burglary and ADHD

Today I got to talking to a neighbor who told me all about who's had their houses broken into around here or had cars stolen. She lives nearer one of the bigger streets around here, but I got to wondering what all actually happens in this neighborhood, and what I learned will shock you. (Not much probably, but after Sunday's culture of fear post, I felt obligated.)

Stores attract crime! At least all the high-crime blocks on this map of Tucson (pdf) coincide with places that have stores. The more stores, the more crime. Therefore, the mall will kill you.

In other news, 9% of kids these days have ADHD, and here is the quote of the day:

The discovery that ADHD is more common among poorer people is probably related to other risk factors for the disorder, such as use of tobacco, low birth weight and lead exposure, Shaw said.

And instead of getting the crap out of the kids, or the crap away from the kids and their moms, here's what our psychiatrists are thinking:

Shaw noted that those children most at risk receive the worst care. "It is clear once again that it is the poorest of our community who are deprived of the benefits of the most effective treatment -- psychopharmacology for this condition," he said.

Actually, I suppose the psychiatrists are correct that drugs are the only answer. Cleaning up pollutants in poor neighborhoods isn't a huge priority, and trying to get people to quit smoking is probably easier than getting them to give up soda pop and Froot Loops, which I'm quite confident are not helping the problem.

And last but not least, some guy in Rhode Island ransomed his mother's cat.