'Normal' Men Who Became the Richest in the World
You don't expect a billionaire to be born in Omaha, Nebraska; you definitely don't expect him to stay there. In his mid-20s, he established Buffett Associates Ltd. with about $100,000 from family and friends. They got their money's worth, as this Cornhusker is a perennial top five on world's richest lists. After a rocky stretch when the economy collapsed, he is back on his feet with his net worth rising by $10 billion in the last year. That's a relief.
Buffett's not the only Nebraskan billionaire. A fellow Omaha boy, Munger ran a powerhouse investment partnership of his own before teaming up with Warren. The Vice Chairman of Berkshire-Hathaway Corporation, Buffett regularly describes him as his partner, though Munger's net worth pales next to his. Seriously, how does he make ends meet on just $1.7 billion?
He's become the ultimate political Goliath (who spent an estimated $80 million to $100 million to win just over 550,000 votes — that's more than $150 a vote — for a third term as New York's mayor), but growing up he was far more of a David; Bloomie's official bio proudly notes his parents were "middle-class" and he paid his Johns Hopkins tuition by "taking loans and working as a parking lot attendant during the summer." After Hopkins he went to Harvard Business School, followed by Salomon Brothers, then his own company Bloomberg LP, followed by roughly $18 billion.
Source: Esquire
Listening to the Masters at Work: A Lot More Mellow Than Tiger's Nike Ad
The most unexpectedly satisfying moment of being at the Final Four last weekend had nothing to do with Luther Vandross or my alma mater winning it all, or even my stumbling across this all-too-relevant photograph at a nearby Hooters. It came after a relatively unsatisfying sip of snuck-in bourbon, actually, after some relatively irrelevant free throw, in Duke's blowout Saturday win, when I closed my eyes, opened my ears to a hushed crowd of 71,000, and heard... no Jim Nantz.
It was satisfying because Jim Nantz calling a basketball game is like Jimmy Fallon performing a monologue — as awkward as it is infuriating, if only because you have nothing else to watch and the television networks leave you no choice. But Jim Nantz narrating a quiet afternoon of golf? That's a slice of joy, even if you're not supposed to be watching — and thank heavens for CBS Sports offering us another chance to watch at the desk, March Madness-style. Still, in Esquire's headphone-heavy office, we won't be quite as distracted with this month's experiment in live Internet video; these opening rounds bring said joy, like a Sunday napping to a less meaningful tournament, precisely for their lack of intensity — and, hey, we've got work to do. So minimize the picture, please. I mean, would you prefer this...
You can get the Masters live from CBSSports.com right here. Nota bene: wait to plug in your earbuds until after the latest Fat Luke Wilson commercial. Nota due: the sports-as-therapeutic-NPR also works with MLB.TV, worth every penny at $19.95 a month, especially if you're displaced from the hometown team. And go, Mick.
Source: Esquire