Abia State government has accused Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha of being insensitive to the plight of his citizens especially Imo workers disengaged from Abia State civil service. Reacting to a statement credited to Governor Okorocha on May Day in which he was said to be apologizing on behalf of Imo workers sacked by Abia State government and yet to be re-engaged, the Chief Press Secretary to Abia State governor, Mr. Charles Ajunwa said the Abia State Government has so far re-engaged a total number of 2,133 disengaged workers back into its civil service majority of whom are from Imo State. Addressing newsmen on the matter at the Government House, Umuahia, the Chief Press Secretary said the statement by Governor Okorocha is unfair on Governor Orji and Abia State government, adding that it was wrong for the Imo State governor to use the occasion of May Day to castigate his Abia state counterpart. According to him, such a statement from Governor Okorocha is devilish and satanic, pointing out that the Imo Governor's apology to workers is senseless and unfair. He said the Abia State government does not delight in telling lies to the public or playing to the gallery, maintaining that the Abia State government has a human face while the state Governor has shown love and compassion to his citizens. The Chief Press Secretary explained that although Abia indigenes were the first to be disengaged by neighbouring states, the Abia State government was able to quickly reabsorb them without fuss and added that Governor Orji wrote to his colleagues in the South East before the decision to disengage non Abia workers in her employ wherein he explained the reason for his action. Mr. Ajunwa stated that with an increase in its Internally Generated Revenue profile, the Abia State government rescinded its earlier decision and is striving to reabsorb all those affected by that decision. He challenged Governor Okorocha to be man enough to reabsorb his subjects yet to be re-engaged by the Abia State government just like Governor Orji did to Abia indigenes when they were sacked rather than playing to the gallery.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The University of Richmond grieved Sunday even as its graduation ceremony went on after two of the school's key athletic figures died in a hot-air balloon accident Friday.
The university confirmed that associate head women's basketball coach Ginny Doyle and Natalie Lewis, head of women's basketball operations, were killed when the balloon caught fire and crashed Friday night in Virginia's Caroline County.
Balloon pilot Daniel Kirk, a retired Army lieutenant colonel who served in the military for 37 years, also died. Kirk had more than 30 years of ballooning experience, according to his father.
Searchers found the remains of the last victim at 11 a.m. Sunday about 100 yards from where a second body was found Saturday.
The finding came just hours before the University of Richmond's 2014 graduation ceremony.
"As alumnae, classmates, and colleagues — and as invaluable and devoted mentors for our student-athletes — Ginny and Natalie have been beloved members of our community," President Edward Ayers said in a written statement. "Their leadership and friendship will endure in the lives of so many."
Doyle, 44, earned all-conference honors twice as a Richmond basketball player and held the NCAA women's record with 66 consecutive free throws until 2011. Before becoming associate coach at Richmond, she was an assistant college coach at Rhode Island and East Carolina.
"Words cannot begin to express our sorrow," said Keith Gill, director of athletics. "We are all stunned by the tragic news. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their loved ones."
A spokeswoman for Lewis' family, Julie Snyder, called Lewis "an amazing person and a strong person, an athlete engaged to be married."
Lewis, 24, swam for the University of Richmond and was a two-time team captain. After graduating in 2011, she was hired to direct the school's women's basketball operations, according to The Buffalo News. Lewis had been a star swimmer at Buffalo's Nardin Academy before being awarded an athletic scholarship at Richmond. Scott Vanderzell, her former coach with the Tonawanda Titans swimming program, said Lewis "was one of the elite swimmers to come out of western New York.
The incident happened after several hot-air balloons took off from Meadow Event Park, about 25 miles north of Richmond, as part of a preview of the Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival on Saturday. Two balloons landed safely, but as Kirk's balloon attempted to land, it struck a power line and burst into flames.
"It contacted power lines, caught on fire and crashed in a wooded area," said Peter Knudson, a spokesman for the National Transportation Safety Board.
An air-safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board said a preliminary report on the crash would be released in 10 days. Heidi Moats of the NTSB said investigators were seeking records on the balloon and the pilot.
Steve Hoffmann, who said he built the Eagle balloon that Kirk was piloting in Doswell and taught him to fly, called Kirk "one of the nicest guys in the world" and a consummate professional.
"He was not a hot dog, not a risk taker," Hoffmann said. "It's so unbelievable that everyone's in shock."
Hoffmann said he was shocked when he learned Kirk was the pilot of the balloon that crashed.
"He was very careful," Hoffmann said. "Something definitely went wrong. This is not the kind of flying Dan would do."
Saturday's festival was canceled.
Twenty balloonists from the Mid-Atlantic region had been set to participate in the weekend event, said Greg Hicks, a spokesman for Meadow Event Park.
"It's just a shocking situation for everyone," Hicks said.
Based on witness accounts, Kirk tried to regain control of the balloon and manage the fire. Witnesses recall hearing an explosion, and the fire continued to spread. The basket and the balloon then separated.
"As soon as we looked up, the thing blew up right there," witness Debra Ferguson told The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg, Va. "All I heard was, 'Oh my God, Oh my God,' and all you saw was the top of the balloon still flying, but all of the basket was gone. All of the flames just disappeared. … It was like a match — poof — and then it was gone."
Carrie Hager-Bradley said she saw the balloon in flames on her way home from the grocery store and heard people yelling, according to WWBT-TV.
"They were just screaming for anybody to help them," the station quoted her as saying. "'Help me, help me, sweet Jesus, help. I'm going to die. Oh my God, I'm going to die,'" Hager-Bradley said she heard one person screaming.
There have been hundreds of hot-air balloon accidents in the U.S. and overseas, according to records from the National Transportation Safety Board.
The majority aren't fatal. However, in February 2013, at least 19 people died after a hot-air balloon flying over Luxor, Egypt's city of pyramids, caught fire and plunged down into a sugar cane field.
"Ballooning is normally a very safe, routine activity," Glen Moyer, editor of Ballooning magazine, the in-house publication of the 2,200-member Balloon Federation of America, said after the Luxor crash. "It's an activity that thousands of people participate in all the time and do so safely."
Troy Bradley, former president of the Balloon Federation of America, said most serious balloon accidents — including fires, electrocution and baskets becoming severed — happen after hitting power lines. Most of the time it's due to pilot error, he said.
In the U.S., hot-air balloons — which use propane gas to heat the air that rises into the balloon and lifts it — are built to standards approved by the FAA, Moyer said. In order to get a license, pilots must demonstrate a proficiency in emergency skills as well as the ability to operate the balloon. They must go through a flight review every two years, he said.
Contributing: Robin Webb, Laura Petrecca, Donna Leinwand Leger and the Associated Press
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Buzzing like a mechanical insect, the black Hexcopter used its six whirring propellers to hover and zoom above a grassy field, providing emergency officials a set of airborne optical and infrared eyeballs.
"He's flying over this disaster site here to the west, taking a look. He's seeing a body lying on the ground, a bicycle and the potential for hazmat. So he's videotaping all that," explained Justin Dee, an operator with Prioria Robotics, the Gainesville, Fla., firm that developed the drone.
Mission accomplished, the 14-pound, 46-inch wide Hexcopter slowly settled onto the grass near Dee's tent, landing in autopilot mode after a successful exhibition flight.
Sunday, 10 robotics teams showed off the capabilities of their unmanned aircraft during a series of demonstration flights at Exploration Park at Kennedy Space Center. Sponsored by Space Florida, the event kicked off the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International trade show, which continues through Thursday at the Orange County Convention Center.
The association predicts that the drone industry will create nearly 104,000 jobs nationwide by 2025, assuming that the Federal Aviation Administration integrates unmanned aircraft into the national airspace system. Projected economic impact is more than $82 billion from 2015-25.
"The past history of drones has been all military defense kind of stuff. Now, they're looking at getting into precision agriculture. Japan's been using the Yamaha helicopter to cropdust crops for years," said Joe Brannan, director of the association's Florida Peninsula chapter.
"They can find the diseased (orange) trees so the farmer can go cut those out and not affect the rest of his trees. You can use them to count manatees, gators, wildlife. You can use them for forest fire spotting. You can use them to find lost people," Brannan said.
"Then of course, you've got what shows up in the press about Amazon wanting to deliver packages with it. The commercial applications are out there, just waiting for an industry to get started. The biggest issue, of course, is getting the airspace," he said.
In March, a US Airways jet nearly collided with a camouflage-painted drone above Tallahassee (Fla.) Regional Airport.
"We've had that overseas in military applications many times," Brannan said of the incident. "The capability of putting one of these things up with a camera or an imager to look for stuff is invaluable. But then, you've got to be able to mix it in with other aircraft."
Sunday's drone demos utilized mannequins, gas grills that generated infrared signatures, and other props.
Northern Virginia OmniVersatile Solutions of Manassas, Va., showed off its camera-equipped N-Cognito airplane with a 75-inch wingspan and cruising speed of 30 mph. Packages of three aircraft and "ground station" electronics for a human operator range from $50,000 to $70,000, said Mark Gillespie, the company's CEO.
NV-OS is developing a system that will fly its aircraft using an Xbox 360 controller, Gillespie said.
Neale also reports for Florida Today.
Drone economic impact
States projected to gain the most jobs and revenue in the drone industry from 2015-2025:
1. California
2. Washington
3. Texas
4. Florida
5. Arizona
6. Connecticut
7. Kansas
8. Virginia
9. New York
10. Pennsylvania
Source: Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
ZION NATIONAL PARK, Utah — A growing number of national parks are taking steps to prohibit the use of drones on park property, a move that has some drone users concerned.
A recent incident here in which an unmanned aerial system was seen separating several young bighorn sheep from adults in the herd spurred park officials to make it clear their use is illegal.
"If the young can't find their way back to their parents they could actually die," said Aly Baltrus, chief of interpretation for Zion National Park in Utah.
Baltrus said that incident was only the most recent issue of the private use of drones. Rangers regularly report one to four drone sightings per week, she said.
Both Zion and Grand Canyon National Park have gone through the process of reviewing the use of unmanned aircraft in their respective parks and have officially banned their use, said Jeffrey Olson, spokesman for the National Park Service.
While there are not yet specific regulations regarding drones for all U.S. National Parks Service properties, use of drones at a park is considered a "new recreational use" and as such is not allowed under existing policy, Olson said, adding that the park service expects to issue guidance to all park superintendents in the near future.
Jim Bowers, an artist and drone pilot from Colfax, Calif., says he has used his unmanned aerial system to create videos of various national parks, including Yosemite, for his YouTube channel, Demunseed. He said the park regulations are unfair to artists.
"I'm creating artwork and trying to document the beauty and majesty of that nature for people around the world who might not ever get to see it," said Bowers. "They're obviously using this rule to keep us grounded."
He called the regulations "gray areas" because they were written for full-size aircraft rather than drones or radio-controlled models.
Yet he also said he understands some of the concerns held by park officials and would not want to adversely affect the experience of others visiting the park or disturb wildlife. While there are some "bad apples" among drone pilots, Bowers said most of them are responsible and would not approach wildlife.
"There are good drones and there are bad drones," he said, adding that he is director of a group that uses drones to assist with search and rescue missions.
California's Yosemite National Park is the latest to make it clear drones are not allowed. On May 2, park officials issued an advisory to visitors that drones are prohibited within that park's boundaries.
Dana Soehn, spokeswoman for Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the border of Tennessee and North Carolina, said her park has the same interpretation of the rule Yosemite is using to ban drone flights in the park.
"We have to be very concerned about that visitor experience in some of these more crowded areas," she said.
In Zion, visitors have complained about feeling unsafe as drones buzzed through slot canyons and flew over their heads along the precipitous Angels Landing Trail, where hikers hold tight to chains while ascending a ridge with long drops on both sides. There are additional regulations concerning drone flights in Zion because 84% of the park is designated as wilderness.
The wilderness designation also affects Yellowstone National Park, which has many areas where mechanical use is prohibited, said park spokesman Al Nash. Nash said Yellowstone already has a regulation that prohibits the landing of any kind of aerial vehicle in the park without the park's permission, he said.
Nash added there have been requests to use unmanned aerial systems in conjunction with film permits in the park and those requests have been denied.
"There's ongoing discussion much broader than Yellowstone about the status of unmanned aerial systems," Nash said.
The National Park Service has used unmanned aircraft on a limited official basis for remote research projects in Hawaii's Haleakala National Park, Washington's Olympic National Park and California's Mojave National Preserve, Olson said. Unmanned aircraft also were used to monitor a fire in Yosemite last year.
While Bowers understands the various concerns held by park officials, he does not think outright bans are the way to go.
"I don't agree with them banning the flights completely, only because they're missing the great opportunity to document the area, the wildlife, the park itself, from a whole new perspective," he said.
Passey also reports for The (St. George, Utah) Spectrum
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
MELBOURNE, Fla. — Men and women of the Air Force's 920th Rescue Wing rotate into and out of Djibouti, serving in the tiny East African nation, squeezed among Eritrea, Ethiopia and Somalia.
But they take pride in the large role they play as part of the Combined Joint Task Force Horn of Africa, helping counter extremist organizations and protecting American interests in the region.
"I feel that my role and responsibilities here are extremely important," said Tech Sgt. Kevin Strattan, an intelligence analyst with the wing headquartered at Patrick Air Force Base, who is serving with the 303rd Expeditionary Squadron in Africa.
The 920th Rescue Wing performs combat search-and-rescue as its primary mission, but also is responsible for civilian search-and-rescue, humanitarian relief and support of rocket launches.
Strattan, 32, said that the opportunity to work with other units from all branches of the military stands out as an important aspect of his service in the Horn of Africa.
"I have been able to interact with the Navy, Marines, and the Army on almost a daily basis as well as our allies in other countries," said Strattan, who has been in Djibouti since early January. "The knowledge, confidence and skills that I have gained here are unmatched anywhere else."
Those in the Horn of Africa said the pace is generally slower than at other locations where they have been deployed, but serving in the strategically significant region is interesting and important.
The men and women of the 303rd Expeditionary Force work with coalition forces, partnering with nations to counter extremist organizations in Africa. They do that by supporting African nations fighting the extremists. They also conduct military and civilian personnel recovery throughout East Africa.
Working out of Djibouti from Camp Lemonnier, operations are generally secretive.
They may be called on to curtail piracy in shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia, rescue allied troops fighting groups such as al-Qaeda and al-Shabab or protect an American embassy in a nearby country.
Lt. Col. Gordon Schmidt, 43, of Melbourne, Fla., is a helicopter pilot who is in the middle of a four-month rotation in Djibouti. A typical day for him means being prepared to fly out on short notice to help rescue someone in trouble.
"From the troops at Camp Lemonnier and those of our coalition partners, it is important for them to know that whatever the situation, we will always be there to assist them in their time of need," said Schmidt.
The airmen also occasionally get time to interact with people in the local community.
For Staff Sgt. Robert Ayer, a helicopter crew chief, the most memorable part of interacting with the local community was a visit to an orphanage. It was hard leaving the children, even after that one visit.
"The trip to the orphanage will leave a lasting impression on me," said Ayer, 49, who was on his first deployment.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
A long-running battle in President Obama's old Chicago neighborhood is winding its way into the competition over the future Obama presidential library.
A group of young Chicago activists are arguing that the University of Chicago — a leading candidate to host the library and museum — should be ruled out unless it takes action to restore adult trauma care at its medical center.
The lack of an adult trauma center at the hospital has been a perennial source of tension between the elite university and the predominantly African-American community surrounding the campus since the university medical center shuttered its unit in 1988, citing financial pressures.
With universities in Chicago, Honolulu and New York preparing to submit their bids for the Obama library before next month's deadline, activists from a group known as the Trauma Center Coalition have begun a campaign to raise questions about the suitability of the University of Chicago to host the library.
The activists note that Obama made access to health care and stemming gun violence focal points of his presidency and argue that he shouldn't reward the university they charge has neglected the needs of a community that is at the epicenter of gun violence in the city that saw more than 400 murders last year.
"Mr. Obama has worked hard to try to raise awareness about gun violence and the issues facing young black males in places like the south side," said Victoria Crider, 18, an organizer with Fearless Leading by the Youth. "The University of Chicago has done nothing at all to provide resources to solve the epidemic of violence on the South Side."
Officials at Chicago State University, the University of Illinois-Chicago, Columbia University in New York and the University of Hawaii have also indicated that they will submit proposals for the library. But the University of Chicago has deep personal connections to the Obama family and is widely seen as the front-runner to win the library.
First lady Michelle Obama grew up on the city's South Side and was an executive at the University of Chicago Medical Center before moving to Washington in 2009 when her husband began his presidency. The president also spent several years as a constitutional law professor at the university. And the university's bid for the library is being assisted by Susan Sher, a former chief of staff to the first lady.
University of Chicago spokesman Jeremy Manier suggested the activists' push to link the trauma center to the library bid was out of step with the broad enthusiasm on the South Side to win the library for Chicago.
"Efforts by a group of protesters to link the library to unrelated issues do not reflect the widespread support of the community," Manier said.
The university has also pushed back against suggestions by activists that it has turned a blind eye to the issue of violence in the neighborhoods surrounding the university and medical center. The medical center has sponsored a series of projects aimed at stemming gun violence and has collaborated with other groups to address links between gun violence and teen depression.
The university medical center, which faced demonstrations last year over the trauma care issue as it opened a new $700 million facility, has held the position that it can't afford to take on adult trauma care on its own.
"The University of Chicago contributes critical medical services that are available nowhere else on the South Side, including the area's only burn unit, a pediatric trauma center and a neonatal intensive-care unit," Manier said. "Shifting extensive resources to create an additional trauma center could reduce the medical center's ability to provide other life-saving services."
But activists dismiss the university's fiscal reasoning. The medical center's endowment stood at $782 million at the end of the last fiscal year.
"The university is not the type of institution that is so cash-strapped that they have to make a choice between scarce resources," said Emilio Comay del Junco, a University of Chicago Ph.D. student and Trauma Center Coalition activist. "They have the resources."
Chicago has six trauma centers within the city limits — all on the west and north sides of the city — providing trauma care to roughly 3 million people. But gun violence in Chicago occurs most frequently on the west and south sides of the city.
A 2013 study published in the American Journal of Public Health that looked at a decade's worth of data from the Chicago area found that those suffering gunshot wounds more than five miles from a trauma center were more likely to die from their injuries.
Crider, the youth organizer, says the 2010 shooting death of fellow activist Damian Turner, 18, illustrates the need for adult trauma care at the University of Chicago.
Turner was gravely wounded just blocks from the medical center. But the injuries were so severe, the Chicago Fire Department paramedics had to drive Turner about nine miles north to the Northwestern Memorial Hospital's adult trauma care center, where he died from his wounds.
Rep. Bobby Rush, a Democratic lawmaker who represents a large swath of the city's South Side in Washington, has called the area the "number one trauma desert" in the country and has pushed for more federal money for trauma care.
The issue is one that resonates deeply with the veteran lawmaker. Rush's son Huey Rich, 29, was shot just a few miles from the University of Chicago Medical Center in 1999. He was transported to the nearest trauma center, which ended up being a hospital several miles away in the south suburbs of the city, where he died four days later.
Rush told USA TODAY that "the U of C has the capabilities to bring" a trauma center to the South Side and "as a major hospital should respond to its community needs."
But the congressman, who successfully beat back a primary challenge from Obama in 2000, suggested in a written statement that he opposes mixing the campaign for adult trauma care with the university's bid to win the library.
The "effort to help bring jobs and economic activity to this area should be considered separately from the issue of trauma care as our community is also suffering from a dearth of economic activity," Rush said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Secret Service acknowledged Sunday that patrol units conducted "welfare'' checks at the home of an employee who feared for her safety in a neighborhood dispute, but the agency disputed reports that it had drawn investigative assets away from the White House.
Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said daily patrols were sent to the employee's home during the 2011 Fourth of July weekend while the president was at Camp David.
Donovan said the units were drawn from the agency's so-called "Prowler'' unit, which he said are not part of the White House's protective detail.
"A Washington field office vehicle, an investigative asset, was used to do these periodic checks,'' Donovan said. "Because there were no protective assets used during these checks, there was no impact on protective operations.''
The patrols were first disclosed by the Washington Post, which reported that the checks went on for about two months at the rural Maryland home of Lisa Chopey, then an aide to former Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, and included more elaborate surveillance of the neighborhood. Chopey could not be reached for comment Sunday.
The Secret Service, however, maintains that the patrols lasted only four days during the holiday weekend and involved brief "drive-by'' checks on the employee's welfare.
"Prowler has no specific assignment or protective function during movements by any protectees,'' Donovan said, adding that the units are often directed to interview suspects and witnesses and assist other area law enforcement officers.
"Prowler is not part of any protective plan,'' he said.
The disclosures come following a series of incidents that have raised questions about the conduct of agents and the agency's leadership.
In March, three agents were sent back to the USA in advance of President Obama's trip to the Netherlands after a night of heavy drinking in which one of the agents passed out in a hotel hallway.
Two years ago, the agency was rocked by a prostitution and drinking scandal involving several agents in Cartagena, Colombia, while preparing for a presidential visit there.
Secret Service Director Julia Pierson, the first woman to serve as the agency's director when she was appointed in 2013, was chief of staff to Sullivan when the patrols were authorized. But an agency official said that neither Sullivan nor Pierson was involved in directing the welfare checks.
Nevertheless, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Mich., said Sunday that the new disclosures raise new questions about the agency's leadership.
"They are going to have some explaining to do,'' Rogers said on CBS' Face the Nation.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
In this episode of HBO's Game of Thrones, Tyrion Lannister is on trial for the murder of King Joffrey.
Witness after witness tell stories against Tyrion. Cersei's testimony is particularly brutal. Lord Varys also condemns him.
Jaime, meanwhile, begs for his father Tywin to allow Tyrion to live and Jaime will continue the Lannister lineage. Tywin accepts the plan for Jaime to take a wife at Casterly Rock. Tyrion would be sent to the Night's Watch.
All seems well until Shae (Tyrion's ex-lover) gives a particularly disheartening testimony. She lies boldly about a plan between Sansa and Tyrion to kill Joffrey. Her utter betrayal leads Tyrion to lose hope and snap.
"I did not do it. I did not kill Joffrey but I wish that I had. Watching your vicious bastard die gave me more relief than a thousand lying whores," he says.
"I wish I was the monster you think I am. I wish I had enough poison for the whole pack of you. I would gladly give my life to watch you all swallow it."
He tells his father he is not on trial for the death of Joffrey. He is on trial for being a dwarf. Seeing that he won't get justice in the courtroom, he requests a trial by combat. Woah!
Here are some other developments from the episode:
•Davos and Stannis sailed to Bravos in an effort to get money for soldiers from the Iron Bank. With the money attained, Davos uses it to pay for pirate Salladhor Saan.
•Danaerys assumed the duties of queen ruling over Meereen. There she is confronted with the son of a crucified master, who asks for the right to have his father properly buried. The son explains to Danaerys how her "justice" for the slaves caused her father pain. She accepts his request.
• When Yara Greyjoy and her crew attempt to rescue brother Theon, they find a completely different person. Theon refuses to leave with them, saying that he is Reek. After a fight breaks out with the sadistic Ramsay, Yara decides to leave. She says her brother is dead. For his good work, Ramsay gives Theon a warm bath and asks for a favor: Can Reek pretend to be Theon Greyjoy?
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
NEW DELHI (AP) — Millions of Indian voters in the world's biggest democracy are wrapping up a mammoth national election with the final day of polling in three states.
With 814 million eligible voters, India has been voting in phases over six weeks, with results expected on Friday.
The main Hindu opposition Bharatiya Janata Party went into the election with strong momentum on promises of economic growth. Early polls suggest there is deep dissatisfaction with the governing Congress party's 10 years in power.
Thousands lined up to vote Monday in the revered Hindu holy city of Varanasi, where Narendra Modi, the main BJP candidate for Indian prime minister, is seeking election.
He is locked in a battle with Arvind Kejriwal, the chief of India's anti-corruption party, and Ajay Rai of the Congress party.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
It's well-documented that young people diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are more likely to pick up cigarette smoking, start earlier when they do and become more seriously addicted to tobacco than peers without the disorder.
Yet a new analysis that pools data from more than a dozen published studies finds that adolescents who are prescribed stimulant medications to treat ADHD are less likely to smoke than those with ADHD who are not treated with the drugs.
Those medications include both amphetamine-based (Adderall and Vyvanse) and methylphenidate-based ( Ritalin and Concerta) drugs.
The findings are important given concerns raised about the long-term impact of stimulant treatment on substance abuse in general and cigarette smoking in particular, says clinical psychologist Scott Kollins, director of the Duke University Medical Center ADHD Program and senior author of the study published online today by the journal Pediatrics.
"We cannot draw any causal conclusions, but at the very least, we can be pretty confident when we talk to parents that this is not going to increase your kids' chance of smoking, and that's important," says Kollins, a professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences.
Story: More than 1 in 10 kids has ADHD, government study says
Story: Some students don't see ADHD drug use as cheating
ADHD "can be very much in flux" around the pre-teen and teen years when smoking experimentation typically begins, says ADHD researcher Paul Hammerness, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, who was not involved in the new study. As teens with ADHD face increasing academic and social-emotional demands, they may turn to smoking to improve focus or reduce restlessness, or "as an example of being impulsive," he says. "This is often a tenuous development period."
Evidence on whether stimulant drugs influence smoking behavior has been mixed, with a 2013 meta-analysis combining five longitudinal studies finding no significant relationship between stimulant treatment and nicotine dependence.
For the new meta-analysis, Kollins and colleagues combined data from 14 published studies involving 2,360 participants (1,424 were treated with medication; 936 were not).
Although their findings were consistent with the 2013 analysis when focused solely on studies involving nicotine dependence, they differed when studies involving a broader range of smoking habits, such as occasional tobacco use, were included.
Overall, stimulant treatment was associated with a lower risk for subsequent smoking, and the protective effect was more pronounced in adolescence than in adulthood, in girls than in boys, and in studies in which participants got consistent treatment that was followed by medical providers.
"The message is not just that treatment is effective in reducing this risk, but that well-managed and consistent treatment over time is really what's associated with a lower risk," Kollins says.
The study results "don't really say anything about those kids who might not actually meet the criteria for ADHD, but who might be getting stimulant medication," he adds.
Part of the controversy surrounding the over-diagnosis of the condition and inappropriate use of stimulant drugs stems from the fact "that there are lots and lots of kids out there who have a diagnosis of ADHD, but in fact have not had a good, thorough assessment and probably don't meet the full criteria," he says.
Researcher Steve Lee, an associate professor of psychology at UCLA and lead author of the 2013 meta-analysis agrees: "I have little doubt that stimulant medication is being prescribed without careful diagnostic procedures and that's a significant problem."
"But it's also the case that in some communities children, and probably some adults, who could respond therapeutically and safely are being underprescribed and not getting the treatment they need," he says.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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