Have you considered subscribing to the RSS feed for this weblog?
You can do so right here, come to think of it--by way of e-mail, RSS feed readers, social-networking sites, what have you:
(Remember that you can always cancel your subscription @ any time. I won't hold it against you.)
(part 1):
Because the Social Security and SSI benefits Your Correspondent gets (remember, he's so emotionally disabled that he can't work) can only go so far, he'd appreciate it greatly (as would this blog) if you'd be kind enough to make a donation (not tax-deductible, sadly) to the (fully-secure and encrypted, know) Virtual Tip Jar:
You're also invited to check out my e-boutique, The Exaggerator Collection by name and stylee ... and/or, for that matter, these fine e-tailers that this blog is affiliate with:
(part 2):
If you're a blogger or webmaster looking to add value for money to your blog/website, please take a look @ these worthwhile options:
And why not take a moment to look @ PayPal as a way to add online shopping to your website, or otherwise raise funds.
TALK ABOUT MANUFACTURED EMOTION GONE INTO OVERDRIVE, PANDERING TO THE VULNERABLE AND SUCHLIKE needing extra income, but unable to find honest work due to circumstances outside their control, yet wanting a way to act out of Christian Charity (not the manufactured perversion right-wing Elmer Gantry types promote, only to misuse the funds so collected because of some patsy like "other, more pressing needs came up suddenly")--witness the following "419"-stylee "spam" e-mail with "A CRY FOR HELP" as its subject, received by Your Correspondent:
DEAR BELOVED,
I AM MR. ISAAC WILLIAMS FROM LAGOS NIGERIA, MARRIED WITH TWO KIDS(AGES
3 AND 5) .IN JULY 2007 I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH THE ACQUIRED IMMUNE
DEFICIENCY SYNDROME (AIDS) AND I HAVE NOT BEEN
MYSELF SINCE THEN,BEING AWARE OF WHAT THE KILLER DISEASES DOES TO HUMANS.MY FAMILY HAS
DESERTED ME,FRIENDS AND RELATIVES,EXCEPT FOR MY BEST FRIEND THAT GOD HAS SENT TO ME; MR
AKINTUNDE GODWIN, WHO HAS HELPED FINANCIALLY AND IN ANYWAY YOU CAN THINK OF.THEY EVEN KICKED
ME OUT OF MY PLACE OF WORK AND I COULDN'T FIND ANY JOB SINCE THEN BECAUSE PEOPLE DON'T
ACCEPT AID'S PATIENT'S AND I HAVE SINCE THEN RUN OUT OF FUNDS TO PURCHASE DRUGS TO KEEP
MYSELF ALIVE.
MY WIFE AND CHILDREN ARE ALL I HAVE AND THERE IS NO MONEY FOR FEEDING OR FOR THEIR GENERAL
NEEDS. I HAVE BEEN IN THE HOSPITAL FOR THREE MONTH'S NOW AND THE DOCTOR'S HAVE REALLY TRIED
BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY MONEY FROM ME FOR A MONTH NOW,I AND MY WIFE HAVE SOLD ALL
OUR BELONGINGS JUST TO KEEP ME ALIVE AND THE GOVERNMENT OF THIS COUNTRY IS NOT DOING
ANYTHING ABOUT IT. WE HAVE CONTACTED RADIO AND TV STATIONS TO REACH
OUT TO CITIZENS FOR HELP BUT THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN SLOW. AT THIS POINT,
THE WORLD IS MY HOPE OF SURVIVING, IF YOU ARE A PARENT THEN YOU WILL
UNDERSTAND THAT MY WIFE AND KIDS NEED ME AND I CAN NOT AFFORD TO LEAVE
THEM NOW. I AM PRESENTLY AT THE HOSPITAL AND THE DOCTORS ARE TREATING
TO KICK ME OUT, WHERE WILL I GO FROM HERE? ONLY GOD KNOW,MAYBE TO THE
MORGUE THEN TO THE GRAVE,I DON'T KNOW.PLEASE I IMPLORE YOU TO HELP SAVE
MY LIFE,NOTHING IS TOO SMALL,THE ALMIGHTY GOD IN HIS INFINITE MERCY
WILL REWARD YOU IN KIND FOR YOUR HELP.
BELOW IS THE INFORMATION OF MY BEST FRIEND AND A MAN THAT HAS THE FEAR
OF GOD IN HIM WHO IS A PASTOR. HE HAS STOOD BY ME TILL THIS DAY.
PLEASE SEND ALL DONATION'S TO HIS INFORMATION:
RECEIVERS NAME: MR. MOSES FREEBORN
CITY: APAPA
STATE: LAGOS
COUNTRY: NIGERIA
TEST QUESTION : WHAT FOR
TEST ANSWER: SAVING A LIFE
PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH THE NECESSARY INFORMATION NEEDED FOR PICKUP,LIKE THE MTCN AND SENDERS
DETAILS. SEND THE PICKUP DETAILS TO HIS EMAIL ADDRESS:
[redacted]
THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS AS YOU ASSIST US
MRS ROSE WILLIAMS
FOR MR ISAAC WILLIAMS
But then again, how do we know the photo above (from the original e-mail, know) is of this "Mr. Isaac Williams," in whose name and behalf this appeal is supposedly sent, or is really open stock from online sources designed to maximise pity?
How do we know the accounts given here in this "CRY FOR HELP" are authentic, sincere and independently verifiable?
And what's more, how do we know the donations requested here will actually reach "Mr. Moses Freeborn" directly, not to mention such actually being for the aid and comfort of this "Isaac Williams" in what may be his dying hours? (Besides, being given "question and reply" in advance should be a red flag right there; both Western Union and MoneyGram will tell you such should be resorted to only in emergencies, and should not arbitrarily be required as it could be a stalling tactic by swindlers and other dishonest types.)
*************
IT'S QUITE UNDERSTANDABLE THAT WINONA STEAMBOAT DAYS, AS CONCLUDED LAST NIGHT, FOR ALL PURPOSES AND INTENTS, WITH THE FIREWORKS FINALE from the former Latsch Beach, was originally conceived of in 1948 to honour past rivermen on the Mississippi River as much as attract business to downtown Winona. (On the former point, in fact, early editions thereof included a reunion of old steamboat captains and pilots with banquet @ the Hotel Winona, since recast as The Kensington, a seniors' housing venue.)
And it was not uncommon for 1950's-era editions of Steamboat Days to see as much as 75,000 people in the Winona community, especially so the parade through downtown on Sunday afterlunch.
But with the Delta Queen no longer allowed to operate in interstate commerce and its operators (in Carey Street) having essentially drydocked her sister vessels Mississippi Queen and American Queen (in effect cancelling the 2009 cruise season), and the tribute vessel Julius C. Wilkie (essentially a rebuild of the original, brought over in 1956 and destroyed in a 1981 electrical fire) having been demolished as a safety hazard in the past year, @ least one wag Your Correspondent encountered last evening in the concessions area downtown was openly starting to wonder if such should be restyled "Empty Concrete Slab Days" if it expects to have any continued viability. (For the record, the site of the "Empty Concrete Slab" in question whence the aforementioned Julius C. Wilkie was displayed as an object of civic pride has been grassed over pending formal advice on how to redevelop the site consistent with the area being in Levee Park; the open plaza as surrounded the same towards the river remains intact.)
Whether the Winona Steamboat Days Festival Association, established in haste around 1997 to keep Steamboat Days going after its longtime sponsors, the Winona Jaycees, wound up their affairs, effectively jeoparidisng Steamboat Days' future @ the time, will give due and serious consideration to restyling such "Empty Concrete Slab Days" or find some other apropos appellation therefor ahead of the 63rd annual such (tenatively scheduled for 16-20 June 2010, but subject to final confirmation), is anybody's guess. In any case, they would appreciate your thoughts on the great(?!) notion, which can be sent by letterpost to:
Winona Steamboat Days PO Box 745 Winona, MN 55987-0745 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Or, if you prefer e-mail, send your comments (politely, please) here.
(Sponsorship enquiries should be likewise directed.)
In case the likes of Ripley or, for that matter, Snopes.com starts taking notice of the ensuing row--the same with the late-night chat-show hosts (especially so Conan O'Brian and David Letterman)--due credit should be given to this blog.
Talk about what's on your mind--or, for that matter, about this item--in The Exaggerator Forums; come join the discussion! And I'd live to see your support for this blog by voting here! (N.B. One vote/day, please.)
