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Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Looking For Dividend Growth? Try These 8 Regional Banks ...
It's earnings season. This means, among many things, dividend increases. I track these for my own investing purposes, and I've noticed a trend over the past week: overwhelming dividend increases within the financials. I have noticed this trend among the regional banks especially. Many of these companies were hit hard in the 2008 crisis and ensuing "great recession". However, due to their small size and the maneuverability and flexibility that this enables them to have, many of the regional banks have begun to bounce back and are in healthy positions to begin building back their dividends (this is especially apparent in the 2012 EPS growth rates of the companies discussed below).
These regionally based banks have the assets and lending power to give their clients the "big bank" experience; however, they also have a localized focus due to their regional approach that lends itself to unparalleled customer service. With sector confidence rising and stock prices stabilizing in the industry, for investors in search of dividend growth, regional banks are worth looking into.
Wells Fargo (WFC)
Wells Fargo and Co. is a bank holding company which operates in three segments: Community Banking, Wholesale Banking, Wealth, Brokerage, and Retirement. WFC has become one of the, if not the best, run banks in the world. As of December 31, 2012, WFC had the highest market value of any of the US financial service companies, ranking third in the world. Wells Fargo, while a large entity, is focused on providing services and solutions to its local communities. WFC is the number 1 retail mortgage lender, mortgage servicer, used auto lender, small business lender, bond administrator for Commercial MBS, crop insurance provider, and total commercial real estate originator in the United States. The company holds $1.4 trillion in assets, manages more than 9,000 stores, and operates more than 12,000 ATM machines. Wells Fargo maintains 70 million customers and more than 265,000 team members.
WFC provides investors with a 20 year average dividend growth rate of 17.5% (the company did cut its dividend in 2009 and 2010, but has since increased its dividend 140% in 2011 and 83% in 2012). Over the same period of time, Wells has given shareholders a 10.8% annualized shareholder rate of return. The company has increased its quarterly dividend twice already in 2013, most recently a 20% increase from $0.25/share to $0.30/share. WFC goes ex-dividend on May 8.
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WFC fundamentals:
- Current Yield: 2.69%
- P/E multiple: 10.5x
- P/S: 2.3x
- P/Tangible Book: 1.6x
- Operating Margin: 34.38%
- Net Profit Margin: 23.65%
- ttm payout ratio: 25.4
- ROE: 13.45%
- Sales (5 year average): 6.59%
- 5 year EPS growth rate: 7.15%
- 1 year EPS: 19.16%
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Because he is an idol of mine, I will mention that Wells Fargo is currently Warren Buffett's largest holding with Berkshire Hathaway.
Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB)
Bar Harbor Bankshares (BHB) is a bank holding company with one wholly owned operating subsidiary: Bar Harbor Bank and Trust. BHB was founded in 1887 and now manages 15 branches across the state of Maine. This is a more traditional company in the sense of local banking, and it takes pride in the value that it brings to the communities that it serves. BHB is coming off of a record 2012 in regards to its earnings and EPS (up 12.9% and 11.6% YoY respectively). Bar Harbor Bankshares manages $1.3 billion in total assets which were also up 11.6% in 2012. BHB exceeds the "well capitalized" requirements with its leverage (8.85%), risk based capital (14.14%), and total risk-based capital (15.77%).
In 2012, BHB increased its cash dividends by 6.9% while lowering its payout ratio from 38.3% to 36.6% compared to 2011. The company kept this 7% increase trend up in Q1 2013, increasing its dividend to $0.305/share. BHB offers investors an 18 year average dividend growth rate of 6.9%. The company hasn't cut its dividend since 1999, which is as far back as my data goes. It did however not raise its dividend in 2010, paying out the same annual cash that it did in 2009. BHB provided an 8.9% annualized shareholder return over this same 20 year period. Like First Financial Bankshares (FFIN) (discussed below), BHB performed noticeably well during the "great recession", maintaining a healthy upward trend in stock price. BHB goes ex-dividend on May 13.
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BHB fundamentals:
- current yield: 3.42%
- P/E multiple: 11.2x
- P/S: 3.1x
- P/Tangible Book: 1.1x
- P/Cash Flow: 10.2x
- Operating Margin: 38.97%
- Net Profit Margin: 27.90%
- ttm payout ratio: 36.6
- ROE: 10.12%
- Sales 5 year growth rate: -0.38%
- 5 year EPS growth rate: 6.71%
- 1 year EPS growth rate: 11.70%
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SunTrust Banks (STI):
SunTrust Banks, Inc. is a commercial banking organization that offers services to clients through its three operating segments: consumer banking and private wealth management, wholesale banking, and mortgage banking. STI's total assets amounted to $173.4 billion on December 31, 2012. SunTrust operates primarily in the southeastern portion of the United States where the company manages more than 1,600 retail branches and 2,900 ATMs. STI has focused on efficiency as of late. Due to lower expenses (Q1 noninterest expense decreased 12% YoY) and higher credit quality the company was able to post $0.63 EPS in Q1 2013 (opposed to $0.46 EPS in Q1 2012).
SunTrust has offered investors a 4.5% average annualized shareholder return over the past 20 years. This figure lags the S&P 500's annualized return of 7.7% over the same period. STI was hit hard by the financial collapse in 2008. The company's share price fell significantly, and the dividend was cut in three consecutive years spanning from 2008-2010: -2%, -92%, and -82%. SunTrust's annual dividend payout decreased from $2.92 to $0.04. During the past two years, the company has decided to increase its dividend, 200% ($0.04 to $0.12) in 2011 and 67% ($0.12 to $0.20) in 2012. The company has recently announced that it would double its current quarterly payout from $0.05 to $0.10. STI goes ex-dividend on May 29.
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STI fundamentals:
- Current Yield: 1.41%
- P/E Multiple: 7.5x
- P/S: 1.5x
- P/Tangible Book: 1.1x
- P/Cash flow: N/A
- Operating Margin: 28.32%
- Net Profit Margin: 20.07%
- ttm payout ratio: 5.3%
- ROE: 10.08%
- Sales 5 year growth rate: -10.18
- 5 year EPS growth rate: -4.49%
- 1 year EPS growth rate: 282.53%
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First Financial Bankshares:
First Financial Bankshares, Inc is a financial holding company which, through its subsidiaries, offers full service commercial banking throughout the state of Texas. FFIN manages 11 regional banks with 55 banking locations and a trust company with 6 locations. The company has $4.5 billion in assets (up 9.3% from 2011 totals). FFIN's new "One Bank, Eleven Regions" concept enables it to combine the best of what a "big bank" and a localized community bank can offer. First Financial Bankshares has produced higher earnings for 26 consecutive years. The company has been ranked either 1 or 2 in the top performing publicly traded bank ($1-$5 billion dollar category) by Bank Director for the past four years.
In 2012 FFIN's net income grew 8.6%, from $68.4 million in 2011 to $74.2 million. The company also experienced noticeable loan growth (16.9% YoY): $2.09 billion versus $1.79 billion in 2011. Total deposits were up 8.9% and year-end shareholder equity was up 9.5%. What's more, is that company's Financial Trust and Asset Management subsidiary might have outperformed the rest of the company's growth, posting 16.8% YoY book value of total assets in management and 14.2% company fee income. The company boasts a 48.14% efficiency ratio, a 4.28% net interest margin, and a return on average assets ratio of 1.75%.
Unlike some of the other banks discussed in this article, FFIN has shown steady growth in its recent past. The "great recession" did not affect this stock like it did many of the other financials. FFIN offers investors an 18 year average dividend growth rate of 11.2%. During this 18 year period, the company only decreased its annual dividend payout once (2007). Over the same period of time, First Financial has given shareholders a 12.5% annualized rate of return. FFIN recently announced a 4% increase in its quarterly dividend from $0.25/share to $0.26/share. FFIN goes ex-dividend on June 12.
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FFIN Fundamentals:
- Current Yield: 2.12%
- P/E Multiple: 20.6x
- P/S: 7.3x
- P/Tangible Book: 3.1x
- P/Cash flow : N/A
- Operating Margin: 47.11%
- Net Profit Margin: 35.24%
- ttm payout ratio: 41.6
- ROE: 13.88%
- Sales 5 year growth rate: -1.16
- 5 year EPS growth rate: 8.24%
- 1 year EPS growth rate: 8.43%
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First Commonwealth Financial Corporation (FCF):
First Commonwealth Financial Corporation is a financial holding company which operates through its subsidiary, First Commonwealth Bank. Founded originally in 1934 before becoming a subsidiary of First Commonwealth in 1983, FCF currently manages approximately $6 billion in assets. The company's headquarters are located in Indiana, Pa and it operates banks in 15 Pennsylvania counties with a focus on western PA and Pittsburgh. FCF has 112 branch offices and over 50,000 ATMs, allowing it to serve over 300,000 clients. In 2012, First Commonwealth's net income increased drastically, from $15.3 million in 2011 to $42.0 million. FCF's return on average equity improved from 2.0% in 2011 to 5.5% in 2012. First Commonwealth's total assets increased by 154.3 million, and its loans increased 161.1 million (4%) in 2012.
FCF has offered investors a 4.1% annualized shareholder rate of return over the past 20 years. This figure is almost doubled by the S&P 500's annualized return of 7.7%. First Commonwealth has increased its dividend heftily in the past two years with increases of 100% in 2011 and 50% in 2012. The company recently announced a 20% dividend increase, bringing its quarterly payment up to $0.06/share. Investors should be aware that previous to the 2011 increase, FCF's dividend had been decreased in 2009 and 2010 (before that it had been stagnant at $0.68/share annually since 2006).
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FCF fundamentals:
- Current Yield: 3.47%
- P/E Multiple: 17.2x
- P/S: 2.7x
- P/Tangible Book: 1.2x
- P/Cash flow : 13.4x
- Operating Margin: 22.26%
- Net Profit Margin: 16.49%
- ttm payout ratio: 44.7
- ROE:5.58%
- Sales 5 year growth rate: 7.93%
- 5 year EPS growth rate: -8.62%
- 1 year EPS growth rate: 176.84%
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Webster Financial Corporation (WBS):
Webster Financial Corporation is a bank holding company and financial holding company whose principal asset is Webster Bank, National Association, which offers business and consumer banking, mortgage lending, financial planning, and trust and investment services to its clients throughout southern New England and Westchester County, New York. WBS has 167 banking offices and 293 ATMs. The company has recently announced a 4.7% Q1 YoY increase in EPS. The company also posted significant growth in its combined commercial and commercial real estate loans: 15.5%. To sum up WBS's Q1 report, James C. Smith, the company's chairman and CEO said:
Webster's first quarter results delivered a solid 16 percent increase in core pre-tax, pre-provision net earnings from a year ago. Core revenue grew and expenses dropped, creating positive operating leverage of six percent compared to a year ago. Loans grew by six percent from a year ago, led by another double-digit increase in the commercial portfolio as we continued to help lead the region's economic recovery. (quote taken from the company's first quarter earnings report)
Webster Financial offers investors a 7.3% average annualized shareholder return over the last 20 years. WBS has increased its annual dividend payout for 15 consecutive years before 2009, when the company cut its dividend 97%, from $1.20 to $0.04. In the last two years the company has increased its annual dividend drastically: 300% (from $0.04 to $0.16) and 119% ( from $0.16 to $0.35). WBS recently announced a 50% dividend increase from $0.10/share quarterly to $0.15/share quarterly. WBS does ex-dividend on May 2.
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WBS fundamentals:
- Current Yield: 2.62
- P/E Multiple: 12.2x
- P/S: 2.7x
- P/Tangible Book: 1.3x
- P/Cash flow :N/A
- Operating Margin: 32.61
- Net Profit Margin: 22.72
- ttm payout ratio: 20.4
- ROE: 8.93%
- Sales 5 year growth rate: -6.98%
- 5 year EPS growth rate: -1.49%
- 1 year EPS growth rate: 17.34%
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Cardinal Financial Corporation (CFNL):
Cardinal Financial Corporation is a financial holding company that owns Cardinal Bank which is a state-chartered community bank operating in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C. The company has 27 banking offices in the area. CFNL stock has experienced a run as of late (the stock offered investors a total shareholder return of 54% in 2012). The companies total assets increased 16.8% in 2012 to $3.04 billion. CFNL's loans also increased by double digits (10.5%) in 2012 to over $1.8 billion. Cardinal Financial's tangible common equity capital amounted to 9.4% of the company's total assets at the previous year's end. In 2012, the company also increased its net income by 61.8%, from $28 million is 2011 to $45.3 million. CFNL also posted record numbers in the ROA (1.7%) and ROE (16.02%) categories.
Since 2004, Cardinal Financial has provided investors with a 3.2% annualized shareholder rate or return. This more or less mirrors the S&P 500's 3.5% annualized rate of return over the same period of time. CFNL has shown great dividend growth in the recent past and no dividend decreases since its inception in 2004. In 2010, the company doubled its annual dividend payment from $0.04/share to $0.08/share. In 2011, Cardinal increased its divided by 50% and again in 2012 by 67%. The company has recently announced a 20% dividend increase to $0.06/share quarterly. CFNL goes ex-dividend on April 30.
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CFNL fundamentals:
- Current Yield: 1.6%
- P/E Multiple: 10.1x
- P/S: 2.9x
- P/Tangible Book: 1.5x
- P/Cash flow : 9.5x
- Operating Margin: 43.73%
- Net Profit Margin: 29.10%
- ttm payout ratio:15.3
- ROE: 15.48%
- Sales 5 year growth rate: 3.13%
- 5 year EPS growth rate: 53.16%
- 1 year EPS growth rate: 60.64%
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Susquehanna Bancshares (SUSQ):
Susquehanna Bancshares, Inc (SUSQ) is a financial holding company that operates through its subsidiaries in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The company manages more than 260 office locations in 40 counties and 4 states. Susquehanna now has a focus on the greater Philadelphia area where the company operates more than 60 branches with more than $3 billion in deposits. SUSQ had approximately $18 billion in total assets at year's end, 2012, making it the 35th largest commercial bank in the US.
Since 2008, the company has increased its capital ratios in all three tier 1 categories: leverage (8.97%), risk-weighted assets (11.37%), and total risk based capital (13.0%). SUSQ performed very well across the board in 2012. This performance is highlighted by a 93% in EPS from $0.40/share in 2011 to $0.77/share in 2012. The company's core revenue was up approximately 31% on the year. Net interest income was up 36% with core noninterest income having grown by 16%. As a part of this noninterest income, SUSQ hit an all-time high in regards to annual mortgage income in 2012. Susquehanna experienced net organic loan growth of $471 million (4.5%) in 2012. The company also managed to improve its net interest margin from 3.60% in 2011 to 4.01% in 2012.
Over the past 20 years, Susquehanna has provided investors with a 3.6% annualized rate of return. This is primarily due to the fact that the company lost over half of its market cap in the 2008 market crisis. As expected, during this crisis, SUSQ cut its dividend twice, -64% in 2009 and -89% in 2010. In 2008, the company was paying a $1.04/share annual dividend. In 2010, this figure was $0.04. Although, prior to the 2009 cut, the company had increased its dividend ever year since 1990 (this is as far back as my data goes). In 2011 and 2012, the company has increased its dividend 100% and 250% respectively. SUSQ recently announced a 14% quarterly dividend increase to $0.07/share. SUSQ went ex-dividend on April 26.
(click to enlarge)
SUSQ fundamentals:
- Current Yield: 2.76
- P/E Multiple: 15.2x
- P/S: 2.9x
- P/Tangible Book: 1.7x
- P/Cash flow : 10.5x
- Operating Margin: 26.91%
- Net Profit Margin: 18.62%
- ttm payout ratio: 36.4
- ROE: 5.90%
- Sales 5 year growth rate: 6.20%
- 5 year EPS growth rate: -8.90%
- 1 year EPS growth rate: 91.71%
(click to enlarge)
All research for this article was performed using the above companies' Q1 earnings reports, 2012 annual shareholder reports, dividend history tabs on their investor relations webpages, and F.A.S.T. Graphs.
Disclosure: I am long WFC. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
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NBA player's historical announcement
National Basketball Association center Jason Collins on Monday became the first male professional athlete in a major US team sport to reveal that he is gay.
In a lengthy post co-written with Sports Illustrated reporter Frank Lidz, Collins writes that after years of hiding his sexuality, March?s Supreme Court oral hearings pushed him to come out of the closet.
?Less than three miles from my apartment, nine jurists argued about my happiness and my future. Here was my chance to be heard, and I couldn?t say a thing,? Collins wrote.
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Collins, who played for the Washington Wizards this year, waited until the season was over so as to not be a distraction to the team. Then he contacted Sports Illustrated through his agents to make the disclosure, according to an accompanying article.
?I?m glad I?m coming out in 2013 rather than 2003. The climate has shifted; public opinion as shifted. And yet we still have so much farther to go,? Collins concluded.
He is now a free agent but has said he wants to keep playing.
Will Collins?s move affect US public policy? To a certain extent, he is taking advantage of an existing trend toward more tolerance of gay rights in US public opinion. Earlier this month, an NBC/Wall Street Journal survey found 53 percent of respondents approving of gay marriage, up 2 percentage points from December.
The more personal gay rights appear to Americans, the more support for it seems to go. That?s what happened with Sen. Rob Portman (R) of Ohio, who announced in March that he has switched and now supports gay marriage, in part because his son is gay.
Collins? disclosure is likely to put wind in the sails of this trend, given the coverage it is likely to receive and the interest major league team sports generate in the US, indeed the world. He is a tough, veteran center who was an all-American at Stanford and a first-round draft pick of the Houston Rockets. He?s spent significant time playing for the New Jersey Nets and the Atlanta Hawks, with stops in Memphis, Minnesota, Boston, and now Washington along the way.
Of course, this trend is still partisan, and the Collins story may not change that. In the NBC poll, 73 percent of Democrats and 54 percent of independents approved of gay marriage, while 66 percent of Republicans opposed it.
Collins was a roommate of Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D) of Massachusetts in college. Kennedy has already issued a statement of support for Collins and invited him to march in the 2013 Gay Pride parade in Boston.
Ex-President Bill Clinton was also quick to weigh in, as Collins was also a classmate and friend of daughter Chelsea at Stanford.
?Jason?s announcement today is an important moment for professional sports and in the history of the LGBT community,? said Clinton?s statement in part.
Clinton also said he hoped that the larger NBA community would accept Collins for who he is. Notably, Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tweeted on Monday that he was ?proud? of Collins.
?Don?t suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others,? Bryant tweeted.
The effect of the Collins announcement would be more pronounced if other male pro athletes follow his example. Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, who is straight but has expressed support for gay rights, has said that there are as many as four NFL players who he knows to be gay, and that they have been discussing coming out as a group.
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/nbas-jason-collins-comes-does-mean-gay-rights-171515452.html
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Obama taps Foxx - NC mayor - to run Transportation
FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2012 file photo, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate Foxx as his new transportation secretary, a White House official said Sunday, April 28, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - In this Sept. 4, 2012 file photo, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx addresses the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. President Barack Obama on Monday will nominate Foxx as his new transportation secretary, a White House official said Sunday, April 28, 2013. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama on Monday tapped rising Democratic politician Anthony Foxx to lead the Department of Transportation, an agency at the center of Washington's fiscal fights.
Foxx, the mayor of Charlotte, N.C., is the first black nominee among the president's picks for open spots in his second term Cabinet. The president had faced questions, including from the Congressional Black Caucus, about a lack of diversity in his first round of nominations after winning re-election.
Obama said that as a mayor, Foxx knows how to use infrastructure spending to create jobs and boost economic growth. The White House cited Foxx's work on Charlotte's electric tram service, an expansion of a light rail system and the opening of a third runway at the city's airport as experience that qualifies him for the Cabinet post.
"Charlotte made one of the largest investments in transportation," Obama said during a nomination ceremony in the East Room of the White House. "All of that has not only helped create new jobs, it's helped Charlotte become more attractive to business."
Foxx, 41, has served as Charlotte's mayor since 2009. He bolstered his national profile last year when his city hosted the Democratic Party's national convention.
Among those in the audience for the East Room ceremony was Foxx's grandmother, who worked in the White House during the Truman administration.
If confirmed by the Senate, Foxx will take over the Transportation Department from outgoing Secretary Ray LaHood, a rare Republican serving in a Democratic administration. In a nod to his predecessor, Foxx said, "there is no such thing as a Democratic or Republican road, bridge, port airfield or rail system. We must work together across party lines to enhance this nation's infrastructure."
The Transportation Department has been at the center of Washington's most recent fight over the so-called sequester cuts. The automatic cuts resulted in furloughs for air traffic controllers that spurred delays at many airports, angering both lawmakers and the public.
Congress reached a deal last week to provide the Transportation Department flexibility that allowed it to end the air traffic controller furloughs
Obama is also close to announcing his picks for two other Cabinet-level posts. Longtime Obama fundraiser and hotel heiress Penny Pritzker is the leading candidate to run the Commerce Department, and White House international economic adviser Michael Froman is the top choice to be the next U.S. Trade Representative.
_
Follow Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC
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Respect women's choice to have home birth: doctors
By Genevra Pittman
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Although hospitals and birthing centers are the safest places to have a baby, pediatricians said today that women who choose to give birth at home should be supported and that setting made as safe as possible, as well.
Planned home birthing, they said, may be an option for healthy moms-to-be who are due to have a single, on-time baby. A certified nurse-midwife, midwife or doctor should be present and a previous agreement made with a nearby hospital in case transfer is needed, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement.
Its Committee on Fetus and Newborn wrote Monday that less than 1 percent of all births in the U.S. are homebirths, but that rate has been increasing among white women in recent years.
"The experience of having a baby is very different at home than it might be in a birthing center or a hospital," said Dr. Kristi Watterberg, the policy statement's lead author and a pediatrician and neonatologist at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.
"We would like to help foster professional interactions and support systems that could make every baby's chances the best they can be."
The issue remains hotly debated, but evidence suggests that most home deliveries go well. Home births have been linked to about one extra infant death for every 1,000 live births, according to the statement published in Pediatrics. Past reports suggest between 10 and 40 percent of women are transferred to a hospital before delivery due to unexpected complications - but most of those aren't emergency transfers, Watterberg noted.
It's not completely clear what's responsible for the small increase in deaths among home-birthed babies, said neonatologist Dr. Michael Malloy, from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.
His own research has suggested close to half of babies who don't survive a home birth had a birth defect, but some may also die from asphyxia - and could have been saved with faster help.
The new statement is in line with a 2011 committee opinion from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), which said it "respects the right of a woman to make a medically informed decision about delivery."
Watterberg said that because there are such strong emotions around the topic of home birth, women have to make sure they sort through those different views carefully.
"It's important, as a potential mother, to make sure that your care provider understands what your thoughts are, what your position is, and that you in turn understand what to expect from either a hospital delivery or a home delivery," she told Reuters Health.
There are some instances in which a home birth might not be the best idea, Watterberg added, such as for women who don't live near a hospital - or if there's a blizzard in the forecast.
HOSPITAL RISKS
Mairi Rothman, a midwife, said one of the problems with the debate on home birth is that people aren't talking about the risks that come with delivering in the hospital.
"For example, you have a much higher risk of having cesarean (section) in the hospital, you have a much higher risk of having anesthesia," said Rothman, who serves on the board of directors of the American College of Nurse-Midwives.
At home, she told Reuters Health, "there's no hospital-acquired infection, there's no mixing your baby up with another baby, there's much more support (for breastfeeding)."
Rothman said the data suggesting home births result in more infant deaths are skewed by the inclusion of babies that were born at home accidentally - such as when a woman goes into labor prematurely or didn't know she was pregnant.
"I can tell you with complete confidence, there is nothing in a birth center that I don't bring to a home birth," she said - including resuscitation equipment, oxygen, sutures and an IV set-up.
"What we're essentially doing is setting up a birth center in someone's home."
Malloy, who wasn't part of the AAP committee, said he agrees with the gist of the statement.
"It still allows for the woman to make her own decision, but hopefully it's an informed decision," he told Reuters Health.
"I don't think the intent here is necessarily to scare women off from having a home delivery, but they just need to be aware of the risks associated with doing so."
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/cxXOG Pediatrics, online April 29, 2013.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/respect-womens-choice-home-birth-doctors-040913138.html
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Monday, April 29, 2013
Do you fear you are missing out?
Apr. 29, 2013 ? Does checking Twitter and Facebook to see what your friends are up to make you feel like you are missing out on all the fun? Researchers have come up with a way of measuring the modern day concept of the "fear of missing out" (FoMO).
The rise in social media, where we can keep up-to-date with each other's every movements like never before, has led to the hidden curse of the "fear of missing out."
A relatively new concept, FoMO is a concern people have that others may be having more fun and rewarding experiences than them and is characterised as the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing.
Now, researchers at the University of Essex have devised a way of measuring FoMO for the first time, providing a reliable measure of what people are experiencing.
The research, to be published in the July issue of the journal Computers in Human Behavior, is the first study to delve deeper into the fear of missing out phenomenon, which only came to light about three years ago as social media become ever-more accessible with the increase in smart phones.
As lead researcher and psychologist Dr Andy Przybylski explained, the fear of missing out is not new, but the rise is social media offers a window into other people's lives like never before. The problem for people with a high level of FoMO is they may become so involved is seeing what their friends are doing and they are not, they often ignore what they are actually enjoying themselves.
"I find Facebook rewarding to use, but how we are using social media is changing," explained Dr Przybylski. "It is no longer something we have to sit at a computer and log into as we have access all the time on our phones. It is easier to get into the rhythm of other people's lives that ever before as we get alerts and texts.
"We have to learn new skills to control our usage and enjoy social media in moderation. Until we do, it creates a double-edged sword aspect to social media."
The research team, which included academics from the University of California and University of Rochester in the United States, devised a way of measuring an individual's level of FoMO. Take a version of the test yourself to see what your level of FoMO is compared to the people taking part in the study at www.ratemyfomo.com.
The research found that people aged under 30 were more affected than others from the fear of missing out. This group saw social media as an important tool for them and they were more dependent on social media as part of their social development.
Dr Przybylski explained that social factors are also important. The research also found if people's "psychological needs were deprived" they were more likely to seek out social media and FoMO bridged that gap, explaining why people were using social media more than others.
To see what effect FoMO had on people's lives, the researchers found that those with a high level of fear of missing out were more likely to give into the temptation of composing and checking text messages and e-mails whilst driving, were more likely to get distracted by social media during university lectures, and had more mixed feelings about their social media use.
The researchers hope this will study will prompt more investigation into the fear of missing out and how it affects on people's wellbeing.
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Essex, via AlphaGalileo.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Andrew K. Przybylski, Kou Murayama, Cody R. DeHaan, Valerie Gladwell. Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behavior, 2013; 29 (4): 1841 DOI: 10.1016/j.chb.2013.02.014
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/living_well/~3/6ffp7vV7Vxc/130429094949.htm
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Manchin: Gun bill to be reintroduced
WASHINGTON (AP) ? One of the architects of failed gun control legislation says he's bringing it back.
Sen. Joe Manchin on Sunday said he would re-introduce a measure that would require criminal and mental health background checks for gun buyers at shows and online. The West Virginia Democrat says that if lawmakers read the bill, they will support it.
Manchin sponsored a previous version of the measure with Republican Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania. It failed.
Manchin says there was confusion over what was in the bill.
In the wake of last year's school shooting in Newtown, Conn., Congress took up gun control legislation, but it was blocked by supporters of the powerful pro-gun lobby, the National Rifle Association.
Manchin appeared on "Fox News Sunday."
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/manchin-gun-bill-reintroduced-170200855.html
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Chris Christie says Obama 'kept every promise' on storm aid
HIGHLANDS, N.J. (AP) ? New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that President Barack Obama "has kept every promise he's made" about helping the state recover from Superstorm Sandy.
Speaking on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program on the 6-month anniversary of the deadly storm, the Republican governor said presidential politics were the last thing on his mind as he toured storm-devastated areas with Obama last fall.
"The president has kept every promise he's made," said Christie, widely considered a potential candidate for the republican presidential nomination in 2016. "I think he's done a good job. He kept his word."
Christie's warm embrace of Obama after the storm angered some Republicans, who said it helped tip a close presidential election to the Democrat and away from Mitt Romney, who Christie endorsed and for whom he campaigned last fall.
Christie says he and Obama have fundamentally different views on governing. But he said the two men did what needed to be done for a devastated region.
"I've got a job to do," he said. "You wake up and 7 million of your 8.8 million citizens are out of power, you're not thinking about presidential politics."
Christie challenged his critics to put themselves in his shoes while dealing with the massive storm, predicting none of them would have done anything differently.
"I have a 95 percent level of disagreement with Barack Obama," Christie said. But that did not come into play while dealing with the storm.
"We saw suffering together," Christie said. "Everything the president promised me they'd do, they've done. I don't have any complaint this morning on the issue of disaster relief."
Sandy destroyed about 360,000 homes or apartment units in New Jersey, and some areas along the shore are still devastated.
Later Monday, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan is to appear with Christie at a press conference, where it is expected the secretary will announce federal approval of New Jersey's plans to spend more than $1.8 billion in federal grants on storm rebuilding and recovery.
"We'll start to see that aid start flowing this week," Christie said on the show. "We still have tens of thousands of families who aren't back in their homes. Job One is to get the grant program going."
Congress approved more than $60 billion in Sandy relief funds, most of it for New Jersey and New York, despite opposition from many Congressional Republicans who wanted to spend less.
___
Wayne Parry can be reached at http://twitter.com/WayneParryAC
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/christie-obama-kept-every-promise-storm-aid-115719276.html
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Share the vision of joining in | Surf Coast Times ? Bellarine Times ...
Legally blind Patsy Barton, 83, is helped by Vision Australia support worker Marg Tozer to make a woollen scarf.
Vision Australia will showcase its services at an open day in Geelong next month. The five-hour event will promote the non-profit organisation?s services.
Vision Australia encourages those who are blind, sighted or have low vision to participate to their potential within their community. There will be service information, displays, demonstrations, clients, staff and volunteers in Vision Australia who will be available for questions.
Vision Australia information library services will be present to discuss talking books, magazines and other information. Displays include recreation options, adaptive technology, orientation and mobility, Seeing Eye Dogs Australia, orthoptics and children?s services.
Visitors can view the Geelong Vision Australia Radio studio.
This broadcasts on 99.5FM ? where volunteers work to provide a very valuable service to people who are blind, have low vision or are print handicapped.
The Geelong Macular Support Group will meet for their ?bring your own lunch? meeting from noon-12.30pm and the door is open for anyone interested to join them. From 12.45-1.45pm, there will be a presentation on DisabilityCare Australia (the new name for the National Disability Insurance Scheme), followed by a presentation on adaptive technology.
The Vision Australia open day will be held at 79 High Street, Belmont from 10am-3pm on May 3. For more information, call Noel on 5249 2701.
Source: http://www.surfcoasttimes.com.au/news/community/2013/04/29/share-the-vision-of-joining-in/
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TODAY.com: The Scoop
The onetime "Dancing With the Stars" contender is single and looking forward to taking a woman dancing.]]>
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The daughter of the former Alaska governor says a well-publicized bar fight was a turning point.]]>
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The romantic awkwardness the actor displayed as Harry Potter wasn't much of a stretch, apparently.]]>
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Weeks into her global publicity tour for "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," the actress continues to brandish one perfect outfit after another.]]>
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Despite talk that the couple is working toward a reconciliation, People magazine puts a finger on what's really happening.]]>
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"When I?m at the greatest odds with my body, it?s usually because I feel my body's betraying me," the actress tells Harper's Bazaar.]]>
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Us Weekly is going big with the story that the "Sexy Back" singer asked the actress to marry him last month in the moutains of Wyoming.]]>
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The actor is plenty busy, so maybe that's why he was caught off guard by news that "Phantom Menace" is coming back to theaters.]]>
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While some people spent 2011 "winning," GTL-ing and marrying (and quickly divorcing), there were events in pop culture happening under a much dimmer spotlight.]]>
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Designer Loree Rodkin tells Us Weekly that Erin Brady's brilliant-cut diamond is indeed an actual engagement ring.]]>
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The singer says she went looking for weed in Las Vegas but was "handed a load of crack" and that spelled doom for her 16-day marriage.]]>
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One of the "gifts" we receive each holiday season is that of a slow news cycle. So, is Steven Tyler engaged? And are Katy Perry and Russell Brand about to split?]]>
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There are now two candidates in the race for best imitator of onetime vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin: Tina Fey and Julianne Moore. Who gets your vote?]]>
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The Hollywood Reporter puts the spotlight on some of the key players in entertainment ? the actors who took risks, saved shows and made the biggest splash in pop culture.]]>
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The actor got a taste of what it's really like to tempt the waves at Northern California's legendary Mavericks surf spot.]]>
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The actor got into an intense verbal altercation at LAX with actress Maria Conchita Alonso after she confronted him about his politics.]]>
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The former "Dancing With the Stars" contestant and fiancee Jennifer Elia are no longer a couple, TMZ reports.]]>
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Rooney Mara talks Golden Globe surprise and tells Ann Curry that her massive commitment to the new film stems from reading the books.]]>
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Jos? Angel Santana gave the "127 Hours" star a D in "Directing the Actor II," and has filed a lawsuit after being terminated.]]>
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Jason Trawick has asked for Spears' hand in marriage but not without much fanfare over where, when and how it all would go down. We don't find this very engaging.]]>
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He's played super spy James Bond, but for "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," Daniel Craig told TODAY's Matt Lauer that he shifted gears to play an average joe journalist.]]>
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For the first time in two years, Sandra Bullock stars in a major film, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." However, if fans of Bullock's head to theaters expecting to see the actress in every scene, they might be disappointed.]]>
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The "We Bought a Zoo" star joined TODAY's Matt Lauer to discuss his slithery aversion, shaved head and not getting too sweet.]]>
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Source: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21455171/device/rss/rss.xml
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