My fellow Americans: ask NOT what your country can do for these tens of thousands of PENGUINS; ask what your country CAN do for these tens of thousands of your fellow Americans [from Wisconsin and more states - The Union Revolution? Watch it, be aware and beware...] forced to defend their right to unionized labor, against corporate abuse. Just as a 'ricochet' visual metaphor: WWF maxicards from the Falkland Islands - The King Penguin ((Aptenodytes patagonicus))

"The King Penguin (Aptenodytes patagonicus) is the second largest species of penguin at about 11 to 16 kg (24 to 35 lb), second only to the Emperor Penguin."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_penguin

Don't read now too much about the penguins.
As I said, the images that I provide here are just as a 'ricochet' visual metaphor for The Union Revolution, which may happen "unbeknownst to you", if you are the unsuspecting, average Joe Sixpack from USA.
Maybe you're not.


The metaphor is about tens of thousands of individuals that come together for a cause, because their [instinct?] belief is that their survival depends on this.
This is a cause for concern. Smile if you want, but don't laugh it away.


I'll repeat, in case you overlooked it:


Ask NOT what your country can do for these tens of thousands of PENGUINS; ask what your country CAN do for these tens of thousands of your fellow Americans [from Wisconsin and more states - The Union Revolution? Watch it, be aware and beware...] forced to defend their right to unionized labor, against corporate abuse.

"In Wisconsin, State police have been sent to apprehend Wisconsin senators who have left the Capitol building and force them to participate in the legislative session, in order that quorum be satisfied.^[15] The Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker, said that he would call the National Guard, a military reserve force in the US^[37]."

[edit]

Read more: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Wisconsin_budget_protests

If "Walker, Wisconsin Ranger" thinks that he can go home Scot-free, after unleashing The National Guard upon the huge crowd of protesters, then he may be in for an awakening of the rude kind.

If Walker needs air-superiority support to supplant the NG, he better hurry-up and ask Gaddafi for help - he still has a few fighter jets available.

Gaddafi has just said: "Don't listen to the dogs!"

Upcoming famous last words will be: "Who let the dogs out? Who?...Who?"

But don't quite laugh: smile, if you have to, then seriously think about it.

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

Please visit and join The World Bird Wednesday meme!

http://worldbirdwednesday.blogspot.com/

Happy Pink Saturday (meme)! [Part 1] Pretty in pink (or any other color): Vika Jigulina, who sings in Edward Maya's "Stereo Love" (Best International Song nominee). The haunting accordion sounds and rhythm...

Pretty in pink: "The Roseate Spoonbill (Ajaja ajaja), sometimes separated in the monotypic genus (Ajaja) is a gregarious wading bird of the ibis and spoonbill family, Threskiornithidae. It is a resident breeder in South America mostly east of the Andes, and in coastal regions of the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and the Gulf Coast of the United States.^[1][2]"

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

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

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

"I'll spread my wings/ And I'll learn how to fly"...to international success...

Now, who else is pretty in pink (or any other color)?

Vika Jigulina, for example.

Look at her dress at the top of this page:

http://mayavinrecords.com/vika-jigulina

Have you heard the beautiful, haunting, ("progressive house"-category) song "Stereo Love"?

Watch the videoclips from the above link! :)

The rhythm, the voices, the images...and the accordion virtuoso's supreme timing and instrumental skills. 

World-class! :)

Also:

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

Stereo Love, the new hymn/hit song of dance clubs, etc. from around the world! :)

Another videoclip (that I like, too), with a cover version an official remix of Stereo Love, sung by Mia Martina:

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

Another version, beautifully sung by Alicia, in Spanish:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gfd96rck28A

There's also a Portuguese version by DJ Osman, "image-intensive".

I expect that every country will come up with at least one version - why the hell not?

I am curious to see the exotic versions from Vatican City, Holy Mount Athos, Greenland, Saudi Arabia, French Polynesia...:)

Happy Postcard Friday (meme)! Read from BBC: 'Day of departure' rally in Egypt. Also, a visual metaphor for Day of Departure: philatelic souvenir (dorincard) about a "Frog" clinging to power, or so he thinks, ob(li)viously...

Read the whole article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12362826

Once upon the time, there was a Dictator clinging to power, or so he thought, ob(li)viously...

...but the power shifted recently to a greater force...

The moral: you better figure out in due time when your Day of Departure has come - then let go!  Or else...

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

Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

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

Groundhog, Woodchuck, Land-beaver or Whistlepig (Marmota monax) - maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards/ MCs from USA

"The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as a woodchuck, or in some areas as a land-beaver, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Other marmots, such as the yellow-bellied and hoary marmots, live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America and common in the northeastern and central United States. Groundhogs are found as far north as Alaska, with their habitat extending southeast to Alabama.<sup>[2]"


"</sup>The groundhog is the largest sciurid in its geographical range, typically measuring 40 to 65 cm (16 to 26 in) long (including a 15 cm (6 in) tail) and weighing 2 to 4 kg (4 to 9 lb). In areas with fewer natural predators and large amounts of alfalfa, groundhogs can grow to 80 cm (30 in) and 14 kg (31 lb)."
^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog}


"Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.^[1]"
"the National Climatic Data Center reportedly has stated that the overall prediction accuracy rate is around 39%.^{[25]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Groundhog_day}

I created this maxicard although I knew that the postmark will not be very visible.  I wanted to leave the text unobscured, and I hoped that the ink of the postmark will be good enough.  Hoping is free - anybody can do it.  Anyway, you can see the postmark on the backside, below.

The FDOI (First Day of Issue) postmark was applied by USPS (United States Postal Service) in Toronto, Canada.  

Is Canada [officially] part of USA?  :) 

No, but it was during CAPEX (Canada Philatelic Exposition/Exhibition) and USPS decided to have there the FDOI postmarking event for that great, beautiful 50 stamp-series.

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!

:)

==========

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).

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

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

==========

Happy Sunday Stamps!

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

From the heart of Liechtenstein? No, from Lichtenstein's Hartebeest (Alcelaphus lichtensteinii). Not a wildebeest. WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards about Mozambic.

This is a set with controversial issues. Why is the upper left image showing a far-away animal? What's this about - Big Sky Montana? The sky occupies most of the image.

Or, it can be the photographer's artistic choice to show us a perspective of that habitat, leaving the animal in the background. The cloudy sky over the African savannah...or something.

"Lichtenstein's Hartebeest (Alcelaphus lichtensteinii)[2] is a savannah and floodplain dwelling antelope found in southern Central Africa. By some, this species is classified as Sigmoceros lichtensteinii."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichtenstein's_Hartebeest

No, we're not talking about the country Liechtenstein here.

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

Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

Please visit: http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.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"...

Do I wish you a...Happy Face Spider? No, I wish YOU HAVE a Happy Face, because you will have a Happy New Year! :)

Happy New Year 2011!

"Theridion grallator, also known as the "happy face spider," is a member of the Theridiidae family.

The Hawaiian name is nananana makakiʻi (face-patterned spider). The binomial grallator is Latin for "stiltwalker", reference to the species' long spindly legs."

Does YOUR "smile" pattern change according to what YOU eat?

"As the pattern may change according to what food the spider has eaten (Gillespie, 1989) and as T. grallator is very small, hides during the day, and is thus not a significant prey item for any species of predator, it is more likely that the bizarre variety of patterns serves no significant adaptive purpose at all."

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

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

Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

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

How to remove unsoakable, self-adhesive stamps from paper? Try Pure Citrus air-freshener!

I have spotted this from Don Schilling at http://stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com/:

"Air-Freshener Removes Unsoak[a]ble Stamps

Guest Columnist Peter Butler writes in It’s Like Magic: Removing Self-Adhesive Stamps from Paper, an article that appeared in the October issue of American Philatelist, that one of the products that seem to work well removing those pesky, unsoakable, self -adhesive stamps is an air-freshener called Pure Citrus."

The original article is here:

http://www.stamps.org/ap/Guest1010.pdf

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

An example of self-adhesive stamps (I show you also the back of this beautiful, luxuriant pane of stamps): Hawaiian Rain Forest.

Now, in hi-res (high-resolution) for you to properly appreciate the exquisite artwork:

Click on it, then click again, to zoom in.

:)

The European Pine Marten (Martes martes) - WWF maximum cards/ maxicards/ dorincards from Ireland

"The European Pine Marten (Martes martes), known most commonly as the pine marten in Anglophone Europe, and less commonly also known as Pineten, baum marten, or sweet marten, is an animal native to Northern Europe belonging to the mustelid family, which also includes mink, otter, badger, wolverine and weasel. 

It is about the size of a domestic cat. Its body is up to 53 cm in length (21 inches), and its bushy tail can be 25 cm (10 inches). 

Males are slightly larger than females; on average a marten weighs around 1.5 kg (3.5 lb). 

Their fur is usually light to dark brown and grows longer and silkier during the winter months. 

They have a cream to yellow colored "bib" marking on their throats."

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

"BBC: African elephant is two species, researchers say". Also, Part 1: zazzle personalized stamp that I created, depicting The African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)

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

"The African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) is a forest dwelling elephant of the Congo Basin. Formerly considered either a synonym or a subspecies of the African Savanna Elephant (Loxodonta africana), a 2010 study established that the two are distinct species^[2][3]. The disputed Pygmy Elephants of the Congo basin, often assumed to be a separate species (Loxodonta pumilio) by cryptozoologists, are probably Forest Elephants whose diminutive size and/or early maturity is due to environmental conditions.^[4]"

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

Please read: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12054343#