Twenty-two people were killed and 116 injured after a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device at an Ariana Grande concert held in the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. The explosion occurred as people were exiting the arena after the show ended. Concert-goers and parents waiting to pick up their children were in the arena’s foyer when the bomb went off. The dead included ten people under the age of 20, the youngest an eight-year-old girl. Days later, 75 people remained hospitalized, 23 of them, including five children, in critical condition.
The sold out show was part of Ariana Grande’s 2017 Dangerous Woman Tour where up to 21,000 attended. As news of the explosion quickly spread, residents and taxi companies in Manchester offered free transport or accommodation to those left stranded at the concert. Nearby hotel became a shelter for children separated from parents in the aftermath of the explosion. Many local temples, businesses and homeowners offered immediate shelter to victims as they waited for news of missing loved ones.
The day after the attack, Prime Minister Theresa May raised the terror threat level from severe to critical. A critical threat level means that it is believed another attack is imminent. It also means members of the British military will be deployed throughout the country to supplement its police forces. Nearly 4,000 soldiers were deployed nationwide in the wake of the bombing. ISIS claimed responsibility for the bombing which is the 13th deadly terrorist attack in Western Europe since the beginning of 2015.
The bomber was identified as 22 year old Salman Ramadan Abedi, a British Muslim who was born in Manchester to Libyan-born refugees. Abedi was allegedly reported to authorities about his extremism, by as many as five people, including community leaders, neighbors and possibly family members.
Authorities had investigated him but did not consider him high risk at the time. Authorities have revealed that Abedi had returned to the UK from Turkey four days prior to the attack. French interior minister Gérard Collomb said that Abedi may have been to Syria, and had “proven” links with ISIS. Manchester police believe Abedi used student loans to finance the plot, including travel overseas to learn bomb-making.
Police have conducted several raids and detained a total of eight people in connection to the attack and said they were investigating a “network” as the probe intensified. Authorities have confirmed that Abedi’s father and younger brother have been arrested in the Libyan capital of Tripoli. The brother was suspected of planning an attack in Libya and was said to be in regular touch with Salman. Investigators believe his brother was aware of the plan to bomb the Manchester Arena, but not the date. According to a Libyan official, the brothers spoke on the phone about 15 minutes before the attack was carried out in Manchester.
Abedi’s father, Ramadan Abedi was born in Libya but fled under fear of arrest by the brutal regime of Moammar Gadhafi in 1993. He won asylum in Britain, where his sons were born. Abedi later returned to Libya and works as an administrator for the government, which has been in disarray since Gadhafi was toppled in 2011.
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The recent cyber-attack has reignited the debate over whether or not governments should disclose vulnerabilities they have discovered or bought on the black market. Privacy experts are also calling the recent global ransomware attack that hit 150 countries a prime example of why requiring tech companies to create backdoors into computer programs is a bad idea. The danger of those digital keys being stolen has the potential to wreak havoc.
The global computer hack that used a cyber-weapon developed by the National Security Agency (NSA), disrupted hospitals, universities, government offices, gas stations, ATM machines and more than 300,000 computers worldwide. Less than 10 U.S. organizations reported attacks to the Department of Homeland Security. The attack caused the most damage in Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine and India.
It’s the first time a cyber-weapon developed by the NSA has been stolen and released by hackers. The NSA has neither confirmed nor denied that they developed the cyber-weapon. Elements of the malicious software used in the attacks were part of a treasure trove of cyber-attack tools leaked by hacking group the Shadow Brokers in April. One of the tools contained in the leak, codenamed EternalBlue, proved to be “the most significant factor” in the spread of the ransom ware used in the attack.
The ransom ware was transmitted by email and then encrypted thousands of computers, locking people out of their data and then threatened to destroy it unless a ransom was paid. The cyberattack locked medical workers out of the computer systems at dozens of British and Indonesian hospitals, disrupted train schedules in Germany and froze government computers from Russia’s Interior Ministry to police stations in India.
The cyber-weapon used exploits weaknesses in Microsoft software. The U.S. government have known for years about this weakness in the software but only told Microsoft about the vulnerability recently. Microsoft had fixed the problem a month prior to the EternalBlue leak on April 14th but many high-profile targets had not updated their systems to stay secure.
The cyber-attack eased but the group who released the global WannaCry “ransomware” attack warned it would release more malicious code. ShadowBrokers said they would release more recent code to enable hackers to break into the world’s most widely used computers, software and phones. A blog post written by the group promised to release tools every month to anyone willing to pay for access to some of the tech world’s biggest commercial secrets. It also threatened to dump data from banks using the SWIFT international money transfer network and from Russian, Chinese, Iranian or North Korean nuclear and missile programs. “More details in June,” it promised.
Cyber security researchers around the world have said they have found evidence that could link North Korea with the WannaCry cyber attack but that it is too early to confirm a definitive connection.
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Members of the Trump administration and Pentagon officials are pushing for the deployment 3,000 to 5,000 more U.S. troops to Afghanistan. There are currently about 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Officials are also looking for the relaxation of restrictions on launching airstrikes. The recommendation comes after the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, warned the war has reached a stalemate. Trump is expected to decide whether to approve the deployment of additional troops later this month.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis visited Kabul to speak with Nicholson just days after an attack by a Taliban-affiliated militants killed 140 Afghan troops, most of whom were unarmed in a mosque praying at their base. The Pentagon’s proposal is aimed at countering the resilient Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan by adding thousands more troops closer to combat and bombarding the Taliban with airstrikes. Army General John Nicholson told the Senate the security situation had deteriorated. If approved, the decision would allow U.S. troops to partner with Afghan forces closer to the fight rather than just playing an advisory role.
The Pentagon had been focused on ending its presence in Afghanistan since 2001 but after the September 11th attacks, U.S. forces, with 100,000 troops deployed-helped topple the Taliban government that had given shelter to Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda terrorist organization.
With the end of the combat mission “Enduring Freedom” and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the United States had pulled out most its troops in late 2014. The Obama administration decided to leave a force of about 13,000 troops in place after responding to pleas from U.S. Commanders. The 13,000 includes all active duty service personnel from all branches (Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force), National Guard and Reserve as well as civilian employees of the Department of Defense and civilian contractors (APF) – which make up the smallest group.
There have been restrictions in place regarding how close Americans could accompany Afghan forces in combat and on bombing Taliban targets. Those rules were eased last year, and the Pentagon’s recent proposal would grant added authority for air strikes. The current NATO-led operation in Afghanistan is called “Resolute Support” and aims to train and advise the Afghan security forces. Sporadic combat operations are left to Special Forces. The U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan is America’s longest war and the Pentagon’s proposal means it won’t be ending any time soon.
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In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, May 21st, 2017 was:
TONYA VELAZQUEZ
Shillington, PA
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEx Gift Card
Each day, fans of either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex Gift. Card
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook “fan” on either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
Here are the daily contestants from last week’s Trivia Contest that were entered into the Sunday drawing:
5/15/17
Rondi Clark-Conn
Anna Nichols
Jennifer Leffler
Nitasha Shank
Lisa Jimenez
Cheryl Hall
Nai Merri
Melissa D’Ornellas Curtis
Patricia Oehlert Vazquez
Dawn Raasch
Leslie Wagner Hobson
Tera Wardrip
Stephanie Caldwell
Michelle Hughes
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Kimberly Snyder
Brittany Marie Thompson
Carole Jacobs
Karen Bondehagen
Rebecca Fauteux
5/16/17
Deborah Farris
Christy Hawkes
Anggie Marie
Beth Cleveland
Jodi Brown
Jennifer Lang
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Karen Jaras
Juanita Williams-Jones
Melissa Turner Baker
Kendra George
Jennifer Ramlet
Tonya Velazquez
Sandy Nevels
Jennifer Fremont
Eleazar Ruiz
Amber McGrath
Debbie Burke Garretson
Linda Chojnacki
Trish Marks
5/17/17
Lotorya Patrick
Tonya Velazquez
Jenifer Garza
Dean Bruss
Shelby Lynn
Beata Tybor
Bea Patrick
Cassandra Berholtz
Alisa Jones
Paula Rousseau
Debbie Smith
Diane Hamric
Kalyani Nam
Preeti Chand
Wayne Gallas
Beeg Reeb
Teena Sierson
Kristina Harris
Jennifer Ramlet
Mary Achio
Allison Frederick
Meg Marshall
5/18/17
Nai Merri
Juanita Williams-Jones
Brandi K Chaney
Wayne Gallas
Sheila Carvell
Alisa Jones
Melissa Barnes Walker
Dave Miller
Samantha Smith
Lisa David Carr
Alexandria Fields
Teena Sierson
Kizzy Alvarez DeSantis
Valerie Kuehn
Sherri Kidwell
Anna Nichols
Jacqlyn Gummert
Belinda Haas
Kelly Prestenbach
Phyllis Hines
5/19/17
Crystal Young
Deborah Farris
Holly Cajigas
Teena Sierson
Jade Good
Jacqlyn Gummert
Emily Rice Bowersock
Tera Wardrip
Eleazar Ruiz
Nitasha Shank
Preeti Chand
Jennifer Ramlet
Jean Simmons Homfeld
Abby Cox
Rondi Clark-Conn
Brittany Deaver
Trish Marks
Kristen Raia Bowman
Alexandria Fields
Dale Fish
Sherri Kidwell
5/20/17
Sarah Bellestri Shih
Nai Merri
Roberta Thomas
Jakara Jackson
Karen Goodwin Delaney
Eleazar Ruiz
Lotorya Patrick
Jacqlyn Gummert
Krissy Brislin
Heather Jacques
Melissa Turner Baker
Bobbie J Rittenhouse
Cheyenne Shaw
Kathi Taylor
Michelle R. Carlino
D Shanel Collins
Karen Rimiller Presley
Jennifer Mapes
Wayne Gallas
Karen Bondehagen
Poonam Gosain
5/21/17
Deborah Farris
Jennifer Ramlet
Jennifer Downing
Steve Hardy
Christy Hawkes
Marie Beauregard
Sheila Carvell
Melissa D’Ornellas Curtis
Chrissy Kim
Kayla Clemons
Brandy Williams
Carol Yemola
Alexis Maureen
Nai Merri
Sarah Bellestri Shih
Trish Marks
Dean Bruss
Susanne Killion
Kimberly Snyder
Timothy Simpson
Amanda Peters
Jennifer Lang
Alysia Jackson
Emily Rice Bowersock
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!!
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better. You may also find that if you “Like” both of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you!
—————————————————————-
At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX & HI4Eshop Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
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Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC
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A Balch Springs police officer was fired for violating several department policies and procedures in the shooting death of a Texas teen. He was later arrested on a murder charge in the killing of Jordan Edwards, who was a passenger in a car that was driving away from a party. The former officer turned himself in at the Parker County Jail, posting his $300,000 bail that evening. If convicted of murder, he faces up to life in prison.
Roy Oliver, 37, was the second of two officers who responded to a report of a loud party with underage drinking in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs. Oliver and the other officer went into the house to talk to the host of the party as teens scattered from the party. During this time, 15-year-old Jordan Edwards, his two older brothers and two 16 year old friends got into their car driven by his older brother Vidal.
As the officers were talking to the host they heard what sounded like gunshots and went outside. Both officers went outside to see what was going on and saw several people fleeing the party. The other officer, who has not been identified, walked toward the area where he thought the shots had been fired while Oliver went to the patrol car and got his rifle.
The second officer tried to stop a black Chevrolet Impala at the nearby intersection. The car slowly reversed, and the second officer pulled his gun and walked toward the passenger side of the car. As the car started to drive forward, the officer used his gun to break the rear passenger window. Oliver got behind the officer and fired several rounds into the car as it drove past him.
Jordan Edwards was shot in the head as he sat in the front passenger seat of the vehicle. Originally Balch Springs Police Chief Jonathan Haber said the officer fired after the car drove “aggressively” toward both officers but he later said he misspoke. Both officers were wearing body cameras and body camera footage showed the car was driving forward, away from the officers, not reversing toward them as he originally reported. The officer’s behavior “did not meet our core values,” Haber said.
Records reveal that Officer Roy Oliver, a 6 year veteran with the Balch Springs department was suspended in 2013 for sixteen hours and ordered to attend “anger management and training in courtroom demeanor and testimony.” That same year, according to his personnel files – he demonstrated a low score on “the extent to which this employee is able to communicate with the public as wells as other employees both verbally and in writing.”
Jordan Edwards was a freshman at Mesquite High School and a straight A student with a 4.0 GPA. He was a talented athlete who played quarterback and receiver on the football team. He lived in an upper middle class neighborhood in Balch Springs with his parents, two older brothers and younger sister.
Those who knew him say he was the last person you’d expect to die in a police shooting. His family, teachers and coaches described him as a happy, hardworking and respectful teen that was always in a good mood. His father Odell, said that his son Vidal, continued driving away so that no one else would be shot. He stopped the car two blocks from the party and called his father while his two friends in the back seat called their parents. “All I could hear was screaming and crying and the boys saying that police had just shot and killed Jordan. I could hardly make sense of it all” said Odell Edwards. Then the phone went dead. At that point, police had swarmed the car and forced all of the boys out at gunpoint.
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In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, May 14th, 2017 was:
AMANDA THOMAS
Monroe, GA
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEx Gift Card
Each day, fans of either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex Gift. Card
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook “fan” on either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
Here are the daily contestants from last week’s Trivia Contest that were entered into the Sunday drawing:
5/8/17
Jade Good
Nikki Hunsaker
Heather Lynn Rood
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Paula Rivers
Amy Marie Wilkinson
Sara Harrison
Tracy Shafer
Fanny Wat
Rondi Clark-Conn
Nai Merri
Lauren Bradley
Carrie Strickland
Daniela Hernandez
Jennifer Leffler
Amanda Thomas
Hollie Jahnke
Tonya Velazquez
Destiny Landsaw Davis
Felicia Block
5/9/17
Emily Rice Bowersock
Sherri Kidwell
Kathi Taylor
Jennifer Leffler
Alexandria Fields
Kimberly Snyder
Sheila Carvell
Kathleen Hickman
Becca Dotsun
Stephanie Caldwell
Adaria Johnson
Ellen Ciambrelli Ferrari
Eva Biggs
Jade Good
Andrea Timms
Debbie Burke Garretson
Ashley Stamey Phillips
Derek Jennings
Susan Clarke Jette
Karen Bondehagen
Rebecca Fauteux
5/10/17
Sherri Kidwell
Tera Wardrip
Mary Achio
Tonya Velazquez
Nai Merri
Destiny Landsaw Davis
Dale Fish
Christina Domingue
Glenna Zanaglio
Alexandria Fields
Phyllis Hines
Priscilla Shimp
Kayla Clemons
Anna Nichols
Susanne Killion
Jennifer Lang
Lauren Bradley
Tina Marie
Raquel Perez-Espinal
Paula Rousseau
Ashley Stamey Phillips
Michelle R. Carlino
Christy Hawkes
5/11/17
Tonya Velazquez
Emily Rice Bowersock
Leslie Wagner Hobson
Crystal Dotson
Cheryl Hall
Sheila Carvell
Susan Clarke Jette
Jennifer Fremont
Phyllis Hines
Erica Hansen
Jakara Jackson
Kathleen Hickman
Stacy Ramirez
Karen Goodwin Delaney
Brandi Chaney
Kendra George
JoBeth Butcher
Kayla Clemons
Nai Merri
Jennifer Ramlet
5/12/17
Leslie Wagner Hobson
Cheryl Hall
Nitasha Shank
Crystal Dotson
Jennifer Ramlet
Brooke Scott
Jennifer Lang
Sarah Bellestri Shih
Tonya Velazquez
Mikayla Oakes
Teena Sierson
Michelle Hughes
Susan Clarke Jette
Johanna Landsaw-Davis
Alexis Maureen
Jamie Shapiro
Kathleen Hickman
Ashley Stamey Phillips
Kellie Lacy
Samantha Brwn
Dean Bruss
Jakara Jackson
Anggie Marie
Sheila Carvell
5/13/17
Tracy Shafer
Jonnalyn Gates
Mary Ann Cody
Lotorya Patrick
Christy Hawkes
Nelle Bailey
Sheila Carvell
Karen Bondehagen
Nitasha Shank
Jade Good
Ashley Stamey Phillips
Kendra George
Jennifer Downing
Juanita Williams-Jones
Michelle Hughes
Brittany Michelle
Kimberly Snyder
Tera Wardrip
Myranda Medlin
Paula Rousseau
Tonya Velazquez
5/14/17
Deborah Farris
Tera Wardrip
Joleen Renee
Allison Frederick
Nikki Hunsaker
Michelle Webb
Sarah Harrison
Misty Shallcross
Michelle Hughes
Heather Lynn Rood
Charlotte Dennis
Lotorya Patrick
Chris Maxwell
Alicia Smith
Amanda Saltsman
Jennifer Mason
Angela Hendricks
Carrie Strickland
Paula Rousseau
Jennifer Downing
Melissa Turner Baker
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!!
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better. You may also find that if you “Like” both of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you!
—————————————————————-
At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX & HI4Eshop Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
Click-On for LinkedIn To Follow Our Posts: LinkedIn
Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC
Over 54,000 Combined Fans/Followers To Our Social Media Sites, & We’re Growing Daily!
Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips!
Mark Shuster FaceBook Link
Follow our word press blog and read about everything from health insurance and reform news to healthy living and current events!
Company Blogs
Find out more about LegalShield, our corporate partner which gives you the power to talk to an attorney about any legal issue, and offering high-quality Identity Theft plans.
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United Airlines has reached a settlement with Kentucky physician, Dr. David Dao, who was dragged off a plane at O’Hare International Airport in early April. The incident aboard Flight 3411 was captured on video by passengers on the plane and widely shared online around the world. It quickly became an international embarrassment for both the carrier and the city’s aviation department.
Dao’s attorney Thomas Demetrio, announced that a settlement had been reached, but terms were not disclosed. The airline released a written statement in response to the announcement: “We are pleased to report that United and Dr. Dao have reached an amicable resolution of the unfortunate incident that occurred aboard flight 3411. We look forward to implementing the improvements we have announced, which will put our customers at the center of everything we do.”
The airline unveiled new policies earlier in the same day the settlement was reached. Part of the new policies include a promise to not use law enforcement to remove overbooked customers from planes, additional training for front-line employees and setting up an automated system that will ask passengers at check-in if they would be willing to give up their seat. United CEO Oscar Munoz also pledged to reduce the amount of overbooking and offer up to $10,000 for customers willing to volunteer to take a later flight.
Dao’s attorney praised Munoz for agreeing to the settlement. “Mr. Munoz said he was going to do the right thing and he has. In addition, United has taken full responsibility for what happened on Flight 3411, without attempting to blame others, including the City of Chicago. For this acceptance of corporate accountability, United is to be applauded.”
Demetrio added “Dr. Dao has become the unintended champion for the adoption of changes which will certainly help improve the lives of literally millions of travelers. I sincerely hope that all other airlines make similar changes and follow United’s lead in helping to improve the passenger flying experience with an emphasis on empathy, patience, respect and dignity.”
Dr. Dao, 69, of Elizabethtown, Ky., was one of four passengers picked to be bumped from an April 9th flight from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Louisville, Ky., to make room for four airline employees who were added to the flight shortly before it departed. When he refused to leave, multiple Chicago Department of Aviation security officers were called to remove him.
According to a report released by the Chicago Department of Aviation, Officer James Long boarded the plane to respond to a disturbance involving two passengers who were refusing to leave the aircraft. When he approached Dao’s seat and asked him to leave, Long said Dao “folded his arms tightly” and refused to leave the aircraft. The officer said he was able to “hold” the physician in order to remove him from his window seat.
A struggle ensued between Dao and the officer in the isle of the aircraft. Dao, who was hospitalized in Chicago, suffered a concussion, a broken nose and lost two teeth in the ordeal. The viral video shows Dao being dragged by his arms down the aisle of the plane as other passengers watch in horror.
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The state of Arkansas received heavy criticism and sparked new debates over the death penalty after they rushed to carry out an unprecedented series of 8 executions in 11 days during the month of April as its supply of the sedative midazolam was set to expire at the end of the month. All eight men were convicted of murders that occurred between 1989 and 1999 with some of the crimes described as particularly heinous. The eight men scheduled for execution were Kenneth Williams, Bruce Ward, Stacey Johnson, Don Williamson Davis, Ledell Lee, Jack Harold Jones, Jason McGehee and Marcel Williams.
Governor Hutchinson signed proclamations setting four execution dates for the eight inmates between April 17 and 27. Two men would be put to death on each of the four dates. In a statement he said that it was necessary to schedule the executions close together because of doubts about the future availability of one of three drugs the state uses in its lethal-injection procedure.
Arkansas uses a cocktail of three drugs in its lethal injection formula: Midazolam is used to sedate the prisoner, vecuronium bromide paralyzes prisoners and stops their breathing, and potassium chloride stops the heart. Midazolam is the most controversial of the three since it has repeatedly failed to make prisoners unconscious in other executions, leading to painful deaths. It is not approved by the FDA to be used as an anesthetic on its own, but doctors do use it combined with other drugs before surgical procedures. That is not the case in prisons.
The hurried schedule hit roadblocks from the moment it was announced as attorneys for the eight men attempted to block the executions- including using the argument that midazolam does not effectively prevent a painful death. Separate rulings stayed the executions of two of the prisoners, Don Davis and Bruce Ward. Arkansas appealed the decision in Davis’ case, but the US Supreme Court upheld it. Then Federal Judge Kristine Baker put a stop to all eight executions on April 15, a decision that the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed two days later. By the end of April, four of the men received stays for various reasons.
Despite the drug shortage and the controversy over its use- lethal injection remains the country’s primary method of execution. The drug shortage has spurred some states to begin adapting new and untested combinations of drugs while other states look at other methods of executions. Utah, Tennessee and Oklahoma added or broadened their abilities to use a firing squad, electric chair or nitrogen gas.
With the month over and the expiration date passing-the freshly stirred dust on the death penalty debate has not settled. Capital punishment has long been a divisive issue in the United States with support of it declining to a 40 year low. According to a 2016 Pew Research Center poll, Americans remain split, with 49 percent in favor and 42 percent against it (9% were undecided).
Nationwide, the number of executions has faced a decline as well. Since 2007, seven states have abolished the death penalty and the governors of four others have issued moratoria on the practice. Arkansas is currently one of 31 states with courts that still issue death sentences.
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Lyme disease is a bacterial infection that is spread through the bite of one of several types of ticks. The ticks pick up the bacteria when they bite mice or deer that are infected with B. burgdorferi. In most cases in the US, a tick has to be attached for 24-36 hours for them to spread the bacteria to your blood.
There are 3 stages of Lyme disease. Stage I symptoms of early localized Lyme disease begin days or weeks after infection. They are similar to the flu and may include chills, fever, general ill feeling, headache, joint pain, muscle pain and stiff neck. There may be a “bull’s eye” rash, a flat or slightly raised red spot at the site of the tick bite as well. Symptoms may come and go but it is important to seek treatment as untreated, Lyme disease can spread to the brain, heart, and joints.
Stage 2 (early disseminated Lyme disease) may occur weeks to months after the tick bite and may include numbness or pain in nerve area, paralysis or muscle weakness in the face, heart problems, such as skipped heartbeats (palpitations), chest pain and shortness of breath.
Symptoms of late disseminated Lyme disease or Stage 3 can occur months or years after the infection. The most common symptoms are muscle and joint pain. Other symptoms include joint swelling, abnormal muscle movement, nerve damage, vision problems, pain, muscle weakness, speech problems, cognitive problems, numbness and tingling.
A blood test can be done to check for antibodies to the bacteria that cause Lyme disease or in areas where it is common; a doctor can identify Lyme disease by recognizing Stage I symptoms. If it is caught early enough, Lyme disease can be cured with antibiotics. Without treatment, complications involving the joints, heart, and nervous system can occur. However, these symptoms and stages are still treatable and curable.
It is important to check yourself for ticks after outdoor activities such as gardening, hunting, hiking, walking through tall grass or having contact with a pet that has been outside. Ticks that carry Lyme disease are so small that they are very hard to see. After returning home, remove your clothes and thoroughly inspect all skin surface areas, including your scalp. Shower soon after coming indoors to wash off any unseen ticks.
Removing a tick should be done carefully by grasping the tick close to its head or mouth with tweezers. Do not use your bare fingers. Pull it straight out with a slow and steady motion. Avoid squeezing or crushing the tick. Be careful not to leave the head embedded in the skin. Clean the area thoroughly with soap and water. Also wash your hands thoroughly.
Do NOT try to burn the tick with a match or other hot object, twist the tick when pulling it out or try to kill, smother, or lubricate the tick with oil, alcohol, Vaseline, or similar material. These methods may cause the tick to salivate (drool) or regurgitate (puke) into the wound. This can cause infection or facilitate the spread of Lyme disease if the tick is infected. Anyone who has been bitten by a tick should monitoring the site of the bite and pay close attention for any symptoms for 30 days.
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At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that was not available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4
Click-On for LinkedIn: LinkedIn
Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone
Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips! HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC 
Mark Shuster FaceBook Link
Follow our word press blogs and read about everything from health insurance and reform news to healthy living and current events!
Company Blogs
Find out more about LegalShield, our corporate partner which gives you the power to talk to an attorney about any legal issue, and offering high-quality Identity Theft protection plans.
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Relations between North Korea and the US and South Korea have rapidly deteriorated in recent months, as the rhetoric and military posturing on both sides has increased. North Korea has threatened to sink a U.S. aircraft carrier that is conducting military drills, along with Japanese ships, in the waters off the Korean Peninsula.
U.S. Aircraft carrier Carl Vinson, guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and guided-missile destroyers USS Michael Murphy and USS Wayne E Meyer have practiced for war with North Korea with a series of military drills. US allies South Korea and Japan surrounded North Korea with joint exercises on both sides of the Korean peninsula. The navy fleet is now within “striking range” of North Korea, in the Philippine Sea- just east of the Japanese island of Okinawa.
North Korea conducted its own military drills which involved 300 large-caliber self-propelled guns lined up along the coast where they opened fire with live rounds. A statement from the South Korean military said the live-fire exercises were in the Wonsan region in the east of the country. North Korea fired four ballistic missiles toward Japan as part of its exercise targeting US bases there.
Soon after those drills were conducted, the US began to deploy its advanced THAAD anti-missile defense system in South Korea, despite opposition from Russia and China. The deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system came THAAD is a missile defense system designed to intercept short and medium-range ballistic missiles as they begin their descent to their targets. Developed by Lockheed Martin, THAAD missiles use infrared seeker technology to locate their targets and detonate on impact.
Both Russia and China have spoken out against the THAAD deployment. China’s Foreign Ministry stated that it was “resolutely opposed” to the move and say the missile system actually aims to counter China’s military power in the region, not to contain North Korea. The deployment also drew protests from hundreds of villagers in Seongju, South Korea, who clashed with police as troops began deploying THAAD hardware on a local golf course.
The Trump administration called the entire US Senate to a meeting at the White House, for a briefing on North Korea with the US secretaries of Defense and State. President Trump recently stated “North Korea is a big world problem, and it’s a problem we have to finally solve. People put blindfolds on for decades and now it’s time to solve the problem.” Many fear that Trump is backing himself into a corner with his firm stance on North Korea, leading both countries to a point where “bad things are going to happen.”
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