What's the difference between turtle, tortoise and terrapin? WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards about Venezuela: The Red-footed tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria), and The Arrau turtle, also known as the Arrau River Turtle (Podocnemis expansa)

UL [upper-left] and LL: "The Red-footed tortoise (Geochelone carbonaria) is a tortoise native to South America. 

It has also been introduced to many islands in the Caribbean. 

It draws its name from the red or orange scales visible on its limbs, as well as its head and tail. 

It is popular as a pet, though it is protected under Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which means that this species may not be exported from its home country without a permit.[1] 

The Red-foot has a larger cousin, the Yellow-footed Tortoise (Geochelone denticulata), also known as the Brazilian Giant Tortoise. 

Note: Many newer references will use the Genus name Chelonoidis in place of the older term Geochelone for all four South American tortoises. [2]

It is locally known as the Savanna Tortoise, in Brazil as Jabuti, and in Venezuela as Morrocoy[2], among other names.[2]"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-footed_tortoise

  UR and LR: "The Arrau turtle, also known as the Arrau River Turtle, is Podocnemis expansa, the largest of the side-neck turtles (Pleurodira). 

It is found in the Amazon rainforest."

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

What's the difference between turtle, tortoise and terrapin?

"Turtle, tortoise, or terrapin

Although the word turtle is widely used to describe all members of the order Testudines, it is also common to see certain members described as terrapins, tortoises or sea turtles, as well. Precisely how these alternative names are used, if at all, depends on the type of English being used.

• British English normally describes these reptiles as turtles if they live in the sea; terrapins if they live in fresh or brackish water; or tortoises if they live on land. However, there are exceptions to this where American or Australian common names are in wide use, as with the Fly River turtle.
• American English tends to use the word turtle as a general term for all species. "Tortoise" is used for most land-dwelling species, including the family Testudinidae and box tortoises. Oceanic species are usually referred to as sea turtles. The name "terrapin" is typically reserved only for the brackish water diamondback terrapin, Malaclemys terrapin; the word terrapin being derived from theAlgonquian word for this animal.^[17]
• Australian English uses turtle for both the marine and freshwater species, but tortoise for the terrestrial species.

To avoid confusion, the word "chelonian" [pronounced KELONIAN] is popular among veterinarians, scientists, and conservationists working with these animals as a catch-all name for any member of the superorder Chelonia, which includes all turtles, tortoises and terrapins living and extinct, as well as their immediate ancestors. It is based on the Ancient Greek word χελώνη, chelōnē; Modern Greek χελώνα, chelōna; meaning turtle/tortoise."

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

"Venezuela (pronounced /ˌvɛnɨˈzweɪlə/ ( listen); Spanish: [beneˈswela]), officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America."

Legitimate question for "whoever invented the Spanish language" [ :D :D] :

since you already have the letter B to describe the sound B, then...

http://www.zazzle.com/why_stamp_postage-172279254387759379?gl=dorinco&rf=238693463283865848

...would you also need the letter V, for the sound B?

Also, since you have S, why would you use Z instead?

If you want everybody [who has a modicum of foreign language skills, I might specify] to pronounce 

beneˈswela, 

then write: Benesuela, not Venezuela.

How hard is that?

:)

Don't worry, no language is perfect, not even Esperanto, Interlingua or Lingua Franca.

However, a phonetic language, "what you see is what you pronounce" would make more sense, now wouldn't it?

:)

" [Christopher Columbus's] certainty of having attained Paradise made him name this region Land of Grace, a phrase which has become the country's nickname.

Nevertheless, the following year of 1499, an expedition led by Alonso de Ojeda visited the Venezuelan coast. The stilt houses in the area ofLake Maracaibo reminded the navigator Amerigo Vespucci of the city of Venice, (Italian: Venezia), so he named the region "Venezuela,"^[10]meaning "little Venice" in Italian. The word has the same meaning in Spanish, where the suffix -uela is used as a diminutive term (e.g., plaza / plazuela, cazo / cazuela); thus, the term's original sense would have been that of a "little Venice".^[11]

Nonetheless, although the Vespucci story remains the most popular and accepted version of the origin of the country's name, a different reason for the name comes up in the account of Martín Fernández de Enciso, a member of the Vespucci and Ojeda crew. In his work Summa de Geografía, he states that they found an indigenous population who called themselves the "Veneciuela," which suggests that the name "Venezuela" may have evolved from the native word.^[12]"

So, Columbus was certain that this was Paradise.

Venezuela, a land of beauty. Something that oil money can't buy.

"Venezuela is well-known for its successes in beauty pageants. 

Miss Venezuela is a big event in the country, and Venezuela has received 5 Miss World, 6 Miss Universe, 6 Miss International and 1 Miss Earth titles."

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

I suspect that Miss Earth was the most "down-to-earth" of them all.

When you want to see...stellar images, you can look at the...Milky Way.

How about the...Milka Way?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MILKA24.jpg

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

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

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).

"Notre DAMA". ERROR: Not n'dama, as inscribed on the stamps (that's a cattle type), but: The Dama Gazelle (Nanger dama; formerly Gazella dama). WWF maximaphily items (maximum cards / maxicards / dorincards) from Senegal.

Nobody's perfect - not even a great organization like WWF:

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

Here's a stamp designing mistake that somebody made, and it went uncorrected, despite the best efforts of several editors, presumably. :)

But we know better, don't we?

Who the hell is WE?

We, The People. :)

ERROR: Not n'dama, as inscribed on the stamps (that's a cattle type), but: The Dama Gazelle (Nanger dama; formerly Gazella dama)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%27dama

It "is a species of gazelle. 

It lives in Africa in the Sahara desert and migrates south in search of food during the dry season. 

Their habitat includes open steppes, bushy, grassy steppes, semi-desert, and deserts, while their diet includes grasses, leaves, shoots, fruit, and especially Acacia leaves. 

After the rains return and the desert plants turn green, the gazelles move north back to the Sahara. 

Poaching and destruction of their habitat have greatly diminished their numbers, and they no longer live in large herds." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanger_dama

"Senegal is located on the west of the African continent. It lies between latitudes 12° and 17°N, and longitudes 11° and 18°W.

The Senegalese landscape consists mainly of the rolling sandy plains of the western Sahel which rise to foothills in the southeast. 

Here is also found Senegal's highest point, an otherwise unnamed feature [they DIDN'T name this] near Nepen Diakha at 584 m (1,916 ft). 

The northern border is formed by the Senegal River, other rivers include the Gambia and Casamance Rivers. 

The capital Dakar lies on the Cap-Vert peninsula, the westernmost point of continental Africa.

The Cape Verde islands lie some 560 kilometres (350 mi) off the Senegalese coast, but Cap Vert ("Cape Green") is a maritime placemark, set at the foot of "Les Mammelles" , a 105-metre (344 ft) cliff [at least they DID name this]

resting at one end of the Cap Vert peninsula onto which is settled Senegal's capital Dakar, and 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) south of the "Pointe des Almadies", the western-most point in Africa."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Senegal, except the comments in red, of course.

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

Does the Dama Gazelle suffer from fear of failure 

(= Atychiphobia)

...to find food every day, to find water, to escape predators?

God knows - let's ask him.

Well...he's unavailable for comment.

Atychiphobia...

in other words:  Kakorrhaphiophobia

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

Atychiphobia

"Atychiphobes generally gather a defeatist attitude out of fear of failing, making them avoid trying to achieve anything due to potentially failing at it. 

They may also subconsiously undermine or sabotage their own efforts to prevent having to continue to try, and therefore preventing any potential failure. 

This strategy is known as avoidance behavior. 

Atychiphobes may also suffer from an inordinate sense of perfectionism, and may only try something that is guaranteed perfect and successful, or may try but will encounter excessive anxiety in the process due to unrealistically perfectionistic standards."

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

I'm telling you, man (and woman, too): perfectionism is a trap.

Don't fall into it!

:)

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

Please visit and join ABC Wednesday meme!

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

Today, K is for Kakorrahaphiophobia, or 

Atychiphobia.

Please visit Wordless Wednesday meme!

http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/

Simply look at the "Notre DAMA" images, if you want no comments.

Or, read some of the above comments, too.

:)

The most damaged postcard that I ever received! HOW TO avoid getting damaged postcards or maximum cards, with over-cancelling, scratches and missing chunks/corners?

I share here some useful info from the postcard exchange great website http://www.forum.postcrossing.com, where my username is dorinco.

That is also my username for the primary website http://www.postcrossing.com.
This website is good - it facilitates "blind" (you don't choose your partner) exchanges of postcards with addresses chosen at random by their computers.

But the forum http://www.forum.postcrossing.com is much better, in my opinion, because you can choose your exchange partners for postcards, stamps, maximum cards, and other items!

The messages below are about a Round Robin exchange of maximum cards - the thread path (sub-folders) is this:
Postcrossing Official Forum » General » Tags, Trades, Notebooks, Round Robins and Pen-Pals » Round Robins » NEW Maxicards/Maximum cards RR!! Group3 Need ONE for travelling!!New groups!!!(always OPEN)

dorinco [that's me, remember?] said:
"Thank you, gracefool, for the very cute MC from Gr.6!

Unfortunately, it is the most damaged postcard that I ever received! :flaming: [emoticon]

Australia Post/Adelaide put our MC face-down over a heavily-inked mailpiece, so ink migrated onto the face side of our kangaroo MC.
It also roller-stamped it across the address-side, although it says that it's PREPAID!

Then, between Australia Post and US Postal Service, a chunk was ripped of a corner!

See also some roll marks, near the left, at about 45 degrees angle.

Not your fault, but next time you either talk to your postal clerk, or you send it in a transparent bag to have the stamps on the postcard visible, or you just send it like a CIA agent - "undercover".

==========
gracefool replied:


"Dorinco - A self-made Wintery Lighthouse MC, I really love it thank you. Your cancellations are very nice.

Also, Dorin, I am so sorry about the condition the MaxiCard arrived to you in!! 
That is terrible!!! I have sent so so so many MCs and I have not had any report like this before. 
However I have received quite a few cards myself which have heavy cancellations on front and back (but not ripped), it is the risk we all take when putting mail through the postal system(s) I think. 
I have never sent in "transparent bag" before, can you explain this?"
==============
dorinco replied:

"Thank you, gracefool, I'm glad you like the unique/UNICATE/UNIKAT in the world MC that I created for you! :)

Transparent bag can be any transparent plastic bag that looks like a transparent envelope - you can cut and modify it to desired size.
After you get the needed postmarks on the due postage (that may or may not include the stamp for the MC), seal that bag with scotch tape.
Or you can use a re-sealable bag, like Ziploc - best option, since it allows postal postmarking in the arrival country, with re-insertion of your MC back in the bag to reach you.

This is a custom MC, that I made from a page from a book.
Why? Coz I like it! :)
To you (and any other viewer here) and my US Postal Service, it's just a postcard with a stamp.
It's not terribly thick, but it's thick enough to be accepted as a postcard by USPS.

Instead of mailing it as a naked postcard, subject to postal damage, I tested this: I inserted it in a transparent plastic bag/envelope and I put mailing address labels for sender and receiver (which is me in both cases) on the outside of the bag.
I could have postmarked it, but personalized stamps in USA don't necessarily require postmarking - their encrypted value (little B&W squares) is supposed to be voided by the scanner of the Post.

So I mailed it like this:

It arrived to me by mail, without any postmark and any damage.
The value of the stamp is presumably voided, as it should.

The point is that whenever you suspect that your MC sent as a naked postcard will get damaged or over-canceled, you can enclose it in a protective transparent bag, or a glassine envelope, etc.
You just tell your postal clerk that you have a "philatelic item, sent under protective cover/bag."
In USA, currently it's 98c to mail either a postcard or a First-Class (1 to 3.5oz) letter internationally, except Canada and Mexico.

The advantage of using a transparent bag instead of a normal opaque envelope is that:
you could use the maximaphily stamp as part of the postage, totaling from both sides,
IF that stamp is still valid for postage
and IF you get all the stamps postmarked with that date when you send it.

In your case, gracefool, I already had the MC stamp cancelled in December, so I had to put now 98c on the address side."

==========

Please visit http://www.wordlesswednesday.com/newhome/

Wordless is good, but if you simply look at the above images, you may miss some of the important aspects about them.

Some images are best left wordless, but some could use some meaningful words. :)

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

Please visit and join ABC Wednesday meme!

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

Today,  J is for JOEY = baby kangaroo.

Also:

"JUNK MAIL? No, protect your mail! Don't let the Automated Postal System or the postal associates ruin your mail!" :)

Guess which country is this? Don't search anywhere - let's see if you know, or guess!

Quiz time, and no cheating allowed! :)

There are currently 193 sovereign states with general international recognition.

Plus 10 sovereign states lacking general international recognition, none of which are members of the United Nations.

Ready?

Let's start the hints about our mysterious country.

1) It maintains no military. It has NO ARMY.

So it's not DPRK/ North Korea, who reportedly has about 1 million men under arms. :)

2) Its head of state is not a dictator.

So that rules out Libya.

But that head of state has the power to hire and fire the whole government, despite public's fear that the development could invite dictatorship.

He has "an estimated wealth of USD $5 billion".

3) It is more than landlocked.

So it's not Madagascar. :)

4) It is an alpine country.

So it's not The Maldives.

"The Maldives are the smallest Asian country in both population and land area. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet.^[11] It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres (7 ft 7 in).^[11"

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

5) It's "a large producer of ceramics and is the world's largest

 producer of sausage casings, potassium storage units and

false teeth."

Sausage casings? Doesn't sound like India. :)

6) It has the second-highest gross domestic product per capita in the world.

Then it can't be Kiribati.

7) It has more registered companies than citizens.

Definitely not Cuba.

==========

Which country is it?

The answer - tomorrow.

Unless you're gonna google the hell out of it...:)

World's Cutest Baby Alternates Between Terror & Delight [VIRAL VIDEO]. Also, a philatelic cover ("a symphony of blue elements") with my Big, Bad Wolf zazzle personalized stamp, that COULD be slightly more terrifying than Mommy's nose, for Baby Emerson.

See at mashable.com: World's Cutest Baby Alternates Between Terror & Delight [VIRAL VIDEO]

A philatelic cover ("a symphony of blue elements") with my Big, Bad Wolf zazzle personalized stamp, that COULD be slightly more terrifying than Mommy's nose, for Baby Emerson. 

I will mail/ post this cover today! :)

There are currently only 20 such stamps of this exact design of mine, large size, in the world.

I have previously bought a sheet of 20 stamps, medium size, of a slightly different design.

Can you spot the differences?

Se more: http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll201/dorincard/#!cpZZ11QQtppZZ16

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

Happy Blue Monday! (meme)

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

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