Wisconsin membership in the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees--the state's second-largest public-sector union after the National Education Association, which represents teachers--fell to 28, 745 in February from 62, 818 in March 2011, according to a person who has viewed Afscme's figures.

WSJ: What's at Stake in Wisconsin

This makes the organization eight times as large as the second-largest non-profit advocacy group, the National Rifle Association.

FORBES: Move up http://i.forbesimg.com t Move down

But the preparations for convertibility are also a sign of Chinese strength, as China, now the world's second-largest national economy, recognizes that as a global power it must have a global currency.

WSJ: New Move to Make Yuan a Global Currency

Last year GOL, the country's second-largest carrier and itself a budget airline, quietly bought the remnants of VARIG, the national airline that had imploded after the government refused to save it.

ECONOMIST: Business travel

Scaglia in five years transformed the Olivetti subsidiary, Omnitel Pronto Italia, into Europe's second-largest national wireless operator, stepping down when Olivetti bought Telecom Italia in 1999.

FORBES: A fiber niche is nice