A weekly roundup of news in parentville, including the good, the bad, and the utterly trivial.

Stop them before they rule again. In April, five old men in black robes ruled that the nation's women should breed or die trying. The Supremes upheld a federal abortion ban, even when the woman's health is in serious danger. Yesterday, the same five old men reversed course on the half-century old ruling that segregated education is inherently unequal. Slate has a blog reaction roundup for those of you who want a more thoughtful analysis than you'll get from this blogger, whose days of reading 185-page decisions began and ended in her first year of law school.

But you've come to the right place if you want to read about the upcoming ducky invasion of the U.K.

The armada of 29,000 plastic yellow ducks, blue turtles and green frogs broke free from a cargo ship 15 years ago. Since then they have traveled 17,000 miles, floating over the site where the Titanic sank, landing in Hawaii and even spending years frozen in an Arctic ice pack.

And now they are heading straight for Britain. D-day (for duckie, of course) will happen at some point this summer, when they are expected to be spotted on beaches in South-West England. Now that's a well-made toy.

A live ostrich is apparently a lot more delicate than a plastic ducky. A German farmer claimed that fireworks set off by three boys made his previously lustful ostrich, Gustav, apathetic and depressed, and thus unable to perform his ostrichly duties. So  if you plan to celebrate our nation's birthday with loud explosive materials this Wednesday, it's probably best to steer clear of your local ostrich farm.

More animal-unfriendly behavior, this  time in bucolic Chelsea, Vermont. A woman was charged with cruelty to a police animal for staring at and making faces at a police dog. State Attorney Will Porter dropped the charges shortly after they were filed, saying that he thought

it was going to be difficult to prove her conduct changed the dog's behavior. Most of the time (in harassment cases) people would come tell the court what it felt like. Dogs can't do that.

Smart thinking, especially for a prosecutor.

Attention, all you healthy types! Throw out the Veggie Booty (AKA baby crack). Not because it tastes like old ground up socks, but because it's been linked to 51 cases of salmonella poisoning.

Speaking of crack, a new study suggests that it's a good idea to lay off the white lines while you're pregnant. Doing coke in utero may have lasting effects on a kid's ability to pay attention during the early school years.

One last piece of advice, since I really really like you. Did you know that the 4th of July ranks as the nation's most dangerous holiday? Even minus the Veggie Booty and blow, it's an especially treacherous holiday for kids, who are three times more likely to get injured by fireworks than the general population. So drive safely and keep little fingers (and big drunk fingers) away from the explosives.