Hi, holy days: Welcome to Friday, dear readers, and a good Friday at that – literally, as Christianity tees up its most sacred weekend and Judaism settles into the intermediate days of Passover.
Why can’t we be friends?: We can … if enough people decide it should be so.
There’s lots of fairly awful stuff happening in the world today, the lion’s share of which is based on religious dogma – more accurately, the unholy twisting of religious tenets to their worst possible ends.
As such, it can be difficult to remember that the major religions of the world (and most of the minor ones) are specifically constructed to promote human harmony – Christianity’s “love they neighbor,” Judaism’s focus on chesed (kindness) and tzedek (justice), Islam’s emphasis on rahma (mercy) and zakat (charity), and so on.
So Happy Easter, Yom Tov and insert-your-preferred-holiday-greeting-here. Let’s accentuate the positive today, and let’s always remember: If enough people want it, we truly can enjoy peace in our time.
The mousse that roared: Extra whipped cream, please (but hold the pork gelatin).
Party on: Today is April 3 and continuing the theme of peaceful coexistence, we’re kicking off your week-in-innovation review with World Party Day, promoting a giant global celebration of humanity’s finer points.
And we’re bringing dessert! It’s also National Chocolate Mousse Day, whipping up tasty treats that should pass muster at any meatless, kosher or otherwise religious-themed event (as long as you don’t add alcohol or pork-derived gelatin to the mix).
Greatest show: Also passing go was the very first American circus, which opened on this date in 1793 in Philadelphia – rope-dancing, a clown show, equestrian acts and more – and quickly earned the attention of President George Washington.
Pony show: Speaking of horses, the fabled Pony Express first saddled up on April 3, 1860, with riders departing simultaneously from Missouri and California.
Baby step: Desiderio Alberto Arnaz IV graced the cover of TV Guide’s first-ever issue.
All the shows: For all its historical significance, the Pony Express only lasted about 18 months – much more successful has been TV Guide magazine, which first hit newsstands on this date in 1953 (and still exists, though maybe not how you remember it).
Just for show: Also evolving through the years are cellphone calls, the very first of which was made 53 years ago today by inventor Martin Cooper. (For those keeping score, Cooper’s breakthrough tech – involving a bricklike 2 1/2-pound device – was years away from being practical, but worked enough for Cooper to dial up his competitors at Bell Labs and rub it in.)
Showtime (finally): And it was April 3, 2023, when NASA announced the four-member crew for its first manned Moon mission in more than half a century (originally scheduled to blast off in late 2024).
Almost three years later to the day, NASA astronauts Christina Hammock Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen blasted off Wednesday on the historic Artemis II mission.
She Jane: English primatologist, anthropologist and ethnologist Dame Valerie Jane Morris Goodall (1934-2025) – a renowned conservationist and unparalleled chimpanzee researcher who redefined what it means to be human through decades of natural-world studies – would be 92 years old today.
Hot mic: Murphy’s 1983 tour de force “Delirious” may be the funniest 70 minutes of all time.
Also born on April 3 were American short-story writer, essayist, biographer, historian and diplomat Washington Irving (1783-1859), who finally woke Van Winkle, made Sleepy Hollow legendary and reigns as the “first American man of letters”; American oceanographer and Naval officer Charles Wilkes (1798-1877), who led the first U.S. Navy expeditions into the Pacific Ocean (and may have inspired Captain Ahab of “Moby Dick” fame); Russian American botanist Katherine Esau (1898-1997), the preeminent plant anatomist of her day; American magazine magnate Henry Luce (1898-1967), who founded Time, Sports Illustrated and other major publications; and American actor Marlon Brando (1924-2004), who became a 20th Century cultural icon partly by overindulging in food and drink and women, but mostly by mastering “method” acting.
Delirious: And take a bow, Edward Regan Murphy! The American actor, singer and comedian – a stand-up comedy legend (and hit-or-miss movie star) about to collect an American Film Institute Life Achievement Award – turns 65 today.
Give the Beverly Hills Cop your best at editor@innovateli.com, where we’ve always got 48 hours to spend on your news tips and our (Harlem) Nights are filled with your calendar events. (What the Shrek are you waiting for?)
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
Growth mode: The LIA Foundation is partnering with a leading Long Island university and Google’s philanthropic arm on a free artificial intelligence training program.
The Long Island Association’s charitable wing is uniting with Stony Brook University and Google.org to launch the LIA-AI Growth Academy, a series of virtual instruction sessions (and an in-person finale) designed to give small businesses (20 or fewer employees) a leg up on expansion and job-creation opportunities via the smart incorporation of AI tools. Limited to 50 participating businesses, the training sessions will be run by experts from SBU’s Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology and AI Innovation Institute, along with business advisors from the university’s Small Business Development Center.
Companies that successfully complete the program will receive $5,000 for the implementation of AI tools and a social media-friendly “AI Literacy for Business” badge outlining their new competencies and skills. “It is fitting that we are launching the LIA-AI Growth Academy in our centennial year in partnership with an internationally recognized research and academic institution,” noted LIA Acting President and CEO Stacey Sikes. “We are grateful for Google.org’s support to help small businesses in Nassau and Suffolk counties succeed and expand.”
Reaching for the top: Accelerate Long Island’s June technology summit is an ambitious first for Long Island.
Scaling the summit: A unique collaboration of regional research, academic and business institutions has kicked off the countdown toward Long Island’s first-ever technology summit.
Accelerate Long Island has set the agenda, announced the speaker lineup and begun early-bird ticket (and sponsorship) sales for Long Island Tech & Innovation Summit 2026, a powerful potpourri of panel discussions, breakout sessions and A-list networking focused on artificial intelligence, quantum computing, life sciences and other 21st Century imperatives. Open to researchers, entrepreneurs, investors and tech-industry leaders, the daylong event at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale will highlight regional businesses, explore potential partnerships and give the presidents of Hofstra University, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and other major-league regional institutions a platform to discuss their highest technological ambitions.
Accelerate Long Island Board Chairwoman Stacey Sikes labeled the summit “a showcase of the strength of [Long Island’s] research, innovation and commercialization assets,” while board member and Jove Equity Partners CEO David Calone trumpeted the participation of leaders who are “driving the future of innovation” across the region. “The next generation of Long Island businesses are in the laboratories right now, inventing the future,” Calone added. “This a great way to learn what’s coming next.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Seawolves in spaaaaace: A Stony Brook University planetary geologist is going to the Moon – sort of – as a member of NASA’s Artemis IV science team.
Big news: New features, new locales, loads of new actionable intel for your business – big things are happening across the Innovate News Service. Keep your entire innovation team looped in: Individual subscriptions to our thrice-weekly Innovate Long Island newsletters are always easy, always free.
ICYMI
Tax savings “don’t exist in a vacuum,” cautions Cona Elder Law Managing Partner Jenniferr Cona, as she gets to the bottom of new federal tax deductions for senior citizens.
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 Mateo-based small-business credit-health platform Nav highlights startup stories and strategies on new Main Street Makers podcast.
From New York: Buffalo-based I Love Ice Cream Cakes, a division of taste trendsetter Rich Foods, melts hearts with non-alcoholic Baileys Cream Ice Cream Cakes.
From Florida: Miami-based sight-and-sound superstar Sonic Habitat combines intuitive mechanics and classical music discovery in new mobile puzzle game.
ON THE MOVE
John Durham
+ John Durham has joined Nixon Peabody’s New York City office as partner in the Government Investigations & White-Collar Defense Practice Group. He was chief of the Long Island Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office-Eastern District of New York.
+ Bernadette Riley has been elected assistant secretary of the Medical Society of the State of New York. She is the director of the New York Institute of Technology’s Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Hypermobility Treatment Center and a professor of family medicine at the NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine.
+ Two Stony Brook University faculty members have been named fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science:
- Jackie Collier is a professor and the Graduate Program director in SBU’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
- Pamela Abshire is a professor and chairwoman of SBU’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.
+ Patrice Panza has been hired as executive director of philanthropy at Manorville-based Kinexion Network. She was associate vice president of philanthropy at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville.
+ Ronkonkoma-based TRITEC Real Estate Co. has announced two promotions:
- Kevin Wylie has been promoted to vice president of construction. He was a project manager.
- Josh Bartosik has been promoted to assistant project manager. He was a project engineer.
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 Sahn Ward). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (High Holy Days Edition)
Questioning the cuisine: Maniscolco thinks an Italian restaurant should cater your seder.
It only starts with chocolate bunnies: From witches to whips to tobacco trees, Easter traditions from around the world.
What … no meatballs?: Everything you need to know about Passover seder, according to Sebastain Maniscalco.
Cover story: Months before its release, JD Vance’s book about embracing Catholicism is already embarrassing.
Have faith: Please continue supporting the fantastic firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Sahn Ward Braff Coschignano, where you can rest assured that long experience with land-use law will win the day. Check them out.
