• If you think this is a good idea, you officially have too much money.

I certainly have my own terrible parenting moments, but I think I had generally enough sense to curb my impulse to add small, highly choke-able rhinestones to items that go near my (then) infant's mouth:

The "bling" accessories pose a serious risk to babies and children and were found for sale across the county, a spokesman said.

The county council has warned parents not to buy the items, which have failed all safety tests.

Investigations into the source of the products are continuing.

The dummies and baby bottles were found to be genuine brands with hand-glued gems, beads and magnets added to them.

Beads had also been threaded on to dummy clips, all of which could result in choking, inhalation or ingestion, the county council added.

If you're interested in raising chickens, the Community Food Bank is offering two events this month to help you out.

At Manzo Elementary by guest author Patricia Foreman (author of Chicken Tractor, City Chicks) all workshops are free and open to the public, her latest book "City Chicks" will be available for sale.

Tues, Dec 13, 9:00-10:00 and 10:00-11:00am, two basic chicken care and "chicken whispering" workshops. A student group would be present for each, and both will be also open to the public.

Tues, Dec 13th 5:30-7:00pm Chicken care and how to integrate chickens into other home food production and sustainable living practices.

Manzo Elementary is located at 855 North Melrose Avenue.

For more information: Leona 882-3295, [email protected]

Ladies and gentlemen, the recently elected mayor of Troy, Michigan, Janice L. Daniels! Advice for elected leaders, you might want to just start a new Facebook page when you run for office, especially if you're a hateful bigot.

[MLive]

Remarking that he's "at peace with [his] god" and that his wife is "at peace" with him, Herman Cain's dropping out of the presidential race, embarking on what he calls "plan B", which I assume means a show on Fox News or something. It was fun while it lasted, Herman, but I think you might be over-estimating how much people will care about you when you're not running for the nation's highest office. He does have a new website he's launching (that doesn't appear to be live), for what it's worth.

Another edition of the Arizona Illustrated Political Roundtable, as Rodd McLeod and Daniel Scarpinato debate the merits of ALEC, Arizona's ongoing redistricting battles, Sen. Jon Kyl's torpedoing of the Super Committee and more!

Much better.

Previously: The "Women for Herman Cain" Website Needs an Editor

[I Am Not Amused]

Four songs for your weekend enjoyment selected with care by our music writers, this time featuring Van Morrison, Chinese Man, Saviours, and Dr. Dog.

Mr. Smith is now available to the masses via your friend and mine - Facebook.

So look for me there, where I will link to stories about studies about medical marijuana and ridiculous outpourings of inane imbeciles.

It's more fun than FarmVille and more interesting than that guy you don't really remember from high school.

• Look for Mr. Smith on Facebook.

Tonight on the Arizona Illustrated Political Roundtable: A lively conversation about Gov. Brewer's plan to take away job protections for state workers, the latest on redistricting, Mayor Bob Walkup's legacy and more! Tune in at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 6 to see Democratic strategist Rodd McLeod and former Arizona House of Representatives GOP caucus spokesman Daniel Scarpinato talk about this issues with Arizona Public Media political reporter Andrea Kelly and Roundtable host Jim Nintzel.

I didn't notice any wizards or swords in this video, but the song by Hey Geronimo (a band I hadn't heard of until just now, but seem worth checking out further) is a lot better and while this concept might end up feeling incredibly dated in six months, it's still a fun way to spend three minutes.