And the beat goes on for the second half of the 2004 U.S. stamp program.

Earlier we reviewed the first segment of the Postal Service schedule — from January to May. Now the remainder — June to December 2004. The first June issuance will hail the Summer Olympic Games to be held in Athens, Greece. It will feature a pane of 20 stamps portraying athletes in action.

In August, there will be a stamp that pays tribute to James Baldwin, one of Americas foremost writers and a leader in the civil rights movement. It is the 20th stamp in the Literary Arts series. Another August release marks the 50th anniversary of the USS Constellation (above), the last all-sail-powered warship built by the U.S. Navy and the last Civil War era naval vessel still afloat.

September will feature a pane of 10 stamps with photos of American Indian artifacts. The sickle cell disease awareness stamp in September continues a tradition by the USPS of raising public awareness of health and social issues.

October is the busiest month. Included in the lineup are a set of 15 stamps picturing cloudscapes; a stamp hailing award-winning dramatist and director Moss Hart; four stamps featuring painted glass ornaments as decorations for the Christmas holidays; a religious stamp illustrating “Madonna and Child” by Lorenzo Monaco; plus new versions of the Kwanzaa and Hanukkah celebration stamps.