What Caught My Eye Today

China - It hasn't been a good week for the Chinese.

Toymaker, Mattel, recalled 9 million Chinese-made toys because of dangers to children from lead paint or tiny magnets that could be swallowed. The new recall includes about 9.3 million play sets that contain small, powerful magnets and 253,000 die cast cars that contain lead paint. The recall was the latest blow to the toy industry, which has had a string of recalled products from China. With about 80 percent of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are worried shoppers will shy away from their products. It was also the second recall involving lead paint for Mattel in two weeks. Earlier this month, consumers were warned about 1.5 million Chinese-made Fisher-Price toys that contain lead paint.

And in other news (see if this reminds you of any recent news here in the U.S.)...

The collapse of a bridge under construction that left at least 29 people dead in a Chinese tourist town rekindled concerns about rushed, shoddy building amid the country's economic expansion. Rescuers managed to save 86 people, including 22 who were injured, many from the 123 workers on the site at the time of the collapse. The collapse was likely to fuel already deep public concerns about the quality of construction in a country undergoing breakneck economic development and where corruption among contractors and officials is common. The state-run China Daily, in a report Tuesday, said that the Ministry of Communications last year deemed 6,300 bridges as dangerous because of serious damage to their "structural components." Police detained two officials from the builder, the state-owned Hunan Road and Bridge Construction Co. Premier Wen Jiabao called for a thorough investigation into the collapse, saying those responsible would be "severely dealt with." I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to be in these guys' shoes. Not if the government deals with these folks the same way it did for those responsible for the food tainting scandal a couple of months ago.

Hawaii - Hurricane Flossie was downgraded to a Category 2 hurricane but stayed on course to brush the Big Island, where schools were closed and residents were urged to stock up on food and water. As if the storm wasn't enough, an 5.3 magnitude earthquake jolted the Big Island of Hawaii during the night. It was expected to pass less than 100 miles from the islands, lashing the shores with strong wind and up to 10 inches of rain, meteorologists said. The Big Island is largely rural, with about 150,000 people, and most live in the west or northeast, not the southern portion expected to be hit hardest by the hurricane. Other islands are expected to get much less of the storm's wind and rain. I'm not saying that getting stuck in a hurricane would ever be a pleasant experience, but we are talking about Hawaii. There are worse places to be stuck...like say, the Superdome.

North Korea - Compared to what's going on in Southeast Asia, that deal in Hawaii is nothing. North Korea is seeking foreign help after massive flooding left hundreds dead or missing and swept away many buildings. North Korea's official news agency said in a report that floodwaters caused "tens of thousands of hectares of farmland (to be) inundated, buried under silt and washed away." The report went on to say at least 800 public buildings and more than 540 bridges had been washed away, while sections of railroad had been destroyed and thousands of homes ruined. The flooding has hit most of the southern half of North Korea and includes the capital and some of its most productive agricultural regions. More rain is forecast for those areas over the next few days. Years of mismanagement of the farming sector mean the country does not produce enough food to feed its nearly 23 million people. Famine in the mid-to-late-1990s might have killed up to 10 percent of the population. Here's a question for Kim Il Jong. How are those nukes helping your people now?

Auto Industry - U.S. car buyers appear to be more satisfied with their purchases than ever, despite some quality stumbles by Asian brands, according to the University of Michigan's American Customer Satisfaction Index. The survey noted that Japanese and Korean automakers saw their largest single-year drop in customer satisfaction since 1996. The Toyota brand, in particular, dropped 3 points to 84, which the survey blamed on increasing vehicle recalls and poor customer service. U.S. automakers are narrowing the gap with their Asian rivals but they're still behind.

Here are the top 10 (score out of a possible 100):
1. Lexus (Toyota) - 87
2. Cadillac (GM) - 86
3. Lincoln/Mercury (Ford) - 86
4. Buick (GM) - 86
5. BMW - 86
6. Honda - 84
7. Toyota - 84
8. Hyundai - 83
9. Mercedes Benz - 83
10. Chevrolet (GM) - 82

Rankings aside (props to Detroit for getting its act together), this ACSI web site is pretty cool.

Football - I want to preface this by offering my apologies for focusing on the one or two morons in the NFL who are giving the rest of the league a bad name. I can only surmise that bad news makes better press than good news.

Two more co-defendants in Michael Vick's federal dogfighting case scheduled hearings to enter plea agreements. Last month, another co-defendant pleaded guilty to his role in a dogfighting conspiracy he says was financed almost entirely by the Atlanta Falcons quarterback. He agreed to fully cooperate with the government in its prosecution of Vick who is accused of running an interstate dogfighting enterprise known as "Bad Newz Kennels" on Vick's property. Vick has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and conspiring to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture. The gruesome details outlined in the indictment against Vick have fueled public protests against Vick and prompted the suspension of some of his lucrative endorsement deals. Also, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has barred Vick from the Falcons' training camp. I say they put Vick in a ring with the dogs that he has been using and let them dole out 'some justice' on this jerk.

And then there is this idiot, "Pacman" Jones. Adam "Pacman" Jones made his much-anticipated Total Nonstop Action Wrestling in-ring debut Sunday night on TNA's "Hard Justice" pay-per-view event. Following a 48-hour period in which questions loomed as to whether Jones would even be able to appear at the event after the Tennessee Titans initially filed a restraining order to bar him from making an appearance, Jones debuted according to the terms of the agreement between TNA and the Titans. Given that the agreement barred the suspended cornerback from touching anyone else or being touched, as well as from using any objects to hit anyone or being hit by any objects, Jones' debut while in the ring was relatively uneventful, but it didn't take long for him to get involved in a backstage storyline. Prior to the following match, the commentators announced that there was breaking news in the backstage area, and a camera cut away to Jones, who was shown down on the ground in the backstage area holding his shoulder with apparent blood over his eye. A few minutes later, the cameras once again went to the back, showing Jones on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance. Despite the implication that Jones had engaged in contact and violated the contract, none of the backstage "attack" was shown, and when being taken out on the stretcher, it appeared as though Jones had a smirk on his face. What a putz! No one is worth this much trouble. The Titans should do themselves a favor and let this schmuck go get his clock cleaned in professional wrestling. His football days are over.