Comments on: Kick-ass ad for a muckraking journo http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html Brain candy for Happy Mutants Sun, 19 May 2013 18:09:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065490 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065490 My partner is from Florida and says it Sucks the Big One My partner is from Florida and says it Sucks the Big One

]]> By: WeightedCompanionCube http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065494 WeightedCompanionCube Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065494 I'm going to take an educated guess and say giant roaches, only because New York is the state with a town overrun by giant roaches (and shoe stores overrun by giant rats!) I’m going to take an educated guess and say giant roaches, only because New York is the state with a town overrun by giant roaches (and shoe stores overrun by giant rats!)

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065499 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065499 The insurgency is alive and well. The insurgency is alive and well.

]]> By: Certiorari http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065507 Certiorari Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065507 I used to live just South of Sarasota in Venice, and I'm not quite sure which one is fake. I know that there is a town called Palmetto which may or may not be overrun by palmetto bugs (American Cockroaches). Sarasota is a great city, despite its advanced age. It's got the Ca d'Zan and the Ringling Art Museum, amongst other interesting places. I used to live just South of Sarasota in Venice, and I’m not quite sure which one is fake. I know that there is a town called Palmetto which may or may not be overrun by palmetto bugs (American Cockroaches). Sarasota is a great city, despite its advanced age. It’s got the Ca d’Zan and the Ringling Art Museum, amongst other interesting places.

]]> By: manicbassman http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1066050 manicbassman Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1066050 everyone ran off with the FLorida angle, but forgot the real issue here, that of proper investigative journalism... you just don't get it anymore now that big media has swallowed up all the little networks and just pumps out the line they want you to hear... even down in the boondocks, there's too many ways a story can get killed with pressure from above onto the owners of a newspaper everyone ran off with the FLorida angle, but forgot the real issue here, that of proper investigative journalism… you just don’t get it anymore now that big media has swallowed up all the little networks and just pumps out the line they want you to hear… even down in the boondocks, there’s too many ways a story can get killed with pressure from above onto the owners of a newspaper

]]> By: zfreeman http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1066055 zfreeman Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1066055 No wonder Hunter S. Thompson loved Florida so much. He would have been the first to apply for this one. RIP Hunter. No wonder Hunter S. Thompson loved Florida so much. He would have been the first to apply for this one. RIP Hunter.

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065847 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065847 I'm from Florida. The one that's made up is "an entire town overrun by giant cockroaches". That implies it's just ONE town - the truth is that EVERY town/city/suburb/etc. in Florida is overrun by giant cockroaches - but they're clearly trying to attract out-of-state talent for this job, so they don't want to scare them off by saying that. Florida does indeed suck the big one. It's where criminal insanity comes from. We export FAR more of that than citrus fruit, but we keep a huge amount of it for in-state use too. People trying to get you to move to Florida will tell you things like "Well, the summers are pretty hot, but it's just great the rest of the year!" - they fail to mention that summer is literally 10 months out of the year. The dry season (there is no winter to speak of) lasts the other two months if you're lucky. You're not always lucky. Some years they refer to as "the long, hot winter". I'd leave if I had two dimes to rub together, but I don't. I’m from Florida. The one that’s made up is “an entire town overrun by giant cockroaches”. That implies it’s just ONE town – the truth is that EVERY town/city/suburb/etc. in Florida is overrun by giant cockroaches – but they’re clearly trying to attract out-of-state talent for this job, so they don’t want to scare them off by saying that.

Florida does indeed suck the big one. It’s where criminal insanity comes from. We export FAR more of that than citrus fruit, but we keep a huge amount of it for in-state use too.

People trying to get you to move to Florida will tell you things like “Well, the summers are pretty hot, but it’s just great the rest of the year!” – they fail to mention that summer is literally 10 months out of the year. The dry season (there is no winter to speak of) lasts the other two months if you’re lucky. You’re not always lucky. Some years they refer to as “the long, hot winter”.

I’d leave if I had two dimes to rub together, but I don’t.

]]> By: bh http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1066371 bh Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1066371 As an alumnus of the paper from many many years ago, this is startling. Hard to believe they actually did this, but it's great. I should admit that once, when the Sarasota Herald-Tribune created an "I" team, I famously said out loud to some editors: "Oh great, you've put the I in the SH-T." They were not amused. As an alumnus of the paper from many many years ago, this is startling. Hard to believe they actually did this, but it’s great.

I should admit that once, when the Sarasota Herald-Tribune created an “I” team, I famously said out loud to some editors: “Oh great, you’ve put the I in the SH-T.” They were not amused.

]]> By: Richard Kirk http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065610 Richard Kirk Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065610 Which one was the made up fact? Easy-peasy, it's the one in the brackets. Which one was the made up fact? Easy-peasy, it’s the one in the brackets.

]]> By: inness http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065622 inness Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065622 I cannot, !!!CANNOT!!!, believe the honesty of this ad! I am prostrate, hurling hosannah's at whomever wrote this and again at whomever allowed it to be published and reveal the true, masochistic nature all professional journalists know and love. Sure, we get to go backstage, behind the scenes, and anonymously lurk in places the public rarely sees; but like the 'Bonus Material' on DVDs, including the Director's Cuts from your favorite directors, . . . well, there's a reason the cuts were made, a reason the 'extras' were left off, and a reason for the places the public rarely gets to see . . . mostly because they're boring, time-wasting, and destroy any vestige of an illusion of coherency in the fantasy most people have woven for themselves. Super-Ultra-Mega Kudos to the . . . what the hell was the name of that paper again? Damn. See?! And we usually don't even get overtime! I cannot, !!!CANNOT!!!, believe the honesty of this ad! I am prostrate, hurling hosannah’s at whomever wrote this and again at whomever allowed it to be published and reveal the true, masochistic nature all professional journalists know and love.
Sure, we get to go backstage, behind the scenes, and anonymously lurk in places the public rarely sees; but like the ‘Bonus Material’ on DVDs, including the Director’s Cuts from your favorite directors, . . . well, there’s a reason the cuts were made, a reason the ‘extras’ were left off, and a reason for the places the public rarely gets to see . . . mostly because they’re boring, time-wasting, and destroy any vestige of an illusion of coherency in the fantasy most people have woven for themselves.
Super-Ultra-Mega Kudos to the . . . what the hell was the name of that paper again? Damn. See?! And we usually don’t even get overtime!

]]> By: Anonymous http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1066137 Anonymous Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1066137 They are not giant cockroaches. They are Palmetto bugs. At least that is what I tell tourists when a giant, 3 inch roach flies through the air, smacks them in the head and subsequently gets lodged in their hair. Of course that is when they start what I have coined as the Palmetto Bug Dance. It's kind of like the Humpy Dance only they are trying to remove a 3 inch roach from their hair. They are not giant cockroaches. They are Palmetto bugs. At least that is what I tell tourists when a giant, 3 inch roach flies through the air, smacks them in the head and subsequently gets lodged in their hair. Of course that is when they start what I have coined as the Palmetto Bug Dance. It’s kind of like the Humpy Dance only they are trying to remove a 3 inch roach from their hair.

]]> By: Dan Hoey http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065882 Dan Hoey Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065882 Could "an entire town overrun by giant roaches" be made up? I thought <em>every</em> town in Florida was overrun by giant roaches. Could “an entire town overrun by giant roaches” be made up? I thought every town in Florida was overrun by giant roaches.

]]> By: Ronald Pottol http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1066679 Ronald Pottol Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1066679 This is the town that busted Pee Wee Herman, Two Live Crew, and the state that prosecuted Mike Diana. But perhaps I am dating my self. This is the town that busted Pee Wee Herman, Two Live Crew, and the state that prosecuted Mike Diana. But perhaps I am dating my self.

]]> By: wolfiesma http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065669 wolfiesma Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065669 This sounds so much like the premise of a Carl Hiassen novel. There's the one about the reporter in Florida who travels up and down the state on the heels of a story. He travels to interview the winner of a megamega lottery in some imaginary Florida backwater. The town is famous for a holy oil spill in the road where pilgrims come to kneel before a rainbow-colored visage of Jesus. The town also boasts a religio-turtle sanctuary where the little turtles bear the images of apostles on their little turtle shells. So funny. The reporter gets involved with the lottery winner (of course.) There's sex, there's swamps, there's a a harrowing, cross-state chase. There's Hooter's waitresses and violent, bumbling rednecks. Florida gets the screwball comedy treatment, which, given some of the things that actually do go on there, is not that far off the mark. Florida is beautiful, though, at least as far as the flora and fauna and beaches go. And I'd very glad to hear someone is hiring there. They need the jobs, boy howdy. This sounds so much like the premise of a Carl Hiassen novel. There’s the one about the reporter in Florida who travels up and down the state on the heels of a story. He travels to interview the winner of a megamega lottery in some imaginary Florida backwater. The town is famous for a holy oil spill in the road where pilgrims come to kneel before a rainbow-colored visage of Jesus. The town also boasts a religio-turtle sanctuary where the little turtles bear the images of apostles on their little turtle shells. So funny. The reporter gets involved with the lottery winner (of course.) There’s sex, there’s swamps, there’s a a harrowing, cross-state chase. There’s Hooter’s waitresses and violent, bumbling rednecks. Florida gets the screwball comedy treatment, which, given some of the things that actually do go on there, is not that far off the mark. Florida is beautiful, though, at least as far as the flora and fauna and beaches go. And I’d very glad to hear someone is hiring there. They need the jobs, boy howdy.

]]> By: Antinous / Moderator http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1066693 Antinous / Moderator Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1066693 <blockquote>But perhaps I am dating my self.</blockquote> Isn't that what Pee Wee was busted for?

But perhaps I am dating my self.

Isn’t that what Pee Wee was busted for?

]]> By: Dan Hoey http://boingboing.net/2011/03/24/kick-ass-ad-for-a-mu.html#comment-1065463 Dan Hoey Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000 #comment-1065463 <blockquote>For those unaware of Florida's reputation,... We have hurricanes, wildfires, tar balls, bedbugs, diseased citrus trees and an entire town overrun by giant roaches (only one of those things is made up).</blockquote>Does anyone know which one was made up? Those all look like things Florida has. Could it be that some Panglossian chamber of commerce has gotten the legislature to define "disease" as stuff the citrus trees don't have?

For those unaware of Florida’s reputation,… We have hurricanes, wildfires, tar balls, bedbugs, diseased citrus trees and an entire town overrun by giant roaches (only one of those things is made up).

Does anyone know which one was made up? Those all look like things Florida has. Could it be that some Panglossian chamber of commerce has gotten the legislature to define “disease” as stuff the citrus trees don’t have?

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