CIARA PERSONAL BLOG 5/18/12- FRIDAY

EL PASO, TX — A man is dead after allegedly suffering from a heart attack at a The Red Parrot Strip Club in east El Paso County Friday night. Our sources say the man most likely suffered from a heart attack while getting a lap dance. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. The El Paso Sheriff’s Office says there were no signs of foul play, but they are still investigating. What do you think about this situation? What if this was someone in your family? What should be done?

FIND FACTS-WEDNESDAY-5/16/12-58 DOGS IN ONE HOUSE

FIND FACTS- MONDAY-5/14/12-MAN STEALS TRACTOR

A Chicago man is accused of stealing a Bobcat tractor early Friday then driving it through the gates of a nearby Family Dollar store to take deodorant, police said. Michael Younger, 50, of the 8100 block of South Vernon, was charged with two counts of felony burglary for stealing the tractor from a West Side construction site and stealing items from the store. He allegedly took the Bobcat from the 5300 block of West Chicago Avenue, the site of the former 15th District police station and the soon-to-be home of a community center. Younger is charged with using the machine to break through the Family Dollar's window and crash into the store. Police said the man was found in the area with stolen gift cards and two cans of deodorant. According to local reports, the man told police he found the gift cards on the ground. Police compared his image to that on store surveillance video and arrested him. No money was taken from the Family Dollar. What do you think of this situation? Was this a bit too extreme? What would you have done if this was a relative of your family? Please use complete sentences and don't forget spell check!

FIND FACTS-5/9/12-WEDNESDAY-55 YEAR OLD CHEERLEADER

Sharon Simmons has wanted to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader since her 20s. Now, at 55, the fitness model is finally reaching for her dreams. “I thought about this when I was about 22 years old. I was a single mom, and I wanted to do it,” said Simmons, a grandmother, in an interview. The 55-year-old cheerleader planned on auditioning decades ago, but money, time, and raising a family delayed her dream for half a lifetime. But last weekend Simmons finally tried out. Joining hundreds of others over the weekend to audition for the squad at Cowboys Stadium, she said: “It literally has been about the journey." "I’ve met incredible people, I’ve learned so many new things.” Fox reports that Simmons has written a book about ageless fitness and has won several competitions in her successful career as a fitness model. She said: “I don’t see a number… If I do, it’s just a number. It’s not that I can’t keep up with [younger women] in the physical part of the training.” If Simmons makes the team, she will be the oldest cheerleader in the league. She won’t be, however, the only grandmother in the NFL, though. Suzie Sanchez of the Oakland Raiders is also a grandma ... though Sanchez is only 37. Laura Vikmanis is currently the oldest NFL cheerleader at 42. Would you do something like this if you were 55? This would be equivalent to Ms. Sue trying to make the cheerleading team! Is it fair? Is it right or wrong? Please use complete sentences and don't forget spell check!

FIND FACTS-MONDAY-5/7/12- LADY ATTACKED BY CHEETAHS

A tourist who, along with a child, was mauled by two cheetahs at the petting area of a wildlife park in South Africa lived to talk about it, saying she decided to play dead in hopes she'd survive. "Something inside me just said, 'Don't move. Don't move at all," Violet D'Mello told the Port Elizabeth Herald. "Don't react, just play dead'." D'Mello, from Scotland, said her husband was taking pictures of her with the cheetahs at the Kragga Kamma Game Park when one grabbed the leg of a nearby child. The girl got free, though with deep scratches that required stitches, and as her brother ran away D'Mello reached out to grab him. As I stopped him, something jumped me from behind," she said. A guide pulled the cheetah off her, but not before it had pawed at her head. Then the second bit D'Mello's legs, keeping her pinned down. "It all happened in just a few minutes," she said of the incident on April 28, "but it was a nightmare." Blood oozes from the neck of Violet D'Mello after the attack. "They weren't being vicious. You could tell they (the cheetahs) were just excited, but it became serious very quickly." The cheetahs are brothers that have been hand-reared since birth. The bitten child, Camryn Malan, had wanted to see the cheetahs after doing a school report on the animals. "They are not sleeping," Samuel Malan said of his children. "They wake up screaming. I keep seeing it ... Just to see that thing biting that lady." What would you have done if this had happened to you? Please use complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

FIND FACTS-WEDNESDAY-5/2/12-HONEYBEES IN ATTIC

CAPE MAY - Honeybee populations may be shrinking around the world, but that wasn't the case at Victoria Clayton's circa 1866 house, where a bee expert spent much of Thursday removing a huge wax honeycomb and 30,000 of the buzzing creatures from an attic crawl space. Clayton and her boyfriend, Richard White, with whom she owns the former bed-and-breakfast on Washington Street, noticed an unusually large number of bees in their well-tended flower and herb gardens this spring. They also spied a constant stream headed toward a third-floor laundry vent. After doing some research - and finding that honeybees are the "good" bees essential to pollinating many of the world's food crops - the couple decided to get help in herding their industrious visitors to a new home. Clayton's infestation may be unusual in a global environment where a syndrome known as Colony Collapse Disorder began to worry scientists six years ago. Entomologists estimated that between 50 and 90 percent of the world's feral honeybee population had disappeared. Theories for their demise included the effects of decades of urbanization, pesticides, and parasitic mites. But almost as soon as the word went out that bees were in trouble, environmentally concerned members of the public responded by becoming beekeeper hobbyists. Many established backyard apiaries, especially in Cape May County, said Tim Schuler, state apiarist for the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. Thanks to a beekeeping course taught statewide by the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Service and sponsored locally by the Jersey Cape Beekeepers Association, the number of people who propagate bees in the county grew from 20 five years ago to more than 100 now, Schuler said. Statewide about 1,000 individuals belong to the New Jersey Beekeepers Association, double the membership of three years ago. Clayton and White are not apiarists, but they have a close-up familiarity with the area's fauna. "This old house just seems to attract wildlife, so it's good that I really love animals," said Clayton, 52, who regularly sees raccoons and possums, as well as hundreds of tiny black birds - known colloquially as "chimney sweeps" - that swarm her house at dusk, then dive-bomb single file down her dormant brick chimney to roost overnight. What would you do in a situation like this? Would you continually live in a house like this? Would you leave the insects alone? Please use complete sentences and don't forget spell check!

FIND FACTS- MONDAY-4/30/12- CAR CRASH

An out-of-control SUV barreled across several lanes of traffic on a highway overpass Sunday, then plunged more than 50 feet off the side of the road and landed in a ravine on the grounds of the Bronx Zoo, killing all seven people aboard, including three children, authorities said. The 2004 Honda Pilot apparently flipped over a 4-foot-high iron fence before landing upside-down on the property of the nation's largest city zoo. The cause of the crash was unclear, and police haven't yet said how fast the SUV was traveling. A city official said the guardrail's height would be one of the safety issues investigated. Police identified the dead adults as Jacob Nunez, 85, and Ana Julia Martinez, 81, both from the Dominican Republic, and their daughters, Maria Gonzalez, 45, and Maria Nunez, 39, and three grandchildren. Police say Gonzalez was driving. The children were identified as Jocelyn Gonzalez, 10, the daughter of the driver, Niely Rosario, 7, and Marly Rosario, 3, both daughters of Nunez. The SUV was headed south on the Bronx River Parkway that cuts through a working-class neighborhood when it bounced off the median, crossed three southbound lanes and hit the curb, causing the vehicle to become airborne, continue over the guardrail and plunge 59 feet, police said. "Obviously, the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed," FDNY deputy Chief Ronald Werner said. "It hit something that caused it to become airborne." The SUV landed in a wooded area on the edge of zoo property that's closed to the public and far from any animal exhibits, zoo spokeswoman Mary Dixon said. The vehicle lay mangled hours later, its right doors ripped off and strewn amid the trees along with items from the car. Next to the heavily wooded area are subway tracks and a train yard. What if this was your family, would you survive? What should be done for these victims? Please use complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

SPECIAL FIND FACTS -FRIDAY4/27/12 DRINKING HAND SANITIZER

Would you drink hand sanitizer? The idea may sound repulsive to most people, but California doctors are warning parents of what may be a fast-growing dangerous trend after six local teenagers were hospitalized in separate incidents with alcohol poisoning from drinking the soapy stuff. The Los Angeles Times reported some of the teenagers used salt to separate the alcohol from the sanitizer using instructions found online. If a liquid hand sanitizer contains 62 percent ethyl alcohol, that means a "drink" can be as high as 120 proof, whereas a shot of hard liquor such as whiskey or vodka is typically 80 proof. "All it takes is just a few swallows and you have a drunk teenager," Dr. Cyrus Rangan, director of the toxicology bureau for the county public health department and a medical toxicology consultant for Children's Hospital Los Angeles, told the Los Angeles Times. "There is no question that it is dangerous." Teens who were presented to the emergency room had symptoms such as slurred speech and a burning sensation in the stomach. Some teens were so drunk they needed to be monitored in the emergency room. Rangan said although there have been only a handful of cases, the practice could become a nationwide problem since hand sanitizers are cheap and easily available, and teens can easily look up how to extract alcohol from a bottle. KTLA in Los Angeles reports there were no such cases last year, and the recent spate of cases in recent weeks is surprising. "It is kind of scary that they go to that extent to get a shot of essentially hard liquor," Rangan said. What do you think of this situation? Would you do something like this if no adults were around? Would you do it on a dare? Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

FIND FACTS-WEDNESDAY-4/25/12 BRAIN DEAD TEEN LIVES

They were told there was no chance of their son surviving after he suffered devastating injuries in a car crash. But Steven Thorpe’s parents refused to give up hope – despite four specialists declaring that the 17-year-old was brain dead. Convinced they saw a ‘flicker’ of life as Steven lay in a coma, John and Janet Thorpe rejected advice to switch off his life support machine. They begged for another opinion – and it was a decision that saved him. A neurosurgeon found faint signs of brain activity and two weeks later, Steven woke from his coma. Within seven weeks, he had left hospital. And four years on, the trainee accounts clerk says he owes everything to the persistence of his parents. From his home in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, Steven, 21, said: ‘I feel so lucky that my parents wouldn’t take no for an answer.’ The schoolboy was travelling in a Rover with two friends in February 2008 when a stray horse ran into the path of the car in front of them. His friend Matthew Jones, 18, was killed in the accident. Steven suffered serious injuries to his face, head and arm, and was declared brain dead two days later. He said: ‘The doctors were telling my parents that they wanted to take me off the life support. The words they used to my parents were “You need to start thinking about organ donations”. ‘I think that’s what gave my dad energy. He thought “No way”. They still believed I was there. When they sat around the bed they had the feeling I was there and some words they said to me I reacted to. ‘I think if my dad had agreed with them then I would have been off the life support machine in seconds.’ Accountant Mr Thorpe, 51, contacted private GP Julia Piper, known for her work in traditional and alternative medicines. Moved by their story, she asked a neurosurgeon whom she knew to visit Steven at University Hospital in Coventry. What do you think about this situation? Would you have given up? Would your parents do something like this for you? Please use complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

4/23/12-MONDAY-WORLD'S 2ND TALLEST BUILDING

Tokyo Tower Skytree, set to open on May 22, has been making headlines over its pricey ticket to get in. But now operators Tobu Railway Co., Ltd., Tobu Tower SkytreeCo., Ltd. and the companies that have invested in Tokyo’s tallest tourist attraction are pushing Skytree as a high-end brand all over the Japanese capital—with gift shop prices that rival the entrance tickets.


According to Tobu Tower Skytree, the stores will sell 600 different items ranging from food and beverages – Tokyo Skytree chocolates and Skytree bottled water – to mugs, towels and pen holders.

Many of the products use Tokyo Skytree’s main mascot, Sorakara, who the tower’s operator describes as a “young girl with a star-shaped head who descended from the skies to Tokyo Skytree,” as part of the logo. Some of these products are already being sold at bustling locations in the Japanese capital, such as at Tokyo station and in Tokyo’s Sumida Ward, where the tower is located.

Although the range of products on display is impressive, what may be even more impressive are the prices – a bottle of water goes for Y400, a cell phone strap for Y3,000.

Much of the food available to buy at the tower is also Skytree branded, like the Sorakara-chan Parfait, available at the Skytree Cafe for Y700. Skytree Café cups (Y800) and travel mugs (Y1,300) are also available.

Along with the completion of Tokyo Skytree is the arrival of Tokyo Solamachi, which will be one of Tokyo’s largest shopping complexes, with “321 boutiques, variety shops, and restaurants” and the promise of “lots of exclusive specialty goods and menus,” according to a Tokyo Skytree information pamphlet. The Skytree logo can even be seen throughout the surrounding neighborhood, including on the side walls of vending machines in the yard outside the tower.

In addition to big official partners, like Asahi Breweries, Ltd., the Development Bank of Japan Inc., Toshiba Corp., and Calbee, Inc. to name a few, Tobu Tower Skytree has also partnered with six different hotels, in which visitors can buy a Skytree Tembo Deck entrance ticket (only going up 350 meters of the 450 meters visitors can potentially ascend to on the tower) with their hotel reservation in a joint package. Three of these hotels are being branded as “Tokyo Skytree Official Hotels,” which have actually joined the Tobu corporate alliance, while the other three “Tokyo Skytree Friendship Hotels” are using the Skytree names due to their proximity to or views of the tower.

“We particularly want tourists from abroad to be able to take time to enjoy the Skytree,” explained a Tobu Tower Skytree public relations and promotion official. “We encourage them to stay in the vicinity of the Skytree and enjoy it over the course of two days, say, instead of just one.”

Although some may look down their noses at the branding scheme and high prices, it seems that many are still willing to look up — 634 meters, that is. There have already been 600,000 group ticket made for the opening weeks of the Skytree and individual ticket reservations have reached 140,000.

What do you think of this new construct? Google this article and compare the size of Tokyo's building to the Empire State Building in New York. Please use complete sentences and don't forget to use spell check.

FIND FACTS- WEDNESDAY-4/18/12- KILLER SWAN

Family and friends spent Sunday trying to understand how a Villa Park man drowned in a Des Plaines area pond after he was apparently attacked by swans he took care of.

Anthony Hensley, a 37-year-old married father of two, worked for a company that used swans and dogs to keep geese away from properties.

He was checking on the swans near the Bay Colony condominiums in unincorporated Des Plaines Saturday morning when one of the swans swam at him, causing Hensley to roll off his kayak into the water.

Cook County sheriff’s investigators believe Hensley either got too close to the swan or the swan’s nesting area.

According to witnesses, the swan continued to swim after Hensley as he tried to make it to shore. By the time rescue personnel arrived, Hensley was under water. An autopsy found he died from drowning.

Hensley liked working with animals, according to his father-in-law, George Koutsogiannis. “Maybe he didn’t fight back enough when the swan attacked him. Maybe he didn’t want to hurt the animal. I can’t understand how this was possible,” Koutsogiannis said.

What do you think should be done to this Bird? What about the man's family? What would you have done in this situation? Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

FIND FACTS- 4/16/12-MONDAY- EATING HORSEMEAT AS HAMBURGER

A New Mexico slaughterhouse has petitioned the federal government to become the first business to offer horse meat for human consumption since an effective ban on the practice ended last year, according to state officials and animal welfare groups.

Those groups said last week they are rallying to try to block the slaughterhouse’s petition, hoping to head off what they fear could be a series of slaughterhouses applying to produce horse meat.

“Horse slaughter means tremendous suffering of horses, a proven history of environmental and waste violations, and allowing a toxic meat product to enter the human food chain,” said Hilary Wood, president and founder of Front Range Equine Rescue, a Colorado-based group that said it uncovered the slaughterhouse’s plans.

The animal welfare groups said the slaughterhouse has been in negotiations with the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) for several months about beginning to process horse meat.

Since 2006 the federal government had effectively banned American slaughterhouses from processing horse meat by defunding the Agriculture Department’s ability to inspect plants that butchered horses for consumption. Without inspections, the meat couldn’t be sold.

But last June, a report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’s chief investigative arm, found that rather than improving conditions for horses, the domestic ban backfired.

It depressed prices for horses in the U.S. and led to a surge in reports of neglect or abuse as owners of older horses had no way of disposing of them, short of selling them to “foreign slaughtering facilities where U.S. humane slaughtering protections do not apply.”

In unusually blunt language, GAO urged Congress and President Obama to revisit the ban.

Late last year Mr. Obama signed a spending bill that stripped out the defunding language, effectively clearing the way for slaughterhouses to ramp up horse butchering again.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS NEW SITUATION? ARE YOU WILLING TO TRADE YOUR HAMBURGERS FOR HORSE BURGERS? Please write in complete sentences and don't for get spell check.

FIND FACTS-WEDNESDAY-4/11/12-MOTHER FLUSHES BABY

A woman gave birth to a baby in a China Zhaoyang district toilet, and flushed it accidentally. Thankfully, the nine-month pregnant mother-to-be and child are in good health following the harrowing experience.

It all began on Saturday when Cai Qulin, 36, felt severe contractions on her way to the hospital to give birth. However, the pain was so intense, she asked her husband to pull over at a public ladies restroom .

There, in the Zhaoyang district of China, the woman gave birth to a baby girl, and accidentally flushed the newborn down the pipes in all the excitement. She then alerted her husband waiting outside. He frantically called emergency workers for help. Moments later, rescue workers arrived and began a desperate search for the baby flushed down the toilet.

Apparently, the shaft was just large enough for the newborn baby to fit after the woman gave birth. However, the good news is that a rescue worker managed to find the baby 15 to 30 minutes after the woman accidentally flushed her down the toilet after giving birth. Yes, it is a baby girl.

Pale and stiff, the child was taken to a local hospital for treatment. However, a family member says both the baby and her mother are doing well, considering the trauma they experienced.

"My niece is all right now, but she will stay in the hospital so they can make certain that she is healthy. My brother is taking care of the girl, and I'm taking care of the mother," said the woman's sister-in-law, Zhang Zhenghua

What do you think about this situation? What should be done about the parents? Should they be allowed to have kids? or Was this just an accident? Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

FIND FACTS-3/28/12-WEDNESDAY-CAT-SIZED RATS

Cat-sized rats have invaded the Florida keys and conservation officials fear that further breeding will compromise crops and wreak havoc on the ecosystem, if the creatures make it to mainland. "We thought we had them whipped as of 2009 … In the early part of 2011, a resident e-mailed me and said he saw one of the rats. We were skeptical but went back and talked to people and [saw] there were rats that we missed," Scott Hardin, the exotic species coordinator for Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, said. Hardin believes that there are at least 20 Gambian giant pouched rats still roaming the island of Grassy Key and the Wildlife Conservation Commission (WCC) will restart efforts to trap and remove the species in July or August. "I would not imagine there's more than another couple of dozen at most. We've caught them all within a half-mile of each other," Hardin said. "We think they have not moved far but they clearly reproduced," he added. The rats, which can grow up to nine pounds, were first identified approximately 10 years ago after a local exotic pet breeder allowed seven to escape. The WCC has spent years trying to eradicate the African rats with the help the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Officials have tried using poison-laced bait and the primary kinds of bait used are cantaloupe and peanut butter. Gambian rats are considered a delicacy in many parts of Africa, including South Africa, where it is common for locals to breed them as food. The rodents are omnivorous which feed on a range of insects, vegetables, and snails, and importing cat-sized rats from outside the U.S. has been illegal since 2003. What do you think of this situation? Please GOOGLE, "Cat-sized rats" and watch the videos. These things are HUGE! What do you think should be done about this? Please wirte in complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

FIND FACTS-3/26/12-MONDAY-THE BLACK MALE CODE

I thought my son would be much older before I had to tell him about the Black Male Code. He's only 12, still sleeping with stuffed animals, still afraid of the dark. But after the Trayvon Martin tragedy, I needed to explain to my child that soon people might be afraid of him.

We were in the car on the way to school when a story about Martin came on the radio. "The guy who killed him should get arrested. The dead guy was unarmed!" my son said after hearing that neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman had claimed self-defense in the shooting in Sanford, Fla.

We listened to the rest of the story, describing how Zimmerman had spotted Martin, who was 17, walking home from the store on a rainy night, the hood of his sweatshirt pulled over his head. When it was over, I turned off the radio and told my son about the rules he needs to follow to avoid becoming another Trayvon Martin — a black male who Zimmerman assumed was "suspicious" and "up to no good."

As I explained it, the Code goes like this:

Always pay close attention to your surroundings, son, especially if you are in an affluent neighborhood where black folks are few. Understand that even though you are not a criminal, some people might assume you are, especially if you are wearing certain clothes.

Never argue with police, but protect your dignity and take pride in humility. When confronted by someone with a badge or a gun, do not flee, fight, or put your hands anywhere other than up.

Please don't assume, son, that all white people view you as a threat. America is better than that. Suspicion and bitterness can imprison you. But as a black male, you must go above and beyond to show strangers what type of person you really are.

I was far from alone in laying out these instructions. Across the country this week, parents were talking to their children, especially their black sons, about the Code. It's a talk the black community has passed down for generations, an evolving oral tradition from the days when an errant remark could easily cost black people their job, their freedom, or sometimes their life.

After Trayvon Martin was killed, Al Dotson Jr., a lawyer in Miami and chairman of the 100 Black Men of America organization, told his 14-year-old son that he should always be aware of his surroundings, and of the fact that people might view him differently "because he's blessed to be an African-American."

"It requires a sixth sense that not everyone needs to have," Dotson said.

Since the slaying, a portrait has emerged of Trayvon Martin as a laid-back young man who loved sports, was extremely close to his father, liked to crack jokes with friends and, according to a lawyer for his family, had never been in trouble with the law. Bill Stephney, a media executive who lives in a New Jersey suburb that is mostly white and Asian, has two sons, ages 18 and 13. The Martin killing was an opportunity for him to repeat a longtime lesson: Black men can get singled out, "so please conduct yourself accordingly."

Like Dotson, Stephney mentioned an ultra-awareness — "a racial Spidey sense, a tingling" — that his sons should heed when stereotyping might place them in danger.

What do you think? Was the Martin shooting a tragedy or crime? Is there any truth in the Black Code? Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

FIND FACTS-MONDAY-3/21/12-RAPPER SHOT

Last night, concertgoers at a Tyga show in Omaha, Nebraska proved just how much of a careless world it is, indeed. Shots were fired at the Young Money rapper and his affiliates as they boarded a tour bus after the show, reports Hip Hop DX.

One female rapper from Tyga's crew, Honey Cocaine, was actually struck by a bullet but appears to be fine, tweeting, "What happened, happened.. God Loves me and he loves you. Got shot and I'm not dead. #LoveLifeAndGod."

Witnesses at Sokol Auditorium speculate that Tyga might have incited the attack after he challenged audience members who were throwing garbage on stage to meet him outside.

Either way, Tyga is known to bring out some pretty rowdy fans, a group of which got the Young Money star banned indefinitely from a San Diego night club this past January after his failure to appear at a schedule performance led to a violent and destructive riot.

TMZ reports that the terrorizing teens "busted floors, walls and destroyed property" after they learned that Tyga would not be appearing at the show. A rep for the club claims the 21-year-old rapper cancelled his appearance at the last minute. Now, the rep says, he's banned for life.

The show last night was a part of his Careless World tour in promotion of his album Careless World: Rise of the Last King and will continue on tonight at Denver, Colorado's Ogden Theater as planned.


Is this what it takes to get the world's attention for stardom? Has there been any rapper that has become a star without ever being shot or shot at? Please use complete sentences and don't forget spell check!

FIND FACTS- 3/19/12-MONDAY-NURSES KILLING PATIENTS

Two hospital nurses in the capital of Uruguay have been arrested as police investigate allegations that they killed dozens of patients, possibly up to 200, over several years at two hospitals.

Officials suspect that patients, all of whom were in critical condition, were given some sort of poison brought in from neighboring Brazil, police inspector Jose Luis Roldan said Sunday.

Most of the victims were not terminally ill and their deaths were "unexpected," judicial sources told the newspaper El Pais in Montevideo.

The suspects reportedly cited "humanitarian reasons" for their actions but officials believe they killed patients who "demanded too much attention," the sources added.

The arrests followed a two-month investigation triggered by an anonymous tip, El Pais reported, adding that the two nurses appeared to have worked separately and barely knew each other.

What do you think about this situation? What if this was a relative? Were the nurses right in what they were doing? Please use complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

FIND FACTS-3/14/12 WEDNESDAY- MANNING GOES WHERE?

The four-time MVP quarterback will meet with Titans owner Bud Adams, coach Mike Munchak and several other club officials Wednesday at an undisclosed location amid reports he has narrowed his choices to the Broncos and Tennessee.

Manning has also visited the Cardinals and met with the Dolphins since being released by the Colts last week, but the Denver Post reported Tuesday that he was deciding between the Broncos and Titans -- a stance seconded later in the day by former Colts GM Bill Polian on ESPN.

Meanwhile, Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a television interview that the team "passed" on Manning and he expects to see a "growth spurt" in Mark Sanchez.

The Jets explored signing Manning last week when he became a free agent, but extended Sanchez's contract once it became clear Manning was not interested. Johnson, appearing on the Fox Business Network, said the Jets did not want Manning.

"We passed on him," he said. "We're signed up with our quarterback. We've got a pretty good tether, we've got five years. We like Mark."

Johnson did admit the team explored the possibility of signing Manning.

"We have to," he said. "Our fans expect us to look at every opportunity."

What do you think? Would Manning make a good fit in Tennessee? Would the team play better? Is it possible to get to the Super Bowl?
Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

3/12/12-MONDAY-US SOLDIER SHOOTS FAMILY

An American soldier went on a house-to-house shooting spree in two villages in southern Afghanistan early Sunday, Afghan officials said, killing 16 people in what Afghanistan’s president called an “unforgivable” crime.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force said the soldier acted alone and turned himself in after opening fire on civilians. U.S. President Barack Obama called the killings “tragic and shocking,” and offered his condolences to the Afghan people in a phone call to his counterpart in Kabul, Hamid Karzai, the White House said.

But the attack is likely to further more anger at international forces following deadly riots over the burning of Qurans by U.S. troops.

“The Afghan people can withstand a lot of pain,” Prince Ali Seraj, the head of the National Coalition for Dialogue with the Tribes of Afghanistan, told CNN. “They can withstand collateral damage. They can withstand night raids. But murder is something that they totally abhor, and when that happens, they really want justice.”

In a statement issued by his office, Karzai said the killings took place in the district of Panjwai, about 25 km (15 miles) southwest of Kandahar, southern Afghanistan’s major city. Haji Agha Lali, a member of the provincial council, told CNN the soldier had attacked four houses in two nearby villages.

“We call this an intentional act,” Karzai said. He said the dead included four men, three women and nine children, calling the killings “acts of terror and unforgivable.” Another five people were wounded, he said.

Capt. Justin Brockhoff, an ISAF spokesman, said the wounded Afghans were being treated in ISAF facilities. The allied command did not give its own estimate of casualties.

Brockhoff said officials do not yet have a motive for the shooting, which is under investigation by both NATO and Afghan officials. And Maj. Jason Waggoner, another ISAF spokesman, said the soldier “was acting on his own.”

Do you think this soldier was right? What should be done to him? What would you do if this was your family? Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

FIND FACTS- WEDNESDAY-3/7/12- LADY WINS THE LOTTERY

Louise White, 81, of Newport, R.I., is the winner of the third-largest Powerball jackpot in the history of the game: $336.4 million.

White came forward Tuesday morning and accepted the money on behalf of the Rainbow Sherbert Trust.

White's ticket, which cost $3, was the only ticket that matched all the numbers: 1-10-37-52-57 and Powerball 11. It was sold at the Stop & Shop supermarket at 250 Bellevue Ave. in Newport.

"I want to say that I'm very happy and I'm very proud. This will make my family very happy," White said at a news conference in Cranston. "We are truly blessed. Thank you."

Her lawyers called her a "vivacious octogenarian." The Rainbow Sherbert Trust is named after the dessert she purchased while buying the winning ticket. White said it is her son's favorite dessert.

White chose to accept the lump sum payment of $210 million, rather than the 30 payments paid out over 29 years. She will pay $52.5 million in federal taxes and more than $14 million in state taxes.

Rhode Island lottery officials said White's haul is the sixth largest among all lotteries in the United States. Her chances of hitting the PowerBall were 1 in 175 million.

The ticket price increased from $1 to $2 last month; it is $3 with the PowerPlay option. Rising sales nearly doubled the jackpot from $173.5 million on Feb. 1.

If you won this amount of money, what would you do with it?
Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check!

FIND FACTS-MONDAY-3/5/12- CAR CRASH COLLEGE GIRLS DIE

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio -- A wrong-way driver slammed head-on Friday into a car full of sorority sisters who were caravanning to an airport for a spring break trip, killing three of the young women and the other driver.

The car carrying the three Alpha Xi Delta members, ages 19 to 21, and two other sorority sisters hit the wrong-way vehicle overnight on a rise in Interstate 75 south of Toledo, just miles from Bowling Green State University, which they all attended. The two survivors were seriously injured.

Sixteen sorority sisters were heading to the Detroit airport in different cars as they tried to make a 5:30 a.m. flight to the Dominican Republic, a friend said. Another vehicle carrying five of the students narrowly avoided the wrong-way driver, Ohio state troopers said.

"I don't think the college girls ever saw it coming. Nothing they could have done to avoid the crash," Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn said.

The wrong-way driver, Winifred D. Lein, 69, of Perrysburg, Ohio, was traveling alone, authorities said. Investigators are looking into why she was driving on the wrong side of the divided highway.

"The college girls apparently did nothing wrong," Wasylyshyn said.

What do you think should be done about this situation? Should the legal age to drive be questioned? Should newer cars have brighter headlights? Better sign posts?

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FIND FACTS- 2/29/12- WEDNESDAY- OHIO SHOOTING

CHARDON, Ohio — The fatal shooting rampage in a high school in this quiet suburb of Cleveland remained a puzzle on Tuesday, with prosecutors saying that a student had confessed to the killings and had told them that he did not know his victims and chose them at random.

.T. J. Lane, 17, being escorted into court on Tuesday. The authorities have until Thursday to file charges against him in the shooting.
Prosecutors said the student, T. J. Lane, 17, admitted taking a .22-caliber Ruger semiautomatic pistol to Chardon High School on Monday and firing 10 rounds at four students at a cafeteria table. He has not been formally charged, but prosecutors said it was likely that he would be tried in an adult court.

Three of the victims — Russell King Jr., Demetrius Hewlin and Daniel Parmertor have died. Two others were wounded. One has been released from the hospital.

“This is not about bullying, this is not about drugs,” said David P. Joyce, the Geauga County prosecutor. “This was an effect of one lone gunman. He chose his victims at random.”

Mr. Lane appeared in court for the first time on Tuesday, wincing as the prosecutors read the accusations against him. Dressed in a crisp khaki-colored shirt and dark low-slung pants with a thick belt, he sat in a wooden chair with his back straight, speaking in barely audible tones to the judge, Timothy J. Grendell, in Geauga County Juvenile Court. His face crumpled briefly into tears as he was led away, and he appeared to whisper the words “I am so sorry” to two aunts and his grandfather, Jack Nolan, who is also his legal guardian.

The authorities have until Thursday to charge Mr. Lane.

The day brought more questions than answers to this blue-collar town of 5,000 east of Cleveland. Mr. Lane is a sophomore at Lake Academy, an alternative high school for at-risk youths, some of whom take a bus from Chardon High School. Students interviewed at both schools described him as quiet but friendly, and interested in Nascar and hunting.

CNN reported on Tuesday that Mr. Lane had taken the gun from a family member, who had bought it legally, but Mr. Joyce said he could not confirm that.

“By all accounts, T. J. is a fairly quiet and a good kid,” said Robert N. Farinacci, the Lanes’ lawyer, who added that he had not been in trouble before.

David Rafail, 17, of Willoughby, Ohio, a student at a vocational school next to Lake Academy, said he used to take smoking breaks with Mr. Lane. He called him a quiet student who “was always alone.”

Jarod Mausolf, 17, a student at Lake Academy, said he had taken American history with Mr. Lane and called him a good student, though far more quiet than most.

“He never talked at all,” Mr. Mausolf said. “The expression on his face, it was sad. A sad face. Kind of blank.”

Another student, Damien Stewart, 16, a sophomore at Lake Academy, said he had an English class with Mr. Lane.

“He was pretty cool,” Mr. Stewart said. “Very quiet. Nobody really talked to him. Not because we didn’t like him, he just wasn’t a talker. He was very sweet, very nice, very friendly.”

Mr. Lane’s lawyer said the teenager had no prior trouble with the law. Mr. Lane’s father, Thomas Lane, was arrested in 2002 on charges of attempted murder, and a restraining order was imposed forbidding him to contact his former wife, according to court records. Mr. Lane struck a plea bargain for a lesser charge and was sentenced to four years in jail. He served nine months of his sentence and was released in June 2003.

How do you feel about this event? Please write in complete sentences!
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FIND FACTS- MONDAY-2/27/12- GIRL RUNS TO DEATH

The story of a 9-year-old girl in Alabama who died after allegedly being forced to run for three hours as punishment for lying to her grandmother will likely leave you raging mad or speechless or wondering how in the world evil monsters like this should be allowed to mix in with normal members of society and procreate. Or maybe even all of the above.

According to witnesses, little Savannah Hardin was told to run laps around the yard and not allowed to stop for three hours on Friday. Her stepmother called 911 because she began seizing and then became unresponsive; she died days later allegedly from dehydration and low sodium levels.

Right about now, you're wondering what this little girl could have possibly done to warrant such a severe punishment, and you won't believe it when you hear it ...

She ate candy bars on the school bus. But wait. The story gets even more infuriating. Hardin's grandmother and stepmother offered this baseless defense as to why her "punishment" Because Savannah had a bladder condition and eating chocolate caused health problems for her, they were worried she would hurt herself.

And yet they would force her to run around the yard for hours with no water because THAT is a safe and healthy activity?

I hate to say it because this story is so very sad and tragic, but you've got to wonder if Savannah is better off now. Obviously, these women are cruel and incredibly dumb and have no business taking care of a child. (Savannah has a father, but he was working overseas.) To be forced to live under the "care" of these women who can't tell the difference between abuse and discipline, As for the grandmother and stepmom, they're in jail facing murder charges. Hopefully, a long, long stint behind bars is in their future.

Do you think the grandmother and stepmother are guilty of murder?
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FIND FACTS- SECOND SPECIAL BLOG-2/24/12-FRIDAY

EAGLE POINT, Ore. — Last weekend, 14-year-old Ashley Long told her parents she was going to a slumber party. But instead of spending the night watching videos and eating popcorn two blocks away, she piled into a car with a bunch of her friends and rode to a condo in Medford, Ore., where police say the big sister of one of her friends was throwing a party with booze and marijuana.

After drinking on the drive, and downing more drinks in the condo, it came time for Ashley to take her turn on a tank of helium that everyone else was inhaling to make their voices sound funny.

"That helium tank got going around," said Ashley's stepfather, Justin Earp, who learned what happened from talking to Ashley's friends at the party. "It got to my daughter. My daughter didn't want to do it. It was peer pressure. They put a mask up to her face. They said it would be OK. 'It's not gonna hurt you. It'll just make you laugh and talk funny.'"

Instead, she passed out and later died at a hospital, the result of an obstruction in a blood vessel caused by inhaling helium from a pressurized tank.

"It blew her lungs out," Earp said. "It exploded them. It created air pockets in her veins. Then it went up into her brain and blew it up."

It's a common party trick — someone sucks in helium to give their voice a cartoon character sound.

But the death exposes the rare but real dangers of inhaling helium, especially from a pressurized tank. The gas is also commonly seen in suicide kits — mail-order hoods sold out of Oregon and elsewhere that can be attached to a helium tank by people who want to kill themselves.

Death from inhaling helium is so rare that the American Association Poison Control Centers lumps it in with other gases, such as methane and propane. Only three deaths from simple asphyxiants were recorded in 2010, said spokeswoman Loreeta Canton.

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FIND FACTS-2/24/12- FRIDAY

The wandering spider, commonly known as a banana spider, was spotted crawling out of the fruit in Asda's Chesser branch on Tuesday.

A shop worker caught the female arachnid in a plastic jar before calling the Scottish SPCA.

The spider, with a 10cm leg span, was taken to the Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World where it later died.

Shop worker, Petra Merriman, 45, caught the spider.

She said her male colleagues had been "in panic" after discovering the spider.

She said: "All the boys were running round like headless chickens.

"One of the chaps who was putting a box of bananas in the display took a lid off a box and saw it was curled around a banana.

"We got a phone call in the back office saying come and deal with this spider.

"The guys all said 'I'm not going.' I said I would. I'm not arachnophobic at all."

She added: "I brought a pot with a secure lid down with me, and I just popped it in.

"I didn't have to touch it, I just put the pot underneath it.

"Nothing like this has ever happened here before."

Kevin Thom, of Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World, said: "It isn't deadly but its venom contains high levels of serotonin.

"If bitten you would experience pain, swelling, muscle spasms and flu-like symptoms which could be very unpleasant, depending on the amount of venom that was injected.

"These spiders can survive transport from abroad by shutting down and becoming very cold.

"They awaken when they warm up, which is often under bright shop lights.

"This female has possibly suffered shock in transit or it may simply have been her time to die."
What would you do if this insect was crawling in your bed? up your arm? or in your clothes? Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check!

FIND FACTS- WEDNESDAY-2/22/12

Bobby Brown is set to write a revealing book about his ex-wife Whitney Houston, it is reported.

The Huffington Post claims that the singer may cash in on the late singer's death because he needs the money.

Bobby apparently had a book ready for release in 2008 but because there was limited interest at the time for such a tome, the tell-all was never published.

But after the I Will Always Love you star died on February 11 aged 48 in the bathroom of the Beverly Hilton hotel, there is now renewed curiosity.

"Back in 2008, the interest in a book on Whitney Houston wasn't that great," a source told the website. "Whitney had fallen off the radar back then."

"But now, following her tragic death, the market has changed. Now is the time for a book that details an honest look into the life of Whitney."

Apparently Bobby may have signed a confidentiality agreement as part of his divorce with Whitney back in 2007 but it is rumoured he may try to find a way around that now that she has passed away.

"This is a man who left his ex-wife's funeral because he didn't like his seats and went to a paying gig that night," a friend of Whitney's stated.

"He didn't get on stage that night because he needed to sing his greatest hits or because Whitney would have wanted him to entertain his fans, he did it to get a paycheck - the same reason he now wants to write a tell-all book."

Is this the right thing to do? Is it just about money?Or does Bobby want the public to cherish Whitney's memory?
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FIND FACTS- MONDAY 2/20/12- MARDI GRAS TIME

The beads are ready to be tossed, the costumed crowds are in the mood to party and tourism officials are smiling.

It can only mean one thing: It’s Mardi Gras time in New Orleans.

“It is the event of the year. It’s our largest, in terms of economic benefit. It is probably the most iconic celebration for the city,” said Jennifer Day-Sully, a spokeswoman for the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau.

About a million people are expected to take part in the festivities over the 12 days leading up to Fat Tuesday, which falls on Feb. 21 this year, Day-Sully said. The city doesn’t break that number down into out-of-town visitors and local attendees.

“We’re working 24/7 to make sure that happens,” he said. “I think the numbers are moving in that direction.”

There’s a lot at stake for the city. A Tulane University study showed the economic impact of Mardi Gras on New Orleans amounted to $300 million in 2011, Romig said. For every $1 the city spent on services to support Mardi Gras — such as sanitation and security — it received $8.50 back in tax revenue. So officials are happy to see the party recover to pre-Hurricane Katrina level.

If you could go to the Mardi Gras...would you do it? And who would you take along?
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FIND FACTS-2/15/12-WEDNESDAY-POST OFFICE CLOSINGS

Postal officials were blunt in December when they stood before 120 residents in Dedham, Iowa, to tell them why their town's post office has to close. The Internet, officials said, was killing the U.S. Postal Service.

"Well, I have no Internet," resident Judy Ankenbauer said at the meeting. Like many of Dedham's 280 residents, Ankenbauer said she still relies on the post office to buy stamps and send letters and packages.

Dedham is hardly alone in its dependence on the Postal Service. Some of America's poorest communities - many of them with spotty broadband Internet coverage - stand to suffer most if the struggling agency moves ahead with plans to shutter thousands of post offices later this year, a Reuters analysis found. Nearly 80 percent of the 3,830 post offices under consideration are in sparsely populated rural areas where poverty rates are higher than the national average, demographic data analyzed by Reuters shows.

Moreover, about one-third of the offices slated for closure fall in areas with limited or no wired broadband Internet, Reuters found.

"We're not the ones in the big cities who are just emailing everything to everybody. We're the ones that are actually still sending our Christmas cards and our birthday cards," said Sarah Clyden, who runs a feed store in Oakwood, Okla., where the agency is considering closing the post office.

Federal law requires the Postal Service to provide "a maximum degree of effective and regular postal services" to rural areas and small towns. Today, with 32,000 retail locations and 150 million delivery points, the Postal Service has a larger footprint in the U.S. than McDonald's, Starbucks and Wal-Mart combined, according to its website.

Even so, the rise of email, a drop-off in first-class mail, onerous labor costs and the growth of shippers such as UPS and FedEx have left the Postal Service hemorrhaging money. By fall, postal officials have warned, they may not be able to borrow money.

The Postal Service is not studying the economic impact on communities where post offices are slated to close, spokesman David Partenheimer said. But in the 3,004 rural communities across 48 states where post offices may close, many residents fear the impact will be pronounced.

About 2.9 million people live in the rural communities where the post office that may close is either the only one or one of two post offices serving their zip code area. For many rural residents, that would translate into longer drives to mail packages, pay bills or buy stamps.

Like all of the post offices on the closure lists, the post offices in Dedham and Oakwood wouldn't close until mid-May, thanks to a temporary moratorium on closings put in place in December. The moratorium was intended to give Congress a window to pass legislation offering the Postal Service some relief. But with lawmakers still deeply divided over how to address the Postal Service's financial woes, state and local government officials worry thousands of closings are on the way.

Advertise | AdChoices"The Postal Service is supposed to be a universal service available to people wherever they live in America," said Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who pushed hard for the moratorium. "What they're doing is going against that premise."

DO YOU THINK THIS IS PROGRESS? OR HAVE WE MADE A MISTAKE WITH CLOSING THIS PART OF AMERICAN HISTORY?
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FIND FACTS- 2/13/12- MONDAY-REMEMBER WHITNEY

The Grammys will honor the memory of Whitney Houston on Sunday night, and it appears Jennifer Hudson will lead the charge.

However, viewers won’t see the show turn into a “full-blown tribute,” according to the show’s executive producer.
“We had a long-term association with Whitney. Whitney was a multi-Grammy winner. She appeared on the show a number of times ... obviously we are very saddened. We don’t want to rush to anything that wouldn’t be respectful,” Grammy executive producer Ken Ehrlich told CNN on Sunday night of the music awards show’s plan to honor Houston, who died on Saturday at age 48.

What do you remember about Whitney Houston? Did any of her songs or movies ever touch your life?
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FIND FACTS-2/8/12-WEDNESDAY- DANCES LIKE MICHAEL

A 9-year-old Minnesota boy was suspended from school for performing a Michael Jackson dance routine during a fundraiser -- complete with the late King of Pop's signature groin grab.

Lenny Boberg and his mother, Mindy Boberg, were approached Thursday immediately after the "Billie Jean" performance by St. Stanislaus Principal Pal Bowlin, who Mindy Boberg said told her the move constituted gross misconduct, the Winona Daily News reported.

Mindy Boberg said her son had performed similar Michael Jackson routines the past two years, and this year's performance had been approved by school officials at a Tuesday rehearsal.

What do you think should happen to this child? Is he wrong or right, in your eyes?
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FIND FACTS- MONDAY-2/6/12

Karaoke can get you nearly killed. That’s what a Shingletown, Calif. man learned on Thursday of last week (Jan. 26) when his 70-year-old father shot him because he was annoyed by a country song he was singing on karaoke.
According to Redding.com, William Henry Oller, Sr., 70, was arraigned Monday in Shasta County Superior Court on attempted murder and other charges related to the shooting of his son, William Carr Oller, Jr., 50.

Oller, Sr., who lives in the Sacramento area, has a court-appointed attorney who entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 14. Bail is set at $750,000, up from the initial $500,000.

Here’s what happened: The younger Oller told the authorities that he and his father battled over his country karaoke music when the elder Oller visited his home. Oller, Sr. apparently told his son, “I’m going to shut you up” before leaving to grab a semi-automatic weapon from his truck, which he then pointed at his son, who had come outside to discuss things.

The son re-entered his home and locked the door. When he believed he was safe and that his father was no longer on his front porch, he opened the door, only to be confronted once again by his pistol-packing pop. A fight ensued, and the younger Oller was shot several times, with wounds to his arm, shoulder and chest. He also suffered a head injury, while his father was shot in the leg during the tussle.

The original report did not indicate which particular country song causes the domestic dust-up, though later updates revealed that the son was singing a Kenny Chesney song — and that he does not want to press charges on his dad.
What would you do if your parents had this type of attitude towards you? Would you do this to your child? Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check.

FIND FACTS- 2/1/12- WEDNESDAY- MAN DEAD 4 TIMES

Despite rumors to the contrary, Army veteran Jerry Miller is still very much alive.

"I'm alive. I’m very alive," Miller told WESH 2 News.

The U.S. Veterans Administration has declared him dead four times, but Miller, a Brevard County resident, has refuted the claims.

"To me, it’s stupid. I can’t die but one time. They have killed me four times," he said.

Miller, a former drill sergeant, served 10 years in the Army. He said he lives on a government pension and Social Security.

The confusion started in July 2010 when he received a letter addressed to his estate that expressed sympathy for his death and politely explained that, as a dead man, he was not eligible for the veterans benefits he was paid.

Miller said he informed the VA that he was still alive, and his benefits were restarted. But the letters kept coming, each one stopping his benefits.

"I'm alive, you see. This can’t keep going on and on," Miller said.

He said a letter came this month -- addressed to his estate -- requesting repayment of more than $94,000 in benefits he shouldn't have received, because he was dead, and that it included polite instructions how to make the payment.

Miller said he has no idea why he was declared dead.

A VA spokesman told WESH 2 News that the organization was looking into the case.

Miller said he asked his congressman to do the same, but so far, being alive has not been sufficient proof that he is not dead.
What do you think that the governmant should do for this man? Should they just put him to death for real? Or what?
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FIND FACTS -1/30/12-MONDAY

A pre-kindergarten boy who announced to his teacher at snack time that he wanted to share pulled nine bags of marijuana out of his jacket pocket, police said on Wednesday.

Police in Meriden, Connecticut, some 20 miles south of Hartford, were called to Hanover Elementary School Tuesday afternoon after the 4-year-old special needs student displayed the drugs, authorities said.

Meriden police said the nine individually wrapped bags of marijuana appeared prepared for sale.

Hanover Elementary School principal Miguel Cardona called it an "extremely unfortunate" and "isolated" incident that was not witnessed by any other students.

"What's so disheartening is this is really an adult issue and problem and adult behavior put a student at risk," Meriden schools superintendent Mark Benigni told Reuters.

"This student had no idea what he brought to school or what the substance was," he added.

Authorities are not releasing the names of the student or parents and police said there is a possibility for arrests pending the outcome of the investigation.

The Department of Children and Families is also looking into the incident.
If you were a student in this class, would you have accepted this Gift? What should be done to the student or his parents? Please write in complete sentences and don't forget spell check!

FIND FACTS- 1/25/12- WEDNESDAY- GHOST BEATS WIFE

A Wisconsin man, who claimed a ghost beat his wife, was arrested Sunday. Michael West told Fond du Lac police officers that an apparition was responsible for the brutal assault on his wife Rebecca West, not him.

On January 18, 2012, police responded to an emergency 911 call to the residence of Michael and Rebecca West. Upon arrival, police met with the woman, who claimed that her husband had attacked her without provocation.

According to a report from the Christian Post, responding officers observed that the woman was bleeding from her mouth, and had abrasions and other bruises all about her body. They also noted that blood droplets were all around the residence and on the woman's clothing.

When police questioned Michael West, 41, he initially said that the woman had fallen outside. However, when police prodded him more on the injuries of his wife, he said "a ghost did it."

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS SITUATION? Should the police believe this man?
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FIND FACTS-1/23/12-MONDAY

Scientists working in the dense jungles of Indonesia have "rediscovered" a large, grey monkey so rare it was believed by many to be extinct.

They were all the more baffled to find the Miller's Grizzled Langur - its black face framed by a fluffy, dracula-esque white collar - in an area well outside its previously recorded home range.

The team set up camera traps in the Wehea Forest on the eastern tip of Borneo island in June, hoping to capture images of clouded leopards, orangutans and other wildlife known to congregate at several mineral salt licks.

The pictures that came back caught them all by surprise: groups of monkeys none had ever seen.

With virtually no photographs of the grizzled langurs in existence, it at first was a challenge to confirm their suspicions, said Brent Loken, a PhD student at Simon Fraser University in Canada, and one of the lead researchers.

The only images out there were museum sketches.

"We were all pretty ecstatic, the fact that, wow, this monkey still lives, and also that it's in Wehea," said Loken.

The monkey, which has hooded eyes and a pinkish nose and lips, once roamed the northeastern part of Borneo, as well as the islands of Sumatra and Java and the Thai-Malay peninsula. But concerns were voiced several years ago that they may be extinct.

Forests where the monkeys once lived had been destroyed by fires, human encroachment and conversion of land for agriculture and mining, and an extensive field survey in 2005 turned up empty.

"For me the discovery of this monkey is representative of so many species in Indonesia," Loken told The Associated Press by telephone.

"There are so many animals we know so little about and their home ranges are disappearing so quickly," he said. "It feels like a lot of these animals are going to quickly enter extinction."

What do you think should be done with an animal like this?
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FIND FACTS- WEDNESDAY-1/18/2012

A member of a Littleton family was mistaken for an intruder and stabbed to death on Saturday night in a retirement community. 7News reports that an unidentified person came into a home in Littleton around 11:45 p.m. Saturday night, but another person that was in the home thought an intruder had entered the home and stabbed the person multiple times.

The mistaken intruder entered through the front door, according to 9News, because it was apparently common for him to visit his family's home to which he had his own key.

Neighbors at the Wolhurst Mobile Home Retirement Community were told that a resident's son was the mistaken intruder and was stabbed to death by the resident's nephew who was reportedly frightened by the person entering the home, according to Fox31.

After the stabbing, and apparently after it was realized the man who entered the home was not in fact an intruder, the family called 911 for help. And although the man was rushed to the hospital to have his wounds treated, he later died of his injuries.

Neither the names of the men nor their exact relationship has been released by the police, The Denver Post reports, and there have been no charges filed thus far.

What would you do if this was a family member of yours? Is it possible to stab someone who is related to you?
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FIND FACTS MONDAY 1/16/12

RICHMOND, Va – Chesterfield County police say a 7-year-old elementary school student died of a severe allergic reaction after eating a peanut that had been given to her by another student on the playground.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports that Amarria Denise Johnson died of natural causes on Monday after going into cardiac arrest at Hopkins Road Elementary School.

Police said Amarria was given the peanut on the playground during a school recess break by another child who was unaware of her severe allergies. An aide in the school clinic was attempting to help the child when she stopped breathing.

Police said detectives consulted with the Chesterfield Commonwealth's Attorney Office and it was determined that no criminal negligence was committed by the child who shared the peanut, school personnel or Amarria's mother.

Are there any foods that you should be careful of? Or can you eat anything you wish?
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FIND FACTS - WEDNESDAY- 1/11/2012

Hostess Brands Inc., made famous by those golden cream filled treats, is once again preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection later this week, according to a The Wall Street Journal report, which cited multiple sources familiar with the company.
This would be second time that Ripplewood Holdings, which owns Hostess, filed for a court restructuring. The company had attempted to get its finances together when it first filed for bankruptcy back in 2004.

According to reports the Irving, Texas, based Hostess has arranged for $75 million in debtor-in-possession financing to keep it solvent during bankruptcy proceedings, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The company has tried to move forward even with a diminished cash flow and minimal liquid assets. The company received $40 million from Ripplewood Holdings while Monarch Alternative Capital, Silver Point Capital and others loaned the company $20 million at the end of last year, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Once in bankruptcy court, it is reported that the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread will try to reduce debt and renegotiate the terms of their labor contracts. Hostess currently carries over $860 million in debt, according to Reuters.

Those familiar with the company have attributed the last court filing on the increasing costs of flour, sugar and other baking ingredients as well as a massive amount of debt.

Can this be true?! No more Twinkies, No more Cupcakes, and No more Ding-Dongs!!!?
What would you do if this were your company? Famous for selling sweets to millions!
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FIND FACTS- 1/6/2012

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Amid a harsh economy, more Tennessee lawyers are being disciplined for stealing or misusing client funds.

Officials with the Tennessee Board of Professional Responsibility, which disciplines lawyers, say there also has been a rise in the number of lawyers who are abandoning their law practices and taking client money with them.

TBPR figures show that the number of lawyers disciplined for having overdrafts in their trust accounts has nearly doubled in the last five years. And there has been an increase in the number of lawyers being disbarred. The public can go to the TBPR website to check to see if a lawyer has been disciplined in the past or if there is pending disciplinary action.

What should happen to lawyers who break the law?
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