What's With All The Teachers Sleeping With Students??

Hey, will someone tell me why we have this rash of teachers bedding their students? I mean elementary school teachers, as I seriously doubt anyone really cares what professors and college students do. Well, OK. Maybe someone. But show me the last time someone was thrown in the slammer for that.

What's the deal here? Is it in the water, or has it been going on and only now noticed? Also, the women are not ugly ducklings, so forget that "They can't get a man" idea. Plus, some were married. Geez...

I mean check out this latest report I found on Google and is at CBS:


(CBS) A teacher in Tennessee has been accused of having sex with one of her students, who is 13.

The Early Show co-anchor Rene Syler says Pamela Turner, 27, taught physical education, and was married to a high school basketball coach. But she's been charged with statutory rape.

Prosecutor Dale Potter says, "Some people don't look at it as serious, but if you reverse the roles and make it a male on a female, then everyone gets really upset, and it's considered really serious."

Potter adds Turner won't be given special treatment because she's a woman: "We intend to prosecute it as aggressively as we do our other sex cases."

Turner is free on a $50,000 bond. The school system has placed her on leave.

Of course, notes Syler, this is hardly the first time a teacher has been accused of having a physical relationship with a student.

Perhaps the most infamous case involved Mary Kay Letourneau, a Seattle teacher whose relationship with a sixth-grader, ultimately produced two children. Letourneau spent seven years behind bars.

Last December, Debra LaFave, a middle-school reading teacher in Florida, was charged having sex with a 14-year-old.

Her lawyer, John Fitzgibbons, asserts, "Debbie has some profound emotional issues that are not her fault." He plans an insanity defense when her trial comes up later this year.

"Three young, attractive teachers, all accused of sexual misconduct," Syler sums it up.


Say folks, is this going on a lot at school? Do tell here!!! And here's another question: Why is it always a female teacher? I've yet to see a case involving a male teacher.

Dynasty? Patriots? ...Yeah. I Guess So

Ok, now that the Super Bowl is over, the question of the day is "Are the New England Patriots a dynasty.?"

Well, if you hate that the team wins all the time and consistently root for their loss and demise, then yes. The New England Patriots are a dynasty.

I give Head Coach Bill Belichek credit for keeping his players consistently hungry. It's not like they're the most talented team in the league; they have great players, but they are weak in areas like the defensive secondary. What makes them great are the coaches: they teach, train, and prepare, and they do it better than the other 31 teams in the NFL.

I'm Back in Oakland - Mom's Getting Better

I returned to Oakland on Friday but felt real guilty that I didn't stay longer with my folks. I called my Stepfather's brother and wife to really encourge them to fly down to Georgia. I think they have some issues around the perception of Georgia as racist (I think it's not much different than the Bay Area, but the kind of racism here is more subtle but none the less visible...When one's eyes are open)

Anyway, to my surprise, they did fly there on Sunday. That made me very happy.

The other matter I have to clear is to determine what happened to my real Dad in Rolling Meadows, Ill. I can't call him as his number's disconnected.

New York Jets New Stadium - City Is Making Mistakes

I am as excited as anyone to see New York City build a new stadium for the Jets and the 2012 Olympics effort, but I think they're dropping the political ball.

They're forcing a design on the people of New York, when they should have a public party and design competition. The time clock is clicking so to salvage this PR problem, they should just have a public party where people get to actually come up with changes to the stadium design.

Yes, they're going to have hecklers, but I think they will be "controlled" by those who are just happy to be a part of the process. They should also record the names of each of the people who attend, and put them on the stadium walls when it's built.

Super Bowl: Oakland - Zennie Gets Jerry Brown

After over four years, I finally got my chance to publically explain what really happened to our Super Bowl Bid.

If you're wondering what I mean read this column penned by the Oakland Tribune's Monte Poole.

In Atlanta, not Jacksonville

Last week, I learned that my Mom has Breast Cancer, and was due to go into the hospital on Monday of this week. So last week, I decided to cancel my Super Bowl trip and come here to Fayetteville, GA, to be with my Mom and Stepfather, who has been battling Prostate Cancer.

My Mom's upset that I didn't attend what was to be my 4th Super Bowl, but I'll tell ya I feel a lot better being here than worrying.

Besides, the 2005 Super Bowl should be in Oakland, not Jacksonville.

Paris Hilton Mad Over Paris Hilton Tape - Snatches Copy From Video Store

This story is unfortunate. I don't blame her though. I hope the LA County Sherriff's Office has better things to do and drops the charges...read on:

January 22, 2005 (Associated Press)— Paris Hilton is being investigated for suspicion of petty theft, authorities said.

"There was an incident, and she is alleged to have taken something," sheriff's Deputy Steve Suzuki said without disclosing further details.

Calls to Hilton's publicist, Gina Hoffman, were not immediately returned.

On its Web site, the TV show "Celebrity Justice" posted a security video taken last month of Hilton as she bought several magazines at a newsstand and was given change. It goes on to show her grabbing her infamous sex video and walking off with it.

Gerry Castro, an employee at Swing News in West Hollywood, told "Celebrity Justice" that Hilton became enraged after spotting the sex video "One Night in Paris" on sale at the newsstand.

"She threw her 80 cents change at me and took the video and said, `I'm taking this and I'm not buying it,"' Castro told the show.

Castro declined to comment when contacted Friday by The Associated Press, but he told KABC-TV of Los Angeles that Hilton and her bodyguards attempted to rip up a poster and pull down a display advertising the video.

"Nobody steals on my shift," Castro said.

Paris' sister, Nicky, told KABC that Castro overreacted.

"She did something anyone would have done in this situation," Nicky Hilton said. "It's not a big deal. Whatever _ she doesn't care. I think this guy is trying to make it into a big deal, to get some publicity for his newsstand."

The sex tape surfaced in 2003 just before the start of Hilton's reality TV series "The Simple Life." She has said she was embarrassed and humiliated that the tape ever became public.

Deputies were expected to present the case next week to prosecutors, who will then decide whether to file any charges, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office.

The Sheriff's Department decided to announce details of the Dec. 15 incident after getting numerous phone calls from reporters, Suzuki said.