Working it in: Welcome to Friday, intrepid innovators, and if you’re reading this straight from your inbox on its Nov. 11 publication date, chances are you’re spending your Veterans Day holiday at work.
That’s logical, since the most recent numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics record only 19 percent of U.S. workers on paid holiday today – mostly government workers, with only 11 percent of us private-industry slobs afforded the benefit.
Veteran presence: Iwo Jima, iconic.
The thought that counts: However you’re wrapping up the workweek, dedicate part of today to our Armed Forces veterans.
For the record, Veterans Day wasn’t always Veterans Day. In 1919, one year after the ceasefire treaty that officially ended World War I hostilities, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed Nov. 11 “Armistice Day” to honor the war’s veterans. To recognize soldiers of subsequent wars, Congress – which made Nov. 11 a legal holiday in 1938 – rechristened the date Veterans Day in 1954.
Whatever our current political tastes, we the people would not have the privileges of selecting our leaders or arguing social issues without the might and sacrifice of our military forces – a critical component of U.S. security and stature in wartime, peacetime and every other time.
For your service: You know who always keeps vets in mind? Military.com, which has compiled this handy list of Nov. 11 veteran freebies and discounts.
De Stella: There was no Veterans Day or Armistice Day on this date in 1572, when Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe first noted a bright new star in the constellation Cassiopeia – soon to be recorded as Tycho’s Supernova.
Lens flair: Brahe did his best work using relatively primitive equipment – it wasn’t until Nov. 11, 1851, that Massachusetts astronomer Alvan Clarke, fed up with flawed lenses, patented critical improvements to the modern telescope.
Al-ki: Washington State – home to one of the largest public astronomical observatories in the nation, by the way – became the 42nd U.S. State 133 years ago today.
Tomb it may concern: Honoring unnamed patriots across several wars.
Solemn symbol: Back on the military-veterans theme, President Warren Harding dedicated the Tomb of the Unknown Solider at Arlington National Cemetery on this date in 1921.
From beyond: And back in space, it was Nov. 11, 1925, when American physicist Robert Millikan announced the discovery of “cosmic rays.”
For those keeping score, about 30 cosmic rays – atomic bits of extraterrestrial radiation cruising the cosmos at this close to lightspeed, some capable of penetrating 50 solid feet of lead – pass through our bodies every second.
Old Blood and Guts: Completing the military-veteran theme with larger-than-life courage and audacity is four-star U.S. Army General George S. Patton (1885-1945), a U.S. Olympian (1912 pentathlon), master swordsman, unparalleled military strategist and unabashed irritant to his superiors who’d be 137 years old today.
Giant, Wolf: Vintage Warner (and Andre the Giant) go to the videotape.
Also born on Nov. 11 were American physician Ephraim McDowell (1771-1830), who pioneered operative gynecology and other abdominal surgeries; Russian literary giant Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881), who defined “Crime and Punishment”; American literary giant Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1922-2007), who occupied “Slaughterhouse Five”; Italian racecar driver Maria Teresa de Filippis (1926-2016), the first women to compete in a Formula 1 Grand Prix; and American radio and television sports broadcaster Warner Wolf (born 1937), still making the rounds.
Demi tough: And take a bow, Demi Gene Moore! The American actress – who leapt from “General Hospital” to the “Brat Pack,” from Bruce Willis to Ashton Kutcher, from the CNN Freedom Project to the New York Times best sellers list and lots of other places – turns 60 today.
Wish G.I. Jane well at editor@innovateli.com, where we’re always looking for A Few Good [News Tips] and we don’t have a Ghost of a chance without your calendar events (Full Disclosure: They’re very important).
About our sponsor: SUNY Old Westbury empowers students to own the future they want. In a small-college atmosphere and as part of the dynamic, diverse student body that today is 5,000 strong, Old Westbury students get up close and personal with the life and career they want to pursue. Whether it’s a cutting-edge graduate program in data analytics, highly respected programs in accounting and computer information sciences or any of the more than 70 degrees available, a SUNY Old Westbury education sets students on a course toward success. Own your future.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Still responding: The Stony Brook World Trade Center Health and Wellness Program has received a vital shot on the arm from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has awarded the program a fresh $147 million in funding, to be dispersed over the next eight years. The money will be the lifeblood of the WTC Health and Wellness Program, which monitors and treats more than 13,000 first responders to the 9/11 terrorist attacks – many of whom are still suffering PTSD, respiratory illnesses, cancers and other long-haul conditions related to the 2001 World Trade Center disaster.
Their mental and physical complications only “become more complex and challenging” as time passes, according to Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program Director Benjamin Luft. “Being able to expand our clinical offerings … is vital to the care we provide our patients, with the goal to cure some and treat all of their conditions,” Luft noted. “The new NIOSH contract enables us to carry this out for years to come.”
Well done, neighbor: Leah Lopez, president of Connecticut-based Save the Sound, appreciates the passage of New York’s first Environmental Bond Act in 26 years.
EBA all the way: Interstate environmentalists are hailing Tuesday’s passage of New York State’s largest-ever environmental bond act.
Roughly 68 percent of New York voters approved of the $4.2 billion Clean Water, Clean Air, Green Jobs Act, which allows Albany to assume debt (via bond sales) to support projects in communities most affected by climate change. Regional efforts reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, improving flood resiliency, creating new clean-energy infrastructure, adding electric vehicles to municipal fleets and otherwise supporting sustainability are all in play.
The state’s first EBA since 1996 was a litmus test, of sorts, pitting voters’ ecological worries against their government-spending concerns – and its passage bodes well for current and future New Yorkers, according to Leah Lopez, president of Connecticut-based regional watchdog Save the Sound. “So many villages, towns, cities and counties around Long Island Sound have long sought to make themselves more resilient in the face of rising temperatures and rising waters,” Lopez said Wednesday. “The investments that New Yorkers chose Tuesday will help minimize pollution and prioritize public health in ways that will resonate for generations.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Menopause button: Women suffering debilitating “change of life” symptoms have an innovative new resource in Upliv, the first portfolio company from Northwell Holdings and Aegis Ventures.
Emergency situation: A top regional credit union is supporting a student emergency fund started by the first family of Farmingdale State College.
Their lips to your ears: They’re not gods, but they are the leaders of the Long Island innovation economy – and they’re speaking directly to you on Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast. Season 3 continues soon … catch up now on dozens of brilliant conversations.
ICYMI
The IDC Foundation helps New York Tech redesign its NYC laboratories; Intelligent CloudCare helps businesses reimagine their IT security.
BEST OF THE WEST (AND SOMETIMES NORTH/SOUTH)
Innovate LI’s inbox overrunneth with inspirational innovations from all North American corners. This week’s brightest out-of-towners:
From Indiana: Indianapolis-based sustainable-aquaculture startup Atarraya hosts first harvest at converted cargo container shrimp farm.
From Florida: Boca Raton-based 501(c)3 For A Bright Future Foundation boosts its underserved-children mission with innovative Media Lab Technology Program.
From Utah: Salt lake City-based independent energy producer Nodal Power emerges from stealth with methane-mitigation power-plant plan.
ON THE MOVE
Peter Mulhall
+ Peter Mulhall has been promoted to general superintendent at Ronkonkoma-based Aurora Contractors. He previously served as project executive.
+ Jaime Scott has been hired as vice president of finance and accounting at East Setauket-based TRITEC Real Estate. She was chief financial officer at United Air Conditioning in Queens.
+ Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana has added three attorneys to its Tax Certiorari Practice Group: Jamie Alpern, Risë Rosen and Donald Leistman, who will serve as co-chair. All three were partners at Mineola-based Koeppel, Martone & Leistman LLC.
+ Rachelle Scott has joined the Bethpage-based Safe Center LI’s Board of Directors. She is the vice president for mental health at New York City-based Eden Health.
+ Julia Gavrilov has been appointed to the Equipment, Leasing and Finance Association’s Equity Committee and its Legal Resources Subcommittee. She is a partner at Garden City-based Moritt Hock & Hamroff.
Like this newsletter? Innovate Long Island newsletter, website and podcast sponsorships are a prime opportunity to reach the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and executives you need to know (just ask SUNY Old Westbury). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Car Of The Future Edition)
Getting there: Maybe not THIS epic, but flying cars are finally in sight.
Put it in reverse: Dutch students have invented a carbon-capture car that cleans the air while driving.
Charge back: California scales up its sustainable vehicle-to-grid tech (and ambitions).
Flight delay: What’s taking so long with those flying cars?
Driven: Please continue supporting the amazing institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including SUNY Old Westbury, where brilliant academics put forwarding-thinking students in the professional-development driver’s seat. Check them out.
