Regarding ADD and difficulties with attention spans: another problem with the typical public educational system method of presenting information, is that it is begun from an abstract level, with very little contact with the concrete things from which the higher-level concepts were derived. Since a neophyte in the world hasn't yet developed their mental database, this means that they mostly have to imagine what a teacher is talking about in order to "get it", in order to remember it, in order to disgorge it back on command. Besides this, the information is not presented in a context where the significance of it (a math problem, for instance) is apparent to the student, i.e. why are we studying this, why should I strain myself over this? Very little of the activity involved in the understanding of things is done with due respect to the student's choice in the matter, to whether they have developed any personal interest in the subject, so this then is another element eliminated from the learning environment - respect, along with reality. It is no wonder that some children would fail to respond to the attempts to "educate" them, or that they would fail to display the desired level of interest, or else that they respond with equal disrespect and inattention. This could explain ADD/ADHD to some extent, and it probably would yield important insights for someone to examine their own true motivations when they have problems concentrating or paying attention. And there certainly seems to be a significant number of cpunks who claim to have this 'syndrome'. .. Blanc