Wall $treet Folly

Video: Bill Gates' last day at Microsoft

From the CES show: Featuring Bill Gates, Brian Williams, Jay, Bono, Steven Spielberg, Jon Stuart, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Al Gore, and from Microsoft: Steve Ballmer, Christine White, Lisa Brummell, Robbie Bach, Kevin Turner, Ray Ozzie, and Craig Mundie. (Around 8 minutes)

A Happy Birthday shout to Warren Buffett!

Warren Buffett is another year older today --- 77 years young.

Happy Birthday!

Back to school: Harvard's richest drop-out gets an honorary degree and delivers the school's commencement speech; Some LBO's fraying at the seams -- will Linens 'n Things Inc and others go down for the thread count?

                 

The Speechmaker: How Bill Gates Got Ready for Harvard Boom Aside, Not All LBOs Look So Hot

Hedge funds charge an arm and a leg -- now some are giving back; Siebel Systems founder pledges $100 million to University of Illinois alma mater when he expires; Bill & Melinda give $105M to U of WA; $100M anonymous gift to U of Chicago

   
             

Hedge fundraising Billionaire pledges $100M to university Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation donates $100 million to U of Washington

Watch out Bill Gates: Carlos Slim Helu is now the worlds 2nd wealthiest and gaining fast

It's Carlos Slim by a nose (after Bill Gates):  Warren Buffett isn't the 2nd richest man in the world any more.  Mexico's Carlos Slim Helu has nudged him out with $53.1 billion to Buffett's $52.4 billion.  And he's catching up fast to Bill Gates who's got $56 billion.  According to Forbes:

Slim added $4 billion to his fortune in the two months since we locked in net worths for our annual billionaires rankings. His second-largest holding, Carso Global Telecom, which controls ubiquitous fixed-line operator Telmex, has jumped 15% in that time. His biggest holding, wireless operator America Movil is up 4% since it announced earlier this month that it was in talks to buy a third of Olimpia, the holding company that controls Telecom Italia. By contrast, Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway shares have slipped slightly.

Carlos Slim Helu Now World's Second-Richest Man - Forbes

Bill Gates: He did it his way?

So have those singing lessons paid off?:  A 1997 Time Magazine article talked about how Melinda Gates was helping to broaden her husband's horizons --- by taking singing lessons together. (And she planned parties that included karaoke.)  It seems that he may have gotten to put those lessons to the test recently, where after a performance by Christina Milian at a party thrown by an unnamed billionaire for 15 people (including U2), Bill Gates grabbed the mike and belted out "My Way".   He also boogied during her performance....