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How... to select a graduate program
Graduate school is a big commitment – not only when pursuing a career in I/O psychology but in general. As such, it is critical that one does their due diligence on different graduate programs before taking the leap into 5-6 years of PhD training. There are a few factors to consider when deciding whether a program is suitable for you. I will only focus on aspects that are important for those who desire to go obtain a tenure-track job at a research school.
"USA News Rankings" appear to play a big part in which schools students apply to. The idea is that better ranked schools are better. While this is the most common way for potential students to decide on which schools to apply, it is not necessarily the most informative. USA news rankings are based on peer-assessments and this is limited for several reasons:
First, there are reputation lags. Faculty move around and perceived reputation of programs may not match the current actual situation.
Second, faculty appraisals of schools weigh factors that may be non-essential to the extent one will succeed as a graduate student there. For example, a school may be perceived as a good program because of an eminent scholar, or a founding scholar in the field, which may or may not benefit new graduate students; other activities may take priority over mentoring graduate students (e.g., preparing for retirement, traveling).
This is not to suggest that all types of rankings are of no value.
Peer-assessments such as USA news rankings can provide useful information about the perceived state of the program in terms of potential resources such as intellectual capital, funding, and size of the program. Further, they may also point to the strength of the alumni.
When using rankings it is important to think about whether the type of ranking one uses would directly affect graduate school success. For example, productivity rankings may be closer to success factors for graduate students. Productivity of a program reflects whether the faculty are publishing papers, which will inevitably spillover to graduate students as it increases their chances of getting more publications.
It cannot be overemphasized that one of the most important factors in graduate school success is the faculty advisor. I consider this even more important than rankings. A practical example is that when faculty move, say, to a better program, they may bring their students along. There are several factors to consider when deciding who to work with. I list them below (as an I/O psychologist, I also include some practical ways to evaluate student-advisor fit and "performance indicators" of faculty that would help you make reasonable evaluations).
You should be interested in what the professor is working on. Check out their statement of interest or research area. Go to PsychINFO to download and read their research. You may not understand all the methodology and statistics at this point, but that should not hinder you. Focus on reading the abstract and introduction. Is the topic or research idea interesting to you? You can also get a sense of the breadth of interest the professor has and what are the recent ideas the professor is working on.
The professor should be research productive, especially if you are planning to go into academia. Some questions to consider: How many publications did s/he have over the last 3 years? Were they with graduate students? Look at "Google Scholar" or "Web of Science" for a list of recent publications or their CV if it is online. Note: Types of publications that are generally most helpful post-PhD (when looking for a tenure-track job) are peer-reviewed publications (vs. book chapters, technical reports, conference papers etc.). Therefore, it is a good sign if professors have good peer-reviewed publications with graduate students recently.
Some have asked: "What types of peer reviewed journals?" Some examples (not exhaustive) of well-recognized peer-reviewed journals in I/O include:
Journal of Applied Psychology (SSCI2013 = 4.758)
Personnel Psychology (SSCI2013 = 3.702)
Journal of Management (SSCI2013 = 6.704)
Academy of Management Journal (SSCI2013 = 5.906)
Academy of Management Review (SSCI2013 = 7.895)
Organizational Research Methods (SSCI2013 = 3.926)
Some examples (not exhaustive) of well-recognized psychology peer-reviewed journals in I/O include:
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (SSCI2013 = 4.877)
Psychological Science (SSCI2013 = 4.543)
Perspectives on Psychological Science (SSCI2013 = 6.594)
Current Directions in Psychological Science (SSCI2013 = 4.222)
Psychological Bulletin (SSCI2013 = 15.575)
Psychological Review (SSCI2013 = 11.342)
Some examples (not exhaustive) of top science journals include:
Science (SSCI2013 = 31.027)
Proceedings of National Academy of Science (SSCI2013 = 9.737)
In general, good journals have high impact factors. As seen above, the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) is usually >3-4 … higher numbers indicate higher impact.
*Note: Competitive I/O job candidates for tenure-track positions coming straight out of a PhD program generally have at least one first-authored 'top' publication. Very competitive individuals have multiple 'top' publications (3-4). They also have a number of other peer-reviewed publications. Very little weight is given to technical reports and conference papers. This is one of the reasons why working with a productive faculty member who publishes in such journals with students is important. Of course, there are other factors that matter as well – like whether the theme of research is important and promising; solely counting 'top' publications may reveal superficial productivity but is not too discerning.
If the professor has been in the field for some time, they should have some students in academia. What has the placement rate of the professor been for their graduate students? Are their graduate students now in good research schools? You can sometimes find this information on the professor's website or CV. If not, you can examine good I/O programs to see where recently hired faculty graduated from and who their advisors were.
Unless you are very independent, it is critical that you have face time with your professor. How much time does the faculty have for graduate students? Check with current graduate students on the frequency of meetings, length of meetings, and perceived availability of the professor. Consider how large a lab the professor has. The larger the lab, the less one-on-one time there is for you. Note: with a large lab, it may still be possible to learn from more senior graduate students or post-docs. As such, it is important to evaluate whether current lab members are willing and available to help you along when the professor is busy.
Pro-social motivation of the professor. Does the professor have the best interest of students at heart? Are they thinking only about themselves or their students and their students' careers? This is one of the more difficult things to evaluate because it requires time. As such, one may not be able to obtain such information prior to graduate school application but one can get a sense of it during graduate student visitation. When one talks with current graduate students in a program, note that no one will want to "bad-mouth" a faculty member. Unless a professor is really bad (graduate students warn you to "stay away"), you are looking for what current graduate students are not saying.
It is a bonus if the professor has funding for you. Does the professor have funding – or is actively seeking funding – for graduate students? A professor who is able to fund graduate students can help their academic productivity.
What type of graduate school model does the program have?
Some programs employ a "best-athlete" model where they admit a batch of students and the best students who rise to the top are selected by faculty as formal advisees. It is important to consider how independent and competitive you are. If you thrive on competition and are very independent (i.e., have all the necessary research skills), this type of environment may be the right fit for you..
Other programs employ an "apprenticeship" model where students are admitted based on the alignment of interest between student and professor. Professors admit graduate students and mentor them from day one. If you prefer to be mentored closely and are very interested in what the professor is researching in, this would be a good fit for you.
What is the climate of the program?
This may be related to the graduate school model of an I/O program. During graduate student visitation, you can probably observe some aspects that could appeal to you. Are the people in the program competitive types or collaborative types? Are they cold or friendly?
Generally, a more collaborative atmosphere helps because one gains more by having good research collaborators.
How... to succeed in graduate school
The following suggestions are really suggestions, based on my own observation and opinion, on what it takes to do well in graduate school and to maximize your chances of obtaining a tenure-track position at a research school. Each person has their own strategy but these appear to be fairly consistent across different fields of study.
Select the right school and advisor.
Unfortunately, a lot of graduate school success depends on whether one enters the right school and has the right advisor. I have seen many smart enthusiastic graduate students become discouraged by their advisor and eventually drop out of academia. Or, if lucky, they manage to switch advisors in time and become successful academics. So the take home message is to ensure that when one is applying for graduate school, one has (1) a good GPA; (2) high GRE scores; (3) strong research experience; (4) strong recommendation letters from academics (preferred over non-academics). When admitted to different programs, you should carefully choose an advisor who would help you succeed. See section on "How to select a graduate program."
Your mentality should be that graduate school is a full-time job.
You should no longer have a "student" mentality. Instead, you should treat graduate school as a full-time job. In many ways, working toward tenure begins on the first day of graduate school..
Don't compare yourself to other graduate students. Instead, compare yourself to other working professionals. How many days of leave do they get a year? How many days do they work a week? How many hours do they spend each week working? For example, when I was in graduate school, I never compared myself to what other graduate students are doing. I compared myself to my friends in Asia working as lawyers and investment bankers pulling 80-90 hours a week. The hours I was working were nothing compared to them – moreover, I loved what I was doing.
You are doing a "start-up." You are not working because you want to please your advisor. Your business is yourself and your CV. You need to invest the long hours without seeing much return at the start – but it will pay for itself in due time. Another aspect of doing a "start-up" is being enterprising and proactive. Don't wait for opportunities to land in your lap. Instead, make research and publication opportunities happen. Discover what you need to learn and figure out how you can contribute to your advisor's research.
Working the hours does not guarantee success, but in graduate school where the next person is probably as smart, or perhaps even smarter than you, it gives you an edge. The academic CV is very honest: the quality and strength of the academic CV is generally commensurate with the number of hours worked.
Recognize best strategies for developing a publication stream.
Set your sights on being an expert in one topic within the first two years. This means reading a lot. Always start with "review" articles, "meta-analyses", and "handbook chapters" on specific topics. This gives you the big picture schema. Then skim and read through many research articles to build on what you know.
Be good in methodology. There are several reasons: (1) methodology brings about new perspectives to your data and theorizing. For example, if you know multilevel modeling, it can help you think about multilevel phenomena in the organization; (2) methodology avails more opportunities for research projects. For example, someone may have a large dataset but not know how to analyze it. They might bring you on board and you do not need to conduct your own data collection, which saves time; (3) methodology broadens your research so you do not end up putting all your eggs into one basket.
Take every opportunity to collaborate and generate research. For example, use classes as an opportunity to develop into a working research project or review that you can use for publications.
Expect to work hardest during the first 3 years of graduate school.
My observation is that the first 3 years are particularly critical in graduate school. It is then you develop a reputation of whether you can finish research projects, how responsible you are, etc. This will either open more opportunities to you (e.g., research projects, funding, etc.) or it will close certain doors. Usually, if within the first 3 years the student has been unproductive (i.e., little research projects, little progress in research, no papers submitted for journal reviews), the academic doors to tenure-track research positions are closed. After the first three years, it gets substantially easier…
Develop a good work-life balance.
Although graduate school can be intense, it should not be a sprint but a marathon. Schedule time to rest and relax. Find good leisure activities. Travel. Join a club, society, or religious organization.


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Qualcomm, a major chips manufacturer and patents holder, has been under a lot of pressure to split itself into two major divisions – notably the chip manufacturing unit and the licensing unit, which holds a lot of patents including CDMA and LTE. This move of a break-up to improve the valuation of the company was suggested by hedge fund Jana Partners. Qualcomm's president Derek Aberle agreed with Jana that the shares have seen a 25 percent decrease over the past year, and the stocks are devalued, but he sounded cautious about a break-up also noting that the board and management do not expect to complete a review of the potential company split before the coming of 2016.
Jana Partners, who had disclosed more than $2 billion in holdings to Qualcomm back in April, had spearheaded a public campaign, claiming that the chip-manufacturing unit of Qualcomm is essentially worthless devaluating the whole company, and has been pressuring Qualcomm to split ever since. Aberle noted that investors were applying a 'sum of the parts' analysis, which effectively means that Qualcomm's two divisions, of licensing, and chip-making would be much more valuable as independent companies. He was afraid that it was too simplistic of an analysis and was doubtful as to whether it would actually solve the main issues causing the devaluation. He also mentioned that Qualcomm's current position will easily allow the company to partner with various Chinese clients and help expand them beyond China. Although he agreed that the two divisions were causing some serious conflict with customers, he quickly added in his defence that the company handled the conflicts efficiently.
According to Aberle, Jana did not pressure them into a split, and only proposed it as an alternative. A lot of things they proposed were already on the company's checklist as discussed with their shareholders. Qualcomm had announced in July that they'd reduce cost by about $15 billion, by cutting off 15 percent of their workforce, and boost capital returns. He also added that they are working on adding an independent third member to the board, in addition to the two they have already added, but declined to name them.

subset: commoncrawl


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Shed Happens
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Continuing our Thursday lunchtime community shows under the banner of The Health and Wellbeing Hour, Shed Happens is the men's magazine show presented by Frome Men's Shed.
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There's some music, including "Making Tracks", a piece of music that Shedders commemorate with a tough project.


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Twelve ways to get the least from yourself and your project
This article, excerpted from What Made Gertie Gallop? Learning From Project Failures, discusses twelve important contributing causes of project failure: 1) ignoring the project environment; 2) pushing a new technology to market prematurely; 3) neglecting to build a fallback position; 4) sanctioning key personnel for problems; 5) neglecting new ideas; 6) failing to conduct feasibility studies; 7) an unwillingness to admit failure; 8) overmanaging the project and team; 9) failing to conduct post-failure reviews; 10) not understanding project trade-offs; 11) allowing politics and infighting to affect key decisions; and 12) having ineffectual leadership. Realistically, failure must be seen as a possibility for any project, but this is no cause for discouragement because failures provide valuable experience and grist for wisdom.
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This week the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy basically recommended Canadian taxpayers should fall on their swords for the sake of winning a Pyrrhic victory over global warming.
The government advisory panel called for Ottawa to impose a carbon tax on Canadians and/or establish a "cap and trade" carbon emissions trading scheme for industry (which has been something of a fiasco in Europe) to achieve "deep" greenhouse gas (GHG) emission cuts.
In reality, the NRTEE is telling us to do two contradictory things: Act in concert with the rest of the world to combat global warming and, regardless of what the world does, act unilaterally now.
The NRTEE acknowledges that: "With respect to environmental risk, Canada's share of global emissions and hence its contribution to the stock of atmospheric carbon is low, and if action is not taken globally, Canada's efforts alone could do little to stabilize atmospheric concentrations."
Plus: "We believe that the most critical assumption that the NRTEE has made in its work, particularly in our modelling, is that whatever policy framework Canada puts into place, it is comparable to its competitors and trade partners, predominantly the United States … If our major trading partners, particularly the United States, do not implement comparable policies within a reasonable time frame, the economic risk of the deep domestic reductions investigated in this report rises."
Indeed, the NRTEE paper, Getting to 2050: Canada's Transition to a Low-emission Future warns 10 times that its proposals won't damage our economy only if the U.S. and our other major trading partners are simultaneously implementing similar measures. Its optimistic economic modelling is based on that.
And yet bizarrely, it also concludes, without qualification, that: "It is not the NRTEE's view that any of this should be justification for not taking action now to either reduce emissions now, or put in place the most effective policy framework for deep, long-term reductions in the future." Excuse us?
Canada, which like many countries will miss its Kyoto targets, accounts for 2.1% of global GHG emissions.
The U.S., our largest trading partner, responsible for 20.6% of emissions, has refused to ratify Kyoto since the Clinton administration. What would the NRTEE have us do? Arm-wrestle the U.S. into submission?
Speculation the next American president will ratify Kyoto is merely that, speculation.
In 1997, when GHG guru Al Gore was Bill Clinton's vice-president, Democratic and Republican members of the Senate, which must ratify Kyoto, voted 95-0 against, arguing it was detrimental to American interests because developing nations weren't required to cut emissions. Today the developing world, led by China, is balking at accepting cuts even after Kyoto expires in 2012.
As things now stand, the NRTEE is effectively recommending Canadians pay significantly more for carbon (meaning for virtually everything) for decades to come, at the risk of severely damaging our economy, especially in Alberta and Ontario, for what would be a futile gesture to combat global warming even if successful, and even if countries responsible for up to 10 times our emissions do nothing.
But if everyone else suddenly reverses course inspired by our example, we should be okay.
That's not a policy. It's insanity.
The Harper government requested this report. It should thank the NRTEE — and shelve it.
• You can e-mail Lorrie Goldstein at firstname.lastname@example.com
• Have a letter for the editor? E-mail it to firstname.lastname@example.com – Lorrie Goldstein – Only one place for this report


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Fri 27th May
Before setting off from Golden we had a look at the wiring on my bike to try an sort out why the heated clothing gave up on me. One of the advantages of having the same bikes and equipment on a trip like this is that you can swap bits over. Holmes and Watson quickly determined that the dual controlller appeared to be the quilty culprit. (Don't worry Rob all your wiring is still working fine, thank you).
Our journey today was about 150 miles with nearly all of it on Highway One, the Trans Canadian Highway so the ride was pretty uninteresting. We got just about everything the weather could throw at us including sleet and snow up on 'Rogers Pass' and by the time we found somewhere to have a break all my extremities were numb. Bob offered me his controller for the last leg (what a kind man). I accepted purely on the pretext of double checking our diagnosis. (honestly!!!).
We arrived at Sicamous mid afternoon and pulled into Chris's palatial abode (nicknamed the Plywood Palace). Needs a little finishing off to stop the draughts………..
Fortunately Chris has a more cosy residence to the left which we decamped to. At the moment we are here abusing Chris's kind hospitality until Tuesday morning before moving down to the States to meet up with John Shill and Craig.


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- Windows
- Education
- Teaching Tools
- School Attendance Keeper
School Attendance Keeper
School Attendance Keeper 220.127.116.113 is available as a free download on our software library. The actual developer of the software is RVPM Designs. School Attendance Keeper lies within Education Tools, more precisely Teaching Tools.
The most recent installer that can be downloaded is 5.8 MB in size. This download was checked by our built-in antivirus and was rated as virus free. The default filename for the program's installer is SAK.exe. This PC program is compatible with Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 environment, 32-bit version. The most popular version of the tool is 2.1.
From the developer:
Put an end to handwritten notes and marked-up paper lists that can be misread or lost between the classroom and the office.
You may want to check out more software, such as Tickets 4 Schools, UBS Time Attendance System or School Managment TheCReativeIT, which might be related to School Attendance Keeper.
Please add a comment explaining the reasoning behind your vote.
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A report broke through on Friday that Steven Spielberg was set to propose a rule change at the next meeting of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences that will make it more difficult for Netflix films and other streaming services to compete at the Oscars.
This has sparked much debate online among much of the film community from filmmakers and critics to people at various different levels of the distribution food chain and ardent cinephiles. Some find themselves on Netflix's side, some on Spielberg's and others are taking a more middle ground view – saying the debate goes well beyond topics like theatrical releases versus streaming or exclusivity windows.
Here's a breakdown of some of the comments from key film influencers that have popped up on social media in the past 48 hours:
The Safdie Brothers, Directors of "Good Time"
"The harsh reality is that on average 80% every movie's life audience experiences it on video… doesn't mean we shouldn't do everything we can to protect the awe-inspiring, human-assuring, peace-inducing, collective experience of theatrical film watching." – Tweet
Guy Lodge, Critic for Variety
"It is very funny that the awards season beneficiary of this Spielberg/Netflix ideological showdown was GREEN BOOK, a film about which no one would say, 'You have to see it in a cinema!'… Hinging the theatrical/Netflix conflict entirely on the Oscars, as Spielberg is doing, just feels small, insular and point-dodging to me." – Tweet
Bruce Campbell, Actor In "Evil Dead" and "Burn Notice"
"Steven Spielberg is gunning to make sure Netflix never has another Oscars contender like Roma. Sorry, Mr. Spielberg, Roma ain't no TV movie – it's as impressive as anything out there. Platforms have become irrelevant. Make a movie with Netflix." – Tweet
Chris Evangelista, Critic for Slashfilm
"Part of Spielberg's argument is that Netflix should play by the same rules as every other Oscar nominee, and I do think that's fair. I have no fealty to Netflix. I just wish he'd move beyond this 'sacred theatrical experience' riff, which is mostly a myth at this point." – Tweet
Sasha Stone, Editor at AwardsDaily
"My problem is people like Spielberg have lost touch with the economic reality of average movie goers. Playing to NY and LA to satisfy idealists is elitism at its worst. Most people opt for Netflix because they can see ten movies a week if they want for the same price." – Tweet
Dave Kehr, Curator at MoMA
"The paradox is that JAWS, as the first nationwide, TV-backed studio release, undermined the traditional platform release just as Netflix is now subverting the theatrical model. Spielberg would never have had the career he has without that "disruption" of an outdated system." – Tweet
Erik Anderson, Editor at AwardsWatch
"Netflix has given emerging filmmakers visibility and opportunity, brought in legendary directors like Scorsese and changed their release structure to more than accommodate Oscar qualifications. This position by Spielberg seems very near-sighted and needs more voices." – Tweet
David Ehrlich, Critic for Indiewire
"Anyone who pits Netflix against theatrical as some kind of zero-sum game is helping towards mutually assured destruction. It matters HOW movies can be seen. It matters WHO can see them. Cinema will only die if people feel they have to deny one of those ideas to support the other… if Netflix and theaters could agree to use theatrical windows as advertising campaigns for the eventual streaming release, everyone would win." – Tweet
Richard Shepard, Director of "The Matador " & HBO's "Girls"
"ROMA was the best movie of year. I love Steven Spielberg he was/is a true hero of mine-but good movies r good movies-Wherever they play. And in a world where we have more JURASSIC PARKS then SHIRKERS Netflix fills a gap. Love the big screen, but love the story/heart of movie more." – Tweet
Zack Stentz, Writer of "Thor" & "X-Men: First Class"
"If the end result of the Spielberg-Netflix dispute is Netflix committing to bigger theatrical rollouts for more of their films, it'll be a win-win for everyone… While everyone weighs in on Spielberg vs. Netflix, it feels like we're missing two much bigger issues. There's a whole generation that's stopped going to theaters except for giant branded events, and another generation behind them that's more interested in video games than movies.
A lot of people are making the economic argument, but…Generation X was broke as s–t during the mid-90s (the Clinton boom hadn't really gotten going yet) and still drove the indie film renaissance of that period. My bigger point here is that movies were the most vital popular art form of the 20th Century, and if we're not careful they're going to shrink to a niche form of storytelling with a rapidly aging audience. So what is to be done?" – Tweet
Franklin Leonard, Founder of The Blacklist
"t is my belief that @TheAcademy exists to celebrate and promote to the world the best of everything that could remotely be considered a motion picture… It isn't even about Netflix, though they're the most visible and least sympathetic target. It's about every other film and filmmaker who will struggle to get access to the resources necessary to make a film but not get those allowing for a four-week exclusive theatrical release.
I also think we can all agree that it is more difficult for films by and about women, people of color, and myriad other communities to access the resources necessary to secure an exclusive four week theatrical window. The Academy is then faced with a choice between 1. finding another way to support the theatrical experience and 2. further excluding communities that have been historically excluded from its ranks, which has catastrophic consequences downwind in the industry." – Tweet
Ava DuVernay, Director of "Selma" & "A Wrinkle in Time
"Dear @TheAcademy, This is a Board of Governors meeting. And regular branch members can't be there. But I hope if this is true, that you'll have filmmakers in the room or read statements from directors like me who feel differently… One of the things I value about Netflix is that it distributes black work far/wide. 190 countries will get 'When They See Us'… I've had just one film distributed wide internationally. Not 'Selma,' Not 'Wrinkle,' it was '13th'. By Netflix. That matters." – Tweet
Prasanna Ranganathan, Producer of "Dream Girl"
"Netflix is committed to inclusive storytelling – to depicting the full complexity of the world and to highlighting the voices of often ignored filmmakers and artists. Traditional studios scoffed at the Netflix distribution model & the limited theatrical runs for movies (the Cannes Film Festival even prevented Netflix from competing in the festival). However, Netflix is making films accessible for everyone around the world.
Calls to exclude Netflix from awards consideration at the Oscars seems inimical to industry & Academy goals to ensure that films are more inclusive & that Oscar nominations reflect the full spectrum of artists & filmmakers working today. If the Academy's commitment to diversity & inclusion as articulated in its A2020 strategy is as robust as it seems, excluding Netflix and its diverse artists, storytellers & filmmakers from awards consideration makes no sense." – Tweet
Sean Baker, Director of "Tangerine" & "The Florida Project
"Wouldn't it be great if @netflix offered a "theatrical tier" to their pricing plans? For a nominal fee, Netflix members could see Netflix films in theaters for free. I know I'd spend an extra 2 dollars a month to see films like Roma or Buster Scruggs on the big screen. This would help keep theater owners and audience members who appreciate the theatrical experience satisfied.
Just an idea with no details ironed out. But we need to find solutions like this in which everybody bends a bit in order to keep the film community (which includes theater owners, film festivals and competitive distributors) alive and kicking." – Tweet
Paul Schrader, Director of "First Reformed" & "American Gigolo"
"I have no animus against Netflix. Ted Sarandos is as smart about film as any studio exec I've ever met. Distribution models evolve. The notion of squeezing 200+ people into a dark unventilated space to see a flickering image was created by exhibition economics not any notion of the "theatrical experience." Netflix allows many financially marginal films to have a platform and that's a good thing.
But here's my query: it involves FIRST REFORMED. First Reformed was sold at a bargain price to A24 out of the Toronto FF. Netflix, which could have snapped it up as easily as it swats a fly on its ass, passed. As did Amazon. As did Sony Classics and Focus. But A24 saw a commercial path for this austere aesthetic film. As a result First Reformed found a life. A24 rolled it out through festivals and screenings from 2017 to 2018. And it survived. Not a big money maker but profitable for A24 and a jewel in their crown.
Would First Reformed have found this public acceptance if Netflix and scooped it up (at say twice the price A24 payed) and dumped it into its larder? Perhaps Bird Box and Kissing Booth can fight their way through the vast sea of Netflix product to find popular acceptance, but First Reformed? Unlikely. Relegated to film esoterica. A different path? My proposal: For club cinemas (Alamo Draft House, Metrograph, Burns Center, Film Forum) to form an alliance with a two tiered streaming system (first tier: Criterion/Mubi, second tier: Netflix/Amazon). Distribution models are in flux. It's not as simple as theatrical versus streaming." – Tweet
There will no doubt be much more to this debate in coming weeks and months. Sound off with your take in the comments below.


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It is the common opinion that the credit crunch made people at many countries to vote left parties because the socialists are believed to be more effective in fixing economy. Though I am not going to deny the fact of this questionable belief it seems to me that the shock effect is not about lefts themselves but about switching a previous party to a new one, whatever it is.
I mean, countries where left-winged parties obtained power recently were ruled by conservatives before the elections. And on the other hand you can see countries that got lefts in charge when the economy crumpled had changed them (or are obviously going to, like UK) to conservatives.
People may not believe in saviours but they surely believe in saboteurs and wreckers.


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Last updated on April 9th, 2019 at 07:49 pm
The reality of the scientific process
No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong. – Albert EinsteinThe scientific process is supposed to be the golden standard for the pursuit of knowledge and truth. When asked to think of a scientist, many people will imagine a somewhat "nerdish" individual who's often more comfortable with numbers than people.
We imagine these scientists as being wholly dedicated to their research and unwavering in their pursuit of the truth. The idea that many published scientists are heavily influenced by politics, that scientific journals often compromise their standards for publications, and that many universities look the other way to secure federal funding, often comes as a shock to most people.
The reproducibility problem
In 2011, the Reproducibility Project, which is a community-based crowdsourcing effort headed by Brian Nosek of the University of Virginia, decided to reproduce 100 psychological studies from 2008. To the utter amazement of many within the field, they discovered that they could only reproduce 39 of the 100 original findings.
In 2016, Nature journal reported that of the 1,576 researchers who took an online questionnaire about reproducibility (reproducing another researcher's study), more than 70 percent had tried and failed to reproduce another published study, and more than 50 percent reported that they'd failed to reproduce one of their own studies.
Given the fact that reproducibility has been referred to as the "Touchstone" of the Scientific Method, many are surprised to learn that incentives to publish positive replications are low and in fact, many journals are reluctant to publish negative findings.
According to Baker, the author of the study on Nature.com, "several respondents who had published a failed replication said that editors and reviewers demanded that they play down comparisons with the original study."
The article goes on to state that 52 percent of the respondents agree that there's a significant "crisis" in reproducibility. However, less than 31 percent of the respondents believe that a failure to reproduce published results indicates that the results are probably wrong, and most state that they still trust the published literature!
Only 6 out of 53 cancer studies were replicated
"If you're going to place a $1 million or $2 million or $5 million bet on an observation, you need to be sure it's true."
The issue of replication failure is found not only within the field of psychology. According to a 2012 article in the British Journal of Medicine (BMJ), only 6 out of 53 cancer studies were replicated. Glen Begley, who led the study, stated, "These are the studies that the pharmaceutical industry relies on to identify new targets for drug development. But if you're going to place a $1 million or $2 million or $5 million bet on an observation, you need to be sure it's true."
Brian Nosek led another study on trying to replicate cancer studies, and again, was unable to replicate the published studies. In 2016, two further seminal studies couldn't be replicated. One was a 1998 study on ego depletion, which further studies were based upon, and the other was a study I've referenced many times myself when working with clients, a 1988 study that found our facial expressions can influence our mood. In other words, if I just forced myself to smile, I'd start feeling in a better mood.
Researchers at the pharmaceutical company Bayer examined 67 cancer and cardiovascular studies and only 14 (21 percent) could be reproduced. Given the fact that in 2012, the U.S government was offering nearly $31 billion every year in science funding alone, through the National Institutes of Health, what could be contributing to this issue?
According to many researchers, two factors are greatly contributing to this issue: 1) pressure to publish (publish or perish) and 2) selective reporting.
Current effect on psychological therapy
Before we explore the two factors mentioned above, I'd like to discuss how these issues are currently affecting the field of psychology, and more specifically, therapy. Consider the following by Scott Lilienfeld in Psychology Today:
Surveys show, among other things, that only about 20 percent of people with major depressive disorder … receive anything close to optimal treatment, that many or most practitioners who treat clients with eating disorders are not administering scientifically supported therapies … that large proportions of clinicians who treat obsessive-compulsive disorder do not implement the clear-cut treatment of choice for this condition. …
… Many researchers, myself included, believe that the research leg … should be accorded the highest priority in the decision-making hierarchy. When the rubber meets the road, that is, when well-designed studies demonstrate that Intervention X works better than Intervention Y but when the clinician's intuition tells him or her to use Intervention Y, we should side with research evidence unless there is a clear-cut reason to do otherwise. [emphasis added]
Lilienfeld wrote this article in 2014, which was after many of the issues with the research were discovered. Nevertheless, he declares that if a client isn't receiving the intervention being promoted in the research literature, then the client isn't receiving optimal, or the best, treatment available.
According to Nemade et al. (2007), evidence-based treatments (EBT), another name for the studies found in the research journals, are increasingly becoming the "gold standard" for mental health care.
Nemade advocates for the therapist to use and follow a treatment manual, which he states will specify "the number of sessions to be offered, what to talk about and teach during those sessions, and what techniques are to be employed during those sessions." He says that the interventions are highly structured and focus on teaching specific skills to specific clients who will benefit from them.
Nemade further states that health care companies like these interventions because they're short-term in nature. He then asserts that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is one of two therapies considered an EBT for depression.
Lilienfeld, along with Hal Arkowitz, also states that CBT has been the most extensively studied therapy by far. However, many of these studies are considered problematic due to bias and poor methodologies. For example, in a study by Clark et al. (2006), the researchers sought to determine if CBT was more effective than Exposure/Applied Relaxation (EX/AP) in treating certain phobias. The study did find CBT more effective than EX/AP.
Contradictory principles
However, in analyzing the study, it's found that in Clark's study, clients were exposed to anxiety-producing situations before they'd learned any skills for coping with these situations or stimuli. Amazingly, clients were actually instructed not to use any skills they might've learned in any of the sessions!
Subjecting these clients to feared stimuli, prior to teaching them any relaxation or coping skills, is contradictory to behavioural principles. Yet, tactics like this are not uncommon within CBT studies.
Whenever researchers want to determine if CBT works better than another treatment model, such as Client-Centred Therapy, the researchers will, in regard to this or any other alternative:
- Restructure and essentially remove any helpful interventions
- Create a treatment manual for the interventions that can be used
- Instruct therapists to avoid any interventions that may be found in CBT
- (Often) have therapists with little to no training in the alternative models apply the interventions
Essentially, after gutting the other therapeutic model, the researchers have the audacity to claim that CBT is superior to the other one!
Meanwhile, the CBT therapists typically receive more supervision, and the therapists and head researchers are all CBT practitioners, giving them a vested interest in the outcomes.
Essentially, after gutting the other therapeutic model, the researchers have the audacity to claim that CBT is superior to the other one!
This is beginning to have a profound impact on the way therapists are able to practice. For example, in Indiana, the Department of Child Services' Service Standard agreement states that therapists working with children in residential treatment centers must use Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT) as a core competency. The agreement also states, "Approval of the Deputy Director of Placement Support and Compliance is required to utilize any other evidenced-based, trauma-informed practice instead of TF-CBT."
Children with severe behavioural problems
Basically, I'm supposed to contact the Deputy Director any time I want to use an intervention other than one found within TF-CBT. Now, this essentially requires that I obtain certification in TF-CBT, which costs around $1,200.
As inconvenient as those issues are, the part I find most frustrating is the fact that the developers of TF-CBT have acknowledged that TF-CBT is not an appropriate modality to use with children and adolescents who are engaging in severe behavioural problems—much like the ones referred to locked-secured facilities in which I work. Hodgdon et al. (2013) succinctly described this issue by stating:
Most current available trauma treatments have been developed for the individual or group therapy context. Residential treatment, by nature, is ongoing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and cuts across all contexts through which youth move (e.g., school, milieu, social, and clinical), and therefore a circumscribed trauma treatment (i.e., one that is delivered only via individual or group therapy sessions) is less likely to be effective.
Additionally, the most commonly used trauma treatment for youth, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy … is contraindicated for youth who have: (a) current self-harm or suicidal behaviors (a common problem for many youth in residential care), (b) lack a family system that can provide empathic support during trauma processing (youth in residential care often have unstable family connections, if any at all), and/or (c) are at risk for further trauma exposure (youth in residential care are at increased risk for victimization due to higher rates of run-away behaviors).
Children with abuse-related PTSD symptoms
Nevertheless, this doesn't stop some from extolling misleading claims about the effectiveness of TF-CBT. In the publication Journal of Family Violence (2013), Zelechoski et al. state the following:
In a two-site, randomized control trial of 229 children with a history of sexual abuse, children in the TF-CBT condition showed significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, depression, and total behavioral problems when compared to participants in the child-centered therapy conditions … In the TF-CBT group, children also showed improvements in interpersonal trust and reduced shame. Moreover, the parents of the participants in the TF-CBT group demonstrated improvements in their levels of depression, distress related to the abuse, parenting practices, and parental support.
This obviously sounds like it supports TF-CBT. The research study Zelechoski et al. are referring to was completed by Judith Cohen, one of the main proponents of TF-CBT. The study, A Multi-Site, Randomized Controlled Trial for Children With Abuse-Related PTSD Symptoms, was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In this study, 229 children and parents were assigned to two different groups: 1) TF-CBT and 2) Child-Centred Therapy (CCT).
Of the 229 that started, 26 (or just over 10 percent) dropped out before the third session. Of the 203 who continued with the study, fewer than 75 percent actually attended all sessions (149 clients). Out of all of those participants, only 89 participants in the TF-CBT group and 91 participants in the CCT group actually completed all 12 assessments that were administered. It was on these 180 participants (78 percent) that the statistical analyses were based.
It should be noted that many studies experience about a 30 percent dropout rate. However, there's more to consider in this study. In discussing the CCT intervention, the authors state:
[CCT] Therapists offered limited interpretations when clinically appropriate, and addressed behavioral difficulties by encouraging the parent and child to formulate their own personal strategies for behavioral change, rather than providing prescriptive advice in this regard. Although sessions were generally client directed, written psychoeducational information about child sexual abuse was provided and children specifically prompted to share feelings about the sexual abuse during two therapy sessions if they did not do so spontaneously.
In other words,
- The therapists in the CCT group provided little more than reflective listening (stating back to the client what they said) and encouragement.
- They provided no suggestions about how to address any problematic behaviors.
- They limited any interpretations that may have proven useful to the child and parent.
Prompting the child
Most disturbing, however, is the fact that the therapists provided information about sexual abuse to each child and parent without truly processing the information with them, and they prompted each child to discuss their sexual abuse in two sessions while withholding helpful therapeutic interventions.
Now, it doesn't state when these prompts were made, but if they were made towards the end of the study, then the child is going to be more reactive, resulting in inaccurate assessments.
Regardless of when the children were prompted, the problem lies with a therapist prompting the children and only responding with limited interpretation or asking the parent and child how they believe they should handle the issues raised. The CCT "interventions" that were provided in this study were not like the interventions real CCT therapists provide. Furthermore, to trigger or force the child to recall the abuse, without providing any helpful therapeutic interventions, is highly questionable.
Despite the highly questionable CCT interventions used, initial results still found that "children and parents in both treatments improved significantly from pre- to post-treatment on all measures but the PSQ."
The PSQ refers to the Parental Support Questionnaire, which assessed parents' beliefs and perceptions regarding the type and degree of support they provided to their child following the discovery of sexual abuse. In other words, the only difference between treatment results within the two interventions could be found in the degree of support parents provided their children.
However, the authors state that since time was a "main effect," or that time was an influence on the results, they decided to run more complex statistical analyses—and, as Mark Twain stated, "There are lies, damned lies, and statistics."
"Adjusting" the results
It was when statistical analysis was used, and when scores were "adjusted," that differences were seen between the two groups. Either way, the results indicated that of the 89 participants who completed the TF-CBT interventions, 19 still met diagnostic criteria for PTSD. In other words, 21 percent of those treated with TF-CBT still had PTSD at the end of treatment.
According to much of the research literature, then, what we should consider the "gold-star" treatment (TF-CBT), actually demonstrated a dropout rate of around 22 percent, and 21 percent who remained still had PTSD at the end of treatment. Overall, TF-CBT essentially failed to help around 40 percent of the participants. Nevertheless, the authors end their article by stating the following:
The TF-CBT approach evaluated here appears to not only effectively treat PTSD, but also is superior to CCT in reducing abuse-related attributions and shame. It is also effective in reducing parallel depression and parental distress about their children's sexual abuse, and in enhancing parental support of the child and positive parenting practices. This study thus adds further support for the use of TF-CBT in treating multiply traumatized sexually abused children and adolescents.
Is this science? Are these the evidence-based practices and interventions being proclaimed as the best practices?
It's an unethical act to take a competing treatment model, reconstruct it and add obstacles in its delivery, and then claim your preferred form of treatment is superior.
Now, I fully admit that the "soft sciences" (ie. psychology, sociology) aren't able to conduct the type of studies that the "hard sciences" (ie. physics, engineering) can. I fully understand the limitations that researchers are commonly faced with. What's expected, however, is for researchers to be fully honest about their methods and to stop overstating the effectiveness of certain treatments.
I also believe it's an unethical act to take a competing treatment model, reconstruct it and add obstacles in its delivery, and then claim your preferred form of treatment is superior to the competitor.
What's next?
In the next article, I'll examine the process, known as peer review, which studies go through to be considered for publication in journals. More than likely, you'll again be amazed at the politics and outright bias that's often a part of our so-called scientific process.
For more from Jack Surguy, check out CONFRONTING REALITY: Do the media, scientists and politicians misrepresent facts for financial gain?»


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When you are the owner of a business it is almost instinctive to want to position your business in the best place possible, and for a lot of UK business owners, that is London. There are a lot of good reasons why an office space for rent would be a great idea for a business, but there are also many disadvantages of office space for rent in the city as well and we feel that it is important to talk about those as well, and that is exactly what we will do in this article.
The traffic is absolutely horrible
If there is one disadvantage that cannot be turned into a benefit, then it is this one. The traffic in this city is some of the worst traffic in the world and that is especially true during rush hour, which is the exact time that you and your employees will have to travel through the city because you will most likely be working the same hours as other businesses. This is definitely something to keep in mind since you will have to be dealing with it every single day of your life, and that is a lot of time being stuck in horrible London traffic.
The rates are high
Business rates can be high enough as it is, but in the UK capitol they are higher than anywhere else in the country. A research that was done back in 2011 showed that the rates in London were four times higher than other places in the country, and that was research was make years ago so you can be sure that those rates will be even higher now. One way that you can get around something like this is to get a shared or serviced office space, but if that is not something that you want to do, then this is definitely one of the disadvantages of office space for rent in London that can cost you a lot of money.
It is an expensive city to live in
If you are thinking of moving yourself to London as well as your business, then you should definitely consider the fact that this city is incredibly expensive to live in. A one bedroom property can cost you 320 pounds a week, and that price can definitely go up depending on the area that you are looking at as well as the size of the apartment. If you have a family then you have to think about school districts as well and that can also make the price go even higher. If you are not ready to pay so much money to live in the city, then you should definitely stick to getting a place outside of the city and commute every single day.
Whether these cons will outweigh the pros about office space for rent in London will ultimately be your decision, however it is important that you make an educated decision because this is your business that you are talking about. The disadvantages of office space for rent in this city may not be very important to you and you may still end up renting there, but it is important to look at all of the positive and negative factors and hopefully we have helped you with the negative in this article.


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Lent season began yesterday, February 10th, on Ash Wednesday. You know most think I'm crazy, but I actually like Lent! I'm more laser focused in my prayer life, more aware of Jesus's sacrifice and in 40 days it will be Easter! I love those marshmallow peeps! Yeah! During Lent, we're called to Prayer, Almsgiving … Continue reading LENT. Got a Plan?
Year of Mercy
The Year of Mercy
I can't get enough of Pope Francis. He's real. He's fascinating. He's the common people's Pope. He's the kind of Pope I'd love to sit down to dinner with. My guess is he'd be entertaining, drinking wine, and telling jokes. As ordinary of a man he appears to be, he's already made some pretty extraordinary events. His travel to the USA and his Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy beginning Dec. 8, 2015 through November 20, 2016.


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Word Count: 1169Running Head:
Anita Clark
Dr. Betsy Summerfield
October 14, 1999
Lessons about teamwork can be learned from geese. As each goose flaps its wings it creates"uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. When a goose falls out of formation, it immediately feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it. When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into the formation and another goose flies to the point position. While flying in formation, geese honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed. When a goose gets sick or wounded, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. They launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock (Lessons on Teamwork from Geese, 1999).
Bluefield College has a unique flock of geese that meet every Thursday night in the Science building on the second floor in room # 222. These particular geese "honk" in every class and are attempting to become a team. OMD #97 members are a prime example of how group intervention can be transformed into a team. Team building creates a culture that enables communication, trust and commitment. Critical skills for team success are factors such as communication and appreciating differences.
Communication and appreciating differences
When a group of people becomes truly effective and perform to their potential, each one should possess a built-in confidence for each other. Understanding how goals can be served by a group effort is important. During transition from a group to a team, communication skills need to be developed. Talking and listening are crucial forms of communication. The weakness in our group is not talking. Our geese "honk" about homework, papers and tests. They fall out of formation when they do not listen or try to understand what is occurring and become upset when questioned about their presentations. The group is affected when particular members: engage in distractions (writing, reading, leafing through books, slamming book covers, zipping and unzipping notebooks); verbally attack personalities; do not participate in team decisions; do not take the process seriously; and offer putdowns at every opportunity. These actions weaken the team. Listening of others ideas and opinions are beneficial to learning and growth. Open communication helps a team to nurture and build self-awareness for individual team members. Many of the team members have "opened" his or her lines of communication and begun progress toward the team goals. Learning to communicate and appreciating team members are continuous struggles for everyone. Group members are not aware they are "interdependent on each other's skills, capabilities and have a unique arrangement of gifts, talents and resources" (LOTFG, 1999). If these members had any "goose sense", they would realize by staying in team formation, they can learn from one another. When team members share common goals, they reach their destination quicker by traveling on the momentum of one another.
Working together within the team has a large impact on performance. Improving relationships between members enables the team to achieve their goals. Each member has their own strength and weaknesses but it is up to the team to develop the positive traits and transform the negatives traits into positive ones. Attempting to understand the strengths and qualities of each group member takes time and patience. Questioning other members about their values, beliefs and projects also encourage team growth. It is important for all team members to have a voice in what is accomplished each week.
Everyone has unique contributions to the team and members should acknowledge that diversity is valuable. "Diversity helps to make a team strong and flexible" (Teamworks Module, 1999). Variety in OMD #97 is portrayed through skills of a secretary, clerk, safety manager, block builder, physical therapist, purchasing agent, two self-employed workers and two bankers. We are different, yet similar in our goals and objectives. Effective teams build on the experience of others and challenge members
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