Can you find in this NYC school story, in today's New York Post? (Not counting the fact that The Simpsons have a spokeswoman...) Just a strange, strange story...

And in this Times Union story, an Albany High kid has "imitation crack cocaine"???? Yes, he allegedly spit at his teacher, attacked him with pens and paper, got in a fight with a school security officer and two cops assigned to the school, swallowed a packet of pot, etc. But I'm fairly certain this is the first time I've ever heard of someone getting busted for having bogus crack. I started wondering whether Eva Joseph would now admit there is a serious problem in the school, but I kept getting sidetracked by other questions: Did he know it was fake crack? Does he have a penchant for fake crack? What does fake crack even look like?

In fairness to Albany school officials, after trying to ignore the problems with the hopes they would just go away (the story uses the phrase "the latest arrest in a string of incidents at the school that have warranted a police response this winter,") the school responded to all this violence this week by increasing the school day by seven minutes, so that they can have three lunch sessions rather than two. Here's to hoping kids and teachers stop getting attacked by these rowdies soon.