Ricin is an extremely deadly poison derived from the Castor bean. It's so potent that a grain-of-salt-sized particle is lethal to humans if it is ingested, injected, or inhaled. You may have heard about a recent incident in which a vial of the stuff was found in a Las Vegas motel. The man who allegedly produced the poison had been lying comatose in a San Diego hospital for about a month (from, get this, ricin exposure--who saw that coming!?!?!?) . When the man awoke yesterday, he reportedly told authorities that the ricin was for "personal use."

Personal use? What kind of personal use is there for deadly poison? Killing persons that you personally dislike? According to the man's brother, he was going to use it for self defense. Oh, I see. That makes sense, you're getting mugged, and while giving the assailant your wallet, you strike up a conversation and casually offer him a poison apple. Two weeks later, when he's overcome by multisystem organ failure, you go to the hospital, pretend to be his next-of-kin, and, assuming he had it with him when he checked in, you recover your stuff. Or maybe you're about to get carjacked, and, while giving up your car, you discretely connect the thief with the ricin-laced intravenous saline bag that you keep under your seat. When he parks at the local rest stop because of the inevitable diarrhea attack, you steal back your car and leave him to die a tortuous death on the public can. It's frickin brilliant!

I can see the headline now: "Real-life Batman Fights Crime with Baked Goods and a Pinch of Unbelievable Stupidity."