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This is a competition that I heard
about early in 2009 from
Shark Tank reader Stanley Kubrick. This is the science humor publication that awards the annual Ig Nobel prizes - I don't enter this
competition every month since I was really not a science geek in school, and sometimes researching what the topic is about takes much longer than I want to spend. I include the topic and write up along with a link to the report the poem is to be written about, my limerick and editor Marc Abraham's comment: |
August,
2010
2010-08-09
Medieval-Scenes-of-Ritual-Circumcision Competition
Medieval
scenes of ritual circumcision inspire this month's limerick
competition.
To enter, compose an original limerick that illuminates
the
nature of this report:
"Medieval
Scenes of Ritual Circumcision as a Reflection of
Sociopolitical
Circumstances" [article in German], R.A, Pust, C Drost,
H.
Willerding and T. Bschleipfer, Der Urologe, vol. 44, no. 3, March
2005,
pp. 277-81. <http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00120-004-0761-9>
The
authors,
at Urologische Privatpraxis in M�nchen-Laim, report:
"Special
attention was paid to the stained glass windows recently
returned
to St. Mary's Church in Frankfurt/Oder, where circumcision of
the
so-called Antichrist is also shown. Up to now we could not find any
medical
historical information about this subject."
RULES:
Please make sure that: (1) your rhymes actually do; and
(2)
your poem is in classic, trills-off-the-tongue limerick form.
PRIZE:
The winning poet will receive (if we manage to send it to the
correct
address) a free, uncircumcised, hi-res PDF issue of the Annals
of
Improbable Research. Send your limerick to:
My
Submission
I
believed I would read quite a sermon
‘Bout
a rite that would leave some boys squirmin’.
What
did they undergo?
I
guess I’ll never know
Since
the darned thing was written in German.
Ken
“O2BIrish” Sheldon, Elon, NC
Marc's
comment:
Ken
--
am
behind on my email
good
one! it's a contender
Marc
Well,
it was better than good. In September's Mini-AIR newsletter:
2010-09-09
Medieval-Scenes-of-Ritual-Circumcision Poet
The
judges have chosen a winner in the Medieval-Scenes-of-Ritual-Circumcision
Limerick Competition, which asked for a limerick to honor the study
"Medieval Scenes of Ritual Circumcision as a Reflection of Sociopolitical
Circumstances". <http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00120-004-0761-9>
The
winner is ENGLISH-SPEAKING INVESTIGATOR KEN SHELDON who wrote:
I
believed I would read quite a sermon
'Bout
a rite that would leave some boys squirmin'.
What did they undergo?
I guess I'll never know
Since
the darned thing was written in German.
Here's
the offering from LIMERICK LAUREATE MARTIN EIGER:
German
mores have, at times, been amiss.
But
what is the reason for this?
Pust, et al, bear the news,
With regard to the Jews,
It
began with the Antichrist's bris.
March,
2010
2010-03-11
Dental-Use-of-Coconut Competition
Teeth
and coconuts inspire this month's limerick competition. To
enter,
compose an original limerick that illuminates the nature
of
this report:
"A
Quantitative Analysis of Coconut Water: A New Storage Media
for
Avulsed Teeth," Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology,
Oral
Radiology, and Endodontology, V. Gopikrishna, T. Thomas, D.
Kandaswamy,
vol. 105, no. 2, Pages e61-e65.
<http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tripleo.2007.08.003>
"The
purpose of this study was to use a Collagenase-Dispase assay
to
investigate the potential of a new storage media, coconut
water,
in maintaining viable periodontal ligament (PDL) cells on
simulated
avulsed teeth.... Within the parameters of this study,
it
appears that coconut water may be better alternative to HBSS
[Hank's
balanced salt solution] or milk in terms of maintaining
PDL
cell viability after avulsion and storage."
My
Submission:
If
a tooth should fall out of a smile,
An
intelligent girl or a guy’ll
Save
the tooth like you oughter
In
coconut water
Like
Skipper on Gilligan’s Isle.
Marc's
comment:
Nice
one. It's a contender
February,
2009
2009-02-08
Whither Withering Bad Breath Competition
Putrescine,
cadaverine, indole, skatole and saliva is/are the
subject(s)
of this month's limerick competition. To enter,
compose
an original limerick that illuminates the nature of this
report:
"Time Profile of Putrescine, Cadaverine, Indole
and Skatole in Human Saliva," M. Cooke, N. Leeves,
and C. White, Archives of Oral Biology, vol. 48, no. 4,
April 2003, pp. 323-27.
<http://tinyurl.com/d2aqfz>
My
submission
Bedding down with breath smelling like
roses,
We awake each day holding our noses
When our spit has putrescine
And indole, progressing
Into
an acute halitosis.
Marc's
comment:
no
comment necessary.
January,
2009
2009-01-08
Termite Species Feces Competition
Termite
end product analysis is the subject of this month's
limerick
competition. To enter, compose an original limerick that
illuminates
the nature of this report:
"Identification of Termite Species by the Hydrocarbons
in their Feces," Michael I. Haverty, R. Joseph Woodrow,
Lori J. Nelson and J. Kenneth Grace, Journal of
Chemical Ecology, vol. 31, no 9, 2005, pp. 2119-51.
<http://tinyurl.com/9y4b6h> The authors report:
"Blends of abundant cuticular hydrocarbons are species-
specific for termites (Isoptera) and can be used to
identify a given taxon without the diagnostic castes,
soldiers or adults. We demonstrate that hydrocarbon
extracts of termite fecal pellets from damaged wood
can also be characterized and used."
My
submission:
All because of some new expertise,
We can ID a termite with ease.
All that one has to do
Is to study its poo
For its content of H’s and C’s.
Mark's
comment:
Ken
--
Nice
one. It's a contender.
Marc