You may play Macao-the-card-game, but don't play with Macao-the-parrot! It may remove your eye (then you'll need an...iPatch) or it may give you the finger (after it cuts it from you). The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) - a beautiful, engraved stamp on a 2004 maximum card/ maxicard/ dorincard written and sent to me in 2011 as a simple postcard from the Czech Republic, by my Czech-German friend Wenzel.

Can you see the hearts here?

What we can't see anymore is the miniature sheet that was affixed on the left half of the postcard.

LESSON LEARNED: never overestimate your BODILY EFFLUVIA, such as saliva. Or a weak glue. Instead, affix with enough glue to make it stick.

Make it hard for the postal thieves or the impersonal, brutal Automated Postal Systems to tear off the stamps from your mail piece.

Many years ago, I casually played Macao, a version of the French card game "21".

That's not the point here.

However: here's how to play Crazy Eights / Macau / Macaua:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macau_(card_game)

"Macau (traditional Chinese: 澳門), also spelled Macao ( /məˈkaʊ/), is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China. 

It lies on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering Guangdong provinceto the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south.^[6]

The territory's economy is heavily dependent on gambling and tourism but also includes manufacturing.

Macau was a Portuguese colony and both the first and last European colony in China.^[7][8] Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on 20 December 1999. 

The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer.^[9]  [DORIN'S NOTE: then what???]

Under the policy of "one country, two systems", the PRC's Central People's Governmentis responsible for the territory's defense and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, and immigration policy. 

Macau participates in many international organizations and events that do not require members to possess national sovereignty.^[9][10] 

According to the CIA factbook, Macau has the highest life expectancy in the world.^[11]"

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

But that's not the point here, either.

The point is Macao The Parrot: The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao).

"The Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) is a large, colorful macaw. It is native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics. Range extends from extreme south-eastern Mexico to Amazonian Peru, Bolivia and Brazil in lowlands up to 500 m (1,640 ft) (at least formerly) up to 1,000 m (3,281 ft). It has suffered from local extinction through habitat destruction and capture for the parrot trade, but locally it remains fairly common. Formerly it ranged north to southern Tamaulipas. It can still be found on the island of Coiba. It is the national bird of Honduras."

"As Pets

Scarlet Macaws are quite demanding of time and resources, and in general, make for a rude, noisy, messy, and destructive house guest. 

One should spend a lot of time reading about these birds before inviting them into your home. 

Any large macaw can easily remove a finger, or remove

 your eye while perched on your shoulder. 

Not always aggressive, they are always somewhat unpredictable, even around experienced handlers."

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

Scarlet Macaw, less dangerous than Scarface [gangster Al Capone - he gave a new meaning to Be my Valentine: The St. Valentine's Day Massacre eliminated some of Capone's enemies, but outraged the general public].

Scarlet Macaw, more brightly-colored than ScarJo [actress Scarlett Johansson].

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scarlett_Johansson_with_soldiers_3.jpg

===========

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 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/

Insurance industry says earthquakes are 'acts of God'. BBC: 'New Zealand earthquake: 65 dead in Christchurch'. What's in a name, like Christchurch? Nothing but wishful thinking?... 'for Christ's sake'? Also, a maximum card from New Zealand, otherwise a beautiful country, whose green scenery you should remember from 'Lord of the Rings' movies.

Read from BBC:
'New Zealand earthquake: 65 dead in Christchurch'
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12533291

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

Maximum card/ maxicard/ dorincard from New Zealand.

Christchurch, under assault from the TeCtonic Knights?

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

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

If you will never come around to reading the whole article about New Zealand, at least read this, will you? :)

"New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island) and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa, commonly translated as land of the long white cloud. The Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau; the Cook Islands and Niue (self-governing but in free association); and the Ross Dependency, New Zealand's territorial claim in Antarctica.

New Zealand is notable for its geographic isolation: it is situated about 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) southeast of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and its closest neighbours to the north are the Pacific Islands of New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga. 

The country's sharp mountain peaks owe much to the earthquakes and volcanic activity caused by the clashing Pacific and Indo-Australian Plates. 

The climate is mild and temperate and most of the landscape is covered by tussock grass or forests of podocarp, kauri or southern beech. 

During its long isolation New Zealand developed a distinctive fauna dominated by birds, a number of which became extinct after the arrival of humans and introduced mammals."

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

A Romney shiquolt and lambs.

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

An image with Romney lambs.

In German: Ein Bild mit Romney Lämmer.

Mitt Romney:

"Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman, and a Republican who was the 70th Governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007, was a candidate in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, and is a likely candidate in the 2012 presidential election."

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