I teach GED (General Equivalency Diploma) to convicted felons in the Florida Department of Corrections. ANd I see it all day long. I often hear things like "It's not my fault, I had to sell drugs to make ends meat."

Before I taught in the prison system I taught a program for troubled youth and the parents would often blame us for not fixing their child. In fact I got into trouble with my principal because I told a parent the following: "look, you've have 15 years to screw up your kid, I've only had 6 months to try and fix him, I'm going to need a bit more time here."

On the other hand I've met a lot of convicts who've taken responsibility for their actions and are trying to turn their live around. And I've seen a lot of parents really step up to the plate and raise their child. So there is hope.

vic, how is the area around olympic park at the georgia world congress center?

i was there not too long ago and it seemed awfully sterile and safe.