After all the excitement surrounding Disney's future theme park in Shanghai, it seems that the Disney corporation has come under domestic fire for their seedy manufacturing conditions. A group of students from Nanchang university interviewed more than 100 workers at at five Disney factories in Guangzhou, and compiled their findings in a report titled "Mickey Mouse is no longer cute." Top on the list of complaints were frequent accidents, poor safety standards, and reduced wages for workers. Thinking about underprivileged, limbless workers really does take the cuteness out of those plush Disney toys, right? more ›

We all know that the Apple heads at Silicon Valley are responsible for the iconic aesthetic presentation and minimalist technical specifications of the iPod, but we think much less about where its low price comes from. Recently, however, we've been pretty startlingly reminded that there are laborers actually responsible for assembling these iPods, sometimes in substandard working conditions that might help cut costs, despite the compromise in ethics. more ›