Green day: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as we jet through another late-Summer/quasi-Fall workweek.
Speaking of jets, sincere apologies to New York Jets fans and appreciative thank-yous to the readers who wrote in after catching an error in last Friday’s newsletter, in which we stated Gang Green would kick off its season Sunday night. Of course, the Jets opened their 2024 campaign Monday night with a lackluster 32-19 loss to San Francisco – history in the making, as it turned out.
Bigger than you: Cowardly terrorists destroyed these buildings — but they could not defeat the American spirit.
Patriotic pause: Today is Sept. 11, a date that needs no introduction in New York, across the United States or around the world.
What’s now known as Patriot Day and the National Day of Service and Remembrance recalls the wicked, surreal, planet-shaking events of 9/11/01. It’s hard to believe that 23 years have passed since that fateful date – and difficult to grasp how insignificant 23 years is in the annals of human history. A metaphorical blink of the eye; so many around us still struggle with loss, PTSD and chronic illnesses stemming from those cowardly attacks.
Let’s hold them close today. And with national and global politics still reflecting the horrors of 9/11, let’s remember that preventing further atrocities is not about dogmatic flag-waving or military might or closed borders or racial hatred disguised as patriotism. Comprehensive intelligence and steadfast security are paramount, of course – but mostly, it’s about improving the quality of life for everyone, everywhere, and giving “them” no reason to hate “us.”
Mostly, let’s be one nation today, under God or gods or whatever gets you through. Militaristic dictators/insult comics who promote fear and hatred won’t protect us – but unity just might.
Emergency use only: Respecting the day’s somber tones, we’ll keep other “holiday” references to a bare minimum – just a quick nod to National Emergency Number Day, proclaimed in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan to reinforce the importance of the national 9-1-1 emergency-call system, which actually began service in 1968.
Mail drop: Less-urgent forms of communication include the U.S. Mail, which progressed nicely (at least in tall buildings) on Sept. 11, 1883, when Rochester-based inventor James Cutler patented the mail chute (a system connecting deposit boxes on multiple floors to a single ground-floor receptacle).
This little Piggly went to market: Also speeding things up a bit are self-service supermarkets, which became a thing when the first Piggly Wiggly opened in Memphis, Tenn., on this date in 1911.
Pent up: Construction of the Pentagon — headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense — began on this date in 1941.
Built to last: Also invoking the 2001 terrorist attacks, engineers broke ground on the Pentagon 83 years ago today.
Channel marker: Breaking new ground metaphorically was American long-distance swimmer Florence Chadwick, who became the first woman to swim the English Channel from England to France on this date in 1951 – about a year after doing it from France to England (what experts consider the easier route).
Red eye: And it was Sept. 11, 1997, when NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor arrived at the Red Planet after a 10-month voyage from Earth.
Packing a thermal-emission spectrometer, a laser altimeter and other high-tech gear, the satellite spent nine years – nearly four times its projected mission life – collecting volumes of valuable data, including evidence of past surface waters, identifiable mineral deposits, 3D images of Mars’ northern polar ice cap and much more.
Stars in her eyes: American astronomer Mary Watson Whitney (1847-1921) – a women-in-science champion who shattered barriers to lead the Vassar College Observatory for more than two decades – would be 177 years old today.
Pinto the clown: Revered voice actor Colvig also personified the world’s most famous clown.
Also born on Sept. 11 were Scottish surgeon and adventurer Mungo Park (1771-1806), who explored West Africa and wrote all about it; English novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist and painter David Herbert “D.H.” Lawrence (1885-1930), a textbook modernist; American voice actor, cartoonist and vaudeville performer Vance DeBar “Pinto” Colvig (1892-1967), who voiced several Disney characters and was the original Bozo the Clown; retired American naval officer, aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer and astronaut Robert Crippen (born 1937), who visited Skylab and piloted the first space shuttle in orbit; and exiled Belarusian political activist Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (born 1982), who leads an opposition government (operating from Lithuania and Poland) against the authoritarian rule of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Blow Out: And take a bow, Brian Russel De Palma! The American film director and screenwriter – whose career as a master of the suspense, crime and psychological-thriller genres started better than it finished – turns 84 today.
Give the director of megahits like “Carrie,” “Scarface” and “The Untouchables” (and bombs like “The Bonfire of the Vanities” and “The Black Dahlia”) your best at editor@innovateli.com, where it’s Mission: Impossible without your news tips and your calendar events are Dressed to Kill.
About our sponsor: Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano PLLC 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
As real (estate) as it gets: The Commercial and Industrial Brokers Society of Long Island has christened its first class of upper-echelon real estate professionals.
The Melville-based society is celebrating the first graduating class of the CIBS Designation program, designed to refine the expertise and skills of Long Island’s most experienced brokers. The program, which kicked off in Spring 2023, required participants – eight graduates total, each an active CIBS member – to successfully complete eight 90-minute education classes covering subjects such as New York State brokerage law, environmental insurance, government assistance and more.
The graduating class represents regional real estate powerhouses Avison Young, Cushman & Wakefield, Cresa Partners, the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors, NAI Long Island and the Rochlin Organization. “This is a proud moment for our organization as we recognize the first CIBS Elite Class and these individuals – who are true ambassadors for our industry – with this designation,” noted Cushman & Wakefield Executive Managing Director and CIBS co-President David Pennetta, one of the eight graduates. “With the resources of the CIBS Designation program at their disposal, this … helps them stand out as brokers, supporting their success.”
How I saved your seashore: Documents recalling Fire Island’s journey to becoming a federally designated National Seashore will be preserved by Stony Brook University Libraries.
Designation preservation: A historical archive documenting the birth of the Fire Island National Seashore – a federally designated area protecting a 26-mile stretch of the 30-mile barrier island – will be preserved by Stony Brook University.
Stony Brook University Libraries has been gifted decades-old documents outlining the efforts of the Citizens’ Committee for a Fire Island National Seashore, founded in the early 1960s by residents Maurice Barbash and Irving Like. The committee battled against urban planner Robert Moses’ designs for a highway across Fire Island while simultaneously campaigning for a U.S. National Seashore designation, ultimately winning both counts.
Coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the 1964 legislation that created the Fire Island National Seashore as a unit of the National Park Service, the donation – made by the Barbash family – includes committee meeting minutes, press releases and correspondences with then-New York State Gov. Nelson Rockefeller and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Stuart Udall. “We are very excited to have the papers … as a part of Stony Brook University Libraries’ collections,” said SBU Associate Dean of Content Services Jamie Saragossi. “With the upcoming 60th anniversary, preserving and providing access to this collection is of great importance.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Hungry for more: With food insecurity in Western Nassau County at an all-time high – and a nod to local government officials – Long Island Cares Inc.-The Harry Chapin Food Bank has opened its ninth satellite pantry in Valley Stream.
Nonstop knowledge: Learn directly from the biggest success stories in regional innovation – only Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast sits down with the exciting execs, audacious activists and vivid visionaries who make this Island tick. Straight talk awaits!
VOICES
American “Get Out The Vote” campaigns have a long and innovative history, notes ZE Creative Communications Executive Vice President and Voices Media and Government Relations Anchor David Chauvin – and they just may be the deciding factor in the muddy, bloody 2024 Election Season.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Super cycle: Artificial intelligence demand remains strong – but is it still buy, buy, buy on AI? Forbes browses the bottom line.
News cycle: Philanthropists and media moguls are uniting to support much-needed local-news efforts. Axios covers the local angle.
Toxic cycle: We buy stuff and then throw it away – but can we grow the economy without all the useless junk? Vox goes round and round.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ OrsoBio, a California-based clinical-stage biotech developing treatments for obesity and obesity-associated disorders, closed a $67 million Series B financing co-led by Ascenta Capital and Woodline Partners.
+ Odigos, a New York City-based eBPF-based observability platform, raised $13 million in funding led by Venture Guides.
+ CSA Medical, a Massachusetts-based medical device-maker advancing liquid-nitrogen spray cryotherapy for the treatment of chronic bronchitis, raised $53 million in Series D funding co-led by TVM Capital Life Science and Yonjin Venture.
+ Mesa Quantum, a Colorado-based quantum-sensing pioneer, raised $3.75 million in seed funding led by J2 Ventures and SOSV.
+ ATLAS Space Operations, a Michigan-based developer of ground station services supporting satellite communications, raised $15 million in growth funding led by NewSpace Capital.
+ 24M, a Massachusetts-based battery-power innovator, raised $87 million in Series H funding led by Nuovo+.
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 (Save Me Edition)
Take gnocchi for an answer: Dozens of fresh comfort foods are now in season.
Savings: Not all interest-bearing accounts are created equal.
Savoring: The happiness hack you didn’t know you needed.
Savory: Fall menus that maximize the coziness.
Great save: Please continue supporting the fantastic firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano, which always minds your net with thoughtfulness, dedication and forward thinking. Check them out.
