No King = No Jester

The Savant would like to take this opportunity to announce that he too will be exercising his free agency in a couple of months but, unlike LBJ, he will be moving to a city (to be named later) that doesn't have a single major league sports team. Let's see if that gets the rumor mill cranking.

Hope for Haiti Now

With dimwits like Robertson rife
How will Haitians rebound from this strife?
It doesn't take voodoo
To know that what you do
To help them might just save a life.

DONATE

Within Days, a Global Benefit Takes Shape
By Michael Cieply, the New York Times, 1/21/10

Short by design

But long on creativity

In four hundred seconds duration
You'll receive the complete presentation.
Tonight is Pecha Kucha*.
We hope that we gotcha
Intrigued by this brief conversation.

*pronounced in three syllables like "peh-chak-cha"
From the Japanese for sound of conversation or chit-chat

Come join us tonight at the House of Blues for what looks to be an interesting and inventive evening.

Pecha Kucha version 2.0
-- speed-dating for creatives and their audiences -- comes to Cleveland
Posted by Steven Litt/Plain Dealer Architecture Critic, 2/4/09

Overwhelmed by history

To those of you who have wondered
"Whence the Savant?":

Since Obama's success with the vote
The Savant sees no reason to gloat.
Might we still pan the man?
Not a doubt. Yes we can!
As soon as the lump leaves my throat.

How Obama Rewrote the Book
By Nancy Gibbs, Time, 11/5/08

I dislike Ike

Guess I've lived in an ivory tower
Because lately my mood has turned dour.
After spending four five nights
In a house without lights
I've lost faith in my hired [sic] power!

Crews struggling to repair damage,
47,000 residents still without power
By Terry Oblander, The Plain Dealer, 9/17/08

Cleveland Rocks Over Sox Pox

It's the worst kind of curse, all agree.
Who'll be jinxed? We will just have to see.
Whether BoSox or Yanks,
Cleveland fans will give thanks.
The result suits the Tribe to a Tee!

-----The Tee we hope will be

Red Sox fan adds high-jinx to Yankees rivalry
by John Doyle and Chuck Bennett , New York Post, 4/11/08

In Memorium

Eileen G. Culler
January 3, 1919 - February 27, 2008

You're never 2 Down, we're assured;
4 Across 80 years you've endured
With a clear optimism
That defies cynicism
And truly transcends the cross word.

The above limerick was written in honor of Eileen's 80th birthday. She was no celebrity, but just a remarkably kind and loving woman who inspired the Savant's love of words and worplay.

What the Dickens?

Good will wishes seem filled with deception
When we choose who's in line for reception.
Let’s remove all the guessing
By invoking Gods’ blessing
On the world as a whole, no exception!

"God bless us, everyone." - Tiny Tim

Whom would Jesus exclude?
By Connie Schultz, The Plain Dealer, 12/18/07

Rhyme of the patient Mariner

Seattle seemed seated in clover
When the curve-ball was tossed them by Grover.
It's hard to believe
He would just up and leave.
"When it's over," said Grover, "it's over."

Hargrove still peepless in Seattle
on any other reason for his resignation

Hargrove's integrity shines on
As both player and skipper, dedication mattered most

Hargrove Stuns Mariners, Resigning Amid Success
The New York Times, 7/2/07

Trademark infringement?

San Antonio challenged our fitness,
In Cleveland, to Rise-up^® and Witness^® ;
But expecting LeBron
To take it all on
Is a failure to Take Care of Bitness^®!

Cavs bow out but expectations rise up
By Bud Shaw, The Plain Dealer, 6/15/07

I read the news today; oh boy!

I remember the times seemed so rife
With famine, with war, and with strife.
Then that mind-blowing day
Pepper taught us to play…
Yet, today, it's a day in the life.

'Sgt. Pepper': It Was 40 Years Ago Today
Time, 6/1/07

So it goes

Kurt Vonnegut’s writing defined
A phase that expanded my mind.
Thus, I owe him a debt
And, so, cannot forget
That "God damn it, you’ve got to be kind."

"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies — 'God damn it, you’ve got to be kind.'"
-------Mr. Rosewater in Vonnegut's
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, or Pearls Before Swine

Kurt Vonnegut, Novelist Who Caught the
Imagination of His Age, Is Dead at 84
By Dinitia Smith, The New York Times, 4/12/07

Chasing out the snakes

The PD, it would seem, is competin'
In a field this Savant is elite in.
From Erie to Éire,
His limericks are rarer
Than gold and his meter's unbeaten.

INSIDE St. Patrick's Day
The Plain Dealer, 3/17/07

Elder Vision

If one’s age is in eye of beholder
I’m assuaged and won’t cry on your shoulder.
To look in the mirror,
It’s clearer and clearer,
It’s the fellow in there getting older.

Happy Birthday to the Savant's alter-ego

Satellite stations?

X'eM off your list!

At the risk of our seeming imperious
To anyone choosing to query us
On radio taste:
Satellite is a waste.
Put your money on news that is serious.

Yes, it's that time of year again when I have to endure the frequent interruptions to my daily dose of "Morning Edition" while the local public radio staff begs for my support. Although we are lucky enough to be within tuning distance of two NPR affiliates, there is no respite since the fundraising effort appears to be ubiquitous.

Plus, this morning, as even further affront to my Monday morning commute, I was forced to begin my 45 minute drive in utter darkness thanks to the new early onset DST (Daylight Squandering Time). But somehow, amidst Dee's pleas and Dave's raves and my own grumbling, I managed to hear some insightful stories on neglected diseases in Africa and medical treatment for our returning troops. And, as if to underscore the message that I have much to be thankful for, I was met with the most spectacular sunrise while arriving at work, a coincidence not possible without the altered standard time.

So if you need a reminder of the value of unbiased, in-depth reporting that can only come from an organization free of commercial interest, then take this unsolicited endorsement to heart and support "Serious" Radio.

Computer woes

My Mac's S.M.A.R.T. drive is smart enough to let me know that is is about to fail but, unfortunately, not smart enough to repair itself. Needless to say, I will be spending what little free time I have in the process of backing up all essential files; schlepping the Mac to the Apple Store for repair/replacement of the drive; counting the minutes until its return; so that I can spend countless hours reinstalling all the little-used software that I have accumulated; in the hopes that it will tide me over until I can afford the new Mac that I so dearly deserve.

In the interim, I will try to post (if inspiration visits) through whatever means I can. Otherwise, you may talk amongst yourselves until I return.

A cup of kindness yet

I've tried since September 11,
With verses and limericks, to leaven
The news, at its worst.
If I may be the first,
Let me say "Happy 2007!"

In the last week we have witnessed the demise of a dictator, the passing of a president, the loss of the godfather of soul and many more souls lost in the Grand Guignol that is Iraq. None requiring comment from the Savant to heighten its poignancy.

During my holiday hiatus I have given some thought to the future of this blog. I have been filling these virtual pages with my detritus for five years now. First, on my website and finally here on this blog. The discovery of blogging was a revelation since it no longer required a major reformat every time I wished to make a post. So, technically it has actually become easier to do what I set out to do.

There certainly has been no shortage of topical nonsense to fuel my nonsense rhymes so I can’t claim a lack of subject matter. There are many more talented limerick writers than I (e.g. see Graham Lester’s wonderful ditty in the comments on my last post). Graham, along with many equally talented folks, has been contributing regularly to the OEDILF (Omnificent English Dictionary In Limerick Form), a remarkable project that I wish I had thought up. My sole contribution so far (on the word "retromingent") has been removed since the dictionary is nowhere near the "Rs" yet.

Yet, I can’t claim to be filling the much-needed niche for political limerick writers, either. As I have discovered along the way, mine was not a unique idea, as I would have liked to believe. Bob Duplantier had already published his book Politickles before I had the notion to self-publish on the Web. And Madeleine "Mad" Kane has been liberally churning out left-wing humor, including limericks, for some time now. I know that I can’t resist taking aim at some of our inflated celebrities, as well, but political figures are more often in my sights.

I have also realized that a blogger is only as good as his/her last post. If you wish to be read, then you need to write. Like the shark that must keep moving to live, a static blog will only sink to the bottom of the ocean of words written every day on the Internet. I have never fooled myself into believing that this venture was more than a self-indulgent pastime. That it has managed to entertain some others, beside myself, greatly pleases me. Though I am not ready to deep six the idea, I may do less to keep it afloat in the year ahead(that certainly beat the nautical metaphor to death didn’t it?). Let's hope less is more.

I have been contemplating a blog in which I can explore the history of my maternal grandfather who died when I was only two. He is my namesake (no, not "Limerick") and I find that I yearn to know more about him and his life. I also hope to use the process as a means for spending more time with my mother who will be my primary source of information. I expect it to be of no interest to anyone but myself and possibly my family but it is what draws me now.

As to the Savant in 2007, who knows? Looking ahead, I can only quote a recently viewed bumper sticker, "Is it 2008 yet?"



U.S. military deaths in Iraq reach 3,000
By Solomon Moore, The Los Angeles Times, 12/31/06

The Savant vindicated

Thanks to the folks at NPR and the Pew Research Center, the Savant may be red-tribed but he is no longer red-faced. After taking the PRC's 2005 Political Typology survey, He weighed in as "Liberal" with a capital "L." This helped to ease some of the cognitive dissonance caused by the quiz mentioned in the previous post.

Having done a little research of my own in the past, it is clear to me that the questions you ask and the way that you ask them can greatly influence the outcome. That being said, I'm more likely to lend my confidence to the Pew crew when it comes to scholarly research.

You probably don't need a survey to tell you where you stand, but it is interesting to look at the results and conclusions that they draw from the above. And if you are thinking about not voting in November because "it's a foregone conclusion," take a look at their latest survey results.

Beyond Red vs. Blue: Redefining the Political Landscape
By Robert Siegel and Andrew Kohut
All Things Considered, NPR, 5/10/05

Which tribe are you?

I guess this is as close to a meme as I'll ever get on this blog.

I caught most of the interview with the authors of Applebee's America yesterday on NPR and followed the link to the What's Your Tribe quiz. Imagine my surprise to find myself smack in the middle of the Red Tribe! I thought it possible I could end up in the Tipping Tribe but the dreaded Red Tribe!!!

I've always thought of myself as a bit of an iconoclast (how many people are obsessed with turning news and opinion into limericks?) so my only explanation is that I must be the exception that proves the rule (never did understand that expression). Either that, or the quiz is terribly flawed.

Anyway, I challenge my readers to take the quiz and report back on the results. Tell me if it fits with your self concept but don't let it change the way you vote in November. I certainly won't.


Conversations on Politics
Connecting with Gut Values in 'Applebee's America'
Morning Edition, NPR, 10/18/06

My last post

To those of you applauding: No, I didn't mean it like that!

I reread it and started to doze;
It was wordy by half, heaven knows.
The Savant can be terse
When writing in verse
But he tends to run on and on and on, with seemingly endless explication, often including parenthetical asides, (this man could really use an editor) (and isn't it annoying when he refers to himself in the third person?!!) and taking forever to make, what is usually not all that interesting, a point, whenever he sits down and puts pen to paper (or, more appropriately, bit to chip, since the handwritten word, long ago, went the way of the dot matrix printer) to endeavor to express his thoughts, however trivial, slight or downright meaningless, in the form of prose.