My ears always perk up when I hear about a study that’s revealed career paths with surefire six-figure salaries. This morning, my ears were rewarded with (sorry, not six figures) the next-best thing: blog post material.

Yahoo! Education says that there are (at least) ten jobs sure to provide you with that coveted salary, without the need for a law or medical degree. And at No. 7, a familiar title: Court Reporter.

Now, you might be skeptical. After all, the Department of Labor found that court reporters had median annual earnings of $45,610 (May 2006).

But Yahoo! points out that they have “the chance to make much, much more money than that.” How?

“Document backlogs in certain cities have pushed overtime pay for court reporters to record levels. The court reporter who adds freelance transcribing for private depositions and business meetings to a base income can crack $100,000 per year.”

If you’re still on the fence, maybe this will push you over: employment of court reporters is projected to grow 25 percent between 2006 and 2016.

Do you know any court reporters who supplement their income this way? Is it realistic for future court reporters to expect to cobble together a six-figure salary?

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

Did you foresee the murder of stick-up man Omar Little in last night’s episode?

The antihero, who has been on the show since the first season – and is hard not to like, aside from his violent behavior – was shot in the back of the head while buying cigarettes at a convenience store.

From his Wikipedia page (already updated with his demise):

Omar was a renowned stick-up man who lived by a strict code and never deviated from his rules, foremost of which is that he never robbed or menaced people who are not involved in the drug trade. Omar, who was gay, has had three partners on the show. Omar is the only major character on the series who claims to make a point of not using profanity.

In 2004, writers at USA Today named Omar’s portrayer, Michael K. Williams, one of the ten reasons they still love television, and our own Baltimore City Paper said Omar was “arguably the show’s single greatest achievement” in 2005.

Was it Omar’s time to go?

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

• Who’s opposed to a General Assembly bill that would give child sex abuse victims more time to file civil suits against their abusers and the institutions that harbored them? Find out here. (Thanks to Baltimore Crime for the link.)

• Justice Thomas talks about not talking. Hat tip: How Appealing.

• 2008 may be a tough one for big firms, says The Wall Street Journal.

• The New Jersey Supreme Court is reviewing a ban on lawyers advertising themselves as “Super-Lawyers” or “Best Lawyers.” We covered this issue as it relates to Maryland here. (subscriber-only link)

CARYN TAMBER, Legal Affairs Writer