Misleading Headlines Try To Trick Readers Into Reading What The Writer Has Written

 

Here is a good Attention Getting Headline example...

Steve Kerr Had Words for Anthony Edwards After Warriors-Timberwolves Series

Does this not sound like Kerr had harsh things to say to Edwards? It sure sounds that way to Fella. “Had Words” means somebody is mad at somebody and wants to Straighten Somebody Out, Gave Somebody A Piece of His Mind, Told Somebody How The Cow The Eat The Cabbage (Louisiana talk), etc.

In our Internet World today that’s not what’s happening. They (whoever “they” are) desperately want us to read what they want us to read. Why? Because somewhere in what they want us to read is an opportunity to give them some of our money, just laugh at us because they frustrated us, got us to waste our time reading their stuff and/or they are just mean people.

The people who create headlines for Internet Articles often use deception and controversary to get us to read their articles.

Let’s face it, Controversy Sells!

Below are the actual words of the article about Steve Kerr and Anthony Edwards referred to above that I wasted my time reading:

“Shortly after the final buzzer, as the players on both sides exchanged pleasantries following a hard-fought series, Kerr was seen exchanging words (Oh My Gosh! He must have really been mad!) with Edwards on the court. 

It looked like the Warriors shot-caller (This is the first time I have ever heard a Head Coach called a “shot-caller”.) was congratulating (Congratulating? The article headline said he had words for Edwards! Isn’t “having words” a confrontation?) Edwards for an incredible series in what was an endearing moment (“Endearing?” Tom Hanks is visiting with me today and he just said, “There’s no ‘endearing’ in basketball!”) between them. 

While the mics were not able to catch exactly what was said during their brief exchange, what is clear is that there's nothing but mutual respect between the two.” (Did you hear that gagging sound? That’s Fella gagging!)

What’s next? Are we going to be told that all those precision bombs our pilots just dropped on Iran missed the target and blew up Toledo!?

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Another Record Is Set

 

I was born more than 80 years ago. Television was born not long after I was born. We got our first TV in the early 50’s. It was not long before the TV Weatherman was invented. The first day he was inside our TV, the Weatherman told us it was hot outside, and to prove it, he told us the outside temperature. We wondered why he was bothering telling us it was hot outside and what the temperature was outside because we knew it was hot outside because it was July and we were in New Orleans and it was always hot outside in New Orleans in July.

The TV Weatherman seemed pleased with his newfound ability to alarm us by telling us the outside temperature and alarming us. It was not long before the TV Weatherman was heard to say, “This is a new Record High Temperature”. The first time he said this was the second day he gave us the temperature (he was comparing the second day’s temperature to the first day’s temperature).

Do you get my drift? My drift is all these years later does it not seem like the TV Weatherman is all too often telling us that today’s temperature is a new high temperature (in summer) and a new low temperature (in winter)? Is it possible that we can set new high/low temperatures every year?

Shazam! I just figured it out. The TV Weatherman is leaving out a few words from his Dire Temperature Alarm Warning. His computer tells him about the places in the Good Ole USofA where the temperature has set a record and he leaves off where the record was set.

Here are 3 examples of his striking through trickery to arrive at another record...

• This is a Record High Temperature for today in Altoona, Pennsylvania.
• This is a Record Low Temperature for today in Palookaville, Montana.
• This is a Record High Temperature for today in Social Circle, Georgia.

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

Lagniappe: Did you take notice of Palookaville in the second bullet above? Palookaville is actually a town in Montana. It is named after Joe Palooka. You don’t know (remember) who Joe Palooka was? Joe Palooka was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher. The strip debuted on April 19, 1930, and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers. It was cancelled in 1984. The strip was adapted to a 15-minute CBS radio series, 12 feature-length films, nine Vitaphone film shorts, a 1954 syndicated television series, comic books and merchandise, including a 1940s board game, a 1947 New Haven Clock & Watch Company wristwatch, a 1948 metal lunchbox featuring depictions of Joe, Humphrey and Little Max, and a 1946 Wheaties cereal box cut-out mask.

It’s In There!

 

In 1981 Campbell Soup Company introduced Prego Sauce. From the beginning their advertising pitch was, “It’s In There”!

Click below and enjoy one of Prego’s classic commercials...

https://youtu.be/2J87QekxQVI?si=FEQtmReta43bu251

Prego had garlic, little bits of herbs, onions and seasoning (for that homemade taste).

Today there are a growing number of products proud to advertise all the things that are Not In There. That is because we are afraid of what we eat (it does not seem to slow down what we are eating). 

Many food producers are obsessive about telling us to buy their product because it will not kill us.

On the other hand, many of us take comfort in saying to ourselves, “It will only make me fat” (which will kill us).

I just bought a new Breakfast Cereal that is obsessed about what they Do Not Put In There...

• They start off by telling you that it does not have grain in there.
• Silly me, I thought all breakfast all cereals had grain in there.
• Not my new cereal. My new cereal brags that it is an, “Organic Grain-Free Cereal.”
• Are they really saying that it has Grain but it is Grain-Free because they do not charge you for the Grain That Is In There?

Then they go into an extensive list of what their cereal does not contain...

• It does not have Refined Sugar.
• It does not have GMOs (whatever that is?).
• It does not have Artificial Dyes.
• It has Nothing Artificial in it.
• It does not have Seed Oils.
• It does not have Glyphosates (whatever that is?).
• It does not have Gluten. This one has been around for years. 80% of Americans are on a Gluten-Free Diet and 65% of that 80% do not know what Gluten is.

Fella’s Questions of the Day… Is there anything in there? It sure looks like there is nothing left that could possibly be in there. If there is nothing in there, why would any fella, let alone The Fella, spend money to buy a Breakfast Cereal that did not contain anything?

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

 

The Old Days Versus The New Days

The New Days…

Zoe Saldaña won the Oscar for supporting actress for her performance as a lawyer who helps with the gender transition of a transgender drug lord.

Compare the above to a description of Shane below.

The Old Days…

Shane contains something more than the beauty and the grandeur of the mountains and plains, drenched by the brilliant Western sunshine and the violent, torrential, black-browed rains. It contains a tremendous comprehension of the bitterness and passion of the feuds that existed between the new homesteaders and the cattlemen on the open range. And it also contains a wonderful understanding of the spirit of a little boy amid all the tensions and excitements and adventures of a frontier home.

Does it surprise you that I prefer the old days?

Would I kid u?

Smartfella

 

Mao Wrote a Little Red Book. Fella wrote a Little Read Book.

Around $10 Is Not Much Money for What Might Be the World's Greatest Bathroom Book!

After you have bought my book (or not), send this information to your friends (or enemies who have around $10) who might be smart enough or silly enough to buy my book (I don't care which it is).

Below is the Amazon Link where my book can be purchased...

Once inside Amazon, click on "Read Sample" under the picture of the book and you can read a few pages.

After you have read a few pages and had a good laugh or two, add it to your cart and buy it.

Also available in a Kindle Version ... Click here

I've heard that Justin Bieber reads my entire book every day (that is a complete lie that I made up so I could say I heard it).

I hope you will enjoy my book.

FellaO

Lagniappe: I self-published my little-read book. Self-publishing a book means that no one knows you published your book who you do not tell that you published your book. After you run out of relatives, friends, enemies (who have around $10) and anyone who just plain feels sorry for you (who have around $10) your book sales dry up. Then you just might resort to begging for sales (which is what this Blog Posting is).

The Question of the Day

In September of 2017, Equifax announced a data breach that exposed the personal information of 147 million people. Now Equifax has agreed to a global settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and 50 U.S. states and territories. The settlement includes up to $425 million to help people affected by the data breach.

I am being told that I am one of the 147 million people who have been harmed by Equifax’s Carelessness and I am due my share of the $425 Million. Yahoo! I am rich...Or am I?

I almost forgot to remember The Question of the Day (Subject of this Blog). The question of the day is, How Much Did the Lawyers Get? They worked hard to get me my Fair Share which is $7.44...Or did they?

Fella’s Wondering Department...I am not going to bother filing for my $7.44. There will probably be millions of us who will not bother also. I wonder if all that unclaimed money will go into a lockbox and somewhere down the road that box will be unlocked and the lawyers will get that too?

Would I kid u?

Smartfella