Though the current unemployment rate as of November 2011 for age 55 and over is 6.4% and for men a bit higher at 6.8%, this may be artificially low since many pre-retirees may have simply given up and stopped looking for jobs like my friend Harry.

FORBES: Unemployed at 62: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

Recovery may be driven by something that most have almost given up for lost.

ECONOMIST: The economy

If Mr Adams is thought to have given up too much, there may be a much larger exodus of his supporters to such extreme groups.

ECONOMIST: Northern Ireland

It may be that many reporters and lawyers have been intimidated and given up.

ECONOMIST: Killing the messengers

While this may be the year that the desktop PC died, Dell has not given up on the market.

FORBES: Sony, Dell Win Big With Windows 8 Sales

Yet, hard as it may be to believe given the current state of affairs, a trip to London and Number 10 Downing Street last week has given me renewed optimism that changes may be starting to bubble from the bottom up, in small yet significant ways.

FORBES: The Little "Nudges" that Would Make Even Churchill Proud

The wording of the two bills remains to be reconciled in Congress, but given the huge majorities that they rolled up in both chambers, the president may be facing his first veto override.

NPR: How to Stop Another Gonzales Episode

Given the frequency with which the disease crops up in Hong Kong, the government may be justified in not taking any chances.

ECONOMIST: Avian flu in southern China

Meanwhile, scientists are continuously coming up with possible biomarker tests that may predict whether a given drug is likely to be effective, or is likely to just cause side effects.

FORBES: Genetic Testing

Further, what if any return below 6% is made up by "interest-free loans" given by the venture to the investor, that may be paid back solely from subsequent profits that exceed the 6% mark?

FORBES: Magazine Article