May 31, 2021

MAY 31, a brief saga: methylated spirits (wood alcohol, methanol)








Authors' Note:  This tragic story is typical of events from Prohibition times in the U.S.A., but might still occur today.
Several different chemicals, 'denaturants', primarily toxic solvents, have been used by manufacturers to comply with regulations by taxation authorities and prevent the drinking of industrial ethanol. Frequently the latter is called 'methylated spirits', owing to the addition of the most commonly used denaturant, methanol, which is indistinguishable in appearance from ethanol, but routinely induces a life-threatening metabolic acidosis. The mixture may also be labelled as 'wood alcohol’ or ‘methyl hydrate’. Drinking denatured alcohol can still result in death or blindness in persons seeking an untaxed surrogate for consumer alcohol.




 
For the purpose of this blog, a 'brief saga' is defined as a poem, usually narrative, but occasionally expository, that tell its story in at least 15 lines. Most commonly, the format involves three stanzas in limerick form, constituting a single submission to the online humor site 'Omnificent English Dictionary iLimerick Form'. On the OEDILF site, rigorous standards for content and format proceed in a collaborative editing process that may take several weeks to over a year. 
  Generally, OEDILF has not been enormously welcoming of multi-verse submissions, but Giorgio Coniglio has persisted, and the OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse. 

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog, proceed to 'clothes moths'.

To access the most recent previous 'brief saga', back up to  'Glock-toting Phyllis'.


May 30, 2021

MAY 30, reptiles: five-lined skinks







You can review photos and illustrated herpetologic verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Verses about Reptiles' (don't worry! no snakes)' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.


May 29, 2021

MAY 29, oncologic verses: cancerophobia





 
 You can view all such verses in a wider context by proceeding to the collection of "ONCOLOGY VERSES" on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

May 28, 2021

MAY 28, funny bones: AVN (avascular necrosis) of the hip







Authors' Note: The femoral head is the proximal portion of the femur (thigh bone) within the capsule of the hip joint. The blood supply to this area is fragile, and its blockage, presumably due to a variety of disease processes (often poorly understood or not obvious), can result in death of bone cells and collapse of this weight-bearing structure. Replacement of the hip joint may eventually be needed. 

  Orthopedic surgeons (surgical bone specialists), known in medical jargon as orthopods, are involved in monitoring and treating the condition.  


You can view verses on this topic in a wider context by proceeding to the post 'Breaking News: FUNNY BONES' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!
 

May 27, 2021

MAY 27, amphibians: Dominican 'crapaud'





Authors' Note:  crapaud (KRA-poh, Caribbean pronunciation), derived from the
French word for ‘toad’ (kra-POH).
At one time widely distributed in the eastern Caribbean, the large edible frog, Leptodactylus fallax, is now found only on parts of the islands of Montserrat and Dominica. Hunted extensively for its meaty froglegs, once the national delicacy of Dominica, this defenceless animal has been known by many different and colorful names, reflecting the English, Dominican Creole French, and patois spoken by local residents. Although hunting has been banned on Dominica since the 1990s, the crapaud remains on the list of severely endangered species.    


 Be sure to check out the whole collection of 'Amphibians' by proceeding to "Edifying Nonsense." CLICK HERE ! 


May 26, 2021

MAY 26, exotic destination: Chania, Crete







Authors' Note:
La Canea (lah cah-NAY-ah): Italian name of the city
La Canée (lah cah-NAY): French name of the city
Chaniá, also written Chania (kha-NYAH): modern Greek   pronunciation
Kydonia, Cydonia: Roman names for the city, presumably derived from the designation given by the rather mysterious Minoan early settlers

  The city of Chaniá on the north coast of Crete, although difficult to pronounce, is an excellent tourist hub due to the adjacent rugged but hikable country, with beautiful beaches, mountain gorges and archeological sites. The history of the area is fascinating. When Byzantium fell in 1204, crusaders took control of Crete. Venetians, under their ruling Doges, held the island primarily from 1245 to 1652, implanting their religious symbol, St. Mark



Other verses about 'Exotic Travel Destinations' can be found on our blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE.




May 25, 2021

MAY 25, insects: ladybug dining







 

You can review Giorgio's other verses about pesty and occasionally beneficial insects, as  collected in 'Buzzwords: Verses about Insects' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.


May 24, 2021

MAY 24, humorists' scurrilous talk: 'the titty'


EDITORS' WARNING: You must be at least 12 years of age to read this post! 
'



The collection of informative verses dealing with 'HUMORISTS' SCURRILOUS TALK' can be found by proceeding to our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!
 


May 23, 2021

MAY 23, palinku (poetic novelty): hats

   In this post, we will continue with a novel form of poetic wordplay. Inspired by Japanese haiku poetry, this new form is used for a terse verse with a total of 17 syllables displayed on three lines. Unlike its classic Japanese analogue, 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 in English (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. 

  And, just in case you have forgotten what palindromes are about, your blogsite hosts have arranged a serial set of brief lessons on the topic ('Political Palindromes'); click HERE to start. 



(Ed. note:) Verses of this type have continued to accumulate, and there are now more than 50 of them. You can easily view them all  if you  proceed  to our more encyclopedic blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

(Or, if your prefer, you can view all this material on Facebook  in Giorgio's photo-albums.)



May 22, 2021

MAY 22, curtained verse: sago palm's strobilus


EDITORS' WARNING: You must be at least 12 years of age to read this post! 


 
Authors' Note: Up to two feet in length, always upright and rigid, the pollen cone of this ornamental dioecious (bi-gendered) cycad (a plant more primitive than the true palms) appears in spring on male plants at 2-3 year intervals. An earlier verse about this fascinating plant is found on our post (Verse about Trees: Sago Palms), dated March 11, 2020.

Here in the South Carolina lowcountry, a 'severe' cold blast four winters ago damaged many sago palms, which are frequently used as a shrub or tree-shrub in local gardens, but last spring they seem to have bounced back with a show of male resilience. 






You can review other mildly scurrilous illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Curtained verse: Faintly Obscene (Selected) Limericks' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.



May 21, 2021

MAY 21, wordplay maps: new world palindromes(#45,#46)





 




You can view the entire collection of these 50 wordplay maps, by accessing the collection 'Tourists Palindromic Guides: The Americas'. Start by clicking HERE


May 20, 2021

MAY 20 (2021), singable satire: Bob Dylan sings "A FICKLE TWIST of VERSE", part #2

  PARODY-LYRICS, based on traditional poetry (limericks)

ORIGINAL SONG: "Simple Twist of FateBob Dylan 1975; covers by Diana Krall and Sean Costello are recommended.
ORIGINAL POETRY: At Wikipedia (click HERE), you can find a discussion of limericks dealing with the 'man from Nantucket'.
PARODY COMPOSED: Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, July 2016, followup to an earlier post.
UKULELE and GUITAR-FRIENDLY LINK: All our songs can be found in a friendly format for ukulele (and guitar)-players on our sister blog  "SILLY SONGS and SATIRE". Click HERE to proceed to that site, and you'll find chord-charts for uke and guitar for both the parody-song and the original, and some more illustrations.


PRIOR OFFERINGS: (as per the initial post of April 10, 2021)
1. "There once was a man from Nantucket" (clean version) - 3 verses, unattributed.
2. "There once was a man from Nantucket" (dirty version) - cleaned up by G.C.
3. "A dozen, a gross and a score" - Leigh Mercer
4. "There was an old miser named Clarence" - Ogden Nash
5. "There was a brave girl of Connecticut" - Ogden Nash 
6. "There was a young belle of Old Natchez" - Ogden Nash
 Chorus. "People say it makes them sick" - Giorgio Coniglio


CURRENT CONTENTS: (more limericks from the classic repertoire, as interpreted by Bob Dylan.)
7. "A flea and a fly in a flue" - author unknown, often attributed to O.N.
8. "There was a young lady of station" - Lewis Carroll 
9. "A wonderful bird is the pelican" - Dixon Merritt 
10. "There was a young lady named Bright" - Reginald Buller
11. "There was an old man of Peru" - Edward Lear 
12. "There was a young fellow of Wheeling" - traditional 
13. "Hickory dickory dock" - traditional
 Chorus. "People say it makes them sick" - Giorgio Coniglio

A FICKLE TWIST OF VERSE, part #2

(to the tune of "Simple Twist of Fate")







7. A flea and fly within a flue
Felt flustered, they were in a stew; 
Didn’t know just what to do 
And finally they saw -  
The flue had a flagrant flaw 
To flee or fly – no worse, than 
To fuss with a fickle twist of verse. 



8. “I love Man” – sole exclamation
Of a young lass high in station 
(“Isle of Man” her explanation); 
“You flatter”, men believed,  
And yes, they were deceived. 
“No matter” if she flirts,
As she asserts in this Lewis Carroll
 verse.  





9. A wondrous bird – the pelican    
His bill holds more than his belican 
I’m damned if I see how the helican 
Take all that in his beak -  
Food enough for a week;  
I guess the bird rehearses   
Weekly, for this simple twist of verse. 





10. A lady traveller named Miss Bright
Exceeded ‘c’, the speed of light, 
Returned from trips the prior night  
That she’d started the next day, 
In a relative way.  
That’s Einstein’s universe  
Reflected in a fickle twist of verse.




11. There was an old man of Peru;
One day his young wife made a stew. 
Folks thought she knew just what to
   do,
Cause from their house she ran.  
He was found in their stewing pan;  
Which triggered some alerts 
For older guys in this simple twist
  of verse. 




12. 
A sensitive young guy from
  Wheeling 
Found the coach-door sign 
revealing. 
So he jumped, spat on the ceiling; 
Rather than the floor,  
As instructions did implore:  
Train signage known for terseness   
Spoofed in this twisted lim’rick verse.


13. Hick’ry dick’ry dick’ry dock
A timid mouse ran up the clock. 
The time had come for taking stock; 
So when the clock struck ten,  
He ran down the clock again,  
For better or for worse;   
As Dylan sang in this twisted nursery verse.
 

CHORUS: People say it makes them sick
To hear too many limericks;
I fear it had become my shtick,
But now I've lost the knack,
With no good jokes to crack --
A tendency perverse;
Blame it on a fickle twist of verse.


If you want to resume daily titillations on our blog 'Daily Illustrated Nonsense', click HERE.

May 19, 2021

MAY 19, wordplay maps: American Scramble-towns 17,18









 LINKS: 
Forward to USA map #19
Back to USA map #15
Let's skip all this stuff and get on to the Canadian version, eh? 



May 17, 2021

MAY 17, to clot, or not: coagulation cascade (hemophilia)






Authors' Note: The most common complication of internal bleeding in hemophilic patients is hemarthrosis, bleeding into joints, that may be unprovoked, yet result in significant disability.

Earlier versions of replacement therapy to provide for missing blood proteins with human blood-bank products has been discussed previously. Current treatment involves a genetically engineered  material derived from hamster cells, superior in not provoking antibodies that limit its effectiveness.  


 You can view these verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'To Clot, or Not to Clot' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

May 16, 2021

MAY 16, dental feelings (sentimental verse): root canals







You can review the collection of illustrated verses on this topic by proceeding to the post 'Dental Feelingson our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

       




May 15, 2021

MAY 15, bi-lyrical limerick: 'Syrian refugees (Canada)'





Be sure to check out the whole collection of 'bi-lyrical limericks' by proceeding to "Edifying Nonsense." CLICK HERE ! (Or, if you prefer, you could look over this stuff on Giorgio's Facebook photo-albums.) 

MAY 15, reptiles: painted turtles





Authors' Note: With four regional subspecies, the painted turtle, Chrysemus picta, has a range covering almost the entire United States and a part of Canada; it is North America's most common turtle.

  The verse's tale, based on a recent experience by the author dealt with an attractive female belonging to the eastern subspecies, although her accent was definitely southern.




a Canadian colleague (midland painted turtle)


 

You can review photos and illustrated herpetologic verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Verses about Reptiles' (don't worry! no snakes)' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.




May 14, 2021

MAY 14, poetic Panama palindrome parody: 'a cat, a hat''








 You can review the whole collection of our illustrated verses on this topic  by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Panama palindrome parodies' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.

And, if you are interested in seeing innumerable examples of spoofy palindrome variants on wordplay locales, you could embark on a journey through a collection of  blogposts entitled 'Tourists' Palindromic Guides: The Americas, #1 -#4'. All that's needed is to click on the link.


May 13, 2021

MAY 13, doctors and their practices: the decaying nuclear physician





Authors' Note: The new high-tech modality PET entails 'coincidence imaging' with positron emitters, such as fluorine-18, unusual drugs that give off two gamma-rays simultaneously in exactly opposite direction with each radiodecay event. In contrast, older technology with standard radiolabels, often designated by the initialism 'SPECT' (single-photon emission computed tomography) was used by imaging  specialists such as our protagonist 'Dr. Specter'. 


You can view these informative verses in a wider context by proceeding to the collection 'DOCTORS and their PRACTICES' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!


May 12, 2021

MAY 12, Canadiana: spelling




Authors' Note:

centre: word-form used for 'population hubs' in the majority of English-speaking countries, exactly equivalent to the American center

traveller: ditto (American = traveler)

   The American visitors were not quite correct. We Canucks, if we were so motivated, would "practise pre-empting dissenters". But, as Canadians are inherently mannerly, few among us would ever consider such a response, eh? 


You can review poems, photos and diverse nonsense related to Canada by proceeding to "Canadiana" a post on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense".



May 11, 2021

MAY 11, English literature survey course: "Hamlet"




Authors' Note: 

bard: archaic term for a Celtic poet or wandering minstrel, currently applied primarily to the ‘Bard of Avon’, i.e. William Shakespeare

bodkin: a pointed instrument or pin, with archaic use to indicate a stiletto or other dagger

A question asked in Hamlet's most famous soliloquy is … 
 "Who would fardels bear?" 

Fardel is derived from fardeau, the French word for “burden”.








You can review the entire curriculum for our 'English Classics Survey Course' at "Edifying Nonsense" by clicking HERE.

 



May 10, 2021

MAY 10, birdlore: eaglets








You can view an encyclopedic collection of illustrated poems on this topic by proceeding to the post 'Poems about BIRDLIFE' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE