OCT 10 (2026): PINKOS: FORWARD THINKERS [3]

CURRENT CONTENTS:
Communist church

Vegetarianism

Gamophobic socialist

Authors' Note: Liberal thinking seized Europe towards the middle of the nineteenth century. Emboldened by the partial successes of the politically-targeted Chartists, intellectuals were drawn to idealistic social movements such as communitarianism. According to Wikipedia, John Goodwyn Barmby (1820 – 1881), one of its principals, introduced the term 'communist', based on the French le communisme and founded a revue called The Communist Chronicle. Seeking a spiritual path, he later founded the Communist Church, a sect that had congregations numbering in the teens at its peak. When the church folded in 1849, Barmby became active as a Unitarian minister.

Authors' Note: The authors, Ontario anapestrians, have not eaten meat in two decades. The restaurant scene in Ontario, as in some other world-wide destinations, has gradually become more hospitable to vegan and vegetarian preferences, such as Theresa's and the authors'. This development can be attributed in part to our influx of newcomers from south and east Asia. Meat-eaters can still be readily accommodated, however.

Authors' Note:   Gamophobia is an irrational fear of getting married, or of interpersonal commitment. Gamophobic individuals, or gamophobes, whatever their political views, are people who harbour such neurotic anxieties.

The slogan "better red than dead" was mentioned in a book that British philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote in 1961, in the face of a potential East-West nuclear confrontation; it was subsequently adopted by the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, an organization that Russell helped found. The slogan has been used in both directions, with hardline rightwingers sometimes proclaiming "Better dead then red".

Note that a related disorder, gynophobia, is discussed in another of our intriguing and informative verses.                                                                                 

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As of July 20, 2025, there are 2,000 unique entries available on the daily blog, displaying individual poems (often illustrated) and wordplay, but also with some photo-collages and parody song-lyrics. 

Most of the key elements, such as this one, are also assembled here on "Edifying Nonsense" in topic-based collections.

The "Daily" format, a formidable mix of genres, also has the advantage of including song-lyrics, videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.

OCT 5 (2026): Limericks and locks: The Poetry of CANALS

Swan guiding barge,
lower end of St-Martin Canal

The current offering meshes with a developing slew of map-art blogposts by Giorgio Coniglio and Dr. GH. With all this mental energy focusing backwards and forwards on palindromes, it is hard to avoid the subject of canals. And to help wordplay-buffs focus on palindromes about canals, here is an ancient blogpost on the subject: CANALINDROMES


...

Also, check out these collections of wordplay-maps by Dr. G.H. and Giorgio Coniglio (registered pseudonym)
 - Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Old World #1
 - Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Old World #2
 - Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Old World #3
 - Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Old World #4
and...
 - Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Americas #1
 - Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Americas #2
 - Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Americas #3
 - Tourists' Palindromic Guide: The Americas #4
 - INTRODUCTORY CONCLUSION: The Tourists' Palindromic Guides  
as well as a didactic post explaining the origin and rationale of 

"Magical Palindromes"

To read more about the origin, creation and listing of magical palindromes, click or cluck here to get to Giorgio's original blogpost on the topic.

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SEP 15 (2026): Cardiologic Tracings, AT HEART, thump #2 [4]

Readers might like to start off by reading about a particular group of heart disorders known as the cardiac arrhythmias, dealing with abormalities in the frequency of heartbeats. You can review that collection (syncopated verses about cardiac arrhythmias) by clicking HERE.

The current blogpost represents continuation of an earlier post, dealing with wider cardiologic issues, entitled  'AT HEART: thump #1' displayed on September 5, 2025. 

prior posted poems

(thump #1): arteriopath, bypass grafts, dipyridamole stress, dobutamine stress.

CURRENT CONTENTS: (#2 -- September 15, 2026) 

Ejection fraction

Hyperlipidemia
Hypertension
Myocardial ischemia

Authors' Note:  In disease states, including those producing congestive heart failure, the ejection fraction of the left ventricle, a measure indicating the strength of contraction, provides important information concerning prognosis (potential outcome) and the need for treatment. 

   The ejection fraction can be measured by echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging, or several different nuclear (radio-isotope) techniques. These techniques measure the volume of the ventricle at the end of diastolic (relaxation) and systolic (contraction) phases of the cardiac cycle. Despite the name, the change during systole is generally given in medical jargon as the percent relative change, rather than as a true fraction; e.g. 60% is good, 30% is bad.

Authors' Note: Jealousy at the flight of birds has apparently resulted in expressions suggesting that human social responsibility is analogous to having one's wings clipped, or flying straight, as here.

Hyperlipemia (also known in America as hyperlipidemia), is a medical condition in which high blood levels of fats (lipids), particularly cholesterol, portend cardiac disease, including deadly heart attacks. Hyperlipemia is one of a number of such asymptomatic risk factors including hypertension and diabetes. Fortunately, changes in lifestyle including diet and exercise, and judicious prescription of pharmaceutical drugs, such as statins, can reduce risk.

 Authors' Note: High blood pressure, or hypertension, a chronic condition generally of unknown cause, is one of the major cardiovascular risk factors playing a role in the development of adult heart disease. It is also of particular importance in the causation of stroke, accounting for up to 50% of the risk for that condition. 

Authors' Note: There is variability in patients' response to the development of blockages in the coronary arteries. Part of this is due to the gradual development of collateral arteries or side branches, which may mitigate the effect of the obstructions to produce chronic symptoms or acute severe damage to heart muscle. The net impact on flow can be assessed through imaging showing blood flow to heart muscle at rest and stress, with nuclear or other studies of myocardial perfusion (‘gated SPECT’).

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As of 2026, there are 2,000 unique entries available on the daily blog, displaying individual poems (often illustrated) and wordplay, but also with some photo-collages and parody song-lyrics. 

Most of these key elements of our work are assembled here on "Edifying Nonsense" in topic-based collections.

The "Daily" format, a formidable mix of genres has the advantage of including song-lyrics, videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.

SEP 10 (2026): INSECTS, buzzwords #4 [5]

    This post is part of a continuing collection of poems about 'INSECTS', as previously as displayed on this blog on September 10, 2023 (buzzword #1), September 10, 2024 (buzzword #2), and September 10, 2025 (buzzword #3). 

previous poetic posts (Note that captions are available for poems displayed on "Daily Illustrated Nonsense" in slide format since January, 2024).

(first buzzwords) (#1): beerbugs, bumblebees, clothes moths, cold adaptation, computer bugs.

(second buzzwords) (#2): deer- and horse-flies, entomologists, fire ants, gnats, gnat repellents. 

(third buzzwords) (#3); insect repellents, ladybug diner, mosquitoes, Ricardo the dragonfly, roaches (etymological approach).

CURRENT CONTENTS: (#4 -- September 10, 2026)

Termites

Toothpick grasshoppers

Woollybear caterpillars

Yellow jackets

Clothes moths (3 stanzas, a 'brief saga')

 

Authors' Note: 

bello, bella: Italian (male, female forms) for fine, handsome or beautiful

  The best-known name for this common North American insect derives from the larval form, the banded woolly bear. The caterpillar, with reddish-brown midsection and vertically demarcated black front and rear ends, is often seen in the autumn, appears playful to children, and is non-toxic. There is no easily appreciated visual difference between the genders for either larval or adult stages. Several small locales in the United States celebrate these cute caterpillars with fall 'woollybear' festivals.

Authors' Note: A million Emergency Room (ER) visits per year in the United States are caused by concern over stings from insects of the order Hymenoptera; stings can result in significant local reactions and even anaphylaxis. Many people attribute these incidents, without differentiation, to 'bees'. In fact, the common honeybees and bumblebees are considerably less aggressive than yellow jackets, such as Vespula maculifrons; these pesty wasps make us miserable in the summer and early fall, particularly at fairs and other outdoor events, by their relentless search for sugar-containing foods. Vespine is the adjective relating to wasps.

Note that the three stanzas of this "brief saga" can be found in a more readily legible format on the blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense"; click HERE. 

And as a later development, we put words to music. You can now sing along with the song "CLOTHES MOTHS s by proceeding to our blog "Silly Songs and Satire". Click HERE.

Armchair entomologists with a sense of adventure might wish to continue their travels by proceeding to a subsequent blogpost dealing with "A Selection of PARASITES".    

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As of March, 2026, there are 2,000 unique entries available on the daily blog, displaying individual poems (often illustrated) and wordplay, but also with some photo-collages and parody song-lyrics. 

Most of these key elements of our work are assembled here on "Edifying Nonsense" in topic-based collections.

The "Daily" format, a formidable mix of genres has the advantage of including song-lyrics, videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.

SEP 5 (2026): MAMMALIAN WILDLIFE, pack #5 [3]

 

    This post is part of a continuing collection of poems about 'MAMMALIAN WILDLIFE', as previously displayed on this blog on September 5, 2022 (pack #1), September 5, 2023 (pack #2), September 5, 2024 (pack #3), and September 5, 2025 (pack #4)

previous poetic posts (Note that captions are available for poems displayed on "Daily Illustrated Nonsense" in slide format since January, 2024).

(pack #1): angwantibos, bats, beaver, buffalo, California sea lions.

(pack #2): coyotes, cretan goats (kri-kri), gnus, gorillas, hippopotami.

(pack #3): hoary marmots, horses, marine mammals, mongolian gerbils, rabbits, raccoons in the city.

(pack #4): raccoons in the swamp, rat-trap, selfie with bison, skunks, star-nosed moles.

CURRENT CONTENTS: (#5 -- September 5, 2026)

Steller sea lions

Woodchucks
Aegean cats (3 stanzas, a 'brief saga')

Additional Note:  A falling birth rate due to 'nutritional stress' in females (along with ongoing hunting) has been proposed as a principal factor in the decline in the last century of Pacific Ocean populations of the Steller sea lion, Eumetopias jubatus. Although wanton polygamy has, to be honest, always been an option for females of this species of magnificent marine mammals, the particular efforts of concerned individuals like our heroine Bella may have contributed to a recent recovery.

    Current ecological terminology denotes a species whose population is stable in the wild and not threatened as of 'lesser concern'. In 2013, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) took the Steller sea lion off its US Endangered Species List.

Authors' Note:  The woodchuck or groundhog is a large squirrel-like animal

best know for its extensive tunneling. Although herbivorous, it is not normally interested in eating or tossing wood, the latter being an activity for which 

it is poorly physically adapted. 

   Apparently, the name woodchuck is a corruption of the Algonquian word wejack; the name also is responsible for the American tongue-twister: 

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

Note that the three stanzas of this "brief saga" can be found in more readily legible format on the blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense"; click HERE.

And as a later development, we put words to music. You can now sing along with the song "The AEGEAN CAT" by proceeding to our blog "Silly Songs and Satire". Click HERE.

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR WEB-EXPLORERS: 

To resume your review of the sequence of daily titillations on our related blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense", click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings at the bottom of the page, and check the daily offerings for any month from the start of 2020 through the summer of 2026. 

As of March, 2026, there are 2,000 unique entries available on the daily blog, displaying individual poems (often illustrated) and wordplay, but also with some photo-collages and parody song-lyrics. 

Most of these key elements of our work are assembled here on "Edifying Nonsense" in topic-based collections.

The "Daily" format, a formidable mix of genres has the advantage of including song-lyrics, videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.