by Thomas Keister

We all remember the wholesale panic over products, notably toys, being recalled left and right over lead content. A few punchlines and some "ripped from the headlines" television later, I wonder how many of us knew Congress had actually done something about it. God knows I was in the dark on that one. It must have been all the panic over a presidential challenger possibly being from Kenya. I say panic, but it smelled a lot like bullshit to me.

Last summer, Congress passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008, or CPSIA, which set new limits for lead, lead paint, and chemicals known as phthalates in products marketed for children 12 and younger.

No manufactured hysteria from the right-wing on this, none that I heard anyway. So far as I know, Rush Limbaugh's jowls failed to flutter over this legislation, but then again, I try to ingnore him unless MSM brings up the latest really stupid fucking thing he says. No months and months of arguing, angry town hall meetings with constituents packing heat, just a bill passed to crack down on shoddy and dangerous crap being peddled to us for our kids.

And now, for the first company to sidestep the hell out of the bill.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (now featuring former Bush cheerleader, ex-Kentucky congresswoman Anne Northup as a commissioner) recently voted 3-0 to grant Mattel leave to use their own laboratories to conduct safety testing, rather than employ an independent lab, which is mandated under CPSIA. Not that it matters much right now, anyway. The CPSC said it would delay enforcement of some of the testing requirements until January 2010. What's the point, exactly, of Congress passing a law, if agencies can decide when and if to enforce it?

Just this last June, Mattel agreed to a $2.3 million civil penalty for violating the lead paint ban with six toys produced either by them or subsidiary Fisher-Price recalled. Then again, Mattel spent over $1 million lobbying the legislation of CPSIA, which is kind of like spending 25 bucks at a Kinko's to fight a 50 dollar traffic ticket.

Mattel's labs in Mexico, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, and California have apparently been proven to be clear of any corporate influence, confirmed by statements from yesholes Lisa Marie Bongiovanni from Mattel and Scott Wolfson of the CPSC. Mattel says they are unique, because they own their own production facilities and can do the testing there. There is nothing unique at all about that situation, for two reasons. First, Mattel is hardly the only company to own production facilities, and secondly, Mattel apparently gets what it pays for.

In CPSIA, there is an exception for companies to get labs "firewalled," that is, free of corporate influence and thus somehow classified as a third party lab. Mattel, who spent the aforementioned million plus on lobbying CPSIA, pushed the hardest for this provision. Now, they are the first company to benefit from becoming an exception to the rule.

The CPSC would not name any other companies that are seeking the firewall exception. Then again, the CPSC made absolutely no mention of the vote at all, on the commission's website or anywhere else.

Like I said, nothing unique at all, just awfully goddamn convenient.

by ppdingles


When Sony announced the Playstation 3 in 2006 at the wallet-busting prices of $499 and $599, even serious, dedicated gamers blanched. The new console was expensive enough to put many consumers off entirely, and despite a cut here and there, it’s remained firmly in the "overpriced" camp for many once-eager Sony fans.

But that was then.

Yes that was then and this is now but the Playstation 3 has dropped the ball on it's fanbase yet again. With the introduction of the Playstation 3 slim appropriately-named PS3 slim which launches on September 1, you would think this would be the golden opportunity for Sony to turn things around.
You may also think this is a good deal and it's time for you to roll all your change and pick one up. But hold on sister, there is one huge drawback!

The original PS3 loved to rub it in the Xbox 360's face how it was backwards compatible with every PS2 game which was an advantage over Microsoft's little gem as not all original Xbox games work on the 360.

However with the new PS3 slim, NONE of the PS2 games work on it. And according to Sony brass, that feature is gone for good.
But do you really have Playstation 2 games you actually still want to play? What’s that? You have two hundred of them? Better hold on to your PS2, assuming it still works which by now it's a safe bet it don't.

So once again playstation fans have been given the short end of the stick. If you never bought the original PS3 and still want to play your PS2 games, looks like you might still be spending around $500 even with the price cut.

My advice...go buy an Xbox 360 for $299!

by Inside the Squared Circle

Full replay of this past Friday night's WWE Smackdown.

by Inside the Squared Circle

Full replay of WWE Superstars from this past Thursday night.

by Thomas Keister

"Because there's one bombing, it doesn't mean the situation is going down the tubes." That remark belongs to NATO yeshole Major Mario Couture, speaking on the continued resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

No, maybe that doesn't mean the situation is going down the tubes, but it is hardly cause for optimism, especially given the shaky state of Southern Afghanistan. The Taliban has been gradually increasing their hold on Kandahar for years now, even with thousands of American and Canadian troops in and around the city.

While Gen. Sher Mohammad Zazai, the Afghan National Army's commander in Kandahar, said a counteroffensive is being planned, one had to question how effective it will be, as even NATO can not accurately measure the extent of Taliban control.

Yet, NATO and the Afghan National Army say this while struggling to keep a straight face, as August has now caught up with July as the deadliest months of the war thus far.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, has said the supply of militants is "effectively endless," and that the new strategy will be to make the safety of the villagers the top priority, rather than racking up enemy body counts.

I think by this point in the proceedings, eight years in, we've heard it all before, and this is nothing particularly surprising. The only part I think Americans are buying, and those are the Americans who make it to page A5 of the morning edition, is the phrase "effectively endless."

by Thomas Keister

One could probably put good money down right now that Rick Pitino has had better summers, or least that we have heard about. With his wee little sex scandal national news, Pitino has called the media to task for the coverage they have given this story. Just goes to show you should always exercise caution when selecting someone for a quick piece of ass in an Italian restaurant.

I guess one could cut Pitino a bit of a break. After all, he's kind of new to all of this, unlike other ethics poster boys like John Calipari, Kelvin Sampson, and Billy "One for the Road" Gillespie. I remember not too long ago, the biggest sports worry in this region was whether or not Bobby Knight was going to go after a player, official, opposing coach, random student, mascot, etc.

While little has been made of the conflicting accounts Pitino dished out at the onset of the scandal, a few remaining issues trouble me. While his restroom tryst is facing criminal trial over her involvement, where is the dirty end of the stick for Pitino? There was even a motion filed to question her competency. How would that have looked in the long run, a national championship winning coach taking advantage of a mentally imcompetent woman in a restaurant bathroom. The flip side of the coin is hardly any more flattering, that a guy who can win a national title can't even pay off a bathroom quickie without it being made into a federal case.

As Pitino continues his vocal silence, one wishes the question were asked as to why he didn't just tell the truth from the very beginning. The media may be vultures, but what do you expect when someone lets the carcass fatten up before leaving it in the sun?

by Korah Kay

My niece, whose husband is a veteran like myself, told me something that is a very sad commentary on how the officials of this country think anymore. I mean, beyond the duel quagmires and the pisspoor care at VA hospitals, that is.

It seems that the new head of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, stated that all veterans are "domestic terrorists"! Now that is gratitude for you, serve x amount of years wearing the uniform of uniform of your country and you're called a "terrorist"?

So, Janet Napolitano, why don't you just shut up, do your job (which is apparently helping FEMA so they won't look TOO incompetent or whatever it is you have to do with swine flu), and stop trashing people who at least served their country, which is more than you and too many others in Washington have done!

Then, yesterday, there was a big kiss ass column in the Courier-Journal, where now Janet Napolitano wants the government to employ 50.000 of these "domestic terrorists"! Frankly, as a veteran, I'd rather immigrate to another country as work for a government such as this. We "domestic terrrorists" have our pride you know!

by Inside the Squared Circle

Watch the full replay of ECW from this past Tuesday.

by Thomas Keister

Michael Vick, this guy ain't.

Jorge Iglesias, a Wisconsin man who recently got busted for cockfighting, 13 counts' worth, is taking the fight to a slightly different stage, as his lawyer has filed papers claiming the 66 roosters seized from his home are being mistreated at the Dane County Humane Society.

See, people? This guy and his lawyer are fucking geniuses. "I may have been fighting them, but that pales in comparison to what you're doing."

That's like saying "sure, I practice cannibalism, but that guy overcooked dinner last night."

I'm gonna love seeing where this one goes...

Come join Dr. Thomas Keister and "The Internet Legend" ppdingles for the late night treat that won't pack on any weight (but may give you messed up dreams), Probably Uncalled For! Tonight on the award-nominated international talk radio hit, we will be discussing the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, Aubrey O'Day (whoever the fuck that is), sex and frogs and loud damn noise, OHSA invading the adult entertainment industry, an all-new Dumb Import from Britain this week, and the other vast and storied topics to be determined. Phone lines and chat room open the duration of the broadcast!

11pm Eastern / 8pm Pacific