Category: <span>In the News</span>

“When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.

We braved the belly of the beast.

We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.

And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.

Somehow we do it.

Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.

We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.

And, yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.

We are striving to forge our union with purpose.

To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.

And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.

We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.

We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.

We seek harm to none and harmony for all.

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.

That even as we grieved, we grew.

That even as we hurt, we hoped.

That even as we tired, we tried.

That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.

Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.

Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.

If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.

That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare.

It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit.

It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.

We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it.

Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.

And this effort very nearly succeeded.

But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.

In this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.

This is the era of just redemption.

We feared at its inception.

We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.

But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.

So, while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?

We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free.

We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation, become the future.

Our blunders become their burdens.

But one thing is certain.

If we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy and change our children’s birthright.

So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.

Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.

We will rise from the golden hills of the West.

We will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.

We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.

We will rise from the sun-baked South.

We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.

And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful.

When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid.

The new dawn balloons as we free it.

For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.

If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

Amanda Gorman

On December 27th, members of the Clyde Savannah School Board, District Administrators, Town and Village officials gathered at the Middle/High School to honor the late Mr. Ralph Tavano Sr  by dedicating a classroom in his honor.

Mr. Tavano who passed away in April of this year, and his family was invited to the ceremony which would honor his dedication to the students of Clyde Savannah,

Mr. Tavano was the Industrial/Building Trades program founder and,   until he could no longer do it,  he also was responsible for making the keys for the National Honor Society. The Tavano family have been giving back to the community for years.

There will be another dedication in the spring when a tree will be planted to honor Mr. and Mrs Tavano for all the years they played Santa and Mrs Claus for the children of Clyde-Savannah.

Ralph was born in 1930, the son of the late Dominic and Anna (Chinelli) Tavano. In 1950, he married the love of his life Carolyn DiSanto  . Ralph retired from General Electric, where he was a master tool maker and Chief Tool Inspector. When General Electric moved from the area, Ralph took pleasure in working in his woodshop, making unique gifts for his children and grandchildren, as well as making keys for inductees to the Clyde-Savannah Central School National Honor Society, of which he was inducted as an honorary member. Christmas found Ralph and Carolyn becoming “Santa’s” special helpers visiting the children of the Clyde-Savannah Elementary, Candy Apple Preschool and various Clyde community holiday events. Ralph enjoyed teaching people of all ages, especially young people.

He believed that life skills in the trades were the key to personal success. During his work career, he designed a machine shop at Clyde Central School (named at that time) of which he developed the curriculum and taught the high school students. Throughout the years, many of his former students shared and thanked him for their successes in their careers because of the skills he imparted to them.

“Ralph worked with out students to teach them hands on approaches to life. This is very in line with our School’s mission statement:  “To ensure that each student receives a 21st century learning experience that develops mastery of the skills needed to think, work, play, and compete within a global community.” explained School District Superintendent Michael Hayden at the ceremony.

Ralph was an accomplished drummer and enjoyed being part of a jazz quartet which used to play at local restaurants. He especially enjoyed playing with fellow band members at local nursing homes. He took great pride in the home he designed and built, brick by brick and shared with his wife Carolyn for most of their 67 years together.  Ralph also loved to garden. He took great pleasure in designing the landscape surrounding his home and found great satisfaction in keeping it inviting and beautiful.

Ralph was an active community member also. He belonged to St. Joseph the Worker Parish and served as an altar server for decades. He was a past member of St. John’s the Evangelist Holy Name Society and Parish Council. He was a member of the Wayne County Planning Board and the Town of Galen Grievance Board.

Ralph’s family attended the classroom dedication ceremony. They include: his wife Carolyn; and their five children Roxanne (Thomas) Kise, Carleen (David) Uimonen, Ralph (Michelle) Tavano, Joseph (Diane) Tavano, Michael (Lloyd Marks) Tavano.

When the moon becomes full shortly after midnight on November 13, it will be the closest full moon to the earth since January 26, 1948, and there won’t be another approaching this close again until November 25, 2034.

For many people (under the age of 68) this is a magnificent opportunity to witness the biggest moon they will have seen so far in their life. November’s full moon is known as a supermoon as it reaches its closest point to the earth.

North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory (R), who signed an anti-LGBT bill into law, dismissed widespread criticism of the bill as simply a “branding effort.”

How’s that working for you McCory and they people you serve?

• The NCAA is one of several businesses and organizations that have said they may change plans to hold events in North Carolina because of the law and NBA All Star Game may plan to move out of North Carolina (NO SPORTS)
• Brian Adams. Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr, Cirque du Soleil Drop North Carolina Shows (NO MUSIC & SHOWS)
• Hulu Moves New Show Out Of North Carolina, Fox and A&E boycott, Lionsgate has also pulled production of a TV show out of North Carolina and Famed director Rob Reiner said he won’t produce movies in North Carolina.  (NO TV OR MOVIES)
• San Francisco, New York is barring public funding for city employees’ travel to North Carolina. (NO TRAVEL)
• Porn site X-Hamster boycott and closed sites (NO PORN)
• Fortune reported that an annual meeting of nearly 1,700 ethical corporations, due to take place in North Carolina in October, has been canceled. The meeting of corporations, including Etsy, Ben & Jerry’s, and Patagonia, would have brought more than $1 million to the state of North Carolina.
• Paypal scrapped its plans to build a $3.6 million global operations centre in Charlotte, the state’s largest economy.
•  Deutsche Bank on Tuesday said it would halt plans to add 250 new jobs in its Cary, North Carolina, location, citing state legislation enacted in march that blocks anti-discrimination rules for gay and transgender people.
• North Carolina was at the center of furniture manufacturing, so it made sense that in 1909, the Southern Furniture Exposition opened there. Now re-branded the High Point Market, attracts more than 70,000 visitors and has an estimated economic impact of more than $5 billian on the region. This spring, organizers say the market, has received dozens of cancellations from out-of-state customers who want to boycott the state because of controversial new anti-discrimination law.
• And a letter with all these companies:

Dear Governor McCrory,

We write with concerns about legislation you signed into law this week, House Bill 2, which has overturned protections for LGBT people and sanctioned discrimination across North Carolina. Put simply, HB 2 is not a bill that reflects the values of our companies, of our country, or even the overwhelming majority of North Carolinians.

We are disappointed in your decision to sign this discriminatory legislation into law. The business community, by and large, has consistently communicated to lawmakers at every level that such laws are bad for our employees and bad for business. This is not a direction in which states move when they are seeking to provide successful, thriving hubs for business and economic development. We believe that HB 2 will make it far more challenging for businesses across the state to recruit and retain the nation’s best and brightest workers and attract the most talented students from across the country. It will also diminish the state’s draw as a destination for tourism, new businesses, and economic activity.

Discrimination is wrong, and we believe it has no place in North Carolina or anywhere in our country. As companies that pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming to all, we strongly urge you and the leadership of North Carolina’s legislature to repeal this law in the upcoming legislative session.

Sincerely,

Laura Alber, President and Chief Executive Officer, Williams-Sonoma, Inc.

Karen Appleton, Senior Vice President, Box

James Avery, CEO, Adzerk

Brandee Barker, Cofounder, The Pramana Collective

Marc Benioff, CEO, Salesforce

Chip Bergh, President and CEO, Levi Strauss & Co.

Michael Birch, Founder, Blab

Ed Black, President and CEO, Computer & Communications Industry Association

Lloyd C. Blankfein, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Goldman Sachs Group

Nathan Blecharczyk, Cofounder and CTO, Airbnb

Steven R. Boal, CEO, Quotient Technology Inc.

Alex Boden, General Manager, Plum Organics

Ron Boire, CEO, Barnes and Noble

Lorna Borenstein, CEO, Grokker

Brad Brinegar, Chairman and CEO, McKinney

Michael Bronner, President, Dr. Bronner’s

Craig Bromley, President, John Hancock Financial

John Bryant, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Kellogg Company

Wes Bush, Chairman, CEO and President of Northrop Grumman

Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar, co-CEOs, Atlassian

Lloyd Carney, CEO, Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.

Marc Casper, President and CEO, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc.

Safra Catz, CEO, Oracle

Brian Chesky, CEO, Airbnb

Emanuel Chirico, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PVH Corp.

Ron Conway, Founder and Co-Managing Partner, SV Angel

Tim Cook, CEO, Apple

Roger W. Crandall, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance

Paul T. Dacier, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, EMC Corporation

Bracken P. Darrell, CEO, Logitech

Dean Debnam, Chairman and CEO, Workplace Options

Mike DeFrino, Chief Executive Officer, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

Bill Demchak, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

Alex Dimitrief, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, GE

Jack Dorsey, CEO, Square and Twitter

Sandy Douglas, Executive Vice President & President, Coca-Cola North America, The Coca- Cola Company

David Ebersman, Cofounder and CEO, Lyra Health

Randy Fiser, CEO, American Society of Interior Designers

Blair Fleming, Head, RBC Capital Markets, U.S.

Jared Fliesler, General Partner, Matrix Partners

Vince Forlenza, Chairman, CEO and President, BD

Mark Gainey, CEO, Strava Inc.

Joe Gebbia, Cofounder and Chief Product Officer, Airbnb

Jason Goldberg, CEO, Pepo

Kristen Koh Goldstein, CEO, BackOps

Mitchell Gold, co-founder and chair-man, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams

John H. Graham IV, President and CEO, American Society of Association Executives

Peter T. Grauer, Chairman, Bloomberg L.P.

Logan Green, CEO, Lyft

Mike Gregoire, CEO, CA Technologies

Paul Graham, Founder, Y Combinator

David Hassell, CEO, 15Five

Charles H. Hill III, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Human Resources, Pfizer Inc.

Reid Hoffman, Chairman, LinkedIn

Robert Hohman, Cofounder & CEO, Glassdoor

Lane S. Hopkins, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Capital One Financial Corporation

Mark Hoplamazian, President and CEO, Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Drew Houston, CEO, Dropbox

Stephen R. Howe, Jr., U.S. Chairman and Managing Partner, Americas Managing Partner, Ernst & Young LLP

William H. Howle, President of U.S. Retail Banking Group, Citibank

Steve Huffman, CEO, Reddit

Chad Hurley, Cofounder, YouTube

Dave Imre, Partner and CEO, IMRE

Dev Ittycheria, President & CEO, MongoDB

Richard Jenrette, Founder, Classical American Homes Preservation Trust

Laurene Powell Jobs, President, Emerson Collective

Michael O. Johnson, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Herbalife

Cecily Joseph, VP Corporate Responsibility and Chief Diversity Officer, Symantec Corporation

Steve Joyce, CEO, Choice Hotels International

Travis Kalanick, CEO, Uber

David Karp, Founder and CEO, Tumblr

Travis Katz, Founder and CEO, Gogobot

Alan King, President and COO, Workplace Options

Dave King, CEO, LabCorp.

David Kohler, President & CEO, Kohler Co.

Brian Krzanich, CEO, Intel

Joshua Kushner, Managing Partner, Thrive Capital

Michael W. Lamach, Chairman and CEO, Ingersoll-Rand plc

William P. Lauder, Executive Chairman, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.

Jeff Lawson, Founder, CEO and Chairman, Twilio

Max Levchin, CEO, Affirm

Dion Lim, CEO, NextLesson

Frank Longobardi, CEO, CohnReznick LLP

Shan-lyn Ma, CEO, Zola

Elie Maalouf, Chief Executive Officer, The Americas, InterContinental Hotels Group

Vishal Makhijani, COO, Udacity

Tom Mangas, CEO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

Rob Marcus, Chairman and CEO of Time Warner Cable

Bill Maris, CEO, Google Ventures

Marissa Mayer, President and CEO, Yahoo

Melody McCloskey, CEO, StyleSeat

Douglas Merrill, CEO, Zestfinance

Dyke Messinger, President and CEO, Power Curbers Inc.

Chris Meyrick, Chief Diversity Officer, American Express Company

Steve Mollenkopf, CEO, Qualcomm Inc.

Bob Moritz, US Chairman and Senior Partner, PwC

Denise Morrison, President and Chief Executive Officer, Campbell Soup Company

Brian Moynihan, CEO, Bank of America

Oscar Munoz, President and CEO, United Airlines

Hari Nair, Vice President and General Manager, Orbitz.com & CheapTickets.com

Christopher J. Nassetta, President & Chief Executive Officer, Hilton Worldwide

Michael Natenshon, CEO, Marine Layer

Alexi G. Nazem, Cofounder and CEO, Nomad Health

Alexis Ohanian, Cofounder, Reddit

Laurie J. Olson, EVP, Strategy, Portfolio and Commercial Operations, Pfizer Inc.

Bob Page, Founder and CEO, Replacements, Ltd.

Doug Parker, Chairman and CEO, American Airlines

Mark Pearson, CEO, AXA Financial Inc.

Mike Pedersen, CEO and President, TD Bank, N.A.

Michelle Peluso, Strategic Advisor and former CEO, Gilt

Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google

Mark Pincus, Founder and Executive Chairman, Zynga

Hosain Rahman, CEO, Jawbone

Bill Ready, CEO, Braintree

Evan Reece, CEO, Liftopia

Stan Reiss, General Partner, Matrix Partners

John Replogle, CEO, Seventh Generation

Walter Robb, co-CEO, Whole Foods Market

Chuck Robbins, CEO, Cisco Systems

Virginia M. Rometty, Chairman, President and CEO, IBM Corporation

Dan Rosensweig, CEO, Chegg

Kevin P. Ryan, Founder and Chairman, Alleycorp

Bijan Sabet, General Partner, Spark Capital

Brian Samelson, CEO & President, eMaint Enterprises, LLC

Julie Samuels, President, Engine

George A. Scangos, PhD, CEO, Biogen

Charles W. Scharf, Chief Executive Officer, Visa Inc.

Paula Schneider, CEO, American Apparel

Steve Schoch, CEO, Miramax

Dan Schulman, President and CEO, PayPal

Howard Schultz, Chairman and CEO, Starbucks

Adam Shankman, Director and Producer

Gary Shapiro, President and CEO, Consumer Technology Association

David A. Shaywitz, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer, DNAnexus

Behshad Sheldon, President and CEO, Braeburn Pharmaceuticals

Ben Silbermann, CEO, Pinterest

Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft

Arne Sorenson, President and CEO, Marriott International

David Spector, Cofounder, ThirdLove

Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO, Yelp

Jerry Stritzke, President and CEO, REI

John G. Stumpf, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Wells Fargo & Company

Julie Sweet, Group Chief Executive North America, Accenture

Christopher J. Swift, Chairman and CEO, The Hartford

Bret Taylor, CEO, Quip

Todd Thibodeaux, CEO, CompTIA

Brian Tippens, Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

David Tisch, Managing Partner, BoxGroup

Nirav Tolia, Cofounder and CEO, Nextdoor

Kevin A. Trapani, President and CEO, The Redwood Groups

Mark Trudeau, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals

Paul Van Deventer, President & CEO, Meeting Professionals International

Ken Wasch, President, Software & Information Industry Association

Casey Wasserman, Chairman and CEO of Wasserman & President and CEO of the Wasserman Foundation

Bob & Harvey Weinstein, Co-Founders and Co-Chairmen, The Weinstein Company

Devin Wenig, CEO, eBay

Tim Westergren, Founder and CEO, Pandora Media, Inc.

Robert Wolfe, CEO, CrowdRise

Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO, Facebook (NO BUISNESS OR MONEY)

Why does this bother me- I have family there. They are affected by this. That bothers me as much as discrimination bothers me.

You Cannot Enlighten the Unconscious. Meanwhile, as the war rages on, a clear and painful message to the fine folks who live there- that they’re now on a shit list, for the simple rookie mistake of living in a state with some people who want to discriminate.

What happened to “Love one another”?

“I’m starting to prefer the ones who don’t believe in me.”

Because…

All the schools in the area closed to allow families to attend the parade- prior to closing- we ran out of substitutes for all the requests off- unbelievable!

Over 30 school districts closed, tons of businesses closed…Almost 1 million people!

Skywatchers will have something to howl about on Sunday: a total Supermoon eclipse. Not only is this the best and last opportunity of the year for Americans to witness any kind of eclipse, but this particular phenomenon is extremely rare, happening perhaps five times a century. The last Supermoon eclipse was in 1982, and there won’t be another until 2033.

Just fifty days after the Supreme Court found a nationwide right to marriage equality in the U.S., BuzzFeed News found photos from weddings in each state and Washington, D.C.
Some of these weddings are small, others spill over with guests. Some of these weddings took months to plan, others took only minutes to complete in a small courthouse office. Some weddings took place years before the Supreme Court’s ruling on June 26th of this year, others took place the morning of the ruling.
All were displays of love now recognized in law.

See photos...click here

PS- Our rings are in!

Gonna raise the ante a bit for Friday. Looking a bit hotter than earlier thought so we’ve upgraded the greater KC Metro to an Excessive Heat Warning. Means dangerously hot conditions can be expected during the afternoon and early evening hours with heat indices topping out between 108 and 112 degrees…..and we’re not talking about a “dry” heat, you know the kind that those in Arizona talk about. Nope, we’re talking sauna conditions. We’re not recommending you head outside so you can sweat and lose a bunch of weight. That’s not how it’s done. Stay indoors, preferably in a place that has AC or at least a fan, drink lots and lots of water and if you must head outdoors wear light fitting clothing and make it as brief as possible. The rest of the region except for northeast Missouri will be under a Heat Advisory where heat indices top out around 105 degrees. YUK!!!!

Vivian Boyack, age 91, and Alice “Nonie” Dubes, age 90, have been together for 72 years, and this weekend they tied the knot. As the reverend who performed the ceremony in Davenport, Iowa said, “This is a celebration of something that should have happened a very long time ago.”

The Supreme Court declared Friday that same-sex couples have a right to marry anywhere in the United States!

“No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.”

Hey- It’s beautiful day- I think I’m going to marry you…