Fear itself: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as harrowing horrors, ghastly ghouls, brain-dead beasts and other morbid monstrosities terrorize townsfolk and curse the countryside. It’s also the night before Halloween.
Yes, it’s Oct. 30 out there, and even with official Election Day still six days out, Election 2024 is already upon us (by Tuesday afternoon, more than a quarter of eligible U.S. voters had cast their ballots … well done, America!). So, is our national nightmare almost over, or will the inevitable lawsuits and certification shenanigans drag it out forever? (Now there’s a scary thought.)
Dead and loving it: Just because you’ve passed doesn’t mean you can’t plan a great party.
Be brave: Whatever happens with the national election, today is the day before Halloween – known best, depending on where you live, as Mischief Night, Devil’s Night, Gate Night or Cabbage Night (which might be scariest of all), and traditionally featuring tricks without the treats.
Other Oct. 30 holidays haunting us today include National Checklist Day (putting an end to procrastination), Create a Great Funeral Day (prompting memorable memorials for ourselves and our loved ones) and, most horrifyingly, National Candy Corn Day.
On point: Checking off boxes on this date in 1888 was Massachusetts-based innovator John Loud, who patented the ball point pen.
On cue: Also writing things down was composer Amy Beach, whose “Gaelic Symphony” – remembered as the first major symphony composed by an American woman – debuted on this date in 1896 in Boston.
On top: Less than two months before its first experimental broadcast, the NBC Television Network began construction of a TV transmitter atop the Empire State Building – itself just six months old – on this date in 1931.
Ends Welles?: Orson thought the “War of the Worlds” stunt might end his career.
On the air: Speaking of broadcasting history, it was 86 years ago tonight when Orson Welles and his Mercury Theatre cohorts scared the bejesus out of scores of listeners with their “War of the Worlds” radio adaptation. (Truth be told, the myth of the so-called “panic” has been greatly exaggerated through the years.)
On target: And it was Oct. 30, 1961, when history’s largest human-made explosion rocked Novaya Zemlya Island in the Arctic Ocean during a test of the Soviet Union’s Tsar Bomba, the biggest nuclear weapon ever detonated.
The 27-ton device – about 3,800 times stronger than the American bomb that leveled Hiroshima – produced a mushroom cloud visible 37 miles away and damaged buildings some 100 miles from ground zero.
The “apostle of democracy”: Mexican businessman, revolutionary, writer and statesman Francisco Ignacio Madero González (1873-1913) – a staunch defender of Democracy who sparked the Mexican Revolution, became his nation’s 33rd president and paid for national freedom with his life – would be 151 years old today.
Ashley Graham: Worth the weight.
Also born on Oct. 30 were American statesman, attorney, diplomat, political philosopher, writer and Founding Father John Adams (1735-1826), the American Revolution leader who became the second president of the United States; American philanthropist Elizabeth Coolidge (1864-1953), a trained pianist who devoted her family fortune to supporting the arts, particularly music; American physicist Louis Austin (1867-1932), a pioneer of long-range radio transmissions; Finnish Swedish scientist Ragnar Granit (1900-1991), who kept his eyes on the Nobel Prize; and American actor Henry Winkler (born 1945), an accomplished character actor beloved for one super-cool character in particular.
Plus-size heart: And take a bow, Ashley Graham! The American fashion model and body activist – known as much for promoting body positivity and self-acceptance (especially for women) as for high-profile spreads in Vogue, Glamour, Sports Illustrated and other top publications – turns 37 today.
Give the larger-than-life beauty your best at editor@innovateli.com, where size doesn’t matter – we love news tips and calendar events both big and small.
About our sponsor: Farmingdale State College is the largest college of applied science and technology in the State University of New York system, with nearly 10,000 students and 46 degree programs focused on relevant high-demand careers. More than half of our students graduate debt-free and 82 percent are employed six months after graduation or enrolled in graduate school. Nearly 80 percent of FSC graduates stay and are working on Long Island six months after graduation. Learn more here.
BUT FIRST, THIS
News flash: A SUNY Old Westbury instructor will help bring the Fourth Estate back from the depths.
With journalism on the ropes across the nation, Assistant Media and Communications Professor Ozgür Akgün has been selected as one of 14 statewide faculty “champions” by the new SUNY Institute for Local News, a State University of New York effort to bolster local media outlets while giving students real-world multimedia and communications experience. Working closely with the University of Vermont’s Center for Community News – a nonprofit national program supporting partnerships between collegiate reporting programs and local news outlets – the institute targets journalism’s notorious lack of diversity while promoting best practices and expanding local journalism across New York State.
The lack of diversity in American journalism is a “significant issue,” according to Akgün, who earned a PhD in TV and Film Studies from Istanbul University’s School of Communication, an MBA from the University of Texas and an MFA from the University of Maine. “SUNY Old Westbury is actively working to address this by fostering programs and encouraging diverse perspectives through its curriculum,” the assistant professor added. “[The SUNY Institute for Local News] will help us make stronger progress toward our goals.”
Bus start: The United Way of Long Island’s 16th annual Stuff-A-Bus school-supply program helped thousands of LI students kick off the school year right.
They’re stuffed: The United Way of Long Island and friends are taking a victory lap after another successful Stuff-a-Bus campaign distributed school supplies to thousands of at-need LI students.
The UWLI’s 16th annual Stuff-A-Bus school-supply program – held in partnership with Suffolk Transportation Service, with volunteers from National Grid and Zebra Technologies doing the heavy lifting – has funneled more than $50,000 worth of essential school supplies to elementary students across Nassau and Suffolk counties. After the regional United Way chapter collected donations of backpacks, pens, pencils, folders and other supplies from 40-plus regional companies, National Grid and Zebra employees gathered Sept. 13 to pack them into STS school buses, which ultimately delivered the goods to Pronto of Long Island, the Hicksville Boys & Girls Club, the Community Development Corp. of Long Island and the Brentwood, Central Islip and Westbury school districts, among other districts and community-based organizations.
United Way of Long Island is “extremely grateful to all our supporters and collaborators that help make Stuff-A-Bus a reality,” according to President and Chief Executive Officer Theresa Regnante. “When we provide quality supplies to our students, we alleviate financial burdens and allow them to focus on learning,” the CEO added.
TOP OF THE SITE
Fusion fund: Stony Brook University will build a better “first wall” – essential to the future of fusion power – and the U.S. Department of Energy’s ARPA-E program will pay for it.
Say what? What do the leaders of the Long Island innovation economy – the lawyers and lawmakers, the executives and entrepreneurs, the researchers and rainmakers – have to say about regional socioeconomics? Find out on Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast, where insider knowledge and success secrets are revealed 30 minutes (or so) at a time.
VOICES
In 2017, the fraudulent Fyre Festival became one of the most notorious event fiascos in history, with organizer/grifter Billy McFarland ultimately serving four years in prison. Now, McFarland is back with Fyre Festival II, and tickets are selling fast – a cautionary tale about failure and success in the Digital Age, according to ZE Creative Communications Executive Vice President and Voices Media Anchor David Chauvin.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Hard pass: Will theft-proof passkeys unlock a world without passwords? Vox logs in.
Hard stop: The critical importance of cracking down on ballot-box burning. MSNBC weighs in.
Don’t stop: Ranking the top creators in the $250 billion (and climbing) influencer industry. Forbes tunes in.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ March Biosciences, a Texas-based clinical-stage biotech focused on cell therapy, raised $28.4 million in Series A funding led by Mission BioCapital and 4BIO Capital.
+ Vensica Medical, New York City-based biotech focused on urology therapeutics, raised $11 million in funding led by Israel Biotech Fund, Merz and Laborie.
+ OncoLens, a Georgia-based comprehensive cancer-care platform, raised $16 million in Series A funding co-led by BIP Capital and Cross Border Impact Ventures.
+ MoneyStack, a Pennsylvania-based financial-counseling platform for behavioral healthcare, raised $250,000 in funding. The Richard King Mellon Foundation made the investment.
+ California Catalysts, a California-based developer of advanced electrolysis materials, raised $3 million in Series A-2 funding, led by Volo Earth Ventures, Dolby Family Ventures and Freeflow Ventures.
+ Fixify, a Virginia-based AI-powered IT help desk, raised $25 million in Series A funding led by Costanoa Ventures, Decibel Partners and Paladin Capital Group.
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 Farmingdale State). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Scary Good Edition)
It knows what scares you: There are plenty of frightening flicks to choose from.
Oh, the horror: Understanding why humans love a good scare.
Boo-tem line: If Americans are cutting back, why is Halloween spending soaring?
Chiller theater: Dim the lights and enjoy dozens of classic Halloween-themed movies.
Nothing to fear: Please continue supporting the innovative institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including Farmingdale State College, where tomorrow’s well-prepared workforce has nothing to worry about (except the fear of success). Check them out.
