Forward March: Welcome to Friday and welcome to March, dear readers, as February finally fades and we enter the second sixth of busy 2024.
It is indeed March 1 out there, and we’re kicking off the new month by wrapping up this warm/cold/soggy/sunny late-winter workweek – with innovative flair, of course. Onward!
This little piggie: Bacon is great, but pigs actually make terrific pets.
Down time: We begin with National Unplugging Day, a sundown-to-sundown shutdown of our phones, tablets and other screens beginning this evening (well after you finish reading this e-newsletter).
If that seems unlikely to you, consider that March 1 is the day pigs fly – or at least ride high as the stars of National Pig Day, an annual celebration of the intelligent, affectionate and surprisingly clean domesticated hog.
Spread a little thin: And not to be confused with National Peanut Butter Day (Jan. 24), National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day (April 2), National Peanut Butter and Chocolate Day (July 23) or National Peanut Butter Cookie Day (June 12), today is also National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, which seems slightly redundant after all those other days, but here we are.
Make it count: Also spreading things out was the first United States Census, which took place in August 1790 but was authorized by President George Washington on March 1 of that year.
Oh me oh my oh: Speaking of states united, happy anniversary to Ohio, which became the 17th U.S. state on this date in 1803…
Cornhusker controversy: …and to Nebraska, which became the 37th state on March 1, 1867 – the only state admitted to the Union via a presidential veto override. (President Andrew Johnson was not pleased.)
Oh, chute: Captain Berry drops into the history books.
Floating a new idea: Overriding the law of gravity was U.S. Army Capt. Albert Berry, who safely completed history’s first parachute jump 112 years ago today.
Avenger assembles: And on the topic of U.S. Army captains leaping into history, Captain America – colorful comic book creation of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby – burst onto the scene on March 1, 1941.
“Captain America No. 1” had it all: The super-soldier serum, the origins of Steve Rogers’ friendship with Bucky Barnes, the star-spangled superhero suit and Cap’s famous shield … even the titular hero decking Adolph Hitler with a roundhouse haymaker, right on the cover.
Federal case: American law enforcement officer Alaska Davidson (1868-1954) – who preceded the Equal Opportunity Employment Act by 50 years when she became the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s first woman special agent in 1922 – would be 156 years old today.
Wild about Harry: Former ACLU celebrity ambassador Belafonte was a vocal critic of Donald Trump.
Also born on March 1 were American photographer and manufacturer Robert Cornelius (1809-1893), credited with taking the first-ever selfie; Polish French composer Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), a virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period; American big band conductor, composer, trombonist and recording artist Glenn Miller (1904-1944), who rose to U.S. Army major before dying mysteriously in 1944; American singer, actor and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte (1927-2023), Grammy-winning master of Calypso music; and American director, producer, screenwriter and actor Ron Howard (born 1954), who’s racked up two Oscars, two Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Grammy, among other accolades.
True Belieber: And take a bow, Justin Drew Bieber! The Canadian pop icon and preening tabloid sensation – who’s suffered various health issues over the last few years – turns 30 today.
Just One Time, give Selena Gomez’s ex your best at editor@innovateli.com, where you’re our Favorite Girl (or guy) when you share news tips and we always know Where Are Ü Now when you send calendar events. (We’re Confident you will.)
About our sponsor: St. Joseph’s University has provided a diverse population of students in the New York metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. Independent and coeducational, the university provides a strong academic and value-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual rigor, social responsibility, spiritual depth and service. Through its Long Island, Brooklyn and online campuses, the university offers degrees in 60 majors, special course offerings and certificates and affiliated and pre-professional programs. Learn more here.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Veterinary variety: The New York City Mayor’s Office and a Florida-based animal-protection nonprofit are promoting veterinary-medicine diversity on Long Island.
The Brady Hunter Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 organization formed in 2023 to promote wildlife rehabilitation and prevent animal cruelty, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced new tuition assistance for African American students attending the Brookville-based Long Island University College of Veterinary Medicine. The Brady Hunter Scholarship Fund will provide a 50 percent tuition break for students from the five boroughs with financial need, with the initial recipient – Shania Allison of Queens – already halfway through her first year of veterinary studies and the second, expected to be announced prior to the Fall 2025 semester, receiving half-off for the full four-year program.
The LIU College of Veterinary Medicine, which is set to graduate its first four-year cohort this Spring, is the ideal place to promote diversity within the profession, according to Brady Hunter Foundation founder Josh Fox. “The field of veterinary medicine faces a significant lack of diversity … with limited opportunities for African American students,” Fox said Thursday. “Our scholarships will aid in empowering African American students in New York City and bring their passion and talent into animal health and welfare.”
Triggering safeties: Gun-violence prevention efforts by academia, government and corporate America are having a positive effect, according to Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling.
Don’t shoot: A national nonprofit dedicated to education through creative storytelling is teaming with 50-plus healthcare organizations – including New York’s largest – to combat gun violence.
The New York City-based Ad Council – progenitor of Smokey the Bear, “A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste” and other iconic social-impact campaigns – announced Tuesday a new prevention initiative targeting gun violence, during Northwell Health’s fifth-annual Gun Violence Prevention Forum. Including dozens of major-league health systems from across the nation, the coalition aims to raise $40 million or more, all targeting the leading cause of death among U.S. children and teens.
Firearms-related fatalities among American youth rose 41.6 percent between 2018 and 2021, and Northwell Health – which last year spearheaded creation of the National Health Care CEO Council on Gun Violence Prevention and Safety – has seen enough. “We are beginning to see progress … thanks to continued collaboration and partnership like the campaign we are announcing today,” Northwell President and CEO Michael Dowling said Tuesday. “I implore other healthcare leaders across the country to take a leadership role in reshaping the public narrative on gun violence.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Offshore rig(ged): From the Foregone Conclusions File come the Empire Wind and Sunrise Wind offshore-wind farms, which have both earned conditional construction contracts from New York State – once again.
Don’t miss a thing: Monday’s Calendar Newsletter sure hit the mark with that bit about … wait, what do you mean you didn’t read it? Well, it is for subscribers only, but that’s a quick one-click fix. Always easy, always free.
ICYMI
United Way of Long Island, Bank of America and friends have graduated the first Spanish-speaking cohort of a renewable energy workforce-development program, with more to come.
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 Jersey: Metuchen-based podiatry marketing master Podiatry Content Connection steps up services with turn-key patient-connection portal.
From California: Culver City-based digital entertainment producer Snail Games innovates interactive gaming with artificial-intelligence infusion.
From New York City: Nonprofit career booster The Creative Ladder provides insights and inspiration for makers through new video-content series.
ON THE MOVE
Janice Whelan
+ Janice Whelan has been elected president of the Townwide Fund of Huntington’s Board of Directors. She is principal attorney at Huntington-based Janice Whelan PLLC.
+ Thomas Huszar has joined Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana as a partner in the Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group. He was a partner at Manhattan-based Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf LLP.
+ Jill Badalamente has been hired as a medical aesthetician at Ageless MD in St. James. She held the same position at Gotham Plastic Surgery in Manhattan.
+ Christine Suter has been promoted to executive director at Oyster Bay-based Friends of the Bay. She previously served as assistant director.
+ Brian Kennedy has been appointed to the Long Island Regional Board of the New York League of Conservation Voters. He is a partner in the Land Use & Zoning Practice Group at Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana.
+ Harvey Besunder has been elected to the House of Delegates for the New York State Bar Association in Albany. He is a partner at Egan & Golden in Patchogue.
+ David Okrent has been appointed to the New York State Coordinating Council for Services Related to Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias. He is managing attorney of the Law Offices of David R. Okrent in Dix Hills.
+ Laurie Mitchell has been hired as director of K-12 guidance in the West Babylon School District. She was guidance chairperson for grades 6-12 in the Lynbrook Public School District.
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 St. Joe’s). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Forever And Ever Edition)
The house that Ruth built: Gottesman’s generosity creates a whole new Albert Einstein School of Medicine.
Forever chemicals: PFAS substances are phasing out of food packaging.
Forever free: A billion-dollar gift covers Bronx medical students’ tuition in perpetuity.
Forever young: How one multimillionaire plans to live forever, or at least until he’s 250.
Forever improving: Please continue supporting the incredible institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including St. Joseph’s University, which has consistently increased its academic and spiritual proficiencies for more than a century. Check them out.
