To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452.

To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452.

To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452.

To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452.

To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452.

To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452.

To view more press releases, please visit http://ir.wintrust.com/news.aspx?iid=1024452.

With Ramaphosa sworn in as president, the SA public will be watching closely to see if, and when, he reshuffles Jacob Zuma's last Cabinet.

By Bishop Arthur Serratelli

Aristotle, the famous Greek philosopher who lived four centuries before Christ, proposed the scientific theory of horror vacui. Based on his observations, he concluded that nature fills every empty space with something, even if it is only air. In his works Gargantua and Pantagruel, the Renaissance priest, doctor and scientist Rabelais popularized this idea with the phrase Natura abhorret vacuum (“nature abhors a vacuum”). Where there is a void, either mass or energy rushes in to occupy the empty space. In truth, this theory applies not merely to physics, but to life.

For the last thirty years, the secularization of culture and the banishing of God from the public forum have created a great religious void. More and more Americans have been abandoning the practice of religion. Since 1990, the number of Americans who claim no religious affiliation has tripled from eight percent to twenty-two percent. 

Today there are about five million fewer mainline Protestants and three million fewer Catholics than there were ten years ago. For every new convert to Catholicism, six others leave the Church. Young people between the ages of 18 and 30 are much less interested in religion than their parents. As Alan Cooperman, the director of religion research for the Pew Research Center, has observed, “the country is becoming less religious as a whole, and it’s happening across the board.”

Nonetheless, the human person is innately religious. More than just being a material creature on the same level as irrational animals, the human person has reason and is always in search of meaning. “Nature abhors a vacuum.” And, so into the void created by abandoning religion as a source of meaning, other forms of discovering meaning have rushed in. 

In an attempt to respond to the spiritual dimension of human life, some people are turning to New Age beliefs. New Age adherents, now nearly one-fourth of the population, have replaced the personal God of revelation with a spiritual energy that animates the cosmos. They are making use of crystals, tarot cards, astrology, psychics, and even yoga as a spiritual exercise to tap into this impersonal energy in order to manage their lives and find self-fulfillment. 

For New Age adherents, there is no absolute truth. All beliefs are of equal value. And, since they deny the existence of sin, they do not accept the need for a Redeemer. At best, New Age adherents trade the transcendental for the immanent, the spiritual for the physical. At worse, they reject God and unwittingly fall into the hands of the Adversary. 

And, then there are others who reject God and consciously choose to turn to one form or another of the occult. It is astounding to realize that there are almost 1.5 million people who are involved in Wicca, a pagan form of witchcraft. Ever since the Garden of Eden and our first parents’ sin of attempting to be like God, people have been looking for ways to have the same knowledge and power as God himself. Today there are more witches than Presbyterians, more people involved in the occult than there are Muslims in the United States. 

The more individuals extol themselves as self-sufficient and exalt reason over faith, they turn from God and enthrone Satan. Attempting to control their lives through the use of the occult, they hand themselves over to Satan who uses them to destroy the peace and harmony God plans for us. Satan is the great deceiver. He makes people believe that they have absolute control of their lives. As Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, “[Satan’s] logic is simple: if there is no heaven there is no hell; if there is no hell, then there is no sin; if there is no sin, then there is no judge, and if there is no judgment, then evil is good and good is evil.”

It would be foolish to close our eyes to the unmistakable increase of the devil’s activity in our society. Lack of civility. Hate speech. The tearing down of people’s good name. The blood shed on our streets. The breakdown of family life. The widespread extolling of vices contrary to the gospel. The delight in exposing the sins of others. Abuse in all its forms. Abortion. The persecution of the Church. All these are born of anger, hatred, envy, pride, greed and lust. They cause division and are the fingerprints of the Evil One.

On the day after his election to the papacy, Pope Francis shocked the cardinals who had placed him on the Chair of Peter. He said, “Whoever does not pray to God, prays to the devil. When one does not profess Jesus Christ, one professes the worldliness of the devil.” The Pope courageously acknowledged the reality of Satan that day and many other times thereafter. And the Pope provided the only way to banish the devil from our midst: professing faith in Jesus. Professing our faith means quite simply staying close to Jesus within the Church, attending Mass at least each Sunday and Holy Day, receiving the sacraments and practicing charity. In other words, the only permanent antidote to evil in the world is the presence of God who leaves in us no room for evil.

One young woman gets the chance to learn to read and write when OM opens a school for children and adults in rural Bangladesh.

New believers in the village of Sunkapur have started meeting together regularly to study God's Word.

One woman’s risk of exploitation decreased when she learnt to read and write through OM's adult literacy programme in Bangladesh.

From age 17, Ana Maria prayed to serve God in Switzerland. While she waited, she became a dance instructor with no idea dance would become her ministry.

For Roberto Ramirez, serving God in missions has been one step of faith after another.

All three property sectors – residential, commercial and industrial – are currently experiencing a so-called buyers’ market in the Western Cape, says David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities.

The economic meltdown has seen the world's leading central bankers including the South African Reserve Bank come under pressure to bail out their respective economies in the form of interest rate cuts. They've been urged to fund governments, an idea that central bank governor, Lesetja Kganyago, says is tantamount to a client instructing their banker to do the same.

The employee had travelled from Polokwane with four other colleagues who are currently in isolation at the mine's health facility.

From bicycle culture to electric vehicles, the automotive industry is changing and Covid-19 may be accelerating the pace of change.

Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan would not have committed to the framework of his 'Leadership Compact' if he did not know where the money would come from, the Labour Court heard.

South African banks are holding off on any further layoffs as they prepare to help the shrinking economy survive a potential jobs bloodbath.

Patel was appointed editor of the weekly investigative newspaper in October of 2016.

Section 189 notices commencing a consultation process over proposed retrenchments at SAA were procedurally unfair, the Labour Court found on Friday.

A community-based organization's partnership with researchers creates a 'knowledge neighborhood' supporting after-school programs.

Authorities say the single victim of a shooting this week at a high school in North Las Vegas, Nev., was an 18-year-old student.

I've read several articles that mentioned the north magnetic pole has been moving more in the past few decades, than in the previous few hundred years. And as a Map Guy, I knew I just had to plot this data on a map, and see it for myself! I provide [...]

The post Magnetic north moved 50 miles last year (let's map it!) appeared first on Graphically Speaking.

I'm a bit of a boat paddling enthusiast, as you might have guessed from some of my previous paddling blog posts. The amount of exertion in race-paddling is similar to running - the longest race I've paddled in a race so far was 13 miles (half-marathon distance). But in the [...]

The post How long does it take to paddle a canoe 100 miles? appeared first on Graphically Speaking.

Gianluigi Buffon won his 175th and final Italy cap on Monday, a record for a European. Could that soon be under threat, though? We check out the top ten.

Russia laid down a marker with an entertaining draw against Spain while Germany twice came from behind to deny France. Check out how Europe's FIFA World Cup hopefuls got on.

The Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) has announced an important change to its homebuyer program that will allow qualified non first-time homebuyers to purchase a home in Delaware using a low, 30-year fixed-rate home loan.

Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) along with Governor Markell and their partners today held the 2012 Governor’s Conference on Housing. The event brought together over 400 housing professionals and residents from throughout Delaware and surrounding states to discuss important issues in housing ranging from homeownership, affordable rental housing, special needs populations and other hot topics. Attendees had the opportunity to discuss regional, state and local perspectives on today’s affordable housing climate, and the event provided strategies to address current and future housing needs.

The Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) today announced that 17 communities and scattered sites will receive funds from the state’s Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). More than $2.85 million will be divided amongst the municipalities of Kent and Sussex Counties for housing rehabilitation, water/sewer hookups, demolition, a planning study, street repair, curb/sidewalk installation, and administration to benefit low- to moderate-income families and individuals.

Governor Markell will attend the ribbon cutting ceremony at Heron Run Apartments in Smyrna.

DSHA has partnered with the Department of Education (DOE) to offer reduced interest rates on mortgages for teachers in the Delaware Talent Cooperative, a group of high performing educators who have committed to work in schools with a significant proportion of disadvantaged students

Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) announces the recipient of the 2013 Top Producing Lender Award - Trident Mortgage. Last year, Trident Mortgage successfully secured more than $29 million in mortgage loans for 188 families through DSHA’s homeownership programs. This is the fifth year in a row Trident Mortgage has earned DSHA’s Top Producing Lender Award, helping more than 710 families with more than $113 million in DSHA’s mortgages since 2009.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Senator Chris Coons and Newark Mayor Polly Sierer were among the officials who joined representatives from Ingerman today to break ground on Alder Creek, Delaware’s newest affordable housing community. Other attendees included State Representative Paul Baumbach, DSHA Director Anas Ben Addi, HUD Regional Administrator Jane Vincent, Newark Housing Authority Executive Director Marene Jordan, Ingerman Development Principal David Holden and Capital One Vice President Thomas Houlihan.

Governor Jack Markell joined Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) Director Anas Ben Addi, Representative Stephanie Bolden, in addition to representatives from the City of Wilmington, The Michaels Development Company, Bank of America and Architectural Alliance, for a tour of Jazz Court Apartments, a new affordable 44-unit three-story apartment building located in Wilmington. This project is part of a master plan created by Banc of America Community Development Corporation and its development partners, utilizing a former Brownfield site remediated and donated by Bank of America to its partners. The project will also include 17 homeownership townhomes to be built by Inter-Neighborhood Foundation and Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County.

Governor Jack Markell and Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) Director Anas Ben Addi announced today the launch of the Downtown Development Districts (DDD) Grant Program.

The Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) has been honored by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada for outstanding financial reporting. DSHA’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report earned a Certificate of Achievement for the twentieth consecutive year.

This morning, Congressman John Carney (D-DE) visited Liberty Court Apartments in Dover to announce new legislation to improve affordable housing options. The Housing Assistance Reform Act would increase housing options for low-income Americans and help housing authorities raise capital for affordable housing projects. The legislation would expand access to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Moving to Work program from 39 local housing authorities to 60, and eliminate the current unit cap for the Rental Assistance Demonstration program, allowing any eligible housing authority to participate.

Wilmington, DE – Highlighting ongoing efforts to revitalize Delaware’s downtowns, Governor Jack Markell and Delaware State Housing Authority Director Anas Ben Addi presented a grant check on Monday to the owners of Tonic Bar and Grille, money that helped Tonic fund extensive renovations throughout the restaurant. Tonic’s grant rebate was funded by Delaware’s Downtown Development […]

State Rental Assistance Program has housed 1,200 clients on 5th anniversary of collaboration NEW CASTLE, Del. – Governor John Carney celebrated Monday the fifth anniversary of the State Rental Assistance Program, which has provided housing for 1,200 Delawareans through a unique collaboration supporting those in special need of help. The anniversary event took place at […]

DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney hosted 30 guests Wednesday evening at a Ramadan Iftar dinner at Woodburn, including members of Delaware’s Muslim community and statewide elected officials. The Iftar is the evening meal after sunset that concludes the daily fasting during the month of Ramadan, which ends the evening of June 24 this year. […]

Delaware joined the national effort to house homeless veterans in 2015 WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney announced on Thursday that Delaware has now housed more than 500 formerly homeless veterans since joining the national Mayors Challenge to End Veteran Homelessness in 2015. “Our veterans served because of a heartfelt duty to country. We owe […]

WOODSIDE — The Delaware State Housing Authority honored more than 60 students from the DSHA housing community for academic excellence on Wednesday, recognizing elementary students through high school for making the honor roll at their schools. DSHA’s annual awards ceremony, held this year at Polytech High School, has been a tradition for more than 20 […]

$4.3 million in rebates will leverage $53 million in economic investment LAUREL – Ten downtown revitalization projects in Laurel, Georgetown, Dover and Wilmington have been selected for Delaware’s Downtown Development District Program rebates, with $4.3 million in rebates leveraging $53 million in total investment, Governor John Carney and the Delaware State Housing Authority announced Monday. […]

Program would provide state-guaranteed, low-interest loans for workers going unpaid during shutdown DOVER, Del. – Governor John Carney on Thursday announced a state-guaranteed, low-interest loan program to assist federal workers who are going unpaid during the federal government shutdown. Loans funded through the program announced Thursday would be made by a financial institution and with […]

WILMINGTON (January 28, 2019) – Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) and Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh (FHLBank Pittsburgh) announced today $1.2 million in Home4Good funding awarded to programs across the state working to reduce homelessness. DSHA provided $500,000 toward the effort, and FHLBank Pittsburgh provided $700,000. The funding will be used to address four key […]

SMYRNA – Building on progress in Delaware’s downtowns, Governor John Carney and the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) announced today that eight new downtown revitalization projects in Milford, Dover and Wilmington will receive $4.6 million in rebate funding through Delaware’s Downtown Development Districts (DDD) program. Established in May 2014, the DDD program was created to […]

DOVER – Twelve downtown revitalization projects in Milford, Smyrna and Wilmington have been selected to receive funding through Delaware’s Downtown Development Districts (DDD) program, with $5.5 million in rebates leveraging $103 million in total investment, Governor John Carney and the Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) announced today. Established in May 2014, the DDD program was […]

DOVER – Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) held an event today marking the completion of renovations at Liberty Court, a public housing site in Dover, and recognizing the authority’s 20th year participating in Moving to Work (MTW), a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) program. Many of the residents at Liberty Court participate […]