#237 Turkey...Thanks Oguz!

The 75k stamp on the left of the upper row was issued in 2010 commemorating 90 years of Anadolu Agency,which is the Turkish state news agency commissioned with producing news releases pertaining to the country.

The agency was set up on April 6, 1920 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, as a propaganda tool during the Turkish War of Independence, and is the biggest news agency of Turkey.

The next 75k and 90k stamps were issued in 2010 celebrating 90th Anniversary of The Opening of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) which is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Constitution. It was founded in Ankara on 23 April 1920 in the midst of the Turkish War of Independence. The parliament was fundamental in the efforts of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk to found a new state out of the remnants of the Ottoman Empire in the aftermath of the World War I.

The three stamps on the lower row are from 2009 Atatürk definitive issue.

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (1881–1938) was a Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and founder of the Republic of Turkey as well as its first President.

Atatürk became known as an extremely capable military officer during World War I. Following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, he led the Turkish national movement in the Turkish War of Independence. Having established a provisional government in Ankara, he defeated the forces sent by the Allies. His successful military campaigns led to the liberation of the country and to the establishment of Turkey. During his presidency, Atatürk embarked upon a program of political, economic, and cultural reforms. An admirer of the Age of Enlightenment, he sought to transform the former Ottoman Empire into a modern, democratic, and secular nation-state. The principles of Atatürk's reforms, upon which modern Turkey was established, are referred to as Kemalism.

#236 Algeria...Thanks Ouari!

This FDC was issued on Apr.18,2010 commemorating 16th International Conference on Liquefied Natural Gas held in Oran,Algeria.

The LNG Exhibition and Conference takes place every three years with producer and consumer countries taking turns to organise the event. It is the largest event in the world dedicated to the liquefied natural gas industry, attracting more than 2,500 delegates and 200 exhibitors .

Oran (Arabic: وهران) is a major city on the Mediterranean coast in northwestern Algeria. The name comes from the Berber word Uhran meaning The Lions.

#235 Australia...Thanks Angeline!

The left set of two stamps are 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Gold Medalist issue honoring Lydia Lassila and Torah Bright.

The right set of five stamps are 2010 Come To The Show issue highlighting the agriculture and royal shows that form part of the Australian calendar each year.

Every year millions of Australians attend shows to enjoy the activities and exhibits put on by agricultural societies around the country.

The shows host a variety of activities and play an important role in educating Australia's increasingly urbanised population about the country.

#234 China...Thanks Zhuang!

The 5.40 yuan stamp is from 1998 China-Germany joint-issue showing The Punning Temple (普宁寺), or Temple of Universal Peace of Chengde in Hebei province.

The Punning Temple is a Qing Dynasty era Buddhist temple complex built in 1755, during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735-1796 AD) to show the Qing's respect to the ethnic minorities. It is located near the Chengde Mountain Resort, and alongside the equally famed Putuo Zongcheng Temple, it is one of the "Eight Outer Temples" of Chengde. Much how the Putuo Zongcheng Temple was modeled after the Tibetan Potala Palace, the Puning Temple was modeled after the Samye Monastery, the sacred Lamaist site in Tibet. The front temple was constructed in the Chinese style, although the temple complex follows both Chinese and Tibetan architectural styles. The Puning Temple also houses the world's tallest wooden sculpture of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (22.28-meter-high and 110-ton), hence the Puning Temple is often nicknamed the "Big Buddha Temple". The complex features temple halls, pavilions, drum towers and bell towers.

As of 1994, the Chengde Mountain Resort and Chengde's Eight Outer Temples (including the Puning Temple) were established as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Today, the Puning Temple remains a site of tourist attraction and local festivities.

#233 Singapore...Thanks Terence!

These three stamps are from 2010 Playgrounds issue illustrating common places for playgrounds in Singapore.

Children develope their social skills,physical coordination,strength and flexibility through play.Research shows that playgrounds are among the most important environmentsmo for children's recreational moments outside their homes.

#232 USA...Thanks Candy!

This set of Cowboys of the Silver Screen stamps,issued in April,2010,honors four extraordinary performers who helped make the American Western a popular form of entertainment. Film stars from the silent era through the singing era are featured on the stamps: William S. Hart, Tom Mix, Gene Autry, and Roy Rogers.

William S. Hart (1864-1946) brought a powerful presence and serious approach to early Westerns. Tall and trim, with acting skills honed by years of experience on the New York stage and in productions across the country, Hart became one of the most popular leading men of the silent film era. In his movies, the actor insisted on authentic depictions of the Old West and its people, from their clothes to their lifestyles and complex personalities. He frequently played the stalwart, tough-as-nails cowboy, and his favorite horse was a brown and white pinto named Fritz.

Roy Rogers (1911-1998) was a silver screen cowboy who sang his way to stardom. He always played the Western hero, with a warm smile, good character, and strong values. Although he found great success in show business—beginning with his first starring role, in a 1938 film—his modest roots kept him a down-to-earth country boy that Americans couldn’t help but admire. For decades, children across the country aspired to be like him and tried to live by the Roy Rogers code of conduct, which stated that boys and girls should “be neat and clean” and “always obey their parents.”

Tom Mix (1880-1940) was one of the most celebrated Western film stars of the 1920s. He wowed movie crowds and live audiences alike with his daredevil riding, expert rope handling, unerring marksmanship, and rugged good looks. He also served as a role model for a generation of schoolchildren, maintaining a wholesome screen persona that involved “no cussin’ and no drinkin’” by his characters. A legend in his own time, Mix wore oversize Stetsons, fancy suits, and handmade Texas boots with engraved silver spurs. He rode “Tony, the wonder horse,” who also became an audience favorite.

For more than two decades, Gene Autry (1907-1998) entertained movie audiences and won the hearts of millions of fans with his distinctive singing style and easygoing personality. His sorrel-colored horse, Champion, often played a major role in his films, as did frequent sidekicks Smiley Burnette and Pat Buttram. Aside from being one of the most admired cowboys to ever appear on the silver screen, Autry left behind a legacy that includes many hit records, a long-running radio show, and a successful television series.

#231 Indonesia...Thanks Imam!

This nice 2008 Provincial Fauna & Flora FDC features Bali Starling (Leucopsar rothschildi),also known as Rothschild’s Mynah, Bali Myna or Bali Mynah,which is a medium-sized (up to 25 cm long), stocky myna, almost wholly white with a long, drooping crest, and black tips on the wings and tail. The bird has blue bare skin around the eyes, greyish legs and a yellow bill. Both sexes are similar.

The Bali Starling is distributed and endemic to the island of Bali in Indonesia, where it is the island's only surviving endemic vertebrate species. This rare bird was discovered in 1910 and was designated the fauna symbol of Bali.

The Bali Starling is critically endangered, hovering immediately above extinction in the wild for several years now (BirdLife International 2006). The last stronghold of the species is at West Bali National Park; about 1,000 individuals are believed to be held in captivity legally. In fact, the Bali Starling is so much in danger that that national park has been set up just for the Bali Starling's survival. The wild population was at an all-time low of just 6 birds in 2001, after the late-1990s wild population of 3-4 dozen was reduced by poachers for the illegal pet trade.

Its decline towards extinction has been caused by the urbanization of the island and by illegal trapping for the caged-bird trade; indeed, the number of captive birds bought on black market is estimated to be twice the number of legally-acquired individuals in the captive breeding program. Trade even in captive-bred specimens is strictly regulated and the species is not generally available legally to private individuals. However, experienced aviculturalists may become affiliated with the captive-breeding program, allowing them to legally keep this species.