No time like the presents: Welcome to Wednesday, dear readers, as we plow through 2024’s penultimate workweek – and, for holiday-shopping and gift-wrapping procrastinators, the $#!+ starts to get real.
Yes, there are now only seven days left until Christmas morning – and with that in mind, this quick reminder that Innovate Long Island is taking a short break to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, so please watch for your regularly scheduled newsletter this Friday, then look forward to our exciting return on Jan. 6 (fresh newsletters, new website content, first-run podcasts … the works!). We’ll remind you again later.
Salad days: Ham it up today (if your religion allows it).
Yawm jayid lak: Here on Dec. 18 we lead off with a celebration of a rock-solid pillar of humanity – the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s 50th annual World Arabic Language Day, honoring one of the planet’s most widely spoken languages. (That’s a phonetic translation of “good day to you” in Arabic, for those keeping score.)
When pigs fly: All due respect to strict followers of Islamic dietary laws and folks in other global corners where Arabic is the language of choice, but Dec. 18 is also a virtual feast for those who, as Samuel L. Jackson’s “Pulp Fiction” alter ego Jules Winfield might say, “dig on swine” – today is both National Roast Suckling Pig Day and National Ham Salad Day.
Palace intrigue: Speaking of UNESCO, Colorado’s Cliff Palace – a 150-room Mesa Verde cliff dwelling dating back to the 1200s, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978 – was discovered on this date in 1888 by rancher Richard Wetherill.
Get cracking: The masterpiece Russian ballet “The Nutcracker” debuted 132 years ago today.
Cue the wooden soldiers: It’s a Christmas tradition now, but “The Nutcracker” – the innovative Russian ballet combining the powerful music of celebrated composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky and the graceful choreography of renowned dancer Marius Petipa – was brand new when it premiered on Dec. 18, 1892, at the Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg.
Brita came later: But it was 124 years ago today when Ohio-based inventor Cleophas Monjeau patented the world’s first water-purification system, combining an artificial filter and biological elements.
SCORE one for the good guys: The United States one-upped the Soviet Union in the Space Race on this date in 1958, when it put the world’s first communications satellite into orbit – the top-secret SCORE satellite (for Signal Communications by Orbital Relay Equipment), which carried a recorded Christmas message from President Dwight Eisenhower.
Bay breeze: And it was Dec. 18, 1997, when the Trans-Tokyo Bay Motorway – a.k.a. the Tokyo Bay Aqualine, linking Kanagawa Prefecture and Chiba Prefecture across the vast Japanese gulf – opened to traffic.
Requiring more than three decades of planning and construction, the $17 billion motorway – an alternative to a 60-mile dive through Tokyo traffic or an hour-long ferry ride – combines a 9-kilometer underwater tunnel, a 4-kilometer bridge and two manmade islands.
Peach pit: American baseball great Tyrus Raymond “Ty” Cobb (1886-1961) – the uber-talented “Georgia Peach,” a 12-time batting champion as famous for his Hall of Fame skills as his violent, racist and generally nasty persona – would be 138 years old today.
Mixed emotions: Rock star Keith Richards has gathered a few regrets over his eight decades-plus.
Also born on Dec. 18 were American urban planner Robert Moses (1888-1981), a “master builder” well-known for influencing New York City and Long Island development; American electrical engineer Edwin Armstrong (1890-1954), credited with inventing FM radio; American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model and singer Elizabeth Ruth “Betty” Grable (1916-1973), a leggy – and eminently bankable – 1930s and ’40s starlet; American microbiologist Esther Lederberg (1922-2006), a pioneer of bacterial genetics and sexual-discrimination victim whose groundbreaking research earned a Nobel Prize – for her husband; and revered American filmmaker Steven Spielberg (born 1946), the three-time Academy Award-winner hailed as a master of the New Hollywood era.
Sympathy for the devil: And take a bow, Keith Richards! The English guitarist, singer, songwriter and record producer – an original member of the Rolling Stones who’s survived personal tragedies, serious cranial injuries and decades of drug and alcohol abuse (not so much these days, he says) – turns 81 today.
We’re not sure which is more surprising – that the legendary rock star continues to defy medical science as we know it, or that (considering his appearance) he’s only 81. Either way, wish him well at editor@innovateli.com, where your news tips and calendar events bring endless Satisfaction.
About our sponsor: Whether it’s helping with site selection, cutting through red tape or finding innovative ways to meet specific needs, businesses that settle in the Town of Islip soon learn that we take a proactive approach to seeing them succeed. If your business wants to locate or expand in a stable community with great quality of life, then it’s time you took a closer look at Islip.
BUT FIRST, THIS
To the Point: A seven-digit stipend for a new Sands Point water-treatment system is included in the latest clean-water funding tranche approved by the New York State Environmental Facilities Corp.
The EFC’s Board of Directors has greenlighted $428 million in low-cost financing and previously announced grants for critical, shovel-ready water and sewer-infrastructure projects across the state. Included in the hefty total is a $5 million grant – flowing from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – for the Village of Sands Point, earmarked for construction of a granular-activated carbon-treatment system designed to remove dangerous perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances from two village wells.
Other chunky awards approved in the funding round include a $24.2 million grant/interest-free financing package for Chautauqua County, which is constructing a new sewer system around Chautauqua Lake, and a $14.8 million grant for Orange County’s Town of New Windsor, which is expanding a local wastewater-treatment plant. “The $428 million … is a significant investment in New York’s communities and environment,” noted Environmental Facilities Corp. President and CEO Maureen Coleman. “The [Clean Water State Revolving Fund] and state water grants are proven programs that help communities meet their present water-infrastructure needs and plan for long-term success.”
Jingle bell sock: Always-charitable John’s Crazy Socks, cofounded in 2016 by John (left) and Mark Cronin, is jumping in with both feet this holiday season.
By the foot: One of Long Island’s most charitable businesses is sticking its toes into a special holiday-donation effort.
Melville-based John’s Crazy Socks, launched in 2016 by father-son duo Mark and John Cronin, is donating a pair of socks to Christmas Magic – a Hauppauge-based 501(c)3 that provides food and gifts to homeless children – for every pair sold through Christmas Day. The holiday campaign is part of John’s Crazy Socks’ Giving Back program, a comprehensive philanthropic effort that’s now raised nearly $800,000 for the Special Olympics, the Autism Society of America and several other charity organizations.
Supporting Christmas Magic, which was launched in 1985 by Hauppauge-based attorney Charlie Russo, is a natural fit for John’s Crazy Sock’s, which has leveraged John Cronin’s Down syndrome into a successful business with a progressive social message (most of its employees have a differing ability, for instance). “Giving back is the heart of what we do,” Mark Cronin said in a statement. “Christmas is a time for community and generosity, and we’re honored to partner with Christmas Magic to brighten the lives of children who are facing hard times.”
POD PEOPLE
Episode 47: Henry Foley, titan of New York Tech.
After seven years in the president’s office, New York Institute of Technology President Henry Foley has announced his retirement, effective June 2025. But before he goes, the renowned nanotechnology expert and macro-minded administrator still has a long and ambitious to-do list.
In today’s episode of “Spark: The Innovate Long Island Podcast,” the learned leader joins Spark host Gregory Zeller to discuss life before, during and after New York Tech – and explain why he believes his university’s best and brightest days are still to come.
TOP OF THE SITE
Home run: A Long Island product-design ace has been called in to help a high-powered national consortium mainstream healthcare industry-altering hospital-at-home services.
What’s known as a “subscriber benefit”: We love it when you read our engaging and entertaining newsletters on our website, but remember, our valuable Monday Calendar Newsletters are not archived online – those are for subscribers only. (Fortunately, Innovate Long Island newsletter subscriptions are always easy, always free and always a click away.)
VOICES
Even the heroic geniuses of Innovate Long Island’s mighty Voices rotation deserve a holiday break … but there are still hundreds of valuable lessons waiting to be learned in media, technology, healthcare, law, education and other sectors critical to you and your business. Another straight-from-the-top tutorial is coming this week, with plenty more to follow in 2025 – catch up first on everything you’ve missed in our amazing Voices library!
STUFF WE’RE READING
Ain’t seen nothing yet: If you thought 2024 was technologically transformative, wait until you see what’s coming in 2025. Quartz looks ahead.
Vaccination differentiation: The incoming administration has conflicting opinions on key vaccination issues. Roll Call investigates immunizations.
Adapt or fry: The World Economic Forum has a dire bottom-line warning for companies that don’t adapt to climate change. Forbes estimates lost earnings.
RECENT FUNDINGS
+ Chargezoom, a Utah-based artificial intelligence-powered billing and integrated-payments platform, raised $11.5 million in Series A funding led by Salt Lake City’s Kickstart Fund and Motley Fool Ventures.
+ Precision Neuroscience, a New York City-based biotech focused on brain-computer interfacing, raised $102 million in Series C funding led by General Equity Holdings.
+ Veradermics, a Connecticut-based biopharma focused on dermatology, raised $75 million in Series B funding led by Suvretta Capital Management.
+ Archer Aviation, a California-based aviation-technology pioneer, raised an additional $430 million in equity capital. Backers included Stellantis and United Airlines.
+ Nanoramic, a Massachusetts-based advanced battery manufacturer, raised $44 million in funding led by General Motors Ventures and Catalus Capital.
+ Cofactr, a NYC-based supply chain and logistics-management platform, raised $17 million in Series A funding led by Bain Capital.
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 the Town of Islip). Marlene McDonnell can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Mystery Drones Edition)
Unidentified: But a few answers to the ongoing drone mystery are finally being floated.
Droning on: Government psyop? Foreign threat? Alien invasion? Conspiracy theories abound.
Know your UAPs: How to tell the difference between a nearby drone and a distant plane.
Or not: Internet savages senator who mistook “Star Wars” prop for a downed drone.
Islip is your copilot: Please continue supporting the innovative institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including the Town of Islip Office of Economic Development, which is anything but a fly-by-night business-development organization. Check them out.
