Speed zone: July is flying by, intrepid innovators – three speedy weeks in the books already, including this latest fleet workweek.
Just one fast Friday before we downshift into a well-earned weekend. Your take-it-slow blow awaits – quick, enjoy this swift innovation review!
Failure to lunch: Must you be so literal?
Lunchtime on the Planet of the Apes: It’s July 21 out there, known around the urban jungle as National Take a Monkey to Lunch Day – not a literal invitation to snack with simians but an educational spotlight on monkeys, apes and other intelligent (nonhuman) primates.
Make it a two-martini lunch, if you’re of age – it’s also National Legal Drinking Age Day, raising a glass (or not) to the national 21-and-older norm established by Congress in 1984.
Pick your poison: And make it a cheap lunch, if you want – Happy Meals and all the rest are fair game on National Junk Food Day, an homage to unhealthy edibles always flame-broiled on July 21.
Central theme: How about lunch in the park today? Envisioning a lush oasis amidst a concrete-and-steel forest, the New York State Legislature preserved hundreds of Manhattan acres for a “central park” on this date in 1853.
Next stop: The Trans-Siberian Railroad (in green) goes the distance.
All aboard, comrades: Less lush than arctic is Siberia, which features prominently in the Trans-Siberian Railroad, a 5,772-mile line from Moscow to Vladivstok that was officially completed on July 21, 1904, and is still the world’s longest railway.
Clever hook: From trains to planes, where we find an XFD-1 jet fighter landing safely on the deck of the U.S.S. Franklin D. Roosevelt 77 years ago today – the first jet to land on an American aircraft carrier.
Sounds right: Flight engineers doubtlessly tracked that XFD-1 on radar, which uses the same scientific principles as ultrasound technology, which first became a medical diagnostic tool on this date in 1955.
Dam it: And it was July 21, 1970, when engineers officially completed work on the Aswan High Dam, controlling the flow of the mighty Nile River in southern Egypt.
The innovative project – which created an enormous reservoir, regulated year-round irrigation for regional farmers and provided significant hydroelectric power – took more than 10 years and cost more than $1 billion.
Heart of Texas: American philanthropist Henrietta Maria King (1832-1925) – a schoolteacher, rancher and hard-working widow who educated the families of Mexican ranch hands, built schools and churches, supported hospitals and donated land that helped establish Texas A&M University – would be 191 years old today.
Nanoo nanoo: Mork calling Orson, in happier times.
Also born on July 21 were French cartographer and engineer Jean Picard (1620-1682), considered the founder of modern French astronomy; Swedish chemist Georg Brandt (1694-1768), who discovered cobalt, the first “unknown metal”; American novelist, short-story writer and journalist Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961), whose real-life adventures outmuscled his manliest fiction; American cartoonist Garry Trudeau (born 1948), known best for creating “Doonesbury”; and American actor and comedian Robin Williams (1951-2014), rightfully ranked among the greatest and the saddest.
Complex cat: And take a bow, Stephen Demetre Georgiou! The British singer, songwriter and musician – who was known as Yusuf Islam after converting, but always known best as 100-million-record selling folk legend Cat Stevens – turns 75 today.
Wish the multifaceted musician well at editor@innovateli.com, where we convert your news tips into exciting features and your calendar events are an easy sell.
About our sponsor: Presberg Law P.C. is Long Island’s premier “IDA” and business law firm for businesses locating, relocating and expanding on Long Island. Founded in 1984, this multi-generational practice focuses on the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of commercial and industrial real estate, SBA and other loan transactions, construction projects and business sales and acquisitions.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Prime chukka: Polo is back on Long Island! (And has been since 1881.)
Marco…: If you thought polo was an elitist entertainment played in the background of European picnics and James Bond movies – well, you’re partly correct.
One of several “sport of kings” title-holders, polo is enjoying a Long Island renaissance via the Meadow Brook Polo Club & Academy, which hosts youth camps, adult lessons and “themed matches” on Saturdays at its Old Westbury grounds. Among the upcoming themes: a “Parisian Picnic” event this Saturday (evoking the romance of Paris with French culture and cuisine), an Aug. 5 “Roaring Twenties” party (featuring period costumes, vintage décor and live jazz) and an Aug. 12 “Casino Royale” event (pulling visitors into a sophisticated 007-esque adventure), all with thundering horses and colorful riders racing around and whacking away.
With swanky after-parties, “elevated catering” by Maxwell’s Plum (a one-time New York City staple recently reborn in Florida horse country) and transportation services to and from NYC, the club – which officially formed in 1881 – has planned a busy summer in the saddle. More information on upcoming events, ticket prices and event sponsorships available here.
Medical mall: Where should we go next … Hollister, the food court or the neuropsychologist’s office?
This is now an actual question at Simon Property Group’s Smith Haven Mall, the Lake Grove shopping mecca where Stony Brook Medicine has cut the ribbon on its newest – and, at roughly 170,000 square feet, largest – multispecialty care facility. Advanced Specialty Care at Lake Grove has opened inside the site’s defunct Sears department store, offering state-of-the-art services in pediatrics, neurology, pain management and a half-dozen other high-demand specialty areas.
Ultimately, Stony Brook Medicine’s second multispecialty care facility (following Advanced Specialty Care of Commack, which opened in 2017) will provide comprehensive, integrated outpatient care in 20-plus specialty areas. “With its new location in Smith Haven Mall, Stony Brook Medicine is reminding our patients that we are here for them,” Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis told high-profile guests and other gatherers during Wednesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony. “We believe in quality healthcare that is accessible to all.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Storm warning: A regional local-delivery pioneer is urging small-business owners to get out in front of a potential UPS strike before nationwide logistics grind to a halt.
To be continued: Another educational and entertaining conversation from the innovation economy’s front lines drops next week – everything already said on Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast is waiting right here.
ICYMI
With its latest “small” acquisition, aggressively innovative biotech Applied DNA Sciences is set to redefine the parameters of therapeutic RNA.
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 New York City: Coconut-water wunderkind Once Upon a Coconut expands its premium line with pineapple and chocolate flavors.
From California: San Diego-based, blockchain-focused IT innovator Solana Labs soothes game developers’ web3 pain points with unified GameShift API.
From New York City: All-American, gouda-as-it-gets queso king Murray’s Cheese tempts feta with an out-of-the-bleu rebranding and menu expansion.
ON THE MOVE
Joseph Ng
+ Joseph Ng has been promoted to medical director at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson. He previously served as associate medical director.
+ Robert Haas has been appointed assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in the Bayport-Blue Point School District. He is the principal of Bayport-Blue Point High School in Bayport.
+ Stanley Amelkin has been elected to the Nassau County Bar Association’s Board of Directors. He is of counsel at Garden City-based Rosenberg Fortuna & Laitman.
+ Ammarah Zaidi has been hired as a senior engineer at Bohemia-based P.W. Grosser Consulting. She was a project manager at HydroTech Environmental Engineering & Geology in Manhattan.
+ Jennifer Carpentieri has been hired as an administrator at Gurwin Jewish Nursing and Rehabilitation in Commack. She held the same position at White Oaks Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Woodbury.
+ Elliot Conway has been elected president of the Nassau County Village Officials Association in Great Neck. He is the mayor of the Village of Upper Brookville.
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 Presberg Law). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (On The Job Edition)
Do you know me: Samuel L. Jackson is the hardest working man in show business … and that’s the double truth, Ruth.
Defining role: The hottest job of 2023 is “head of AI,” though nobody knows what it is.
Residual damage: Why A-list actors joined writers on the Hollywood picket lines.
Gainful employment: Hundreds of roles, 51 years, one Samuel L. Jackson.
Job No. 1: Please continue supporting the amazing firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Presberg Law, where decades of professional experience always work out the best solutions for business clients. Check them out.
