"Bite me!" says GUAVA (genus Psidium). Keep staring at this, and you'll get a Pavlovian reflex. Maximum card from USA. Thank you, Terry, my friend! :)

"Guava fruit

Guava fruit, usually 4 to 12 cm long, are round or oval depending on the species. 

The outer skin may be rough, often with a bitter taste, or soft and sweet. 

Varying between species, the skin can be any thickness, is usually green before maturity, but becomes yellow, maroon, or green when ripe.

Guava fruit generally have a pronounced and typical fragrance, similar to lemon rind but less sharp. 

Guava pulp may be sweet or sour, off-white ("white" guavas) to deep pink ("red" guavas), with the seeds in the central pulp of variable number and hardness, again depending on species."

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

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

Happy Pink Saturday! (still open on Sunday!)

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

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

Spring's "teen" brusque arrival is near! "The Boss" of all 4 seasons. Maximum card / maxicard / dorincard that I created in 2006, with a postcard and matching stamp showing a "Cherry Blossom Festival"-view and the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C.

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

Happy Sunday Stamps meme!

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

REPUB[L]ICANS "in the Wisconsin state senate have approved a plan to strip public-sector unions of most of their collective bargaining rights." - BBC. "Starve the beast" Reaganomics. "The richest 1% of the American population, who were paying an income tax rate of 70% had that rate chopped down to 50% and then to 28% under the Reagan administration." "Between 1978 and 1990 the government lost $840 billion in tax revenue whilst 1% of Americans accumulated $1 trillion. When Reagan first entered the White House the national debt was at around $700 billion, by the time he left the debt had exceeded $3 trillion." - read from Living in Philistia.

I'll say it again, coz you may have missed it in the fog of media wars and spin-mastering:

REPUB[L]ICANS "in the Wisconsin state senate have approved a plan to strip public-sector unions of most of their collective bargaining rights." - BBC. 

"But Democratic senate minority leader Mark Miller said the Republicans had shown disrespect for the people of Wisconsin and their rights.

"Tonight, 18 senate Republicans conspired to take government away from the people," he is quoted by the Associated Press news agency as saying.

"Tomorrow we will join the people of Wisconsin in taking back their government."

State unions had said they would agree to Mr Walker's proposed changes to their benefits - which would amount to an 8% pay cut - as long as they retained collective bargaining rights."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-12695313

"Starve the beast" Reaganomics. 

"The richest 1% of the American population, who were paying an income tax rate of 70% had that rate chopped down to 50% and then to 28% under the Reagan administration." 

"Between 1978 and 1990 the government lost $840 billion in tax revenue [DORIN'S NOTE: that's "starve the beast"] whilst 1% of Americans accumulated $1 trillion." 

"When Reagan first entered the White House the national debt was at around $700 billion, by the time he left the debt had exceeded $3 trillion." - read from Living in Philistia.

http://livinginphilistia.blogspot.com/2011/02/reaganomics-review.html

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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 would have been a [Republican] politician's "heart for the American people".

I haven't found one in the Wisconsin Senate.

I'm still looking...

If this symbolizes "the heart of the American people", then it looks already chewed up by the greedy profiteers at the top:

It's nice to nurture a hobby, and find beauty even where it isn't, except thru the lens of our mind.
It's even more important to be acutely aware of what's going on in the world around us.
On-the-scenes, and especially behind-the-scenes.
Have a heart for the people, you greedy millionaires! :)

I am not against rich people, in principle.

Who wants to be a millionaire? Everybody, including me and including you, I guess. :)

The point is that while you are getting rich, you shouldn't take an assholistic approach towards your fellow countrymen.

Don't drive your fellows out of their jobs...

out of business...

out of their homes...

out of their hopes...

out of their mind!

Coz if you do, then all hell might break loose, eventually.

And you might lose big, or...everything! [oh, your God!]

"Beware the fury of a patient man."

"Be afraid of a man who has nothing left to lose."

Get rich, and help others get prosperous, too, at least at a reasonable level.

Live, and let live.

What! You prefer to "not let live"?

The Khmer Rouge regime has exterminated 1/4 of the population of Cambodia/Kampuchea.

Are records meant to be broken?

"A politician  does not see the light until he feels the heat."

Politicians from around the world: 

do you entertain the idea of finding out, first-hand, the euphemistic weight of

 "a ton of bricks"? 

Happy International Women's Day (IWD)! Ruby Tuesday meme. Maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards from USA

Best wishes to all the women in the world! :)

Just like men, they have hormones like testosterone and estrogen, but in very different percentage.

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

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

Besides, there are many notions and people in the middle ground between MALE and FEMALE:

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

Don't focus on "Season's Greetings"; focus on the red roses, for today's occasion, OK? :)

Yes, I used a white mailing label, coz I want the postmark to be visible.

Here, black on black means invisibility, get it? :)

"International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women’s Day is marked on March 8 every year.^[1] It is a major day of global celebration of women. In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements.

Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc. In many regions, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine's Day. In other regions, however, the original political and human rights theme designated by the United Nations runs strong, and political and social awareness of the struggles of women worldwide are brought out and examined in a hopeful manner."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women's_Day

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Please visit and join Ruby Tuesday meme!

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

Happy Pink Saturday (meme)! Souvenir page (A4 page-size, letter-size, 8x11'' dorincard) about corn

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

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

WOA TALLEST CACTUS NON-AUTOGRAPHED MAXIMUM CARD (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)

- Condition:  UNCIRCULATED WONDERS OF AMERICA SAGUARO MAXIMUM CARD (19X13cm, 7.5x5.25inches) WITH FIRST DAY OF ISSUE PICTORIAL POSTMARK.
- Year: 2006

- Catalog value: (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)

I sold this for $ 12.00+5. 
09-05-08 05:26:29 (GMT-5.0)


"The saguaro, pronounced /səˈwɑroʊ/ (Carnegiea gigantea), is a large, tree-sized cactus species in the monotypic genus Carnegiea. It is native to the Sonoran Desert in the U.S. stateof Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, and an extremely small area of California, U.S. The saguaro blossom is the state flower of Arizona.
The common name saguaro came into the English language through the Spanish language, originating in the language of the Tohono O'odham native American nation."
"The major pollinators are bats, primarily the lesser long-nosed bat, feeding on the nectar from the night-blooming flowers, which often remain open in the morning.".

"Harming a saguaro in any manner, including cactus plugging, is illegal by state law in Arizona, and when houses or highways are built, special permits must be obtained to move or destroy any saguaro affected.".

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

WOA LARGEST FLOWER LOTUS FLORA NON-AUTOGRAPHED MAXIMUM CARD (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)

- Condition:  WONDERS OF AMERICA AMERICAN LOTUS UNCIRCULATED MAXIMUM CARD (19X13cm, 7.5x5.25inches) WITH FIRST DAY OF ISSUE PICTORIAL POSTMARK
- Year: 2006
- Catalog value: (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)


"Nelumbo lutea, the American Lotus, also known as Yellow Lotus or Water-chinquapin, is a flowering plant of the order Proteales."
"Like the Asian species Nelumbo nucifera, the American Lotus is an emergent aquatic plant. It grows inlakes and swamps, as well as areas subject to flooding. The roots are anchored in the mud, but the leavesand flowers emerge above the water's surface. The petioles of the leaves may extend as much as 2 m (6.6 ft) and end in a broad round leaf blade."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_lotus

WOA TALLEST TREES NON-AUTOGRAPHED MAXIMUM CARD (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)

- Condition:   WONDERS OF AMERICA COAST REDWOODS UNCIRCULATED MAXIMUM CARD (19X13cm, 7.5x5.25inches) WITH FIRST DAY OF ISSUE PICTORIAL POSTMARK; I AFFIXED A WHITE PAPER MAILING LABEL ONTO WHICH THE POSTMARK CAME TO BE MORE VISIBLE.
- Year: 2006
- Catalog value: (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)


"Sequoia sempervirens (pronounced /sɨˈkwɔɪ.ə ˌsɛmpərˈvaɪrənz/, latin pronuntiation /sɛkwɔɪ.ə ˌsɛmpərˈvɪrənz/)^[1] is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include Coast Redwood and California Redwood (it is one of three species of trees known as redwoods, but "redwood" per se normally refers to this species). It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living for up to 2,200 years, and this species includes the tallest trees on Earth, reaching up to 115.5 m (379.1 ft) in height and 8 m (26 ft) diameter at breast height. It is native to coastal California and the southwestern corner of Oregon within the United States.

The name sequoia is sometimes used as a general term for the subfamily Sequoioideae in which this genus is classified, together with Sequoiadendron (Giant Sequoia) and Metasequoia (Dawn Redwood); as a common name, it usually refers to Sequoiadendron."

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

WOA LARGEST PLANT NON-AUTOGRAPHED MAXIMUM CARD (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)

- Condition:  WONDERS OF AMERICA QUAKING ASPEN UNCIRCULATED MAXIMUM CARD (19X13cm, 7.5x5.25inches) WITH FIRST DAY OF ISSUE PICTORIAL POSTMARK
- Year: 2006
- Catalog value: (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)


"Populus tremuloides is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America. The species is referred to Quaking Aspen, Trembling Aspen, and Quakies, names deriving from its leaves which flutter in the breeze.^[1] The tree-like plant has tall trunks, up to 25 metres, with smooth pale bark, scarred with black. The glossy green leaves, dull beneath, become golden to yellow, rarely red, in Autumn. The species rarely flowers, often propagating through its roots to form large groves."
"As all trees in a given clonal colony are considered part of the same organism, one clonal colony, named Pando, is considered the heaviest^[2] and oldest^[1] living organism at six million kilograms and approximately 80,000 years old. Aspens do produce seeds, but seldom grow from them. Pollination is inhibited by the fact that aspens are either male or female, and large stands are usually all clones of the same sex. Even if pollinated, the small seeds (three million per pound) are only viable a short time as they lack a stored food source or a protective coating.^[3]".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaking_aspen

WOA OLDEST TREES BRISTLECONE PINE NON-AUTOGRAPHED MAXIMUM CARD (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)

- Condition: WONDERS OF AMERICA BRISTLECONE PINES UNCIRCULATED MAXIMUM CARD (19X13cm, 7.5x5.25inches) WITH FIRST DAY OF ISSUE PICTORIAL POSTMARK

- Year: 2006
- Catalog value: (I CREATED ONLY A HANDFUL)

The bottom one is the only copy I have in that configuration.

"The bristlecone pines are a small group of pine trees (Family Pinaceae, genus Pinus, subsection Balfourianae) that are thought to reach an age far greater than that of any other single living organism known, up to nearly 5,000 years.
There are three closely related species of bristlecone pine:

• Rocky Mountains Bristlecone Pine Pinus aristata in Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona
• Great Basin Bristlecone Pine Pinus longaeva in Utah, Nevada and eastern California
• Foxtail Pine Pinus balfouriana in California

Bristlecone pines grow in isolated groves at and just below the tree line. Because of cold temperatures, dry soils, high winds, and short growing seasons, the trees grow very slowly. The wood is very dense and resinous, and thus resistant to invasion by insects, fungi, and other potential pests. As the tree ages, much of its vascular cambium layer may die. In very old specimens, often only a narrow strip of living tissue connects the roots to a handful of live branches.".

"The oldest single living organisms known are bristlecone pines, though some plants such as
creosote bush or aspen form clonal colonies that may be many times older. Recently, Swedish researchers discovered a self-cloning spruce in Dalarna that has been dated to just under 10,000 years old[1] [2]. The existing growth in clonal colonies sprang as shoots from older growth so there is an unbroken chain of life that sometimes dates back several tens of thousands of years. However, the original ancient growth in these colonies is long dead. The oldest bristlecone pines are single plants that have been alive for a little less than 5,000 years. These very old trees are of great importance in dendrochronology or tree-ring dating.

The oldest (acknowledged) living organism known is a bristlecone pine tree nicknamed "Methuselah" (after Methuselah, the longest-lived person in the Bible). Methuselah is located in the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest in the White Mountains of eastern California, however its precise location is undisclosed by the U.S. Forest Service to protect the tree from vandalism.^[1] The age of Methuselah was measured by core samples in 1957 to be 4,789 years old.

In the Snake Range of eastern Nevada Donald R. Currey, a student of the University of North Carolina, was taking core samples of bristlecones in 1964. He discovered that "Prometheus" in a cirque below Wheeler Peak was over 4,000 years old. His coring tool broke, so the U.S. Forest service granted permission to cut down "Prometheus". 4,844 rings were counted on a cross-section of the tree, making "Prometheus" at least 4,844 years old, the oldest non-clonal living thing known to man.^[2]"

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