USSURI has endangered species. USURY has...endangered the Jews from England. In 1290, King Edward I issued an edict expelling all JEWS from England. Read Edict of Expulsion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Also, I show you a maxicard with OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND - a city built on land owned by ENGLISHMAN Thomas Fenwick. In 1869, businessman ISAAC Coffin [ :) ] built the first beach-front cottage to receive paying guests.

You thought only the ARABS have had conflicts with the JEWS / JEWISH people?
Read on, baby: Edict of Expulsion - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"In 1290, King Edward I issued an edict expelling all Jews from England. 

Lasting for the rest of the Middle Ages, it would be over 350 years until it was formally overturned in 1656. 

The edict was not an isolated incident, but the culmination of over 200 years of conflict on the matters of usury."

"Economically, Jews played a key role in the country. 

The church at the time strictly forbade usury, or the lending of money for profit. 

This created a vacuum in the economy of Europe that only Jews were able to fill (canon law was not considered to apply to Jews, and Judaism permits loans with interest between Jews and non-Jews).^[4] 

As a consequence, some Jews made large amounts of money. 

However, taking advantage of their unique status as his direct subjects, the King could expropriate Jewish assets in the form of taxation. 

He levied heavy taxes on Jews at will without having to summon Parliament.^[5] 

The Jewish community acted as a kind of giant monetary filter: 

Jews collected interest on money lent to the people which the King could take at his pleasure.

Jews acquired a reputation as extortionate moneylenders which made them extremely unpopular with both the Church and the general public. 

While antisemitism was widespread in Europe, medieval England was particularly antisemitic"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Expulsion

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"Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, or OCMD, is an Atlantic Ocean resort town in Worcester County,Maryland, United States. Ocean City is widely known in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is a frequent destination for vacationers in that area. The population was 7,173 at the 2000 census, although during summer weekends the city hosts between 320,000 and 345,000 vacationers."

"The land the city was built on, as well as much of the surrounding area, was once owned by Englishman Thomas Fenwick. 

In 1869, businessman Isaac Coffin built the first beach-front cottage to receive paying guests. 

During those days, people arrived by stage coach and ferry. 

They came to fish off the shore, to enjoy the natural beauty of the Atlantic Ocean pounding against the long strip of sandy beach, to collect seashells, or just to sit back and watch the rolling surf."

Ocean City, Maryland
—  Town  —
Aerial view of Ocean City, Maryland
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The White Marlin Capital of the World
Location in Maryland
Country	United States
State	Maryland
County	Worcester
Founded	1875
Incorporated	1880
Government
- mayor	Rick Meehan
- City Council	Member List[show]
Area
- Total	36.4 sq mi (94.2 km2)
- Land	4.6 sq mi (11.8 km2)
- Water	31.8 sq mi (82.4 km2)  87.47%
Elevation	7 ft (2 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	7,173
- Density	1,574.7/sq mi (607.3/km2)
	320,000-345,000 estimated summer weekend population[1]
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	21842-21843
Area code(s)	410, 443
FIPS code	24-58225
GNIS feature ID	0586284
Website	www.oceancitymd.gov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_city_md

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Happy Blue Monday! (meme)

Please visit:  http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

First Lady MICHELLE OBAMA, on my non-traditional maximum card. Is USPS ever going to issue a stamp honoring her? Current policy allows stamps 1 year after death of a US president, and 5 years after death of other people. Well, I used a blank personalized stamp, just as a demo, as a proof-of-concept

First Lady MICHELLE OBAMA, on my non-traditional maximum card. 

I simply superimposed, for now, the postmarked stamp (that's affixed on a transparent mailing address label) onto the commercial postcard.

Is USPS ever going to issue a stamp honoring her? 

Current policy allows stamps 1 year after death of a US president, and 5 years after death of other people. Well, I used a blank personalized stamp, just as a demo, as a proof-of-concept.

Meanwhile, as USPS is left behind, restrictive policies and all, there are numerous countries, that have ALREADY issued stamps with 1 to 4 members of the Obama family!

QUESTION: did all those stamp issuers pay any royalty?

Did they even have to ask permission?

How does this work?

If VALE TUDO [ANTHING GOES], then I could create personalized stamps with all kind of celebrities.

I would circumvent USPS, and use instead other issuers of personalized stamps, from other countries, with a "broader mindset".

If I would receive official confirmation from an intellectual property (IP) "lawyer, lawyer, pants on FEUER" who is not so greedy as to charge me for this info...

I already contacted a few, but they all declined to give me a hint...GREED is thy name!!! :)

Pro-bono their RAS...

How do all these national postal administrations issue so many stamps with so many celebrities, dead or alive?

Tell me, if you know! :)

How about the postcards printers? Did they get permission? Do they pay royalties?

"Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States. 

Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Obama attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School before returning to Chicago and to work at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband. 

Subsequently, she worked as part of the staff of Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley, and for the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Throughout 2007 and 2008, she helped campaign for her husband's presidential bid and delivered a keynote address at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. 

She is the mother of two daughters, Malia and Sasha, and is the sister of Craig Robinson, men's basketball coach at Oregon State University. 

As the wife of a Senator, and later the First Lady, she has become a fashion icon and role model for women, and an advocate for poverty awareness and healthy eating."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_obama

That's not a lot of BULLfinch...The AZORES BULLFINCH "(Pyrrhula murina), also known as the São Miguel Bullfinch,[2] or locally in Portuguese as the Priolo, is an endangered passerine bird in the true finch family." Maximum card from The Azores (Os Açores) Autonomous Region (Região Autonoma) of Portugal

"The Azores Bullfinch (Pyrrhula murina), also known as the São Miguel Bullfinch,^[2] or locally in Portuguese as the Priolo, is an endangered passerine bird in the true finch family. 

It is endemic to São Miguel Island, in the Azores archipelago of Macaronesia in the North Atlantic Ocean."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhula_murina

Location of the archipelago of the Azores

Distribution of the islands of the archipelago

Wikimedia Commons: Azores

Website: http://edt-gra.azores.gov.pt

The Azores (Os Açores)
Autonomous Region (Região Autonoma)
Mount Pico and the green landscape, emblematic of the archipelago of the Azores
Flag Coat of Arms
Official name: Região Autonoma dos Açores
Name origin: açor, Portuguese for species of rapier bird, erroneously identified as goshawks;  also derivation from the word for blue
Motto: Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (English:To die as free men is better than enslavement in peace)
Country	Portugal
Autonomous Region	Azores
Region	Atlantic Ocean
Subregion	Mid-Atlantic Ridge
Position	Azores Platform
Islands	Corvo, Faial, Flores, Graciosa,Pico, São Jorge, São Miguel,Santa Maria, Terceira
Municipalities	Angra do Heroísmo, Horta,Lagoa, Lajes das Flores,Lajes do Pico, Madalena,Nordeste, Povoação,Praia da Vitória, Ponta Delgada,Ribeira Grande,Santa Cruz da Graciosa,Santa Cruz das Flores,São Roque, Vila do Corvo,Vila do Porto,Vila Franca do Campo
Capitals	Angra do Heroísmo(Seat of Judiciary/Tribunal),Horta (Seat of Legislature),Ponta Delgada(Seat of Presidency/Government)
Largest city	Ponta Delgada
- center	São José
- elevation	22 m (72 ft)
- coordinates	37°44′28″N 25°40′32″W
Highest point	Mount Pico
- elevation	2,351 m (7,713 ft)
- coordinates	38°28′19″N 28°51′50″W
Lowest point	Sea level
- location	Atlantic Ocean
- elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Area	2,346 km² (906 sq mi)
Population	245,374 (2009) Estimate
Density	100.28 / km² (260 / sq mi)
Settlement	15 August 1432
- Administrative autonomy	c. 1895
- Political autonomy	4 September 1976
Discovery	c. 1427
- Santa Maria	c. 1427
- São Miguel	c. 1428

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azores

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Happy Sunday Stamps meme!

Please visit: http://viridianpostcard.blogspot.com/