Andy Matsuyama urges Maria Korcsmaros

to get in the water, to wash off the mental block.

And he wants her to know he’ll be right by her side.

“I’ll go in with you, come on,” Matsuyama says to the Corona woman.

Still, she wavers. It wasn’t just the cold ocean and chilly wind making Korscmaros hesitate to slip into the Newport Beach water. This is where it happened – one year ago Sunday – the patch of ocean where a shark sunk its teeth into her and she became Orange County’s first major shark attack victim.

Finally, Korcsmaros makes the slow walk to the crystal clear water off Corona del Mar. She lets her body ease in, near Matuyama. The duo, in sync, dip under the ocean’s surface. They they take a few strokes, swimming.

Shark stories

Her scars are fading but still dot the right side of her body. Draped around her neck is a piece of jewelry made from 161 staples that pinched her skin back together, from her pelvis and upper torso, up around her shoulder, to her back and buttocks.

This is a step forward for Korscmaros. Still, she wouldn’t dare venture out to the buoy line where she was swimming that fateful day, where Matsuyama plucked her from the blood-filled water.

“You know the possibility is there,” she said of being attacked by a shark.

A great white shark will target you from 30-feet under the water. And they’ll take you at 20 to 30 miles an hour. Korcsmaros explains this with the authority of an expert.

She can’t help but watch Youtube videos of shark attacks; she watches documentaries. She learn as much as she can about what sharks do and how sharks do it.

“When I do it, I regret it,” she said with a half chuckle.

But she’s glad she doesn’t have vivid images of what happened to her.

“I’m grateful I didn’t see it. I’d have this visual of a monster coming at me. But I don’t. That’s one thing,” she said. “I was surprised I didn’t have any nightmares.”

Others who were at the scene and helped her in the critical minutes after the attack gathered recently for a reunion at Corona del Mar. They marveled at how well Korscmaros is doing just one year after the attack.

“I knew it was serious driving to her in the boat, I was trying to figure out what was happening,” said Mike Ure, a longtime lifeguard who was driving the nearby boat, along with Matsuyama, who doubles as a college student.

They had stopped a year ago to do impromptu training exercises. Just yards away, Korcsmaros was swimming, training for a half Iron man.

What they saw didn’t register at first.

“I wanted to put the option of being bit by a shark out of my mind,” Ure recalled, his brain was trying to process what he was seeing. “Was it a boat prop? I didn’t want to say the words.”

The words didn’t come until he handed her off to paramedics, and even then he stumbled as he said them.

“Sha… sha… shark attack.”

Paramedic Andy Janis remembers arriving to the scene as the rescue boat pulled into a dock in the harbor so Korcsmaros could be transferred to the hospital as fast as humanly possible.

“We go on tons of traffic accidents and see some pretty gruesome things, but this was totally different,” Janis said. “We heard it was a shark attack, we were like ‘oh my God’.”

At the reunion, she’s able to laugh with her lifesavers. She jokes about how she was still bossing everyone around, despite just being bitten by a shark. They’ve only reconnected a few times, first in the hospital, then at a lifeguard awards banquet honoring their actions.

They tell her she can come on the rescue boat anytime, as a VIP. They joke that she’s now on the celebrity and home tour that laps the Newport harbor. Not long ago, she met the man who runs the tours. He also told her she can come aboard any time.

“We mention you all the time, you’re a legend,” he told her.

Lifeguarding with sharks

Much has changed, not just for Korscmaros but also for local lifeguards. In Newport Beach and the rest of Orange County’s beach community, guards are learning to handle an influx of sharks, as the creatures have been staying in the region for the past three years.

“We wouldn’t even think of (shark attacks) three years ago. Now it’s something we have to teach and train to,” said Newport Beach Marine Safety Chief Rob Williams.

Guards have talked with East Coast agencies on what kind of metrics should be used when putting beaches on alert and closure.

“Not that we never thought about it in the past,” Williams said. “But it wasn’t something we focused on.”

Newport lifeguards have put three electronic monitors offshore; one in Corona del Mar, near the site of the attack, one off of Balboa Pier, and another at Newport Pier. Each pings data when a tagged shark passes by. A city-sponsored website posts all the shark sightings and closures to alert the public.

Lifeguards are also looking into using drones to monitor the ocean regularly for sharks near shore.

“It’s something we’re interested in,” Williams said.

A two-woman club 

Korcsmaros knows what it’s like to lay in the hospital in the aftermath of a shark attack.

When she heard about Leeanne Ericson, the mother of three who was bit off Camp Pendleton on April 29 by a shark, she knew she had to reach out.

She headed down a few weeks ago to Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla bearing gifts: chocolates, a card and a journal with a mamma panda and baby panda on the cover. The card showed a dog in the “downward dog” yoga position with the words: “sit, heal, stay.”

She couldn’t get in to see the victim; Ericson and her family keeping a low profile since the attack. But Korcsmaros got to meet with the woman’s parents.

They have more than the attacks in common, she said; both women are mothers are who fought to stay alive for their children.

“They said she wants to push through for her girls’,” she said.

“I completely understand that.”

Toughest athlete 

Korcsmaros shows up at Corona del Mar, shiny medals draped around her neck.

Before she was bit by a shark, she was a mega athlete with countless races under her belt.

Still, after being bit by a shark, she’s a mega athlete with big goals ahead. The shark may have taken the full range of her right arm, but it didn’t take her competitive spirit.

“I’m weaker on the right,” she said. “I’ll probably never get it back, full strength. My stubbornness will get me through.”

In the past year, as she’s recovered from a near fatal shark attack, she’s competed in three triathlons and a half marathon.

She’s currently training for the half iron man in Canada she was training for and missed when the inquisitive shark turned her life upside down. She’s still adjusting to any open water swim; even lakes that are far from the ocean.

“It’s a mental thing,” she says. “In April, I did a swim in a lake and thought about sharks the whole time. It was dark. My brain just went there. I kind of obsess about stuff.”

Part of that “mental thing” is also listening to the voice in your head that tells you something might be wrong.

“Sometimes I hear that voice and push it down and say ‘go ahead and go’,” she says.

“I’ll probably start listening to it more.”

When asked about the biggest lesson learned, she talks about being more aware of her surroundings.

And one big safety measure she says everyone should follow, especially with more sharks in Southern California waters:

“Not to swim by myself.”

Parisian fashion house Christian Dior, US sporting goods behemoth Nike, and Spanish clothing giant Inditex have all topped Forbes’ 2017 The World’s Biggest Public Companies ranking.

Sportswear firm Asics Corporation intends to publicly disclose its apparel and footwear suppliers in the year ahead, and says it will accelerate its energy efficiency projects to try to reduce emissions after falling behind in progress towards its 2020 CO2 reduction targets.

LAKE FOREST A youth mentor at Saddleback Church was arrested Thursday by Orange County Sheriff’s Department investigators on suspicion of having an inappropriate relationship with two 14-year-old boys, authorities said.

Ruven Meulenberg, 32, of Lake Forest was booked into the Orange County Jail on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child, Sheriff’s Department Lt. Lane Lagaret said in a statement. Meulenberg was being held Friday on $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear Tuesday in Orange County Superior Court.

Sheriff’s Department investigators were contacted Wednesday after deputies took a report that a man working as a junior high ministry mentor at Saddleback Church had an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old boy, Lagaret said. An investigation identified a second victim who is also 14, he added.

“Both victims indicated they had engaged in inappropriate conduct with the suspect for the past year while he volunteered at the church,” Lagaret said. “There have been several alleged incidents of lewd and inappropriate conduct, several of which have occurred on the church property.”

One of the victims attended Saddleback Church and was part of the junior high ministry program when the suspected lewd acts occurred.

Meulenberg volunteered at the church for about six years and investigators believe there may be additional victims, Lagaret said.

Anyone with information regarding additional victims is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Special
Victim’s Detail at 714-647-7418 or 714-647-7000. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime
Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.

Saddleback Church officials could not be reached for comment.

LAKE FOREST, Ca. (May 26, 2017) – Orange County Sheriff’s Department Special Victims Detail investigators on
Thursday, May 25, arrested a 32-year-old youth mentor at Saddleback Church on suspicion of inappropriate relations with
at least two juveniles.
SVD investigators on Wednesday, May 24, were contacted after patrol deputies took a report alleging a man working as a
junior high youth mentor with Saddleback Church in Lake Forest had an inappropriate relationship with a 14-year-old boy.
During the course of the investigation, a second victim – another 14-year-old boy – was identified.
Both victims indicated they had engaged in inappropriate conduct with the suspect for the past year while he volunteered
at the church. There have been several alleged incidents of lewd and inappropriate conduct, several of which have
occurred on the church property.
One of the victims attended Saddleback Church and was part of the Junior High Ministry program when the lewd acts
occurred.
Investigators arrested Ruven Meulenberg, 32, of Lake Forest on suspicion of lewd and lascivious acts with a child. He
was booked into Orange County Jail and is being held on $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday,
May 30, 2017.
Meulenberg volunteered at the church for approximately six years. Based on the allegations, the suspect’s leadership
role and access to children, investigators believe there may be additional victims.
Anyone with information regarding additional victims is asked to call the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Special
Victim’s Detail at (714) 647-7418 or (714) 647-7000. Anonymous tips may also be submitted to Orange County Crime
Stoppers at 855-TIP-OCCS (855-847-6227) or at occrimestoppers.org.

Molina Healthcare, a major insurer in Medicaid and state exchanges across the country, has shut down its online patient portal as it investigates a potential data breach that may have exposed sensitive medical information.

The company said Friday that it closed the online portal for medical claims and other customer information while it examined a “security vulnerability.” It’s not clear how many patient records might have been exposed and for how long. The company has more than 4.8 million customers in 12 states and Puerto Rico.

“We are in the process of conducting an internal investigation to determine the impact, if any, to our customers’ information and will provide any applicable notifications to customers and/or regulatory authorities,” Molina said in a statement Friday. “Protecting our members’ information is of utmost importance.”

Brian Krebs, a well-known cybersecurity expert who runs the Krebs on Security website, said he notified the company of the potential breach earlier this month and wrote about it on his website Thursday. Molina said it was already aware of the security vulnerability when contacted.

Until recently, Krebs said, Molina “was exposing countless patient medical claims to the entire internet without requiring any authentication.”

Krebs said the information he saw online included patients’ names, addresses, dates of birth and information on their medical procedures and medications.

“It’s unconscionable that such a basic, security 101 flaw could still exist at a major health care provider,” Krebs said. “This information is more sensitive than credit card data, but it seems less protected.”

Krebs said he received an anonymous tip in April from a Molina member who stumbled upon the problem when trying to view his medical claim online. The tipster found that by changing a single number in the website address he could then view other patient claims, according to Krebs.

Krebs said the Molina member showed him screenshots of his own medical records and how when he changed the web address slightly it then displayed records of another patient. On Friday, the Molina website told customers that the online portal was “under maintenance.”

Health care companies, hospitals and other providers must report data breaches to U.S. officials. Molina emphasized that it was still investigating the matter so had not yet reported it. Federal regulators can levy significant fines for violations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, also known as HIPAA.

Many security experts question the ability of health care companies and providers to safeguard vast troves of electronic medical records and other sensitive data, particularly at a time when cybercriminals are targeting medical information.

Molina, based in Long Beach, Calif., posted $17.8 billion in annual revenue last year.

Molina made news earlier this month with the surprise firing of its top two executives, who are sons of the company’s founder. Both CEO J. Mario Molina and his brother, finance chief John Molina, were ousted. The company’s board said Molina’s disappointing financial performance led to the management change.

Molina has grown more prominent during the rollout of the Affordable Care Act, as Medicaid expanded and state insurance exchanges launched. The company serves more than 1 million people through Obamacare exchanges across several states. It has nearly 69,000 enrollees in the Covered California exchange, or about 5 percent of the market.

This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Five minutes into a test for memory, I’m pretty sure I’m really dumb, I’ve lost my mind — or both.

Yeah, yeah, I know based on some of my columns some would vote both.

But cut me some slack. Unknown to many people — like me — the earlier Alzheimer’s disease is detected, the better the chance of stopping it.

Experts report that it can be delayed for as long as two decades. For many baby boomers, that means a lifetime.

The Orange County Vital Brain Aging Program advises that if you are 45 or older get checked. The Alzheimer’s Association is looser. It’s basically if you can’t remember how to use the microwave, get tested.

After talking to a Mission Viejo finance guy named Ted Esau whose dad died with Alzheimer’s, I’m taking no chances. Better early testing than wondering why I interviewed someone.

I arrive at the Hoag Neurosciences Institute in Newport Beach and Celine Keeble, education and screening coordinator, explains the test in detail with patience and a smile.

She rattles off a list of words. I’m a little overwhelmed and feel I’m lucky if I’m reciting back half.

Photographer Jeff Gritchen is nearby, and I’m pretty sure he’s wondering about my sanity. I just hope he doesn’t report back to our version of Editor Perry White (Clark Kent’s boss, if I recall correctly) that one of his columnists is bonkers.

Slowing Alzheimer’s

The day starts badly. Even Google is forgetful. She — yes, my Google is a woman — sends me on a detour around a non-existent traffic jam. I arrive late to the institute next to Hoag Hospital.

Honest, it was Google’s fault that I didn’t know where to go.

Thanks to a subsidy from the institute and community donations, the Vital Brain Aging Program, OCBrain.org, only charges $45 and parking is free.

As I register, I fill out a card that will be mailed next year reminding me to come in for re-testing. But what if I don’t recall the previous test? The receptionist laughs. They’ll call.

I fill out a list of questions that are similar to an online self-assessment that the program offers at OCBrain.org. They include memory, depression, risk factors.

Since the program began seven years ago, some 4,500 local residents have had assessments. More than 25 percent were referred to their primary care physician for a check-up.

But three-fourths of those tested were over 64 — well after most experts advise to start testing.

Much of the reason for getting tested is creating a baseline. If the following year’s result is lower, adjustments in behavior, diet and medicine can be made.

Sometimes, Keeble says, the next test shows improved memory.

Ways to protect memory include managing medical conditions, exercising at least three days a week for 30 minutes, maintaining a healthy weight, getting seven to eight hours sleep, having low cholesterol, challenging your mind.

Dr. William Shankle is program director for memory and cognitive disorders at the Hoag Neurosciences Institute. “The big change in my field,” he says, “is that we do have the ability to test for (impairment) with a simple memory test while someone is still functioning normally.”

But Shankle adds that it’s a challenge to convince people that memory testing is as normal and as useful as getting a blood test.

UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders, too, offers test opportunities. Its focus is research participation. The website is Mind.uci.edu.

Of those tested through the Orange County Vital Brain Aging Program, 23 percent were impaired.

More men than women were impaired. And — as expected — cognitive ability declined as people aged. But not as much as you might expect.

Through age 75, fewer than 10 percent of participants were found impaired. By age 84, that reached 40 percent. By 94, it was close to 75 percent.

But, mind you, being impaired includes a wide range of abilities from simple memory loss to serious Alzheimer’s.

Keeble asks a list of questions. I admit to some depression, a little memory loss.

When vinyl rocked the world, I could reel off the band members of Led Zeppelin. But now, I sometimes mix up John Bonham (drums) and John Paul Jones (bass).

I know. Shameful, right?

While Keeble compiles my results, she points out depression and stress can affect memory.

Fear of testing

Keeble is in the field nearly every day. She reports one of the toughest things she encounters is fear.

People are afraid they might be getting Alzheimer’s. Yet often it’s simple aging or normal forgetfulness.

When I was in my 20s, I sometimes locked my keys in my car. I still do. (Yes, I keep a spare.) I misplace my wallet. Years ago, I found it in the freezer. Recently, I found it in the garbage.

Still, Keeble encounters true Alzheimer’s. “Some people cry,” Keeble says.

“It’s true there’s no cure,” she acknowledges. “But there are lots of things that be done that can impact the quality of life.”

Engaging different areas of the brain helps create connections, she explains. Being creative and problem-solving are key. Learning to do something new such as salsa dancing or taking up piano combine a variety of things that help with protecting memory.

As we wrap up, Keeble hands me a sheet of paper. It is my memory screen results.

There are no right or wrong answers. But there is an intricate interplay in the questions that test a variety of brain functions.

The document says: “Normal memory.”

For a test appointment: 949-764-6288. I’ll be back next year.

Costa Mesa resident Terry Leon has raised $20,000 on Kickstarter for her concept, Savi Sleek, a two-part activewear accessory that combines a bracelet with an elastic hair band.

Leon, whose company is called Savi Style, says she’s a first-generation Mexican American with “entrepreneurship in my DNA.” Both her father and grandfather, she says, were successful entrepreneurs. Leon’s background includes a degree in biology, a field she pursued for more than 10 years before moving onto Savi Style.

In her demonstration video on Kickstarter, Leon describes an active woman on the go who needs a quick and stylish hair band for work or workouts. The elastic nestles conveniently in a groove cut into the wristband.

The Savi Sleek bracelet, which will be produced in several colors, is made of medical-grade silicone and is being manufactured in Placentia. It comes in four core colors: white, black, teal and pink. She also has summer colors on tap.

While the bracelet combo will retail for $29, early bird contributors at Kickstarter can get the bands for as low as $17-$20.

“We are sticking to this price point,” Leon says. “I know at first glance our product can seem simple. However, due to my science background, Savi Sleek was created with lots of precision, high-quality materials, features and benefits.”

Leon says the bracelets will be ready to launch by July. The Kickstarter funding campaign ends Wednesday.

Georgia Lazzaro’s resort collection had something for every season: a poplin chambray slipdress and powder blue silk moire jacket and shift for high summer; chunky merino sweaters in bright cobalt blue and kelly green for fall and winter; shimmery Lurex knits for holiday. And many pieces in the lineup could work year-round, including the range of poplin shirts, indigo denim and satin slips and skirts.
At the risk of defaulting to cliché, Protagonist is known for its elevated classics, but Lazzaro is doing a nice job evolving beyond that, injecting traditional tastefulness with the right amount of subtle fashion edge. One of the poplin shirts styles had a high ruffled collar. There were stirrup pants and new slipdress styles with longer, asymmetrical skirts, while a gingham checked group added offbeat graphic flavor.

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LONDON — Sir Jonathan Ive, Apple’s chief design officer, has been tapped as the Royal College of Art’s new chancellor. The college has confirmed the appointment, and said the five-year term would take effect in July.
Ive will replace the British inventor James Dyson. He will oversee meetings and take part in the institution’s governing body. He will also advise the school on digital initiatives pertaining to computer science, the effects of the digital economy and advance manufacturing. He will also be involved in the construction of the school’s new building in Battersea, which is slated to launch in 2020.
“As chancellor, Jony embodies the RCA’s ideals of technology and design excellence, inspiring students and staff,” said Paul Thompson, rector of the Royal College of Art, adding that Ive will enable the college “to educate the next generation of world-leading artists and designers.”
At Apple, Ive oversees the aesthetic and experience of the products, ranging from hardware and packaging to user interface. He is also involved in the development of Apple Park, the company’s California campus. He owns more than 5,000 patents and received an honorary doctorate from RCA in 2009. Among his list of accolades includes a CBE in 2006 and a KBE

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IT’S A STRETCH: Sometimes timing just works out. Bikram NYC, the yoga-based boutique fitness operation, was already in the midst of a major re-branding plan when an arrest warrant was issued for Bikram Choudhury.
Over the years Choudhury, the creator of hot yoga, has faced multiple sexual assault allegations.
Bikram NYC is not franchised in any way with Choudhury, nor has it ever been, according to co-owner Jen Lobo, a former IMG spokeswoman. “The way that the Bikram yoga world works is that we’re not a franchise. It’s just an affiliation so there is never any money exchanged with headquarters of Bikram Choudhury. In that sense, we’ve been on our own for 18 years now,” she said. “It was never the case that money from Bikram NYC was going to Bikram. We’ve never had to pay them a penny in 18 years, which probably wasn’t good business on his behalf because if he had set it up correctly at the beginning, it might have been a different scenario financially.”
Bikram NYC’s re-branding is expected to be revealed by July 1. In October, Lobo and her business partner Donna Rubin started working with a Chicago company to re-brand Bikram NYC to better reflect the wide curriculum

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