Professor Rumbledore casts a "Datum Obfuscata!"
spell to ward off the "Fortuna Reverso!" spell plaguing
his favorite student, Hairy (W.) Plodder.

Painful remedy

As multiple Vioxx suits lurk,
7,000 are now out of work.
After pulling the plug,
The once promising drug
Will, forever, be mired in this Merck.

Merck to Cut 7,000 Jobs, Close Plants
By Jim Zarroli, All Things Considered
NPR, 11/28/05

Playing the Blame Game

Plenty to go around

Yes, Democrats cannot deny
That they looked on this war with an "aye;"
But the blame we assign
For their sheer lack of spine
Doesn't give Mr. Bush a free bye.

Mr. Bush, you were quick to decry
Those who said that you led us awry;
But, for all your derision,
A lie of omission
Is, nevertheless, still a lie.

Pre-Iraq War Intelligence: A Look at the Facts
By Don Gonyea and Jackie Northam,
NPR Morning Edition, 11/23/05

Think of it as a harmonic convergence of sorts
By Molly Ivins, Creators Syndicate
Star Telegram, 11/23/05

Iraq: What Did Congress Know, And When?
Annenberg Political Fact Check, 11/19/05

On the cul-de-sac

This one's inspired by Cowtown Pattie's latest post:

I once thought I'd head down that street
With poetic anger, replete;
But awed veneration
Of Jack's generation
Has turned into feeling just beat.

Spiders Across the Stars
Texas Trifles, 11/17/05

Tortured passed

Could our motives be reckoned ulterior
In exposing the Shiite Interior
Ministry's acts?
Just look at the facts:
Our torture now seems so inferior.


The Debate Over Torture
By Evan Thomas and Michael Hirsh
Newsweek, Nov. 21, 2005 issue

Torture Alleged at Ministry Site Outside Baghdad
By John F. Burns, New York Times, 11/16/05

Call me irresponsible

You know, Mr. Bush, I'm a vet
But, like many, I deeply regret
That you lied led us to war.
It's a crime that, no more,
We'll continue to aid and abet.

In your own words: Fool me once; shame on you...

Beleaguered Bush hits out at 'irresponsible' Iraq war critics
Julian Borger, The Guardian, 11/12/05

If journaling makes you a journalist,...

avoid racing.

It took me a while to cull my thoughts about the lively and lengthy discussion over "blogger ethics" at Brewed Fresh Daily into limerick form. The result may win me no friends among bloggers.

Can the blogosphere just self-assess
Without standards imposed? Well, I guess;
But, for pros who write prose,
We ask more, I suppose,
Than this Internet Vanity Press.

Tech Link: Kent State panel discussion:
Ethics for bloggers?
Brewed Fresh Daily, 11/2/05

Make some beautiful music today:

The sweet music will stick in our throats,
When it's sung missing some of the notes;
And Democracy's song
Won't endure very long,
If it isn't composed of our votes.

Vote

Too busy to vote? Not her -- ever
Connie Schultz, The Plain Dealer, 11/7/05

To the Plain Dealer

And John Campanelli:

Gee, thanks for the kind interview
And the chance to show folks what I do.
If there's ever a time
You have reason for rhyme
The Savant will be there PDQ.

It's still the same old story...

Prime times indeed

In honor of his first appearance in the print media, an interview completely in limerick form, the Savant has decided to sponsor a "Complete the limerick" contest. Just finish the limerick below in the comments section of this post. I've offered some of my own examples to get you primed and don't forget to read the interview for some inspiration.

Credit will be given for keeping the meter, originality, and mostly for making me laugh. The sinner winner will receive an all expense paid (provided he/she pays all the expenses) trip to the disaster area of his/her choice or a limited edition copy of the Savant's chapbook, "Four-Year Funk," whichever disaster comes first. The chapbook is also available for purchase through December, along with some actually worthwhile articles, at the HeightsArt Gallery Holiday Store. Since Judge Alito may be otherwise occupied, the decison of the other judge(s) is final.


The Savant got to try something new
When they gave him a print interview.
Unlike Valerie Plame,
They're concealing his name;

a) But the photo might act as a clue.

b) Because Rove never heard of him, too.

c) Karl's response was, "The Limerick Who?"

d) Write your own, dear reader, and add it to the comments section

Prime times for rhymes
10 minutes with - The Limerick Savant
PDQ&A, by John Campanelli
The Plain Dealer, 11/6/05

Gulag Shock

Mr. Bush, we would like it explained
How Geneva can be so disdained.
A secret detention
Defies that convention
And the Truth is what's really detained.

Pressure on allies over CIA's 'al-Qaida camps'
· European commission and Red Cross seek answers
Nicholas Watt, The Guardian, 11/4/05

Flippin' the bird flu

If Bush worries 'bout citizens dying,
There's a cure he can find without trying:
Just bring the troops back
From his war in Iraq
And stop the pandemic of lying.

Bush Announces Plan to Prepare for Flu Epidemic
By Gardiner Harris, New York Times, 11/2/05

For a good time, call Sam

His decisions are sure to enthrall
Arch conservative pols, one and all.
So, meet Sam Alito,
He's Justice Graffito,
Cuz the writing is now on the wall.

Alito Could Move Court Dramatically to the Right
By Nina Totenberg, Morning Edtion , NPR, 11/1/05

Cheney of fools

If Dick Cheney were only astuter
He'd have steered clear of using that Scooter.
They are said to cause falls
That can injure one's balls
And might end up by leaving you neuter.

Cheney Adviser Resigns After Indictment
The Washington Post, 10/28/05

Awaiting indictments

Oh, what a tangled web they wove,
Who practised tactics with Karl Rove.

[With apologies to Sir Walter Scott]

Rove, Libby Prepare for Possible Indictments
By Jim VandeHei and Carol D. Leonnig
Washington Post, 10/28/05

No end to burning questions

They're extinguishing Harriet Miers!
Seems the more that the Senate requires,
The less Bush supplies.
So, they thought it unwise
Her providing more fuel for the fires.

Harriet Miers Withdraws Nomination
By Fred Barbash, Washington Post, 10/27/05

What's Jermaine to Clevelanders

In Cleveland, we stayed up all night
Bemoaning the season that might
Have led to the Series.
Here's one of our theories:
Next year, we must shock the Sox, White.

Chicago's sweeping beauties
Sox win their first Series title since 1917
Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer, 10/27/05

A message from Ahnuld

"Ah'll be bahking your state's Issue 4
Just to give Gerry Mander what for.
If you draw the lines straighter,"
Says the famed Governator,
"It won't look like Kuala Lumpur."

Conan says,

"Only a barbarian would
draw voting districts like this!"

Schwarzenegger backs Ohio's Issue 4 reform initiatives
By Jim Tankersley, The Toledo Blade, 10/19/05

From her seat, she stood tall

When her heavenly transit embarks,
At the forefront will sit Rosa Parks.
For her one simple act
Will forever impact
And teach us from whence Freedom sparks.

Civil Rights Icon Rosa Parks Dies
NPR, 10/25/05

The view from the "North Coast"

Met with bloggers from NEO*, last night
And we talked of "what is" and "what might."
Whatever their bent,
They all represent
A future for Cleveland that's bright.

*[That's Northeast Ohio for you Matrix fans]

Oct Blog Meetup
The Town Fryer, 10/19/05

Wake up and smell the city

Does he have universal appeal?
Don't know, but the postings are real.
He brews local news
And elicits your views.
In Cleveland, that's "BFD."

What, me curry?

Cowtown Pattie uncovered the clues
That will lead to my comical muse,
But I swear Alfred E.
Ain't got nuthin' on me.
If I'm MAD, should that come as real news?

A new hat in the ring?

Remember that powerful ring which
Mr. Frodo "destroyed?" It's the thing which
Has lured Mr. Newt
To begin the pursuit
That could lead us from Gollum to Gingrich.



Gingrich Considers White House Run
CBS News, 10/14/05

No previous history of violence

Those with children who love Papa Smurf
Better censor the sites that they surf.
As to mayhem and death:
Who'da thunk UNICEF
Could out-shock Cronenberg on that turf?



Smurfs 'bombed' in UN ad campaign
BBC News, 10/12/05

It's the infrastructure, stupid!

Shi`a, Sunni, and Kurds can't deny
That a new constitution won't fly
Unless it proceeds
To provide for the needs
Of Iraqis who barely get by.

He said that the portrayal of Iraq by Western leaders of efforts to introduce democracy, including Saturday's national vote on the country's proposed constitution was "unreal" to most of its citizens. In Baghdad, children and women were kept at home to prevent them from being kidnapped for money or sold into slavery. They faced a desperate struggle to find the money to keep generators running to provide themselves with electricity. "They aren't sitting in their front rooms discussing the referendum on the constitution."
-Iraq has descended into anarchy, says Fisk
By Nigel Morris, The Independent, 10/13/05

Iraq reconstruction shows 'limited progress'
By Tom Regan, The Christian Science Monitor, 8/26/05

Iraqi Lawmakers OK Last-Minute Amendments
By Mariam Fam, The Guardian, 10/13/05

GriM Prophecy

Don't you think that the industry ceded
Years ago, when the omens weren't heeded?
When every outsource
Determined that course,
Why is Delphi, as oracle, needed?

Staggering blow: Delphi's bankruptcy ominous sign for fading auto industry
By Bill Vlasic and Brett Clanton, The Detroit News 10/9/05

Hear Yee, Hear Yee!

Though they voice a more tolerant tone,
Anti-Islam abuses have grown.
Wonder how that could be?
You must read Captain Yee
And you'll see how they act toward their own.

"I was sure that I was being imprisoned in large part because I had fought so hard to ensure the detainees at Guantánamo were given the things they needed to practice their religion, yet here I was being denied those things myself."
-James Yee, For God and Country: Faith and Patriotism Under Fire, 2005

Chaplain cites anti-Islam zeal
By Carol Rosenberg, The Miami Herald, 10/7/05

Earning their "Honorable" title

The country can count on McCain
To act as the president's bane.
Who better to know
How to deal with a foe
By making the torture humane?

Senate Supports Interrogation Limits
90-9 Vote on the Treatment of Detainees
Is a Bipartisan Rebuff of the White House
By Charles Babington and Shailagh Murray
Washington Post, 10/6/05

Memorandum

From: Karl Rove
Subj: Justice "Cypher"
To: President Bush

When Justice O'Connor retires,
Who'll replace her? Why, Harriet Miers!
What's there to assail
With no paper trail
Of tenets to which she aspires?

Rove played an active role in selection of Miers
By Joseph Curl, The Washington Times, 10/6/05

A Russell of Fall leaves

It makes the Savant a bit tipsy
To recall all the comical quips he
Delivered in rhyme.
A man of his time;
There's a chill in the air without Nipsey.

"The opposite of pro is con
that fact is clearly seen
if progress means move forward
then what does Congress mean?"
- Nipsey Russell

Rhyming Funnyman Nipsey Russell Dies
By Joe Holley, Washington Post, 10/4/05

One, for the money; and two, for the show

Delay says, indictments, he'll quash
And that laundering charges won't wash;
But his obvious greed
Reminds one, indeed,
Of the work of Hieronymous Bosch.


Tom Delay (in bed) with several unindicted co-conspirators

Grand Jury Re-Indicts DeLay on New Charges
By April Castro, Associated Press Writer
The Guardian, 10/4/05

Your patriotic duty

I want to again encourage my readers to support the NAMI Campaign for the Mind of America. Heaven knows we need it. Even President Bush might benefit according to Lawrence O'Donnell of The McLaughlin Group.

See The McLaughlin Group from 9/23/05 in which O'Donnell asserts that Bush's comparison of Hurricane Katrina to terrorism is a clear sign of his deteriorating mental state.

So whether it's recognizing a good cause, empathy, guilt, or just acknowledging your patriotic duty to help your poor addled president; please click on the link below. You will at least get the Savant out from behind his computer and showing his face in the light of day and you will definitely be doing some good for those who, unlike Bush, often have a difficult time speaking out for themselves.

Thank you.

Weather or not

Fate seizes but, rarely, it grants.
We're so tired of the Bush song & dance
That we hope he takes heed
And chooses to lead
And with Rita, he'll get a new chance.

Missed ya lie!

Brother Kenya and his eagle eyes
Left me no other choice than revise.
Now with hardly a trace
Of egg on my face
I have captured the pullet surprise.

Wow! Thanks to Elisson for selecting my photo caption (in limerick form, of course) as the winner in his recent contest.

The last time I won something was in seventh grade when the prize was The Heritage of the Cleveland Indians record album featuring veteran sportscaster, Jimmy Dudley.

YAP - Yet, Another Plea

No limerick today. Just another plea for support. This is NAMI's primary fund raiser of the year and, though there are many worthwhile causes seeking support in the wake of Katrina, we must not neglect those that still need our help. Maybe you have a neighbor, co-worker, or family member (I do) who is trying to cope with mental illness. Or maybe, like me, you have worked in the field of mental health. (What! You thought I earn a living doing this?). Please consider walking in your local event, if you have one, or make a donation (no matter how small) to someone who is walking. (Am I such a bad choice?)

For this week ONLY, I will send a signed copy of my chapbook, Four-year Funk, to all readers who sponsor my walk with a donation of $10 or more. Click the NAMIWalks link below for more information on this very worthwhile cause. Or check it out with charity evaluation links below.

The Campaign for the Mind of America is a multi-year effort on many fronts to promote investment in recovery and to prevent the abandonment of yet another generation of Americans with mental illnesses to neglect and hopelessness. The Campaign highlights the need to build a comprehensive, efficient system to screen, evaluate, diagnose and treat mental illnesses at every stage of life.

NAMI is a 501(c)3 charity and any donation you make to support my participation in this event is tax deductible. NAMI has been rated by Worth magazine as among the top 100 charities "most likely to save the world" and has been given an "A" rating (better than the American Red Cross, CARE, MDA, or Farm Aid to name a few) by The American Institute of Philanthropy for efficient and effective use of charitable dollars. NAMI has also been given 3 out of 4 stars by The Charity Navigator for short-term spending practices and 4 out of 4 stars for long-term sustainability.