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A REGULAR SEGMENT ON FOX PROLEFEED'S THE O'REILLY FACTOR is entitled "Patriots and Pinheads," which serves nothing more than advancing an idealised conservative ideal of patriotism bordering on the hard-wired to the point of parroting out the latest conservative bumper-sticker slogans on cue in the rather reechy-sounding voice thus preferred.

Which brings up the question of who exactly is considered "acceptable" patriot material to the conservative Weltanschauung--IMHO, they would likely see "poor white trash" Joe Sixpack types of the Park and Flush to be "patriots" whereas those in "the projects" for want of a decent credit record as would help them obtain a decent mortgage as opposed to a "sub-prime" such pushed through trick or deception would be seen in this line of thinking as "pinheads."

Not to mention such being borderline appeal to racism.

Especially when the patriotism is expected to be that of the kind epitomised by the Orwellian Newspeak term "goodthoughtful"--as in being orthodox without question or reservation, practicing such True Patriot Love in All Thy Sons Command as it were second nature. (As if implying that any deviation or reservation therefrom was only the first sign of Serious Mental Disorders.)

Remember this, my friends: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel."

BACK IN 1917, SOON AFTER THE UNITED STATES ENTERED WORLD WAR I, THE PRECEDING AD FOR LUCKY STRIKE CIGARETTES WAS WIDELY SEEN to call attention to the fact that the war-era United States Food Administration encouraged the consumption of various alternative foods in the interest of "our boys Over There" and those in war-devastated areas of Europe.

In this case, suggesting cheese as an alternative to meat dishes.

Come to think of it, how many of you reading this blog have actually tried Welsh rarebit (essentially melted cheese over toast)?

And is it possible to fix Welsh rarebit with the likes of Velveeta?

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NO DOUBT THE PRECEDING PHOTO IS CERTAIN TO BE USED BY OPPONENTS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY BASED ON SO-CALLED "WISE USE" ARGUMENTS in their "winning of hearts and minds" propaganda seeking to justify perpetuation of the status quo, and invoking G-d and Country to justify the same.

Especially such appealing to the ignorant and less-sophisticate which electric power companies are secretly counting on to maintain "guaranteed" profit margins through the continued and continuing use of less-energy-efficent lighting and appliances solely because of cost (and, in a way, restricted access to decent channels of consumer credit).

The same who, it turns out, rely all too heavily on Fox Prolefeed for their news and information, or what passeth for it. And to accept its prolefeed as fact without question or reservation, thinking that to so challenge anything seen on TV is one with "error and weakness" which, in its turn, could translate to "serious mental disorders."

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MEANWHILE, SPEAKING OF THE IGNORANT AND LESS-SOPHISTICATE, history has shown where they are all the more vulnerable to exploitation, thanks to limited or non-existant job skills on their part, by weird and unwholesome mountebank types promising big-big money by exploiting their unfortunate financial condition (and even more so @ this time).

Recent developments in Colombia, as discussed by Pyramid Scheme Alert, should serve as a warning to especially such who are looking for extra pretty polly in the face of the emerging socioeconomic emergency:

Two people are dead, 13 towns under police curfew and the country's top banking regulator has resigned. This is part of the fallout from the collapse of a large pyramid scheme that operated openly and "legally" in Colombia. The consequences are tragic. However, the more significant story from Colombia is one that is being repeated in many other countries. The authorities let it happen, even as the signs of a massive fraud were obvious.

How obvious? The scheme was called "Easy Money Fast Cash'' and promised investors payments of 70 percent to 150 percent a month. Police reported that the scheme operated for more than a year.

In the wake of the collapse, the country's top banking regulator (the scam masqueraded as a bank) resigned but only after thousands of poor, rural people in Colombia lost $270 million.

The scam's owners, Carlos Alfredo Suarez, fled the country. Investors rioted. Police confiscated $26 million but report that most of the money is gone and Suarez' whereabouts are unknown. The president of Colombia claims the government will try to help but does not specify how.

Bailouts of pyramid scheme victims are rare.

The most common question -- overwhelmingly -- posed to Pyramid Scheme Alert is, "Why does the government allow pyramid schemes to operate? Why doesn't it enforce the law?"

Examples:

In Canada… a scheme is now recruiting all over the country that promises $5,000 commission on a $3,200 "sale." How can this be? The scheme, called Business in Motion (BIM), claims it can do this because it has a system called "perpetual motion." In fact, no one purchases the company's product (membership in a vacation discount program) other than the "sales people." To gain the "commissions" each "sales person" must also make a $3,200 "purchase." The scheme is structured in the classic "8-ball" (1,2,4,8) of a pyramid scheme, in which most of the money paid in by last eight people that join the scam is transferred to the one person at the top, three levels above. Then the structure "spits" and each side must recruit eight each for a total of 16 new people and the cycle repeats over and over again. As the scheme progresses, it must continue to double the number of recruits – 16, 32, 64, 128, etc. If it "spits" just 22 times, the last recruits will need to find 8 billion new people! Yet, Canadian authorities still have not applied either the country's anti-pyramid law or its anti-fraud law.

In England… England's government is currently trying to close down the MLM giant Amway, as a pyramid scheme. However, an English judge has slowed the process and the case is on appeal. Meanwhile, Pyramid Gifting Schemes are, again, sweeping the country. One of the latest is being promoted by a star from the UK's version of the television show, The Apprentice. The young woman was selected over 20,000 others to be in show. She was revealed in a BBC exposé as now advertising the classic "gifting" pyramid scam. (Perhaps it is not so surprising that a star of Apprentice would start up a pyramid scheme, since, after all, Donald Trump, the host and star of the USA version of the show is a pitchman for the MLM scheme, ACN.) That scheme is only one of many others. Another BBC program, X-Ray uncovered and reported that "the reputations of some of Wales' most respected charities have been used by the organisers of an illegal pyramid scheme to lend an air of legitimacy to their activities, which involve people handing over thousands of pounds in a chain-gifting syndicate." Like Canada, England has good laws to enforce against Amway and other types of pyramids, the Gambling Act 2005 and the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. Like consumers and taxpayers in Canada and the USA, UK citizens are asking: Why doesn't the government enforce the laws?

What we have learned over and over again is that lack of law enforcement becomes a form of government endorsement of scams. Often the schemers boldly ask, "If we are illegal, how could we be advertising, holding these public meetings and recruiting so many new people?"

An issue, methinks, which the incoming Obama/Biden Administration may want to address in seeking to create jobs for the unemployed and unemployable ... and which the Zealots and True Believers in the Ayn Rand mold may want to think twice about, considering their hard-wired belief that only a pure form of free-market capitalism will actually create "real" jobs, paying "real" money (preferably gold-backed) and, in turn, creating a New Golden Age of Industry, Self-Reliance, Personal Responsibility, Thrift based on Cash Economy and a Wholesome and Simple Home Life rooted, it turns out, in Poverty, Fecundity and Stupidity of the highest order.

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MEANWHILE, THOSE OPPOSING ABORTION BASED SOLELY ON THE "LIFE BEGINS @ CONCEPTION" ARGUMENT may want to start thinking about whether they also have "economic arguments" for justifying such articles of faith--as in a need to maintain an unskilled, labour-intensive manufacturing model and paradigm which can easily be excused as "industrial heritage" for tariff reasons.

Especially when there are disincentives in the tax department for new plant and equipment being purchased, out of fear that such would only "prevent jobs creation" as threatens the ultimate Sanctii Sanctorum among the Greater Religiopolitical Right of nil-rate unemployment within the parameters of free-market capitalism, without recourse to "make-work/fake-work" positions which Communist regimes were fond of creating to create the aura of nil-rate unemployment in their propaganda.

And doesn't it seem rather ironic that many of the same elements who oppose abortion also support eugenics, itself based on discredited pseudoscience made all the more so by totalitarian regimes holding eugenics to be the key towards creating a "Master Race" as would be above human error and weakness? 

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READER, THE ABOVE PHOTO WOULDN'T BE OUT OF PLACE @ THE LIKES OF CYPRESS GARDENS OR WISCONSIN DELLS when you get right down to it ... but I just thought I'd like to explain my EntreCard-dropping technique for any of you who are interested in joining as a way to improve their traffic cf. other blog traffic exchanges, some of which have wound up business in recent months.

Or, for those already in EntreCard, are looking for a fresh strategem to build the traffic.

I prefer to go the random blog route, scouting out such whose blogs have cute-looking EntreCards or blog names, and drop card there. If such blogs display another blog's EntreCard in the widget, I go there, leaving another such, and so on ad infinitum.

(Until I get the maximum 300 drops/day EntreCard allows.)

And since joining late on Thanksgiving night as a way to largely supplant BlogMad (itself being sold to Today.com) for building traffic, there can be no mistaking the obvious: EntreCard dropping has helped attract the visitors to this blog (especially so among some of the more avid blogging types as seem to come from Malaysia, the Phillippines and Singapore) in just the last five days that I've been in EntreCard, mostly from such looking for new blogs to leave cards with.

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AND THE TRAFFIC NUMBERS BEAR THE STORY OUT, as tracked by SiteMeter.com:

• Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, 27 November): 10 visitors and 11 page views.
• Friday, 28 November (first full day in EntreCard): 89 visitors (890% gain), 103 page views (936.37% gain).
• Saturday, 29 November: 105 visitors (1,050% gain on Thanksgiving Day), 115 page views (1,045% gain on Thanksgiving Day)
• Sunday, 30 November: 81 visitors (810% gain on Thanksgiving), 87 page views (791% gain on Thanksgiving) (N.B. Traffic from EntreCard was affected by a shutdown for emergency system maintenance that evening, which cut into the numbers.)
• Monday, 1 December: 141 visitors (1,410% gain on Thanksgiving), 150 page views (1,363.63% gain on Thanksgiving Day).
• Tuesday, 2 December: 171 visitors (1,710% gain on Thanksgiving Day), 195 page views (1,772.8% gain on Thanksgiving).
• Five-day average since joining EntreCard: 117.4 visitors/day, 130 page views/day, with an average of 1.107 pages viewed among blog visitors.

And is this impressive for a newbie, or WHAT?!

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FOR THOSE WHO ASK WHY I PREFER GOING THE RANDOM SCOUTING ROUTE IN MY CARD-DROPPING ENDEAVOURS, I'll be the first to admit that it makes things all the easier on myself.

And besides, there's no telling what sort of blogs you're likely to discover in random surf mode.

As for the ensuing ad buys using EntreCredits, which are used to buy ad exposure on member blogs, I, for the time being, am preferring such which charge the cheapest. Let it be hoped that such will actually translate into some further worthwhile traffic.

Not to mention subscriptions to the RSS feed ... further referrals among fellow bloggers and others of interest ... and, may it be hoped, some serious business in the online shopping section of this weblog; I can get some serious supplemental income in the process, especially considering my disability precluding any substantiative employment and the disability benefit only getting so far. (Including my e-boutique, by name of The Exaggerator Collection, featuring wearable ur-billboards guaranteed[?] to call attention to this weblog wherever you may be in the world--especially so the tackiest of tourist traps whose biggest appeal is to the Johnny Bravo/Kanker Sisters sort. Just like Wall Drug and their signs ... and Stew Leonard's and their shopping bags.)

So, all in all, thanks for your support of this blog, and the worthwhile comments you've left in the interim. Now, if you'll just bookmark this in your browser or subscribe to the RSS feed--either way, making The Exaggerator a regular online habit on your part--such displays of interest will be a worthwhile return on the time and effort Your Correspondent puts into same.

Not to mention recommendations to your fellow blogging friends and blog-reading fans across the blogosphere (and yes, there is a "tell a friend" facility off on the side of the page for that purpose).

And did I mention the online shopping?   

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BY NOW, YOU'VE PROBABLY HEARD ABOUT THE SO-CALLED "HOLY LAND FOUNDATION" HAVING BEEN FOUND GUILTY OF RAISING FUNDS IN FURTHERANCE OF TERRORISM by claiming to be a "humanitarian aid society" which raised funds to (in theory) provide food, clothing and shelter for needy and deserving Palestinian Arabs in Palestinian Gaza--only to turn around and divert the monies to Hamas-affiliated terrorist organisations to commit infamous and notorious acts of terrorism against Israel.

Let this be a lesson and @ once warning to such who see supporting the Palestinian cause over that of the Jewish State of Israel to be one with the defence of European-American Racial Honour and Integrity--and excusing such on the (supposed) logic that "the enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine," never mind the majority of Palestinian Arabs being Muslims, with some Eastern Orthodox Christians in the mix, let alone Palestinian Arabs being otherwise seen by such unconventional sympathisers as "inferior mud peoples."

Not to mention frustrating such wanting to support the Palestinian cause in good faith and trust based on the arguments just summarised, all the while not wanting to be stigmatised as unwittingly supporting terrorism. 

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AFTER THE FLAP LAST TIME AROUND ABOUT THE EXCESSES OF CORPORATE EXCESS FLAUNTED BY THE EXECUTIVES OF DETROIT'S "BIG THREE" in attempting to beseech Congress for $25 billion between them (as in use of corporate jet aircraft to fly between Detroit and Washington rather than being more proletarian), it looks as if Detroit may have seen some sense for once.

As in the chief of Ford driving for once to and from Washington to plead his case in a Ford Escape hybrid--which, to Your Correspondent, probably makes more sense under the circumstances, not to mention demonstrates a willingness to embrace new fuel-efficent technologies, given financial incentives to do so.

For starters, though, I would recommend your making donations to Reduce the National Debt, perhaps in lieu of holiday greeting cards; send it, cheque or postal order, to:

Dept. G
Bureau of the Public Debt
PO Box 2188
Parkersburg, WV 26106-2188

In the Memo line of said cheque or postal order, please mention that it's intended as a Gift to Reduce National Debt Held by the Public.

As a show of Corporate Responsibility and Good Corporate Citizenship, may I also suggest that employers consider eschewing the traditional end-of-year holiday gifts to employees and good customers and instead donate the value thereof towards such a Worthwhile (if Underappreciate) Cause. Likewise among "the Four Hundred," as suggested previously.

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THE IDEA OF A SOVERIGN COUNTRY'S FLAGSHIP INTERNATIONAL AIRLINE BEING A CUT-PRICE SUCH SHOULD SEND SHIVERS down the spines of all concerned.

Case in point: Aer Lingus, Ireland's flagship carrier, has rejected a hostile takeover bid by value-for-money rival Ryanair valued @ €748 million (equal to €1.40/share), under which Aer Lingus would be operated as a separate brand under Ryanair management (think Procter and Gamble here).

An earlier, €1.5 billion buyout bid was rejected by the European Commission on fears that the Aer Lingus/Ryanair consilium would have too much market dominance on flights out of Dublin airport to the point of undermining healthy, free-market competition. (Sound familiar?)

Now, Ryanair is pleading changed circumstances in the airline industry to justify its Aer Lingus offer, citing high fuel prices, the global socioeconomic downturn and the "marginalisation" of Aer Lingus among European flag airlines in the wake of industry consolidation and retrenchment.

Still, however, the Irish Government and Aer Lingus employees, majority owners of its shares, rejected the offer (never mind where Ryanair already owns just under 30% of Aer Lingus' shares).

So what's Ryanair to do? (Especially considering where British advertising watchdogs are taking them to task for misleading advertising practices including flawed environmental claims, lack of transparency in disclosing special fare offers and unhealthy sexualisation.)

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AND YOU'LL NEVER GUESS WHERE MUCH OF THE "TOXIC WASTE" IN MORTGAGE-BACKED SECURITIES FINANCING "SUB-PRIME" MORTGAGE LOANS as are the Achilles' heel of His Fraudulency's flawed socioeconomic agenda is likely heading:

You guessed it--repackaged as "fully-secured, bank-guaranteed Accounts Receivable Acquisitions" offering "guaranteed" interest of between 20-30% per annum sold through "spam" e-mail offers as "high-quality" investments trivialising risks endemic to investments in general, including possible loss of capital.

As well as some of the repackaged "acquisitions" being offered to "High-Yield Investment Plans" which certain Zealots and True Believers in denationalised Social Security want to flog off upon the vulnerable and unsophisticate working poor as "Retirement Savings Funds" which are really based offshore more than likely, making them prone all the more to "skimming," "churning," "day-trading" and "market timing," among other deceptive equities-trading strategems which can only worsen the risk for loss of investments through fraud and mismanagement on the part of fund managers otherwise expected to exercise due care and skill in handling Other Peoples' Money.

And I believe there's still something called the Prudent Man Rule, is there not, as applies in such circumstances?

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BACK IN THE SALAD DAYS OF RADIO, THE PREVAILING LOGIC AND WISDOM AMONG THE POWERS-THAT-BE had it that those who smoked on a regular basis gradually developed a manlier, huskier, more authoritative voice which listeners could place trust and confidence in on a consistent basis--especially so newsreaders and dramatic actors.

Never mind the health risks likely to be associated with smoking on especially the vocal chords and larynx.

Which has you wondering if there was a subtle sort of homophobia prevailing back in Radio's Golden Age, as if implying that those who chose not to smoke out of principle were probably homosexual by implication (as if suggesting that such with sweeter-sounding voices were probably "having tendencies," as homosexuality was euphemistically alluded to back then in polite circles ... and, in the prevailing psychiatric thinking, would have more than likely been committed to the State Asylum for the Mentally Ill; until 1972, remember, the American Psychiatric Association held that homosexuality was a Serious Mental Disorder).

No wonder a lot of radio actors were busy endorsing cigarettes as being "soothing" and "comforting" to the throat. Case in point, from Stamford University's online collection of vintage cigarette advertising:

MEMO TO THE INTERSTATE CONSILIUM-IN-DEVELOPMENT ON CHI-MKE-MSP HIGH-SPEED PASSENGER RAIL: Something to think about in the choice of equipment, and having its origins in the legacy of the Milwaukee Road's flagship Hiawathas along the same route back in the day:

In view of the unpredictability of passenger volume from day to day, I would be the first to recommend using bilevel coaches based on those now in use on Amtrak's California network (as in the Pacific Surfliner, Capitol and San Joaquin services), with such having as much compatibility for the Chicago-Milwaukee quasi-commuter run as for the corridor-type runs further on to the Dells, LaCrosse, Winona and the Twin Cities--and, perhaps, Rochester, MN.

Coaches, of course.

Not to mention Business Class coaches.

And Café/Lounge cars with "wide view" seating, considering the scenic glories to be had in substantial measure along the way.

Which would probably be the most cost-efficent option, come to think of it. (For further insight, refer to Jim Scribbins' well-written The Hiawatha Story [Milwaukee: Kalmbach, 1970], which made note of where the Milwaukee, in developing the Hiawatha, sought a competitive advantage over rival Burlington's articulated-design Twin City Zephyr trainsets whose success reached such critical mass that the Burlington often had to run extra sections with standard equipment just to meet demand which the articulated equipment couldn't quite handle--and found it by using conventionally-designed coaches of lightweight construction.)

History does sometimes provide interesting lessons, does it not?