They all are emperors, and none has clothes. Some of the toughest and most caring dads (and moms) on earth, going extra-extra miles to bring food for their young. The Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) - maxicard from Romania

Emperor penguin from Antarctic visits

 New Zealand beach

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13856024

"The Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica. 

The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 122 cm (48 in) in height and weighing anywhere from 22 to 45 kg (49 to 99 lb). 

The dorsal side and head are black and sharply delineated from the white belly, pale-yellow breast and bright-yellow ear patches. 

Like all penguins it is flightless, with a streamlined body, and wings stiffened and flattened into flippers for a marine habitat."

[MY NOTE: how streamlined is YOUR body, modern sedentary human?]

"Its diet consists primarily of fish, but can also include crustaceans, such as krill, and cephalopods, such as squid. In hunting, the species can remain submerged up to 18 minutes, diving to a depth of 535 m (1,755 ft). 

It has several adaptations to facilitate this, including an unusually structured hemoglobin to allow it to function at low oxygen levels, solid bones to reduce barotrauma, and the ability to reduce its metabolism and shut down non-essential organ functions."

[MY NOTE: no, BAROTRAUMA does NOT mean the trauma induced by binge-drinking in bars.]

"The Emperor Penguin is perhaps best known for the sequence of journeys adults make each year in order to mate and to feed their offspring. 

The only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter, it treks 50–120 km (31–75 mi) over the ice to breeding colonies which may include thousands of individuals. 

The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed; parents subsequently take turns foraging at sea and caring for their chick in the colony. 

The lifespan is typically 20 years in the wild, although observations suggest that some individuals may live to 50 years of age."

Two adult Emperor Penguins with a juvenile on Snow Hill Island, Antarctica.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Aptenodytes_forsteri_-Snow_Hill_Island,_Antarctica_-adults_and_juvenile-8.jpg

Courtship and breeding

What could humans emulate from the penguins' experience?

"The penguins start courtship in March or April, when the temperature can be as low as −40 °C(−40 °F). 

A lone male gives an ecstatic display, where it stands still and places its head on its chest before inhaling and giving a courtship call for 1–2 seconds; it then moves around the colony and repeats the call."

[MY NOTE: so here's what you do, if you are a lone(ly) man: 

give an ecstatic display, as if you mean it, then place a courtship call.

Keep moving around, repeating the call.

"Can you hear me now?"]

"Before copulation, one bird bows deeply to its mate, its bill pointed close to the ground, and its mate then does the same."

[MY NOTE: (almost) any kind of human relationship will CO$$$T you something, somehow.

You better clarify upfront what it's gonna take.

Before mating, say: "Let me see the bill."]

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Transwiki approved by: w:en:User:Dmcdevit

This image was copied from wikipedia:en. The original description was:

Description	Lifecycle of the Emperor Penguin
Date	2006
Source	From [1]
Author	Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation
Permission (Reusing this file)	This image is a work of a National Science Foundation employee, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PENGUIN_LIFECYCLE_H.JPG

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

==========

Happy Blue Monday! (meme)

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

Fwd: Taking the time to be a dad. An actual email that President Barack Obama has sent me (and others, I might specify) today. Also, I show you two new maximum cards that I created with The Most Politically-Powerful Man On Earth today (that's the President of USA, not some member of The Bilderberg Group or so...I guess...what do I know? )

[MY NOTE: all the highlighting is mine, of course. :) ]

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: President Barack Obama <president@messages.whitehouse.gov>
Date: Sun, Jun 19, 2011 at 10:04 AM
Subject: Taking the time to be a dad
To: dorindorinco@gmail.com

Good morning, I grew up without a father around. I was lucky enough to be raised by a wonderful mother who, like so many heroic single mothers, never allowed my father's absence to be an excuse for me to slack off or not always do my best. But I often wonder what it would have been like if my father had a greater presence in my life. So as a father of two young girls, I've tried hard to be a good dad. I haven't always been perfect – there have been times when work kept me away from my family too often, and most of the parenting duties fell to Michelle. I know many other fathers face similar challenges. Whether you're a military dad returning from deployment or a father doing his best to make ends meet for his family in a tough economy, being a parent isn't easy. That's why my Administration is kicking off the Year of Strong Fathers, Strong Families. We're joining with dads across the country to do something about father absence. And we're taking steps to offer men who want to be good fathers but are facing challenges in their lives a little extra support, while partnering with businesses to offer fun opportunities for fathers to spend time with their kids. For example, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Major League Baseball and the WNBA are offering discounts for fathers and their kids, and companies like Groupon and LivingSocial will be featuring special offers for activities fathers can do with their children. You can learn more and sign the Fatherhood Pledge at Fatherhood.gov: We know that every father has a personal responsibility to do right by their kids – to encourage them to turn off the video games and pick up a book; to teach them the difference between right and wrong; to show them through our own example the value in treating one another as we wish to be treated. And most of all, to play an active and engaged role in their lives. But all of us have a stake in forging stronger bonds between fathers and their children. All of us can support those who are willing to step up and be father figures to those children growing up without a dad. And that's what the Year of Strong Fathers, Strong Families is all about. So I hope the dads out there will take advantage of some of the opportunities Strong Fathers, Strong Families will offer. It's one way of saying thank you to those who are doing the most important job of all: playing a part in our children's lives. Happy Father's Day. Sincerely, President Barack Obama P.S. Earlier this week, I did a TV interview and wrote an op-ed on this topic.   You can see both on WhiteHouse.gov.

This email was sent to dorindorinco@gmail.com. xxxxxxxxxxxx Privacy Policy Please do not reply to this email. Contact the White House The White House • 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW • Washington, DC 20500 • 202-456-1111  ====== [This is my email signature:] Dorin Cojocariu Philately (stamp collecting) in general, and maximaphily in particular, as a confluence of domains: learning, writing, web design, business administration, etc. http://dorincard.blogspot.com http://dorinco.webs.com http://www.squidoo.com/dorincard http://www.delcampe.com/stores/dorinco http://s289.photobucket.com/albums/ll201/dorincard/ http://www.zazzle.com/wtc6_postcard-239633022388546529?gl=dorinco&rf=238693463283865848 Maximaphily (especially the non-traditional one) could become one of the coolest hobbies, because it is at the confluence of: - philately (stamps collecting) - deltiology (postcards collecting) - marcophily (postmarks collecting) - scrapbooking (collages collecting) - mail art ("artistically-personalized mailpieces" collecting) When I say "collecting", I mean "creating and collecting". :) ===================================== What's the Liberty Bell stamp got to do with it? Well, these are all symbolic elements of America/USA:  the President, the White House, the Old Glory (the flag),  the Liberty Bell (ideals of liberty, democracy, equality, etc.)... Is this a multiview image, not approved by FIP CfM for a maxicard? Well, it sure isn't a singleview. It's a symbolic, composite, blurred-multiview image, for the purpose of creating  a visually compelling postcard. The flag is seen on the stamp, on The White House building, and I bet it's also on the President's lapel pin!!! For both dorincards, I have used the postmarked stamps on transparent mailing  address Avery labels that I created and sent to USPS for pictorial postmarking. Once I got these new postcards, I have carefully affixed the rectangles with  postmarked stamps, onto the super-glossy surface of the postcards. :) ========= Happy Father's Day! (me, too!) Happy Sunday Stamps meme! Please visit: http://viridianpostcard.blogspot.com/