No. 1037: On selfless NGOs, care for the caregivers, gay whales (?) and the most important meal of the day

 

Fast, friends: Blink and you missed it, dear readers! It’s the last Friday of February 2026 and the second-to-last day of the month – yes, one-sixth of the New Year is in the books already!

Time sure flies when you’re fending off relentless snowstorms and forever teetering on the brink of a Constitutional crisis. Fortunately, your favorite innovation newsletter is here to slow things down a bit – long enough, at least, to wrap up the month and this latest winter workweek in style.

Non starter: Today is Feb. 27, and in an era where jingoistic cries of “America first!” and shortsighted “us vs. them” mindsets sadly, and blindly, dictate our national tone, we’re starting with a heartfelt nod to World NGO Day, highlighting the selfless achievements of non-governmental organizations and nonprofits working around the globe to make life better for all of humanity.

Healthy start: Before we do anything else, let’s have breakfast – it is, after all, The Big Breakfast Day, an annual homage to the most important meal of the day.

This plays nicely with the varied and delectable Feb. 27 menu, which includes National Protein Day (putting the meat before the salad), National Strawberry Day (adding some sweetness to the salad) and Khachapuri Day, celebrating the cheesy, bready national dish of Georgia (the country, not the state). And what the heck, let’s throw a shot of coffee liqueur into that cup of joe – it’s also National Kahlua Day!

Good shot: Also promoting shots (and good health) was the Vaccine Act of 1813, an anti-smallpox effort that became the first federal vaccination legislation when it was passed by Congress 213 years ago today.

Take a pill: Also bolstering modern medicine was acetylsalicylic acid, which is known best as aspirin and was patented on this date in 1900 by German chemist Felix Hoffman. (True story: In addition to synthesizing one of the most beneficial drugs of all time, Hoffman also created one of history’s most harmful substances – diacetylmorphine, better known as heroin.)

Neu way of thinking: Also engendering a scientific boom (literally) was English physicist James Chadwick, who published a letter on Feb. 27, 1932, revealing the discovery of the neutron – leading directly to the splitting of the atom and the creation of the atomic bomb.

Dating game: More peaceful purposes – carbon dating, for instance – would follow the revelation of radioisotope carbon-14, confirmed by American chemists Martin Kamen and Sam Ruben on this date in 1940.

Humpback mountain: And it was Feb. 27, 2024, when the scientific journal Marine Mammal Science published a study – with pictures! – detailing the first-ever documented case of penetrative sex between two humpback whales.

The amorous coupling, which actually took place in 2022 in Hawaiian waters, was between two males, for those keeping score.

Long story: American poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) – an adventurous globetrotter who became the first American to completely translate Dante’s “The Divine Comedy,” was the best-known chronicler of Paul Revere and remains the most famous of New England’s Fireside Poets – would be 219 years old today.

Also born on Feb. 27 were German chemist Alfred Einhorn (1856-1917), who was the first to synthesize procaine (which he later patented as dental anesthetic Novocain); American physician, research scientist and author Alice Hamilton (1869-1970), an expert toxicologist and the first woman appointed to the Harvard Medical School faculty; Russian American businessman David Sarnoff (1891-1971), the radio and television pioneer who founded the National Broadcasting Company; American author John Steinbeck (1902-1968), an imaginative scribe who earned Pulitzer and Nobel prizes with his unabashed reflections of Depression-era America; and American aeronautical and systems engineer Clarence Leonard “Kelly” Johnson (1910-1990), credited with spearheading many important aircraft designs as head of Lockheed’s Skunk Works.

Safety first: And take a bow, Ralph Nader! The American lawyer and consumer advocate – a four-time U.S. Presidential candidate whose broadside attack on the American automobile industry’s poor safety protocols helped create new standards and made him a household name – turns 92 today.

Send your best to the anti-corporate, pro-environment champion at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips keep us safe and sound – and we always advocate for your calendar events.

 

About our sponsor: FourLeaf Federal Credit Union (formerly Bethpage Federal Credit Union) has been serving its members and their communities for more than 80 years. Just like when it first opened its doors in 1941, the credit union is keeping its promise to continuously meet the changing needs of members, employees and the communities they serve by being a trusted financial partner dedicated to enriching lives. Let’s Money Together.

 

BUT FIRST, THIS

Full circle: An innovative Long Island law firm’s newest initiative will provide sound advice – and a personal touch – for families navigating choppy elder-care waters.

Welcome to Caregiver’s Circle, a new support group designed by Melville-based Cona Elder Law to provide practical solutions and emotional support in intimate settings (monthly in-person gatherings will be limited to eight participants, with additional sessions scheduled as necessary). Participants will learn about available programs and services, meet other families dealing with similar issues, hear best-practice advice from elder-care experts and, perhaps most importantly, benefit from a level of sensitivity often lacking in elder-care scenarios.

The free service – a first for Long Island – reflects Cona Elder Law’s commitment to “holistic elder law,” which goes beyond legal planning and transactions to offer new levels of practical and emotional support. “Our goal with Caregiver’s Circle is to create a trusted, recurring community of support for loved ones who are navigating the complexities of elder care,” noted Cona Elder Law Founder and Managing Partner Jennifer Cona. “We want to connect with caregivers earlier in their journey, deepen those relationships over time … and position ourselves as a long-term partner and resource – not just legal counsel.”

Broad strokes: A global fintech leader will modernize its Long Island headquarters – and establish a first-of-its-kind “innovation partnership” with Stony Brook University – with a tip of the cap to the Empire State Development Corp.

Up to $40 million in ESD incentives – including a $23.5 million capital grant and a $15 million Innovation Partnership Grant, both tied to long-term job-retention and capital-investment commitments – have convinced financial-technology powerhouse Broadridge Financial Solutions to spend $78 million upgrading its Lake Success HQ, including infrastructure and technological improvements. While helping to retain some 2,200 jobs across Broadridge’s regional operations, the deal also includes the creation of an AI Digital Innovation Partnership with SBU, designed to advance artificial-intelligence research and help students and regional professionals develop emerging-technology skills.

The incentives are a good bet on a company that “has long been an important employer in New York,” according to Empire State Development President, CEO and Commissioner Hope Knight, and a solid growth investment, according to Broadridge Financial Solutions CEO Tim Gokey. “Broadridge is proud to call New York home as we leverage transformative technology to help our clients and the financial services industry to better operate, innovate and grow,” Gokey added.

 

TOP OF THE SITE

Real beauty: Already established at airports and hotels, up-and-coming beauty-and-wellness brand LumiNicole is now taking its alternative-retail model to college campuses – starting with Adelphi University.

Don’t miss a thing: Innovate Long Island’s Monday Calendar Newsletters – all the innovation, all the fun, plus essential event and scheduling formation – is for newsletter subscribers only. Fortunately, subscriptions are always easy, always free and always a click away.

 

ICYMI

The president of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce says Gov. Kathy Hochul’s tactical offensive against the fraud and abuse driving up New York auto-insurance premiums is a huge victory for MWBEs.

 

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 California: San Francisco-based professional-economy “super-agent” Pearl combines empathetic chatbots and human experts on new mental-health wellness platform.

From New Jersey: Pennsauken-based baking baron/patisserie prince Puratos crosses major culinary milestone with world’s first professional-grade cultured-cocoa products.

From Florida: Boca Raton-based toymaking titan/consumer-products king Basic Fun! unveils all-new, all-iconic home arcade collection.

 

ON THE MOVE

+ Phillip Culver has been appointed executive director for inclusion and chief diversity officer at Farmingdale State College. He was senior director of civil rights and belonging at Nassau Community College.

+ Bohemia-based Cerini & Associates has announced several promotions:

• John Desio has been promoted to supervisor. He was a tax senior.
• Vincent Iervasi has been promoted to senior accountant. He was a member of the audit staff.
• Heather Lospenuso has been promoted to controller. She was a supervisor.
• Joseph Miller has been promoted to supervisor. He was a senior auditor.
• Adrian Rutkowski has been promoted to senior accountant. He was a member of the audit staff.
• Susan Stewart has been promoted to assistant controller. She was a senior auditor.
• Keith Vigorito has been promoted to senior accountant. He was a member of the tax staff.

+ Heather Walters has been named director of pediatric rheumatology at Northwell Health’s Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New Hyde Park. She is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

+ Melville-based Canon USA has announced several promotions:

• Tomohiro Hosoi has been promoted to vice president of intellectual property and audit. He was senior director of the Intellectual Property Sub-Group.
• Scott Paster has been promoted to president of Canon Business Process Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canon USA. He was vice president of sales, marketing and business analysis at Canon USA.
• Daniel Przislicki has been promoted to vice president of service operations and enablement in the Service Strategy and Support Group. He was senior director of service operations/CSG service.
• Lucia Suljic has been promoted to vice president of corporate legal. She was senior associate general counsel.

+ Robert Agostisi has joined Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana as a partner in the Labor and Employment Practice Group. He is a former corporation counsel and acting city manager for the City of Long Beach.

+ William Newham III has been hired as executive vice president and chief commercial real estate lending officer at Hanover Bank in Hauppauge. He was executive vice president and group leader of commercial real estate lending at Dime Community Bank in Hauppauge.

 

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 FourLeaf FCU). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.

 

BELOW THE FOLD (You Want Fries With That Edition)

Artificial ingredients: AI-staffed drive-thru windows encourage overindulgence, according to science.

Best served cold: USA Hockey women dine fine with Tucci, while men choke down cold McDonald’s.

Have it their way: Better buns and more as Burger King upgrades the Whopper.

Healthier choices: Please continue supporting the outstanding organizations that support Innovate Long Island, including FourLeaf Federal Credit Union, where the menu is filled with smart and healthy options designed to nourish your personal finances. Check them out.