Wednesday, May 11, 2016 – Eastern Municipal Water District on Wednesday celebrated the completion of five solar power generation systems. Stronghold Engineering, Inc. was EMWD's selected design-build contractor on four of the five projects – at the Perris, Moreno Valley, Sun City, and San Jacinto facilities.
The five systems will each produce 1 megawatt (MW) of power to be used at the respective facilities and surrounding supporting infrastructure. The systems were constructed at regional water reclamation facilities to provide energy and power for the reclamation process.
Using a conservative four-percent annual rate increase estimate from Southern California Edison, there is an anticipated 12-year return on investment and a projected 20-year savings of $37.7 million in energy costs. EMWD also anticipates receiving $6.1 million in incentives from the Solar Initiative based on kilowatt hours produced in the first five years of the systems' power production.
Stronghold Engineering, Inc. partnered with SolarWorld, the largest U.S. crystalline-silicon solar manufacturer for more than 40 years, to supply 4 MW of panels for this project. The four 1 MW systems are composed of 72-cell SolarWorld solar panels mounted on NEXTracker single-axis trackers. The systems will enable the facilities to offset peak power demand. Also involved, was Parson Corporation, who supported the agency's field engineering division on the multiple sites of solar renewable energy projects.
The dedication for the last of the five solar power generation systems was well attended by firm's involved as well as the public. The event included an overview of the project and the cost savings to EMWD and their customers. Team members from Stronghold Engineering Inc., Parson, Southern California Edison, and EMWD were present. After the presentation, all attendees were invited to take a tour of the solar systems.


Data … Are you giving away too much of a good thing?
By Sharon Dickie, Director of Marketing and Jeremy Saul, Head of Mobile at Data Locator Group.
Data – it's a minefield, and nearly 6 months on from the GDPR becoming law, today it's even more so. Do most people, including those of us immersed in the technology sector, think consciously about how much data we're sharing each day? We're constantly being asked on practically every website we visit now to consent to cookies, and let's face it, I bet we're all clicking 'Accept' without really knowing what we're consenting to. Yup. Knowingly or unknowingly, we're allowing an almost unsettling insight into our behaviour and mobile takes this behavioural data collection to a whole new level. But is it really all bad, do we need to be unsettled? Jeremy Saul, Head of Mobile for Data Locator Group, joins us to consider what's changed with data collection, the use of it and our new norm of giving our approval (or declining) it without filling in one character on any form or writing any signatures.
We're literally surrounded and immersed in data every day. In the last few years we have been bombarded with projects leveraging Big Data, Hadoop, Casandra and Map-Reduce and we've seen considerable and concerted efforts focused on data protection and privacy. It's not rocket science; data has been and remains a valuable asset.
As you might imagine working for Data Locator, Jeremy comes with a rich career history of data collection and analytics and has seen the journey that data has taken. "We've come from an industry where it used to be relatively easy to collect data via forms. Consumers were used to the process and accepting of filling in a form and sending it back". But so much has changed over the last 20 years and this process has been surpassed by technology and now completely unviable. The logistics of storing addresses (correct, up-to-date addresses), creating forms (that will mostly be binned) and mailing out the forms (expecting them to be returned).
When we moved online, forms transitioned with relative ease and though delivered through a different medium were largely unchanged in their request for information. We took to this change with equal ease and become experts, though annoyed if we still needed to print, sign and physically send back, as opposed to automatically submitting online or emailing.
But mobile is where it has all changed, and changed so significantly it's even changed the way the business of data collection works. The chance of getting a view of people's behaviour is very nearly within our grasp. But as Jeremy points out "gathering this from one data source is no longer good enough. In fact many of the largest traditional collectors of data have completely changed their business models to now purchase in and rely upon third parties to provide the information. Their focus is now on being data aggregators".
Mobile data provides incredible insight into user behaviour, in real time. For the first time ever data is being collected throughout the day, all day and night. With an estimated 1 million connected beacons throughout the world already and predictions this number will surpass 400 million between now and 2020 our activities are certainly on the grid, if we are online. Activity trackers, a new addiction for some of us, know pretty much everything we do from walking, running, cycling, how many floors we've climbed, how many calories we've burned and if in amongst all this we got any sleep. They also nudge us every time we've sat sedentary for any period of time. Incredibly personal information shared willingly by many of us. Let's not forget we also share information about who we like, who we are talking to, what we are buying (or seeking to buy), which organisations and groups we affiliate with, teams we support and so on.
If someone asked you in a form or survey for all this information would you provide it? We suspect not. Most of us won't remember or pay much attention to ticking the T&Cs box when installing apps for the first time and on-boarding has an incredible role to play to successfully guide users into apps and subtly point them in the direction of how to use the app and add data to make it work. The collection of the data is very discreet, some might feel underhanded, though the use of it is often not discreet, as we are targeted with advertisements of products we have been browsing, sites we have been to or complementary products to those we have been looking at. Some people find this freaky, others are impressed. Polling both the Data Locator and Waracle offices we found there was a split down the middle in terms of how people reacted to it. Many citing their annoyance and acknowledging their refusal to provide location information when prompted. But as Jeremy points out "if you were asked for location data and refused to supply, surely the marketing you get back, which you will get regardless, will be even more annoying and irrelevant". Is there an argument that suggests you may as well get more targeted information by providing the details?
It's perhaps understandable that some people find the advert targeting and re-marketing annoying, though we found neither of us do. Blatant advertising is one thing but reminders, and recommendations based on your actual activity (place, time, likes) are proving highly successful in other arenas. Yet again we use the example of Amazon, in particular the 'one-click' purchase and product suggestions. Jeremy's example explains it perfectly. When faced with twelve stocking filler gifts to purchase (urgently as it was left too late) he ventured onto Amazon. Having found the first couple he was then presented with other similar products and products other people had purchased. Within record time his panic was replaced with relief as he'd purchased all 12 products and they were on route. Had Jeremy, or any of us for that matter been asked all the questions required to complete this purchase in a form would we have agreed? Were we buying gifts? Who for? How many gifts? How much would we want to spend? For what occasion? When did we need them and did we want recommendations? I suspect most of us would have said "uhhh no thank you".
I can guarantee I would have provided a loud and clear refusal to provide information to FitBit and MyFitnessPal if I had been faced with a form asking – my age, my weight, what I have eaten, how much (or little) I had exercised, how much did I sleep and what friends I am willing to expose this information to or even worse would I share it with a personal trainer. However I provide all this information and have by my actions agreed to provide it. As the addiction has grown I've added Fitbit scales to the mix and now have 'by my actions' given my permission for this information to be collected. But is it all a bad thing? Feels like the weight data is bad on most days but I get amazing service, just like Jeremy does from Amazon. I like the information, the keeping me on track, the competing with my friends and family. I'm happy to provide the information and have I guess accepted this in return for the service it provides me.
Our agreement is that if the give and take is valuable to each party does it matter how the information is gathered and used? And this is where we ended up; there is a difference between opting in for a service versus opting in for advertising. It's one thing to give permission through your actions to sign up to a service, to let your location form the basis for what you hope is more relevant and timely communication versus receiving information that is irrelevant at best, intrusive at worst. For example 'checking in' via Facebook to share (show-off) with your friends where you were travelling to or what amazing event you were at seems to be very acceptable. Logging into another service using your Facebook log-in to then have Facebook announce your actions to the community, without your permission, goes just a step too far. There is a sense of value in the former and untargeted 'stepping over the line' communication in the latter.
Where does data go next in terms of enriching our lives and our acceptance of key data being gathered as we go about our daily life? As many key influencers in tech have suggested, cars represent an obvious next step in the progress of mobile, IoT and data collection … Tesla is the obvious reference here. But Tesla asides, for us mere mortals, actions such as being able to pre-set your journey in your GPS before you get in the car, set the temperature, voice activation, weather and traffic information or performance recommendations, seems easily achievable and is already happening. By opting in to provide information about your journey, your preferences, the way you drive, and where you drive, it's not hard to imagine how that could be used to deliver very specific servicing, journey information, part recommendations and of course offers (not to mention tracking results on your insurance policy remains to be seen).
On another tact, we have quite in-depth experience at Waracle within the digital health arena and see incredible opportunities for life-changing breakthroughs with the use, collection and sharing of mobile, wearable and IoT data. Digital health is the convergence of the digital and genomic revolutions with health, healthcare, living, and society. Imagine the sharing of data between patients, research specialists, physicians, pharmacists (the list is endless) and of course, carer's. Real time information reporting symptom changes, stress levels based on changes detected in the skin, blood pressure, heart beats, allergen levels, concussion detection or even something as obvious as medication alerts, treatment schedules and test results. Opting in for digital health seems obvious, even though you are sharing your most confidential and personal data.
I realise we haven't touched on data protection and individual privacy, and everything GDPR threw into the mix – we are however very aware of all it involves. We've purposely avoided it in this blog as so many others are focused on upholding all it entails. In a relatively short space of time, the approach to data collection has changed dramatically and now offers a real opportunity to create and target services that add as much value for the user as the data itself offers to the collector. With a little give and take we expect huge breakthroughs will be made in all aspects of our daily lives – entertainment, education, commuting, health and so many other things we've not mentioned. A true value equation must be at the heart of any new or re-engineered mobile, wearable and IoT endeavours.


Okay I decided to start posting some of my older videos. They aren't as good as my newer one since all of them were made with WMM but I think there are still some worth sharing. So yeah I will start posting some of my old videos on weeks I aven't had time to make new ones if anyone cares.


IPSE strongly agrees with a damning report by the House of Lords which criticises HMRC's 'aggressive' compliance efforts on the 2019 Loan Charge.
The House of Lords, like IPSE, urged HMRC to refocus its compliance efforts on those who promoted and profited from the off-shore loan schemes. The report recommends a more reasonable approach to those who have suffered tremendous strain because of the schemes.
Andy Chamberlain, IPSE's Deputy Director of Policy, commented: "HMRC's aggressive approach to the 2019 Loan Charge has caused financial ruin and serious emotional distress for tens of thousands of taxpayers and their families.
"A central criticism of the House of Lords' report is that HMRC has been too aggressive in its pursuit of those who used the schemes. Instead, like IPSE, the report calls for HMRC to re-focus its compliance efforts on those who had promoted and profited from their use.
"The report's description of HMRC's approach as 'aggressive', 'unfair', 'devastating' and a 'tax on justice' is a damning indictment of a retrospective taxation which has left many with substantial repayment demands. Indeed, at a recent Westminster Hall Debate, a group of cross-party MPs called on the Government to stop applying the tax retrospectively.
"IPSE recently wrote to the Chancellor to urge the government against this most aggressive approach to tax compliance. With IR35 reforms already ravaging the self-employed, HMRC must find a better balance and treat taxpayers fairly.


We got a wee bit of snow today and overnight. It finished up snowing around 8am but we were up at 5:30am because that is when Andrew decided to start the day. I got dressed and decided to get out and start shoveling. I shoveled out a path up to the driveway and then shoveled down to the garage to get the tool to clean off Allison's car. I wanted to get out early to catch my neighbor before he went started using his snowblower. I wanted to get out there to help him out and do the snowblowing. He didn't call me and I figured he'd be out early. So I cleaned up and went into the house.
Later Allison saw him doing some snowblowing later on around 7:30am so I jumped back into my outdoor clothes and got out to help him out and snowblow. I did the rest of his yard and then did the sidewalks around the house, our backyard and driveway.
Back into the house for pancakes and bacon, two helpings. Some LEGO witht eh kids, some Skylanders and then the kids wanted to go out into the snow. Why not, it was a snow day for Eva after all. Good thing, too because the street where her school is had a major 4 alarm fire. A building actually had to be torn down. I actually took a photo of the cornerstone for my photo a day on April 25, 2008.
But the kids got into their snow clothes, thanks to Allison. We took a walk down the street with the kids in the sled. They enjoyed it. Then they refused to come into the house.
I feel a bit cheated, though. I've been home for nearly two weeks and nary a flake. Now the snow is on the ground and I have to go back to work. I can't even enjoy it now that it has been shoveled.
I have to admit that I envy you. Currently live in a tropical country and my son have never seen or feel snow. Hope to take him next year to my home land on a ski holiday.


On the eve of her first solo show in Berlin, we put a few questions to near-ubiquitous Belgian photographer Lara Gasparotto to talk preparation, pressure and blessings.
You've just been taken on by Berlin's Kromus + Zink Gallery – what does that mean to you? How does that change things, if at all? Having worked for a few years now with Antwerp's Stieglitz 19, how do you feel you're prepared for this next, slightly more international, phase in your career?
Well together with Dries Roelens (founder of Stieglitz 19), we've been thinking of working with an international gallery for a while now. I think it's always good to get out of your comfort zone and not get locked down in Belgium. This exhibition is a big challenge for me, and I clearly see it as an avenue for extending my photographic carrer.
Can you talk to us about how the connection with Zink was made? When did you guys first started talking about working together?
A few months ago, Florian Kromus, one of Zink's co-founders, saw one of my photographs in a collector's house and apparently was intrigued by it. He got in touch, and I invited him to come have a look at my installation at the Bonnefanten museum in Maastricht. Soon after he offered me a solo show, and representation at his gallery. As you can imagine, I was really really happy as I felt that it was something I had been waiting for for a while. Plus the best part about Zink, for me, s that it doesn't only focus on photography but on contemporary art more generally. And that's something I love.
The gallery represents a number of other Belgian artists – Rinus Van De Velde, Hannelore Van Dijck. How do you think your work fits in with theirs? Is there, in your mind, a common denominator that underpins your approach, aesthetic, vision, etc…? Something that binds your work to theirs?
I think they're both very talented, I like they work so I'm glad that my works can be associated to theirs. I don't know about a common denominator… I think Rinus also talks about auto-fiction – I read it in The Word actually haha – and creating fictional biography, something I do too. And Hannelore plays with the perception of the spectator which I do too in a very very diffrent way.
How did you prepare for this first show at Zink? Will you be showing any new works?
The place is great, I did a big installation, and they're always different, with a new dialogue between images. I used three different formats of frames, huge stickers and rubbers. I'll mostly be showing new images from 2014, and a few older works in new formats. So there are new things to discover, even for Belgians who already saw my setup in Antwerp, Charleroi or Maastricht.
Did the fact of exhibiting in Berlin inspire you in any way?
Every time people put trust in me for a show, I want to give it my very best, simply as a gesture of respect. It's very important to me to do my installations very personally, trying to make it better than the one before, always pushing it, always going forward. I'm still learning a lot. And I feel that when you have your pictures hanging on a wall you can take a step back and consider where you are and how you can push your work to be better.
What does success look like to you? For this exhibition but also more generally..
Hahah I really have to balance things out and take them with a pinch of salt because I'm still at the very begining of the ladder, even if I feel blessed with the success I've had in Belgium.
Are there any other Belgian artists active today who's work you're particularly fond of?
Hmmm yes plenty … Aurélie William Levaux, Edith Dekynt, the etchings of Charlotte Istat, Michael Borremans, Vincent Delbrouck, Dirk Braeckman, Thomas Chables, Julien Meert, Hello Monsters, Colo & spit… There are so many.
After this show at Zink, what's coming up for you?
Last but not least, how would you describe your approach to photography?
There is a lot of spontanety, like sometimes I have ideas crossing my mind and I try and bring them to reality, even if the results are always different of what I had imagined before. Or it's just a fragment of time as it is, a party, a walk, a meeting with somebody and I just catch the moment. I use a lot of differents mediums and my interest is to create a unity in the diversity of it. I try to make it work by the ambiant, the colors, the atmosphere. The real interest is that you are giving a vision, a mood of our time, between fiction and reality, even if it's your own fictional work it will stay as a kind of document, it will be a part, a still picture of the past.
Lara Gasparotto will showcase her work at Kromus + Zink Gallery in Berlin from the 7th of March to the 18th of April 2015.


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Treasure Island: Your Classics. Your Choices.
By Robert Louis Stevenson and Matt London
Part of You Are the Classics
Category: Children's Middle Grade Action & Adventure Books | Children's Picture Books
Aug 17, 2021 | ISBN 9780593095911 | Middle Grade (8-12)
*This title is not eligible to earn points towards the Reader Rewards program
About Treasure Island: Your Classics. Your Choices.
In these literary classics, you make the choices. Readers explore alternative paths, new character developments, shocking new endings, and surprising plot twists, told in the same adventurous voice as Robert Louis Stevenson's original.
While readers can follow the original tale of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, new options allow readers to explore additional characters and settings. Some lead to new endings, while others send readers back into the original storyline. Fans of literary classics will delight in seeing their favorite stories given new life, and reluctant readers will discover the classics through the engaging format of an interactive story.
Also in You Are the Classics
Also by Robert Louis Stevenson, Matt London
See all books by Robert Louis Stevenson, Matt London
About Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist, and travel writer who spent the last part of his life… More about Robert Louis Stevenson
About Matt London
Matt London is a writer, video game designer, and avid recycler who has published short fiction and articles about movies,… More about Matt London
Category: Children's Middle Grade Action & Adventure Books | Children's Picture Books
Published by Penguin Workshop
Aug 17, 2021 | 192 Pages | 5-1/8 x 7-5/8 | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780593095911

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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A Brooklyn kid fights Battle of the Bulge
By Hugh Lessig
NEWPORT NEWS — Today, Allan Stein can laugh at some of his World War II experiences.
Like the time a German soldier riding a bicycle came upon Stein and five other GIs in a battle zone. The six Americans fired and missed. The terrified German rode away.
Or the time he went to New Orleans on a three-day pass and stayed for a week, thanks to a good-looking lady. That earned him a trip to the stockade.
But if his combat career could be described as odd or mischievous, one must also add courageous.
Stein was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and earned the Bronze Star for valor. Twice wounded, he fought through Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge.
He dealt with his own anger toward the Nazi-led regime, being Jewish and being a natural fighter. As a kid growing up in Brooklyn, he ran with a Jewish gang known as the Top Hatters. They fought Irish and Italian gangs — fist-fights only, he points out — and it provided good training for a brief, successful stint as an Army boxer.
Yet the act of killing German soldiers — which he did more than once — provided no sense of closure.
"I always figured I'm fighting the Jewish war," he said. "I was going to seek revenge. I killed a few, but I could never really get into it, you know?"
Maybe that's a good thing.
"I was always looking for a real good fight," he says with a smile. "Luckily I didn't get it, or I would have gotten killed, most likely."
An untraditional beginning
Stein joined the Navy, but an ear ailment left him partially deaf and resulted in a medical discharge. He still wanted to serve, and the Army took him. The year was 1942, and he was assigned to an artillery unit.
He recalled an Army man saying: "Well, you're hard of hearing so you won't hear the noise anyway."
Artillery duty didn't work out. He was performing an exercise in front of Army brass while in the rain and dropped a 90-pound shell, sending people running for cover.
"All the big shots disappeared," he said. "They took me off artillery and put me in the kitchen."
Kitchen duty wasn't his future, either, thanks to an minor accident with a gas stove. But he ran into a buddy in "special services" — a boxer. Stein thought he might be a good boxer considering his Brooklyn roots.
He was right. He compiled a 15-0 record and got his name in the newspapers.
"They sent me to New Orleans on a three-day pass," he recalled. "I got to New Orleans and ran into a very pretty young lady. I stayed there about a week longer than I should have."
That earned him a six-month stay in the stockade, but he was determined not serve the entire time. For one thing, the prisoners liked boxing, and Stein found himself on the losing end of some fights.(To be fair, there were no weight classes, and he was fighting bigger guys.)
He recalled seeing a poster for paratroop duty and wanted to sign up. They took him, and he was shipped to Fort Benning, Ga., in handcuffs and ankle chains, but he made it through jump school.
Overseas at last
He was shipped overseas after the Allied invasion on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
"I missed Normandy, and that aggravated me," he said. "I figured I missed the greatest fight of all. I figured the war is over. But I made Holland."
Assigned to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, he parachuted into that country as part of Operation Market Garden. It was there he saw his first taste of combat, including that bicycle-riding German.
But his experience went well beyond that. He helped defend and prevent the demolition of the Waal river Bridge at Nijmegen. He remembered seeing German soldiers for the first time, early in the campaign, fighting for supplies in the American paratroopers' own landing zone.
"I thought, hey this is real," he said. "You can get killed out here."
Portions of that campaign were later dramatized in the film, "A Bridge Too Far."
Later in the year, he fought in the Battle of the Bulge, as the Germans mounted a furious counter-offensive to stem the Allied advance. Stein fought on the northern end of the battle area and was wounded on Christmas Eve.
A piece of shrapnel entered through his ear, knocked out a wisdom tooth and exited through the mouth. The hot metal burned his lip as it flew out. Dazed and bleeding, he was taken from the line and had a mystical experience while seeing a dead soldier.
"Walking off the hill, I looked into the valley and there was this barbed wire," he said. "There was a guy, he could be German or American, his hands and feet crossed, on this barbed wire. It looked just like Jesus. And from then on, I sort of accepted Jesus in my own way. He's Jewish. I'm Jewish. It was such a startling thing. It just struck me so, like a bolt."
Settling in Newport News
After the war, Stein worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and later returned to Europe with the Defense Department as an education services officer. He retired from government service in 1988 at Fort Eustis and settled in Newport News.
Along the way, he co-authored a novel with his daughter titled, "The Devil Within." The main character is a Jewish kid from New York — a "once-handsome young boy" who becomes hardened by his experiences in World War II.
"I took what happened to me, but also what happened to other guys — what I heard," he said.
The main character, Eugene Stone, "unknowingly awakens a force from within that he calls upon and assumes is God," according to the cover blurb. But there is some question as to whether the bargain is with God or the devil.
So, did Stein ever make a bargain with the devil?
He laughs.
"I figured with the way things happened to me," he said, "I could have."


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Early Italian Renaissance Art: Florentine vs. Sienese Art
During the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, a transformation occurred in Italy with respect to society, economics, politics, and religion. One of the major factors that led to such a change was the shift from a farming culture to a culture of industry dominated by merchants. This led to an urban economy, the expansion of cities, and the alteration of government to accommodate the growing population. In addition, Christian sects such as the Franciscans and the Dominicans began to form, advocating new religious philosophies involving bringing faith to the masses. This combination of reform in the economy and in organized religion brought about an increase in the production of art. The creation of artworks became an esteemed industry, and…show more content…
In terms of subject matter, both works are visual depictions of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. In each painting, Christ is the central figure, surrounded by two groups of figures. On the left, a group of women that includes the Virgin Mary mourns over the dead body of Christ, while on the right is a group of soldiers and other lamenters. Both works feature a rocky landscape on which the figures are positioned. Encircling Christ are several angels whose gestures of lamentation echo those of the figures below. Highlighting the severity of each scene is the blood that pours from Jesus' wounds. The blood from his feet drips onto human bones that are embedded in the rocky terrain below. The skull serves as a "memento mori," or a reminder of death, an idea that has been repeated in several other depictions of Christ's crucifixion.
Because Duccio's work is a triptych, beautifully articulated figures have been added to the wings of the piece and above Christ himself. On the left wing, illustrated as a bishop, is Saint Nicholas, a religious figure known for secret gift-giving and working miracles. On the right is Saint Gregory (also Pope Gregory I), a monastic pope known as the "Doctor of the Church." Above the crucifixion scene is a representation of the risen Christ, flanked by two angels. This could serve as a reminder that eternal life exists after
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Internal and External factors in Nike
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Coca Cola's Micro and Macro Environment.


The focus of our attention in this month of April must be Holy Week, the Paschal Triduum and our greatest feast, Easter and the Octave of Easter. The reason is easily understandable—our eternal salvation was obtained, not by any merits of ours, but by the total gift of our Lord's life to our Heavenly Father for us.
Briefly, let us look at each of these grace-filled moments which bring Lent to a close and immerse us so deeply and intimately in the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday and ends with the beginning of the Mass of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday evening. The days of Holy Week give us an opportunity to follow Jesus as others, including His friend Judas, plot to betray Him and put Him to death. The shadow of the cross looms ever larger not only over Jesus, but over us, as well, if we have been faithful to our Lenten discipline. We know that the cross is our standard for faith and life because of Him, Who was crucified on it and transformed it from an instrument of despair and death to the tree of life.
The Paschal Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday form an entirely different liturgical season for the Church. We are familiar with what Jesus did on each of these days from instituting the sacraments of the holy Eucharist and holy orders, to enduring His brutal passion and death and His burial in the tomb, to His descent into hell as we pray and profess in the Creed to release the just. These three days should not be missed by any of us because in celebrating them as members of His Body, we come to a better understanding of His sacrifice for us, but also what His sacrifice demands of us.
With the dawn of Easter Sunday, the Sunday of all Sundays as the Church Fathers called Easter, we awake to the sure and certain knowledge that life has been forever transformed. God lives, and we live with Him despite all the evil that continues to happen, evil never has the last word. Jesus, the Word of God Incarnate, God Himself has the definitive say and He says it with the beautiful love of His cross. He loves us and is faithful to us. All He asks for is our unwavering faith. Beginning on Easter Sunday and for the next seven days, the Easter Octave, we relive His gift to the world.
May these beautiful last days fill you with a joy and peace that only God can give. Have a most Blessed and Happy Easter!


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Buzz-in to Scholastic Bowl
Tejas Vadali The start of a new season marks the beginning of a long road ahead for Latin's sports teams, but for one team, the grind never stops. Which teams went to state last year? You've probably heard of Boys soccer and Girls volleyball, but the Scholastic Bowl team went and performed well.If you haven't caught on by now, and in all likelihood, you probably haven't, I'm talking about the Scholastic Bowl team. Last year, Latin's Scholastic Bowl team placed sixth at NAQT State, and first at Masonic State. In Scholastic Bowl, there are three formats of state-level competition, NAQT, Masonic, and IHSA, and to win even one is pretty remarkable. After their successful season last year, Scholastic Bowl has returned to reclaim their state title. Under the leadership of captains Ana Pranger and Julian Lee-Zacheis, Scholastic Bowl's buzzers lie in the hands of a prepared, majority- freshman team. On the surprising number of Freshman participating this year, head coach Mr. Legendre said, "By having a large amount of Freshmen on the team, we're setting ourselves up for a future Latin dynasty. That's a definite plus too, because we need more Freshmen for novice tournaments." Not only is the team practicing for Varsity tournament, but it is trying to expand its expertise to Freshman-Sophomore tournaments as well. This past weekend, the Varsity Scholastic Bowl team went down to Champaign-Urbana to compete in a tournament called Earlybird. Some of the best teams in the state were at this tournament including Rockford Auburn and IMSA. In the morning rounds, the Latin A team faced off against IMSA and came out with a victory. When asked what they did to be so successful, all that All-State Second Team member Ana Pranger could say was, "We hit the buzzers and got the points." "Hit the buzzers, get the points" has been a ritual of the Scholastic Bowl team at every tournament. Before the morning rounds, the captains always remind the other team members, as a sort of mental trigger, to "hit the buzzers and get the points," or just "buzzers, points" for simplicity's sake. Practice is an integral part of Scholastic Bowl. The practices are Monday and Wednesday afternoons, and Tuesday and Thursday mornings from early September to mid-April. Being a member of the Scholastic Bowl team doesn't have to drain the majority of your free time, though. Many members of the team just play recreationally to have fun, meet new people, and certainly learn more. If you're interested in joining Scholastic Bowl, contact either Mr. Legendre or Mr. Cruz. Although there are some early mornings and late nights, there's really no experience like it, so give it a shot, and as always, have fun. ]]>
One Response to "Buzz-in to Scholastic Bowl"
mrodriguez on October 18th, 2017 6:01 pm
Nice job, Tejas! It was great seeing you guys on Saturday. I look forward to more tournaments this year.
Status at Latin
Students React to Yet Another Schedule Change
Top 10 Lessons from 2020 for 2021
Spotlight on Mr. Edwards
HBCU Graduates make History in Recent Weeks
How do Latin students feel about teachers disclosing their beliefs?
Celebrating the Season with COVID-19 Restrictions
A Holiday Without The Whole Family
Senior Spotlight: Waleed Bitar, Latin's Chess Master


Johann Gutenberg's 42-line Bible is the first surviving book printed with movable type. It was completed in Mainz, Germany, around 1455 and each of the forty-nine surviving exemplars is unique.
Notable features of the two-volume Texas copy are copious indications of use dating from the 15th through the 17th centuries. These are found on over a third of its pages and include instructions on how and when passages were to be used in monastic services, marginal divisions of the text for reading aloud, lectionary marks, and textual corrections or insertions.
In addition, the first volume of the Texas copy of the Gutenberg Bible contains over forty beautifully illuminated large initial letters added by artists around the time it was printed.
It is now possible for those interested in the Bible, art history, and the history of the book to study all 1,282 individual pages of the Center's copy. This CD-ROM edition of the Ransom Center's Gutenberg Bible incorporates high-resolution and enlargeable 'flattened' images of each page.
This two-disk set may be used on both Windows and Macintosh computers with CD-ROM drives.


Jonti-Craft's Tactile Lab allows students to explore their sense of touch – without the help of their other senses. Place an object on the open side of the Baltic birch box and have students place their hands through the two openings. Can they identify the object based on touch alone? Backed by a lifetime warranty.


Classic winter colors in a fun chevron pattern make this the perfect Christmas collar for any dog this holiday season! It's adjustable and features a mix of red and white chevron stripes. It is made with grosgrain ribbon that is attached to red heavy-duty nylon webbing using interfacing and high-quality thread (triple sewn on pull-points). The hardware is plastic (a contoured, quick-release buckle and slip-lock) and a welded nickle D-ring.


HAMBURG – Immaculata Academy is pleased to announce Jeanmarie Cieslica, as the director of development. Cieslica brings 22 plus years of experience in fundraising and development from her time with Canisius College and The Hospice Foundation of Western New York.
She most recently served as the director of the Canisius Fund, overseeing the annual fund efforts of the college. She has also served as a board member for six years for the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
She will oversee annual giving, special events, scholarship giving and Parent Guild fundraising projects.
Cieslica and her husband Charles reside in West Seneca and have two children who attend Queen of Heaven School. They are active members of their school and parish communities.
Cieslica is a graduate of Canisius College.
Immaculata Academy, a private, Catholic, college-preparatory high school, is dedicated to educating young women based on Franciscan values. With a family spirit, our goal for each student is that she maximizes her potential academically, spiritually and personally, so as to be an instrument of positive change in society.


The UK 'Right to Rent' checks took effect across England from 1 February 2016. Under the new rules, prior to renting a property, prospective tenants will have their immigration documents checked to ensure that they have a legal right to reside in the country. This legislation will impact international and UK domestic relocation programmes that include assignees planning to rent in England. For more information, please download Cartus' latest Mobility Insights: UK Relocation: Right to Rent Checks.
Designed to reduce the number of immigration offenders in the UK, landlords now have a duty to check the immigration status of all potential adult occupiers. These checks must be made within 28 days before the start of a new tenancy.
Organisations that have set up a corporate lease are considered the 'tenant' and the assignee is the 'sub-letted tenant'. Sub-letted tenants are still required to undergo a Right to Rent check, and therefore it is the organisation's responsibility, as the 'tenant', to carry them out. It is worth noting that Right to Work checks are equivalent to the Right to Rent checks, so therefore, if a single assignee is relocating (without dependents), then the organisation will have the correct documents on file.
Checks last for 12 months or until expiry of the assignee's permission to be in the UK, whichever is later. So this means assignees can enter into a year-long tenancy agreement, even if their visa is only valid for six months, which is useful for short-term intra-company transfer moves, expected to be extended at a later date.
When it is not possible to secure a tenancy in principle, give assignees time to find and secure a rental property once they have relocated to the UK. Allow an appropriate amount of time between the date of arrival and the start date in the office.
All adult dependents will undergo the same Right to Rent checks as the assignee. Therefore, any spouse/partners relocating (and children 18 years or over) will need a valid visa and if the adult dependent plans to relocate to the UK half way through the lease, then they will still need to have a Right to Rent check before they move in with the assignee.
To save time once they have found a suitable property, assignees should be prepared and have their immigration documents before going on home finding trips. Organisations should ensure that all tenancy agreements are reviewed to see which party has responsibility for conducting the checks, particularly important if the organisation has set up a corporate lease. For more details on these proposed changes to UK immigration, download our Cartus Mobility Insights or contact a Cartus representative at trustedguidance@cartus.com.