The OnDeck Group, representing the subsidiaries of the US-listed OnDeck Capital Inc., has announced that it has lent more than US$9 billion to more than 80,000 small business customers in just over ten years of lending.
This figure includes the Group's businesses in the US, Canada and Australia. Comparatively, the Australian market is estimated to reach over A$2 billion in annual originations by 2020.
According to Mr Cameron Poolman, Chief Executive Officer OnDeck Australia, while Australia has been a relatively slow Fintech adopter, it had traversed the same course as the US market in a markedly shorter time and was likely to reach maturity in less than six years, instead of the twelve years it took in the US.
OnDeck data has shown that, despite the importance of small business to the economy, Australian small businesses needed better financing options but that conditions attached to bank credit put it out of reach for many. One in five Australian small businesses were unable to take on new work because of cash flow restrictions; nine out of ten small businesses said better cash flow could have improved revenue by an average of 11.7 per cent.
As a result, many small businesses were turning to other sources to meet unmet finance demands. While 66 per cent of small businesses reported they would resort to unsuitable products like personal credit cards to ease cash flow problems, an overwhelming majority of 93 per cent of Australian small business owners who were aware of alternative options like online lending, perceived it as a good thing for their business. Of the 25 per cent of Australian SMEs considering finance in the next year, 33 per cent said they would consider an online lender.


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The 2in and 3in Black Eagle hose offers easy handling, reduced weight, robust design and economic benefits over both rigid and flexible pipes. The new Golden Eagle is designed with improved chemical resistance, especially to cope with concentrations of HCL up to 28%.
2in and 3in hoses in continuous lengths up to 750m are now used by several well service companies for rigless well stimulation. Easy handling, robust design, availability, and chemical resistance are all factors contributing to the success.
The long length 1½in hose WP 15,000psi has been adopted for this application to cover functions such as annulus venting, riser clean-up, hydrate control, well kill and scale treatment.
Parker Polyflex manufactures both wire and aramid hoses, and is able to offer a wider range of umbilical designs for subsea service.
Parker Polyfex's medium pressure ¾in and 1in wire-reinforced hoses are widely used for this safety-critical application. In lengths up to 3,500m, these tough hoses are able to cope with subsea conditions.


text:
EEntertainment
Entertainment / The Power Punch Girl
The Power Punch Girl
Oct 4, 2016 , Entertainment
Sonakshi Sinha talks to Gursimran Singh about Bollywood's changing attitude towards female leads, inspiration from her action-hero co-stars and the need for body positivity in the industry
There's a new action hero in Bollywood and no, it's not Tiger Shroff. It's Sonakshi Sinha. The actor is shedding her demure image and packing a punch in her new avatar, quite literally.
Bollywood has always been a patriarchal set-up, with male actors dominating the screen as the woman's knight in shining armour. The leading ladies are reduced to being props on screen, objects upon which the hero projects his machismo. But steadily, if slowly, Bollywood is seeing a paradigm shift in this perspective.
"Audiences are now opening up to different kinds of films. Plots with strong female leads are doing well. I'd never thought I would play a lead in two consecutive action films, Akira and Force 2! Films such as Mary Kom have paved the way for more such roles to be written, and this is a great development," she says.
The 29-year-old trained for almost five months to be able to do her own action sequences in Akira. "I trained in mixed martial arts for the film. I have been part of quite a few action films and remember watching the men do those amazing stunts and wishing I could do them, too! Looks like my wish was granted," Sinha says. She is grateful to the action heroes she has worked with, as she feels that just watching them trained her in part for her new avatar. "Salman [Khan], Akshay [Kumar] and Ajay [Devgn] really inspired me to feel the action during the scenes," she adds.
The past few months have been gruelling for Sinha. "It was an intense shoot," she says. "I was injured thrice – first my wrist, then my knee and then my back. I had to look like a fighter, not dainty and unrehearsed, and had to get my body language right. For someone who was just working out at the gym, this switch was strenuous. My trainer would stretch me out until I screamed."
And still, Sinha is geared up for another round of high-octane action in Force 2. Doing two backto- back action films, is she apprehensive about being typecast? "Not at all!" she exclaims, "Heroes do back-to-back action films all the time. It's never a risk to do good roles."
Apart from packing a mean punch, Sinha has been the voice of body positivity in the industry. She flushed down negative comments about her body even as she graciously embraced her curves. "Why are girls told they have to look a certain way?" Sinha asks. "When you're trying to be someone you're not, you're not being true to yourself. It's not worth it. Being fit is important, but looking the same cookie-cutter way is not."
Talking about the obsession with "size zero", Sinha says, "I've heard kids say they are on a diet! Sometimes I've seen dieting taken to ridiculous lengths. I agree that one should eat healthy. If there is a certain look you aspire for, look that way – nobody is stopping you. But don't starve yourself. I will always project a healthy body image, no matter what people tell me, no matter what is being written and spoken about me in society."
On a parting note, as she is whisked away for a shot for Sunhil Sippy's Noor, Sinha reiterates, "Always remember: Fitness over fad!"
Actress, Bollywood
Being Neerja
The Queen's Share
Voyage of Words

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Join us on Saturday 1/13 as Basscon presents TNT at Bassmnt! A synergy of skills & sensitivities converging in one track: that's the spirit of TNT aka Technoboy 'N' Tuneboy! The two will always be, by definition, A BOMB! Snag your tickets now and prepare for an explosive show!


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Negotiating car accident settlements can be tricky. Personal injury attorneys have years of experience dealing with insurance claims adjusters. If you decide to pursue a car accident settlement on your own you must be self-confident and present your case convincingly. This page gives tips and strategies to help in your negotiations.
Let's assume you've already successfully negotiated your vehicle repairs, and the claims adjuster agreed to pay for most of the Hard Costs (these are bills you incurred as a result of the collision).
It's probable there are still some bills the adjuster declined to pay. The types of hard costs most often declined by adjusters include extended hospital stays, additional medical tests, and extended chiropractic treatment. These additional hard costs can amount to thousands of dollars, so it's important to get the adjuster to pay.
Never say anything which could be construed by an adjuster as a final demand for a car accident settlement. Anytime you communicate (whether overt or implied) an ultimatum to the adjuster he is trained to close his file and send it straight to the insurance company's legal department.
The minute you indicate it's "Take it or Leave it," all discussions with the adjuster will end.
Before any discussions with the claims adjuster begin, make sure you have copies of all documents related to your personal injury case. Many of these documents are now available online from your state and county records divisions, or can be retrieved from a clerk at the courthouse. There is usually a nominal fee for copies.
The courthouse clerk or online records department will usually ask if you need the documents certified. You do not need the documents certified if you are only negotiating a car accident settlement. There is always an additional fee for certified copies and unless this case ends up in court, certified copies are a waste of money.
(Because the at-fault driver's full name and date of birth are listed on the police report you should be able to get these records either by running a check at the local courthouse, or using one of the many websites having this information).
It contains important information you'll need to substantiate your case. When the police arrive at a scene the first thing they do is secure the area for safety and determine if anyone needs medical attention. If so they will call Fire and Rescue to attend to the injured and transport them to the hospital.
Police are trained to determine if one or both drivers were at fault. They often do this by speaking with witnesses, drivers and passengers, and using their training to look for signs of culpability, such as skid marks, seeing if one driver was hit in the rear, and other signs which help tell the story of what happened.
Often the cause of a car accident is a violation of a traffic law. That could be failing to maintain a single lane, following too closely, speeding, reckless driving, and more.
If the police determine one or both drivers violated any traffic laws they will ticket the violator(s). You will normally see only one driver cited for traffic law violations, but on rare occasions it can be both. This ticketing will be noted in the police report. Because many police reports use codes you may have to do some research to decipher the actual meaning.
The police report will contain a drawing made by one of the police officers or, in some of the major cities, by a full-time diagram writer. The diagram will show the position of the vehicles, especially as they were about to collide and then at the point of collision.
The summary is part of the police report. Depending on the police officer's ability to write well, you will be able to read his account of what caused the auto collision and who was at fault.
The police officer is responsible for making sure everything in the report is as accurate as possible. Officers are trained for this and are often called to court to testify directly from their reports of the scene. Although not conclusive of the issue, the report goes a long way in influencing judges, juries, and for our purposes, insurance adjusters.
These statements are normally taken by police at or near the time of the collision. Witness statements are vital because they contain a 3rd (disinterested) party's assessment of the events.
Their names are listed on the police report and often so are their addresses. Always be professional. Although they're Good Samaritans at the scene, by the time of the car accident settlement negotiations their lives have moved on. The last thing they want is to become further involved in your case, and they definitely don't want to have to go to court to testify.
If you are speaking with a witness on the telephone and you want to record their statement for your own records you can do so. It is not a violation of state or federal law.
Many times you'll be surprised when a witness tells you something helpful that was not in her original statement. She may have just forgotten about it until now.
Lost income is included as part of your final car accident settlement. The record or confirmation must be in proper form, and not some illegible writing by your boss on a napkin from Dairy Queen (actually happened). It should be on company letterhead and signed by a person in authority.
Jonathan L. Pierce has worked at Johnson Electrical Company since February of 2002. He is a full-time employee and is a Master Electrician.
Organize all Bills and Expenditures of any type related to the auto collision, whether paid or unpaid. By now you should have copies of all the outstanding bills incurred as a result of the collision.
These bills are normally referred to as "Hard Costs." These include the most major, like the hospital bill, down to gasoline receipts for gas used driving back and forth to doctors' appointments and tests. Also included are medicines and other pharmacy products related to your injury and recovery.
Normally at this stage of the negotiation those bills would be paid or assumed by the insurance company, but there may be a few that the claims adjuster has indicated he will not pay. Some examples would be additional MRIs, CAT Scans, X-Rays and other tests related to your specific injuries.
Remember, it's important for you to get the adjuster to pay these. These bills can be huge, with costs for MRIs at about $2,500 and CAT Scans at over $2,000 dollars. If the insurance adjuster won't pay then you will have to pay, either out of pocket or out of your final car accident settlement proceeds.
Get copies of all Medical Records, including your hospital chart. If the adjuster declined to pay some hard costs like additional MRI's or CAT scans, use these records as a reference to convince him why he should.
Go through the medical records until you find copies of your medical charts and notes. Everything related to your treatment is recorded. Pay close attention to all the entries made in your chart.
The chart used to be the clipboard at the base of your hospital bed. Nowadays it's usually more computerized so that each entry is loaded into your file in the database. The date, exact time of day and the reasons entries were made should be included in the chart notes.
Call it your "CHART SUMMARY," and write down entries made onto your chart. Note the date, the exact time, who made the entry, and finally, the reason for the entry.
This is a very effective tool used by personal injury attorneys. Doing so will give you a great advantage when negotiating a car accident settlement with the claims adjuster. The adjuster's guidelines tell him not to pay for additional and repetitive tests. You will need to show him why those tests and treatments were necessary.
Met w/ AR .Jerod MD Radiology – reviewed MRI and CAT scan – results indicate herniation of sacral levels 4 and 5. Jerod MD says MRI indicates possibility of radiation to Dorsal Disk at level 6. No prior indication of radiation of pain to level 6.
Patient's vital taken. BP 130/90 oxygen 40 ml per.
When preparing your summary, it's normally okay to skip the nurses' entries. Unless the nurse wrote down something out of the ordinary, it's better to focus on the physicians' entries.
Having this Summary will enable you to respond to most questions the claims adjuster may ask about the ordering of additional MRIs, CAT Scans, and other costs he considers questionable. A review of the doctor's entries onto your chart will allow the adjuster to "follow along" to see the time and reason noted for the additional medical procedures. It doesn't get much better than that!
You can be pretty sure the adjuster is going to attack chiropractic bills, especially those resulting from multiple visits. Realize that you're not going to win every point with an adjuster. Sometimes allowing him to "save face" can be an excellent negotiating tool.
The adjuster's job is to give car accident settlements. Every time he doesn't settle a claim his effectiveness as a claims adjuster is scrutinized by his superiors. If he doesn't settle enough cases he may be out of a job. Once the claim goes from his hands to the legal department's he has just cost his employer a lot more money.
Remember, you didn't ask to be here. His insured brought you here!
Get More Tips on Negotiating Car Accident Injury Claims.


With the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the reactive response, there is a true bioethical dilemma that is arising. It has to do with the use of resources to rehabilitate and support those who are injured or will be injured as the oil spill continues or after the spill is stopped.
So the issue is clear: Do the American people and government focus on using all the limited resources available for a known benefit to aid the rehabilitation of humans or continuing to use part of these resources for a scientifically as yet unproven benefit to rehabilitate birds? Any answers? ..Maurice.
I subscribe to the position that minimisation of suffering, our own or other species, is a moral good. I also believe that we as human beings have moral capability in a way animals do not, and we also create an extra burden of responsibility to the environment with our exploitation of it.
This makes my position on this matter fairly simple: While the birds may die or not breed even with cleaning the oil off them, cleaning the oil off them reduces their suffering and therefore is a moral good. Counterbalance this against the suffering that humans may experience: I'm sure there will be plenty of economic pain to go around, but very little suffering (if any) on the part of humans will be physical. We have the responsibility to bear the economic pain due to our consistent demands for cheap oil, and (in the US in particular) refusing to make dirty companies clean up after themselves.
Harm minimisation means my belief must be that our first responsibility in a situation like this is to the environment, we can look after the pockets of human beings later.
I have never known a bird to desecrate the environment or destroy the lives of others on service to abject greed.
It is our duty to protect these creatures from the evil among us.
Better a gulf of drowned politicians and oil executives than one harmed bird!
"This makes my position on this matter fairly simple: While the birds may die or not breed even with cleaning the oil off them, cleaning the oil off them reduces their suffering and therefore is a moral good"
2. at the end of it all they may still have a very much reduced life expectancy, or may be otherwise internally unwell because of oil ingestion.
So, cleaning the oil off them may make them *look* better, and may therefore relieve the *perceived suffering*, and hence may make the people involved feel better, but may not result in an improved quality of life for the birds.
From my perspective as a veterinarian (in suburban Australia) the end goal of all wildlife rehab should be an animal that is returned to its original habitat, able to function normally. This means fully able to find and consume food, find a mate, reproduce, bring up young, and escape from predators.


Mumbai: Maytas Infra Ltd confirmed today that a consortium led by it has won the rights to develop two airports in Karnataka state.
Maytas said the consortium will form two companies to develop and operate the airports in Gulbarga and Shimoga.
Under the arrangement, Maytas and NCC Infrastructure Holdings will own 37% each while VIE India Project Development will hold the rest.


text:
Woman who said lottery tickets a waste of time wins
Leicester, N.C. — A North Carolina woman who bought a scratch-off ticket to show her husband that lottery tickets are a waste of money has won $1 million.
Glenda Blackwell of Leicester tells WLOS-TV that her husband asked her to buy two Powerball tickets from a Quik Mart last Saturday, but she bought a $10 Carolina Millions scratch-off ticket instead.
Blackwell said she was trying to show her husband that no one ever wins and buying tickets is a waste of money.
Now she's eating her words — and enjoying every bite.
The 57-year-old Blackwell says she's going to use the $415,500 lump sum after taxes to buy a home and pay for her granddaughters' college.


text:
Sussex soap company goes from strength to strength
Hidden away on a small, farm-based industrial estate in the sleepy country lanes of Waldron in rural East Sussex is a business that is quietly and confidently flourishing.
Christina May started nearly 20 years ago after the co-founders Bob and Juliet Butts discovered some vintage soap moulds lying disused in a machinery workshop on a farm. Their aim was to revive the traditional skills of the master soap maker using techniques that have been used for well over 100 years.
Christina May Managing Director Oliver Butts
From very small beginnings, the company is now exporting its luxury soaps, hand creams and candles around the world with a growing customer base in countries such as China, Japan and Taiwan whose consumers love The English Soap Company brand and appreciate quality, British-made products. In fact, overseas sales are so strong that the business has grown by over 50 percent in the last year and The English Soap company is now regarded as one of the top suppliers of premium, luxury soaps in both the UK and overseas.
The soap wrapping machine in action
Impressively Disney is one of Christina May's customers along with the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew which sells an exclusive range of luxurious soaps inspired by the fragrances and beauty of their plants. The contract with Kew, explains Managing Director Oliver Butts, was pivotal in the company's success as it contributed to a global presence and a significant boost in turnover. Importantly, it was a good match as both organisations are passionate about safeguarding the environment.
The latest coup for the company, after attending a trade show with support from the Department for International Trade (DTI), is a Japanese contract estimated to be worth £100,000 a year. Japan is one of 34 countries that are enjoying the beautiful soaps made from pure vegetable oil and English-produced fragrances. The contract is estimated to increase Christina May's annual turnover by up to 3 percent.
From production to the packaging design, wrapping and boxing up for distribution, everything is done in-house which is unusual but keeps costs competitive says Oliver. The packing is particularly striking and, surprisingly, the artwork is still produced by Oliver's father and co-founder Bob Butts. All of the eye-catching designs for the Kew range are based on original botanic drawings from the Kew archives.
Some of the many products produced and packaged by Christina May
Now employing 37 staff, up from 26 last year, mostly from nearby Heathfield, Hailsham and Uckfield, Christina May is capitalising on the resurgence of traditional bar soaps. Figures show that the UK exported £378.4 million worth of soap last year alone.
In 2018 there was a major investment in state-of-the-art machinery to enable the production of liquid and cream products such as hand cream, shower gel and eau de toilette. As well as the machinery and a dedicated, sterile production area, there is now an in-house lab and team responsible for constantly checking each batch produced meets the highest standards in terms of composition and longevity. Special warm 'stability ovens' are used to test product shelf-life and quality.
Checking the composition of products
A key strength of the company and one that is hugely important to Oliver is sustainability and making ethical products that are fully recyclable and long lasting. For instance, a bar of soap can often still be useable after 12 years. There has also been a drive towards minimal packaging, no plastic, and pure, totally recyclable aluminium tubes for products like hand creams. The vegetable oil used in the soaps is sourced from RSPO accredited suppliers and all the essential oils used are synthetic which has less impact on the environment than land-intensive natural production.
" Vegetable oil gives the soap a smooth creamy texture while the glycerine increases the longevity of the bar whilst moisturising the skin leaving it feeling less dry. Importantly, soap has a low impact on the water course," says Oliver.
There has also been a conscious decision to use local suppliers and Christina May's success has had a knock on, positive effect for these businesses. Cardboard comes from Challenge Packaging in Golden Cross, fragrances from Quintessence in Newhaven and printing services from Tansleys Printers in Newhaven
With exporting currently accounting for over 55 percent of Christina May's annual turnover which has grown from £800,000 to over £3 million over the last seven years, exports have remained consistent during this time and has been a key driver of growth for the company.
Oliver explains: "The prospect of exporting is exciting and perhaps a little daunting, but always fun and a great experience. The paperwork can be an issue in difficult markets which is why we focussed on the easier markets first to build up experience before exporting to the more challenging countries.
"Exporting has also helped us to secure our business against the uncertainty of Brexit as we have diversified our market portfolio across the world so that the impact and any consequences are reduced.
"I would recommend any business that is considering exporting to see how DIT can help. The department has supported us with grants to attend trade shows and general advice which has allowed us to develop an expansive export strategy and find international success."
Ben Raby, Head of Region, South East, at DIT said:"DIT started supporting Christina May back in 2014 when the company approached us for advice, and it is really exciting to see just how much its exports have grown since that initial interaction.
"The company is one of a growing number of British manufacturers – many of which are SMEs – that are driving British success in the multi-billion-pound soap market. Their global success is proof that there is strong overseas demand for quality made English products and that there has never been a better time to explore international markets than right now.
Christina May is a real success story that has come about after sheer determination and hard work. Co-founder Bob Butts put all his cash from selling a software business and savings into the fledgling soap company.
Oliver and Ailsa Butts
Oliver added: "The first six of seven years were very tough with my father working around the clock and doing almost everything himself. When I joined in July 2012 the company was in a stable situation and my father was able to step back, work from home and concentrate on the packaging and design. He is still the creative director while I focus on sales. We're a good team and since my wife joined us to run the operations room it has become a real family business."
Eau de toilettes and shower gels have become part of the core range and there are plans to include more products. As it heads into the busiest time of the year, with Christina May's products making perfect gifts, the future looks bright for this local company which is has no plans to move as there is plenty of space to expand on the beautiful site in Waldron.
And new hot off the press is the news that Christina May won the Export Business of the Year 2019 category at the East Sussex Business Awards.
The view from factory of rolling Sussex hills
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Athletes have unique needs. Whether you're a high school football player, a weekend warrior, or a professional basketball player, we know optimal cardiovascular health is vital to your performance and in some cases, your ability to participate.
With that in mind, we're proud to bring the first cardiology practice focused on Sports Cardiology to Atlanta. Our Sports Cardiology program is dedicated to working with athletes of all ages and levels — from weekend warriors to professional athletes — to evaluate, diagnose, and treat athletes who are at risk for, or have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease.
To make an appointment with a specialized sports cardiologist, please call 404-778-6070.
Jonathan H. Kim, MD, has launched the only cardiology practice in Atlanta to focus on sports. He works with the Emory Sports Medicine Center team of experts. The program diagnoses and treats disease, and works to prevent future cardiovascular problems.
Dr. Kim has done significant research on exercise and cardiology. He has published work on the effects of exercise on the heart's structure and function. In 2012, he published work in the New England Journal of Medicine evaluating sudden cardiac arrests in long-distance runners. His current project focuses on evaluating blood pressure changes in football players.
Dr. Kim works with the Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta Hawks. He also works with college athletes from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory. He is the team cardiologist for Georgia Tech Sports Medicine. Dr. Kim conducts most of his research with the sports medicine staff at Georgia Tech. He is also the medical director for the annual Peachtree Road Race™ in Atlanta.


This post is sponsored by Green Sisterhood, but all opinions are my own.
Finding a safe sunscreen that is easy to apply and doesn't leave you looking like a ghost can be a tall order. I have been searching for years trying to find a sunscreen for my family that met all of this criteria. Let's just say fair skin runs in the family so we are very susceptible to sunburns, especially my son who is a redhead. Thankfully Goddess Garden Organics Natural Sunscreen met all of my demands and actually exceeded my expectations.
With skin cancer on the rise, it's extremely important to wear sunscreen daily to protect your skin from both UVA and UVB rays. But did you know that the majority of sunscreens for sale today are incredibly toxic?
Nearly 75% of all sunscreens on the shelves at drug stores can actually be harming people rather than helping them. This is because anything that is applied topically can be absorbed through the skin and enter the bloodstream, including the dangerous ingredients in traditional sunscreens.
Oxybenzone – One popular ingredient found in a number of sunscreens is called Oxybenzone and exposure to it could result in early puberty for young girls and low sperm count for men. [1. http://www.ewg.org/news/testimony-official-correspondence/cdc-americans-carry-body-burden-toxic-sunscreen-chemical] Oxybenzone has also been linked to reproductive issues such as endometriosis.
Retinyl – Retinyl is yet another poisonous substance included in most sunscreens and researchers believe that it may actually promote carcinogenic activity when exposed to the sun. [3. http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient/705545/RETINYL_PALMITATE_%28VITAMIN_A_PALMITATE%29/#] Not to mention, these kinds of chemicals can also cause irritation and severe allergic reactions among people with sensitive skin.
As a parent I know you want to protect your family from exposure to these chemicals, but what are your options?
There is a huge difference between mineral and chemical sunscreens.
Mineral Sunscreen does not absorb into the skin and is effective immediately after application, unlike conventional sunscreens. These healthier types of sunscreen effectively protect the skin from UVA and UVB rays with the use of zinc or titanium. The zinc oxide acts as a mirror-like reflector. Since they don't absorb through the skin, mineral sunscreens are even safe enough for babies, kids and pregnant or nursing mothers.
Chemical Sunscreen absorbs into the skin along with a cocktail of toxic ingredients making their way into the bloodstream. Chemical sunscreen works by absorbing the UV rays and converting them to less harmful energy rays. They take about 20 minutes to become effective.
With summer vacation coming, I really wanted to find a safe sunscreen that was easier to apply than some of the brands I have used in the past. I have officially fallen in love with Garden Goddess Organics Natural Sunscreen!
Goddess Garden founder, Nova Covington, started formulating this safe product line initially for her daughter Paige, who was allergic to most body care products.
All of Goddess Garden's products are certified organic.
Their sunscreens contain no sketchy chemicals like oxybenzone or octinoxate.
Non-Nano Zinc and titanium are the only active ingredients in their sunscreens.
You get immediate protection when applied from UVA and UVB rays.
All products are reef safe and biodegradable.
I received a few different products from Goddess Garden, including their Everyday and Sport Sunscreen. Goddess Garden is the only company that offers an all mineral sunscreen in a continuous spray. Yeahhh! I can finally experience the convenience of a safe spray sunscreen!
Goddess Garden Everyday Sunscreen: I've been using the everyday sunscreen on my kids when we're playing outside, or at baseball games. The continuous spray makes application a breeze. It does still need to be rubbed in to ensure even coverage. You also want to avoid spraying it on the face.
I LOVE that this sunscreen rubs in clear and doesn't leave a white film. We haven't had any sunburns since we started using Goddess Garden Sunscreen. This sunscreen is only water resistant for 40 minutes, but is great for everyday wear. It should be re-applied every 2 hours under normal conditions.
Goddess Garden Sport Sunscreen: If you need a water resistant sunscreen, Goddess Garden Sport is a great option. I can't wait to put this to good use in a few weeks at the beach. But for now we are using it for my two sons and their sweaty baseball games. It is water resistant for up to 80 minutes. Goddess Garden Sport is white going on, but quickly rubs in without leaving a ghostly residue.
Excited to try Goddess Garden Safe Sunscreen? Save 20% off of your sunscreen order from May 19 – July 31, 2015 with the Coupon Code: #SunSafeGoddess. Click Here to Order!
Garden Goddess is also giving away 100, 1 oz bottles of sunscreen and 500 samples. Enter Here!
This really sounds great. I have struggled with the same problems you mentioned. Commercial sunscreens are so unbelievably toxic, there is no way I can use them, and a lot of natural sunscreens do make you look very ghostly looking. I definitely will try this.
I have struggled to find a #safesunscreen for years that was easy and convenient to use. I am so glad I found Goddess Garden!
Great product and great review/information. This is important stuff!
Thanks for a very informative article about sunscreen. Every year I look for a "safe" sunscreen that works well without the white residue. This is a great solution.
I've been using Goddess since last year but this year's formula is even better! It goes on smooth, sheer, and not sticky! Safe sunscreen is important but so is easy of use and effectiveness! Glad you love it too!
Love Goddess Garden! What an amazing product. I love that first picture – can't tell at all that the sunscreen is there!
These are amazing products! LOVE LOVE LOVE!
Awesome review. I am so happy to see some non toxic options.
Did you have any issue with the spray clogging? I was SO happy to find a non-toxic spray sunscreen, and was looking at this brand yesterday. The reviews regarding uneven and faulty spraying were the only reason I am hesitant to order.


Cristo Rey Sacramento, rooted in the traditions of the Sisters of Mercy and the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) transforms lives by providing a Catholic, college preparatory education and professional work experience to high school students with limited financial resources.
Cristo Rey Sacramento's vision is to create the most effective and highly regarded high school that transforms underserved students into faith-filled, educated, professional and service-oriented people.
understanding the core beliefs of the Catholic faith; making ethical decisions consistent with Gospel values; building a just world by serving others; fostering a personal relationship with God through prayer and worship.
encouraging academic achievement; developing critical, creative, and disciplined thought; taking responsibility for one's own education; fostering perseverance; promoting lifelong learning.
demonstrating the skills and habits needed for achievement in the workplace; understanding the requirements and opportunities of today's economy; appreciating the value of high standards and hard work.
Prepares all of its students to enter and graduate from college.
Requires participation by all students in the work-study program. All students must be 14-years-old on or before September 1st.
Seeks to integrate the learning present in its work program, classroom, and extracurricular experiences for the fullest benefit of its student workers.
Is financially sound. At full enrollment the school is primarily dependent on revenue from the work-study program to meet operating expenses. In addition, the school maintains a comprehensive advancement program to ensure financial stability.


The World Health Organization (WHO) is currently developing the next version of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), scheduled for publication in 2015. The Psychiatric Association of Thailand has already made a contribution to the ICD revision by participating in the WHO-WPA Global Survey of psychiatrists' Attitudes Towards Mental Disorders Classification. The main international results of this study were published in World Psychiatry, provided important initial input to help inform the content and structure of the ICD-11 chapter on Mental and Behavioural Disorders.
WHO has requested our organization's further assistance in the ICD-11 development process, by participating in the internet-based field studies of the proposed diagnostic guidelines for ICD-11 Mental and Behavioural Disorders.
Specifically, you are invited to register as a part of the Global Clinical Practice Network (GCPN) – an international and multilingual network of over 6000 mental health and primary care professionals. As part of the GCPN, you will be asked to provide information and feedback to WHO based on your clinical experience, expertise and knowledge. This is of vital importance to ensuring that the new classification of Mental Health and Behavioural Disorders in the ICD-11 is clinically useful, easy to use, accurate and globally applicable.
If you choose to participate, you may be asked to review materials, offer feedback about ideas or concepts that WHO is developing, or participate in specific types of field studies, available in multiple languages, based on your own professional interests and areas of expertise. The information you provide will inform WHO's decisions about the content and structure of the new classification system, as well as how that information will be presented to different users.
Registration for the GCPN takes only a few minutes to complete, and is available in eight languages (Spanish, French, English, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Chinese and German). Once registered in the GCPN, you will receive on-line study requests no more than once a month, and each study will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. You will never be asked to identify any of your patients and your responses will be kept confidential and secure. Data will be analyzed in aggregate form and used exclusively for the purpose of ICD-11 development.
By registering for the GCPN and participating in the internet-based studies, you will be engaging in a truly international process that will help ensure the clinical utility, reliability, accuracy and global applicability of the diagnostic guidelines presented in the ICD-11 Chapter on Mental Health and Behavioral Disorders. Your input is vital, so we encourage you to register and participate in this important project.
Thank you for your participation and support in this important project.


Charity. Funding for Stonegrove Children's Centre. Local authority funding cut: £25,626. Details: Received £182,797 in 2010/11; cut by £25,626 in 2011/12. Figures exclude funding that is subject to recommissioning.


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Q: Access an element of a list in Aura Component I want to show in the UI dynamically the current page label...
so i try something like this in Component section: i want to show the v.pages[currentPage].Label__c value... But i get message on save  expecting a positive integer, found '+' at column 9 of expression:
v.Pages[+"!v.currentPage"+].Label__c: Source
Code snippet below...
<aura:attribute name="pages" type="Page__c[]" />
<aura:attribute name="currentPage" type="Integer" />

    {!v.Pages[+"!v.currentPage"+].Label__c}

Any ideas ?

A: You can not access the array index dynamically in HTML.
As an alternative, you can set the current page label in js
Example
<aura:component>
    <aura:attribute name="pages" type="Page__c[]" />
    <aura:attribute name="currentPage" type="Integer" default="0" />
    <aura:attribute name="currentPageLabel" type="String" />

    <aura:handler name="change" value="{!v.currentPage}" action={!c.setLabel}" />
    ...

    {!v.currentPageLabel}
</aura:component>

JS
setLabel: function(component) {
    const pages= component.get('v.pages');
    const currentPage= component.get('v.currentPage');

    component.set('v.currentPageLabel', pages[currentPage].Label__c);
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We're so excited to be revealing the second part of River City Apartments renovation! In total, we renovated 448 apartments, with 14 different unit types ranging from studios to 1-beds all the way to triplex penthouses. Each one is incredibly unique and has its own set of challenges. In this tour, we're taking you through one of the duplex 3-bed "Townhouses". All of the townhouses in River City open up to "River Road", an indoor sky lit atrium that resembles a private neighborhood.
Similar to what you saw in Part One, these units were incredibly dated, crowded, and inefficient. Our biggest move, was to open up the galley kitchens and create an open concept kitchen, living and dining room.
We really focused on modernizing these floorplans to create an open concept space with plenty of storage and an efficient kitchen layout. Upstairs, we removed a lot of closet doors and unnecessary walls to create a huge master bedroom with a walk-in closet and two standard bedrooms that share a bright, modern bathroom.
The first floor transformed into an incredibly bright, modern, and HUGE kitchen, living and dining area. We moved the soffit in order to expand the kitchen into the dining area (still leaving plenty of room for a dining table and chairs) and arranged appliances and plumbing along the back wall, with a huge island in front of it. We kept the finishes cohesive with the other units in here, but upgraded the countertops for a marble-look quartz to give a more special look in here and really amplify the lightness and airiness of this unit.
The living and dining area are huge for an urban apartment. We styled the model unit with an 8-person dining table, backed with a modern gallery wall to tie in with the other model unit's wall, and an oversized white sectional facing the TV wall. Ordinarily, I'd shy away from a pure white sofa, but this is a model unit, so YOLO! We mounted a wooden media console on the wall to frame the TV and styled the room with warm textures, organic materials and clean, modern profiles.
This gallery wall is one of my favorites we've done. We pulled in nostalgic imagery to relate to the building's branding and added a mirror in to reflect the living room and tie the spaces together. To top it off, We added a wall sconce to arch over the dining table add another light level.
In the front of the unit, the townhouses have a laundry room with a washer dryer and space for shelving or a desk as well as room for a reading nook to create a cozy first impression from the entryway.
The townhouses also have a powder room tucked up front, where we pulled in a wooden accent tile to add an unexpected pop.
Moving upstairs, we've got two bedrooms, one that we styled as a bedroom and the other as an office.
The two bedrooms share a bathroom that we updated with a modern, textural tile in the shower and concrete-looking floor tiles, similar to the other units, as well as a wooden vanity with a white quartz countertop.
Completing the second level, there is a HUGE master bedroom overlooking the city skyline and river. We styled this room in the model with a king bed, a console table with a TV and a desk in the nook behind the walk-in closet. We kept this room bright and white with textural bed linens along with wood in the desk and concrete in the console table to tie into the finishes we brought into this unit.
The master bath isn't huge, so we had to get creative to brighten it up and make it feel more spacious. We weren't able to expand it due to existing plumbing locations, however, we opened up the wall between the vanity and the toilet to create one unified room and then maximized the space with a linen cabinet tucked behind the door where there originally was another tiny, cramped closet. Bright, natural textures modernize the bathroom and make it feel luxurious and cohesive with the rest of the unit.
I hope you guys enjoyed this tour! I had the best time working on this project and I'm so proud of how it turned out. This space has been completely updated to be relevant with today's expectations while still tying in with Bertrand Goldberg's original unique design. If you're interested in touring the apartments or learning about the building further, check out the website to schedule a showing!
We are so excited to be sharing the behind the scenes tour of the renovations we designed for the newly minted River City Apartments here in Chicago. Today, we're sharing some before and afters and walking you through our design for these updated units.
There's no use in sugar-coating it, these units were in ROUGH shape when we started. Most units had original finishes, fixtures and layouts, which were very compartmentalized and felt crowded, dark and impractical.
I felt like everywhere I looked there were doors. Areas were divided and closets were tucked everywhere...even when they weren't practical to access. Our first priority was to clean up the layouts and make them feel more spacious and efficient for users. From there, we aimed to brighten up the space and introduce more modern, warm finishes.
The entire team agreed we wanted to honor the existing modern architecture of the building but brighten up the units with warm, natural textures. We immediately gravitated towards inspiration images that pulled in white walls, concrete textures and warm wood tones.
From there, we created a moodboard, highlighting the finishes and textures we wanted to incorporate into the design. We primarily focused on natural and organic textures, pulling in the lines from the concrete structure and curves from the serpentine design of the building.
The palette that emerged included concrete tiles and counters, wood accents and floors and sculptural wall tiles.
We cleaned up the floorplans, taking advantage of the existing large bedroom and living space and cleaning up the closet layouts to make the space more efficient and practical for today's standards of living. The Junior 1-Bed units have an open concept kitchen spilling into a large living room with the iconic curved windows. A sliding barn-door separates a huge bedroom, large enough to fit a king-bed comfortably. The custom closets along the back wall provide plenty of space for one or two people to share. The front area includes a washer/dryer space, a coat closet and a large bathroom opening up off the kitchen.
We completely opened up the kitchen and incorporated modern, clean lines into the cabinets to really brighten up the space. Wooden upper cabinets tie in with the light wood floors and add warmth to the white lacquer lowers and concrete-looking countertop. We incorporated a unique, sculptural backsplash, imported from Spain to add a dramatic texture and tie in to the fluid forms of the building.
The kitchen opens up to a bright, large living room, featuring the iconic curved window. We styled the living room with retro-inspired modern furnishings and created an area that users can unwind in at the end of the day or comfortably entertain in.
A barn door separates the living room from the bedroom where we styled a modern king-bed along with a full-sized dresser and accessories to tie the space together with the living room.
The bathroom off of the living room mimics the kitchen with a modern wood vanity, concrete-look floors and a white quartz countertop.
I hope you guys enjoyed this tour! If you're interested in learning more about the River City Apartments and want to schedule a showing, check out their new website here. At the end of the week, we'll be sharing a behind the scenes look of one of the duplex townhouses next!
We just wrapped up the first floor design for a family of seven in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood and we are so excited to share the photos! This home needed comfortable, family-friendly pieces that look polished and modern. In the living room, we worked with Icon Modern to build a custom TV-cabinet so that the family can hide the TV when it's not in use, and sprawl out on the corner sectional to relax with a movie when it's open.
In the dining room, which had originally been the family room, we worked with the existing white-lacquer paneling above the fireplace and built a floating shelf into the bottom of it, allowing us to arrange oversized artwork and hide the opening for a TV. We used FLOR tiles to create a stain-resistance area rug that accommodates the custom table for 12.
We used a more feminine palate for the two bedroom model unit in the Van Buren building. In both rooms we incorporated a variety of textures but kept the colors pretty neutral. The "Rose s'il vous plait" print is oversize so it makes quite a statement and adds a playful touch.
Thanks for checking out this model unit. We have lots of new projects being photographed in upcoming weeks - stay tuned for more!
This is the first of two model units we did for the new Van Buren building in the West Loop neighborhood in Chicago. We focused on clean lines to echo the modern vibe of the new build. Here are a few of our favorite scenes from the one bedroom, we hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
The blue bed adds quite a pop of color to an otherwise simple and sleek bedroom. Plush velvet brings warmth and texture.
The living space in the apartment is open concept so we wanted to keep the design simple and cohesive. Using the same lamp on the office desk and the couch ties the spaces together.
The open concept kitchen takes advantage of natural light from the floor to ceiling windows throughout the apartment.
We hope you enjoyed this apartment tour as much as we loved putting it together! Stay tuned next week for the two bedroom next door.
We have an exciting new reveal today featuring a project that was almost a year in the making. This client moved into a 3 bedroom new-construction penthouse in West Loop from a 1-bedroom apartment and needed all new furniture to fill it up. Starting with wallpaper, light fixtures and window treatments to set the scene, Devon incorporated a clean, modern aesthetic into the space with touches of modern industrial to reflect the neighborhood. Family antiques were thoughtfully introduced to balance the modern base.
The space is set up for entertaining with a large living area complete with green velvet sculptural accent chairs.
The dining area sets a dramatic tone with a dripping black metal chandelier and a bold diptych on a silk wallpaper. To balance the dining area out, Devon incorporated an antique corner cabinet that belonged to the client and had it refinished with MegMade to modernize it and help it fit with the rest of the space.
The master bedroom is one of Devon's favorite's yet. The accent wall behind the bed is a suede wallpaper, adding a soft touch to the room along with a moody, dramatic statement. Everything in this room was kept simple and clean, to provide a calm space for the clients to recharge each night.
We hope you enjoyed the reveal! See you next time!
We had the honor of completing not one, but two of the offices for Ford Models this past year. Here's a look inside at the minimal, modern and industrial space we designed for their new Chicago office.
We pulled in elements similar to those seen their New York office, such as a monochromatic palette with rich textures and clean lines. To tie the brand into their new neighborhood, we blended the sleek, modern aesthetic with the industrial vibe of the West Loop using exposed concrete floors and rich wood accents.
A modern, black and white gallery wall showcases their new work in the reception area.
The model lounge provides a space for models to relax in between meetings. We layered a lot of textures in here such as suede drapes, a hide rug, a tufted bench and a velvet sofa to give a rich, inviting feel.
The open office is sleek and clean, with white benching stations along the windows and floating shelving to display model cards throughout. Relativity Textiles created a custom plaid wallcovering to introduce a subtle texture throughout and breakup the white walls.
And finally, the conference room gets right to business with a white lacquer table, black leather and gold chairs, and a black strung light fixture.
We hope you love the space as much as we do! If you want to see what we did in Ford's New York office, check out the tour MyDomaine featured here.
We just wrapped up one of our favorite bathroom renovations over in Wicker Park. After already working with the client on their living room and dining room, Devon had a strong understanding of their style and was excited to kick off this modern yet subtly vintage bathroom renovation. Scroll down to see the before and after photos!
In my opinion, a great designer creates a space that is timeless and tailored to a client's specific aesthetic, not one that is trendy and will need to be redone in two years. For this reason, I typically tend to tune-out when I hear of the latest trends, however there were a few that caught my attention for 2018 that I think are worth exploring. Read on to see the three "trends" predicted for 2018 that I believe are here to stay and will leave you with a design that you can enjoy for many years to come.
I know, surprise surprise, I love monochromatic decor. While this has now been labeled "trendy", in my opinion there is nothing like a neutral color palette to create a timeless canvas for your space. If you like trends or colors that change over time, bring them in as small accessories which will fit in perfectly with your cohesive, "tone on tone" backdrop. Monochromatic palettes also allow natural materials like woods, metals and greenery to really pop and become the focal points of the room which adds a level of elegance and sophistication.
You can trace this "trend" back centuries. In fact, I think this is the safest way to introduce a new metal if you're nervous about how it'll age with you. Matte black piquing your interest? Or satin brass? Mix them in with some chrome fixtures to balance things out. My general rule of thumb is to stick to two or three per room. Any more than that and you risk visual clutter. The kitchen is a great room to try this in. If you have stainless appliances, add chrome plumbing fixtures and cabinet hardware with some copper accessories styled throughout.
If you've ready any of my previous blogs, you'll know that I am obsessed with creating healthy homes and healthy spaces. One of the BEST ways to do this while enhancing the decor is adding in plants! Check out my post on 5 Houseplants You Need in Your Life if you need ideas to get started.
I am in disbelief that the holidays are already here. That said, this is easily my favorite time of year, EVEN THOUGH the sun sets before 5pm. Now that you all are going to be spending more time indoors, I've collected some of my favorite things to make your home cozy and help you survive the winter. Links are below!
1: This blanket by Artizen Home looks as cozy as it feels.
2: One of my best friends just turned me onto this smell and I can't get enough of it.
3: AKA my work uniform.
4: Because they're just so good.
5: We just got a dutch oven as one of our wedding gifts and it has been a game changer for cozy, hearty meals.
6: Winter weather means dry air. Make your home more comfortable and keep your wood floors from checking by keeping humidity levels around 45%. It can be done in style now!
7: Treat yourself to breakfast in bed on those chilly mornings.
8: Mugs are some of favorite things to collect. When I moved to Chicago from Boston, I had two suitcases full of clothes and box of my mugs. Check out Society-6 for some other fun designs.
9: Brighten up your home to make darker evenings a little more bearable.
10: Spending more time indoors means it's crucial to improve your air quality. Bring plants indoors to increase oxygen levels and reduce the level of VOC's in your air.
These past few weeks I've been frantically booking vendors for our wedding next summer, trying to get it all done before the holidays. All that's left is a florist and I've recently had the pleasure of meeting with a few and being on the client-side of a design consultation for a change. My mind is blown with how much they are able to do and how complex the world of flowers is. Understandably, this has also been my favorite vendor to book because it was all so visual. I decided to translate what I learned into interior design ideas and am focusing on my Top Six Picks for fall flower arrangements this week.
1- Dahlia: Someone told me once that if I was a flower, I would be a Dahlia, and since then they've always been my favorites. While soft blush Dahlia's will be the main flower in my wedding arrangement, these flowers come in a variety of deep red and orange colors, making them my top pick for fall flowers. Pair the fierce, geometric bloom with some soft greenery to create a balanced, welcoming look in your home.
2- Celosia: This has always been one of my favorites because of the unique, structured look it has. These can be worked into an arrangement or they can stand alone for a simple, statement piece. Celosia can also be dried and kept around throughout the winter.
3- Leucadendron: These were new to me until recently. I love the warm tones this flower brings in and the spiky, edge it adds. These too can stand alone and bring in a lot of dimension if they're kept long in a tall, glass vase.
4- Bicolor Rose: It doesn't really get more romantic than a rose. In the fall, I like to bring in BiColor Roses to add dimension to an arrangement and pull in some deeper, warmer hues. I always add some greenery to rose bouquets, like Eucalyptus or Solidago to contrast the perfect silhouette of the Rose and introduce some texture.
5- Calla Lily: If you want to introduce some flowers without bringing in too much color, Calla Lillies are your best option. These classic beauties instantly add elegance to any space they're in as well as a subtle green pop. Arrange these by themselves in a glass vase to maintain a minimalistic, clean look.
6- Orange Gerbera Daisy: If you want to add a more cheerful, playful look to your space, I'd recommend a cluster of Orange Gerbera Daisys. In my opinion, these are the most cheerful flowers out there and the orange hue brings in the warm colors of autumn. Add some greenery like Eucalyptus to really add a pop of color to the space.
I hope these inspire some great ideas. Be sure to tag me if you arrange any flowers in your home, I'd love to see what you come up with!
It's no surprise when you look at my work that I love to use crisp neutrals in my designs. Today, I'm rounding up my favorite whites that give a warm, bright look without looking sterile.
1- Benjamin Moore Swiss Coffee - I love using this white for spaces that pull in a lot of cooler furnishings, like blues and chrome. It helps balance the space by adding a subtle warmth without bringing in too much color.
2- Farrow and Ball Wimborne White - Oh my gosh, if you can afford to splurge on Farrow and Ball paint, PLEASE treat yourself. F&B incorporates more pigments into their paint than their competitors, so throughout the day as the light changes, more colors are pulled out from it. Wimborne White will adapt throughout the day in your space to give you perfect shade of white at that time.
3- Benjamin Moore White Wisp - Another one of my of my go-to picks, White Wisp will give you a clean aesthetic without being too white. This one pulls in a touch of grey and a ton of warmth. Use it with a bright, white trim (see #4) to add some depth to a room.
4- Benjamin Moore Decorator's White - Honestly, this is a cult favorite among designers and for good reason. Decorator's White is one of the most pure, clean whites and works well with almost anything. For this reason, this is my go to for trim.
5- Benjamin Moore Chantilly Lace - Similar to choosing a warmer white when I pull in cooler furnishings, Chantilly Lace is a great choice when furnishings in a space are on the warmer side. If you have a lot of wood tones, brass or bronze, consider balancing things out with a cooler white like this one.
6- Sherwin Williams Extra White - I know I've been giving a lot of love to the BM colors, but I do love Sherwin Williams too! For a clean, crisp option, SW Extra White is a safe choice. Choose this color if you're contrasting with a lot of neutral grays and blacks.
Off-gassing from paint can lead to a number of health issues due to those pesky VOCs. Don't know what VOCs are? Click here to learn more. I always specify zero-VOC paints for my projects. My favorite is Natura, by Benjamin Moore.
Trim is going to get the most abuse, so go with a satin finish or glossy if you're feeling bold. This will allow you to clean without care when your kids wipe their hands all over the door frames.
Hope this is helpful! What are some of your favorite whites that I missed?
I hope you all are having a wonderful Mother's Day and if you're in Chicago, I hope you got outside this weekend to enjoy the INCREDIBLE weather finally. In honor of these summery feels, I'm going to be talking about the benefits of houseplants on today's Healthy Home, Healthy Life blog post.
It seems any interiors shot on Pinterest these days features the leaves of a fiddle-leaf fig tree peeking out from somewhere in the room. In addition to providing some added color and texture to a room, houseplants can actually provide a lot of health benefits in your home or office. The most notable of these is the ability for the plants to remove airborne contaminants like VOCs. If you missed the last post, explaining what VOCs are and how they can affect your health, be sure to check it out here. You probably already know how photosynthesis works and that plants take in carbon dioxide in order to produce oxygen. Indoors, this means that they are literally purifying the air you breathe and removing harmful contaminants. In addition to providing cleaner air, studies have also shown that plants lower anxiety and blood pressure levels and help improve productivity.
English Ivy is one of my favorites right now. In addition to looking stunning spilling out of its planter, English Ivy is an incredible workhorse. This plant is one of the best to remove mold allergens from the air in your home. If you or your family members suffer from asthma or mold allergies, I highly recommend these plants! They do best in well-lit areas and don't require a ton of watering. The best part about them is that they spill out of the planter, creating a stunning effect on a bookshelf or coffee table.
As I mentioned earlier, Fiddle Leaf Fig Trees are one of the trendiest plants around right now. The huge leaves that make this plant so aesthetically pleasing, also contribute to high levels of air purification and humidity control. A word of warning that these are some of the trickiest plants to keep alive, but so far I've been successful with mine, which is quite a feat! South-west light makes these trees the happiest, and once you park them somewhere, don't move them around, they get moody very quickly. You only need to water them about once a week, once the soil is dry, but I like to give mine some mists from a spray bottle each day to keep the leaves moist and happy. Pot yours and set it in a basket to give a bohemian, relaxed feel.
The Snake Plant, also known as Mother-In-Law's Tongue, is a prime candidate for a plant in your bedroom. These plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen at night, providing clean, fresh air for a perfect night's sleep. The best part about it is these plants are nearly impossible to kill. Snake Plants are able to thrive in low-lighting and can dry out between waterings. I recommend planting one in a large floor planter and setting it close to your bed. Sweet dreams!
Rubber Plants, another large-leaf stunner is a powerful air purifier as well. These large leaves absorb VOCs from the air, pass it down through the plant, and deposit them into the soil. In addition to removing VOCs, the rubber plant also traps mold and bacteria from the air, reducing levels by 50-60%. Rubber Trees prefer plentiful indirect light and prefer to have soil kept moist during the growing phase and then only need to be watered several times a month during the dormant phase. Make one of these beauties a focal point in your living room and let it work its magic.
If you prefer a plant that blooms, bring in a Peace Lily! This sophisticated, flowering plant, is one of the best for removing formaldehyde from indoor spaces. It will also absorb toxic VOCs released by certain cleaning supplies which can make this a great addition to your office desk as well. These plants like moist soil, and will flower best if they're in darker rooms. The leaves can be poisonous if eaten by kids or plants, so be sure to keep them in higher areas. I suggest bringing a Peace Lily as your next house-warming gift to offset the VOCs released from fresh paint, carpet and furniture after a move.
What are some of your favorite houseplants? I hope this has inspired you all to embrace your green thumbs and bring the outdoors inside!
I am so excited to kick off our Healthy Home-Healthy Life blog series today! Today is the last day of April (not quite sure HOW that happened already) and May just so happens to be National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month which means this is the perfect time to start learning about how your home can affect your respiratory health (sorry, I'll make it cheerful, I promise!) To get things started, I'm going to explain what VOCs are and where they are lurking in your home.
I'm excited to announce a new series that I'll be working on right here on the blog called "Healthy Home, Healthy Life".
See inspiration and images from Devon's latest trip throughout India.
Learn what to look for in a designer and how to choose the one that's best for you!
See where I source my favorite home accessories!


Escalating regulatory obligations demand than financial market participants take a smarter, more proactive approach to spotting abusive trading patterns, with many looking to explore the use of machine learning and artificial intelligence to automate monitoring and anticipate threats. In this article, Mike O'Hara and Chris Hall of The Realization Group hear from Certeco's Nick Gordon, William Garner from Charles Russell Speechlys, Taras Chaban from Sybenetix, and Nasdaq's Valerie Bannert-Thurner. While the application of machine learning and artificial intelligence to trade surveillance is in its infancy, the potential of digital technologies to efficiently tackle market abuse appears significant.
Compliance used to be an afterthought for most financial markets participants, but over the last decade it has become 'front and centre' for an increasing number of institutions and individuals. Few decisions are made or processes conducted without reference to the chief compliance officer (CCO) or a growing army of compliance officers.
Trade surveillance is a prime example of how regulatory requirements have multiplied and diversified, with more firms expected to monitor and report market abuse across more markets and jurisdictions, and at greater speeds, than ever before. With regulators effectively requiring market participants to act as their eyes and ears in the market – sanctioning any firms that fail to report misconduct uncovered at a later date in a market in which they were active – none can afford to treat trade surveillance as an afterthought. On the contrary, firms must be consistently conscious of risks; both alert to known techniques of market abuse and alive to new threats as they emerge. If compliance is to be achieved efficiently and cost-effectively, the future of trade surveillance will see market participants harnessing digital technology innovation – artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in particular – to make vigilance against market abuse integral to their trading activities.
"Surveillance should never be static; it has to be in a state of continuous improvement. Firms need to have a formal review process involving both compliance and business team leaders to ensure they have the right processes and protections in place," says Nick Gordon, Business Development Director at change management consultancy Certeco.
New approaches and new tools are needed because the expectations of regulators are much greater and the net is being cast much wider. In Europe, the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) completed its roll-out in January 2017, marking a sea change in trade surveillance obligations. Not only are many smaller firms required to report suspicious trades or evidence of potentially abusive behaviour for the first time, MAR has also extended the types of trades to be monitored from those conducted in regulated markets to OTC transactions such as swaps. And although T+1 reporting of abuse is acceptable for the moment, the direction of travel is clearly toward intra-day and eventually real-time monitoring. In addition to MAR, the UK's Senior Managers Regime – effective for banks from March 2016 and for asset managers from 2018 – requires regulated firms to designate and demonstrate personal responsibility for trade surveillance, along with other key operational areas.
"As well as the increasing explicit trade surveillance requirements of regulators, there are also implicit expectations that firms fully understand their responsibilities in supporting the objectives of market abuse regulation, rather than simply implementing vendor solutions," says Gordon.
Another defining aspect of the trade surveillance challenge, says Gordon, is complexity. Regulators expect firms to demonstrate understanding and oversight, where the risks are most severe. Multi-legged orders involving a variety of counterparties, exchanges or instruments require particular scrutiny, with risks assessed and monitored both at the individual transaction and holistically, at the parent order level. Nevertheless, alerts must be finely tuned as there are good reasons – from both a business and compliance perspective – to avoid false positives.
Across the board, firms are responding to their expanding market abuse obligations by turning to technology. Firms have long sought to automate non-differentiating compliance processes, but the need to continually identify new market abuse threats from across the vast and diverse global financial markets landscape has focused their attention on machines that are faster and more rigorous than humans, but which can learn and adapt like their flesh-and-blood masters.
In broad terms, systems and applications that deploy AI are able to make 'smart', logical decisions based on analysis of the structured and even unstructured data they consume, while ML systems (effectively a subset of AI), can adapt to circumstances, think for themselves, even inferring meaning from natural language. This means they can not only recognise patterns denoting potentially abusive behaviour, but can also identify new threats as they emerge, or explore evidence or contextual data once unusual behaviour is flagged for further investigation. Whilst the development of AI/ML-based tools is still costly and time-consuming, the scope they offer to improve the efficiency of existing trade surveillance capabilities and to evolve over time has resulted in significant investment.
London-based Sybenetix uses AI/ML to support both its trade surveillance and performance measurement services. The firm has pioneered the development of behavioural analytics in the finance sector, combining data analytics with behaviour profile algorithms to identify behaviours that might contravene market abuse regulations for buy- and sell-side firms. It also uses similar tools and skill sets to monitor decision-making behaviour with the aim of improving performance, notably in investment management.
In both cases, the firm's starting point is to define and model behaviours that contribute to efficient, successful performance of portfolio management (or indeed any other role or task), drawing on practical knowledge of how professionals execute core tasks. From this, it is then possible to use automated systems to track how an individual portfolio manager's behaviour varies on a day to day basis, whether to monitor productivity and performance or to identify deviations (either from the optimal model and / or past behaviour of the portfolio manager in question) that might suggest abusive or illegal trading activity.
"If we can build models that encourage the right behaviour for performing the job, then use data to subsequently track trading activity, we believe we can provide a more coherent and effective approach to trade surveillance than trying to satisfy precisely the market abuse rules of different regulatory regimes, which will inevitably vary. As such, we evolve the monitoring and surveillance models to cater for changing of regulatory climates and changing behaviour," explains CEO and co-founder Taras Chaban.
While a model will reflect the ideal scenario for how a task should be carried out, ie how market participants should interact rationally, once it is fed by data derived from the real world decisions, it learns and adapts accordingly. Chaban calls this an evidence-based approach to trade surveillance. Because the model is aware of the individual portfolio manager's previous trading activity, it raises an alert when he or she executes a trade in a manner that deviates from past behaviour rather than, for example, automatically flagging a trade that represents more than 5% of the value of the portfolio, as a rules-based system might. In essence, the system centres on the monitoring of repeatable patterns in an ever-larger data set. "The richer the data set, the more able you are to create smaller numbers of more precise alerts," says Chaban.
According to Valerie Bannert-Thurner, Global Head of Risk and Surveillance Solutions at Nasdaq, ML can play multiple roles in trade surveillance, from identification of potential abuse to decision support to trade reconstruction. Moreover, it is capable of improving the efficiency and accuracy of existing trade surveillance solutions and services, as well as paving the way for new approaches.
As anyone will know who has tired of being offered slight variations on previous purchases by online retailers, there are down sides to the use of ML techniques to recommend future actions based on past behaviour. In the case of trade surveillance, the danger is that the user effectively trains the monitoring solution to look out for and prioritise known risks, potentially ignoring the emergence of new ones. Clearly, any trade surveillance system that fails to notice evolving forms of market abuse will fall short of today's regulatory expectations, potentially exposing users to sanctions.
To avoid this risk, Nasdaq exploits the fact that its trade surveillance solutions are being used in multiple markets by multiple firms globally to ensure that the new forms of abusive behaviour uncovered by pattern-spotting algorithms are not overlooked. "We want to make sure that we still point people towards weak signals of new behaviour, not only the stuff they know is important anyway. We try to tap into the strength of our community of users and their feedback to help identify emerging patterns," says Bannert-Thurner.
Bannert-Thurner also notes that clustering clients with common characteristics into sub-sets, e.g. market makers or long-only asset managers, can improve calibration of alerts and detection of outlier behaviour by making it specific to different market segments and peer groups.
"The ability to calibrate alerts in line with other users could be important in the event of an oversight, as the firm could prove to a regulator that it was following market practice," she adds.
Pointing to the substantial resources required to develop and maintain AI/ML systems for trade surveillance, Gordon accepts that partnering with third parties may well be a cost-effective way of harnessing digital technology innovation in the campaign against market abuse. But he asserts the caveat that vendor solutions must have the flexibility to operate effectively across different markets, by geography and asset class, including those still dominated by voice-based trading protocols.
The substantial challenges around identifying market abuse in voice-brokered markets, and the labour-intensive efforts often required to investigate possible wrong-doing in such markets, lead Gordon to suggest that human compliance officers and the counterparts on the trading floor must continue to play the leading role in trade surveillance for some time to come, guiding the technology, without developing over-reliance.
Nevertheless, AI/ML are gradually being applied more widely across the trade surveillance sphere. As well as helping to identify possible abuse more efficiently, ML techniques are increasingly being used by firms to investigate and resolve cases, for example, thanks to advances in natural language processing, according to Bannert-Thurner. As such, ML-based tools are being developed to scour disparate sources of written and verbal communications in order to understand the intent and meaning behind words and phrases used in emails, conversations etc. "You can basically look in either written or verbal communication for any signs of collusive behaviour and malicious intent," she says.
Looking further into the future, Chaban sees several previously disparate disciplines coming together in order to enable new trade surveillance insights and capabilities, with advances in computing power and data science augmenting ongoing progress in our understanding of human behaviour. "Our understanding of how humans operate and their motivations and how they make their decisions under particular circumstances, is still evolving. The future is about combining all of these different sciences into one system, and bringing a very holistic view of decision making," he says.
Application of AI/ML in the compliance and trade surveillance space is clearly still in its infancy, but showing great potential to support the fight against market abuse at many levels. Firms in the finance sector and beyond are only just beginning to tap this potential. According to a recent survey of CCOs in seven industries conducted by KMPG , while 69% of CCOs say their compliance programme leverages technology to support its initiatives, only 47% of CCOs report using data and analytics to conduct root cause and trending analyses.


It's definitely possible to get physical therapy without feeling like you can't go out and still be comfortable.
There are plenty of ways to make your physical therapy gadgets look stylish and incorporate them into whatever you're wearing, so you can have a great time. For example, you can disguise your cast, your arm support, your neck brace, or anything else that you're using, or you can go the opposite way and decorate them to the point that they just can't go unnoticed.
Physical therapy generally isn't the most fun thing on the planet, but that doesn't mean you can't look cool while using it. Make it as fun and enjoyable as possible, and you'll feel better about your experience. Plus, you'll help other people smile, and that's good for you and them.
For casts or other issues with your legs, consider wide-legged pants. They used to be called bell-bottoms, and they were in fashion for a time in the '70s. Now, they are making a comeback to some extent, and it's possible to find them in regular retail stores. If you can locate some, you can get them to fit over a smaller-sized cast or leg brace. For much larger types of apparatus, you may need to just wear shorts or a skirt. Men should probably avoid the skirt.
For arm issues like casts, supports, or braces, a shawl is a good idea. There are many beautiful styles available from various kinds of fabrics, and you can get something that compliments your wardrobe very well. You may want to choose a completely neutral color that you can wear with anything, or you may prefer to buy more than one shawl, and get some in colors that go with specific outfits. Just make sure it's what you like, in your price range, and comfortable for you to wear.
Neck braces present special challenges, but there are plenty of options for necklaces to wear over them. Shop for things that are large and colorful, and that are longer than you would normally wear to accommodate the size of the brace. It should also be something that you can easily fasten, or something that just slips on over your head, so you don't have too much trouble putting it around the brace.
If you can't hide your therapy gadget, or if you don't want to hide it, then you can decorate it and make it part of your outfit- just get some colorful stickers, markers, or paint that you can use to add flare to your cast. Make sure you don't get anything that will damage it or impede its use, but have fun. You don't need to get too worried about simple things like stickers.
You may even want to use a glue gun to add sparkles or beads that are flat and don't stick out too much. As long as they don't cause a hazard or come off easily, they can look great and be a lot of fun for you and anyone else who sees them.


SMITH COUNTY – October is drawing to a close and that also means that the CDC's recommended time for a flu vaccine has been met. Last year's flu season was one of the worst in more than a decade, with 19 consecutive weeks of record-breaking flu hospitalizations across the country. This season, healthcare professionals are pushing people to get their flu shots, but the myths about the shot and the concern that some groups are ignoring the warning remain.
"For this flu season, we have spent about 1100 vaccines so far," says Sylvia Warren, Net Health Director of Immunizations.
Up to 35 million flu cases are expected this year. To avoid another hard-fought flu season, health professionals say it's critical that everyone goes to the doctor every six months and older to get the vaccine.
Although some form of flu shot has existed for more than 70 years, there are still some myths and misconceptions that persist. For starters, many believe that the vaccine is ineffective, even to give the recipient the disease.
"It's a dead virus and it can not give you flu, every body is different, your immune system is different, some people do not affect it at all."
According to CDC, if you get the flu after receiving the vaccine, you were probably already sick before you get the shot. It takes two to three weeks for the vaccine to take effect.
Another myth that is often shared: "If I got the vaccine last year, I do not have to get it this flu season."
"People do not tend to get the flu vaccine, because like last year, they said it was not that effective. So, people say," Well, why should I get it if it's not effective ? "But they still have to get it every year, because the flu virus changes every year. "
7, African Americans and Hispanics were found to receive flu shots less frequently than white Americans nationwide.
There are several ways to get the flu vaccine, including some versions of the shot, a nasal spray and even a special version for people who are very allergic For those facing the disease, it is important to receive antiviral treatment within 48 hours of the disease, and this week the FDA approved its first new antiviral flu treatment, a new mechanism of action in nearly 20 years to have.