Ironically, he is also, like so many of his countrymen, a Francophile with a penchant for wine and a house in southern France.

ECONOMIST: Wim Duisenberg, in the rough

Ironically, he is so sincerely grateful that despite the fact that I have always paid him promptly and well, I still feel profoundly in his debt.

FORBES: What Recession? 10 Ways to Keep Your Job and Your Customers in Tough Times

Ironically, Li says he is still waiting for that special someone to answer his advert, admitting, "the best result would be for me to find someone to marry through this".

BBC: Boyfriends for hire to beat China's wedding pressure

Ironically, or not, he is living with his parents in Westport again.

FORBES: Getting Over Our Over-Levered Selves

Ironically, that is precisely what Barak claimed he was doing when he pulled out in 2000.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: The Israeli Left's loser message

Ironically, the closest Slim gets to computer literacy is navigating his Palm V: He uses the calculator and address book, but someone else has to enter the addresses and phone numbers for him.

FORBES: Slim's bigger ideas

Ironically, he used to be one of the organisers of the rival World Social Forum and is coming from there.

BBC: Economic gloom at Davos forum

Ironically, his choice of investment target is as out of place in green-crazed Portland as he was at the Santa Fe conference.

FORBES: Magazine Article