Month: November 2011

Fox News is probably the largest cable news network but how credible is their news?  Recently, Fairleigh Dickinson University conducted a Public Mind Poll.  The poll asked New Jersey residents about current events at home and abroad and from which sources they got their information.  According to the survey results, Sunday morning news shows do the most to help people learn about current events, while news outlets, especially Fox News, lead people to be even less informed than those who say they don’t watch any news at all.

The New Jersey respondents were asked about a variety of topics including the outcome of the uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East this past year. While 53% of respondents knew that Egyptians were successful in overthrowing Mubarak’s government, 21% said that the uprisings were unsuccessful while 26% admitted that they didn’t know.  Additionally, 48% knew that the Syrian uprising has thus far been unsuccessful, while 36% said they don’t know, and 16% said the Syrians had already toppled their government. But the real finding was that the results depended on which media sources people turned to for their news. For example, people who watched Fox News, the most popular of the 24-hour cable news networks, were 18-points less likely to know that Egyptians overthrew their government than those who watched no news at all.  Fox News watchers were also 6-points less likely to know that Syrians had not overthrown their government than those who watched no news.

“Because of the controls for partisanship, we know these results are not just driven by Republicans or other groups being more likely to watch Fox News,” said Dan Cassino, a professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson and an analyst for the Public Mind Poll. “Rather, the results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all.”

By contrast, some news media sources have a positive effect on political knowledge. For example, people who reported reading a national newspaper like The New York Times or USA Today were 12-points more likely to know that Egyptians had overthrown their government than those who had not looked at any news source. And those who listened to NPR radio were 11-points more likely to know the outcome of the revolt against Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. However, the best informed respondents were those that watched Sunday morning news programs leading to a 16-point increase in the likelihood of knowing what happened in Egypt and an 8-point increase in the likelihood of knowing what happened in Syria.

“Sunday morning news shows tend to spend a lot more time on a single issue than other news broadcasts, and they are less likely to degenerate into people shouting at each other,” said Cassino. “Viewers pick up more information from this sort of calm discussion than from other formats. Unfortunately, these shows have a much smaller audience than the shouters.”

This isn’t the first study that found that Fox News viewers were more misinformed in comparison to others.  Last year, a study from the University of Maryland found that Fox News viewers were more likely to believe false information about politics.  This study judged how likely consumers of various news outlets and publications were to believe misinformation about a wide range of political issues. Overall, 90% of respondents said they felt they had heard false information being given to them during the 2010 election campaign.  However, while consumers of just about every news outlet believed some information that was false, the study found that Fox News viewers, regardless of political information, were “significantly more likely” to believe that:

–Most economists estimate the stimulus caused job losses (12 points more likely)

–Most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit (31 points)

–The economy is getting worse (26 points)

–Most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring (30 points)

–The stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts (14 points)

–Their own income taxes have gone up (14 points)

–The auto bailout only occurred under Obama (13 points)

–When TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it (12 points)

–And that it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States (31 points)

“Almost daily” viewers of Fox News, the authors said, were 31 points more likely to mistakenly believe that “most economists have estimated the health care law will worsen the deficit”; were 30 points more likely to believe that “most scientists do not agree that climate change is occurring”; and were 14 points more likely to believe that “the stimulus legislation did not include any tax cuts.”

They were also 13 points more likely to mistakenly believe “the auto bailout only occurred under Obama”; 12 points more likely to believe that “when TARP came up for a vote most Republicans opposed it”; and 31 points more likely to believe that “it is not clear that Obama was born in the United States.”

The study’s authors continued, “These effects increased incrementally with increasing levels of exposure and all were statistically significant. The effect was also not simply a function of partisan bias, as people who voted Democratic and watched Fox News were also more likely to have such misinformation than those who did not watch it — though by a lesser margin than those who voted Republican.”

Asked for comment on the study, Fox News seemingly dismissed the findings. In a statement, Michael Clemente, the senior vice president of news editorial for the network, said: “The latest Princeton Review ranked the University of Maryland among the top schools for having ‘Students Who Study The Least’ and being the ‘Best Party School’ – given these fine academic distinctions, we’ll regard the study with the same level of veracity it was ‘researched’ with.’”

For the record, the Princeton Review says the University of Maryland ranks among the “Best Northeastern Colleges.” It was No. 19 on the Review’s list of “Best Party Schools.”The study was backed by two parts of the University of Maryland, the Center on Policy Attitudes and the Center for International and Security Studies.

I guess with the false information consistently passed on by Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, Steve Doocy, Gretchen Carlson, Brian Kilmeade, Greta van susteren, and others at Fox, I can understand why many of their viewers are “news ignorant” but that’s just my take.

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In a previous blog, I wrote that during an interview on CNN, Republican Presidential Candidate Herman Cain stated that “African American voters have been brainwashed” into not being open minded about voting for the GOP.  What is most stunning about Cain’s comment is what came to light when he recently appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”  During that appearance, Cain talked about a range of issues including the sexual harassment accusations against him.  He also revealed that his wife of 43 years, Gloria Cain, has voted in Democratic primaries and runoff elections since 2000.  I guess Mrs. Cain is also one of the brainwashed African American voters especially since she voted for Barack Obama in 2008.

In addition to Cain’s brainwashing comment, possible campaign funding irregularities, and sexual harassment allegations, now Ms. Ginger White has surfaced claiming that she carried on a 13 year affair with him.  White says they met in the late 1990s, while Cain was on a business trip for the National Restaurant Association.  During that trip, she ended up in Cain’s hotel room and from there, he began flying her around the country to meet him at speaking engagements and that they often stayed at a hotel in Atlanta.  White also said that the physical relationship ended about eight months ago just before Cain announced he was running for president.  As proof of the affair, her cell phone contained dozens of calls and texts from a number she said was Cain’s private cell phone, the last one as recent as September 2011.  White said that she came forward because she saw how Cain ridiculed other women who have accused Cain of sexual harassment while he was at the National Restaurant Association, saying that “[I]t bothered me that they were being demonized, sort of, they were treated as if they were automatically lying, and the burden of proof was on them.” “I felt bad for them,” she said.

Cain’s polling numbers have taken a significant drop in the middle of a series of allegations of sexual impropriety and he tried to get out in front of Ginger White’s allegations to deny any wrongdoing ahead of the airing of the new claim.  White described her relationship with Cain as ”pretty simple”. ”It wasn’t complicated,” she said. ”I was aware that he was married. And I was also aware that I was involved in a very inappropriate situation, relationship.” ”He made it very intriguing, very fun,” Ms White said. ”It was something that took me away from my humdrum life at the time.”

What seemed to me as an authentication of White’s allegations occurred when Cain’s lawyer issued a statement that stopped short of denying the relationship, saying Ms White’s claim ”appears to be an accusation of private, alleged consensual conduct between adults.”  ”No individual, whether a private citizen, a candidate for public office or a public official, should be questioned about his or her private sexual life,” Cain’s lawyer said.

Of course Cain denied he had had an extramarital affair.  Asked if he had a sexual relationship with Ms White, he replied ”No.”  Cain also denied accusations that he sexually harassed women during his time as an executive of the Restaurant Association in the late 1990s.  We all know that at least two women received payouts to leave the association after complaining of unwanted sexual advances by Cain, one of whom was Karen Kraushaar. Harassment accusations were also made by a third woman connected to the association and a fourth woman, Sharon Bialek, went public soon after.  Ms Bialek accused Cain of sexual misconduct by groping her in a car after she sought his help seeking a job.  It is unfortunate that all of the “Herman Cain drama” has undoubtedly taken its toll on the Cain family especially his wife, Gloria.

With the recent allegation of the affair with Ms. White, Cain is reportedly reassessing whether to stay in the Republican race for the nomination.  In fact, Cain’s chief of staff, Mark Block, confirmed to ABC News that Cain was evaluating whether to stay in the race.  Frankly, I don’t think it matters whether or not Cain withdraws from the race.  Because of the sheer number of sexual allegation complaints, marital infidelity, ignorance of National security issues, and depleting poll numbers, the Cain presidential run is dead, but that’s just my take.

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When it comes to selling jewelry, selecting a business model that is well suited to your own personal strengths and interests can help ensure your success. Before deciding how you want to focus your business, consider each of the following popular jewelry business models. You may decide that you want to incorporate a few different strategies instead of just one.

Online auctions are here to stay. With eBay and various other marketplaces, you are sure to find a niche if you wish to sell through online auctions. You can create multiple accounts on various sites, creating a huge online presence. This will enable you to maximize income as well. Auctions sometimes fetch a cheaper price, but they are going on twenty-four hours a day. They are a great way to either enhance your income or be the complete picture. It is totally up to you.

There are many venues where you can set up a booth and display all of your fine jewelry for sale. You can visit various shows, or you can set up at major events. This is something you might want to do in conjunction with other different strategies. This can help you create a larger presence in the market.

You can also choose to sell your jewelry wholesale directly to merchants. Depending on how you do this, it is evident that you might need a substantial inventory or at least major access to it. You must also be able to handle the price cut. When selling jewelry wholesale, it can give you access to a much larger market. However, you must be able to handle selling your jewelry at a cheaper price. Your profits will stem from the amount of jewelry you sell more than each individual piece at retail value.

Craft fairs and art shows are a great way to sell your jewelry. You can opt to sell them locally or you can travel to both nearby and far away locations to do this. This can be your whole business model if you choose to do it this way. It is completely up to you. It can be a very exciting adventure for sure. Maybe you can use this method to offset your online marketing routine. Either way, the people at these shows will be looking for things you offer, and it is a great place to sell your jewelry.

Selling jewelry through home parties can be much fun. It can introduce you to more people locally and nearby, and it is an avenue you may want to consider to expand your business model as well as your income. It can also be fun to do something like this in person to offset the routine of online marketing and selling.

Choosing a business model that is well suited to your personal strengths can help you find success with your jewelry business. Before starting your business, carefully consider each of the business models outlined above, and select the one that is the best suited for you.

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