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GALVESTON, Tex. — Almost a decade ago, scientists from Canada and the United States reported that they had created a vaccine that was 100 percent effective in protecting monkeys against the Ebola virus. The results were published in a respected journal, and health officials called them exciting. The researchers said tests in people might start within two years, and a product could potentially be ready for licensing by 2010 or 2011. It never happened. The vaccine sat on a shelf. Only now, with nearly 5,000 people dead from Ebola and an epidemic raging out of control in West Africa, is...

[snip]The lowflation of being consistently below an already low target is bad in itself; the deflation it could easy lead to is even worse. There are several reasons. The belief that money made tomorrow will be worth less than money today stymies investment; the belief that goods bought tomorrow will be cheaper than goods bought today chokes consumption. Central bankers can no longer set real (that is, inflation-adjusted) interest rates low enough to restore demand. Wages, incomes and tax revenue all stall, undermining the ability of households, businesses and governments to pay their debts—debts which, in real terms, will grow...

Dealing with federal, state and local taxes and regulations is already an incredibly burdensome task on startups and small businesses. But beyond complying with onerous regulations from the jurisdiction where businesses operate, there is a little talked about potential tax change that could make it much more difficult for small businesses to expand into the online marketplace. This complication is known as the Marketplace Fairness Act or MFA. Right now, traditional “brick-and-mortar” stores are required by states and localities to collect sales taxes from customers and remit those back to the states. This is because they have a physical presence...

Oscar de la Renta has died at the age of 82. His wife Annette confirmed that the legendary fashion designer passed away at his Kent, Connecticut home on Monday. De la Renta was diagnosed with cancer in 2006, however a cause of death is yet to be revealed. He is survived by both Annette and his adopted son Moises - a designer at the label. Company executives Alex and Eliza Bolen said in a statement that De la Renta died surrounded by family, friends, and 'more than a few dogs'. The statement also read: 'While our hearts are broken by...

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is making a direct appeal to potential tourists and convention planners who may be having second thoughts about travel to the city that has become the epicenter of Ebola in America..

Most people that discuss the "economic collapse" focus on what is coming in the future. And without a doubt, we are on the verge of some incredibly hard times. But what often gets neglected is the immense permanent damage that has been done to the U.S. economy by the long-term economic collapse that we are already experiencing. In this article I am going to share with you 12 economic charts that show that we are in much, much worse shape than we were five or ten years ago. The long-term problems that are eating away at the foundations of our...

If the EPA is permitted to continue the U.S. might as well just turn off the lights because we are being systematically deprived of sufficient energy I went out for a walk today and enjoyed seeing how the autumn leaves are changing color because autumn, simply stated, is one of the four seasons that affects the Earth. It is part of the change that occurs as it has for billions of years. The notion that humans have anything to do with autumn or the other seasons or that we should be spending billions of dollars to have any effect on...

Are you stealing cars without knowing it? 10/08/14 - Here's another reason to protect your identity -- car thieves are stealing personal information to buy new vehicles directly from dealerships, according to the National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB). The bureau says crooks have been frustrated by late-model cars with advanced safeguards that make hot-wiring difficult. But resourceful thieves are now using stolen IDs and fake driver's licenses to purchase or lease vehicles, which they then sell after changing vehicle identification numbers (VINs). "It's comparable to a hacker stealing IDs," explains Joe Wehrle, the NICB president and CEO, in a written...

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. has agreed to sell its most prestigious hotel, Manhattan’s Waldorf Astoria, for $1.95 billion to a Chinese insurance company, the hotel operator said Monday. The sale price is among the highest ever for any hotel and represents the latest sign of intense international demand for luxury hotels and other trophy properties in major global cities. The Waldorf Astoria’s price of $1.3 million a room is also among the highest ever paid in the U.S. on a per-room basis. The acquisition is the first major deal in the U.S. for Anbang Insurance Group Co., which beat out...

Abortion doctors face stigma from the medical community and society, protests and pressure from pro-lifers, and the emotionally disturbing aspects of the abortion procedure which often includes sorting through individual body parts, i.e., arms, legs, etc. So why do they do it? For some, the motive may be as simple as making money. Here are some quotes from abortion providers, from now and in the past, that indicate how profitable abortion can be. 1.) “It started out as a financial thing. But I got heavy into the [abortion rights] movement and realized there was a lot of need for physicians…....

Famed chef Emeril Lagasse says that it’s becoming all but impossible to be a successful restaurateur in America today. The government just gets in the way too much. Lagasse specifically singled out the current president’s policies. “It’s becoming a very challenging industry to become a very successful average restaurateur,” continued Lagasse. “I can’t charge $300 a person in my restaurant or I would not be in business. Am I using any different ingredients? Not really. Am I using any caliber of service staff? I don’t think so. I think our service is as good or better than most places.” “And...

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, faces a difficult re-election in six weeks. Under normal circumstances, he would probably be coasting to victory. He just beat a recall attempt in 2012, Wisconsin's economy is improving, and he put in place reforms that have already saved the state $3 billion. But of course, this is the issue. His now-famous union bargaining reforms of 2011 have incurred the wrath of America's big labor unions, which are now eager to defeat him. But anyone who doubts the wisdom of Walker's reforms — and the self-interested short-sightedness of the public union bosses — need...

There has been a lot of talk about regulations, more specifically about how the number of regulations have grown during the last several years. Sad to say, if you take a longer-term view and look again at the regulatory environment, you’ll find it has been what an investor would call a growth industry, with the number of restrictions in the Code of Federal Regulations growing 28% since 1997 – that’s nearly 2% per year. If page count is an indicator, then hang on to your collective hats — in 1975, the Code of Federal Regulations had 71,224 pages. By 2013,...

The State of California continues its war on productive activity, fining a small family-owned winery that earns $11,000 a year a whopping $115,000 for the crime of inviting volunteers to learn about wine while helping out with the harvest and the crush. That is enough to drive it out of business, and the winery is starting to lauch a going out of business sale in response.Rebecca Parr reports in the San Jose Mercury-News: A small-time vintner's use of volunteer workers has put him out of business after the state squeezed him like a late-summer grape for $115,000 in fines --...

Do you leave a tip in your hotel room for the maid? Marriott is launching a program with Maria Shriver to put envelopes in hotel rooms to encourage tipping. The campaign, called 'The Envelope Please,' begins this week. Envelopes will be placed in 160,000 rooms in the U.S. and Canada. Some 750 to 1,000 hotels will participate from Marriott brands like Courtyard, Residence Inn, J.W. Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Renaissance hotels. The name of the person who cleans the room will be written on the envelope along with a message: 'Our caring room attendants enjoyed making your stay warm and comfortable....

As new provisions under Obamacare began to take effect, more and more employers are considering shifting their workers onto private health exchanges—instead of offering the traditional employer-based plans. A new survey of 1,200 businesses released today by the PricewaterhouseCoopers Health Research Institutes (PWC) found that one third of employers are now considering shifting their employees onto private health exchanges. The employers say that new costs and regulations brought on by the Affordable Care Act are prompting them to rethink the way they offer benefits to their employees. Some companies, for example, are moving toward a model where they would give...

"Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy has been publicly called out by the owner of a local eatery for leaving a 20-cent tip on a bill totaling more than $60. The Philadelphia burger joint PYT shared a receipt online showing what was described as Mr McCoy's paltry tip. 'The twenty cent tip that the Eagles' LeSean McCoy just left our server on his $60 check is going to come in really handy for that new official NFL McCoy jersey he had his heart set on,' the message that accompanied the receipt read. 'That is a .03% tip. New record!'"

... “I think what happened was he saw how much teams were going for and wanted to make some money,” a rival team executive said. “What he said was wrong but to me it seems like an excuse to sell.” ...

Students can wave goodbye to being driven to university by embarrassing parents in an overloaded car – and pay to arrive in style instead. Launching on Monday, The Very Important Fresher package offers those with the budget the option to travel to campus by helicopter, private jet, Ferrari or Aston Martin. Other luxury options include a Rolls Royce Phantom, Mclaren P1 – and even a horse and carriage - which will set buyers back up to £25,000.