Madison Who’s Who Blog

Forbes.com runs an interesting presentation of who’s who in “Secret Sinister Societies”. The usual names that come to mind in this regard are the Illuminati and the Tri-lateral Group. According to Forbes, none of those largely fictitious societies exist. Other notorious societies, such as Yale’s Skull and Bones, seem too impotent to fulfill their sinister obligations.

“Sinister,” of course, is not a label that everyone would apply to all of these groups. Some were founded by self-styled patriots with idealistic goals. But most of these groups were willing to employ violence to achieve those goals, which lent a sinister cast to their activities–at least as far as the authorities were concerned.

One of the ten groups who qualify were the anarchist group who called themselves the Galleanists, the Galleani brothers pictured here, active between 1914 to 1932.

“An anarchist group associated with Luigi Galleani, which launched the 1919 terror-bombing campaign that helped provoke the reactionary Red Scare of the early 1920s. The group’s members were Italian immigrants who hoped to bring down capitalism and free the working classes from exploitation. The Galleanists included Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti, whose conviction and execution on charges of armed robbery and murder sparked one of the great controversies of the 20th century. A Galleanist is thought to have set off the bomb that killed 38 people on Wall Street in 1920.”

Included also are the Fenians, America’s Know-Nothings and the Klu Klux Clan.

Forbes suggests that though we cannot all live like billionaires, we can make a pretty good show of trying.

“That’s because a number of companies are offering temporary use of high-end products and services such as yachts, exotic cars, luxury handbags, and even personal chefs and stylists.

So while you may not be able to call it your own, you still get every benefit of living the rich life.”

Referred to by the Luxury Institute as the “Luxury Access Revolution”, connoisseurs of the good life are buying slices of the experience without the hassles and expense of ownership.

To have a vicarious shot at the good life you can rent luxury apartments in Paris, rent a star chef for an evening, sub-lease a Net-Jet fractional share or charter a cruise on a private luxury yacht,as depicted above. And if you don’t want to throw a grand away on a Gucci handbag, you can “borrow” it.

“Borrowing is really about freedom, access and convenience,” says Lynn Ridenour, senior vice president of marketing. “It gives [customers] greater access to a vast inventory of luxury accessories and the opportunity to indulge in more, more often.”

Is there a downside? Of course: In the end, you do have to give it all back.

Still, says Pedraza, “There’s no question that [the trend of temporary use] will grow. It is such a great convenience where you can buy the experience, not the depreciating assets.”
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Though not exactly a who’s who per say, Forbes listing of the world’s 948 billionaires does suffice to apprise us of exactly who are the wealthiest individuals on the planet today. Apparently the globe had a prosperous year with only 17% of last year’s billionaires losing their status while 178 more billionaires were welcomed into the club.

Bill Gates and Warren Buffet come in first and second respectively with Mexico’s Carlos Slim Helú gained ascension with his 19 billion increase. Thirty-three on the list are under 40, of whom 17 are self-made (60% of the incumbents achieved their status from scratch).

While one expects to find Oprah as one of the women in the club, more impressive perhaps is “welfare mom turned billionaire”, and the only author on the list, Harry Potter scribe Joanne (JK) Rowling. One hundred within the who’s who list of billionaires are single, some are celebrities and some face prison.

They fly in their private Boeing 747-8, and navigate their mega yachts to their own private islands. What are the chances that you will join the ranks of who’s who of wealth? Check your chances here.

Forbes Conferences approach a historical first in bringing the Forbes CEO Forum to Arabian Gulf State of Qatar.Hosted by the Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment & Development Company under the patronage of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, the Forbes CEO Middle East Forum will be presiding over this invitation only event at the end of February.

CEOs expanding their global reach into the middle east will want to take advantage of the March 1st extended deadline to register their company in Forbes Global 2000, the Official Networking Guide.

“The guide, which provides essential information on the Arab World’s most progressive companies and its leading Chairmen, Presidents and Chief Executive Officers..

The Official Networking Guide is rightfully recognized as a precise and intensely targeted PR tool for the region’s most successful corporations; it essentially delivers your company information and CEO’s biography straight into the hands of the Forbes Global 2000…
[..]
With an introduction by Steve Forbes, the guide contains special reports, viewpoints and editorial on some of the key agenda topics that will be debated at the Forbes CEO Middle East Forum — Real Estate, Luxury Retail, Energy, Telecoms, Financial Services, Sport, Family Business and Human Capital; and ensures the delivery of regional business intelligence and each participating company’s profile, CEO biography, and contact information direct to the world’s most influential corporate executives.”
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