the aim of achieving a better understanding of the volcanoes and the dangers they present, and thus being able to reduce the severity of natural disasters. They are named Decade Volcanoes because the project was initiated as part of the United Nations-sponsored International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

The following volcanoes were selected as the 16 current Decade Volcanoes:

* Avachinsky-Koryaksky, Kamchatka, Russia
* Colima, Jalisco and Colima, Mexico
* Mount Etna, Sicily, Italy
* Galeras, Nariño, Colombia
* Mauna Loa, Hawaii, USA
* Mount Merapi, Central Java, Indonesia
* Mount Nyiragongo, Democratic Republic of Congo
* Mount Rainier, Washington, USA
* Sakurajima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
* Santamaria/Santiaguito, Guatemala
* Santorini, Cyclades, Greece
* Taal Volcano, Luzon, Philippines
* Teide, Canary Islands, Spain
* Ulawun, New Britain, Papua New Guinea
* Mount Unzen, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan
* Vesuvius, Naples, Italy

Cebuano Artists Painting Collection- Jose "Kimsoy" Yap Jr.

Jose "Kimsoy" Yap Jr. was born on March 7, 1944 in Bindoy, Negros Oriental, Philippines. Graduated from the Cebu Institute of Technology with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Architecture, he then continued and studied painting at the National Academy of Design School of Fine Arts in New York. He also currently teaches at the University of San Carlos and Cebu Academy of Arts.

Having studied at the National Academy of Design School of Fine Arts in New York, Kimsoy's painting style depicts traces of western influence, yet an intrinsic Filipino character remains in his art pieces. What is striking in most of his works is the conscious use of line and space; making the most of each minute stroke, for example, to bring about the best effect with the color, size and texture of the paper considered. The phrase "less is more" could be applied to some of his works lending a deeper drama to each of his paintings.

Shown are some of his works: "Bliss"- a sketch of Vincent and Yanna, my 2 children, Match maker and Lost Childhood.

Some of his awards include:
1970 - 3rd Prize- South East Asian Art Competition (Singapore)
2003 - 2nd Prize, On-the Spot Painting Competition, Sibonga,
2004 - 2nd Prize Painting Competition , Liloan, Cebu
1973-1987 - Numerous Awards from National Academy of Design School of Fine Arts
1974 - James Suydam Bronze Medal 1976-Louis La Beaume Prize
1978 - Mary Hinman Carter Prize 1979- Alice G. Melrose Prize
1981 - Julius Halgarten Prize 1982- Elliot Silver Medal for Drawing
1987 - Leon Neckhamen Prize Member Organizations: Kolor Sugbo

My L.V. Beethoven Stamps from the Americas

These are the Beethoven stamps from the Americas that are in my collection. Included are stamps from Suriname (8), Dominica (10), Grenada (9), Paraguay (1), Mexico (3), Guyana (3) , Cuba (1), Grenadines (1), Grenada (1), Columbia (1) and Uruguay (1)- a total of 39 stamps. Lacking in my Americas collection are stamps from El Salvador (1), Grenadines 1996 (1), and Chile (1) - a total of 3 stamps. The North American countries like the United States and Canada never honored Beethoven with a stamp.

My L.V. Beethoven Stamps from Asia

These are the Beethoven stamps from Asia that are in my collection. Included are stamps from Maldives (9), Japan (1), India (1), North Korea (1), Mongolia (1), Kyrgyzstan (1) and Iran (2)- a total of 16 stamps. Lacking in my Asian collection are stamps from North Korea (1), and Maldives 2000 stamps (1).

The Tres de Abril Stamp: A Painting by Jose Kimsoy Yap Jr.

As its commitment to further promote Cebu’s historical past and Cebuano philately, the Cebu Stamp Club, Incorporated (CSCI) with the cooperation of the Cebu City Cultural and Historical Affairs Commission (CHAC) decided to pursue a historical philatelic presentation on the Battle of Tres de Abril. This project was hatched during the early week of May 1997.

To give more weight for our request to the Stamp Advisory Committee, CSCI’s Richard Allan Uy informed Ms. Patricia “Noeng” Perez of CHAC that a City Council resolution is needed.

Immediately thereafter, a formal letter was sent to the City Government of Cebu by CSCI President Richard Allan Uy. The Cebu City Council wasted no time in acting for our request and unanimously passed Resolution No. 3258 during the regular session held at the Sangguniang Panglungsod of the City of Cebu on June 02, 1997. The mayor at that time, Alvin Garcia, affixed his signature on June 13, 1997.

The Cebu City Government sent a copy of the resolution to the Stamp Advisory Committee of the Philippine Postal Corporation in Manila. On the other hand, CSCI also sent a letter on June 15, 1997 to the Postmaster General Ireneo V. Intia Jr. informing him of our proposal and praying for a favorable action on the part of the Stamp Advisory Committee. A copy of Resolution 3258 was also attached while copies were furnished to Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak, the SAC Chairman; Mayor Alvin Garcia; and Mrs. Fabiolita Ferraris, Philpost 7 Regional Manager.

Earlier, it was already agreed that the visual artist who would make the interpretation of the famous historic battle scene would be prominent Cebuano artist Jose “Kimsoy” Yap Jr.

Finally by August, Kimsoy delivered his beautiful and colorful interpretation. He donated this important masterpiece as his contribution to Philippine philately in general and Cebuano philately in particular.

After ironing out a few details, the artwork was sent to the chairman of the Stamp Advisory Committee, Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak. A few weeks later, the SAC chairman wrote to this writer revealing some information on our stamp proposal. I quote him as follows..

‘.. I showed the painting to the members of the Stamp Advisory Committee during our regular monthly meeting… We are considering using it as one of the four stamps in the final souvenir sheet (#6) in the Centenary of Phil. Independence series. With regards to Pantaleon Villegas (Leon Kilat) he is already featured on s/s #5… It was scheduled for June 12, and the first day cancel will still bear this date.

The representative from the National Historical Institute did not attend the last meeting, but I believe that we had taken up the “Tres de Abril” topic before and he is agreeable to issuing a stamps as it has historical significance."

The Tres de Abril uprising was really one for the books. Mr. Dionisio Sy, a noted Cebuano historian even wrote a recent book on this historical event. The battle took place on April 03, 1898 which incidentally was a Palm Sunday along Calle Valeriano Weyler. A group of around 80 Cebuano revolutionaries wearing the vistidor, a chalico marked with a prayer and a headband with a triangular Katipunan emblem engaged the Spanish Guardia Civil in battle. Capitan Mamfor and Sergeant Royo led the Spanish soldiers.

In this incident, four Spanish soldiers were killed while two Katipuneros also perished. The victorious army of Pantaleon Villegas locally known as Leon Kilat drove the Guardia Civil to Fort San Pedro. The Cebuanos took virtual control of the city from April 04 to 06 until Spanish reinforcements came.

The Tres de Abril uprising marked the beginning of a greater struggle that would eventually lead to Philippine independence. The Cebuano revolutionary movement’s leaders that supported Leon Kilat included Luis Flores, Eugenio Genes, Alejo Miñosa, Atilano Lopez, Candido Padilla, Francisco Llamas, and Jacinto Pacaña.

(reprinted from Richard Allan B. Uy’s column stamplines in the Freeman newspaper).