Merry Christmas! :) Santa Claus comes now with only two reindeer, due to the recession?

 

See more wintertime, etc. postmarks here: http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll201/dorincard/Postmarks/#!cpZZ10QQtppZZ12

==================

Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

Please visit: http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/

"BBC: African elephant is two species, researchers say". Also, Part 2: The African Bush Elephant (Loxodonta africana) - maximum card/ maxicard/ dorincard from the Republic of South Africa, and WWF maxicards about Uganda

Thank you, my friend Fi from Jo'burg [Johannesburg, RSA], for creating this UNICATE (only 1 in the world in this configuration, AFAIK= "as far as I know") maxicard specially for me! 

You have chosen the perfect position of the postmark on the postcard, when you handcancelled "under the supervision"/ "in front of" the cooperating postal clerk from the village of Krugersdorp. :)

Isn't it cool when the postmark is really visible?

WWF maxicards about Uganda

Please read: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12054343#

"The African Elephant is the largest living terrestrial animal, normally reaching 6 to 7.3 metres (19.7 to 24.0 ft) in length and 3 to 3.5 metres (9.8 to 11.5 ft) in height at the head, and weighing between 6,000 to 9,000 kg (13,000 to 20,000 lb).

The largest on record, shot in Angola in 1965, was a bull weighing 12,274 kg (27,060 lb) and standing 4.2 metres (13.8 ft) high, the body of which is now mounted in the rotunda of the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.. (The museum's website states that the specimen weighs only 8 tons^[4].) The Bush Elephant normally moves at a rate of 6 km/h (4 mph), but it can reach a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) when scared or upset."

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

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Loxodonta_africana

Dentition (or lack of proper dentition) may be hazardous to you:

The last set of [molar] teeth last approximately until the age of 65–70. 

"Not much later, the animal dies of starvation from not being able to feed correctly. There are known cases of over 80 year old specimens in captivity."

A male elephant is called a BULL elephant.  And you thought that bullshit is always a bad thing ("that's bullshit" = "that's bad/ false/ useless!" - right?)

"These animals typically ingest an average of 225 kg of vegetable matter daily, which is defecated without being fully digested. That, combined with the long distances that they can cover daily in search of more food, contributes notably to the dispersion of many plant seeds that germinate in the middle of a nutrient-filled feces mound."

"Elephants also drink great quantities of water, over 190 liters per day."

You can talk all you want, but can YOU emit infrasounds?

"Mating happens when the female becomes receptive [MY NOTE: raping is not an option here], an event that can occur anytime during the year. When she is ready, she starts emitting infrasounds that attract the males, sometimes from kilometers away. The adult males start arriving at the herd during the following days and begin fighting, causing some injuries and even broken tusks. The female shows her acceptance of the victor by rubbing her body against his. They mate, and then both go their own way. After 22 months of gestation (the longest among mammals), the female gives birth to a single 90 cm high calf which weighs more than 100 kg. The baby feeds on the mothers milk until the age of 5, but also eats solid food from as early as 6 months old. Just a few days after birth, the calf can follow the herd by foot."

If you MUSTH know:

"Although it has often been speculated by zoo visitors[1] that musth is linked to rut, it is unlikely there is a biological connection because the female elephant's estrus cycle is not seasonally-linked, whereas musth most often takes place in winter. Furthermore, bulls in musth have often been known to attack female elephants, regardless of whether or not the females are in heat. There has been speculation that there may be a connection between musth and dominance behaviour.

Often, elephants in musth discharge a thick tar-like secretion called temporin from the temporal ducts on the sides of the head. Temporin remains largely uncharacterised, due to the difficulties of collecting samples for analysis; however, secretions and urine collected from zoo elephants have been shown to contain elevated levels of various highly odorous ketones and aldehydes. The elephant's aggression may be partially caused by a reaction to the temporin, which naturally trickles down into the elephant's mouth. Another contributing factor may be the accompanying swelling of the temporal glands; this presses on the elephant's eyes and causes acute pain comparable to severe root abscess toothache. Elephants sometimes try to counteract this pain by digging their tusks into the ground.

An African elephant chases a giraffe during musth.

Musth is linked to sexual arousal or establishing dominance, but this relationship is far from clear. Cases of elephants goring and killing rhinoceroses in national parks in Africa have been documented and attributed to musth in young male elephants, especially those growing in the absence of older males. Studies show that reintroducing older males into the elephant population of the area seems to prevent younger males from entering musth, and therefore, stop this aggressive behavior.^[2][3]"

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

"BBC: African elephant is two species, researchers say". Also, Part 1: zazzle personalized stamp that I created, depicting The African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

http://www.zazzle.com/african_forest_elephant_loxodonta_cyclotis_postage-172841520443678126?rf=238693463283865848

"The African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is a forest dwelling elephant of the Congo Basin. Formerly considered either a synonym or a subspecies of the African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana), a 2010 study established that the two are distinct species^[2][3]. The disputed Pygmy Elephants of the Congo basin, often assumed to be a separate species (Loxodonta pumilio) by cryptozoologists, are probably Forest Elephants whose diminutive size and/or early maturity is due to environmental conditions.^[4]"

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

Please read: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12054343#

"WAGSTAFF: A Voice vs. An Echo." Also, a set of dorincards with Audrey Hepburn, a most classy Lady of the silver screen

I like and I follow this screenwriting blog, by Stephen Hoover:
WAGSTAFF: A Voice vs. An Echo

"True artists have their D.N.A. imprinted on their masterworks.   You can recognize the work of a master painter immediately.   Same with a writer.   Rare are unique voices -- distinct and resonating -- in any artistic field."


We should work at finding and expressing our voices.
:)
============================

This is a traditional maximum card, but can you decipher the postmark?

Out of sheer desperation, I decided some time ago to also create (occasionally) maxicards with labels (either white or transparent) so we can see the dam(ned) darn postmarks.

http://www.zazzle.com/what_stamp_postage-172780532697535446?rf=238693463283865848

You think that's CURSING?

http://www.zazzle.com/i_dont_think_so_postage-172747464236221795?rf=238693463283865848

http://www.zazzle.com/now_where_was_i_before_i_got_interrupted_postage-172442505130559121?rf=238693463283865848

Oh, yeah - Audrey Hepburn.

Here she is:

http://delcampe.com/page/item/id,45129971,var,BEAUTIFUL-CLASSY-AUDREY-HEPBURN-non-traditional-maximum-card-maxicard-6,language,E.html

Can YOU see the postmark now?

http://www.zazzle.com/yep_sure_thing_postage-172043653061207202?rf=238693463283865848

http://delcampe.com/page/item/id,45129745,var,BEAUTIFUL-CLASSY-AUDREY-HEPBURN-non-traditional-maximum-card-maxicard-2,language,E.html

http://delcampe.com/page/item/id,45129962,var,BEAUTIFUL-CLASSY-AUDREY-HEPBURN-non-traditional-maximum-card-maxicard-5,language,E.html

http://delcampe.com/page/item/id,45129949,var,BEAUTIFUL-CLASSY-AUDREY-HEPBURN-non-traditional-maximum-card-maxicard-4,language,E.html

http://delcampe.com/page/item/id,45129768,var,BEAUTIFUL-CLASSY-AUDREY-HEPBURN-non-traditional-maximum-card-maxicard-3,language,E.html

Europe: The New Plan | STRATFOR - "The checkbook is not the ultimate power in the galaxy. The ultimate power comes from the law backed by a gun." Also, a maxicard about European navigation on the Danube, postmarked at Sulina, Romania

Europe: The New Plan | STRATFOR

"Northern Europe is composed of advanced technocratic economies, made possible by the capital-generating capacity of the well-watered North European Plain and its many navigable rivers (it is much cheaper to move goods via water than land, and this advantage grants nations situated on such waterways a steady supply of surplus capital)."


"Southern Europe, in comparison, suffers from an arid, rugged topography and lack of navigable rivers. This lack of rivers does more than deny them a local capital base, it also inhibits political unification; lacking clear core regions, most of these states face the political problems of the European Union in microcosm."


"Central Europe — largely former Soviet territories — have yet different rules of behavior. Some countries, like Poland, fit in well with the northern Europeans, but they require outside defense support in order to maintain their positions. The frigid weather of the Baltics limits population sizes, demoting these countries to being, at best, the economic satellites of larger powers (they’re hoping for Sweden while fearing it will be Russia). Bulgaria and Romania are a mix of north and south, sitting astride Europe’s longest navigable river yet being so far removed from the European core that their successful development may depend upon events in Turkey, a state that is not even an EU member. "


"Three complications exist, however. First, when a bailout is required, it is clearly because something has gone terribly wrong. In Greece’s case, it was out-of-control government spending with no thought to the future; in essence, Athens took that black card and leapt straight into the economic abyss. In Ireland’s case, it was private-sector overindulgence, which bubbled the size of the financial sector to more than four times the entire country’s gross domestic product. In both cases, recovery was flat-out impossible without the countries’ eurozone partners stepping in and declaring some sort of debt holiday, and the result was a complete funding of all Greek and Irish deficit spending for three years while they get their houses in order."

Read more: Europe: The New Plan | STRATFOR 

==============

"As German Chancellor Angela Merkel put it, Germans are not going to retire at 67 so Greeks can retire at 58."

Poland stuck between Russia and Germany
written by: George Friedman, 10-Dec-10 http://www.stratfor.com

===================
A maxicard about European navigation on the Danube, postmarked at Sulina, Romania:

Snowflakes, snowflakes everywhere...Non-traditional and traditional maximum cards (MCs) from USA

Non-traditional maxicard, because the postmark is from USA, but the image is from Poiana Brasov, the premier winter sports resort in Romania.

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

Does it bother me that it's non-concordant for place?

No.

:)

I created it and I like it - it's about snowflakes, globally speaking.

Traditional maxicard - the snowflake geometry on the stamp even matches the bigger snowflake on the postcard.

Non-traditional maxicard (MC) - I have used a folded ("Greeting") card instead of a regular postcard.

Do I care that it's against "The Rules"?

Read my lips.

I don't give a...

http://www.zazzle.com/shih_tzu_postage-172946567752587229?rf=238693463283865848

==========================================

Please visit:  http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/

Orient Express Train: Romanian cover and maximum cards with joint-issue stamps Romania-Austria

Thank you, my dear friend Teodor from Romania!  Multzumesc! :)

Salzburg (Austria) Railway Station

Sinaia (Romania) Railway Station - read the placard on the train car: Venice - Simplon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Orient-express_histoire.png

"The Orient Express was the name of a long-distance passenger train service originally operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. It ran from 1883 to 2009 and is not to be confused with the Venice-Simplon Orient Express train service, which continues to run.

The route and rolling stock of the Orient Express changed many times. Several routes in the past concurrently used the Orient Express name, or slight variants thereof. Although the original Orient Express was simply a normal international railway service, the name has become synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel. The two city names most prominently associated with the Orient Express are Paris and Istanbul, the original endpoints of the timetabled service.

In 1977, the Orient Express stopped serving Istanbul. Its immediate successor, a through overnight service from Paris to Vienna, ran for the very last time from Paris on Friday, June 8, 2007. After this, the route, still called the "Orient Express", was shortened to start fromStrasbourg instead,^[1] occasioned by the inauguration of the LGV Est which affords much faster travel times from Paris to Strasbourg. The new curtailed service left Strasbourg at 22.20 daily, shortly after the arrival of a TGV from Paris, and was attached at Karlsruhe to the overnight sleeper service from Amsterdam to Vienna.

On 14 December 2009, the Orient Express ceased to operate and the route disappeared from European railway timetables, reportedly a "victim of high-speed trains and cut-rate airlines".^[2]The Venice-Simplon Orient Express train, a private venture using original carriages from the 1920s and 30s, continues to run from London to Venice and to other destinations in Europe, including the original route from Paris to Istanbul.^[3]"

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

Trains on stamps, Part 4: Stamps from USSR, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Maldives, Italy, German Democratic Republic, Federal Republic of Germany, Poland, Laos, Bhutan and Kampuchea/Cambodia.

Of all these countries represented on this stock book page, who shows the most modern trains?

Kampuchea, of course. 

Isn't Kampuchea the premier country for railway technology?

And Bhutan, a close second? 

:)

Can you spot the tramway, on this page?

Trains on stamps, Part 3: stamps from Romania, Dahomey, Guinea-Bissau...and Burkina Faso, too!

Dahomey is now Benin.

Guinea-Bissau: not Guinea, not Equatorial Guinea, not Papua-New Guinea.

Burkina Faso, the country formerly known as Upper Volta.

Romania - roughly a third of it... is a region called Transylvania. :)

That concludes our brief geo-history moment, boys and girls. :)

Trains on stamps, Part 2: SUPERB 6-stamp series + souvenir sheet, from Liberia!

This is one of my most favorite stamp series from my collection!

You don't have to be a train fan(atic) to like this. :)

It's more than "some trains on stamps" - it's also a glimpse into other cultures, other historical periods, looking at those people and their dresses.

This excellently-drawn and designed stamps series was probably NOT manufactured by "the good, crafty people" of Liberia.

Like so many other stamps, they were probably manufactured in another country, wherever the philatelic agent/contractor saw fit to do it.

If you know the truth about it, tell us! :)

Trains on stamps, Part 1: Stamps from Cuba, and one from Nicaragua. From my Showcase Collection (not Specialized Collection)

For me, the best way to enjoy collecting stamps (for educational purposes, not as a financial investment), is by creating a Showcase Collection: at least one stamp (simple, or on cover, or maximum card, etc.) from EVERY subject, theme, topic that interests me or others.

Why a Showcase Collection? 

"For the love of the game"...to promote this hobby - philately. Promoting online and offline.

I also have Specialized Collections, such as "Wild mammals on maximum cards".

For example, I'm not interested in yachting, but I'll keep at least one such stamp, for educational/illustrative purposes.

I'm not saying that I BUY all those stamps: some come free (not "for free" - pleonasm) from various sources.

So I am not spending much, even for those that I buy.

In fact, nowadays I mainly buy maximum cards - on the rare occasions when I buy anything.

Many of the stamps from my Showcase Collection are inexpensive CTOs (cancelled-to-order, valuing at about 25% of a mint stamp), from the days of my youth in Romania.

I am mildly interested in trains on stamps, but I kept a few of those that crossed my path.

In the above image from my stock book of stamps, notice a "stamps on stamps" series. In the lower left corner, there's a depiction of a stamp from the series exemplified by a stamp from that original series.

See that?