Eubie's notes

From MSNBC: Why polls have to be random to be valid and what margin of error means.

Washington Post looks at the political contributions made by journalists including some well-known celebrity journalists. This story raises difficult questions for news organizations and its watchers. Many news organizations strongly discourage editorial staff from making contributions, particularly if they cover those areas, but they may not actually prohibit it.

The NY Times, for example, only last year began prohibiting newsroom employees from contributing to political parties and campaigns. People on editorial staffs often want to make contributions to feel like they’re doing something instead of standing on the sidelines.

Another journalism ethics decision came last week when CNBC barred news staff and managers and their spouses and dependents from owning individual stocks and corporate bonds. Part-time employees, such as James Cramer, were excluded from the new rules. Enforcing the rule on spouses may generate friction, either in the family or in the newsroom.

Two from NY Times: As Consumers Revolt, a Rush to Block Pop-Up Online Ads and Television Commercials Come to the Web.

A researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology has found that over almost 30 years the amount of sunlight reaching earth has declined more than 10 percent, according to this article from the The Guardian (U.K.). No explanation on why this has happened or whether it is a cyclical event. Even though scientists had noticed it for awhile, no believed it. They thought the instruments were off.

A couple of recent email studies found that 40% of valid email is not being received by recipients and that Tuesday is the heaviest day businesses to send email.

The recipient study, published in InformationWeek was from a test of 10,000 persons who had asked to participate in the study. The biggest reason the email doesn’t go through are poor attempts by email administrators to block spam.

Bizjournals sends lots of email, which has been requested, and we constantly have to explain to customers that it was probably their own email administrator that blocked our email. Since the block is often done without any explanation by their IT department, customers are reluctant initially to believe us.

EmailLabs in its first Delivery Trends Report found that Tuesday is the busiest day for companies to send email (25.4%) followed by Wednesday (23.3%). Tip on both items was Lockergnome’s Technology News.

From NY Times — Subaru is changing the design of its Outback sedan which will let it qualify as a truck for fuel standards.

The changes sound cosmetic, such as raising the bottom clearance height less than two inches. But the difference in fuel milage standards for light trucks is lower, 21.2 miles a gallon, than for cars, 27.5 miles a gallon.

The main issue is how much longer the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation will continue to use outdated rules defining cars and trucks. Many of the rules go back to the late ’70s, before mini-vans and SUVs, which are also classified as trucks.

After the success of landing the new Boeing 7E7 jet, business leaders in the state of Washington are now pitching for a NASCAR race track in the western part of the state, according to Puget Sound Business Journal. I don’t know if you can buy Goody’s headache powders or a Moonpie in Seattle, but it would be great to see a car sponsored by Starbucks.

As the ban on the dietary supplement Ephedra nears, people are stocking up, according to the Phoenix Business Journal. In most states Ephedra will no longer be sold after March 1. Retailers in California, Illinois and New York are already prohibited from selling Ephedra products.

The Business Review in Albany published this list of self-improvement books recommended by Kenneth Rawley who is director and marketing for a hospital in the area.

The recommendations aren’t the latest published books but books such as “The Road Less Traveled” by M. Scott Peck’s and “The Power of Now” by Eckhardt Tolle.

Highlight: “Over the years, I have consistently sought out books to further my personal quest to learn how I can better manage my feelings so I can enjoy my life more. I rely on a core group of what I consider the very best books on emotional issues. These books can help anyone handle emotional challenges and live enriched lives.”

EBay has become an economic indicator. USA Today recently reported that the overall economy may be cooling because of the items such as Gucci, BMWs and Prada have fallen in Ebay search requests to less luxury items such as Ford and gold (viewed as a hedge against bad economic news). EBay is also a good indicator of what’s hot, such as WiFi home equipment which has seen big growth on EBay.

EBay has also become a way for entrepreneurs to launch their business, but it’s not magic bullet. Hawaii Business has a story about entrepreneurs using eBay to sell everything from Hawaiian shirts and Tiki statues. It is interesting that some sellers found that higher prices on eBay meant higher sales. Price becomes a proxy for quality.