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The skinny

By Times Wires
Published September 29, 2007

Icrime

Are iPods the reason crime is on the rise?

New statistics released by the FBI this week show an increase in violent crime in 2005 and 2006. What caused the surge? If you believe an analysis by researchers at the Urban Institute, it's those ridiculously cool iPods. They say crooks just love 'em! The evidence is largely anecdotal - which is a nice way of saying "unprovable" - but they point to the fact that robbery arrests among juveniles were up by 11 percent in 2005 and 21 percent in 2006, while the numbers were 1 percent and 5 percent among adults. More telling numbers come from the subways in major metro areas. For instance, felonies on New York subways were up 18 percent in 2005, but if iPod and cell phones are excluded, there was actually a 3 percent drop. And in Washington, D.C., iPod robberies on the Metro account for 4 percent of all the robberies in the city.

Hey!

Don't be too patient a patient

If you've ever been in a CT scanner, you know that every minute in that machine can seem like an eternity. So it is really uncool when the staff forgets you're there ... and goes home. That happened to Elvira Tellez, 67, of Tucson, Ariz., on Sept. 19. She went in for her 4 p.m. appointment and was placed in the machine under a blanket in the dark room and told to avoid moving during the 25-minute procedure. After who knows how long, she started yelling for help, but none came. Then she managed to free herself and found she was locked in. She called 911, and they got someone from the office to let her out. By then, it was after 9 p.m. A physician at the practice told the Arizona Daily Star that it isn't the first time it has happened.

Save the rabbits

Bunny dump bugs animal officials

Someone is dumping rabbits all over Long Island, N.Y. Animal control experts say they are finding domesticated bunnies along roads, in parks and near schools with increasing regularity. Witnesses even report seeing a man dropping off a box of 20 at a train station this month. "It sounds like someone is raising rabbits and trying to get out of the business," said Gerry McBride of the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. This isn't the way to get out of the business, officials assure, because the rabbits can't fend for themselves in the wild. An animal rescue group is offering a $5,000 reward to identify who is responsible.

Health watch

Healthy lunch box, except for the lead

An initiative of the California Department of Public Health to get people to eat more fruits and vegetables included the distribution of 56,000 nifty lunch boxes. They were given away at health fairs and other events. One problem: The boxes were made in China. Which, of course, means some were found to have elevated levels of lead. "Certainly it's unfortunate that an item we're using to promote healthy behavior is then discovered to be a potential health hazard," said the department's director, Mark Horton. The department is now testing all of its health promotion items.

Compiled from Times wire services and other sources by staff writer Jim Webster, who can be reached at jwebster@sptimes.com.

[Last modified September 29, 2007, 00:32:34]