Talend's recently published 2021 Data Health Survey1 demonstrates clearly that business leaders understand the importance of data -- two-thirds report that they work with data every day. Yet, 78% of executives say they face challenges using their data, and 36% say most of their decisions are not based on data. Companies know that the path to the future depends on using data, but despite years of investments in modern data infrastructure, they struggle to put that data to use.

To survive in today's economy, every organization must become a data company. This is easier said than done. Only half of executives highly rate their company's ability to deliver even the basics: timely, accessible, complete, and accurate data.

Data management companies have been offering to solve these problems for years, but their solutions are focused only on the mechanics of data. Focusing on simply moving and storing more data means some of the basic components of data management are lost -- where is data coming from? Who has access to it? How accurate is it? To become data-driven, leaders need to know more about their data.

"Our relationship with data is unhealthy. Only 40% of executives always trust the data they work with, and more than a third of executives are still making decisions based on gut instincts," says Christal Bemont, CEO, Talend. "The reality of data is falling well short of the industry's vision. Data management, which largely focuses on moving and storing data, doesn't consider the overall health of data. Therefore, in trying to manage data, companies are in fact creating digital landfills of corporate information. This must change. Our vision of data health is the future because it recognizes fundamental standards for quality and reliability are critical for corporate survival."

Talend envisions data health as a holistic system of preventative measures, effective treatments, and a supportive culture to manage the well-being of corporate information actively. Data health will include monitoring and reporting capabilities to help organizations understand and communicate -- in a quantifiable way -- the reliability, risk, and return of this highly critical business asset.

The data integrity and integration company's customers report that focusing on data health delivers positive business results. "Without access to quality data on time, we could have never achieved the scale of analytics we are currently in," says Ranadip Dutta, solution architect manager at Lenovo. "We now have flexibility along with scalability."

For more information on the Talend Data Health Survey and data health, click here.

From March 24th to April 8th, 2021, Talend led a survey via Qualtrics of 529 global executives -- with titles ranging from director to the C-suite -- from medium and large companies making more than $10 million in annual revenue to assess their ability to make data-driven decisions.

 "November 400CP Is Missing"
by Anderson Harp

The PT Chevron Pacific Gulfstream banks toward the north after lifting off from the international airport at Kuala Lumpur. The oil-exploration team has reason to celebrate: The new oil field outside of Minas will be the biggest reserve in the history of Indonesia. But suddenly the jet drops abruptly, then turns sharply west on a path similar to that of a well-known commercial airliner from the recent past, descends through radar coverage . . . and disappears.

 Marine lieutenant colonel and D.A. Will Parker hears from the wife of a former Marine buddy. Her husband is gone. The FBI and CIA are of little help, but it's an assignment Will can't refuse. Purchase at https://amzn.to/3tBRYj5.

 "Held in Slumber"
by Angela Parish

Will rest find you tonight? Gary, a high school art teacher, suffers from insomnia. For ten years he's been keeping the struggle alive for his missing sister Kelly, who disappeared without a trace. With the help of an experimental pill, he finds a dangerous connection between the living and dead -- caught in the clutches of his drug-induced dreams and corrupting him with visions of what really happened. Will the clues be enough?

Meanwhile, an FBI agent follows the tracks of a serial killer, and the closer he gets, the more intense Gary's dreams become. What he uncovers about Kelly disappearance and the person responsible for it is more than anyone could have imagined. Purchase at https://bit.ly/2Ppn2Uw.

"Three Groundbreaking Jewish Feminists"
by Sharon Leder

Three groundbreaking secular Jews -- women's historian Gerda Lerner, feminist Surrealist artist Susana Wald, and global ambassador Ruth W. Messinger -- respond with Jewish universal values to conflicts worldwide, from the Nazi Holocaust to 21st century genocides. Their lives raise the question: Is simultaneous commitment possible both to Jewish continuity and to helping non-Jewish strangers in need? Their lives illustrate how Jewish particularism exists to teach universalism.

For Jews and non-Jews, this book illuminates how universal values drive three women to become public about Jewish identity because they view the purpose of Jewish life to be alleviating inequity and suffering of all people. Purchase at https://amzn.to/3lYj4OU.

"The X Factor of Employee Engagement"
by Demi Gray

Demi Gray has dedicated much of her career to studying what makes employees tick and motivates them to optimum performance. This book takes readers through six key principles that serve as a frame of reference for attaining employee motivation: leadership influence, management support, applicable resources, flexibility and autonomy, recognition and proper compensation. The book is written for leaders who care about healthy workplace cultures, collaborative work environments, and committed team members."

 Says one reader, "The author is raising lots of valid points and important views on employee engagement and why it's beneficial in the workplace. I look forward to using this book as a team-building tool." Purchase at https://amzn.to/39dSsnU.

NOTE: BookTrib's Bites is presented by BookTrib.com 

If you own your home and have a mortgage, a cash-out refinancing option may be an easy way to have the money to tackle your home improvement project. Since interest rates are still quite low now may be a good time to tap into your home's equity. Many homeowners may not realize that cash-out refinancing can help fund these projects. A cash-out refinance is not a second mortgage. It is borrowing against the equity in your home or money you have already paid towards your mortgage. A cash-out refinance will require that you refinance your home most likely at a lower rate. The new loan amount will be slightly more than the remaining balance of your home because it will include the amount of cash you take out for you or your family.

Cash-out refinancing is beneficial because it can increase monthly cash flow and allow you to make good use of the funds you take out, according to Freedom Mortgage, one of the nation's full-service mortgage lending company and a leader in FHA and VA loans according to Inside Mortgage Finance, 2020.

The benefits of cash-out refinancing aren't limited to home improvements. Funds from a cash-out refinancing also can be used to pay for a college education or to consolidate high-interest debts at a lower interest rate. Homeowners can typically borrow up to 80% of the value of their homes without paying the private mortgage insurance (PMI) required by some lending situations. That means if you have more than 20% equity in your home, you can use that equity to get cash now.

To help homeowners explore their options and determine how much cash they can obtain, Freedom Mortgage offers a free cash-out refinancing calculator that enables the user to determine what makes sense and the amount of their new monthly payment.

For more information, visit https://www.freedommortgage.com/cash-out-refinance.

Farmhouse-style interiors have been popular for the last few years and the look remains as sought after as ever. There are enough iterations of the style (modern, industrial, French, rustic, and more) to suit most tastes. Signature elements include open shelving, shiplap, apron sinks, and a preference for natural, honest materials-stone, metal, and above all wood, new and reclaimed. "When it comes to farm-style decor, most of us think of the kitchen first," says Linda Jovanovich, of the American Hardwood Information Center. "But it can work equally well in bedrooms, living areas, even bathrooms. Incorporating natural hardwood into the design is a great way to achieve the look without going overboard into kitsch." Here are six inspiring uses of the perennial style.

1. A warm contemporary farmhouse kitchen

Photograph by Caitlin Murray

A large apron sink in cream-color cast concrete sets up a warm and sophisticated country tone in this Portland, Oregon kitchen by Emerick Architects. The island's black-walnut-slab top is complemented by open shelving and undercounter cabinetry in honey-stained maple, gray quartz counters, stainless-steel appliances, and a handmade ceramic-tile backsplash.

2. Corral-inspired stair railings and balustrades

Photograph by Spacecrafting

Rift-sawn white oak with a custom whitewash stain forms the handrails and posts of the main staircase in a Stillwater, Minnesota house by Home Design by Annie. An elegant reinterpretation of the traditional wooden-rail fences found throughout rural America, the stair gets a high-tech twist in the form of stainless-steel guard wires.

3. A characterful rustic kitchen

Photograph by Scott DW Smith

Charming rusticity is the name of the game in this Hesperus, Colorado kitchen remodel by Veritas Fine Homes. Existing beams and columns and a new oak floor-all in a dark finish-are joined by knotty-alder cabinetry and floating shelves stained a similar color to the island's honey-tone maple butcher-block top.

4. A cool western ranch-style bedroom

Photograph by Rikki Snyder

As this bedroom in Sag Harbor, New York designed by Timothy Godbold shows, the classic look of Southwestern ranches-pared down and sun scorched-adapts well to a modern interior. The aesthetic is evoked with minimalist means: simple bone-white accessories set against an expanse of white-oak boards that clad the walls like barn siding. 

5. The industrial-farmhouse look in a loft

Photograph by Manolo Langis

Reclaimed hardwood is a beautiful, sustainable material that can be used in a farmhouse-style kitchen to create a sense of warmth, age, and texture. In this Santa Monica, California loft conversion, SUBU Design Architecture juxtaposes recycled wood with plumbing pipes and similar machine-age elements that nod to the building's industrial heritage.

6. Open-shelf wet bar with a rural-art vibe

Photograph by Rikki Snyder

Timothy Godbold conjures another variant of that farmhouse staple, open shelving, with this wet bar cunningly tucked under the open stairs in a North Haven, New York residence. Stocked neatly with interesting glassware and bottles, the floating slabs of white oak and the gray honed-granite countertop become an art installation in their own right. Visit www.hardwoodinfo.com for more about farmhouse style with American hardwoods.

In recent years, significant progress has been made in attracting more women, people of color, and young individuals into the field. The number of CFP® professionals under age 30 has increased by 83% since 2016; 6,032 new women have joined the ranks of CFP® professionals, bringing the total to 20,632; and the number of Black and Latino CFP® professionals , including those who self-identified as biracial Black and Latino, grew to 3,688 in 2020.

Recruiting, however, is just one piece of the puzzle.

Creating a more diverse and sustainable workforce also requires cultivating an environment in which financial planners want to build a career.

"As awareness of the financial planning profession continues to spread and we attract more ethically and racially diverse talent, the challenge continues to be retaining and supporting these thriving professionals," explains Rianka Dorsainvil, CFP®, Co-CEO of 2050 Wealth Partners.

In part, such support means helping financial planners feel comfortable in the field and recognize the unique skills and perspectives they bring.

"Even though I didn't necessarily look like most everyone else in the profession, I wish I realized then the power of being able to connect with someone who shares my background," says Marguerita Cheng, CFP®, CEO of Blue Ocean Global Wealth.

"There are many people from different walks of life who could benefit from the services provided by a financial planner. And the personality traits that might appeal to one person or demographic, may not resonate quite as well with women or people of color," Cheng says.

Jeanne Fisher, CFP®, CPFA, with Strategic Retirement Partners, notes that this is why financial planners need to harness their differences.

"Being a woman can be an advantage -- not a disadvantage. Embrace it. Don't try to 'fit in with the guys.' Our different approach, and the fact that we are naturally more empathetic, works in our favor," she says.

Early in her career, Dorsainvil says she felt that "in order to fit in I needed to code-switch. I could not be my authentic self." Not only was it exhausting to constantly change mannerisms or appearance to feel like she belonged with a specific audience, Dorsainvil says doing so also ignored the fact that no matter where you come from, what you look like, how you grew up or your circumstances, you can be successful in this profession for who you are and what you bring to the table.

Dorsainvil adds that overcoming that mindset and the barriers that keep women and people of color from entering or staying in the profession requires allies in the financial advisory space to act in solidarity with marginalized groups and unlearn what they think they know about race and ethnicity.

Phuong Luong, CFP®, a financial planner with Just Wealth, LLC, explains that this means having difficult conversations.

The profession "cannot truly be inclusive until we see why we've been exclusive for so long," she says, adding that financial planning as a whole is in a unique and privileged position to facilitate the reckoning that will ultimately help people become the most honest and realized versions of themselves

"If we get comfortable talking about race, imagine what we could do."

To learn more from diversity, equity and inclusion thought leaders and best practices visit www.CFP.net and plan to attend the 4th Annual Diversity Summit, taking place virtually November 17-18.

However, after years of making their own travel arrangements online, many potential travelers are rediscovering the value of a professional travel advisor to identify and navigate the variety and shifting safety protocols of post-pandemic travel.

"We are dealing with a fragmented travel landscape with shifting public health protocols and entry restrictions that are constantly changing," says Brianna Glenn, owner and travel designer at milkandhoneytravels.com, a boutique travel service that designs custom vacations.

"Travelers don't need the added stress of trying to navigate this new maze on their own, a good travel advisor can smooth the way and get their trip off to a great start," she adds.

"For example, I just had a honeymoon trip that had their outbound flight delayed due to weather and they missed their connecting flight to Frankfurt on their way to Croatia. We stepped in and worked with United to rebook their flights, secure a hotel inside the Frankfurt airport since they were not able to leave the transit area and adjust their hotel booking and airport transfers in Dubrovnik without them having to worry about a thing."

Results of a survey by the travel industry website Skift showed that almost half of Americans planning post-pandemic travel plan to use travel advisors.

Some key benefits of engaging a professional travel advisor to plan your post-pandemic trip include:

- Preparation upfront. An old wedding planning adage says, "if you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Especially in the post-pandemic landscape, a good plan is essential, and a professional advisor, like a good wedding planner, can make sure that everything is set up in advance.

Advance planning includes knowing what to expect at your destination regarding safety protocols such as masking requirements and testing or quarantine requirements.

- Backup if you need it. Upscale travelers are seeking peace of mind and expertise as they plan the often complex and exotic trips they have dreamed about during more than a year of staying at home. The more complex the trip, the more important it is to have a knowledgeable advocate in your corner if something goes wrong or if safety regulations should suddenly change.

Professional travel advisors can help with purchasing travel insurance to recoup costs in case of cancellation due to COVID and with negotiating refunds if reservations, flights, cruises, or other travel-related activities are cancelled.

"There is a big difference between people who love to travel, and people who love to plan travel," Ms. Glenn says.

"Ultimately, we save you hours of time and energy so you can focus on the things that matter most to you," she emphasizes.

Visit milkandhoneytravels.com to learn how professional travel advisors can help make your post-pandemic getaway flow smoothly.

"Sarana and the Dark King "
by Ivy Keating

The ruthless king of Bounten controlled a Valomere - a magical creature that connects with one person and obeys their commands - with the magic to cause instant death. To further his power, he embarked on a quest to find tarilium, the strongest metal known to exist. 

In pursuit of the precious resource, he ravaged his own villages before planning to invade the other kingdoms. Only one thing could stop his reign of terror -- a commoner with a secret past and a powerful Valomere of her own. Purchase at https://amzn.to/3d537Cz.

"The Trial of Billy the Kid"
by David G. Thomas

Biographies of Billy the Kid have provided extensive -- and fascinating -- details on his life, but only a few paragraphs on his trial for murder and the events leading up to that trial. The result sealed his fate, yet Billy's trial is the least written about, and, until this book, the least known event of Billy's adult life.

For the first time, get the answers to these questions: Was the trial fair? What were the charges? What kind of defense did Billy present? Did he have witnesses standing for him? Who testified against him? What action by the trial judge virtually guaranteed his conviction? Purchase at https://amzn.to/3vBFOse.

"Lake Roland"
by C. Roloson Reese

Some childhood mysteries cast long shadows. Tom O'Malley spent a lifetime trying to escape the one covering his world. His idyllic childhood with his inseparable pal, Mark, is upended when his friend mysteriously disappears one night.

Mark's whereabouts become a decades-long unsolvable question that haunts Tom's world as he copes with and later overcomes the bitterness of a friendship's baffling evaporation. The anguish he experiences prepares him well for a world filled with uncertainties, not the least of which includes love and redemption. Purchase at https://bit.ly/3ehdaGl.

"Purpose and Possibilities: How to Transform Your Life"
by Elaine J. Brzycki and Henry G. Brzycki

By exploring their life's purposes, the authors have created possibilities for people to create happy, healthy, and flourishing lives. Because of the work, people in over 50 countries are prioritizing mental health and well-being in their own individual lives, their families, schools, colleges and universities, and communities. Ideas on how to see and achieve your unique potentials in life; heal yourself from past traumas; transition to a new stage in life that is thriving and successful; connect with your innate passion to make a unique difference; see and feel the power of your hopes and dreams.

This book meets the needs of our times for impactful mental health and well-being techniques. Capturing nearly 40 years of counseling expertise and course and program development for individuals, couples, families, and schools, Elaine and Henry Brzycki have produced a book of resources that will transform your life. Purchase at https://amzn.to/3uzrwY4.

NOTE: BookTrib's Bites is presented by BookTrib.com

Not that long ago, "sustainability" in the business world was defined as being able to stay afloat even in trying economic times. But these days, when Greta Thunberg may be the most famous Swede since Ingrid Bergman, it's taken on a whole different meaning - what the Harvard Business School describes as efforts to "positively impact the environment and/or society."

Of course, some businesses, like Whirlpool Corporation, have been ahead of the game, and are now setting even higher new targets to tackle climate change.

"We established our first office for sustainability over 50 years ago," said Marc Bitzer, the company's chairman and CEO.

1. Achieving Net-Zero Carbon Emissions in Plants and Operations By 2030

That's the updated commitment to environmental sustainability that the world's leading kitchen and laundry appliance company just announced this month.

To get there, the company has been installing even more wind turbines and solar panels to help power its sites and distribution centers with renewable energy. (It's already one of the Fortune 500's largest U.S. on-site users of wind energy.)

And it's improving efficiency across more than 30 of its manufacturing sites and distribution centers around the world though retrofits.

2. Greening Homes Through VPPAs

That's Virtual Power Purchase Agreements for the uninitiated. Or in other words, agreements signed with energy companies to help fund wind and solar farms to generate renewable energy for the grid.

Whirlpool Corporation's first VPPA project broke ground in Texas in early January. It promises to be the first of many such projects helping to cleanly power not just its own sites but also local homes.

That's right, ordinary people's homes.

3.Innovative Household Products

It shouldn't surprise anyone that U.S. News & World Report named four innovative Whirlpool brand products among the best refrigerators, dryers and washing machines of 2021. Yes, they look great. But they're also designed to be extremely energy and water efficient.

In fact, Whirlpool Corporation has already reduced the emissions linked to its products in use by 60 percent since 2005 and has committed to lowering them by an additional 20 percent by 2030 from a 2016 baseline.

One fun fact for you: Dishwashers save three to four times the water compared to hand washing your dishes. And, hey, they save you about 30 minutes each time too.

4.Helping Even You Reduce Waste Material

Not content that more than 70 percent of its manufacturing sites are already zero waste to landfill, the company aims to make that 100 percent by 2022.

Plus, to tackle other environmental challenges like plastic pollution, it's ramping up the use of recycled or reused materials in its appliances. And guess what? Those high-performance recycled plastics Whirlpool Corporation started to employ in its products means it's making use of you own waste.

Each year, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital or emergency department, according to the American Heart Association. When someone experiences cardiac arrest, immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can make the difference between life and death. In fact, immediate CPR can double or triple a cardiac arrest victim's chance of survival.

Many people still think that effective CPR involves mouth-to-mouth resuscitation as well as chest compressions, and they may be hesitant to perform it, but that is not the case.

Hands-Only CPR has been shown to be as effective as the conventional CPR for cardiac arrests in the home, office, or in public places in the first few minutes until more advanced help arrives.

"By equipping people with Hands-Only CPR training, they learn how easy the technique is and there is a comfort level that will help them overcome concerns that cause hesitation to act in an emergency," say Raina Merchant, Chair, American Heart Association Emergency Cardiovascular Care.

Hands-only CPR includes just two simple steps.

- First, call 911.

- Second, push hard and fast in the center of the chest of the individual having a cardiac arrest. How hard to push? At least 2 inches. How fast? That's easy. Use the beat of a familiar song that has 100 to 120 beats per minute. For example, the classic disco hit, "Stayin' Alive" can help you stay on pace, but anything with a similar tempo will do.

To help promote the lifesaving value of Hands-Only CPR, the American Heart Association has partnered with the Anthem Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Anthem, Inc., in a public service campaign, "The Power is in Your Hands," to encourage everyone to learn Hands-Only CPR.

"Approximately 70 percent of cardiac arrests happen at home, and CPR can double or even triple chances of survival if performed immediately," said Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., Chief Health Officer at Anthem, Inc. "Together with the American Heart Association, the Anthem Foundation remains focused on working to increase the number of people who learn Hands-Only CPR. By providing greater access to training we can help increase the number of people who are prepared to respond in case of an emergency and for some, that could mean saving the life of someone they love."

The American Heart Association offers a 90-second livestream instructional video demonstration of Hands-Only CPR, as well as a new CPR first-aid app that anyone can download onto a phone.

Visit heart.org/handsonlycpr for more information.

(NewsUSA) - Seen one of those Camp Lejeune lawsuit ads lately?  Of course you have.  Lawyers seeking to represent victims sickened by the water at the North Carolina Marine Corps base have been running them seemingly non-stop ever since Congress passed a law last month allowing cases to finally proceed.

But a good ad doesn’t necessarily make a good lawyer.  Which is why any money you may be entitled to could hinge, for starters, on heeding Forbes.com’s advice to “do at least as much homework (in choosing an attorney) as you would do in buying a car.”

Here’s five questions you need to ask and have answered:

1.How many years have you been practicing complex toxic tort litigation?

A tort is defined as “an act or omission that gives rise to injury or harm to another and amounts to a civil wrong for which courts impose liability.”  What you have here – and it’s one heck of a tort case – is the government allegedly having harmed a huge number of military members and civilians who lived or worked at the base, from August 1953 through December 1987, by exposing them to dangerously toxic chemicals that the Marine Corps says it only discovered in the water in 1982.

But, again, this is the government you’re up against.

And so the strength of your particular claim depends on how convincingly your attorney can tie your exposure to the toxins to what you claim is the harm you suffered.    

Were you diagnosed with cancer or Parkinson’s disease, for example?  Are you a woman made infertile?  

Hiring a lawyer with only a few years of experience handling such cases to argue you deserve massive compensation for your life having been devastated would be like … let’s see, sending in a rookie to bat against Mariano Rivera in the ninth before the all-time great closer retired from the New York Yankees.

2.What’s your success in achieving monetary values for your clients?

Forget worrying about feeling crass.  The New York City Bar says you want to choose a lawyer “who inspires confidence.”  

Well, what’s more confidence-building than hearing the law firm you’re considering has won $19 billion – that’s billion, with a “b” – in total verdicts and settlements?

That would be Weitz & Luxenberg, with 34 years handling complex toxic tort litigation (see number 1 above).  In fact, feel free to use the firm as a benchmark for judging others since – along with having been named to U.S. News & World Report’s 2022 “Best Law Firms” list and offering free consultations – its head of the Camp Lejeune litigation team makes a powerful argument for why these clients, in particular, deserve to be compensated.

“They and their families became sick while serving our country,” says Robin Greenwald, a partner at the firm.  “They drank the water, they bathed in it, and they used it to cook their food. And that water was contaminated with toxins at concentrations anywhere from 240 to 3,400 times the levels permitted by safety standards.”  

3.How many military veterans have you represented?  

Camp Lejeune is a military base.  Need we say more, other than Weitz & Luxenberg puts its number at more than 25,000?

4.How many cancer victims have you represented?

All kinds of cancers – breast, lung, liver, kidney and esophageal – have been associated with exposure to the chemicals in the base’s water.

See that aforementioned 25,000 figure?  You can more than double it for cancer victims.

5.Have you been in national mass torts leadership positions?

Go ahead, drop a few major cases like the BP Gulf oil spill and multi municipalities’ contaminated groundwater, both of which Weitz & Luxenberg led the way on, and see if others can match them.