People can grow up poor, in an urban or rural setting, but can hope to pull themselves up out of poverty with education.

FORBES: College Costs Out Of Control

They must scale the near-vertical base by climbing rocks and tree roots like ladders -- or take a longer switchback trail -- and then begin an arduous hike uphill, sliding on mud and grasping at alders and shrubs to pull themselves up.

BBC: An Alaskan-style Fourth of July

President Vladimir Putin's Security Council urged all Russians to pull out, while Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was up to companies themselves to decide and pledged to provide added security for those who stay, without saying how.

CNN: Russia firms split on Iraq airlift

The investors are likely to pull the raw information about a borrower, roll up their sleeves, and analyze the credit quality themselves, either as a primary decision-making tool, or as a double-check on the rating.

FORBES: Credit Ratings and the Fiscal Cliff