Buffett: No change in succession plan

By msnbc.com news services

Now is a good time to buy a home and finance it with a 30-year mortgage, says Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway chairman/CEO. Buffett discusses why he wants to invest in more businesses, explains why he bought eight European stocks at the end of 2011 ...

Billionaire investor Warren Buffett says Berkshire Hathaway's plan at some point to replace him hasn't really changed.

Buffett said on CNBC Monday that the new language he used to describe the succession plan in his annual letter to Berkshire shareholders wasn't a sign of change. The 81-year-old says he was trying to clarify the plan.

He said in his letter released Saturday that Berkshire's board had chosen someone to succeed him as CEO someday, and it has two backup candidates. Previously, Buffett had said only that the company had three internal candidates. None of them have been identified.

Buffett said the board has always had a preferred candidate and two backups.

He also said the unemployment rate, currently at around?8.3 percent,?is unlikely to tick back up to 9 percent.

Buffett said Berkshire's businesses not related to housing are hiring and Berkshire as a whole is likely to have more employees at year's end than at the start of the year.?

He said?last year's departure of a top executive, David Sokol, did not affect the board's choice for successor. Nor had Sokol been his designated successor, he added.

An investigation into?Sokol over stock trading while he was at the company appears to be ongoing. Sokol, one of Buffett's star lieutenants and long presumed to be his successor, left Berkshire last year amid questions of improper stock trading.

The episode prompted inquiries from securities regulators and was a black mark on Buffett's track record, but there was no mention at all in his summation of the year.

Buffett's comments on Saturday about the hunt for his successor helped to ease some shareholder concern about the future of the company once the famed 81-year-old investor steps down as chief executive.

While Buffett is in his 80s, he is known to be in good health and has made clear he does not plan to step down from running the company any time soon.

Buffett has been at the helm of Berkshire for 47 years. He controls a conglomerate that employs more than 270,000 people worldwide in dozens of businesses ranging from railroads and electric utilities to ice cream and underwear.

Buffett also said?newspapers need to stop giving away their product for free online, but they will have a decent future if they continue delivering information that can't be found elsewhere.

Buffett talked about the news business on CNBC Monday because his Berkshire Hathaway owns two newspapers and has a sizeable investment in the Washington Post Co.

Buffett said newspapers face challenges because of competition from Internet news sources and the rising cost of newsprint. He said newspapers need to make sure they remain the primary source of information about subjects readers are interested in.

He was being interviewed in front of the Omaha World-Herald's printing presses. Buffett's Berkshire bought the World-Herald late last year.

Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/02/27/10517262-warren-buffett-weve-always-had-a-preferred-successor

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Work-focused psychotherapy can help employees return to work sooner

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 27-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Audrey Hamilton
ahamilton@apa.org
202-336-5706
American Psychological Association

Speedy return to work did not weaken mental recovery, according to new study

WASHINGTON Employees on sick leave with common mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety fully returned to work sooner when therapy deals with work-related problems and how to get back on the job, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

Employees who received this therapy and returned to work sooner did not suffer adverse effects and showed significant improvement in mental health over the course of one year, according to the article, published online in APA's Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

"People with depression or anxiety may take a lot of sick leave to address their problems," said the study's lead author, Suzanne Lagerveld, of the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). "However, focusing on how to return to work is not a standard part of therapy. This study shows that integrating return-to-work strategies into therapy leads to less time out of work with little to no compromise in people's psychological well-being over the course of one year."

The study, conducted in the Netherlands, followed 168 employees, of whom 60 percent were women, on sick leave due to psychological problems such as anxiety, adjustment disorder and minor depression. Seventy-nine employees from a variety of jobs received standard, evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy, while the rest received cognitive-behavioral therapy that included a focus on work and the process of returning to work.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that people's thoughts, rather than external factors such as people, situations or events, cause feelings and behaviors. Cognitive-behavioral therapists encourage their clients to change the way they think in order to feel better even if the situation does not change. Behavioral techniques such as gradual exposure to difficult situations are often used within cognitive-behavioral therapy.

In the work-focused group, psychotherapists addressed work issues in an early phase and used work and the workplace as mechanisms or context to improve the client's mental health. For example, therapists consistently explained to their clients how work can offer structure and self-esteem, characteristics beneficial to clients' recovery. They also helped clients draft a detailed, gradual plan for returning to work, focusing on how the client would engage in specific tasks and activities.

Clients in both groups received treatment for about 12 sessions over an average of six months. The researchers checked in with them at three-month intervals for one year, shortly before treatment began.

Those in the work-focused group fully returned to work on average 65 days earlier than the participants in the standard therapy group, and they started a partial return to work 12 days earlier. Those in the work-focused therapy engaged in more steps to fully return to work, gradually increasing their hours and duties. Almost all the participants in the study 99 percent had at least partially returned to work at the one-year follow-up. Most participants resumed work gradually, with only 7 percent going directly from full sick leave to full-time work.

All participants had fewer mental health problems over the course of treatment, no matter which type of therapy they received, with the most dramatic decrease in symptoms occurring in the first few months.

"Being out of work has a direct effect on people's well-being. Those who are unable to participate in work lose a valuable source of social support and interpersonal contacts," said Lagerveld. "They might lose part of their income and consequently tend to develop even more psychological symptoms. We've demonstrated that employees on sick leave with mental disorders can benefit from interventions that enable them to return to work."

The savings to an employer whose employee went back to work earlier was estimated at 20 percent, which amounted to about a $5,275 gain in U.S. dollars per employee, according to the article. This was based solely on wages paid during sick leave and did not include additional costs of productivity loss and hiring replacements.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 154,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

###

Article: "Work-Focused Treatment of Common Mental Disorders and Return to Work: A Comparative Outcome Study," Suzanne E. Lagerveld, MS, and Roland W. B. Blonk, PhD, TNO Quality of Life/Work & Employment Hoofddorp, The Netherlands; Veerle Brenninkmeijer, PhD, Leoniek Wijngaards-de Meij, PhD, and Wilmar B. Schaufeli, PhD, Utrecht University; Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, online.

Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office and at http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/ocp-ofp-lagerveld.pdf.

Suzanne Lagerveld can be contacted at +31-888665265 or suzanne.lagerveld@tno.nl.


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?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 27-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Audrey Hamilton
ahamilton@apa.org
202-336-5706
American Psychological Association

Speedy return to work did not weaken mental recovery, according to new study

WASHINGTON Employees on sick leave with common mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety fully returned to work sooner when therapy deals with work-related problems and how to get back on the job, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.

Employees who received this therapy and returned to work sooner did not suffer adverse effects and showed significant improvement in mental health over the course of one year, according to the article, published online in APA's Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.

"People with depression or anxiety may take a lot of sick leave to address their problems," said the study's lead author, Suzanne Lagerveld, of the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO). "However, focusing on how to return to work is not a standard part of therapy. This study shows that integrating return-to-work strategies into therapy leads to less time out of work with little to no compromise in people's psychological well-being over the course of one year."

The study, conducted in the Netherlands, followed 168 employees, of whom 60 percent were women, on sick leave due to psychological problems such as anxiety, adjustment disorder and minor depression. Seventy-nine employees from a variety of jobs received standard, evidence-based cognitive-behavioral therapy, while the rest received cognitive-behavioral therapy that included a focus on work and the process of returning to work.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the idea that people's thoughts, rather than external factors such as people, situations or events, cause feelings and behaviors. Cognitive-behavioral therapists encourage their clients to change the way they think in order to feel better even if the situation does not change. Behavioral techniques such as gradual exposure to difficult situations are often used within cognitive-behavioral therapy.

In the work-focused group, psychotherapists addressed work issues in an early phase and used work and the workplace as mechanisms or context to improve the client's mental health. For example, therapists consistently explained to their clients how work can offer structure and self-esteem, characteristics beneficial to clients' recovery. They also helped clients draft a detailed, gradual plan for returning to work, focusing on how the client would engage in specific tasks and activities.

Clients in both groups received treatment for about 12 sessions over an average of six months. The researchers checked in with them at three-month intervals for one year, shortly before treatment began.

Those in the work-focused group fully returned to work on average 65 days earlier than the participants in the standard therapy group, and they started a partial return to work 12 days earlier. Those in the work-focused therapy engaged in more steps to fully return to work, gradually increasing their hours and duties. Almost all the participants in the study 99 percent had at least partially returned to work at the one-year follow-up. Most participants resumed work gradually, with only 7 percent going directly from full sick leave to full-time work.

All participants had fewer mental health problems over the course of treatment, no matter which type of therapy they received, with the most dramatic decrease in symptoms occurring in the first few months.

"Being out of work has a direct effect on people's well-being. Those who are unable to participate in work lose a valuable source of social support and interpersonal contacts," said Lagerveld. "They might lose part of their income and consequently tend to develop even more psychological symptoms. We've demonstrated that employees on sick leave with mental disorders can benefit from interventions that enable them to return to work."

The savings to an employer whose employee went back to work earlier was estimated at 20 percent, which amounted to about a $5,275 gain in U.S. dollars per employee, according to the article. This was based solely on wages paid during sick leave and did not include additional costs of productivity loss and hiring replacements.

The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world's largest association of psychologists. APA's membership includes more than 154,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

###

Article: "Work-Focused Treatment of Common Mental Disorders and Return to Work: A Comparative Outcome Study," Suzanne E. Lagerveld, MS, and Roland W. B. Blonk, PhD, TNO Quality of Life/Work & Employment Hoofddorp, The Netherlands; Veerle Brenninkmeijer, PhD, Leoniek Wijngaards-de Meij, PhD, and Wilmar B. Schaufeli, PhD, Utrecht University; Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, online.

Full text of the article is available from the APA Public Affairs Office and at http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/ocp-ofp-lagerveld.pdf.

Suzanne Lagerveld can be contacted at +31-888665265 or suzanne.lagerveld@tno.nl.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/apa-wpc022712.php

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Offline Business- Online Marketing. | meltinyourmouthbbqribs.com

The internet continues to revolutionize the way people do business especially through online marketing. In time, the internet has slowly become friendlier to small businesses. It is no longer necessary to have an intensive capital outlay that is only accessible to large companies and multinationals to enjoy the benefits of online marketing. There are many tools available for use by almost anyone with a basic appreciation of how the internet works.

Low overall costs, high speed of dispatch of promotional materials, and the ease of updating promotional materials are some of the benefits of online marketing. Online marketing also makes targeted marketing much easier.

The internet makes sending out promotional messages very cost effective. This comes from the fact that there is no cost of transport and postage apart from very nominal internet connection fees. At the simplest, a business person can send out thousands of generic emails to a set of target customers without involving any other person in the process. The efficiency of this process far exceeds any other medium currently available for promotion.

The next advantage of online marketing is the high speed of dispatch of materials. Unlike old fashioned promotional methods such as the use of newspapers and magazines, radio and television, the internet allows businesses to send out materials very fast. There are no time slot limits and there are is no limitation based on circulation.

Online marketing makes it easy for business people to update their promotional materials in line with their existing inventory thirdly. The chances of getting orders that they cannot fulfill because of lack of stock it reduces. Because the consumer always knows what the prevailing price is at the time of placing the order in addition, this reduces the conflicts that arise when there are price changes.

Various tools are available for online. These include websites, emails, social media approaches and use of multimedia techniques. On the overall marketing strategy these tools are available for use in any online marketing campaign depending. Websites offer a business the chance to, ?state their case?. A business, large or small can use their website to provide product information, receive orders, execute public relations and for brand building activities in this sense. It may help to maintain a blog to encourage interactive participation of customers in the activities of the company in addition. For sending marketing materials relating periodical offers, product information and is also a viable avenue for receiving orders email is available. To produce and upload unlike the use of television, internet marketing videos are available on demand and are far much cheaper.

Social media has becoming an important way through which a business can reach its customers in the last few years. Based in their collective interests many people use social media platforms to keep in touch with their friends and acquaintances. It has therefore become an important way of accessing segments of people with common interest. Why businesses of all sizes should not take advantage of online marketing opportunities clearly, there is no reason.

Article by Cliff Schubert of QuantumMarketer. For more information on small business marketing article and dental marketing consultant, visit his site today.

Source: http://www.meltinyourmouthbbqribs.com/offline-business-online-marketing/

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Aviano at Desert Ridge Review | Home And Family

Aviano at Desert Ridge is a good place to live at. It is a master planned community which is located in North Phoenix, South of Pinnacle Peak Road. There are many great things that Aviano offers you. The land is 5, 7000 acre and was started in the late 1990s. This community features Desert Ridge Aviano and Fireside at Desert Ridge. The current population is just over 6, 000 and about 30% of the residents are under 18. There are many great facilities that you can get here which make living in Aviano at Desert Ridge is such a wise choice to make.

One of the facilities that you can enjoy is the public Wildfire Golf Club. It is located in the Desert Ridge Marriot Resort and has two golf courses, namely Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course and Nick Faldo Championship Course. This is indeed a luxurious community built by the Toll Brothers which is composed of town homes and single family house. The Villages at Aviano are a collection of Tuscan style town homes with 1-2 and 3 bedroom units. The price ranges from $225,000 to over $450,000, while the single family Tuscan and Spanish Colonial style semi-custom homes range from roughly $500,000 for about 2200 square feet to around $1,300,000 for 4000 plus square feet. There are a lot of great deals in Aviano right now especially through some of the short sales and lender owned properties that are currently on the market.

Comments are closed.

Source: http://www.proctrust.org/504-aviano-at-desert-ridge-review.html

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Confused? Facebook Suggests Help Center Answers In-Line About Your Current Page

Facebook In-Line Help Center Suggestions DoneFacebook is complicated, but most users don't have the patience to dig through the Help Center to find answers. But thanks to a brilliant new update Facebook is testing, they won't have to. I just discovered that for some users, clicking "Help" in the Account drop-down atop any Facebook page now shows Help topics relevant to the page you're viewing. Instead of directing you to the Help Center, answers open right in the drop-down. Facebook can expect fewer users bouncing out of frustration, and you can expect fewer customer service calls from your parents.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/-0y3amgFJ3o/

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Bathroom Remodeling: The Small Changes ? General Home ...

A new remodeling project can be an intimidating prospect. In advance of taking the leap, you may want to consider making minor changes first as they may prove just as effective as a complete redesign in addressing your concerns. Consider these small bathroom remodeling options before undergoing a more extensive home remodeling process.

1. ?The Bathtub and Shower

The bathtub and shower areas top the list of areas of concern with homeowners. More extravagant upgrades include things like large jacuzzi spa tubs, multi-head showers, and steam rooms. But a quick and relatively inexpensive way to freshen the appearance of your bathtub or shower is by refinishing to conceal surface damage and discoloration and updating your fixtures: shower head, faucet, taps, and accessories. Talk to your Austin bathroom remodeling company to discern the best approach to achieve your update goals.

2. ?Paint

A room?s light exposure and paint color can greatly affect how you feel in the room as well as change your perception of the dimensions of it. Lighter, cool colors often make a space appear larger while darker, warm colors make it seem smaller and more cozy. Pattern is also something to consider. Vertical stripes can ?heighten the appearance of the room. And various surface techniques can add depth. Sometime colors have social or cultural implications that may need to be considered as well. It is important to identify what your ultimate goal is when painting the room. This helps to narrow the options and focus you on only the appropriate choices which is a good thing given how overwhelming the prospect of color selection can be.

3. ?Cabinetry

Bathroom cabinetry is an economical update opportunity that doesn?t typically take too much time. Cabinets are the ?face? of the room and are extremely instrumental in creating the feel of the room. ?Consider re-facing them, repainting them, or finding some stylish new pulls to update them.

4. ?Decor

While decor falls under the category of interior design rather than home remodeling, taking the time to update the decor is a very simple way to greatly enhance your bathroom. Changing out the vanity mirror is a great first step and there is an endless supply of stylish options available to you. Keep in mind that a larger sized mirror will visually expand the space and will make the room lighter. Adding artwork to the wall is a nice touch as is updating rugs, towels, and accessories.

For larger scale projects, consult with a professional Austin, Texas general contractor and home builder to fully explore your options. Marsh-Vorspan Partners has served Austin homeowners for over 30 years with bathroom, kitchen, and home remodeling projects. They can guide you in assessing your remodel goals and the most effective and equitable options.

Source: http://wasatyah.net/bathroom-remodeling-the-small-changes/

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The Easy Way To Use Green Cleaning In Home Improvement Green ...

All niche audiences congregate in certain places, and we have visited lots of sites where it has been the topic of much discussion. While that is all happening, maybe people are becoming more aware of what is going on and why it matters so much. The devil is in the details ? that is extremely true in our experience, and apparently the same in many people who have come before us. As you know, this is a broad topic of discussion, and that is why it will be helpful for you to think in broad terms.

There is bound to be a minimum of several points well worth reflecting on, so maintain a positive mindset.

You can take on a lot of different home improvement projects, if you so choose. If you really want to improve the worth and appearance of your home, however, the first place you are probably going to start is with a thorough cleaning. You should realize by now, that the traditional cleaners you have been using are harming your home with all of the chemicals being pumped into the air.

This is why one of the best home improvement methods you can choose is to switch to green cleaning techniques. Some of the methods of green cleaning that you learn about in this article, can add to your home?s value.

It is possible to clean your mirrors and windows without using ammonia-based cleansers. Many people use Windex, and this company doesn?t want you to know this information. In regard to your lungs, ammonia is detrimental. Clean shiny windows are great to have, but not at the expense of your health; ammonia-based products can do you great harm. You can do green cleaning and have sparkling windows. But how? All you have to do to go green is use lemon juice with water. Half a gallon of water, along with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice, will be all that you need. Mix well. You just need to clean your mirrors and windows after spraying this mixture from a plastic spray bottle. It is important to not use paper towels. Instead, use a soft cotton rag and wipe the cleanser off of the windows ? this is much more environmentally friendly. Did you ever consider or think you would find as much information on with as you have?

All you need to do is follow along because we have this plus much more in store. But be careful about dismissing anything too fast if at first glance it seems like it does not apply to you.

Everything is related in one way or another, and that is part of the beauty of it all. We make a suggestion here and there, and what we are trying to do is spark your own creative thinking. This is truly exciting stuff, and it will get even better later on as you finish the article.

We have received lots of feedback about it, and one common thing is people easily get overwhelmed with all the information ? but no worries, we know you can handle it with ease.

Replacing your existing paint with low or no VOC paint is a great environmental move for you and your family. Volatile Organic Compounds is what the acronym VOC stands for. These are compounds that form vapors at room temperatures and can contribute quite a bit to indoor air pollution. They are also terrible for the environment because the indoor pollution doesn?t stay indoors ? it goes outside and contributes to the smog in your neighborhood. This risk is now limited due to low VOC limitations for paint that is manufactured today. Just make sure that the VOCs haven?t been replaced with other toxic chemicals. To truly protect yourself stick with paints from Dutch-Boy, Benjamin Moore and Bioshield Milk Paint.

Adding houseplants are the best form of green living you can get. The environment is enlivened with plants, but that is not all. To keep the air fresh in your home, plants act as purifiers. There are various plants that work best for cleaning the air, and they are English Ivy, rubber plants, spider plants and peace lilies. The more oxygen the air has the better it is for health, and that is what these plants do. Eighteen plants will work better than twelve if your house is around 1800 square feet in size. Plants are much better environmentally in cleaning your home than air filters and purifiers.

It is important to clean everything up, so you know exactly what needs to be done for improvement of your home. It is hard to figure out why anyone would use cleaning products that hurt to even breathe in, when green cleaning products are healthy for the environment, safe for your family and clean just as well. These tips are a great place to start. There are plenty more, which you can find with some research.

Since you have your own particular reasons for learning about this, you can continue digging through the relevant literature. The range of all that is involved with it, though, would be a very difficult thing for anybody to foresee. That is what usually can cause certain issues to come into play. You have read the three points we have discussed, and it of course is prudent that you investigate further. Still, that should not be any kind of problem considering the vast expanse of the web. Be sure you only take solid information from trusted sources on the net because we all know how it is. We have all seen sites that sure looked pretty suspect with their content, and you always need to pay attention.

Source: http://www.scampsonline.org/the-easy-way-to-use-green-cleaning-in-home-improvementgreen-inexpensive-home-improvement-techniques-that-will-save-your-life-and-save-you-money/

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NRC officials doubted US claim on Japan crisis (AP)

[unable to retrieve full-text content]AP - Newly released transcripts show top Nuclear Regulatory Commission officials debated the accuracy of public statements made by the agency chairman about a pool holding spent fuel rods at a crippled Japan nuclear plant.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120221/ap_on_go_ot/us_japan_nuclear_crisis

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