The sender is a devoted fan of FC Energie Cottbus, a German football club that has moved between the 2. Bundesliga and 3. Liga, the second and third tiers of German football. The club’s history dates back to 1963, when it was founded as SC Cottbus in East Germany. In 1966, it became BSG Energie Cottbus, the predecessor of today’s FC Energie Cottbus. The club has struggled with a history of far-right extremism among some of its supporters, particularly within its ultra and fan groups. In 2005, the group Inferno Cottbus displayed an antisemitic banner during a match against Dynamo Dresden. In 2012, members of the same group arranged letters to form the Nazi slogan “Sieg Heil” during an away match against FC St. Pauli. Other incidents involving racist and antisemitic chants, Nazi salutes, and extremist symbols continued in subsequent years.  In response, a group of supporters formed Energiefans gegen Nazis ( Energie Fans Against Nazis ) in 2017. The group has worked to challenge far-...

The sender lives in Renton, but the card comes from Port Orchard, Washington. Port Orchard is a city of approximately 17 000 people located about 20 kilometres west of Seattle. The Mosquito Fleet Fest is a street fair and maritime exhibition named after the historic Mosquito Fleet, a network of small ferries that once served communities around Puget Sound. The relatively new festival began in 2024 and takes place around Memorial Day in late May. Two of the region’s oldest surviving vessels, Carlisle II and Virginia V , host vendors, live entertainment, contests, sailings, and exhibits.

The sender of this card lives in Oakland, California, but writes that he is a native Hawaiian. The card comes from the Polynesian Cultural Center, located in Laie, on the island of Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi. The centre is owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is a family-oriented cultural attraction and living museum. The centre features eight simulated Polynesian villages where performers demonstrate traditional arts, crafts, and cultural practices from across Polynesia. Many of its employees are students at nearby Brigham Young University–Hawaii. Nearly 700,000 people visit the centre each year.

This card features a pointillist painting by Quint Buchholz (born 1957), a German painter, illustrator, and author. He is known for his colourful paintings, which draw on the techniques and motifs of magical realism. He has also illustrated numerous books and written several children’s books, earning a number of awards for his work. The illustration featured on this card is entitled Der Flug ( The Flight ).

Hardin is about 530 kilometres from where I live. This city of approximately 3800 people is located east of Billings, Montana. It was named after Samuel Hardin (1846–1921), a friend of developer Charles Henry Morrill. In 1937, the Holly Sugar Corporation established a sugar beet processing plant in Hardin. Hardin is located just north of the Crow Indian Reservation, which was established in 1868. The Crow Tribe has approximately 11,000 enrolled members, about 7,900 of whom live on the reservation. Crow is spoken as a first language by approximately 20 per cent of the population.

The sender of this postcard is a scientist working in an oceanography program who lives in Orlando, Florida. The card features a photograph taken at Waimea Bay on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, during the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, commonly known as The Eddie . The tournament honours Eddie Aikau (1946–1978), a champion big-wave surfer and lifeguard at Waimea Bay. During his time as a lifeguard, he rescued more than 500 people. The Eddie is one of the world’s most prestigious big-wave surfing competitions, but it is held only when the ocean conditions are right. Waves must reach a minimum face height of about 9.1 metres (30 feet), with some reaching 12 metres (40 feet) or more. The event can attract tens of thousands of spectators to Waimea Bay. The competition has a holding period from December 7 to March 6. Organizers, staff, and volunteers must be ready to put on the event with as little as two days’ notice if suitable waves arrive during that window. By the end of 2024, The Eddie had been ...