J a CK ★ In My life

There’s an old saying that you can choose your friends and not your family. For people like me particularly, a network of close friends often provides a surrogate family, especially in the absence of surrounded by family support and events, as is most commonly the case for changing to a new country and start a new life. Our friends become the people we cling to in crises, either work or relationship-related. They are there for us to party with, to recover with, to celebrate with, and also to commiserate with. They are, clearly, the most important people in our lives. In good times and bad times, it’s more often than not our friends who are by our side, essentially becoming our true family.

Looking back to the past few years, I have made a lot of friends. Some friends are becoming closer and closer. Other friends, particularly those who I met on the party scene over the last few years, have eventually faded into the background, or I have distanced myself from some of them.

Life is full of opportunities, you will be surprised how many people we encounter in our life time, but we are still looking for the ultimate soul mate, who gives you the love and friendship unconditionally. It is very hard, not easier than finding a lifetime partner. When I look back, I had made so many friends in my life, mates from junior school, high school, university, through social work, through friends, through internet, through work, through parties. Amongst all of these friends, we are looking for some one who you know and also he knows you. They are the people I feel the most comfortable with. I can express myself without censorship. I can embrace my spontaneity and never have to hide how I am feeling, or pretend to be something I am not. This is like life partner, when I saw movie ‘JUNO’ the other day, the young girl Juno asks her dad: “what is true love, why can’t it last for ever?” His dad sighed and replied: “There is no such thing that last for ever. But I have been with you mum for many years, I believe she is the one. Juno, I think find someone who loves you as who you are, that is the most important thing.”

Exactly! Find some one who love and accept you as who you are. How hard is that! Every day, we hear friends complain about each other, have issues with this, have problems with that, we hear partners find they don't have things in common, they don't like each other as much as beginning any more etc. if you judge your friend or your partner from your point of view, no wonder that friendship or relationships won’t last long. Because you don't expect to find a person who matches your imagination, that person never exists. You are finding someone accept you, also you have the same in return. When you find it, you can call it life time companion or soul mate. This only happens a few times in a short life. We should cherish it.

Whilst many may understand exactly how it feels to experience the challenges that someone without fear of reprisal or retribution. They validate my right to be happy, sad, angry... whatever. They forgive me my shortcomings, and are there in a pinch whenever I need them. Luckily I have a very few of these soul mates, they are firing up my life and give me the support unconditionally.

Another group of friends are social groups. More than acquaintances, less than bosom buddies, we talk about everything under the sun on a superficial level. We share our hopes and fears, thoughts and feelings, dreams and ideals. And yet there is an enormous chunk of my life which I cannot bring myself to speak of openly with them. To my surprise and joy I am finding I have things in common with these people and we rarely lack for things to chat about. Yet there is awkwardness in my ability to interact with these lovely folk because I am not being completely open with them. But I enjoying having them. They are like the witness of your life especially in different time frames, it is more likely you have different group to hang out with. They come and go all the time. However, life will be so much more boring without these witnesses and also the opportunities they provide you.

The question some people ask me all the time is “Do these people really need to know?” Realistically, the answer is Of course you do!!! In the grand scheme of things, is it really so important to be totally honest with all my friends? I am sure they aren’t sharing all the intimate details of their lives with me. Everyone has secrets they share with only select people. These groups of friends are the best to share happiness with, have fun together, party, and socialize for more opportunities. You don't become frustrated or hurt if they leave you, you learn from interacting with them; make you more mature and more experienced. More importantly, some of your soul mates are hiding inside this group, within time, they will stand out and become friends of lifetime.

Everyone needs friends. We are social animals who need contact with other people to make our lives worthwhile. Whether you have one or one thousand, friends are the foundations on which we build our lives. They keep us strong and prop us up when we are weak. They make us laugh when we are sad and give us someone to share our happiness with. Few things in life have more value than having good friends. Except perhaps being one yourself.

 Britney Spears

Circus
 

   

At the exchange rate yesterday (Wednesday), 35 trillion British Pounds was equivalent to U.S. $62 trillion (hence, the 35 trillion Pound gorilla). According to the International Swaps and Derivatives Association, $62 trillion is the notional value of credit default swaps (CDS) out there, somewhere, in the market.

This isn’t the first time Money Morning has warned readers about the dangers of credit default swaps. And it won’t be the last.

8 Stupid Reasons to Break Up

For many of us, it’s clear when a relationship has run its course, but far too many fold before they’ve really tried to make it work. Not every bad day has to spell the end and not every problem is insurmountable. But how do you know when you’re giving up too soon? Here are eight terrible reasons to break up with someone…

 1) You've Had a Big Fight

Having a row with your partner is as inevitable as Thanksgiving with the in-laws. But not only is having a conflict with your partner not a reason to break up, it’s often a reason that you should stay together. Even the most reasonable people disagree with each other, and the way you resolve your differences can help your relationship climb to new levels. So don’t clam up or head for the door at the first sign of a disagreement. Instead, use it as a way to further understand your partner and what makes him or her tick.

 2) Your Partner Doesn’t Like Everything you Like

So your new boyfriend doesn’t want to spend the weekends antiquing or your new girlfriend would rather turn the TV to a channel other than ESPN. That’s perfectly fine – and again, no reason to start searching for a new partner. Differences can be healthy. Having your own things to do can naturally give a relationship the space it requires. As long as you have enough shared interests to remain united as a couple, take a hint from the French – vive la difference!

3) Your Partner Finds Other People Attractive

Just because you’ve captured another’s heart, it doesn’t mean that you’ve removed the eyes from that person’s head, too. Even when fully loved up, it’s crazy to think that your partner has gone blind to the attractiveness of others. Physically attractive people are all around us, on TV, in film and even in the local supermarket, so it’s naïve to think that they’ll go unnoticed. There’s even a chance that your loved one will feel that pull of chemistry with someone else, too, so you’d better learn how to manage it. In a good committed relationship, the partners are not cut off to external influences, but they’re mature enough to know that acting on them is a recipe for disaster.

4) You Don’t Have Time for a Relationship

Yes, we all know how important your career is right now and that the world will collapse without your undivided attention and input. But get your priorities straight. Astronauts have partners, as do scientists, doctors, judges, teachers and even presidents. You’re a very important person, but never too important to enjoy one of the greatest and most important pleasures in life: a loving relationship. So sure, go to the gym, put in some overtime at work, write a book, save the planet. But understand that having love in your life will make all that seem even more worthwhile.

5) Baggage Has Got you Down

We all carry a certain amount of baggage with us, and not just when we go on vacation. But just because you’ve had a bad experience in your past, it doesn’t mean you have to carry it with you forever into your future. Instead, learn from those experiences, use them as a way to make wiser choices and break the pattern. Your new partner is not your old partner, and just because that person treated you badly doesn’t mean that your new partner will, too.

 6) He or She Doesn’t Do as you Say

While you and your new love may give each other pet names, one thing your sweetie is not is an actual pet. He or she won’t sit and stay when you want, nor should you want that. While small power struggles are common in all relationships, some people’s need for the ultimate say can destroy the peace. Maybe you’re not happy with your significant other going out with his friends. Or you don’t like it when she voices her opinions. If this is so, it’s your issue, not your partner’s, and it’s not a reason to pull the plug. If you find that it’s a recurring theme for you, maybe it’s time to seek personal therapy and work through your own problems before blaming your partner.

7) You Let Petty Things Get in the Way

A lot of people need drama in their lives to feel alive, but the only thing regal about a drama queen is that she can be a royal pain. Like a critic reviewing a movie, it’s easy to pick on what’s wrong with something and make it into something bigger than it is: “OMG, he got me an emerald necklace for my birthday, and he KNOWS I hate green.” “I’m so sick of her tuning the radio to country FM when we’re in her car.” If you have specific issues with something, talk about it, but focus on the positive, like the thoughtfulness of a gift or a simple ride to the airport. Be thankful for the love in your life and for what you are getting out of your relationship, and remember to look at the bigger picture and stop sweating the details.

8) The Relationship Doesn’t Always Make you Happy

Love may be a many splendored thing, but a relationship doesn’t exist JUST to make you happy. It’s not the answer to everything, nor is it an escape from all ills or an elixir to bring a perma-smile to your face. A partner can obviously be a great support in your life, but you’re still responsible for yourself, for accomplishing your individual goals and for keeping yourself entertained. If you’ve abandoned all hobbies and ambitions or dreams because you’re expecting your relationship to fulfill all your needs, you’re doing yourself – and your partner – a disservice, and are piling on far too much pressure. For it to work, YOU have to work, so look inside before casting the blame on someone else. It’ll be good for your relationship – and good for you, too.

http://advice.eharmony.com.au/

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Temple of Heaven, Beijing

              

                      

bill's last day at Microsoft

Life without Bill

It is the end of an era that Bill Gates has decided to leave Microsoft. It's been the longset of goodbyes, but two years after announcing he was hanging up his keyboard, Bill Gates will finally bow out of his full-time role at Microsoft 1st of July 2008. How will the IT industry cope without the man who has the ability to have people queuing round the block to hear him speak one minute? As I remember of Bill, he changed the way how computer works. I was one of the kids started learning computers in early 90s. when I started learning it,we used DOS and Basic language, I still remember some of those commands such as cd..; dir:/; it is more like unix and Linux today, or shell script; we have to use different commands even just getting into a folder. it was a very complicated system and very hard to use. Windows totally changed the way how people used the computers. Windows 95 make PCs are like phones or TVs, it is a compulsory unit for all the offices and homes.  After dominating the PCs for 30 years, Bill becomes the richest man in the world. Also he has been topped that rank for many years. Now Bill gates decides to leave Microsoft which he created, and devotes the rest of his life into charity (Bill and Melinda Gates foundation). He also announced that he will donate all of his 57 billion us$ to his foundation which is the biggest non-profit charity foundation in the world (over 150 billion $). What a great spirit! I don’t think most billionaires can do the same as bill. He knows the real meaning of life and makes it fullest. He will be missed as much as a geek Basic programmer, also a talented economical mind to change the way how softwares are charged and profitable (back to 80s, all softwares were free and open sources, which means the hard work of programmers are worthless), so that more talented programmers are  so very well paid to create even better softwares. He has changed the world we are in. Now I believe a person can change a world; A life like bill, incredible; a world without bill? Not so wonderful.

He is not just Bill Gates. he is THE Bill Gates.

 Bill Gates's speech at World Economic Forum

Jan 24 2008

Thank you for that welcome and for the privilege of speaking at this forum. This is the last time I will come to Davos as a full-time employee of Microsoft. Some of us are lucky enough to arrive at moments in life where we can pause, reflect on our work, and say: "This is great. It's fun, exciting, and useful—I could do this forever." But the passing of time forces each of us to take stock and ask: What have I accomplished so far? What do I still want to accomplish?

Thirty years, twenty years, ten years ago, my focus was totally on how the magic of software could change the world.I believed that breakthroughs in technology could solve the key problems. And they do—increasingly—for billions of people. But breakthroughs change lives only where people can afford to buy them—only where there is economic demand. And economic demand is not the same as economic need.

There are billions of people who need the great inventions of the computer age, and many more basic needs as well. But they have no way of expressing their needs in ways that matter to markets. So they go without. If we are going to have a serious chance of changing their lives, we will need another level of innovation. Not just technology innovation—we need system innovation. That's what I want to discuss with you here in Davos today.

Let me begin by expressing a view that might not be widely shared. The world is getting better. In significant and far-reaching ways, the world is a better place to live than it has ever been. Consider the status of women and minorities in society—virtually any society—compared to any time in the past. Consider that life expectancy has nearly doubled in the past 100 years. Consider governance—the number of people today who vote in elections, express their views, and enjoy economic freedom compared to any time in the past.

In these crucial areas, the world is getting better. These improvements have been matched, and in some cases triggered, by advances in science, technology, and medicine. They have brought us to a high point in human welfare. We are at the start of a technology-driven revolution in what people will be able to do for one another. In the coming decades, we will have astonishing new abilities to diagnose illness, heal disease, educate the world's children, create opportunities for the poor, and harness the world's brightest minds to solve our most difficult problems. This is how I see the world, and it should make one thing clear: I am an optimist. But I am an impatient optimist.

The world is getting better, but it’s not getting better fast enough, and it's not getting better for everyone. The great advances in the world have often aggravated the inequities in the world. The least needy see the most improvement, and the most needy see the least—in particular the billion people who live on less than a dollar a day.

There are roughly a billion people in the world who don't get enough food, who don't have clean drinking water, who don't have electricity, the things that we take for granted.  Diseases like malaria that kill over a million people a year get far less attention than drugs to help with baldness. Not only do these people miss the benefits of the global economy – they will suffer from the negative effects of economic growth they missed out on. Climate change will have the biggest effect on people who have done the least to cause it. Why do people benefit in inverse proportion to their need? Market incentives make that happen.

In a system of pure capitalism, as people's wealth rises, the financial incentive to serve them rises. As their wealth falls, the financial incentive to serve them falls—until it becomes zero. We have to find a way to make the aspects of capitalism that serve wealthier people serve poorer people as well. The genius of capitalism lies in its ability to make self-interest serve the wider interest. The potential of a big financial return for innovation unleashes a broad set of talented people in pursuit of many different discoveries. This system driven by self-interest is responsible for the great innovations that have improved the lives of billions. But to harness this power so it benefits everyone—we need to refine the system.

As I see it, there are two great forces of human nature: self-interest, and caring for others. Capitalism harnesses self-interest in helpful and sustainable ways, but only on behalf of those who can pay. Philanthropy and government aid channel our caring for those who can't pay, but the resources run out before they meet the need. But to provide rapid improvement for the poor we need a system that draws in innovators and businesses in a far better way than we do today. Such a system would have a twin mission: making profits and also improving lives for those who don't fully benefit from market forces. To make the system sustainable, we need to use profit incentives whenever we can. At the same time, profits are not always possible when business tries to serve the very poor. In such cases, there needs to be another market-based incentive—and that incentive is recognition. Recognition enhances a company's reputation and appeals to customers; above all, it attracts good people to the organization. As such, recognition triggers a market-based reward for good behavior. In markets where profits are not possible, recognition is a proxy; where profits are possible, recognition is an added incentive. The challenge is to design a system where market incentives, including profits and recognition, drive the change.

I like to call this new system creative capitalism—an approach where governments, businesses, and nonprofits work together to stretch the reach of market forces so that more people can make a profit, or gain recognition, doing work that eases the world's inequities. Some people might object to this kind of "market-based social change"—arguing that if we combine sentiment with self-interest, we will not expand the reach of the market, but reduce it. Yet Adam Smith—the father of capitalism and the author of Wealth of Nations, who believed strongly in the value of self-interest for society—opened his first book with the following lines: "How selfish soever man may be supposed, there are evidently some principles in his nature, which interest him in the fortunes of others, and render their happiness necessary to him, though he derives nothing from it, except the pleasure of seeing it." Creative capitalism takes this interest in the fortunes of others and ties it to our interest in our own fortunes—in ways that help advance both. This hybrid engine of self-interest and concern for others serves a much wider circle of people than can be reached by self-interest or caring alone. My thinking on this subject has been influenced by many different experiences, including our work at Microsoft to address inequity. For the past 20 years, Microsoft has used corporate philanthropy as a way to bring technology to people who don't have access. We've donated more than $3 billion in cash and software to try to bridge the digital divide, and that will continue.

But our greatest impact is not just free or inexpensive software by itself, but rather when we show how to use technology to create solutions. And we're committed to bring more of that expertise to the table. Our product and business groups throughout the world, and some of our very best minds at our research lab in India, are working on new products, technologies, and business models that can make computing more accessible and more affordable. In one case, we're developing a text-free interface that will enable illiterate or semi-literate people to use a PC instantly, with minimal training or assistance. In another we're looking at how wireless technology, together with software, can avoid the expensive connectivity costs that stand in the way of computing access in rural areas. We're thinking in a much more focused way about the problems that the poorest people face, and giving our most innovative thinkers the time and resources to come up with solutions.

This kind of creative capitalism matches business expertise with needs in the developing world to find markets that are already there, but are untapped. Sometimes market forces fail to make an impact in developing countries not because there's no demand, or because money is lacking, but because we don’t spend enough time studying the needs and limits of that market. This point was made eloquently in C.K. Prahalad's book The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid, and that's had a huge influence on companies in terms of stretching the profit motive through special innovation. 

When the World Health Organization tried to expand vaccination for meningitis in Africa, it didn't go straight to a vaccine manufacturer. It first went to Africa to learn what people could pay. They found out that if they wanted mothers to get this vaccine for their babies, it had to be priced under 50 cents a dose. Then they challenged the partners to meet this price, and, in fact, Serum Institute in India found a new way to make the vaccine for 40 cents each. They company agreed to supply 250 million doses to distribute through public health systems over the next decade, and they are free to sell it directly to the private sector too.

In another case, a Dutch company, which holds the rights to a cholera vaccine, retains the rights in the developed world, but shares those rights with manufacturers in developing countries. The result is a cholera vaccine made in Vietnam that costs less than $1 a dose—and that includes delivery and the costs of an immunization campaign. There are a number of industries that can take advantage of this kind of tiered pricing to offer valuable medicine and technology to low-income people.

These projects are just a hint of what we could accomplish if people who are experts on the needs in the developing world would meet several times a year with scientists at software or drug companies and help them try to find poor world applications for their best ideas. Another approach to creative capitalism includes a direct role for governments. Of course, governments do a great deal to help the poor in ways that go far beyond nurturing markets: they fund research, subsidize health care, build schools and hospitals. But some of the highest-leverage work that government can do is to set policy and disburse funds in ways that create market incentives for business activity that improves the lives of the poor.

Under a law signed by President Bush last year, any drug company that develops a new treatment for a neglected disease like malaria or TB can get priority review from the Food and Drug Administration for another product they've made. If you develop a new drug for malaria, your profitable cholesterol-lowering drug could go on the market a year earlier. This priority review could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Another approach to creative capitalism is simply to help businesses in the poor world reach markets in the rich world. Tomorrow morning I will announce a partnership that gives African farmers access to the premium coffee market, with the goal of doubling their income from their coffee crops. This project will help African farmers produce high-quality coffee and connect them to companies that want to buy it. That will help lift them, their families, and their communities out of poverty.

Finally, one of the most inventive forms of creative capitalism involves someone we all know very well. A few years ago, I was sitting in a bar here in Davos with Bono. After Asia and most of Europe and Africa had gone to bed, he was on fire, talking about how we could get a percentage of each purchase from civic-minded companies to help change the world. He kept calling people, waking them up, and handing me the phone. His projections were a little enthusiastic at first—but his principle was right. If you give people a chance to associate themselves with a cause they care about—they will pay more, and that premium can make an impact. That was how the RED Campaign was born, here in Davos. RED products are available from companies like Gap, Motorola, and Armani. Just this week, Dell and Microsoft joined the cause. Over the last year and a half, RED has generated $50 million for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. As a result, nearly 2 million people in Africa are receiving life-saving drugs today. What unifies all forms of creative capitalism is that they’re market-driven efforts to bring solutions we take for granted to people who can't get them. As we refine and improve this approach, there is every reason to believe these engines of change will become larger, stronger, and more efficient.

There is a growing understanding around the world that when change is driven by market-based incentives, you have a sustainable plan for change—because profits and recognition are renewable resources. Klaus Schwab runs a foundation that assists social entrepreneurs around the world, men and women who turn their ideas for improving lives into affordable goods or services. President Clinton demonstrates the unique role that a non-profit can play as a deal-maker between rich world producers and poor world consumers. The magazine Fast Company gives awards for what they call Social Capitalism.

These are not a few isolated stories; this is a world-wide movement, and we all have the ability and the responsibility to accelerate it. I'd like to ask everyone here—whether you're in business, government or the non-profit world—to take on a project of creative capitalism in the coming year. It doesn't have to be a new project; you could take an existing project, and see where you might stretch the reach of market forces to help push things forward. When you award foreign aid, when you make charitable gifts, when you try to change the world—can you also find ways to put the power of market forces behind the effort to help the poor? I hope corporations will consider dedicating a percentage of your top innovators' time to issues that could help people left out of the global economy. This kind of contribution is much more powerful than simply giving away cash, or offering your employees time off to volunteer. It is a focused use of what your company does best. It is a great form of creative capitalism, because it takes the brainpower that makes life better for the richest, and dedicates it to improving the lives of everyone else. There are a number of pharmaceutical companies—GlaxoSmithKline in particular—that are putting their top innovators to work on new approaches to help the poor. Other companies are doing the same—in food, technology, cell phones. If we could take the leaders in these areas as models, and get the rest to match them, we could make a dramatic impact against the world's inequities.

Finally, I hope that the great thinkers here will dedicate some time to finding ways for businesses, governments, NGOs, and the media to create measures of what companies are doing to use their power and intelligence to serve a wider circle of people. This kind of information is an important element of creative capitalism. It can turn good works into recognition, and ensure that recognition brings market-based rewards to businesses that do the most work to serve the most people.

We are living in a phenomenal age. If we can spend the early decades of the 21st century finding approaches that meet the needs of the poor in ways that generate profits and recognition for business, we will have found a sustainable way to reduce poverty in the world. This task is open-ended. It can never be finished. But a passionate effort to answer this challenge will help change the world. 

Sam Sparro