3 Marbles

During the waning years of the depression in a small southeastern Idaho community, I used to stop by Mr. Miller's roadside stand for farm-fresh produce as the season made it available. Food and money were still extremely scarce and bartering was used, extensively.

One particular day Mr. Miller was bagging some early potatoes for me. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller and the ragged boy next to me.

"Hello Barry, how are you today?"

"H'lo, Mr. Miller. Fine, thank 'ya. Jus' admirin' them peas ...sure look good."

"They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?"

"Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time."

"Good. Anything I can help you with?"

"No, Sir. Jus' admirin' them peas."

"Would you like to take some home?"

"No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with."

"Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?"

"All I got's my prize marble here."

"Is that right? Let me see it."

"Here 'tis. She's a dandy."

"I can see that. Hmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?"

"Not 'zackley .... but, almost."

"Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble."

"Sure will. Thanks, Mr. Miller."

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me. With a smile she said: "There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of produce for a green marble or an orange one, perhaps." I left the stand, smiling to myself, impressed with this man.

A short time later I moved to Colorado but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys and their bartering. Several years went by each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that Mr. Miller had died. They were having his viewing that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon our arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could. Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts ... very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing smiling and composed, by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her and moved on to the casket. Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one, each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary, awkwardly, wiping his eyes.

Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and mentioned the story she had told me about the marbles. Eyes glistening she took my hand and led me to the casket. "Those three young men, who just left, were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim "traded" them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size... they came to pay their debt. "We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world," she confided, "but, right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho." With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three, magnificently shiny, red marbles.

Moral: We will not be remembered by our words -- but by our deeds. Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath, as we help others.

Who Is Cao Dewang

This photo taken on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, shows an impoverished farmer who has benefited from the charity donation made by entrepreneur and philanthropist Cao Dewang.

Chinese entrepreneur and philanthropist Cao Dewang has donated 200 million yuan (30.4 million U.S. dollars) to nearly 100,000 impoverished farmers in western China, the "Guangzhou Daily" reports. Cao gave the money to the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) last year.

It is the largest single private donation in the nation's history. But the strict conditions that came with the donation are making it difficult for the CFPA to distribute the funds, the report said. To ensure the donation would be successfully granted, Cao signed an agreement with the CFPA based on three conditions:

The CFPA had to distribute the funds within six months;

the margin of error in distribution had to be less than 1 percent;

and the administrative fee the CFPA received would be limited to 3 percent of the total donation amount.

The "Regulations on Foundation Administration" states the highest administration fee for such donations can be 10 percent of the donated amount. But Cao gave only 6 million yuan ($913,200) to the CFPA as the administrator of the funds.

Those who work for the CFPA operate under difficult conditions with most volunteers living in hostels that only cost 15 yuan ($2) per day. As they cannot afford to rent cars, they must walk through mountainous areas to distribute the funds to farmers.

He Daofeng, Vice President of the CFPA, says the handling of Cao's donation will help organizations build accountability systems and promote transparency in charity contributions.

Same Problem ???

You have same problem ???

Malaysia Life Insurance - 2010

2Total life insurance premiums in Malaysia grew 11.9% to RM8.42bil in 2010 from RM7.53bil a year earlier due to investment-linked policies which recorded a 26.6% growth, said the Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (Liam).

“In particular, the growth of investment-linked business came from annual premium business, signifying the switch in strategy by insurers to focus on less capital-intensive products,” Liam president Adnan Md Zain said in a statement yesterday.

For individual annual premium business, annualised premium for investment-linked policies outpaced traditional policies by growing at a strong 37.8% compared to a growth of 3.3% for traditional.

Investment-linked policies first lost their popularity in 2007 and it took three full years for the trend to reverse in 2010. In absolute terms, the size of traditional business with annualised premium of RM2.1bil is still larger than the size of investment-linked business with annualised premium of RM1.7bil.

Traditional to investment-linked business mix as at Dec 31, 2010 was 55.6%:44.4% compared with 62.5%:37.5% a year earlier.

On the outlook of the life insurance industry in 2011, Liam said that despite the increasing number of people who were aware of the importance of life insurance, the current gross domestic product for life insurance stands at 2.8%, which is relatively low compared with other countries like Singapore (6.1%) and Japan (7.5%).

“The Government intends to increase this figure to 4% (75% of population) by 2020 with the various initiatives based from the ETP (Economic Transformation Programme) announcement last year.

“While it's a challenge, we see it as an opportunity to grow the business. And with the various initiatives lined up by the Government for the year, we are fairly optimistic that the industry will achieve a 12% to 15% growth,” said Adnan.

Liam said among the contributing factors that may spur better sales would be the possible separation on tax reliefs of RM6,000 in Employees Provident Fund contributions and insurance premiums (a net increase of RM2,000 in relief).

“Such a move will motivate consumers to choose a plan that best suits their needs instead of just having basic coverage.

“The tax relief would provide flexibility for one to select products made available by the insurance providers,” it said.

Malaysia Insurance 2011 Forecasts

Projections foresee growth in 2011 topping 12% across the Malaysian insurance industry. The Malaysian government has unveiled stimulus plans and other legislative initiatives which together with an historically low interest rate environment have lead to very favorable conditions for growth in the insurance sector. All forecasts however need to be tempered by an awareness of uncertainties about the outlook for a number of western economies and the possible resulting downward pressures on overall performance of the global insurance industry.

Malaysia’s economy grew 7.2 percent last year, the highest rate experienced since the year 2000. The Malaysian government has aggressively pursued substantial investment programs with the explicit goals of doubling GDP per-capita and turning Malaysia into a high income country by 2020.

New parliamentary initiatives such as the New Economic Model (NEM), Economic Transformation Program (ETP) and the Tenth Malaysian Plan will, according to industry analysts, lead to a growth in demand for insurance products and services.

The Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) held that in addition to these numerous initiatives announced in the Economic Transformation Program, including the private pension plan and worker insurance scheme, economic conditions in the country are ripe for further life insurance development. Consumer confidence in Malaysia has shown marked improvement, rising to 107 points on the latest Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index, its highest score since the third quarter of 2006. Around 41 percent of the Malaysian population is currently insured, according to the LIAM.

This level of life-insurance penetration is low by a developed economy’s standards and will be an important factor in the further growth of the sector. The current low interest rate environment will act as an impetus to consumers seeking high-yielding products like insurance in Malaysia.

The LIAM reported that new business sales for life insurance rose 19 percent on a weighted premium basis during the first three quarters of 2010. This growth was accredited to strong performances in regular premium sales which were up 21 percent compared with the identical period in 2009. Single premium business, however, registered a small 1 point decline.

The General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) executive director Mr. Lim Chia Fook reported that, in absence of any further adverse impacts on the world economy, the insurance association foresees the outlook for the general insurance industry this year to be very positive with an increased demand for insurance in all areas expected.

The general insurance industry recorded that for the third quarter of 2010, gross direct premium estimates were 3.16B$, demonstrating a growth of nine percent over the same three quarter period during the previous year.

The Malaysian medical and health insurance sector (MHI) is likewise expected to sustain powerful development, driven by upward trends in consumer awareness coupled with an increasing want for cover against escalating healthcare costs.

Mr. Lim added that the introduction of the health insurance plan designated for foreign workers would further drive growth in the MHI sector. PIAM anticipated new areas of industry growth through micro-insurance products, especially considering the rapidly developing small and medium enterprise and biotechnology sector in Malaysia.

The Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA) expects the Islamic insurance industry to continue to improve on its 10% market penetration, particularly by expanding into rural areas.

The Islamic insurance market has grown due to more interest in shariah-compliant investments. The industry has experienced substantial growth after the Malaysian central bank issued takaful licenses to four established consortiums in 2006, which included HSBC, Malaysia’s Hong Leong Bank and Prudential Holdings.

Malaysia currently has eight takaful operators and trusts that the inclusion of new insurance players would increase industry competition, pushing players not only to capture new market share but also to develop fresh takaful products.

Similar to general insurers, the islamic insurance sector operates through correlation with macro economic performance; hence the positive outlook for the Malaysian domestic economy will affect the development of both sectors.

MTA chairman Datuk Syed Moheeb Syed Kamarulzaman reported: “The significant growth in retail credit financing, especially in relation to home financing in 2010, may be curbed to some extent in 2011 and this should encourage takaful operators to diversify their business focus away from financing protection products to agency driven products.”

The LIAM assert that global economic uncertainty could restrain the growth potential of the industry: “While it is an external factor, the quagmire prevailing in the established economies of the United States, Japan, Europe and the reaction of the local share market towards such sentiments may have an indirect impact on the industry. It can cause a slowdown on external demand that will eventually influence consumers in terms of decision-making, thus making sales more difficult.”

The association’s president, Md Adnan Md Zain, believes the best actions to take to overcome these peripheral obstacles would be through prudent domestic policies, active oversight, working closely with regulators and better integrating as an industry.

The Life Insurance Association doesn’t discount the potential for inclusion of new foreign insurance players that could invigorate the market as well as the continued implementation of the financial inclusiveness programs undertaken by both the authorities and financial institutions.

Tan Sri Vincent Tan

KUALA LUMPUR: Berjaya Corporation Bhd founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan has pledged to donate at least half of his wealth to charity.

The announcement was made by Tan during an impromptu speech at the launch of the Berjaya Founder’s Day event, where he spoke about his decision to join “The Giving Pledge” that was initiated by Bill Gates, his wife Melinda and Warren Buffett.

His announcement was greeted by loud applause from guests at the event and shoppers at Berjaya Time Square yesterday. To kickstart his plans, Tan will donate RM20mil this year to various charities that will be announced soon.

“I will also channel to the Better Malaysia Foundation to honour my country.
Eventually, I would like to give away half of my wealth and I hope it will inspire more wealthy Malaysians to donate money for charity,” he said.

According to a recent Bernama report, Tan is the nation’s 12th richest person with assets worth RM2.43bil. He is ranked 828th on the Forbes 2010 world billionaire list with a net worth of US$1.2bil (RM3.66bil).

Tan also donated RM1.5mil to match the RM1.5mil fund that was raised from the Founder’s Day carnival for 28 selected non-governmental organisations and charitable organisations. The Founder’s Day event was initiated to honour the philanthropic efforts of Tan in conjunction with his birthday on Feb 23.

A special coffeetable book chronicling his charitable works titled A Legacy of Care was also presented to him yesterday. According to Berjaya Corporation chief executive officer Datuk Robin Tan, Founder’s Day will be held in February annually.

Incredible RUB

XIAMEN, Fujian - One doesn't necessarily have to lavish millions of dollars on charities to be called a philanthropist. Liu Li, a migrant worker in Xiamen, proves that every little bit of help to those in need counts and could lead to nationwide recognition.

Liu became a national celebrity in February when she was voted one of the 20 people who touched the hearts of Chinese in 2010. The nation's top award was presented by China Central Television for ordinary citizens who made remarkable contributions.

Regarded as "the most beautiful foot masseuse in China", Liu built her fame through years of charitable giving to keep students from dropping out of school due to poverty.

She divided her monthly income of slightly over 3,000 yuan (S$578.7) into three parts: one for her daily expenses in Xiamen, one for her parents at home and the rest for the 52 school children she has been subsidizing for eight years in hopes of giving them a chance to fulfill a dream she herself failed to realize - getting a university education.

"If someone would have given me a hand when I was a child, I might have become a teacher or a doctor," said 31-year-old Liu, born and raised in a remote village in East China's Anhui province.
She had thought she could have become her village's first college student because she had always been an A student.

However, as the eldest sister to four siblings, she had to give up school at the age of 14, like most of her peers in the village. On the day she left the village, Liu vowed to make enough money to help one or two students from her village go to college, and at first pinned her hope on her four younger siblings.

She worked as a waitress and nanny before going to Xiamen in 1999. Liu remembered the day she arrived. "I was penniless, helpless and desperate, but there was one thing I knew: I would never beg for money," Liu said.

She decided to sell her long hair, which she had been growing ever since she could remember, for 30 yuan, and managed to find a job as an apprentice in a massage center. "It was really painful when I first started, for the hard work caused blisters on my hands," said Liu, whose knuckles have grown disproportionately large.

But Liu loves the job, considering it a job close to her childhood dream profession - a traditional Chinese medicine doctor - as both aim to help people stay fit. Working hard day and night, Liu quickly established herself and started sending money to her parents. But during a visit home in 2002, she found all her efforts had been in vain.

"My parents wouldn't let me in because they thought I was working in the red-light district," Liu said. To make matters worse, all four of her siblings had failed the college admission test. "I thought about suicide but I couldn't, because I hadn't fulfilled my promise," Liu said.

Liu admitted she felt at quite a loss for a while, but she soon pulled herself together. During the visit to her hometown, Liu noticed there were still children facing the same problem she had faced. Back in Xiamen, Liu tried every opportunity to raise money to prevent them from following her path.

"I once asked a rich guest if he could donate to children in poverty, and he told me he would donate as much as I want if I would sleep with him," Liu said. "That's when I realized philanthropy could not entirely depend on other's handouts."

She has since relied on herself, trying her best to support any school-age children in need. And with work taking up more than 12 hours of her day, Liu remains single. "My colleagues often tease me saying, 'no one dares to marry a woman like you unless he has a fortune of more than 100 million yuan - you've got so many children to support," Liu said.

Thanks to her constant charitable efforts over the years, Liu has become famous in Xiamen. Many people, touched by her good deeds, have joined her, becoming members of three online groups set up by Liu to help dropout students. The groups now have more than 400 members.

Although Liu has helped dozens of children, she still lives in an apartment shared with eight other colleagues. But she has managed to run a new massage center with a few friends. "I hope to buy a small apartment in Xiamen, but that will have to come after I realize my first dream to help a student from my village become a college graduate," she said.

At the same time, Liu hasn't completely given up her college dream. She has started an online course in business administration management. "I hope I can become a more competent person so I might help more people," Liu said. "Honestly speaking, I also hope more people can join me in such endeavors."

Who Is Chen Guangbiao

Chen Guangbiao, the renowned Chinese philanthropist famous for his unorthodox, un-subtle approach to charity (he's been known to make it rain on the less fortunate, hongbao style), has made headlines this week for taking his flashy show on the road to Japan. The only thing more overwhelming than the ostentatious nature of the visit (see flag-draped escort, flag-pinned suits, Mao-esque poses above) is how genuinely impressive it is.

Chen Guangbiao, a 42-year-old billionaire and chief executive of recycling company Jiangsu Huangpu Renewable Resources, headed to Japan Friday to personally donate rescue supplies and 13 million yen (US$158,820) to the country’s earthquake and tsunami victims, according to the Yangtze Evening News (in Chinese).

With four vans draped in Chinese national flags and wearing a suit decorated with Chinese flag stickers, Mr. Chen distributed food, water, sanitary goods, blankets and “good wishes from Chinese people” to shelters in the northeastern Japanese prefectures of Chiba, Ibaraki and Fukushima, the report said. He personally pulled three people from destroyed homes, the report said without elaborating further.

Reportedly, Chen purchased 30 tons of relief materials for the trip. He handed out a total of about 2 million yen, giving 1,000 yen and 100 yuan each to students gathering street-side with donation boxes. He stuffed his name card in as well for good measure.

Chen has inevitably faced some harsh criticism online, as anti-Japanese sentiments flare during the crisis (something dumb people are doing the world over) and many Chinese demand why he isn't in Yunnan helping Yingjiang earthquake victims.

That may be why today Chen flew directly from Tokyo to Yunnan in order to assist with the earthquake recovery efforts, after being forced to leave Fukushima in the face of increasing radiation risks.

Here's a guy who runs straight into the heart of disaster, whips out the fliff like mad for a few days, pulls some people from the rubble, has to evacuate due to radiation risk, then flies straight over to another disaster area. Say what you will about philanthropic showmanship, this guy's got balls.

Who Is Yu Pengnian

Yu Pengnian said he is transferring his remaining fortune, estimated at $470 million in cash and property, to the charity he founded. Mr. Yu's gift brings to $1.2 billion the total of his donations to the Yu Pengnian Founation.

Hurun Report, a group that ranks China's wealthiest people, calls him the first philanthropist in mainland China to give away more than $1 billion. While Mr. Yu made his fortune in Hong Kong, he is now based in Shenzhen.

Mr. Yu, shown in Shanghai last month, was once so poor he operated a rickshaw to earn money.

"I will not leave my fortune to my children," Mr. Yu said in an interview. "If my children are more capable than me, it's not necessary to leave a lot of money to them. If they are incompetent, a lot of money will only be harmful to them."

Philanthropy in mainland China has been on a tear, rising in line with the country's overall wealth, and the net worth of its richest individuals. According to Hurun, the top 50 most generous people in China donated 8.21 billion yuan ($1.2 billion) in 2009, more than double the 3.89 billion yuan the top 50 donated in 2008.

By comparison, American charitable donations fell 75% last year as a result of the financial crisis. The 50 most-generous donors in the U.S. gave $4.1 billion to charity in 2009, down from $15.5 billion the previous year, according to data compiled by the Chronicle of Philanthropy.

Born in China's Hunan province in 1922, Mr. Yu grew up in humble surroundings, at one point operating a rickshaw to earn money. In 1958, he traveled from Shanghai to Hong Kong, where he gradually built up a fortune in the property and hotel industries.

"I understand the misery of the poor people because I used to be so poor," Mr. Yu said.

His first effort in charity came in 1984, when he visited his hometown in Hunan. Shocked by the poor medical conditions in rural China, he donated 10 ambulances to local hospitals. Later, he found that his donation was used instead to supply cars for local government officials. That disillusioning experience, he said, later prompted him to found his own charitable group.

"It's very important to track every penny spent in charitable projects, and I believe it only when I see, hear and touch by myself," Mr. Yu said.

The Yu Pengnian Foundation, which he founded in 2003, mainly funds projects in education and health care. After he was successfully operated on several years ago to remove cataracts, Mr. Yu's group began offering free cataract treatments for the poor, and his charity has helped cure more than 150,000 patients with eye diseases in rural China since 2003, he said.

In the past two decades, Yu Pengnian donated $1.2 billion to good causes, $470 million in the past year alone. He talks about his motivations and his causes. His latest plan is to fund 200 foreign students to pursue degrees in Chinese universities.

Other Chinese entrepreneurs are following Mr. Yu's lead. Chen Fashu, a 50-year-old mining mogul, announced at the end of last year a plan to donate shares he holds in his company over time to establish a fund with an estimated value of 8.3 billion yuan.

Niu Gengsheng, chairman of China's largest dairy company, also pledged to donate all his shares to a charitable foundation he set up in 2005.

China's regulations on nongovernmental organizations and private charities are still strict, making it difficult for them to become officially recognized. Mr. Yu's foundation didn't get the nod from Beijing until last year, seven years after he set it up.

Meanwhile, most nongovernmental organizations and private foundations aren't allowed to raise money publicly in China. As a result, most donations go to government-affiliated organizations such as the Red Cross Society of China and the China Charity Foundation, which are often criticized for not being transparent.

While he may be China's biggest charitable donor, he is far from its richest. On Hurun's list of China's top philanthropists, Mr. Yu has taken the No. 1 spot for five years running, but he ranks 432 on the list of wealthiest Chinese people.

Mr. Yu hopes, though, that his actions will prompt more wealthy Chinese business people to follow his lead. "In the past, we [Chinese] have always been the ones receiving donations. It's time for us to give," he said, "We can hold our heads up now."

Inspiring! Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets,so ... Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!
Have a garbage-free day!

The Silent Majority

First they came for the communists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a Jew. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out for me — German Pastor Martin Niemoller in 1946.

Who Is Ngan Chin Wen

KUALA LUMPUR: Tan Sri Ngan Ching Wen (pic), the Unico-Desa Plantations Bhd executive chairman and former Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ACCIM) president, has died. He was 78. Ngan, who has three sons, died on the way to the Pantai Medical Centre here at about 10.30pm on Tuesday.

Unico-Desa non-independent and non-executive director and chairman of Unico Holdings Bhd Mew Jin Seng described Ngan as a self-righteous individual with a strong sense of entrepreneurship.

“He was very outspoken and had been a student leader in school. “When we were in Nanyang University, he was the student union’s chief of ­external affairs,” he recalled.

Ngan graduated from Nanyang University, Singapore with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics in 1962. He later pursued his LL.B (Hons) at the University of Singapore in 1966. Ngan is well-known, especially in Ipoh, for the development of palm oil. In Sabah, he is known for his contribution in turning jungles into palm oil plantations.
Ngan also ran his own property firm, developing properties in Sichuan, Shanghai, Xian and Yunnan in China.

On the social front, he was a renowned philanthropist and believed in the importance of providing education to the young. In his hometown of Sitiawan, Perak, Ngan donated land and built the Nan Hwa Independent Secondary School 40 years ago.

In the past 10 years, Ngan built more than 20 schools in some of the remote areas of China.

During the 1998 Nipah virus outbreak in Bukit Pelandok, Negri Sembilan, that claimed 105 lives among the pig-farming community, Ngan was one of the first to respond to the emergency and initiated a campaign to raise some RM10mil for the affected families.