General Electric (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in New York,[4] and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut.[2] As of 2015, the company operates through the following segments: Appliances, Power and Water, Oil and Gas, Energy Management, Aviation, Healthcare, Transportation and Capital which cater to the needs of Home Appliances, Financial services, Medical device, Life Sciences, Pharmaceutical, Automotive, Software Development and Engineering industries.
In 2011, GE ranked among the Fortune 500 as the 6th-largest firm in the U.S. by gross revenue,[5] and the 14th most profitable.[6] As of 2012 the company was listed the fourth-largest in the world among the Forbes Global 2000, further metrics being taken into account.[7] The Nobel Prize has twice been awarded to employees of General Electric: Irving Langmuir in 1932 and Ivar Giaever in 1973.[8]
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The six reactors in the 2011 Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant catastrophe had been designed by General Electric. Their design had been criticised as far back as 1972.[74]
In March 2011, The New York Times reported that, despite earning $14.2 billion in worldwide profits, including more than $5 billion from U.S. operations, General Electric did not owe taxes in 2010. General Electric had a tax refund of $3.2 billion. This same article also pointed out that GE has reduced its American workforce by one fifth since 2002.[75]
In December 2011, the non-partisan organization Public Campaign criticized General Electric for spending $84.35 million on lobbying and not paying any taxes during 2008–2010, instead getting $4.7 billion in tax rebates, despite making a profit of $10.4 billion, laying off 4,168 workers since 2008, and increasing executive pay by 27% to $75.9 million in 2010 for the top 5 executives.[76]
Between March 1990 and February 2001, General Electric was fined or ordered to pay damages by a court 42 times, amounting to at least $934,027,215, according to a report from the Multinational Monitor.[77]
General Electric was one of the pioneers and early widespread adopters of planned obsolescence, with a major part in the Phoebus cartel.[78]
GE has a history of some of its activities giving rise to large-scale air and water pollution. Based on year 2000 data,[79] researchers at the Political Economy Research Institute listed the corporation as the fourth-largest corporate producer of air pollution in the United States, with more than 4.4 million pounds per year (2,000 tons) of toxic chemicals released into the air.[80] GE has also been implicated in the creation of toxic waste. According to EPA documents, only the United States Government, Honeywell, and Chevron Corporation are responsible for producing more Superfund toxic waste sites.[81]
In 1983, New York State Attorney General Robert Abrams filed suit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of New York to compel GE to pay for the cleanup of what was claimed to be more than 100,000 tons of chemicals dumped from their plant in Waterford, New York.[82] In 1999, the company agreed to pay a $250 million settlement in connection with claims it polluted the Housatonic River (Pittsfield, Massachusetts) and other sites with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous substances.[83]
In 2003, acting on concerns that the plan proposed by GE did not "provide for adequate protection of public health and the environment," the United States Environmental Protection Agency issued a unilateral administrative order for the company to "address cleanup at the GE site" in Rome, Georgia, also contaminated with PCBs.[84]
The nuclear reactors involved in the 2011 crisis at Fukushima I in Japan are GE designs,[85] and the architectural designs were done by Ebasco,[86] formerly owned by GE. Concerns over the design and safety of these reactors were raised as early as 1972, but tsunami danger was not discussed at that time.[87] As of 2014, the same model nuclear power reactors designed by GE are operating in the US,[88] such as the controversial Pilgrim Nuclear Generating Station, in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
General Electric heavily contaminated the Hudson River with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1947-77.[89] This pollution caused a range of harmful effects to wildlife and people who eat fish from the river or drink the water.[90] In response to this contamination, activists protested in various ways. Musician Pete Seeger founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and the Clearwater Festival to draw attention to the problem. The activism led to the site being designated by the EPA as one of the superfund sites requiring extensive cleanup.[91] Other sources of pollution, including mercury contamination and sewage dumping, have also contributed to problems in the Hudson River watershed.[92][93]
Pollution of the Housatonic River[edit]
From circa 1932 until 1977, General Electric polluted the Housatonic River with PCBs discharges from the General Electric plant at Pittsfield, Massachusetts.[94] Aroclor 1254 and Aroclor 1260, made by Monsanto was the primary contaminant of the pollution.[95][96] The highest concentrations of PCBs in the Housatonic River are found in Woods Pond in Lenox, Massachusetts, just south of Pittsfield, where they have been measured up to 110 mg/kg in the sediment.[96] About 50% of all the PCBs currently in the river are estimated to be retained in the sediment behind Woods Pond dam. This is estimated to be about 11,000 pounds of PCBs.[96] Former filled oxbows are also polluted.[97] Waterfowl and fish who live in and around the river contain significant levels of PCBs and can present health risks if consumed.[98][99][100]
GE owns
NBCUniversal (colloquially referred to as NBCU or NBCUni) is an American media and entertainment company engaged in the production and marketing of entertainment, news, and information products and services to a global customer base. The company owns and operates American television networks, numerous cable channels, and a group of local stations in the United States, as well as motion picture companies, several television production companies, and branded theme parks. It is the world's largest mass media group.
NBC Universal was formed on May 12, 2004 by the merger of General Electric's National Broadcasting Company with Vivendi's Vivendi Universal Entertainment.[8][9] GE and US cable TV operator Comcast announced a buyout agreement for the company on December 3, 2009. Following regulatory approvals, the transaction completed on January 28, 2011. Comcast subsequently owned 51% of NBCUniversal while GE owned 49%.[9][10][11] Comcast intended to buy out the rest of GE's stake over the following seven years, but nothing happened until February 12, 2013, when Comcast announced its intention to complete the purchase all at once and assume 100% ownership of the company by the end of March.[12][13] The deal was finalized on March 19, 2013.[14]
Originally, the NBC Universal logo was a combination of the NBC peacock logo and the Universal Studios globe and text. The logo was redesigned by Wolff Olins on January 31, 2011 to reflect the new Comcast ownership[15] and the unity of its two main divisions.[12]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBCUniversal
Don't expect too much positive coverage of Bernie from NBC or MSNBC in the near future.
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