AUG 8, reptiles: update on anole coloration

   During the first week of May, 2022, with spring seriously underway  in the Carolina Lowcountry, little lizards were out doing their thing in our yard (I presume that's hunting for insects, looking out for potential mates, and patrolling their territories to keep out intruders). 

  Harking back to previous reference on this site to anoles, I came across the following illustrated verses:

Carolina (green) anoles

brown anoles

anole coloration

'the Lizard Lair' 

  Events around our yard 'today' (May 3, i.e. taking down an old fence) made it a good day for further observations of green anoles and their remarkable penchant/ability to change colour, even though biologists insist that they are not true chameleons. 

'Ollie' the green anole,
looking greyish on old post

'Ollie', posing again, in our backyard,
on Ocala anise branch,
2 minutes later 

a different creature,
('Ollie's cousin?)
climbing down crepe myrtle,
few minutes later, 100 feet away

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".

AUG 7, pluralia tantum: 'dependent' -- cooking ingredients

 

Authors' Note: 

clunky: slang for 'awkward'

Our disappointed grammar-buff is right: a lot of grammar is not derived from logical principles. All languages face the problem of characterizing masses and groups of undistinguished small objects as singular or plural. This dilemma seems to reach its peak with items that are the basis of cooking. Despite an attempt to find rules, there is no dependency on particle size.

Nouns used only, or principally in the plural form are known as pluralia tantum; those used excusively in the singular form are known as singularia tantum. This usage varies from one language to another. We find some foreign uses 'incomprehensible', as in the general Hebrew plural form mayim for 'water', despite the fact that, on occasion, "Still waters run deep."

We have discussed in other verses here the relationship of pluralia tantum to life-cycle celebrations, and to medical nomenclature.

Grandpa Greg asked us to pass on this messa

ge: "You can view the entire collection of verses about 'pluralia tantum' by clicking HERE."

AUG 6, death and the afterlife: dining in Heaven

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

AUG 5, mythed opportunities: dryads

 a small reforestation project,
 Port Bruce, Ontario, 2000.

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!

AUG 4, binomial phrases: rhyming pairs

Authors' Note:   When the paired grammatical elements in the phrase happen to rhyme, the appeal of irreversible binomial expressions, such as surf and turf, is further increased. The above verse shows in italics several of these intriguing idioms.

  The larger group of these idioms (such as fish and chips) is exemplified, explained, and possibly defined in verses here by the author, including binomial expression, fixed order, echoic binomials, and fossil words.

  Although cookbook and shake in your shoes are musical expressions, they do not qualify as binomials.

To review our poetic effusion about binomial phrases proceed to our blog 'Edifying Nonsense', click HERE ! 

There is also an entire collection of lyrics to patter songs, somewhat older material, dedicated to various kinds of word-pairs, that provides more didactic material and an extensive series of examples, and allows you to sing these expressions for your own enjoyment, or for that of others around you. Click HERE !

 

AUG 3, toxic vignette: digitalis toxicity

Authors' Note: 

(di-JOK-sin)

Digoxin, a cardiac glycoside derived initially from the garden plant digitalis (foxglove), has been used to treat chronic congestive heart failure and to control the heart rate in atrial fibrillation. During the author's professional lifetime, there has been a major reduction in the death-rate and in the incidence of hospital admissions for digoxin poisoning, also known as digitoxicity. This improvement is due to more judicious assessment of factors, e.g. decreasing kidney function, that may result in increasing blood levels of the drug, but also to limitation of the drug's use as alternatives have become available.     

 Review all our poems of toxicologic interest by clicking HERE.  

AUG 2, reprehensible modern history: Franco-German conflicts

Authors' Note:

nachbarlich (NAKH-bahr-likh): neighborly 

l'après-guerre (la-preh-GAYR): period immediately after the Second World War in France, approximately 1945-1948

Cannes (KAN): French town on the Côte d'Azur, famous for its luxury hotels and villas, and for its international film festival

Worms (VORMZ): German town (sometimes pronounced by anglophones as WUHRMZ) of about the same size as Cannes and Limerick, famed for its production of liebfraumilch 

 View the entire collection of poetic assertions on this topic  at our more encyclopedic blog 'Edifying Nonsense', by clicking HERE.

AUG 1, English classics survey course: Paradise Lost (Milton's epic poem)

Authors' Note: The noun-form of the adjective essential, used almost exclusively in the plural, exempifies pluralia tantum, and indicates what is truly needed (Credentials, similarly, is an example of that grammatical curiosity).

Paradise Lost, the epic poem about the Fall of Man and the Garden of Eden, by 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). is contained in twelve books. Its review by young literature students is aided by student guides such as Cliff's Notes. 

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

JUL 30, reprehensible modern history: Confederate stat(u)es

Authors' Note: More than 150 years after the conclusion of the American Civil War, the role of the Confederacy continues to generate high emotions.

 View the entire collection of poetic assertions on this topic at our more encyclopedic blog 'Edifying Nonsense', by clicking HERE.

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).

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).

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. 

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!

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!

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.

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.  

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!

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. 

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.

A link to info about the present debacle. 

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.

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."

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! 

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.)

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.

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!

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. 

JUL 13, diagnostic imaging: DOGgraphy

Authors' Note:   The confusing terminology for advanced, i.e. 3D medical imaging, uses acronyms that may be historically based or poorly explained. The development of a method of imaging known as ‘DOGgraphy’ is apocryphal. 

CAT: computerized axial tomography, X-ray imaging of a body section; better described in modern terms as ‘x-ray CT’

PET: positron (dual-photon) emission tomography; a Nuclear Medicine technique involving prior injection of a positron-emitting radionuclide ('isotope'); becoming an important modality in cancer assessment

Holography: processing of fields of light or other radiation scattered from objects; well developed with lasers, but with limited current application in medical imaging.

 You can review all our verses on this intriguing topic by proceeding to a post on 'Edifying Nonsense' entitled 'Selected Topics in Diagnostic Imaging'. Click HERE!

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".

                                                                                           

JUL 11, numbers: eleven/elf (11)

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

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 in Limerick 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.

2020
2021
2022
2023.

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!

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.