1984?

I find this photo of a factory in China that produces Apple products weirdly 1984, although not in the way Steve Jobs intended.

As mentioned Sunday on This American Life, (Note:  Disclaimer on the truth of that story) Apple does make available on its website a report that includes a section referred to as "Supplier Responsibility", yet failing to mention which suppliers Apple utilizes in the making of its products. Without transparency in allowing for a 3rd-party independent investigation into their suppliers, what is the authenticity of this document?

Excerpt from report:

Apple’s procurement decisions take into account a facility’s social responsibility performance, along with factors such as quality, cost, and timely delivery. When social responsibility performance consistently fails to meet Apple expectations, we terminate business. 


So is this true? 


Maybe Orwell was referring to the increasing necessity for corporate responsibility in 1984, rather than banality of design. Good design also means ethical business practices. Unethical manufacturing practices abroad overrides American innovation, pure and simple. With a recent fire at one of Apple's plants in China, it's disappointing this invention in particular is deservant of better public scrutiny.

Proper Attitude

I am planning on checking out Downtown Abbey, at some point, but Damian Lewis and Gina McKee are fantastic in The Forsyte Saga. The series is a soap opera (remember those?), way better than anything involving the Kardashians. Lewis is especially diabolical as the character of Soames, a despicable husband to McKee's Irene Heron. Sigh, the days when books, the theater, opera, and dancing superseded all forms of entertainment, and it took at least a few days for news to get anywhere. Whereas now, we have knowledge of what international policymakers had for lunch in mere hours. Or if not, someone knows somewhere and will post as such in the very near future. The allure of incessant voyeurism should wear off at some point, at least. Here's hoping.