7/19/2013

Croatian Flag

Croatian Flag 
 1 July 2013 Issued FDC, sent to China arrived 18 July 2013
 FDC
Official FDC

1 July 2013 and Croatia's becoming full member of the European Union is a realisation of our third strategic goal from becoming independent. In the 22 years of its independence Croatia became an internationally recognised state, member of NATO and now also a full member of the European Union. We can be proud of all we - all its citizens - have achieved. 
We enter the European Union prepared like no country before us. No country before us had criteria for opening and closing of chapters; our negotiations contained more chapters than any other country before; Croatia is the first country which had a special chapter– judiciary. In this way we created standards and criteria for the countries which will participate in future stages of EU enlargement and we have also set foundations for evaluating judiciary situation in other countries members, which is a large contribution also for the functioning of the European Union.  
There were, however, moments when the membership seemed far away, even unattainable, but we have not given up in such moments because we had the consensus of all relevant political parties and citizens.  We were aware that the reforms we were undertaking were in the service of laying foundations for the institutions of the state, since only a functional state can guarantee stability and prosperity to its citizens.   
During last two decades and especially in the last 12 years when we also formally began our way toward the full membership, we were aware that this was the right way for us. Equally, we were aware that by mere accession to the European Union the job will be far from finished – just now there is a work ahead of us which should and could prove that we are trustful and relevant member of the EU family of democratic states – of the Union which in spite of all present economic difficulties still presents globally a community with best living standard. The European Union as a community has been conceived on the principle of conflict solving and reducing uncertainty i.e. as a model for attaining goals through mutual cooperation and consensus.
Full membership in the European Union has for us but also for the whole Europe an additional value – stability of the whole region, which is our task and our responsibility. Equally, the membership in the European Union will mean for us greater chances to promote our culture and language since Croatian language will become one of the twenty-four official languages of the European Union.
We can be proud of ourselves because in the last twenty two years we have  indeed achieved a lot, meaning that we now have the knowledge and the will to achieve even more in future for ourselves, our children, Croatia and Europe.

Blue Ink ATM

BLUE INK PRIMNTED ATM 
Postage Label from Portugal 
 cat
 Parrot 
 Parrot
cat
Blue ink printed ATM is Rare
Thanks Vitor in Portugal sent me above Covers

obrigado meu amigo em Portugal me enviou acima envelopes

7/14/2013

Greece Cover

Registered Letter from Greece
 Registered Letter
other side of cover
Thanks Thomas Sotiriadis

Undersea world

Undersea World

sent at Perlis City Malaysia
thanks KKK sent me

7/07/2013

insects

Insects and Flower
Mongolia
21 June 2013 sent
arrived 7 July 2013 China

ANTS

ANTS
Sent from Brazil
THANKS CINARA

kingfisher

Kingfisher MS Poland
24 June 2013 sent from Poland
arrived China 7 July 2013

Kingfishers are a group of small to medium sized brightly coloured birds in the orderCoraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species being found in the Old World and Australasia. The group is treated either as a single family, Alcedinidae, or as a suborder Alcedines containing three families, Alcedinidae (river kingfishers), Halcyonidae (tree kingfishers), and Cerylidae (water kingfishers). There are roughly 90 species of kingfisher. All have large heads, long, sharp, pointed bills, short legs, and stubby tails. Most species have bright plumage with little differences between the sexes. Most species are tropical in distribution, and a slight majority are found only in forests. They consume a wide range of prey as well as fish, usually caught by swooping down from a perch. Like other members of their order they nest in cavities, usually tunnels dug into the natural or artificial banks in the ground. A few species, principally insular forms, are threatened with extinction. In Britain, the word 'kingfisher' normally refers to the Common Kingfisher.

7/02/2013

TASMANIAN DEVIL

TASMANIAN DEVIL

cover sent 3 June 2013
arrived China 2 July 2013
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is a carnivorous marsupial of the family Dasyuridae, now found in the wild only on the Australian island state of Tasmania. The size of a small dog, it became the largest carnivorous marsupial in the world following the extinction of the thylacine in 1936. It is characterised by its stocky and muscular build, black fur, pungent odour, extremely loud and disturbing screech, keen sense of smell, and ferocity when feeding. The Tasmanian devil's large head and neck allow it to generate amongst the strongest bite per unit body mass of any extant mammal land predator, and it hunts prey and scavenges carrion as well as eating household products if humans are living nearby. Although it usually is solitary, it sometimes eats with other devils and defecates in a communal location. Unlike most other dasyurids, the devil thermoregulates effectively and is active during the middle of the day without overheating. Despite its rotund appearance, the devil is capable of surprising speed and endurance, and can climb trees and swim across rivers.


It is believed that ancient marsupials migrated from what is now South America to Australia tens of millions of years ago during the time of Gondwana, and that they evolved as Australia became more arid. Fossils of species similar to modern devils have been found, but it is not known whether they were ancestors of the contemporary species, or whether the current devils co-existed with these species. The date that the Tasmanian devil became locally extinct from the Australian mainland is unclear; most evidence suggests they had contracted to three relict populations around 3000 years ago. A tooth found in Augusta, Western Australia has been dated to 430 years ago, but archaeologist Oliver Brown disputes this and considers the devil's mainland extinction to have occurred around 3000 years ago.This disappearance is usually blamed on dingoes, which are absent from Tasmania. Because they were seen as a threat to livestock and animals that humans hunted for fur in Tasmania, devils were hunted and became endangered. In 1941, the devils, which were originally seen as implacably vicious, became officially protected. Since then, scientists have contended that earlier concerns that the devils were the most significant threat to livestock were overestimated and misplaced.

Devils are not monogamous, and their reproductive process is very robust and competitive. Males fight one another for the females, and then guard their partners to prevent female infidelity. Females can ovulate three times in as many weeks during the mating season, and 80% of two-year-old females are seen to be pregnant during the annual mating season. Females average four breeding seasons in their life and give birth to 20–30 live young after three weeks' gestation. The newborn are pink, lack fur, have indistinct facial features and weigh around 0.20 g (0.0071 oz) at birth. As there are only four nipples in the pouch, competition is fierce and few newborns survive. The young grow rapidly and are ejected from the pouch after around 100 days, weighing roughly 200 g (7.1 oz). The young become independent after around nine months, so the female spends most of her year in activities related to childbirth and rearing.

Since the late 1990s, devil facial tumour disease has drastically reduced the devil population and now threatens the survival of the species, which in 2008 was declared to be endangered. Programs are currently being undertaken by the Government of Tasmania to reduce the impact of the disease, including an initiative to build up a group of healthy devils in captivity, isolated from the disease. While the thylacine was extant it preyed on the devil, which targeted young and unattended thylacine cubs in their dens. Localised populations of devils have also been severely reduced by collisions with motor vehicles, particularly when they are eating roadkill.

The devil is an iconic symbol of Tasmania and many organisations, groups and products associated with the state use the animal in their logos. It is seen as an important attractor of tourists to Tasmania and has come to worldwide attention through the Looney Tunes character of the same name. Due to export restrictions and the failure of overseas devils to breed, there are almost no devils outside Australia except for any that have been illegally smuggled.

Paper Cut Art

China Paper Cut Art
Chinese New Year (Zodiac) Guyana
Year of Pig
Rooster
Monkey
Sheep

All covers sent 11 May 2013 Guyana
Arrival China 2 July 2013