Category Archives: Ascension

Need a COVID-19 test?

Free testing continues at Lamar-Dixon Expo Center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday, according to the Louisiana Health Department.

What should I expect before visiting a test site?

You'll need to wear a mask onsite and stay in your car before getting testing.

For those 13 years and older, expect the site to have a self-administered nasal swab test. This allows you to swab your own nose on site while in your vehicle. Once that's done, you'll drop the sealed sample into a container on your way out of the drive-thru site.

Is the test free?

There is no cost, and no identification is needed.

How old do I have to be to take the test?

You must be at least 3 years old to take the test.

How will I know when my test result is available?

Test results are available by calling (866) MYQUEST (1-866-697-8378), but keep in mind that wait times can take days. Test results are also available through the Quest online portal or app.

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Ascension Partners with Ochsner to Offer Free COVID-19 Tests - The Advocate

Genshin Impact Version 1.3 is right around the corner, and one of the rumored characters that will make their debut with the update is the practical joker and funeral parlor director Hu Tao. This 5-star pyro and polearm-wielding young lady runs the day-to-day operations for the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue, and she wouldnt mind giving the zombie Qiqi her last rites.

Bear in mind Hu Tao is currently rumored to appear in Genshin Impact Version 1.3 alongside Xiao, and all the information we have on her has come from leaks out of the closed beta. Well be sure to keep this guide up-to-date as Version 1.3 approaches launch in February.

Below will be listed her full set of attacks and abilities, her passive talents, constellations, and finally all of her ascension and talent material requirements. Since this information hasnt been officially confirmed as of publication (its all from the closed beta), any and all of this can change between now and Hu Taos debut. While shell still use Agnidus for ascension like other Pyro characters, she and Xiao appear to use a second, newer elemental material for their ascension: Juvenile Jade. This material will drop from a new world boss, the Ancient Geovishap.

Hu Tao Attacks and Abilities

Hu Tao Passive Talents

Hu Tao Constellations

Hu Tao Ascension Materials

Hu Tao Talent Ascension Materials

RELATED TOPICS :

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Genshin Impact Hu Tao Character Guide - Attack of the Fanboy

Prince Harry and Prince William's rift has been going on since as long as we can remember.

However, as per predictions, the two will put behind their differences only when the Duke of Cambridge takes over the throne from their father, Prince Charleswhich itself will take a while to happen.

Royal commentator Carole Malone spoke about the brothers feud on Channel 5s documentary, William and Harry: Princes at War.

"It will be interesting to see what happens when Prince William becomes King. What will their relationship be like? she said.

"I think it may be better because William is always going to be King, nothing is going to change that and Harry will have accepted that a very long time ago, she continued.

"Also, William at that point will be top dog, what he says goes. Whatever Prince Harry does or says, William will be in charge, end of story, she said.

Other than that, royal expert Marlene Koeing also claimed that the two will eventually have to let bygones be bygones.

We don't know everything, we only know what leaks have been made. You would want them to sit down and work things out and have conversations but that is between them, she said.

"They are the only two people who can, Prince Charles or someone else can't say you really need to talk to your brother, she continued.

"They need to make the decision to say hey I am living a separate life but I need to talk to my brother as we need to work things out."

"Let Prince William and Prince Harry do it. I think the public is putting too much pressure on this, I know it sounds strange. But they need to do it on their own, it is not for us to decide how it works, she added.

Read more here:

Prince Williams ascension to throne could finally settle rift with Prince Harry - Geo News

Jeff Weinell has always been fascinated with snakes the way they can live all over the world, from deserts to rainforests and even his familys backyard in Gonzales.

When Weinell, 30, graduated from East Ascension High School in 2009, his fascination was just a hobby as he started school at LSU, studying engineering for a time.

Ten years later, Weinell, a graduate research assistant at the University of Kansas' Biodiversity Institute, is responsible for the worlds most recent discovery of a new species of snake one that lives in the Philippines.

Weinell says he was able to take a hobby and "turn it in to something I do all the time.

Levitonius mirus, or the Waray dwarf burrowing snake, is native to the Samar and Leyte islands in the Philippines and only grows to be just over a half-foot long, according to the study published by Weinell and three of his colleagues in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.

Weinell discovered the snake by accident.

This was totally unplanned, as far as I wasnt going to look for a new species at all, Weinell said. I was hoping to work on a different project, looking at the evolutionary relationships among this group of snakes called Pseudorabdion. It looks superficially similar to this new snake, so it would have been easy for someone to misidentify that. While I was working on that, I found this one.

While running a DNA sequence on a sample of what he thought was a Pseudorabdion in 2017, Weinell realized the DNA did not match the species he thought he was studying. Further analysis of the sample revealed that three specimens stored at the institutes biodiversity collection, gathered on missions between 2006 and 2012, were an entirely new species.

After years of gathering data on the new snake, Weinell and his colleagues published their findings.

The snakes Latin name, Levitonius mirus, was coined by Weinell partially after a mentor, California Academy of Sciences researcher Alan Leviton, who has spent decades studying snakes in the Philippines. The snake is even part of a new genus, or a taxonomic classification that species are grouped under, that was named after Leviton.

The second part of the scientific name, mirus, translates from Latin to marvelous.

There are a lot of cases where specimens are misidentified, and sometimes its going to be another species from the area thats already been described and someone just misidentified it. Other times, it turns out to be something really different, like in this case, Weinell said.

The specimens in the institute's biodiversity collection are the only known ones ever found, Weinell said, something he unsuccessfully tried to rectify in 2017 when he traveled to the Philippines to find more of the species.

Weinell is now planning a trip back to the country in the fall in hopes of trapping a living specimen of the new snake.

Weinell wont complete his doctoral degree at Kansas until 2022, but he said he could see himself focusing his career on studying the evolution of life in the Philippines.

Theres a lot to discover, he said. The Philippines, it being an island archipelago, really lends itself to studying evolution. Each island is basically a replicate experiment of evolution.

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Gonzales native discovers new species of snake native to the Philippines - The Advocate

GONZALESScotlandville spread the ball around like it was handing out late Christmas gifts Monday night at East Ascension.

The Hornets dished out 25 assists as they overcame an early deficit and overwhelmed the Spartans 80-60 in non-district action.

East Ascension (5-6) came ready to play. The Spartans made their first three shots, and quickly took a 7-0 lead, but Scotlandville (11-3) came charging back.

In the first half, every pass the Hornets made seemed to be the right one. They made 16 of 20 shots in the first half with 14 of the baskets coming off an assist. Scotlandvilles lead was 50-30 at halftime, and East Ascension got no closer than 15 points in the second half.

Weve been talking about our defense carrying us, but offensively we were in a rhythm tonight, Scotlandville coach Carlos Sample said. One thing that really impressed me was that we shared the basketball.

We did a real good job of sharing the ball and not just getting shots, but getting good shots.

For the game, Scotlandville finished at 67% from the field (28 for 42) and made 8 of 16 from 3-point range.

Zaheem Jackson made four 3-pointers and totaled 26 points. Also hitting double figures were Emareyon McDonald (24 points) and Cody Fleming (14 points).

East Ascension picked up its shooting in the second half, but the closest it could get was at 75-60 after a 10-2 run late in the game.

The Spartans, who made 25 of 50 shots, got big games from Keith Thomas (25 points) and Troy Dunn (19 points).

Theres an old school adage, Youve got to make more baskets than the other team, and thats what the heck they did tonight, East Ascension coach Tyler Turner said. Every time they shot the ball it went in. Theyre not the No. 1 team in the state for no reason. Theyre well-coached and made the baskets they needed to make.

We played hard and didnt quit. Our kids kept playing and kept fighting.

In the first quarter, Dunn hit a 3-pointer and Thomas added a pair of baskets as East Ascension took a 7-0 lead before Scotlandville got off its first shot. It did not take Scotlandville long to rally.

Cody Flemings 3-pointer tied the game at 10 and started a 16-0 run for the Hornets. Scotlandville made six free throws during the run and led 25-13 CZavian Teasett fed Jackson for a basket.

In the second quarter, Scotlandville made all nine of its shots from the field, a hot streak that included four 3-pointers. Early in the quarter, East Ascension trailed 29-15 before scoring on four consecutive possessions. It didnt matter as Scotlandville did the same to maintain a 14-point lead.

With time running out in the half, John Hubbard drove the baseline before kicking the ball out to Jackson, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer capped a 16-5 Scotlandville run to close out the first half.

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Scotlandville's passing sparks win over East Ascension | High School Sports - The Advocate

Starconches are a local specialty in Genshin Impact that are needed for the ascension of certain characters, like Tartaglia. Here's where to find them.

There are a lot of resources and collectibles for adventurers to find in the world of Genshin Impact. Berries growing on bushes, ore jutting from rocks in mountainsides, the loot dropped by Teyvats many monsters, and much more. Players can use these items as ingredients in culinary recipes to heal their party, at blacksmiths to forge weapons for them, or as resources in character ascensions.

Related: Genshin Impact: Where to Find More Violetgrass (& What it's For)

Character ascensions are an important component of the games level up mechanic. By default, characters can only grow to level 20 by defeating enemies or using level-up items (the latter of which is thequickest method). Players will need to collect a certain number of resources to grow past this limit. Enter the starconch, a seashell appropriately emblazoned with a star that characters like Tartaglia need to ascend. Those that managed to wish this Snezhnyna sniper to their team will want to collect lots of starconch to make him grow even stronger, and this guide willprovide the areas that this seashell spawns in.

The starconch are only native to some of the beaches in the Liyue region. This categorizes them as a local specialty in the games code, meaning they respawn every two days. Only three of these shells are needed for the first ascension, but the later ones require as many as 30 or more. Players with Tartaglia in their roster ought to routinely collect starconch over time so theyll have enough in their inventory every time theyre ready to ascend him to the next rank. Here are two places that the shells commonly appear, and the paths new players can take to reach them.

Yaoguang Shoal

This isle is the easiest location to access. Starconches can be found all around its beaches, so combing the area in a loop once every 48 hours will net several shells. It can be reached on the way to Liyue Harbor from Mondstat by taking a right at Guili Plains and heading towards the bridge leading to Mingyun village. The Statue of the Seven that reveals the areas map is found at the highest peak overlooking the shoal, so visit there first if it hasn't already been activated. This regions teleport waypoint, found on the eastern side of the longest isle, has several starconches in the vicinity that are easy to collect.

Guyun Stone Forest

Off the coast of Liyue Harbor is an archipelago of islands known as the Guyun Stone Forest. Its home to lots of high level enemies, and can be reached by gliding off the peak that's northeast of the city. The island with the teleport waypoint on it has at least one of the shellsnestled in the sand, but the island closest to the city has several more. Watch out for the Fatui Pyro Agent that patrols the island! Its possible to avoid him by sticking to the coastline, which players will want to do anyway to collect the starconches.

Next: Where to Find Philanemo Mushrooms in Genshin Impact (& What They're For)

Excerpt from:

Where to find Starconch in Genshin Impact | Screen Rant - Screen Rant

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recently announced a proposed settlement with Ascension Data & Analytics, LLC (Ascension), over the allegation that Ascension failed to ensure one of its vendors was adequately securing consumers data.

According to the FTC, one of Ascensions service providers stored documents containing sensitive information of Ascensions consumers (such as social security numbers) on a cloud-based server in plain text, without any protections from unauthorized access. The FTC further alleged that because of these inadequate protections, the data was repeatedly subject to unauthorized access.

In its complaint, which is based on the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLBA), the FTC alleged that Ascension, a mortgage industry data analytics company, failed to adequately vet its vendors and that its contracts with vendors did not require them to safeguard the information.

The FTC alleged that although Ascension had an internal Third-party Vendor Risk Management policy, it did not comply with it and failed to conduct risk assessments of all of its third-party vendors. The GLBA requires covered entities to maintain comprehensive information security programs. These programs must include overseeing of the entities third-party vendors, by ensuring they are capable of implementing and maintaining appropriate safeguards, and requiring them to do so by contract.

As part of the settlement, Ascension is prohibited from collecting, processing or transferring any sensitive information, prior to the implementation of a comprehensive data security program. This program has to impose at least the same security requirements on the companys vendors. Ascension must also undergo biennial assessments of the programs effectiveness, by an independent assessor, approved by the FTC. Ascension is also required to annually certify, by a senior company executive, that it is complying with the order, and to report any future data breaches to the FTC within 10 days of notifying other federal or state government agencies.

This enforcement action by the FTC joins its recent settlement with Zoom over its information security practices, which we previously reported about. The importance of adequate vetting procedures was also emphasized by EU regulators in a number of regulatory developments with regard to international transfers of personal data. For example, as we recently reported, vetting procedures are a part of the European Data Protection Boards recommendations on the measures to supplement data transfer tools.

These recent enforcement and regulatory actions highlight the increased scrutiny over adequate vetting of service providers to whom data is transferred to.

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The FTC Enforces Against Inadequate Vetting of Third-party Vendors - Lexology

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WMBB) Tuesday marked a historic moment in Bay County. The first local, front-line medical personnel got their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

Ascension Sacred Heart received 600 doses of the Moderna vaccine on Monday and began vaccinating staff members Tuesday morning.

Dr. Amer Malik, the chief medical officer for Ascension Sacred Heart, said one thought came to mind when the first shipment of Moderna vaccines arrived at their hospital.

Thank God, Malik said. Literally thank God that we are here and that we are able to see this day where things can get better.

Dr. Malik said the vaccine didnt just bring a viable treatment for the coronavirus, the vaccine also brought hope to their front-line healthcare providers.

They have families, they are humans, who have feelings and they were not able to protect themselves, Malik said. This vaccine gives them the hope that they will be protected while providing the best care to their patients.

While Dr. Malik said he feels people will always be skeptical of the coronavirus vaccine, he said he believes this is the best tool for fighting COVID-19 at this point.

This is amazing how rapidly the vaccine got developed, it is amazing how safe the vaccine has been with all the studies that have shown, it also amazing that it has no virus just the mRNA, Malik said.

Currently, there are two coronavirus vaccines available from Pfizer and Moderna. Dr. Malik said both vaccines are essentially the same, the biggest difference being how they are stored.

That does not change the process of how the vaccine works in you, Malik said. So it has nothing to do with anything except the way it is stored but the efficacy and importance of both vaccines are equal at this point in time and get whichever one you can get.

Dr. Malik said he has not been vaccinated yet, but said he looks forward to it and will get the vaccine without hesitation.

He is also encouraging everyone to get the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine as soon as it becomes more widely available because he believes it will save lives.

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Ascension Sacred Heart receives first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines - WMBB - mypanhandle.com

Ascension public schools have announced its Teachers of the Year and Principals of the Year for 2020-21.

These top educators were selected by their respective school peers. In the spring, all honorees will be recognized at an Ascension Parish School Board meeting, where the district will name a top teacher for primary, middle, and high school divisions.

The district honorees will go on to compete for the state's 2022 Teacher and Principal of the Year section in the summer.

"Teacher of the Year is quite an honor, and all of these wonderful educators deserve this special recognition. These outstanding teachers represent the best of the best as Ascension's schools are filled with so many excellent educators," said Superintendent David Alexander. "Teachers are truly among the heroes of our society. That is because the fruit of a teachers labor is the success of another individual in life; their work not only matters now, but it also matters for years to come. We just cant say enough about the work of our teachers, and we are especially proud of this special group who have been honored with the title Teacher of the Year in Ascension Public Schools."

Alexander said the Principals of the Year were once great teachers, impacting students directly as they taught in classrooms.

"Now, these outstanding educators impact an even broader footprint of students, that is, a building full of students in their role as principal," he said. "Research has indicated that the principals influence on student learning is second only to the classroom teacher. We are so fortunate in Ascension Public Schools to have these outstanding individuals leading our schools.

"They successfully tend to multiple, complex roles each day in their service and support of learning," Alexander said. "They spend countless hours each day at work, sacrificing their own personal lives on many occasions. Please join me in congratulating these outstanding leaders who were selected among a pool of great principals as this years Principals of the Year."

PRINCIPALS OF THE YEAR

PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS OF THE YEAR

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Ascension Public Schools Announces the 2020-21 Teachers and Principals of the Year - The Advocate

A pandemic Christmas

I'll admit it, I don't have much Christmas spirit this year. Between the coronavirus, the election and changes in my life I'm not feeling too jolly. Not one Christmas decoration has been placed on the mantel and my annual family party had to be canceled.

I tried to change that the other day by mailing some holiday cards. My husband's 91-year-old aunt, who lives in Nebraska, creates cards using recycled parts and pieces from other cards or magazines. They range from quite simple to elaborate, with her original drawings and custom envelope. I was feeling a bit joyous as I walked into my post office, but that joy soured quickly as I overhead a conversation that sucked all the happiness right out of me. Let's just say, the woman on the phone was having a bad day.

I decided to take a different route home and drove by the homes of old friends and neighbors I haven't seen in years. I began to reminisce about my childhood and closeness I once had with those families down the road. It's a road I traveled every day as a child. The school bus dropped off the dozens of kids, most of them my friends, along the crocked country road bordering a bayou.

I passed by the old house of one of my relatives, I believe she was my maternal grandfather's cousin. The house has been empty for decades. Memories rushed back of me running on her porch and playing in the yard while my grandma worked on a quilt inside with her friends. As I pulled into my driveway, I remembered Christmases past when every yard had holiday lights and decorations and my dad made sure we had a tree and lots of colorfully wrapped gifts under it.

Thoughts of my mom's silver Christmas tree with the color wheel brought a smile to my face. I felt a glimmer of Christmas spirit. Then, I learned that two more friends have the coronavirus. Spirit crushed.

But I'm determined to have a happy holiday season. The burst of cold weather should help. I decided to count my blessing instead of concentrating on all the negative. That helped. I'm still able to work in a profession I love and I have lots of friends and family to lean on.

Here's hoping all of you have the holiday spirit and time to enjoy the ones you love during this festive time of year.

So, put on your holiday face mask and enjoy the season.

Bringing a wide variety of books, movies and other services to a location near you. Visit the mobile library at parks and community centers across the parish. Social distancing will be practiced, and masks are required onboard the vehicle.

Hickley Waguespack Center: Dec. 23, 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The LSU AgCenters Sweet Potato Research Station produces foundation sweet potato seed annually. These seed potatoes are to be bedded in the row to produce slips or cuttings, which are then transplanted to the field to produce the crop. All varieties are certified to be free of viruses. The varieties available for sale include Beauregard B-63, Beauregard B-14, Orleans, Evangeline, Bellevue, Bayou Belle, OHenry, Porto Rico and Texas Porto Rico. The top two varieties recommended for our area are Beauregard B-63 and Evangeline. Additional variety information can be found on the Sweet Potato Research Station website http://www.lsuagcenter.com/portals/our_offices/research_stations/sweetpotato/.

The cost of a 40 pound box of seed potatoes is $18.50 for Beauregard and Evangeline; and $25.00 for all other varieties. Call Mariah Simoneaux at the LSU AgCenter for more information or to place an order at (225) 621-5799. Orders must be placed by Jan. 8. Potatoes will be ready for pick up in mid-February.

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Around Ascension for Dec. 23, 2020 | Ascension | theadvocate.com - The Advocate