Truth in Advertising

I remember a time when “truth in advertising” actually meant something. Ads weren't lies, claims had to be provable, and the fine print couldn’t contradict the big print. The FTC even chased violators. It wasn’t perfect, but there was at least a cultural expectation that ads had to resemble reality.

Somewhere along the way, that expectation evaporated.

Ads are just lies now.

I play a city‑building game called Elvenar. I enjoy it. It’s strategic, cooperative, and visually polished. But the ads for it are nothing like the game.

The ads show tiny villagers you can drag around, little elves picking up lumber, and chests that drop out of the sky. None of that exists in the real game. Not one pixel of it.

All I do in Elvenar is build structures, manage resources, and work with my fellowship. We have a weekly tournament that isn't against one another but against the game itself, and you can auto-fight that if you want to and never see a movement of a bow. There are no wandering villagers to interact with. No puzzles. Just city planning, resource checks, and "events" that are simply doing the things one needs to do play the game anyway.

My biggest city in Elvenar. Mostly all you do is move buildings around. No people to play
with. No chests dropping from the sky. Just a city-building game.

Elvenar is run by InnoGames, the same company behind Forge of Empires, and they use the same advertising strategy for both: show a completely fictional version of the game because it gets more clicks. Real gameplay footage doesn’t convert well. City builders look slow and thoughtful, which is great for players like me, but terrible for marketing. So, the ads show a fantasy instead of the product.

Legally, companies defend this as “creative representation.” Regulators treat game ads as harmless exaggeration. As long as the ad doesn’t promise a specific feature you pay extra for, they get away with it. The fine print says “not actual gameplay,” and that’s apparently enough.

The irony is that Elvenar and Forge of Empires are actually good games. Deep, strategic, and well‑designed. But I wonder how many people sign up only to be disappointed when the games are nothing like the advertisements.

So what happened? Why can't cigarette companies still not advertise on TV but video game promoters can flat-out lie about their product? 

I think a few things happened:

• The internet blew the doors off regulation. The FTC was built for TV, radio, and print. It was not built for millions of micro‑ads, influencers, sponsored posts, and algorithmic targeting.

• “Puffery” became a legal shield. Companies can now say things like “best,” “fastest,” “most trusted,” “America’s favorite,” without proving a thing. Courts treat it as harmless exaggeration.

• Influencers blurred the line between opinion and advertising. Half the time you don’t even know you’re looking at an ad.

• Fine print became microscopic. Legally, the disclosure is there. Practically, nobody can read it.

• Enforcement budgets shrank. The FTC can’t chase every misleading claim across social media, YouTube, TikTok, and a thousand ad networks.

• Algorithms reward exaggeration. The more dramatic the claim, the more clicks. The more clicks, the more money. Honesty doesn’t trend.

So “truth in advertising” technically still exists. The laws are still on the books. But in practice, the guardrails have rusted. Companies learned how to skirt the rules, regulators haven’t kept up, and the internet rewards exaggeration far more than honesty.

And that’s how we ended up with Elvenar ads that advertise a game nobody can actually play.

A Fawn

 

This little one was by the driveway when we came home the other evening. Its momma was not far away. They don't run far when they see the car. The deer are used to us driving in and out. Sometimes we come home and they are resting in the yard. We open the garage and pull in and they never move.

We don't feed them or anything. We are simply part of their lives now.

Sunday Stealing

 

Bold the Ones You've Done

Have you ever ...

1. Slept under the stars


2. Played in a band


3. Visited Hawaii 


4. Visited Easter Island 

5. Watched a meteor shower


6. Seen the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. (I haven't seen this in person but I've watched in online. Does that count?)


7. Been to Disneyland or Disney World. (We went to the one in Florida in 1993 to celebrate my college graduation. It was SO hot.) 


8. Climbed a mountain 


9. Held a praying mantis

10. Been to the Louvre 

11. Had food poisoning


12. Eaten vegetables you grew yourself


13. Slept overnight on a train. (This happened on a trip from Spain to France. We had to take the passenger trains that stopped constantly because we needed to get out of Spain because there was something political going on. I was in high school and there with a group of students.)


14. Built a snow fort


15. Held a lamb


16. Gone skinny dipping


17. Been on a cruise (day cruises and dinner cruises count)

18. Seen Niagara Falls 


19. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors


20. Sung karaoke


21. Sat for a portrait

22. Walked on a beach by moonlight


23. Been transported in an ambulance


24. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 


25. Kissed in the rain


26. Played in the mud


27. Gone to a drive-in theater

28. Changed your vehicle's oil yourself

29. Taken a martial arts class 


30. Visited the Vatican


31. Volunteered at a soup kitchen or food pantry


32. Sold Girl Scout cookies

33. Bought a used car

34. Sat on a jury

35. Ridden an elephant

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Coconut

 

Saturday 9: Coconut (1971)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This month Saturday 9 will be tasty, featuring songs with food in the title. (This song makes me think of the movie Practical Magic.)

1) This song is about a woman who complains of a belly ache. How's your tummy this morning?

A. My tummy is about like it always is. Thanks for asking.

2) She responds to this malady by calling the doctor. What if you chose to address the problem yourself? Are there currently any OTC digestive aids in your medicine chest? 

A. I take medicine for my stomach every day. I have acid reflux. Sometimes I have to supplement that with a little OTC medicine. I have also found apple cider vinegar gummies helpful.

3) Coconut was once a popular ice cream flavor, but no more. It's not on the list of top sellers at Baskin Robbins or Cold Stone. When you last had ice cream, what flavor was it?

A. I don't eat ice cream.

4) Coconut remains popular in baking. It's easy to find recipes for coconut pie, coconut cheesecake, coconut cookies . . . . you get the idea. Have you recently tried a new recipe? If yes, how did it turn out?

A. The last recipe I made was a squash casserole. It wasn't exactly a new recipe to me, but I was using yellow zucchini instead of yellow summer squash. It was ok.

5) This week's featured artist, Harry Nilsson, was a well-known free spirit. He liked to party and had a reputation for not adhering to a schedule. Therefore, it's a little surprising that one of his first jobs was in the conservative atmosphere of a small bank. Do you prefer a more structured workplace?

A. I always did well with deadlines when I worked for the newspaper. I like a little structure, but I need a little freedom, too.

6) Harry met Micky Dolenz when The Monkees recorded his song, "Cuddly Toy" and they became fast and life-long friends. Can you think of someone you met and quickly "clicked" with?

A. Yes, one of my dearest friends today is someone I met and "clicked" with almost immediately.

7) In 1971, when this song was on the radio, detective shows were popular on TV. Mannix, Ironside and Cannon were all in the Top 20. Do you think you'd make a good private investigator?

A. I think I probably would make a good PI. Old, overweight dowdy housewife? Who'd think she was taking pictures of infidelity or insurance fraud?

8) England's Princess Anne turned 21 in 1971, and the occasion was commemorated with an official portrait taken by fashion photographer Norman Parkinson. Who took the most recent photo of you?

A. I have no idea. It was a probably a selfie with my husband.

9) Random question: You can redecorate any one room in your home, money is no object. But only one room. Which room do you pick?

A. I would pick the great room, which is really three rooms in one. That way I would get a new kitchen, a new dining area, and a new living room, because all three are in one large room. I think they call this open space living now but it was a great room 38 years ago. 

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Gratitude: Days 29 & 30

Prompts: Self-care & Myself

I’m grateful for the quiet of a cool morning light,

For fields that awaken after the darkness of night.

For root beer, for pages, and time to reflect,

For giving my weary heart some respect.

I’m thankful for moments I don’t have to race,

For slowing my steps and reclaiming my space.

For books on the table, a song in my heart,

For walking through life at my own chosen start.

I’m grateful for hands that have planted and grown,

For stories and histories I’ve gathered and sewn.

For voices I’ve carried, for truths I have told,

For memories treasured and tales yet untold.

I’m grateful for me, for the road I have walked,

For the courage to write and the courage to talk.

For every small kindness, each lesson I’ve learned,

For bridges I built and the pages I’ve turned.

I’m thankful I’m still here, still dreaming, still free,

Still becoming the person I’m meant to be.

Through seasons of sorrow and storms I have known,

I’m thankful for me, this woman who has grown.

_____

Last month, The Gal did a 30-day gratitude challenge. I've swiped it to do for July. Only I'm going to try to do it in rhyme, just because.

Thursday Thirteen #970

 

Thirteen Things I Noticed This Week

1. A rainbow came out Tuesday evening when we were on our way home. It was low on the horizon. Because of the way our house is positioned, I cannot usually see evening rainbows, only morning ones, and those are rather rare.

2. My physical therapist gives the best hugs. Some people just have that grounding energy.

3. Trying to get custom orthotics made right apparently is the equivalent of running a space program without any funding.

4. The drought continues even though we've had a little rain. The rain has made the grass grow a bit, but the pastures are thin and the hayfields sparse.

5. I love the taste of an A&W Root Beer. I hadn't had one for several years but recently broke down and drank one. Ah, the joy of the first taste! It was like memory washed up in a soda.

6. When people show you who they really are, believe them, and make decisions from there. Wishes are for beggars, suckers, and dreamers. And while I'm a dreamer, most days my feet are firmly on the ground.

7. Speaking of dreams, a Florida person won $800 million in the Mega Millions drawing Tuesday night. Can you imagine suddenly having that kind of money?

8. My husband planted yellow zucchini in the garden this year. I don't quite know what to do with it. It is like a yellow summer squash but not, and it's not zucchini, either. So far it's found its way into a squash casserole and been sauteed in butter, but I would rather have the regular ol' green zucchini.

9. Someone used my email to sign up for various things such as Warner Brothers Games and Sportsman Warehouse. They aren't accessing my account, just using my email. I guess they didn't want the spam. Interestingly, this means I can access their account by changing the password and sometimes that even means I could order something because they've left their charge card in there. But I am honest and don't do that.

10. My pharmacist calls to tell me my prescription is ready. They have a new automated message now that says, "Please move this to the top of your to-do list." I resent being told what "To do" by some company, and I will be out to pick up my medicine when it is convenient for me. They called 8 times before I picked it up.

11. The last pair of pants I bought has one leg shorter than the other. I didn't realize this until I brought them home and washed them in vinegar and then in baking soda to try to get the perfume stench off of them. They will have to be wear-around-the-house pants.

12. When I play Wordle, a majority of times when I see what the "Wordlebot" thinks of my play, it tells me, "No one in our system of 1,587,000 players had this scenario." I am apparently an outlier in the Wordle world.

13. I bought a cheaply made copy of a Rubrik's Cube, I immediately remembered how to get one side completed, but I've forgotten how to go from there. It has instructions but I've not read them. I want to see if I can remember. If I can remember, maybe I'll get a real Rubrik's Cube, because this thing is really poorly made.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 970th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

A Rainbow

 

Gratitude: Day 28

Prompt: Letting go

This is not a new poem. This is a poem that I wrote a long time ago. But it works for this particular prompt.

Daughter by the Tomb

A Villanelle

Be still, mother, I pray for rain.

I am not the one to curse the day

Nor ask the dark to be light again.

The thunderous strikes are foreordained

and all winds blow a separate way.

Be still, mother, I pray for rain.

I shall not kneel where you have lain.

I will not lift you from the grave

Nor ask the darkness to be light again.

The rose thorn pricks but brings no pain.

The leaves grow brown, I cannot stay.

Be still, mother, I pray for rain.

The sun has dried the yellowed grain.

With withered face you felt each ray

And asked the dark to be light again.

The dew has left its glossy stain

And blends with tears I've wiped away.

Be still, mother, I pray for rain.

Don't beg the dark:  be light again.

_____

Last month, The Gal did a 30-day gratitude challenge. I've swiped it to do for July. Only I'm going to try to do it in rhyme, just because.

Gratitude: Day 27

Prompt: Kindness

I am grateful for the kindness

my people show to me.

The type of love that softly sighs

like a quiet harmony.

Someone who brings an apple pie,

someone who calls to say

I'm thinking of you at this time

You're on my mind today.

The folks who remember I exist

that I'm not theirs to use

The ones who ask me how I am 

and listen to my truth.

_____

Last month, The Gal did a 30-day gratitude challenge. I've swiped it to do for July. Only I'm going to try to do it in rhyme, just because.

Gratitude: Days 25 & 26

Prompts: Movement & Stillness

I move with purpose in my pace,

A quiet stride, a grounded grace;

I follow truth where it resides,

And walk with clarity as guide.

Yet stillness settles in my mind,

The calm where sharper thoughts unwind;

A pause that lets the dust descend,

So what is real can stand again.

I shift, I stop, I weigh, I choose;

Not rushed by noise I didn’t use;

My motion starts where calm begins,

A balance held beneath my skin.

For both are how I stay aligned.

The steps I take, the peace I find;

Two halves that keep my truth supplied:

My stillness is my center, movement is my stride.

_____

Last month, The Gal did a 30-day gratitude challenge. I've swiped it to do for July. Only I'm going to try to do it in rhyme, just because.

Sunday Stealing

 

The $80,000 Meme

Premise: A philanthropist awards you $80,000 with the stipulation that you must spend half on yourself and half for the benefit of others. 

1. Of the $40,000 you must spend on yourself: 

a. First you throw yourself a lavish birthday party. Tell us about it.

A. My lavish birthday party would include a complete takeover of The Hotel Roanoke, and I'd invite all the Saturday 9ers and Sunday Stealers to come, because you know, why not, and I'd pay their expenses to get to me. I'd also invite all of my friends. We'd have a flowing chocolate bar and lots of cake. 

b. Then you take off on a cruise. Where are you headed?

A. My cruise would be to Alaska.

2. Of the $40,000 you must spend for the benefit of others: 

a. Who would be on your gift list? What would buy them?

A. I would give a little something to all of the Saturday 9 and Sunday Stealing players, I'd get my husband something nice, I'd buy something pretty for my friends. Maybe some local art.

b. Which charities would you support?

A. My alma mater, the local fire department, and the local food pantry. I've about given up on national charities, I swear they spend more money than I donate trying to get me to give them more money.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.