Category Archives: Fail!

Promising Ebola Drugs Stuck in Lab Limbo as Outbreak Rages in Africa

{Although the writer is well respected using the term promising feeds doubts about regulations designed to keep people safe and researchers accountable. This is not just red tape for the sake of red tape. Years ago, a drug with great promise was released and “oops” babies with deformed arms and legs were being born. Just a few years ago, a widely prescribed drug was found to “oops” increase the likelihood of strokes and was withdrawn. Research at U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland is done to protect members of the military from disease in areas of the world where they may be asked to serve. If they had }

Yet, some experimental therapies and vaccines show promise. Some show excellent efficacy when given to nonhuman primates deliberately infected with the virus.

Of the experimental vaccines, most work only to protect against infection. But one—designed by scientists from the Public Health Agency of Canada in conjunction with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland—protected half of the animals injected with lethal amounts of Ebola virus when administered 30 minutes post exposure.

via Promising Ebola Drugs Stuck in Lab Limbo as Outbreak Rages in Africa.

Emory Healthcare to treat Ebola patient | www.ajc.com

Agence France-Presse interviewed Dr. Peter Piot, a discoverer of the virus and head of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who said there was little risk of pandemic.

“Spreading in the population here, I’m not that worried about it,” he told AFP.

“I wouldn’t be worried to sit next to someone with Ebola virus on the Tube as long as they don’t vomit on you or something,” he said, referring to London’s underground train system. “This is an infection that requires very close contact.” (if this is as true, as we are led to believe, then how did well trained and outfitted people contract the disease – including top doctor who had treated 100 patients – all knowing they had to take extreme precautions)

via Emory Healthcare to treat Ebola patient | www.ajc.com.

Give away US Birthrights? – Proposed Oregon LNG project gets blessing of U.S. DOE to export natural gas from Warrenton | OregonLive.com

So, folks want to sell US natural gas to countries not on good terms with US so they can make a profit, cause gas prices to go up in US and…? Just like Keystone notion.

The U.S. Department of Energy has conditionally authorized a proposed liquefied natural gas terminal near the mouth of the Columbia River in Warrenton to export natural gas to countries that do not have a free trade agreement with the United States.

The DOE authorization is important to the backers of the Oregon LNG project in Warrenton because it opens the possibility of selling gas to lucrative markets in Asia, such as Japan, China and India.

The controversial project still needs to navigate a complicated permitting process at the federal, state and local levels before it can break ground. DOE conditioned the authorization on Oregon LNG’s completion of its environmental review process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. But the project has other hurdles. Clatsop County, for example, has refused to provide zoning approvals for its feeder pipeline, and that could pose permitting problems at the state level if the county’s decision is not overturned by the Oregon Court of Appeals.

The DOE has the authority to authorize export of the commodity and has approved all applications it has reviewed to date, including a similar terminal in Coos Bay. Studies sponsored by the agency have concluded that gas exports will provide a net economic gain for the United States, though those gains are concentrated among gas producers and companies in the supply chain.

via Proposed Oregon LNG project gets blessing of U.S. DOE to export natural gas from Warrenton | OregonLive.com.

Greece moves to open coast for development (SETimes.com)

Greece to sell it soul, heritage and future for a few bucks now! The government introduced a bill that will facilitate permanent construction on beaches for commercial purposes, while making it possible for businesses to pay fines to legalise unlicensed construction.

via Greece moves to open coast for development (SETimes.com).

WHO, West African countries launching emergency plan to combat Ebola | News | DW.DE | 31.07.2014

Finally getting really serious (after key doctor died, two Americans died and one still fighting for life)

The response identifies the need for “several hundred more personnel” to be deployed to affected regions in order to ease the strain on medical facilities, the WHO said, appealing to donor countries for clinical doctors and nurses, epidemiologists and logisticians.

It aims to stop the transmission of Ebola by boosting disease surveillance, particularly in border areas, protecting health workers from infection and doing a better job of informing communities about the virus.

“The plan sets out new needs to respond to the outbreak across the countries and bring up the level of preparedness in neighboring countries,” said WHO spokesman Paul Garwood. “They need better information and infection-control measures.”

Travel warning (Everyone in area had been resisting travel warnings to not harm income from tourists)

The severity of the epidemic prompted the US government on Thursday to issue travel warnings to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden said the outbreak “represents a potential risk to travelers.”

The CDC is also sending 50 extra specials to affected areas, he added.

Sierra Leone declared a state of emergency Thursday and called on troops to quarantine Ebola victims, joining neighbor Liberia in implementing strict government controls.

via WHO, West African countries launching emergency plan to combat Ebola | News | DW.DE | 31.07.2014.

GOP Blocks Tax Hike on Firms Moving Overseas

Republican senators blocked an election-year bill Wednesday to limit tax breaks for U.S. companies that move operations overseas.

The bill would have prohibited companies from deducting expenses related to moving their operations to a foreign country. It also would have offered tax credits to companies that move operations to the U.S. from a foreign country.

The Senate voted 54-42 to end debate on the bill, six short of the 60 votes needed to advance it. The White House says President Barack Obama supports the legislation.

“Today in the United States, any time an American company closes a factory or plant in America and moves operations to another country, the American taxpayers pick up part of that moving bill,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. “Frankly, a vote against this bill is a vote against American jobs.”

via GOP Blocks Tax Hike on Firms Moving Overseas.

Gaza death toll surpasses that of Cast Lead as count hits 1,422 | Maan News Agency

YOU CAN STOP NOW – YOU PASSED YOUR MARK FOR KILLING INNOCENTS ON ONE OPERATION! The Palestinian death toll in the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza surpassed that of Operation Cast Lead on Thursday as the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli attacks hit 1,422.

In the most recent lethal Israeli attack, an airstrike hit Khan Younis, killing 21-year-old Mohammad Yusef Abadla, health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said.

According to the Palestinian Center for Human Rights, 1,417 Palestinians were killed during Israel’s infamous three-week offensive on Gaza in 2008-2009.

via Gaza death toll surpasses that of Cast Lead as count hits 1,422 | Maan News Agency.

BBC News – Israel ‘to destroy’ Hamas Gaza tunnels – Netanyahu

You do not – you do not have to level cities to disable or destroy tunnels – think again and stop the bombing and needless killing of civilians!

“I won’t agree to any proposal that will not enable the Israeli military to complete this important task for the sake of Israel’s security,” Mr Netanyahu said.

The tunnels would allow Hamas to “abduct and murder civilians and IDF soldiers while simultaneously attacking from the tunnels penetrating our territory,” he added.

via BBC News – Israel ‘to destroy’ Hamas Gaza tunnels – Netanyahu.

Is there a Rihanna sex tape? No, it’s a malware scam on Facebook | Technology | The Guardian

There is no sex tape of Rihanna and her boyfriend doing the rounds online. You can’t see who’s been looking at your Facebook profile. And you can’t change your Facebook colour either.

This may all sound obvious, but according to antivirus firm Bitdefender, these are the most popular malware scams on the social network in 2014.

The company has published a list of the top 10 Facebook scams, with the fake app promising to tell you your Facebook views and visitors by far the most popular, accounting for 30.2% of bogus links it identified on the social network this year.

Clicking on any of them will lead Facebook users to sites that try to install viruses on their computers, as malware developers continue to seek new ways to spread their software to unsuspecting victims.

The chart is good news for Taylor Swift and Disneyland, who both featured in Bitdefender’s list a year ago. Swift’s non-existent sex tape and an offer of a free trip to Disneyland have fallen from the top 10 over the last 12 months.

“Why do people still want to see who has been taking a peek at their profile, despite all security warnings? I think they believe these are legitimate apps,” said chief security strategist Catalin Cosoi.

“This is social engineering at its finest – a challenging mental game that pushes the right psychological buttons. The baits have changed over time, with stalkers, peekers, admirers, overly attached girlfriends and exes haunting you, but the reason this scam works is simple: human nature.”

via Is there a Rihanna sex tape? No, it’s a malware scam on Facebook | Technology | The Guardian.

US restocks Israel with ammunition | Maan News Agency

Ceasefire called for but resupply with ammo to use against Gaza – OK!?!

The United States confirmed it had restocked Israel’s supplies of ammunition, hours after issuing a strong condemnation of an attack on a United Nations school in Gaza.

The Israeli military requested additional ammunition to restock its dwindling supplies on July 20, the Pentagon said. The US Defense Department approved the sale just three days later.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement.

“This defense sale is consistent with those objectives.”

Two of the requested munitions came from a little-known stockpile of ammunition stored by the US military on the ground in Israel for emergency use. The War Reserve Stockpile Ammunition-Israel is estimated to be worth $1 billion.

via US restocks Israel with ammunition | Maan News Agency.