Much like the U.S. Air Force F-16 program yielded greater quantity discounts through competition and earning its way into foreign air forces, the Army leveraged a steadily expanding community of Patriot partners to procure systems more economically while continually enhancing system performance and technology.

FORBES: How The U.S. Military Can Use Sequester Cuts To Its Advantage

"With an absence of Syrian productions, Egyptian productions have found themselves standing tall without any competition, which resulted in an increase in both quantity and quality, " said Mahmud Dallal, a lecturer at Cairo University's theatre studies department.

BBC: Ramadan soap opera boom for Egypt

It has been known for years that in a range of animals from insects to birds the males increase the quality and quantity of the sperm they ejaculate when those sperm are likely to find themselves in competition with sperm from another male.

ECONOMIST: Sex: Twin peaks | The