Your guess is as good as ours: Here we are, dear readers – it’s Nov. 6 on Long Island and around the world, and as we put the newsletter to bed Thursday night, there was still no clear word on who will be President of the United States come Jan. 21.
Perhaps by the time you read this, an electoral winner will have been announced (though lawsuits are sure to follow, so stay tuned). Either way, it’s Friday and a well-earned weekend is upon us, so let’s tie a bow on this momentous week.
Place your bets: There are billions riding on Election 2020.
This might help: Think you’re sweating out the results? Global gamblers wagered more than $1 billion on the U.S. election.
This might not: Domestic celebrations may be on hold, but they’re partying in Kenya, homeland of Barack Obama’s father, where Nov. 6 is Obama Day – marking the 44th U.S. President’s 2008 victory.
Whoever you’re pulling for here in 2020, this would be a great date to wrap up the thing: Abraham Lincoln (1860), Benjamin Harrison (1888), William McKinley (re-elected 1900), Herbert Hoover (1928), Franklin Roosevelt (re-elected 1940), Dwight Eisenhower (re-elected 1956), Richard Nixon (1968), Ronald Reagan (re-elected 1984) and Obama (re-elected 2012) all won presidential elections on Nov. 6.
Keep on counting: Speaking of elections past and present, the polls are still open in Bethpage Federal Credit Union’s 2021 Best of Long Island contest, where Innovate LI is in a heated run-off for the coveted title of Best Long Island Blog.
Find us in the Arts & Entertainment section, and remember to vote once a day (through Dec. 15) for us and your favorite cover band, artist, college counselor, public library … the best of Long Island’s best in dozens of categories. Please and thank you!
Hit the road: The first test drive of a Packard-built automobile took place in Ohio on Nov. 6, 1899.
A-plus, RAF: The British Hawker Hurricane wings into action.
Wingman: A historical second stick to the Supermarine Spitfire, England’s Hawker Hurricane – a one-man fighter plane and World War II workhorse of the Royal Air Force – made its first flight on this date in 1935.
Nice to Meet you: Still dissecting and debating elections and socioeconomics, “Meet the Press” – now America’s longest-running news program – debuted on the NBC Television Network on this date in 1947.
Extinction distinction: And it was this date in 1981 when a black-footed ferret, a species thought to have gone extinct years earlier, was discovered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service alive and well in Wyoming.
Today, about 350 members of the endangered species are believed to live in the wild.
Stone, with metal: Emma and Oscar in 2017.
Look, up in the sky: Scottish mathematician James Gregory (1638-1675) – a contemporary (and occasional rival) of Sir Isaac Newton who invented the reflecting telescope – would be 382 years old today.
Also born on Nov. 6 were Belgian-French musical instrument designer Antoine-Joseph “Adolphe” Sax (1814-1894), who invented the saxophone and much more; American economist Charles Dow (1851-1902), who co-founded Dow Jones and Co. and was the Wall Street Journal’s first editor; American composer and “king of the march” John Philip Sousa (1854-1932); Canadian-American gym teacher James Naismith (1861-1939), who invented basketball; and one-time NFL star Pat Tillman (1976-2004), who quit football and enlisted after 9/11, and made the ultimate sacrifice for his nation.
Etched in Stone: And take a bow, Emily Jean “Emma” Stone – the “Malcom in the Middle” graduate, now an Academy Award and Golden Globe winner, turns 32 today.
Wish these and all the other Nov. 6 innovators well at editor@innovateli.com, where we will always march to the tune of your story tips and calendar events. Please keep them coming.
About our sponsor: Northwell Health is New York’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 23 hospitals, 750 outpatient facilities and 70,000-plus employees. We’re making research breakthroughs at the Feinstein Institutes and training the next generation of medical professionals at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Graduate Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. Visit Northwell.edu.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Babylonian numbers: Economic-development experts, a socially minded Long Island nonprofit and one of the region’s most learned economists are backing a first-of-its-kind online survey designed to collect data on the socioeconomic status of Long Island’s black and brown communities.
The Town of Babylon Industrial Development Agency, Amityville-based Minority Millennials and economist Martin Cantor have designed the 33-question online survey to cut deep into the region’s “socioeconomic fabric” and better understand the needs of minority communities. It focuses on demographics, employment, education, housing and transportation, with the data expected to inform Babylon officials about “disparities between the different population groups” and ultimately help Millennials from diverse backgrounds access equal opportunities, according to a statement from Minority Millennials, a registered 501(C)3 that promotes civic engagement on important social issues.
Cantor, director of the Long Island Center for Socio-Economic Policy, said it’s critical for future economic-development policies to reflect the societal gaps separating the haves and have-nots. “We all know that disparities exist between the varying sections of our population,” the longtime LI economist noted. “[Babylon] is really putting its best foot forward with this initiative, as it will be extremely informative for policymakers in addressing the real inequalities that exist in our society.”
Stuffed: With the election (kinda) behind us, Thanksgiving is right around the corner – and for those wondering what to serve with their main course, the crazy kids at national employment-services provider/data aggregator Zippia are out with the official ranking of each state’s favorite Turkey Day side dish.
Zippia, which last month ran down each state’s favorite Halloween candy, says bread stuffing is New York’s No. 1 Thanksgiving side, and we’re not alone: Seven U.S. states rank stuffing (or “dressing” as it’s known in Alabama and Louisiana) as their favorite accompaniment. That’s actually middle of the pack, trailing mashed potatoes (10 states) and tied with the classic green bean casserole.
Among the stranger faves are mac ’n cheese, which owns the mid-Atlantic from Maryland to Georgia; deviled eggs, found on Thanksgiving tables across Indiana; the mysterious “white gravy” of Arkansas (we don’t want to know); and Alaska’s cheesy hashbrown casserole (which actually sounds pretty good). Plan your holiday menu right here.
TOP OF THE SITE
Democracy in action: The American vote is evolving, and Congress must respond with carefully considered national voting reform – a bonus Voices by legal anchor Michael Sahn, ripped from the headlines.
Sams he am: SUNY has tapped a veteran administrator and student-empowerment champion as the next president of The College at Old Westbury.
Innovation in the Age of Coronavirus: Presidential advice, “red zone” warnings and more – until there’s a vaccine, there’s Long Island’s one-and-only pandemic primer.
ICYMI
“Vote North” gives the hospitalized a voice; SBU and BNL give the Large Hadron Collider a boost.
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 tech startup/nonprofit advocacy group Collective Liberty earns government funding for data-based anti-trafficking solutions.
From Georgia: Atlanta-based nonprofit The Sickle Cell Consortium goes virtual for seventh-annual Patient and Family Symposium.
From California: Los Angeles-based serial inventor Keith Marz compiles the COVID-19 Safe List, a voluntary database of the recently tested (and uninfected) for restaurants, gyms and more.
ON THE MOVE
Matthew Ferdon
+ Matthew Ferdon has joined Melville-based Genser Cona Elder Law as an associate. He previously served as an associate and director of Trust and Estate Administration at the Melville-based Tully Law Group.
+ The Greater Long Island Running Club has elected two new Executive Board members: Saniyyah Greene, a paralegal in the Office of the United States Trustee in Islandia, and Robert Tollin, a mortgage loan officer with Melville-based National Mortgage Bankers, have joined the board.
+ Christopher Mansfield has joined Garden City-based Cullen and Dykman LLP as a partner in the General Liability, Tort and Insurance Litigation practice group. He previously served as a litigation lawyer at Garden City-based Bond, Schoeneck & King.
+ Steve Politis has been promoted to CEO of Farmingdale-based Alcott HR. He previously served as president of the firm.
BELOW THE FOLD (Lost in Translation Edition)
White makes might: Accused heretic, apostate, adulterer and charlatan (and Trump Administration spiritual advisor ) Paula White, praying hard.
Say what? Donaldkacsazas and nine other untranslatable words that perfectly describe your feelings right now.
Fluent flyer: Forty professions where foreign-language skills speak volumes.
Gonna miss this stuff: Why the White House spiritual advisor was speaking in tongues to help secure the election (spoiler alert: “demonic confederacies”).
Speaking their language: Please continue supporting the amazing institutions that support Innovate LI, including Northwell Health, where the conversation is always about innovation. Check them out.
