Wet blanket: You’ve done it again, intrepid innovator – the first full workweek of July draws to a hot and humid close, and you’re still standing. Well done.
Summer storms are circling Long Island, but that can’t dampen our mood – not with a well-earned weekend so close. Just one fairly soggy Friday to navigate, with this clever innovation newsletter to keep you dry (at least, dry-witted). Let’s do it!
Oh, shish: Stick a stick in it … it’s World Kebab Day!
Food for thought: It’s July 12 out there, and we could open by focusing on fairly self-explanatory holidays like National Motorcycle Day or National Different Colored Eyes Day, but instead we’re putting the daily menu on the front burner – starting with World Kebab Day, a second-Friday-of-July celebration of skewered meats and veggies.
You want fries with that? Of course you do – it’s also National French Fry Day, another second-Friday-of-July foodfest honoring humanity’s most ubiquitous side dish.
We’ll take the pie: Alas, we must follow that fine meal with two lesser dessert selections, neither of which enjoys universal support (but each with its share of loyalists) – both National Eat Your Jell-O Day and National Pecan Pie Day are dished up (somewhat reluctantly) on July 12.
In the bag: Actually, we’ll take that pie to go, and we’ll brown-bag it, thanks largely to Massachusetts-based inventor William Goodale, who patented his paper bag machine – which both cut the paper and folded it into the shape of a bag – on this date in 1859.
On the chest: Also shaping up nicely was the U.S. Armed Forces Medal of Honor, which was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on July 12, 1862, initially to honor Civil War heroism.
On the line: Also powerful was an Act of Congress approved on this date in 1894, setting the common electrical units we call volts, amperes, ohms and joules.
On the worker: The U.S. Congress was also busy on July 12, 1909, when it approved a resolution proposing the Sixteenth Amendment, which created the federal income tax. (The amendment was officially ratified in 1913, for those keeping score).
A family thing: The first families of “Feud” square off.
On the board: And it was 48 years ago today when the perpetually popular game show “Family Feud” premiered on the ABC Television Network.
With English American actor and comedian Richard Dawson mugging it up as the inaugural host, the Moseley family of California won a grand total of $890.
In the books: Canadian physician, historian and author Sir William Osler (1849-1919) – the Father of Modern Medicine, renowned for his medical libraries (and for being one of the “Big Four” founding professors of Johns Hopkins Hospital) – would be 175 years old today.
Blond ambition: Ladd (left) succeeded Farrah Fawcett at the fictitious Charles Townsend Detective Agency (though Fawcett rejoined the Angels in future guest appearances).
Also born on July 12 were American naturalist, essayist, poet and philosopher Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), a leading transcendentalist who championed the simple things and, when necessary, civil resistance against unjust governmental proceedings; American agricultural scientist George Washington Carver (1864-1943), a master innovator who leveraged peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes into hundreds of useful products; American inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist George Eastman (1854-1932), who mainstreamed the art of photography with the Eastman Kodak Co.; American actress, singer and author Cheryl Ladd (born Cheryl Jean Stoppelmoor, 1951), known best as second-string private eye Kris Munroe on “Charlie’s Angels”; and Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai (born 1997), who at age 17 became the youngest person – and only the second Pakistani – to earn a Nobel Peace Prize.
On ice: And take a bow, Kristine Tsuya “Kristi” Yamaguchi! The American author, philanthropist and retired competitive figure skater – a 1992 Olympic gold medalist (the first Asian American to do it) and two-time world champion (1991 and 1992) – turns 53 today.
Give the season six “Dancing With the Stars” champion your best at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips are gold – and we always champion your calendar events.
About our sponsor: Farmingdale State College is the largest college of applied science and technology in the State University of New York system, with nearly 10,000 students and 46 degree programs focused on relevant high-demand careers. More than half of our students graduate debt-free and 82 percent are employed six months after graduation or enrolled in graduate school. Nearly 80 percent of FSC graduates stay and are working on Long Island six months after graduation. Learn more here.
BUT FIRST, THIS
Festival freebies: Dozens of armed-forces and law-enforcement veterans will enjoy VIP access to next week’s Great South Bay Music Festival.
Now in its 16th year, “Long Island’s Music Festival” – featuring 60-plus performers (covering rock, jazz, blues, reggae, funk and more), craft beverages, one-of-a-kind artworks and a globetrotting menu of diverse food selections – is scheduled to run July 18-21 at Patchogue Village’s Shorefront Park. Among those enjoying the festivities will be hundreds of veterans, thanks to 250-plus free tickets donated Wednesday to New York State Veterans’ Home’s Stony Brook facility and other Long Island veterans groups, including Nesconset-based Paws of War and regional chapters of the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Festival co-founder James Faith – who joined co-founder Larry Weinberger and Patchogue Village Trustee Joseph Keyes for the donation – said offering the gratis admission was a no-brainer. “We are able to have concerts and music festivals … because of the sacrifices of those who have served and are still serving,” Faith noted. “We felt it would be the right thing to do to thank them for their service by inviting these many veterans from all over Long Island to join us for some great entertainment, food and camaraderie.”
Marguerite Wells: Leads a strong ‘cast.
Podcast plug: A new podcast produced by the Alliance for Clean Energy New York will focus exclusively on the state’s clean-energy transition.
“Plugging In: Powering our Way to a Brighter and Healthier New York” officially launched Wednesday, dropping its first two installments: “Clean Energy 101,” covering the basics with ACE NY Executive Director Marguerite Wells, and “Harnessing Offshore Wind: Powering New York’s Clean Energy Future,” an episode of special interest to Long Island, the onshore focal point of numerous offshore-wind ventures. Future 10- to 15-minute episodes are scheduled to drop biweekly, each exploring new technologies, dispelling misinformation and otherwise answering “the most popular questions clean-energy advocates receive,” according to the Albany-based nonprofit organization.
With shows already planned on electric school buses, geothermal tech, residential solar installations and more, a podcast is a terrific method for delivering important bite-sized morsels on the evolving clean-energy culture, according to Wells. “Podcasts have become one of the most important media in today’s society,” the executive director noted. “By condensing and explaining complex topics in an easy-to-digest manner … this podcast will help people understand the exciting transformation New York is undergoing while providing facts and tools they can use in their daily life.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Next generation now: From cutting-edge heart-valve implants to state-of-the-art Pre-Surgical Testing Suites, Long Island’s leading healthcare systems are introducing millions of dollars’ worth of high-tech upgrades.
Subscriber alert: Innovate Long Island’s vast newsletter library is a virtual vault of valuable intelligence, with hundreds of enlightening and entertaining issues – but no Monday Calendar Newsletters. Those gems require an always easy, always free subscription.
ICYMI
New hotels, old retirement communities and important residential-construction projects – including critical affordable housing – are covered in a slate of incentives packages approved this summer by busy Long Island IDAs.
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: Berkely-based plant-protein pioneer Ripple Foods tackles “tweenage hanger” with fiber-rich, super-satisfying shakes.
From Canada, eh: Toronto-based waste-management mainstay Diversys encourages “a world without waste” with groundbreaking SaaS solution.
From California: Irvine-based fundraising-intelligence platform Kindsight combines big data, AI and automation into education, healthcare and nonprofit CRM platform.
ON THE MOVE
Taylor Gonzalez
+ Taylor Gonzalez has joined Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana as an associate in the Land Use and Zoning Practice Group. She held the same position at Melville-based Brown Altman and DiLeo.
+ David Lanoue has been named provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at SUNY Old Westbury. He held the same two positions at Southern Arkansas University.
+ Patrick Kennedy has been hired as director of fine and applied arts for the Seaford School District. He was an elementary instrumental teacher at John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Great Neck.
+ Brenda Anderson has been elected president of the Stony Brook University Senate. She is a professor of integrative neuroscience in SBU’s Department of Psychology.
+ Stacey Rosen has been named president-elect of the American Heart Association. She is senior vice president of women’s health at Northwell Health and executive director of the Katz Institute for Women’s Health in New Hyde Park.
+ Michele Vivona has been hired as assistant director of pupil personnel services in the Garden City Public Schools. She held the same position in the Long Beach City School District.
+ Aaron Zerykier has joined Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler as a partner in the Construction Litigation Group. He is a shareholder of Polsinelli Law Firm in New York City and a former partner at Farrell Fritz in Uniondale.
+ Nicole Hecker has joined Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler as an associate in the Insurance Fraud Group. She was an associate at Morici & Morici in Garden City.
+ Joseph Rastello has been hired as deputy executive director of the Hauppauge-based Suffolk County Industrial Development Agency. He was director of sales and economic development at South Shore Pools in East Islip.
+ Todd Girshon has been hired as a shareholder at GreenbergTraurig’s Bridgehampton office. He was equity principal at Jackson Lewis in Melville.
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 Farmingdale State). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Hard Rock Edition)
Romancing the stone: Penguins can teach humans a thing or two about love.
Cementing legacies: Meet the concrete companies rocking the net-zero transition.
Space Stone: Remembering the physicist who led Earthlings out of the Solar System.
Pro-pebbling: Thank you, penguins, for strengthening the bonds of human friendship.
Rock on: Please continue supporting the innovative institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including Farmingdale State College, where students’ most fortified futures are set in stone. Check them out.
