The Brilliant Issue
Photo by Sam Jones
Who really are the smartest folks in the room—and whom do they look to for inspiration?
Condé Nast Portfolio talked to scores of C.E.O.'s, economists, and power players for a look at who's influencing the influencers.
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The Pentagon's $1 Trillion Problem
Photoillustration by Bartholomew Cooke
The Pentagon got spanked for its infamous $640 toilet seats. But two decades and billions of dollars later, the military budget is still a mess. Will the Defense Department ever pass an audit?
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How Mickey Got His Groove Back
First, the Disney machine found a moneymaker in a character called Hannah Montana. Then it faced a quandary: how to keep making money from its superstar, Miley Cyrus, once she grew up.
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The Taming of Merrill Lynch
Photo by Jill Greenberg
John Thain scaled Goldman Sachs and went on to save the New York Stock Exchange. Now the new Merrill C.E.O. is facing a real challenge.
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Game Boy
Photo by Emily Shur
Bobby Kotick's videogame company, Activision, has been snapping up market share by buying hot properties like Guitar Hero. With the ambitious Vivendi Games merger nearing completion, Kotick's trying to K.O. the heavyweight champion: Electronic Arts.
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Wild Card
Photo by Sean Davies
With her new $1.2 billion casino, Pansy Ho has become the face of gambling in booming Macao. But her family's business won't hit the jackpot unless she can charm U.S. regulators into overlooking her father's troublesome ties to organized crime.
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Mr. Personalities
Photo by Jim Young
Could a President McCain mend the economy and fix the tax system? That would depend on which version of the G.O.P. candidate took office.
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The Escort Economy
Photo by Corbis
Eliot Spitzer didn't come close to paying the highest price for an elite call-girl visit. There's a lot of money changing hands at the top of the world's oldest profession.
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Horse Cents
Photo by Rob Howard
A bottled-water magnate from Queens, New York, entered the horseracing business for fun; $10 million and 150 horses later, he has a serious hobby on his hands.
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Keeping Up With Jones
Photoillustration by National Forest
Can the new Indiana Jones movie shed its 1980s sheen to compete in today's multiplex marketplace? An index of Indy metrics—from the box office to the divorce courts.
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The Worst Investment in America?
Illustration by Nick Dewar
The era of press barons is a mere memory—yet the Zells and the Murdochs are still snapping up broadsheets. Why on earth would anyone buy a newspaper these days?
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