No regifting

First off, before we step into today's news story, it turns out that one of the stories we covered last week was a hoax. We'd feel bad about having touched on it, but, well, it's not like we've got a large staff that can double check things. So for those of you who were concerned about the poor unemployed non-smoking Germans, rest easy.

On to today's story, as we look towards California and a situation where, regretfully a child started experiencing mercury poisoning from their newest gift. And just what was this wonderful gift, that lead to the mercury poisoning?

Why, it's shiny, and came in a jar. It's the newest gift craze for children. It shares a name with a planet. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, step right up and buy new mercury for the little ones in your life!

Yes, you read that correctly. The boyfriend of the children's mother decided that the kids could use some mercury, and got them a jar of it. Sure, quicksilver may seem fun, but the brain damage that it can cause is bound to lower the enjoyment of the gift (well, unless you're the one with the brain damage). And it's not like children need to go around refilling thermometers or starting their own hat shops.

Of course, it all could have been worse. The kids could have been given a new "Tickle Me Britney". That would be guaranteed to cause brain damage.