That happened fast: Greetings, speedy readers! It’s Wednesday already, and just like that you’re halfway through this latest week of socioeconomic innovation … well done!
It’s an utterly autumnal Oct. 18 on Long Island, and we’re hustling to keep up with you, which ain’t easy. So, maybe catch your breath for a moment – and let’s innovate!
Champion of breakfasts: Part soul food, part Pennsylvania Dutch, totally awesome.
Kentucky fried breakfast: For a quick start, we celebrate a classic cuisine of the rural South (and believe it or not, the Amish) – today is National Chicken and Waffles Day.
Old hag: Much less tasty are hagfish, a slimy, boneless, 300 million-years-old species that slithers inside dead or dying marine animals and eats its way out – gross, but essential to oceanic ecosystems and celebrated every third Wednesday of October, a.k.a. National Hagfish Day.
For the record, the “snot snakes” taste as bad as they look – though in Korea, men slurp them down as an aphrodisiac.
Brandy dandy: Quick, clean your mental palate with some berries soaked in brandy and sugar – Oct. 20 is also National Brandied Fruit Day.
Faisons un marché: Speaking of sweet deals, the U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase on Oct. 20, 1803, snatching up the western half of the Mississippi River basin from France for a tidy $15 million (about 4 cents per acre).
The deal doubled the size of the United States and paved the way for further western expansions.
It didn’t suck: American inventor and early radio pioneer Lee de Forest introduced the “audion” – the first modern vacuum tube – 115 years ago today at a meeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers.
High note: The distinctive Sydney Opera House elevated Australian culture in the eyes of the world.
Shell of an opening: After 15 years of construction, the Sydney Opera House – a milestone of Australian culture and one of the world’s most recognizable buildings – opened on this date in 1973.
Tanks a lot: It was Oct. 20, 1984, when the Monterey Bay Aquarium – the world’s sixth largest aquarium by display-tank gallons – opened on California’s historic Cannery Row.
The nonprofit public marine museum was the first aquarium in the world to care for and display a great white shark and the first to exhibit a living kelp forest.
Gov at first site: And the first White House website went live on this date in 1994, featuring an impressive collection of current events and historical data – and a gushing homage to then-Vice President (and kinda, sorta Internet inventor) Al Gore.
Say Wren: English architect, anatomist, astronomer, mathematician and physicist Sir Christopher Wren (1632-1723) – England’s pre-eminent 17th Century inventor and architect, known best for his regal cathedrals, realistic anatomical drawings and remarkably accurate Solar System models – would be 389 years old today.
Plenty left: The highest-ranking woman in U.S. history turns 57 today.
Also born on Oct. 20 were Danish anatomist and mathematician Thomas Bartholin (1616-1680), the first to break down the human lymphatic system; American physician Austin Flint (1812-1886), a pioneering heart researcher and namesake of the Austin Flint murmur; Hungarian-American actor Bela Lugosi (born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó, 1882-1956), who killed it as “Dracula”; English physicist Sir James Chadwick (1891-1974), who discovered the neutron; and iconic New York Yankee Mickey Mantle (1931-1995).
Harris poll: And take a bow, Kamala Devi Harris! The 49th Vice President of the United States – the first woman, African-American and Asian-American to hold the office – turns 57 today.
Give the attorney, former California senator and highest-ranking female official in U.S. history your best at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips and calendar events always help us break barriers.
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
Safe at home: Northport Village is the 13th-safest small town in America, according to home-security expert SafeWise.
Safety first: Two Long Island villages rank among America’s safest small towns, according to home security ace SafeWise.
Ranking the 100 Safest Small Towns in America 2021, the Utah-based security provider and data aggregator counts Suffolk County’s Village of Northport (tied for 13th) and Nassau County’s Village of Malverne (tied for 24th) among the safest places to hang your hat. All told, 17 New York towns or villages made the nationwide list, which pores through FBI crime-report data, leans heavily toward the Northeast and calculates both violent crimes (homicide, assault, etc.) and property-related crimes (vandalism, car theft, etc.) in ZIP codes with fewer than 15,000 full-time residents.
All of the small towns on the list – including Westchester County’s Town of Lewisboro, which tied for the honor of being the nation’s safest municipality – enjoy crime rates well below national averages; for instance, just 0.18 people per 1,000 in the 100 Safest Small Towns experience a violent crime, as opposed to the national average of 3.7 per 1,000. On the other end of the spectrum, according to SafeWise, is Emeryville, Calif., which posts a violent crime rate of 13.4 victims per 1,000 residents.
Drawing board: A regional architectural ace with more than 55 years of experience has beefed up its already impressive cred, with five fresh New York State Professional Engineer licenses added to its rolls.
Four D&B Engineers and Architects staffers from Long Island and one from Queens have achieved the prestigious professional milestone, ranked among the engineering industry’s highest standards of competence and quality. Six-year company veteran P.J. Connell of Floral Park, five-year veteran Jennifer Gienau of Patchogue, four-year veteran Frank Merklin of Massapequa and four-year veteran Tim Raab of Mineola have all earned the rare accreditation, as has four-year company veteran Kurt Dirr of Kew Gardens.
To earn a P.E. license from the NYS Office of the Professions licensure board, engineers must complete a four-year college degree, work under a licensed Professional Engineer for at least four years and pass two intensive competency exams. “These fine engineers have been recognized for their commitment to the engineering profession,” noted D&B Engineers and Architects President Steven Fangmann. “Their achievements reflect our company’s focus on … total client satisfaction and the highest standards of work in the engineering field.”
POD PEOPLE
Episode 12: Associating with Terri Alessi-Miceli.
The wait is over! Sponsored by ThermoLift – where a sustainable, efficient and clean energy future is happening right now – the new season of Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast has arrived.
We kick off Season 2 on a high note, with HIA-LI President and CEO Terri Alessi-Miceli sharing insider info and post-pandemic plans from one of the region’s biggest and busiest economic engines. Get your ears on, dear listeners … Episode 12 of our super-cool podcast is streaming right now!
TOP OF THE SITE
Thought for food: The Innovate Long Island Debrief adds a cup of awesome with Yvonne Schultz, who’s led Stony Brook University’s Food Business Incubator at Calverton through a period of unprecedented growth.
License to cure: An exclusive licensing deal between the Feinstein Institutes and startup biotech Neuvotion marks a big moment for the science of neurostimulation.
Convenience factor: Thank you for forwarding this engaging and entertaining newsletter to your entire innovation team – but wouldn’t it be easier if they had their own easy-and-free subscription? Of course it would.
VOICES
The imbalanced U.S. Supreme Court has some work to do to regain the trust of the American people, according to Voices legal anchor Michael Sahn, managing member of Uniondale law firm Sahn Ward Braff Koblenz PLLC, who outlines a coming term filled with landmark cases.
STUFF WE’RE READING
Location, location, location: Should pay scales for remote workers be based on where they live? Huffpost homes in.
Welcome to the “inequality machine”: Is college an engine of opportunity or an accelerant of privilege? Inside Higher Ed studies hard.
Keeping up: Behold, the most environmentally innovative clothing, home and beauty brands of 2021. Good Housekeeping celebrates sustainability.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Saildrone, a California-based provider of maritime-intelligence solutions, closed its $100 million Series C funding round led by Bond, XN, Standard Investments, Emerson Collective, Crowley Maritime Corp., Capricorn’s Technology Impact Fund, Lux Capital, Social Capital and Tribe Capital.
+ Rectify Pharmaceuticals, a Massachusetts-based biotech developing disease-modifying therapeutics, closed a $100 million Series A financing co-led by Atlas Venture, Omega Funds, Forbion and Longwood Fund.
+ Alloy, a New York City-based telehealth company addressing the healthcare needs of women over 40, raised $3.3 million in seed funding. Backers included Kairos HQ and PACE Healthcare Capital.
+ Celsius Network, a New Jersey-based global cryptocurrency platform, raised $400 million in funding led by WestCap and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec.
+ The Shift Network, a California-based transformational education and media company, raised $8.7 million in Series A funding led by Evolve Ventures and Bridge Collaborative.
+ Shift5, a Virginia-based operational-technology cybersecurity company for military platforms and commercial transportation systems, raised $20 million in Series A funding led by 645 Ventures, with participation from Squadra Ventures, General Advance and First In.
BELOW THE FOLD
Patchwork: Long Island has plenty of great pumpkins (and patches) to choose from.
Clever costumes: The early entries for best Halloween costumes of 2021.
Dreary disguises: And these would be the worst.
Great gourds: Where to find Long Island’s prime pumpkin patches.
So good, it’s scary: Please continue supporting the amazing organizations that support Innovate Long Island, including Northwell Health, where cutting-edge innovation overcomes even the most terrifying diseases and fearsome injuries. Check them out.
