Governor Schwarzenegger
Well kids get ready get ready for Governor Schwarzenegger. Today in California, actor, marijuana connoisseur, womanizer and steroid freak, Arnold Schwarzenegger won the kookiest gubernatorial race starring the craziest cast of characters since Cannon Ball Run 2. The election proves the fears of everyone else in the nation; Californians are in fact crazy, but not as bad as those morons who elected the wrestler. In a related story in order to boost support, Governor George Pataki of New York will be staring in Fast and the Furious 3: No Plot Cool Cars. The election of Schwarzenegger comes to no surprise to the staff at Spin Cycle... except for Bob, he voted for Gary Coleman.

R. Kelly
Hey kids, this one is from the "They didn't just say that" box. Today we have a quote from our favorite R&B singer, R. "It wasn't me" Kelly. Kelly was quoted in the magazine Blender saying" They can criticize you without even knowing you, and hate you when they don't even know you. All of a sudden, you're, like, the bin Laden of America. Osama bin Laden is the only one who knows exactly what I'm going through ". Hmmmm. let's see here, head of a terrorist organization that claimed responsibility for numerous accounts of deaths and destruction, and sappy R&B singer who likes to videotape himself urinating on a 14 year old girls. Seriously R, even your fellow pedophile Jacko didn't say anything this crazy. Lastly, isn't Osama Bin Laden the bin Laden of America, I never knew there was room for more than one?

Iraq and Afghanistan
Of the 87 billion dollars the White House is requesting for the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan, 600 million dollars are intended for the Iraq Survey Group; a team of 1,200 weapons hunters currently searching Iraq. The group has already spent 300 million dollars while installing air-conditioned trailers, a new dining facility, new Dell laptops, and a sprinkler system for a new lawn. No wonder they haven't found any weapons! They've been busy with the sprinklers.

Mrs. Bush
Last Monday, Mrs. Bush enjoyed a "girls only' weekend" with her best friends from Texas…. Adair Margo of El Paso, Texas and Ms. Graham from Laura's hometown of Midland, Texas joined Laura for a weekend of female fun in Paris. When asked about the trip, the ladies said they had a lovely time. Ms. Graham particularly enjoyed singing "The Star Spangled Banner." She'd never sang in front of so many people. Laura commented on her flattering photo taken while Ms. Graham sang. …. She admitted having inner qualms about turning away from the American flag during the national anthem, but finally decided a perpendicular stance would not be considered disrespectful and would also show off her recent Botox injections and slim side profile. Adair enthusiastically described her discussions about El Paso art with those in attendance. The women were filling in for George Bush at a UNESCO meeting signaling the return of the United States to the organization after a nineteen year boycott.

Tiger
Today in New York police discovered that Harlem resident Atoine Yates was hiding a 400-pound tiger and a 280-pound alligator in his Harlem apartment. It was reported that he had both animals in his apartment for about 2 years. 2 YEARS, New York, we at Spin Cycle know that when you live in the city you don't pay attention to your neighbors, but come on. It's a tiger, A TIGER, some of us have gotten in trouble for having a dog or a cat in an apartment. This guy had a tiger and an alligator, couldn't somebody have noticed the amount of food that this guy had to buy for these animals. Speaking of food, it's not like they could use a toilet, the funk alone should have raised some suspicions. Wait we see it now, sit-com, it will be like Noah's ark meets "Three's Company". Somebody call up Animal Planet, wait, they'd never go for anything that dumb... call UPN.

Reconstruction
Today a report from the Center for Public Integrity said that a large number of the contracts that the government gave out for the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan were to companies that are strong contributers to the GOP party. It is said that many of these companies were giving an average of $1 million a year since 1990. WOW politicians giving out favors to people that helped their party....hmmmm I didn't realize today was obvious day at camp stupid.

 
There is always the obnoxious red shirt, you know what I mean, the shirt that stubbornly bleeds its hue on your other clothes, making your whites a discolored, sickly pink. The red shirt in the news industry is the hook, the flashy, sensational story, image, or sound that you cannot help take your eyes, ears, or mind away from. Like the red shirt, it draws you in but eventually discolors the rest of what you understand or experience.

Full Story.....

· Check your facts. Always look for sources, works cited, or footnotes. If information is quoted by an "expert" - look up the expert to see what their expertise consists of (if any).

· Double check your facts. Look for the same "facts" in multiple sources. But be careful to universalize a "fact" just because it has replicated itself in a variety of sources. Especially with news stories, check facts against both domestic AND international publications. The only way to counteract bias is with knowledge, ignorance only lets it grow.

o Perhaps the biggest tool to access knowledge to counteract bias accounts is through the Internet. In its current unregulated state, we can access all types of independent media organizations. They bring a variety of alternative viewpoints on mainstream issues and highlight the ramifications of issues that fail to even make the mainstream news.

o Even reading one more newspaper each morning will provide details and insight left out of the first source due to traditional time and space constraints of daily print publications.

· Know the difference between news and entertainment. (This statement appears easier said than done- example Cosmo: sometimes stories presented as "true" but must be viewed in light of entertainment, not fact.) We should be able to intelligently judge the messages received for both news and entertainment. We should be able to deliver messages in addition to receiving them. We should know how to register objection if denied coverage of our viewpoints and prevented access to professing them.

· Embrace your subjectivity. While objectivity is an admired goal, no one can fully escape the cultural lens they see (and thus interpret) events though. Realize this and acknowledge your own subjectivity both when reading other's work as well as when it's your turn to state "the facts."

· Realizing the difference between consumers vs. citizens and isolated individuals vs. engaged communities is another step to take as well. Unlike what advertisers hope to convince us of, changes cannot be made by the individual. It takes the individual finding other individuals and forming a community; what communication is all about.