Truth in advertising, Alabama style

Arentcha tired of seeing ads for gyms, spas and weight-loss programmes that tell you it's possible for you (Fatso!) to look ripped, fit, tanned and beautiful, just like those 20-somethings in their ads, with hardly any effort, but at the cost of megabucks? Dontcha think it would be nic if somebody told you the truth: that fitness comes only if you work at it, and even then won't make you sex-toy handsome or beautiful?

Today, from Alabama, comes a report that someone has dared to tell that stone truth. The speaker of truth to blubber is Scott Campbell, a former AL state trooper, now the owner of Pell City Fitness, in Pell City AL (duh!). In front of his gym, he put up this very truthful sign.

As you might expect, Mr Campbell's sign has drawn a lot of attention, including that of the SJWs who get their hair on fire about "body-shaming". Somebody -- probably someone with a body mass index of about 40 -- reported Mr Campbell to city hall, who told him to take down the sign or face a $500 fine. Ah, the cost of telling the truth!

Mr Campbell defended the message behind the sign in a personal Facebook video. "I'm not mean-spirited at all," he said, with the sign as a backdrop. "This sign was a playful jab; it's supposed to be an attention-grabber. I love people, I care about people, and you know what, I don't care if you're ugly or not. I can help you get in shape and that's kind of the attitude of the sign. When I started working out, I was 300 pounds and had to find somebody who could relate to me and understand how to help me lose weight. So that's what I wanted to do here."

Walt hopes that Mr Campbell's business will expand, just like the waistlines of those for whom the truth hurts!

VIDEO: Physical feats Walt wouldn't even attempt

I must be getting old. Some of these make me cringe just looking at them -- particularly the guy with the unicycle.

Thanks to Agent 6 for the link.

Nanny statism forces USPS to withdraw "active kids" stamps

Walt is a stamp collector. What else would an old man do on a cold winter night? Besides, it's a fascinating hobby. One never knows when a stamp, even a newly issued one, will become a rarity or at least something to provoke bemused discussion. Like these stamps, scheduled for release this month by the US Postal Service.

These are -- or were -- 10 (of 15) "active kids stamps", intended by the USPS to promote physical fitness. The message is that obese American kids should get up off the couch and go out and play! Alas, three of the ten stamps are "inappropriate" and "causing concern" to Forces for Good in the Community. So the whole series is being withdrawn, lest we get the Wrong Ideas.

"What 'wrong ideas'?", I hear you ask. Look carefully. One shows a young swimmer doing a cannonball into water. In another, a child is skateboarding wearing a helmet but no kneepads. In the third, a youngster is doing a headstand without a helmet.

The New York Times "Motherlode" blog says it has confirmed with the USPS that the stamp series is on hold, saying the three drawings showed children moving in ways that "could prove detrimental to their health."

In the old days, we used to tell kids not to touch the hot stovetop or they'd get burnt. When they disregarded the warning, they did get burnt, and they learned a lesson. Today's kids aren't allowed to even look at the stove! Isn't it wonderful to live in a country so solicitous for the welfare of its children?