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Orphan Black: The Next Chapter
After a groundbreaking event changes the world, all clones— familiar and unknown— must face the consequences. Starring Emmy award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany, Realm presents the official continuation of the hit TV series Orphan Black. "The sequel fans deserve." —Comicbook.com "Wildly fun, sexy sci-fi." —Chicago Sun-Times Since their victory against Project Leda eight years ago, the original sestras—Sarah, Alison, Cosima, and those they love—have been free to live quiet, anonymous lives. ...
The Orphan Black Podcast
Solo Talk Media
The original podcast dedicated to the Space/BBC America show Orphan Black. Send in your thoughts and theories each week to feedback@solotalkmedia.com or call 1-805-910-7656
Clone Club: An Orphan Black Podcast
Merrill Barr and Perri Nemiroff
A podcast on the sci-fi series, Orphan Black.
Clone Dance Party: An Orphan Black IntroCast
CloneDancePartyIntrocast
Orphan Black, podcast, introcast, clones, Bob DrGrande
UNspoiled! Orphan Black
UNspoiled! Network
Natasha and Owen watch Orphan Black, both completely unspoiled, and discuss it one episode at a time!
Felix's Helixes: The Orphan Black Podcast
Southgate Media Group
Home to the unofficial podcast about Orphan Black. Hosted by Karen and Steve. Episode recaps, news, analysis, and predictions are all discussed not he is weekly show.
Talking Shite: An Orphan Black Podcast
Talking Shite
This is a podcast about Orphan Black with weekly discussions about your favourite show. Each week, your hosts, Tara and Ashlee will analyse and share their feelings about episodes, characters and themes.
CLONECAST - The Official Orphan Black Podcast
Temple Street Productions
Hosts Rob Moden and Mackenzie Donaldson (associate producer of Orphan Black) are joined by a special guest to talk about the latest week in #CloneClub. To join in the conversation, hashtag your posts with #clonecast and visit: http://twitter.com/clonecast http://facebook.com/groups/cloneclub.orphanblack http://reddit.com/r/orphanblack
الأحدث الأقدم الأطول الأقصر show series
Introducing Down and Nerdy 1:04:31
This week, we would like to introduce you to Down and Nerdy, a podcast distributed by Realm. It's an interview explosion on this weeks show! Season 2 of Mayor of Kingstown has begun, and we have a member of the McLusky family with us to talk about it. Taylor Handley stops by to talk about Kyle's journey this season, why the stakes are higher than i…
The Last Of Us premiers on January 15
Join me on my new podcast Ellie's Tale – The Last Of Us Podcast for The Last Of Us, a new HBO Max show based on the PlayStation video game of the same name. Ellie's Tale – The Last Of Us Podcast can be found on all podcast directories. Visit lastofuspodcast.com for links.بقلم Solo Talk Media
Introducing The Rapscallion Agency 37:25
This week, we would like to introduce you to The Rapscallion Agency, a new podcast distributed by Realm. Lisette and Cluracan arrive in Paris! The young pair move into a borrowed maisonette in the 9th arrondissement to launch their fledgling cybersecurity firm. Together, with his computer skills and her abilities as a trained cat burglar, they are …
Behind-the-Scenes with writer E.C. Meyers 52:49
A special end of year gift for Clone Club, please enjoy these previously subscriber-only bonus episodes! Get a behind-the-scenes look at Orphan Black: The Next Chapter Season 2 with writer E.C. Meyers in this bonus episode. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for o…
Behind-the-Scenes with writer Malka Older 50:14
A special end of year gift for Clone Club, please enjoy these previously subscriber-only bonus episodes! Get a behind-the-scenes look at Orphan Black: The Next Chapter Season 2 with writer Malka Older in this bonus episode. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for o…
New Podcast Coming: The Last Of Us
I'm happy to announce a new podcast from Solo Talk Media… Ellie's Tale – The Last Of Us Podcast The Last Of Us debuts on January 15, 2025, and will air on HBO Max. This series is for you if you are a fan of the PlayStation game of the same name. HBO Max has pulled out all the stops and is making this a must-watch series. I hope you get involved wit…
Behind-the-Scenes with Producer Marco Palmieri 51:40
A special end of year gift for Clone Club, please enjoy these previously subscriber-only bonus episodes! Get a behind-the-scenes look at Orphan Black: The Next Chapter Season 2 with producer Marco Palmieri in this bonus episode. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up …
Behind-the-Scenes with Kristian Bruun 45:48
A special end of year gift for Clone Club, please enjoy these previously subscriber-only bonus episodes! Listen to this casual and fun conversation with Kristian Bruun, one of the stars of Orphan Black: The Next Chapter Season 2! Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up…
A Special Clone-us Episode: Clones, Clones, and More Clones 44:23
Four creative producers to sit down and nerd out about all things clones in movies, books, and TV. Why do we love clone stories? What's the weirdest clone movie ever? If you could introduce a clone storyline in any TV show what would it be and why? They answer these important questions and more. Don't forget to check out Echo Park and Overleaper fr…
Behind-the-Scenes Cast Reunion Panel 1:14:29
A special end of year gift for Clone Club, please enjoy these previously subscriber-only bonus episodes! Reunited and it feels so good! Join Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris, Evelyne Brochu, and Kristian Bruun for a reunion panel moderated by Entertainment Weekly's Dalton Ross. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For m…
Behind-the-Scenes Author Panel 55:59
Opened up the vault to release this bonus episode with the writers talking about season 1 of Orphan Black: The Next Chapter. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesبقلم Realm
New Podcast Coming: The Rings Of Power
I'm happy to announce a new podcast from Solo Talk Media… The Rings Of Power – Tales From Middle Earth. The Rings of Power debuts on September 2, 2022, and will be an amazing series. If you are fond of The Lord Of The Rings, this series is for you. Amazon has pulled out all the stops and is making this a must-watch series. I hope you get involved w…
S2 E10 - The Great and Unexplored Ocean of Truth 54:45
The Sestras take the fight to Blythe, and the lives of all clones change forever. Episode written by Madeline Ashby. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check out our…
S2 E9 - Mad Schemes 43:41
Helena attacks. Cophine makes a momentous decision. Clone Club goes on the offensive. Episode written by E. C. Myers. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check out ou…
S2 E8 - Quenched in Infinite Wretchedness 35:37
Donnie learns that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Rachel joins the fight. Episode written by Lindsay Smith. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check…
S2 E7 - By Slight Ligaments We Are Bound 31:16
With all hands on deck to find one of their own, the search converges around Blythe's island. Episode written by Malka Older. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Chec…
S2 E6 - The Want of a Friend 41:57
Charlotte reckons with her role in shaping the future. Donnie looks to Kira for help. A devastating disappearance rocks the Clone Club. Episode written by E. C. Myers. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagra…
S2 E5 - Chimeras of Boundless Grandeur 41:36
Two couples struggle with their new dynamics. Helena hits the open water. Vivi and Felix make a disturbing discovery. Episode written by Heli Kennedy. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On…
S2 E4 - Fellow Devils to Admire and Encourage 48:13
Sarah's investigation into clone disappearances points her in only one direction. Blythe begins to reveal her real agenda. Episode written by Lindsay Smith. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMed…
S2 E3 - Companion of All My Occupations and Pleasures 43:28
Alison and Donnie have a close call filming their reality show. Felix is presented with a surprising opportunity. Episode written by Madeline Ashby. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On T…
S2 E2 - We Shall Be Monsters, Cut Off From All the World 53:48
Blythe Winston—wellness guru and clone—shares her vision with Vivi. Cosima is ambushed on live TV, but gets help from an unexpected ally. Episode written by Heli Kennedy. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Insta…
Behind-the-Scenes with Tatiana Maslany 25:35
This bonus episode features a conversation between Tatiana Maslany and Entertainment Weekly's Sydney Bucksbaum. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check out our merc…
S2 E1 - Nothing So Painful as a Great and Sudden Change 42:50
In the aftermath of their exposure, the Sestras face backlash from anti-clone protestors and newly aware clones alike. Meanwhile, Cophine considers sharing a secret. Episode written by Malka Older. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're…
Introducing Orphan Black: The Next Chapter Season 2, starring Tatiana Maslany 1:49
Orphan Black: The Next Chapter Season 2 premieres October 29. Starring Emmy award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany, Realm presents the official continuation of the hit TV series Orphan Black. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesبقلم Realm
S1 E11 - Embrace Diversity 1:19:17
Cosima and Delphine confront the real mastermind behind it all. Episode written by Malka Older. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check out our merch at: merch.real…
S1 E10 - Which Aspect We Embrace 1:24:21
Art's in danger, Charlotte makes a revelation, and Vivi confronts the weapon developer. Episode written by Mishell Baker and E.C. Myers. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen away. Brought to you by BetterHelp. Join over 1 million people who have taken charge of their mental health at…
S1 E9 - A Harvest of Survivors 1:14:56
Alison and Donnie's undercover mission takes them to tantalizing places and Vivi talks to the sestras. Episode written by Madeline Ashby. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @Rea…
S1 E8 - Best Learn to Cope 1:13:13
Kira begins to understand the magnitude of what has been unleashed. Episode written by Lindsay Smith. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check out our merch at: merc…
S1 E7 - What A Living World Will Demand 1:30:55
The worst has happened; now the real fallout begins. Episode written by Heli Kennedy. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check out our merch at: merch.realm.fm Find …
S1 E6 - Every Child Is Cast From Paradise 1:11:11
Sarah meets Vivi, Charlotte's condition worsens, and one of Clone Club's worst fears becomes reality. Episode written by Madeline Ashby. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @Real…
S1 E5 - To Ignore the Obvious 1:16:50
Clone Club discovers they've been infiltrated, Charlotte makes a shocking discovery, and Cosima finds herself in hot water. Episode written by Lindsay Smith. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMe…
Orphan Black: The Next Chapter 36:01
The story continues. Listen to the first episode of Orphan Black: The Next Chapter and emerge yourself back into the world of Clone Club. Starring Emmy award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany, Realm presents the official continuation of the hit TV series Orphan Black. Episodes drop every Friday with season 2 scheduled for release in the fall of 2021.…
S1 E4 - Bread and Pottages 1:19:52
As Vivi gets closer to the truth, the sestras convene an emergency Clone Call, and Charlotte makes an outrageous proposal. Episode written by E.C. Myers. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_…
S1 E3 - Dogged in Denial 1:09:58
Ex-cop Art Bell gets an unwelcome visitor, Cosima learns what GRIT had been up to, and Vivi digs deeper into her lookalikes. Episode written by Mishell Baker. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmM…
S1 E2 - Our Needs To Shape Us: Part 2 52:42
Cosima suggests something unthinkable after Charlotte's discovery, and Vivi faces a disaster in the lab. Episode written by Malka Older. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @Real…
It's been 8 years since Project LEDA was destroyed for good, but all is not well. Episode written by Malka Older. Orphan Black: The Next Chapter is a Realm production. Listen Away. For more shows like this, visit Realm.fm, and sign up for our newsletter while you're there! Follow us! On Instagram @RealmMedia_ On Twitter @RealmMedia Check out our me…
Introducing Orphan Black: The Next Chapter, starring Tatiana Maslany 2:31
Orphan Black: The Next Chapter premieres April 1. Starring Emmy award-winning actress Tatiana Maslany, Realm presents the official continuation of the hit TV series Orphan Black. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesبقلم Realm
Orphan Black S05E10- To Right The Wrongs Of Many 1:11:52
It's been a long time since starting this series and there have been a lot of ups and downs with it, but I am still kind of in shock that it's over now. I wasn't sure how the show could possibly finish the series in a satisfying way when there were so many balls in the air for the second-to-last episode, but I'm actually pleasantly surprised at how…
Orphan Black, S05E09- One Fettered Slave 1:14:31
Welp, listeners, I'm a little bit baffled that the writers made the choices they did for this, the penultimate episode of the entire show. I really can't understand choosing to depict Helena with a child actor who is NOT Charlotte, I can't understand Helena's hair being eternally bleached forever after, and I can't understand the reason they decide…
Orphan Black, S05E08- Guillotines Decide 1:01:06
Oh, listeners, I don't want to believe it's true. But I suspect it is. This damn woman Siobhan won't quit playing games with my heart. She makes me love her, then does underhanded shit behind Sarah's back time and time again, then does something totally badass and amazing and makes me love her again. This is her way. And this is just what she does …
Orphan Black, S05E07- Gag Or Throttle 1:26:01
Listeners! It's time for what might be my favorite episode of the season thus far: the one where Rachel gets a fucking clue. It has certainly taken long enough for her to catch up with the rest of us in terms of understanding her place in this pyramid. And as a writer, when you wait this long to have a character to see the truth, you really run the…
Orphan Black- S05E06- Manacled Slim Wrists 1:07:23
Y'all, why os Krystal my soul sister? I love her and her ridiculousness so much, and I want to be her bestie and go to spin class with her and have her do my nails. Like, that sounds like the best weekend. This episode certainly had its flaws, but overall I really enjoyed this one and it was so good to have a bunch of the plot finally start moving …
Orphan Black, S05E05- Ease For Idle Millionaires 56:08
Hey everyone! I'm back with the next Orphan Black episode and I have to report that it's one of the creepiest so far, mostly thanks to an insane formal dinner scene. This episode was a little heavier on the good than the bad versus some of the others this season. I really did enjoy the dinner scene and everything going on with Cosima, plus I am jus…
Orphan Black, S05E04- Let The Children and Childbearers Toil 53:32
Hello listeners! It's time for the next installment of Orphan Black, and I have to be honest...this season is kind of a disaster. I'm not really sure why the writers or producers or whomever thought that there wasn't already plenty to work with, but frankly they're throwing all kind of things into the pot that really don't need to be there, and whi…
Orphan Black, S05E03- Beneath Her Heart 50:21
Hi everyone! Maggie and I are here to talk about an episode of Orphan Black that feels bizarrely out of place at this point in the show, and frankly was full of moments that I could have done without. The main focus on this episode is Alison, who for some reason is only now starting to deal with the guilt from watching her friend die and doing noth…
Orphan Black, S05E02- Clutch Of Greed 1:15:09
This episode had a welcome, albeit abrupt, resurrection of Kira's importance and powers. We've all known that there's something weird about Kira, and then the injury that Helena's "bebe" manages to just shrug off confirms that the clones' children (when they manage to have them) are not normal. There's something more going on with them. It's really…
Orphan Black, S05E01- The Few Who Dare 1:19:33
Hello good people, and welcome to the first episode of the final season of Orphan Black. I really can't believe that we're almost done with this show, and I can honestly say I have no idea what's coming. We're in totally unfamiliar territory here with Mr. PT Barnum, and I can't imagine it's going anywhere good. So much happens this episode, it's ha…
Orphan Black, S04E10- From Dancing Mice to Psychopaths 1:04:18
Okay, so I know that I'm supposed to be a feminist and everything, but the only thing I can say about Rachel's behavior in this episode is...bitches be crazy. And you know what? This bitch needs to die. I should have seen it coming that the only reason Rachel follows through on her agreement with Sarah in the last episode was so that she could get …
Orphan Black, S04E09- Mitigation Of Competition 1:10:27
Hi there, lovelies! It's time for me and Maggie to come at you with the penultimate episode of Season 4. And this was a much more eventful episode than I expected for some reason. First of all. HI HELENA OMG I MISSED YOU SO MUCH HOW YOU BEEN I LIKE YOUR HAT AND YOUR WIGWAM YOU ARE GREAT Seriously. Helena is great, and she's always saving the Hendri…
Orphan Black, S04E08- The Redesign Of Natural Objects 52:37
Hello everyone! It's time for that episode where we have to sit through some awkward moments of Jesus Christ Superstar (Maggie throws some shade at Andrew Lloyd Webber and I LOL) in order to get a pretty satisfying ending to a certain shady cop's storyline. Listen, I'm going to warn you all that this show has a syndrome that I'm going to call Monet…


Thoughts and notes on the ancient Greek and Roman philosophy of happiness in general and on Stoicism and Seneca in particular.
The Stoic idea of self-sufficiency has been widely misunderstood. The most basic claim made by the Stoics is that we can learn to be happy at any moment under any condition because our happiness does not depend on anything outside ourselves. But it doesn't follow from this that a Stoic doesn't care about anything apart from his or her own happiness. As we human beings grow we naturally extend our idea of what "belongs" to us and of what we belong to - of who we are. This is the Stoic theory of oikeiosis. Unless we get sidetracked by bad influence and/or bad choices we end up seeing ourselves as part of all of humanity and seeing our own happiness as a small part of the happiness of the brotherhood of man.
This does not mean that our happiness depends on the happiness of others. In theory, a Stoic can be happy even if the rest of humanity is deeply miserable. But in that scenario, the Stoic would see it as his or her task to try to make the world a better place for the rest of humanity and find his or her happiness in working for that goal. At one level the Stoic sees him- or herself as an individual entity with the capacity to always be happy. But, at another level, the Stoic sees him- or herself as just one member of the community for which all members have a responsibility. You could say that a Stoic always has two basic goals: his or her own happiness and the happiness of the community. The first goal depends on the second in the sense that it is our duty to work for the common good and in that we can't possibly be happy if we ignore our duty. But it does not dependent on the second goal in the sense that we can't be happy, if we can't reach the goal of making all other members of the community happy. As long as we do the very best we can, we are acting virtously - and that's all that is needed for happiness.
Thanks! Another excellent piece. I've long wondered about how much a Stoic would care about others and still remain happy. In the past I was of the opinion that pretty much everything was indifference except for virtues. However, I think that argument of mine was rather shallow since virtues have again and again been misused in history. I now believe that a Stoic would care very deeply about his/her community and would be very involved in all the social and political affairs. However, the happiness of a Stoic does not depend on how good/bad his/her community is, but it is dependent on how much the Stoic has tried to make it better.
Yes - exactly 😊 The very thing which makes justice a virtue - and which makes it the specific virtue justice - is that we understand how other people "belong" to us and see them as other selves.
According to popular opinion both in ancient Greece and today, happiness requires things such as wealth, good health, good looks, friends, family and good reputation. In Plato's dialogue Euthydemus Socrates challenges those beliefs by claiming that none of those things are good, if they are not used wisely. In fact, Socrates claims that a person who has wisdom doesn't need any of those things at all since he or she can turn any situation into something beneficial for him- or herself.
"If wisdom is present, the one for whom it is present has no need of good fortune".
In other words, Socrates claims that wisdom is a sufficient requirement for happiness (and a necessary requirement too, of course). Aristotle famously challenges that claim. But what exactly does he say? Let's have a look.
This article claims that a Stoic has no reason to get depressed by bad political conditions since an evil government is not really a bad thing for a Stoic - since nothing can be bad for a Stoic except his own bad choices. Even so, the article claims, a Stoic acknowledges that an evil government is capable of doing "terrible things" to people.
To make this line of thinking work we have to think of ourselves as Stoics who can't be harmed by an evil government - since nothing can be bad for us as Stoics except our own bad choices - and other people as non-Stoics who will suffer terribly if they are oppressed by the evil government.
In my opinion, this interpretation of Stoicism is flat out wrong.
A few years ago PBS did a series in four episodes called "The Roman Empire in the First Century"
Episode 3 is about Nero's reign but they tell the story by focusing on the relationship between Seneca and Nero. They do a fairly decent job and mostly present Seneca as a Stoic who tries to play the part assigned to him by fate as well as possible. The text is very pompous, though (to say nothing about the music!). Sigourney Weaver is narrating and sounds like she's quite uncomfortable about the whole thing. Every time a person is mentioned or quoted they show a bust of that person - if one is available - and every single time Seneca is mentioned, they show the "pseudo-Seneca" bust from Herculaneum even though everyone now agree that it is not a representation of Seneca.


text:
January 28, 2016 Posted in SHOCKERS
Related: Tech, Environment, China, Global Energy News
In coal-powered China, electric car surge fuels fear of worsening smog
BEIJING | By Jake Spring
A customer checks a BYD e6 electric car at a dealership in Beijing, China, in this December 9, 2015 file picture.
Reuters/Jason Lee/Files
Automakers' latest projections for rapid growth of China's green car market have added to concerns of worsening smog as the uptake of electric vehicles powered by coal-fired grids races ahead of a switch to cleaner energy.
Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE) plans 15 new-energy models over 3-5 years, its China chief told a green car conference in Beijing on Saturday, predicting – like the government – that Chinese production of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles would grow almost six times to 2 million annually by 2020.
At the same event, BYD Co Ltd's (002594.SZ) (1211.HK) chairman told media that the Chinese automaker's electric vehicle sales would double in each of the next three years.
The government has been promoting electric vehicles to cut the smog that frequently envelops Chinese cities, helping sales quadruple last year and making China the biggest market, the finance minister said at the conference. Less than 1 percent of passenger cars are now new energy, but the pace of growth raises their potential to worsen smog.
A series of studies by Tsinghua University, whose alumni includes the incumbent president, showed electric vehicles charged in China produce two to five times as much particulate matter and chemicals that contribute to smog versus petrol-engine cars. Hybrid vehicles fare little better.
"International experience shows that cleaning up the air doesn't need to rely on electric vehicles," said Los Angeles-based An Feng, director of the Innovation Center for Energy and Transportation. "Clean up the power plants."
China plans to convert the grid to renewable fuel or clean-coal technology as part of efforts to cut carbon emissions by 60 percent by 2020.
That will speed the green impact of electric vehicles, said environmental science professor Huo Hong at the elite Tsinghua university. But that goal will be "really difficult to achieve."
Tsinghua's studies call into question the wisdom of aggressively promoting vehicles which the university said could not be considered environmentally friendly for at least a decade in many areas of China unless grid reform accelerates.
China's industry, environment and science ministries, which devise most new energy vehicle policies, did not respond to requests for comment. BYD and Volkswagen declined to immediately comment.
POLICY MISMATCH
To promote new-energy vehicles, the government has offered various incentives in recent years including tax breaks, and set targets such as having 5 million new-energy vehicles on the road by 2020 – more than 8 times the current number.
Authorities in some cities particularly affected by smog have gone further. Beijing and Tianjin, for instance, have exempted new-energy vehicles from limits on the number of new cars granted license plates, and exempted them from driving restrictions that other cars face on certain days of the week.
This month, the industrial Hebei province decreed that all new residential complexes must have car-charging facilities.
In western Beijing, 62-year-old retired truck and taxi driver Zhang Zhijun bought a BYD Tang hybrid last month and plans to trade in his petrol-engine Toyota Corolla for an electric car for short rides like taking his grandson to school.
"Right now smog is very heavy in China. This way, if everyone does their part, it will definitely cut down on pollution," Zhang said.
But Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei are all more than 90 percent reliant on coal for energy, Tsinghua's research showed.
Huo and academics point out that, at the very least, the proliferation of electric vehicles pushes more sources of pollution away from heavily populated urban centers.
Whatever the impact, Qin Lihong, president of startup electric automaker NextEV, said cleaning the grid would be the quickest route to clear skies.
"It's much easier for society to make hundreds of power plants better than change the hundreds of millions of cars in thousands of cities," he said.
(Reporting by Jake Spring; Additional reporting by Beijing newsroom; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
Elon Musk will do anything for dirty tech deal's to increase his wealth and self-promotion via taxpayer pig troughs. He loves to partner with the dirtiest name in electronics: Panasonic.
Apparently, twisted minds think alike. When will the FBI finally shut both of these bad actors down?
Panasonic kills workers. Lies, runs corruption operations, dumps goods, builds toxic factories and well, just take a look:
Panasonic charged with price-fixing on car components
Dustin Walsh
Crain's Detroit Business
A federal grand jury in Detroit indicted another Japanese automotive executive on Tuesday for involvement in an international pricing-fixing conspiracy.
According to the charges filed in U.S. District Court, Shinichi Kotani, an executive for Panasonic Corp., participated in fixing prices on switches and steering angles sensors for Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles sold in the U.S.
The indictment alleges Kotani and co-conspirators participated in big-rigging meetings in the U.S. and Japan from January 2004 until at least February 2010.
Besides various executive roles in Japan, Kotani served as vice president of automotive systems for Panasonic Automotive Systems Co. of America in Peachtree, Ga., from April 2008 until July 2009.
Panasonic also has an automotive technical center in suburban Detroit. Attempts to reach a company official for comment were unsuccessful. Efforts to locate an attorney for Kotani also were unsuccessful.
Kotani faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $1 million in fines for violating the Sherman Act.
The indictment — part of a broad ongoing U.S. investigation into supplier price fixing — is the second coming out of Detroit in the past week. Regulators in Europe and Japan have been conducting similar investigations.
On Sept. 19, Ryoji Fukudome and Toshihiko Nagashima, executives for Tokyo-based Fujikura Ltd., were indicted for allegedly fixing prices on wire harnesses sold to Fuji Heavy Industries. The parts were allegedly used in Fuji's Subaru vehicle line sold in the U.S.
Earlier this month, Shingo Okuda, an executive at G.S. Electech Inc., was indicted by a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Kentucky for bid-rigging on wire assemblies sold to Toyota.
In July, Panasonic pleaded guilty to its role in the conspiracy and was sentenced to pay a $45.8 million criminal fine.
The investigation has led to 11 companies and 19 executives, including Kotani, charged in the price-fixing conspiracy.
More than $874 million in criminal fines have been imposed on the companies, and 14 executives have been sentenced to prison ranging from a year to two years each.
The list of companies that have pleaded guilty include Panasonic, Sanyo Electric Co., Diamond Electric Manufacturing Co., Tokai Rika, Autoliv, TRW Deutschland Holding GmbH, Nippon Seiki Co., Fujikura, Furukawa Electric Co., Denso Corp., Yazaki Corp. and G.S. Electech.
Panasonic will spend up to $1.6 billion on Tesla gigafactory
Posted by Charles Morris & filed under Newswire, The Tech.
Panasonic has been involved with Tesla's Gigafactory from the beginning of the project, but until now, it hasn't said exactly how much it plans to invest.
Now Panasonic President Kazuhiro Tsuga has told Marketwatch that the company will invest up to $1.6 billion, hoping to secure its future in automotive electronics.
Sales to carmakers represented about 15 percent of Panasonic's revenue in 2015, but the company aims to double that over the next four years. That objective is highly dependent on Tesla's ability to meet its goal of selling 500,000 cars a year by 2020, as batteries are expected to provide the lion's share of Panasonic's automotive-market sales.
"We are sort of waiting on the demand from Tesla," Mr. Tsuga said. "If Tesla succeeds and the electric vehicle becomes mainstream, the world will be changed and we will have lots of opportunity to grow."
Tesla and Panasonic plan to build the factory in eight phases, and are currently in the first phase. So far, the Japanese company's investment has been small, but by the time the Gig is fully up to speed, Panasonic will have provided between 1.5 and 1.6 billion dollars, out of a total price tag of 4 to 5 billion, Mr. Tsuga said.
Panasonic employees were expected to arrive in Nevada at the end of 2015 to prepare for the start of cell production. The factory will begin producing batteries this year for Tesla's Powerwall energy storage business.
Source: Marketwatch via Green Car Reports
Tags: Panasonic, Tesla Gigafactory
Panasonic and Its Subsidiary Sanyo Agree to Plead Guilty in Separate Price-Fixing Conspiracies Involving Automotive Parts and Battery Cells
Lg Chem Ltd. Agrees to Plead Guilty to Price-fixing Conspiracy Involving Battery Cells, First Charges Filed in Battery Cell Investigation
Panasonic Corp. and its subsidiary, SANYO Electric Co. Ltd., have agreed to plead guilty and to pay a total of $56.5 million in criminal fines for their roles in separate price-fixing conspiracies involving automotive parts and battery cells, the Department of Justice announced today. LG Chem Ltd., a leading manufacturer of secondary batteries, has agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $1.056 million criminal fine for price fixing involving battery cells.
Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic agreed to pay a $45.8 million criminal fine for its role in the automotive parts conspiracy. SANYO agreed to pay a $10.731 million criminal fine for its role in the battery cells conspiracy. The guilty pleas against SANYO and LG Chem are the first in the department's ongoing investigation into anticompetitive conduct in the cylindrical lithium ion battery cell industry.
The three-count felony charge against Panasonic was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Separate one-count felony charges were filed against SANYO and LG Chem in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. As part of the plea agreements, which are subject to court approval, the charged companies have agreed to cooperate in the department's ongoing antitrust investigations.
Panasonic has agreed to plead guilty for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices of switches, steering angle sensors and automotive high intensity discharge (HID) ballasts installed in cars sold in the United States and elsewhere. SANYO and LG Chem Ltd. have agreed to plead guilty for their roles in a conspiracy to fix the prices of cylindrical lithium ion battery cells sold worldwide for use in notebook computer battery packs.
"Panasonic is charged with participating in separate price-fixing conspiracies affecting numerous parts used in cars made and sold in the United States while its subsidiary was also fixing prices on battery cells used by consumers of notebook computers," said Scott D. Hammond, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division's criminal enforcement program. "Pleading guilty and cooperating with the division's ongoing investigations is a necessary step in changing a corporate culture that turned customers into price-fixing victims."
According to the first count of a three-count felony charge filed today in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan in Detroit, Panasonic participated in a conspiracy to rig bids for, and to fix, stabilize and maintain the prices of steering wheel switches, turn switches, wiper switches, combination switches and door courtesy switches sold to Toyota Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc. in the United States and elsewhere. According to the court document, Panasonic and its co-conspirators carried out the conspiracy from at least as early as September 2003 until at least February 2010.
The second count charges that Panasonic, during this same time period, participated in a conspiracy to rig bids for, and to fix, stabilize, and maintain the prices of steering angle sensors sold to Toyota in the United States and elsewhere. The department said that Panasonic and its co-conspirators agreed, during meetings and conversations, to suppress and eliminate competition in the automotive parts industry by agreeing to rig bids for, and to fix, stabilize, and maintain the prices of steering angle sensors sold to Toyota Motor Corp. and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc. in the United States and elsewhere.
According to the third count of the charge, from at least as early as July 1998 and continuing until at least February 2010, Panasonic and its co-conspirators participated in a conspiracy to suppress and eliminate competition in the automotive parts industry by agreeing, during meetings and conversations, to rig bids for, and to fix, stabilize, and maintain the prices of automotive HID ballasts sold to Honda Motor Co. Ltd. and American Honda Motor Co. Inc., Mazda Motor Corp. and Mazda Motor of America Inc., and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and Nissan North America Inc. in the United States and elsewhere.
I ncluding Panasonic, 11 companies and 15 executives have pleaded guilty or agreed to plead guilty and have agreed to pay a total of more than $874 million in criminal fines as a result of the auto parts investigation. Additionally, 12 of the individuals have been sentenced to pay criminal fines and to serve jail sentences ranging from a year and a day to two years each. The three additional executives have agreed to serve time in prison and are currently awaiting sentencing.
"The FBI remains committed to protecting American consumers and businesses from corporate corruption. The conduct of Panasonic, SANYO, and LG Chem resulted in inflated production costs for notebook computers and cars purchased by U.S. consumers," said Joseph S. Campbell, FBI Criminal Investigative Division Deputy Assistant Director. "These investigations illustrate our efforts to ensure market fairness for U.S. businesses by bringing corporations to justice when their commercial activity violates antitrust laws."
According to the one-count felony charge filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco, SANYO and LG Chem engaged in a conspiracy to fix the price of the cylindrical lithium ion battery cells used in notebook computer battery packs from about April 2007 until about September 2008. Cylindrical lithium ion battery cells are rechargeable batteries that are often incorporated in groups into more powerful battery packs commonly used to power electronic devices.
According to the charges, SANYO, LG Chem and their co-conspirators carried out the conspiracy by, among other things, agreeing during meetings and conversations to price cylindrical lithium ion battery cells for use in notebook computer battery packs to customers at predetermined levels and issuing price quotations to customers in accordance with those agreements. The department also said that SANYO, LG Chem and their co-conspirators collected and exchanged information for the purpose of monitoring and enforcing adherence to the agreed-upon prices and took steps to conceal the conspiracy.
Panasonic, SANYO and LG Chem are each charged with price fixing in violation of the Sherman Act, which carries a maximum penalty of a $100 million criminal fine for corporations. The maximum fine for the company may be increased to twice the gain derived from the crime or twice the loss suffered by the victims, if either of those amounts is greater than the statutory maximum fine.
Today's charges arose from an ongoing investigation in the cylindrical lithium ion battery cells industry being conducted by the Antitrust Division's San Francisco Office and the FBI in San Francisco as well as an ongoing federal antitrust investigation into price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct in the automotive parts industry, which is being conducted by each of the Antitrust Division's criminal enforcement sections and the FBI. Today's automotive parts charges were brought by the Antitrust Division's National Criminal Enforcement Section and the FBI's Detroit Field Office, with the assistance of the FBI headquarters' International Corruption Unit. Anyone with information on price fixing, bid rigging and other anticompetitive conduct related to other products in the automotive parts industry should contact the Antitrust Division's Citizen Complaint Center at 1-888-647-3258, visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.html or call the FBI's Detroit Field Office at 313-965-2323. Anyone with information concerning illegal or anticompetitive conduct in the battery industry is urged to call the Antitrust Division's San Francisco Office at 415-436-6660 or visit www.justice.gov/atr/contact/newcase.htm.
Panasonic Execs Charged In Price-Fixing Sting
By Kaitlin Ugolik
Law360, New York — A grand jury in Michigan on Tuesday indicted former executives of Panasonic Corp., Whirlpool Corp. and Tecumseh Products Co. for their alleged participation in an international refrigerant compressor price-fixing scheme.
The indictment is the first in an ongoing investigation by the U .S. Department of Justice into price-fixing and other anti-competitive practices in the worldwide refrigerant compressor market.
"Cracking down on international price-fixing cartels has been, and will continue to be, among the most significant priorities for the Antitrust Division," Sharis Pozen, Special Investigator, said.
FBI Probing Kickbacks By Panasonic Supplier
Ben DiPietro
The FBI said this week federal prosecutors charged William McMahon, CEO and co-owner of Trustin Technology, and Sean Volin, who was a manager for Pansonic Corp. of North America at its Secaucus, N.J., office, with wire fraud. McMahon paid kickbacks to Volin to ensure his company would continue to receive contracts from Panasonic that brought tens of millions of dollars to the company, the FBI said in a statement.
Tell Sony and Panasonic: Stop Poisoning Tijuana's Workers!
Marisa Natale
I am writing to address the manufacturing practices of international corporations in Mexico, especially Tijuana. The workers in their plants are treated inhumanely, and they are destroying the communities around their factories. They are able to escape fair treatment of their workers and responsible chemical use by moving their manufacturing to Mexico – out of sight and out of mind of their customers. The fact that any company would be so deliberately manipulative is disgusting and unbelievable.
The chemicals the workers are constantly exposed to are killing them – they are inhaling lead, burning their skin with chemical adhesives and giving birth to children with defects. They have sores and infections in their lungs and organs. They are going to die young – their children are living in the company waste and filth.
They are offered no rights, no protection, and no fair treatment. To make matters worse, they do not get a reprieve at home. The worker communities surrounding the plants are wastelands of corporate footprints. The rivers run with chemicals – the rivers that serve as drinking, cooking and washing water for the inhabitants. The ground is saturated with dangerous and harmful substances used in their factories. When the rains run, the polluted rivers overrun into people's homes and they must cross them on foot simply to get to work, where they are exposed to even more chemicals.
They are not responsible for the workers' living conditions. They are not responsible for downed power lines, education issues or lack of proper homes. However, nothing I have mentioned in this petition is beyond their control. They can stop the use of dangerous and deadly chemicals in factories. They can clean up their act. They can stop letting their chemicals run off into the workers' water supplies, homes and bodies. They can hire an environmental task force to clean up the communities that they have ruined, which would create legitimate jobs. They can hire engineers to figure out solutions to replace the deadly chemicals with harmless ones that still enable them to produce a high-quality product.
Sony and Panasonic are committed to serving their customers with dignity and respect – but their employees deserve to be treated in the same way. Until Sony and Panasonic change their production practices and clean up the communities they have ruined, I am instituting a boycott of their products. This is unacceptable and will not be allowed to continue – as free Americans we vote with our dollars and we cannot choose to vote for their companies until change happens.
So when you buy a piece of electronic equipment, whether it is a television or a camera cable, to a microwave or a toaster, LOOK FOR THE SONY/PANASONIC LABEL. Sony brands many of its products clearly, but you may have to look carefully for the Panasonic name. Don't allow this to continue. If the profit margins aren't working, Panasonic and Sony will have to change their manufacturing practices, and we have to make it hurt where it counts for them to listen. Aim high! Invite your friends! Sign away! We want as many thousands of signatures as possible!
Letter to
Panasonic Communications
We are writing to you to address your manufacturing practices in Mexico, especially Tijuana. The workers in your plants are treated inhumanely, and you are destroying the communities around your factories. You are able to escape fair treatment of your workers and responsible chemical use by moving your manufacturing to Mexico – out
Panasonic's Toxic Factories Take Toll On China's Labor Force
Jane Spencer and
Juliet Ye
Over the holidays, millions of American children received Chinese-made toys powered by cadmium batteries.
Cadmium batteries are safe to use. They are also cheap, saving American parents about $1.50 on the average toy, compared with pricier batteries.
But cadmium batteries can be hazardous to make. In southern China, Wang Fengping worked for years in plants that produced cadmium batteries for the likes of Mattel Inc., Toys "R" Us Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. Like hundreds of her colleagues, Ms. Wang regularly inhaled the toxic red cadmium dust that filled the air in the plant.
Now, at 45, Ms. Wang is often too weak to walk. Her kidneys have failed, and her doctors have identified cadmium poisoning as the likely culprit. About 400 other workers at her former employer, Hong Kong-based GP Batteries International Ltd., have been found to harbor unsafe levels of cadmium, a toxic metal like mercury and lead that can cause kidney failure, lung cancer and bone disease.
In recent months, Americans have discovered the dark side of their reliance on cheap Chinese goods. From lead-tainted toys to contaminated pet food, the safety of Chinese products is suddenly an American obsession.
But in China, workers making goods for American consumers have long borne the brunt of a global manufacturing system that puts cost cutting ahead of safety. The search for cheaper production means dirty industries are migrating to countries with few worker protections and lenient regulatory environments.
The nickel-cadmium battery illustrates this trend. Once widely manufactured in the West, the batteries are now largely made in China, where the industry is sickening workers and poisoning the soil and water.
Now, some regulators and companies are taking action. This year, the European Union is banning the sale of nearly all cadmium batteries. A few companies, including Hasbro Inc., are eschewing the battery.
Yet cadmium batteries, a technology dating back to 1899, continue to represent 3% of total battery sales, and are still widely used in toys, power tools, cordless phones and other gadgets sold in the U.S. Besides being inexpensive, they can provide a quick surge of power.
The near-disappearance of the American cadmium-battery industry can be understood from a visit to an overgrown field in Cold Spring, N.Y. Here, the Marathon Battery factory churned out nickel-cadmium batteries for the U.S. military for three decades. After the plant was shuttered in 1979, the cadmium-laden ground became one of the nation's highest-profile superfund sites, sparking a $130 million clean-up and a class-action lawsuit by nearby residents that was settled for millions of dollars in 1998.
Poisoned Words
Edited excerpts from Ms. Wang's blog, written in Chinese and translated by The Wall Street Journal. Click on the image to go to the blog itself.
From the blog's undated introduction
Hello friends! Do you want to know how Gold Peak Battery treats its cadmium-poisoned employees? Would you like to hear a personal account from a victim of workplace cadmium poisoning? Panasonic Battery and past and present battery factory workers, would you like to know more specific facts? Then please read my blog, and let's unite in concern for cadmium poisoning!
Nov. 20, 2007 — Global warming, colder heart
It was hard to get up to eat a bit of breakfast, my head hurt and my whole body felt discomfort, but finally I decided to go outside. Everyone is talking about global warming, temperatures are rising, but today I felt the wind was pretty strong and the temperature colder than yesterday. I felt as if I was sleepwalking through unfamiliar streets. After a while, I gathered my thoughts and returned home.
Nov. 11, 2007 — The visible and the invisible
Our society is full of love; if a person gets into trouble, others will help. But when it comes to occupational diseases — a hidden killer — that cannot be seen, I'm afraid that it's very difficult for those without personal experience to understand. Most workers have limited knowledge, ultimately you don't know how many hidden killers are in your workplace. The boss knows, but he won't tell you!
Nov. 11, 2007 — First application for an occupational illness diagnosis
My name is Wang Fengping. I am an engineer in the engineering department of the Gold Peak Battery Factory in Huizhou city, Guandong province. I was born in May 1962 and began work at Gold Peak on August 1, 1995. From that date until December 2005, I was continuously engaged in the production and follow-up design of manufacturing equipment and machinery. This entry includes an account of all of Ms. Wang's jobs, workplaces, names of co-workers, and whether those employees had symptoms similar to Ms. Wang's.
Nov, 7, 2007 — Poem, in Chinese and English
"It is my prayer, it is my longing, that we may pass from this life together / a longing which shall never perish from the earth, / but shall have place in the heart of every wife that loves, / until the end of the time; and it shall be called by my name."
As the U.S. and other Western nations tightened their regulation of cadmium, production of nickel-cadmium batteries moved to less-developed countries, most of it eventually winding up in China. "Everything was transferred to China because no one wanted to deal with the waste from cadmium," says Josef Daniel-Ivad, vice president for research and development at Pure Energy Visions, an Ontario battery company.
Today, only two American companies still make cadmium batteries, and they specialize in high-end batteries for use in equipment such as aircraft engines. U.S. laws require them to follow strict guidelines on worker safety and environmental protection.
In China, government standards on cadmium exposure are in line with those endorsed by the World Health Organization. And without question, there are safe cadmium plants in China.
But having rules and enforcing them are two different things. China has dozens of so-called "hot spots" where the cadmium contamination is similar to levels at U.S. superfund sites. More that 10% of China's arable land is contaminated with heavy metals such as cadmium, according to the State Environmental Protection Agency, and the metals are entering China's food supply. At least a dozen academic studies in the past two years have found unsafe levels of cadmium in fruit and vegetables grown in Chinese soil. In a study published last year, researchers at the Guangdong Institute of Ecology found excessive levels of cadmium in Chinese cabbage grown in Foshan. The battery industry isn't the only source of environmental cadmium contamination in China, but it is a major contributor.
Often, these risks extend to workers. Last year, at least 20 workers at a Panasonic Corp. cadmium-battery plant in Wuxi were found to have elevated levels of the toxin, and two were diagnosed as poisoned. In 2005, 1,000 workers at Huanyu Power Source Co., based in Xinxiang, Henan, were also found with cadmium exposure. Both Panasonic and Huanyu say they have taken care of the affected workers, providing health care and compensation exceeding the requirements of Chinese law.
Yet these findings didn't necessarily result from corporate or government vigilance. The Panasonic-plant contamination, for instance, came to light after some workers watched a television show about cadmium poisoning — and got themselves tested.
Protest about contamination at the GP plants has persisted in part because of the determination of Ms. Wang, a GP engineer, to publicize the matter.
Born into a relatively well-off family, Ms. Wang attended university and obtained an engineering degree before hiring on at a newly opened GP factory in the southern Chinese city of Huizhou, a fast-growing center of China's electronics industry. The year was 1995, and GP Batteries, a Singapore-listed unit of Hong Kong-listed Gold Peak Industries (Holdings) Ltd. Huizhou, was a prestigious employer, eventually becoming one of the largest makers of nickel-cadmium batteries in China.
As a machine designer, Ms. Wang worked in the management offices of a walled compound of pink-tiled buildings where some 1,500 women in matching blue smocks worked 12-hour days assembling nickel-cadmium battery packs for toys and other products. GP's clients eventually came to include dozens of U.S. companies including Energizer Battery Co., Proctor & Gamble Co.'s Duracell, Spectrum Brands Inc.'s Ray-O-Vac, Hasbro, Mattel, Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us.
For years, factory workers complained about illnesses — nausea, hair loss and exhaustion, for instance. But GP management says it wasn't aware of the extent of the cadmium danger. "We knew it was dangerous, but we thought that if it was handled in a reasonable manner you should be OK," says Henry Leung, chief operating officer of GP Batteries. "This is all new for China."
At the factory, Ms. Wang spent the bulk of her time in an office, quietly sketching machine designs. But between 2002 and 2004, she spent long hours in production areas, inhaling cadmium dust, according to a lawsuit filed by Ms. Wang against the factory.
In 2003, some sick workers paid for their own tests at an occupational-disease hospital and learned they had elevated cadmium levels. The news touched off panic on the factory floor, and workers demanded the company pay for cadmium tests. Hundreds of workers eventually went on strike.
GP says it began paying for cadmium checkups in mid-2004, as soon as the region set up facilities that could handle large volumes of cadmium testing. In the initial tests, 177 workers showed levels of cadmium above China's safe-exposure limit, and two qualified as poisoned. Dozens were immediately hospitalized.
Cadmium affects people in radically different ways, so many GP workers with elevated levels aren't sick, but may become so in the years ahead.
Roughly 900 workers quit their jobs, and GP offered cadmium-affected workers one-time exit compensation starting at about $500. GP says the average package was $2,100. Many workers say the compensation failed to cover their medical bills.
GP says it has paid out more than $1 million in compensation and medical care for affected workers and has exceeded the legal requirements. "We want to take care of workers," says GP's Mr. Leung, but he says some workers are feigning sickness to obtain money. "They want to be recorded as poisoned, so people will keep giving them compensation," he says.
Ms. Wang watched on the sidelines as the bitter saga unfolded at her factory. During her nine years at the factory, she rarely had contact with rank-and-file workers, and her $540 weekly salary was nearly triple what they earned. While other workers ate in a cafeteria, Ms. Wang sat in a manager's dining room with table cloths and porcelain dishes.
But in October of 2004, when GP first paid for companywide cadmium tests, Ms. Wang's result came back showing cadmium levels above the safe-exposure limit set by the Chinese government. However, to qualify for continuing monitoring, China's occupational-disease laws require two consecutive positive tests. A second test showed Ms. Wang's cadmium level in the normal range, disqualifying her for assistance.
Three occupational-medicine doctors — in London, Sweden and the U.S. — who reviewed Ms. Wang's medical records for The Wall Street Journal say her initial test showed clear indications of kidney damage, a marker of possible cadmium poisoning.
"There's no doubt that in 2004, she had smoking-gun-type indicators of kidney damage, and in a person who works with cadmium, that should not be ignored," says Dr. Arch Carson, an expert in occupational medicine and environmental sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health.
GP says it relies on medical experts at government-run occupational-disease hospitals in the nearby city of Guangzhou to determine if workers required monitoring.
Having no symptoms, Ms. Wang continued playing badminton and jogging. But in early 2006, she began to feel extremely weak, and suffered headaches. Her skin began to age rapidly, and her eyes became sunken hollows. In November 2006, Ms. Wang was diagnosed at a local hospital with chronic renal failure that doctors said would likely shorten her life.
On Dec. 25, 2006, Ms. Wang approached GP management with news of her diagnosis. She requested that GP send her to the occupational-disease hospital in Guangzhou, which has facilities for treating cadmium exposure.
A stalemate ensued. The company says it was willing to help, but that Ms. Wang refused to follow local legal procedures. Local laws required that Ms. Wang visit a local hospital first, in order to be referred to the main occupational-disease hospital in Guangzhou. The company says Ms. Wang demanded they send her directly to the Guangzhou hospital, in violation of regulations.
In May, Ms. Wang sued the factory for $400,000 in compensation and medical care. To build her case, Ms. Wang used her access to company computers to download files that showed other workers in her department were exposed to cadmium. GP says there is no evidence that Ms. Wang's illness is related to cadmium, and doctors at the Guangzhou Occupational Disease Hospital say her kidney failure doesn't meet the criteria for occupational disease.
By last summer, Ms. Wang's health was failing. According to medical records from a hospital in Nanjing, she was admitted with a fever and a respiratory infection. Doctors there treated her for chronic renal failure, and listed "long-term exposure to cadmium-containing substances" as a possible cause, according to her medical records.
As workers, including Ms. Wang, sought to bring attention to the issue, a public-relations battle erupted. In 2005, GP filed a lawsuit against labor-rights groups representing the workers, charging libel. The case is moving through Hong Kong courts.
On their way to an interview with a Wall Street Journal reporter in August, Ms. Wang and several colleagues were pulled over by police and detained for nearly 13 hours in a Huizhou police station, according to several sources familiar with the incident. A person present at the Huizhou police station says the workers were told they would be charged with treason if they spoke to the media again. The Huizhou government says its police detained no battery workers.
Ms. Wang stopped answering her cellphone after the incident with the Huizhou police. But she began writing a blog to advise victims of cadmium poisoning. A recent post, in Chinese, said, "Basically, occupational disease could be prevented but it costs money. Money is the gold of bosses. And for them, the lives of workers are worthless."
After revelations of its cadmium-battery problems arose, GP quit making them at its plants, and now outsources that production to independent factories in China.
In America, five years after Hasbro stopped using nickel-cadmium batteries, Mattel and Toys "R" Us are yet to follow suit, but say they are exploring alternatives. Wal-Mart no longer purchases cadmium batteries from GP but declined to comment on whether it still uses them in its products.
Mattel says cadmium batteries have some performance advantages over alternatives, such as a better ability to retain a charge when not used for long periods.
—Sky Canaves in Hong Kong contributed to this article.
Panasonic 'covered up' poisoning at battery factory, report claims
By Texyt Staff – Sat, 04/28/2007 – 11:51.
Panasonic hid evidence that workers were poisoned at a battery factory, a report in a Chinese newspaper claims. Even pregnant women were not warned they might have been exposed to high levels of Cadmium, a potentially lethal heavy metal, the report alleges, quoting a manager who says he was laid off when he threatened to turn whistleblower.
The allegations are being made by a former human resources manager according to an article in the 21st Century Economic Report, a newspaper published by China's respected Southern Daily Group (Linked sites are in Chinese).
Panasonic has not yet responded to a request for comment on the case, which is claimed to have taken place over the past three years at a factory (photo) manufacturing rechargeable Nickel-Cadmium batteries in Wuxi, north of Shanghai. Exposure to even tiny amounts of Cadmium is known to increase the risk of cancer and can lead to a variety of crippling and potentially-fatal health conditions.
'Health reports buried', claim
The newspaper's source, named as ex-human resources manager, Pan Wei, claims he was hired by the company in October 2006. Later that same month, he told reporters, the company doctor gave him safety reports on Cadmium exposure to sign.
The original health tests showed that ten staff had Cadmium levels above safety limits, Mr. Pan said. However, an overall safety report stated that no staff had any such problem.
The doctor told Pan that this was normal procedure, and staff with dangerous Cadmium exposure were rotated to different work until their health reports improved, the ex-manager alleges.
Continued for three years?
According to the newspaper article: "Pan realized that since 2003, the company has handled the staff health examination every year, and every year the examination says all the staff have no problem, so none of the staff have been notified of the real poisonous Cadmium level"
The story continues: "The doctor said, this is our normal procedure. The director of the factory has signed his name, and higher people above have signed their names too. So you sign your name and there will be no problem"
Pregnant workers affected, report claims
Some workers had left the factory to work at other jobs where they might be exposed to Cadmium poisoning, without realizing they already had dangerous levels of Cadmium in their bodies, Pan alleges. In addition, he says, some of those affected were pregnant. Pan claims he was laid off after he demanded executives warn these workers of the risk. Panasonic informed him he had not performed satisfactorily during his probationary employment period, he says.
Panasonic is a trading name of Japan's giant Matsushita Electric Industrial group. The company has not yet responded to a request for comment on this case.
Public perception
Leading Japanese firms such as Matsushita are major investors in Chinese manufacturing. However, Chinese people have mixed perceptions about Japan. While they admire the country's advanced economy and culture, they also tend to believe that Japan has abused China in the past, particularly during the Second World War, and has failed to apologize adequately.
This negative perception has been fed by a heavy diet of official anti-Japanese propaganda, including school text books which harp upon Japan's historical misdeeds.
In this environment, Japanese firms operating in China are highly sensitive to negative publicity which might combine with smouldering anti-Japanese sentiment to ignite a firestorm of criticism.
Update April 29: ' The website of the Wuxi battery factory was taken offline yesterday' – removed this line as the website was only taken offline temporarily and is currently accessible with no obvious changes from the previous version – thanks to anonymous commenter below.
Red Dust – documentary on cadmium poisoning in Chinese women battery workers for Tesla Cars
Red Dust, a documentary directed by Karin Mak, chronicles the struggle for justice by women workers in China who have been poisoned by cadmium while manufacturing nickel-cadmium batteries.
Click here to view the trailer.
Cadmium has been in the international and USA news lately as found in jewellery and McDonald's Shrek glasses. However, the majority of cadmium is used for production of nickel-cadmium batteries, a type of rechargeable battery.
Cadmium is a very toxic heavy metal and the brave women in the film live with its debilitating effects in addition to risking their safety in their fight for justice. It covers themes of workers' rights, globalization, occupational safety and health, China's economic development and women's rights.
Red cadmium dust drifted freely in China's nickel-cadmium battery factories owned and operated by GP BATTERIES (GP), one of the world's top battery manufacturers. Ren, a migrant worker originally from Sichuan, suffers from frequent headaches and breathing difficulties. If untreated, the cadmium poisoning can lead to kidney failure, cancer, and even death.
Red Dust tells an unexamined side of China's economic development: the resistance, courage, and hope of workers battling occupational disease, demanding justice from the local government and global capital. Chinese migrant workers are deemed disposable by factory owners and are stereotypically viewed as quiet and passive victims. However, Ren and other GP workers (Min, Fu, and Wu) fight back. Labor issues are very sensitive in China, and workers who publicly discuss their struggles do so at great risk. The audience discovers along with the filmmaker, a Chinese American, the horrors of the global assembly line.
This documentary is about women who are the engine of the global economy. Although the film takes place in China, the characters' experiences are universal to workers on the margins around the world, where poverty, migration, and workplace hazards are common realities.
The film is 20 minutes, in Mandarin and Sichuanhua, with English subtitles.
What is Cadmium Poisoning?
Cadmium (cd) is a heavy metal used primarily in the production of nickel-cadmium batteries. Workers exposed to cadmium can suffer symptoms such as memory loss, dizziness, headaches, lack of strength, and pain in the back and limbs. In 2006, the European Union banned cadmium in electronics due to its extremely toxic properties.
Workers who suffer from cadmium poisoning may not look sick, and serious health issues may take several years to arise. Once cadmium enters the body, it takes between seven to thirty years for the body to flush it out, which is particularly harmful for the kidneys. Cadmium poisoning has also been linked to kidney failure and cancer. The effects of cadmium poisoning can be fatal. In 2006, Fu Hong Qin, a co-worker of the women featured in RED DUST, died from kidney failure. She had worked at a GP BATTERIES factory for 2 years.
Unsafe workplaces are not uncommon in China. According to the country's State Administration for Work Safety (SAWS) 2004 report, China has the world's highest number of occupational disease victims and deaths resulting from occupational diseases.
Karin T Mak was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, USA to immigrants originally from Hong Kong. She spent several years on immigrant and workers' rights campaigns in California. In 2003, she received the prestigious New Voices Fellowship to work with Sweatshop Watch, a Los Angeles-based non-profit educating the public about globalization. Mak is winner of the 2008 Roy W. Dean LA Film Grant.
Panasonic also face issue like hiding evidence that workers were poisoned at a battery factory in China . During that time, Panasonic are manufacturing rechargeable Nickel-Cadmium batteries in Wuxi, north of Shanghai. The worker were not warned when they have been exposed to high level of Cadmium, a potentially lethal heavy metal that can lead to a variety of crippling and potentially-fatal health conditions thus increasing the risk of death
How Did Elon Musk get involved in so many dirty schemes?
"Elon Musk is a Lying Scumbag" say critics!
It is, now, well known that all of Elon Musk's companies would not exist, today, if not for White House kick-backs and West Wing mandated steam-rolling of his competitors, in order to protect his loose relationship with morality.
The many news article about how Musk has based his whole career on getting handed taxpayer cash, as Payola, in exchange for his partners funding political campaigns, are published around the world.
While Musk may be a con-artist, carpet bagger and public funds thief, one has to wonder if his ability to convincingly lie is incumbent to his nature.
Is he like all of those zillions of guys that you see on that TV show: "48 Hours"? You know, the ones who meet the girl, her family says "he is wonderful", his co-workers say he "was the nicest guy". His neighbor says he "wouldn't hurt a fly'… and you always find out he cut off her head, ate her liver and chopped her into sausage. Is he like that? Always smiling, but hiding a meat cleaver behind the smile?
Musk has taken nearly two decades to sell only as many cars as a "real" car company sells in two weeks? He says he had to "figure out" how to build a car, so that is why it took so long. Is that true? Why did he spend so long, on something so rudimentary, only to have it turn out to be " the official car of douchebags and assholes"?
In those two decades, he has spent more money on those few cars than other real car companies spent on 10 cars. He says his run of the mill car was "so hard to build" and that was why it was $118,000.00 over budget PER CAR, at the time he applied for federal emergency cash. Was it really hard to build or was he siphoning money out to political campaigns?
He says the car is "Totally different" but it is the same electric car layout that electric cars have had since the 1800's. The Nissan Leaf and all of the other famous car company electric cars did not have any of the problems, delays or issues that Musk always has. Is he lying or just an idiot?
Critics say that Tesla was created to war-profiteer Afghan lithium that his campaign financier partners had inside deals with Russian mobsters for. They say that Solar City was created to accept kick-backs from Steven Chu at the Department of Energy and that Space X was created so Musk's partners, at spy agency IN-Q-Tel, could profit off of public surveillance systems. Musk says "no", in spite of millions of pages of evidence to the contrary. Is he lying?
Bernie Tse, and about 18 Tesla employees, worked for Elon Musk to create a battery sales division, but that fell apart when massive amounts of federal reports emerged, in 2006 and 2007 that proved that Tesla partner: Panasonic, was involved in bribes, crime, dumping, killing workers with poison chemicals and other crimes. At the same time, Elon Musk saw reports that confirmed that his lithium ion would blow up spontaneously, catch on fire when stressed by a car, exude toxic fumes that cause cancer, liver damage, cellular breakdown and fetal mutation and that you had to invade Afghanistan and Bolivia to get the lithium. Even, today, as Tesla's, hover-boards, and numerous lithium ion devices, explode regularly, Musk says there is "no problem" with lithium ion. Is he lying?
The Department of Energy documents filed by Elon Musk, to get taxpayer cash have over 100 things that Musk promised, in writing, that turned out to never have happened and/or never been true. Did he lie..or just have a few typos?
His numerous divorces and break-ups have resulted in people, who knew him intimately, saying he was a "fraud and a "liar".
His co-founders at Tesla sued him saying he was a "liar" and a "scam artist".
His investors have said, in lawsuits, that he is a "liar" and a "fraud".
Erick Strickland, the head of the highway safety agency, was confronted with covering up the DRAMATIC number of safety issues known about the Tesla. He quit the next day. What doesn't Musk quit?
In a recent article about Musk and Space X, with a cover photo depicting Musk in the company of rats, his own employees are quoted calling him a "liar".
There are hundreds and hundreds of news articles describing different things that Musk has lied about.
Is Musk really a liar? Is he a scumbag Silicon Valley misogynist laboring under another facade of self-deluded privilege and narcissistic self-promoting elitism?
While Musk's partner: Google, gladly spins out Musk's "Look-at-me" self glorification press hype on a daily basis, is Musk telling the truth in those wild-eyed pronouncements?
In his latest press hype: Musk now wants to build a haven for the 1%, On Mars, much like his peer: Vinohd Khosla tried to build a haven for 1%-ers on a public beach, he took over, in Half Moon Bay, California.
We can only pray that Musk will go to Mars as soon as possible. Ideally, tomorrow…and stay there!
proves that TESLA CARS destroy the environmenttesla corruptiontesla model 3tesla model xTestusing billions of people
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The Great Room launches in Hong Kong
Staff Writer July 10, 2019
Source: Retail in Asia
The Great Room, the elevated, hospitality-inspired coworking space, is pioneering Hong Kong's demand for coworking spaces that go beyond the conventional concept of flexible workspaces.
SEE ALSO : The rise of malls: the changing retail landscape in China
With premium coworking space rising in prominence, the success of The Great Room proved that there are market opportunities for operators with hospitality expertise, and reflected an evolving relationship between landlords and coworking space operators to cater to shifting demand trends in the sector.
Convergence of the hotel and coworking sectors
Earlier this year, a number of major hotel chains have announced plans to upgrade their workspace offerings to meet the ever-rising expectations of global business travellers, whilst also bringing local professionals conducive spaces to work and conduct business.
As the demand in the flexible workspace sector continues to grow, coworking is a natural progression for hotels, where business centres and conference rooms have been common amenities for years.
These hotels' moves reflect the gradual reimaging of the hospitality sector to connect customers in a broader way, and represent the type of innovation and greater diversity the market is expecting for serving differing needs.
The recent Colliers Asia Flexible Workspace Report 2019 pointed out that amenitisation and premium workspace design are rising in importance across the flexible workspace sector as landlords become more conscious of shifting occupier demands for better employee experiences.
It also noted that currently, few operators can deliver a full range of amenities, presenting an opportunity for hotel or hospitality operators to fill the market gap, as they are experts in providing hotel concierge services.
With hotels and developers increasingly looking to transform traditional business centres into more experience-driven spaces – places that entice guests to stay, mingle and conduct their business while giving them a daytime narrative – The Great Room is helping drive this evolution with its disruptive business model and hospitality-inspired coworking concept that was previously unprecedented in the industry.
A Strong Partnership to Deliver a Collective Experience
The overarching trend in the Colliers Flexible Workspace Report 2019 was that landlords are starting to become more active participants in the sector – they will either build for themselves or leverage the flexible workspace sector, to create a range of amenities to better serve their occupiers and their workforce.
The Great Room is ahead of many in the field with a vision to forge deeper, strategic partnerships with landlords to deliver genuine value to end users.
In Singapore, The Great Room is already putting this into practice by working with a developer in the early stages of a project to ensure they have design-driven and human-centric coworking amenities in place from the outset.
In the future, The Great Room seeks to work with more developers early in the planning process to assist them with incorporating coworking into building designs.
"Our approach necessitates that we truly partner with our landlords to deliver our vision. We have great synergy with landlords who share our strive to create an elevated experience. We know our clientele are looking to us to deliver premium services, infrastructure and spaces that empower them to operate at the highest levels, " said Jaelle Ang, The Great Room Co-Founder and CEO.
Hong Kong's Elite Embrace The Great Room Experience
Located in Singapore, Bangkok, and Hong Kong, The Great Room has quickly established a regional network of business clubs and coworking spaces designed for "grown up" start-ups and thought leaders.
The company serves a roster of innovation-driven members, including technology, finance, and design-savvy companies. Since opening its first Hong Kong location at Swire Properties' One Taikoo Place in April this year, membership has quickly grown as word continues to spread.
The overwhelming success has accelerated plans to open up more locations in Hong Kong as well as expand into first-tier cities in mainland China in the next few years.
"Since launching in Hong Kong earlier this year, The Great Room has been incredibly well received. We were confident that our unique approach to coworking would resonate with Hong Kong's elite businesses, established companies and high-value entrepreneurs," said Jaelle Ang.
"It has been rewarding to see this come to fruition. As we are on pace to reach full occupancy, we find that our audience places a premium on the hotel-like service-rich environment and design aesthetic that The Great Room provides," she continued.
Beyond attracting members, The Great Room has also been embraced by investors with SGD 40 million (HKD 230 million) raised to date, further validating its business model and vision.
The Great Room was established in 2016 in Singapore as a hospitality-led premium coworking space operator. It aimed to change the way people work, meet and socialise. It offers flexible office solutions and can cater to unique specifications – whether for a fast-growing company in need of an entire floor, or a dynamic entrepreneur on the look-out for a hot-desking environment.
SEE ALSO : Top 10 most expensive office markets in Asia
Members have the flexibility of dedicated, hot and virtual offices, as well as day passes, with a suite of supporting services. Knowledge sharing and networking platforms are organised regularly for members. Today, The Great Room has four premium locations in Singapore, one in Bangkok and one in Hong Kong.
Tags Retail coworking space The Great Room Colliers Asia Landlords workspace Partnership operators hospitality TRANSFORMATION premium
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