BadKarma42

If anyone in your direct family is a member of the Teamsters, they have an essay "contest" which awards some money towards schooling.

Sounds like a tough day...but better than being at work??? Sounds like it was a gut check.

Some are better than none!

Nice work. Congrats.

For what it's worth (possibly nothing) I don't take offense to the posts. Sounds like the coin is being turned over. I appreciate that he acknoledged that although he thinks it may be cruel, he still does it...

Nice looking fish.

Nice work. What was the water color? We were there earlier this year and it had a strange color to it. It also had shad everywhere...

It sounds like your friend made a decision to change his ways and give back to the society that he harmed. I too have worked with people who don't seem to get it and people who appear to be doing the right but struggle due to their record (ie background checks, stigma). Some people get it, some don't, some take a while to get it. Unless sentenced to serve the maximum penalty (and have no misconducts in jail/prison), people do get out...on parole. Parole is essentially an agreement between the court and the offender: you follow our rules and be responsible and you get to serve the rest of the time on the street. If you chose not to follow the rules, you serve the time in jail/prison. I think you have some good points in principle. However, I think reality is different (not to imply that you are out of touch with reality!). I can speak for my County and we are currently being pushed to keep as many people out of jail as much as we can. Do I agree with it? No. I have done a lot to keep people out of jail. Now I just have to be more creative. Some people it benefits and some it does not.

On the other side of the coin, I think as a Country we very forgiving, especially when dealing with celebs. People seem to just want someone to come forward and admit to what they have done, acknowledge they were wrong, and then show actions to back up the apology. Consider this, Vick denied any invovlement and wrongdoing from the time the story leaked. He lied to his boss and the guy that runs the organization that helped him become reach (of course, I can understand that he was likely advised by his legal team with regards to this). Now take a look at the way he walked into court originally. They way he carried himself, the way he walked, the look on his face. As person who deals with criminals on a daly basis I find that body language can be very valuable. Now, if you pay attention to the news, a majority of people I am listening to on the news have said the same thing: he needs to come clean to the public, admit what he did, admit that it was terribly wrong, state how he is going to change as a result of this, serve his time, and then be a model citizen. Likely, when he gets out, people will have forgotten about this until its time to be paroled and then the media will be on him again for a brief period of time. If he walks the right path, the story goes away. If he goes down the wrong path, back in the news. Will he have to work harder to prove that he has changed? Yes. Will this always be assosciated with him? Yes. Is that fair? Maybe not. Is that reality? Yes. Since this is reality, I personally don't accept someone telling me that they are being held back because of their past. I attempt to re-frame their reality by motivating them to back up their words that they want to do better and showing that they can overcome the obstacles that they created for themselves.

Oakland Raiders The NFL definitely needs to clean up its act. With the Vick case and Pacman case and other past cases they need a stricter behavior/enforcement policy. If these people can take the money, fame, and sponsorships that they so desperately seek then they should act like a respectable "Law Abiding" citizen. That or the NFL will find itself in the court of public opinion trying to save its image. I think that is what Commish Goddell is emphasizing during the early years of his rein. I certainly don't want to see the NFL become what the NBA appears to be.

Nic :Pe job on the fish. I like the name of your lake

Keep the rain coming!

Just to piggy-back a few of the comments... Check local laws regarding carrying a weapon and owning a weapon. If the deadbolt is so weak that it could be kicked in, that means someone else could get in and steal your gun. You don't want to be responsible for what could happen after that. I carry a gun for my work. When I didn't carry, all I wanted to do was get to the point that I could carry. Now that I carry, the responsibility has increased exponentially compared to when I was only carrying a baton and OC spray. I have personally made the decision that I carry off duty, but I make it a point to be at the range as often as I can (usually once a month) and I practice for "real-world" scenarios (not just standing and shooting). A gun doesn't keep bad things from happening, sometimes it can escalate a situation. Whatever your decision, make sure you think it through and talk to as many people as you can to get different perspectives. If you choose to carry, become competent with your weapon. But first, become competent to deal with situations so you don't have to use your weapon. Another thing, why does your grandma want you to live in a crappy place???

Don't forget about Ray Lewis and Jamal Lewis. If Rae Caruth can petition for an early parole, I bet Al Davis can get a great deal on House Arrest Bracelets! Although for Vick, I would suggest implanting a chip to keep tabs on him...you know like the ones you can get for your pets!

Personally, I am not a baseball fan. However, I enjoy watching the LLWS. It seems to be sport at its most pure. Plus, it looks great in H.D. Its so clear you can count the pimples on the kids faces!!!

I am voting for a 3 year suspension. This is based on the serious nature of the crime as well as the gambling and racketering issues that are involved. I also think that this will effectively end his career, without the NFL "officially" ending it for him. Of course, I have no idea what the collective bargining agreement states as well as the NFL policy states.

Considering that the Commish issued a one year suspension to Pacman, what will the NFL do to Vick (not what you think they should do )?

I just double checked Fox News.com, he will enter the formal plea on the 27th. I guess the question now is how long until the Raiders can sign him...

From what I can figure, he entered the plea today while a new grand jury was deliberating on whether or not to indict him on state level charges for the same thing. Its believed that by pleading guilty he will avoid the new set of charges. Something will happen in court ont he 27th, but I don't recall if it is the formal plea or to schedule sentencing.

THIS JUST IN: Vick is to plead guilty to charges. This comes from two sources: Sirius Radio NFL channel and Fox News.com. Sounds like he will enter the plea on Monday. Early speculation is that he is looking at 18-36 months.

Heat+Low Water+Lack of active fish=time on the couch+

Dinks are beter than nothing! Its been so slow for me that my "bass thimb" has totaly healed! :'(

Big enough to be proud of 8-)

At least you got your lure back. Those fish usually keep my lure, come out of the water and laugh at me, all the while while dangling my lure in the air to mock me!

I have used Powerbait, Nitro, and Bang. Have not noticed any increase in fish catching. It becomes more of a desperation thing when nothign else is working. Maybe I should try it when the fish are more active... \I am hoping to find some Megastrike in the mail, however.