Saturday, 11 July 2015

Doctor who scammed patients by falsely diagnosing cancer, jailed for 45 years

A doctor who made millions of dollars by putting more than 500 patients through unnecessary and grueling cancer treatments and then billing insurers has been sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Dr Farid Fata, who worked in suburban Detroit, Michigan, poisoned around 550 victims many of whom did not actually have cancer, by giving them excessive chemotherapy and other treatments.
 
His actions wrecked his patients' health, with many sustaining chronic health problems such as brittle bones and fried organs. Other victims lost their homes and jobs, and were forced into bankruptcy.

On Friday, Fata broke down in court as he was sentenced to more than four decades in prison for what the judge described as a 'huge, horrific series of criminal acts' that had affected hundreds.
The doctor had remained stone-faced earlier in the week as his former patients had appeared in court to detail the shocking consequences of being put through unnecessary chemotherapy.
 
But during his sentencing, Fata, whose business, Michigan Hematology Oncology, had many upscale offices in the area, repeatedly broke down crying as he begged for mercy.
 
Speaking publicly for the first time since he was arrested in August 2013, the oncologist said: 'I misused my talents, yes, and permitted this sin to enter me because of power and greed.'
He added: 'My quest for power is self-destructive.'
Fata, who turned and apologized to his victims in the courtroom, admitted his patients had knocked on his door 'seeking compassion and care', but he had 'failed them'

Fata asked Borman for mercy. But a prosecutor reminded the judge of the victims' "lifetime of suffering."

The judge, calling Fata's crimes "huge" and "horrific," deliberated for about an hour before sentencing Fata to 45 years behind bars.
By then, Fata's tears were gone. He stared ahead, looking emotionless.
His victims, many of whom wore bright yellow to the sentencing to symbolize the last day Fata would see the sun, remained quiet in the courtroom. Afterwards, their disappointment and anger spilled out.
"It's not enough," said Geraldine Parkin, whose husband underwent unneeded chemotherapy.
She, like many others, wanted the judge to impose the maximum possible sentence of 175 years; Fata's lawyers had asked for 25.                      
"We expected more," said Steve Flagg, whose wife, Monica, testified about learning of her misdiagnosis after her leg snapped in half.
As for Fata's tears, Flagg said: "It was just a show."

Authorities said they, too, were disappointed in the length of the prison term, but felt confident that it would encompass all, or most, of his life.

U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade of the Eastern District of Michigan called Fata's scheme "the most serious fraud case in the history of the country." No prior investigation, she said, included "the kind of stunning physical harm that we saw in this case."
Noting that chemotherapy is toxic to both cancerous and healthy tissue, McQuade said Fata "gave poison to these people not to keep them alive but to make money."
Outside court, many former patients were disappointed with the punishment, deeming it too short.
'Prosecutors did a fantastic job - and he got 45 years. It's a lifetime sentence for the rest of us,' said Monica Flagg, 53, who was treated for cancer before doctors examining a broken leg found she had no cancer. 'What about all the grave markers out there that all the victims' families have to look at?


NBC News

My First Daughter Said I Would Die In Office – Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that his eldest daughter, Iyabo, told him he was going to die in office. He also said his daughter said if that should happen, she would not weep for him.

The former President said he, nevertheless, replied his daughter that such weeping or no weeping would not mean anything to him since he would not be there to appreciate it.
On how he became President in 1999, Obasanjo said: “My mind was almost made up (to vie for the position of President) but I had to consult with my children. I got four of them together in New York. 
“I told them I was going to decide whether to go into politics or not. Iyabo was the most antagonistic. She burst out loudly, ‘I know you will join and you will die there and if you die, I will not weep'.
“I told her ‘if I die and you weep, it is for yourself and others, not for me as I will not know you are weeping.’ 
“It is ironic that within 10 years, Iyabo became a Senator and I completed two terms of eight years without a scratch.”
Obasanjo made these revelations in his controversial book - MY WATCH.

The meeting with the four children came after he had consulted almost all those that mattered.

President Obasanjo added that out of the four children in attendance when he spoke with them, it was only Segun who he said, had a few words of encouragement.

The son, according to Obasanjo, said, “Daddy, you have always said that we must serve God and humanity and if this is the way you have chosen to serve God and humanity, I will pray for you.”

Obasanjo mentioned the names of his 21 children in the book. Five of them are holders of PhD.

He said it was ironic that the same Iyabo, who made noise, later became a senator during his tenure.

Photos: Nicki Hilton & her billionaire heir hubby step out for wedding reception


The newly married socialite wore a sparky Versace dress and shoes as she and her husband attended a wedding reception organized in their honour after their extravagant wedding at Kensington Palace yesterday. This is the second marriage for Nicki - her first lasted three months - and the first for James Rothschild. More photos after the cut...



Photo credit: Splash News 

50 Cent ordered to pay Rick Ross' baby mama $5 Million for sex tape leak



The Manhattan Supreme Court has ordered 50 Cent to pay Lavonia Leviston, Rick Ross' baby mama, $5 million in damages for uploading her sex tape to the internet in 2009.

According to reports, $2.5 million of the sum is for "violating her civil rights for using her image without her permission," and the other $2.5 million is for "intentional infliction of emotional distress." Leviston's lawyer originally sought $20 million total in damages.


50 was absent during the court proceedings, not attending to testify nor hear the verdict. He has denied publishing the tape online, though it undeniably features 50 Cent in his "Pimpin' Curly" outfit providing commentary from start to finish.



Source: New York Daily News 

Jay Z spends quality time with daughter as they head to private jet

45-year-old rapper and business mogul Jay Z was seen walking to a private jet with his daughter Blue Ivy as they were headed to the Hamptons. He threw Blue Ivy into the air as they both laughed. Too cute! More photos after the cut..




Toolz shows off her flexibility in new photo...



The Radio OAP shows off how flexible she's getting from her fitness training with celebrity personal trainer/rapper, Uzikwendu. 

Friday, 10 July 2015

Is Akon being used as a front for Chinese-owned businesses to sell solar power to Africa?


So says this article by Joseph Guthrie titled 'Tricking Africa?'. Read below..
When the news broke about Akon’s initiative to bring solar power to 600 million Africans, social media was awash with praise and mainstream media felt compelled to spread the word. The Senegalese-American recording artist/entrepreneur officially became the face of the plan that he had dropped hints about for a year. Upon first glance, you couldn’t really blame anyone for extending their adulation.
The world’s second largest continent and its 54 nations have repeatedly been a target for imperialism, colonialism, and conquest so seeing a descendent “give back” to the people struggling to keep their heads above water was indeed a refreshing moment.
 The official Akon Lighting Africa (ALA) webpage is a spectacle to behold: Akon’s visage and signature adorning his words in the form of a quotation “…bringing hope to millions and ultimately giving Africa a better future” greet you as the page loads; three major bullet points outlining the programme’s overall goals to bring light to the African masses neatly line up next to that. For lots of people – the global black diaspora, notwithstanding – this move is beyond major. 

Akon’s peers in the entertainment industry – particularly black artists and/or actors – were very vocal in their support. Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, Tyrese, Timbaland, and Lil Jon used their respective spaces to tell their fans and affiliates about this incredible academy. Mike Bloomberg and organisations, including the United Nations, also spoke highly of Akon’s efforts. Countless Africans tendered their gratitude to Akon for stepping forward and using his stardom to make a significant difference in their lives. Truly, it was marvellous to see all of this positivity abounding.
Or at least… it seemed marvellous at the time.

Not even a day after ALA was officially announced, Snoop Dogg took to Instagram to air a grievance. He bemoaned the fact that major media outlets prioritised the coverage of Caitlyn Jenner over Akon’s solar academy, insulting Caitlyn – a transgender woman – in the process. Of course, I was appalled by the labelling of Jenner as “a science project,” and when I took to Twitter to air my own views on the discourse (calling out the attention ALA wasn’t getting using that kind of transphobic language is quite crass and wholly unproductive, I feel), I saw that valid questions were being asked about ALA.

JJ Bola – author, poet, and educator – was one of a few people I noticed looking at the ALA initiative critically. “…Where does that 600 million figure come from? That’s half the continent,” he tweeted. He’s not far off: The estimated total population of Africa is 1.111 billion people. Half of that is 550,500,000 – very close to the number of people that ALA has said they will deliver a clean, renewable energy source to. Even allowing for lofty ambition, I still believed the target was achievable considering ALA’s $1bn line of credit and the substantial political networking ALA has already done to get this realised. And then, I was presented with a blog post in the Corge that made no bones about why they thought ALA was merely a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Their lengthy essay laid out major concerns, stating Akon is nothing more than a “scumbag torch-bearer for the new imperialism that is coming” to the continent. Initially, the whole thing read to me like an aimless rant, effing and blinding and throwing out all manner of insults to Akon’s character. Thankfully, there was a decent amount of substance to the concerns and a bit of righteousness to the anger. It also provided answers to my own questions about ALA, upon further research and fact-checking. Consider the following:

Who is funding ALA? ALA has been provided a $1bn line of credit via China Jiangsu International, a state-owned international conglomerate, headquartered in Nanjing, China, specialising in economic cooperation and foreign trade. China Jiangsu International was founded in December 1980 and has more than 30 overseas subsidiaries, offices and branches to extend their reach and influence to roughly 80 countries around the world. According to their website, “CJI has exported chemical products, API, electrical equipment, and materials exports, exceeding a total volume of $10bn USD per year.” 

Is this a private venture or is ALA not-for-profit? How will it be paid for? It appears ALA isn’t what you’d call a completely philanthropic endeavour, to say the least. Quoth Akon: “We invest our own money to get things started. We go in, plead our case to the country, put up pilots with our own dollars using sophisticated equipment…It shows people that we’re not coming in to pull money out of the country, we’re there to provide jobs for the locals and to enable them to feed their families.” So what does he mean by this? According to the ALA website, the average investment per village is $75,000 USD and will see the partnership of public (read: government, heads of state) organisations and private firms (read: Solektra, Give1 Project, Akon Corp, Sumec, Nari, and Huawei) in order to oversee the delivery. Given the private companies getting involved and private dollars getting spent, one would expect these companies to see a return on that investment. Sure enough, Samba Bathily – one of the cofounders for ALA and head of the holding group that owns Solektra – dropped more knowledge on the subject. “It means anyone who installs our systems can make payments over [several] years. Most of these countries couldn’t allocate the money to pay for a big project up front, but they can afford if they pay by installments.” [REF.? this I think is the embedded link at ‘knowledge’ above] At this stage, one would be well pressed to make ALA out to be altruistic.

First pics of comedian Julius Agwu after his brain surgery in the US


I'm sure you all have heard by now. The comedian underwent a brain surgery in the US many weeks back but has since returned home and is doing okay now. We thank God!


Nigerian-Ameican singer Jidenna says he had to import a lot of AK47 when he came to Nigeria to bury his dad


Ni**a say what? Nigerian-American singer Jidenna Theodore Mobisson says he had to bring in a lot of AK47 guns when he came into Nigeria for his fathers burial. In an interview with music channel, VladTV, Jidenna said in Nigeria, light skinned people are more likely to be kidnapped than dark skinned people as they are seen as more valuable. Who is this guy again? Sure you're a classic man?
"I have had a particular type of upbringing that is not the traditional. Whatever the traditional is for a light skinned mixed African American. I am Nigerian-American and more specifically I am Igbo American, Igbo being the ethnic group where I am from and that means you are in the South East of Nigeria.
You are way from the city so it means when you go to your village you are the only person or one of the few people that look like you. In my case, our family is light. Therefore when we go to our village, when I actually buried my father I had to bring in a lot of AK47, I had to employ military commandos because when you are light skinned, you are a heavier target for being kidnapped because you are seen as more valuable. You are seen as white therefore you have money.
You are American therefore you have more money. If you have more money then you are easy to kidnap and if you are easy to kidnap then we are going to get you. So for me being light-skinned in Nigeria, in our family, it was difficult. We have been hounded. We have been robbed. Our family has been assaulted. We have had a lot of issues. You can say these to a family that is dark skinned color. They may or may not have these experiences but for us we have always been the target but when you come to America, its the opposite. The police may look you over. They may not pull out the gun faster the way they would have done if you were darker"he said. 

Chibok Girls: Buhari Accuses His Service Chiefs Of Failure


Nigeria's president Muhamamdu Buhari has accused his army chiefs of failing in the response to the abduction of over 200 girls from a school in Chibok last April. He said this while entertaining the Bring Back Our Girls family in Aso Villa Wednesday.

While the president strongly indicted the service chiefs of the former Jonathan government, the National Security Adviser, NSA and the presidency, all implicated in the agencies that failed Nigeria in what is recognized as a treacherous response, the president has unusually maintained most of these same officials at the helm of Nigeria's security agencies.

This contradiction and dangerous inconsistency has led to the first public protests against the new administration as Boko Haram continues to successfully kill Nigerians in their hundreds.
President Buhari said:
“It is unfortunate that the security and Federal Government’s conflicting reports initially presented the government and its agencies in a very bad light both nationally and internationally.

“This is because the law enforcement agencies and the government were conflicting each other sometimes within hours or within weeks…that is not very impressive.
“The delayed and late reaction by the former government and its agencies was very unfortunate as I said. I think you will agree with me that the present government takes the issue very seriously...”

Some have postulated that Nigeria’s president is afraid or being blackmailed to maintain these indicted service chiefs and had been possibly forced to sign an agreement before Jonathan handed over.

Other analysts have said that he is over compensating as Bámidélé Adémólá-Olátéjú said here, “In an attempt to escape the perennial epithet of a dictator, the president is always trying too hard to showcase his democratic credentials by being soft, understanding and accommodating.”

Nigerians have lost patience as the president refuses to resign or accept the resignation of his Security Adviser and Service Chiefs indicted by the people, the families of Chibok, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, ENDS and other Civil right advocacy organizations, the United Nations and now his very self.

Nigerians have complained that they did not vote out Jonathan alone but voted him and his agency heads out, knowing full well that a president’s culpability extends to his team. They see the retaining of these people as a betrayal of the mandate given to the new administration.

The over 200 girls abducted due to this bungled security and government response, still remain abducted over 400 days later along with other abducted Nigerians. Some females recently freed in a pre-election military campaign had been severely abused with many impregnated by the terrorists.

Dr. Peregrino Brimah
http://ENDS.ng [Every Nigerian Do Something] 
Email: drbrimah@ends.ng Twitter: @EveryNigerian