You are now entering the Twilight Zone.

The Twilight Zone, also known as the Sudan, is a place where naming a teddy bear can get you killed.

Gilliam Gibbons, a 54-year-old British teacher in Khartoum, asked her class of 7-year-olds to name a teddy bear. They overwhelmingly voted for "Muhammad," the most popular boy's name in the Muslim world.

But while naming a kid after Islam's prophet is okay, using it for an animal or toy is a no-no. Authorities found out and threw Gilliam in prison. (No word on what happened to the offending teddy, though I fully expect it to show up on eBay.) Yesterday, Gilliam was found guilty of insulting Islam and sentenced to 15 days in jail. It could have been worse -- she could have gotten 40 lashes and 6 months in the slammer.

That wasn't punishment enough for thousands of protesters who took to the streets of Khartoum yesterday. Waving sticks, knives, axes and swords, they chanted:

Kill her, kill her by firing squad!  No tolerance, execution!

After she serves out her sentence, Gilliam will be deported to the U.K. Let's all hope she makes it out of the Twilight Zone alive and unharmed.

Sudanese call for teddy bear teacher's death [Daily News]

For many doctors, it's almost a knee-jerk reaction. Something inside is going kablooey? Get thee to a CT scan!

But as it turns out, the technology -- as fantastic a diagnostic tool as it may be -- comes with a price, especially for kids.

According to a new study, CT scans given now may cause as many as 2% of cancer cases in a few decades. The risk is especially high for kids, who are more susceptible to radiation and more likely to develop cancer from it.

About 62 million scans were done last year, up from 3 million in 1980. More than 4 million were in kids. It's estimated that a third of the scans done are unnecessary, meaning 20 million adults and more than 1 million kids are pointlessly being put at risk.

And many doctors, say the researchers, have no idea of the danger involved:

We were astonished to find, when we were researching materials for this paper, how many doctors, particularly emergency room physicians, really had no idea of the magnitude of the doses or the potential risks that were involved.

So think twice before you agree to the zapper. Demand an MRI instead (which so far haven't been found to be dangerous, unless there's something metal nearby). They may be loud and scary, but at least they don't use deadly X-ray vision.

Study: CT Scans Raise Cancer Risk [AP]

What the hell is this? Why it's Santa, of course. And that monstrosity around his waist? The world's first Santa-belt.

Never mind that Santa's cruise around the sleepy little British town of Halesowen reaches a top speed of 5 mph. Without the belt, the insurance for the one-day event would have been jacked up an additional $400.

The insurance company had this to say about the safety-first precaution:

This is as much about protecting Santa from other drivers as protecting him from the speed of his sleigh.

Santa doesn't need a seatbelt. Everyone knows that if you hit Santa's sleigh, you'll get coal in your stocking. Surely that's incentive enough.

Happily, U.S. Santas are still free to engage in life-threatening activities in the interest of entertaining our nation's children.

Health and safety killjoys force Santa to wear a seatbelt in his 5mph sleigh [Daily Mail]

Some people, it seems, have innate parenting skills. Not I. Woe to my 4-year-old if I were a stay-at-home mom. She may as well be raised by wolves.

So I'm a big fan of leaving the important parenting stuff to the experts, like my kid's daycare teachers, all of whom have masters degrees in early education. When I came across this article about tutors for toddlers, my first thought was cool -- more outsourcing opportunities!

Sadly for my first thought, but happily for my wallet, the rest of the article is devoted to talking parents like me down from the ledge. Allow me to summarize the wisdom culled from someone else's interviews of child-development experts:

• Brain-imaging data show that kids aren't ready to read until age 5 at the earliest.
• Identifying a flash card isn't reading, it's paired-associate learning. Sounds impressive, but "a pigeon can do it."
  
• Kids at academically intensive preschools are more anxious and less creative than regular nursery-school alums.
• The skills that matter going into kindergarten are really just the basics, such as knowing your alphabet and the order of numbers.

In other words, just stick some letters and numbers on the fridge and you're set. Man, I just love it when my slacker ways are endorsed by the parenting experts, don't you? 

Tutors for Toddlers [Time]

Unlike those snobs over at Daily Find, I never let good taste stand in my way. So let me present Twitch the Raccoon. He's the first in a line of roadkill stuffies designed by U.K.-based Compost Communications.

Twitch has got lots of fun features, including a body bag "to keep the maggots out," and an ID tag revealing he was "run over over by a milk float last Thursday, near the Hangar Lane Giratory system in London." A zip on each side of Twitch allows the owner to remove his guts and stuff them back in again. A tire print runs across its back.

Twitch will soon be joined by his friends Grind the Rabbit, Splodge the hedgehog and Pop the weasel. Causes of death could include being run over by kebab vans and golf carts. 

Adam Arber, the creative genius behind the toy carnage, says he was inspired by his mother-in-law's dog, who is "quite ugly."

Twitch is $50 and set to go on sale this weekend at Playlounge.

Admit it, you totally want one.

Toy Designer Produces Roadkill Dolls for Christmas Shoppers [AHN]

Chicago is a tough town. Just ask the baby Jesus of Daley Plaza.

Along with a blankie, he's swaddled with a black metal cable that goes around his little waist and is bolted to the manger floor, courtesy of the self-named God Squad that installs the scene.

Apparently, such drastic measures are needed because nativity scenes in and around the Windy City are hot spots for thefts and vandalism. Check this out:

• 2006:  32 plastic baby Jesus dolls were stolen from people's front yards then lined up along the fence of a South Side woman's lawn.
• 2004:  Baby Jesus of Daley Plaza kidnapped by a student at the Art Institute of Chicago, who wanted him for ... art ... I guess. That same year, another baby Jesus in a Chicago suburb was stolen and his manger burnt down.
• 1999:  The very same baby Jesus of Daley Plaza was stolen and stashed unceremoniously in a locker at Union Station.

Unnamed authorities (i.e. the reporter who wrote the story) say possible motives include religious animosity, economics (baby Jesuses (Jesi?) can cost thousands of dollars) and pranks and dares involving (gasp!) alcohol.

I vote for concerned moms whisking them off to someplace warm. I, for one, always felt a bit sorry for the baby Jesuses, with nothing but some hay to keep away the winter chill. At the very least, the God Squads could tuck the little guys into a Bundle Me.

In Daley Plaza, Jesus tucked in - tightly [Chicago Tribune]

Yay for Canadians. Thanks to our friendly northern neighbors, we have lots of funny white guys to make us laugh (except for Tom Green. Yucky.) And Club Penguin. And now, the alternafuel of the future: stinky diapers.

A company in Quebec called AMEC is building a factory to convert diapers into diesel through pyrolysis, or thermal cracking. Click here to read about this - ahem - fascinating process. 

Apparently, diapers are an ideal fuel source, unlike municipal waste, for example, which comes with

all sorts of nasty surprises you'd have to deal with.

Diapers, too, can come with nasty surprises. Just ask any mom who has used the dipstick test on her diapered kid.

But diapers have other redeeming features, according to an AMEC executive:

One of the beauties of the diaper is that it is going to be a very consistent input.

The beauty of the diaper. There's a phrase I never thought I'd see in print.

Company aims to turn stinky diapers into diesel fuel [canoe.ca]

New moms have a lot of growing up to do.  All the terrible things we say and do in the privacy of our own homes, cars and wherever else we think we aren't being seen or heard, now have an ever vigilant, ever interested witness. Fortunately, babies a) can't tattle on us and b) have no idea what's going on anyway.

Or so we thought.

A new study shows that babies as young as six months know the difference between naughty and nice, and prefer nice, at least in others.

In the study, infants watched as a googly-eyed toy either helped another googly-eyed toy over a hill, pushed it backward or did nothing. They then got to pick a toy to play with. Almost all picked the helpful toy over the other two, and the neutral toy over the naughty toy. When the experiment was repeated with non-googly-eyed toys, the babies didn't show a preference.

In other words, Baby. Knows. Everything. So, new moms -- better clean up your act pronto.  Or wear sunglasses.

Even babies judge their companions [MSNBC]
 

Sue Jones from Colorado got a job at City Market. A happy day for Sue.

But before she knew it, she got suspended. Yikes.

That's because when the background check came through, it showed that Sue was a hardened criminal with a prior felony for drug possession and a misdemeanor for gambling.

Her partners in crime: Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudrucker.

The background reporting firm, General Misinformation Systems, who sniffed out Sue's crimes, had this to say: Oh sh*t. Actually, it had nothing to say to the reporter on the phone.

As it turns out, the cases were phony test cases used as practice for people working in the court system. The cases list "test" in several spots and contain no social security number or other identifying information that would have tied them to the real Sue Jones.

Or, for that matter, the real Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudrucker.

Who the hell is Elmer Fudrucker, anyway? Those court people really need to get their drug dealing cartoon characters straight.

Woman falsely reported to have done drugs with Porky Pig [KKCO]

Who's your Daddy? Now you can settle any nagging paternity questions concerning your kids, yourself, even that boy in your local playgroup who looks nothing like his father -- all with a quick trip to your local Rite-Aid.

The chain (West Coast stores only) has started selling DNA tests for $19.99 plus lab fees of $119. It's the first drug chain in the country to offer DYI DNA tests.

Here's how it works. First, you get cheek swabs from the kid (easy) and the alleged dad (trickier). You mail them to a lab, and within 5 days of receipt, you've got the goods.

The test won't stand up in court because questions could be raised about whose samples were submitted.

Rather, it's supposed to provide "peace of mind."

Or the opposite, depending on the results ... and whose side you're on.

Rite Aid Stores in West Selling DNA Tests [New York Times]

Marital "therapist" (using the term loosely) Andrew G. Marshall suggests a novel approach to building a stronger bond with your mate -- cheating.

He offers a few lame anecdotes to support his thesis.

In addition to cheating, Andrew has some other "first aid" tips for keeping your marriage strong. Let's review:

Have an affair with your partner. Psychologists at British Columbia and Virginia universities discovered that we treat strangers better than our partners.

        -- Hey, I have a better idea. Make your relationship purely professional!  Leave $100 on the nightstand every time you have sex.

Find an all-consuming joint project: renovate a house or start a business.

       -- You'll be so busy fighting, you won't have time for a divorce!

Why not undertake a challenge together, such as rock climbing or parachuting from a plane?

       -- Because maybe your spouse will have a fatal "accident" and you'll finally be free. Make sure you take out a life insurance policy beforehand!

But if none of the above work their marital magic, go have that affair. And when you get caught, simply say, "But I did it for us, honey!" and hand your spouse a copy of Andrew's article.  That should do the trick.

An odd turn of affairs [The Times, via Babble]

Chinese-made products  got you nervous?  Why not boycott, or at least try to steer clear of stuff made in China?

That's what one mom-reporter tried to do recently, to keep her family out of harm's way and do her small part to rescue U.S. manufacturers from cheap Chinese imports.

It was a noble experiment. But she failed. Everything, it seems, is made in China these days, including socks, bed sheets, dice, cameras, Webkinz and even American Girl dolls (Sooooo ironic, people!).

In fact, 90% of toys sold stateside are made in China.

Aside from the oddity of an uber-capitalist country (ours) being so economically dependent on a communist country (China), this story suggests that despite all the recalls and calls for reform, it will be business as usual before we know it. Because kids gotta have toys and we all need socks.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose.

One mom's fruitless quest to boycott China [MSNBC]

I now know who to blame for the error of all my ways.

No, not my parents (though they get to share in it). It was Bert and Ernie.

Because as it turns out, "Sesame Street" -- back in the early days, when I was a subject of their evil experiments -- was totally inappropriate viewing fare for preschoolers.

According to a warning on the DVDs for Volumes 1 and 2, "Sesame Street: Old School" is adults-only:

These early 'Sesame Street' episodes are intended for grown-ups, and may not suit the needs of today's preschool child

Why? According to executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente, for one thing, there was a repeated vignette where Cookie Monster would gobble a pipe.

That modeled the wrong behavior -- smoking, eating pipes

I've always wondered why whenever I see a pipe, I have an odd urge to eat it. Now I know.

The Cookie Monster has other issues. He's obviously got some kind of eating disorder. Oscar the Grouch needed a major time out -- like for the rest of the season. Big Bird doesn't even have a real name. The Count has serious OCD. 

But Bert and Ernie being gay? That's actually quite progressive for the 1970s.

Sweeping the clouds away [New York Times]

Have you ever thought about how fantastically retro school buses are in their safety features?

Most school buses pack the kids in like eggs in an egg carton, with low-slung seat backs and no belts, so if the bus gets in an accident, kids go flying about like human missiles, not to mention the book-and-laptop laden back packs, sports equipment and other detritus they bring on board.

Now the Bush administration is proposing that seat backs on all school buses be raised and that the shorter buses -- which are more prone to rollovers -- include seat belts. Longer buses will still be allowed to carry their precious cargo unbelted.

It seems like an odd disconnect in our ultra safety-first society, where kids in passenger cars have to be booster-seated and belted 17 different ways until they are practically old enough to drive themselves. But consider this: School buses are the safest form of driving:

On average, fewer than eight passengers die in school bus crashes every year even though 474,000 school buses carry 25.1 million children more than 4.8 billion miles annually.

Who'd a thunk it? Especially since, in my experience, bus drivers spend most of their time giving kids the evil eye via the rear view mirror. But I guess that's just the one eye. That still leaves one to watch the road.

Seat belts for all school buses, or just some? [MSNBC]

More work out of the house means less work in the house.

For every $7,500 in annual income a married woman earned, she does one hour less of housework each week, according to a new study.

It doesn't matter how much the husband earns. Nor does it matter how much the woman makes compared to her husband. The study's author says this suggests:

women are using their own money to reduce their domestic workloads such as ordering take-out food instead of cooking and hiring cleaners instead of doing it themselves.

Which, in turn, suggests that housework is still the woman's responsibility.

Which, for some unknown reason, reminds me of the old 1970s commercial for Enjoli perfume.

I can bring home the bacon
Fry it up in a pan
And never never never let you forget you're a man
'Cause I'm a WOOOOOOMAN!

Even when I was ten years old (when the commercial first aired), I was like, who wants to be a woman like that?

Click on the video at your own risk. Because that stupid song will get stuck in your head for the rest of the day, like it now is in mine.

As if pregnancy isn't bad enough for your figure, it turns out that by keeping you up all night, your baby is keeping you fat.

Moms who slept 5 hours or less a day when babies were 6 months old are three times more likely to have kept on weight --  at least 11 pounds by their kid's first birthday -- than moms who slept 7 hours per day, according to a new study.

The findings correlate with other studies showing that generally, the road to pudge is paved with sleepless nights, even for kids.

The study's lead author Erica Gunderson, said:

This study shows that getting enough sleep -- even just two hours more -- may be as important as a healthy diet and exercise for new mothers to return to their pre-pregnancy weight.

So next time your baby starts caterwauling at 3 a.m., simply tell him that such antics just won't do. For so many reasons (now plus one), you need your beauty rest. Baby will understand. Babies are cool like that.

Sleep-deprived moms prone to gain weight [UPI]

I love studies debunking other studies. It's the contrarian in me. So when I came across this article in the Washington Post, I just had to share.

It's almost a truism that kids who are the first among their peers to have sex are more likely to end up delinquents. Plenty of studies have "verified" this. The idea is so entrenched, it's even part of the curriculum of the federally funded "abstinence only" programs.

But a new study looking at twins -- which controls for other influences, like upbringing and genetics -- suggests that the opposite is true. Kids who lose their virginity in their early-teen or even preteen years, if anything, are less likely to become delinquents, the study found. Because they are ... um ... too busy having sex.

So remember these findings should you happen to end up with a hot-to-trot preteen on your hands. Cold comfort, to be sure. But it's something.

Study Debunks Theory On Teen Sex, Delinquency [Washington Post]

An elementary school in the U.K. has banned the traditional mass swapping of Christmas cards.

Instead, students will be allowed to make one card each for someone in their class so everyone gets a homemade card.

The head of the school, Nicholas Daniel, says the reasons for not having cards are "endless."

Cards in school cause litter problems and can become a popularity contest about who gets the most, with the risk some children could be left out.

A neighboring elementary school also asked students to forgo the annual card swap as part of its bid for an award called the Eco School Gold Award-Green Flag.

The head teacher requested that parents donate 1 pound (instead of cards) for Oxfam which will be used to to purchase a goat or mosquito net for a family in Africa.

Parents expressed outrage, of course. But the tree-hugger in me doesn't think banning cards in school is so terrible. With 1.9 billion "season's greetings" cards sent each year just in the U.S., it does seem like an insanely wasteful tradition.

In fact, I think we should get rid of all holiday card swapping, or at least card swapping at its most extreme level of meaninglessness. I'm talking the card swap with the person with whom you haven't had any other contact since college. Who got married, had kids, got divorced, had a sex change and moved across the country without you ever having even known, except for the change of address and name.

Or the business card swap -- you know, the card with the generic winter scene, throwaway "peace on earth" sentiment and a stamped corporate logo. Which you know the sender didn't even send out himself, but had his secretary do it. Why even bother? If it doesn't have money or at the very least a fruit basket or some chocolates attached, who really wants to get these things?

Anyway, that reminds me. I'd better get my Shutterfly order in before the holiday rush.

School bans Christmas cards [Ananova]

They just don't make Santa like they used to. First, U.K. Santas have swapped their milk and cookies for carrot sticks and celery. Now, Santas in Sydney, Australia, have been told to stop saying "ho ho ho."

The Santa recruitment firm responsible for the new policy says "ho ho ho" could offend moms because it sounds too much like "ho."

They also said the greeting could scare kids.

Sydney Santas are supposed to say "ha ha ha" instead.

I say it's about time. The jolly fat man has been getting away with his sexist laugh and slovenly ways for far too long. Other issues I have with Santa:

• The rampant commercialism of asking kids what they want for Christmas.
• The business of sitting on Santa's lap seems to me like a perfect opportunity for pedophiles to dress up in a red suit and get a cheap thrill.
• The whole situation with the elves making the toys in exile at the North Pole seems suspiciously like slave labor to me.

But I think I've figured out who Santa really is. Look closely at his name. Now move the "n" three spaces to the right...

Yup, Santa is bad news.

Santas warned "ho ho ho" offensive to women [Yahoo! News]

There are plenty of reasons to get your kids to bed on time, but here's one more:  More sleep may lower their risk of getting fat.

Researchers have found that every extra hour per night a third-grader spends sleeping reduces the chance of being obese in sixth grade by 40 percent.The less sleep they got, the more likely kids were fat in sixth grade, no matter what their weight was in third grade.

On average, third graders get nine hours, 45 minutes of sleep. Sleeping more than that lowered the risk dramatically. 

No one knows exactly what's going on, but experts speculate that sleep-deprived kids are more tired -- and spend more time vegetating on the couch eating cookies. Of course, they also have more opportunity to eat, since they are awake longer. And, at least in adults, sleep deprivation produces more ghrelin, a hormone that promotes hunger, and less leptin, a hormone that signals fullness.

By the way, the more sleep/less fat connection is true for grown-ups as well. 

Forget Atkins, I'm going back to bed.

Lack of shut-eye leads to fatter kids, study says [MSNBC]

My award for alarmist headline of the week based on crap science goes to:

Higher death rate for babies born just a bit early

Here's what the study found:  Babies born at 34 to 36 weeks (vs. the full-term 37 weeks) are six times more likely to die in their first week of life and three times more likely to die before their first birthday.

Maybe that's true, but the real question is why? Because they come into the world early or because they are already in trouble in utero and are born (or delivered by C-section) early as a result?

Say, for instance, your doctor would like to perform an elective C-section of your perfectly healthy baby a week before you are due because he has a  golf vacation planned. You're inclined to say OK because you're a big sweaty whale and all the fun has gone out of being pregnant. Are you putting your baby at risk if you agree?

Maddeningly, the study doesn't answer that question. Still, its author, Joann Petrini, feels free to advise doctors (and pregnant women) to avoid inducing labor or a C-section delivery before the baby is fully cooked, because "even a few weeks can make a difference."

Hey Joann? Time to brush up on basic causal analysis.

A substitute teacher in Houston named Sister Jessica devised her own lesson plan for a class of fifth graders. It went something like this:

Science: Sugar is really cocaine. McDonald's should be called "Crack Donald's" and Burger King should be called "Murder King," because the hormones in the food will kill you.

Social studies: Calling women "Miss" is bad, because it's short for "mistress," which is akin to calling someone a prostitute. "Mister" means "slave master."

Health: Toothpaste has rat poison in it. Better to just let your teeth rot and fall out. Hair permanents and makeup give you cancer.

Surprisingly, even after she was outed, Sister Jessica is still at MacGregor Elementary School, "teaching" away. She promised that from now on, she'd stick with the official curriculum. 

There must be a real shortage of subs at MacGregor Elementary.

Substitute teacher's lessons enrage parents [Click2Houston.com]

A U.K. mum who wanted to give her son an extra-memorable 16th birthday surprise booked a special performer for his big day.

She planned carefully, stipulating that the surprise take place in the boy's drama class, and even asked the teacher to film it so the family could see the boy's reaction.

But - thanks to a supposed booking error - a female stripper turned up in place of the gorilla-suited man the unnamed mother had requested.

The stripper, who arrived halfway through class dressed as a policewoman, first walked the birthday boy around the classroom on all fours.

Then, gyrating to the sounds of Britney Spears, she spanked him before stripping down to her bra and thong and insisting the "naughty" schoolboy rub cream all over her body.

At that point, the teacher  -  who had not been told what the surprise would entail  -  called an immediate end to the show. As one student recounted:

To be fair to the teacher, you could tell she was just stunned  -  and when the cream came out she told the stripper: 'That's it. That's enough.'

Mom?  Next time, just get him an iPhone.

Mother sent stripper to schoolboy's classroom as birthday treat [Daily Mail]

Don't you love studies that vindicate your vices? Here's one for you: a new Spanish study finding that two glasses of wine a day is good for your heart.

Red is better than white at boosting heart-healthy "good" cholesterol. Of the reds, pinot noir is the best of all. Well, maybe just the tastiest.

Here's the bad news: two glasses = a paltry 6.8 ounces. Anything more than that and you're starting to tip the scales in the unhealthy direction.

Another study found that sunlight -- replete with Vitamin D -- can help slow the aging process.

A votre sante -- and that San Tropez tan!

A little wine, sunlight, help boost women's health [Yahoo! News]

Nigeria's Yoruba community in the southwestern part of the country is twin central. Almost 5 percent of births are a twinset, compared with just 1.2 percent in Europe and 0.8 percent in Japan.

Some say the phenom is due to genetics (twins run in families); other say it's the yams. Yams contain a natural hormone phytoestrogen which may stimulate the ovaries to produce an egg from each side.

The Yoruba eat alotta lotta lotta yams. I love yams. But I had just the one kid. If I had known, I might have eaten more yams. Twins are so cute.

Can you just picture the cuteness of Yoruba-land, overrun with twins?

Are you a mom to twins? Do you eat a lot of yams?

Nigeria's 'land of twins' baffles fertility experts [Yahoo! News]

Behold the Unazukin, a little Japanese doll that answers all your questions (as long as they are limited to yes, double yes, no and double no) and are soooooo much cuter than a Magic 8 Ball. Her story:

Unazukin is a small fairy .Usually she is under the big Mushroom in a woods.

She also lives on this website, where she is for sale for $8.95. A small price to pay for the answers to all your questions.

Just remember. The unazukin has some secrets of her own. Better to not go there ...

Everything gives you cancer...or lead poisoning or food poisoning or strangles you in your sleep.  What to do? You could move to Montana and live off the grid. Or you could stay put, avoiding toys made in China (that would be 4 out of 5 toys), toothpaste, mouthwash, bottled water, ground beef, peanut butter, chicken, baby cereal, apple juice, pasta, and whatever else is going to be the subject of the next recall.

Consumer Reports has compiled a handy list of "the most alarming food and product recalls to date in 2007." Read at your own risk. Because you may never buy a toy, product, or food or beverage ever again.

Hey, did you know there's actually a government agency charged with the job of keeping us safe? That would be the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Before you blame them for the incredibly crappy job they are doing, remember this: They have no money and no power. But there's a movement afloat to give the CPSC some bite to its bark. On Oct. 30, the Senate Commerce Committee approved the CPSC Reform Act, which would make it illegal to sell a recalled product and impose fines of between $1.83 million and $100 million on those who do so.

Here's what you can do: e-mail your Congressional reps urging them to vote for the bill. Consumer Reports makes it super easy for you with this website. (I just did it, and it really is a breeze.) If you don't feel like doing it for yourself, do it for your kids.

Not In My Cart [Consumer Reports]

GHB, the drug of choice for losers who can't get a date unless the date's unconscious, has shown up in the most unlikely of places -- Australia's Toy of the Year.

Bindeez beads, sold in the U.S. as Aqua Dots and Aqua Beads, are colored beads that kids form into mosaics, then sprinkle with water; the beads then stick together within  10 minutes to form durable artworks.

They're tiny and if you're a toddler, probably look kinda tasty. But popping them in your mouth like candy is highly unrecommended. Because, as it turns out, the Chinese manufacturer made the beads with a special secret super-illegal ingredient -- an obscure industrial chemical used to prevent water-soluble glue from becoming sticky before its official time to get sticky. When ingested, the chemical breaks down to become GHB -- the date rape drug.

After two kids ended up hospitalized with seizures and comas traced to excessive intake of Bindeez beads, on Tuesday, the Australian manufacturer recalled the toy there.

The next day, Spin Master, the company that markets Aqua Dots, then asked retailers across North America to remove the product from their shelves, "out of an abundance of caution." But later that day, the Consumer Product Safety Commission ordered a recall, saying that two kids had fallen seriously ill in the last several days after eating Aqua Dots.

Hello Spin Master? It's time to fire your spin master.

Get rid of the dots! Bad dots!

Sleuthing for a Danger in Toy Beads [NY Times]