Come on then… entertain us!

[Twitter - BillGates]

FACT ONE: Allied Carpets have gone into administration today, with 1,100 jobs in jeopardy.

FACT TWO: Bill Gates recently acquired a three per cent stake in Carpetright.

Are these facts connected in any way? You tell us…

Bill Gates, yesterday

Dig, if you will, a picture. You’re Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and one of the few men in the world who can safely say they’ve got more dollars than blood cells. With your Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation set up and carrying out good works across the globe, the world is your oyster. So what do you do next? You buy a 3.14 per cent stake in beleaguered tracksuit merchants JJB Sports, that’s what.

Oh yes, this is not some kind of elaborate prank – it is the truth. Next time you buy a Frisbee or a pair of trainer socks from JJB, Bill Gates will be trousering some of the proceeds.

The purchase was made through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and as their purpose is to “help all people lead healthy, productive lives” we can sort of join the dots. Exercise = health, therefore being a part of an organisation that, among other things, is responsible for flogging off last season’s Chelsea away strip, is a positive move.

But… Bill Gates also owns a small stake in Carpetright. Explain THAT if you can.

If you think that the economic crisis is affecting you and your wealth, you might feel better after reading the Forbes Rich List of 2009.

The BBC published some figures today from Forbes latest, showing that 332 names have been wiped off Forbes magazine’s “rich list” of world billionaires, leaving only 793 people to lay claim to a place on that list.

While few of us would be shedding tears for the plight of billionaires nor would they be entitled to much in the way of charity, the Chief Executive of Forbes Magazines, Steve Forbes, said:

“Billionaires don’t have to worry about their next meal, but if their wealth is declining and you’re not creating numerous new billionaires, it means the rest of the world is not doing very well,” he told reporters. “The typical billionaire is down at least one third on their net worth.”

Here is our summary of some interesting figures at a glance:

1. The total net worth of the world’s billionaires fell from $4.4 trillion to $2.4 trillion, reducing the number of billionaires in the world to 793 from 1,125.

2. Microsoft Founder Bill Gates has resumed his title as the world’s richest, as the global financial meltdown wiped out $2 trillion from the net worth of the world’s billionaires.

3. The stock market collapse has costed Mr. Warren Buffet $25 billion, reducing his wealth to $34 billion. But Gates can’t be too happy either, considering his fortune has declined £13.06 billion ($18bn) to $40 bn.

4. Indian businessman Anil Ambani, the biggest climber on the list last year to #6, has dropped to 34 after being the biggest loser this year. His net worth sank $31.9 billion to $10.1 bn.

5. Russian billionaires lost a total of $369 billion between them, thanks to plunging oil prices.

6. There are now 52 Chinese billionaires on the list with a decrease in billionaires from the mainland, but their collective wealth shrank less than those from emerging economies like India and Turkey.

7. The depreciating economy means that to make the top 20 on the Forbes list, you now only need $14bn instead of $21bn in 2008. (Oh, so achievable!)

8. Mexico’s druglord Joaquin “Shorty” Guzman, nicknamed for being 5 ft. tall, killed his way to the top of Mexico’s cocaine export to the USA after escaping from prison in 2001. He has also compensated for his height by following in Pablo Escobar’s footsteps, making it onto the Forbes Magazine list of the world’s richest people with an estimated $1 billion fortune. [Reuters]

Now that these poor billionaires only have millions to survive on, maybe a tear is worth shedding after all. Except for “Shorty”. He’s winning ‘Man of the year’ instead.

[BBC] (thanks, Daniel!)