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

Word from Colonel Muammar Al Gadhafi: 'FORMING PARTIES SPLITS SOCIETIES' - see a Libyan stamp about that, issued in 1984!!! Also, 2 FDCs from Libya. Read from BBC: 'Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appears on state TV'.

Read from BBC: 'Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi appears on state TV'.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12533069#

In 1949, George Orwell wrote 'Nineteen Eighty-Four'.
In 1984, this stamp was issued by Libya:

Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi might not be completely wrong about that...

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

There could be "democratic" societies that are deeply split, nonetheless.

There could be autocratic societies that are united, for a while, especially if the dictator is "enlightened", truly serving the interest of the nation, as needed.

Not possible, you think?

Read about Cincinnatus, Dictator of the Roman Empire, not corrupted by power:

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

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

English: Statue of Cincinnatus, Cincinnati, OH, 2004, by Rick Dikeman

"With one hand he returns the fasces, symbol of power as appointed dictator of Rome. His other hand holds the plow, as he resumes the life of a citizen and farmer."

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

Read from sfgate.com:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/n/a/2011/02/21/international/i093040S97.DTL&object=/n/p/2011/02/21/7002c0f9-8164-474f-8483-aba8dcc602b3.jpg

One of two Libyan air force jets is guarded by Maltese soldiers in Malta's International airport, Monday, Feb. 21, 2011. Their pilots asked for political asylum amid a bloody crackdown on anti-government protesters in Libya, a military source said.

Photo: Lino Arrigo Azzopardi / AP

The two Dassault F1 Mirage air-superiority fighter jets look similar to this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mirage_F1_Qatar.jpg

The pilots defected, rather than delivering air-to-ground superiority upon the protesters, with weaponry like this:

"Armament

• Guns: 2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA 553 cannons with 150 rounds per gun
• Hardpoints: 1 centreline pylon, four underwing and two wingtip pylons with a capacity of 6,300 kg (13,900 lb) (practical maximum load 4,000 kg (8,800 lb)) and provisions to carry combinations of:
  • Rockets: 8× Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each
  • Bombs: various
  • [DORIN'S NOTE: does the fearless leader believe that the protesters will say: Viva variety?]
  • Other: reconnaissance pods or Drop tanks
• Missiles: 2× AIM-9 Sidewinders OR Matra R550 Magics on wingtip pylons, 2× Super 530Fs underwing, 1× AM-39 Exocets anti-ship missile, 2× AS-30L laser guided missiles"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dassault_Mirage_F1

Descending into chaos...civil war: GENOCIDE ensues.

Eventually, after many protesters will die and enough military will defect, the new military junta (it's possible, is it not?) will deal with the loyalists of The Colonel.
Already, some protesters have special plans for
the (unfortunate?) members of the Amazonian Guard:


"The Amazonian Guard is an elite group of 30-40 (reports differ) virginal women who are tasked with protecting the eccentric Muammar al-Gaddafi.

Their training, as one may expect after some thought, includes both martial arts and firearms.

They have been seen following the fellow around for a few decades. Conspiracies to rape the virgin female guard upon capture of Gaddafi have been rumored during clashes and violence in Tripoli. ^{[1] [2] [3]"}

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

===========

A woman's life in Libya: a balancing act?

This 1977 FDC is about World Telecommunications Day.

But today's news is GENOCIDE.

Could space-lasers be used against the protesters? Hm...

The boxer above is mistakenly depicted.

Why?

Because he's bare-chested.

So?

It's supposed to be an amateur boxer, in the Olympic tournament.

An A-shirt is mandatory.

Only the professional boxers are bare-chested.

Anyway:

as Gaddafi's son warned, next there could be a massacre. 

He said hundreds of thousands could die.

Libya is a rich country, but 30% of people are unemployed, 66% of those employed live on a few dollars a day...

Meanwhile, dictators around the world amass riches for themselves, at the expense of "the worms", as  Elena Ceaușescu could have said.

Happy Presidents [yes, plural - see my previous blogpost] - Day! A philatelic item/souvenir with a circumstantial concordance, about George Washington. Plus other things (see them). Happy Blue Monday meme!

What! Did I claim that this is a FIP CfM-compliant maximum card?

No.

So, don't worry about it, in case you do! :)

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

Happy Blue Monday! (meme)

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

Happy Sunday Stamps meme! Tomorrow, USA celebrates Presidents Day. From my oldie but goldie stamp collection: USA presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. Nice stamps from USA and just as nice [if not nicer - OMG! :) ] from Togo and some countries 'rated R': Romania, Rwanda and Ras Al Khaima!

" Nonetheless, while Washington's Birthday was originally established to honor George Washington, the term Presidents Day was informally coined in a deliberate attempt to use the holiday to honor multiple presidents, and is virtually always used that way today.^[3] Though President's Day is sometimes seen in print^[12] — even sometimes on government Web sites,^[13] this style is not endorsed by any major dictionary or usage authority."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President's_day


From my oldie, but goldie stamp collection: 
USA presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. 
Nice stamps from USA and just as nice [if not nicer - OMG! :) ] from Togo and some countries 'rated R': Romania, Rwanda and Ras Al Khaima!

Thank you, Viridian, for bringing into spotlight, next Sunday Feb 27, the personalized stamps such as from Zazzle.  I'll be happy to share some cool images, tips and tricks about how YOU, from anywhere in the world, can design free of charge, your own zazzle stamps and many other personalized/ customized items.

You can always see examples and comments by visiting http://dorinco.webs.com and especially this blog: http://dorincard.blogspot.com, then search by label/tag: customized postage, personalized stamps, personalised stamps, P-stamps.

:)

==========

Happy Sunday Stamps!

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

Read from popherald.com: 'Brancusi, Constantin’s 135th birthday à la Google Doodle style'. Also, cool images with his modernist sculpture artwork on maximum cards, stamps and postcards from Romania and France.

Please read: http://www.popherald.com/brancusi-constantin-google-doodle/5019

You, and me, and everybody else on "God's Green Earth" could make our own interpretations and comments upon the artwork of the "father of the modern[ist?] sculpture", Constantin Brâncuşi (Romanian pronunciation: [konstanˈtin brɨnˈkuʃʲ].
It would be interesting and inciting, in the variety of the different and even contradictory opinions of ours.

Let's read what Constantin Brâncuşi himself said:
"Brâncuşi on his own work

(French) "Il y a des imbéciles qui définissent mon œuvre comme abstraite, pourtant ce qu'ils qualifient d'abstrait est ce qu'il y a de plus réaliste, ce qui est réel n'est pas l'apparence mais l'idée, l'essence des choses." [15]		"There are idiots who define my work as abstract; yet what they call abstract is what is most realistic. What is real is not the appearance, but the idea, the essence of things." [DORIN'S underlining]
(French) "Ne cherchez pas de mystères; je vous apporte la joie pure."[citation needed]		"Don’t look for mysteries; I bring you pure joy."
(Romanian) "Am șlefuit materia pentru a afla linia continuă. Și când am constatat că n‑o pot afla, m‑am oprit; parcă cineva nevăzut mi‑a dat peste mâini." [16]		"I ground matter to find the continuous line. And when I realized I could not find it, I stopped, as if an unseen someone had slapped my hands."
(Romanian) "Muncește ca un sclav, poruncește ca un rege, creează ca un zeu."[citation needed]		"Work like a slave; command like a king; create like a god."

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

Most "net surfers" might not have the interest and the patience ("the stomach"...or "the brain"? Aw, come on! People lack time and interest, most of the time - not the grey matter) to read an ENTIRE article, such as from wikipedia.org, on ANY subject whatsoever. Elementary, dear "Whatso"...
What I am trying to do is to provide such oh-so-busy readers with at least a meaningful fragment from such an article - again, on ANY subject.  In this case, about Constantin Brâncuşi.


"Constantin Brâncuşi (Romanian pronunciation: [konstanˈtin brɨnˈkuʃʲ]; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian-born sculptor who made his career in France. As a child he displayed an aptitude for carving wooden farm tools. Formal studies took him first to Bucharest, then to Munich, then to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His abstract style emphasizes clean geometrical lines that balance forms inherent in his materials with the symbolic allusions of representational art. Famous Brâncuşi works include the Sleeping Muse (1908), The Kiss (1908), Prometheus (1911), Mademoiselle Pogany (1913), The Newborn (1915), Bird in Space (1919) and The Column of the Infinite (Coloana infinitului), popularly known as The Endless Column (1938). Brâncuşi is considered a pioneer of modernism."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brancusi

Now, if you want to read more, at wikipedia.org or any other source, please do so.
Otherwise, the above quotes are what I am submitting to your attention, just in case you want to read at least that, as a nutshell, as the crux of the matter, as the essence of this artist.

Romania-France joint-issue stamps about Constantin Brancusi; notice that the maximum card above has a Romanian stamp and First Day of Issue pictorial postmark.

The maxicard below has a French stamp and corresponding postmark.

I saw this in a visit to Washington, D.C.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Gallery_of_Art_Washington

No, this is not Pisa - the photo from the postcard was not verticalized properly in manufacturing.

Now, the same  The Column of the Infinite (Coloana infinitului), photographed in even more vivid colors by the company Kruger (then- West Germany):

The problem with the wonderfully-colored Kruger postcards is that they obviously used a highly-acidic, quickly-deteriorating paper for postcard backing - just look how it appears now, after some 30 years:

That should teach YOU a lesson, you people who EXPECT and DEMAND that ALL your stamps, postcards, labels and any other paper memorabilia MUST resist for a long time.

Be happy if your LIFE resists for a long time, and don't expect the acidic paper items to do the same.

A smart thing to do is to scan or photograph whatever paper item is worth the effort, and immortalize it, until the next TUNGUSKA-level global cataclysm. :)

In the above image, you see a series of 3 stamps, and 2 more stamps (obliterated/ postmarked/ circulated) from another series, which series I apparently don't have anymore (I had the complete series when I was living in Romania; I have also visited the Targu-Jiu statuary complex that you see in the blue stamps above).

See that series here, in a cool website whose webmaster is my fellow stamp collector/ philatelist, the Romanian-Swiss Victor Manta:

http://www.artonstamps.org/Countries/Romania/Brancusi/romanian3.htm

See that 40 bani stamp above, "The Kiss" sculpture, on a pink background?

I have intentionally posted it here, at the end, for MEME purposes.

Let's say that this is my entry for today at Happy Pink Saturday meme! :)

I apologize if anybody considers that my...entry is too long, but, hey! It's Brancusi! :)

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

Happy Pink Saturday!

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

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