November 20, 2022

NOV 20, singable satire: Johnny Cash sings "VLAD PUTIN'S BLOGGER"

 PARODY SONG-LYRICS


ORIGINAL SONG: "The Frozen Logger", an American folksong of the tall-tale variety, was written by James Stevens in 1928 and published in 1949. It has been recorded by The Weavers in 1951, and subsequently by many other artists, including  Oscar Brand. Enjoy the YouTube recording by Johnny Cash here. 
PARODY COMPOSED:  Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio, February 2019. 
PARODY-SONGLINK: To access ukulele chord-charts to help you accompany "Vlad Putin's Blogger" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.

FURTHER INFORMATION: A presidential quote from January 2019, in reference to the suspected perpetrators indicted by the Mueller probe into foreign interference in the 2016 U.S. federal election...

 "Among the 34 people, many of them were bloggers from Moscow or people who had nothing to do with me, had nothing to do with what they were talking about or there were people who got caught telling stories or lying … I think it's a terrible thing (that has) happened to this country, because this investigation is a witch hunt." 


VLAD PUTIN'S BLOGGER


(to the tune of "The Frozen Logger")



As I logged on in Moscow in an internet café,
An English-speaking pop-up troll did these terse words display,
“We know you are a blogger, and not just a common nerd.
Mother Russia wants your hacking help, of this please be assured.”

“And yes, I am Vlad Putin; please excuse my being crass,
But we’ll count on your assistance, or your relatives we’ll gas.
What we ask’s not too much effort, in fact it’s a walk in the park.
We’ll assign a friendly mentor, KGB-trained oligarch.”

“I want to win real elections, just not keen to call my own;           
We’ll monitor the chats and thoughts on each U.S. cellphone.
You’ll scoop the goods for blackmail in a world as dark as night,
And steal e-mail for WikiLeaks to publish on their site.”

“We’ll post you there in Washington, you’ll help us get the clues;
When time is right to dominate, we’ll start our world-wide coups.
We’ll signal in that courtroom that Putin’s time has come;
That’s where you’ll sit ‘til someone moons Bob Mueller with
his bum.”

November 19, 2022

NOV 19, Italian loanwords: ghetto





Authors' Note:
libretto: Italian for 'little book'; a summary of the text distributed to the audience of an opera, mass or oratorio.

gondola (plural - gondole): the stereotypic Venetian small boat, poled down the Venetian canals; gondole-ly is a personal, incorrectly-stressed Anglo-Italian neologism

imperfetto: Italian for 'imperfect' or 'flawed'
 The ghetto first appeared as a section of the city in which members of a particular ethnic group were cordoned off, in Venice's working-class Cannaregio quarter in 1516. The word ghetto is of uncertain origin, possibly derived from a term in the local dialect for 'foundry', related to a nearby factory. The region of northeastern Italy that surrounds Venice, stretching from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea, is known as (the) Veneto.
You can review our entire poetic outpouring about Italian loanwords by proceeding to a post on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'; click HERE.




November 18, 2022

NOV 18, classic palindromes: 'Ida's denial'







You can review these illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Limericks About Classic Palindromes' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.




November 17, 2022

NOV 17, palinku (poetic novelty): conformity + b)


  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 earlier analogues, 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. 









 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.)




















November 16, 2022

NOV 16, scopes of modern medicine: bronc(h)oscopy




Authors' Note: SheilaB, a physician and prodigious creator of limericks at the OEDILF web-site, defined the bronco ("unbroken horse"), and would have been perplexed by my confusion with the homonomous Greek root broncho- ("windpipe"). Certainly, we would all need to call on our veterinarian colleagues to learn more about the investigation of respiratory maladies in horses. Bronchoscopy is a fairly commonly performed procedure in diagnosis of human lung disorders.

The unrelated term honcho ("group leader", or "boss") is of Japanese derivation.

 

November 15, 2022

NOV 15, signs of confusion: first collection




 







half-way between the Battery and the beach






















This post is the first in a series of 5. You can attempt to get all of this straight by reviewing the collections in these subsequent posts ...

To access the details of any item in slide format, type its title, as displayed above in red font (e.g. ... clinical trial), 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 blog-stuff (verse, photos, wordplay, song-lyrics etc.) on the topic of your choice. 


November 14, 2022

NOV 14, higher connections: gnostic




Authors' Note: 
gnostic: adjective derived from the Greek noun...
gnosis: pertaining to or possessing spiritual nowledge or insight

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


November 13, 2022

NOV 13, patients and their maladies: amblyopia

 


Authors' Note: 
pas-de-deux: a term, originating in French, for a balletic performance with two dancers, often moving in unison

Amblyopia includes a number of conditions in which the single affected eye provides less useful information to the brain, resulting in suppression of that information in comparison to that from the more normal eye. Double vision or strabismus (crossed-eyes) from weakened eye muscles on the one side is a common cause. When strabismus is relatively minor, the persistence of two discordant images under certain conditions with resulting double vision, may be disconcerting to the adult patient. Reduced lighting, head position and fatigue may enhance the problem, but corrective prismatic lenses may help in reachieving integrated binocular vision.

You can view these verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Nurse-Verse: Patients and their Maladies' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

November 12, 2022

NOV 12, objectionable adjectives: efficacious





Authors' Note:  The author disavows overly blunt speech and writing, but finds the tendency to embellish disconcerting. Efficacious seems to be used disproportionately when effective or efficient would do nicely. Other words with inflated frequency of usage include symptomatology, methodology and, yes, even usage

You can review our editorially selected doggerel (eight verses) relating to 'Objectionable Adjectives' by clicking HERE. 

November 11, 2022

NOV 11, death and the afterlife: memorial service

 



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

November 10, 2022

NOV 10, a brief saga (classic palindromes): Leigh Mercer's palindrome workshop










Authors' Note: 
Ipanema: (pronounced ee-pah-NAY-muh in Portuguese): trendy neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro, known for its marvellous beach and for its bossa nova music
Leigh Mercer (1893–1977) was credited with the iconic palindrome, A man, a plan, a canal — Panama. Mercer, an isolated British eccentric who worked at low-level jobs with frequent turnover, occasionally communicated with journals and contest organizers about wordplay and mathematical puzzles. After his death, notebooks filled with unique palindromes were discovered.
This early workshop conducted by Mercer, during which the iconic canal palindrome is almost invented, is fictitious, but with the exception of the first, all the italicized phrases in the 'workshop' session are legitimate palindromes.

 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. 

 There are now over 40 of these lengthier bits of doggerel featured at OEDILF in Giorgio's "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 since January 2020.

To access the next 'brief saga' on this blog (December 2022), proceed to 'Hemianopsia'
To access the most recent previous 'brief saga' (October 2022), back up to 'Metabolic Delirium'.

November 9, 2022

NOV 9, patients and their maladies: the hemorrhoid

  



Authors' Note

pro tem: frequently used short form for the Latin 'pro tempore' -- for the time being, in the short term.

Readers might also enjoy a verse on the same topic presented in September 2021 in the collection "The Bottom Line of Medical Humor". Click HERE.

You can view these verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Nurse-Verse: Patients and their Maladies' on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE!

November 8, 2022

NOV 8, urban concerns: school districts (glowingly)




Authors' Note: Real estate agents are masters at the psychology of selling of homes. They employ 'stylists' to 'stage' houses, first by decluttering, and then by adding grace notes to indicate the putatively carefree and desirable lifestyle of the owners. In this case, a Victorian-era home with an appallingly small outdoor space was staged to appear more attractive to families. 


Our collection of illustrated poems about "Urban Concerns" on our parent blog "Edifying Nonsense", contains a number of intriguing verses that you can access by clicking HERE.


November 7, 2022

NOV 7, poems about parasites: hog lice





Authors' Note: This agricultural pest, Haematopinus suis, commonly known as the hog louse, lives its life only on porcine hosts, with the larvae (nymphs) concentrating on the head region. Apparently, infestations of swine herds can be treated easily with avermectins, a class of veterinary antibiotics.

You can review Giorgio's other verses about parasites, both external (ecto-) and internal (endo-) on our full-service blog "Edifying Nonsense". Click HERE.

 


November 6, 2022

NOV 6, bar-fauna: Hamlet at the pub






If you liked this offering, you might want to refer to our entire collection of verses about human and animal denizens of bars, pubs and other watering-holes. Click HERE.


links for any date: scroll over to the calendar-based listings of 'Past Posts' in the righthand column on this page, choose your month of interest, and then select (by clicking) the post of your choice.


November 5, 2022

NOV 5, defining opinion: hostility




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.




November 4, 2022

NOV 4, mythed opportunities: Eos (Dawn's endless night)





Author's Note: The asteroid known by astronomers as 221 Eos is apparently a large orbiting body with a diameter of over 100 km. It has a potential, should it strike the Earth, to bring about an extinction similar to that produced 60 million years ago that wiped out the dinosaur population.
  Like most heavenly bodies, this one was named after a figure from Greco-Roman mythology, Eos (Aurora), the Goddess of Dawn; the irony is apparent. Click HERE for another nonsensical poem about Aurora/Eos and learn more about the legend.

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!

November 3, 2022

NOV 3, American satire (prolongation): classified (Espionage Act)

 This post is CLASSIFIED! (proper security clearance is required)




We hope that you enjoyed this verse. You can find 40 more on this topic in 6 collections on our full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'. Click HERE to start! 



November 2, 2022

NOV 2, binomial phrases: "first and last"




 Authors' Note: Binomial expressions combine two paired elements in a fixed order. Lists of these phrases show that when the two genders are in question, males almost always come first. This bias is shown in dozens of idioms such as boys and girlslords and ladiesmen and womenbrother and sisterkings and queensJack and Jill, etc.

The few notable exceptions highlight a gender-constrained role for women, including belles and beausbride and groom, and moms and dads.

Gender-bias in language is also discussed in another verse by the authors. Click HERE


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

There is also an entire collection of lyrics to patter songs dedicated to various kinds of word-pairs, particularly binomials, 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 !



November 1, 2022

NOV 1, classic palindrome: 'racecar'



Authors' Note: Embedded within the verse are eight palindromic phrases, each in italics and green font, separated from each other by semicolons.
   This perseverating nonsense may be partly explained by the author having driven a 2002 Toyota Camry as his only automobile since 2009. That no car can compete for efficiency, value and longevity is embodied in the classic palindromic phrase A Toyota's a Toyota (see the linked previous post for further discussion.)  

October 30, 2022

OCT 30, singable satire: Stompin' Tom Connors sings "UNDER MY OWN STEAM"

 












 




PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "I've Been Everywhere", by Lucky Starr, covered by Hank Snow, Johnny Cash, Stompin' Tom Connors et al.

PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, June 2013.

PARODY-SONGLINK: To find ukulele and guitar chord-charts to help you accompany "UNDER MY OWN STEAM" on your favorite instrument, click HERE.


UNDER MY OWN STEAM, part #1

(to the tune of "I've Been Everywhere")

Introduction:

Lucky Starrted with Strine, his Brit and Kiwi versions also strode,
When along dashed the Yankees, Johnny Cashed on covering Hank Snow.
Stompin’ Tom spewed the Canadian spin; his take's sure to please.
Go and scrutinize YouTube - you’ll find a slew of odysseys.
I ask you why our self-esteem and our nobility
 Seem to be linked in every culture to our road-mobility.

I was coaxing my frame into an achy Seniors’ Clinic seat,
When along came a student who spoke up, not having to repeat,
“While you’re here in Geriatrics, Pops, with me you can spout.”
 So I clambered on the couch, and then I let my story out.
He asked me if I didn’t need a scooter to get ‘round,
And I said, “On my own I’ll manage ‘til they lay me in the ground.”

Sites visited in the Johnny Cash odyssey

I’ve gone every way, son
Made it every day, son  
Deserted, seldom stayed, son   
Breezed past, moved on, strayed, son
I’ve lived out my own dream, son
Under my own steam.
   

I’ve led and followed, sped wallowed, vaulted tumbled, somersaulted,
Raced chased, outpaced, failed-to-place, been defaulted,
Beat-the-pack, pavement-pounded, trailed and tracked, dogged and hounded,
Hustled bustled, rushed hurried, lagged and straggled, crashed rebounded,
Hiked biked, unicyked, spurted sprinted, streaked and straddled,
Sailed bailed, jibed and tacked, roved diverted, scudded paddled.

I’ve gone every way, son

Traveling is my play, son  
Need to get around, son   
‘Til I’m in the ground, son
I’ve lived out my own dream, son
Under my own steam. 

Whirled twisted, flailed and flitted, hauled and shlepped, toted carried,
Hurtled hovered, scurried scrammed, coasted cruised, shuttled ferried,
Galloped loped, trotted hopped, lunged and pounced, scampered slithered,
Skimmed and swooped, swerved swivelled, waddled trampled, charged and dithered.
Darted started, lit departed, inched flinched, punted perched,
Posted cantered, wriggled floundered, bolted sprung, skulked and lurched.

I’ve gone every way, son
Made it every day, son  
Breezed past, mosied, strayed, son
Deserted, seldom stayed, son   
I’ve lived out my own dream, son
Under my own steam.   

Under my own steam! 


October 29, 2022

OCT 29, classic palindrome: 'mix a maxim'




Authors' Note: It is unclear why Max finds the maxim more worthy of indulgence than the tenet; the latter, it is noted is a palindrome. And so are Egad! an adage, and Mix a maxim, delightful phrases that may be found in lists of classic palindromes.

You can review a collection of such illustrated verses in a wider context by proceeding to 'Reversing Verse: Limericks About Classic Palindromes' on the full-service blog 'Edifying Nonsense'.