Last year, Nick Paumgarten wrote an interesting article for The New Yorker that detailed the rise of online dating and the effects it's had on web culture. What struck me most were some of the eye-opening statistics he shared about the size and popularity of the industry, beginning with the fact that fee-based dating sites have become, collectively, a billion-dollar industry -- that ?one in six new marriages is the result of meetings on Internet dating site." What's more, online dating is now the third most common way for people to meet.
Now that we all know why stocks provide superior returns compared to other investments, let's take a look at a technique of finding stocks with the best profit potential. My research of stock performance information shows that the size of a company is the most trustworthy forecaster of future investment returns . On average , tiny corporations have higher investment returns than substantial companies. The relationship between company size and future investment returns covers the whole size range and isn't restricted to the smallest stocks.
Historic return info shows that average investment returns increase as one moves from the largest corporations to the smallest. This link implies that past annual returns have value in forecasting future annual returns. Little and micro cap stocks have ceaselessly provided higher investment returns than middle and giant cap stocks over the last 70-Years and based primarily on historical correlations should continue to do so in the future.
The table that follows shows investment returns relative to the dimensions of a company over the past 70-Years. This table clearly demonstrates the inverse relationship between the dimensions of a company and investment return. The biggest firms produced the lowest returns and the tiniest companies produced the highest returns. A $1,000 investment in mega cap stocks grew to $1.5 million; large caps $3.5 million, mid caps 4.7 million, little caps $5.8 million and micro caps $11.4 million.
The Best Profit Opportunity of Your Lifetime!
My experience investing in micro cap stocks over the past 17 years and my information research has led straight to the discovery of the vast profit opportunity available from investing in micro cap stocks. My research explains micro cap stocks provide the best investment returns compared with all other types of investments.
The table below compares the growth of a $1,000 investment for various investments over the last 70 years. This table significantly reveals that micro cap stocks out perform all of the other investments by a wide margin. A $1,000 investment in micro cap stocks grew to an incredible 11.4 million dollars.
Over the same period the growth of a $1,000 investment in Treasury Bills, gold, Treasury Notes, corporate bonds and home costs ranged from $16,817 to $63,131 and was insignificant compared against the returns for stocks. A $1,000 investment in the S&P 500 Index grew to $1,287,957 demonstrating that stocks and particularly micro cap stocks supply the best profit opportunities to be had today.
The graph that follows shows the growth of a $1,000 investment over the past 70 years for micro cap stocks, S&P 500 Index, home costs, corporate bonds, Treasury Notes, gold and Treasury Bills.
From the Lord of the Light to the Drowned God and beyond, here are five key scenes from the HBO series' new sneak peek. By Josh Wigler
Alfie Allen as Theon Greyjoy in "Game Of Thrones" Photo: HBO
The night is dark and full of terrors in Westeros, the fantasy land at the heart of "Game of Thrones." But if you thought the HBO fantasy series proved its capacity for brutality and betrayal in season one, just wait: The April-debuting second season — based on George R.R. Martin's second novel in his "Song of Ice and Fire" odyssey, "A Clash of Kings" — promises more blood and dragons than ever before.
A new trailer for "Game of Thrones" season two, which hit HBO last night (January 29) ahead of the network's premiere of the Dustin Hoffman drama "Luck," does more than its fair share to remind you that this isn't your comparatively tame hobbit-filled fantasy story. Keep reading for five key scenes from the latest look at "Thrones."
He Told You Not to Trust Him "Game of Thrones" has largely remained faithful to Martin's source material, but there have been deviations along the way. Season two looks no different, based on this new trailer that sees grieving widow Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) holding Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish (Aidan Gillen) at knifepoint. It's a scene that absolutely does not occur in the books, even if it's one that would satisfy a lot of fans' bloodlust toward the loyalty-free Littlefinger. But is it an editing trick or a sizeable new addition? You be the judge!
Lord of the Light There are several dangerous new players in the world of Westeros come season two, but perhaps no one worth watching quite as much as Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) and his accomplice, the red priestess Melisandre (Carice van Houten). As worshippers of R'hllor, the God of Flame and Shadow, both Stannis and Melisandre will force many enemies to meet their fiery ends before season two draws to a close. The blaze of glory is briefly teased in this trailer with a look at one of Melisandre's many night rituals.
The Imp and the Spider The new trailer is bookended by a riddle that spymaster Varys (Conleth Hill) puts forth to Tyrion Lannister (Golden Globe winner Peter Dinklage), now acting as King's Hand on his father Tywin's behalf. It's just one of many memorable interactions between the Spider and the Imp, a crucial new dynamic that's sure to dominate much of season two. And despite his award-winning streak and his pledge that he knows "how the game is played," don't put too much stake in Tyrion's confidence — even the sharpest mind could bend before a king's cruelty. Speaking of which ...
Madness Landing Westeros is at war, and every city is a battleground. The historic King's Landing is no exception, as the cruel reign of King Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) has turned commoner against royalty. It's a cultural shift that Joffrey and his loved ones are deservedly feeling in every possible manner, a shift that Queen Regent Cersei (Lena Headey) faces directly during a pivotal riot teased in the new trailer.
The Drowned God Rises A fairly unassuming character in season one, Theon Greyjoy (Alfie Allen) becomes one of the most prominent players in the "Thrones" saga this coming season. Here, you see his not-so-triumphant return to the Iron Islands, his homeland he's been separated from for over a decade. Though his loyalties lie with King in the North Robb Stark (Richard Madden) by nurture, Theon believes himself Ironborn by nature — and he'll have to test that very struggle in most desperate ways as "Thrones" embarks on its next string of episodes.
What did you think of the "Game of Thrones" trailer? Let us know in the comments!
For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.
PARIS (Reuters) ? The French government is set to revise down its estimate for 2012 economic growth in an upcoming revision to its budget bill, a government source said on Sunday.
The source told reporters following a televised interview with President Nicolas Sarkozy that the government envisages cuts to spending, rather than further tax rises, to make up for the likely shortfall.
Sarkozy's conservative government has been banking on gross domestic products growth of 1.0 percent this year.
(Reporting by Yann Le Guernigou; Editing by Catherine Bremer)
DAWEI, Myanmar ? Thousands of supporters in Myanmar's countryside cheered opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Sunday as she made a political tour ahead of by-elections, highlighting how quickly and dramatically politics is changing in the long-repressed Southeast Asian nation.
Throngs of people lined the roads of several towns in the southern district of Dawei shouting, "Long Live Daw Aung San Suu Kyi!" "Daw" is a title of respect in Myanmar.
Many waved bouquets of flowers, and some hoisted babies on their shoulders to glimpse the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former political prisoner on her first political trip since announcing a bid for parliament.
"We will bring democracy to the country," Suu Kyi told an exuberant crowd of thousands. "We will work for development. We will bring rule of law to the country, and we will see to it that repressive laws are repealed."
"We can overcome any obstacle with unity and perseverance," she said from the second-story balcony of a provincial office for her National League for Democracy party.
Suu Kyi, 66, has devoted much of her life to a struggle against authoritarian rule, but spent 15 of the past 23 years under house arrest and has never held elected office. If she wins, she is likely to have limited power in the legislature, which remains dominated by the military and the ruling party, but victory would be highly symbolic and give her a voice in government for the first time.
The one-day trip to Dawei follows a series of unprecedented reforms enacted by the nominally civilian government that took over when a military junta ceded power last year. The government has released hundreds of political prisoners, reached cease-fire deals with ethnic rebels, increased media freedoms and eased censorship laws.
The April 1 by-election is being held to fill 48 seats in the lower house of parliament that were vacated after lawmakers were appointed to the Cabinet and other posts.
Suu Kyi's party boycotted the last vote in 2010, but registered earlier this month for the by-election after authorities amended electoral laws, enabling her party to legally participate.
The Election Commission must still accept Suu Kyi's candidacy. A ruling is expected in February.
Suu Kyi is hoping to run as a representative of the constituency of Kawhmu, a poor district just south of Yangon where villagers' livelihoods were devastated by Cyclone Nargis in 2008.
The vote is being closely watched because it is seen as a crucial test of the government's commitment to change.
Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her nonviolent struggle for democracy, has rarely traveled outside Yangon, the country's main city, over the last two decades.
Although she conducted one successful day of rallies in two small towns north of Yangon last August, a previous political tour to greet supporters in 2003 sparked a bloody ambush of her convoy that saw her forcibly confined at her lakeside home.
Suu Kyi was finally released from house arrest in late 2010, just days after the country's military rulers held elections widely viewed as neither free nor fair.
In Dawei, a coastal district south of Yangon, Suu Kyi was garnering support for another candidate running for a parliament seat, party spokesman Nyan Win said.
She will make similar campaign trips to other areas, including the country's second-largest city, Mandalay, in early February before campaigning for her own seat, Nyan Win said.
Dawei is home to activists who recently helped persuade the government to ditch construction of a 4,000-megawatt coal-fired power plant over environmental concerns.
A 400-megawatt coal plant is still planned, however, because it will be needed to power a massive industrial complex project that includes construction of a deep sea port, a steel mill and a petrochemical plant. The project also includes railroads and highways that will connect Myanmar's coast directly to Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asia.
Banners with Suu Kyi's pictures decorated the area.
"People had been afraid to discuss politics for so long," said Aung Zaw Hein, an environmental activist whose Dawei Development Association helped stop the huge power plant. "Now that she's visiting the political spirit of people has been awakened."
LONDON ? British police searched the offices of Rupert Murdoch's British newspapers Saturday after arresting a police officer and four current and former staff of his tabloid The Sun as part of an investigation into police bribery by journalists.
The arrests spread the scandal over tabloid wrongdoing ? which has already caused the closure of one tabloid, the News of the World ? to a second Murdoch newspaper.
London's Metropolitan Police said two men aged 48 and one aged 56 were arrested on suspicion of corruption early in the morning at homes in and around London. A 42-year-old man was detained later at a London police station.
Murdoch's News Corp. confirmed that all four were current or former Sun employees.
A fifth man, a 29-year-old police officer, was arrested at the London station where he works.
The investigation into whether reporters illegally paid police for information is running parallel to a police inquiry into phone hacking by Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World.
Officers were searching the men's homes and the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence.
Police said Saturday's arrests were made as a result of information provided by the Management and Standards Committee of Murdoch's News Corp.
News Corp. said it was cooperating with police.
"News Corporation made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated," it said in a statement.
A dozen people have now been arrested in the bribery probe, though none has yet been charged.
They include former Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of Murdoch's News International, ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson ? who is also Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications chief ? and journalists from the News of the World and The Sun.
Two of the London police force's top officers resigned in the wake of the revelation last July that the News of the World had eavesdropped on the cell phone voicemail messages of celebrities, athletes, politicians and even an abducted teenager in its quest for stories.
Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old tabloid, and the scandal has triggered a continuing public inquiry into media ethics and the relationship between the press, police and politicians.
An earlier police investigation failed to find evidence hacking went beyond one reporter and a private investigator, but News Corp. has now acknowledged it was much more widespread.
Last week the company agreed to pay damages to 37 hacking victims, including actor Jude Law, soccer star Ashley Cole and British politician John Prescott.
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Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless
NEW YORK -- Muslim groups are calling for New York's police commissioner to step down because of his appearance in a film they say puts their religion and its adherents in a bad light.
About 20 activists held a news conference on the steps of City Hall on Thursday and criticized Ray Kelly for giving an interview to the producers of the movie "The Third Jihad."
The movie uses dramatic footage to warn against the dangers of radical Islam and shariah, or Islamic law. Muslim groups say it encourages Americans to be suspicious of all Muslims.
"Terrorism is an evil that must be eliminated, but one cannot fight wrong with wrong," said Talib Abdur-Rashid, a Muslim cleric.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Thursday he stood by Kelly and the commissioner's spokesman, Paul Browne. Activists had also demanded Browne's resignation.
However, the mayor said Kelly would have to redouble his outreach efforts to Muslims.
"Anything like this doesn't help credibility, so Ray's got to work at establishing, re-establishing or reinforcing the credibility that he does have," Bloomberg said.
Kelly appears for about 30 seconds of the 72-minute movie, which was made by the conservative Clarion Fund. He originally said he was not involved but on Wednesday acknowledged he had given a 90-minute interview to the filmmakers in 2007.
Browne he had initially forgotten details of Kelly's involvement in the film until asked about it again this week.
"This goes back five years," he said. "There's some suggestion that, `Gee, I suddenly remembered.' I didn't suddenly remember ? I went through five years of emails to try and figure out did I get request by this guy who's connected with the foundation."
The movie was later shown to police trainees. The police department said it was played in a continuous loop in the sign-in area of counterterrorism training sessions between October and December 2010. As many as 1,489 trainees may have seen the movie, according to documents released under New York's public records law.
Kelly apologized Wednesday for his appearance and for the playing of the movie.
The Clarion Fund and its supporters say "The Third Jihad" is balanced.
"I don't see why they're so upset by people seeing it," said Stuart Kaufman of The United West, a group that opposes shariah. "Shariah law is a danger to western civilization and it's up to police to understand the nature of Shariah law so they can prevent this."
The Muslim leaders said they are worried that the police department is teaching officers to treat all Muslims as suspects. They demanded the resignation of Kelly and Browne, and a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry into the showing of the film.
The activists also want retraining of all 1,489 officers "that are walking this city with poison in their brains," said Cyrus McGoldrick, civil rights director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations-New York. CAIR is one of the organizations that "The Third Jihad" accuses of being soft on terrorist groups.
Bloomberg said he doubted the movie had swayed any of the trainees and said he saw no need for retraining.
"I think any retraining is probably being done by the press right now," Bloomberg said.
Kelly has said the department does surveillance only when it is following leads. But an investigation by The Associated Press has revealed a secret intelligence program, set up with the aid of the Central Intelligence Agency, aimed at infiltrating religious groups and monitoring neighborhoods even when there is no evidence of wrongdoing.
The CIA has since decided to pull its officer from the NYPD after an internal investigation criticized poor oversight of the collaboration.
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Associated Press reporters Samantha Gross and Tom Hays contributed to this report.
Wouldn't it be absolutely splendid if you could hand your phone over to a friend (or complete stranger) without fear of them mucking up your system or digging into your personal bits? Yes, we'd absolutely love to see guest accounts become standard issue on all handsets, but until that day arrives, a new application called SwitchMe will work in a pinch. Word of caution, this app requires root privileges, which may deter many folks.
Rather than allowing multiple sessions to run simultaneously, as you'd expect on a desktop computer, SwitchMe lets users easily jump between different installations of Android -- they exist separately and don't talk to each other. Naturally, this also allows hobbyists to easily jump between their favorite ROMs, and gives developers clean sandboxes for app testing. The first hit is free, but if you want to manage more than two installations, you'll need to buy the unlock key for $1.98. Still, those who find the SwitchMe useful should consider tossing the developer a few bones.
Update: As a commenter pointed out, multiple ROMs are not supported at this time. The developer has verified this, stating that any content inside /system cannot be changed. Bummer.
METUCHEN, N.J. ? Robert Hegyes, the actor best known for playing Jewish Puerto Rican student Juan Epstein on the 1970s TV show "Welcome Back Kotter" has died. He was 60.
The Flynn & Son Funeral Home in Fords, N.J., said it was informed of Hegyes' death Thursday by the actor's family.
A spokesman at JFK Medical Center in Edison, N.J., told the Star-Ledger newspaper that Hegyes, of Metuchen, arrived at the hospital Thursday morning in full cardiac arrest and died.
Hegyes was appearing on Broadway in 1975 when he auditioned for "Kotter," a TV series about a teacher who returns to the inner-city New York school of his youth to teach a group of irreverent remedial students nicknamed the "Sweathogs." They included the character Vinnie Barbarino, played by John Travolta.
The show's theme song, performed by John Sebastian, became a pop hit.
Hegyes also appeared on many other TV series, including "Cagney & Lacey."
He was born in Perth Amboy and grew up in Metuchen, the eldest child of a Hungarian father and Italian mother.
He attended Rowan University, formerly Glassboro State College, in southern New Jersey, before heading to New York City after graduation. He returned to Rowan on several occasions to teach master classes in acting, a university spokesman said Thursday.
"He was a good friend to the university," spokesman Joe Cardona said.
Hegyes continued to act after "Kotter" and was a regular on "Cagney & Lacey." He also guest-starred in shows including "Diagnosis Murder" and "The Drew Carey Show."
On his website, Hegyes wrote that he was inspired by Chico Marx, whom he had played in a touring production of a show about the Marx Bros. He also recalled how his mother encouraged him to get involved in theater as a teen.
(Reuters) ? The Indianapolis Colts named former Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano as their new head coach, the National Football League (NFL) team said on Wednesday.
The Colts, who fired head coach Jim Caldwell last week after finishing tied with the NFL's worst record for the 2011 season, will hold a 3 p.m. ET (2000 GMT) news conference on Thursday to formally announce the Pagano as coach.
(Reporting By Gene Cherry in Salvo North Carolina; Editing by Frank Pingue; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com)
The Florida presidential primary is Jan. 31, the fourth nominating contest for the GOP's four remaining presidential candidates. The Week reports Newt Gingrich is in the driver's seat, having won the South Carolina primary with 40 percent of the vote. Florida has a larger population than the three previous states combined.
A look at the Florida primary's recent history may yield some clues as to who may win the 2012 contest.
2008
In 2008, Sen. John McCain won the Florida primary with just more than 700,000 votes. CNN reports he won with 36 percent of the votes and won by five percent or nearly 100,000 votes over Mitt Romney. The election was held on Jan. 29, 2008. Rep. Ron Paul came in a very distant fifth place with just 63,000 or three percent.
McCain was fresh off his win in South Carolina. He went on to win the overall nomination and lost to then-Sen. Barack Obama in the general election.
2000
In 2000, the Florida primary was a landslide ahead of the controversial general election. George W. Bush was the governor of Texas and won with nearly 74 percent of the vote. The Federal Election Commission states the election was held March 14, 2000.
The governor of Florida at the time was Bush's brother, Jeb. The eventual 2000 nominee got just over 516,000 votes compared to just nearly 139,500 votes for McCain. Florida's presidential preference primary was held much later in the season before the 2008 election.
1996
A dozen years ago, Bob Dole captured the Florida presidential primary with nearly 57 percent. He received over 511,000 votes and was far ahead of his competition in the election held March 12, 1996. Steve Forbes came in second with nearly 182,000 votes.
Dole went on to win the GOP nomination and took on incumbent Bill Clinton. Dole lost to Clinton by 8 million votes, which happened to be the amount of votes earned by H. Ross Perot in the three-way race for president.
The winner of the Florida primary may have a close fight on their hands. The most recent results were some of the closest in the state's history.
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks were little changed on Monday as recent earnings reports and development in the euro zone provided little incentive to disrupt the recent tone for equities on the heels of the best weekly performance by the S&P 500 in a month.
U.S. stocks are up nearly 5 percent for the year as an improving U.S. economy and earnings that have largely met expectations have boosted investor optimism. The Dow and S&P 500 both had their best weekly performances in a month last week.
According to Thomson Reuters data, 15 percent of S&P 500 companies have reported earnings, with 59 percent posting results above Wall Street expectations.
While the percentage of fourth-quarter earnings reports that beat estimates has trailed recent quarters, the rate is expected to improve as earnings season picks up steam. For the week of January 23, 117 S&P 500 companies are expected to report earnings.
"This is the momentum trade. The market got out of gates very strong this year," said Peter Kenny, managing director at Knight Capital in Jersey City, New Jersey.
"Earnings have been very cooperative in terms of keeping the tone positive. Macroeconomic data out of Washington has remained slightly better than expected, the employment numbers have helped. There are a lot of parts to this puzzle that are supporting a positive tone and a constructive internal character to the market."
The euro zone crisis was still lurking in the background. Germany and France pushed for a deal between Greece and its private creditors and said they remained dedicated to a new bailout that is needed by March to stave off a default. Euro zone finance ministers could decide later Monday what debt restructuring terms they would accept.
The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) was down 35.20 points, or 0.28 percent, at 12,685.28. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) dipped 2.61 points, or 0.20 percent, at 1,312.77. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) was off 8.48 points, or 0.30 percent, at 2,778.22.
Halliburton Co (HAL.N) shares fell 3.2 percent to $35.03 after the world's second largest oilfield services group warned the deep slump in U.S. natural gas prices could cause near-term disruptions that pinch first-quarter earnings.
Research In Motion Ltd's (RIM.TO)(RIMM.O) fell 6.6 percent to $15.87 as analysts were skeptical about the resignation of the BlackBerry maker's co-chief executives.
Sears Holding Corp (SHLD.O) advanced 3 percent to $50.47, easing from a session high of $54.76 in what analysts said could be a short squeeze.
The stock is the most shorted stock in the S&P 500, according to Data Explorers, with 94 percent of shares available used to sell short. The retailer has been the best performing stock in the index for the year, up more than 50 percent.
"That is a classic short squeeze. There have been headlines all over the name now for the better part of a month or so and it's largely been quite negative," said Knight Capital's Kenny.
Chesapeake Energy Corp (CHK.N) gained 4 percent to $21.80 after it said it will reduce dry gas drilling and cut production in response to natural gas prices falling below "economically unattractive levels".
(Reporting By Chuck Mikolajczak; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich tangled Monday night over whether the former House speaker engaged in "influence peddling," was a citizen publicly advocating for a certain position, or a "consultant" skirting lobbying disclosure rules.
Romney charged Gingrich with effectively lobbying on behalf of Freddie Mac, despite not having registered. Gingrich responded with a telling admission: That he hired lobbying disclosure experts study the regulations and advise him of what he could and couldn't do in order to legally avoid registering as a lobbyist. The reason he didn't want to register, he said, was to avoid being accused later of influence peddling.
"I think it's pretty clear to say that i have never, ever gone and done any lobbying. In fact, we brought in an expert on lobbying law and trained all of our staff -- and the expert is prepared to testify that he was brought in to say, here is the bright line between what you can do as a citizen and what you do as a lobbyist. For 12 years consistently running four small businesses, we stayed away from lobbying precisely because I thought this kind of defamatory and factually false charge would be made," said Gingrich.
Gingrich had previously claimed that Freddie Mac hired him as a "historian," but he may be the first historian in history to have hired a consultant to make sure his historical work didn't accidentally drift into the legal definition of lobbying.
The Gingrich campaign quickly blasted out a release calling the candidate a "small businessman," but few small businessmen would see the need to hire such a consultant, either.
The conversation quickly moved past Gingrich's admission, however.
"What's the gross revenue of Bain in the years you were associated with it? What's the gross revenue?" Gingrich asked Romney.
"Very substantial. But I think it's irrelevant compared with the fact you were working for Freddie Mac," he said.
"Wait a minute. Very substantial? Does Bain do any work with companies that did work ... with Medicare, Medicaid?" Gingrich challenged.
Romney categorically denied it. "We didn't do any work with the government. I didn't have an office on K Street. I wasn't a lobbyist. I've never worked in Washington. We have congressman who say you lobbied them," he said.
"I didn't lobby them," Gingrich said.
"We have congressmen who say you lobbied them with regard to Medicare Part D," Romney followed up.
"Whoa, whoa. You just jumped a long way over here, friend," Gingrich said, becoming agitated that the conversation moved from Freddie Mac to Medicare. Gingrich paused for an uncomfortably long time before delivering a stemwinder.
"Let me be very clear," he said, "because I understand your technique which you used on [John] McCain, you used on [Mike] Huckabee. You have used consistently. It's unfortunate and it's not going to work well because the American people see through it. I have always publicly favored a stronger Medicare program. I wrote a book in 2002 called 'Saving Lives and Saving Money.' I publicly favored Medicare Part D for a practical reason. That reason is simple. The U.S. government was not prepared to give people anything -- insulin, for example -- but they would pay for kidney dialysis. They weren't prepared to give Lipitor, but they would pay for open heart surgery. That is a terrible way to run Medicare. I'll say this in Florida. I'm proud that I publicly advocated Medicare Part D. It saved lives. It's run on a free enterprise model, includes health savings accounts and includes Medicare alternatives which gave people choices. And I did it publically and it is not correct, Mitt. I'm saying it flatly because you have been walking around this state saying things that are untrue. It is not correct to describe public citizenship having public advocacy as lobbying. Every citizen has the right to do it."
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka ? At 10:25 a.m., a dark brown eye was removed from a man whose lids had closed for the last time. Five hours later, the orb was staring up at the ceiling from a stainless steel tray in an operating room with two blind patients ? both waiting to give it a second life.
S.P.D. Siriwardana, 63, remained still under a white sheet as the surgeon delicately replaced the cornea that had gone bad in his right eye following a cataract surgery. Across the room, patient A.K. Premathilake, 32, waited for the sclera, the white of the eye, to provide precious stem cells and restore some vision after acid scalded his sight away on the job.
"The eye from this dead person was transplanted to my son," said A.K. Admon Singho, who guided Premathilake through the hall after the surgery. "He's dead, but he's still alive. His eye can still see the world."
This gift of sight is so common here, it's become an unwritten symbol of pride and culture for Sri Lanka, an island of about 20 million people located off the southern coast of India. Despite recently emerging from a quarter century of civil war, the country is among the world's largest cornea providers.
It donates about 3,000 corneas a year and has provided tissue to 57 countries over nearly a half century, with Pakistan receiving the biggest share, according to the nonprofit Sri Lanka Eye Donation Society. The organization began promoting eye donation decades ago, but has since faced allegations of mismanagement and poor quality standards.
The supply of corneas is so great in Sri Lanka that a new, state-of-the-art government eye bank opened last year, funded by Singapore donors. It has started collecting tissue from patients at one of the country's largest hospitals, hoping to add an additional 2,000 corneas to those already shipped abroad annually. Nearly 900,000 people have also signed up to give their eyes in death through the Eye Donation Society's longstanding eye bank.
"People ask me, 'Can we donate our eyes while we are living? Because we have two eyes, can we donate one?'" said Dr. Sisira Liyanage, director of Sri Lanka's National Eye Hospital in the capital, Colombo, where the new eye bank is based. "They are giving just because of the willingness to help others. They are not accepting anything."
The desire to help transcends social and economic barriers. Prime ministers pass on their corneas here along with the poorest tea farmers. Many Sri Lankans, about 67 percent of whom are Buddhist, believe that surrendering their eyes at death completes an act of "dana," or giving, which helps them be reincarnated into a better life.
It's a concept that was first promoted a half century ago by the late Dr. Hudson Silva, who was frustrated by the massive shortage of corneas in his native Sri Lanka. Most eyes back then were harvested from the handful of prisoners hanged each year, leaving little hope for blind patients in need of transplants.
Silva wrote a newspaper piece in the late 1950s pledging to donate his own corneas and appealing to readers to also give "Life to a Dead Eye." The response was overwhelming.
With no lab facilities or high-tech equipment, he and wife Irangani de Silva began harvesting eyes and storing them in their home refrigerator. They started the Eye Donation Society, and in 1964, the first cornea sent abroad was hand-carried in an ice-packed tea thermos aboard a flight to Singapore. Since then, 60,000 corneas have been donated.
While the Society's eye bank was a pioneer, questions about quality emerged as international eye banking standards improved over the next 20 to 30 years. Concerns have recently been raised about less advanced screening for HIV and other diseases, and the eye bank has also faced allegations of mismanagement.
Many of its corneas are harvested from the homes of the dead in rural areas across the country, making auditing and quality assurance levels harder to maintain, said Dr. Donald Tan, medical director of Singapore National Eye Center, who helped set up the new eye bank. Once, he said, a blade of grass was found packaged with tissue requested for research.
Eye Donation Society manager Janath Matara Arachchi says the organization sends "only the good and healthy eyes" and has not received a complaint in 20 years. Arachchi said the organization checks for HIV, hepatitis and other sexually transmitted diseases by dipping a strip into blood samples and waiting to see if it changes color for a positive result. Sri Lanka's Health Ministry also said it has received no complaints about the eye bank from other countries.
Medical director Dr. M.H.S. Cassim denied that anyone from the organization is making money off donations sent abroad. He said they charge up to $450 per cornea to cover operational costs and the high price of preservatives needed to store the tissue.
The cornea is the dome-shaped transparent part of the eye that covers the iris and pupil. It helps to focus entering light, but can become cloudy from disease or other damage. Corneas must be carefully extracted from donors to avoid damaging the thin layer of cells on the back that pump water away to keep it clear. They must be harvested within eight hours of death, and can today be preserved and stored in refrigeration for up to 14 days.
Sri Lanka has no official organ donation registry, as is provided in some countries when driver's licenses are issued. Instead, the idea is passed down from generation to generation. Eye donation campaigns are organized at temples by Buddhist monks, but people of other faiths also give, including Hindus and Christians.
Future donors simply mail in the bottom half of a consent form distributed by Silva's Eye Donation Society. The top portion, which looks like an award certificate with a fancy scroll lacing around it, is also filled out and often proudly displayed on the wall ? serving as proof to the living that the pledge comes from a generous spirit.
"Just think if we had that level of organ donation and commitment and belief system in the United States, where we have these long lists of people waiting for hearts, livers and kidneys," said Dr. Alfred Sommer of Johns Hopkins University, who spent more than 40 years fighting blindness in the developing world. "If we had that level of cultural investment, there would be no lists for organ transplants."
The U.S. is the world's biggest cornea provider, sending more than 16,000 corneas to other countries in 2010, according to the Eye Bank Association of America. But Sri Lanka, which is 15 times smaller, actually donates about triple that number of corneas per capita each year.
There is no waiting list for eye tissue in Sri Lanka, and its people get first access to free corneas. About 40,000 have been transplanted locally since the beginning, but that still leaves a surplus each year.
Pakistan, an Islamic country where followers are typically required to be buried with all parts intact, has received some 20,000 corneas since overseas donations began, Cassim said. Egypt and Japan are two other major recipients, receiving 8,000 and 6,000 corneas respectively to date, he said.
But Sri Lanka cannot meet global demand on its own. An estimated 10 million people ? 9 out of 10 in poor countries ? suffer worldwide from corneal blindness that could be helped by a transplant if tissue and trained surgeons were available, according to U.S.-based SightLife, an eye bank that partners with developing countries. It has been working with Sri Lanka's new government facility.
"Sri Lanka has long been known to be a country with an incredible heart for eye donation and a willingness to share surplus corneas to restore sight around the world," said SightLife president Monty Montoya. "While efforts have been made to share information with other countries, I am not aware of any one location being able to replicate Sri Lanka's success."
Where possible, eye tissue should be transplanted within hours of death. That was done in the Colombo operating room where patients Siriwardana and Premathilake were stitched up with what looked like tiny fishing hooks, then bandaged and helped outside.
For Premathilake ? whose sight was lost when an open can of acid spilled onto his face while working at a rubber factory ? this is his last hope. His right eye still blinks, but there is nothing but an empty pink cavity inside. The stem cells attached to his left eye should help create a new window of sight that he hopes will allow him to go back to work, or at least carry out daily tasks without depending on his parents.
"I am extremely happy," he said. "I didn't know the man who died in his previous life, but I'm always going to say blessings for him during his next births."
____
Associated Press writer Bharatha Mallawarachi contributed to this report from Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The biology of politics: Liberals roll with the good, conservatives confront the badPublic release date: 23-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mike Dodd mdodd2@unl.edu 402-472-0547 University of Nebraska-Lincoln
New study brings to light physiological, cognitive differences of political left and right
From cable TV news pundits to red-meat speeches in Iowa and New Hampshire, our nation's deep political stereotypes are on full display: Conservatives paint self-indulgent liberals as insufferably absent on urgent national issues, while liberals say fear-mongering conservatives are fixated on exaggerated dangers to the country.
A new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln suggests there are biological truths to such broad brushstrokes.
In a series of experiments, researchers closely monitored physiological reactions and eye movements of study participants when shown combinations of both pleasant and unpleasant images. Conservatives reacted more strongly to, fixated more quickly on, and looked longer at the unpleasant images; liberals had stronger reactions to and looked longer at the pleasant images compared with conservatives.
"It's been said that conservatives and liberals don't see things in the same way," said Mike Dodd, UNL assistant professor of psychology and the study's lead author. "These findings make that clear quite literally."
To gauge participants' physiological responses, they were shown a series of images on a screen. Electrodes measured subtle skin conductance changes, which indicated an emotional response. The cognitive data, meanwhile, was gathered by outfitting participants with eyetracking equipment that captured even the most subtle of eye movements while combinations of unpleasant and pleasant photos appeared on the screen.
While liberals' gazes tended to fall upon the pleasant images, such as a beach ball or a bunny rabbit, conservatives clearly focused on the negative images of an open wound, a crashed car or a dirty toilet, for example.
Consistent with the idea that conservatives seem to respond more to negative stimuli while liberals respond more to positive stimuli, conservatives also exhibited a stronger physiological response to images of Democratic politicians presumed to be a negative to them than they did on pictures of well-known Republicans. Liberals, on the other hand, had a stronger physiological response to the Democrats presumed to be a positive stimulus to them than they did to images of the Republicans.
By studying both physiological and cognitive aspects, the researchers established unique new insights into the growing notion that political leanings are at least partial products of our biology, UNL political scientist and study co-author Kevin Smith said.
Recent research on the subject has focused mostly on physiological reactions to negative stimuli. The new study's use of cognitive data regarding both positive and negative imagery adds to the understanding of how liberals and conservatives see and experience the world, Smith said.
UNL political scientist and co-author John Hibbing said the results might mean that those on the right are more attuned and attentive to aversive elements in life and are more naturally inclined to confront them. From an evolutionary standpoint, that makes sense, he said.
The results also are consistent with conservatives' support of policies to protect society from perceived external threats (support for increased defense spending or opposition to immigration) and internal ones as well (support for traditional values and being tough on crime), Hibbing said.
The researchers were careful to not make a value judgment on either political orientation. But they did note that their discovery provided an opportunity to recognize the relevance of deeper biological variables in politics and turn down political polarization.
Rather than believing those with opposite political views are uninformed or willfully obtuse, the authors said, political tolerance could be enhanced if it was widely understood that political differences are based in part on our physiological and cognitive differences.
"When conservatives say that liberals are out of it and just don't get it, from this standpoint, that's true," Hibbing said. "And when liberals say 'What are (conservatives) so frightened of? Is the world really that dangerous?' Given what each side sees, what they pay attention to, what they physiologically experience the answer is both sides are right."
###
The study, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, is in a forthcoming edition of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B and was authored by Dodd, Hibbing and Smith, as well as UNL's Amanda Balzer, Carly Jacobs and Michael Gruszczynski.
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The biology of politics: Liberals roll with the good, conservatives confront the badPublic release date: 23-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Mike Dodd mdodd2@unl.edu 402-472-0547 University of Nebraska-Lincoln
New study brings to light physiological, cognitive differences of political left and right
From cable TV news pundits to red-meat speeches in Iowa and New Hampshire, our nation's deep political stereotypes are on full display: Conservatives paint self-indulgent liberals as insufferably absent on urgent national issues, while liberals say fear-mongering conservatives are fixated on exaggerated dangers to the country.
A new study from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln suggests there are biological truths to such broad brushstrokes.
In a series of experiments, researchers closely monitored physiological reactions and eye movements of study participants when shown combinations of both pleasant and unpleasant images. Conservatives reacted more strongly to, fixated more quickly on, and looked longer at the unpleasant images; liberals had stronger reactions to and looked longer at the pleasant images compared with conservatives.
"It's been said that conservatives and liberals don't see things in the same way," said Mike Dodd, UNL assistant professor of psychology and the study's lead author. "These findings make that clear quite literally."
To gauge participants' physiological responses, they were shown a series of images on a screen. Electrodes measured subtle skin conductance changes, which indicated an emotional response. The cognitive data, meanwhile, was gathered by outfitting participants with eyetracking equipment that captured even the most subtle of eye movements while combinations of unpleasant and pleasant photos appeared on the screen.
While liberals' gazes tended to fall upon the pleasant images, such as a beach ball or a bunny rabbit, conservatives clearly focused on the negative images of an open wound, a crashed car or a dirty toilet, for example.
Consistent with the idea that conservatives seem to respond more to negative stimuli while liberals respond more to positive stimuli, conservatives also exhibited a stronger physiological response to images of Democratic politicians presumed to be a negative to them than they did on pictures of well-known Republicans. Liberals, on the other hand, had a stronger physiological response to the Democrats presumed to be a positive stimulus to them than they did to images of the Republicans.
By studying both physiological and cognitive aspects, the researchers established unique new insights into the growing notion that political leanings are at least partial products of our biology, UNL political scientist and study co-author Kevin Smith said.
Recent research on the subject has focused mostly on physiological reactions to negative stimuli. The new study's use of cognitive data regarding both positive and negative imagery adds to the understanding of how liberals and conservatives see and experience the world, Smith said.
UNL political scientist and co-author John Hibbing said the results might mean that those on the right are more attuned and attentive to aversive elements in life and are more naturally inclined to confront them. From an evolutionary standpoint, that makes sense, he said.
The results also are consistent with conservatives' support of policies to protect society from perceived external threats (support for increased defense spending or opposition to immigration) and internal ones as well (support for traditional values and being tough on crime), Hibbing said.
The researchers were careful to not make a value judgment on either political orientation. But they did note that their discovery provided an opportunity to recognize the relevance of deeper biological variables in politics and turn down political polarization.
Rather than believing those with opposite political views are uninformed or willfully obtuse, the authors said, political tolerance could be enhanced if it was widely understood that political differences are based in part on our physiological and cognitive differences.
"When conservatives say that liberals are out of it and just don't get it, from this standpoint, that's true," Hibbing said. "And when liberals say 'What are (conservatives) so frightened of? Is the world really that dangerous?' Given what each side sees, what they pay attention to, what they physiologically experience the answer is both sides are right."
###
The study, funded in part by the National Science Foundation, is in a forthcoming edition of the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B and was authored by Dodd, Hibbing and Smith, as well as UNL's Amanda Balzer, Carly Jacobs and Michael Gruszczynski.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
MELBOURNE, Australia ? After winning a grueling, tightly contested match that lasted nearly four hours, Tomas Berdych didn't expect to be met by a stadium full of booing and hisses.
Berdych, the seventh seed from Czech Republic, was jeered by the crowd for refusing to shake hands with his opponent, No. 10 seed Nicolas Almagro, because he believed the Spaniard had deliberately struck him with a ball during a point at the end of the fourth set.
Berdych was initially cheered by the spectators at Hisense Arena following his 4-6, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) win in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday, but the crowd turned on him in an instant when he refused to shake Almagro's hand at the net.
The booing drowned out his post-match, on-court interview and continued until he walked off.
"I think when you have a point and someone wants to hit you straight to your face, I don't see this as a nice moment," Berdych said during the interview, struggling to be heard over the noise from the crowd.
Berdych was angered by what happened in the 11th game of the fourth set, with the score level at 5-all. The Czech player approached the net and hit a volley and Almagro chased it down and hit a forehand that struck Berdych in the arm.
As Berdych flopped to the ground, the ball bounced back over the net and Almagro put it away to win the point. He then approached the net to apologize to Berdych, but Berdych didn't look at him.
Berdych said during his post-match news conference he didn't believe Almagro acted in a sporting manner.
"Probably whoever played the tennis knows that the court is pretty big, and you always have some space to put the ball in," he said. "This is not the way how tennis is. Even if you have this point, you always have enough space to where to put the ball and not actually try to hit the other guy."
Almagro said he did what he needed to do to win the point.
"When I win the point, I say sorry to him three or four times," he said. He added through a translator, "I could leave the court with my head held high and I would like to thank the crowd for their support."
When Berdych was asked whether he thought Almagro's on-court apology was enough, he replied: "You think is this enough to apologize? He should play the ball differently. That's it."
The Australians in the crowd weren't the only ones on Almagro's side. Former player Brad Gilbert, who is working as a TV analyst at the tournament, tweeted: "Really poor of the Birdman not to shake hands with Nico ... I am stunned with Tomas."
Berdych tried his best to play down the incident in his news conference, saying it was already in the past.
"We don't have any problems at all together," he said of his relationship with Almagro. "That's how it is, you know. It was pretty tight match, and I think it's more about the game than just this story."
NEW YORK (Reuters) ? Stocks rising, bulls rampant are motifs you might pick if designing a coat of arms for Wall Street at the moment. But the motto should read: Caveat emptor. Yes, buyer beware.
The S&P 500, a broad measure of the market valuation of the biggest U.S. publicly traded companies, is up 20 percent from its October closing low. It keeps climbing on a mixed bag of fourth-quarter earnings, improving U.S. economic data, and easing credit conditions in Europe. It now stands at its highest level since early last August.
We have already seen what is probably the first upgrade of a target level for the index this year courtesy of Credit Suisse.
The CBOE Volatility Index, or VIX (.VIX), a measure of what investors are paying to protect themselves against the risk of losses, is at its lowest level in seven months.
So it raises the question: Is this another Jackson Hole moment for risk assets?
At the Wyoming retreat in late August 2010, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke sparked what was the second major leg of the stock market's rally from bear market lows the year before.
Is this the start of the third?
FRIENDLIER FOOTING FOR STOCKS
For Andrew Garthwaite, the Credit Suisse analyst behind the firm's more bullish stance, there are big changes afoot that are creating a more benign environment for stocks.
First, the European Central Bank's long-term repo operations are succeeding in reducing stresses in the region's banking sector. This week, three-month dollar Libor, the cost at which European banks can borrow dollars, marked its ninth straight day of declines.
Analysts say heavy cash infusions from the European Central Bank since late last year and signs of revived willingness to lend by U.S. investors in the new year show the banking system is flush with cash.
The U.S. economy is looking stronger than thought, with notable movement in the long-dormant housing market, where sales of previously owned homes just rose to an 11-month high.
In China, the engine of global growth whose manufacturing sector has been showing worrying signs of slowing, policymakers have demonstrated willingness to make conditions easier by lowering banks' reserve requirements.
"As we approach our year-end target two weeks into January, we have to ask ourselves the following questions: What has changed? Will equities rally further?," Garthwaite said in a research note.
His answer to the second question was yes. Credit Suisse raised its year-end S&P 500 target to 1,400 from 1,340. Critically, however, the firm did not overweight equities, saying the risks of a more severe recession in Europe and a slowdown stateside were still there.
HEALTHY DOSE OF SKEPTICISM
For Nicholas Colas, chief market strategist at the ConvergEx Group in New York, the rally remains largely untested. More scary headlines from Europe or any signs that the global economy is deteriorating could spark a sharp reversal.
Heading into the weekend, Greece was closing in on an initial deal with private bondholders that would prevent it from tumbling into a chaotic default. Creditors faced to 70 percent of the loans they have given to Athens.
"It's a confidence-based rally with the overhang of several still meaningful events to come," Colas said. "It is all well and good to say that the Greek default is well understood, but we haven't gone through it."
Outside the United States, there are mixed signals from the global economy, too.
China's factory activity likely fell for a third successive month in January. The HSBC flash manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI), the earliest indicator of China's industrial activity, stood below 50.
The Baltic Exchange's main sea freight index (.BADI), which tracks rates to ship dry commodities and can be a useful gauge of economic activity, fell to its lowest level in three years on Friday on a growing surplus of vessels and a slump in cargo demand.
That is at odds with the work of RBC technical analyst Robert Sluymer. He sees growing outperformance of industrial metal copper to the safe-haven bet of gold as well as an upturn in a basket of Asian currencies as a bullish sign for the economy.
The caution generated by the mismatches in the various data points is perhaps reflected in by U.S. interest rates.
The yield on the U.S. 10-year Treasury note has hovered at 2 percent or just below for the last month despite a brief spike in mid-December. That suggests bondholders are not eagerly embracing the improving economy thesis for the moment.
"There is still a lot of skepticism about recovery, about moving into risk assets, about a lot of things," Colas said.
"If you really wanted to believe this about incrementally economic certainty and expansion ... I would have thought you'd expect to see the 10-year back over 2 percent."
EARNINGS, DATA AND THE FED
A blitz of earnings and economic indicators next week will provide an important gauge of the economy's health.
What's more, the Federal Reserve's policymakers will convene their first meeting of the year with a two-day session that starts on Tuesday. The Federal Open Market Committee, the Fed's rate-setting panel, will release its policy statement on Wednesday. No fireworks are expected, but a decision to release individual policymakers' interest-rate forecasts could alter expectations for rates on the margins.
Monday will start one of the two most hectic weeks of the earnings season. Marquee names due to report earnings on Monday include Texas Instruments Inc (TXN.O) and Halliburton Co (HAL.N), followed by Apple Inc (AAPL.O), DuPont (DD.N), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), McDonald's Corp (MCD.N), Verizon Communications (VZ.N) and Yahoo! Inc (YHOO.O) - all on Tuesday.
Boeing (BA.N), ConocoPhillips (COP.N) and United Technologies (UTX.N) are set to release results on Wednesday. Thursday's earnings line-up includes 3M Co (MMM.N), AT&T Inc (T.N), Starbucks (SBUX.O) and Time Warner Cable Inc (TWC.N). On Friday, earnings are expected from Chevron Corp (CVX.N), Honeywell International (HON.N) and Procter & Gamble Co. (PG.N)
In the coming week, economic indicators to watch will include December pending home sales data, a key measure of the housing market, on Wednesday as well as the latest weekly claims for jobless benefits on Thursday. December durable goods orders and new home sales for December also will be released on Thursday.
The week will wrap up with the Commerce Department's first look at fourth-quarter U.S. gross domestic product and the final reading for January on consumer sentiment from Reuters and the University of Michigan.
In terms of companies beating expectations, fourth-quarter earnings season has not been as good as previous ones. Of the approximately 70 companies in the S&P 500 that have reported earnings so far, 60 percent have exceeded analysts' estimates, according to Thomson Reuters data.
In comparison, in the third quarter at this early point in the reporting cycle, 68 percent had beaten Wall Street's forecasts - well below the 78 percent in that category in the second quarter, Thomson Reuters data showed.
There have also been some high-profile misses on both revenue and earnings.
General Electric Co's (GE.N) fourth-quarter revenue fell short of Wall Street's expectations, with Europe's weakening economy and weak appliance sales the main culprits.
On the other hand, banks' earnings have served as a positive catalyst for the stock market so far. The sector has been one of the market's leaders despite mixed earnings, a sign that investors' worst fears did not materialize.
(Reporting By Edward Krudy; Editing by Jan Paschal)
Photo/FILE Cancer patients wait for treatment at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi in 2010. ?
One morning in 2009, Perus Nuna woke up with a small lump and strange sensation in her left breast. She passed it off as a niggling pain that would go away. But as the days turned into weeks so did the lump increase in size.
Finally worried, she decided to go for a medical check-up at Thika District Hospital.
An operation to remove the lump cost her Sh32,000. After the surgery, a biopsy was done on the mass that had been removed from her breast.
The result confirmed her worst fears ? she had a malignant tumour, which basically means she had cancer of the breast that was very likely to spread to other tissues of the body.
She was referred to an oncologist ? a cancer specialist ? who said she needed to start chemotherapy immediately.
But one thing the 37-year-old Nuna did know when she started treatment mid-2010 was that she was getting into a programme that would leave her penniless.
The cost of treatment started shooting up when she went for her first operation to remove the lump. Now a series of cancer treatment was required.
The cheapest treatment centre was Kenyatta National Hospital, where she registered in the private wing. Here, she went through the initial bone and chest scans, and ultra-sound, which normally precede the chemotherapy treatment. She spent Sh9,000 on these tests.
The next stage was first line chemotherapy, which cost her Sh78,000. On completing this treatment, the doctors said she had to undertake a second operation to completely remove the tumour in her breast.
The procedure cost her Sh40,000. In January, 2011, doctor reviewed her condition and advised her to go for second line chemotherapy.
While waiting to start this treatment, she was attacked by secondary bone cancer, which completely immobilised her.
?Doctors said I had multiple skeletal fractures. I could not walk or sit, my spine felt as if it was on fire,? recalls Nuna, a mother of two.
To manage the pain and restore bone strength, she was immediately put on a two-week radiotherapy programme that cost Sh18,200: Sh300 daily for radiotherapy and Sh1,000 for transport from Gathugu in Githunguri.
The treatment worked wonders and within two months she had regained her bone strength. After another review, she was now ready for her second line chemotherapy treatment.
Like with the first line treatment, she was expected to go through another series of tests including one known as human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2).
FILE - In this April 30, 2007 file photo, attorney Robert Bennett speaks in Washington. Bennett, one of the nation's most prominent defense lawyers will represent file-sharing website Megaupload on charges that the company used its popular site to orchestrate a massive piracy scheme that enabled millions of illegal downloads of movies and other content. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
FILE - In this April 30, 2007 file photo, attorney Robert Bennett speaks in Washington. Bennett, one of the nation's most prominent defense lawyers will represent file-sharing website Megaupload on charges that the company used its popular site to orchestrate a massive piracy scheme that enabled millions of illegal downloads of movies and other content. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (AP) ? When Megaupload executives arrive in court to answer charges that they orchestrated a massive online piracy scheme, they'll be backed by a prominent lawyer who has defended Bill Clinton against sexual harassment charges and Enron against allegations of corporate fraud.
Washington attorney Robert Bennett said Friday that he will represent the company, which was indicted in federal court in Alexandria Thursday on copyright infringement and other charges.
The U.S. government shut down Megaupload's file-sharing website on Thursday, alleging that the company facilitated illegal downloads of copyrighted movies and other content. Seven individuals ? including the company's founder, who had his name legally changed to Kim Dotcom ? were also charged. Dotcom and three others were arrested in New Zealand; three others remain at large.
New Zealand police raided several homes and businesses linked to Dotcom and seized guns, millions of dollars and nearly $5 million in luxury cars, officials said.
In Hong Kong, where Megaupload is based, customs officials said they seized more than $42.5 million in assets. They said the company operated out of luxury hotel space costing more than $12,000 a day, and they seized high-speed servers and other equipment from the offices.
The shutdown and indictment generated headlines around the world in part because of the size and scope of Megaupload's operation. Sandvine, Inc., a Canadian company that provides equipment to monitor Internet traffic, said the website alone accounted for about 1 percent of traffic on U.S. cable and DSL lines. The site is even more popular in many foreign countries.
Bennett said that "we intend to vigorously defend against these charges" but declined to comment on the case in detail.
Bennett is best known for serving as President Bill Clinton's attorney when he was accused of sexual harassment by Paula Jones. He has also represented Defense Secretaries Clark Clifford and Caspar Weinberger.
Megaupload was no stranger to accusations that its website existed for the sole purpose of mass copyright breach. Before its website was taken down, Megaupload offered a more detailed defense of its operations, claiming in a statement that such accusations are "grotesquely overblown."
The company said it had a clear, easy-to-follow procedure if movie studios or other copyright holders saw that their products were being illegally shared on Megaupload, and said that it responded to those "takedown notices" as required by law.
"Of course, abuse does happen and is an inevitable fact of life in a free society, but it is curbed heavily and efficiently by our close cooperation with trusted takedown partners. It is just unfortunate that the activities of a small group of 'black sheep' overshadows the millions of users that use our sites legitimately every day," the statement said.
Indeed, sites like megaupload.com, known as cyberlockers, can fulfill legitimate needs and are used every day by people looking for an efficient way to share or transfer large files that can't easily be sent by email.
In their indictment, however, federal prosecutors offered a detailed glimpse of the internal workings of the website. They allege that Megaupload was well aware that the vast majority of its users were there to illegally download copyrighted content.
According to the indictment, in a 2008 email chat session, two of the alleged coconspirators exchange messages, with one saying "we have a funny business . . . modern days pirates :)" and the other responds, "we're not pirates, we're just providing shipping services to pirates :)".
In another instance, one of the defendants allegedly laments in colorful language that an episode HBO's "The Sopranos" has been uploaded to site, but the dialogue is in French, limiting its appeal.
In fact, prosecutors allege that the entire website was specifically designed to encourage piracy. The website provided cash bonuses to users who uploaded content popular enough to prompt mass downloads ? such content was almost always copyrighted material.
Stefan Mentzer, an intellectual property partner with the White and Case law firm in New York, said it's likely that Megaupload will try to argue at least two defenses: One is that its service qualifies as a so-called "safe harbor" under Digital Millennium Copyright Act ? the federal law governing copyright infringement ? if they can show, for instance, that they had no actual knowledge that infringing material was on their system. Another possible defense would be jurisdictional ? specifically, that a case can't be brought in the Eastern District of Virginia against a Hong Kong-based company like Megaupload without evidence that they directed criminal activity related to the district.
But Mentzer said both defenses would be a challenge, given the evidence that prosecutors appear to have collected.
"The Department of Justice doesn't just cavalierly file these lawsuits," Mentzer said.
Federal prosecutors have made Internet piracy a priority in the last decade, especially in the Eastern District of Virginia, which can claim jurisdiction over many such cases because large portions of the Internet's backbone ? servers and other infrastructure ? are physically located in northern Virginia's technology corridor.
The vast majority of those cases have resulted in guilty pleas and prison time. On Friday, a day after announcement of the Megaupload case, a federal judge sentenced Matthew David Howard Smith, 24, of Raleigh, North Carolina, to 14 months in prison for his role in founding a website called NinjaVideo. That site was one of many shut down in 2010, at a time when it facilitated nearly 1 million illegal downloads a week.
NinjaVideo was what prosecutors called a "linking site" to Megaupload. Casual users of Megaupload would be unable to find popular movies and TV shows on the site without the proper links. Sites like NinjaVideo allowed users to easily search for the desired movies or music and provided the links that enabled them to download the content from Megaupload.
The other co-founder of NinjaVideo, Hana Beshara, was sentenced earlier this month to 22 months in prison. While she admitted guilt, she portrayed herself as a sort of Robin Hood of the online world, stealing from greedy movie studios to provide entertainment downloads to the masses in the form of free films, TV shows, videogames and music.
While the legal defense for piracy may be difficult, accused Internet pirates clearly have their supporters, as evidenced by the millions of people who use their sites as well as the response to Thursday's Megaupload shutdown. Within hours of the indictment being unsealed, the loose affiliation of hackers known as Anonymous caused temporary shutdowns of the Justice Department website as well as the websites of the Motion Picture Association of America and other industry groups that support a tougher piracy laws.
It could be months before the criminal case against Megaupload gets underway. The four defendants arrested in made an initial appearance in a New Zealand court Friday and are scheduled to make a second appearance on Monday. Authorities have said it could take a year or more to bring them to the U.S. if they fight extradition.
___
AP Business Writers Daniel Wagner in Washington and Kelvin Chan in Hong Kong contributed to this report.
Last year, Nick Paumgarten wrote an interesting article for The New Yorker that detailed the rise of online dating and the effects it's had on web culture. What struck me most were some of the eye-opening statistics he shared about the size and popularity of the industry, beginning with the fact that fee-based dating sites have become, collectively, a billion-dollar industry -- that ?one in six new marriages is the result of meetings on Internet dating site." What's more, online dating is now the third most common way for people to meet.
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Public release date: 23-Jan-2012
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