Thursday, 20 January 2022

Wordplay maps: AMERICAN SCRAMBLE-TOWNS #1-4


Who would ever have guessed? It turns out that an unparalleled word in generating anagrams (letter scrambles) is P-A-L-I-N-D-R-O-M-E-S. We have taken advantage of that property to create this unique series of wordplay maps of imaginary American (and Canadian) locales, each one completed by its official two-letter state (or provincial) abbreviation. 







LINKS: Forward to U.S.A. map #3




LINKS:
Forward to U.S.A. map#5
Back to U.S.A. map #1
Let's skip all this stuff and get on to the Canadian version, eh? (stay tuned!)


Saturday, 15 January 2022

The frontier of poetry: PALINKUs (palindrome-enriched haiku verses) from the year 2021

A continuation:  Go back to review the palinkus of 2021 HERE.



























You can continue this astounding journey, exploring our new poetic form. Click below for yearly collections of posted palinkus (one each month)as available on this blog-site.
2020: haiku, and the origin of the 'palinku'
2020: early palinkus, from August 2000
2024 -- pending.
  
(Alternatively, you could proceed to our related blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense", where we have in a more casual manner, published these terse verses one-at-a-time, on the 17th day of each month. 

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR WEB-EXPLORERS: 
To resume 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 in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of March 2024, there are over 1400 unique entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on "Edifying Nonsense" in topic-based collections.) The 'Daily' format also has the advantage of including some song-lyrics, videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.

Monday, 10 January 2022

Not before we need it: PLANET-SAVING VERSE #1


CURRENT CONTENTS:
Beach foam
'Clean' coal
Compostables
Coy koi (introduced species)
Drought
Enzootic ending
Fur-farming
Invasive species
(for continuation, see the link below)






Authors' Note: In the polarized United States, the term denier, sometimes specified as science denier or climate-change denier, is taken to mean a person who denies either the existence or human causation of global warming.
Another discussion of clean coal can be found in an OEDILF verse by contributing editor Dr. Work:

We are led to believe that clean coal
Should be sought as a practical goal:
To store carbon dioxide
Deep under the dockside
Or pumped very deep down a hole.








Authors' Note: The Amur carpCyprinus rubrofuscus, is a long-lived freshwater fish native to extensive areas of Eastern Asia. Centered in the Niigata prefecture of Japan, breeders have taken advantage since 1820 of genetic variability in the color of fish-scales to produce variants in a variety of remarkable decorative colors that may be further enhanced by selection and cross-breeding. Nishikigoi ('brocaded carp'), less formally referred to as koi ('carp'), have been recently pursued further as a hobby and as a commercial interest in various Asian countries.

On every continent, koi populations have 'escaped' and become established as invasive intruders in freshwater ponds and streams (where their color eventually reverts to that of undomesticated Amur carp). As koi characteristically alter the environment, increasing the turbidity of freshwater bodies, native species have been displaced.
You can watch the koi swimming when you view the verse on out "Daily " website.


Author's Note: Pretty much a true story. 




Authors' Note:  Having suffered the ravages of Covid-19, has humanity's ability to cope with outbreaks of infectious disease improved? Not too much. This pessimistic verse was written after seeing a TV documentary revealing updates on what we have learned about the potential threats of further epidemics. 






                                  
      
                     

To get to the second part of this collection, (another eight intriguing verses on 'saving the planet') click HERE.

Also, if you like parody-songs, you might take a peek at "Coach the Nestlings".
'
DIRECTION FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS: 
To resume 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 in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of September 2023, there are over 1200 unique entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on 'Edifying Nonsense' in topic-based collections.) The 'Daily' format also has the advantage of including some videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.


Wednesday, 5 January 2022

Grandpa Greg's Advanced Grammar: GREEK PREFIXES #1


CURRENT CONTENTS:
An-
Apo-
Auto-
Dia-
Dys-
Ecto-
Endo-
Epi-
Eu-
Hyper- and hypo-
Chiro-
Chrono-




Author's Note: You might enjoy a verse about 'ANOSMIA', that you can sniff out by clicking HERE. 










Authors' Note:

auto is a prefix derived from Greek and Latin meaning 'self' or 'same'.
A motto frequently represents a high standard of achievement claimed or aspired to by the person or institution.

We have a verse about 'Autophagia' that you might find intriguing (Click HERE.)
And, HERE's another that you'll probably find less intriguing, even gruesome.




Authors' Note: Click HERE, for your entertainment, to review a verse about diarrhea; and HERE's another one, about diaphoresis (sweating).



Click HERE to review a verse about dyspareunia.









Authors' Note: To view what's inside you, you might want to look through a collection of verses about endoscopy entitled "Inner Enlightenment: The Scopes of Modern Medicine". Click HERE!  





Authors' Note: 
ephemeral: transitory; derived from the Greek epi-'on' + hemera-'day', a variant form of the prefix
ephedrine: drug isolated in 1885 from the traditional Chinese medicine ephedra, sometimes an abused stimulant, recently deleted from combined medications and from formularies in many countries owing to side effects, including increased risk of sudden death
schleppy: dragging or fatigued, from the Yiddish word schlep.
The gravesite of Giuseppe is marked by the simple epitaph, "Epicurean Hippy".

Here's a verse about Epistaxis, that exemplifies the use of the prefix EPI- .







Authors' Note: These names for professional endeavours, derived from the Greek root chiro (hand), have quite different meanings and pronunciations.





DIRECTION FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS: 
To resume 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 in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of September 2023, there are over 1200 unique entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on 'Edifying Nonsense' in topic-based collections.) The 'Daily' format also has the advantage of including some videos and other material that are not shown here on this topic-based blog.