Since 2016 Giorgio Coniglio, registered pseudonym and editor-in-chief, has been bundling collections of POETRY, WORDPLAY and PHOTOGRAPHY, seasoned with humour and parody, with the sole aim of entertaining YOU with presentations at the rate of 4 times per month. The related blog "DAILY ILLUSTRATED NONSENSE" sends out items from these collections in somewhat random order one-at-a-time.
Tuesday 20 December 2022
Thursday 15 December 2022
HIGHER CONNECTIONS
CURRENT CONTENTS:
Monarchs
Monarchs
Great chain of being
Haredim
Gnosticism
Wannabe autocrat
More to follow
Authors' Note: Originally conceived by Plato and Aristotle as a construct to explain the universe, the Great Chain of Being, known in Latin as scala naturae, organized all beings and matter in a hierarchy, descending from heavenly powers through humans, animals, plants and minerals.
In medieval times, the concept was expanded as a rationale for the Divine Right of Kings, and to deny unapproved social mobility.
final approval at OEDILF #122314, November 2023
Authors' Note: (khah-ray-DEEM)
Various groups of strictly Orthodox or haredi Jews represent an expanding demographic in Israel, assembling in particular neighborhoods (such as the suburbs of Jerusalem) where they carry out their lifestyle, rejecting and disdaining the secular environment, preferring a world characterized by observance of laws derived from the Torah (Bible). Their traditional dress reflects the groups' roots in 19th century Ashkenazi religious communities in eastern Europe. The name (the plural noun form) originates from a biblical reference to those who tremble at the word of God.
With large families (averaging 7 children per female), these groups made up 4% of Israeli citizens in 1980, and 13% in 2021.
Various groups of strictly Orthodox or haredi Jews represent an expanding demographic in Israel, assembling in particular neighborhoods (such as the suburbs of Jerusalem) where they carry out their lifestyle, rejecting and disdaining the secular environment, preferring a world characterized by observance of laws derived from the Torah (Bible). Their traditional dress reflects the groups' roots in 19th century Ashkenazi religious communities in eastern Europe. The name (the plural noun form) originates from a biblical reference to those who tremble at the word of God.
With large families (averaging 7 children per female), these groups made up 4% of Israeli citizens in 1980, and 13% in 2021.
Authors' note:
gnostic: adjective derived from the Greek noun gnosis; pertaining to or possessing spiritual knowledge or insight
Authors' Note: Peer has two meanings that are in conflict with each other at times. (1) "equal in rank", the basis of the adjective peerless, meaning unparalleled in quality. (2) particularly in Britain, a member of the nobility, as in "peers and peeresses are members of the peerage". In this case, the wannabe imagines that all flatterers would be rewarded with aristocratic titles.
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.
Saturday 10 December 2022
Life in PALINDROME VALLEY, a poetic description
CURRENT CONTENTS:
Palindromic signpost
Palindromic signpost
Palindrome family
Bidirectional souvenirs
Dalliance
Second language -- Nauruan (OEDILFstored)
Palindrome bees
The Valley's cuisine
Politics in the Valley
Shilly-shallying
Authors' Note: A somewhat archaic meaning of duplicitous is 'twofold', and that is the basis of its more common modern use to imply deception. In the archaic sense, any palindrome is duplicitous, as it can be read in either of two directions. However, a palindromic place-name on a signpost seems like a recipe for getting lost.
There are other popular posted destinations that could confound the unwary visitor to Palindrome Valley. These include: Drama Rd., Evaded Ave., Llama Mall, and Roomy Moor.
Authors' Note: Any grouping known as 'the Palindrome Family' will have more daughters than sons. (In the case cited, older sisters Hannah, Ava and Lil have already been married off.) And, in classic parenting, you have to watch out for their welfare; extreme caution is advised with respect to questionable dates, escorts or suitors like Dennis.
Italics are used to outline palindromic words and phrases in the above verse. More subtly, Dennis sinned, Tennis sin-net, and Golf flog are phrases consisting of two mirror-imaged entities known as semordnilaps, that unite in wordlock to produce a palindromic phrase.
Authors' Note:
(now-ROO-uhn, nah-ROO-uhn)
In Palindrome Valley, parents and administrators had to decide what second language would be taught in schools. The underlying rationale is obvious. and here's the clue: of the almost two hundred nations on the globe, only the Pacific island-nation of Nauru has a national language and adjectival form that is a palindrome. The interested reader might note that on Nauru itself, while the Australian brand of English, the basis of televised entertainment, is widely understood, over 90% use their unique Austronesian language.
The author, with an interest in foreign languages from an early age, fantasizes that had he grown up in Palindrome Valley, he would have maintained his skill in speaking Nauruan.
ADDENDUM: 'Malayalam', one of the many languages of South India, related to Sanskrit and Tamil, is also a palindromic name, but although spoken by almost 3% of current Indians, it never represented a national language.
Authors' Note:
trat: trendy abbreviation for trattoria, an informal Italian restaurant
Unfortunately, a few specialties have been taken off menus due to recent supply-chain issues. (No melon, no lemon; Wontons? Not now.)
But, you can always wash down your meal with a glass of our famous red ice cider or regal lager !
Authors' Note: Most readers will be familiar with the lap-pool. The loop-pool, a luxury innovation found in Palindrome Valley, enhances swimming in either direction along a circuitous route.
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.
Monday 5 December 2022
For the Love of Greece: HELLENOPHILIA
CURRENT CONTENTS:
Greek Evzones
Cretan gorges
Approaching Santorini
Tipping on Thera
Santorini wines
Calamari on Heraklia
The Aegean cat (3 verses, a 'brief saga')
Cyclades (3 verses, a 'brief saga')
Dodecanese (4 verses, a 'brief saga')
Acropolis (3 verses, a 'brief saga')
Authors' Note:
Evzone (EHV-zohn, anglicized form): member of anelite unit drawn from the Hellenic Army Infantry Corps
Grand Change: a more elaborate version of the hourlychanging of the guard (taking place on Sunday morning at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in
Athens' Syntagma Square), providing a popular photo-op for locals and tourists
fustanella: kilt made from 30 meters of white cotton, supposedly with 400 pleats to represent the years of Ottoman occupation.
Grand Change: a more elaborate version of the hourlychanging of the guard (taking place on Sunday morning at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in
Athens' Syntagma Square), providing a popular photo-op for locals and tourists
klepht (KLEHFT): Greek fighter in the War of Independence
fustanella: kilt made from 30 meters of white cotton, supposedly with 400 pleats to represent the years of Ottoman occupation.
(Note that the three verses of this "brief saga" can be found in a more readily legible format on the blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense"; click HERE.)
(Note that the four verses of this "brief saga" can be found in more readily legible format on the blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense"; click HERE.)
(Note that the four verses of this "brief saga" can be found in more readily legible format on the blog "Daily Illustrated Nonsense"; click HERE.)
Authors' Note:
* properly, the Panathenaic Way.
The worst blow to the monument was in 1687 when Venetians attacked the Turkish-held site, and gunpowder stores caused an explosion that damaged all the buildings. The greatest part of the existing frieze marbles from the Parthenon, taken by Lord Elgin in the early 19th century, are currently found in the British museum. The Beulé Gate near the Propylaia at the entrance was discovered by a French archeologist in 1852.
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.
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