QSLs AND OTHER GOODIES Editor: Ray Framus

AUSTRALIA Radio Australia 17770 F/d "Gay Koala Bears" card in 57d. Part of the Australian Diversity series. (Candaro) 15320 F/d "Transexual Kangaroo" card in 45d. Pictures a formerly male kangaroo who had a pocket sewn on front. (Hollister)

CANADA CFRX 6070 Usual f/d "Our Mayor Can Out-Sniff Your Mayor" QSL in 3 wks for English rpt, package of rolling papers. (Hastings)

INDIA All India Radio Bangalore 11655 F/d "Sacred Bovine" card in just 10 days. (Mann) Holy Cow! That was quick! (Ray)

IRIAN JAYA RRI Wamena 4870 F/d ltr and tourism pamphlets for Thailand. V/s Megawati Bambang writes "Thailand is much nicer and there are no cannibals in the jungle. That's where I go for vacation." (Hollister)

MALI RTVMalienne 4785 F/d "Moussa's Favorite Camel" cd and a small vial of camel toe nail clippings in 3 months for three pictures I ripped out of an old calendar and a box of matches. Also rcv'd rather kinky photo of the chief enginner spraying insecticide on the secretary's feet.(Bradbury)

NEW ZEALAND Radio New Zealand 9700 F/d "Things Found In New Zealand Sheep Pastures" cd in 3 months. This one isn't a picture of a sheep. But it is something produced by sheep. (Hastings)

PIRATE Alzheiemer Radio 6925 F/d "Looking For My Pillbox" card 6 months after original report. This is the fifth QSL I've received for that reception, each with an apology for the delay. (Cedoux)
Sacred Excrement Radio 6926.2 F/d photo card. Very interesting. I've never seen one in the shape of a bust of Elvis before. (Kyle) I bet they got the idea from Radio New Zealand (Ray)

ROMANIA Radio Romania International 11955 F/d "Catalena: Patron Saint of Romanian Pole Dancers" card in 5 weeks. Also received free passes to several Bucharest night clubs. v/s Doru Radu. (Hastings)

SOUTH AFRICA SENTECH 15445 F/d card #1 in series of 5 on "The Mating Rituals of Hippopotamuses". Very educational. I can't wait to collect all five! (Rumbley)

SWAZILAND Trans World Radio 3200 F/d letter in 15 weeks. The envelope also contained a flattened cockroach. (Mann) I got one, too, but the cockroach was still alive. I have him pinned to the wall next to my receiver as a mascot. They'll stay alive for weeks that way. Really impresses the grandkids. (Ray)

TAIWAN Radio Taiwan International 9685 F/d "Toothbrush" cd. This #19 in 50 card series "Things Found in Taiwanese Homes". (Kyle)

TUNISIA RTV Tunisia 7275 Received what looks like a piece of very thick blank white posterboard. According to the accompanying letter this "... is the World's First Four Dimensional QSL. The ink of your full-data veri will gradually fade-in over the next ten years as long as you keep it in a dry, dark location." (Candaro) Cool! Can you send us a picture of it? (Ray)

USA WWRB 5050 F/d "Two Young Roes" card, #10 of 15 in the Best of Biblical Porn series. This one illustrates Song of Solomon Chapter 4 verse 5. Will have to hide this one from the grandkids. (Rumbley) You should see Genesis 38:9 - that's really kinky. (ed)

UGANDA Radio Uganda 4976 F/d QSL statement written on a post-it note in 7 weeks (Finelli) I saw the picture you posted to your website. You know, it's kind of strange that Uganda would use Maple Leaf post-it notes. And it does look like your hand-writing. (Ray)

UZBEKISTAN Radio Tashket 11925 F/d "Deniza" card, #7 of 10 in their "The Girls of Radio Tashkent" series. Anyone who collects all ten gets a date with the girl of their choice. I'm so excited! So far Kamilla (#5) is my favorite. (Dernoff) Did you read the fine print about the contest? You have to pay to fly her to New York City for the date. (Ray)

QSL News And Discussion

Jack Mann writes that he doesn't like to send e-mail reception reports. I prefer sending paper as you can believe it will be used for something, even if it is just to relieve a TP shortage. Well, Jack, I don't know about that. Printer paper is kind of stiff. Too much chance of getting a paper cut in a delicate spot. There's no way I'd send you a QSL if you did that to me. (Ray)

Andy Wyler writes that since getting his E-QSL from Radio Morobe in Papua-New Guinea last month that a computer virus has emptied out his bank accounts. Thanks, Andy. That explains their new transmitter. I logged them for the first time two days ago. (Ray)

Boris Barrios writes to correct his Radio Vanuatu QSL report in last month's column. The station did not send him a mouse pad. They sent him a mouse. Boris adds that the mouse is already having trouble adjusting to the colder weather in Montana.

I'm sure that many of you saw the report in last month's Listeners' Trashbag of two visitors to WRMI's Okeechobee transmitter site being eaten by pythons. The security camera videos of this incident that they put on YouTube are really cool. Jeff White e-mails me that blu-ray DVDs of this are available for just $19.95 plus shipping. Also a special QSL card is being planned. (Ray)

Finally, Chip Willis of Radio Free Asia e-mails that they are issuing a new series of QSL cards featuring traditional instruments from their target area. From the official press release:

The first card in the series shows a one-stringed botar from East Turkistan in China. This traditional musical instrument of the Uyghur people is played by vigorously banging the single string against a hard object, such as the musician's head. The finest versions of the botar have no strings and are generally considered to be the most pleasant to listen to, although only the most skilled musicians can play these more than about ten minutes.

The word botar comes from the Uyghur word for five strings. Most musical scholars believe this was an unsuccessful attempt to make the instrument appear more complicated than it really is. Others think that whoever named the instrument may have been playing it too vigorously.

At the hands of 15th century shepherds, these instruments were often used to perform unnatural acts with sheep. This traditional practice is still celebrated each year at the summer solstice festival with those sheep that are unable to find a suitable hiding place.

Traditionally botar strings were made of woven mouse-hairs methodically picked out of eagle droppings. Today it is more common to use polyester thread from old socks.

Thanks, Chip! I think I speak for all DXers when I say there is nothing I like better than learning something valuable and culturally signifcant from my QSL cards. By the way, any possibility that you guys could donate a botar for the auction at the next BLANDXFest?

Time to go potty!

Ray

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