NOV 20, singable satire: world harmony and tolerance, "STARTING POINT 1948"

 

a) Reprise of material posted on November 20 in previous years ...

2020: singable satire, A Lesson on Reduplications (parody lyrics)
2021: singable satire, Vancouver's Isle (parody lyrics) 
2022: singable satire, Vlad Putin's Blogger (parody lyrics)
2023: singable satire, Turkey Leftovers (parody lyrics)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... Vancouver's Isle), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slides for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

b) Today's Offering (Nov 20, 2024):  

PARODY-LYRICS with setting of original document to music 
ORIGINAL SONG: "Born Free", Matt Monro, 1966
ORIGINAL DOCUMENT: United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 1 , 1948. * 
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, January 2016.



* "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood." 


STARTING POINT 1948

(to the tune of "Born Free" - these first 4 verses fit best with the melody of the 2nd and 3rd verse of the original)

All human beings are born free,

Of dignity worthy

And equal in basic fact.

Endowed with reason and goodness

A spirit of brotherhood

Should motivate their acts.

Tous les êtres humains naissent libres

En droits ils sont égaux

Ainsi qu’en dignité

Doués de conscience et de raison

Ils doivent se comporter dans

Un esprit de fraternité.

Todos los seres humanos nacen libres

En derechos están iguales

Y también en dignidad

Dotados de razón y conciencia

Deben comportarse

Con ánimo de hermandad.

Vse ljudi rozhdayutsya svobodnymi

Dostoyny uvazheniya

I ravnymi v osnovnykh pravakh

Nadelennyy prichine I dobra

Dukh bratstva

Mozhet vdokhnovit’ svoi deystviya.

(sing to verse#1 pattern of the original song, then continue )

Some schemed, six decades before us
Their voices implore us
Hold course until we’re all free.

Their world had huge imperfections

They craved free elections,
Disbanding of colonies.

East, West: great walls did divide them
And victims of apartheid -
Disparities so wide.

Dreamed free, they helped us to get there
Their efforts we’ll all share
‘Til we’re ‘born free’.

(Instrumental bridge)
They dreamed of our works-in-progress
Abuses to be redressed
Whatever race or sect.

They framed a great Declaration
To challenge each nation -
We’re all born free.

NOV 19, birdlore: pesty pigeons on the steenth floor!

 a) Review of material posted on November 19 in previous years ...

2020: Toronto ravines, East Don valley (photo-collage)  
2021: binomial phrases, hunger and thirst (illustrated poem)

2022: Italian loanword, ghetto (illustrated poem) 
2023: exemplification, house (poem)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... ghetto), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slides for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

unfinished bridge

Hint for readers: to enlarge any photo or slide in these presentations, click on it, then follow the thumbnails at the bottom of the post (for computer 'web-version', not for 'mobile version'). To exit this enlarged mode, don't panic, but CLICK on the small 'x' at the upper right of the black background field.

b) Today's Offering (Nov 19, 2024):

Condo-owners and apartment renters:  Our collection of illustrated poems about "Urban Concerns" on our parent blog "Edifying Nonsense", contains a colletion of intriguing verses that you can access by clicking HERE.

NOV 18, higher connections: haredim

  a) Review of material posted on November 18 in previous years ...

2020: waterfowl, American white ibis (illustrated poem)  

2021: anagrams, Canadian scramble-town 15 (wordplay maps) 

2022: classic palindromes, Ida's denial. (poem)

2023: saving the planet, drought (poem)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... white ibis), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slide(s) for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

Hint for readers: to enlarge any photo or slide in these presentations, click on it, then follow the thumbnails at the bottom of the post (for computer 'web-version', not for 'mobile version'). To exit this enlarged mode, don't panic, but CLICK on the small 'x' at the upper right of the black background field.

b) Today's Offering (Nov 18, 2024): 

Authors' note: 

(khah-ray-DEEM)

Various groups of strictly Orthodox or haredi (khah-RAY-dee) Jews represent an expanding demographic in Israel, assembling in particular neighborhoods (such as the suburbs of Jerusalem) where they carry out their lifestyle, rejecting and disdaining the secular environment, preferring a world characterized by observance of laws derived from the Torah (Bible). Their traditional dress reflects the groups' roots in 19th century Ashkenazi religious communities in eastern Europe. The name (the plural noun form) originates from a biblical reference to those who tremble at the word of God.

With large families (averaging 7 children per woman), these groups made up 4% of Israeli citizens in 1980, and 13% in 2021.

Readers can view our collected verses dealing with 'higher connections' by clicking HERE.

NOV 17, palinku (poetic novelty): 45th prez, 6/7

 a) Reprise of material posted on November 17 in previous years ...

2020: palinku, partying #1 (poetic novelty)  
2021: palinku, potatoes (poetric novelty)

2022: palinku, conformity (poetic novelty) 
2023: palinku, global warming (poetic novelty)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... global warming), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slide(s) for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

b) Today's Offering (Nov 17, 2024):

  In this post, we continue with our novel form of poetic wordplay. Inspired by Japanese haiku poetry, the "palinku" is a terse verse with a total of 17 syllables displayed on three lines. Unlike its earlier English-language forerunners, this concoction does not mandate the precise distribution of the syllables among the three lines, but does stipulate that each word in the poem be included in a palindromic phrase or sentence  (i.e. one that can be read either forwards or backwards). 

  To help the reader discern the origin of the lyrics, each palindrome, generally occupying one of the three lines of the poem, has been color-coded. Readers will note that we have been publishing verses of this type on the 17th of each month.

 You can readily view all our verses of this type if you proceed with a single click to our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE. (Or if you prefer, you can stay on this particular blogsite and look for the offerings for the 17th day of each month -- there are now more than 60 of these.)
 

NOV 16, defining opinion: expertise

  a) Review of material posted on November 16 in previous years ...

2020: Greek prefixes, dia- (poem)  
2021: mammalian wildlife, Gorilla gorilla gorilla (illustrated poem)

2022: scopes of medicine, bronchoscopy (poem) 
2023: decorative touches, studies of the Ravenel bridge (fabric art)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... bronchoscopy), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slide(s) for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

Hint for readers: to enlarge any photo or slide in these presentations, click on it, then follow the thumbnails at the bottom of the post (for computer 'web-version', not for 'mobile version'). To exit this enlarged mode, don't panic, but CLICK on the small 'x' at the upper right of the black background field.

b) Today's Offering (Nov 16, 2024):

Authors' Note: Norm's take on his employability would at some past point be thought to smack of self-aggrandizement or worse, but appears in our day to have been normalized.

Our series of blogposts, "Defining Opinion" on the topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense" shows a selection of similar verses submitted to OEDILF (the online Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form). You can see all of these on one visit by clicking HERE.

NOV 15, Submitted Palindromes: RANDOM PILE #31

 a) Reprise of material posted on November 15 in previous years ...

2020: Toronto ravines, Avoca (photo-collage)  
2021: humorists talk, comings and goings (poem) 

2022: signs of confusion, first collection (photo-collage)

2023: patients and maladies, horseshoe kidney (poem)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... horseshoe kidney), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slide(s) for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

b) Today's Offering (Nov 15, 2024):

 

NOV 14, duplication: claptrap

  a) Review of material posted on November 14 in previous years ...

2020: pandemic poetry, social distancing (illustrated poem)  
2021: bi-lyrical limerick, fiefdom (poetic novelty)

2022: higher connections, gnostic (poem) 
2023: decorative touches, three untitled abstract pieces (fabric art)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... fiefdom), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slides for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

fabric art, R.C.H.

Hint for readers: to enlarge any photo or slide in these presentations, click on it, then follow the thumbnails at the bottom of the post (for computer 'web-version', not for 'mobile version'). To exit this enlarged mode, don't panic, but CLICK on the small 'x' at the upper right of the black background field.

b) Today's Offering (Nov 14, 2024):

Authors' Note: The disparaging term gobbledegook was first used in 1944 by a Texas politician named Maverick (scion of the original staunchly independent thinker). Its meaning — pompous, overinflated language — gave rise a few year later to the equivalent bafflegab. These expressions, employing repetition of sounds, have a musical and amusing quality, as do their venerable synonyms --hogwash, poppycock, balderdash, bunkum and tommyrot, but only their close cousin claptrap (alternately clap-trap) -- would qualify as a reduplication.

Readers willing to go down an internet rabbit-hole can easily get to a collection of more than a dozen other short verses SHORT VERSES  in which we have dealt with specific reduplications. 

If interested, you could also discover three fairly lengthy PATTER-SONGS about this fascinating linguistic phenomenon. These songs form an important part of our cycle of 9 songs about "Word Pairs".

NOV 13, veggies: corn on the cob

  a) Reprise of material posted on November 13 in previous years ...

2020: diagnostic imaging, ode to gamma-rays (poem)  
2021: anagrams, Canadian scrabble-towns #13 (wordplay maps)

2022: patients and maladies, amblyopia (poem) 
2023: terminal exclamation, 'KERPLUNK' (poem)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... amblyopia), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slides for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

Hint for readers: to enlarge any photo or slide in these presentations, click on it, then follow the thumbnails at the bottom of the post (for computer 'web-version', not for 'mobile version'). To exit this enlarged mode, don't panic, but CLICK on the small 'x' at the upper right of the black background field.

b) Today's Offering (Nov 13, 2024):

Authors' Note: 'Sweet corn', eaten directly off the cob, is considered a vegetable. Originating in Mexico thousands of years ago, the plant was widely distributed to the rest of the world in the sixteenth century. As a grain, it is known in most countries and contexts by its original name "maize", and is now globally the world's most widely grown cereal crop.

The author is a skinny guy, but delights, as does Rob, in consuming corn on the cob when it's available in the late summer. An ear of corn (unbuttered) provides 50 to 100 calories, so normal consumption is not a major contributor to obesity.

NOV 12, portraits of couples: hippopotamuses

 a) Review of material posted on November 12 in previous years ...

2020: Toronto ravines, art installations (photo-collage)  
2021: etymology, mystery (poem)

2022: objectionable adjectives, efficacious (poem) 
2023: portraits of couples, broad-headed skinks (photo folio)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... efficacious), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slides for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

broad-headed skinks

Hint for readers: to enlarge any photo or slide in these presentations, click on it, then follow the thumbnails at the bottom of the post (for computer 'web-version', not for 'mobile version'). To exit this enlarged mode, don't panic, but CLICK on the small 'x' at the upper right of the black background field.

b) Today's Offering (Nov 12, 2024):

 You can view all of our folio-photos from the collection of 'Couples' portraits in a wider context on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

NOV 11, what's up? contrails

Please refer to the post of November 8, "OEDILFIAN verse: armistice"   

a) Review of material posted on November 11 in previous years ...

2020: new world palindromes, #41 (wordplay maps)  
2021: insects, woolly bear caterpillars (illustrated poem)

2022: death and afterlife, memorial service (illustrated poem) 
2023: non-sequitur, hoggishly (illustrated poem)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... hoggishly), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slide(s) for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

Hint for readers: to enlarge any photo or slide in these presentations, click on it, then follow the thumbnails at the bottom of the post (for computer 'web-version', not for 'mobile version'). To exit this enlarged mode, don't panic, but CLICK on the small 'x' at the upper right of the black background field.

b) Today's Offering (Nov 11, 2024):

NOV 10, singable satire: politically-corrected lyrics "MY TENOR UKE"

 a) Review of material posted on November 10 in previous years ...

2020: hellenophilia, Acropolis (poem - 'brief saga')  
2021: birdlore, domestic turkey (poem - 'brief saga')

2022: classic palindromes, Leigh's palindrome workshop (poem - 'brief saga') 
2023: poets' corner, brief sagas (poem)

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... domestic turkey), into one of the two search bars at the the top of your blog-page. Underneath the slides for each entertaining delight that you discover, you will find a clickable link that lets you easily explore a more widespread collection of wonderments (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 

a turkey at Riverdale Farm

Hint for readers: to enlarge any photo or slide in these presentations, click on it, then follow the thumbnails at the bottom of the post (for computer 'web-version', not for 'mobile version'). To exit this enlarged mode, don't panic, but CLICK on the small 'x' at the upper right of the black background field.

b) Today's Offering (Nov 10. 2024): 

PARODY-LYRICS 

ORIGINAL SONG: "My Tall Silk Hat", traditional camp-song, based on the popular Neapolitan song "Funiculi, Funicula", 1880.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, September 2013.

In the traditional version of this schoolboy parody, based on the tune of ‘Funiculi, Funicula’, a “big a-fat-a lady” squashes a hat on a subway seat. The current updated lyrics are, we hope, more politically correct and more appealing to adults. The final line, as in the posting of November "Ukuleli, Ukulela" is a proposed Neapolitan Ta-da!, meaning let's go up there. Pronounce the "j"s as "y" to sound like an Italian tenor. 

MY TENOR UKE

(to the tune of "Funiculi, Funicula")

Introduction:
Inspired by trendy p’litical correctness,

I changed a song, an old camp-song,

Reflecting pre-teen Piggy/Twiggy bias,

That got it wrong, so very wrong.
   

Besides, a flavor more Napolitana,

I craved to chance, appeal enhance;

And so I trimmed my 'Lady' down to sexy,

Not anorexy,

And let her dance, a bella dance !

Revised Camp-Song: 

One day, as I was riding up the tramway,

My tenor uke, my tenor uke

I laid it on the seat a-right beside me,

My tenor uke, my tenor uke. 

The tall and shapely Nina sat upon it,

Was that a fluke? My tenor uke !

And launched a liaison volcanic,

(Not too platonic); my tenor uke, my tenor uke ! 

Pavarotti, what do you think of that ?

Master it, six sharps or seven flats;

‘Cause body-type is so much hype;

It’s only brawn or big-a belly –-

So save a seat in cielo

For our sleek friend A. Bocelli.

Outro:

‘Ncoppa jammo ja’, ukulelí, ukulelá.

Pavarotti (left),  Bocelli (right)