Latest news with #LoyolaMarymountUniversity
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
'Nobody Is Holding A Gun To My Head' Says 89-Year-Old Costco Co-Founder Who Still Goes To Work Because He Loves It
Costco co-founder Jim Sinegal still visits the company's Issaquah, Washington, headquarters every Tuesday just because he enjoys it. 'Nobody is holding a gun to my head,' Sinegal said during a 2016 speech at Loyola Marymount University, highlighting his voluntary commitment to the company he helped build. Sinegal may have stepped down as CEO in 2012, but he's far from done. And he's not alone. A growing number of older Americans are rethinking retirement, blending passion with purpose well past traditional working years. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last month, Sinegal said his drive comes from his early mentor, Sol Price, the retail visionary behind FedMart. Sinegal started bagging groceries at 18 and went on to co-found Costco with Jeff Brotman in 1983. More than 40 years later, he's still walking the aisles—and loving it. "I think to be successful, you've got to be pretty focused," he said. His personal rule of thumb? "Worry about your livelihood, your health, and your family. Anything else is a bonus." Costco is keeping up the momentum. For its Q2 2025, which ended on Feb. 16, the company reported $62.53 billion in net sales, a 6% increase compared to the same period last year. CFO Gary Millerchip said on an earnings call that Costco's U.S. and Canada membership renewal rate stood at 93%, with a global rate of 90.5%. He highlighted significant growth in digital initiatives, noting that e-commerce sales saw double-digit increases in categories like home furnishings and sporting goods. Trending: Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — Costco isn't the only place where seniors are clocking in. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the labor-force participation rate for Americans ages 65 and older reached 19% in April. Among those 75 and older, it's now over 8%, the highest ever recorded. That trend isn't just economic. Retirees were more likely to show signs of depression than those who continued working, even part-time, according to a long-term study cited by The Times of London. The research, as reported by The Times, tracked 27,500 Americans over the age of 50 for an average of 14 years. Those who had retired reported more frequent feelings of sadness and a sense that "everything is an effort," suggesting that continued engagement in work may help support mental to MarketWatch, retired Harvard Business School professor Teresa Amabile spent a decade studying how people transition into retirement. In her book, "Retiring: Creating a Life That Works for You," she outlines four key stages: deciding when to retire, detaching from work, exploring new roles, and forming a fulfilling new routine. Skipping these steps can leave retirees feeling adrift. Amabile emphasizes that retirement isn't just about finances—it's about finding purpose through meaningful activities like mentoring, volunteering, or staying engaged, much like Costco's Sinegal. Read Next: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: . 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article 'Nobody Is Holding A Gun To My Head' Says 89-Year-Old Costco Co-Founder Who Still Goes To Work Because He Loves It originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Malaysian Reserve
19-05-2025
- Science
- Malaysian Reserve
Brian Greene Tells LMU Graduates: Embrace Your Moment in the Cosmos with Curiosity and Gratitude
LOS ANGELES, May 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Brian Greene, a leading theoretical physicist and sought-after communicator of groundbreaking scientific concepts, urged those gathered Sunday for Loyola Marymount University's graduate and LMU Loyola Law School commencement to appreciate their unique existence in the cosmos, embrace their potential, and approach life with gratitude. Addressing a rapt crowd on LMU's sun-filled Westchester campus, the best-selling author told graduates 'we have each won the most improbable cosmic lottery.' See the press kit with images and Greene's commencement video HERE. 'Think about how utterly unlikely it is that you exist,' Greene said. 'Think about the nearly infinite collection of quantum processes stretching from The Big Bang until today … yet against those astounding odds – for a brief moment of time you exist, as do I.' Drawing on discoveries from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan to Edwin Hubble, Greene traced for students and attendees the arc of scientific discovery allowing us to better understand our place in the universe, and the phenomenon of our capacity to live, comprehend, and connect with one another. Greene also noted the contributions of Jesuit-educated Catholic priest Georges Lemaître, who 'used Einstein's math to catch a glimpse of the possibility that space might be expanding,' an idea widely rejected at the time, only to be established a few years later. 'We can think about the past. We can imagine the future. We can take in the universe, mind and body, with reasoning and emotion allowing us to figure out astonishing things, like how stars shine and light travels, how black holes form and time elapses, allowing for creative achievements … all created by minds like yours, like mine, and that …most certainly will continue to create great beauty, to illuminate great mystery, to experience great wonder.' This phenomenon of human existence, Greene concluded, 'should give us all a deep sense of connection. A kind of cosmic communion, and a sense that I can summarize with one word: gratitude.' 'Gratitude for being a small transient part of this wondrous unfolding, gratitude for our capacity to come together in groups that, at their best, allow us to each realize our potential, gratitude for our capacity for courage like that of George Lemaître, to stand up to authority, to not accept easy answers, and when necessary to fight for what we believe in. Gratitude that is for human existence, for fragile, delicate, difficult, challenging, painful, exhausting, beautiful, exquisite, transcendent, human existence, however brief, however evanescent, however fleeting.' Greene is a lifelong learner committed to intellectual inquiry, educational access, and academic excellence. Described by The Washington Post as 'the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today,' he is the author of four acclaimed books that have collectively sold millions of copies worldwide. His latest best-selling release, 'Until the End of Time,' which explores the cosmos and our quest to understand it, was named one of the '100 Notable Books of 2020' by The New York Times. Greene's books have been adapted into two Emmy and Peabody Award-winning NOVA miniseries, both of which he hosted. With journalist Tracy Day, he co-founded the World Science Festival, whose flagship events in New York and Australia have reached an audience of more than two million people, and more than 250 million people online. Greene has appeared on 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,' played himself in an episode of 'The Big Bang Theory,' and made cameo appearances in films including 'Frequency,' 'Maze,' and 'The Last Mimzy.' A Harvard graduate and a Rhodes Scholar, he serves as director of Columbia University's Center for Theoretical Physics. Nearly 2,900 LMU undergraduate, graduate, and law students participated in weekend commencement celebrations, which began Saturday with Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson addressing the undergraduate commencement ceremony. ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY Loyola Marymount University is one of the nation's top-ranked Catholic universities, recognized by U.S. News & World Report among the top 50 private and top five Jesuit institutions in the country, and among California's top six private schools. Founded in 1911 and rooted in the Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount traditions, LMU enrolls 7,100 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate and law students across seven colleges and schools. The university offers 56 undergraduate majors, 57 minors, 43 master's degree programs, three doctorate programs, and 12 credential/authorization programs. With top-ranked programs in law, film and television, entrepreneurship, business, and the arts, LMU is embedded in the creative, cultural, and economic life of Los Angeles. The university generates $1.4 billion in annual economic impact. A proud member of the West Coast Conference, LMU fields 14 NCAA Division I teams and competes with purpose, pride, and integrity. LMU news and events are found at:
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Brian Greene Tells LMU Graduates: Embrace Your Moment in the Cosmos with Curiosity and Gratitude
LOS ANGELES, May 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Brian Greene, a leading theoretical physicist and sought-after communicator of groundbreaking scientific concepts, urged those gathered Sunday for Loyola Marymount University's graduate and LMU Loyola Law School commencement to appreciate their unique existence in the cosmos, embrace their potential, and approach life with gratitude. Addressing a rapt crowd on LMU's sun-filled Westchester campus, the best-selling author told graduates "we have each won the most improbable cosmic lottery." See the press kit with images and Greene's commencement video HERE. "Think about how utterly unlikely it is that you exist," Greene said. "Think about the nearly infinite collection of quantum processes stretching from The Big Bang until today … yet against those astounding odds – for a brief moment of time you exist, as do I." Drawing on discoveries from Albert Einstein to Stephen Hawking and Carl Sagan to Edwin Hubble, Greene traced for students and attendees the arc of scientific discovery allowing us to better understand our place in the universe, and the phenomenon of our capacity to live, comprehend, and connect with one another. Greene also noted the contributions of Jesuit-educated Catholic priest Georges Lemaître, who "used Einstein's math to catch a glimpse of the possibility that space might be expanding," an idea widely rejected at the time, only to be established a few years later. "We can think about the past. We can imagine the future. We can take in the universe, mind and body, with reasoning and emotion allowing us to figure out astonishing things, like how stars shine and light travels, how black holes form and time elapses, allowing for creative achievements … all created by minds like yours, like mine, and that …most certainly will continue to create great beauty, to illuminate great mystery, to experience great wonder." This phenomenon of human existence, Greene concluded, "should give us all a deep sense of connection. A kind of cosmic communion, and a sense that I can summarize with one word: gratitude." "Gratitude for being a small transient part of this wondrous unfolding, gratitude for our capacity to come together in groups that, at their best, allow us to each realize our potential, gratitude for our capacity for courage like that of George Lemaître, to stand up to authority, to not accept easy answers, and when necessary to fight for what we believe in. Gratitude that is for human existence, for fragile, delicate, difficult, challenging, painful, exhausting, beautiful, exquisite, transcendent, human existence, however brief, however evanescent, however fleeting." Greene is a lifelong learner committed to intellectual inquiry, educational access, and academic excellence. Described by The Washington Post as "the single best explainer of abstruse concepts in the world today," he is the author of four acclaimed books that have collectively sold millions of copies worldwide. His latest best-selling release, "Until the End of Time," which explores the cosmos and our quest to understand it, was named one of the "100 Notable Books of 2020" by The New York Times. Greene's books have been adapted into two Emmy and Peabody Award-winning NOVA miniseries, both of which he hosted. With journalist Tracy Day, he co-founded the World Science Festival, whose flagship events in New York and Australia have reached an audience of more than two million people, and more than 250 million people online. Greene has appeared on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," played himself in an episode of "The Big Bang Theory," and made cameo appearances in films including "Frequency," "Maze," and "The Last Mimzy." A Harvard graduate and a Rhodes Scholar, he serves as director of Columbia University's Center for Theoretical Physics. Nearly 2,900 LMU undergraduate, graduate, and law students participated in weekend commencement celebrations, which began Saturday with Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson addressing the undergraduate commencement ceremony. ABOUT LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY Loyola Marymount University is one of the nation's top-ranked Catholic universities, recognized by U.S. News & World Report among the top 50 private and top five Jesuit institutions in the country, and among California's top six private schools. Founded in 1911 and rooted in the Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount traditions, LMU enrolls 7,100 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate and law students across seven colleges and schools. The university offers 56 undergraduate majors, 57 minors, 43 master's degree programs, three doctorate programs, and 12 credential/authorization programs. With top-ranked programs in law, film and television, entrepreneurship, business, and the arts, LMU is embedded in the creative, cultural, and economic life of Los Angeles. The university generates $1.4 billion in annual economic impact. A proud member of the West Coast Conference, LMU fields 14 NCAA Division I teams and competes with purpose, pride, and integrity. LMU news and events are found at: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Loyola Marymount University
New York Post
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Scottie and Larsa Pippen celebrate son Preston's college graduation
Scottie Pippen and ex-wife Larsa Pippen reunited to celebrate their son's big achievement. Preston Pippen, son of the Basketball Hall of Famer and reality television personality, graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a business degree over the weekend. Both parents took to Instagram to share their happiness in celebrating their son's significant milestone. Advertisement Scottie Pippen posted a heartfelt message alongside a series of family photos, saying, 'My son @prestonpippen graduated from LMU today with his business degree. You've earned every bit of this… today's just the beginning. Proud dad right here!' Larsa Pippen also posted about the graduation on her Instagram story, sharing a family photo and writing, 'So proud of you my love @prestonpippen.' Scottie Pippen pictured with his son Preston Pippen. @ScottiePippen on Instagram Advertisement The graduation ceremony was, of course, a family affair, with Preston's siblings, including Memphis Grizzlies point guard Scotty Pippen Jr. in attendance as well. Preston previously played basketball at Sierra Canyon High School in California, the same school that has risen to prominence on the court in Los Angeles, known for producing NBA players like Marvin Bagley, Brandon Boston Jr., and of course, Bronny James. Larsa Pippen posted a congratulatory post for her son Preston Pippen. @LarsaPippen on Instagram Advertisement USC superstar Juju Watkins also entered the consciousness of America while at Sierra Canyon before becoming one of college basketball's best players and biggest stars. Despite their high-profile divorce being finalized in 2021, Scottie, 59, and Larsa, 50, have maintained a co-parenting relationship. Larsa, 50, dated Michael Jordan's sudden Marcus for a couple years before breaking up last year. She's currently dating former basketball player Jeff Coby.
Straits Times
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
EvanTube turns 19: When a child's life becomes the family business
Evan Lee, better known as EvanTube, in his childhood bedroom in El Dorado Hills, California, on April 19. PHOTO: MAGGIE SHANNON/NYTIMES NEW YORK – Evan Lee was in elementary school when he became the linchpin of his family's business. With his neatly combed hair and dimpled smile, he was a charm bomb, conveying on camera both the cheerful sincerity of a boy scout and the precocious charisma of a whizz-kid . Evan, eventually known to seven million YouTube subscribers as EvanTube, was one of the earliest kid influencers, internet famous for playing with toys. EvanTube blew up by accident in October 2011, when freelance videographer Jared Lee sculpted the entire cast of the Angry Birds video game out of modelling clay for his five-year-old son. Evan and Jared decided to make a home video, like a show and tell. Situated at the family's dining table, Evan earnestly explained each character's special powers , according to the video game . 'Yellow Bird goes super fast,' he said , in a halting voice , glancing occasionally towards his father, who was filming. He picked up a lumpy pale bird. 'This is White Bird. It flies and drops white bombs and looks like a lemon when he dies.' A tiny smile revealed baby teeth. Evan is 19 now and looking back at his life. 'My brain was still developing when I was that young', so he does not remember every detail of how it all happened, he told me when I visited him at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he is finishing his first year. He cannot recall why he wanted his own YouTube channel, only that he and his father sat at the computer and chose the name EvanTube. They uploaded their video and, within several months, it had 70,000 views. Ultimately, it reached 11 million. At Christmas that year, Jared bought a haul of Angry Birds merch and recorded as Evan showcased them, one by one, in front of the family's dazzling Christmas tree. Since the show-and-tell video, his patter had become polished. 'Thank you for watching my video,' he said in his outro. 'Happy New Year. Please subscribe.' The video has nearly 13 million views. It was obvious how, before the camera, Evan 'came alive' as his mother Alisa put it when I visited the family in a Northern California suburb. Toys began arriving at the Lee family doorstep, boxes and boxes and boxes of them. Mash'ems, Lego and Nerf products. Barbie Dreamhouses, Skylanders games, anything Star Wars. Jared bought lots of toys too. Evan unboxed, reviewed, explained, built and played with toys and games after school while his father recorded him. Soon, Evan's younger sister Jillian, who was almost four, began to appear as his foil and sidekick. As they grew older, they would do 'challenges', drinking gross smoothies and dumping dog food, ketchup and sauerkraut on each other's heads. Jared would stay up late editing, layering in sound and special effects. Making money on YouTube was a new frontier, and in 2012, Jared enlisted a creator network to help him maximise advertising rates and make brand deals. Views converted to income. Some months, EvanTube was grossing US$100,000 from Google advertisements alone, said Jared. In 2014, it reached one million subscribers. Evan was nine. (From left) Evan Lee, better known as EvanTube; his sister Jillian Lee; his father Jared Lee; and Alisa, his mother, at their home in El Dorado Hills, California, on April 19. PHOTO: MAGGIE SHANNON/NYTIMES 'I don't really know what my parents' thought process was, putting me on the channel,' Evan said. 'I didn't think it was a big deal because I was living it.' By the time he was 10, EvanTube had enabled the Lees to establish a family trust, savings and college funds. The family also bought a US$3 million six-bedroom, seven-bathroom modern villa inside a gated community. When it came to parenting, Jared and Alisa trusted their instincts. They never wanted to chase views by shocking or humiliating their children, as other YouTube parents did. And they did not want to vlog every day. Jared was careful not to show his kids burping, picking their noses or in their underwear. The goal , he said, was always to come across as normal and wholesome. 'Be likable. Get people to enjoy your presence and relate to you. That's the thing.' So, when in middle school, other kids began to tease and bully Evan, saying that his channel was 'cringe' and that he was too old to be playing with toys, Evan was taken aback. Around that time , Evan recalled that haters in the comments called him 'spoiled' and people told him his parents were 'taking advantage' of him or 'using you for money'. 'That definitely made me feel sad. Like, sad-angry.' He started telling his parents he did not want to review toys anymore and withdrew to his room. Children as 'commodities' Evan is coming of age when all parents, it seems, post videos of their children online, an untold number in the hope of making money. The current titan of the kid influencers , inspired by EvanTube, is a 13-year-old named Ryan Kaji, who started unboxing toys when he was three. His Ryan's World brand has had advertising deals with Lunchables and Legoland, a line of merchandise and a Nickelodeon television show. Conservative estimates put Ryan's family earnings at US$25 million (S$32.5 million) annually. And though posters on Reddit rally around Ryan, saying he is being exploited by his parents and deserves a shot at a normal life, his business associates disagree. In an influencer economy, a breakthrough kid or family brand can be life-changing. In the cases of the most successful child influencers, 'their great-grandkids are set for life', said Mr Chris Williams, chief executive of PocketWatch, which partners Ryan's World and EvanTube to make content and licensing deals. A coalition of law professors, attorneys-general and university students concerned about children's rights is at work drafting language for state bills safeguarding the finances of minors who are also influencers. Laws have been passed in Illinois, California, Minnesota and Utah, largely because of the efforts of an advocacy group called Quit Clicking Kids, which aims to 'combat the monetisation of children on social media', according to its website. But the activists' concerns go beyond legal and financial protections. There is no ethical route for parents to trade on a child's image online for profit, many say. Such transactions violate the child's privacy now and into the future because a digital record is permanent. They stunt a child's psychological development, replacing a sturdy identity with an idea of self 'as a commodity for public consumption', said former American child actor Alyson Stoner in a recent webinar. In Stoner's view, the child influencer economy does damage by blurring the lines between work and home: In an influencer setting, a child's director, scriptwriter and publicist is also the parent. In the best-case scenario, what are the effects of a life lived online? When Evan was in middle school and living in the new house, he started asking his parents about money. Where was it? Wasn't it his? Why couldn't he spend it? The way his parents explained it, the money was for the family's future and they were a team, Evan said. 'If I didn't work on YouTube, we probably wouldn't have been able to afford' private college, he said. Eventually, 'I realised there is no way we would have made that much money unless my parents were involved', he said. 'An eight-year-old, 10-year-old, does not have the mind to keep a successful YouTube channel, generate that profit, work with brands.' He added: 'But if I was removed from the equation, there wouldn't be a star.' 'A pretty shy kid' Even before Evan was born, Jared videotaped everything. For work, he shot weddings, corporate events and infomercials. Clean-cut and well-spoken, Jared has long been a collector of mass-market toys and merchandise. In his basement, he keeps his extensive comic book collection, neatly preserved, labelled and mounted on a long wall. Jared Lee, father of Evan Lee, better known as EvanTube, at his home studio in El Dorado Hills, California, on April 19. PHOTO: MAGGIE SHANNON/NYTIMES When Evan, at five, became infatuated with Super Mario video games, his parents got him a Mario costume and photographed him grinning and holding a Mario plushie, an image that still hangs in the family home. In the Lee household, it was not unusual for Jared, a videographer, to film his son playing with Angry Birds toys. Also, 'Evan was a pretty shy kid' , Jared said. So, from his and Alisa's point of view, EvanTube initially served a pragmatic parenting purpose. The channel was like an extracurricular activity, 'a way for him to just talk', he said. 'He didn't have to talk to strangers. He was just talking to me.' In the earliest days of YouTube, creators earned money in two ways: through a portion of the revenues from ads placed next to the videos and through sponsorships and brand deals. At the peak, the Lees were earning between US$1 million and US$2 million a year, Jared said. The magic was Evan. His audience was mostly kids his own age, who considered him, as one agency executive put it, their cool friend who got all the best toys for Christmas. Evan did not mind being super- famous when he was eight. He hardly noticed it. If kids at school were watching EvanTube, they probably just thought, 'Hey, this is my friend that I watch on my phone', he said in a video he made later. It hurt Evan when, in the comments, a viewer called EvanTube 'poopy pants'. And he did not like it when people at school called him 'EvanTube' instead of his name. What he liked least was when his father wanted to record in public, especially when people he knew were there. In those instances, Evan felt 'just shy and embarrassed', he said. Starting when he was very young, Evan told his parents when he needed them to turn the camera off. 'I've told them, like, I just don't want to record right now,' he said. 'I want to play with my friends on the playground. And they got it.' In fifth grade, Evan moved to the new house and enrolled in a new school. For the first time, he experienced the disequilibrium of fame, which he called 'surreal'. 'Everyone knew who I was, and I knew nobody,' he said. In middle school, he stopped letting his father style his hair. And he did not want to review toys anymore. 'I had to really make a case to my parents,' he said. 'It took them time to understand that I was growing up.' This transitional period lasted about three years, Evan said. Jared saw how both kids were changing, and he did not want to push them. His first priority, always, was fun, he said. At the same time, they were powering a huge and successful business. Evan's impression, in retrospect, is they 'didn't want to hit the switch on something that was working'. I asked Jared: Should young children have to consent for their image to be used for financial gain? He paused. Of course children should not be muscled into things they do not want to do, he said. 'But kids probably don't want to do a lot of things they should do, like go to school and work. I think there has to be some trust in the parenting of the child.' 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