June 4, 2020

Ancestry.com President & CEO posts this message

Posted by Ancestry Team on June 3, 2020 in Website
To our global community,

Equality and racial justice are a shared responsibility. Ancestry stands in solidarity with the Black community and knows that Black Lives Matter. We recognize your pain and the feelings of fear and frustration over the injustices you face every day. Our hearts ache for the Floyd family, for their tragic loss, and for our communities as well.

As a company, we believe in the importance of diversity, unity and acceptance, as well as the fundamental truth that we are all more alike than not. Our purpose as a company, and the intent of our products, is to bring our shared diversity into the spotlight in order to promote understanding and equality.

When I see a horrifying video of George Floyd suffocating under a policeman’s leg, I am shaken to my core as a human being. As a mother and a sister, it’s an impossible sight. I fundamentally believe in the good in people. At the same time, I see these ongoing acts of violence and feel compelled to speak up and act. We all need to be an active part of creating a more equitable and open society. Change starts with acknowledging these issues, listening and learning more, and committing to take action.

At Ancestry, our products seek to democratize access to everyone’s family story and to bring people together. We are committed to enabling every story to be found and shared – including the difficult ones. It’s from understanding history and how we have overcome challenges and supported each other that we can become stronger, more empathetic, and more open. And history is complex and needs to be seen from multiple perspectives to be fully understood. While we have done a lot, we have a long, long way to go to make our product experience as inclusive as it can possibly be for everyone. It will take time, but we are committed.

An important part of improving our inclusivity is how we run our company and ensure a diverse set of perspectives is incorporated into everything we do. We have learned from our own missteps along the way and the feedback we have received has helped us take action. People are at the heart of all we do – and ensuring an inclusive workforce is an important foundation. We have been assessing all of our core human resource processes and working to ensure that Inclusion & Diversity best practices are woven into every step — from the way we hire, develop, promote, and pay our employees. We’ve also created an intercultural advisory council of experts internally and externally to review every new product, marketing campaign and program to ensure that what we do is as culturally sensitive as possible. It’s unearthing sometimes complex and difficult discussions – and it’s making us better.

We recognize that we’re nowhere close to done, but we will hold ourselves accountable and ask that our valued members do so as well. Actions speak louder than words when it comes to making real and lasting change.

It is in these difficult moments that we are touched at a deeply human level. There is so much pain right now – and we have to be open to talking about and supporting each other through it. To stand together, we must stand up for one another. To our colleagues, customers and everyone in the Black community — we see you. You matter, your lives matter, and you are valued at Ancestry.

Margo Georgiadis, President & CEO
Ancestry

[link:https://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2020/06/03/a-note-from-ancestrys-ceo-2/|]

Of course, the offended right wingers are calling for Ancestry.com to cancel their memberships. Good thing they're being told by other members to do it themselves and "Bye Bye, Felicia."

June 3, 2020

Superintendent of local school district recommends online resource for community...

The following resource (a Wakelet page) can be found here (https://wakelet.com/wake/on3jU0MWR67DxCRRMLWyI) and has been created and includes articles, videos, stories, and more resources as provided by staff. This page will grow throughout time and may help discussions within homes and classrooms. This is only a new start to the light that we must continue to shine on our diversity and acceptance of each other.

While we seek healing, let us continue to shine a light in areas needed for reflection, growth, and change.

[link:https://wakelet.com/wake/on3jU0MWR67DxCRRMLWyI|]

June 1, 2020

Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present, and Future

is an outstanding representation of the intellectual exchanges at the First and Second World Congresses on Matriarchal Studies.

Throughout the ages patriarchal capitalism has co-opted human energy and knowledge, in order to control and dominate other human beings--and the natural world. But the worldview of matriarchy understands all forms of life as being interconnected with each other. Women should rise and reclaim matriarchy for the needs of our present reality, and for future prosperity.

Wahu Kaara, Executive Director of Kenya Debt Relief Network (KENDREN), Kenya

George Floyd cried out for his mother as he was being murdered by the direct result of toxic masculinity and dysfunctional patriarchy. NO MORE!

May 25, 2020

102 year old woman named Stella Corona (for real) dies of Covid-19

By Mother’s Day, Stella Corona’s fever had subsided.

She was tough. Corona lived through two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Great Recession, a presidential assassination and 9/11. She made it to 102 years old despite smoking for about 70 of them and later dodging doctors’ recommendations for a pacemaker. For the last 20 years, she’d been telling her kids and grandkids she thought she would die soon and no one believed her.

Corona, feeling the best she felt since being diagnosed with the coronavirus, made the dire prediction again.

“I think the end is coming here,” she told her granddaughter Cathy Boyle on the phone. “I’m tired, I can’t fight this anymore.”

Full article at this link:

[link:https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/05/102-year-old-cny-woman-who-died-of-coronavirus-lived-life-bookended-by-pandemics.html|]

May 8, 2020

County by county, 'KoCuomo' parody video sings Cuomo's praises

[link:

&feature=emb_logo|]

I my fellow New Yorkers!

May 7, 2020

'A Happy Ending': CNY farmer, 39, released from hospital after coronavirus battle; meets new son

Syracuse, N.Y. -- A month after being hospitalized with a severe case of COVID-19, 39-year-old Travis Duffy was released from the hospital today amidst cheers and whoops of joy.

[link:https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/05/a-happy-ending-cny-farmer-39-released-from-hospital-after-coronavirus-battle-meets-new-son.html|]

May 7, 2020

Shiver Me Timbers! Now this is Coronavirus Creativity...

Dustin Kringer, who along with his wife, Beth, own Lucky Dogs Pizzeria and Tap Room in Lakewood in Madison County, has spent the past couple of weeks in his garage turning an old jet ski given to him by a customer into a mini-pirate ship.

Photos and video at this link:

[link:https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/05/coronavirus-cny-pizzeria-owner-transforms-jet-ski-into-mini-pirate-ship-in-spare-time.html|]

May 2, 2020

My Republican County Executive on today's protestors...

“I laugh off the assertions that because I take this virus seriously, and we let data help drive our decisions, that means I’m not a good Republican, or a bad Republican, or not a Republican, whatever they want to call me," he said.

“The reality is, none of these individuals, if they’re questioning my street cred, look it, none of them have my job, OK?” McMahon responded. “And none of them have to come out here and talk about how we just lost another person to COVID-19. And none of them have all the information I have.”

[link:https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/05/gop-county-executive-to-coronavirus-protesters-none-of-them-have-by-job-ok.html|]

I give credit where credit is due. He has done and continues to do a very good job for our county. I hope he at least goes Independent if not Democratic after he reflects on this experience when all is said and done.

May 2, 2020

Positive and hopeful families of Central New York [photos]

There’s plenty to be sad, frustrated and down about right now. Our lives have been turned upside-down. Jobs are scarce. Money is tight.

But one thing’s for sure about the people of Central New York: WE ARE RESILIENT.

Together, we will ride this out.

As New York’s stay-at-home order moves into its second month, syracuse.com photojournalists have been documenting people and families throughout Central New York, in search of the good moments that are keeping us moving forward right now.

[Lots of photos of beautiful families at link below.]

[link:https://www.syracuse.com/coronavirus/2020/05/whats-giving-you-hope-right-now-cny-families-share-uplifting-messages-from-home-photos.html|]

April 16, 2020

COVID-19 Spread in New York video

Wow! From 1st reported case on March 2 to April 14

[link:

|

My county in Central New York (first case reported on March 16) is at a steady 7.7% of those tested are positive (7,496 total tests, 579 total cases).

Total cases by gender and age:
310 are men, 269 are women
16 are under 19,
116 are in their 20s,
80 are in their 30s,
93 are in their 40s,
107 are in their 50s,
83 are in their 60s,
44 are in their 70s,
29 are in their 80s,
11 are in their 90s