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For CBS Radio Network stations November 29-30, 2003:

Crass Commercialism

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

I don't know how many people on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent have ever read Playboy, 
but the magazine is being honored with six stamps. The occasion is Playboy's 50th 
anniversary.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is one of those countries that likes to issue pop-culture 
postage stamps. It's about twice the size of Washington, D-C.

But wait -- before we get too holier-than-thou about crass commercialism....let's look at 
some upcoming U-S stamps. 

The U-S is going to issue one or more Disney stamps next year, to celebrate Mickey Mouse's 
75th birthday -- which was THIS year, by the way. Look up "merchandising" in the dictionary 
and there's Mickey's face smiling out at you.

And then there's the new Cat In The Hat movie. Not only is the U-S issuing a stamp next 
year for Dr. Seuss -- it IS his centennial, after all -- but the Cat is helping the Postal 
Service push all its holiday mailing services.

Let he who is without sin...lick the first postage stamp!

And that's stamp collecting this week. 

I'm Lloyd de Vries, CBS News. 
************************************************************************************

[Alternate Version]

Download this report as an MP3 sound file.

Crass Commercialism? 

I don't know how many people on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent have ever read Playboy, 
but the magazine is being honored with six stamps. The occasion is Playboy's 50th 
anniversary.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is one of those countries that likes to issue pop-culture 
postage stamps. It's about twice the size of Washington, D-C, with about a fifth the 
population.

But wait - before we get too holier-than-thou about crass commercialism....let's look at 
some upcoming U-S stamps. 

Henry Mancini scored the Pink Panther movies, and there's a stamp next year for the composer 
that includes the Pink Panther character...and it JUST HAPPENS that there may be a new Pink 
Panther movie soon.

The U-S is going to issue one or more Disney stamps next year, to celebrate Mickey Mouse's 
75th birthday -- which was last month, by the way. Look up "merchandising" in the dictionary a
nd there's Mickey's face smiling out at you.

And then there's the new Cat In The Hat movie. Not only is the U-S issuing a stamp next year 
for Dr. Seuss -- it IS his centennial, after all -- but the Cat is helping the Postal Service 
push all its holiday mailing services.

Let he who is without sin...lick the first postage stamp!

I'm Lloyd de Vries

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