Rags to riches stories are not only for those who want to be wealthier in their lives, instead everyone would love to read about the hard times the riches have spent to be at the position they are today.  These stories help one get inspiration as well as determination and to those who want to achieve a name in their lives.

1. John D. Rockefeller

Born in New York, John D. Rockefeller was one out of his five siblings. By profession his father was a salesman and rival of conservative ethics.  His father always refrained working hard for his family, and John’s family had poor financial conditions then. John got his first job for $50 (three months) as a book keeper. His continuous hard work made him build an oil refinery with his friend Maurice B.Clark in 1859.  Initially, it was the two of them running the factory but later, by getting his brother also into this business and consecutive efforts; Rockefeller became the World’s first Billionaire and found the company ‘Standard Oil Company’.

2. Liz Murray

Liz Murray had the worst childhood anyone can ever have. She was born to HIV-infected in New York. Her parents were drugged addicted and poor.  Her mother died when she was 16, and she was left all alone since Murray’s father also neglected her to be fullest.  She went to an ordinary school but succeeded in graduating in just two years because of her hard work. She got admitted in Harvard later, which changed her life. Today, Liz Murray is one of the finest speakers around, and she speaks about life’s ups and downs, determination and moving on in life no matter what. There have been a lot of movies being made on her life.

3. Ozzy Osbourne

Born in Birmingham, U.K, Ozzy’s father and mother were a toolmaker and car component dealers respectively. He went to school but couldn’t do well because he used to take more interest in extra curricular activities especially playing music. He was dropped out of school ultimately and in between, he worked from a tool maker to a plumber to a car factory worker.  Furthermore, he was blamed once for the robbery of a boutique.  He continued his passion for singing and became the vocalist for a local band. He was good enough in his work so created his own band named ‘Black Sabbath’. Despite getting arrested several times and a bad repute, he could produce nine studio albums, three live ones, and a number of singles, which are still worth listening and made to hit lists.

4. J.K. Rowling

J.K. Rowling was born in England.  After she was done with her school, she found out her love for writing stories, imaginary/fantasy stories. She used to travel a lot from one village to another. After her mother died in 1990, she moved to Porto. She got married there but later she was separated and was left with a daughter.  She had already started writing the famous Harry Potter Novel. Rowling and her child moved to Scotland. She kept writing the book but became an anxiety patient and tried committing suicide several times. She completed the first novel but traveling to different places, cafes, etc. But today, J.K. Rowling is a billionaire with more than 400 million copies being sold.

5. Richard Branson

Richard Branson was born in London. He belonged to a nice family. He did receive good education but his interests were otherwise.  During his childhood, he liked raising parrots and growing Christmas trees but both failed. In his teen age, he set up a record mail-order business. He continued with this work and opened several record stores and this business of his boosted even more in 1980s.  His brand became a music label named Virgin Records, which made him the 245th richest man in the world. Read the full story

The creation of money is called most astounding sleight of hand ever invented. The creation of money is now privatized, as it is now being hold by a private banking cartel instead of congress. Most people think that government is the authority behind the issuance of money, but actually this is not the case. Except of the coins, the banks create all money, not the government. Federal Reserve Notes are issued by a private banking cooperation named the Federal Reserve, and lent to the government. Moreover Federal Reserve Notes and coins together compose less then 3% of the money supply. The other 97% is created by the commercial banks as loans.

This seems unbelievable that banks create money, they lend. Same was the feeling of jury in Landmark Minnesota case, until they heard the evidence. First national bank of Montgomery vs. Daly (1969) was a courtroom drama worthy of a movie script. Defendant Jerome Daly opposed the bank’s foreclosure on his $14,000 home mortgage loan on the ground that there was no consideration for the loan. Daly, an attorney representing himself, argued that the bank had put up no real money for his loan. Associate Justice Bill Drexler recorded the courtroom proceedings; he said his role was to keep order in the courtroom. Drexler had not given much mental acceptance for defense and watching this The Bank President Mr. Morgan took a stand and admitted that the banks routinely created money for loans and that this was standard banking practice. Presiding Justice Martin Mahoney and the jurors all agreed that it seems like a fraud.

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Existing home sales in the 12-state region fall to 18 percent from February last year as doubts about the economic conditions and firm credit requirements prevent potential buyers, according to two reports released on Monday.

The median price in the Midwest declined 8 percent to $131,000 which is the second-smallest drop of any region.

By contrast, nationwide home sales slipped 10 percent from a year ago, without adjusting for seasonal factors, while prices tumbled almost 16 percent to $165,400.

Home sales fell in 11 of 12 major Midwestern cities with seven of those plummeting by more than 20 percent from prior-year levels the survey includes all home sales recorded in the metropolitan statistical area by all local agents, regardless of company affiliation.

Chicago; Wichita, Kan.; Indianapolis; Des Moines, Iowa; and Kansas City, Mo., face the biggest losses in the region, dropping by 25 percent or more.

Overall sales increased 5 percent in February while the median sale price fell 50 percent which is considered to be the biggest drop in the country to $41,000.

Home sales in Chicago plummeted by 65 percent in February from a year ago, one of the worst showings in the nation. The median home sale price has also fallen, declining 23 percent to $179,000.

A real estate agent said that buyers who would normally have taken advantage of lower home prices are now staying out of the market, afraid that prices will continue to fall. He said the problem has only worsened as more homes are taken into possession or are being sold short that is for less than the balance on the mortgage.

Those stressed sales make it virtually impossible for regular sellers to put their properties on the market for good prices, even in higher-valued neighborhoods, he said.

Every part of state has been affected. Properties that were sold for $410,000 a year ago now go for $120,000.

Sales in the Indianapolis market slid to 29 percent in February while the median sale price fell 15 percent to $93,900.

One of the reasons is that lenders have increased their requirements for mortgages, forcing potential buyers to provide more documentation on income and other financial factors.

Home sales in Fargo slid to 25 percent in February compared with a year ago, but the median sale price has remained relatively controlled,declining only about 2 percent to $139,900.

One of the agents said the economic troubles affecting much of the country have scared away some potential buyers.

Another agent said the market for first-time home buyers has been a bright spot, especially after the federal government began offering an $8,000 tax credit to first-time buyers as part of the new economic encouragement plan.

Mortgage rates in U.S. have fallen to another record low as the week closes. It is has declined for 10th consecutive week this time.

As Freddie Mac reported this Thursday that 30-year fixed rate mortgage yields have averaged about 5.01% for the week ending on January 8th, 2009. it is a 9 basis point decline from last weeks’ rate. It is nice to compare it with the rates this time last year. which were 5.87% .

Since The Govt. Sponsored Agency Freddie Mac started the survey(1971), this is the lowest reported level for these rates.

15-year fixed rate mortgage is even lower at 4.62%. It is has declined sharper from 4.80% levels of last week and a down hill slide of 5.43% level of this time, last year. It is said to be the lowest reported rate since June 13, 2003.

It is expected that this will impact on adjustable-rate mortgage especially the 5-year adjustable mortgages which averaged about 5.5% this week down from 5.7% last week.

Plain English: What does it mean for house owners

Well, the the house owners around US are struggling with increased cost of living and job uncertainty, these attractive rates can offer real relief in terms of monthly amount spent on home loan re-payments. Most of the homeowners will see this as an opportunity to get rid of expensive adjustable rate mortgage and get a fixed payment loan instead for the peace of mind that comes with it. As It the fixed-rate mortgages are not likely to go down any further, It is a good time to bet on them.

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I have tried to include all credit cards issued in US. If you think if I have missed any, please leave a comment. More than 1200 cards have been included.

1. AAA Credit Card
2. AAA Rewards Visa Credit Card (Northern California, Nevada, Utah)
3. AAdvantage American Express from Citi
4. AAdvantage Bronze MasterCard from Citi
5. AAdvantage Bronze MasterCard from Citi for College Students
6. AAdvantage Gold World MasterCard from Citi
7. AAdvantage CitiBusiness Card
8. AARP Platinum Visa
9. AARP Rewards Platinum Visa Credit Card
10. AARP Travel Plus Visa Signature Card
11. Abercrombie & Fitch Credit Card
12. Academy of General Dentistry Platinum Visa Card
13. AccountNow Prepaid MasterCard
14. Adirondack Trust Company MasterCard or Visa
15. Advanta Platinum BusinessCard with Rewards
16. Advanta Life-Of-Balance Platinum Card
17. Advanta Platinum BusinessCard
18. Aer Lingus Rewards MasterCard
19. Agriculture Federal Credit Union Visa
20. AICPA Platinum Visa Card
21. Air BP Visa
22. Air Canada MasterCard
23. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association MasterCard
24. Air Force Association Platinum MasterCard
25. Air Force Sergeants Association MasterCard
26. AirTran Airways A+ Business Card
27. AirTran Airways A+ Visa Signature Credit Card from Juniper Bank
28. Alabama Central Credit Union MasterCard or Visa
29. Alaska Airlines Visa
30. Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card
31. Albina Community Bank Loop Card
32. All-Access Visa Prepaid Card
33. Allow Card Prepaid MasterCard
34. Alternatives Federal Credit Union Visa
35. Amalgamated Bank MasterCard
36. Amalgamated Bank Union MasterCard
37. Amalgamated Bank Secured Gold MasterCard
38. Amazon.com Business Credit Card
39. Amazon.com Platinum Visa Credit Card
40. American Association of Neurological Surgeons Credit Card
41. American Bar Association Visa
42. American Boating Association Credit Card
43. American Canine Association Platinum MasterCard Read the full story

I have tried to include all credit cards issued in US. If you think if I have missed any, please leave a comment. More than 1200 cards have been included.

1. AAA Credit Card
2. AAA Rewards Visa Credit Card (Northern California, Nevada, Utah)
3. AAdvantage American Express from Citi
4. AAdvantage Bronze MasterCard from Citi
5. AAdvantage Bronze MasterCard from Citi for College Students
6. AAdvantage Gold World MasterCard from Citi
7. AAdvantage CitiBusiness Card
8. AARP Platinum Visa
9. AARP Rewards Platinum Visa Credit Card
10. AARP Travel Plus Visa Signature Card
11. Abercrombie & Fitch Credit Card
12. Academy of General Dentistry Platinum Visa Card
13. AccountNow Prepaid MasterCard
14. Adirondack Trust Company MasterCard or Visa
15. Advanta Platinum BusinessCard with Rewards
16. Advanta Life-Of-Balance Platinum Card
17. Advanta Platinum BusinessCard
18. Aer Lingus Rewards MasterCard
19. Agriculture Federal Credit Union Visa
20. AICPA Platinum Visa Card
21. Air BP Visa
22. Air Canada MasterCard
23. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association MasterCard
24. Air Force Association Platinum MasterCard
25. Air Force Sergeants Association MasterCard
26. AirTran Airways A+ Business Card
27. AirTran Airways A+ Visa Signature Credit Card from Juniper Bank
28. Alabama Central Credit Union MasterCard or Visa
29. Alaska Airlines Visa
30. Alaska Airlines Visa Business Card
31. Albina Community Bank Loop Card
32. All-Access Visa Prepaid Card
33. Allow Card Prepaid MasterCard
34. Alternatives Federal Credit Union Visa
35. Amalgamated Bank MasterCard
36. Amalgamated Bank Union MasterCard
37. Amalgamated Bank Secured Gold MasterCard
38. Amazon.com Business Credit Card
39. Amazon.com Platinum Visa Credit Card
40. American Association of Neurological Surgeons Credit Card
41. American Bar Association Visa
42. American Boating Association Credit Card
43. American Canine Association Platinum MasterCard
44. American Chemical Society Credit Card
45. American DreamCard MasterCard
46. American Eagle Outfitters Credit Card
47. American Express Business ExtrAA Corporate Card
48. American Express Business Gold Rewards Card
49. American Express Business Green Rewards Card
50. American Express Business Membership Rewards Card
51. American Express Business Platinum Card
52. The American Express Card
53. American Express Card for Students
54. American Express Cash Rebate Card
55. American Express Corporate Card
56. American Express Executive Business Card
57. The American Express Gold Card
58. American Express Golf Card
59. American Express IN:CHICAGO Card
60. American Express IN:LA Card
61. American Express IN:NYC Card
62. American Express Optima Card
63. American Express Optima Platinum Card
64. American Express Platinum Business Credit Card
65. American Express Platinum Business FreedomPass Credit Card
66. American Express Platinum Card
67. American Express Platinum Cash Rebate Card
68. American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Card
69. American Express Preferred Rewards Green Card
70. American Express Rewards Plus Gold Card
71. American Express SimplyCash Business Card
72. American Institute of Architects Credit Card
73. American Kennel Club Rewards Visa
74. American Legion Auxiliary Visa
75. American Legion Visa
76. American Medical Association Business Credit Card
77. American Medical Association Platinum Visa Credit Card
78. American Medical Student Association Credit Card
79. American Paint Horse Association Credit Card
80. American Photo Visa Card
81. American Quarter Horse Association Business Credit Card
82. American Quarter Horse Association Credit Card
83. American Savings Bank Secured Visa
84. American Savings Bank Student Secured Visa
85. American Savings Bank Visa
86. American Savings Bank Visa Gold
87. American Skiing Company Edge MasterCard
88. American Society of Civil Engineers Credit Card
89. American Society of Mechanical Engineers Credit Card
90. American State Bank Credit Card (Iowa)
91. American State Bank & Trust Visa (North Dakota)
92. American State Bank Visa (Texas)
93. American Taekwondo Association Credit Card
94. American University MasterCard
95. America’s Christian Credit Union Credit Cards
96. Amtrak Guest Rewards MasterCard
97. AmTrust Bank Rewards American Express Card
98. AmTrust Bank WorldPoints Credit Card
99. ANB Financial MasterCard or Visa
100. AnimalSafe MasterCard Read the full story