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?

Please use complete sentences and don't forget to use spell check!