viernes, 20 de septiembre de 2013

URU - 2013 - #014 - SPECIAL CANCELATION not Sent 1 - INTERNAT. PHILAT. EXHIBITION, CORDOBA 2013


Uruguay - 2013 - International Philatelic Exhibition, Cordoba 2013


Options:

FDC not Sent 1 --- 4,50 EUR
FDC not Sent 2 --- 4,50 EUR
FDC Sent on First Day 1 --- 9,00 EUR
FDC Sent on First Day 2 --- 9,00 EUR

If you are interested in any of this items, or any other items from Uruguay, just make a donation including your e-mail in the description.

I will contact you as soon I receive your donation, we agree on which items do you need, and I will discount the donation done to the amount of your purchase.



Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: April 23rd, 2013

FDC Type: Normal
FDC Shape and Size: Rectangular [165 mm. x 105 mm.]

Topics:

Issue:

This special cancelation was released to promote the Internationa Philatelic Exhibition that took place in Córdoba, a city of Argentina, in year 2013, more precisely, from the day the cancelation was released, April 23rd, to the end of this week, April 27th, and was called "Córdoba 2013", and also named "400 Años de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba 2013", in english: "400 Years of the National University of Córdoba". For this second name, the cancelation also takes the opportunity to celebrate the four centenary of this University.

The design of the cancelation it is composed, by the Coat of Arms of the Cordoba University, and some legends inside and outside a frame with two of his four sides resembles the perforation of a stamp, and the other two are single lines.

The legends inside the frame remark the exhibtion with: "CORDOBA 2013, Exposición Filatélica Internacional", in english: "CORDOBA 2013, International Philatelic Exhibition", and the university four centenary showing the legend: "UNC 400 años", that are the initials in spanish of the university, and its years of live being celebrated.

Then, outside the frame, the legend: "Córdoba, Argentina del 23 al 27 de Abril de 2013", locates the stamp exhibition in space and time, and is also acompanied by the legend for all official post office cancelations that says: "Correos URUGUAY".

Finally, a few more things about the desing, in particular, about the coat of arms of the university. First, as the University was built by the Jesuits, although not seen correctly in the cancelation, in the top of the oval are the letters "IHS" with a cross over the 'H' that identifies them, and it is the abbreviation of "JESUS HOMINUM SALVATOR".

Above this letters, and divided bya diagonal stripe showing the motto of the University in latin: "Ut portet nomen meum", that in english means: "In order to carry my name", there is a representation of the sun by two squares overlapped.

The last remarkable item in the coat of arms is the crowned eagle, with his wings wide open and in the motion of starting a flight. Icon that occupies the bottom half of the coat of arms central oval.

For the creation of the covers in which this special cancelations will be applied, two releases were selected. The stamps were chosen just by it relation to philatelic issues, being the first, the most related to the cancelation, as it is one commemorating another stamp exhibition, this one placed in Uruguay on year 2005 and called "Urutem 2005", then, the second stamp, is one from year 2006, and it celebrates, the 150 years of the first uruguyan stamp, stamp known as "Diligencia", in english: "Stagecoach", because it was used for postage carried by this conveyance, and this is the reason why, not only that old and valuable stamp is shown in the 2006 stamp, also a stagecoach, like the ones it carried them, is shown too.

As both stamps chosen have a facial value of 16 Uruguayan Pesos (UYP), and at the time of cover creation the minimum postage value is 15 UYP, to match the rule that for the application of the cancelation at least this amount should be included, only one stamp was used in both non sent FDCs. Then, for the cirulated ones, as the certified local postage at the time of the cover creation was 50 UYP, am horizontal stripe of three stamps, accompanied by two copies of the neutral uruguayan bicentennial stamp of 1 UYP, were elected to reach the exact postage value in the cover.

The realization of International Philatelic Exhibition called "400 Years of the National University of Córdoba 2013" is done in commemoration of the four centuries of life that meets the University of Cordoba in June this year.

As part of the celebrations, the "Centro Filatélico Mediterráneo (CEFIMED)", in english: "Mediterranean Philatelic Center" and "Centro Filatélico Córdoba (CEFICO)", in english "Cordoba Philatlic Center", both Philatelic Institutions from Cordoba, jointly organized from 23 to 27 April 2013, at the Argentina Pavilion of the City University of Cordoba, this international event that has the Sponsorship of the "Federación Argentina de Entidades Filatélicas (FAEF)", in english: "Federation of Argentinean Philatelic Institutions" and manages the Auspices of the "Federación Interamericana de Filatelia (FIAF)", in english: "American Federation of Philately". It also has the support of "Correo Argentino SA", the argentinean post office, and the National University of Cordoba.

The event was attended by Argentine collectors and representatives of Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and Chile, who competed and were evaluated by qualified judges.

They competed in ten categories (Traditional Philately, Postal History, Aerophilately and Astrophilately, postal stationery, Thematic Philately, Maximaphily Fiscal Framework Class A, Class Youth Philatelic Literature) by 8 medals (Large Gold Medal, Gold Medal, Medal Large Vermeil, Vermeil Medal, Large Silver Medal, Silver Medal, Bronze Medal Silver Medal Bronze).

In this context, Argentine Post Office presented at the opening ceremony, the Commemorative Stamp 400 years of the National University of Cordoba.

This exhibition was an opportunity for evaluating different mail pieces worldwide.

The "Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC)", in english: "National University of Córdoba", is the oldest university in Argentina, the fourth oldest in South America and the sixth oldest in Latin America. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country, after the University of Buenos Aires, in terms of the number of students, faculty, and academic programs. As the city location of the first university founded in the land that is now Argentina, Córdoba has earned the nickname: "La Docta", that in english means: "The Erudite".

Financially depends on the national government, but like all National Universities is autonomous. This autonomy implies that it has the power to manage their budget, choose their authorities and dictate its own standards according to the national level. While admission is unrestricted in most of careers must necessarily approve grading cycle. In a medical career for his part, there is a qualifying entrance exam.

It dates back to 1610 when the Jesuits established the Collegium Maximum (Maximum School), which was the basis for , on 1613, were initiated the higher studies though without authority to grant undergraduate degrees. On August 8, 1621 by Pope Gregory XV, by Apostolic Brief, High School gave the power to confer the degrees, which was ratified by Philip IV through the royal decree of February 2, 1622. This document came to Cordoba to the middle of that year. Pedro de Oñate, Provincial of the Society of Jesus, with the consent of the professors, declared the University open. Subsequently Pedro de Oñate drafted the regulations that were official valid. With the birth of the colloquially known as "Casa de Trejo", born the history of higher education in Argentina.

In 1820 General Juan Bautista Bustos, Governor of the Province of Córdoba , placed the University in the provincial orbit and finally in 1856 is nationalized. According to the research done by historian Lewis Pyanson at mid eighteenth century, it was established that the level of training in physics and mathematics at UNC, was the same as that of American universities in 1850.

In 1918 it was the setting for University Reform movement spreading throughout the continent.

The UNC, since its inception, had profound changes in all aspects. Of the 250,000 degrees awarded until 2010, 2,278 were delivered between 1613 and 1810, growing slowly until the mid-twentieth century when it grows exponentially now reaching about 7,000 students being graduated per year.

During its first two centuries of life, offered three higher learning: philosophy, theology and then law. After the Argentine civil wars, and organized institutionally Argentina, were being added Medicine and several hard sciences. Until 1884 there were no women egress. From that year the participation was gaining weight to be today half of all teachers and a large majority among students.

The National University of Cordoba has a student population of more than 110,000 students distributed in 13 colleges offering more than 250 undergraduate , graduate and doctoral degrees. The offer also includes 100 academic research and service centers , 25 libraries and 16 museums.

In 1610 the Society of Jesus founded the Collegium Maximum in Córdoba, which was attended by students of the order. An institution of the highest intellectual caliber for the time, this was the precursor of the university. While still under the control of the Jesuits, and during the administration of the Bishop of Tucumán, Juan Fernando de Trejo y Sanabria, advanced studies began to be offered at what was now known as the Colegio Maximo de Córdoba. The school did not yet have authority to confer degrees. This milestone would be soon reached; on August 8, 1621 Pope Gregory XV granted this authority by an official document, which arrived in the city in April 1622. With this authorization, and with the approval of the church hierarchy and the provincial head of the Jesuits, Pedro de Oñate, the university began its official existence. This also marks the beginning of the history of higher education in Argentina.

The Jesuits remained in control of the university until 1767, when they were expelled by order of King Carlos III. Leadership then passed to the Franciscan order. For the first 150 years after its founding, the university maintained an exclusive focus on philosophy and theology. The first secondary school in Cordoba was Our Lady of Monserrat, founded by a Jesuit priest, Father Ignacio Duarte y Quirós, in 1687 and incorporated into the university's aegis in 1907. The College of Montesrrat, as well as the original physical plant of the university and the Jesuit church, are part of the Jesuit Block, and were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000.

At the end of the 18th century, law studies were added (with the creation of the School of Law and Social Sciences), and from this time forward studies at the university were no longer exclusively theological. Following a conflict between the Franciscans and the secular clergy over the direction of the university, the house of study was renamed (by royal decree) to Royal University of Saint Charles and Our Lady of Monserrat. With this new name the university acquired the double title of Royal and Pontifical, and Monsignor Gregorio Funes was appointed president. With these changes, the Franciscans were replaced by the secular clergy as leaders of the university.

Monsignor Funes was the architect of profound reforms in studies and introduced new subjects. On May 25, 1810 the May Revolution began, and the new regime took control of the University of Córdoba, although Monsignor Funes remained in his post. In 1820 the university was relocated in other parts of the province of Córdoba, due to a situation of disorganization and chaos across the nation. Around the middle of the 19th century, a new national constitution was ratified, which outlined the new framework for the political organization of Argentina. At this time there were two provincial universities in the country: one in Córdoba and one in Buenos Aires (founded in 1821). The former was nationalized in 1856, the latter in 1881, leaving both under control of the national government.

Between 1860 and 1880, many academic reforms were instituted, similar to those occurring at other universities around the world. In 1864 theological studies were finally eliminated. During the presidency of Faustino Sarmiento the sciences gained momentum through the recruitment of foreign lecturers specializing in Mathematical-Physical Science, leading to the opening of the School of Exact, Physical, and Natural Sciences. This period also saw the birth of the Academy of Exact Sciences and the Astronomical Observatory. In 1877 the School of Medicine was opened. In 1885 the Law of Avellaneda, the first law pertaining to universities, was passed, laying out the ways in which the bylaws of the national universities could be amended, and their administrative framework, leaving other matters under the control of the universities themselves. In 1886 the bylaws of the university in Córdoba were modified to conform to the new law.

In June 1918 the student body at the university of Córdoba launched a movement, to which others all around the continent soon lent their voices, to fight for genuine democratization of the nation's academic activities. Hitherto controlled by interests related to the Catholic Church and the conservative lawmakers tied to the landed gentry, universities in Argentina gained unprecedented autonomy following these reforms.

In May 1969 a series of socio-economic events, closely connected to the French May (which had occurred exactly one year earlier), and with participation by students of the university as well as by workers of the middle and lower classes, led to changes in the educational and political strategies of the university. During the 20th century a number of new schools were created within the university, most of which began as institutes or departments within existing schools: the School of Philosophy and the Humanities, the School of Economics, the School of Architecture and Urban Studies (with Design added later), the School of Dentistry, the School of Chemistry, the School of Agriculture, and the School of Mathematics, Astronomy and Physics. Also created were the College of Languages (which later became a School) and the Manuel Belgrano College of Business.

In 2005 tensions erupted among the teaching staff, involving forceful tactics such as strikes and large-scale demonstrations in the city streets by students, faculty and citizens unaffiliated with the university, as demands were made for fairer pay and the cost of living increases required by law. As the year progressed some agreements were reached but the situation remains unresolved and protests continue.

At the University Assembly which took place on December 16, 2006 Dr. Carolina Scotto was elected president for the period of 2007 through 2010, becoming the first woman chosen to direct this institution. She was inaugurated on April 25, 2007.

The "Manzana Jesuítica y Estancias de Córdoba", in english: "Jesuit Block and Estancias of Córdoba" are a former Jesuit reduction built by missionaries in the province of Córdoba, Argentina, named a World Heritage Site in 2000.

The Manzana Jesuítica contains the University of Córdoba, one of the oldest in South America, the Monserrat Secondary School, a church, and residence buildings. To maintain such a project, the Jesuits operated six Estancias (residences) around the province of Córdoba, named Caroya, Jesús María, Santa Catalina, Alta Gracia, Candelaria and San Ignacio.

The farm and the complex, started in 1615, had to be left by the Jesuits, following the 1767 decree by King Charles III of Spain that expelled them from the continent. They were then run by the Franciscans until 1853, when the Jesuits returned to The Americas. Nevertheless, the university and the high-school were nationalized a year later.

Each Estancia has its own church and set of buildings, around which towns grew, such as Alta Gracia, the closest to the Block. The Estancia San Ignacio no longer exists. The Jesuit Block and the Estancias can be visited by tourists; the Road of the Jesuit Estancias has around 250 kilometres of length.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who would later become pope Francis lived there.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place (such as a forest, mountain, lake, island, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance. The list is maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 states' parties which are elected by their General Assembly.

The programme catalogues, names, and conserves sites of outstanding cultural or natural importance to the common heritage of humanity. Under certain conditions, listed sites can obtain funds from the World Heritage Fund. The programme was founded with the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, which was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972. Since then, 190 states parties have ratified the Convention, making it one of the most adhered to international instruments. Only the Bahamas, Liechtenstein, Nauru, Somalia, South Sudan, Timor-Leste and Tuvalu are not Party to the Convention.

As of 2013, 981 sites are listed: 759 cultural, 193 natural, and 29 mixed properties, in 160 states parties. By sites ranked by country, Italy is home to the greatest number of World Heritage Sites with 49 sites, followed by China (45) and Spain (44). UNESCO references each World Heritage Site with an identification number; but new inscriptions often include previous sites now listed as part of larger descriptions. As a result, the identification numbers exceed 1,200 even though there are fewer on the list.

While each World Heritage Site remains part of the legal territory of the state wherein the site is located, UNESCO considers it in the interest of the international community to preserve each site.

Córdoba is a city located in the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the "Sierras Chicas" on the "Suquía" River, about 700 km (435 mi) northwest of "Buenos Aires", capital of Argentina. It is the capital of Córdoba Province and the second-largest city in Argentina after the autonomous city of Buenos Aires, with about 1.3 million inhabitants according to the 2001 census.

It was founded on 6 July 1573 by Jerónimo Luis de Cabrera, who named it after Córdoba, Spain. It was one of the first Spanish colonial capitals of the region that is now Argentina (the oldest city is Santiago del Estero, founded in 1553). The National University of Córdoba is the oldest university of the country and the fourth to be inaugurated in Latin America. It was founded in 1613 by the Jesuit Order. Because of this, Córdoba earned the nickname "La Docta", in english: "The erudite".

Córdoba has many historical monuments preserved from Spanish colonial rule, especially buildings of the Roman Catholic Church. The most recognizable is perhaps the Jesuit Block (Spanish: Manzana Jesuítica), declared in 2000 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO which consists of a group of buildings dating from the 17th century, including the Colegio Nacional de Monserrat and the colonial university campus. The campus belongs today to the historical museum of the National University of Córdoba, which has been the second-largest university in the country since the early 20th century (after the University of Buenos Aires), in terms of the number of students, faculty, and academic programs. Córdoba is also known for its historical movements, such as Cordobazo and La Reforma del '18 (known as University Revolution in English).

The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu, S.J., SJ or SI) is a Christian male religious order of the Roman Catholic Church. The members are called Jesuits. The society is engaged in evangelization and apostolic ministry in 112 nations on six continents. Jesuits work in education (founding schools, colleges, universities and seminaries), intellectual research, and cultural pursuits. Jesuits also give retreats, minister in hospitals and parishes and promote social justice and ecumenical dialogue.

Ignatius of Loyola founded the society after being wounded in battle and experiencing a religious conversion. He composed the Spiritual Exercises to help others follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. In 1534, Ignatius and six other young men, including Francis Xavier and Bl. Peter Faber, gathered and professed vows of poverty, chastity, and later obedience, including a special vow of obedience to the Pope. Rule 13 of Ignatius's Rules for Thinking with the Church said: "That we may be altogether of the same mind and in conformity [...], if [the Church] shall have defined anything to be black which to our eyes appears to be white, we ought in like manner to pronounce it to be black." Ignatius's plan of the order's organization was approved by Pope Paul III in 1540 by the bull containing the "Formula of the Institute".

Because of the military background of Ignatius and the members' willingness to accept orders anywhere in the world and to live in extreme conditions where required, the opening lines of this founding document would declare that the Society of Jesus was founded for "whoever desires to serve as a soldier of God" (Spanish: "todo el que quiera militar para Dios"), "to strive especially for the defense and propagation of the faith and for the progress of souls in Christian life and doctrine." Therefore Jesuits are sometimes referred to colloquially as "God's Soldiers" or "God's Marines". The Society participated in the Counter-Reformation and later in the implementation of the Second Vatican Council in the Catholic Church.

The Society of Jesus is consecrated under the patronage of Madonna Della Strada, a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it is led by a Superior General, currently Adolfo Nicolás.

The headquarters of the society, its General Curia, is in Rome. The historic curia of St. Ignatius is now part of the Collegio del Gesù attached to the Church of the Gesù, the Jesuit Mother Church.

A Coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on an escutcheon (i.e. shield), surcoat, or tabard. A surcoat, and subsequently a coat of arms was used by medieval knights to cover, protect, and identify the wearer. Thus these are sometimes termed coat armory. The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement which consists of shield, supporters, crest, and motto. The design is a symbol unique to an individual person or family (except in the UK), corporation, or state. Such displays are commonly called armorial bearings, armorial devices, heraldic devices, or simply arms.

The ancient Romans used similar insignias similar on their shields, but these identified military units rather than individuals. The first evidence of medieval coats of arms is found in the Bayeux Tapestry from the 11th Century, where some of the combatants carry shields painted with crosses. Coats of arms came into general use by feudal lords and knights in battle in the 12th Century. By the 13th Century arms had spread beyond their initial battlefield use to become a kind of flag or logo for families in the higher social classes of Europe, inherited from one generation to the next. Exactly who had a right to use arms, by law or social convention, varied to some degree between countries. In the German-speaking region both the aristocracy and burghers (non-noble free citizens) used arms, while in most of the rest of Europe they were limited to the aristocracy. The use of arms spread to Church clergy, and to towns as civic identifiers, and to royally-chartered organizations such as universities and trading companies. Flags developed from coats of arms, and the arts of vexillology and heraldry are closely related. The coats of arms granted to commercial companies are a major source of the modern logo.

Despite no widespread regulation, and even with a lack in many cases of national regulation, heraldry has remained rather consistent across Europe, where traditions alone have governed the design and use of arms. Unlike seals and other general emblems, heraldic achievements have a formal description called a blazon, expressed in a jargon that allows for consistency in heraldic depictions.

n the 21st century, coats of arms are still in use by a variety of institutions and individuals; for example, many European cities and universities have guidelines on how their coats of arms may be used, and protect their use as trademarks. Many societies exist that also aid in the design and registration of personal arms. Some nations, like England and Scotland, still maintain the same heraldic authorities which have traditionally granted and regulated arms for centuries and continue to do so in the present day.

Eagle is a common name for some members of the bird family Accipitridae; it belongs to several genera that are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the more than sixty species of eagles occur in Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just eleven species can be found – two species (the Bald Eagle and Golden Eagle) in the United States and Canada, nine species in Central America and South America, and three species in Australia.

Eagles are large, powerfully built birds of prey, with a heavy head and beak. Even the smallest eagles, like the Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata) (which is comparable in size to a Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) or Red-tailed Hawk (B. jamaicensis)), have relatively longer and more evenly broad wings, and more direct, faster flight – despite the reduced size of aerodynamic feathers. Most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from some vultures. The smallest species of eagle is the South Nicobar Serpent Eagle (Spilornis klossi), at 450 g (1 lb) and 40 cm (16 in). The largest species are discussed below. Like all birds of prey, eagles have very large hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong muscular legs, and powerful talons. The beak is typically heavier than that of most other birds of prey. Eagles' eyes are extremely powerful, having up to 3.6 times human acuity for the martial eagle, which enables them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily attributed to their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction (scattering) of the incoming light. The female of all species of eagle known is larger than the male.

Eagles normally build their nests, called eyries, in tall trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched. The dominant chick tends to be the female, as they are bigger than the male. The parents take no action to stop the killing.

Due to the size and power of many eagle species, they are ranked at the top of the food chain as apex predators in the avian world. The type of prey varies from genus to genus. The Haliaeetus and Ichthyophaga eagles prefer to capture fish, though the species in the former often capture various animals, especially other water birds, and are powerful kleptoparasites of other birds. The snake and serpent eagles of the genera Circaetus, Terathopius and Spilornis predominantly prey on the great diversity of snakes that are found in the tropics of Africa and Asia. The eagles of the genus Aquila are often the top birds of prey in open habitats, taking almost any medium-sized vertebrate they can catch. Where Aquila eagles are absent, other eagles, such as the buteonine Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle of South America, may assume the position of top raptorial predator in open areas. Many other eagles, including the species-rich Spizaetus genus, live predominantly in woodlands and forest. These eagles often target various arboreal or ground-dwelling mammals and birds, which are often unsuspectingly ambushed in such dense, knotty environments. Hunting techniques differ among the species and genera, with some individual eagles having engaged in quite varied techniques based their environment and prey at any given time. Most eagles grab prey without landing and take flight with it so the prey can be carried to a perch and torn apart. The Bald Eagle is noted for having flown with the heaviest load verified to be carried by any flying bird, since one eagle flew with a 6.8 kg (15 lb) mule deer fawn. However, a few eagles may target prey considerably heavier than themselves; such prey is too heavy to fly with and thus it is either eaten at the site of the kill or taken in pieces back to a perch or nest. Golden and Crowned Eagles have killed ungulates weighing up to 30 kg (66 lb) and a Martial Eagle even killed a 37 kg (82 lb) duiker, 7–8 times heavier than the predating eagle. Authors on birds David Allen Sibley, Pete Dunne and Clay Sutton, described the behavioral difference between hunting eagles and other birds of prey thus (in this case the Bald and Golden Eagles as compared to other North American raptors):

They have at least one singular characteristic. It has been observed that most birds of prey look back over their shoulders before striking prey (or shortly thereafter); predation is after all a two-edged sword. All hawks seem to have this habit, from the smallest kestrel to the largest Ferruginous – but not the Eagles.

Among the eagles are some of the largest birds of prey: only the condors and some of the Old World vultures are markedly larger. It is regularly debated which should be considered the largest species of eagle. They could be measured variously in total length, body mass or wingspan. Different lifestyle needs among various eagles result in variable measurements from species to species. For example, many forest-dwelling eagles, including the very large Harpy and Philippine Eagles, have relatively short wingspans, a feature necessary for being able to maneuver in quick, short bursts through dense forested habitats. On the other hand, eagles in the genus Aquila are found almost strictly in open country, are superlative soarers, and have relatively long wings for their size.

The modern English term for the bird is derived from Latin: aquila by way of French: aigle. The origin of aquila is unknown, but it is believed to possibly derive from either aquilus (meaning dark-colored, swarthy, or blackish) as a reference to the plumage of eagles or from aquilo (meaning north wind).

Old English used the term earn, related to Scandinavia's ørn / örn. It is similar to other Indo-European terms for "bird" or "eagle", including Greek: ὄρνις (ornís), Russian: орёл (orël), and Welsh: eryr. The Albanian word for eagle is shqiponjë, deriving from the root shqipe.

In Britain before 1678, eagle referred specifically to the Golden Eagle, with the other native species, the White-tailed Eagle, being known as erne. The modern name "Golden Eagle" for aquila chrysaetos was introduced by naturalist John Ray.

The Moche people of ancient Peru worshiped the animal and often depicted eagles in their art.

In Hindu religion, Garuda is a lesser Hindu divinity, usually the mount (vahanam) of Vishnu. Garuda is depicted as having the golden body of a strong man with a white face, red wings, and an eagle's beak and with a crown on his head. This ancient deity was said to be massive, large enough to block out the sun.

The eagle is also the patron animal of Zeus. In particular, Zeus was said to have taken the form of an eagle in order to abduct Ganymede, and there are numerous artistic depictions of the Eagle Zeus bearing Ganymede aloft, from Classical times up to the present.

Eagles have been used by many nations as a national symbol.


If you consider that there are another topics in this stamp, that were not spot in this review, you are encouraged to telling me about them, so please do not hesitate to post a comment. I would appreciate your help very much.

domingo, 15 de septiembre de 2013

URU - 2013 - #013 - SERIE - RURAL WORKER RIGHTS, FRUIT PICKER


Uruguay - 2013 - Permanent Serie of Rural Worker Rights, Fruit picker


Options:

SERIE --- 2,30 EUR
SERIE [2X2] --- 9,00 EUR
FDC not Sent --- 3,70 EUR
FDC Sent on First Day --- 9,00 EUR
COVER Sent on First Day --- 6,00 EUR

If you are interested in any of this items, or any other items from Uruguay, just make a donation including your e-mail in the description.

I will contact you as soon I receive your donation, we agree on which items do you need, and I will discount the donation done to the amount of your purchase.



Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: April 18th, 2013
Printed: 100.000 copies

Stamp Shape and Size: Rectangular [27 mm. x 20 mm.]
Perforation: Lines
Gum: Self Adhesive

Block Configuration: 25 stamps [5 x 5]
Block Shape and Size: Rectangular [219 mm. x 195 mm.]

FDC Type: Normal
FDC Shape and Size: Rectangular [165 mm. x 105 mm.]
Cover Shape and Size: Rectangular [241 mm. x 159 mm.]

Catalogue information:

Michel: No Data Available
Ivert: No Data Available
Scott: No Data Available
Stanley & Gibbons: No Data Available

Topics:

Issue:

This stamp is the fifth release of the permanent serie already mentioned, thought to spread awareness about the right of rural works enshrined in law 18.441, added in Uruguay law system on December 24th, 2008.

This permanent serie will be compounded by many stamps, nine already were issued at the moment was written this article, and in each of them a different rural activity, and in particular, the rural worker involved in it, will be focus of the issue.

In this particular issue, the fruit picker is the activity choosen, and the design for depicting this task was to show a women carrying a bag and wearing a hat in background, and a hand in foreground picking a fruit, surely an apple, from a tree. The selection of a woman in duty in this stamp as in the previous one of this permanent serie, adds the topic of gender equality at job, that around the globe it is a problem still unsolved.

The design of the stamps also shows an idyllic field of bright green grass under a lightly clouded sky, and overprinted over this landscape, a branch of a fruit tree full of red fruits and green leaves.

The right of rural works enshrined in law 18.441 were: Limitation of labour to 8 hours a day; Payment of overtime for time which exceeds the legal time; Intermediate rest for continuous-time workers; Free day between 12 hours labour days; Weekly free day.

Other rural worker rights that are not included in law 18.441, however very important for them are: Freedom of union association; Collective bargaining; Participation in the Councils of wage.

Fruit picking or fruit harvesting is a seasonal activity (paid or recreational) that occurs during harvest time in areas with fruit growing wild or being farmed in orchards.

Apple picking is an activity found at apple farms. Apple orchards may be opened to the public, allowing consumers to pick their own apples or purchase pre-picked apples.

Although this is ultimately a method of purchasing apples, it is often a social activity as well. Apple picking is often a very popular dating ritual in the American Midwest. Apple orchards catering to a family outing will provide additional activities beyond the picking of apples. Many have petting zoos, restaurants and country shops that sell related products such as home-made jams and jellies. This aspect of the activity is especially popular in the Northeastern United States & Southern Ontario and Southern Québec in Canada.

The apples that fall off the trees are often used to make apple cider. Apple cider is a juice made grinding the apples, then pressing out the juice.

Most of the fruit picking is done by migrant workers. Migrant workers are frequently used as they can be paid relatively low wages and usually do the job quite well. In California, Mexican migrants are most frequently doing the work. There has been much controversy about replacing workers with automation. It puts many out of work.

As labor costs are still quite expensive in fruit picking, robots are being designed that can replace humans for this kind of work. The research is still in full progress, especially as the robots need to be carefully designed so that they do not bruise the fruit while picking. One solution is the use of suction grippers, used on automated fruit picking machines manufactured, for example, by ACRO. Citrus fruit robot pickers have thus far been the focus of research and development, but cherry pickers are also being researched. Vision Robotics, in particular, has made several robots that are already capable of taking over the work.

Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. The harvest marks the end of the growing season, or the growing cycle for a particular crop, and social importance of this event makes it the focus of seasonal celebrations such as a harvest festival, found in many religions. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-intensive activity of the growing season. On large, mechanized farms, harvesting utilizes the most expensive and sophisticated farm machinery, like the combine harvester. Harvesting in general usage includes an immediate post-harvest handling, all of the actions taken immediately after removing the crop—cooling, sorting, cleaning, packing—up to the point of further on-farm processing, or shipping to the wholesale or consumer market.

Harvest commonly refers to grain and produce, but also has other uses. In addition to fish and timber, the term harvest is also used in reference to harvesting grapes for wine. Within the context of irrigation, water harvesting refers to the collection and run-off of rainwater for agricultural or domestic uses. Instead of harvest, the term exploit is also used, as in exploiting fisheries or water resources. Energy harvesting is the process by which energy (such as solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, salinity gradients and kinetic energy) is captured and stored. Body harvesting, or cadaver harvesting, is the process of collecting and preparing cadavers for anatomical study. In a similar sense, organ harvesting is the removal of tissues or organs from a donor for purposes of transplanting

In botany, a fruit is a part of a flowering plant that derives from specific tissues of the flower, one or more ovaries, and in some cases accessory tissues. Fruits are the means by which these plants disseminate seeds. Many of them that bear edible fruits, in particular, have propagated with the movements of humans and animals in a symbiotic relationship as a means for seed dispersal and nutrition, respectively; in fact, humans and many animals have become dependent on fruits as a source of food. Fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world's agricultural output, and some (such as the apple and the pomegranate) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings.

In common language usage, "fruit" normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of a plant that are sweet or sour and edible in the raw state, such as apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, bananas, and lemons. On the other hand, the botanical sense of "fruit" includes many structures that are not commonly called "fruits", such as bean pods, corn kernels, wheat grains, and tomatoes.

The section of a fungus that produces spores is also called a fruiting body.

In the culinary sense of these words, a fruit is usually any sweet-tasting plant product, especially those associated with seeds; a vegetable is any savoury or less sweet plant product; and a nut is any hard, oily, and shelled plant product.

These culinary vegetables that are botanically fruit include cucurbits (e.g., squash, pumpkin, and cucumber), tomatoes, peas, beans, corn, eggplant, and sweet pepper. In addition, some spices, such as allspice and chilies, are fruits, botanically speaking. In contrast, rhubarb is often referred to as a fruit, because it is used to make sweet desserts such as pies, though only the petiole (leaf stalk) of the rhubarb plant is edible. Edible gymnosperm seeds are often given fruit names, e.g., pine nuts, ginkgo nuts.

Botanically, a cereal grain, such as corn, wheat or rice, is also a kind of fruit, termed a caryopsis. However, the fruit wall is very thin, and is fused to the seed coat, so almost all of the edible grain is actually a seed.

Many common terms for seeds and fruit do not correspond to the botanical classifications. In botany, seeds are ripened ovules; fruits are the ripened ovaries or carpels that contain the seeds and a nut is a type of fruit and not a seed.

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family (Rosaceae). It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apples grow on small, deciduous trees. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe, and were brought to North America by European colonists. Apples have been present in the mythology and religions of many cultures, including Norse, Greek and Christian traditions. In 2010, the fruit's genome was decoded, leading to new understandings of disease control and selective breeding in apple production.

There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples, resulting in a range of desired characteristics. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including cooking, fresh eating and cider production. Domestic apples are generally propagated by grafting, although wild apples grow readily from seed. Trees are prone to a number of fungal, bacterial and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of organic and non-organic means.

About 69 million tonnes of apples were grown worldwide in 2010, and China produced almost half of this total. The United States is the second-leading producer, with more than 6% of world production. Turkey is third, followed by Italy, India and Poland. Apples are often eaten raw, but can also be found in many prepared foods (especially desserts) and drinks. Many beneficial health effects are thought to result from eating apples; however, two forms of allergies are seen to various proteins found in the fruit.

The apple forms a tree that is small and deciduous, generally standing 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.6 m) tall in cultivation and up to 30 feet (9.1 m) in the wild. When cultivated, the size, shape and branch density is determined by rootstock selection and trimming method. The leaves are alternately arranged dark green-colored simple ovals with serrated margins and slightly downy undersides.

Blossoms are produced in spring simultaneously with the budding of the leaves, and are produced on spurs and some long shoots. The 3 to 4 centimetres (1.2 to 1.6 in) flowers are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, five petaled, with an inflorescence consisting of a cyme with 4-6 flowers. The central flower of the inflorescence is called the "king bloom"; it opens first, and can develop a larger fruit.

The fruit matures in autumn, and growers aim to produce an apple that is 2.75 to 3.25 inches (7.0 to 8.3 cm) in diameter, due to market preference. Some consumers, especially those in Japan, prefer a larger apple, while apples below 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) are generally used for making juice and have little fresh market value. The skins of ripe apples is generally red, yellow, green or pink, although many bi- or tri-colored varieties may be found. The skin is covered in a protective layer of epicuticular wax, The flesh is pale yellowish-white.

The original wild ancestor of Malus domestica was Malus sieversii, found growing wild in the mountains of Central Asia in southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Xinjiang, China. Cultivation of the species, most likely beginning on the forested flanks of the Tian Shan mountains, progressed over a long period of time and permitted secondary introgression of genes from other species into the open-pollinated seeds. Significant exchange with Malus sylvestris, the crabapple, resulted in current populations of apples to be more related to crabapples than to the more morphologically similar progenitor Malus sieversii. In strains without recent admixture the contribution of the latter predominates.

In 2010, an Italian-led consortium announced they had decoded the complete genome of the apple in collaboration with horticultural genomicists at Washington State University, using the Golden delicious variety. It had about 57,000 genes, the highest number of any plant genome studied to date and more genes than the human genome (about 30,000). This new understanding of the apple genome will help scientists in identifying genes and gene variants that contribute to resistance to disease and drought, and other desirable characteristics. Understanding the genes behind these characteristics will allow scientists to perform more knowledgeable selective breeding. Decoding the genome also provided proof that Malus sieversii was the wild ancestor of the domestic apple—an issue that had been long-debated in the scientific community.

The center of diversity of the genus Malus is in eastern Turkey. The apple tree was perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated, and its fruits have been improved through selection over thousands of years. Alexander the Great is credited with finding dwarfed apples in Kazakhstan in Asia in 328 BCE; those he brought back to Macedonia might have been the progenitors of dwarfing root stocks. Winter apples, picked in late autumn and stored just above freezing, have been an important food in Asia and Europe for millennia.

Apples were brought to North America by colonists in the 17th century, and the first apple orchard on the North American continent was planted in Boston by Reverend William Blaxton in 1625. The only apples native to North America are crab apples, which were once called "common apples". Apple varieties brought as seed from Europe were spread along Native American trade routes, as well as being cultivated on Colonial farms. An 1845 United States apples nursery catalogue sold 350 of the "best" varieties, showing the proliferation of new North American varieties by the early 19th century. In the 20th century, irrigation projects in Washington state began and allowed the development of the multibillion dollar fruit industry, of which the apple is the leading product.

Until the 20th century, farmers stored apples in frostproof cellars during the winter for their own use or for sale. Improved transportation of fresh apples by train and road replaced the necessity for storage. In the 21st century, long-term storage again came into popularity, as "controlled atmosphere" facilities were used to keep apples fresh year-round. Controlled atmosphere facilities use high humidity and low oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to maintain fruit freshness.

In Norse mythology, the goddess Iðunn is portrayed in the Prose Edda (written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson) as providing apples to the gods that give them eternal youthfulness. English scholar H. R. Ellis Davidson links apples to religious practices in Germanic paganism, from which Norse paganism developed. She points out that buckets of apples were found in the Oseberg ship burial site in Norway, and that fruit and nuts (Iðunn having been described as being transformed into a nut in Skáldskaparmál) have been found in the early graves of the Germanic peoples in England and elsewhere on the continent of Europe, which may have had a symbolic meaning, and that nuts are still a recognized symbol of fertility in southwest England.

Davidson notes a connection between apples and the Vanir, a tribe of gods associated with fertility in Norse mythology, citing an instance of eleven "golden apples" being given to woo the beautiful Gerðr by Skírnir, who was acting as messenger for the major Vanir god Freyr in stanzas 19 and 20 of Skírnismál. Davidson also notes a further connection between fertility and apples in Norse mythology in chapter 2 of the Völsunga saga when the major goddess Frigg sends King Rerir an apple after he prays to Odin for a child, Frigg's messenger (in the guise of a crow) drops the apple in his lap as he sits atop a mound. Rerir's wife's consumption of the apple results in a six-year pregnancy and the Caesarean section birth of their son—the hero Völsung.

Further, Davidson points out the "strange" phrase "Apples of Hel" used in an 11th-century poem by the skald Thorbiorn Brúnarson. She states this may imply that the apple was thought of by Brúnarson as the food of the dead. Further, Davidson notes that the potentially Germanic goddess Nehalennia is sometimes depicted with apples and that parallels exist in early Irish stories. Davidson asserts that while cultivation of the apple in Northern Europe extends back to at least the time of the Roman Empire and came to Europe from the Near East, the native varieties of apple trees growing in Northern Europe are small and bitter. Davidson concludes that in the figure of Iðunn "we must have a dim reflection of an old symbol: that of the guardian goddess of the life-giving fruit of the other world."

Apples appear in many religious traditions, often as a mystical or forbidden fruit. One of the problems identifying apples in religion, mythology and folktales is that the word "apple" was used as a generic term for all (foreign) fruit, other than berries, including nuts, as late as the 17th century. For instance, in Greek mythology, the Greek hero Heracles, as a part of his Twelve Labours, was required to travel to the Garden of the Hesperides and pick the golden apples off the Tree of Life growing at its center.

The Greek goddess of discord, Eris, became disgruntled after she was excluded from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. In retaliation, she tossed a golden apple inscribed Καλλίστη (Kalliste, sometimes transliterated Kallisti, 'For the most beautiful one'), into the wedding party. Three goddesses claimed the apple: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris of Troy was appointed to select the recipient. After being bribed by both Hera and Athena, Aphrodite tempted him with the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite, thus indirectly causing the Trojan War.

The apple was thus considered, in ancient Greece, to be sacred to Aphrodite, and to throw an apple at someone was to symbolically declare one's love; and similarly, to catch it was to symbolically show one's acceptance of that love. An epigram claiming authorship by Plato states:

I throw the apple at you, and if you are willing to love me, take it and share your girlhood with me; but if your thoughts are what I pray they are not, even then take it, and consider how short-lived is beauty.
—Plato, Epigram VII


Atalanta, also of Greek mythology, raced all her suitors in an attempt to avoid marriage. She outran all but Hippomenes (also known as Melanion, a name possibly derived from melon the Greek word for both "apple" and fruit in general), who defeated her by cunning, not speed. Hippomenes knew that he could not win in a fair race, so he used three golden apples (gifts of Aphrodite, the goddess of love) to distract Atalanta. It took all three apples and all of his speed, but Hippomenes was finally successful, winning the race and Atalanta's hand.

Though the forbidden fruit of Eden in the Book of Genesis is not identified, popular Christian tradition has held that it was an apple that Eve coaxed Adam to share with her. The origin of the popular identification with a fruit unknown in the Middle East in biblical times is found in confusion between the Latin words mālum (an apple) and mălum (an evil), each of which is normally written malum. The tree of the forbidden fruit is called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" in Genesis 2:17, and the Latin for "good and evil" is bonum et malum.

Renaissance painters may also have been influenced by the story of the golden apples in the Garden of Hesperides. As a result, in the story of Adam and Eve, the apple became a symbol for knowledge, immortality, temptation, the fall of man into sin, and sin itself. The larynx in the human throat has been called Adam's apple because of a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit remaining in the throat of Adam. The apple as symbol of sexual seduction has been used to imply sexuality between men, possibly in an ironic vein.


Block:

The block, although it did not add any more topics, it has the peculiarity that all of the last autoadhesive blocks issued by Uruguay is presenting. This singularity is that, in autoadhesive issues, the perforation that generally exist between the stamps in the border of the block and the limit of the block itself, in this issues did not exist, creating many variations of the stamps in the block.

The variations generated are many. The most common, and the one that we could consider as the most representative stamp of the block, is the variation of the stamps that are not in the borders of the block, the block of 3x3 that is located in the center of the stamp.

Then, the other variations, in order of frequency in the block, are the three center stamps of the first column, having larger left margins, the three center in the fifth column having larger right margins, also the three center stamps of the fifth row, that present arger bottom margins.

There is also, as you already had imagined, the three center stamps of the first row, with the top margin extended, however, although the the ones of row two and three are equal, the other is a particular one, as it has the block number in it.

Finally, the four stamps of the corners, are each one a different variation of the stamp. Stamp at row-col position one-one has left and top margin extended, the one at position one-five has right and left margins augmented and also it includes the four squares to show the ink colours used to print the block. After that the remaining variation are the ones at position five-one, and five-five, with left and bottom, and right and bottom, margin increased respectively.


FDC:

The desing of the First Day Cancelation for all the permanent series is the same for a period of time. It is a fixed design that has a configurable date, that is set to the date of issue of each permanent serie stamp released.

The actual design chosen, is the one used since year 2012, and it shows a frontiers only map of Uruguay.


If you consider that there are another topics in this stamp, that were not spot in this review, you are encouraged to telling me about them, so please do not hesitate to post a comment. I would appreciate your help very much.

URU - 2013 - #013 - SERIE [2x2] - RURAL WORKER RIGHTS, FRUIT PICKER


Uruguay - 2013 - Permanent Serie of Rural Worker Rights, Fruit picker


If you are interested in any of this items, or any other items from Uruguay, just make a donation including your e-mail in the description.

I will contact you as soon I receive your donation, we agree on which items do you need, and I will discount the donation done to the amount of your purchase.


URU - 2013 - #013 - FDC not Sent - RURAL WORKER RIGHTS, FRUIT PICKER


Uruguay - 2013 - Permanent Serie of Rural Worker Rights, Fruit picker


If you are interested in any of this items, or any other items from Uruguay, just make a donation including your e-mail in the description.

I will contact you as soon I receive your donation, we agree on which items do you need, and I will discount the donation done to the amount of your purchase.


URU - 2013 - #013 - FDC Sent on First Day - RURAL WORKER RIGHTS, FRUIT PICKER


Uruguay - 2013 - Permanent Serie of Rural Worker Rights, Fruit picker


If you are interested in any of this items, or any other items from Uruguay, just make a donation including your e-mail in the description.

I will contact you as soon I receive your donation, we agree on which items do you need, and I will discount the donation done to the amount of your purchase.


URU - 2013 - #013 - COVER Sent on First Day - RURAL WORKER RIGHTS, FRUIT PICKER


Uruguay - 2013 - Permanent Serie of Rural Worker Rights, Fruit picker


If you are interested in any of this items, or any other items from Uruguay, just make a donation including your e-mail in the description.

I will contact you as soon I receive your donation, we agree on which items do you need, and I will discount the donation done to the amount of your purchase.


URU - 2013 - #013 - SERIE - RURAL WORKER RIGHTS, FRUIT PICKER


Uruguay - 2013 - Permanent Serie of Rural Worker Rights, Fruit picker


Options:

SERIE --- 2,30 EUR
SERIE [2X2] --- 9,00 EUR
FDC not Sent --- 3,70 EUR
FDC Sent on First Day --- 9,00 EUR
COVER Sent on First Day --- 6,00 EUR

If you are interested in any of this items, or any other items from Uruguay, just make a donation including your e-mail in the description.

I will contact you as soon I receive your donation, we agree on which items do you need, and I will discount the donation done to the amount of your purchase.



Issue information:

Country: Uruguay
Date: April 18th, 2013
Printed: 100.000 copies

Stamp Shape and Size: Rectangular [27 mm. x 20 mm.]
Perforation: Lines
Gum: Self Adhesive

Block Configuration: 25 stamps [5 x 5]
Block Shape and Size: Rectangular [219 mm. x 195 mm.]

FDC Type: Normal
FDC Shape and Size: Rectangular [165 mm. x 105 mm.]
Cover Shape and Size: Rectangular [241 mm. x 159 mm.]

Catalogue information:

Michel: No Data Available
Ivert: No Data Available
Scott: No Data Available
Stanley & Gibbons: No Data Available

Topics:

Issue:

This stamp is the fifth release of the permanent serie already mentioned, thought to spread awareness about the right of rural works enshrined in law 18.441, added in Uruguay law system on December 24th, 2008.

This permanent serie will be compounded by many stamps, nine already were issued at the moment was written this article, and in each of them a different rural activity, and in particular, the rural worker involved in it, will be focus of the issue.

In this particular issue, the fruit picker is the activity choosen, and the design for depicting this task was to show a women carrying a bag and wearing a hat in background, and a hand in foreground picking a fruit, surely an apple, from a tree. The selection of a woman in duty in this stamp as in the previous one of this permanent serie, adds the topic of gender equality at job, that around the globe it is a problem still unsolved.

The design of the stamps also shows an idyllic field of bright green grass under a lightly clouded sky, and overprinted over this landscape, a branch of a fruit tree full of red fruits and green leaves.

The right of rural works enshrined in law 18.441 were: Limitation of labour to 8 hours a day; Payment of overtime for time which exceeds the legal time; Intermediate rest for continuous-time workers; Free day between 12 hours labour days; Weekly free day.

Other rural worker rights that are not included in law 18.441, however very important for them are: Freedom of union association; Collective bargaining; Participation in the Councils of wage.

Fruit picking or fruit harvesting is a seasonal activity (paid or recreational) that occurs during harvest time in areas with fruit growing wild or being farmed in orchards.

Apple picking is an activity found at apple farms. Apple orchards may be opened to the public, allowing consumers to pick their own apples or purchase pre-picked apples.

Although this is ultimately a method of purchasing apples, it is often a social activity as well. Apple picking is often a very popular dating ritual in the American Midwest. Apple orchards catering to a family outing will provide additional activities beyond the picking of apples. Many have petting zoos, restaurants and country shops that sell related products such as home-made jams and jellies. This aspect of the activity is especially popular in the Northeastern United States & Southern Ontario and Southern Québec in Canada.

The apples that fall off the trees are often used to make apple cider. Apple cider is a juice made grinding the apples, then pressing out the juice.

Most of the fruit picking is done by migrant workers. Migrant workers are frequently used as they can be paid relatively low wages and usually do the job quite well. In California, Mexican migrants are most frequently doing the work. There has been much controversy about replacing workers with automation. It puts many out of work.

As labor costs are still quite expensive in fruit picking, robots are being designed that can replace humans for this kind of work. The research is still in full progress, especially as the robots need to be carefully designed so that they do not bruise the fruit while picking. One solution is the use of suction grippers, used on automated fruit picking machines manufactured, for example, by ACRO. Citrus fruit robot pickers have thus far been the focus of research and development, but cherry pickers are also being researched. Vision Robotics, in particular, has made several robots that are already capable of taking over the work.

Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. The harvest marks the end of the growing season, or the growing cycle for a particular crop, and social importance of this event makes it the focus of seasonal celebrations such as a harvest festival, found in many religions. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-intensive activity of the growing season. On large, mechanized farms, harvesting utilizes the most expensive and sophisticated farm machinery, like the combine harvester. Harvesting in general usage includes an immediate post-harvest handling, all of the actions taken immediately after removing the crop—cooling, sorting, cleaning, packing—up to the point of further on-farm processing, or shipping to the wholesale or consumer market.

Harvest commonly refers to grain and produce, but also has other uses. In addition to fish and timber, the term harvest is also used in reference to harvesting grapes for wine. Within the context of irrigation, water harvesting refers to the collection and run-off of rainwater for agricultural or domestic uses. Instead of harvest, the term exploit is also used, as in exploiting fisheries or water resources. Energy harvesting is the process by which energy (such as solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, salinity gradients and kinetic energy) is captured and stored. Body harvesting, or cadaver harvesting, is the process of collecting and preparing cadavers for anatomical study. In a similar sense, organ harvesting is the removal of tissues or organs from a donor for purposes of transplanting

In botany, a fruit is a part of a flowering plant that derives from specific tissues of the flower, one or more ovaries, and in some cases accessory tissues. Fruits are the means by which these plants disseminate seeds. Many of them that bear edible fruits, in particular, have propagated with the movements of humans and animals in a symbiotic relationship as a means for seed dispersal and nutrition, respectively; in fact, humans and many animals have become dependent on fruits as a source of food. Fruits account for a substantial fraction of the world's agricultural output, and some (such as the apple and the pomegranate) have acquired extensive cultural and symbolic meanings.

In common language usage, "fruit" normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of a plant that are sweet or sour and edible in the raw state, such as apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, bananas, and lemons. On the other hand, the botanical sense of "fruit" includes many structures that are not commonly called "fruits", such as bean pods, corn kernels, wheat grains, and tomatoes.

The section of a fungus that produces spores is also called a fruiting body.

In the culinary sense of these words, a fruit is usually any sweet-tasting plant product, especially those associated with seeds; a vegetable is any savoury or less sweet plant product; and a nut is any hard, oily, and shelled plant product.

These culinary vegetables that are botanically fruit include cucurbits (e.g., squash, pumpkin, and cucumber), tomatoes, peas, beans, corn, eggplant, and sweet pepper. In addition, some spices, such as allspice and chilies, are fruits, botanically speaking. In contrast, rhubarb is often referred to as a fruit, because it is used to make sweet desserts such as pies, though only the petiole (leaf stalk) of the rhubarb plant is edible. Edible gymnosperm seeds are often given fruit names, e.g., pine nuts, ginkgo nuts.

Botanically, a cereal grain, such as corn, wheat or rice, is also a kind of fruit, termed a caryopsis. However, the fruit wall is very thin, and is fused to the seed coat, so almost all of the edible grain is actually a seed.

Many common terms for seeds and fruit do not correspond to the botanical classifications. In botany, seeds are ripened ovules; fruits are the ripened ovaries or carpels that contain the seeds and a nut is a type of fruit and not a seed.

The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family (Rosaceae). It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apples grow on small, deciduous trees. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, Malus sieversii, is still found today. Apples have been grown for thousands of years in Asia and Europe, and were brought to North America by European colonists. Apples have been present in the mythology and religions of many cultures, including Norse, Greek and Christian traditions. In 2010, the fruit's genome was decoded, leading to new understandings of disease control and selective breeding in apple production.

There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples, resulting in a range of desired characteristics. Different cultivars are bred for various tastes and uses, including cooking, fresh eating and cider production. Domestic apples are generally propagated by grafting, although wild apples grow readily from seed. Trees are prone to a number of fungal, bacterial and pest problems, which can be controlled by a number of organic and non-organic means.

About 69 million tonnes of apples were grown worldwide in 2010, and China produced almost half of this total. The United States is the second-leading producer, with more than 6% of world production. Turkey is third, followed by Italy, India and Poland. Apples are often eaten raw, but can also be found in many prepared foods (especially desserts) and drinks. Many beneficial health effects are thought to result from eating apples; however, two forms of allergies are seen to various proteins found in the fruit.

The apple forms a tree that is small and deciduous, generally standing 6 to 15 feet (1.8 to 4.6 m) tall in cultivation and up to 30 feet (9.1 m) in the wild. When cultivated, the size, shape and branch density is determined by rootstock selection and trimming method. The leaves are alternately arranged dark green-colored simple ovals with serrated margins and slightly downy undersides.

Blossoms are produced in spring simultaneously with the budding of the leaves, and are produced on spurs and some long shoots. The 3 to 4 centimetres (1.2 to 1.6 in) flowers are white with a pink tinge that gradually fades, five petaled, with an inflorescence consisting of a cyme with 4-6 flowers. The central flower of the inflorescence is called the "king bloom"; it opens first, and can develop a larger fruit.

The fruit matures in autumn, and growers aim to produce an apple that is 2.75 to 3.25 inches (7.0 to 8.3 cm) in diameter, due to market preference. Some consumers, especially those in Japan, prefer a larger apple, while apples below 2.25 inches (5.7 cm) are generally used for making juice and have little fresh market value. The skins of ripe apples is generally red, yellow, green or pink, although many bi- or tri-colored varieties may be found. The skin is covered in a protective layer of epicuticular wax, The flesh is pale yellowish-white.

The original wild ancestor of Malus domestica was Malus sieversii, found growing wild in the mountains of Central Asia in southern Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Xinjiang, China. Cultivation of the species, most likely beginning on the forested flanks of the Tian Shan mountains, progressed over a long period of time and permitted secondary introgression of genes from other species into the open-pollinated seeds. Significant exchange with Malus sylvestris, the crabapple, resulted in current populations of apples to be more related to crabapples than to the more morphologically similar progenitor Malus sieversii. In strains without recent admixture the contribution of the latter predominates.

In 2010, an Italian-led consortium announced they had decoded the complete genome of the apple in collaboration with horticultural genomicists at Washington State University, using the Golden delicious variety. It had about 57,000 genes, the highest number of any plant genome studied to date and more genes than the human genome (about 30,000). This new understanding of the apple genome will help scientists in identifying genes and gene variants that contribute to resistance to disease and drought, and other desirable characteristics. Understanding the genes behind these characteristics will allow scientists to perform more knowledgeable selective breeding. Decoding the genome also provided proof that Malus sieversii was the wild ancestor of the domestic apple—an issue that had been long-debated in the scientific community.

The center of diversity of the genus Malus is in eastern Turkey. The apple tree was perhaps the earliest tree to be cultivated, and its fruits have been improved through selection over thousands of years. Alexander the Great is credited with finding dwarfed apples in Kazakhstan in Asia in 328 BCE; those he brought back to Macedonia might have been the progenitors of dwarfing root stocks. Winter apples, picked in late autumn and stored just above freezing, have been an important food in Asia and Europe for millennia.

Apples were brought to North America by colonists in the 17th century, and the first apple orchard on the North American continent was planted in Boston by Reverend William Blaxton in 1625. The only apples native to North America are crab apples, which were once called "common apples". Apple varieties brought as seed from Europe were spread along Native American trade routes, as well as being cultivated on Colonial farms. An 1845 United States apples nursery catalogue sold 350 of the "best" varieties, showing the proliferation of new North American varieties by the early 19th century. In the 20th century, irrigation projects in Washington state began and allowed the development of the multibillion dollar fruit industry, of which the apple is the leading product.

Until the 20th century, farmers stored apples in frostproof cellars during the winter for their own use or for sale. Improved transportation of fresh apples by train and road replaced the necessity for storage. In the 21st century, long-term storage again came into popularity, as "controlled atmosphere" facilities were used to keep apples fresh year-round. Controlled atmosphere facilities use high humidity and low oxygen and carbon dioxide levels to maintain fruit freshness.

In Norse mythology, the goddess Iðunn is portrayed in the Prose Edda (written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson) as providing apples to the gods that give them eternal youthfulness. English scholar H. R. Ellis Davidson links apples to religious practices in Germanic paganism, from which Norse paganism developed. She points out that buckets of apples were found in the Oseberg ship burial site in Norway, and that fruit and nuts (Iðunn having been described as being transformed into a nut in Skáldskaparmál) have been found in the early graves of the Germanic peoples in England and elsewhere on the continent of Europe, which may have had a symbolic meaning, and that nuts are still a recognized symbol of fertility in southwest England.

Davidson notes a connection between apples and the Vanir, a tribe of gods associated with fertility in Norse mythology, citing an instance of eleven "golden apples" being given to woo the beautiful Gerðr by Skírnir, who was acting as messenger for the major Vanir god Freyr in stanzas 19 and 20 of Skírnismál. Davidson also notes a further connection between fertility and apples in Norse mythology in chapter 2 of the Völsunga saga when the major goddess Frigg sends King Rerir an apple after he prays to Odin for a child, Frigg's messenger (in the guise of a crow) drops the apple in his lap as he sits atop a mound. Rerir's wife's consumption of the apple results in a six-year pregnancy and the Caesarean section birth of their son—the hero Völsung.

Further, Davidson points out the "strange" phrase "Apples of Hel" used in an 11th-century poem by the skald Thorbiorn Brúnarson. She states this may imply that the apple was thought of by Brúnarson as the food of the dead. Further, Davidson notes that the potentially Germanic goddess Nehalennia is sometimes depicted with apples and that parallels exist in early Irish stories. Davidson asserts that while cultivation of the apple in Northern Europe extends back to at least the time of the Roman Empire and came to Europe from the Near East, the native varieties of apple trees growing in Northern Europe are small and bitter. Davidson concludes that in the figure of Iðunn "we must have a dim reflection of an old symbol: that of the guardian goddess of the life-giving fruit of the other world."

Apples appear in many religious traditions, often as a mystical or forbidden fruit. One of the problems identifying apples in religion, mythology and folktales is that the word "apple" was used as a generic term for all (foreign) fruit, other than berries, including nuts, as late as the 17th century. For instance, in Greek mythology, the Greek hero Heracles, as a part of his Twelve Labours, was required to travel to the Garden of the Hesperides and pick the golden apples off the Tree of Life growing at its center.

The Greek goddess of discord, Eris, became disgruntled after she was excluded from the wedding of Peleus and Thetis. In retaliation, she tossed a golden apple inscribed Καλλίστη (Kalliste, sometimes transliterated Kallisti, 'For the most beautiful one'), into the wedding party. Three goddesses claimed the apple: Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite. Paris of Troy was appointed to select the recipient. After being bribed by both Hera and Athena, Aphrodite tempted him with the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen of Sparta. He awarded the apple to Aphrodite, thus indirectly causing the Trojan War.

The apple was thus considered, in ancient Greece, to be sacred to Aphrodite, and to throw an apple at someone was to symbolically declare one's love; and similarly, to catch it was to symbolically show one's acceptance of that love. An epigram claiming authorship by Plato states:

I throw the apple at you, and if you are willing to love me, take it and share your girlhood with me; but if your thoughts are what I pray they are not, even then take it, and consider how short-lived is beauty.
—Plato, Epigram VII


Atalanta, also of Greek mythology, raced all her suitors in an attempt to avoid marriage. She outran all but Hippomenes (also known as Melanion, a name possibly derived from melon the Greek word for both "apple" and fruit in general), who defeated her by cunning, not speed. Hippomenes knew that he could not win in a fair race, so he used three golden apples (gifts of Aphrodite, the goddess of love) to distract Atalanta. It took all three apples and all of his speed, but Hippomenes was finally successful, winning the race and Atalanta's hand.

Though the forbidden fruit of Eden in the Book of Genesis is not identified, popular Christian tradition has held that it was an apple that Eve coaxed Adam to share with her. The origin of the popular identification with a fruit unknown in the Middle East in biblical times is found in confusion between the Latin words mālum (an apple) and mălum (an evil), each of which is normally written malum. The tree of the forbidden fruit is called "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" in Genesis 2:17, and the Latin for "good and evil" is bonum et malum.

Renaissance painters may also have been influenced by the story of the golden apples in the Garden of Hesperides. As a result, in the story of Adam and Eve, the apple became a symbol for knowledge, immortality, temptation, the fall of man into sin, and sin itself. The larynx in the human throat has been called Adam's apple because of a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit remaining in the throat of Adam. The apple as symbol of sexual seduction has been used to imply sexuality between men, possibly in an ironic vein.


Block:

The block, although it did not add any more topics, it has the peculiarity that all of the last autoadhesive blocks issued by Uruguay is presenting. This singularity is that, in autoadhesive issues, the perforation that generally exist between the stamps in the border of the block and the limit of the block itself, in this issues did not exist, creating many variations of the stamps in the block.

The variations generated are many. The most common, and the one that we could consider as the most representative stamp of the block, is the variation of the stamps that are not in the borders of the block, the block of 3x3 that is located in the center of the stamp.

Then, the other variations, in order of frequency in the block, are the three center stamps of the first column, having larger left margins, the three center in the fifth column having larger right margins, also the three center stamps of the fifth row, that present arger bottom margins.

There is also, as you already had imagined, the three center stamps of the first row, with the top margin extended, however, although the the ones of row two and three are equal, the other is a particular one, as it has the block number in it.

Finally, the four stamps of the corners, are each one a different variation of the stamp. Stamp at row-col position one-one has left and top margin extended, the one at position one-five has right and left margins augmented and also it includes the four squares to show the ink colours used to print the block. After that the remaining variation are the ones at position five-one, and five-five, with left and bottom, and right and bottom, margin increased respectively.


FDC:

The desing of the First Day Cancelation for all the permanent series is the same for a period of time. It is a fixed design that has a configurable date, that is set to the date of issue of each permanent serie stamp released.

The actual design chosen, is the one used since year 2012, and it shows a frontiers only map of Uruguay.


If you consider that there are another topics in this stamp, that were not spot in this review, you are encouraged to telling me about them, so please do not hesitate to post a comment. I would appreciate your help very much.