A Christmas light show (courtesy of the neighborhood Billionaire)

read::: NY Times article

NYT: A New Breed of Billionaire

NY Times article: A New Breed of Billionaire

Forbes: Who wants to party like a billionare?

Party Like A Billionaire

Who wants to party like a rock star when you can party like a billionaire? That is if you are lucky enough to get invited to one of their blow-out bashes.


Read::: Forbes

Bonnie Donny, The Isle o' Lewis Is Pining for Ye

Trump, Dissed in Aberdeen,
Is Wooed by Mom's Town;
Too Windy for His Hair?

By ALISTAIR MACDONALD
December 10, 2007; Page A1

TONG, Isle of Lewis, Scotland -- On this desolate, windswept island, a three-hour ferry ride from the Scottish mainland, some folks have a new pastime: Waiting for Donald Trump.

The New York real-estate mogul has been touting his Scottish ancestry in a bid to build a $2.5 billion luxury golf resort near Aberdeen, about 270 miles southeast of here. There, a local council committee and some residents have spurned his advances, unimpressed by his claim that he felt like "kissing the earth" in the land where his mother, Mary Macleod, was born.


read::: WSJ

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim places a "Going-Out-Of-Business" sign on CompUSA

CompUSA, the computer and gadget retailer controlled by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, has been sold to a restructuring and investment firm that will close stores and sell some company assets.

The early reaction to this corporate liquidation is that few, if anyone, will miss CompUSA.

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim invested over $2 billion into the electronics chain retailer, but the company simply couldn’t compete with Best Buy and Wal-Mart, which offered greater selection and more competitive pricing.

Adios, CompUSA!

related -

The consumer electronics store will run store-closing sales during the holidays to get rid of inventory.

also -

read some of this post-obit comments on TechCrunch; which one is your favorite?

Billionaires have holiday wish lists, too

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday ("Seven Yachts A-Sailing, Six..., p. W2) that yes, billionaires have holiday wish lists and needs like the rest of us.

For instance, Mark Cuban wants: an NBA trophy, a 32-gigabyte flash drive and new dancing shoes.

Sam Wyly wants books, such as: "Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942."

Please let us know if you know of an billionaires that have updated wish lists.

Merry Christmas to all billionaires and non-billionaires alike!!!

BusinessWeek Butts into a Billionaire's Wedding (Larry Page)

File this story under: You've Got to be Kidding Me.

Here's BusinessWeek, the national business magazine, taking time out of its very busy publishing schedule, asking the question: Billionaire Marriages: Why Get Hitched?

New York Magazine gets it right with the following commentary:

Since there are only about 500 people in the country who need this advice, and they're probably not going to get it from Business Week, this all feels eerily pointed. Something you want to tell us, Zoe? Speak now — or forever hold your peace!

BusinessWeek, get back to work!!! Really, now.

VeryBusinessWeek

New York Magazine

Google

Jim Rogers on Commodities, US markets and Bernanke

Billionaire Joseph Lewis Raises Bear Stearns Stake

Billionaire Lewis Raises Bear Stearns Stake to 8%

By Yalman Onaran

Dec. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Billionaire investor Joseph Lewis raised his bet on Bear Stearns Cos. as the fifth-biggest U.S. securities firm's stock fell 21 percent in the last two months.

The 70-year-old high-school dropout, who acquired a 7 percent stake in September, now has 8 percent, according to a regulatory filing today. That makes him the second-largest shareholder of the New York-based company, whose stock is near a two-year low.


Bloomberg

Bear Stearns

NYSE(quotes): BCS

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn got what he wanted: Ed Zander's ouster as Motorola's CEO

Icahn: Break Up Motorola

Zander's ouster does not satisfy the disgruntled investor, who owns 3 percent stake in world's number three cell phone maker.

by Roy Mark

In the end, billionaire investor Carl Icahn got what he wanted: Ed Zander's ouster as Motorola's CEO. Now, Ichan, who holds about 3 percent of Motorola, wants to break up the world's third largest cell phone maker.

Read::: PC Magazine

Facebook gets backing of Hong Kong billionaire

Hong Kong billionaire takes $60M Facebook stake
By MarketWatch

HONG KONG (MarketWatch) -- Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing has invested $60 million in social networking Web site Facebook, equivalent to a 0.4% stake, and has the option for an additional $60 million investment, according to a report by a technology blog.

The All Things Digital blog on Friday, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the transaction, reported that 79-year-old Li would not make the investment through his flagship companies Hutchison Whampoa Ltd.


Facebook.com

Billionaire Warren Buffet helped keep "A-Rod" a Yankee

NEW YORK (AFP) — Billionaire businessman Warren Buffett reportedly helped steer Alex Rodriguez into reaching agreement on terms of a record-setting new contract with the New York Yankees.

Citing unnamed sources, the Wall Street Journal's website reported that "A-Rod" called Buffett and two executives from Goldman Sachs Group last week for advice after opting out of his Major League Baseball contract to become a free agent.

The third baseman has reportedly agreed with the Yankees upon a 10-year deal worth up to 275 million dollars, including money for passing recently indicted Barry Bonds to become the all-time US home run king.

read::: AFP article

Boisterous Billionaires Calling Names: Donald Trump vs. Mark Cuban

Trump vs. Cuban Turns Nerdy


The never-ending battle of words between boisterous billionaires Donald Trump and Mark Cuban has shifted from the topic of Dan Rather to Internet spam. Ooooh, burn!

The feud began this week when Trump called Dan Rather "a loser." Rather, who is currently suing former employer CBS, now works for Cuban's HDNet. Cuban didn't take too kindly to that, telling "Access Hollywood" that Trump "is a first-class idiot!" To which Trump retorted to Page Six, "Mark is a total loser."

Now Cuban is firing back, telling TMZ, "Has [Trump] ever hired anyone who went to Trump University, or is Trump University just a good excuse to be one of the biggest Internet spammers in America?" Oh snap! He told him!

read::: TMZ.com

Very rich Googlers

Googlers on the latest Forbes list of the world’s richest humans includes: 12. Sergey Brin; 13: Larry Page; 48. Eric Schmidt; 204. Omid Kordestani and 271. Kavitark Ram Shriram.

Google today is up $7.21, or 1.3%, at $560.04.

For sale? Chicago Cubs

From DealBreaker.com, we are reading reports that Chicago billionaire Sam Zell will unload the Chicago Cubs after he consumes the Tribune Co.:

A very interesting M&A battle could soon heat up on the North Side of Chicago. Various news reports say that if/when Sam Zell finishes buying Tribune Co., he will put the Cubbies up for sale. Two of the expected bidders are Madison Dearborn chief John Canning and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. A contrast in styles, to say the least…

via DealBreaker