Julia and George Argyros Gift to CHOC

Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC Children’s) today announced that Julia and George Argyros made a $5 million gift for its new pediatric emergency department – the first in Orange County.  In honor of the couple’s generosity, the emergency department will open in March 2013 as the Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department. The 22,000-square-foot Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department is designed to meet the unique needs of children.  It features 31 treatment rooms, including 14 rapid medical exam rooms, and three triage suites.

The Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department is part of CHOC’s new, 425,000-square-foot tower, which will also house advanced operating rooms, laboratory, pathology and imaging services – each with a dedicated pediatric environment and staff.  The seven-story building, with leading design and safety principles, includes enhanced patient and families amenities to create a serene, healing environment for children.

“We are extremely grateful for the long-standing support of the Argyros family, and are thrilled by this most recent contribution which will help us achieve our vision and transform pediatric care,” said Kim Cripe, president and CEO of CHOC Children’s. “Julia and George’s $5 million donation is an amazing gift to the children and families in Orange County who will now have access to a world-class pediatric emergency department.”

In addition to their $5 million gift, the Argyros family helped launch the hospital’s comprehensive fundraising campaign, “Change CHOC, Change the World,” with a leadership gift of $1 million in 2009 to name the surgery center reception area in CHOC’s new tower.  In recognition of that gift and in honor of Julia and George’s daughter, the area is named “The Stephanie A. Argyros Reception.” They have generously sponsored two signature hospital fundraising events, the CHOC Cherishes Children Gala and the CHOC Follies, for which Julia has also donated her time and talent as a cast member. Stephanie Argyros joined the CHOC Children’s Foundation Board of Directors last year.

With the Argyros’ $5 million gift, CHOC Children’s has raised a little more than $120 million in their “Change CHOC, Change the World” campaign.

“We are grateful to Julia and George Argyros for this transformational investment in pediatric healthcare. This timeless gift will create a lasting legacy for generations to come at CHOC. Please join CHOC Children’s and the Argyros family as together we move forward world-class pediatric healthcare in Orange County and throughout the globe,” said Graig Eastin, vice president of the CHOC Children’s Foundation.

Glass, Sergey Brin, and Diane von Furstenberg

Brin As Rupert Murdoch tweeted when he first saw the Google Glasses on the catwalk, “Genius! Sergey Brin showing revolutionary new glasses at DVF, can take photos, receive texts, give directions, and more.”

I want a pair, primarily for the audio visual function.  The ability to go to the zoo with my daughters and not having to carry a video camera or locate my phone quickly, works for me.

Glass3

I do wonder that every day social wearing of Glass might be a bit unnerving.  If you have ever tried to have a conversation with someone over lunch while they text another person, you get the idea.  What will the social etiquette be for Glass?

Kudos to Google, and the ever gorgeous Diane von Furstenberg for the innovative pairing of tech and fashion introducing Glass to a creative crowd, otherwise in the dark about the potential of Glass.  Google CEO Sergey Brin and Diane von Furstenberg held hands walking the runway at the end of the show, symbolically marking the collaboration between fashion and tech.

GoGlass

Larry Ellison, Team Oracle, the America’s Cup World Series

It has been painful being in the states at the same time as the America’s Cup World Series and not be able to attend.  New Zealanders by and large love sailing, and the love of sailing starts often for children before the age of ten.  When the cup was raced in New Zealand it was bigger here than Nascar is in the USA, or the Tour de France.   Auckland is “The City of Sails”. An Ellison venture, The America's Cup World Series last week was an excellent primer for the coolest, costliest and most technologically advanced sport on the planet featured the same teams, and courses you will see in San Francisco next year. Larry Ellison and Team Oracle won the last America’s Cup, a 4-foot-tall, 33-pound, sterling-silver trophy, in 2010.  One of the eccentricities of the oldest trophy in sport is whoever holds the cup controls the next race.

Tech execs love disruption, innovation, and change.  The first thing Ellison did was toss more than 150 years of tradition overboard. The boats we’ll see racing next year are wind fueled hyper drive machines by comparison.  Wing-sailed catamarans, high-tech carbon fiber giants far faster and more punishing than anything ever raced before in the Cup.

Have you ever seen the Thomas Crown Affair scene where Peirce Brosnan capsizes a catamaran?  The scene has issues and is not technically correct, but it does illustrate the thrilling proposition of racing a cat.  Except these Catamaran’s are huge!

The AC45, named for its length, is 70 feet tall, 22.6 feet wide and weighs 3,086 pounds. It takes five people to race one. Now process this, they are half-size versions of the boats racing next year in Cup races.  The AC72 is bigger, faster and meaner, with a crew of 11 and a top speed north of 30 knots.

Several of the sailors are clients, or I have photographed them at one time or another for media or charity.  Pierluigi de Felice, Brian "Puc" MacInnes, and Russell Coutts are among those coming to mind as I type.  All good men I hold in exceptionally high regard for their strength of character, work ethic, and family focus.

Knowing these athletes personally, I feel their wins and losses personally so it can be a very conflicting experience watching these races.  I've been privileged to be on the large launches rented by Ellison for team members family and friends to follow the race on the water.  When the race was in New Zealand I was on the Oracle team’s family and friends launch while Barker and Team New Zealand lost, twice.  Gut wrenching.  Yet pleased for the sailors I know on  Oracle's side.

Similarly, now I feel pleased Emirates Team NZ that they made it into the semi-finals, and disappointed they did not show in the finals.  The two Luna Rossa teams sailed well. It would have been much more exciting if Oracle had raced outside team in the finals.

Another ACWS regatta will be held on San Francisco Bay from Oct. 2-7.  The real race for the Cup starts next summer 2013, and unless someone hires me to be in San Francisco at the same time (anyone) I will be on the edge of my seat in front of a screen catching as much as I can.  Believe me.  I'll be working over time trying to get myself to SF for the Cup Races in 2013.

In

Christopher Peterson New Chief Financial Officer Ralph Lauren Corporation

One of my favorite brands, Ralph Lauren Corporation, today announced the appointment of Christopher H. Peterson, 46, as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Peterson will assume his new role effective September 24, 2012, and his areas of responsibility will include the Company’s global finance and information technology organizations. He will report to Roger Farah, President and Chief Operating Officer. A world-class financial executive, Mr. Peterson has 25 years of broad-based financial and operational experience, primarily in the global consumer products industry. Over the last 20 years, Mr. Peterson has held several successively senior corporate and operational roles throughout The Procter & Gamble Company, most recently as Chief Financial Officer of its Global Household Care division. In that capacity, Mr. Peterson was responsible for the strategic planning and financial management of a group of businesses with combined annual revenues of approximately $45 billion. Mr. Peterson began his career in Smith Barney’s investment banking division and he has a Bachelor of Science degree in Operations Research & Industrial Engineering from Cornell University.

“We are excited to welcome Chris to our senior team,” said Roger Farah. “With 25 years of broad-based, global financial and operational experience with some of the world’s most well-known brands, he has a demonstrated track record of disciplined leadership. He will be a strong partner as we continue to execute our long-term strategic growth objectives.”

In

Ellen DeGeneres and Finding Nemo 2

Finding Nemo is being made into a Finding Nemo 2. We think this is wonderful news and we were even more excited to hear the news that Ellen DeGeneres is entering negotiations to reprise her voice role of forgetful fish Dory.

The character of Dory with her optimism, can do attitude, generosity of heart and humility is so easy to love and a great example to children about how to face challenges and trials. A little too trusting perhaps but a wonderful balance to Marlin the clownfish, who sees the dark and gloomy everywhere and is constantly doing all he can to keep his loved ones safe.

Marlin is easy to understand, he has lived through a worst-case scenario once. My wife can be a bit like Marlin, and she too has lived through several similar worst-case scenarios. Extreme loss leaves a mark. The character of Dory proves a point made by Ralph Waldo Emerson. “Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory.”

By dwelling on what is gone, we miss what we have. By focusing on what might go wrong, we lose sight of all that is possible.

We wish Victoria Strouse, Andrew Stanton, and the rest of the team working on this project huge success. This is one family looking forward to Finding Nemo 2.

Source: http://mahlonsmissivescom.ipage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/1091655506_agesc_dory.gif

Dustin Moskovitz and Peter Thiel Investing In Vicarious

Good Ventures LLC, a for-profit investment firm founded by Facebook and Asana co-founder Dustin Moskovitz that donates all its earnings to the Good Ventures Foundation today announced a $15M Series A round of financing for artificial intelligence research company Vicarious. Also participating in the round is veteran institutional investor Founders Fund and Open Field Capital, as well as Vicarious angel investors Steve Brown and Zarco Investment Group.

"Vicarious is bringing us closer to a future where computers perceive, imagine, and reason just like humans. We are proud to support Vicarious in its quest," said Peter Thiel, partner at Founders Fund.

Vicarious is developing machine learning software based on the computational principles of the human brain. Since its launch in February 2011, the company has developed a visual perception system that interprets the contents of photographs and videos in a manner similar to humans. Powering this technology is Vicarious' key innovation: a new computational paradigm called the Recursive Cortical Network™. The research at Vicarious is expected to have broad implications for robotics, medical image analysis, image and video search, and many other fields.

"The technology that Vicarious is developing has the potential to improve all lives and revolutionize every industry. Even the intermediate technologies Vicarious creates en route to artificial intelligence will be immensely impactful," said Mr. Moskovitz, who will be joining Vicarious's board of directors. "It's essential that the right people bring this technology into the world," added Cari Tuna, president of the Good Ventures Foundation and Mr. Moskovitz's fiancée. "Scott and Dileep share our mission to help humanity thrive, and we're deeply grateful for their efforts."

"Building machine intelligence is one of the most important and challenging problems humanity has ever faced. Advancements in neuroscience, probabilistic models, and computing power are enabling new strategies for AI research," said Vicarious co-founder Dr. Dileep George. "We are honored to pursue this long term goal with the support of investors who share our deepest values," added Vicarious co-founder D. Scott Phoenix.

www.vicarious.com.

www.goodventures.org

Prince William Qualified Search And Rescue Captain

Prince William piloted a RAF Search and Rescue Force helicopter deployed to save a teenage girl drowning off the coast of Wales. Caught in a riptide when they were body-boarding the 16-year-old and her friend were dragged out to sea. The friend, 13, was rescued by a surfer. The other teen swallowed water and was slipping under the surface when the alert was raised.

The Duke of Cambridge reached the scene in only 38 seconds.

"When I got to her, the girl was clearly exhausted and was going under the water for what was the very last time," paramedic Master Aircrew Harry Harrison told the BBC.

"Sometimes it's just a twisted ankle or a broken bone, but this was one rescue where we truly did arrive in the nick of time."

Flight Lt. Wales, as he's known to his crew, has been stationed at the search and rescue base on the Welsh island of Anglesey – where he lives with wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge – since 2010. In May, he qualified as search and rescue captain after previously serving as co-pilot.

In

Reid Hoffman to Receive 2012 Difference Maker Award

The Stevie® Awards today announced that Reid Hoffman, Executive Chairman of LinkedIn Corporation and a Partner at Greylock Partners, will be honored with its 2012 Difference Maker award at The 10th Annual American Business Awards new product and tech awards banquet on September 17 at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco. “Reid Hoffman embodies the entrepreneurial spirit in America,” said Stevie Awards President Michael Gallagher. “In addition to being an influential entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Reid devotes his energies to philanthropic and educational initiatives that work to inspire a new generation of startups in the U.S.A. and worldwide. We’re honored to be able to recognize his achievements with an honorary Stevie Award.”

In 2003, Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking service, in his living room. LinkedIn has more than 175 million members in 200 countries and territories around the world. He led LinkedIn through its first four years and to profitability as CEO and Chairman.

Hoffman joined Greylock Partners in 2009 and currently serves on the boards of Airbnb, Edmodo, Mozilla (Firefox), Shopkick, Swipely, Wrapp, and Zynga and has co-led investments in Coupons.com, Groupon, and Viki. He also leads the Greylock Discovery Fund, which invests in seed stage entrepreneurs and companies.

He believes strongly in the ability for entrepreneurship and technology to improve the world. Hoffman serves on the boards of Kiva.org, Endeavor.org, DoSomething.org, and StartupAmericaPartnership.org. He also co-authored the best-selling book The Startup of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career.

Ivanka Trump Grants A Wish

Teen jewelry designer Linda Cifuentes was recently granted a wish to spend a day with Trump at her SoHo jewelry boutique, through the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Cifuentes is 16-year-old and was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma earlier this year. Her mother brought her beads to make jewelry with from her hospital bed. A passion was born.

“She’s really, really very good,” Trump says.

Trump gifted the teen with a piece from her fine jewelry collection.

Trump also gave Cifuentes three emeralds, used to create a piece auctioned at a Make-A-Wish event. Funds raised will help grant four children’s wishes. - August 12th 2012

Source: http://mahlonsmissivescom.ipage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Ivanka.jpg

Dr Keith Brownlee is a Fabulous Father

Brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee are going for gold in London tomorrow in the same race. As a father, I am blown away by the relationship these two young men seem to have and contemplate the likelihood that their relationship is a reflection of their parenting. Keith and Kathy Brownlee already have a lot of which to be proud. For me as a father, one of the most appealing parts of their story is at an event they were both racing in earlier in June in Oxfordshire, the gap between the brothers was so tight that they decided to cross the finish line arm-in-arm.

This got me thinking about my family's parenting efforts and our goal of making the most of our daughter’s individual talents, even when they have talents in common. Here are some of the things we do. Check back in 20 years to find out if we were successful in creating a sibling relationship as successful as the Brownlee’s.

Do not compare: Eventually some kids reach a place in their own minds where they think if anyone is better at something than they are; it means they ought to just give up at developing that skill. Comparisons are as damaging as labels. Encouraging self-competition seems to work better for our daughters. Improving on their last score or performance time, their personal best, encourages them to improve and keeps their sense of value intact. We set our girls up to cooperate. For example, they race the timer to pick up toys, instead of racing each other. We try to celebrate each child’s varied successes. We also tell them to remember no matter how good you are at something, there is quite likely someone somewhere, better, doing is not about being the best, it is about doing your best. Anyone can improve on his or her own best. Learn to enjoy your experiences and improvement without continually comparing yourself to your siblings.

Avoid Labeling: Yes, everyone is different. One child may be slightly faster with maths, another runs a bit faster, or has a lovely singing voice or especially beautiful eyes. However, allowing children to sort themselves based on this is limiting. Starting a pattern of seeing themselves through the eyes of others. It can limit children from trying something labelled as a sibling’s strong point. Labeling can also limit a child’s confidence in almost all other areas, they may be fearful of being less good at something else.

Equal Time: Make an effort to spend equal time with both of our daughters, without over focusing on the child who needs the most help at spelling, or math, or the child currently performing the best.

Family Strengths: Donnell and I avoid categorizing each other as good or bad at things because we think kids seeing parents as people full of possibilities and strengths means that regardless of which parent they identify with, their options to develop their skills stay open. We are aiming for a family culture that says we expect all our children to be smart and value challenge and this seems to create an environment where our daughters encourage each other.

Acknowledge Feelings: When one child feels insecurity about personal value because of a sibling’s success, we acknowledging those feelings and encourage our child to discover unique talents of their own. Both of our daughters love art and helping them understand the value of personal style has helped them stop the conversation about which of them might be better, and now they encourage each other to create new and different ideas and collaborate much better. We also ask them once in a while what some of the positive things their sister does that they really like and what are some of the things they do that might bother them or make them mad. This helps us track their relationship, and reminds us they have some positive feelings for each other.

Keep it fair: When one of the girls weeds a bucket more than the other we keep the performance scale realistic. The one who did more is paid more. Effort and attitude count.

Competition: It exists and we cannot change that, but we can encourage an environment where our daughters feel that we as a family are the home team. One member’s success touches us all. Cheer for your sibling and they will cheer for you. Donnell fondly remembers the girls on a playground at two, challenging themselves to reach a goal they kept saying to each other, “you do it, you do it.” We think they were mimicking our “You can do it” mantra.

We are encouraged by Keith and Kathy Brownlee’s sons. In an interview, Dr Brownlee commented about his sons, "They have been supportive of each other. They both recognise that neither would be where they are without the other. I try and persuade them to think about it as a family business. Kathy and I both just want them to finish the race healthy, intact and content. We're so proud that they've got this far. What comes next doesn't matter."

What a fabulous father.

Artists - Keep The Heart Of A Child

I think Picasso said; I learned how to draw like Raphael in five years . . . . and it's taken a life time to paint like a Child…

Or as a very dear friend Sir Toss Woollaston told me once; I’m just trying to see with the clarity and simplicity of vision that I had when I was five years old.

David Arquette is a Fabulous Father

Donnell is back on track with our Fabulous Fathers project and reaching out to Dad's from all walks of life to share their insight and wisdom on the subject of Fatherhood. We asked David Arquette what is first thought was when he found out he was going to be a first time father . . . his reply "I felt blessed. It re-defined my understanding of love."

Wildfire, Co-Founded by Ex-Pat New Zealander Victoria Ransom Bought By Google

Co-founders, Victoria Ransom and Alain Chuard, launched Wildfire just four years ago. Since then, they and their team have built a service that helps businesses like Virgin, Cirque du Soleil, Gilt Group and Spotify manage their social efforts across numerous social websites. Wildfire is a platform for brands to manage their pages, apps, tweets, videos, sponsorships, ads, promotions and more, all in one place with, according to Wildfire, the ultimate goal better and fresher content, and more meaningful interactions.

Eli Broad - The Art of Being Unreasonable

Accomplished men usually have something worthwhile to share, sometimes in the form of simple word phrases, triggers ‘game changing’ in personal values.

This article in Fast Company on Eli Broad and his Time Management tips was sent to me by my wife. http://www.fastcompany.com/1836821/how-eli-broad-works-24-7-and-still-gets-8-hours-sleep-every-night

Most of us have read numerous ‘windy’ books on time management, keeping logs, strategies etc.

Eli’s advise is the simple phrase, ‘now let’s move on’ sounds too simple but the way he explains it in terms of moving meetings along that are dragging out, is brilliant!

In addition, the reminder that eight good hours sleep help ensure the other sixteen are well spent is refreshing if, like me, you have the tendency to keep at a thing until it is done. My wife has successfully been getting me in bed in the PM rather the early AM. Life is good, better, obviously simple stuff again, energizing all the same!

It would seem Eli Broad makes time for lighthearted fun, taking off his dress shoes and celebrating in the renovated Arthur J. Will Memorial Fountain on Thursday to cap off an opening ceremony for downtown's new Grand Park.

Looking forward to reading and commenting on more of this book as time permits and as an artist, I love the title. The ART of being unreasonable.

Source: http://mahlonsmissivescom.ipage.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Eli-Broad-Art.jpg