End note: Welcome to Friday, intrepid innovators, and the exciting conclusion of both a chilly Long Island workweek and the longest federal-government shutdown in American history.
Your well-earned weekend is coming right up, but it will take some time for federal operations to normalize. They better step on it – the controversial deal reopening the government only kicks the can to Jan. 30, when this chaos starts up all over again. Hell of a way to run a country.
We will, we will guac you: Easy, delicious … and always humming on National Spicy Guacamole Day.
Pancreatic pause: Today is Nov. 14 and while Washington spins its petty, partisan narratives, we’re taking a moment to highlight World Diabetes Day, which is always about the wellbeing of the millions dealing with insulin deficiencies and chronically high glucose levels, and this year is specifically about diabetes in the workplace. (Why Nov. 14, of all days? Glad you asked. See below.)
Teddy has two daddies: Also comforting is National American Teddy Bear Day, an annual hug for the plush pals that may have been invented as an homage to President Theodore Roosevelt (and may not).
Either way, grab your favorite chips, bring your own burrito and otherwise guac and load – it’s National Spicy Guacamole Day, bringing the heat every Nov. 14.
A streetcar named “Mason”: Also bringing you places was the world’s first streetcar, a horse-drawn carriage (named for railroad magnate John Mason) that rolled into service in New York City on this date in 1832.
Thar she blows: From NYC to New Bedford, Mass., from whence the whaling ship Pequod sets sail in “Moby Dick,” author Herman Melville’s timeless tale of obsessive revenge – published in the United States for the first time on Nov. 14, 1851, about a month after it surfaced in England.
Treasure hunt: Speaking of high-seas dramas, author Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic escapade “Treasure Island” – following successful serialization in the children’s magazine Young Folks – was first published in book form on this date in 1883.
Edited for television: Things have Been Better, Chum, at the BBC, which has nobody to blame but itself.
On the air: With many adventures (and misadventures) to follow, the British Broadcasting Corp. – the UK’s leading national multimedia broadcaster – came to life 103 years ago today with daily radio broadcasts from London.
Laser tag: And it was Nov. 14, 1967, when American physicist Theodore Maiman patented his groundbreaking “Ruby Laser System” – the world’s first working “laser” (for “Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”).
Maiman had invented the thing more than seven years prior, improving on the designs of the “maser” (for “Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation”) spearheaded by Nobel Prize laureate Charles Townes.
No “Common Man”: American composer, critic, writer, teacher, pianist and conductor Aaron Copland (1900-1990) – the landscape-evoking, pioneer-channeling populist remembered as the “Dean of American Music” – would be 125 years old today.
Condi can: For a while, Rice was history’s highest-ranking African American government official.
Also born on Nov. 14 were American engineer, artist and inventor Robert Fulton (1765-1815), widely credited with developing the world’s first commercially successful steamboat; German pianist and composer Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847), a musical dilletante who had no former training but shared little brother Felix’s immense talents; French chemist Auguste Laurent (1807-1853), a founding father of organic chemistry; French painter Oscar-Claude Monet (1840-1926), the unassailable master and unrivaled leader of the Impressionism movement; and Canadian physiologist and physician Sir Frederick Banting (1891-1941), the Nobel Prize winner whose experimental pancreatic insulin extractions led to the first effective diabetes treatments (ooohhh … Diabetes Day, right!).
Rice on the side: And take a bow, Condoleezza Rice! The American political scientist, diplomat and former politician – the first African American woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State, now enjoying life beyond Washington as director of Stanford University’s research-focused Hoover Institution – turns 71 today.
Send your best to the groundbreaking national-security expert – who, from 2005 to 2009, was the high-ranking African American in the history of the presidential line of succession – at editor@innovateli.com, where our security and succession rely on your news tips and calendar events.
About our sponsor: ZE Creative Communications is a full-service integrated marketing communications agency specializing in public relations, creative marketing, crisis communication and social media. Founded in Great Neck, ZE Creative Communications has been helping clients create compelling and successful messaging campaigns for more than three decades. Learn more here.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Connecting flight: Farmingdale State College’s distinguished aviation program is getting a lift – and thrust – from a luxury aviation kingpin.
Mississippi-based Nicholas Air – well-known for its lavish private flights and other Part 135 operations, referencing commercial air-transportation services (including on-demand and commuter flights) regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration – has announced a strategic talent-acquisition partnership with Farmingdale State’s Pasternack School of Engineering Technology. The collaboration will create a structured path for professional growth, starting with Nicholas Air’s participation as a premier employer at next week’s Fall Job and Internship Fair, scheduled for Nov. 20 at the college’s Campus Center Ballroom.
The Pasternack School “consistently produces graduates with technical acumen and professionalism that align perfectly with Nicholas Air’s culture of excellence,” according to Nicholas Air Director of Recruiting Abby Carlton, who predicted a smooth flight for the engineering school’s future aviation aces. “By directly engaging with the Pasternack School of Engineering Technology, we’re able to connect with the next generation of pilots and Airframe and Powerplant-certified professionals who will uphold our highest standards in modern private aviation.”
At their fingertips: Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (center) and friends introduce the Department of Veterans’ Services newest Digital Kiosk.
Veterans all-day (every day): The newest New York State Department of Veterans’ Services Digital Kiosk has gone live in the heart of Hauppauge.
The new kiosk – an interactive digital portal offering 24/7 access to 60-plus New York State programs and services – has been installed in the lobby of the H. Lee Dennison Building, the seat of Suffolk County government. Designed specifically for veterans, current service members and military families, the portal provides direct links to information on benefits, employment opportunities, education options and mental health and wellness resources, as well as contact information for Department of Veterans’ Services-accredited advisors.
Since 2021, the kiosks have been installed at airports, shopping malls, train stations, museums, government buildings and other easily accessible public spaces around the state – just like the bustling Dennison Building, “the civic heartbeat of Suffolk County,” according to NYS Department of Veterans’ Services Commissioner Viviana DeCohen. “By placing this DVS Digital Kiosk in the H. Lee Dennison Building … we are ensuring that all who served have a direct, dignified and welcoming pathway to the benefits they earned,” DeCohen added. “New York will always meet our veterans where they are, and today we bring service even closer to home.”
TOP OF THE SITE
A ways to go: Overdose-related deaths across Long Island and New York State are in decline – but according to Voices Social Services Anchor Jeffrey Reynolds, net-zero opioid deaths can’t be achieved without compassion and high-quality healthcare.
Don’t wait, act now, podcasts are standing by: Another educational and entertaining episode of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast” drops next week – while you’re waiting, enjoy one of these five-dozen engaging conversations from the innovation economy’s front lines. Take your pick.
ICYMI
A major international bank and SUNY’s Long Island flagship are partnering on an innovative professional-development initiative designed to energize the skills and confidence of future workforces.
Something you’d like to add? The Entrepreneur’s Edge is open for business! Innovate Long Island’s promoted-content platform provides a direct link from startups, established corporations and nonprofits to our forward-thinking audience – your future clients. Progressive product to promote? Singular service to sell? Sociopolitical position to push? Here’s your chance to shine a bright light on the big picture, the little details and everything in between, from the perspective of your innovation-focused enterprise. Learn more here!
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 Texas: Austin-based skills-development innovator Schoox redefines modern instruction technologies with an artificial intelligence-powered Learning Impact Suite.
From Florida: Palm Coast-based supplement spearhead Designs for Health announces a drug-free breakthrough promoting healthier, restorative sleep.
From New York City: Retail-advisory darling Retail by MONA plans new-technology development and strategic acquisitions following fresh funding commitments.
ON THE MOVE
Lisa Casa
+ Lisa Casa has been elected vice president of the Eastern District of New York Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. She is a partner in the Employment and Labor Practice Group at Uniondale-based Forechelli Deegan Terrana.
+ Joseph La Ferlita has been elected as a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Council. He is a partner in the Tax and Trusts & Estates practice groups at Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler.
+ Allison McLarty has been appointed chief of Stony Brook Medicine’s Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery. She was the division’s interim chief and also serves as chief of surgery at the Northport VA Medical Center.
+ Jeff Szabo has been appointed a trustee of the Village of Babylon. He is chief executive of the Oakdale-based Suffolk County Water Authority.
+ Susan Silvestri has been appointed to the board of directors of the Dix Hills-based Art League of Long Island. She is a manager at TD Bank in Bohemia.
+ JoAnne Soldo has been hired as a corporate sales liaison at Bohemia-based Jet Direct Mortgage. She was a client success specialist at Reliant Home Funding in Melville.
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 – on Long Island, and soon, across New York State (just ask ZE Creative). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Penny For Your Thoughts Edition)
Worth every cent: Kaley Cuoco’s famous spin on the American Penny.
End of the line: The last-ever U.S. pennies were minted on Wednesday.
Check your coin jar: One cent won’t get you much these days … but the right rare penny could be worth a fortune.
Pen names: From Marshall to Hardaway to Kaley Cuoco’s “Big Bang Theory” character, meet history’s most famous Pennies.
Cents and sensibility: Please continue supporting the fantastic firms that support Innovate Long Island, including ZE Creative Communications, where genius-level PR always arrives on point, on time and on budget. Check them out.
