News organizations often prepare stories in anticipation of something occurring so they can be the first to leak breaking news. Well, the Los Angeles Times made a premature mistake by going live and announcing that Barack Obama actually chose Hillary Clinton to be his vice presidential candidate along with Bill Richardson, Kathleen Sebelius, and four other Democrats. While you cannot blame the Los Angeles Times for their preparations, this is not the only time Obama was misperceived through the media. John McCain tried a couple different stunts that backfired on him when he related Obama to Paris Hilton — who would have thought?

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Well, Paris Hilton took part in another video, but this time her video is rated “E” for educational. Hilton’s video on superstar comedian, Will Farrell’s Funny or Die Web site was a response to one of John McCain’s negative public relations stunts of comparing his rival, Barack Obama, to celebrities Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. McCain is taking the approach of bringing out the negativity in his counterpart, rather than focusing on the important facts; war, oil, economy, or the over so popular term “change.” McCain is reaching an all time low, spinning Obama’s image and comparing him to the queen of party girls. McCain are you getting a little worried?

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Hamilton is the story heard around baseball — drafted number one overall in 1999 by the Tampa Bay Rays, a golden boy that idolized The Natural, a fictional character played by Robert Redford in one of the greatest sports movies ever.  But, like you see in many cases, young adults with access to all the money and fame in the world never seem to turn out well. Seduced by drugs, alcohol, tattoos, Hamilton was headed down a bad road. When young sports superstars get involved with money and the wrong crowd, the media has a field day and never seems to let it go.

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Blog posting by Cory Sealey

A recent Chicago Tribune article made everyone aware that this year’s “Taste of Chicago” there will be super healthy items available for sampling, like potato chips from Billy Goat Inn, a slice of deliciousness from Eli’s Cheesecake, and the staple of supermodels the world over – apple pie with ice cream on top. This year organizers have some crazy ideas about what constitutes “healthy”. Megan McDonald, executive director of the Mayor’s Office of Special Events, who also thinks up is down and black is white, told the Trib, “As part of this year’s application each restaurant had to explain what its healthy item would be. “Some of the restaurants had a difficult time with this, but I say, you know, if you fry a vegetable, it’s still a vegetable.” I swear she has to be on some type medication, and it’s not for high cholesterol apparently. Continue Reading »

Guest blog written by Cory Sealey

Smoky voiced and drug addled chanteuse Amy Winehouse pined, “They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said no no no.”  From Winehouse and Britney Spears to conservative religious leaders and political pundits like Rush Limbaugh, It seems like rehab is the new Club Med.  Call someone a derogatory term, just go to “Naughty Word Rehab” like Isaiah Thomas.  Were you caught in a homosexual relationship with a male prostitute like “completely heterosexual” Pastor Ted Haggard?  Go to ex-gay rehab, emerge three weeks later and proclaim your “straightness” for the entire world to see.  But when does spinning rehab as glamorous and an easy get-out-of-jail-free card turn dangerous?

I take issue with rehabilitation programs being spun as a way to give positive public opinion instead of a method of dealing with serious neurological issues and chemical dependency among other things.  Why are Billy Bush and his Access Hollywood cohorts interviewing the director of Promises Rehabilitation Facility (where Lohan, half of the Olson twins, and the aforementioned Spears have stayed)? Why is the director highlighting the number of flat screen televisions in their “spa grotto”?  Shouldn’t he at least touch on the counseling aspect of a stay in a rehab facility?  When is he going to discuss the actual rehabilitation aspect?  Oh, I forgot, discussing counseling programs doesn’t win you Emmys.

All of us have unfortunately acquiesced to the fact spin is going to be pretty much everywhere.  What we should take major issue with is when a life saving method of helping people overcome horrible addictions is being spun as a way to sleep off your appletini-induced bender and avoid jail time.  Legitimate issues of addiction, abuse, and mental health are being glossed over in favor of hot stone rubs and aromatherapy with fellow meth addicts while DJ AM spins the latest house tracks in the background. 

Can the dramatic increase of rehab visits and their visibility in popular media can be directly attributed to the positive-for-the-wrong-reason spin it is receiving.  Is this spin is going to get people killed.  What about the people who can’t afford multiple stays at rehab?  Where are their stories?  How many suicides or drunk driving accidents have been linked to people who didn’t treat their rehabilitation program seriously?  Who cares how pretty the pony was Nicole Richie had to brush every day for a week? She is only one member of the elite club that has been in rehab multiple times.  Spin is hiding the simple fact that these programs need to concentrate less on relaxation and more on rehabilitation.  We all need to wake up and take a vested interest in our rehabilitation programs.  Only when we realize these programs should not be something aspired to will we finally stop this dangerous spin.