The Kansas City Star launched an exciting new contest last week -- readers were asked to take a hot dog, dress it up in a tourist outfit, take a photo, then email the photo to the Star. I am not joking.This year the Fourth of July also marks the start of the Tour de France. In keeping with America’s affection for the hot dog, we’re inviting you to join the Tour de Franks.
Last year hundreds of you showcased your creativity in FYI’s “Dress a Dog” contest (edible, NOT pet). For your new passport to summer fun, we’re asking you to pack your suitcasing and travel a-brat.
That’s right, we want you to dress the wieners in tourist duds and send them on vacation (even if you’re stuck at home). Deck them out however you choose — mini clothes, pipe cleaners, pasta, props — just have fun and be creative! Look around the house and in the kids’ toy box for inspiration.
The winner gets a $50 gift card, and second place a $25 card.
This is the paper that posted racy photos from "Men's magazine" Maxim on its web site last month. And in April, the Star posted a "retrospective" photo gallery of Britney Spears. And publisher Mark Zieman calls the Star the area's "preeminent source for news."
Hat tip: The Bovine Comedy
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31 comments:
Sounds like a wiener to me!
Some of the people who run newspaper Web sites think that they have to entertain people. People don't want to be entertained. They want to be informed. They want to read the newspaper free and find out something 1) scintillating; 2) sad or proportionally happy; 3) weird; 4) wasteful of their tax money, or 5) sports-related, mostly football, probably the Chiefs, maybe Mizzou. And if you let them comment on it, all the better. Period.
Yes, some people will love the Star's hot-dog dressing contest. Or a 200-photo "What I Did This Summer" gallery. But what they'd rather read is that a man choked to death on the hot dog. Or that 5-year-old Chloe drowned at camp during her summer break. Or that Mayor Bob used his expense account to visit his mistress in Lee's Summit. Or that the Hooterville State quarterback is talking smack about the Smithville State QB.
I suppose you could call it infotainment, but it's still information - and it's free - and certainly not making enough money to pay the people who are writing it, photographing it and editing it.
It's the sad new world, but the new world nonetheless.
6:38 Thank you. Comments from anonymous little cowards like you make it all worth while.
I personally object to this. The frankfurter is a sausage that originated in Frankfurt Germany. Germany is a country dominated by white Europeans and, as such, is evil and the root of all that is wrong with civilization today.
We do not need anymore celebrations dedicated to the racist, homophobic, imperialist, sexist, sausage eating white Europeans.
Besides, there are certain sexual implications inherent in the phallic shape of this food item that degrade women and mock gays, lesbians and the trans gendered.
Lets try a taco instead for a little more gender equality.
Lighten up people. Geez...
And again, courtesy goes a long way. We have simply become sick of these parasites on here who contribute nothing and only come here to disrupt the discussion, not participate in it. (see 6:38 as an example) They are nothing and we owe them not one ounce of respect. They came to agitate, offend and annoy and so we treat them in kind.
This is now your second comment of this type, both politely worded and so I have responded in kind. You now have your explanation. If this is just another cut and paste day-in, day out exercise, don't expect me to waste the time a third time around.
McC W- Please pull the plug on the troll targeting John. They never add anything to your topic, just comments on John. Enough is enough! The troll demanding proof for every opinion is getting so old. Trolls try to ruin a blog, not add to the discussion. I enjoy banter, but constant attack is not banter, it is abusive.
"The troll demanding proof for every opinion is getting so old. Trolls try to ruin a blog, not add to the discussion."
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I don't think he/she is demanding proof of anybody's opinions -- which would be impossible -- just examples to support them, which many of the arguments here are sorely lacking.
You're actually saying that concrete examples and provable facts DON'T add to a discussion? That's very revealing.
Apparently John can criticize any poster using any language he wants, but nobody is allowed by McClatchy Watch to criticize John -- even if John himself called the criticism "politely worded"!
Ba bye MW it's not worth listening to one sided opinions from you and your cheerleaders any more.
You keep saying that, but you never leave.
3:32 this guy has been saying he's done with McClatchy Watch for at least 6 months.
"This blog used to have great information about McClatchy, but now it's all right-wing rants, I'm not coming back, blah blah blah."
I think he's been posting that sentence once or twice a week since before Christmas.
Re: “but nobody is allowed by McClatchy Watch to criticize John”
Blog comments should be opinions on a topic set by our host. Posters need to feel free to express themselves without personal attacks. The tactics used by trolls are not really about the subject, they seek to demean the person. Posters don’t have to submit proof for their opinions, if they did, it would be too tedious to write a comment. It seems the same person, or a tag-team, writes the same old tired words to all John’s posts. They try to make this blog about one person they have targeted, and I would call what they do harassment. I read this blog for interesting opinions, not the sniping of a couple of trolls.
MOO Stan
I have been catching up on the topics for the past few days, and it is quite clear the same posters are hijacking the subjects with petty personal attacks. It is very evident the discussion deteriorates very quickly when the attack squad arrives. The interesting and clever posts are lost in their planned nonsense. I find it discouraging to have a subject that interests me ruined by off-topic crapola.
This is one of the flaws in googles blog system. Typepad and Wordpress have a much better system for regulation, and holding trolls responsible. Keep that in mind when you set up your own blogs. Do not use google.
It's not impossible, but the moderator has to work harder to get the offending parties accounts yanked by their ISPs, etc. however, as usual liberals debase any system they attach themselves to. They're parasites and fascists.
Well, since our troll seems to have hit this thread the hardest, would it be a stretch to assume that it had something to do with this embarrassing contest?
Seriously, do all of you who are whining about "trolls" really believe there are only one or two people reading this blog who disagree with your venemous, hypocritical drivel?
I chime in every now and then, because I can't help myself. Maybe once a week. And every time, I'm accused of being "THE troll."
I honestly don't know what the folks whose comments were deleted after 11 a.m. had to say, because I never had a chance to see them. But I do know that 6:38's was pretty darn funny, even if it was off-topic.
Is that opinion enough to get my post deleted? We shall see.
And yeah ... I misspelled venomous. That's what happens when you're out of practice.
One useless comment is the same as another. If you want to distinguish yourself from the other trolls, contribute something of value. None of the rest do.
John, if I had the spare time, I would love to comb the back issues of this blog, looking for all of the "valuable" contributions you have made, but I don't. (And you haven't.)
Yawn
OK, John, how's this:
I'm the same person who points out on occasion that I am a Republican.
I agree with the prevailing assessments here of Lokeman, Diuguid, Zieman and their ilk. Their ignorant ramblings give credence to all the worst things people say about newspaperfolk. The "Buzz" column in the KC Star made me cringe every day leading up to the election. One of the most blatantly biased things I've ever seen.
But can't you people see that a lot of the unsubstantiated crap and knee-jerk name-calling being thrown around on this site similarly reinforces the negative opinions other people hold regarding conservatives?
(Yawn.)
Amazing how none of you who are so concerned with the name calling never seem to care about the constant barrage of that we get from all the lefty trolls. Take your blinders off and then we'll talk.
Hey ... we're talkin' now!
Since this blog's alleged primary purpose is to discuss McClatchy, I'm curious:
Do you really think that newspapers are dying (which they are) because of conservative backlash from biased election coverage?
Or do you think it's more likely a matter of short-sightedness a decade ago in regard to what news-gathering is really worth, and the fact that craigslist and monster.com have decimated the one-time bread-and-butter of classified ads?
Yeah ... that's what I thought.
You posted you comments in the middle of the night. Post them during the day and I'll be glad to respond. As it is, I'm not going to waste a lot of time on an old thread. This too has been a common technique.
You're absolutely right ... I posted my response a whole 16 minutes after yours in an effort to make it impossible for you to respond in any intelligent manner whatsoever. That's what "we" do.
Good point, as always, douchebag.
(Not one of my posts has ever been removed yet. I feel slighted.)
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