Monday, May 16, 2011

The Bulletproof Dog That Stormed Bin Laden's Lair | Fast Company. Also, I show you maxicards from Romania, with a German Shepherd dog "with American speed and German tactics" [to paraphrase an old joke]

Please read, from my most favorite business magazine, Fast Company:
The Bulletproof Dog That Stormed Bin Laden's Lair | Fast Company

Of course, you recognize the German Shepherd above, UL and LR.
Don't bring an Afghan [dog] to Pakistan.
Don't bring a Boxer [dog] to a gunfight.

Maxicards from Romania.



"The German Shepherd Dog (GSD, also known as an Alsatian), (GermanDeutscher Schäferhund) is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany.[2] 
The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. 
As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog developed originally for herding and guarding sheep. 
Because of its strength, intelligence and abilities in obedience training it is often employed in police and military roles around the world.[3] 
German Shepherds currently account for 4.6% of all dogs registered with the American Kennel Club. 
Due to its loyal and protective nature, the German Shepherd is one of the most registered of breeds."

Trained attack dog Samo leaps forward toward a decoy's arm wrap as Tech. Sgt. David Adcox restrains him.

Biserica Trei Ierarhi (Church of the Three Hierarchs) is a seventeenth-century monastery located in Iaşi, Romania. Incorruptible bodies, retardation, saponification...Maximum card from Romania








"Biserica Trei Ierarhi (Church of the Three Hierarchs) is a seventeenth-century monastery located in IaşiRomania
The monastery is listed in the National Register of Historic Monuments[1] and included on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Site."

"The church was erected between 1637 and 1639, in the Moldavian capital, in honour of three saints (Basil of CaesareaGregory of Nazianzus, and John Chrysostom), and was blessed by Bishop Varlaam
In 1640, Prince Vasile Lupu, the renowned defender of the Orthodox Church, set up here the first printing press in Moldavia and the Vasilian College, a higher education institute. In 1643, the first volume ever printed in Moldavia was issued in Iaşi. 
The Trei Ierarhi Church was dedicated by Vasile Lupu to the 20 monasteries on Mount Athos.

Several Romanian royal figures are buried inside the church: Tudosca (Vasile Lupu's first wife) and Ştefan Vodă, their son; prince and scholar Dimitrie Cantemir (1673–1723); and Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the first ruler of the united Romanian principalities (1859–1866)."

"The church became renowned for the extraordinary lacery in stone which adorns the facades, from bottom to the top of the derricks. One can count over 30 non-repeating registers of decorative motives. 
Western architectural elements (GothicRenaissance) combine with the Eastern style, of Armenian, Georgian, Persian, Arabian or Ottoman inspiration, in a totally bold conception, whose result is a harmonious ensemble
The effusive scenery makes the church resemble a shrine of architectonic proportions, especially conceived to protect the Sfanta Cuvioasa Parascheva's relics (1641). 
After the 1882 restoration, the original fresco was derusted, some fragments still being kept today in the monastery's museum.

Near the church one can find the Gothic Hall, which shelters a religious art museum. 
It has, among other things, objects related to the history of the monastery. In the gate's tower (which today no longer exists), that served as belfry, Vasile Lupu had installed a huge horologe, the first public use clock in Moldavia (1654). 
During the 1882 restoration, the whole mechanism was disassembled and transported to France, where it remained." [Thanks, France! Do you still need it?]


Parascheva's body, upon exhumation, was found to be INCORRUPTIBLE
and then her relics were NOT "lost in translation"
"Christian tradition states that after an old sinner was buried near Paraskevi’s grave, the saint protested by appearing in a dream to a local monk. The vision informed the monk where the saint had been buried; when the body was unearthed, it was found to be incorruptible.[1] The relics were translated to the church of the Holy Apostles in Katikratia.[1]"
Here is a similar example of (almost) incorruptible body:

For Joe Sixpack, The Incorruptibles can only mean some cops who could not be bribed by the gangstas.

"Incorruptibility is a Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox belief that supernatural intervention allows some human bodies to avoid the normal process of decomposition after death. 
Bodies that reportedly undergo little or no decomposition, or delayed decomposition, are sometimes referred to as incorrupt or incorruptible (adjective) or as an incorruptible (noun)."

"Although incorruptibility is still recognised as supernatural in Roman Catholicism, it is no longer counted as a miracle in the recognition of a saint.[1][clarification needed]
Incorruptibility is seen as distinct from the good preservation of a body, or mummification. Incorruptible bodies are often said to have the odour of sanctity, exuding a sweet or floral, pleasant aroma."
Wake up and smell the relics.

"In Roman Catholicism, if a body remains incorruptible after death, this is generally seen as a sign that the individual is a saint, although not every saint is expected to have an incorruptible corpse.
When the Catholic Church recognized incorruptibles, a body was not deemed incorruptible if it had undergone an embalming
As such, although the body of Pope John XXIII remains in a remarkably intact state, after its exhumation, Church officials quickly pointed out that the Pope's body had been embalmed and that there was a lack of oxygen in his sealed triple coffin."
So the Pope was disqualified from "incorruptibility".


Retardation [relax, Sarah, it's not what you think] and Saponification
"The two main positions on incorruptibility can be summarized as an argument for a physical or environmental cause, and an argument for a spiritual cause.
Physical causes include conditions such that decomposition is significantly slowed down. 
There are a number of ways of retarding decomposition, but the mechanism commonly stated is that of saponification
Another environmental condition that can be the cause of retarding decomposition is a burial ground that is cool and dry. 
The retardation of decomposition also occurs if the ground is composed of soil that is high in certain compounds that bring the bodies' moisture to the surface of the skin. 
It is also suggested that bodies with low amounts of muscle and body fat tend to resist decomposition better.
The argument for a spiritual cause may include a belief that the pious nature of the individual in some way permeated the flesh (a metaphysical cause having a physical effect), or a belief that decomposition was prevented by the intervention of God, or some other supernatural agent, as the body will be resurrected later."
============
At the top, you saw the blue sky of Moldova (still called Moldavia in English), a region that is about one third of Romania.
That Moldova is the western half of historical Moldova, a Romanian land.
The Eastern half of  historical Moldova is now called Republic of Moldova.
Rhetorical question: USSR, why did you annex by military force the Eastern Moldova?
Hmm, you sound like Bill Clinton...
So, MIGHT MAKES RIGHT, huh?
We'll see about that...:)
Reminder: USSR/Russia, you also have to return the Romanian Treasure!
==========
Happy Blue Monday! (meme)




Sunday, May 15, 2011

Mother knows best. Polar bear maximum cards that I created with the Royal Mail (UK)

Sure, I would have preferred a concordant pictorial postmark with a polar bear. 
Address your complaints to Royal Mail UK, who didn't create one. :)
So I settled for another pictorial postmark.
Oh, well, it's still within the scope of WWF.

Originally, both these cards were folded cards ("greeting cards"), which I postcardized thru a very high-tech procedure, called "cutting in two".
So they are not compliant with the rules of FIP CfM.
A Shih Tzu is what I don't give.
If I like it, I do it. No rules necessary, from anybody.

===============
Happy Sunday Stamps meme!







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Top 30 Stamp Collecting Blogs, by guidetoartschools.com

#2:
"Dorincard: Blogger Dorin C is a stamp and postcard fanatic, and luckily he's more than pleased to write prolifically and charmingly about his obsession. He has a particular bent for stamps with wild mammals on them, but his blog demonstrates an affinity for stamps of all forms and backgrounds, as long as they offer a special narrative that's worth sharing with his readers.


  • Source: http://www.guidetoartschools.com/library/best-stamp-collecting-blogs#ixzz1KirbuA4p
    "

    Some feedback received about me and my blog here

    [DORIN'S NOTE: There are over 100 million websites.]

    From alexa.com traffic rank site

    "There are 1,699,250 sites with a better three-month global Alexa traffic rank than Dorincard.blogspot.com.
    About 43% of visitors to the site come from France, where it has attained a traffic rank of 152,077.
    About 80% of visits to the site consist of only one pageview (i.e., are bounces).
    Dorincard.blogspot.com's visitors view an average of 1.5 unique pages per day.
    Visitors to the site spend roughly two minutes on each pageview and a total of three minutes on the site during each visit."



    inkling (Enthusiast)

    The best use of this site is Other.

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    Comments:
    Postcards and stamps, mainly featuring mammals and birds but Dorincard also has other creations
    and interests he likes to share.
    His enthusiasm for Maximum cards (a postcard and a similar themed stamps sent through the
    postal system) shines through.
    He shows how he gets the right card, stamp and postmark together.
    Visiting his site you will also learn things about the natural world told with a dry sense of humour,
    possibly with a play on words, and a unique style of headings.
    Topical and informative both for the enthusiast and casual visitor.
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