No. 1086: In infamy, still living

 

Patriot Day: Welcome to Friday, dear readers, and a date that stands out like no other.

Christmas is always Dec. 25, but it’s known first and foremost as “Christmas.” Thanksgiving’s date always changes, so no comparison there. The Fourth of July? You can certainly argue that it’s a date-first occasion, though “Independence Day” is a strong alternate identity with a positive patriotic vibe. Even Dec. 7, a date that certainly lives in infamy, plays second fiddle to “Pearl Harbor Day.”

But 9/11 is 9/11.

Perhaps it’s the relative newness. Twenty-five years is a long time, but not long enough that millions of people don’t cling to firsthand recollections of that fateful 2001 day, or still miss the loved ones lost, or perpetually deal with post-traumatic stress caused by the gut-wrenching fear, the impossible imagery, the unprecedented uncertainty. Many, many, many certainly do.

Maybe it’s the audacity of the thing: Dozens of sinful, suicidal operatives operating unfettered on our turf, multiple hijackings tapping into primal flying fears, high-profile targets revealing that nowhere, nothing, no one is safe – and ultimately spotlighting galactic lapses in our national security apparatus.

There’s no denying that 9/11 is burned into our collective consciousness: The date when evil came calling and won the day.

Did evil win more than just the day? That remains to be seen. The world certainly changed forever on that September morning and, a quarter-century later, economic, legal, social and political fallout continue to affect international relations and our daily lives, in ways and measures we don’t always comprehend.

But in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, Americans came together like never before, rallying behind the President – an unpopular President, for those keeping score, who undeniably rose to the occasion – and declaring in one unmistakable voice that the United States was bigger, braver and better than the murderous malefactors.

In these days of political division, when enemies foreign – but mostly domestic – constantly challenge the rule of law, threaten the Constitution, line their pockets and strive for a new America based not on equality but on executive power, hierarchical traditionalism and Christian nationalism, we’d do well to remember what true patriotism looks like.

But on this date, even in an ununited United States, even as “Trump-a-Palooza” stages its sick celebration of lawlessness, greed, ineptitude and mindboggling anti-American bullshit, while the rest of the nation mourns – for today, at least, we are truly one nation. One people.

Because 9/11 is 9/11. It will always stand out, and it will always stand alone.

Still standing: We’ll keep the holiday and historical observances to a bare minimum today – but we’d be remiss if we didn’t note that construction began on the mighty Pentagon, a primary target of the 9/11 attacks, on this date in 1941.

Also worthy of note, even on this somber day, is Emergency Number Day, created in 1987 by President Ronald Reagan to highlight and honor the national 9-1-1 emergency-call system.

Lawrence of Nottinghamshire: British novelist, short story writer, poet, playwright, literary critic, travel writer, essayist and painter David Herbert “D.H.” Lawrence (1885-1930) – a textbook modernist and one of the 20th Century’s most influential English writers – would be 141 years old today.

Also born on Sept. 11 were French engineer and inventor Jean-Maurice-Émile Baudot (1845-1903), a telecommunications pioneer who created a digital telegraph code that outmuscled Morse Code; American astronomer Mary Watson Whitney (1847-1921), a women-in-science champion who shattered barriers to lead the Vassar College Observatory for more than two decades; American vaudeville performer Pinto Colvig (born Vance DeBar Colvig, 1892-1967), a voice actor and cartoonist remembered as the original Bozo the Clown; American film director and screenwriter Brian De Palma (born 1940), who added stylized horror to Hitchcockian suspense; and American rapper, actor and philanthropist Christopher Bridges (born 1977), known best as Ludacris.

Breaking new ground in spaaaaace: And take a bow, Robert Laurel Crippen! The retired American astronaut – the U.S. Naval officer, aviator, test pilot and aerospace engineer who piloted the first space shuttle into orbit way back in 1981 (and later directed the Kennedy Space Center) – turns 89 today.

Blast birthday wishes for the legendary spaceman into the final frontier – or better yet, send them to editor@innovateli.com, along with your news tips and calendar events (our favorite kinds of rocket fuel).

 

About our sponsor: Presberg Law P.C. is Long Island’s premier “IDA” and business law firm for businesses relocating to and expanding on Long Island. Founded in 1984, this multigenerational practice focuses on the purchase, sale, leasing and financing of commercial and industrial real estate, SBA and other loan transactions, construction projects and business sales and acquisitions. Learn more here.

 

BUT FIRST, THIS

Emotional effects: Emotions stemming from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks are “still raw,” according to a new Mount Sinai South Nassau “Truth in Medicine” poll.

Released this week, the latest Truth in Medicine poll in a long-running series dating back to 2017 queried 600 New York City and Long Island adults (ages 30 and older) about 9/11, with 73 percent of respondents saying the tragedy remains vivid in their memories and 39 percent admitting they still feel the effects of the attacks every day. The phone survey was conducted in early August by Washington-based business consultancy LJR Custom Strategies.

Other key findings: A majority of respondents say they believe the United States is less safe today than it was before 9/11 (including 33 percent who responded “much less safe”), while roughly two-thirds say the spirit of unity that rallied the country after the attacks has dissipated. “The trauma of 9/11 continues to have significant long-term physical and mental-health impacts on our community,” noted Joshua Kugler, interim president of Mount Sinai South Nassau, the Long Island flagship of the New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System. “We must continue our advocacy and support for our friends, first responders and neighbors who are still experiencing the physical and mental-health impact.”

Physical effects: A quarter-century later, the 9/11 terrorist attacks are still claiming lives.

Cancer cases have “exploded” among patients enrolled in the Northwell Health World Trade Center Health Program, a federally funded clinical center providing free medical monitoring, care and treatment for Ground Zero responders and survivors who were in and around Lower Manhattan during those dark days and are now experiencing related health issues. Approximately 145,000 people are currently enrolled in the program, with more than 57,000 cancer cases already documented – and the numbers are rising fast, according to Northwell WTC Health Program director Jacqueline Moline.

With prostate and skin cancers leading the way, and breast and urinary-tract cancers close behind, cases recorded at the center grew from 177 in 2023 to 235 in 2025 – a 75 percent jump over three years, with 132 new cases already monitored over the first half of 2026. “While we initially saw respiratory disease, we now are faced with increasing numbers of our patients developing cancer,” Moline noted. “There has been a twofold increase in lung cancer in just five years … our fear is that cancer diagnoses will only rise as we move into the next 25 years.”

 

TOP OF THE SITE

What price victory? Democrats decry rising costs, Republicans defend the president’s anti-fraud agenda and patients are caught in the middle, according to Voices Healthcare Anchor Terry Lynam, who details rapidly rising healthcare costs – and predicts a political donnybrook between now and the midterms.

Everyone wins: Each donation made on the certified-and-secure Innovate Long Island Reader Pledge Page – no matter how small – is a big step toward keeping our content (including these fantastic newsletters) paywall-free. Thank you in advance!

 

ICYMI

Hauppauge-based Pupfish Sustainability Solutions has powered past a major milestone – and the data-destruction/electronics-waste pioneer is ready to supersize its eco-friendly mission.

 

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: Los Angeles-based generative-AI ace Hyper3D turns still images into editable/interactive three-dimensional scenes with its new “world generation model.”

From Georgia: Atlanta-based digital-danger detector Bark Technologies partners with Samsung to roll out the adult-grade, kid-friendly, safety-first Bark Watch.

From California: Los Angeles-based gambling guru Slips combines social interaction and real-money gaming on its new peer-to-peer betting platform.

 

ON THE MOVE

+ Stuart Rabinowitz has joined Garden City-based ZE Creative Communications as a senior strategic advisor. The Hofstra University president emeritus was most recently senior counsel at Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone in Mineola.

+ Julie Allegretti has been named president of the Commack-based Social Media Association. The SMA past president is currently director of alumni relations at the Touro Law Center in Central Islip.

+ The Commack-based Social Media Association has announced several appointments to its Board of Directors:

• Deanna Ambrosio is marketing director at Lorraine Gregory Communications in Edgewood.
• Carrie Boyle-Deehan is business development manager at Better Home Health Care Agency in Rockville Centre.
• Cassie Colgan is senior director of marketing and communications at the Girl Scouts of Nassau County.
• Adam Ellis is a regional marketer with Live Nation Entertainment in New York City.
• Kim Grabina-Como is chief communications officer at the Garden City-based Family & Children’s Association.
• Renna Guadalupe is director of marketing at Campolo, Middleton & McCormick in Commack.
• Sharyn O’Mara is marketing director at Futterman Lanza in Smithtown.
• Melissa Rose is the owner of The Iron Rose Fitness Co. and Vintage Rose Marketing & Events in Commack.

+ John Matthew has been named chief medical officer at Bethpage-based St. Joseph Hospital. He was associate chief medical officer.

+ Sanjay Saint has been named senior vice president of Northwell Health’s Internal Medicine Department. He will also serve as chairman of the Departments of Medicine at New Hyde Park-based Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Manhasset-based North Shore University Hospital and the Hempstead-based Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

 

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BELOW THE FOLD (9/11 Edition)

Fear: A quarter-century later, a lot has changed regarding terrorism, nationalism and defense – and a lot hasn’t.

Fortitude: Decrying Islamophobic detractors, NYC’s first Muslim mayor will uphold Ground Zero traditions.

Fabrication: Of course, this isn’t the first time Trump has lied about 9/11.

Focus: Please continue supporting the fantastic firms that support Innovate Long Island, including Presberg Law, where decades of multigenerational expertise lock in on every real estate, corporate law and IDA-related issue. Check them out.