Taking temperatures: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as we charge into the back half of another busy autumnal workweek.
“Autumnal” according to the calendar, at least: While there’s certainly a Fall-like chill in the Long Island air today, we’ve endured some wild temperature swings across the region in recent weeks. Fortunately, even as the weather cools, the innovation economy remains hot – as evidenced by this blazing midweek review.
Rewind, be kind: Hatred has the upper hands in America … but today, we can turn back the clock to kinder, gentler times.
Kind of important: Today is Nov. 13, and sure to warm your cockles is World Kindness Day, when humanity is reminded that good deeds – not the lying, bullying and other selfish and obnoxious behaviors that have been so thoroughly mainstreamed – are the best way to positively influence people, communities, even entire nations.
Hot pursuit: Also bringing the heat is Sadie Hawkins Day, which actually references a fairly sexist “Li’l Abner” comic strip from 1937 but ironically empowers modern women by flipping the script on traditional courtship roles.
And speaking of warm embraces and other displays of affection, it’s National Hug a Musician Day, tuning up a little love for music-makers every Nov. 13.
Out of Africa: Far from kindness or affection is Joseph Conrad’s novella “Heart of Darkness,” the seminal critique of the brutality of European imperialism in Africa, originally serialized in three parts by Blackwood Magazine and first published in book form on this date in 1902.
Tunnel vision: The Holland Tunnel is bright and shiny now … not so much when it was brand new in 1927.
Out of the darkness: Offering some light at the end, the Holland Tunnel – linking New Jersey to New York City beneath the Hudson River – opened to vehicular traffic on Nov. 13, 1927.
Out of the blue: It was this date in 1946 when artificial snow fell from a natural cloud for the first time, when a General Electric scientist bombed clouds over Mount Greylock in Massachusetts with frozen carbon dioxide pellets. (The faux snow evaporated before reaching the ground, for those keeping score.)
Out in front: Sticking better was the ruling that Alabama’s bus-segregation laws were unconstitutional – a just end for the legendary Rosa Parks-inspired Montgomery Bus Boycott, handed down 68 years ago today by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Out there, in spaaaaace: And it was Nov. 13, 1971, when the unmanned NASA probe Mariner 9 entered orbit around Mars, marking the first time any manmade object orbited another planet.
Originally scheduled for a 90-day mission, Mariner 9 remained in Mars orbit for 11 months, mapping the lion’s share of the Red Planet’s surface and even snapping pictures of Martian moons Phobos and Deimos.
United at birth? British aerospace engineer Lewis Boddington (1907-1994), who invented the angled aircraft carrier flight deck with British Naval Rear Admiral Dennis Campbell, and British Naval Rear Admiral Dennis Campbell, who invented the angled aircraft carrier flight deck with British aerospace engineer Lewis Boddington, were both born on Nov. 13, 1907.
Field Marshall: The late, great Garry Marshall was no stranger to either side of the camera.
Also born on this date were Scottish novelist, essayist, poet and travel writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894), revered for adventure-thrillers “Treasure Island” and “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” among others; American educator Abraham Flexner (1866-1959), who modernized medical and science education in the United States and Canada; American baseball Hall of Famer John Jordan “Buck” O’Neil Jr. (1916-2006), a Negro Leagues standout and Major League Baseball’s first African American coach; American television and film screenwriter, director, producer and actor Garry Marshall (1934-2016), a multitalented creator whose award-winning career spanned five decades; and American actor, comedian, author and television personality Caryn Elaine Johnson (born 1955), a.k.a. Academy, Tony and Golden Globe award-winning firebrand Whoopi Goldberg.
Jimmy crack wise: And take a bow, James Christian Kimmel! The American television host, comedian, writer, producer and frequent awards-show presenter – a late-night staple since 2003 – turns 57 today.
Give the outspoken TV personality your best at editor@innovateli.com, where we also accept mean celebrity tweets, but we much prefer news tips and calendar events.
About our sponsor: The Long Island Business Development Council has helped build the regional economy for 55 years by bringing together government economic-development officials, developers, financial experts and others for education, debate and networking.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Providing relief: Mets star Edwin Diaz (right) and facility dog Dutton make a new friend at Cohen Children’s Medical Center.
Four-legged friend: The region’s largest health system (and employer) has welcomed the first four-legged staffer at its leading pediatric hospital.
New Hyde Park-based Cohen Children’s Medical Center, part of the massive Northwell Health system, held a special meet-and-greet Oct. 29 to welcome Dutton, the hospital’s first-ever facility dog. The 17-month-old golden retriever/labrador mix – first canine representative of the medical center’s new Tails of Support program, adopted via a donation from the Massachusetts-based Dunkin’ Joy in Childhood Foundation – buddies up with patients and their families to raise spirits during trying times.
Among those on hand to welcome Dutton was Major League Baseball All-Star pitcher Edwin Diaz, whose New York Mets are owned by hedge-fund manager Steve Cohen – benefactor of the Steve & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, which made the $50 million donation that renamed the pediatric center in 2010. “Our commitment to provide the highest-quality care for the children we serve defines us,” noted Cindy Rodriguez, director of the Cohen Children’s Medical Center Child Life and Creative Arts Therapy Program. “Dutton’s important job is to support children by offering comfort and relaxation, easing fear, bringing a sense of familiarity and being a distraction for patients in a busy hospital environment.”
Six-ton salute: A friendly – and heartfelt – competition between Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty offices has netted nearly six tons of nonperishable food for two of the region’s busiest food banks.
The top-ranked luxury real estate organization recently concluded a month-long fundraiser to collect food and funds for Melville-based Island Harvest Food Bank and New York City-based City Harvest. Organized by The Daniel Gale Foundation – the nonprofit charitable arm launched by the realtor in 2021 – the annual contest between different DGS offices across Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island raised a combined 11,778 pounds of food, a major boon for hunger-relief organizations that struggle to address food insecurity during the hectic holiday season.
City Harvest CEO Jilly Stephens praised the massive donation, noting “New York City continues to face a profound hunger crisis” that surged during the pandemic, while Island Harvest CEO Randi Shubin Dresner said Long Islanders “share a responsibility” to ensure food security for their less-fortunate neighbors. “We established The Daniel Gale Foundation as a way to wholly support many not-for-profit organizations … that provide critical services to our neighbors in need,” said Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Realty CEO Deirdre O’Connell. “Giving is a 365-day-a-year activity for us.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Milky way: South Shore University Hospital has launched a new human breastmilk donor program designed to nourish premature babies – and keep them off mass-produced baby formula – while their mothers get up to milk-production speed.
Can you spare a dime? Podcasts are a dime a dozen – only “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” picks the smartest brains behind the regional innovation economy to provide answers and ideas that can help you and your business survive and thrive. It’s your dime.
VOICES
Innovation reigns at Westbury-based surface-material stalwart Oerlikon Metco, which has stayed true to its original mission through decades of ownership changes, recessions and worse: To provide excellent products and services while addressing future workforce needs for itself and the regional manufacturing sector. Long Island Bio Executive Director and Voices historian Tom Mariner dives deep below the surface.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Big Pharma: Why the pharmaceutical industry is in panic mode over Trump 2. Fortune supports science.
Big TP: Inside the wild, wacky and utterly bull$#!+ world of toilet paper marketing. Vox wipes out.
Big deals: Everything you need to know about Black Friday 2024. The Verge cleans up.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ ZAP Surgical Systems, a California-based med-tech focused on non-invasive robotic brain surgery, raised $78 million in Series E funding led by Qingdao Baheal Medical Inc.
+ Boston Materials, a Massachusetts-based manufacturer of advanced materials for semiconductors and aircraft platforms, raised $13.5 million in funding led by AccelR8 and Diamond Edge Ventures.
+ Inquis Medical, a California-based med-tech specializing in advanced thrombectomy systems, raised $40 million in Series B funding led by Marshall Wace.
+ CrossBridge Bio, a Texas-based biotech pioneering dual-payload antibody-drug conjugates, raised $10 million in funding led by TMC Venture Fund and CE-Ventures.
+ Symbiotic Security, a New York City-based software development security platform, raised $3 million in Seed funding. Backers included Lerer Hippeau, Axeleo Capital and Factorial Capital.
+ IOTA Software, a Colorado-based software developer focused on industrial and business data visualization, raised $10.4 million in Series A2 funding led by Altira 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 the LIBDC). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Light Touch Edition)
Sacked: Saks Fifth Avenue has pulled the plug on its popular Rockefeller Center holiday light show.
Light cycle: Why the Northern Lights are suddenly more common in southern locales.
Lights out: Why Saks Fifth Avenue canceled its popular holiday light show.
Lights on: Why potential shark-attack victims are strapping on LEDs.
Bright light: Please continue supporting the outstanding organizations that support Innovate Long Island, including the Long Island Business Development Council, which has shined a spotlight on regional socioeconomics for nearly six decades. Check them out.
