My fellow Americans: ask what VARIOUS news media outlets can do for you. "International forces bombard targets in Libya" - Africa - Al Jazeera English. Also, "The Libyan War of 2011" from STRATFOR. Also, "resting in a hollow scraped out in the sand": The Rhim Gazelle (Gazella leptoceros), also known as the Slender-horned Gazelle or the Sand Gazelle. WWF maxicards from Libya!

International forces bombard targets in Libya - Africa - Al Jazeera English

http://www.stratfor.com/analysis/20110319-libyan-war-2011?utm_source=SpecialReport&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=110319a&utm_content=readmore&elq=1621940155e343128d7d68bfd40afe8a

"The Rhim Gazelle (Gazella leptoceros), also known as the Slender-horned Gazelle or the Sand Gazelle, is a slender-horned gazelle, most adapted to desert life. There are fewer than 2500 in wild."

"The palest of the gazelles, this animal has adapted to desert life in many ways. Their pale coat reflects the sun's rays instead of absorbing them, and their hooves are slightly enlarged to help them walk on the sand, although occasionally they occupy stony regions. The horns on the male are slender and slightly S-shaped, and the horns donned by the female are even thinner and lighter, and they don't curve as drastically."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slender-horned_Gazelle

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

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

Happy Sunday Stamps meme!

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

The proposed theme for March 20 is anything Irish, or green...

Well, here's the funny, true story of a high school student from Romania who knew "all about ants", and "nothing about anything else", for an upcoming written biology exam.

The subject given at the exam was PACHIDERMS.

Another student whispered to him "that's about elephants!".

Dumbfounded, our student started to wing it:

"The elephant is an animal with, uh, four legs...two ears...and... uh, two eyes.

Ah! The eyes are very good!

With his eyes, the elephant sees...THE ANTS!!!

Now, as far as the ants are concerned...."

And then he spilled ALL  his expertise about ants...:)

Here, as a GREEN element for this meme, I'll say that Sahara was once a green place, with luxuriant vegetation, according to some experts.

Now, as far as Sahara is concerned, one of the animal species that lives there is...the one shown above! :)

Not a true spider, but a true swinger: Geoffroy's Spider Monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) also known as Black-handed Spider Monkey. WWF maximum cards / maxicards / dorincards from Honduras. Postmark says Tegucigalpa.

"Geoffroy's Spider Monkey, Ateles geoffroyi, also known as Black-handed Spider Monkey,[3] is a species of spider monkey, a type of New World monkey, from Central America, parts of Mexico and possibly a small portion of Colombia. There are at least five subspecies. Some primatologists classify the Black-headed Spider Monkey, A. fusciceps, found in Panama, Colombia and Ecuador as the same species as Geoffroy's Spider Monkey.
It is one of the largest New World monkeys, often weighing as much as 9 kilograms. Its arms are significantly longer than its legs, and it has a prehensile tail that can support the entire weight of the monkey and that is used as an extra limb. Its hands have only a vestigial thumb, but long, strong hook-like fingers. These adaptations allow the monkey to move by swinging by its arms beneath the tree branches."

"females are sometimes mistaken for males by human observers.<sup>[15]"


"Although they do not use tools, spider monkeys, including Geoffroy's Spider Monkey, are regarded as intelligent primates. 


A study performed in 2007 concluded that spider monkeys were the third most intelligent non-human primate, behind only orang-utans and chimpanzees, and ahead of gorillas and all other monkeys.[22] 


This mental capacity may be an adaptation to spider monkeys' frugivorous diets, which require them to be able to identify and memorize many different types of foods and their locations.[23]"


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffroy%27s_Spider_Monkey</sup>

A pink element in the above picture would be the lips/mouth of the baby monkey in the lower-left image, I guess. :)

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

Happy Pink Saturday!

^{Please visit "Pretty in pink"/ "Show us your pink" [objects, that is :)] meme here:}

^{http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/}

What mammal has the most colorful face in the world? The world's largest species of monkey: The Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx). WWF maximum cards / maxicards / dorincards about Equatorial Guinea.

What mammal has the most colorful face in the world? 
Besides some Hollywood "queens", "drag queens" and "whatnot"?
Not a Drill Sergeant.

"The mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) is a primate of the Cercopithecidae (Old-world monkeys) family,[3] closely related to the baboons and even more closely to the Drill.
Both the mandrill and the drill were once classified as baboons in genus Papio, but recent research has determined that they should be separated into their own genus, Mandrillus.[3]
The mandrill is the world's largest species of monkey."

Unlike the humans:
"The mandrill is recognized by its olive-colored fur and the colorful face and rump of males, a coloration that grows stronger with sexual maturity; females have duller colours. 
This coloration becomes more pronounced as the monkey becomes excited and is likely to be an example of sexual selection. 
The coloration on the rump is thought to enhance visibility in the thick vegetation of the rainforest and aids in group movement."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandrill

Seeing is believing.

Image is everything.

What you see is what you get.

Show me the [money?].

Look at the upper right maximum card: notice that the face is NOT the only body part that is brightly colored.

Also, notice the huge canine teeth!

There have been documented cases when a coordinated gang of several muscular males have had enough testosterone-induced courage, aggressivity and stamina to counterattack and kill a powerful leopard!

Eat it, too, while they were at it.

The trick is that they attacked simultaneously, not just one at a time.

"One-at-a-time Attack Rule

Ebert also refers to the One-at-a-time Attack Rule "In any situation where the hero is alone, surrounded by dozens of bad guys, they will always obligingly attack one at a time."^[1] This can traditionally be observed in many martial arts movies. During a typical fight, the hero will engage against one opponent. Upon knocking that man out, another will attack. The surplus enemies will circle the fighting pair striking fearsome poses, indicating willingness to fight at a second's notice, yet be unwilling to help the current aggressor attack the hero. The real world reason for this is that if the hero is simultaneously swarmed on all sides by enemies, it becomes difficult for the film director to frame the fight scene while still having an unobstructed shot of the action."

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

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

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

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).

YOU (yes, YOU, my reader here and now) should have started your personal contingency plan long ago! Anyway, here are some good ideas for you to implement now, before your next emergency strikes. Read:Taming Chaos with a Personal Plan | STRATFOR. Also, I show you a nice Boy Scouts maximum card / maxicard / dorincard from my good friend Terry (USA).

Please read, think about it, and DO something about it.
It may save your life, and the lives of significant others around you, even as far as some "dear, dear friend in Argentina", or something.
[Governor, you know who you are.]

Do you have scouting experience and skills, to survive off-road, in the wilderness, if necessary?
You better learn a thing or two. Or more.

Taming Chaos with a Personal Plan | STRATFOR

I called zazzle.com 1-888-8ZAZZLE and here's how YOU (wherever you live in the world) can design zazzle personalized stamps, sell, buy, and receive them. Tips and tricks. News you can use. Read carefully!

UPDATE 16 MARCH 2011

I spoke on the phone 1-888-8ZAZZLE (1-888-892-9953)with Jillina @zazzle, and she checked with her supervisor.

Zazzle stamps can ONLY be shipped 

to an US address!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The best procedure is this:

1) you can design zazzle personalized stamps (gratis, not to say the redundant "for free") by registering at zazzle.com (the main US website of Zazzle), regardless of where in the world you reside.

Put them in the Public Gallery so you can receive royalty payments (thru PayPal or check) from Zazzle, should your products find buyers!

2) you can order zazzle stamps ONLY from zazzle.com (not the regional zazzle portals!), regardless of where in the world is your billing address associated with your credit card.

3) you can ONLY receive those stamps at an address in USA! 

So you better get a partner/friend in USA! :)

I don't say BUY any of these creations of mine; I say LOOK at them, get some hints and inspiration, if at all, and then you can create your own, even sell, buy...

make custom gifts at Zazzle

Read from rt.com: BREAKING NEWS - Japan on nuclear standby. Also, I show you a postcard with a cute fox kitten from Hokkaido. Did you know that some Zoo animals are very agitated right before an earthquake?

Read from rt.com: http://rt.com/news/japan-nuclear-standby/

My most favorite news source is BBC, but look at the ascent of Russia TV http://rt.com !
Intieresnii...:)

South Korea is helping Japan with almost all its reserve of boric acid.
"Japan’s Defense Ministry decided to use helicopters and fire trucks to spray water and boric acid to prevent further radiation leaks and to cool down the reactors. But the operation had to be aborted due to high radiation levels over the facility.

Japan has requested boric acid from South Korea. Seoul on Wednesday said it would provide 53 tons of the acid, which amounts to almost all the country has, except for a quantity for domestic use."

http://rt.com/news/japan-nuclear-standby/

Speaking about the Chernobyl Disaster, what happened to the wildlife in that area?

"In reality, radioactivity at the level associated with the Chornobyl meltdown does have discernible, negative impacts on plant and animal life [4,5]. However, the benefit of excluding humans from this highly contaminated ecosystem appears to outweigh significantly any negative cost associated  with Chornobyl radiation [8]. Therein lies the often paradoxical relationship between ecological and human health risk considerations. "

"The observation that typical human activity (industrialization, farming, cattle raising, collection of firewood, hunting, etc.) is more devastating to biodiversity and abundance  of  local flora and fauna than is the worst nuclear power plant disaster validates the negative impact the exponential growth of human populations has on wildlife. 

If the world cannot afford to experience more nuclear disasters comparable to Chornobyl, then how much more significant is the implication that the world cannot afford to experience additional human population growth? "

http://web.archive.org/web/20031005140805/http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/chernobyl/wildlifepreserve.htm

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

Please visit and join The Guest Heart Thursday meme!

http://clytie-randomhearts.blogspot.com/

Welcome to Guest Heart Thursday -
A place to share YOUR hearts!

My entry for today is a little anatomical heart blue shape (kind of...yes, it's a stretch, but hey!) in front of the nose of this lovely Hokkaido (Japan) fox kitten (kitakitsune).

Japan, the Persian Gulf and Energy | STRATFOR. I also show you a nicely-franked cover, containing 12 superb postcards that I received in 2010 from my Japanese partner/friend Cockie

Please read this interesting article: Japan, the Persian Gulf and Energy | STRATFOR

Thank you again, Cockie!

Best wishes to the Japanese people, under such a catastrophic situation.

We should count our blessings, not our troubles...:)

Maybe you know what BONG means. How about BONGO? The Western or Lowland Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus) and The Eastern or Mountain Bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) - WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards about Ghana

"The western or lowland bongo, Tragelaphus eurycerus eurycerus, is a herbivorous, mostly nocturnal forest ungulate and among the largest of the African forest antelope species.

Bongos are characterised by a striking reddish-brown coat, black and white markings, white-yellow stripes and long slightly spiralled horns. Indeed, bongos are the only Tragelaphid in which both sexes have horns. Bongos have a complex social interaction and are found in African dense forest mosaics.

The lowland bongo faces an ongoing population decline and the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group considers the western or lowland bongo, T. eurycerus eurycerus, to be Near Threatened on the conservation status scale.

The eastern or mountain bongo, T. eurycerus isaaci, of Kenya has a coat even more vibrant than that of T. eurycerus eurycerus. The mountain bongo is only found in the wild in one remote region of central Kenya. The mountain bongo is classified by the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group as Critically Endangered with more specimens in captivity than in the wild.

In 2000, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) upgraded the bongo to a Species Survival Plan (SSP) Participant and in 2006 named the Bongo Restoration to Mount Kenya Project to its list of the Top Ten Wildlife Conservation Success Stories of the year."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bongo_(antelope)

===========

As a side note, look what I saw in the FEEDJIT LIVE TRAFFIC widget of this blog, where I (and you, too) can see where the visitors come from (what country, what search terms, what referring websites...).

"Klang, Selangor arrived from search.yahoo.com on "Dorincard: The second-biggest owl in the world: The Eurasian Eagle-Owl (Bubo bubo) - maximum card from Romania" by searching for the buboos biggest girls photos. 00:36:35 -- 4 hours 8 mins ago"

Man, oh, man...:)

The correct search terms should have been..."Photos of girls with the biggest Bubo bubo owls", I guess.

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

Please visit and join ABC Wednesday meme!

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/

Today,  I is for Interesting color patterns for some animals. :)

WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards from Marshall Islands: 1) the largest land-living arthropod in the world; 2) the largest living bivalve mollusc; 3) the maxima clam; 4) the Triton's trumpet.

DID YOU KNOW that there are 2 kinds of giant clams?

Giant Clams...and Small Giant Clams!

[UL= upper left] "The coconut crab, Birgus latro, is the largest land-living arthropod in the world, and is probably at the upper limit of how big terrestrial animals with exoskeletons can become in today's atmosphere."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coconut_crab

[UR] " The giant clam, Tridacna gigas (known as pā’ua in Cook Islands Māori), is the largest living bivalve mollusc. T. gigas is one of the most endangered clam species. It was mentioned as early as 1825 in scientific reports.
[2] One of a number of large clam species native to the shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian oceans, they can weigh more than 200 kilograms (441 lb) measure as much as 120 centimeters (47.2 in) across, and have an average lifespan in the wild of 100 years or more.[3]."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_clam

[LL] "The maxima clam (Tridacna maxima), also known as the small giant clam, is a species of clam found throughout the Indo-Pacific. They are much sought after in the aquarium trade, as their often striking coloration mimics that of the true giant clam, however the maximas maintain a manageable size, with the shells of large specimen typically not exceeding 20 centimetres (7.9 in) in length."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tridacna_maxima

[LR] "Charonia tritonis, common name Triton's trumpet, is a species of very large sea snail, a marine gastropod mollus[k] in the family Ranellidae, the tritons."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charonia_tritonis

"The words mollusc and mollusk are both derived from the French mollusque, which originated from the Latin molluscus, from mollis, soft.Molluscus was itself an adaptation of Aristotle's τᾲ μαλάκια, "the soft things", which he applied to cuttlefish.^[27] The scientific study of molluscs is known as malacology.^{[28]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mollusc}

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

Happy Blue Monday! (meme)

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

Check out this image: A cat on a personalized stamp that I have customized at Zazzle.

Cat1.jpg A cat on a personalized stamp that I have customized at Zazzle. If you are having problems viewing this email, copy and paste the following into your browser: http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll201/dorincard/Stamps/?action=view¤t=Cat1.jpg&evt=user_media_share

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

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