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If we are your main source of news, then you probably have a warped sense of the world, Simona Zappas ‘15 says into the mic in the WMCN studio. Zappas, along with Parker Field ’15, have just begun their second semester of freshman year, and with it, their second semester of co-hosting their WMCN show, “News of the Weird”. The show is centered around bizarre news stories of the week. They turn to websites such as The Huffington Post, NPR and the Star Tribune, to get the latest in the weird. “Our main critique is that we laugh too much,” admits Simona, while Parker concedes, “We need to work on our banter.” But considering the topics they discuss, and the fact that they find them on the spot (in order to get “fresh reactions”), it’s not a surprise that they can’t help cracking up every so often. Nor does it inhibit them from coming up short of hilarious things to say. In fact, the stories are only the beginning of what has turned out to be one of the most entertaining shows in WMCN. A show starts off with, for example, a story about the extreme lengths one man will go to in order to find his beloved cow, Yvonne, and may end with a debate over the pronunciation of Reese’s, involving several guest speakers and online sources. Music also helps fill the extended time slot that the show received, going from one hour last semester to its current two-hour time slot. The Austin Powers’ theme song serves as the opener for News of the Weird, while Parker and Simona dance around the studio (unfortunately invisible to their audience). They then punctuate their stories with individual songs– a combination of music that they love and music that they mock. Parker proudly claims ownership of every Now (That’s What We Call Music!) CD, which they often put to good use. Mariah Carey is a favorite. listen// 91.7fm macalester.edu/wmcn Wednesdays noon-2pm refresh –>