Clipmarks | DevilInTheDetails's clips

Trust in Peers Trumps the A-List

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:37:33 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: This article by Steve Rubel may seem like a "duh" statement to many people who are well acquainted with social media, but we need to remember that the majority of consumers do not use social media at this point.

Having data to back up the backend of the social media marketing theory can be a hude boon for those of us who are trying to forward it within our own organizations.

Everyone trusts a peer, nobody trusts a marketer (I read that somewhere and it has stuck with me ever since).

Clip Source: www.micropersuasion.com

This meme got kicked around in the 'sphere a few weeks back when Duncan Watts released some research that contradicts Malcolm Gladwell's theory outlined in The Tipping Point. Today, however, there's new data that to me may just reveal that Watts is right.

Trust in Peers Trumps the "A-List," Study Finds

Mediapost reports that a new study from Pollara found that people who engage in social networks and communities put far more trust in friends and family who are online than in popular bloggers, or strangers with 10,000 MySpace "friends." Nearly 80% said they were very or somewhat more likely to consider buying products recommended by real-world friends and family, while only 23% reported being very or somewhat likely to consider a product pushed by "well-known bloggers."

The question of targeting super nodes vs. smaller groups is all coming down to trust.

Trust is by far a more important metric, one that clearly rules when it comes to influence.

Beating "Zippy" and getting a loan from Chase

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:24:04 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: And we wonder why our economy is perched on the rim of the toilet leaning towards falling in.

Clip Source: bigpicture.typepad.com

3 "handy steps" for getting a questionable loan approved by JPM Chase's automatic system:

1. Lump all of an applicant's compensation as the applicant's base income, rather than breaking out commissions, bonuses and tips.

2. Do not disclose use of gifts for down payments.

3. If all else fails, simply inflate the applicant's income. "Inch it up $500 to see if you can get the findings you want. Do the same for assets.

Thus reads an internal memo from Chase obtained that accidentally found its way into the hands of journalist Jeff Manning of The Oregonian. It was the basis for an article titled, Chase mortgage memo pushes 'Cheats & Tricks'.

It involves Zippy, Chase's in-house automated loan underwriting system.

The memo's title: "Zippy Cheats & Tricks."

The "Cheats & Tricks" memo was instructing those brokers how to get difficult loans approved by Zippy.

"Never fear," the memo states. "Zippy can be adjusted (just ever so slightly.)"

Tags: economics

Donna Brazile Strikes Again

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 19:43:45 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: The other day she siad she would leave the democratic party if Superdelegates decided the nomination.

Today she's reminding Hilary that you should never turn your back on your supporters.

Donna Brazile is my new favorite political pundit.

Clip Source: latimesblogs.latimes.com

Donna Brazile -- an uncommitted superdelegate of the Democratic National Convention and one of television's few black, female political pundits -- interjected an intriguing observation this afternoon into a discussion on CNN about Hillary Clinton's stiff-arming of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

In short, Brazile provided a pointed reminder that some voters (African Americans, in particular, we would think) might recall that Wright did not turn on Clinton's husband during an hour of need for him.

making a reference to Wright's willingness to join dozens of other religious figures in attending an annual White House prayer breakfast just as the Starr report on Bill Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky -- in all its lurid detail -- was about to come out. No doubt ...

Brazile's none-too-subtle point: There's a potential downside to turning away, with nary a forgiving nod, from those who once stood by you.

Clinton's "3 AM" Poster Girl is an Obama Supporter

Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:55:49 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: You've gotta love irony. That'll learn 'em for using stock photography (especially when it's over 12 years old)

Clip Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

From the New Argument:

Casey Knowles, a High School Senior in Washington state, recently discovered she was one of the sleeping children in Clinton's controversial "Children" ad appearing prior to the Texas primaries.

Knowles, a supporter of Barack Obama was shocked that she had contributed to the national security message of a candidate that she passionately opposes.

When asked by The New Argument, this is what Knowles had to say about her appearance in Clinton's ad:

"While I love Hillary, I would much rather hear Barack Obama's voice at the other end of the phone at 3am.

Moses was high when he received the 10 Commandments

Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:49:20 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Wow, this is not something I would have seen coming out of the Holy Land.

It's an interesting theory, and it would explain an awful lot about the good ol' days of the Bible.

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

High on Mount Sinai, Moses was on psychedelic drugs when he heard God deliver the Ten Commandments, an Israeli researcher claimed in a study published this week.

"As far Moses on Mount Sinai is concerned, it was either a supernatural cosmic event, which I don't believe, or a legend, which I don't believe either, or finally, and this is very probable, an event that joined Moses and the people of Israel under the effect of narcotics," Shanon told Israeli public radio on Tuesday.

Moses was probably also on drugs when he saw the "burning bush," suggested Shanon, who said he himself has dabbled with such substances.

"The Bible says people see sounds, and that is a clasic phenomenon," he said citing the example of religious ceremonies in the Amazon in which drugs are used that induce people to "see music."

He said the psychedelic effects of ayahuasca were comparable to those produced by concoctions based on bark of the acacia tree, that is frequently mentioned in the Bible.

Tags: religion, moses, 10 commandments, psychedelics

Canadians wait longer, are happier with their doctors

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:48:48 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Well duh.

Clip Source: www.factcheck.org

Is health care better in Canada?

Wait times are longer in Canada, but health and doctor quality don't seem to suffer.

57 percent of adults in Canada who needed a specialist said they waited more than four weeks for an appointment, versus only 23 percent who said so in the U.S.

Wait times for elective and non-emergency surgery were even more disparate: Thirty-three percent of Canadians reported a wait time of more than four months, but only 8 percent of Americans had to wait that long. In another study, 27 percent of Canadians said that waiting times were their biggest complaint about their health system, versus only 3 percent of Americans.

However, on most measures of patient-reported physician quality, Canada comes out slightly ahead of the U.S.

Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy are both higher in Canada

Both countries, however, score low on health measures compared with other industrialized nations.

Canada came in fifth and the U.S. came in sixth

Tags: healthcare

Edwards Ad misleads on plant closings

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:34:47 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Being from Iowa (about 1:30 from Newton) I know people who were directly affected by this. It was a big deal because the plant had been around for so long.

However, most people had seen it coming since the Maytag/Whirlpool merger. The jobs were most definitely not shipped overseas. Edwards has a formidable presence here, but trying to mislead Iowans using a story that most are familiar with is probably not going to win him too much support in the upcoming caucuses.

Clip Source: www.factcheck.org

A new ad sponsored by a labor union PAC in support of Democratic presidential candidate Edwards implies that the closing of an Iowa Maytag factory and the loss of 1,800 jobs are due to "tax breaks to companies that move jobs offshore." And it says Edwards would end such breaks.

It is true that the Maytag plant in Newton closed in October. In all, the closure resulted in the loss of about 1,800 jobs

he closings were the result of a merger of Whirlpool and Maytag. Besides the Newton plant, Whirlpool also closed washer and dryer plants in Herrin, Illinois, and Searcy, Arkansas, (as well as administrative centers in Mexico and Canada).

what the ad doesn’t mention is Maytag production was actually moved to Ohio.

"the Maytag plant in Newton, which operated for generations, is symbolic of many of the issues facing working Americans." Maybe, but the ad strongly implies that workers in Newton lost their paychecks because their jobs were shipped abroad, which is not true

Forget eHarmony, meet Scientific Match

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:45:51 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: This has got to be the most ridiculous use of science I have ever seen. Watch out ladies, no birth control allowed.

Clip Source: www.webware.com

The first dating service to use lab-based genetic profiling launched online last week. Scientific Match promises to pair up people who will be physically attracted to each other because their DNA is different.

The service, available only in the Boston area, charges $1,995 for a year-long subscription.

"I strongly believe this will dominate the future of dating services," said founder Eric Holzle, a mechanical engineer.

"We look at six specific genetic reference points on DNA, and none of those six can match to make a match," Holzle explained.

Scientific Match is open to straight and gay people. However, women taking the birth control pill are turned away because some studies show they are more attracted to men with similar immune system genes.

Why don't they just smell their underarms

Dean Hamer, the molecular biologist and author credited with discovering "gay genes."

"That sounds like a complete and utter rip-off that preys on people's lack of knowledge of causation and correlation,"

Giuliani's biggest fibs

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 16:31:35 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Rudy has obviously taken Political Art 101: The Art of lying with statistics.

Clip Source: blog.washingtonpost.com

Rudy Giuliani has taken a good record in reducing crime in New York City--and tried to make himself look like Superman. FBI statistics show that the New York crime rate had been falling for four years before he became mayor in 1994.

The claim that city expenditures decreased in New York City while he was mayor. According to the Independent Budget Office, spending rose between 1994 and 2002

The claim that he cut taxes 23 times as mayor. Many of these tax cuts had nothing to do with Giuliani and were the responsibility of the state legislature.

The claim that he added 12,000 cops to the New York police force. Our fellow fact checkers at Factcheck.org found that the police force increased by about 3,600 cops.

he claimed that his chances of surviving prostate cancer were twice as high in the United States as in England, "under socialized medicine."

New York was hardly the "crime capital of America"

Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, and Detroit had higher violent crime rates in 1994.

Huckabee's lying now too

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:57:18 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Well, hell, we didn't want Mike to feel left out now did we? Everyone needs to get in the "lying about my record to appear more conservative/liberal" game during the campaign season.

Clip Source: blog.washingtonpost.com

Fred Thompson, has accused Huckabee of having "championed" an effort to permit illegal immigrants to benefit from in-state tuition rates at state universities. Huckabee has denied the charge, claiming that his support was limited to a much more restrictive scholarship program.

in January 2005, Huckabee proposed making "any student graduating from a high school in Arkansas" eligible for state financial aid.

Huckabee defended the bill in conversations with reporters, and expressed disappointment when the measure failed to pass the Arkansas Senate by just two votes. "I don't understand the opposition to it, I just honestly don't,"

Huckabee said that his proposal applied to students who had been in Arkansas schools from the time they were "five or six years old," were "A-plus" students, "drug and alcohol-free", and in the process of "applying for citizenship."

it is untrue to claim that he "did not support in-state tuition" for illegal immigrants.

Hilary's a liar too

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 19:21:08 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Aw hell, they're all liars, politicans suck.

Clip Source: blog.washingtonpost.com

Clinton has made a flat promise that the United States will "get out of Iraq" while she is president.

says she has a plan to "end the war" and "a definite timetable to bring our troops home."

There is no "definite timetable"

pledge to "end the war" contains so much fine print that it is hardly a pledge at all, more a general aspiration.

She has refused to commit herself to pulling all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of a second presidential term.

The claim that her health care plan is truly "universal," unlike the plan of her rival, Barack Obama, which will leave out 15 million Americans.

The suggestion that she and her husband have no influence over the release of the Clinton presidential papers.

The desire to have it both ways extends to a refusal to say whether the surge initiated by President Bush earlier this year has in fact succeeded in reducing the violence in Iraq.

It now looks as if Petraeus was broadly right on this issue at least-and Clinton was wrong.

Tags: hilary clinton, presidential campaign, election, politics, 2008 election

Mitt Romney's a Fibber

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 18:56:00 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Liar liar pants on fire. Mr. Romney is a naughty little fibber.

Clip Source: blog.washingtonpost.com

Romney said he was in favor of "gays and lesbians being able to serve openly and honestly" in the military. He now says it would be a mistake to interfere with the "don't ask, don't tell policy."

he said he would not "chip away" at the state's tough gun laws. He signed up for "lifelong membership" of the National Rifle Association in 2006, while contemplating a run for the Republican nomination.

In 2005, appeared to favor immigration reform, along the lines proposed by Sen. John McCain. He now denounces it as an "amnesty plan."

illegal immigrants continued to mow his lawn a year after the matter was first brought to his attention opens him up to the the charge of hypocrisy.

Romney's positions on abortion have shifted more frequently than he cares to admit, hardening during the primaries as he went after Republican votes and moving to the center during the general election.

a stretch for Romney to claim that he lowered taxes while Governor of Massachusetts.

Tags: romney, election, presidential campaign

Mitt Romney is no John Kennedy

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:13:10 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Why are people even thinking about making this comparison?

Clip Source: www.time.com

Whenever a presidential candidate decides to give a speech about religious faith, he is taking his political career into his own hands.

Mitt Romney's vow to deliver a speech on Thursday about faith and politics will probably end up being general in nature, as much about our faith as his.

Romney's remarks have been compared to John F. Kennedy's famous 1960 speech in Houston about the role his Catholicism would play if he were elected.

But there are a host of differences

Romney has yet to be tested in a single primary

Kennedy was in the last weeks of a general election

Kennedy gave his speech after an assembly of 150 anti-Catholic clergy issued a 2,000-word manifesto stating that no Catholic President could really be free of Vatican control.

no such charge has been laid at Romney's door

Kennedy spoke in the lion's den

Romney is

deep inside the Bush dynasty's official shrine

Mormons are a professing religion

a problem for many conservative Christians.

Tags: romney, kennedy, election, politics

Teen Birth Rates Up for 1st time in 14 years

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:04:37 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Who says abstinence only education doesn't work?

Clip Source: health.usnews.com

For the first time in 14 years, the number of teenagers having babies in the United States rose last year

accompanied by additional data showing that last year also had record high rates for unmarried women having babies

"Any increase in teen pregnancy and teen births is significant and a cause for real concern," said Bill Albert, the deputy director of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

Albert thinks the increase in teen pregnancy is partly due to waning attention to the problem.

Between 2005 and 2006, the birth rate for girls 15 to 19 rose 3 percent, from 40.5 births per 1,000 in 2005 to 41.9 births per 1,000 in 2006. This comes after 14 years of declining rates.

For girls 18 to 19 years old, the rate of births is more than three times higher, at 73 births per 1,000, than the rate for teens 15 to 17, at 22 per 1,000.

However, the birth rate continued to drop for girls 10 to 14 years old.

births among unmarried women were at a record high in 2006.

Tags: birth rates, research

Top 10 CIA Intelligence Blunders

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 21:51:11 GMT

clipped by: DevilInTheDetails
clipper's remarks: Make sure to read the whole article, there was too much to clip effectively.

Clip Source: blog.washingtonpost.com

In the spirit of caution and skepticism, here is the official Fact Checker list of the CIA'S Biggest Bloopers,

1956

Soviet control over Eastern Europe.

1958

The "Missile Gap." NIE 11-5-58 predicted that the Soviet Union would have 500 intercontinental missiles "sometime in 1961, or at the latest in 1962."

1961

The Bay of Pigs.

1962

The Cuban Missile Crisis.

1965

The Soviet ICBM buildup.

1978

The Iranian revolution.

1990

Two blunders on Iraq.

1998

The Indian bomb.

1999

Iranian missiles.

2002

Iraqi weapons of Mass Destruction.

2005

Iranian nuclear weapons.

Tags: cia, national security, politics