The Ultimate Guide to Stamp Collecting

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The StartLocal.com website has published what it's claiming to be "The Ultimate Guide to Stamp Collecting."

Among the topics are....

• The Humble Beginnings of Stamp Collecting
• Looking to Start Collecting Stamps? Here's What You Need
• How do you Actually Collect Stamps?
• Types of Stamps
• Stamp Collecting Societies
• The Most Precious Stamps of the World
• Well Known Stamp Collectors
• 21 Great Resources for Stamp Collectors     

Click here to learn more.

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Canada's Peninsula News reports Kevin Kowalyk smiled when he saw Canada Post’s commemorative Rowing Canada stamp at a recent ceremony. 

While he's not on the stamp, he and his team mate Michael Braithwaite be manning the double scull depicted on the stamp during the upcoming London 2012 Olympics.  

Kowalyk is quoted as saying in the article by Travis Paterson, "“That’s totally our boat, so this is pretty cool."

Designed by Kosta Tsetsekas and Mike Savage of Vancouver-based Signals Design, and illustrated by Keith Martin, metallic ink was used to enhance the ripples in the water so it seems to move as light plays across the surface of the stamp according to Canada Post.

Rowing became an Olympic event when Paris hosted the Games in 1900.

Shown above, Kowalyk and Braithwaite with the new stamp.

To read the entire article, click here.

Edith Piaf and Miles Davis Sheet Has QR Code

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The Mobile Commerce Press website reports both the new Edith Piaf and Miles Davis stamps have a quick response (QR) code printed on the back the sheet and is the first time USPS has used the new technology on its stamps. 

According to the article, "When smartphones are used to scan the quick response codes, they are redirected to a landing page, which provides the option to listen to Davis’s music, while viewing images of both of the musicians, and gaining access to an interesting timeline of their lives.

"There are several different options on the landing page, which include a 'Buy Now' button that gives the smartphone user the ability to purchase a range of different products, including the QR code stamps of Piaf and Davis in both their French and American versions. There are a number of sharing options available so that those who have scanned the postage can also share it over Facebook, Twitter, or email."

It goes on to say, "This new release also marks the first time since 1989 that France and the U.S. have jointly produced postage. In that year, it had been in honor of the French Revolution’s bicentennial."

To read the entire article, click here.

Happy Fourth of July Lady Liberty!

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Since its dedication in 1886 (October 28, 1886), the Statue of Liberty (Liberty Enlightening the World) has been a recognized symbol of America and American ideals throughout the world.

Over 650 stamps have been issued worldwide depicting the Statue of Liberty according to Harry K. Charles, Jr., Ph.D. whose website, Statue of Liberty: Its History, Symbolism, and Stamps gives a history of the statue and the stamps that have pictured it.

According to the site, the first postage stamps in the world depicting the Statue of Liberty were issued by Uruguay in 1919. The stamps marked the end of World War I while first United States postage stamp depicting the Statue of Liberty (shown here) was issued three years later in 1922.

Happy 4th of July!

To learn more about the Statue of Liberty on stamps, click here.

Congressional Stamp Exhibit

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The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum (NPM), in conjunction with the American Philatelic Society, the U.S. Postal Service and Stamp Camp USA, will host a special Congressional stamp exhibit for all ages and a collaborative educational program for children July 24 – 26 at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C.

According to a press release sent out by the NPM, "The museum will display philatelic items from the personal collections of U.S. Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and U.S. Representatives Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Robert Aderholt (R-AL), William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Joseph Pitts (R-PA) and Silvestre Reyes (D-TX). The exhibit is designed for collectors and non-collectors alike with unique philatelic material that has never before been seen by the public."

It goes on to say,"To introduce this hobby to non-collectors, Stamp Camp USA will host an activity station called 'Stamp Collecting 101.' Activities and items for children will include a scavenger hunt, 'eye-spy' game and a table where children can create their own mini-album page. This collaborative educational program for children ages 8 – 14 teaches stamp-collecting basics, including the proper care of a stamp collection and the use of cool stamp tools."

Admission to the Congressional stamp exhibit and educational program for children is free. Registration for the children’s stamp camp is required.

Click here for more information about the exhibit and registration information for the stamp camp.

Fukushima Alert June 21, 2012 - TEPCO Performed Flawlessly???

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Fukushima Alert June 21, 2012 - TEPCO Performed Flawlessly???

10 new results for fukushima

Nuclear Operator in Japan Exonerates Itself in Report New York Times The much vilified operator of the tsunami-hit nuclear power plant at Fukushima releases its final report on last year's disaster, exonerating itself of any failure.The much vilified operator of the tsunami-hit nuclear power plant at Fukushima released a report on Wednesday that said the company never hid information, never underplayed the extent of fuel meltdown and certainly never considered abandoning the ravaged site. It asserts that government interference in the disaster response created confusion  and delays. Related Japanese Officials Failed to Use U.S. Data Tracking Radiation After Tsunami (June 20, 2012) stuck to a defense it has offered since the earliest days of the crisis: that no company could have predicted or prepared for last year’s magnitude 9.0 quake and subsequent tsunami.  new details of the disaster have emerged that build a picture of an organization that ignored or concealed that its reactors might be vulnerable to quakes and tsunamis, used its close links with regulators and nuclear experts to hijack nuclear policy and — since the accident — has worked vigilantly to shut out close scrutiny of the ravaged plant’s condition.  “The tsunami we experienced was just that big,” said the Tepco executive vice president Masao Yamazaki, who led the investigation. “The workers on the ground did their utmost under extreme conditions.” ...distancing itself from the layers of missteps in the nuclear disaster, which left more than 100,000 people displaced and areas uninhabitable possibly for decades. See all stories on this topic »

Crisis plans lag even as Japan's reactors restart Fox News TOKYO – If the Ohi nuclear reactors plunged into a Fukushima-style meltdown, the only route for escaping or for sending help would be a winding, cliff-hugging ... started land surveys only this month for the multibillion-dollar project to repair the sole route to the Ohi nuclear plant, which sits at the tip of a peninsula, and to add a new alternate evacuation road. Heavy snowfalls and summer beach traffic often clog the existing, 740-meter (810-yard) access road. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/06/21/crisis-plans-lag-even-as-japan-reactors-restart/#ixzz1yiLgDzlw See all stories on this topic »

Husband of Fukushima suicide victim demands justice CNN Mikio Watanabe's Fukushima home is contaminated with radiation and filled with the nightmares of his wife's horrific suicide. See all stories on this topic »

Fukushima Watch: F1 versus Typhoon Part 2 — Water, Not Wind Wall Street Journal (blog) Late Wednesday, Tepco finally made its full report on Tuesday's Typhoon Guchol and its effect on the Fukushima Daiichi plant. The bottom line: The typhoon's ... See all stories on this topic » Wall Street Journal (blog)

ANALYSIS: Concerned about Fukushima compensation, TEPCO ... Asahi Shimbun Tokyo Electric Power Co. admitted it wasn't prepared for the size of the tsunami last year. But it blamed the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency for failing to ... See all stories on this topic »

Japan nuclear minister speeds up Fukushima cleanup Reuters UK TOKYO (Reuters) - Workers at the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant will begin removing fuel rods from a damaged reactors a year ahead of schedule, ... See all stories on this topic »

Fukushima: The Accident Waiting To Happen Enformable The Fukushima disaster was not 'unexpected' as much as it was ignored, tsunamis of that magnitude had occurred in the past, TEPCO knew that a tsunami of ... See all stories on this topic »

Japan turns the power back on Financial Times The Japanese are rightly sceptical of industry and government claims that things are fine – also made before and during Fukushima. The governance of Japan's ... See all stories on this topic »

TEPCO: Fukushima plant was not prepared UPI.com The operator of Japan's Fukushima Daiichi power plant, damaged by last year's earthquake and tsunami, said Wednesday it was not prepared for such a ...its investigation into the equipment failure .. revealed the plant's lack of precautions against such incidents, CNN reported. "All who were related to the nuclear plant could not predict an occurrence of the event which was far beyond our expectation," said Masao Yamazaki, TEPCO executive vice president. "We did not have enough measures to prevent the accident. "We recognize these points should be improved," Yamazaki -- who chaired TEPCO's investigative committee -- said at a press conference Wednesday. Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2012/06/20/TEPCO-Fukushima-plant-was-not-prepared/UPI-56901340249470/#ixzz1yiMqiQYa See all stories on this topic »

Japan utility admits flaws worsened tsunami crisis Boston.com The operator of the Japanese nuclear plant devastated last year by a tsunami has issued a final report on the disaster, outlining organizational and ... See all stories on this topic » http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/2012/1205638_1870.html Press Release (Jun 20,2012) Release of the Fukushima Nuclear Accidents Investigation Report We, Tokyo Electric Power Company, recognize ourselves as the main party involved in the nuclear accident triggered by the Tohoku-Chihou-Taiheiyo-Oki Earthquake on March 11, 2011. We have established the "Fukushima Nuclear Accidents Investigation Committee" and "Nuclear Safety and Quality Assurance Meeting Accident Investigation Verification Committee" comprised of external experts, and have been engaging in a thorough investigation of the accident. On December 2, 2011, an interim report including a summary of investigation/verification results and recurrence prevention measures was released. (Press release issued on December 2, 2011.) Today, we would like to announce the release of the Accidents Investigation Report, which reports the summarized results of the investigation/ verification that have been done so far. After releasing the interim report, we have continued our efforts in learning as much as possible, especially important lessons learned, from the accident through a number of site investigations, reviewing documents and records, collecting information from parties involved in the accident, etc. Further investigation and verification were done through objective analysis by verifying the assessed results of the event progress using analyses based on the collected information. Additional topics such as support provided for the nuclear stations right after the accident, information disclosure, radiation control status and evaluation of the release of radioactive materials are covered in the report (these were not mentioned in the interim report). This report was summarized with an eye on what is necessary for ensuring nuclear safety, and the important lessons learned will be incorporated into our future business operation. Once again, we keenly feel the responsibility for the accident and are determined to engage in business operation with safety on the top priority to prevent future recurrence. At the same time, we will continueimplementing our mid to long term measures toward decommissioning of the reactors at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. < Attachment > -Fukushima Nuclear Accidents Investigation Report: Main body (Summary) (PDF 985KB) -Fukushima Nuclear Accidents Investigation Report: Main body (Summary, Attachment) (PDF 328KB) -Fukushima Nuclear Accidents Investigation Report: Main body (PDF 4.94MB) -Fukushima Nuclear Accidents Investigation Report (Appendix-1) Statement of the Prime Minister's Office regarding decommissioning (PDF 215KB) -Fukushima Nuclear Accidents Investigation Report (Appendix-2) Schedule(Time series) (PDF 3.22MB) -Fukushima Nuclear Accidents Investigation Report (Attachment) (PDF 32.2MB) -Major changes made on the interim report issued on December 2, 2011 (PDF 764KB) English translations of the reports and the appendixes are now being developed and it takes a while to complete them. We will post the translations one by one when it is prepared. (The documents written in Japanese below will be replaced by English translations.) We apologize for this inconvenience caused.

Blogs 2 new results for fukushima

Fukushima disaster hasn't scared off global nuclear development - RT By RT While some countries have shut down nuclear energy plants, others are investing in new power units. Rosatom says its ready to invest in the construction of the second nuclear power plant at Temelin in the Czech Republic. News RSS : Today

Mother Nature Reminds Tokyo of Fukushima's Ongoing Vulnerability By admin@namecake.com (John Daly) Japan are to restart nuclear reactors at its Oi nuclear power plant. Recent earthquakes and a typhoon show that Japan's nuclear industry is still vulnerable to. OilPrice.com Daily News Update

Washington High School Proficiency Exam (son-of-WASL) Publishes Rank Distribution

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Many students got back a report card on the replacement for the hated WASL test.

They have finally added a distribution so that you can tell how your student did in relationship to other students because SOME PARENTS ACTUALLY WANT TO KNOW HOW THEIR STUDENTS RANK. Imagine that. They even now have WASL distributions (guess better late than never)

from http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StateTesting/TestStatistics.aspx


Testing Statistics (Frequency Distribution) The intent of state testing is to determine a student’s skills and knowledge based our state learning standards in reading, writing, math and science. The score on each test (see sample score reports) is a snapshot of a student’s performance. Overall academic performance, not just a student’s state testing scores, should always be taken into account. OSPI is providing the following “frequency distribution” report because families have expressed an interest in knowing where their child’s scores fall in comparison with other students from around the state. How to read the report:

• The first column is the scale score, which are the numbers you see on a student score report (e.g., a student scored a 400 on his reading exam)
• The second column is the frequency, or number of students, who obtained a specific score (e.g., 720 students finished with a reading score of 366)
• The third column represents the percent of students who obtained a specific score (e.g., 2.2 percent of students scored at 401 on the reading exam)
• The fourth column represents the percentile ranking of where a student’s score fell overall (e.g., a student’s score of 463 on the reading exam placed him at the 96.9 percentile when compared to all students who took that test)
• The yellow highlighted lines represent the cut scores between Levels 1 and 2, 2 and 3 and 3 and 4 (e.g., a student’s score of 386 is a Level 2 score)

Frequency Distribution Report (guess 2012 isn't out yet)

• MSP/HSPE/EOC 2011 (Excel)
• MSP/HSPE Spring 2010 (Excel)
• WASL Spring 2009 (Excel)
• WASL Spring 2008 (Excel)

Take for example, student X: 
Reading: 525    Level 1=225-374 Level 2= 375-399 Level 3 = 400-426 Level 4 = 427-525 Writing: 20  Level 1 = 0-12 Level 2 = 13-16 Level 3 = 17-20 Level 4 = 21 to 24
Assuming that 2012 distribution is something like the 2011, then 525 is the same as the top possible score, only 1,234 or 1.7% of students scored that high, putting him/her in the top 1.7 or the 98 or 99th percentile which is better than just about everybody (which used to be good enough to get you into Harvard or Stanford in the 1970s, but evidently not anymore). Bear in mind, this was a student who couldn't make it past page 100 in Moby Dick, but then I couldn't find evidence of ANY student alive who did either and didn't lie about it. 
Writing on the other hand was 20, which is is only at the 50th percentile, or smack in the middle of everybody. Now the fact that one score is at 50, and the other is at the top of the scale might call into question the validity of the whole thing since they are supposedly assessing different sides of the same verbal skills/ talent, and this student scored 40th percentile on the college level SAT (yes the real one) as an 8th grader, which is way, way above average for an 8th grader if he was average for a college student.
The other thing you need to know about the testing scam is that they generally scale the scores very very low in the beginning in order to show how badly your curriculum needs to be reformed by throwing lots of money at it. In fact, I was scoring tests for one state where scorers were told to give NOBODY  a perfect 4, at least not without special permission, and final results showed less than 0.1% were allowed to have the equivalent of an A. Top 1% end up a Harvard and Stanford, but not good enough for a "4".

It inevitably ends with everybody passing after 10 years or so and deciding the whole test was stupid and needs to be junked and replaced with yet ANOTHER  test which is going to be valid this time around.  That is what happened to WASL which I pointed out bragged about how hard their 4th grade test math was - of course it was hard, any MIT grad who bothered to compare the test items with their actual grade level skills would find that most 4th grade items were at jr or high school, while most high school items were at jr high or 4th grade arithmetic.

Here is Grade 10 Reading

FREQUENCY DISTRIBUTION HSPE Spring 2010 Grade 10 Reading, Writing,  and Science SCALE SCORES
Reading Scale Score	Frequency	Percent	Cumulative Percent (Percentile Rank)
225	1	.0	.0
252	2	.0	.0
273	17	.0	.0
287	6	.0	.0
296	14	.0	.1
304	24	.0	.1
311	39	.1	.1
316	65	.1	.2
322	65	.1	.3
326	102	.1	.4
331	116	.2	.6
335	148	.2	.8
339	162	.2	1.0
343	196	.3	1.3
346	224	.3	1.6
350	256	.3	1.9
353	288	.4	2.3
356	309	.4	2.7
360	334	.4	3.2
363	395	.5	3.7
366	406	.5	4.3
369	435	.6	4.8
372	525	.7	5.5
375	596	.8	6.3
378	644	.9	7.2
381	759	1.0	8.2
384	889	1.2	9.4
387	1043	1.4	10.8
390	1188	1.6	12.4
393	1364	1.8	14.2
397	1586	2.1	16.4
400	1818	2.4	18.8
404	2127	2.9	21.7
407	2547	3.4	25.1
411	2960	4.0	29.0
415	3537	4.7	33.8
420	4065	5.5	39.2
427	4542	6.1	45.3
430	5329	7.1	52.5
436	5774	7.7	60.2
443	6417	8.6	68.8
451	6616	8.9	77.7
461	6460	8.7	86.4
475	5415	7.3	93.6
497	3514	4.7	98.3
525	1234	1.7	100.0
Total	74553	100.0

Writing Scale Score	Frequency	Percent	Cumulative Percent (Percentile Rank)
4	135	.2	.2
5	33	.0	.2
6	141	.2	.4
7	59	.1	.5
8	243	.3	.8
9	139	.2	1.0
10	365	.5	1.5
11	337	.5	2.0
12	824	1.1	3.1
13	768	1.1	4.2
14	1504	2.1	6.2
15	1404	1.9	8.2
16	2760	3.8	11.9
17	2786	3.8	15.7
18	4954	6.8	22.5
19	5450	7.5	30.0
20	14166	19.4	49.4
21	8696	11.9	61.3
22	11156	15.3	76.6
23	7263	9.9	86.5
24	9841	13.5	100.0
Total	73024	100.0

This is how to ask for a copy of your student's test

Student Education Record Parent Request Parents and guardians of students who were enrolled full time or part time in Washington public schools during state testing may view their child’s Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program (WCAP) test booklets; which includes the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP), High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE), End-of-Course exams (EOC), Washington Alternate Assessment System Portfolio and the Collection of Evidence (high school only). Test booklet reviews are not available to parents and guardians of full-time private school students and full-time home-schooled students. Download the handout that explains how to request your child’s test booklet, what to expect after submitting a request, and under what circumstances the state will re-score a test.

• Guidelines for review of WCAP Test Booklets (PDF)

Measurements of Student Progress (MSP), High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) and End-of-Course exams (EOC), and Developmentally Appropriate Proficiency Exam (DAPE) 2011-2012 School Year

• Request form to view 2012 Winter EOC (PDF)

2010-2011 School Year

• Request form to view 2011 Spring HSPE/EOC/DAPE (PDF)
• Request form to view 2011 August HSPE (PDF)

2009-2010 School Year

• Request form to view 2010 Spring HSPE (PDF)
• Request form to view 2010 August HSPE (PDF)

Student Education Record Parent Request Parents and guardians of students who were enrolled full time or part time in Washington public schools during state testing may view their child’s Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program (WCAP) test booklets; which includes the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP), High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE), End-of-Course exams (EOC), Washington Alternate Assessment System Portfolio and the Collection of Evidence (high school only). Test booklet reviews are not available to parents and guardians of full-time private school students and full-time home-schooled students. Download the handout that explains how to request your child’s test booklet, what to expect after submitting a request, and under what circumstances the state will re-score a test.

• Guidelines for review of WCAP Test Booklets (PDF)

Measurements of Student Progress (MSP), High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE) and End-of-Course exams (EOC), and Developmentally Appropriate Proficiency Exam (DAPE) 2011-2012 School Year

• Request form to view 2012 Winter EOC (PDF)

2010-2011 School Year

• Request form to view 2011 Spring HSPE/EOC/DAPE (PDF)
• Request form to view 2011 August HSPE (PDF)

2009-2010 School Year

• Request form to view 2010 Spring HSPE (PDF)
• Request form to view 2010 August HSPE (PDF)

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