Now people, this has just gone too far:

On the other hand, maybe at least one person has an excuse for only knowing four-letter words:

Barbara Millicent Rogers comes in for a lot of flack in the blogosphere, some of it deserved, and some strictly appearance-based and you know how we feel about catty remarks based on someone’s appearance around these parts. Long, indeed, has it been my own hope that she, like Nancy Drew, might some day stop tooling around in that dopey convertible and accessorizing compulsively and get a real job.

That day, my friends, has arrived. Behold the Angela Merkel Barbie:

As part of a series to celebrate the toy’s 50th birthday, manufacturer Mattel has brought out a version modelled on the German chancellor. The doll wears the politician’s tailored trouser suit and her trademark blonde bob, but the resemblance ends there: its tiny waistline is more Heidi Klum than Angela Merkel and its smiling face is free of the worry lines produced when you are trying to fight economic crisis in Europe’s largest economy.

A spokeswoman for Mattel said that like Barbie, Merkel embodied the dreams of many girls who want to get on in the world. “She’s simply a good role model for girls around the world,” she said.

Alas, like the original, the Barbie Angela Merkel is one-of-a-kind and not for sale. No word on how well she plays with others, but the signs are good:

Now that the site is back from oblivion, we want to see what we missed around the parentoblogosphere. So here it is:

Filthy! (WorkItMom)

Social Media Mommies (WhiteTrashMom)

TeenyManolo on Twitter (Twitter) If you’re on Twitter, follow us and we’ll follow you back!

TeenyManolo on Facebook (Facebook)

Jordan brings the sexy…to ToysRUs? (GlamBabyBumps)

Wordle who dares! (TheBloggess)

Corset-knitting and closure issues (FluidPudding)

The Murse diaper bag (LAStylistMom)

Longtime BoingBoing readers (and we know you’re out there, rocking the monitor tan and Threadless t-shirt look when you think nobody is looking)  will be familiar with the concept of the Unicorn Chaser, a cloyingly adorable picture of a unicorn, often posted after something so horrible that readers have cried out in anguish at the sheer psychic pain of realizing such things could be.

This is something so horrible that readers have cried out in anguish at the sheer psychic pain of realizing such things could be.

This is a unicorn chaser.

And this is a unicorn chaser you can apply any time, any where, to any site on the web: Cornify instantly adds unicorns, rainbows, and/or glitter to the revolting website of your choice. Add the code to your own blog, put the button in your browser bar, or just click below to lay one on ol’ TeenyManolo.

Cornify. It makes the bleak tundra of the rest of your sentence on this obscure, doomed planet just a little bit more bearable.

In a state of media blackout on both sides, we have only visual clues to decipher the horrible events of yesterday at Timmy’s house.

First, the stomach-churning trails of blood…

Then this, a sketch of the suspect provided by Timmy’s big sister Ellen, who was hiding in the shed with her boyfriend at the time of the attacks.

It’s a tough quandary: what to give to celebrate the birth of a newly-hatched nerd or nerdlette? Nothing old-fashioned like a ball or a stuffed animal that actually looks like, you know, an animal, obviously. Their parents wouldn’t know how to use it. Nothing cutting-edge either, because you mere civilian could never be expected to know about the pure unadulterated and Wil Wheaton-endorsed awesomesauce that is whatever is the latest thing on Gizmodo.

So you try to play it safe. You split the difference. You go down the middle of the road, where you find nothing but yellow lines and roadkill. But it doesn’t have to be this way. You can gift with dignity. You can gift with style. You can, in fact, even gift with 100% nerd-approved awesomesauce (on the side, please, it’s very fattening).

But there is only one way to produce a nerdgift that does all of these things at once.

That’s right: knitting.

kniitting pattern here

Combining the edgy “ballhands” look of the nerdbiquitous Wii with woolly winter warmth, these adorable little knobs are the perfect ending to any tiny arm. I mean, come on, we all know nerds don’t hold hands.

The world has celebrity fatigue. No-one put it better than our own Glinda yesterday, and, with their Redbull metabolisms, 24/7 schedules, and short professional life expectancies, perhaps no group of people feels it more keenly than celebrity bloggers.

Such as myself.

While it’s easy for us to feel that our burnout is limited to those in our rarefied industry, occasionally we do see signs that our entertainer ennui is shared by people outside our exclusive demographic. Occasionally, in fact, we see something like this:

Win:

Lose: