You earned it: Well done, intrepid innovators! You set your goals and put in the time, and now Friday is here – and with it, the promise of another sizzling Summer weekend.
Before you enjoy that well-earned prize, here’s a snappy innovation-week-in-review to kick off the last leg of this latest busy workweek – a pre-reward reward for your worthy efforts!
Egg-cellent: Try the Beluga.
Now hear this: Today is July 18 and we’re tuning in first to World Listening Day, an annual effort of the nonprofit World Listening Project, which is on a mission to understand and preserve natural environments and native cultures by making and deciphering in-the-field sound recordings. (Why July 18, you ask? Excellent question. Read on.)
Delicate delicacy: Menu-wise, it’s a day for acquired tastes for sure, starting with National Caviar Day, a study in duality that encourages us to protect the sturgeon (among Earth’s most endangered species groups) while encouraging us to eat their eggs (preferably, spread on toast).
If you think that’s fishy, you’ll love National Sour Candy Day, another bittersweet celebration delivering mixed emotions every July 18.
On track: There was nothing bittersweet about the opening of the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad – the world’s first international railway, connecting Portland, Maine, to Montreal and other points in Quebec, Canada’s largest province – which was completed and inaugurated on this date in 1853.
On air: Also taking things seriously was Britain’s first-ever study of air quality – the Royal Commission on Noxious Vapors, which was appointed on July 18, 1876, and would spend two years studying the increasing problem of industrial air pollution.
Also on air: Here in the States, the Aviation Section of the U.S. Army Signal Corps – which was created to operate and supervise “all military aircraft, including balloons and aeroplanes” and was the precursor to the United States Air Force – was officially established 111 years ago today.
JD Vance: Be careful what you wish for.
In order: President Harry Truman signed the Presidential Succession Act on this date in 1947, updating the order of presidential replacements should the top dog be unable to serve. (The current line: Vice President JD Vance, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, President Pro Tempore of the Senate Chuck Grassley, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi. Sleep well tonight.)
In-tel: And it was July 18, 1968, when semiconductor pioneers Robert Noyce (the “Mayor of Silicon Valley”) and Gordon Moore (who devised “Moore’s Law,” a fairly accurate prediction of silicon-chip proliferation) officially launched their little California-based computer-processor startup, N.M. Electronics.
You know it today as the mighty Intel Corp.
Nelson Mandela: True leader.
A Mandela among men: South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, political leader and philanthropist Rolihlahla “Nelson” Mandela (1918-2013) – a champion of nonviolent protest, a Nobel Peace Prize-winner and South Africa’s first Black president – would be 107 years old today.
Also born on July 18 were American astronaut John Glenn Jr. (1921-2016), the first American to orbit the Earth and a 25-year veteran of the U.S. Senate who returned to space at age 77 to study space flight and the aging process; American Olympian Richard Totten “Dick” Button (1929-2025), a two-time Gold Medal-winner and Emmy-winning broadcaster; Canadian composer, writer, music educator and environmentalist Raymond Murray Schaefer (1933-2021), who founded the science of acoustic ecology (leading to the aforementioned World Listening Project); American journalist and author Hunter Thompson (1937-2005), a counterculture icon and pioneer of New Journalism; and British business magnate Sir Richard Branson (born 1950), the unconventional entrepreneur who founded the Virgin Group, a London-based umbrella organization now controlling 400-plus businesses across numerous industries.
Love it: And take a bow, Elizabeth Gilbert! The American author, journalist and philanthropist – whose autobiographical megahit “Eat, Pray, Love” has sold more than 20 million copies, been translated into 30-plus languages and turned into a Julia Roberts movie – turns 56 today.
Give your best to the bestselling author at editor@innovateli.com, where we eat up your news tips, pray for your calendar events and absolutely love it when you share.
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BUT FIRST, THIS
Hempstead helper: A New York City-based investment group that specializes in affordable housing will purchase and renovate a troubled Hempstead Village housing complex – likely with help from the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency.
The IDA has issued preliminary approval of a tax-incentives package supporting Hempstead Preservation LLC, a spinoff of Hudson Valley Property Group, which has its eye on 100 Terrace Ave., a 50-year-old, federally subsidized apartment complex tormented by drugs and violence. The six-story, 420-unit complex has been owned since 2007 by 100 Terrace LLC, which currently has two years remaining on a previously authorized Hempstead IDA benefits package, which will be terminated once ownership changes hands.
The new benefits package is subject to a full IDA review, including a public hearing, but the $147 million renovation project – including new elevators, security upgrades, a refurbished Hempstead Police Department substation and free Wi-Fi for residents, none of whom will be displaced during construction – enjoys “the full support of the Village of Hempstead,” according to the IDA. “This project will revitalize the property, creating a safe, attractive and well-maintained affordable housing community for its residents,’’ noted Hempstead IDA Chief Executive Fred Parola.
Arc covenant: Friends gather to ceremoniously open the People’s Arc of Suffolk Nature Community Center.
Natural selection: One of Long Island’s leading social-services organizations has celebrated the grand opening of its new Nature Community Center in Sayville.
Bohemia-based People’s Arc of Suffolk – formerly known as AHRC Suffolk, a chapter of The Arc New York – cut the ribbon July 9 on its new indoor/outdoor learning environment, designed to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities discover new paths to personal growth through nature-based programming and strong community connections. The inclusive effort – featuring gardening opportunities, wildlife exploration, conservation lessons, art sessions and outdoor play – is managed by People’s Arc of Suffolk through a collaboration with St. Ann’s Episcopal Church in Sayville and the Huntington Station-based Spirit of Huntington Art Center.
Noting that “Sayville is proud of its horticultural heritage and community,” People’s Arc of Suffolk CEO John McGuigan trumpeted a wide-ranging, nature-first effort to build new skills and defeat old stereotypes. “This is about exploring, enriching and thriving through a program based on nature,” McGuigan said. “The people we serve will be helping the local community, building relationships … and dispelling that still-existing myth that people with developmental disabilities are a drain on their community.”
TOP OF THE SITE
Shark week month season: According to Stony Brook University researchers, warming waters are inviting sharks to hang out off the Long Island coast longer into the Fall season.
See everything: Did you see that bit in Monday’s subscriber-only Calendar Newsletter about the new … wait, what? You didn’t see it? Because you’re not an Innovate Long Island newsletter subscriber?!? You need to fix that. Always easy, always free.
ICYMI
Long Island University casts an eye toward blazing 21st Century frontiers as it breaks ground on the future home of its cutting-edge College of Science.
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 Florida: Miami-based apparel/accessory ace Designable Fashion creates user-friendly digital laboratory to supercharge fashion-focused startups and solopreneurs.
From Kansas: Salina-based coffeehouse up-and-comer Mokas Coffee & Eatery is not (just) in Kansas anymore, thanks to bold nationwide franchising opportunity.
From Georgia: Atlanta-based journalism juggernaut Paste Media powers up new website dedicated to games, theme parks and interactive entertainment.
ON THE MOVE
Annemarie Stroustrup
+ Annemarie Stroustrup has been named senior vice president of the Pediatrics Service Line and chairwoman of the Department of Pediatrics at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and the Zucker School of Medicine. She was Northwell Health’s vice president and director of neonatal services and the health system’s chief of neonatology.
+ Michael King has been hired as director of instructional technology for the Eastport-South Manor Central School District. He was principal at the Floral Park-Bellerose School in Floral Park.
+ Raymond Bergan has been appointed director of the Stony Brook Cancer Center, effective Aug. 1. He is the Bill Bures and Jerry Pabst Chair in Cancer Research at the University of Nebraska Medical Center’s Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer.
+ Margaret Marchand has been hired as head of school at the Holy Child Academy in Old Westbury. She was president of the Locust Valley Central School District Board of Education.
+ Paul Majkowski has been elected to the Lymphoma Research Foundation Board of Directors. He is a partner at Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler.
+ Christina Bezas has been named an associate fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. She is a partner at Uniondale-based Rivkin Radler.
+ Harvey Besunder has been appointed to the New York State Bar Association’s Committee on Attorney Professionalism. He is a partner at Egan & Golden in Patchogue.
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BELOW THE FOLD (Summer Reading Assignment Edition)
Soft landing: Paperbacks were once the scourge of the print world.
Final frontier: Today’s the last day to Stuff Your Kindle with free science fiction.
Novel idea: How paperback books transformed the way Americans read.
Read all about it: Behold, the ultimate Summer 2025 Reading List.
Reading, writing, arithmetic – and way more: Please continue supporting the innovative institutions that support Innovate Long Island, including the New York Institute of Technology, where unparalleled higher-education principles are only the beginning of each student’s career-oriented quest. Check them out.
