The Geopolitics of Israel: Biblical and Modern, from STRATFOR. Also, a SAXI feline (no, it's not who you think of...): The Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor). World-class maximum cards from my friend "Tangorn" (Israel)

Please read about Israel:
http://app.response.stratfor.com/e/es.aspx?s=1483&e=290046&elq=f0bd9bf94b1c4615915f09dde1dc2c13

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"The Persian leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasica) is the largest leopard subspecies, and native to eastern Turkey, the Caucasus mountains, northern Iran, southern Turkmenistan and parts of western Afghanistan. It is endangered throughout its range in the Middle East with fewer than 871-1,290 mature individuals and a declining population trend.^[1]"

^"The Russian explorer Satunin first described the Caucasian leopard P.p. ciscaucasica in 1914 from a specimen in the Kuban region of North Caucasus.^[4] 

In the 1920s, the British zoologist Pocock collected specimens from different areas of Persia and described them as Persian leopard P.p. saxicolor in 1927, though recognizing the similarity to P.p. ciscaucasica.^[5] 

Today, these names are considered synonyms.^[6]"

"The Persian leopard is a flag-ship species. 

Its presence is a sign of the health of the entire ecosystem."

"The leopards are threatened by poaching, depletion of their prey base due to poaching, human disturbance such as presence of military and training of troops in border areas, habitat loss due to deforestation, fire, agricultural expansion, overgrazing, and infrastructure development.^[9]

In Iran, primary threats are habitat disturbances followed by illegal hunting and excess of livestock in the leopard habitats. 

The leopards' chances for survival outside protected areas appear very slim.^[22]"

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panthera_pardus_saxicolor}

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_Leopard

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Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

Please visit: http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/ (wait until Beth posts the today's Linky tool for the meme, then make your entry, if you want to join).

Not a White Caucasian, and not a BLACK CAUCUSian either - a spotted CISCAUCASIAN. The Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus ciscaucasica) - WWF maximum cards / maxicards / dorincards from Azerbaijan

"Smile, you're on camera!"

"In Azerbaijan

Leopards are present in the Talysh Mountains in the far southeast, where their habitat is continuous with that on the Iranian side of Talysh Mountains. Only very few individuals survive in the Ilisu State Reserve in the northwest.^[9]

Despite occasional sightings, it was not clear whether leopards had been extinct in Azerbaijan by the late 1990s, until a specimen was camera-trapped in March 2007 in the Hirkan State Reserve/Hirkan National Park."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_leopard

More cool images and info about The Persian Leopard here:

http://dorincard.blogspot.com/search?q=persian+leopard

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucus

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Other Caucasian news: the likes of Julius (photo below) would not be scared by The Ciscaucasian Leopard.

But that panther is the largest sub-species of leopard!

Ponder that, Julius, next time you charge a feline like that. 

Pardus won't pardon you.

The Guardian

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CaucasianOvcharka-Julius.jpg

"The Caucasian Shepherd Dog (Azerbaijani: Qafqaz Iti, Georgian კავკასიური ნაგაზი"Kavkasiuri nagazi") is a breed of dog that is popular in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Southern Russia and Northern Caucasus."

"Caucasian Shepherds are typically assertive, brave, alert, strong, hardy and courageous to a fault. 

They are truly second to none in their bellicosity towards strangers. 

Unless properly socialised, they may exhibit unmanageable tendencies. 

They seldom have time for strangers (but will greet family friends warmly) and have extremely powerful guarding instincts. 

Everything and everyone who belongs to the family, including children, cats, other dogs, etc. will be regarded by this dog as part of its family and as such will fall under its guardianship."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_Shepherd_Dog

What is a Caucasian?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_race

"Race and physical characteristics

Human skin color vary for different populations. 

The leading explanation is that skin colour adapts to sunlight intensities which produce vitamin D deficiency or ultraviolet light damage to folic acid.^[36] 

Other hypotheses include protection from ambient temperature, infections, skin cancer or frostbite, an alteration in food, and sexual selection.^[37] 

The gene that causes light skin color in Europeans is different from the gene that causes light skin in East Asians. 

Europeans have a different version of the SLC24A5 than East Asians possibly indicating that they evolved light skin independently.^[38]

The most widely used human racial categories are based on various combinations of visible traits such as skin color, eye shape and hair texture. 

However, some argue that many of these traits are non-concordant in that they are not necessarily expressed together. 

For example, skin color and hair texture vary independently.^[39] 

Some examples of non-concordance include:

• Skin color varies all over the world in different populations.
• Epicanthal fold are typically associated with East Asian populations but are found in populations all over the world, including many Native Americans, the Khoisan, the Sami, and even amongst some isolated groups such as the Andamanese.
• Lighter hair colors are typically associated with Europeans, especially Northern Europeans, but blond hair is found amongst a limited, small number of the dark skinned populations of the south pacific, particularly the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

Others argue that this is just an example of Lewontin's Fallacy. 

On the contrary, if several traits are looked at the same time, then today forensic anthropologists can classify a person's race with an accuracy close to 100% based on only skeletal remains."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_genetics

Republic of Azerbaijan Azərbaycan Respublikası
Flag Emblem
Anthem: Azərbaycan marşı (English: March of Azerbaijan)
Location of Azerbaijan
Capital (and largest city)		Baku 40°25′N 49°50′E
Official language(s)		Azerbaijani
Demonym		Azerbaijani
Government		Presidential republic
-	President	Ilham Aliyev
-	Prime Minister	Artur Rasizade
Statehood formation
-	Atabegs of Azerbaijan	1135
-	Azerbaijan Democratic Republic	28 May 1918
-	Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic	28 April 1920
-	Independence from the Soviet Union Declared Completed	30 August 1991 18 October 1991
Area
-	Total	86,600 km2 (113th) 33,436 sq mi
-	Water (%)	1.6%
Population
-	2010 estimate	9,122,000[1] (90th)
-	1999 census	7,953,438
-	Density	103/km2 (104th) 264.1/sq m

"Azerbaijan (ⁱ /ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒɑːn/ az-ər-by-jahn; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan), officially theRepublic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası) is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. 

Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe,^[4]it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south. 

The exclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, while having a short borderline with Turkey to the northwest.

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the first democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world,^[5][6][7] was established in 1918, but was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920.^[8][9]Azerbaijan regained independence in 1991. 

Shortly thereafter, during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, neighboring Armenia occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, its surrounding territories and the enclaves of Karki, Yukhary Askipara, Barkhudarly and Sofulu. 

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic continues to be not diplomatically recognized by any nation and is still considered a de jure part of Azerbaijan, but has been de facto independent since the end of the war.^{[10][11][12][13]}

Azerbaijan, a nation with a majority Turkic^[14][15] and Shia^[16] population, is a secular and a unitary republic with an ancient and historic cultural heritage. 

Azerbaijan is one of the six independent Turkic states as well as the active members of the Turkic Council and theTÜRKSOY community."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijan

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Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

Please visit: http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/ (wait until Beth posts the today's Linky tool for the meme, then make your entry, if you want to join).