LOVE ANGELES PROJECT®

Chip Conley: The Joy of Life

Source: TED - In 1987, at the age of 26 and seeking a little "joy of life," Chip Conley founded Joie de Vivre Hospitality by transforming a small motel in San Francisco’s seedy Tenderloin district into the now-legendary Phoenix. Today, Joie de Vivre operates nearly 40 unique hotels across California, each built on an innovative design formula that inspires guests to experience an "identity refreshment" during their visits.

During the dotcom bust in 2001, Conley found himself in the self-help section of the bookstore, where he became reacquainted with one of the most famous theories of human behavior -- Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, which separates human desires into five ascending levels, from base needs such as eating to the highest goal of self-actualization, characterized by the full realization and achievement of one’s potential. Influenced by Maslow's pyramid, Conley revamped his business model to focus on the intangible, higher needs of his company's three main constituencies -- employees, customers and investors. He credits this shift for helping Joie de Vivre triple its annual revenues between 2001 and 2008.

Conley has written three books, including his most recent, PEAK: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow, and is at work on two new ones, Emotional Equations and PEAK Leadership. He consults widely on transformative enterprises, corporate social responsibility and creative business development. He traveled to Bhutan last year to study its Gross National Happiness index, the country's unique method of measuring success and its citizens' quality of life.

"Chip Conley is that rare breed of CEO who possesses both a brilliant business mind and a very big heart. He’s a true role model for anyone who wants to lead." - Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco

Schwarzenegger Folly at the Ballot Box

Source: LAist - The Governor of California ran into some trouble yesterday while casting his ballot in the Statewide Direct Primary. After filling out his ballot at Kenter Canyon Elementary School, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger found it was rejected by the machine since he'd mistakenly marked votes for two Republican Senate candidates, explains KTLA.

Pollworker Keta Hodgson explained the issue to Schwarzenegger, and offered him the option to override the rejection and have his Senate vote not be counted, or destroy the ballot and vote on a new one. Schwarzenegger opted for the "do-over," and went back to the booth to mark a fresh ballot--this time one that was accepted without issue.

Love Pierce Brosnan!

Source: Ecorazzi  - We know that Pierce Brosnan loves whales and we’re super excited to see that he’s taking some major steps to protect these mighty animals.

Brosnan has teamed up with The Humane Society of the United States to convince the International Whaling Commission to continue protecting whales around the world.

For the first time in 25 years, on June 21, the International Whaling Commission will meet to decide whether to effectively lift the prohibition on commercial whaling. If this happens,  it will give Japan, Iceland and Norway free will to hunt whales.

In a letter, Pierce says:

“We cannot allow three nations to decide the fate of the world’s whales. In 1982, the nations of the world recognized that whales could not survive if commercial whaling continued. In 2010, when whales face even more threats than ever before — including toxic pollution, climate change, loss of habitat, ship strikes, and oil and gas exploration — how could anyone believe it’s safe to let whalers off their leash? YOU can make all the difference.”

Actor Kevin Costner Welcomes Seventh Child

Source: CBS - Oscar-winning director and actor Kevin Costner is a dad for the seventh time. Costner, 55, and his wife Christine Baumgartner, 36, welcomed their third child, a baby girl named Grace Avery Costner, on Wednesday, June 2.

Grace Avery arrived at 5:46 p.m. in California. She weighed 7 lbs., 11 oz., and was 21 inches at birth. The couple's rep tells People magazine that both mother and daughter are doing well.

The "Dancing with Wolves" star married Baumgartner, a German model, back in 2004. They have two other sons together - Hayes Loan, 16 months, and Cayden Wyatt, 3. Costner has four other children from a previous marriage. His eldest child is 25 years old.

Costner recently made headlines with his company, Ocean Therapy Solutions. BP officials agreed to test his company's oil-cleaning device, which could separate oil from water, as part of an effort to clean up the massive oil spill in the Gulf.

The Dude of LA

By: Mark Swed - Let’s see. There was the buildup. There was “¡Bienvenido Dudamel!” at the Bowl and an opening night on global TV. And the media feeding frenzy. And Drubbing Dudamel, The Tour.

He’s the future of classical music. He’s not the future of classical music. He’s the new Leonard Bernstein. He’s the old Zubin Mehta. He’s the hot Venezuelan. He’s the scary other. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is re-inventing the symphony orchestra. No, it isn't. The Los Angeles Times doesn't get it.

City noir, indeed

Perhaps what Gustavo Dudamel really is is a mirror. In youth-oriented, increasingly Latin Los Angeles, a city of adventure and celebrity, he is, well, the ultimate celebrity conductor. Consider the reviews on the Phil's eight-city national tour: In the home of orchestral dysfunction, Dudamel’s L.A. Phil poses no threat to the leaderless Fabulous Philadelphians. In status quo D.C, Dudamel is understood as fabulous but status quo. In sophisticated San Francisco, Dudamel is no Michael Tilson Thomas Mahlerian. In soon-to-be Muti’s Chicago, we are barbarians at the gate. In New York, nothing’s ever simple.

So what did Dudamel really do in his first season as music director of the L.A. Philharmonic (besides, of course, attract huge admiring crowds and hoards of journalists)? A lot of new music, for one thing. He also tirelessly proselytized for music education. Mainly, though, he kept audiences, musicians and exhausted administrators never knowing what to expect next.

Photo: Gustavo Dudamel conducting the Youth Orchestra of L.A. at his season-opening Hollywood Bowl Concert in October. Credit: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times.

Rob Pattinson Love Elephants!

Source: CelebsGoneGood - Twilight star Robert Pattinson announced that his favorite charity is the World Wildlife Fund, a worldwide organization focused on protecting nature. With his new film, Pattinson, his fans, and the WWF will be focusing on the conservation of elephants.

Rising in Love

Do you know the difference between Falling in Love and Rising in Love?

Aguilera Named 'Ambassador Against Hunger'

Source: Celebsgonegood - Christina Aguilera is back… for good! (Pun intended.) On top of her new single climbing the charts, Christina was recently named as an “Ambassador Against Hunger” for the UN’s World Food Programme. The diva is no stranger to traveling the world, and continues to add to her list of do-gooding destinations, having recently returned from a trip to Guatemala. Her next stop? Haiti.

The five-time Grammy Award winner made an appearance on Oprah on Friday, naming the birth of her son as one of the inspirations behind both her new album and her charity initiatives. The singer said, “A child dies every six seconds of hunger which is a huge statistic for me. After having my own child I just had to be a part of it and do something about it and help change that situation.”

The World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest hunger-fighting agency, whose goals are to save and protect lives in times of emergency, help communities prepare, restore, and rebuild after disasters, and to educate people on how to alleviate chronic hunger and malnutrition.

Warren Buffett's Son Preaches Values as Wealth

Source: Yahoo - The son of billionaire investor Warren Buffett has an old-world spiritual message for today's money-rich parents: teach your children values and do not give them everything they want.

Musician and now author Peter Buffett preaches the message in his new book "Life is What You Make it: Finding Your Own Path to Fulfillment". Recently released in the United States, it describes how he wound up a "normal, happy" person instead of a spoiled child to one of the world's richest people.

Buffett, 52, teaches the rewards of self-respect and pursuing one's own passions and accomplishments rather than buying into society's concepts of material wealth.

"I am my own person and I know what I have accomplished in my life," he said. "This isn't about wealth or fame or money or any of that stuff, it is actually about values and what you enjoy and finding something you love doing."

People who are born with a silver spoon in their mouth can fall victim to what Buffett said his father has called a "silver dagger in your back," which leads to a sense of entitlement and a lack of personal achievement.

"Entitlement is the worst thing ever and I see entitlement coming in many guises," he said. "Anybody who acts like they deserve something 'just because,', is a disaster."

But Buffett wasn't always this wise. His own family gave him $90,000 in stock when he was 19, a small sum from such immense financial wealth. After studying at Stanford University, he moved to San Francisco and lived in a studio apartment with just enough room for his musical instruments.

"I was really searching," he said, adding that he began his musical career by working for free writing music for a local television station.

"I was kind of lost, but trying to find myself. It was definitely this strange period where I didn't really know where I was going," he said.

LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE

As well his musical passions, the values taught to him growing up and a sense of a bigger picture in life stayed with him during those trying times, he said.

"I was not only not handed everything as a kid, I was shown that there are lots of other people out there with very different circumstances," he said.

Although many people he encounters assume that his father wanted him to go into finance, he said his father accepted his choice to become a musician beginning with commercials then his own albums and composing for television shows and films.

"It was encouraged for a moment when I was open to the idea," he said about pursuing finance. But he added that as he grew older, it became clear the financial world "was not speaking to my heart."

Along with the book, Buffett has embarked on a "Concert & Conversation" tour in which he plays the piano, talks about his life and warns against consumerist culture and damaging the environment.

He said he eventually inherited more money after his mother died in 2004, but by then he had learned his lessons. Now he works on giving back to the world -- another of his life philosophies -- which includes through working for his father's NoVo charitable foundation.

"Economic prosperity may come and go; that's just how it is," he writes in the book. "But values are the steady currency that earn us the all-important rewards."

We Shall Have to Begin With the Children (Video)

"Babies" Watched by the Whole World

Source: CBS - If you're a mom, heck, if you're a human, "Babies" might be the ultimate feel-good film.

CBS News correspondent Tracy Smith reports the film chronicles the first year in the lives of four babies from four walks of life: Mongolia, Japan, Namibia, and the United States.

The idea was to make a wildlife film of sorts: just lock down the camera, and watch what happens.

"You can see them learning very little things like eating a rock," said producer Alain Chabat. "It's not good, I won't eat a rock."

While some may gasp at the ideas other cultures have of babyproofing - there is a unifying theme: love.

Every parent knows you put a kid in front of a camera and magic happens. But this is a 79-minute film with no big stars, no dialogue, no narration. So the question are babies bankable box office?

"People are wondering - are 'babies' the new penguins?" asked Entertainment Weekly's Jill Bernstein.

She's referring to "March of the Penguins," which won Best Documentary in 2006, grossing over $77 million. That film had more of a plot, but some say "Babies" makes up for it in cuteness.

"That baby doesn't know you're watching it and it's fascinating to watch a creature that doesn't know he or she is being watched," Bernstein said.

Thanks in part to a perfectly timed Mother's Day release, "Babies" has already gotten lots of attention: Newspaper headlines, a Facebook page, and over 400,000 hits on YouTube.

While it may not be able to take on that other film opening this weekend, "Iron Man 2," "Babies" does have a built in audience. Even Iron Man had a mother.

Challanges in Africa

Source: AllAfrica.com - Ever since the AIDS problem was discovered nearly 30 years ago, the deadly acquired immune deficiency syndrome remains a challenge to the society.

Now, it is important that we base our initiatives on some understanding of what has gone wrong. Unfortunately and in many ways, the world, countries and communities have struggled to overcome social and economic challenges posed by HIV/AIDS.

Though there is much campaign and struggle to fight HIV/AIDS, the seemingly unstoppable, disaster and catastrophic human tragedy caused by the disease continues in some parts of the world.

It should be noted that some factors contribute to the failure of success against HIV/AIDS. To some extent silence and denial are a primordial and protective human response to situations that are excessively stressful.

It's true that human kind cannot bear too much reality, but trying to cover up the existence of AIDS will never lead to mastery over the disease or its impacts. This habit still commonly occurs in families, communities, and in several parts of the world.

Attitudes, behaviors, insidious associations, and adverse social reactions that discriminate against and stigmatize those with HIV/AIDS drive acknowledgment of the disease into an underground of silence, secrecy, shame and self recrimination.

Lack of correct information on how the disease can be contracted, how it can be prevented, and what those infected can do to ensure that they live a longer life of better quality still remains a challenge.

Today a significant proportion of people do not know how to be protected against HIV infection. Some even do not know that oral and anal sex involve extensive HIV transmission risks. People still think that you can judge by appearances whether or not a person is HIV infected.

The global fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria that was created by the United Nations nearly 10 years ago has helped the international community and national governments to deal with the problem.

This has somehow eased the social and economic challenges as costs for purchase of anti-retro viral drugs and health care of people living with the disease have been minimized.

People should deliver capacity to design good strategies with good response measures. Important to mention is that there is strong focus on short term measures aimed principally at behavior change, but with minimal attention in the context of the disease.

There is strong need to prevent and overcome poverty, malnutrition, the powerlessness in many societies of women and young girls, inadequate health support services, lack of job opportunities, and the absence of recreational outlets as this is one of the channels of the infection exposure.

Inadequate attention to developing comprehensive strategies that focus on the physical, social, economic, recreational and psychological needs of youth. The war against AIDS will be won when it is won among the youth sooner than later.

Overriding attention to dealing with the disease at the level of the individual, but with little recognition that the disease is also undermining the ability of systems, organizations and institutions to cater for the needs of individuals and society remains a problem.

Failure in many approaches to be sensitive to cultural and religious perceptions and values, with the result that suspicions, intransigence and conflict over peripheral issues such as condom use have tended to overshadow what should be a shared world and community vision of how to respond to the disease.

In order to put a halt to the continuous obscene growth of the disease, we need to take forceful action. We must harness the huge potential of the education sector to prevent further HIV infection. By educating people about the spread and infection of the disease, we are bale to overcome its challenges.

We should mobilize the sector to offer support and care for those who are infected with the disease or are in any way affected by it. Here we need to take steps to keep our society in order and protect it from the in roads and ravages of the disease.

Coming Out in Numbers

A one night only featuring some of LA's Top Artists. With a $10 donation guests will receive a hand silk screened poster to personalize, and a portion of the proceeds will benefit The Vision Center Children's Hospital Los Angeles. The money collected goes directly to the artists, the event space, and the charity. www.laartinnumbers.com

Screening of 'Disappointment Valley' at OLANDAR

Sunday, April 25, 730P - Screening of  'Disappointment Valley' at Olandar, home of Carla and Leigh McCloskey, 6032 Philip Avenue, Malibu, Ca  90265

$15.00  (We are trying to raise funds for this very important cause-please let horse lovers and others who would be interested know about this event!)

New guests may come at 7P to see Leigh's wonder study, the Hieroglyph of the Human Soul  - See images of the Hieroglyph and Leigh's other work on his website: www.leighmccloskey.com

RSVP for screening needed as space is limited: 310-457-5398

This film examines the plight of America's wild horses and the rapidly deteriorating condition of our wild and beautiful public lands in the majestic, haunting American west. The film is impressionable, haunting and will inspire people to take action towards positive change.  The film presents solutions for America’s wild horses and burros and the preservation of our public lands. We are honored to have James Anaquad Kleinert-Director/Cinematographer available for Q&A after the screening.

Watch the clip below:

Carrie Underwood Praises Friends After Winning Top ACM Award

Source: CMT (LAS VEGAS) - Carrie Underwood's new single is called "Temporary Home," yet she's continuing to prove herself as a permanent fixture in country music history. On Sunday night (April 18), she became the first woman to win the Academy of Country Music's entertainer of the year trophy twice. It's also the second year that the ACM's top award was fan-voted.

Just moments after accepting the trophy, Underwood took questions from reporters backstage. Asked if she was surprised by her win, she replied, "Oh, my gosh, yes! I know my fans are awesome and they come out to support me every single night when I'm onstage. They are the most amazing fans anybody could hope to have. But I was like, 'I don't know ... .'" She conceded she thought she had a little chance, then sheepishly admitted she voted for herself -- which elicited a round of laughter among the press.

Despite the milestone in the entertainer of the year category, Underwood shied away from taking too much credit for representing country's new class of female artists.

"It's not just me," she said, still out of breath from her acceptance speech. "It's Miranda [Lambert]. She was all over the place. It's Reba, who always continues to show us how it's done. There are so many beautiful, strong, extremely talented and smart women who are just making headlines left and right, and I'm honored to be with them. It's amazing company, and I think it's only going to get better."

Underwood and Lambert kicked off the show with Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Travelin' Band," flanked by Brad Paisley (who later won his fourth ACM Award for male vocalist), John Fogerty and Charlie Daniels. In the pressroom, Underwood praised Lambert as "so cool because she's so real" and expressed her delight at sharing the stage with Fogerty, whom she cited as one of her longtime musical favorites.

With a wedding to hockey star Mike Fisher in the works, Underwood fielded a question about how she's getting ready for big day.

"I'm just taking care of myself, which is what I always hope to do for anything," she said. "I constantly have events coming up, whether it's ACMs or other awards show or some other television appearance. I'm always trying to be my best -- not just to look my best, but to feel my best, too. I'm on tour right now, so I have to keep myself healthy and really take care of myself. So it will be more of that. I'm not a big stresser. Mike would love me if I weighed 800 pounds."

She also told a reporter that she never dreamed this big as a contestant on American Idol in 2005.

"Whenever I was on Idol, I was just hoping to stay there for another week," she said. "That was as far as my calendar would go. I don't think anybody could have possibly predicted any of this. Just because you're on Idol, or you win Idol, doesn't mean you're an instant superstar. There's a lot that goes into it, and a lot of it has to do with luck or fans or God. There are a lot of different factors. It's amazing for me to get to sit in a crowd like this [at awards shows]. I used to watch them on TV when I was little, and I'd root for my favorites. Now I think maybe there's some little blond girl in a small town crossing her fingers really hard for me."