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

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

Sunday Stamps (meme)! Look at these superb animal stamps from Burundi! What is the 'Be my Valentine [mate for life?]' attitude of these 48 different species? How many of these choose their 'Valentine' for Social monogamy, or Sexual monogamy, or Genetic monogamy?

Do animals mate for life? How do they go about..."Be my Valentine"?
Animals don't technically get married, so they have (IF they have) only one (or a combination) of the first three types of monogamy that humans can have:

"Aspects of monogamy

• Social monogamy refers to two persons/creatures who live together, have sex with each other, and cooperate in acquiring basic resources such as food, clothes, and money.
• Sexual monogamy refers to two persons/creatures who remain sexually exclusive with each other and have no outside sex partners.
• Genetic monogamy refers to two partners that only have offspring with each other.
• Marital monogamy refers to marriages of only two people."

"Whatever makes a pair of animals socially monogamous does not necessarily make them sexually or genetically monogamous. Social monogamy, sexual monogamy, and genetic monogamy can occur in different combinations."

"In animal sexuality, serial monogamy often means that an animal will have a different, but exclusive, breeding partner each mating season. Generally, any animals that do not mate with one partner, for life, but do mate exclusively with one partner per mating season can be considered serially monogamous, including those who find a second mate only upon the death of the first."

"Mating system

Main article: Animal sexuality

Monogamy is one of several mating systems observed in other animals. The amount of social monogamy in animals varies across taxa, with over 90% of birds engaging in social monogamy but only 7% of mammals engaging in social monogamy. With birds the locomotion method has meant that the sharing of genetic material with non-local sources is far less difficult, and reproduction is far more successful when both the male and the female contribute food resources to the offspring. The incidence of sexual monogamy appears quite rare in other parts of the animal kingdom. It is becoming clear that even animals that are socially monogamous engage in extra-pair copulations.[1]"

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

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Click, and click again to zoom in.

One of the most beautiful wildlife stamp series in the world, from Burundi!

I have two versions, as they were issued, so I was able to separate one set into individual stamps and place them accordingly, in my taxonomic stamp collection, by species. 

At the bottom, you can see the zebra stamp from the separated set, which set is of larger size - even more beautiful! :)

The other stamps at the bottom are for comparison purposes: they are nice (but not AS NICE), and of regular size.

The CCCP/ USSR one has a forced, unnatural juxtaposition of American Bison and Zebra -  I don't like that! Yes, it was done to cram more species featured on a stamp series with few available slots - they doubled the number of species featured.

That American Bison stamp from USA, unlike newer stamps from USPS, is too simplistic for my taste - "look what brown can do for you!".

Since USA and some other countries are such global economic powers, WHY shouldn't they also be philatelic/ stamp design global powers?

Why let the stamp design excellence be a competitive advantage of much smaller countries, such as Burundi, Bhutan and Serenissima Reppublica di San Marino, for example?

The Romanian one (POSTA ROMANA) is a famous EFO = Errors, Freaks and Oddities.

The Grevy zebra stamp should have been denominated 1,55 Lei, meaning 1 Leu and 55 bani (like 1$ and 55 cents). Instead, the whole print run went out with 1 55 bani. They did not issue a recall.

The Romanian Post may have pulled a proto-chronistic ceelogreen on this, like "Forget you!". :) 

"I'm not gonna recall you." So the stamps remained all out with that error.

http://www.zazzle.com/yes_thats_an_euphemism_postage-172784866997600135?rf=238693463283865848

Burundi has done a great promotional job for wildlife and for Burundi, even if these stamps may have been created by some foreign contractor.

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

"Burundi (pronounced [buˈɾundi]), officially the Republic of Burundi, is a landlocked country in the Great Lakes region of Eastern Africa bordered by Rwanda to the north, Tanzania to the east and south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Its size is just under 28,000 km² with an estimated population of almost 8,700,000. Its capital is Bujumbura. Although the country is landlocked, much of the southwestern border is adjacent to Lake Tanganyika.

The Twa, Tutsi, and Hutu peoples have occupied Burundi since the country's formation five centuries ago. Burundi was ruled as a kingdom by the Tutsi for over two hundred years. However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, Germany and Belgium occupied the region, and Burundi and Rwanda became a European colony known as Ruanda-Urundi.

Political unrest occurred throughout the region because of social differences between the Tutsi and Hutu, provoking civil war in Burundi throughout the middle twentieth century. Presently, Burundi is governed as a presidential representative democratic republic. Sixty-two percent of Burundians are Roman Catholic, eight to ten percent are Muslims and the rest followindigenous beliefs and other Christian denominations.

Burundi is one of the ten poorest countries in the world. 

It has the lowest per capita GDP of any nation in the 

world.^[5] Burundi has a low gross domestic product largely due to civil wars, corruption, poor access to education, and the effects of HIV/AIDS. Burundi is densely populated, with substantial emigration. Cobalt and copper are among Burundi's natural resources. Some of Burundi's main exports include coffee and sugar."

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

Another set, almost as beautiful to me, is this (click, and click again to zoom in):

Happy Valentine's Day!

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Happy Sunday Stamps!

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

Read from BBC: "Your Good Samaritan stories". Let's see if I can illustrate, if only with a collateral symbolic reference, these 10 true stories.

Read the whole article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12122809

Let's see if I can illustrate, if only with a collateral symbolic reference, these 10 true stories.

1. THE PASSING DOCTOR

"Virginia is for lovers", and the PORTABLE DEFIBRILLATOR is for restarting a heart. And a life.

2. THE PASSPORT OFFICIAL

A migratory bird flies across country borders without any passport stamp/visa...but humans may need one. Desperately. Bureaucracy vs. Open-mindedness.

3. THE MYSTERY DRIVER

Some say "we are what we drive". Others might say "we are what good deeds we can do (including while driving)". Such as quickly jumping into a car out-of-control. Then it doesn't matter "what you drive". It could be a beat-up truck, for example.

4. THE BUS PASSENGER

Maybe "the show must go on", but a bus must not, if a life is endangered and an ambulance is needed.

A bus can take you somewhere, or can have you taken somewhere.

5. THE SILENT WITNESS

You can have a fancy [motor]bike, but when you ran out of "petrol", even a 1 gallon gift can be a lifesaver.

6. THE ISLAND ANGELS

In Canada, as in any other country, some beings jump to attack you (like a hungry cougar - I mean puma or mountain lion...). Other beings jump to help you, and possibly save you from trouble.

Don't jump to conclusions until you see WHY you're being jumped.

7. THE GOOD NEIGHBOURS

It's good when you can afford to pay for your food.

It's also good to get a little help until you are able again to pay for your food.

Starving is avoidable, in many cases.

8. THE POLICE OFFICER

Some people become great winners, great champions, like Muhammad Ali. He never was an alcoholic or a smoker, said Lonnie Ali, his wife. His sports regimen and his religion did not welcome alcohol.

But even ordinary people can be winners at something, when they get good advice and gather enough self-will to conquer a potentially deadly addiction, such as alcoholism.

I could have used here, for this BBC story, the American stamp "Alcoholism: You can beat it!", but I don't have it. :)

9. THE SELFLESS STUDENTS

You don't necessarily need a sports car to be happy. Sometimes, a simple taxi at the right time is all the transportation you need to have a good time with friends and be happy.

10. THE THIRD MOTORIST

Pigs are not the only animals who produce a lot of manure. 

Sheep do it, too.

"Pigs" have also their own "manure".

The question is with whose "manure" should we put up, and for how long, if you get my drift. :)

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Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

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

Maximum card from Transkei - the black-footed cat (Felis nigripes)

Small feline, but quite fierce in self-defense.

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

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

Asian Golden Cat (Pardofelis temminckii; syn. Catopuma temminckii) - this is a dorincard that I created with an A4 (page-size) image of a magazine page.

Is this a traditional, FIP-compliant maximum card? No.

Is this made with a commercial, normal size postcard? No.

Do I like this dorincard? Yes.

How about you?

Wild experiment: go to your local store(s) where you buy postcards, and ask, with a straight face, for "a normal postcard with an Asian Golden Cat, in other words Pardofelis temminckii."

The clerk will look at you, wondering what the hell is wrong with you, then you'll get a NO.

So what's a collector to do? Nothing?

YOU do that, if that's what you want.

I prefer to find solutions.

In this case, I found this large, detailed, gorgeous image in a magazine.

I own this copy of the page (a real page), and I can do many things with it.

Of course, I choose to use it as a postcard.

I could even mail it, but I would risk getting it damaged or losing it.

The normal fate (99.99% of the time) of a magazine page is to end up in the trash, don't you think?

Well, think.

:)

Since the image is superb, I could really affix the label with the postmarked stamp onto it.

My good friend Ye Choh San (Malaysia) has sent me that serviced label, at my request.

"The Asian Golden Cat (Pardofelis temminckii syn. Catopuma temminckii), also called the Asiatic Golden Cat and Temminck's Golden Cat, is a medium-sized wild cat of Southeastern Asia."

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

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Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

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

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) 2 Postage Stamps from Zazzle.com

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) 2 Postage Stamps from Zazzle.com

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) 1 Stamps from Zazzle.com

Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) 1 Stamps from Zazzle.com

Curiousity killed the cat? Not this time. Maxi-card (USA)

I added here the second image, to show you that it's a folded postcard ("greeting card") that I used to create the Curious Cat maximum card. In the same pass, I scanned a foldable postal card with dogs.

[Prehistoric] "The Devastating Smilodon" Postage from Zazzle.com

[Prehistoric] "The Devastating Smilodon" Postage from Zazzle.com

This is the largest of all prehistoric saber-toothed cats - 1.6 meters tall.

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

Maximum card created for me by my philatelic partner/friend Kirsi (Finland), with her personalized stamp about Lauri, her smart and beautiful black cat

Beautiful maximum card (maybe Kirsi created more of this, or maybe it's the only one in the world -> the beauty of personalization, customization in maximaphily).

The postmark is barely visible above the stamp.

Many black cats have been villified in history. Not Lauri, this beautiful cat who made it to a good...Finnish. :)

Siberian Tiger 1 Stamps from Zazzle.com

Siberian Tiger 1 Stamps from Zazzle.com

I love this image...:)

Striped White Tiger 3 Postage Stamps from Zazzle.com

Striped White Tiger 3 Postage Stamps from Zazzle.com

I just created this Eurasian Lynx zazzle stamp!

http://www.zazzle.com/eurasian_lynx_lynx_lynx_2_postage-172671608481701030?gl=dorinco&rf=238693463283865848

I have also created another version.
Can you spot the two differences between the two versions? You notice that I have posted the extra-large images of them. "Larger than life". To see the real size of the stamps, click on the links. At zazzle.com, there are two other sizes available for ordering: small and medium.
I prefer the large size, not to strain the eyes. :)

http://www.zazzle.com/eurasian_lynx_lynx_lynx_1_postage-172731745930775571?gl=dorinco&rf=238693463283865848

You are the strongest lynx: Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), the national animal of Romania and of Republic of Macedonia. See maximum cards from Romania

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lynx_lynx2.jpg

I should create a maximum card with this superb image!

In UK there are about 60 species of wild mammals, of which 30 are introduced, non-native to UK.

In Romania, there are about 102 species of wild mammals .

The World Record Trophy for lynx fur belongs to a specimen shot in Romania.

"The smallest species are the Bobcat [Lynx rufus] and the Canada Lynx [Lynx canadensis], with average weights 10 to 13 kilograms (22 to 29 lb), while the largest is the Eurasian Lynx [Lynx lynx], with average weight 18 to 25 kilograms (40 to 55 lb), up to a reported maximum of 40 kilograms (88 lb), but there is considerable variation within species."

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

Above, you noticed the map of the Retezat National Park (Romania), on the souvenir sheet selvage affixed on the back of a maximum card. On the front of that postcard is the stamp from the souvenir sheet.

"Retezat National Park is a natural reserve area located in the Retezat Mountains in Hunedoara county, Romania.

Containing more than 60 peaks over 2,300 metres (7,500 ft) and over 100 crystal clear deep glacier lakes, the Retezat Mountains are some of the most beautiful in the Carpathians. In 1935 the Government of Romania set aside an area of the Retezat Mountains creating the country's first national park.

Currently the park has 381 km² (147 sq mi). The area shelters one of Europe's last remaining intact old-growth forest and the continent's largest single area of pristine mixed forest. The highest peak of the Retezat Mountains, Peleaga, 2,509 metres (8,232 ft) is located in the park. The park also includes about 80 glacier lakes.

The flora consists of approximately 1190 plant species, of which 130 have the "endangered" or "vulnerable" status. Wolves, brown bear, wild boar, Eurasian Lynx, European Wildcat,chamois, Roe Deer and red deer, as well as small carnivore species such as Eurasian Badger and Eurasian otter populate the park.

The Gemenele scientific reserve is a strictly protected area of the park enclosing an intact primeval forest.

In 1979 the Man and Biosphere Program of UNESCO included the park in the international network of biosphere reserve."

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

This park shelters 90 species of endemic plants, that grow nowhere else on Earth.

Click to see photos from Retezat, and wait a few seconds - it's a slideshow:

http://retezat.ro/index.php/english.html

Hyper Lynx :) - WWF maximum cards/maxicards from Portugal: Iberian Lynx (Lynx pardinus)

Take a good look: there are maybe only 100 left in the wild.

"The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus), sometimes referred to as the Spanish lynx, is a critically endangered species native to the Iberian Peninsula in Southern Europe. It is the most endangered cat species in the world.^[2] According to the conservation group SOS Lynx, if this species died out, it would be the first feline extinction since the Smilodon 10,000 years ago.^[3]The species used to be classified as a subspecies of the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx), but is now considered a separate species. Both species occurred together in central Europe in thePleistocene epoch, being separated by habitat choice.^[4] The Iberian lynx is believed to have evolved from Lynx issiodorensis.^[5]"

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

WWF Maximum cards from Kyrgyzstan: snow leopard (Uncia uncia)

Beautiful feline, very elusive.

"Snow leopards are carnivores and actively hunt their prey. However, like all cats, they are opportunistic feeders, eating whatever meat they can find including carrion and domestic livestock. They are capable of killing animals three times their size but will readily take much smaller prey such as hares and birds.^[5]

The diet of the snow leopard varies across its range and with the time of year, and is dependent on prey availability. In the Himalayas it preys mostly on bharals (Himalayan blue sheep) but in other mountain ranges such as the Karakoram, Tian Shan, and Altai, its main prey consists of Siberian ibex and argali, a type of wild sheep, although this has become rarer in some parts of the snow leopard's range.^[4][13] Other large animals eaten include various types of wild goats and sheep (such as markhors and urials), other goat-like ruminants such as Himalayan tahr and gorals, plus deer, boars, and langur monkeys. Smaller prey consists of marmots, woolly hares, pikas, various rodents, and birds such as the snow cock and chukar.^{[4][5][13][14]}

It is not averse to taking domestic livestock, which brings it into direct conflict with humans. Herders will kill snow leopards to prevent them from taking their animals.^[5]

Snow leopards prefer to ambush prey from above and can leap as far as 14 meters (46 ft).^[15]"

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

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^{What do you know about Kyrgyzstan? :)}

^{It's OK - welcome to the club.}

^{But we can have fun learning, can't we?}

^{"The 40-rayed yellow sun in the centre of the flag represents 40 warriors of the mythical hero Manas. The lines inside the sun represent the crown or tündük (Kyrgyz түндүк) of a yurt, a symbol replicated in many facets of Kyrgyz architecture. The red portion of the flag represents peace and openness of Kyrgyzstan."}

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