Forbes, 60 Fifth Avenue, New York NY 10011, Tel: 212-620-2421, Fax: 212-206-5118, $57/year (27 issues). 17 July 1995 and 5 July 1999.

With a paid circulation of over 765,000, Forbes magazine is the unofficial billboard for billionaires, as well as those who are still trying to get anointed. Forbes was founded in 1917, and from 1954-1990 was run by the flamboyant Malcolm S. Forbes. Now his son, Malcolm S. Forbes Jr., is in charge of this privately-held company, which is worth approximately $200 million. In 1995 and 1999, he admitted to presidential ambitions, which means that we can look forward to more noise from him in the future. For a sampling of his politics, one can read an article in the 17 July 1995 issue that praises Indonesia for producing six new billionaires this year. This article, believe it or not, is based on the premise that "deregulation is a potent corruption fighter."

For nine years, Forbes has built up a database for one purpose: to flush out the bottom line on the world's wealthiest individuals so that they can be worshipped with authority. A separate compilation, Forbes 400 richest Americans, also appears annually in a later issue of this magazine, which is why only foreign names were entered from these 1995 and 1999 issues. The Forbes compilation excludes royals and heads of state, and also excludes those whose wealth is the result of criminal activity. This latter criterion seems somewhat arbitrary to us, particularly when discussing billionaires.

Extract the names from this source

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