Commence countdown: Thanksgiving was six whole days ago, dear readers, and even though you’ve heard “All I Want For Christmas” 20 times already … it’s still November out there.
But it’s December eve, meaning Christmas is well within the Four Week Outer Alert Marker. So, dig into those chocolate advent calendars, string up those lights and otherwise crank your yuletide engines – but first, fuel up on some high-octane innovation.
Swing and a mousse: No, no, no … wrong mousse.
Alone time: With December starting tomorrow, today must be Nov. 30, a good one for anyone craving solitude after a crowded weekend at the mall – it’s both National Personal Space Day, when individual boundaries are reinforced, and National Stay Home Because You’re Well Day, which encourages the classic “mental health day.”
Enhance the peace and quiet with a real treat – today is also National Mousse Day, a creamy delight whipped up every Nov. 30.
Screw it: Perfect for storing your leftover mousse (as if) is the classic screw-top mason jar, patented on this date in 1858 by New York inventor John Landis Mason.
Long shot: Also getting screwed was Alabama resident Ann Hodges, who was napping on her sofa 68 years ago today when a space rock crashed through her roof and struck her left side – making Hodges the only known person ever hit by a meteorite.
Live, from New York: But Edwards was taped for a California replay.
Tape delay: Also making news was the CBS Television Network, which broadcast “The Evening News With Douglas Edwards” live on the East Coast on Nov. 30, 1956, then played it back three hours later for West Coast viewers – the first-ever network broadcast from videotape.
Red alert: Also getting screwed, and making news, was the USSR, which launched its ballyhooed Zond 2 Mars probe on this date in 1964 – a titanic failure that malfunctioned shortly after takeoff.
Another brick: And still soaring, long after takeoff, is the epic masterwork “The Wall,” released by English progressive rock band Pink Floyd on Nov. 30, 1979.
The monumental 26-song opus – the No. 2 best-selling double album of all time – was the last thing core members Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright ever recorded together.
Strike up the “Bandstand”: American radio and television personality Richard Wagstaff “Dick” Clark (1929-2012) – a cultural icon remembered best for his New Year’s Eve countdowns and long stewardship of “American Bandstand” – would be 93 today.
Staying power: Chisholm represented Brooklyn’s interests over seven Congressional terms.
Also born on Nov. 30 were Anglo-Irish author Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), a clergyman and popular satirist who chronicled “Gulliver’s Travels”; German physicist and musician Ernst Florens Friedrich Chladni (1756-1827), remembered as “the father of acoustics”; British statesman, soldier and writer Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (1874-1965), an unflappable (two-time) prime minister; prolific Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942), who counted “Anne of Green Gables” among her 1,000-plus published novels, poems and short stories; and American politician Shirley Chisholm (1924-2005), the first African American woman elected to the U.S. Congress.
Bo knows: And take a bow, Vincent Edward “Bo” Jackson! The Heisman Trophy-winner and brand-building philanthropist – a two-sport phenom who is the only professional athlete ever named a Major League Baseball and National Football League all-star – turns 60 today.
Give the all-world athlete – who may have run history’s fastest 40-yard dash – your best at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips and calendar events keep us running with the best of them.
About our sponsor: Sahn Ward is one of the region’s most highly regarded and recognized law firms. Our attorneys are thought leaders, dedicated to achieving success through excellence. With our broad experience in land use, development, litigation, real estate, corporate and environmental law, we have the vision and knowledge to serve our clients and our communities. Please visit sahnward.com.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Kidney cornerstone: Stony Brook Medicine is among the founding institutions forming a powerful new kidney consortium.
Backed by a $6.6 million National Institutes of Health grant, the New York Consortium for Interdisciplinary Training in Kidney, Urological and Hematological Research is co-led by SBU’s Renaissance School of Medicine and the Bronx-based Albert Einstein College of Medicine, with heavy lifting by New York City’s Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Columbia University Irving Medical Center. The consortium aims to train young scientists in kidney, urology and hematology research – critical to battling kidney disease, sickle cell disease and other urgent conditions.
Up to 10 specialists will be trained annually, with member-institution mentorships, focused networking and access to a wealth of related data in play. “This new NIH-funded program will provide interdisciplinary research training … for predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows at [SBU] and the other New York institutions,” noted Renaissance School of Medicine Dean Peter Igarashi. “Our selection for this highly competitive award reflects our collective expertise in kidney, blood and urologic disorders and our track record of education innovation.”
Broadway boost: Broadway National will spruce up its Hauppauge headquarters with the Suffolk County IDA’s help.
On Broadway: A homegrown Long Island success story will enlarge its Hauppauge footprint with a nod to the Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency – and not for the first time.
The IDA has issued preliminary approval for a tax-abatement package assisting Broadway National, a cloud-based construction- and property-management company that sprouted from a humble 1989 launch as a garage-based neon-light manufacturer. Now boasting a 236-person payroll and a Rolodex of Fortune 500 clients, the family-owned operation – still run by founder and CEO William Paparella – is planning a $6 million renovation of its 65,000-square-foot David’s Drive headquarters.
If ultimately approved by the IDA, the tax breaks (in return for 70 additional full-time positions and related regional-economy benefits) will mark the IDA’s second Broadway National deal, following a 2017 incentives package that led the company to David’s Drive – and significantly overperformed on its ROI, according to Suffolk IDA Deputy Executive Director Kelly Murphy. “They have shattered their employment commitments in the past,” Murphy noted. “We are excited to see what this next wave of investment … brings to them and our region.”
POD PEOPLE
Episode 33: Eric Alexander, downtown shuffle.
Few Long Islanders have had the regional socioeconomic impact of Eric Alexander – innovator, unifier and go-to guru for smart downtown redevelopment, with 25 years-plus of successful lobbying under his belt.
The longtime Vision Long Island director and founder of the Long Island Main Street Alliance joins Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast to discuss infrastructure initiatives, downtown do-overs and the unique challenge of promoting harmony on an island with many distinct identities.
TOP OF THE SITE
Live, on stage: After 18 years on the road, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame has finally opened the doors of its permanent Stony Brook home.
Metallic mission: A regional scrap-metal giant and a dedicated middle school have (once again) steered tons of Long Island waste away from regional landfills.
Well prepared: Make sure your innovation team is ready for the New Year with their very own Innovate Long Island newsletter subscriptions – always easy, always free.
VOICES
Long Island Bio Executive Director and Voices historian Tom Mariner spans the generations at Hauppauge-based Contract Pharmacal Corp., the towering, family-owned Big Pharma manufacturer that reigns as one of the most successful family-owned businesses in LI history.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Tech feed: Agricultural innovation turns a tiny nation into a global food exporter. The Washington Post farms one out.
Live feed: NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission beams back an epic livestream. Space.com retrogrades its orbit.
Bird feed: The U.S. Army once developed guided missiles piloted by pigeons. Task & Purpose spreads its wings.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Bionaut Labs, a California-based biotech leveraging robotics against central nervous system disorders, raised $43 million in Series B funding led by Khosla Ventures, Deep Insight, OurCrowd, Sixty Degree Capital, Dolby Family Ventures and What if Ventures, among others.
+ Upstart Power, a Massachusetts-based fuel cell innovator, raised $17 million in Series C funding led by ITOCHU Corp., Enphase Energy, Sunnova, Rodgers Capital, H+ Partners and Cricetus Felix Ventures.
+ Rosotics, an Arizona-based additive-manufacturing company, raised $750,000 in pre-seed funding led by Draper Associates, Correlation Ventures, Vibe Capital and Sequoia Capital.
+ Capitol, a New York City-based AI solution for healthcare insurers, raised $10 million in seed funding led by 468 Capital, Designer Fund, Fuel Capital, Tokyo Black, Brian Chesky, Chase Coleman III, Nomad Capital, AirAngels, Sanno Capital and John McCormick.
+ Wave Engine Corp., a Maryland-based aerospace innovator, raised $3.5 million in a second seed funding led by Gula Tech Adventures, Kevin Mahaffey, Abell Foundation, Maryland Momentum Fund and Asymmetry Ventures.
+ Gravitics, a Washington State-based aerospace-components manufacturer, raised $20 million in seed funding led by Type One Ventures, FJ Labs, The Venture Collective, Manhattan West and Mana Ventures.
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 Sahn Ward). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD
Mortal enemy: It is very cold … in spaaaaace.
A long time ago: Science discovers a previously unknown Roman emperor.
In a galaxy far, far away: Interactive map spans 200,000 known galaxies.
Star wars: Decades later, sour Sulu is still sniping at “cantankerous” Kirk.
The force (majeure) is with them: Please continue supporting the amazing firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Sahn Ward, where no contract clause or land-use issue is beyond their expertise. Check them out.
