Curling on the Last Day
16 years ago
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Pledging to give away at least half their wealth by the end of their lives
CommonWealth Magazine
Feb 19th 2013, 16:31 by M.B. | NEW YORK
THE mission led by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to make large-scale philanthropy the norm among the super rich has just won a dozen new converts. For the first time, those taking the Buffett-Gates "Giving Pledge" come from outside America, according to the announcement on February 19th. The total number of billionaires pledging to give away at least half their wealth by the end of their lives now stands at 102.
The new signatories are an interesting mix of rich and emerging-economy money. The best known is Richard Branson, who used to be a notable sceptic about traditional personal philanthropy. British hedge fund boss Christopher Cooper-Hohn has also signed up, which will surprise no-one who has followed the activities of the Children's Investment Fund Foundation run by his wife, Jamie. Likewise, mobile phone entrepreneur, John Caudwell. As for David Sainsbury, a super market tycoon, he was starting to give away most of his pile long before Messrs Buffett and Gates even thought about it.
More intriguing is Hasso Plattner, a founder of SAP, a software giant. Does his signature indicate a thawing of the traditional reluctance of rich Germans to talk publicly about their wealth or, when they do it, their giving? Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, an Australian mining billionaire, has also been challenging Australia's conservative rich to do bigger, bolder philanthropy.
Several of the signatories are from emerging economies. The former communist bloc is represented by Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainian who holds an annual philanthropy discussion in Davos during the World Economic Forum, and Vladimir Potanin, a nickel mining magnate. There are two Africans. Mo Ibrahim, a mobile phone billionaire, has long been giving to support efforts to improve governance in the continent, including through a large prize for retired African leaders who did a good job in office. Patrice Motsepe, a South African mining boss, is the first black African billionaire to promise to give away so much.
There is one Malaysian, Tan Chee Yioun, whose property development, gaming and sports conglomerate includes Cardiff City Football Club, and one Indian, Azim Premji, a technology tycoon whose giving has long been large and public. This seems like a small return on the considerable efforts of Messrs Buffett and Gates to encourage more philanthropy by rich Indians. Likewise, their visits to China have yielded not one signatory, nor have their entreaties to Latin America's super rich, such as Carlos Slim,who is by some measures now the world's wealthiest man.
"The 50% hurdle may be too high in some cultures," noted one American Giving Pledge signatory last week, adding that a more realistic goal may be to get any sort of public commitment to give in some countries, even if it is "only" for 10% or 20%. The idea that reducing your children's inheritance is good for them is perhaps uniquely popular amongst America's wealthy.
Still, maybe these new signatories will inspire their peers, much as Ted Turner's pledge in 1997 to give $1 billion to the UN did for his fellow American super rich. According to Forbes, there were 1223 billionaires on the planet in 2012. 102 down, 1121 to go.
©The Economist Newspaper Limited 2013
Feb 19th 2013, 16:31 by M.B. | NEW YORK
THE mission led by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to make large-scale philanthropy the norm among the super rich has just won a dozen new converts. For the first time, those taking the Buffett-Gates "Giving Pledge" come from outside America, according to the announcement on February 19th. The total number of billionaires pledging to give away at least half their wealth by the end of their lives now stands at 102.
The new signatories are an interesting mix of rich and emerging-economy money. The best known is Richard Branson, who used to be a notable sceptic about traditional personal philanthropy. British hedge fund boss Christopher Cooper-Hohn has also signed up, which will surprise no-one who has followed the activities of the Children's Investment Fund Foundation run by his wife, Jamie. Likewise, mobile phone entrepreneur, John Caudwell. As for David Sainsbury, a super market tycoon, he was starting to give away most of his pile long before Messrs Buffett and Gates even thought about it.
More intriguing is Hasso Plattner, a founder of SAP, a software giant. Does his signature indicate a thawing of the traditional reluctance of rich Germans to talk publicly about their wealth or, when they do it, their giving? Andrew "Twiggy" Forrest, an Australian mining billionaire, has also been challenging Australia's conservative rich to do bigger, bolder philanthropy.
Several of the signatories are from emerging economies. The former communist bloc is represented by Victor Pinchuk, a Ukrainian who holds an annual philanthropy discussion in Davos during the World Economic Forum, and Vladimir Potanin, a nickel mining magnate. There are two Africans. Mo Ibrahim, a mobile phone billionaire, has long been giving to support efforts to improve governance in the continent, including through a large prize for retired African leaders who did a good job in office. Patrice Motsepe, a South African mining boss, is the first black African billionaire to promise to give away so much.
There is one Malaysian, Tan Chee Yioun, whose property development, gaming and sports conglomerate includes Cardiff City Football Club, and one Indian, Azim Premji, a technology tycoon whose giving has long been large and public. This seems like a small return on the considerable efforts of Messrs Buffett and Gates to encourage more philanthropy by rich Indians. Likewise, their visits to China have yielded not one signatory, nor have their entreaties to Latin America's super rich, such as Carlos Slim,who is by some measures now the world's wealthiest man.
"The 50% hurdle may be too high in some cultures," noted one American Giving Pledge signatory last week, adding that a more realistic goal may be to get any sort of public commitment to give in some countries, even if it is "only" for 10% or 20%. The idea that reducing your children's inheritance is good for them is perhaps uniquely popular amongst America's wealthy.
Still, maybe these new signatories will inspire their peers, much as Ted Turner's pledge in 1997 to give $1 billion to the UN did for his fellow American super rich. According to Forbes, there were 1223 billionaires on the planet in 2012. 102 down, 1121 to go.
©The Economist Newspaper Limited 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
找出孩子特質
關鍵思考二 重新定位自己
「教養是親子相互影響的過程」台灣師範大學人類發展與家庭學系副教授林如萍指出，以往談親職，焦點多半放在「如何教？」以父母為中心，希望種瓜得瓜、種豆得豆。但現在的親職內涵，是講互動，重點在爸媽觀察到孩子什麼樣的特質、對教養結果的期待是什麼，釐清了這兩個前提，再來談教養的方法。實行教養的同時，孩子會給予回饋，不論正向或負向的回應，爸媽也從這個回饋中修正教養的態度及方式，從過程中獲得如何當爸媽的學習。
「教養是親子相互影響的過程」台灣師範大學人類發展與家庭學系副教授林如萍指出，以往談親職，焦點多半放在「如何教？」以父母為中心，希望種瓜得瓜、種豆得豆。但現在的親職內涵，是講互動，重點在爸媽觀察到孩子什麼樣的特質、對教養結果的期待是什麼，釐清了這兩個前提，再來談教養的方法。實行教養的同時，孩子會給予回饋，不論正向或負向的回應，爸媽也從這個回饋中修正教養的態度及方式，從過程中獲得如何當爸媽的學習。
新手父母先問自己三個問題
關鍵思考一 我是誰？
友緣基金會執行長廖清碧說，孩子人格的形塑，受到父母的年紀、健康、家庭經濟條件、手足人數四個因素影響。在這些因素交互影響下，發展出今天的人格特質，有一天當了爸媽，這四個因素也會交互影響著你的寶寶將成為什麼樣的人。
面臨教養困境時，可試著檢視自己和原生家庭的關係及童年的成長經驗。有些爸媽印刻在心底的童年成長經驗很美好，育兒過程會不自覺的複製自己童年的美好經驗，把童年所感受到的滿滿的愛也傳遞給自己的孩子。
有些父母的童年經驗有不愉快的回憶，有了孩子後，並不想複製原生父母的教養模式，此時可能出現兩種教養行為：一是矯枉過正，例如小時候物質過於匱乏，當自己有了小孩，便在物質上過度滿足孩子。二是無意識的重複原生父母的教養模式，但打心底又排斥在這樣教養模式下所展現的自己，於是出現了教養的矛盾。例如自己求學過程中，成績一直不如父母預期，當了爸媽後，雖然告訴自己，孩子的成績不是最重要的，但看到不理想的成績單，還是忍不住對孩子發了脾氣，要孩子用功些。
關鍵思考一 我是誰？
友緣基金會執行長廖清碧說，孩子人格的形塑，受到父母的年紀、健康、家庭經濟條件、手足人數四個因素影響。在這些因素交互影響下，發展出今天的人格特質，有一天當了爸媽，這四個因素也會交互影響著你的寶寶將成為什麼樣的人。
面臨教養困境時，可試著檢視自己和原生家庭的關係及童年的成長經驗。有些爸媽印刻在心底的童年成長經驗很美好，育兒過程會不自覺的複製自己童年的美好經驗，把童年所感受到的滿滿的愛也傳遞給自己的孩子。
有些父母的童年經驗有不愉快的回憶，有了孩子後，並不想複製原生父母的教養模式，此時可能出現兩種教養行為：一是矯枉過正，例如小時候物質過於匱乏，當自己有了小孩，便在物質上過度滿足孩子。二是無意識的重複原生父母的教養模式，但打心底又排斥在這樣教養模式下所展現的自己，於是出現了教養的矛盾。例如自己求學過程中，成績一直不如父母預期，當了爸媽後，雖然告訴自己，孩子的成績不是最重要的，但看到不理想的成績單，還是忍不住對孩子發了脾氣，要孩子用功些。
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