Day one of my journey has led me to an email from my principle... Now see, he was my principle when I was in elementary. Now, he's my principle during my senior year. He's a really slow talker, and I'm a fast talker. I can't keep up with his words, and he can't understand mine. This might be difficult. Nervous feelings don't help me slow down when I talk, either.

I will be absolutely crushed if this doesn't fall through during my senior year... But I'll be damned if it doesn't fall through at all. This isn't about college applications and what will make me look good. This isn't about gaining some time of knowledge about what I'll be dealing with in my future. This is about the people I've grown up with, the people I'll be leaving behind when I graduate, the people that have always looked up to me. Even the people who haven't! Parents give up on their kids too easily, or blame the school when they fail. Guess what, IT'S NOT THE SCHOOL'S FAULT! If it were the teachers would be fired. I'm more worried about it not working.

I was even thinking of volunteering for them. I would love to be a mentor for a kid in a random school! I would be getting some good skills for my future psychology job! Also, I would be helping a kid stay in school or just keep their head up. I'm excited for this, again. I had a period where I just didn't think that it was going to work. But, I keep pushing for it! Anyways, that's about all I can think of to talk about it. It's been pretty slow so far. Hopefully, it picks up!

I don't know why but I was thinking about this story earlier. To say that the girl must have been terrified during her last moments alive would be an understatement. I can't imagine (nor would I want to) what it must have been like to see someone trapped like that, being unable to do anything to save them.

If you want to get to the song part, skip to 01:45.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbpwlqp5Qw

_{Warning: Do NOT turn up your volume, it starts off with almost no sound but it does increase in volume!}

Just go do a google on Jamie Lynn Spears, and you'll come across many news articles about the newly released information pertaining to Brit's very tappable younger sister.

She's 12 weeks preggers, by her 19 yr old boyfriend, Casey Aldridge.

Guess he has bragging rights now on having scored her. Wouldn't be the only time neither. Apparently, Jamie Lynn has a pregnancy 'scare' back before July, because of missing her period. Hmmm, why would she be worried about being pregnant, unless she was having sex?

Ok being serious for a moment... Jamie Lynn has always struck me as being sensible (especially when compared to her older sister). So that brings something to mind. If she's sensible, she would have taken precautions to not get pregnant. Makes one wonder if perhaps she didn't do it on purpose on some level. My point? That maybe this isn't as accidental as she's making it appear. After all, she supposedly took a home test, then had a doctor visit to confirm it, and then "took some time to think about it", before telling her parents. Would seem to me that she was dragging it out to play down the chances of an abortion.

Regardless of that though, would appear that she loves the sex.

See what 50 years will do...

Scenario: Jack pulls into school parking lot with rifle in gun rack.

1957 - Vice Principal comes over, takes a look at Jack's rifle, goes to his car and gets his, to show Jack .

2007 - School goes into lock down, FBI called, Jack hauled off to jail and never sees his truck or gun again. Counselors called in for traumatized students and teachers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Johnny and Mark get into a fist fight after school.

1957 - Crowd gathers. Mark wins. Johnny and Mark shake hands and end up best friends. Nobody goes to jail, nobody arrested, nobody expelled.

2007 - Police called, SWAT team arrives, arrests Johnny and Mark. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Johnny started it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Jeffrey won't be still in class, disrupts other students.

1957 - Jeffrey sent to office and given a good paddling by Principal. Sits still in class.

2007 - Jeffrey given huge doses of Ritalin. Becomes a zombie. School gets extra money from state because Jeffrey has a disability.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Billy breaks a window in his father's car and his Dad gives him a whipping.

1957 - Billy is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

2007 - Billy's Dad is arrested for child abuse. Billy removed to foster care and joins a gang. Billy's sister is told by state psychologist that she remembers being abused herself and their Dad goes to prison. Billy's Mom has affair with psychologist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Mark gets a headache and takes some headache medicine to school.

1957 - Mark shares headache medicine with Principal out on the smoking dock.

2007 - Police called, Mark expelled from school for drug violations. Car searched for drugs and weapons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Pedro fails high school English.

1957 - Pedro goes to summer school, passes English, goes to college.

2007 - Pedro's cause is taken up by state Democratic party. Newspaper articles appear nationally explaining that teaching English as a requirement for graduation is racist. ACLU files class action lawsuit against state school system and Pedro's English teacher. English banned from core curriculum. Pedro given diploma anyway but ends up mowing lawns for a living because he can't speak English.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Johnny takes apart leftover firecrackers from the 4th of July, puts them in a model airplane paint bottle, blows up a red ant bed.

1957 - Ants die.

2007 - BATF, Homeland Security, FBI called. Johnny charged with domestic terrorism and labeled as having the makings of a future serial killer. Court orders him couselling. FBI investigates parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated, Johnny's Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scenario: Johnny falls while running during recess and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Mary. Mary hugs him to comfort him.

1957 - In a short time Johnny feels better and goes on playing.

2007 - Mary is accused of inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor, has to register as a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in State Prison.

TV reporter/host Tim Russert dies

 

NBC journalist Tim Russert has died.

 

CBS News is reporting he died of a heart attack. Russert, host of Meet the Press since 1991, was 58.

 

According to NBC's website, Russert serves as senior vice president and Washington bureau chief of NBC News.

 

Russert joined NBC News in 1984. In April 1985, he supervised the live broadcasts of the Today program from Rome, negotiating and arranging an appearance by Pope John Paul II, a first for American television. In 1986 and 1987 Russert led NBC News weeklong broadcasts from South America, Australia and China.

 

In 2008, Time Magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Source: http://cbs4.com/national/tim.russert.dead.2.747824.html

NBC's 'Meet The Press' Host Tim Russert Dead At 58

NEW YORK (CBS) ― Tim Russert, NBC Washington Bureau Chief and the moderator of "Meet The Press," is dead. He was 58 years old.

 

He collapsed at work at the NBC News bureau in Washington, D.C.

 

NBC colleague Tom Brokaw called Russert a "beloved colleague" and "one of the premier journalists of our time."

 

Russert was born in Buffalo, N.Y. on May 7, 1950. Russert leaves a wife, writer Maureen Orth, and a son, Luke.

 

According to the MSNBC biography on Russert, he was the Managing Editor and Moderator of "Meet the Press" and political analyst for "NBC Nightly News" and the "TODAY" program. He anchored "The Tim Russert Show," a weekly interview program on MSNBC. Russert also served as senior vice president and Washington bureau chief of NBC News.

I think I will be with 5th grade so I am excited about it all except for the not getting paid anyhoo closer to graduating and all so all is good

My time will be limited to the fun stuff in life for a while oh well

and what's propaganda? :D :huh: :huh:

Looking fowards to some cold weather man oh man the penis state way too hot.

Drum roll please............

When I get back from x-mas break I will be starting up on my teaching internship WOOT! WOOT! man I am like in cloud nine.

OK later y'all http://www.n-raged.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/default/laugh.gif

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1174963387

LANDOVER, Md. – Arms crossed, Reed Doughty stood still on the Washington Redskins sideline. He was supposed to be in the game, a full-time NFL starter now, a childhood dream realized in the most nightmarish of ways.

The player Doughty had been assigned to replace at safety was dead. Sean Taylor was murdered this week during a break-in of his Florida home.

Even in the violent, disposable, replaceable world of the NFL, even among all these tough-guy players almost immune to violence, it was a core-rocking event.

"None of us have ever lived through this before," said Joe Gibbs, the 67-year-old coach.

So here were Taylor's old teammates trying their best to honor him. They quietly decided the defense would line up on the first play against the Buffalo Bills with just 10 defenders. Doughty would stay on the sidelines; if Taylor couldn't take the field, then no one would.

"It wasn't one less man, it was playing with 10 and Sean," Doughty said. "We had all 11 out there. That is what we designed. I was sitting out the first play because Sean was going to be in there."

They were willing to concede what inevitably happened, the Bills' Fred Jackson running 22 yards against a defensive alignment with a hole in it. Then Doughty jogged onto the field to make the defense complete. The Bills threw to Josh Reed and Doughty flew to him, wrapping him up after just a two-yard gain, playing safety in a manner of which Sean Taylor would have approved.

It was perfect, the perfect football tribute at the end of a horrible week. The ideal on-field compliment to the moment of silence and the video tribute and the No. 21 towels waving in the stands.

Only football is an unforgiving game and this one turned out anything but perfect, with the Redskins losing in the final seconds – self-destructing, even – 17-16.

Looking as spent as his players, Gibbs sighed, "It's been a long, hard week."

It may have been long and strangest for Doughty, the replacement for Taylor. The 25-year-old has been fighting for football opportunities his entire life – from little Johnstown, Colo., to a Division II spot at Northern Colorado, to a sixth-round selection by the Redskins in 2005.

Then, just as he could concentrate on making his mark, he and his wife had a son born premature – now a 1-year-old who deals with daily dialysis and faces a kidney transplant.

To finally assume a starting spot in the NFL should have been a crowning achievement for Doughty. But like this? Yes, he had taken over when Taylor was hurt a couple weeks ago, but that was temporary. For all the wrong reasons he now is the Redskins' best option.

"I've told people I've taken over free safety but not his spot on our team," Doughty said.

How could he? Taylor was everything Doughty wasn't. Taylor was an overwhelming talent from the start. A star in high school in Florida, a star recruit to Miami, a 6-2 speedster born to hit, born to play football. His teammates called him "Meast" – half man, half beast. He was a first-round draft pick at age 21, a Pro Bowler at 23.

"Sean sometimes did more than his job and his presence out there sometimes made offenses do other things," Doughty said.

Now Doughty had to replace him? As he stood on the sidelines that first play, the Sean Taylor play, it wasn't just emotions that sailed through his mind, but the enormity of the challenge.

"It's really difficult, to be honest, to run out there knowing that you're taking over (for) someone that has legend proportions," Doughty said. "That was really tough to run out there and know I'm coming in for Sean (for the) last time."

The feel-good story would be that Doughty rose up and played like a Pro Bowler, that the Redskins put together their finest game of the season and the entire afternoon turned into a three-hour tribute to Taylor.

But things don't always work out. Not in real life, not in the NFL. As rich and famous and talented as these guys are, this wasn't any different than what "normal" workplaces deal with on occasion. People die, co-workers go on. No one is certain what the best way to remember is, no one has all the answers, no one is all that sure.

"Tomorrow we have to go down (to Florida) and lay Sean to rest," said cornerback Leigh Torrence, of a franchise trip Monday.

The Redskins, being football players, wanted to win the game for Taylor. The symbolic stuff was nice and all, but they knew what he'd want most. Into the final minute, they even led 16-14.

But by then a soft rain had begun to fall, the cold but pleasant day taking on bite. And with that, everything came undone at once. With just 10 seconds left the Bills struck on a long pass play over the middle – Taylor's old territory, Doughty's new one – about the only play that could give them hope.

"I actually stepped in front of the pass, I thought I was going to intercept it," Doughty said.

That gave the Bills a shot at a desperation 51-yarder through the rain. But then Gibbs, the legendary coach who knows almost everything about football, made a rookie mistake and called consecutive timeouts in an effort to ice the kicker. You can do it once, but not twice. That's a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, suddenly leaving Buffalo with an easy 36-yard game-winner.

"I made a decision that, in all likelihood, cost us the game," Gibbs said, shaking his head. "That's on me."

As the Bills' kick sailed through the uprights to all but assure the victory, heads sagged on the Redskins sidelines. That included the coach and the man who had stepped up to replace Sean Taylor.

On this day that began with the most perfect of memories, it was a most imperfect finish.

"They took the game from us," Doughty said.

By then the rain was coming down harder.

NFL's newest dark cloud

For the NFL, 2007 has been a year of tragedy and scandal, ugliness and senselessness, each month seeming to bring worse stories of off-field trouble that stand in stark contrast with an on-field product that is running on all cylinders.

The latest, and hopefully last, came Monday when the Washington Redskins' Sean Taylor was gunned down during a home invasion. He died Tuesday.

It was brutal and sad, the snuffing out of a talented and promising life made even worse by the realization that he is the fourth active NFL player to die this year alone. Combine that with high-profile legal issues, major injuries to current players and a bitter pension fight involving former ones and you have a year to forget.

Things are so bad, the depths so low, the pain so real, it's overshadowed a season that, on the field at least, should be one to remember.

The Indianapolis Colts, featuring the popular Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy, finally won the Super Bowl. The New England Patriots have emerged as perhaps the greatest team of all time this season, chasing both a perfect team record and a book full of individual marks. Big fan base franchises such as the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers are having great years while a number of other franchises have been rejuvenated.

The league has not just an array of great young talent (Adrian Peterson, et al) but a rebirth of some older ones (Brett Favre, Terrell Owens, Randy Moss). When the Colts and Patriots met earlier this month, it was the latest matchup of unbeaten teams since the 1970 merger. The game then actually lived up the hype.

So too, perhaps, will the rare late season matchup of one-loss teams, the Cowboys and Packers, Thursday.

That is, if anyone even remembers to watch.

The thing is: as great as the action has been, as great as the story lines have played out, as perfect as heroes and villains have taken their roles, '07 has been a disaster in every other measurable way. One horrible tale replacing another.

Taylor's murder this week was an all-too familiar one.

The year started bad when, during the early morning hours of Jan. 1, the Denver Broncos' Darrent Williams was shot and killed by a passing gunman while riding in a limo after an altercation at a local nightclub.

Less than two months later, Broncos running back Damien Nash collapsed and died after playing a charity basketball game in his hometown of St. Louis.

In March, the Patriots' Marquise Hill accidentally drowned after falling off his jet ski in his native Louisiana.

All four men were just 24.

The offseason was also plagued with high-profile legal trouble. It started with the Tennessee Titans cornerback Pacman Jones' involvement in a gentlemen's club shooting in Las Vegas that left a bouncer paralyzed.

Then the Atlanta Falcons' Michael Vick, the league's highest paid and one of its highest-profile players, was arrested in connection with a dog-fighting ring on property he owned in rural Virginia. Vick pled guilty and is serving time in advance of his sentencing in early December.

Even O.J. Simpson is in trouble again.

Meanwhile, former NFL players continued to fight the league for improved pension and health benefits while spinning terrible tales of woe and making the NFLPA look like a heartless organization. It helped draw attention to the massive physical injuries, particularly concussions, which NFL players deal with after their playing days.

That hit home on the league's opening weekend when the Buffalo Bills' Kevin Everett suffered a severe spinal injury on a simple kickoff play. At least there is some bright light here. Everett is out of the hospital and doctors believe he may even walk again one day.

You can't blame the NFL for wondering what possibly could be next?

There is no simple conclusion to draw here. Each situation is different, each tragedy its own. But sometimes bad things seem to come in waves and the NFL is certainly dealing with that now.

If the league was just about football, then the worst thing to happen all year was the Patriots' "Spygate" scandal, which, in truth, just helped create more interest and excitement for the product on the field.

That's the kind of controversy that professional sports like.

Not endless funerals, court proceedings and Congressional hearings.

Not superstars behind bars. Not all these 24-year-olds gone forever.

The people to remember in thoughts and prayers are the families and friends of those dealing with death and injury, with life-altering moments that they had nothing to do with and almost certainly can't make sense of.

Roger Goodell would be the first to tell you that, the first to tell you to think of those folks.

But here in 2007, in the new commissioner's first full year on the job, it's OK to acknowledge all that has been thrown at him and his NFL.

And then hope we never see another year like it.

Finally they take her kids but how how will Federline do seems to me those kids are so f'ing screwed up no matter what damn man they have two jackasses as parents poor kiddies.