Thursday, March 06, 2008

Bill Gates is now only the 3rd richest man in the world?

Bill Gates was the world’s richest man for 13 years but this year he has dropped to third on the Forbes list. The Harvard dropout and Microsoft founder is also one of the world’s most generous philanthropists..
Wow, respect man! I guess he is no longer the richest person in the world because he donated in billions! I remember last year he had $71 billion.

This time, Lebanese descendent, Carlos Slim Helu (now referred to as Mexican), has become the 2nd richest man in the world. ($60 Billion). Good thing is that he also helps out.
Helú has donated almost $7 billion to projects in Mexico City.
Ok check this guy out:

IKEA’s billionaire founder Ingvar Kamprad: it is said that, in spite of the 81-year-old's wealth, he still drives a Volvo and flies economy class.

(Respect to the IKEA guy too! 7elo rasso eh? I can't wait till I can start flying first class, badna nmid ijrayna wlo!)

And compare him to this guy:

Lakshmi Mittal is known for his spending. In 2004 he spent an estimated £34 million on his daughter’s wedding...
There are families in Lebanon that live on 250$ per month! I think I read somewhere, some families in the poor countries live on a single dollar... This world is not balanced!

The wealthiest woman's name is Liliane Bettencourt, heir to the L’Oreal fortune. (There is hope for me I guess)

Last but not least, the youngest richest person in the world is no stranger but our dearest and closest friend, Mark Zuckerberg, the FACEBOOK guy! He's only 23, and Forbes estimated his worth at $1.5 Billion. Eh mish 3atlin!

8 comments:

  1. Nice post! I am still hoping that one day I would wake up with the idea of my life that would actually turn me into a millionaire! But, I am still not very creative... yet.

    Oh, and honestly, if I had so much money, I would try to remain modest and all that (seriously), but I would be driving one hell of a sexy car!

    Liliane, 3a2belik w 3a2belna nsir millionaires... but I guess, what really matters is love. Family, friends and someone special to love and be loved by... w akid a few millions here and there ;)

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  2. hahahah Right on! I totally agree! inno donating, caring about the environment kil holeh, bass akid while driving a Lamborghini DIABLO! with friends and family :P

    I am waiting to see what _z has to say about this!

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  3. Mmm in the midst of the list you forgot to mention the currently richest man in the world "Warren Buffet" . And this man is truely amazing in how good he is at what he does but also at how modest as a person he also is. And btw he's giving away most of his wealth thats like 71 billion dollars for charity. and he's Bill Gate's Bridge partner

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  4. oh and I forgot one more thing.. you made a small mistake .. the sentence should have been .. This time, Mexican Carlos Slim Helu( now referred to as a lebanese descendent)..
    NO OFFENCE but the guy is 100% mexican. He was born there , raised there , and all his life is centered around mexico even his first name is Carlos and not Walid.. I just get irritated at this silly lebanese habit of suddenly turning someone "lebanese" just cause he had lebanese "ancestors"... I don't see italians or any other european group doing the same or bragging the way we do when an american of italian or european descent achieves something.. maybe that bad habit really comes from the fact that nobody really great comes out directly of our own country, so this is our excuse to prove the contrary.

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  5. I can only agree with you with everything you said about the whole lebanese ancestry thing. We do have this bad habit. We don't support the people at all, but when they're rich and famous we say "they're lebanese!"

    I did not know about Warren Buffet being modest and all, I did know that he's a friend of Bill Gates and donated to bill gates and melinda's foundation. Which is cool.

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  6. Liliane,

    akid, do charity, be good and all that, while you're living the high life! hehe.

    Today I was in Parklane and I passed by The Dorchester and the Hilton and all those hot cars were parked around and it just looked like a world so far away... I immediately remembered the very poor kids I'd see running around in the streets in Africa, just hungry kids, very dirty, sometimes homeless that they sleep on those streets... It is unfair isn't it? that billions are floating around while there is SUCH poverty! I mean had the gap been much less, men2oul ca va, bas enno raheeb hayda el gap... and it makes me feel very guilty for desiring such wealth sometimes.

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  7. 'badna nmid ijrayna wlo!'
    Ye3ne 2ataltine be hey haha, this is exactly what i think each time i end up on a plane flying somewhere.

    Eh, ma3ik 7a22, Mark Zuckerberg is our dearest friend, shu kenna 3melna without him :P

    Posh, don't feel guilty ... especially if you deserve it ...

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  8. Mark Zuckerberg deserves it! inno reji3 jama3na ana w my school friends, which is amazing. back then ma ken fi cell, so people got married, travelled, changed homes, we lost contact of each other. Now we're almost back (part of us, and thanks to facebook)

    AND YES, badna nmid ijrayna, i hate economy class! just because I have knees ache. Which reminds me, can't I ask for a special treatment or something? :P

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