the scoop

the scoop

who said what

In election years, the airwaves are flooded with ads claiming candidate A did this or candidate B said that. It can be difficult to know what’s real and what’s propaganda. FactCheck.org (http://www.factcheck.org), a Web site sponsored by the nonpartisan Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, cuts through the spin of political ads, separating the truth from fiction.

FactCheck takes a systemic approach to its ad analysis. In addition to a summary of an ad’s contents, the site also provides an in-depth breakdown of an ad’s claims, pointing out distortions, misrepresentations and flat-out lies. The site also includes links to the original ads as well as a list of sources, so you can fact check FactCheck for yourself.

A question-and-answer section helps dispels widespread myths perpetrated by special interest groups and viral e-mail messages. A weekly vid-cast offers a quick dissection of the week’s most talked-about ads both on television and on the Web.

anything is possible

Def Jam recording artist Karina, in conjunction with Girl Scouts, has launched the Anything Is Possible contest. Girls 13 and older can submit essays explaining what “anything is possible” means to them.

Submissions can explain how they overcame a difficult obstacle in life, how they are working toward making the impossible possible or how they have been inspired by Karina’s music. Deadline is Sept;. 30. The winner will meet Karina at the 2008 Girl Scout National Convention in Indianapolis. Teens can submit their essays at www.meetkarina.net/girlscouts

crow’s free music for new voters

Sheryl Crow is giving away free music — a tactic she calls the “Tupperware” party approach to inspiring young people to vote.

The Grammy Award-winning singer announced a plan Wednesday to give a digital copy of her album “Detours” to the first 50,000 people who register three friends to vote.

“I hope people wake up and emotionally engage in issues,” Crow told The Associated Press in a telephone interview during a visit to Los Angeles.

Crow’s giveaway is a kickoff to Rock the Vote’s voter registration drive. She is also offering a free download of her politically charged song “Gasoline” to anyone who logs onto the Rock the Vote Web site or anyone on the group’s mailing list, said the organization’s executive director Heather Smith.

Crow, 46, was one of the founding artists of Rock the Vote 18 years ago. She said the “Detours” album fits perfectly into the group’s cause since the lyrics touch on topics such as adoption, breast cancer, the war in Iraq, the environment and Hurricane Katrina.

new video games

In stores this week: After nearly a decade in development, Microsoft’s “Too Human” finally makes it to the Xbox 360. ... Atari serves up Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and more than a dozen other pros in “Smash Court Tennis 3,” for the Xbox 360.

at long last, ‘spore’

When “The Sims” creator Will Wright announced “Spore” back in 2005, every gamer in the world had the same reaction: “I can’t wait to get my hands on that.” Turned out we could wait three long years, as Wright tinkered with his universe-spanning evolution simulator and publisher Electronic Arts kept our appetite whetted with countless demos. The thing’s finally finished, and it will be available (for the Mac and PC) Sept. 7. There are already two scaled-down spinoffs, “Spore Creatures” for the Nintendo DS and “Spore Origins” for mobile phones.

pokemon pros

Most video-game tournaments are built around hyperviolent shooters like “Halo” and “Counter-Strike.” But there is a more family-friendly side to competitive gaming, thanks to “Pokemon” — and even then, the action can be cutthroat.

Pokemon USA, an affiliate of Nintendo, invited more than 400 “Pokemon” experts to compete at its World Championships in Orlando, Fla. Most were there to play the trading card game, and the champions in three age groups each walked away with a $7,500 scholarship.

The guest list also included 64 experts at Nintendo’s “Pokemon Emerald” and “Pokemon Pearl” video games. The junior champion was 11-year-old Knight Silvayne of Chicago; the senior winner was 21-year-old Izuru Yoshimura of Hiroshima, Japan. Each won a six-day vacation for four in New York City, Honolulu or Tokyo.