As a land passionately devoted to free enterprise, the U.S. has always been the best place for a man to make his million. Throughout its history—from the days of the earliest Virginia planters to the postwar bloom of electronics millionaires—the drive for fortune has been a shaping influence and a productive force. The fabled 19th century millionaires—John D. Rockefeller, Edward H. Harriman and Andrew Carnegie—all began poor. Despite their often controversial actions, they, like most American millionaires, basically enriched themselves by enriching a growing nation.Lately, the belief ...

HOW can we capitalize on the inherent desire of people all over the world that things should be done, wherever they can be done, by private enterprise?" This fundamental question was raised by David Lilienthal, onetime chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority, now a consultant to foreign governments on their own development programs. Along with such far-reaching solutions as the Magna Carta of investment capital's rights proposed by Germany's Hermann Abs and the world-investment-guarantee plan proposed by Vice President Richard Nixon, the delegates had some ideas of their ...

He was born and died in Italy, yet the influence on America of a grubby street urchin named Salvatore Lucania ranged from the lights of Broadway to every level of law enforcement, from national politics to the world economy. First, he reinvented himself as Charles Luciano. Then he reinvented the Mafia. His story was Horatio Alger with a gun, an ice pick and a dark vision of Big Business. He was nine when the family immigrated from Sicily, where ...

Eduardo Ravelo is described as a "ruthless killer" who has gone to great lengths to avoid law enforcement while contributing to the bloodshed that terrorizes the border between Texas and Mexico. EL PASO, Texas (CNN) -- Eduardo Ravelo is described as a "ruthless killer" who has gone to great lengths to avoid law enforcement while contributing to the bloodshed that terrorizes the border between Texas and Mexico. Authorities say the suspected hit man with close ties to the ...

A U.S. federal judge in the GM bankruptcy case late Sunday approved the sale of the troubled automaker's assets to a "new GM," court documents showed. Judge Robert Gerber, in giving his approval, said it "is the only available means to preserve the continuation of GM's business." Lawyers wrapped up their closing arguments in the bankruptcy case Thursday, giving Gerber the long holiday weekend to make his decision. Hanging over the case was a July 10 deadline imposed by the ...

The chants, the clashes, the outrage, the blood -- for more than two weeks, the world watched as the fallout from Iran's presidential elections unraveled from peaceful demonstrations to government-led crackdowns on city streets. Saying it has tallied the votes and investigated the complaints, Iran's Islamic leadership considers the election that gave incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad an overwhelming win "case closed." And the massive protests that concentrated in Tehran are growing thinner in number. Yet for the tens of thousands ...

With top consultancy firms charging thousands of dollars for a day's work, employing their services is a luxury most companies simply can't afford. But some business schools offer student consultancies for a fraction of the price, making their expertise available to a whole range of organizations. Student consultancy groups are a feature of many MBA programs, letting companies hire teams of MBA students to solve their business problems and giving the students a chance to put their education into ...

Travel news, deals and updates for the week of May 25, 2009 AIRLINES & AIRPORTS Pack Light. Starting in July, US Airways will increase its fee for the first checked bag from $15 to $20; the second-bag fee rises from $25 to $30. But if your bags should exceed 50 lbs., you'll be hit with a whopping $70 fee for the first checked bag and $80 for the second. South American Way. Continental begins daily service from Houston to Rio de ...

After 43 years, our relationship with the Franchise had grown so familiar and worn that we'd quietly moved into separate bedrooms. If we'd had the energy, we might have signed divorce papers. Nonetheless, every few years, the Franchise put on a new outfit and twirled around hopefully. This usually won it some new admirers, although those of us who remembered the deep past most fondly were less enamored of its new permutations. We wished the Franchise no ill will, but ...

Did somebody just reach through the space-time continuum and pull out a white rabbit? Even diehard Trekkers might agree that Capt. James Tiberius Kirk's best days are behind him, but by going boldly back into the past for "Star Trek" -- a "reboot" of the famed series -- director J.J. Abrams and crew have done more than prove the point. They've presented him with a whole new future. This exhilarating blockbuster gets under way at warp speed with a ...