BBC: 'The birds and the bees'. 'Quiz: The surprises of animal sex'. Be my Valentine, in the (other) animal(s) world. To the heart, thru the body (language). Guest Heart Thursday meme. Black heart on the giant panda cub Tai Shan.

Guest Heart Thursday #44

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

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

My entry for the Guest Heart Thursday meme http://clytie-randomhearts.blogspot.com/ : the black heart on a hind leg of the giant panda cub Tai Shan, in the postcard AND ALSO in the stamp!!!.  See, I made it easy for you, not to waste too much time searching throughout the image...:)

The postmark is more visible here, on a different postcard:

The front side of the above postcard is this:

Please read this from BBC (viewer/reader discretion advised, although 'Naturalia non sunt turpia' = 'What is natural is not shameful'): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12409270 Take the quiz.

Also: http://www.nhm.ac.uk/visit-us/whats-on/temporary-exhibitions/sexual-nature/index.html

"Adult £8, Child and concessions £4, Family £21

Free to Members, Patrons and children aged 3 and under.

This exhibition contains frank information and imagery about sex."

Child and concessions? If you make your child a concession/compromise, they charge you for the concession, too? [must be another word meaning...]

"The exhibition gallery is adorned with sepia and black-and-white images depicting animals in sexual congress like this one".

Sexual congress? Aah, so that's  why so many politicians from around the world make certain...trans(con)gressions.

"Some of these displays may raise eyebrows."

ABC Wednesday meme. Letter D is also for DORIN, my name. Maxicard (USA) showing DARLING WOLVES - these two obviously like each other, don't they?

Please visit this meme! :)  http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/ 
Scroll down once you arrive at the above link.

http://abcwednesday-mrsnesbitt.blogspot.com/
Scroll down once you arrive at the above link.

Peace on Earth? Never was, never will be - not "everywhere, simultaneously". But at least we can do our best. However: "Si vis pacem, para bellum" - Latin adagio.

Hoping for peace is good, but there are too many "disturbers of peace".

Trying to have peace is better, if you take action.

Safeguarding the peace, even with armed forces if all else fails, is the best.

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

Happy Blue Monday!

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

Germany and the Failure of Multiculturalism | STRATFOR; plus postcards from Deutschland

"Reprinting or republication of this report on websites is authorized by prominently displaying the following sentence, including the hyperlink to STRATFOR, at the beginning or end of the report."

"Germany and the Failure of Multiculturalism is republished with permission of STRATFOR."

Read more: Germany and the Failure of Multiculturalism | STRATFOR 



I am posting here excerpts and the link to a very good article by George Friedman, of http://www.stratfor.com.
Only financial reasons prevent me from subscribing - otherwise I would absolutely enjoy reading all their articles (especially those written by George).
Very insightful ideas...
masterful choice of the juiciest, most percutant words...
and a clear, enjoyable style.
Tasty and spicy (though not crazy-spicy) "Food for Thought".
READ, baby! :)
Don't limit your geopolitical horizon only to your 6 o'clock news, or so.
There are more significant things happening in the world (and eventually affecting "U 2") than the garden variety of your TV news, sandwiched between commercials.

"Two things have forced the re-emergence of German national awareness. The first, of course, is the immediate issue — a large and indigestible mass of Turkish and other Muslim workers. The second is the state of the multinational organizations to which Germany tried to confine itself. NATO, a military alliance consisting mainly of countries lacking militaries worth noting, is moribund. The second is the state of the European Union. After the Greek and related economic crises, the certainties about a united Europe have frayed. Germany now sees itself as shaping EU institutions so as not to be forced into being the European Union’s ultimate financial guarantor. And this compels Germany to think about Germany beyond its relations with Europe."


"Merkel’s statement is therefore of enormous importance on two levels. First, she has said aloud what many leaders already know, which is that multiculturalism can become a national catastrophe. Second, in stating this, she sets in motion other processes that could have a profound impact on not only Germany and Europe but also the global balance of power."

Read more: Germany and the Failure of Multiculturalism | STRATFOR 

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

Let's say I want to create a maximum card about Germany [I have none, so far :( ].

FIP Commission for Maximaphily exhibiting rules say that I should NOT use a multiview postcard like this:

What I could do is to find (or create at zazzle) a small stamp with the flag of Germany, for example.

If I could get that stamp postmarked on the picture side, in some corner, it would look very good to me.:)

It would be a dorincard (in this case a non-traditional maximum card), representative of Germany.

-------------

Another postcard that I received from a German partner/friend is this:

Doesn't that jumping lamb know that its destiny is to be sacrificial?

Or, maybe he knows, and that's exactly why he's jumping, "living his life at its fullest".

Enjoy while you can! (whatever you enjoy)

A tiger cub needs the care of a mom that's a tigress, not a..."cougar" - custom maximum card (USA) that I created

I ordered that nice photo print in a postcard size 10x15cm (4x6 "), and I can attach anytime a postcard-backing paper, if I want.

Or, I can re-order it as a postcard, from the print shop.

http://www.winkflash.com

The stamp is my design at Zazzle.

http://www.zazzle.com/siberian_tiger_hug_postage-172968708985811645?rf=238693463283865848

In the enlarged image below, look how thrilled is the tiger cub that his mom plays with him!

"Open up your loving arms!"...:)

The postmark is from my Mailers' Postmark Permit canceller, my own official/legal/valid postmarking device.

http://mppclub.org/

How concordant is the postmark with the stamp and the postcard?

Well, the postcard image shows tigers from the Berlin Zoo (Germany, I suppose, 'cause we have Berlin localities in USA, too).

The stamp image shows tigers from the Buffalo, New York Zoo.

My Sterling, VA postmark is concordant at least on a zoomed-out level (both states of Virginia and New York are in USA).

Do I attempt to focus my MC (maximum card) only on a specific Zoo? On specific tigers?

http://www.zazzle.com/no_no_no_no_baby_postage-172866537361275772?rf=238693463283865848

I just want to focus my MC on the general relationship between a tiger cub and his mother.

http://www.zazzle.com/sheesh_postage-172193995595441185?rf=238693463283865848

A Zazzle custom stamp [= custom(ized) postage, personalized stamp, personalised stamp] has a thin plastic coating, to prevent fraud by laser-printing, and to prevent the obscuring of the IBI (information-based indicia; the black and white little squares) by the ink of the postmark.

How can you get a postmark onto a Zazzle stamp?

A USPS postal associate may, or may not agree to postmark it. Officially, "it doesn't require a postmark".

I interpret that as "it's still OK to postmark it on (nice) demand, for philatelic purposes."

I had to use a trick that George C. and some other maximaphilists around the world have experimented with: harsh dishwashing scrub pad (cut out a thumb-size square), used carefully to dull the glossiness of the postcard.

Any brand name: Scotch Brite, etc. would do.

So I scrubbed just right, with "the Midas touch" ["special touch", though not transforming anything into gold :) ], the matte postcard and the plastic-coated zazzle stamp.

Thus, the postmark ink was absorbed well-enough. 

You can see the postmark, can't you?

My good friend/MACSU colleague/mentor/client George Constantourakis (Canada) knows a trick or two (or 1001) about maximaphily.

After all, he is the current Chairman of the Commission for Maximaphily from FIP (The International Philatelic Federation), for God's sake!!!

:) :) :)

http://www.maximaphily.info

Why a DOG EATS DOG World, and not a DOG LOVES DOG World? Maxicard (USA)

I am showing you that I used a folded postcard, and I don't care if anybody, including FIP Commission for Maximaphily, would say that it is NOT a maximum card.

So what if it's a folded postcard?

I like it, I use it.

As long as it's not meant to be exhibited by their rules, why play by their rules?

Make your own rules, for your private enjoyment.

Do what makes YOU happy.

Now, it can be cut in two, or it can be glued so it becomes "a thicker postcard".

Or it can be enjoyed just the way it is.

And IF I care to pacify the "righteous" crowd of ultra-orthodox, fanatical followers of traditional maximaphily rules (rules inherited pretty much from around 1950), then I COULD say that it's not a traditional FIP maximum card.
Instead, it's a non-traditional maximum card.
Either way, to me it's a DORINCARD [or whatever].
You, too, can name your creations any way you want.
:)

A Finnish reader might tell us the translation of the text from the other postcard, scanned in the same pass.
Or we could each use www.translate.google.com, for an imperfect translation.
:)

It's show time: slideshow with my latest upload of 20 maximum cards with Grey/Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) - USA

I will write, with plenty of images, a static page on this blog (not to fade into the sunset like a normal blogpost) about this.
Dorincard's Maximaphily Case Study #1: How I created 20 MCs (maximum cards/dorincards/maxicards) about  Grey/Gray Wolf (Canis lupus).
There will be happy lessons and sad lessons (however, news YOU can use) about my experiment.

http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll201/dorincard/?albumview=slideshow

Happy Independence Day - 4th of July! USA

It is amazing what USA has accomplished in such a short time in history, since 1776!

Probably it's the most formidable country in the history of mankind as we know it.

Yes, there were, there are, and there will be problems and mistakes - some of them quite big - but hey! what country is perfect?

I wish that EVERY country, including my adoptive USA and my native Romania, had politicians and leaders with much more patriotism, throughout history.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_(United_States)

Siberian Tiger 1 Stamps from Zazzle.com

Siberian Tiger 1 Stamps from Zazzle.com

I love this image...:)

Not a true goat: Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) - maximum card (USA)

It looks like a goat, it walks like a goat, but...it's not a true goat! :)

"The Mountain Goat (Oreamnos americanus), also known as the Rocky Mountain Goat, is a large-hoofed mammal found only in North America. Despite its vernacular name, it is not a member of Capra, the genus of true goats. It resides at high elevations and is a sure-footed climber, often resting on rocky cliffs that predators cannot reach."

"The mountain goat is an even-toed ungulate of the order Artiodactyla and the family Bovidae that includes antelopes, gazelles, and cattle. It belongs to the subfamily Caprinae (goat-antelopes), along with thirty-two other species including true goats,sheep, the chamois, and the musk ox. The mountain goat is the only species in the genus Oreamnos. The name Oreamnos is derived from the Greek term oros (stemore-) "mountain" (or, alternatively, oreas "mountain nymph") and the word amnos"lamb".

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

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

Happy PFF!

Visit http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/

:)

Striped White Tiger 3 Postage Stamps from Zazzle.com

Striped White Tiger 3 Postage Stamps from Zazzle.com

Maximum card from Australia Post: Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus)

Common Wombat (Vombatus ursinus).

Wait till you see the uncommon wombats.

The other two species are hairy-nosed. :)

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

There was a recent attack on a man, in Australia. Combat with Wombat.

:)

Polar bear, (Ursus maritimus), mother and two cute Postage Stamps from Zazzle.com

Polar bear, (Ursus maritimus), mother and two cute cubs Postage Stamps from Zazzle.com

Non-FIP maximum card/ maxicard/ dorincard: Deer from Shenandoah National Park, VA, USA

I was exasperated by the smudging of the postmark ink on the glossy postcards, so I experimented with the non-FIP solution of using a label. Oh, well, I like it. 

At least I can see the postmark, which ideally should have been from a post office in or near the park.

Anyway, I consider it as a modest salute/tribute/honor to Shenandoah, originating from Sterling, VA, near my home.

That postmark is from my own Mailer's Postmark Permit canceler, which uniquely identifies me as permit holder #67 (I should have had #1, I guess, but my pre-cancel application # to USPS was aggregated with the 66 bulk mailers from that zipcode).

"The most difficult thing of those three mentioned in the title is to create your own pictorial postmark, legal and valid for postage with your Post (USPS in my case - the United States Postal Service)."

Details here: http://dorinco.webs.com/

Fragment from http://www.squidoo.com/dorincard, translated from English into Estonian

I have learned many good things about Estonia - I like it! :)

Also, the few maximum cards/maxicards that I have from there are very nicely and cleanly realized - beautiful!

World-class postmarks, stamps and postcards.
---------------
"The settlement of modern day Estonia began around 8500 BC, immediately after the Ice Age. Over the centuries, the Estonians were subjected to Danish, Teutonic, Swedish and Russianrule. Foreign rule in Estonia began in 1227. In the aftermath of the Livonian Crusade the area was conquered by Danes and Germans. From 1228–1562, parts or most of Estonia were incorporated into a crusader state Terra Mariana, that became part of the Ordensstaat, and after its decline was formed the Livonian Confederation. During the era economic activities centered around the Hanseatic League. In the 1500s Estonia passed to Swedish rule, under which it remained until 1710/1721, when it was ceded to the Russian Empire.

The Estophile Enlightenment Period (1750–1840) led to a national awakening in the mid-19th century. In 1918 the Estonian Declaration of Independence was issued, to be followed by theEstonian War of Independence (1918–1920), which resulted in the Tartu Peace Treatyrecognizing Estonian independence in perpetuity. During World War II, Estonia was occupied and annexed first by the Soviet Union^[15][16][17] and subsequently by the Third Reich, only to be re-occupied by the Soviet Union in 1944.

Estonia regained its independence on August 20, 1991. It has since embarked on a rapid programme of social and economic reform. Today, the country has gained recognition for its economic freedom,^[18] its adaptation of new technologies^[19] and was one of the world's fastest growing economies for several years.^[20] However, Estonia's economy was second worst hit of all 27 European Union members in the 2008–2009 economic crisis,^[21] contracting sharply in the first quarter of 2009.^[22]"

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

--------------------------------

English to Estonian translation

Katkend http://www.squidoo.com/dorincard, tõlkida inglise keelest eesti keelde
maximaphily = koguda maksimaalselt kaardid (postkaart + tempel + postitempel)Maximaphily
Maximaphily on filiaali filateelia või tempel koguda, mis tähendab, et koguda maksimaalselt kaarte.Üldiselt, kuni kaart on postkaart, templiga ja postitempli pildil poolel. Ideaalis peaks kõik need 3 elementi tuleks kattuvad, kuid mitte identsed.Traditsioonilisel viisil on kooskõlas eeskirjadega FIP (International Philatelic Föderatsioon).http://www.maximaphily.infoMittetraditsiooniline nii, nagu ma seda nimetada, on jälgida kedagi eeskirju! Kui te ei soovi ta, muidugi.Kutsun DORINCARD tahes postkaardi, mis oli isikliku lisades tempel ja postitempel pildil pool postkaart. Traditsioonilisel viisil või mitte. :)

Contribute a better translation

-------------------------

Fragment from http://www.squidoo.com/dorincard, translated from English into Estonian

maximaphily = collecting maximum cards (postcard + stamp + postmark)

Maximaphily

Maximaphily is a branch of philately, or stamp collecting, that means collecting maximum cards.

Generally, a maximum card is a postcard, with a stamp and a postmark on the picture side. Ideally, all these 3 elements should be concordant, but not identical.

The traditional way is to comply with the rules of FIP (International Philatelic Federation).

http://www.maximaphily.info

The non-traditional way, as I call it, is to follow nobody's rules! Unless YOU want it, of course.

I call DORINCARD any postcard that was personalized by adding a stamp and a postmark, on the picture side of the postcard. Traditional way, or not. :)

Philately (stamp collecting), as a confluence of domains: learning, writing, web design, business administration, etc.
http://dorincard.blogspot.com
http://dorinco.webs.com
http://www.squidoo.com/dorincard
http://www.delcampe.com/stores/dorinco
http://www.zazzle.com/dorinco*/
http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll201/dorincard/

Little Mermaid/Disney maximum card/maxicard (USA)

Personalized stamp that I created at zazzle.com: African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

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

Here is a Zazzle stamp that I have designed and dedicated to my fellow postcrosser (http://www.forum.postcrossing.com) mingshu (Irene, from Finland).
She is very passionate about elephants. :)

"Elephants are large land mammals in two genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta. Three species of elephant are living today: the African Bush Elephant, the African Forest Elephant and the Asian Elephant (also known as the Indian Elephant). All other species and genera of Elephantidae are extinct, some since the last ice age: dwarf forms of mammoths may have survived as late as 2,000 BC.[1] Elephants and other Elephantidae were once classified with other thick-skinned animals in a now invalid order, Pachydermata."

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

http://www.pibburns.com/cryptost/pygmyele.htm

Happy Valentine Day, or Best Wishes to you even if you're not observing it!

The point is not "Are you a tough cookie?". It's "Are you a good enough cookie?"
What about the other cookies? Who's to say you're better than them?
And if you are, then who am I to deserve you?
The challenge is not to find the best cookie out there, but the one that's most suitable for you, IF we're talking  long-term relationship.

No, it's not a current photo of the White House

Yes, in the Greater Washington, D.C. area we are covered in snow, ice, and more snow, but this image is NOT from the White House lawn.
And those penguins are NOT politicians in disguise, although they always have fishy agendas on their minds.

"Now you see him, now you don't!" "Before, and after".

The title is a joke, of course. :)

I could further joke that the guy is an avid researcher, member of several herpetological societies. He wrestles with his python once a month, so that's his Mont(hl)y Python. 

The lower image shows his Full...Python. Full of food.

Joking aside, the upper image shows a young boa, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Snake,_Jersey_Zoo.jpg and the bottom shows an 8 meter-long sucuri from Pantanal, Brazil. That's a special boa, called anaconda - green anaconda, in this case. 

In the belly of the beast is a capybara, the world's largest rodent http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capybara.

"Eunectes murinus (derived from the Greek "Ευνήκτης" meaning "good swimmer" and the Latin "murinus" translated into "he who predates on mice") is a non-venomous boa species found in South America. It is the most massive of all known snake species".

"Primarily aquatic, they eat a wide variety of prey, almost anything they can manage to overpower, including fish, birds, a variety of mammals, and other reptiles. Particularly large anacondas may even consume large prey such as tapir, deer, capybara, jaguars, black caiman, and crocodiles, but such large meals are not regularly consumed"

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

I especially like that lower image, an actual postcard from Brazil. Someday, I'll create a maximum card, with a matching stamp.

Here are a few anaconda stamps:

http://www.reptile-stamps.de/html/eunectes