2008 USPS Holiday Stamps - The Nutcrackers

The U.S. Postal Service dedicates the Holiday Nutcrackers commemorative stamps Thursday, October 23, 2008 during the Fall Postage Stamp Mega Event at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Four eye-catching nutcracker designs are featured on the stamps. Santa or “Father Christmas” has a lantern in one hand and a snowflake-topped staff in the other. There is a gold and ruby-crowned king, a yellow-jacketed military captain, and a green-garbed drummer with a red drum.

These nutcrackers were custom-made for the U.S. Postal Service by Glenn A. Crider of T.R.C. Designs, Inc., of Mechanicsville, Virginia. Crider based the characters on sketches and notes provided by Sally Andersen-Bruce of New Milford, Connecticut, who later photographed the completed nutcrackers for the stamps. The art director for the 2008 Holiday Nutcracker stamps was Derry Noyes of Washington, D.C.

In addition to the Holiday Nutcrackers stamps, four additional holiday stamps will be available nationwide as well: Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist stamp was also issued today; Eid, the Muslim Holiday stamp was issued Sept. 23; Kwanzaa, the celebration of family, community and culture; and Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, stamps will be issued Oct. 24.

The Postal Service printed 2.171 billion holiday stamps: 1.486 billion Holiday Nutcrackers, 600 million Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist, 25 million Eid, 35 million Kwanzaa and 25 million Hanukkah.

The 42-cent Holiday Nutcrackers stamps go on sale nationwide in late October 2008.

2008 USPS Christmas Stamp - "Virgin and Child With the Young John the Baptist"

Working from a detail of a painting titled “Virgin and Child With the Young John the Baptist” by the Italian master Sandro Botticelli, designer Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, Arizona, created the Postal Service’s 2008 Christmas stamp. The painting, tempera and oil on wood, dates to around 1490 and is now in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It presents one of the most common figural groups in religious art. Botticelli’s beautifully rendered figures capture the tender relationship between mother and child and at the same time suggest Mary’s foreknowledge of Christ’s fate. The facial expression of John the Baptist, seen standing to the side in a prayerful gesture, also suggests a heightened awareness.

Minnesota

The U.S. Postal Service celebrated the 150th birthday of Minnesota’s statehood May 17 with the issuance of the 42 cent Minnesota Statehood Stamp. The ceremony was held in St. Paul on the grounds of the State Capitol.

T.J. Duckett - RB - Seattle Seahawks

After years of trying out lesser numbers, T.J. Duckett finally saw the light in 2008 and began to sport The Number. Here he is indicating a first down in Week 3 of the 2008 season against the Saint Louis Rams. It is unclear if he had ever experienced a first down prior to his number change.

Brooks Reed - DE - Arizona Wildcats

Brooks Reed of the Arizona Wildcats closes in on Stanford QB Tavita Pritchard during the Wildcats October 11, 2008 23-24 loss to the Cardinal at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.

Reed is out of Sabino High School in Tucson, Arizona. He was born February 28, 1987.

Michael Mauti - LB - Penn State

Photo by Maxwell Kruger

Michael D. Mauti is the latest in a great line of Nittany Lions to sport The Number. Above he is shown forcing a fumble during Penn State's 2008 thumping of Michigan.

As the son of a former Nittany Lion and brother of a current one, Michael and his brother Patrick Mauti are the latest brother tandem to play for Joe Paterno, who also coached their father, Rich, in the mid-1970s.

The former Mandeville High School All-American is a talented, instinctive and intelligent athlete. He spent time at linebacker and safety during spring practice and promptly demonstrated that he has the skills and work ethic to earn playing time on defense.

His father was a letterman at Penn State in 1975 and '76 as a wide receiver and played in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints (1977-83) and the Washington Redskins (1984).

Mauti was born January 19, 1990 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ivan Kane's Forty Duece - Las Vegas

And now a 42 from Sin City.

(description from Ivan Kane's Forty Duece web site)

Ivan Kane's Forty Deuce Las Vegas nightclub in the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino is even sexier and more soulful than the original in glamorous Hollywood, if that's possible. Walk into the smoke-stained brick, wood-paneled bar and feel immediately transported to old-school Times Square, New York. But this is Sin City, and this intimate nightclub and burlesque show has some surprises! As the room fills to capacity, small lamps with sultry pink shades cast a warm glow over the packed club. And then ... Showtime! The circular back bar vanishes, the band appears and the vintage paintings of reclining nudes retract, so even more people can see the show! A blue light silhouettes the sax man as one of the sexy, sensual dancers slowly slinks down the stairs to the stage and leans out over the crowd, holding on with only a handful of the world-famous curtain of pearls! Jaws drop and drinks are ignored as the tempo picks up and the dancer steps up, shedding boa, gown and gloves towards the electrifying finale. After the show, the celebrity DJ drops in a dance groove and it's dancing 'til dawn!

Antti Pihlstrom - LW - Nashville Predators

Photo by Jay LaPrete

Columbus Blue Jackets' Sheldon Brookbank, right, and Nashville Predators' Antti Pihlstrom, of Finland, chase a loose puck during the first period of a preseason NHL hockey game Sunday, Sept. 16, 2007, in Columbus, Ohio.

Pihlstrom signed a two-year contract with Nashville as a free agent on June 1, 2007.

P.J. Stock - C - Boston Bruins

Photo by Getty Images

P.J. Stock was originally signed as a free agent by the New York Rangers on November 18, 1997. He then moved on to Montreal signing with them as a free agent on July 7, 2000. Then in December he was traded to Philadelphia by Montreal along with Montreal's 6th round choice (Dennis Seidenberg) in the 2001 Entry Draft for Gino Odjick.

Stock returned to New York by signing as a free agent with the Rangers once again on August 23, 2001. He finally found The Number when he was claimed by Boston from New York in the Waiver Draft on September 28, 2001.

Despite his smallish stature, Stock's hard-nosed style of play, made him a fan-favorite with every team he played with.

Julien Vauclair - D - Ottawa Senators

Julien Vauclair played exactly one game in the NHL. On October 25, 2003 Vauclair put on The Number and logged 12 minutes and 48 seconds of ice time for the Ottawa Senators against the Montreal Canadians.

Vauclair was drafted in the 3rd round (74th overall) by the Ottawa Senators in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

Here Vauclair delivers a check against the Buffalo Sabres in a preseason game.

Kyle Wellwood - C - Toronto Maple Leafs

Kyle Wellwood sports The Number in this November 24, 2006 game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Wellwood got the scoring going on this night at 1:03 of the first period on his fifth foal of the year (assists going to Nik Antropov and Alexei Ponikarovsky). The Maple Leafs went on to thump the Capitals 7 to 1.

Wellwood was drafted in the 5th round (134th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He was waived by the Maple Leafs in June of this year only to be signed the next day by the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks however waived Wellwood yesterday.

Mikhail Yakubov - C - Florida Panthers

Photo by Graig Abel

As the hockey season gets on its way once again this year, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some guys who have sported The Number on their sweater. Here is Mikhail Yakubov of the Florida Panthers skating against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the NHL game at Air Canada Centre on April 11, 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Toronto won 6-5.

Yakubov was drafted 10th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft. He is currently playing for Cherepovets Severstal in Russia.

Iggy Del Carre - K - Big Piney Punchers

Sporting The Number, Big Piney kicker Iggy Del Carre came up one yard short of a touchdown on a fake field goal in the 1st quarter of the 2006 Wyoming Class A Semifinals against Glenrock (November 3, 2006).

However, Iggy and The Number came back strong to kick a field goal with 4:29 left in the 3rd quarter to give the Punchers a 3-0 lead. Big Piney defeated Glenrock 16 to 0 to move on to the State Championship Game where they defeated Tongue River 21 to 18 on November 11, 2006 at Dayton, Wyoming.

Texas Stadium - Irving, Texas

Section 11, Row 42 - Texas Stadium - Irving, Texas - Home of the Dallas Cowboys. 2008 will be the Cowboys last year at Texas Stadium. In 2009, they will move to their new home in nearby Arlington, Texas.

Anthony Henry - CB - Dallas Cowboys

Anthony Henry is a cornerback out of South Florida. He was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played with the Browns from 2001 through 2004 before signing with the Dallas Cowboys.

Here Henry is shown sporting The Number in a game on October 5, 2008 against the Cincinnati Bengals at Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas.

Here Henry flights off the block to bring down the Bengal's Cedric Benson.

Henry lines up opposite Chad Ocho Cinco (Johnson). Henry finished the game with 4 solo tackles.