International Workers' Day

International Workers' Day, celebrated on May 1, is an annual holiday to celebrate the achievements of workers. Also known as Labor Day in many countries, it was related in the labor union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement that advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest in one day. In Canada and the United States, it is celebrated on the first Monday of September, marking the end of the summer holiday when most students return to school.

The featured postcard was purchased from the National Geographic store at zazzle.com, showing construction workers on beams at the top of the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas. Copyright: Paul Chesley / National Geographic Stock.

A View from the top of the Stratosphere Tower

National Geographic: Owls

Outgoing postcard US-2869244 to Ukraine, sent on July 3, 2014, has since expired. It shows a tagged northern spotted owl in a redwood forest in California.

After I saw a Youtube video of an owl attacked by a hawk, I was curious about the difference between owls and hawks, all birds of prey. Owls belong to the order Strigiformes, with more than 100 species. On the other hands, hawks belong to the Accipitridae family within the order Accipitriformes. Owls are more active at night while hawks rule the day. That probably partially explain the timing of the above "attack." However, hawks do appear to be more aggressive and territorial. Another popular Youtube Video shows the dramatic moment of a hawk attacking a drone over Cambridge, Massachusetts recently, sending the quadcopter plummeting to the ground.

Photo Credit: Michael Nichols/National Geographic Stock. The postcard was purchased at National Geographic store at Zazzle.

Arctic Hare in its Winter Coat

Postcard US-2955780 to NC, USA shows a portrait of an Arctic hare (Lepus arcticus), a species of hare adapted to harsh polar and mountainous habitats, in Manitoba, Canada. It is also called polar rabbit. According to Wikipedia, "the arctic hare survives with a thick coat of fur and usually digs holes in the ground or under snow to keep warm and sleep. Arctic hares look like rabbits but have shorter ears, are taller when standing, and, unlike rabbits, can thrive in cold climates. They can travel together with many other hares, sometimes huddling with dozens or more, but are usually found alone, taking, in some cases, more than one partner. The arctic hare can run up to 60 km/h (40 mi/h). Its predators include the arctic wolf, arctic fox, and ermine, as well as, the Gyrfalcon, Peregrine Falcon, and Snowy Owl."

Copyright Norbert Rosing / National Geographic. The card was purchased at National Geographic store at Zazzle.

Union Pacific's Living Legend

Postcard  US-2913074 to Ukraine shows Steam Locomotive No. 844 at Sherman Hill, Wyoming. It was the last steam locomotive of a fleet of 45 built for the Union Pacific Railroad by American Locomotive Company, placed in passenger service in December, 1944. After diesel engines took over all of the passenger service, No. 844 was operated in freight service in Nebraska between 1957 and 1959. The engine was widely known as the No. 8444 as an extra '4' was added to its number in 1962 to distinguish it from a diesel engine numbered in the 800 series. The steam engine regained No. 844 in June, 1989, after that diesel engine was retired.

Hailed as Union Pacific's "Living Legend," the engine is widely known among railroad enthusiasts for its excursion runs since 1960, with appearances at Expo '74 in Spokane, WA, at the opening of the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, CA in 1981, at the 1984 World's Fair in New Orleans, LA, and the 50th Anniversary Celebration of  the Union Station in Los Angeles, CA in 1989. The locomotive is currently parked in the roundhouse at Cheyenne, Wyoming, You can get the update from the Up Stream Team via Facebook and Twitter.

The postcard was purchased from National Geographic's store at Zazzle. Copyright:  Kent Kobersteen / National Geographic Stock.

Mountain Lion on a Ledge

Postcard US-2869247 to Finland shows a mountain lion pauses on a ledge inside this swirled rock chasm in Arizona. Mountain lions, usually shy and elusive, are most commonly seen in mountainous terrain. They are solitary animals with the exception of females with kittens or breeding pairs. An average litter has three kittens, which stay with mother for about 18 months. When grown up, they weight 70-150 pounds or 31-68 kilograms and can live up to 13 years in the wild. Mountain lions are good jumpers. They can jump 20 feet or 6 meters vertically and 40 feet or 12 meters horizontally in one leap.

The postcard was purchased from National Geographic's store at Zazzle. Copyright Norbert Rosing/National Geographic Stock.

Golden Snub-nosed Monkey

Traveling Postcard US-2722710 to Czech Republic shows a baby golden snub-nosed monkey (金丝猴), perching in a highland forest at elevations between 1,500 and 3,400 meters above sea level in Sichuan, China.

According to Wikipedia, the golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is an Old World monkey, endemic to a small area in temperate, mountainous forests of central and Southwest China.

The golden snub-nosed monkey is endangered due to habitat loss. It is also the most treasured national animal in China next to Panda.

The postcard was purchased from the National Geographic store at Zazzle. Copyright by Cyril Ruoso/Minden Pictures.

Half Dome, Yosemite National Park

Outgoing postcard US-2738812 to Finland shows a man climbing Half Dome at the Yosemite National Park in California. A recent massive rockfall has closed the Rancheria Falls Trail. Meanwhile, a number of special programs and events are being planned to celebrate the Earth Day from April 19 to April 27, 2014.

The postcard was purchased from the National Geographic store at Zazzle. Copyright: Jimmy Chin/National Geographic Stock.

A Cat Peering Outside

Outgoing postcard US-2680023 to New Zealand shows a National Geographic photo of a cat, next to a blue door, peering out of the window of an adobe house at Taos Pueblo in New Mexico. Taos Pueblo is a Native American community with a population of 1264 in the 2000 census. It was designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992 and a National Historic Landmark in 1960.

Copyright by Ira Block/National Geographic Stock. The postcard was created By National Geographic and can be purchased at Zazzle.