Comments on: New Orleans coroner’s race ad

By: gitarcarver

gitarcarver — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:30:33 +0000

nevins,

Your answer, sir:
http://www.timespicayune.com/tphistory.html

“On January 25, 1837, The Picayune hit the streets of New Orleans named for the 6 ¼ cent Spanish coin it cost.”

“The Daily Picayune changed its name as it merged with several papers created in the wake of the Civil War. The Democrat, founded in 1875, annexed The Picayune’s bitter rival, The Times, in 1881 to form The Times-Democrat.
The Daily Picayune merged with it in 1914 to become The Times-Picayune.”

(Related: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/picayune
(formerly, in Louisiana, Florida, etc.) a coin equal to half a Spanish real.)

By: Tom T.

Tom T. — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:21:28 +0000

Ted, he was probably supposed to sound like Dr. Frankenstein.

By: nevins

nevins — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:11:02 +0000

Completely tangential: Regarding the name of the paper Times-Picayune; why would anyone use picayune in their name?
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/picayune
I have never found any definition of the word picayune that has an even remotely flattering meaning.

By: Guy from LA (The State)

Guy from LA (The State) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:36:51 +0000

Mike,

I get New Orleans TV stations and have seen the commercial. I think I heard the activity in question took place in the early 1990’s. Here is a link to a news piece in which both candidates are interviewed, and Dr. Minyard explains what happened.

http://www.wdsu.com/video/22410894/index.html

Ted-Many people who where born and raised in certain areas of the city have that accent, though they typically don’t speak in that cadence, if that is what you are referring to.

By: Ted Frank

Ted Frank — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:23:26 +0000

Why does the actor playing Dr. Minyard have an old-country Jewish accent?

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:56:08 +0000

The really interesting thing about the newspaper story is what is leaves out. While taking a shot at the challenger for his tax evasion and his sensational ad (OK, two shots), the story avoids the question of just how old the “old” scandal at the Coroner’s Office actually is, and whether the Coroner’s employees made any money from the arrangement.The newspaper is clearly in the tank for the incumbent Coroner.