Sunday, March 28, 2010

“Industrial-organizational psychology topic of meeting topic (Pensacola News Journal)” plus 3 more

“Industrial-organizational psychology topic of meeting topic (Pensacola News Journal)” plus 3 more

Industrial-organizational psychology topic of meeting topic (Pensacola News Journal)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 10:10 AM PDT

A program about industrial-organizational psychology will be presented Monday during the American Society for Training and Development's lunch and learn meeting at McGuire's Irish Pub.

Four industrial-organizational psychology experts from the University of West Florida will explain how the field can benefit an organization. Industrial-organizational psychologists research and identify how behaviors and attitudes can be improved through hiring practices, training programs and feedback systems.

The program will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The program is free for ASTD members, and $10 for guests.

Details: Call Wendi Ochs, 449-1667, or visit www.astdpensacola.org.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Financial Facts: The psychology of selling (Summit Daily News)

Posted: 27 Mar 2010 06:51 AM PDT

You may be asking yourself: Why in the world is a mortgage lender writing about selling real estate? And as a mortgage lender, don't I deal with buyers and not homeowners who are selling? The answer is simple; I have potential buyers who cannot buy until they sell what they already have.

So, now we go to the psychology of sellers who need to liquidate the ownership of their home to move on to the next home. Owners generally love their homes, they have painted and cleaned and decorated the home to their tastes. They have entertained in that home, and have seen their kids grow up in that home. So why is it such a difficult thing to sell there home in the current marketplace? It is due to the fact that they value the home more than those looking to buy it. Sellers have memories and the potential buyers have five to ten minutes in the home to love it as much as they do. And to make things worse, owners think their home is worth more than the market around it allows.

Take for example Fred and Ethyl Smertz. They live in a very nice single family home here in the High Country. They purchased the home ten years ago for $500,000. The down payment made at that time was 20 percent of the purchase price, $100,000. The mortgage of $400,000 was placed in a 30 year fixed rate mortgage of 6 percent. The monthly mortgage payment was $2,387 a month and $2,000 of that monthly payment was mortgage interest. So each year, for ten years, the Smertz's were able to deduct $24,000 right off the top of their earned income at tax time.

In addition to the federal tax deductions they were able to deduct the value of the home from $500,000 to a current market value of $700,000. So the $100,000 out-of-pocket investment has earned them $200,000 over 10 years. That is over 11 percent per year compounded interest. And, in addition to that Fred and Ethyl Smertz had a nice place to live and entertain and see their family grow.

So now for the psychology of the people selling that home. Fred and Ethyl need to sell this home before they move into the small condo, as it is time to downsize. They receive an offer from a buyer to purchase their $700,000 home for $650,000. That is 7 percent less than the asking price, but if you look at the return on their investment of the original $100,000, the interest deductions they took over the last 10 years and the fact that they need to sell to purchase that new home, they still win, and win big.

The bottom line is that, as sellers, you need to look at the entire financial picture of the home that you are selling. Don't give the home away, but make sure you see all the factors that have occurred over the past 10 years.

Bob Kieber can be reached at (970) 262-1199 or at rkieber@comcast.net. He is a local mortgage lender and principal of Resort Lending.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

Christian Living Resources, Bible Study Tools, Jesus Christ (Crosswalk.com)

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 05:57 AM PDT

Philadelphia Biblical University wants the world to know that Martin Ssempa did not learn his attitudes toward gays at their school. They posted the following statement on their website, and on their Facebook page.

Recently, Ugandan pastor Martin Ssempa made statements concerning public policy regarding homosexuals in that nation. Philadelphia Biblical University (PBU) categorically condemns any position that calls for violence against human beings created in the image and likeness of God, or violent solutions to socially controversial issues. While PBU holds to a biblically defined position regarding human sexuality, to call for such action clearly violates the teaching of the Bible, and the principles and practices taught at PBU. Ssempa did earn a graduate degree from PBU in 1994. Ssempa also received an honorary degree from PBU in 2006 for his ministry of compassion to HIV/AIDS victims in his native land. The University was not aware at that time of Ssempa's recently expressed views. His present publicly stated position in no way represents or reflects the views of the University, its administration, or its faculty. It is our sincere hope that Christians would hold their convictions regarding homosexuality with a spirit of grace and compassion toward all human beings.

-From the University Administration

I am not aware of any public pressure on PBU to take this stance. That said, I can imagine that alums were concerned about the reputation of the University. PBU is a conservative evangelistic school with a solid reputation. It is striking and significant to see a school publicly address the actions of an alum in this manner. Facebook fans of PBU have commented positively about the stance, with one saying, "Thanks for taking this Christ-like stand PBU!"

Other institutions which are currently affiliated with Dr. Ssempa include Oral Robert University (he is on their Board of Reference) and Canyon Ridge Christian Church (supporting church). Other people and groups that have distanced themselves from Ssempa's crusade for Uganda's Anti-Homosexuality Bill include Rick Warren, Wait Training and Teen Mania (see this post for additional details).

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.

No One Left Behind: Watching The Watchers At Ironman 70.3 California (Triathlete / Inside Triathlon)

Posted: 28 Mar 2010 01:26 PM PDT

by TJ Murphy

Breathing in Ironman California 70.3 in Oceanside this morning fleshed out a growing divide wedged in the psychology of those who pack in and around such an opening season event.

Written by: T.J. Murphy

Friends and family axiously await the finish of their athlete. Photo: Paul Phillips

Friends and family axiously await the finish of their athlete. Photo: Paul Phillips

Over the last decade the quality of the experience for the racers has done nothing but skyrocket, right along with the price of an entry. Generally speaking the courses are safer, better thought out and double-stacked with precautions against the inherent dangers of a couple of thousand adrenaline-charged triathletes ripping through the course. For example, over the years I've lost count of how many times I've cringed while watching a poorly monitored spectator crossing: Bikes coming from the left, runners from the right, and single-minded spectators dashing across to try and get the next snapshot of their loved one. In Oceanside this morning, I witnessed one of the safest spectator crossings I've ever seen. Crossings were separated into two one-way passages, each passage managed by at least two volunteers at each opening, and additional volunteers—clearly all were well trained by the way—spotting the bikes flying from around the corner.

This of course is a valuable and necessary trend. A poorly run triathlon is a dangerous triathlon.

But the other side of the skyrocketing consumer value of large-scale triathlons these days is the VIP treatment. In Oceanside, the racers were treated to top-notch race announcers, an event thought out with the athlete in mind by a race director like Roch Frey who has a long history as a triathlete and a coach, and a post-race experience that is an event in itself—the tent for the "Athlete's Lounge" looked like it could have covered a football field. From Mirinda Carfrae and Michael Raelert to those pushing the cut-off envelop, everyone was treated like a star. If an announcer didn't give you a shout out in Oceanside this weekend, your race numbers must have been crumpled.

Unless you're more the adventure racer type of triathlete where you'd rather live off the land than have hundreds of volunteers bust their butts all day to make sure you're taken care of, this is fantastic stuff. But as usual in triathlon, there's one community that's routinely left out of the fun: the bedraggled, exhausted, hungry, sunburned Sherpa-like spectator who get up at 4am just like the athlete and proceeds to tend to all manner of duties including videography, photography, amateur sports psychology, extreme course navigation in concert with multiple time-dependent tasks including child care, cheering, dog management, and perhaps the most challenging responsibility for the partner-spouse-photographer-therapist Sherpa—that of ardently listening to "The Story."

Watching age-groupers roll into transition I spent time watching the ever-loyal and ever-loving triathlon spouses, boyfriends and girlfriends, many pushing strollers and with cameras roped around their necks, get the first race of the new season under their belts. Oceanside is not in the middle of a state park—it's shoehorned in to a tremendously busy military town that's intertwined with Camp Pendleton, Highway 101 and Interstate 5. Trying to watch the race is a pain, let alone moving around the bit of course you actually have access to. On a bridge where cyclists and runners were zipping past in both directions many Sherpas posted themselves along the sidewalks, sidewalks that were being overrun with foot traffic from fellow Sherpas resolutely on the move. While the race started when it was freezing in the morning dark, by 11 the San Diego sun was blasting away. Being in the triathlon Sherpa traffic jam was just not fun at all. I couldn't help but wonder how many of the folks out straining to catch a glimpse of their triathlete were thinking about how this is just the start of the 2010 triathlon season.

It's certainly not the job of the race directors to figure out how entertain the spectators stuck trying to watch a race that takes four, five, six and more hours to pay attention to, but you have to wonder how many triathlon careers are cut short because, unless you're in the race, it can't possibly yield much enjoyment for those who start their day stressing out over where they're going to park, and then things just tumble wildly from there.

This is in fact part of the mission statement of the new Rev3 triathlon series, where their initial offering of races has been staked out next to amusement parks. It's a pretty good idea. It's a lot easier to sucker a spouse and kid or kids to a triathlon if there's a built in prid quo pro involved. Lately much banter has surfaced on how the next decade might follow the NBA (1991-2000) and then golf (2001 to the present) by becoming the decade of endurance sports, where more and more people participate rather than just being stuck in front of the TV. Possibly. But the only way that will happen for real and happen for good is if we keep the emphasis on the participation part of the equation, where no one gets stranded in the stands.

Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction.
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