Makes an impression: Another workweek conquered, another weekend earned … very inspiring, intrepid innovators, as always.
We’re so moved by your performance that we prepared this heartening newsletter to help you wrap up in style. Enjoy the read – and all the fruits of your labor.
Light it up: Tonight marks the second night of this season’s Hannukah celebration.
Festival of lights: Before we dive in, chag sameach to everyone celebrating Hanukkah, which began lighting the menorah last night and runs through Dec. 15. May your candles burn bright this season.
Time for a change: We do have one more workday to get through before the second night of Hannukah (and the weekend), but let’s just say it’s 5 o’clock already – after all, clocks are relative things on Pretend to Be a Time Traveler Day, when our linear existence pauses for flights of fancy.
And from the Department of Changed Minds comes National Lard Day, a Dec. 8 celebration of the semi-solid white fat that was shunned for decades, but is now considered a healthier cooking alternative to butter and processed oils.
Organizational structure: Also trimming the fat was the American Federation of Labor, which facilitated modern trade unions and workers’ rights after initially coming together on this date in 1886.
Palatial: More than a century later, the Palace of Fine Arts is still a major San Francisco attraction.
Fine work: Facilitating the forthcoming Panama Pacific Exposition of 1915 – and embodying the rebirth of San Francisco following the devasting 1906 earthquake – construction of the Palace of Fine Arts began in the city’s Marina District on Dec. 8, 1913.
That’s a wrap: Facilitating trans-Atlantic communications, cable television (later) and the Internet (much later), the coaxial cable – which wrapped multiple wires around each other, instead of stretching them side-by-side – was patented on this date in 1931.
This is only a test: Facilitating in-depth explorations of neighboring worlds, NASA’s Galileo space probe discovered life on Earth (not a typo) on Dec. 8, 1990.
Golly GPS: And facilitating modern automotive navigation, the U.S. Air Force Global Positioning System was opened up to civilian use on this date in 1993.
Although military satellites – officially, three satellite networks, orbited over the course of two decades at a cost exceeding $10 billion – had already been providing years of geolocation data, the fledgling system was only made public after insiders deemed “initial operational capability” had been achieved.
The candy man: American singer, actor, comedian and dancer Samuel George “Sammy” Davis Jr. (1925-1990) – who went from vaudeville at age 3 to original Rat Packer – would be 98 years old today.
Rider on the storm: Morrison’s influence has long outlived his short lifetime.
Also born on Dec. 8 were Transylvanian botanist Johann Hedwig (1730-1799), unrivaled master of moss; Dutch-born British physiologist, biologist and chemist Jan Ingenhousz (also 1730-1799), who discovered photosynthesis; American inventor Eli Whitney (1765-1825), a mechanical engineer who became the “father of American invention” after creating the cotton gin (and a few other things); American physician, Muhammed Ali cornerman, boxing commentator and painter Fernando Pacheco Jimenez (1927-2017), known best as “The Fight Doctor” Ferdie Pacheco; and American singer, songwriter and poet James Douglas “Jim” Morrison (1943-1971), charismatic, deep and somewhat disturbed frontman of the Doors.
On fire: And take a bow, Joanna “Jo” Firestone! The American actress, comedian, television producer and podcaster – who has performed on and written for “The Tonight Show,” among many other high-profile gigs – turns 37 today.
Wish the funny lady well at editor@innovateli.com, where our gig relies on your news tips – and your calendar events always stand up.
About our sponsor: Northwell Health is New York’s largest healthcare provider and private employer, with 21 hospitals, 900 outpatient facilities and 85,000 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
Powerful premier: Check off another major milestone for South Fork Wind, which is now officially pumping power into the Long Island grid.
Government officials joined project partners Ørsted A/S and Eversource Energy Wednesday to mark the successful delivery of clean power to an East Hampton substation from South Fork Wind’s first operational wind turbine, which completed its construction phase just two weeks ago. The delivery makes South Fork, located about 35 miles east of Montauk Point, the first utility-scale offshore wind farm to “power up” in U.S. coastal waters.
Eleven more South Fork Wind turbines are slated to be completed by early 2024, with the farm ultimately projected to generate enough renewable energy to power 70,000 Long Island homes. “East Hampton has now made history as the first community in New York to receive clean energy from an offshore wind farm,” noted Ørsted Group Executive Vice President and CEO Americas David Hardy. “[This] is not just a trailblazing project for the state, it’s also one of the foundations of America’s offshore wind-energy industry and a testament to our team’s commitment, expertise and hard work.”
Doesn’t add up: Government expenditures benefitting Long Island and its residents fall way short of taxes and fees paid, according to Long Island Regional Planning Council Chairman John Cameron.
Shortchanged: A new study finds Nassau and Suffolk taxpayers send way more money to Albany and Washington than comes back in government expenditures.
About $40 billion more, according to the Long Island Regional Planning Council’s latest Long Island Balance of Payments Study, which calculates $68 billion in payments made to the federal government in 2022 (via personal income, business, employment, estate, excise and gift taxes) and only $42 billion in non-COVID-related federal expenditures (a $26 billion shortfall). The study, officially released Thursday, also computes $24.6 billion paid out last year by Islanders in state taxes and fees, with only $9.8 billion in expenditures coming back – a $14.7 billion difference.
And that state gap is widening, according to the report, which says revenues flowing from Long Island to Albany increased by 40 percent over the last decade while state expenditures on Island projects decreased by 10 percent. “As a high-wealth area, Long Island has long served as an economic engine both for New York State and the federal government,” noted LIRPC Chairman John Cameron. “This report should sound the alarm in Albany and Washington about the need for greater investment into Nassau and Suffolk if they want … the region to remain economically vibrant.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Diverse background: The SUNY Old Westbury School of Education and the Hempstead Union Free School District have joined the latest cohort of a national program aiming to diversify the U.S. education system.
Show, then tell: The more always-easy, always-free subscriptions we get to this engaging and entertaining newsletter, the easier it is to keep cranking them out. Tell your friends!
ICYMI
A high-end Long Island-based retailer with shops throughout John F. Kennedy International Airport is confronting food insecurity across Greater New York.
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: South Bay-based camping kingpin Acacia Outdoor delivers the comforts of home with new portable power products.
From California: Los Angeles-based health and wellness leader Vuum serves up revolutionary carbonated plant-protein drink.
From Canada, eh: Ontario-based outwear originator Baffin Ltd. tramples extreme conditions with new cold-climate boot line.
ON THE MOVE
Chermele Christy
+ Chermele Christy has been appointed dean of students at Hempstead-based Hofstra University. She previously served as associate dean of students.
+ Kevin Reed has been appointed to the National Academies’ Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate. He is the interim director of Academic, Research and Commercialization Programs for The New York Climate Exchange (led by Stony Brook University) and serves as a professor at SBU’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences.
+ Alexander Orlov has been elected chairman of the American Chemical Society’s Environmental Division. He is a professor of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering at Stony Brook University.
+ Sal Loiacano has been hired as vice president/senior commercial banking relationship manager at BankUnited in Melville. He was senior business relationship manager at M&T Bank in Melville.
+ Rhonda Maco has been hired as director of special programs at Nassau Community College in Garden City. She was a principal county attorney at the Suffolk County Department of Law in Hauppauge.
+ Samuel Ferrara has been hired as a partner and chairman of the Matrimonial and Family Law Group at Meister Seelig & Fein in Jericho. He was an executive partner at Abrams Fensterman in Lake Success.
+ Rebecca Reagin has been hired as a field hydrogeologist at Bohemia- based P.W. Grosser Consulting. She was a park ranger at the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River in Pennsylvania.
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 (just ask Northwell Health). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Press Start Edition)
A better you: As 2024 approaches, there are many tried-and-true standards to choose from.
Fast start: But things have already slowed at the UN’s critical climate summit.
Slow start: Mediocrity (or worse) is OK when trying out a new hobby.
Fresh start: Stuck on a New Year’s resolution? Try one of these.
Start to finish: Please continue supporting the amazing institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including Northwell Health – one of the Island’s great bastions of innovation, from new ideas to real-world solutions. Check them out.
