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.

Part 2 Fox news: Outfoxing the Cold War - The Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus), maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards from USA and Romania

See my previous post for more images and info. :)

Fox news: Outfoxing the Cold War - The Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus), maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards from USA, Romania and (WWF) Finland

Postmark from Nome, Alaska.

Postmark from Arctic Village, Alaska.

I hate cold, but this fox species just loves it! :)

"The Arctic Fox (Alopex lagopus or Vulpes lagopus^[2]), also known as the White Fox, Polar Fox or Snow Fox, is a small fox native to Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome. "

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

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Happy Blue Monday!

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

It's Year of the Rabbit, not Year of the Kumquats [the fruits depicted as the main (!!!) graphic element on the 2011 USPS stamp for YOTR, courtesy of the "vision" of the stamp illustrator Kam Mak]

This older Year of the Rabbit maxicard/ maximum card/ dorincard properly depicts a goddamn [ :) ] rabbit as the main graphic element of the stamp - as it should!

Now it's Year of the Rabbit, not Year of the Kumquats [the fruits depicted as the main (!!!) graphic element on the 2011 USPS stamp for YOTR, courtesy of the "vision" of the stamp illustrator Kam Mak]

http://www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/2011/pr11_006.htm

I strongly believe that you could put any secondary symbol (narcissus, kumquats, General Tso chicken with rice - whatever) of the Chinese Lunar Year celebration in the BACKGROUND.

But put the image of the zodiac animal in the FOREGROUND - that's the main symbol!

:)

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Happy Sunday Stamps!

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

Part 1 - Side-by-side comparison between European bison (Bison bonasus) and American bison (Bison bison)

The front view, of the head only, is not too conclusive for the layman, for the average person. Don't they look pretty similar, at first glance?

Captivity versus Freedom? How about Freedom made possible only thru Captivity? The fascinating true story of how the last 11+1 specimens [7 cows and (4+1) bulls] have saved the species called Wisent (pronounced /ˈviːzənt/) (Bison bonasus), also known as the European bison

I will detail this amazing story later, with more images and comments.

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

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY [  :) yes, I mean "long story - short" ]: this species was saved from the brink of extinction by the coordinated effort of breeding the last 12 specimens alive, all captive: 7 cows and 4 bulls of Lowland Wisent (Bison bonasus bonasus),  and 1 bull of Caucasian Wisent (Bison bonasus caucasicus) .

The eventual FREEDOM, semi-freedom or zoo captivity of the descendents was possible only thru CAPTIVITY, and selective breeding (yes, some in-breeding, too).

TBC (to be continued)

See, it might be a good idea to have a...Caucasian in your genealogic tree. :)

For comparison with the European bison: American bison (Bison bison).

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Please visit the Two 4 Tuesday meme: http://www.two4tuesday.com/home/two4tuesday/index.php/2011/01/18/captivity-freedom/

Captivity – Freedom

January 18, 2011

My post for the "Sunday Stamps" meme: cool stamp from the Republic of South Africa, with WITRENOSTER/ WHITE RHINO (Ceratotherium simum)

"The White Rhinoceros or Square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is one of the five species of rhinoceros that still exist and is one of the few megafaunal species left. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The White Rhino consists of two subspecies: the Southern White Rhino, with an estimated 17,480 wild-living animals at the end of 2007 (IUCN 2008), and the much rarer Northern White Rhino. The northern subspecies may have eight remaining worldwide — all in captivity.^[3]"

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

I like this stamp because it shows not only the rhinos, but it also gives you a clue, a research starting point, a spark for your mind: the map of the region of KwaZulu/Natal, in the context of South Africa.

So, the point is: don't just look at this rhino stamp and move on with your oh, so busy life.

While you are at it, at least take a quick look at the (wikipedia, for example) entry for South Africa.

Expand your horizon. Horizontally. Coz now it may be too much of a vertical horizon, ultra-specialized in your tiny square of knowledge required to do your job, whatever that is.

:)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa

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Happy Sunday Stamps!

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

The Turkish Role in Negotiations with Iran | STRATFOR. Also, a visual metaphor of Negotiation - "Locking horns, in a power struggle"

Please read: The Turkish Role in Negotiations with Iran | STRATFOR

A visual metaphor of Negotiation - "Locking horns, in a power struggle":

In this maximum card/ maxicard/ dorincard that I created in 2006, notice how the deer (Roosevelt Elk?) from the pictorial postmark seemlessly integrates with the deer from the stamp!!!

As if they are from the same herd! :)

I like that!

But power struggles are normal even within the same herd...between harem owners/"sultans"...

Our highly-intelligent relatives, the dolphins. WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/dorincards about Montserrat, showing 4 different species of dolphins!

"(UL=Upper Left) The Atlantic Spotted Dolphin (Stenella frontalis) is a dolphin found in the Gulf Stream of the North Atlantic Ocean. Older members of the species have a very distinctive spotted coloration all over their body. 

* (UR) The Spinner Dolphin (Stenella longirostris) is a small dolphin found in off-shore tropical waters around the world. It is famous for its acrobatic displays in which they spin longitudinally along their axis as they leap through the air. 

* (LL) The short-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) is a species of common dolphin. It has a larger range than the long-beaked common dolphin (D. capensis), occurring throughout warm-temperate and tropical oceans, with the possible exception of the Indian Ocean.[4] There are more short-beaked common dolphins than any other dolphin species in the warm-temperate portions of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.[5] It is also found in the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas. 

* (LR) The Striped Dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba) is an extensively studied dolphin that is found in temperate and tropical waters of all the world's oceans."

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

"Montserrat (pronounced /mɒntsəˈræt/) is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It measures approximately 16 km (10 miles) long and 11 km (7 miles) wide, giving 40 kilometres (25 mi) of coastline.^[3] Christopher Columbus gave Montserrat its name on his second voyage to the New World in 1493, after Montserrat mountain located in Catalonia. Montserrat is nicknamed the Emerald Isle of the Caribbean, both for its resemblance to coastal Ireland and for the Irish descent of its inhabitants.

Montserrat has an active volcano, which is monitored by the Montserrat Volcano Observatory. The volcano began showing signs of erupting in the early 1990s; now considered active, it is closely watched. Montserrat's Georgian era historic capital city of Plymouth was destroyed and two-thirds of the island's population were forced to flee abroad by an eruption of the previously dormant Soufriere Hills volcano that began on April 26, 1995.^[4] The eruption continues today on a much reduced scale, the damage being confined to the areas around Plymouth, including its docking facilities and the former W.H. Bramble Airport, the remnants of which were buried by flows from volcanic activity on February 11, 2010."

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

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Happy Blue Monday!

Please visit:  http://smilingsally.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

Asian Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus) also known as the Moon Bear or White-Chested Bear - WWF maximum cards about Pakistan

"Asian Black Bear

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from Himalayan Bear)

The Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus), also known as the Moon bear^[2] or White-chested bear^[3] is a medium-sized species of bear, largely adapted for arboreal life, which occurs through much of southern Asia, Korea, northeastern China, the Russian far east and Honshū and Shikoku islands of Japan."

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

There are many dangerous "entities" lurking in the wilderness of "The Pure Land" (a.k.a. Pakistan). This one here is NOT the deadliest. So don't shoot this innocent animal - it has no hidden agenda and it just wants to satisfy...bear necessities.

Oh, wait - killing may not be the worst thing that can happen, even to a bear!

"Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) is a Hong Kong-based charity that seeks to end cruelty to animals in Asia.

The AAF was founded in 1998 by Jill Robinson, who felt compelled to create the organisation after learning of the plight of the Asiatic Black Bear known as the “Moon Bear” because of the yellow crescent on its chest. Moon Bears are farmed throughout Asia for their bile, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine. The methods used in bear bile farming involve bears living up to 25 years in crush cages with metal catheters inserted into their abdomens for bile extraction or open wounds through which the bile drips.[1]"

"In February 2009, Animals Asia rescued a dozen malnourished, diseased Asiatic Black Bears from abusive bile-harvesting farms in southwest China. The bears were given to Animals Asia under an agreement made in 2000 with the government to save sick bears from state and illegal farms. The animals went to the foundation's Moon Bear Rescue Center outside Chengdu, which has handled 260 freed bears since the agreement was signed. [5]"

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

http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/bear-bf-12.html

http://www.animalsasia.org/blog/

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&source=imghp&biw=1024&bih=653&q=bear+bile+farming&btnG=Search+Images&gbv=2&aq=f&aqi=g1&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=

"Location, location and how the West was won" (BBC) - Does the keyword SNUB apply to politics, too, or just to zoology? Golden Snub-nosed Monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) -> maximum card from China (PRC)

SNUB is a word that can mean many things, depending on the context.

It may apply to history, politics, and zoology, too. And then some (more).

Let's start with zoology.

"Snub-nosed monkeys are a group of Old World monkeys and make up the entirety of the genus Rhinopithecus. The genus occurs rarely and needs much more research. Some taxonomists group snub-nosed monkeys together with the Pygathrix genus.

Snub-nosed monkeys live in Asia, with a range covering southern China (especially Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Guizhou) as well as the northern parts of  Vietnam and Myanmar.

These monkeys get their name from the short, stump of a nose on their round face, with nostrils arranged forward. They have relatively multicolored and long fur, particularly at the shoulders and backs. They grow to a length of 51 to 83 cm with a tail of 55 to 97 cm."

Physical The-rapist is not needed for this species; mating occurs only in flashback:
"The impulse for mating starts with the female. She takes up eye contact with the male and runs away a short bit, then flashes her genitals. If the male shows interest (which does not always occur), he joins the female and they mate. The 200-day gestation period ends with a single birth in late spring or early summer. Young animals become fully mature in about 6 to 7 years. Zoologists know little about their lifespan."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snub-nosed_monkey

" Even within a band there can be smaller groups referred to as OMU, one-male units that are each led by an adult male. The male may stay solitary, often remaining away from the rest of the group members as they rest. Adult females tend to socialize more with one another than with other males or juveniles. Group members remain close to one another, interactions between different OMUs often result in confrontations.^[4]"

^{In Romanian language:}

^{Om = human being; man.}

^{Omul = the human being; the man.}

^{Omu' = [slang for] the human being; the man.}

^{The 11th highest mountain peak in Romania is Omu Peak.}

^{http://www.muntii-bucegi.ro/photo-gallery.html
http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/V%C3%A2rful_Omu,_Mun%C8%9Bii_Bucegi}

But what happens when a mighty predator attacks a monkey band of several OMUs?
We're here to serve and protect.
Did you call for back-up?
"Protecting the young is a group effort. Mothers often have helpers assisting them with the care of their young.^[8] When faced with danger from a predator such as the Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) [not too gentile with the prey], the young are placed at the center of the group while the stronger adult males go to the scene of the alarm. The rest of the day, the members of the group remain closer to one another with the young protected at the center.^[9]:


See here an image of a juvenile Goshawk - an adult is only meaner and stronger, of course:

http://www.post.ee/3321?id=3321&prod_id=630

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Snub-nosed_Monkey

Now, on to geopolitical and historical context: who was snubbing whom, throughout history?

The Imperial China, The Western Europe, The Mogul Empire, The Ottoman Empire, The Soviet Union [Empire], The-country-where-the-EMPIRE-State-Building-is-located, present-day China, etc. - everybody was snubbing everybody else, more or less, on and off. Alliances and enmities fluctuate, even coming full-circle, occasionally.

Please read this very interesting BBC article, along with the readers' comments.

"On his current visit to Beijing, UK Prime Minister David Cameron has said China will soon reclaim its position as the world's biggest economy - a role it has held for 18 of the past 20 centuries. But how did the US, Britain and the rest of Europe interrupt this reign of supremacy? It comes down to location."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-11721671

Think about it, baby ["baby" - that's not condescending; it's a term of endearment]. :)

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Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

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