Third day’s the charm: It’s Friday out there, intrepid innovators, and you’ve reached the doorstep of another well-earned winter weekend – for about a quarter of you working in the private sector, a three-day weekend to boot!
Yes, Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the third-Monday-of-January observation created in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan to honor the slain civil rights leader (and the only federal holiday also designated as a National Day of Service, for the record). Banks, schools and most government offices are closed – and so is Innovate Long Island, which won’t be sharing a Calendar Newsletter on Jan. 20.
We’ll be back with you on Tuesday, Jan. 21. Whether you’re on the job or not, please take a moment Monday to reflect on MLK’s social justice message, which is more important than ever in our deeply divided nation.
Whatever floats your boat: It’s International Fetish Day — and also Judgment Day, but don’t let that stop you.
Lest ye be judged: Today is Jan. 17, and we’re wrapping up the workweek on Judgment Day – not the end-all apocalypse where humanity meets its maker, but a tongue-in-cheek version encouraging individuals to look in the mirror and weigh their good and bad qualities.
On an even lighter note, it’s International Fetish Day, a somewhat sexy, slightly sordid, sorta sinful third-Friday-of-January observation when many of those lesser qualities hold sway.
Kid stuff (not the rum part): Raising the bar significantly is Kid Inventors Day, an annual homage to the 500,000-or-so pre-adult tinkers who invent new gadgets and games every year.
And somewhere in the middle is National Hot Buttered Rum Day, warming the cockles with a delectable combination of rum, butter, hot water (or cider), sweetener and spices (typically cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves) every Jan. 17.
Southern exposure: Raising a bottle of celebratory rum (sure, why not?) on this date in 1773 was British Royal Navy Capt. James Cook, after the fearless navigator/explorer sailed the HMS Resolution across the Antarctic Circle.
Let’s make a deal: It might be harder to acquire Greenland, but the United States got a great deal on the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Smooth selling: America might be plotting now to force the Kingdom of Denmark to hand over the autonomous territory of Greenland, but things were a lot friendlier 108 years ago today, when Denmark willingly sold the Virgin Islands to the United States for the low, low price of $25 million.
Growth spurt: Speaking of territorial expansions, it was this date in 1929 when American astronomer Edwin Hubble delivered a mind-blowing paper to the National Academy of Sciences detailing his discovery that other observable galaxies are speeding away from the Milky Way – proof positive that our universe is getting bigger.
A sailor, man: It was that same day – Jan. 17, 1929 – when pipe-chomping, spinach-swilling Popeye the Sailor Man made his musclebound debut (in a “Thimble Theatre” comic strip starring future love interest Olive Oyl, for those keeping score).
The council will come to order: And it was this date in 1946 when the United Nations Security Council officially formed.
The council – the only UN branch authorized to make decisions that member states are obligated to follow – held its first meeting in Westminster, London. The UN would not relocate to its current New York City headquarters until 1951.
The greatest: American professional boxer and antiwar activist Muhammed Ali (born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr., 1942-2016) – a global cultural icon revered by many as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time, who infamously joined the radical Nation of Islam in the early 1960s but later converted to orthodox Islam – would be 83 years old today.
Father figure: James Earl Jones delivered what may be the most iconic line in movie history — but that barely scratches the surface of his amazing legacy.
Also born on Jan. 17 were American something-or-another Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), who invented something, or wrote something, or something like that; English preacher and social worker Catherine Booth (1829-1890), the “Mother of the Salvation Army”; American actress and comedian Betty Marion Ludden (1922-2021), remembered best as the immortal Betty White; British American hairstylist, business magnate and philanthropist Vidal Sassoon (1928-2012), a true beauty industry pioneer; and American actor James Earl Jones (1931-2024), a rare EGOT (counting his honorary Academy Award) with a résumé as deep as his unmistakable voice.
Silent protest: And take a bow, Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama! The American attorney, author and former First Lady – who made headlines (and sent some clear political signals) by announcing this week that she would skip Donald Trump’s second inauguration – turns 61 today.
Give the Princeton University and Harvard Law School graduate your best at editor@innovateli.com, where the signals that interest us most are your news tips and calendar events.
About our sponsor: St. Joseph’s University, New York, has provided a diverse population of students in the metropolitan area with an affordable education rooted in the liberal arts tradition since 1916. The independent and coeducational university provides a strong academic and values-oriented education at the undergraduate and graduate levels, aiming to prepare each student for a life characterized by integrity, intellectual rigor, social responsibility, spiritual depth and service. Through its Long Island, Brooklyn and online campuses, the university offers degrees in 100 majors, special course offerings and certificates and affiliated and pre-professional programs. Learn more here.
BUT FIRST, THIS
On a roll: Fresh off its successful Christmas charity drive, Melville-based John’s Crazy Socks – a socially inclusive startup now billing itself “the world’s largest sock store” – has announced an exciting collaboration with the Professional Bowlers Association.
Launched in 2016 by father-son duo Mark and John Cronin – who leveraged John’s Down syndrome into a successful business with a progressive social message (most of its employees have a differing ability) – the sock-maker has become the Official Athletic Sock Provider for the 2025 PBA Tour. The collaboration is slated to start with the PBA Delaware Classic, a pro tournament scheduled for later this month in Middletown, Del.
Along with a “curated collection of bowling-themed socks,” according to the Melville manufacturer, the official PBA sock – a high-performance athletic sock featuring the PBA logo, designed with input from PBA bowlers – will be available at PBA events and nationwide bowling alley pro shops, and is already available on the John’s Crazy Socks website. “John’s Crazy Socks’ origin story and mission are inspiring,” PBA Commissioner Tom Clark said in a statement. “We are proud to partner with this organization and look forward to what we can accomplish together.”
Stating her case: Governor Kathy Hochul hit most of the right notes in her 2025 State of the State Address — but not all of them, according to some environmentalists.
Mixed message: Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2025 State of the State Address has generated praise from environmental and business-development organizations, though not unanimously.
Delivered Tuesday, Hochul’s annual applause-a-thon was a familiar blend of economic, ecological and egotistical promises, ranging from tax cuts and tax rebates to public-transportation and public-safety upgrades, with a healthy dose of environmental-reporting regulations and clean-energy financing. Naturally, the proposals elicited mostly positive responses from regional watchdogs, with the Long Island Association applauding the governor’s determination “to be at the vanguard of 21st Century industries like offshore wind and AI” and New Yorkers For Affordable Energy Executive Director Daniel Ortega commending Hochul for “hon(ing) in on the affordability crisis.”
Environmental groups are also on board with the State of the State, with Alliance for Clean Energy New York Executive Director Marguerite Wells thanking Hochul for “her unwavering commitment to New York’s clean-energy transition” and The Nature Conservancy cheering “promising proposals that protect clean air, clean water and wildlife habitats.” However, the conservancy also lamented a “concerning setback” in the governor’s decision to delay implementation of a Cap and Invest Program designed to reduce air pollution: “This is insufficient,” Strategy Director Jessica Ottney Mahar said in a statement. “Policy change is needed to reduce carbon pollution and generate ongoing revenue … to invest in cleaner energy, buildings, transportation and cost-reduction programs.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Compliance king: Voices historian Tom Mariner reviews Great Neck’s mdi Consultants – for international healthcare and food-and-beverage manufacturers, a cornerstone of FDA and ISO compliance.
Wise up: Thank you for sharing Innovate Long Island’s educational and entertaining newsletter with your entire innovation team – now share your infinite wisdom, by creating their own individual newsletter subscriptions (always easy, always free).
ICYMI
One of the region’s busiest health and human services organizations will add key clinical certifications that open their mental-health and substance-use services to all Long Islanders in need, whether they can pay for them or not.
Something to say? Welcome to The Entrepreneur’s Edge, Innovate Long Island’s new promoted-content news feature platform – a direct link from you to our innovation-focused audience. Progressive product to promote? Singular service to sell? Sociopolitical position to push? Shine a bright light on the big picture, the little details and everything in between with The Entrepreneur’s Edge. Living on the edge.
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: San Francisco-based next-generation physics frontrunner MetaPhotonix introduces revolutionary method of extinguishing wildfires with light.
From South Carolina: Charleston-based social-software spearhead Blackbaud welcomes nine new businesses into its Social Good Startup accelerator.
From Ohio: Geneva-based academic/athletic/personal skills development pioneer SPIRE Academy helps sports parents find the best fit for their college-bound athletes.
ON THE MOVE
Amit Shelat
+ Amit Shelat has been appointed chairman of the Albany-based New York State Board for Medicine. He is an attending neurologist and assistant professor of clinical neurology at Stony Brook University Medical Center.
+ Mary Mongioi has been appointed co-chair of Uniondale-based Forchelli Deegan Terrana’s Corporate and Mergers & Acquisitions Practice Group. She is a partner and chairwoman of the firm’s Veterinary Practice Group.
+ Bob Wild has been promoted to chief executive officer at Hauppauge-based Intelligent Product Solutions. He was chief operating officer.
+ Michelle Moran has been hired as an associate attorney at McGuire, Peláez, Bennett & Belcastro in Central Islip. She was an immigration attorney at the Law Office of Alexandra Mayen Rivera in Huntington.
+ Brian Aquart has been selected as a scholar by the Presidential Leadership Scholars program. His is vice president of workforce and community education at Northwell Health’s Center for Learning and Innovations.
+ Ethan Insinga has been hired as an engineer I/wastewater at Woodbury-based D&B Engineers and Architects. He is a graduate of SUNY Binghamton’s Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science.
+ East Meadow-based Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman has promoted two associates: Joshua Feldman is now a partner in the Commercial Litigation Practice Group and Rebecca Sklar is now a partner in the Litigation Department.
+ Gina Coletti has been elected chairwoman of the Albany-based New York Small Business Development Centers Advisory Board. She is the owner of Hauppauge-based GC Advisory Group.
+ Andrea Gregorio has been hired as an engineer I/wastewater at Woodbury-based D&B Engineers and Architects. She was a project engineer intern at Pennsylvania-based Pullman SST.
+ Hannah Motyka has been hired as a project manager and senior environmental scientist at Melville-based Nelson, Pope & Voorhis. She was lead environmental science and planning analyst at PSEG Long Island in Bethpage.
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 St. Joe’s). Gregory Zeller can tell you more.
BELOW THE FOLD (Social Media Edition)
Social injustice: By spreading heartless images and inane conspiracies, Instagram and X have failed society, once again.
The clock’s tikking: With U.S. ban looming, dissecting TikTok’s true effects on society.
Tinderbox: How the devastating California wildfires overwhelmed social media.
Move it: An app that blocks your social media until you get some exercise.
Social call: Please continue supporting the innovative institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including St. Joseph’s University, which works hard to improve the world by preparing well-educated, socially aware graduates. Check them out.
