http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/cto/1948636742.html

The link provided opens a listing for the Washington DC area craigslist web page for classified listings of vehicles for sale.

The official story for this particular car, a 2000 Land Rover Discovery Series II SE7, is that the car is in excellent condition and is under auction from the “fist owner after corporate lease”.

Upon requesting information from the seller through e-mail, I obtained the vehicle’s VIN number and ran a search for accident reports (I also ran a carfax report on the vehicle).

While the owner declared his own official story of the car’s history, I discovered that the car had been involved in two accidents in the past ten years, one of which would have left significant damage to the hood area, resulting in major repairs and mechanical problems. As well, this was the thrid owner.

Essentially, this goes to show that an official story does not necessarily have to come in a particular format.

This article reports on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s speech defending the construction of a “mosque near Ground Zero.” The article’s title and Bloomberg’s emphasis on freedom of religion focus the reader’s attention on Islam, which has a negative connotation with respect to Ground Zero and September 11. However, the article only briefly mentions that the mosque is more of a community center. It also doesn’t mention the exact location of the building; Bloomberg mentions a mosque that’s four blocks away and questions the notion of a “no-mosque zone,” but there is no mention of the exact location of the center. (This can contribute to the misconception the the community center will built at Ground Zero or within view of it, which people find offensive.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola

There has been much controversy over the years about if theres coke in coke a cola. Many believe that there is while the official story says there isn’t. However I have found they tend to leave out that there used to be coke in cola but trace amounts. This is not still true to the product we drink today but it was when it was originially manufactured. There were only trace amounts though just to get you to crave the product.

http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?ref=nav%5Ffooter%5Fabout&contentId=WCMP04-032391

Target is seen as a very respectible company. On their webiste, they state that Forbes called them one of the top 20 most respected companies in 2009, 96% of people recognize their bullseye logo, and that they give $14.9 million to schools nationwide. However, what Target does not say on their website is that they have come under-fire several times for their actions. Most recently, some LGBT groups are boycotting Target for their funding of gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, a Republican with a very conservative view on LGBT rights. This and many other of Target’s decisions are not listed on their website for obvious reasons. Even in their press archives, the listings they have of the event, have very little information and are from a very neutral view. (http://pressroom.target.com/pr/news/7-30-statement.aspx)

Scientology Commercial

This commercial makes Scientology seem like a lovely, open-hearted and generous institution. The entirety of the video is designed to make you feel relaxed and happy, with images of beautiful people and a voiceover saying, “You are hope, you are imagination, you are the power to change.” The Scientology label is only added within the last couple seconds of the commercial.

The entire basis of the religion of Scientology is missing from this commercial. There is no mention of L. Ron Hubbard or space or aliens or Xenu. There is also no mention of how this cult keeps tabs on people, steals money, and seeks to silence everyone who opposes them. Scientology is suspicious and shady at best, and from the official story that they give in their commercials, you would never know.

link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pvku53FL3T8

http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/our_story/values_in_action.html

The official story presented on the site is not unexpected. McDonald’s is a big name corporation that makes tons of money each day. They serve quick and tasty (depending on you opinion) meals to “billions” of customers each day.  McDonald’s is also involved in numerous community service projects and sponsors many events.

What is missing from the official story is the fact that McDonald’s food is by no means healthy. Their food is served quick, but when eaten on a daily basis, health and weight issues will probably arise. Evidence of this is the movie “Supersize Me” where Morgan Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald’s for a month. As a result he has enormous weight gain and health issues. What is convenient is not always good for you.

       http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/history

      The history of the White House is rich and full of defining moments of both the residence itself, the offices in it, the men who have served in it, and the nation as a whole. This “official story” of the history of the White House goes through many Presidents of the United States and their impact on the White House, particularly its construction under Washington, the two fires under Madison and Hoover, and the renovations that certain Presidents made to accomodate a growing American public. It truly illustrates how this building has been both an active participant in and a passive observer of the growth and prosperity of the nation.

       However, it does leave out a crucial part of this building’s history and the imprtant work a man who helped shape it and its importance. It leaves out the influence President Theodore Roosevelt had on making the White House a place for the public to connect with the President and the President to make permanent residence while in office. President Roosevelt established the White House Press room, and opened the executive branch to the public more than it had ever been. This was an important moment in the history of the White House, and the official page of the White House conspicuously left it out.

Web Adress:

http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/bio

This link which is “Michael Jackson’s official site” has very little information regarding the infamous pop star’s very public child molestation accusations. Though this site does include some biographical information about Jackson, it is very limited and only highlights his achievements in the music industry. Though I could have assumed that this site wouldn’t have portrayed Michael Jackson in a negative light  in regards to his allegations, I thought at the very least they would touch upon the situation and offer a rebuttal. However, nothing of the sort was found, instead the site ignores the issue completely as if it never occurred. Obviously this is done to keep up the positive sentiment toward the belated artist, however the whole truth would have been nice.

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/1-29-2005-64987.asp

According to buzzle.com, the “official story” of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart spans his years as a child musical prodigy and beyond, throughout which he enjoyed immense popularity. His funeral, though not well-attended, was not a reflection of his popularity with the public, as his work was played quite frequently after his death.

While the site does describe his “official” life as a popular composer rather well, it does omit Mozart’s partiality towards incredibly lewd humor, generally of the scatological variety. It also avoids mentioning the composer’s tendency towards gambling and other extravagances, often forcing him to borrow money from his friends.

http://www.foxnews.com/ it’s their motto

Very conservative, only tells one side of story

Completely one-sided, fabricated story about Mass Effect

http://web.tigerwoods.com/aboutTiger/bio

http://web.tigerwoods.com/aboutTiger/chronology

The official Tiger Woods website displays him as an amazing professional golfer, probably the best in the world. They talk all about his sports accomplishments such as his many wins at the Masters, the U.S. Open, and more. The website shows Woods as this superstar and just an all American guy.

What the website did not mention was that Tiger is not perfect at all. All over the news and tabloids is the story about how he cheated on his wife with many women and is an addict to sex. He and his wife are getting a divorce over this new discovery, as said in the news. None of this information is posted on the website in order to keep Woods’ image more focused on his professional life rather than his personal life.

During FDR’s presidency, he concealed many things about his paralysis. He was careful to never be photographed with a wheelchair. He choreographed his public appearances so that the press would not be able to photograph him getting in or out of a car. While making a public appearance, he was always supported by an aide or his lecturn. If FDR made an official story that he was not entirely crippled. By doing this, he projected an image of strength and resilience, rather then weakness. This stronger official story would make the public have more faith in their leader, whereas the truth may have caused people to doubt him.

http://sodexocommunity.com/cmnty_en/work/work.asp

http://cleanupsodexo.org/2010/09/students-faculty-and-community-members-s.php

Sodexo, Inc. is the provider for many of the dining facilities here on George Mason’s campus, including Southside.  On their website, they claim it’s “a great place to work” with “competitive wages, attractive benefits, and a wealth of training and educational programs.”  However, there is a counter story that may prove otherwise.

Last week, several Sodexo workers gathered in front of Southside to protest poor wages and unsafe working conditions that they say resulted in injuries such as burns, cuts, and broken bones.  If this is true, then maybe Sodexo isn’t the “great place to work” that they’re advertising.  Only after deeper investigations are revealed will the full truth come out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Civil_War

The link that we are looking at is the Wikipedia article on the American Civil war.  The Wikipedia article first lists the Abolitionist Movement as a major cause of the South’s secession.  Along with that, the official story often deems President Lincoln as heroic because of his efforts to save the Union.  First of all, you may know that the Civil War wasn’t at all started or even fought to end slavery. In fact, during the war, Lincoln said in an 1862 letter to the New York Daily Tribune editor Horace Greeley, “My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and it is not either to save or destroy slavery.”  Also, it is important to view the Civil War from the side of the South.  Some historians believe that the South seceded not because of the anti-slavery ambitions of the North, but because of “Tariffs of Abominations.”  These tariffs were passed by congress soon after Lincoln was elected in an attempt to protect northern industry.  From the point of view of the Southerners, their secession was quite similar to the secession of America from the British Empire.  Unfair taxes by the Crown lead to the American Revolutionary War.  King George III, the ruler of England during the Revolutionary War, is often held in negative light by current Americans.  From this point of view, it is not hard to consider Abraham Lincoln as very tyrannical and an unfavorable president, instead of heroic.

http://walmartstores.com/AboutUs/8123.aspx

Wal-Mart as a company has dominated America as the model for retailing for the past few decades.  Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart, built the company on a foundation of high volume, low prices and fast turnover.  The portion of the corporate website that deals with the philosophy of Wal-Mart speaks of how they save their customers money by offering the best deals. This way, they reason, their customers have extra money to invest elsewhere.  What Wal-Mart fails to explain on this page of their site is that to offer these remarkable prices, they have to purchase their manufactured goods from foreign countries, primarily China.  According to a program aired by PBS, Wal-Mart relies heavily on imports instead of domestically produced goods.  Many companies within the United States cannot afford to sell their products to Wal-Mart for the prices they ask and still pay their workers reasonable salaries.  Wal-Mart simply drops the manufacturer if they can’t adjust to their standards, which sends the message that the company needs to have a factory abroad for Wal-Mart to purchase from them.  It is also sadly ironic that while Americans can afford Chinese products through Wal-Mart, there are very few industrial workers in China who can afford American made merchandise.

http://www.applejuice.org/johnnyappleseed.html

This website tells the “official story” of Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman).  It tells the very story we hear when we are in elementary school, that Johnny Appleseed planted apple trees wherever he went, hoping that no one would be hungry.  This website also describes Johnny Appleseed to be a kind and gentle, yet poor (even resorting to wearing pots and pans as a hat), wanderer.  At the bottom of the page it states that when Johnny Appleseed died, that it was his first time being sick in over 70 years.

What this website does not tell you is that Johnny Appleseed actually planted nurseries, and left these nurseries to the care of neighbors who sold the trees on credit.  Every two years or so Johnny Appleseed would return and collect payment, in any form (money, goods, etc.).  Johnny Appleseed also spent as much of his time as a missionary spreading faith and religion as planting apple trees.  In fact, because Johnny Appleseed was against grafting, his apples were mostly of a non edible variety and used mostly for making cider.  Also when Johnny Appleseed died he left an estate of 1,200 acres, and 4 plots of land in Indiana to his sister.  Johnny Appleseed died in his sleep from winter plague (pneumonia), but he is believed to have been plagued his whole life with a very rare genetic disorder called Marfan Syndrome.

information obtained at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Appleseed

http://gardenofpraise.com/ibdcolum.htm

The above website has a short biography of Columbus clearly written for children. The story which ends with the line “Columbus not only discovered a New World, but he led the way for other explorers,” even makes some attempt at correcting the “official” Columbus story by pointing out that he was not, in fact, trying to prove that the world was flat. Unfortunately, however, the rest of the site’s story omits several key points regarding Columbus’ life and character. The most obvious part of Columbus’ story which is left out of the “official” version, is that on his first voyage he kidnapped 25 men to bring back to Spain with him, and later kidnapped many more to use as slaves long-term. Though the official story we learn as children hails Columbus as a hero (we still celebrate Columbus Day) in reality, he was a criminal who perpetrated crimes against humanity.

http://www.virtualvender.coca-cola.com/ft/index.jsp

The Coca-Cola website tells us that Coca-Cola “is the most popular and biggest–selling soft drink in history.” Coca-Cola tells us that Mr. John Pemberton first created “Coke” as mixable fountain beverage syrup. Coke began selling in 1886; was sold in every state in the US by 1895; and Coca-Cola products are sold today in more than 200 countries. Coca-Cola shares this history with us but they fail to share some other important about the history of their product with us.

Coca-Cola is so named because the original formula contained coca leaves (a source of cocaine) and kola nuts (a source of caffeine). Mr. Pemberton was an herbalist and had experimented for years with coca and kola. It was originally produced it as a patent medicine (a name often referring to a drug that is not registered in order not to expose the various ingredients). What Coke doesn’t tell us on their website is that it contained approximately 9 milligrams of cocaine per glass, until 1903, when cocaine was removed because of the Pure Food and Drugs Act. Still today, Coca-Cola aggressively denies that cocaine was ever found in Coke.

References:

http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1854

http://www.snopes.com/cokelore/cocaine.asp

http://inventors.about.com/od/cstartinventions/a/coca_cola.htm

Gatorade: http://www.gatorade.com/default.aspx#product?s=prime

Counter Story: http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/news/20060309/gatorade-tough-on-teeth

According to the Gatorade website, Gatorade Prime contains carbs and B vitamins to “sustain your body’s ability to burn additional carbohydrates when taken 15 minutes before competition.” The Gatorade Perform is said to make athletes performing at their highest. The Gatorade Recover is said to reduce thirst and replenish the body. All these things sound like they help your body to perform at the maximum and keep the body going.

What does the website descriptions not tell you? They don’t tell you that Gatorade causes erosion of teeth. From a research done in University of Iowa, it is found that Gatorade is more corrosive than Red Bull and Coke. This research shows that Gatorade is not better than soft drinks.

http://www.fritolay.com/our-snacks/doritos.html

Doritos. Delicious, cheesy nachos in a bag. What could be better? According to Dorito’s website, “Doritos® brand tortilla chips deliver a powerful crunch that unlocks the bold and unique flavors you crave.” Yet they fail to fully mention the sickening ingredients that are mixed into them. There are between 36 and 39 ingredients put into each individual Dorito. Only two of them are actually necessary in making nachos. The site claims that there is “good stuff” like “vitamin B6 and Phosphorus” put into Doritos. However, there are other, more disgusting, ingredients put into these orange chips that include dextrin, maltodextrin, dextrose, and corn syrup solids. In addition, artificial flavoring and Monosodium glutamate (MSG) are also a part of these so called “natural” chips. MSG gives Doritos their addicting quality, and interferes with the appetite-regulating hormone known as leptin. Though appealing, Doritos are a snack that should be avoided.