Friday Blog Round-Up: March Madness Edition

THE BRAIN DAMAGE JOKES JUST WRITE THEMSELVES
The Center for Environmental Health released findings this week that several Hannah Montana products - manufactured in China and sold at Wal-Mart - contain high levels of lead. While it seems all too easy to link the Hannah Montana phenomenon and brain damage, the truth is that it’s not just HM products that pose a risk to young’uns. This is only the latest in a long line of product warnings about merchandise made in China and sold at Wal-Mart. A pattern, perhaps?

Hannah Montana’s Killing Spree: It’s Not Over Yet [Idolator]

Not content with potentially maiming fans who would dare to buy boots branded with her name, Miley Ray Cyrus/Hannah Montana is continuing her reign of merchandise terror, this time through the use of toxic levels of lead paint in somewhat-innocent-looking vinyl purses.

Do Not Chew Your Hannah Montana Toys [Glitterati]

Miley Cyrus may be a good influence on her young fans, but Miley-branded products - manufactured in China for Disney and sold at Wal*Mart - are loaded with lead, according to CNN and the Center For Environmental Health. Oops.

Don’t Lick Miley Cyrus! [E! Online]

Chinese-made Hannah Montana products - like her backpack and purses - have been found to contain up to 14 times the federal standard for lead in paint, the Center for Environmental Health says.

After the jump, we can’t get enough of the celebrity gossip!, Dell moves in to China and Wal-Mart gets taken to task for selling Guitar Hero.

Hannah Montana Is KILLING YOUR CHILDREN! [Ecorazzi]

The good news is that Disney is still getting rich. The bad news is that high levels of lead can impair children’s learning ability and cause irreversible neurological damage as well as renal disease, cardiovascular effects, and reproductive toxicity.

You know that it must be bad when you’re getting health advice from TMZ.

Hannah Montana’s Bag Pumped With Lead? [TMZ]

According to a new report by the Center for Environment Health—not a government agency, but a non-profit in Oakland—five Chinese-made products in the Hannah Montana line were tested to have lead content in their paint, as much as 14 times the federal standard. Excessive lead content, leading to lead poisoning, has been known to cause irreversible neurological damage and kidney and heart disease—much like Miley’s music!

Miley Cyrus Aims To Kill Your Children [Gawker]

The CEH called it a “poison plastic,” deftly summing up every celebrity currently idolized by the tweenagers. So parents! That Hannah Montana purse or knapsack or full-body fetish suit that your ten-year-old child has should not be ingested or touched or anything.

WAL-MART GOES ALL IN ON SEIYU
A freudian slip from the Morning News of Northwest Arkansas this week basically sums up Wal-Mart’s plan to buy out the rest of Japanese retailer Seiyu. (The paper soon corrected the headline to read “Fully.") Bloggers weigh in on the company’s move.

Wal-Mart to complete full purchase of Japan’s Seiyu [BloggingStocks]

Wal-Mart must believe in the future potential of the company since it had a disastrous 2007 and what could be considered to be a murky past and a potentially shaky future. Ever since it bought a stake in Seiyu back in 2002, the Japanese company has not turned a profit (interestingly enough), and Wal-Mart’s attempt to turn around Seiyu’s fortunes won’t be easy given its past history of ownership in the company.

Wal-Mart Sinks More Money Into Seiyu [Wake Up Wal-Mart]

Wal-Mart claims the purchase is to increase the ‘flexibility’ it needs to improve the store. It seems owning 96% of the company wasn’t enough to control the company.

JAPAN: Wal-Mart buys remaining Seiyu shares [Just-Food]

Since Wal-Mart first invested in Seiyu in 2002, Japan’s fifth-biggest retailer by sales has struggled in the competitive Japanese market, not making a net profit on an annual basis since then. In February, Seiyu posted a net loss of Y20.9bn.

DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR ...
Dell, struggling with its sales despite a recent partnership with Wal-Mart, decides to increase sourcing from China. File under “Brilliant product-quality moves,” right next to Hannah Montana.

Dell goes shopping in China [BloggingStocks]

A number of companies doing huge amounts of business in China, like Wal-Mart also buy a significant amount of their products there.

What Dell does not talk about, at least when it is in China, is how much of its component budget goes to Taiwan, either directly or though the purchase of chips, which are wholesaled from there by firms that supply the PC company with processors.

Dell aims for expansion in China [TechSpot]

Notebooks, desktop computers, education centers, and more - all receiving the Dell touch in China, India, and other Asian countries. The company estimates that this year they will do more than $23 billion worth of business in China alone.

Dell To Buy $52 Billion In Components From China [Winbyte]

Dell (Dell) plans to buy $23 billion of components from China this year and $29 billion in 2009, helping it reduce costs while the company’s main market, the United States, is facing recession. The commoditisation of computer hardware means competition is more a function of price and efficiency than quality and branding, making China a favourite place to source a broad range of goods, including electronic components. “China is critical to Dell’s global supply chain,” founder and Chief Executive Michael Dell told reporters on Thursday.

And in case you hadn’t figured it out, China is PSYCHED.

Dell commits $52bn to China sourcing [China Economic Review]

ell will spend US$52 billion on Chinese-made computer components over the next two years, Reuters reported. The US company’s purchases will total US$23 billion in 2008 and US$29 billion in 2009. This will take Dell’s China spending to US$70 billion over the 2007-2009 period, said founder and CEO Michael Dell. “China is critical to Dell’s global supply chain,” he added. The US economic slowdown is expected to hit tech companies hard and they are increasingly looking to source components from China as a means of cutting costs. Cisco Systems, for example, has said it will almost double its China purchasing over the next five years to US$16 billion. Dell was also keen to emphasize China’s importance as a customer. The company saw a 54% rise in sales in the country during its last financial quarter.

THE GEARS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE GRIND SLOWLY
What’s that? More controversy over whether Wal-Mart’s ACTUALLY green? Instead of wondering whether or not the company’s green, maybe we should just figure it out. Go out to your local Wal-Mart this weekend and check out what they’re doing. Send your photos and commentary to blog [at] walmartwatch [dot] com.

Lee Scott: It’s Not Easy Being Green [Huffington Post]

fter pointing out the tragic irony that there was bottled water right there at the conference on environmental capital, Scott explained why Wal-Mart continues to sell bottled water, “We have to stay in business… If the customer wants bottled water, we’re going to sell bottled water.” While Wal-Mart may be working to reduce their carbon footprint, it became clear that to Scott, reducing waste means making money, not fulfilling an environmental promise.

Is Wal-Mart changing its ways? [Green Daily]

Look, I’m all for recycled products. And a new green store is certainly interesting. But does Wal-Mart really expect that consumers will truly see them as a “green” retailer, as they keep referring to themselves as? A few recycled products and some well-placed marketing campaigns does not a green store make. A truly green retailer is not one that uproots in every available green space, whether the local citizens want it or not. It’s not one that has to heat and cool its massive warehouse-like stores, whose products are trucked cross-country and are produced in sweatshops in third world countries (we’re looking at you, Kathie Lee). It’s not one that is ostensibly conscious in one outlet (the environment) and not in another (proper treatment of its workers, and an egalitarian community).

I’m sorry, but I just don’t buy it. The words “Wal-Mart” and “green” feel strange coming out of my mouth in the same sentence. Well, unless I’m saying, “Wal-Mart will never be green,” in which case it feels perfectly fine.

GIBSON SUES WAL-MART OVER GUITAR HERO SALES
Gibson is suing Wal-Mart and several other major retailers for selling the video game “Guitar Hero.” Next up on the chopping block: every schmo who’s ever played air guitar.

Gibson turns volume up to 11 with new ‘Guitar Hero’ lawsuit [CNet News Blog]

Legendary guitar manufacturer Gibson Guitar has sued six major retailers--Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, Amazon.com, Gamestop, and Toys-R-Us--for selling Activision’s Guitar Hero video game series.

Gibson fires Guitar Hero lawsuit at Wal-Mart, other retailers [Article 33]

Last we checked we actually weren’t in the Twilight Zone, but quite frankly, the bigwigs at Gibson just might be. Seemingly out of nowhere, the famed guitar manufacturer sparked up a lawsuit against Activision claiming that Guitar Hero titles violate one of its patents. Now the company appears to be on the warpath, suing Wal-Mart, Target, GameStop, Amazon, Toys ‘R’ Us and Kmart in an attempt to get the game off of store shelves.

Gibson Sues Retailers as ‘Guitar Hero’ Suits Ramp Up [Gear Log]

Gibson claims that the controller used in the game is in violation of one of its patents, according to the Associated Press. The patent in question seems a little iffy: “...simulate participation in a concert by playing a musical instrument and wearing a head-mounted 3-D display that includes stereo speakers,” it reads in part.

Gibson fires Guitar Hero lawsuit at Wal-Mart, other retailers [Engadget]

For the retailers that did comment, they chimed in only to say “we aren’t commenting,” and judging by the looks of things, the games are still widely available—for now.

Posted by Alex Goldschmidt on Friday, March 21, 2008