July 30, 2022

JUL 30, singable satire: vaso-vagal syncope, "FLAKING OUT IS WHAT THEY DO"

PARODY-LYRICS
ORIGINAL SONG "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do", Neil Sedaka - recorded in two versions , 1962 (classic doo-wap version), and 1975 (slow-ballad version).
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, November 2015.



BACKGROUND INFORMATION:  
Health-care professionals who have to inject patients know that the fittest looking specimens, often muscular young men, are the most likely to faint with an injection, particularly if they stare at the needle. This phenomenon is well-known in Nuclear Medicine departments, where an intravenous injection is required before most scans. The injections are not technically challenging, as these out-patients have easy veins to access, but the somewhat unexpected result may disrupt the day’s schedule. 

Sinus brady” is jargon for sinus bradycardia, a slow but regular and innocuous pattern on the electrocardiogram (ECG). CPR is an acronym for cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. Atropine, an injectable medicine to increase heart-rate may be used as part of resuscitation procedures. Syncope (pron. sin'-copy) means a faint. Vaso-vagal, a difficult but commonly-used term, refers to vascular effects (low blood pressure etc.) mediated by the vagus nerve.



FLAKING OUT IS WHAT THEY DO

(to the tune of "Breaking up is Hard To Do"

1. Slow ballad version (1975)

Down here in Nuclear Medicine, we have one big complaint
So, here's a little song about "The Faint" .....

"We need inject before we scan
And you have got such very big veins, man
Tell me please before I poke,
“You’ve never been a fainting bloke?”

(Sick patients - we get sent a lot
To assess heart disease and bad lung clots
But stretcher-bound in-patients ain’t
The folks who do injection-faints.)


A prior episode they seldom confirm -
Needles make them squeamishly squirm
 Seemed fit and hardy before,
 But soon as we inject we find them white as sheets slumped on the floor.

If I had known the outcome - that,
I would have lain him down and poked him flat
Guys hush up 'cause they prefer
Cross fingers that it won't recur.

Pulse and heart-rate typically low
Specific feature that you should know
Sinus brady – ECG;
It’s vaso-vagal syncope
It's vaso-vagal syncope.

2. Classic Rock version (1962)

  I beg the staff, don’t get too keen
They don’t need CPR or atropine
Leave their heads down on the floor;
Legs elevate and nothing more.

Blood pressure will come up and they’ll start to come ‘round,
Queeziness means leave left side down.
You can proceed with the test,
But if they ever show again, injecting while they’re supine’s best.
 
I tell my staff, don’t get too stressed
They need blood-volume transferred to their chest;
Leave their heads down on the floor
Legs elevate and nothing more.

Down doobee do down  down,  comma comma
Down doobee do down down,  comma comma
Down doobee do down down

Flaking out is what they-ey-ey do.


 

July 29, 2022

JUL 29, reptiles: broad-headed skinks, photo-collages

 






(Editor's Note: The photo-shoot took place on May 26, 2020.)


 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'. (Or, if you prefer, you can view them on Facebook in Giorgio's photo-albums).









July 28, 2022

JUL 28, waterfowl: snow geese







 You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Immersible Verse: Limericks about Waterfowl' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. (Or, if you prefer, you can view them on Facebook in Giorgio's photo-albums).


July 27, 2022

JUL 27, birdlore: California scrub-jays





 



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


July 26, 2022

JUL 26, planet-saving verse: compostables (green bins)






 You can help save the planet by viewing all our verses in this series at "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

July 25, 2022

JUL 25, mythed opportunities: Aurora and Tithonus (eternally)




 Authors' Note:   Well, this is about as close as you can get to the bona fide Greek myth. In actuality, Eos became enamored of a series of mortal lovers, but wanted to get on with things, and eventually turned the formerly handsome Prince Tithon/Tithonus into a cicada (which does not match the rhyming scheme). Be careful what you wish for!

   The legend continued into Roman times, during which Aurora personified the role of Eos (Dawn), and Jove or Jupiter the role of Zeus. Much later, the dilemma of the once-mortal hero was fantasized in the poem "Tithonus" by Alfred Tennyson. Also, the involved deities have been immortalized in human names for astrophysical phenomena.

  In any case, this story fits an immutable pattern in which we mortals get clobbered in interactions with Greco-Roman deities.

"Dawn", bronze sculpture, Tuck Langland,
Brookgreen Gardens, SC

 Click HERE for another verse about Eos's astronomical protégé.

You can take advantage of the whole spectrum of illustrated poems dealing with 'Mythed Opportunities' that we have collected on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!


July 24, 2022

JUL 24, Italian loanwords: fiasco






Authors' Note:  Fiasco is derived from a mid 19th-century slang expression used in Italian theatre, far fiasco, literally to do the flask, presumably relating to a drinking-game in which the player had to buy the next bottle (fiasco) if he failed.

 You can review our entire poetic outpouring about Italian loanwords by proceeding to a post on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'; click HERE.




July 23, 2022

JUL 23, toxic vignette: gadolinium contrast agents for MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)





Authors' Note  Although the element gadolinium (Gd) is itself toxic, its highly bound chelates make excellent adjunctive agents for diagnostic imaging procedures using magnetic resonance (MR), as they change the magnetic properties of structures with high rates of blood flow, yet allow 'negligible' release of the metal into tissue during the interval following a single intravenous injection. Non-toxic chelates of metallic elements are normally rapidly cleared from the body by urinary excretion. 
    In the late 1990s, a  ‘new’ disease,  nephrogenic systemic fibrosis was found in a small minority of patients, mostly with severe kidney disease, who had received these contrast agents. The problem can be avoided by a simple screening of relevant patients for a history of kidney disease or renal impairment. 
     

Review all our poems of toxicologic interest by clicking HERE 

July 22, 2022

JUL 22, at heart: the arteriopath





Authors' Note: Arteriopath is common medical jargon for a patient with severe obstructions in the peripheral arteries. The cause of this condition is generally atherosclerosis, and the leading risk factor for its development is smoking.

 
You can view more poems on this topic by proceeding to "Cardiologic Tracings: AT HEART" (parts #1 and #2) on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!




July 21, 2022

JUL 21, anagram swarms: bilateral North American scheme (Canada's turn)







Stay tuned, and there will be more 'fun-with-anagram' wordplay-maps  showing further variants on this theme! 

OR, if you really want to get into this form of wordplay, you could delve into a series of posts on "Edifying Nonsense", starting HERE


July 20, 2022

JUL 20, singable satire: Glen Campbell sings "ROSENSTEIN"

from EdNonsMar20'19 

ORIGINAL SONG:  "Galveston", by Jimmy Webb, popularized by Glen Campbell, 1969.
Enjoy Campbell's great guitar solo HERE on Youtube. 
SATIRE COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, April 2018. Readers interested in this topic might also enjoy the lyrics for  "Dark Schemes".
PARODY-SONGLINK: To access ukulele chord-charts to help you accompany "Rosenstein" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.




ROSENSTEIN

(to the tune of "Galveston"
  

Rosenstein, Rod Rosenstein
We're amazed your probe's still thriving,
With Trump's Fox News minions striving
(Mueller undermine), to trash you, Rosenstein.

Rosenstein, Rod Rosenstein,
You're in charge, with Jeff recusing,
You're the target for abusing,
Search warrant signed, by you, Rod Rosenstein.

Documents were seized from Cohen, the fixer.
Stormy's hush-funds source we're keen to see,
Do his tapes show complicity,
Or reveal "No collusion"'s a lie?

Rosenstein, Rod Rosenstein,
Trump has ranted 'bout your firing,
With stooges Steve and Devin trying,
To impeach. But please, like Ryan, don't resign,
Rod Rosenstein, Rod Rosenstein.    


CAST OF CHARACTERS

Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General in the U.S. Department of justice, January 2017 to present.
Donald Trump, President.
Robert Mueller, Special Counsel, appointed by Rosenstein, May 2017, to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election.
James Comey, FBI Director, 2013-2017. His firing by Trump instigated Mueller's appointment as special counsel. His book "A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership" was released May 1, 2018.
Jeff Sessions, U.S. Attorney General, appointed by Trump in 2016
Michael Cohen, Trump's personal lawyer and fixer, implicated in the payment of hush funds to Daniels and others.
Stormy Daniels, porn film star and director, seeking relief from a non-disclosure agreement arranged by Cohen just prior to the election in 2016, in relation to her claim of a tryst with D.T. 
Steve Bannon, senior advisor to Donald Trump, formerly CEO of the alt-right outlet "Breitbart News"; filled the newly created position 'White House Chief Strategist' for 7 months until an apparent falling-out the President. 
Devin Nunes, Republican congressman from California since 2003; chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence 2015-2018; unrelenting Trump supporter. 
Paul Ryan, House Republican leader and Speaker, 2015-2018, who announced his pending resignation, putatively for family reasons, at the time of the initial furore over the search of Cohen's home and offices.


July 19, 2022

JUL 19, organic brain poetry: early-onset Alzheimer's



Authors' Note:  Recent reports point out the devastating effects of an early onset of Alzheimer's dementia. Fortunately, this variant, manifesting at an earlier than usual age, is relatively uncommon, but isn't it time that we discovered the cause and treatment for this tragic disorder?

And, HERE are some old parody-song lyrics we composed in 2014, lamenting the lack of successful research in this area.
You can view and review all our verses on the topic of 'Organic Brain Poetry' by following this link to the encyclopedic collection on "Edifying Nonsense."


July 18, 2022

JUL 18, funny bones: heterotopic ossification (HO)

 


Authors' Note: 

 (HET-uhr-oh-top-ic, as here, or het-uhr-oh-TOP-ic)

      Usually asymptomatic, new bone formation in extra-skeletal sites seems to occur after physical or surgical trauma, particularly in the lower limbs following joint replacement. Occasionally, within several weeks after the inciting episode, tenderness and swelling near major joints may occur, needing to be differentiated from venous blockage, and requiring bone scanning for detection, as initial radiographs may be negative; this variant syndrome is known as myositis ossificans. Rarely, in progressive cases, surgery is eventually required to allow mobility at affected joints.


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! 

July 17, 2022

JUL 17, palinku (poetic novety): invective

 





 You can 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.)

July 16, 2022

JUL 16, braincheck: visual cortex





Authors' Note: 

   Korbinian Brodmann (1868–1918) was a German neurologist famous for his definition of 52 cerebral cortical areas based on their histological (tissue-architecture) characteristics. Functional correlates were defined for many of these areas, and the primary and subsidiary areas of visual interpretation are often described by their Brodmann numbers. 
   The primary visual cortex, straddling the calcarine (Latin: spur) sulcus (fissure or slit), is located on the inner surface of each cerebral hemisphere's occipital lobe, well protected from injury.


You can check your knowledge of brain structure and function in health and disease by reviewing our entire collection of illustrated verses on this topic. To review 'BRAINCHECK' on topic-oriented  blog "Edifying Nonsense", click HERE.

July 15, 2022

JUL 15, death and the afterlife: homes in heaven



Authors' Note: 

chutzpah (Yiddish): shameless audacity
Shemayim (Hebrew): heaven

You can review more poems about 'Death and the Afterlife' in context on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE!


July 14, 2022

JUL 14, national and multinational verse: la Francophonie


 



Authors' Note:

d'accord (da-KOHR): French for "certainly" or  "of course"
pays (peh-EE):  "country" (singular or plural)
Belgique (behl-ZHEEK):  Belgium
Canada (ka-na-DUH): French version
Haïti (ah-ee-TEE or ah-ee-SEE): Haiti, a difficult name for anglophones
     to pronounce
Afrique (a-FREEK): Africa
Mozambique: former Portuguese colony on Africa's southeast coast; it's name does not derive from French   


You can review our collection of verses about various individual nations, and about the groupings to which they belong, on our topic-based blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE




July 13, 2022

JUL 13, defining opinion: hooey



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

July 12, 2022

JUL 12, duplication: hobos




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".


                                                                                           

July 11, 2022

JUL 11, numbers: eleven/elf (11)






 You can review our cumulated nonsense about numbers by clicking HERE.

July 10, 2022

JUL 10, a brief saga (singular plurals): careers

 




Authors' Note: 
Grandpa Greg asked us to pass on this message: "You can view the entire collection of verses about 'pluralia tantum' by clicking HERE."

   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 are involved 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 there are now over 40 of these multi-verse poems featured in his 'Author's Showcase'. The OEDILF number for each accepted multiverse poem is shown here on the slide with its first verse. We have been blog-publishing these poetic adventures here monthly.

 To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog (August 2022), proceed to 'Mar-a-Lago' (dacha).
To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (June 2022), back up to 'Canada'.
To access all of our 'brief sagas' by the year of their creation, click on your selection below.

July 9, 2022

JUL 9, doctors and their practices: lithotripsy specialist




Authors' Note: 'dais' may apparently be pronounced DYE-uhs or DAY-uhs, although the authors had been familiar with only the former pronunciation.


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!

July 8, 2022

JUL 8, poets' corner: 'Held'




Authors' Note:

 Held: a state of workshopping selected by an OEDILF author to shield their submission from discussion until further self-editing makes it suitable to return to the Tentative state for open collegial comment

A reminder: the Omnificent English Dictionary in Limerick Form is an online humor dictionary that has been making its way for 17 years through the alphabet to define the meaning(s) of each word in the English language. Its highly polished verses are accumulated by a collaborative editing process. In its 19 years of existence, it has progressed from A- to Ho-.  


You can find lots of other verses on this blog under the listing "Poets' Corner".  Click HERE.

  



July 7, 2022

JUL 7, trees: crepe myrtle xxxxxxxxxxxxLil






Addendum: Fall color, mid-Atlantic seaboard
photo kindly contributed by MMH



You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Uprooted Verse: 'Poems about Trees' on the full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". 


As today is Lil's birthday, we are re-posting some old photos. She would be 106 today!








































1976