Germany's decision to shut down its nuclear power plants is a significant move towards becoming carbon neutral, with the goal of being carbon neutral by 2045.

The country aims to limit electricity generation to renewable sources by 2035, with a focus on increasing electricity production from solar and wind power.

However, this decision has been met with skepticism from other industrialized countries, such as the United States, Japan, China, France, and Britain, which rely on nuclear power to replace fossil fuels.

Nuclear energy advocates around the world have criticized the German shutdown, arguing that it could deal a blow to a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.

The German government has acknowledged that in the short term, the country will have to rely more on polluting coal and natural gas to meet its energy needs.

This is a concern for the country's carbon neutrality goals, as well as its energy security, particularly in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The war has led to a shift in Germany's energy policy, with the country looking for alternatives to Russian gas.

In fact, the shutdown of Germany's last three nuclear power plants was hailed as a victory by some, but criticized by others as an act of madness at a time when Europe's energy supply remains precarious.

The decision to shut down the nuclear power plants was made in 2011, when Chancellor Angela Merkel reversed an earlier decision to extend the life of the country's nuclear plants until 2036.

This decision was influenced by decades of anti-nuclear protests in Germany, which date back to the 1970s.

The nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island in the United States in 1979 and at Chernobyl in 1986 also fueled the anti-nuclear movement in Germany.

However, public opinion in Germany shifted after the Russo-Ukrainian War, with 67% of Germans supporting a five-year extension of the country's nuclear plants, and 41% supporting the construction of new plants.

Despite this shift in public opinion, the German Green Party, which is part of the coalition government, only agreed to postpone the shutdown for a few months to fill any gap caused by the winter energy crisis.

The German government's decision to shut down the nuclear power plants has been highly controversial, with some arguing that it will hinder the country's ability to meet its energy needs and achieve its carbon neutrality goals.

The country's energy market is coping with the loss of nuclear energy by increasing its reliance on renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power.

However, this transition is not without its challenges, particularly in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which has led to a shortage of natural gas and other energy supplies.

The war has also led to a increase in energy prices, which is affecting the German economy and the livelihoods of its citizens.

In fact, Germany's pursuit of 100% renewable energy by 2035 may not be achievable in the short term, particularly if the country is unable to access sufficient energy supplies.

The country's energy policy is also being influenced by the European Union's energy transformation policy goals, which aim to reduce the bloc's reliance on fossil fuels and increase its use of renewable energy sources.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has also raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants in Europe, particularly in Ukraine, where there are 15 nuclear reactors supplying half of the country's electricity.

The war has led to a shift in the European Union's energy policy, with some countries, such as France and Britain, maintaining their reliance on nuclear energy, while others, such as Germany, are moving away from it.

Overall, Germany's decision to shut down its nuclear power plants is a complex issue, with both positive and negative consequences for the country's energy market and its ability to achieve its carbon neutrality goals.

While the decision has been criticized by some, it is also seen as a necessary step towards reducing the country's reliance on fossil fuels and increasing its use of renewable energy sources.

However, the country's energy policy must be carefully managed to ensure that the transition to renewable energy is smooth and does not lead to energy shortages or price increases.

The German government must also consider the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the country's energy supply and take steps to mitigate any negative consequences.

In conclusion, Germany's move away from nuclear energy is a significant step towards becoming carbon neutral, but it is a complex issue that requires careful management and consideration of the potential consequences.

Germany's decision to shut down its nuclear power plants is a significant move towards becoming carbon neutral, with the goal of being carbon neutral by 2045.

Title:

Content: Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Editors
I'm sorry.
Mohamad Elbaz
EXPRESS: Germany ’ s exit from atomic energy sector affects Europe ’ s largest economy
Germany ’ s closure of the country ’ s last three nuclear reactors and its eventual exit from the atomic energy sector raises concerns about the impact of the decision on the European Union ’ s largest economy.
Germany ’ s action could deal a blow to the technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.
Berlin is implementing its plan to limit electricity generation to renewable sources by 2035.
Earlier this week, Germany shut down its last three nuclear power plants as part of Berlin's plan to limit power generation to renewables by 2035, ending a six-decade programme that has sparked one of Europe's most powerful protest movements.
Other industrialized countries, such as the United States, Japan, China, France and Britain, rely on nuclear power to replace the fossil fuels that are warming the planet, and Germany ’ s decision to stop using both has been met with some skepticism, as well as unsuccessful last-minute calls to halt the shutdown, the report said.
Nuclear energy advocates around the world have criticized the German shutdown, realizing that the action taken by Europe ’ s largest economy could deal a blow to technology they see as a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.
The German government has acknowledged that in the short term, the country will have to rely more on polluting coal and natural gas to meet its energy needs, even as steps are taken to dramatically increase electricity production from solar and wind power, and Germany aims to be carbon neutral by 2045.
But officials like German Environment Minister Stevie Lemke say the idea of a nuclear renaissance is a myth, citing data showing that the share of atomic energy in global electricity production is shrinking.
The construction of new nuclear plants in Europe has faced significant delays and cost overruns.
Limki noted that the construction of new nuclear plants in Europe has faced significant delays and cost overruns, and said the money spent on maintaining old reactors or building new ones would be better spent on installing cheap renewables.
Experts such as Claudia Kemfert of the German Institute for Economic Research in Berlin say the 5% share of German electricity currently coming from its three remaining reactors can be easily replaced without risking power outages.

The country aims to limit electricity generation to renewable sources by 2035, with a focus on increasing electricity production from solar and wind power.

However, this decision has been met with skepticism from other industrialized countries, such as the United States, Japan, China, France, and Britain, which rely on nuclear power to replace fossil fuels.

Nuclear energy advocates around the world have criticized the German shutdown, arguing that it could deal a blow to a clean and reliable alternative to fossil fuels.

The German government has acknowledged that in the short term, the country will have to rely more on polluting coal and natural gas to meet its energy needs.

This is a concern for the country's carbon neutrality goals, as well as its energy security, particularly in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The war has led to a shift in Germany's energy policy, with the country looking for alternatives to Russian gas.

Title:

Content: “There is no excuse for the rich West to be oblivious to the global debt crisis. ” – The Guardian
We start with an opinion piece by Larry Elliott, the Guardian ’ s economic editor, entitled “The wealthy West has little excuse for finally waking up to the global debt crisis. ”
“After a decade or more of their obsession with their own problems, countries in the wealthy West have begun to pay attention to the threat of a looming debt crisis in the poorer parts of the world, ” he says at a meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank in Washington this week.
The good news is that debt has risen to the highest level on the policy agenda and is seen as a problem that needs to be regulated, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said about the need for distressed countries to help: “Help them deal with the debt burden, which has made the shocks of past years more difficult; and help ensure that the IMF can continue to support them in the years to come. ”
The bad news, according to Elliott, is that Georgieva ’ s appeal has not yet been heeded, as rich countries are still primarily interested in their own problems.
The geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China is also not helping.
Creditor countries may wake up to the idea that there is a debt problem but it is far from a solution.
Talk is not like work. ”
Achim Steiner, director of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said: “There are more than 50 countries on his radar that can default very quickly. ”
Steiner believes that the UN has no chance of meeting its ambitious 2030 development goals, unless there is urgent action.
The volume of lending by the private sector has made attempts to restructure or write off debt more complex than in the past.
At the time of the HIPC initiative, creditors tended to be either individual governments or multilateral organizations such as the World Bank.
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“But since the global financial crisis, many countries, especially middle-income countries, have borrowed heavily in financial markets, taking advantage of very low interest rates to finance domestic projects. ”
After the setback of the COVID-19 epidemic, low- and middle-income countries have since been hit by two other undesirable shocks: the war in Ukraine, which led to higher food and fuel prices, and the sharp increase in central bank interest rates in large Western economies.
The result is that debt servicing has become much more expensive, with many countries now frozen out of financial markets altogether.
Steiner said: "The issue is not financial but political.
The United States has mobilized $400 billion to secure Silicon Valley Bank deposits.
This is more than the developing world has received in three years.
It took the Swiss government less than 48 hours to find 100 billion Swiss francs to secure the rescue of one of its banks.
“The lesson of the recent banking crises is clear.
Rich countries can act fast enough when they want to, ” the writer concludes.
Fears of Macron ’ s politics
We turn to another Financial Times opinion piece by Alain Beatty, a trade writer, entitled “The Risks of Emmanuel Macron ’ s Strategic Insistence. ”
Macron ’ s focus on keeping a distance from both Washington and Beijing in pursuit of the EU ’ s vague “strategic autonomy ” is not an innovation among European policymakers, but geopolitical Europe enthusiasts need to recognize that the lack of unity and trust within the EU, rather than the sinister manipulation by Washington and Beijing, is the main obstacle.
“We ’ ve already seen this happen in trade policy, which is one area where the EU has long had the ability to act collectively.
In the same way that there is nothing stopping European governments from increasing military spending and playing a greater geopolitical role, the bloc can certainly increase its ability to use trade to project its strategic influence.
But while France has been keen to create new tools for intervening in trade and investment, other member states recognize that the views and interests of Paris are not necessarily those of the bloc as a whole.
“In recent years, the European Commission has carefully designed a range of trade instruments to confirm the bloc ’ s geo-economic weight.
The most politically salient is the anti-coercion tool ECI, which will allow the EU to use a wide range of trade and investment measures to retaliate against the bullying of trading partners.
France has strongly supported all this activity, and has also called for the creation of new EU central funds to pursue industrial policy.
“But the Commission will struggle to use this set of tools if there is opposition from other member states that are mindful of their export interests or distrust in using trade tools to manage a centralized strategic policy.
A few days before Macron ’ s trip, the Commission succumbed to pressure from some EU governments, including Germany, and gave member states a major role in determining the use of ECI.
Berlin instinctively avoids confrontation that could damage German exports and investments abroad.
There have also been more principled objections from liberal member states including Sweden and the Czech Republic, sceptical of attempts to politicize trade policy and the likelihood that it will be overly influenced by certain governments.
Macron inadvertently contributed to these concerns, especially as he unnerved some other EU governments two years ago with a clear orientation toward a major investment deal with China, “leaving a legacy of caution. ”
“Attempting to push a union with divergent views to adopt a single approach to a specific global issue is unlikely to produce long-term results. ”
German split on energy policy
We remain with an article by Laura Bettel, the Financial Times correspondent in Berlin, entitled “Germany is being torn apart by energy policy with the closure of nuclear plants. ”
Bethel said Germany ’ s last remaining nuclear power plants were shut down on Saturday, “marking a watershed moment in a country that has long had deep doubts about atomic energy. ”
Anti-nuclear activists hailed the shutdown of three reactors as a victory after a temporary delay following the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war that forced Berlin to look for alternatives to Russian gas.
Critics see the shutdown as an act of madness at a time when Europe ’ s energy supply remains precarious and the world is struggling to stop using fossil fuels.
After decades of anti-nuclear protests, the decisive moment came in 2011 when Chancellor Angela Merkel reversed an earlier decision to extend the life of the country ’ s nuclear plants until 2036, bringing the phase-out date to 2022.
The anti-nuclear movement in former West Germany dates back to the 1970s, when a popular campaign succeeded in stopping the construction of a nuclear power plant in the southwestern village of Weil.
The nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island in the United States in 1979 and at Chernobyl in 1986 fuelled that movement.
But German public opinion shifted after the Russo-Ukrainian War: an August 2022 poll from Der Spiegel found that 67 percent of Germans supported a five-year extension of the country ’ s nuclear plants.
41% supported the construction of new plants.
In a similar poll three decades ago, only 3% said yes.
But the German Green Party, now part of the three-way coalition government led by Olaf Schulz, only agreed to postpone the shutdown for a few months to fill any gap caused by the winter energy crisis.
“The way in which Germany has chosen to phase out nuclear power, and step back from fossil fuels as a bridging gap even as renewables increase dramatically, has been highly controversial. ”

In fact, the shutdown of Germany's last three nuclear power plants was hailed as a victory by some, but criticized by others as an act of madness at a time when Europe's energy supply remains precarious.

The decision to shut down the nuclear power plants was made in 2011, when Chancellor Angela Merkel reversed an earlier decision to extend the life of the country's nuclear plants until 2036.

This decision was influenced by decades of anti-nuclear protests in Germany, which date back to the 1970s.

The nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island in the United States in 1979 and at Chernobyl in 1986 also fueled the anti-nuclear movement in Germany.

However, public opinion in Germany shifted after the Russo-Ukrainian War, with 67% of Germans supporting a five-year extension of the country's nuclear plants, and 41% supporting the construction of new plants.

Despite this shift in public opinion, the German Green Party, which is part of the coalition government, only agreed to postpone the shutdown for a few months to fill any gap caused by the winter energy crisis.

The German government's decision to shut down the nuclear power plants has been highly controversial, with some arguing that it will hinder the country's ability to meet its energy needs and achieve its carbon neutrality goals.

The country's energy market is coping with the loss of nuclear energy by increasing its reliance on renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power.

However, this transition is not without its challenges, particularly in light of the Russian-Ukrainian war, which has led to a shortage of natural gas and other energy supplies.

The war has also led to a increase in energy prices, which is affecting the German economy and the livelihoods of its citizens.

Title:

Content: Since the beginning of the Russian-Ukrainian war on February 24, the US sanctions on Russia have become wider and stronger.
European countries have responded differently to near-“ unlimited ” economic and financial sanctions.
However, there are dissenting expressions of resistance to Russian oil and gas, Germany and the former Soviet Union ’ s Middle Eastern and European countries.
In August 2021, the United Nations Committee on Climate Change released a report by 234 scientists, revealing that the inescapable and increasingly serious climate crisis is a common historical undertaking that humanity must face together.
This is an important warning to EU authorities who proposed the “European Green Agreement ” in 2019, which aims to reduce carbon emissions by 55% by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, based on 1990 carbon emissions.
As a result, the European Commission proposed on December 31 last year and hoped to list nuclear power as a so-called "green energy".
However, EU member states are clearly aligned on the ultimate goal of carbon neutrality based on their respective energy mix and sources of supply, but they are quite divided on how to achieve it within the EU ’ s planned timeline.
As this proposal creates a conflict between nuclear France and anti-nuclear Germany, the European Union ’ s rotating presidency (January to June this year), French President Emmanuel Macron ’ s assertion that “nuclear energy = green energy ” has exacerbated the differences between the two countries.
For the German government, "nuclear energy is not a clean green energy, let alone renewable energy", this view directly collides with President Macron's "to reduce carbon emissions, but also reduce natural gas imports, we must take the road to nuclear energy".
"Carbon emission reduction" and "carbon neutrality", two different paths of thinking, originally just the EU "storm in the teapot", after the outbreak of the war between Russia and Ukraine, US President Joe Biden publicly asked European allies to boycott Russian imports of oil and gas, the EU's energy policy has become an important issue for economic development after the epidemic.
After the Russian-Ukrainian war, the United States hopes that the world will jointly sanction Russia's oil and gas exports. This call, in addition to the United Kingdom's decision to no longer import Russian oil and gas by the end of this year, the European Union and NATO's European countries "excluding energy sanctions" show three meanings: First, the war may affect the safety of nuclear power plants.
Second, the different energy supplies and ratios of various countries directly affect the ability to cooperate with the United States to sanction Russia.
Third, the nuclear abolition of Germany and nuclear France, after the Russian-Ukrainian war, will make the European Union's energy policy, into a new stage.
First of all, there are many nuclear power plants in Europe; before the war, no one thought that the incident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 could happen again.
4 nuclear power plants with 15 nuclear reactors supplying half of all electricity in Ukraine.
Whether the escalation of war affects the safety of nuclear power plants is of great concern to European countries.
The situation is different in Switzerland and Belgium; five nuclear power plants have been decommissioned in Switzerland after the 2017 nuclear referendum, and one has been decommissioned in 2019.
However, in Belgium, where half of its electricity comes from nuclear power, the government of Belgium decided on March 18 to retain some of its power generation units and extend them until 2035 after the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Second, 30% of Europe ’ s crude oil and 40% of its natural gas come from Russia, and it will be difficult for renewable energy to replace it in a short period of one year, or even three or five years.
In Germany, for example, 35% of oil and 40% of natural gas come from Russia. Even if it comes from the United States (Texas) on the other side of the Atlantic, it also involves the construction of LNG (liquefied natural gas) receiving stations and the arrival of ships, and even a large number of super tankers above 320,000 tons, it is bound to not be the current Rotterdam (Netherlands), Hamburg (Germany), Anteppt (Belgium, etc. All major ports in Europe can handle the load.
And thousands of miles away from the oil tankers and LNG fleet, itself requires a large amount of fuel costs, the arrival of the transmission line of the laying, also can not be completed overnight.
After the completion of the price of oil and gas, the cost of fuel transportation must be added, and for Germany, which is the first high electricity price in Europe, the burden of the people and the operation of enterprises will be seriously affected.
Finally, Germany, which insists on eliminating nuclear weapons this year and hopes to achieve 100% green power by 2035, is a complicated situation.
After the Russo-Ukrainian War, Germany stopped reviewing Nord Stream II, which had already been built.
However, there is no political feasibility without Russia ’ s “Eastern Gas Delivery ”, as the Green Party has a joint government with the deputy prime minister and foreign minister, forced to re-use the policy option of coal burning.
Compared with the energy policy of France with nuclear energy as the main body, for Germany with a GDP of 3.8 trillion US dollars, even natural gas is only a part of the energy transformation, the pursuit of 100% renewable energy policy goals, in the year of total nuclear abolition, if it also boycotts Russian oil and gas, it will be unbearable for the economy.
The delay of the Russian-Ukrainian war, on the one hand, some countries began to think about the safety of nuclear power plants at the same time, on the other hand, due to the boycott of Russian oil and gas, will hinder the achievement of the EU's energy transformation policy goals.
And for Germany, which pursues "100% renewable energy (green power)" in 2035 and is Europe's largest economy, it is a short-term solution and may not be able to do so in the medium term, and the achievement of long-term goals still has a long way to go.
# Nuclear # Energy # Natural Gas # Russo-Ukrainian War # EU

In fact, Germany's pursuit of 100% renewable energy by 2035 may not be achievable in the short term, particularly if the country is unable to access sufficient energy supplies.

The country's energy policy is also being influenced by the European Union's energy transformation policy goals, which aim to reduce the bloc's reliance on fossil fuels and increase its use of renewable energy sources.

The Russian-Ukrainian war has also raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants in Europe, particularly in Ukraine, where there are 15 nuclear reactors supplying half of the country's electricity.

The war has led to a shift in the European Union's energy policy, with some countries, such as France and Britain, maintaining their reliance on nuclear energy, while others, such as Germany, are moving away from it.

Overall, Germany's decision to shut down its nuclear power plants is a complex issue, with both positive and negative consequences for the country's energy market and its ability to achieve its carbon neutrality goals.

While the decision has been criticized by some, it is also seen as a necessary step towards reducing the country's reliance on fossil fuels and increasing its use of renewable energy sources.

However, the country's energy policy must be carefully managed to ensure that the transition to renewable energy is smooth and does not lead to energy shortages or price increases.

The German government must also consider the impact of the Russian-Ukrainian war on the country's energy supply and take steps to mitigate any negative consequences.

In conclusion, Germany's move away from nuclear energy is a significant step towards becoming carbon neutral, but it is a complex issue that requires careful management and consideration of the potential consequences.


The air leak at the International Space Station was first detected in 2019, with a small leak recorded on the ISS.

The leak was initially thought to be caused by a miniature meteorite hitting the spacecraft, but it was later determined that a manufacturing defect was the cause of the leak.

The leak was located in the Russian segment of the ISS, specifically in the Zvezda module, which was docked to the ISS in July 2000.

The module's main frame was built in the 1980s as the core of the Mir-2 space station, and it allows a crew of three cosmonauts to stay in space.

In the fall of 2019, an air leak was recorded on the ISS, and a year later, the leakage rate increased fivefold.

Sequential sealing of the station compartments allowed the astronauts to establish that the cause of the leak was a crack in the Russian segment of the ISS - Zvezda.

The astronauts sealed the crack with a sealant, but the air leak continued, with the volume of lost air increasing to about two pounds a day, compared to a pound a day previously.

Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered the possible location of the air leak in the intermediate chamber of the Zvezda module.

The equipment and materials necessary to stop the air leak were to be sent aboard the Progress cargo vehicle.

The air leak posed no risk to the crew or the orbital outpost, according to the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

The situation was under control and being constantly monitored, with the crew regularly carrying out work to find and eliminate possible leakage sites.

The air leak at the International Space Station was first detected in 2019, with a small leak recorded on the ISS.

Title:

Content: Links for simplified access
ISS crew reports smoke and smell of burnt plastic
In the Russian module “Zvezda ” on the International space station (ISS) last night worked fire alarm, reports RIA“ Novosti ” with reference to the negotiations of the crew with the Earth, which broadcasts NASA.
Around five in the morning Moscow time, cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky told the Mission Control Center about the smoke and smell of burnt plastic.
After that, the devices showed the presence of harmful substances in the area of the medical cabinet in the Zvezda module.
French astronaut Tom Pesquet said that the smell of burnt plastic or electronics also penetrated the American segment of the ISS due to the working ventilation.
The source of the smoke and smell has not yet been identified.
The ISS included a system for removing harmful impurities.
Later, Roscosmos said that the smoke sensor and alarm system worked on the ISS “during automatic recharging of batteries. ”
Currently, all systems of the station are working normally, the department notes.
The Russian service module Zvezda docked to the ISS in July 2000.
Its main frame was built in the 1980s as the core of the Mir-2 space station, which was to replace the Mir station, but then it was decided to use it in the ISS program.
Zvezda allows a crew of three cosmonauts to stay in space, and the module can also dock with the Progress cargo ship, which once every three months delivers the necessary supplies to the station and adjusts its orbit.
In the fall of 2019, an air leak was recorded on the ISS.
A year later, the leakage rate increased fivefold.
Sequential sealing of the station compartments allowed us to establish that the cause of the leak was a crack in the Russian segment of the ISS - Zvezda.
The astronauts sealed it with a sealant, but the air leak continued.
Recently, during the survey of the International Space Station, cosmonauts found non-through cracks on the oldest module - "Dawn".
At the end of July, a meeting of the Presidium of the Scientific and Technical Council of Roscosmos took place, where it was noted that the station is breathing on incense.
The International Space Station will expire in 2024.
Earlier, Vladimir Solovyov, General Designer of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation, predicted an avalanche of failure of numerous elements at the station after 2025.
This mainly concerns the tightness of the housing and complex computing facilities that have developed their resource, Solovyov noted.
XS
SM
MD
LG

The leak was initially thought to be caused by a miniature meteorite hitting the spacecraft, but it was later determined that a manufacturing defect was the cause of the leak.

Title:

Content: Soyuz manufacturing defect causes air leak at International Space Station
Kazakhstan News Agency / Astana / September 3 - According to the Russian satellite network reported on the 3rd, Russian rocket space sources said that the manufacturing defect is the cause of the "Soyuz MS-09" spacecraft leak.
There was an air leak on the International Space Station on August 30.
The astronauts examined all the compartments and found tiny cracks in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft.
It is located in the living module, not in the return module, so it will not affect the return of the spacecraft to Earth.
It was previously thought that the fissure was the result of a miniature meteorite hitting the spacecraft.
The next night, Russian cosmonauts used special sealant to fill the hole.
The source said: "The cause of the crack in the inner shell of the living module has been identified and it has appeared on Earth.
The person responsible for the fault was identified. "
According to another source, the crew likely sealed the leak with special glue after realizing the mistake, so it was not detected during the pre-launch check and the spacecraft ’ s first two months of orbital flight.
"However, the glue later dried out and was squeezed out, revealing cracks," he said.
The Russian space agency said a special committee would investigate and determine the cause of the accident.
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The leak was located in the Russian segment of the ISS, specifically in the Zvezda module, which was docked to the ISS in July 2000.

The module's main frame was built in the 1980s as the core of the Mir-2 space station, and it allows a crew of three cosmonauts to stay in space.

In the fall of 2019, an air leak was recorded on the ISS, and a year later, the leakage rate increased fivefold.

Sequential sealing of the station compartments allowed the astronauts to establish that the cause of the leak was a crack in the Russian segment of the ISS - Zvezda.

The astronauts sealed the crack with a sealant, but the air leak continued, with the volume of lost air increasing to about two pounds a day, compared to a pound a day previously.

Title:

Content: 29 Feb, 2024 11:18

Russia comments on space station leak

A NASA official had previously reported that air loss from the Zvezda module had doubled

Air leaking from a segment of the International Space Station (ISS) poses no risk to its crew or the orbital outpost, the Russian space agency Roscosmos has said.

A NASA official had previously reported that the rate at which air was escaping from the satellite's Russian Zvezda module under certain circumstances had doubled. The situation is under control and being constantly monitored, the Roscosmos told Interfax on Wednesday, when asked about remarks by NASA’s ISS program manager, Joel Montalbano,.

”The aging of the station’s structure and the growing need for repair and maintenance work on board require a significant portion of the crew’s time,” Roscosmos said.

Montalbano mentioned the issue during this week’s briefing on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-8 mission, which is scheduled for launch on Friday.

”There is an area in the aft end of the International Space Station. [There is] a small leak. We’ve seen this leak increase about a week before the recent Progress launch and docking,” he said, referring to a Russian automatic supply freighter.

The volume of lost air has increased to about two pounds a day, compared to a pound a day previously, Montalbano said.

”The hatch is closed in that area. It’s not an impact on Crew-8, but I didn’t want anyone to be surprised, if they hear about that later,” he explained.

The use of the module for retrieving the Progress shipment didn’t pose any issues in terms of the leak, he said. The next opening of the hatch is expected in April. While it’s closed, the rest of the station is “solid.”

Technical issues at the ISS are being reported on a regular basis. Roscosmos has said the age of the station is a key reason why it is developing plans for a new purely Russian-manned orbital structure as an alternative to participating in the international project.

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Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered the possible location of the air leak in the intermediate chamber of the Zvezda module.

Title:

Content: Ribbon
01 January 07: 01
All news
vk.com / Cosmonaut Ivan Wagner
Moscow, January 1.
Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered in the Zvezda module on the International Space Station, presumably the last place of air leakage.
This was reported in the press service of Roscosmos.
The first small leak was discovered on the ISS back in 2019, since then, astronauts have been monitoring the situation and eliminating cracks in the hull.
Experts know how to return the module tightness.
This will be done as soon as Progress delivers the necessary equipment to orbit.
“Russian cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov found a possible last place of air leakage in the intermediate chamber of the service module“ Star ” of the Russian segment of the ISS ”, — stated in the message.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously admitted the possibility of continuing the operation of the ISS after 2024.
This is necessary to maintain high launch activity.
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Comment

The equipment and materials necessary to stop the air leak were to be sent aboard the Progress cargo vehicle.

Title:

Content: Possible location of air leak from the International Space Station
Space
International Space Station
Copy Link https: / / www.rt.com / s7a8
The media office of the Roscosmos Foundation announced that the Russian cosmonauts discovered in the unit "Zvezda", the possible place of air leakage from the International Space Station.
According to the information office, the materials and equipment needed to repair this place will be sent aboard the Progress cargo vehicle.
"The equipment and materials necessary to stop air leakage will be sent with the first Progress cargo vehicle launched to the International Space Station, to solve this problem once and for all," the statement said.
Astronauts Peter Dobrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered the possible location of the air leak in December in the middle chamber of the Zvezda unit.
NASA has said it is considering isolating the Zvezda module completely if necessary.
The Roscosmos media office commented: “The concerns of our partners are unfounded and surprising. ”
Source: Novosti
Agree.
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The air leak posed no risk to the crew or the orbital outpost, according to the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

The situation was under control and being constantly monitored, with the crew regularly carrying out work to find and eliminate possible leakage sites.

Title:

Content: NEWS
NEWS
February 28, 20: 41
Science
Roscosmos reported air leakage on the Russian segment of the ISS
Photo: telegram channel "State Corporation" Roscosmos "
Air leakage occurred on the Russian segment of the ISS, the crew and the station itself is not threatened.
This writes TASS with reference to the press service of Roscosmos.
“Indeed, experts fix the leakage of air on board the ISS.
The crew regularly carries out work to find and eliminate possible leakage sites, and the data coming from the station are transmitted for analysis to specialists in the normal mode, ” the state corporation said.
According to "Interfax" with reference to the head of the NASA program on the ISS Joel Montalbano, the leak is observed in the tail part of the ISS.
“We saw that the leak increased about a week before the last launch of Progress and its docking with the station, ” he said.
The head of the NASA program on the ISS said that the air in the transition chamber of the Zvezda module began to leave twice as fast.
According to Montalbano, experts are in contact with Russian colleagues on the next steps.
However, this situation does not affect the safety of the crew, he said.
Last year, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub in outer space disconnected the faulty circuit of the additional radiator on the module "Science" from the main circuit of the module.
Before that, they went into outer space, opening the exit hatch of the module "Search" of the International Space Station.
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The air leak at the International Space Station was first detected on August 30, and it was initially thought to be caused by a miniature meteorite hitting the spacecraft.

However, further investigation revealed that the leak was actually caused by a manufacturing defect in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft.

The defect was found to be a tiny crack in the living module of the spacecraft, which is not in the return module, and therefore would not affect the return of the spacecraft to Earth.

The crack was discovered by astronauts who examined all the compartments of the spacecraft, and it was located in the inner shell of the living module.

According to Russian space sources, the person responsible for the fault was identified, and the cause of the crack was determined to have occurred on Earth.

The leak was temporarily fixed by Russian cosmonauts using special sealant to fill the hole, but it was later revealed that the glue had dried out and was squeezed out, revealing the cracks.

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, announced that a special committee would investigate and determine the cause of the accident.

In a separate incident, a small leak was discovered in the aft end of the International Space Station, which was found to be increasing in severity, with the volume of lost air increasing to about two pounds a day.

The leak was found to be located in the Zvezda module, and it was determined that the hatch in that area would be closed to prevent further air loss.

The situation was reported to be under control and being constantly monitored by Roscosmos, with the agency stating that the aging of the station's structure and the growing need for repair and maintenance work on board required a significant portion of the crew's time.

NASA's ISS program manager, Joel Montalbano, mentioned the issue during a briefing on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-8 mission, stating that the leak was not an impact on the mission, but that the hatch in the affected area would be closed.

The Russian cosmonauts, Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov, discovered the possible location of the air leak in the intermediate chamber of the Zvezda module, and it was reported that the necessary equipment to repair the leak would be sent aboard the Progress cargo vehicle.

The first small leak was discovered on the ISS in 2019, and since then, astronauts have been monitoring the situation and eliminating cracks in the hull.

Experts know how to return the module to its tightness, and this will be done as soon as the Progress delivers the necessary equipment to orbit.

The air leakage on the Russian segment of the ISS was reported by Roscosmos, with the agency stating that the crew and the station itself were not threatened.

The leak was observed in the tail part of the ISS, and it was reported that the air in the transition chamber of the Zvezda module began to leak.

The head of the NASA program on the ISS, Joel Montalbano, reported that the leak increased about a week before the last launch of Progress and its docking with the station.

The situation is being constantly monitored, and the necessary repairs will be made to ensure the safety of the crew and the station.

The air leak at the International Space Station was first detected on August 30, and it was initially thought to be caused by a miniature meteorite hitting the spacecraft.

Title:

Content: Soyuz manufacturing defect causes air leak at International Space Station
Kazakhstan News Agency / Astana / September 3 - According to the Russian satellite network reported on the 3rd, Russian rocket space sources said that the manufacturing defect is the cause of the "Soyuz MS-09" spacecraft leak.
There was an air leak on the International Space Station on August 30.
The astronauts examined all the compartments and found tiny cracks in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft.
It is located in the living module, not in the return module, so it will not affect the return of the spacecraft to Earth.
It was previously thought that the fissure was the result of a miniature meteorite hitting the spacecraft.
The next night, Russian cosmonauts used special sealant to fill the hole.
The source said: "The cause of the crack in the inner shell of the living module has been identified and it has appeared on Earth.
The person responsible for the fault was identified. "
According to another source, the crew likely sealed the leak with special glue after realizing the mistake, so it was not detected during the pre-launch check and the spacecraft ’ s first two months of orbital flight.
"However, the glue later dried out and was squeezed out, revealing cracks," he said.
The Russian space agency said a special committee would investigate and determine the cause of the accident.
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However, further investigation revealed that the leak was actually caused by a manufacturing defect in the Soyuz MS-09 spacecraft.

The defect was found to be a tiny crack in the living module of the spacecraft, which is not in the return module, and therefore would not affect the return of the spacecraft to Earth.

The crack was discovered by astronauts who examined all the compartments of the spacecraft, and it was located in the inner shell of the living module.

According to Russian space sources, the person responsible for the fault was identified, and the cause of the crack was determined to have occurred on Earth.

The leak was temporarily fixed by Russian cosmonauts using special sealant to fill the hole, but it was later revealed that the glue had dried out and was squeezed out, revealing the cracks.

The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, announced that a special committee would investigate and determine the cause of the accident.

In a separate incident, a small leak was discovered in the aft end of the International Space Station, which was found to be increasing in severity, with the volume of lost air increasing to about two pounds a day.

Title:

Content: 29 Feb, 2024 11:18

Russia comments on space station leak

A NASA official had previously reported that air loss from the Zvezda module had doubled

Air leaking from a segment of the International Space Station (ISS) poses no risk to its crew or the orbital outpost, the Russian space agency Roscosmos has said.

A NASA official had previously reported that the rate at which air was escaping from the satellite's Russian Zvezda module under certain circumstances had doubled. The situation is under control and being constantly monitored, the Roscosmos told Interfax on Wednesday, when asked about remarks by NASA’s ISS program manager, Joel Montalbano,.

”The aging of the station’s structure and the growing need for repair and maintenance work on board require a significant portion of the crew’s time,” Roscosmos said.

Montalbano mentioned the issue during this week’s briefing on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-8 mission, which is scheduled for launch on Friday.

”There is an area in the aft end of the International Space Station. [There is] a small leak. We’ve seen this leak increase about a week before the recent Progress launch and docking,” he said, referring to a Russian automatic supply freighter.

The volume of lost air has increased to about two pounds a day, compared to a pound a day previously, Montalbano said.

”The hatch is closed in that area. It’s not an impact on Crew-8, but I didn’t want anyone to be surprised, if they hear about that later,” he explained.

The use of the module for retrieving the Progress shipment didn’t pose any issues in terms of the leak, he said. The next opening of the hatch is expected in April. While it’s closed, the rest of the station is “solid.”

Technical issues at the ISS are being reported on a regular basis. Roscosmos has said the age of the station is a key reason why it is developing plans for a new purely Russian-manned orbital structure as an alternative to participating in the international project.

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The leak was found to be located in the Zvezda module, and it was determined that the hatch in that area would be closed to prevent further air loss.

The situation was reported to be under control and being constantly monitored by Roscosmos, with the agency stating that the aging of the station's structure and the growing need for repair and maintenance work on board required a significant portion of the crew's time.

NASA's ISS program manager, Joel Montalbano, mentioned the issue during a briefing on the upcoming SpaceX Crew-8 mission, stating that the leak was not an impact on the mission, but that the hatch in the affected area would be closed.

The Russian cosmonauts, Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov, discovered the possible location of the air leak in the intermediate chamber of the Zvezda module, and it was reported that the necessary equipment to repair the leak would be sent aboard the Progress cargo vehicle.

Title:

Content: Possible location of air leak from the International Space Station
Space
International Space Station
Copy Link https: / / www.rt.com / s7a8
The media office of the Roscosmos Foundation announced that the Russian cosmonauts discovered in the unit "Zvezda", the possible place of air leakage from the International Space Station.
According to the information office, the materials and equipment needed to repair this place will be sent aboard the Progress cargo vehicle.
"The equipment and materials necessary to stop air leakage will be sent with the first Progress cargo vehicle launched to the International Space Station, to solve this problem once and for all," the statement said.
Astronauts Peter Dobrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered the possible location of the air leak in December in the middle chamber of the Zvezda unit.
NASA has said it is considering isolating the Zvezda module completely if necessary.
The Roscosmos media office commented: “The concerns of our partners are unfounded and surprising. ”
Source: Novosti
Agree.
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The first small leak was discovered on the ISS in 2019, and since then, astronauts have been monitoring the situation and eliminating cracks in the hull.

Title:

Content: Ribbon
01 January 07: 01
All news
vk.com / Cosmonaut Ivan Wagner
Moscow, January 1.
Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov discovered in the Zvezda module on the International Space Station, presumably the last place of air leakage.
This was reported in the press service of Roscosmos.
The first small leak was discovered on the ISS back in 2019, since then, astronauts have been monitoring the situation and eliminating cracks in the hull.
Experts know how to return the module tightness.
This will be done as soon as Progress delivers the necessary equipment to orbit.
“Russian cosmonauts Peter Dubrov and Anton Shkaplerov found a possible last place of air leakage in the intermediate chamber of the service module“ Star ” of the Russian segment of the ISS ”, — stated in the message.
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously admitted the possibility of continuing the operation of the ISS after 2024.
This is necessary to maintain high launch activity.
Go back
Comment

Experts know how to return the module to its tightness, and this will be done as soon as the Progress delivers the necessary equipment to orbit.

The air leakage on the Russian segment of the ISS was reported by Roscosmos, with the agency stating that the crew and the station itself were not threatened.

Title:

Content: NEWS
NEWS
February 28, 20: 41
Science
Roscosmos reported air leakage on the Russian segment of the ISS
Photo: telegram channel "State Corporation" Roscosmos "
Air leakage occurred on the Russian segment of the ISS, the crew and the station itself is not threatened.
This writes TASS with reference to the press service of Roscosmos.
“Indeed, experts fix the leakage of air on board the ISS.
The crew regularly carries out work to find and eliminate possible leakage sites, and the data coming from the station are transmitted for analysis to specialists in the normal mode, ” the state corporation said.
According to "Interfax" with reference to the head of the NASA program on the ISS Joel Montalbano, the leak is observed in the tail part of the ISS.
“We saw that the leak increased about a week before the last launch of Progress and its docking with the station, ” he said.
The head of the NASA program on the ISS said that the air in the transition chamber of the Zvezda module began to leave twice as fast.
According to Montalbano, experts are in contact with Russian colleagues on the next steps.
However, this situation does not affect the safety of the crew, he said.
Last year, Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub in outer space disconnected the faulty circuit of the additional radiator on the module "Science" from the main circuit of the module.
Before that, they went into outer space, opening the exit hatch of the module "Search" of the International Space Station.
More news — in the telegram channel Moscow 24 Subscribe!
close
Contact Us
Feedback form
Attach file
Send
close

The leak was observed in the tail part of the ISS, and it was reported that the air in the transition chamber of the Zvezda module began to leak.

The head of the NASA program on the ISS, Joel Montalbano, reported that the leak increased about a week before the last launch of Progress and its docking with the station.

The situation is being constantly monitored, and the necessary repairs will be made to ensure the safety of the crew and the station.


The multi-level marketing business model has experienced significant trends in recent years, with some companies experiencing a surge in profits while others have faced a decline.

During the pandemic, companies like Nu Skin Enterprises saw an increase in sales as furloughed workers tried to make ends meet by selling products from home, resulting in the company's stock tripling in value from March 2020 to a June 2021 peak of $62.

However, the pandemic has also posed challenges for some MLM companies, such as Nu Skin, which has been accused of spreading Covid in China, where it generates over 20% of its revenue.

In contrast, other companies have adapted to the pandemic by shifting their focus to online sales and new product offerings, such as Runamok Maple, which saw its online syrup sales skyrocket.

Some MLM companies have also expanded their services to cater to the growing demand for digital solutions, such as LugLess, which partnered with moving companies to reach digital nomads.

Avon, a former direct selling company, shifted its focus to a multi-level marketing model in 2000, but ultimately experienced a decline in global revenue and stock value, leading to the sale of its North American business.

The evolution of the direct selling and multi-level marketing business models has been discussed in various studies, highlighting the differences between traditional direct selling and MLM.

Overall, the MLM business model has shown mixed results in recent years, with some companies thriving while others face challenges and decline.

The multi-level marketing business model has experienced significant trends in recent years, with some companies experiencing a surge in profits while others have faced a decline.

Title:

Content: We've detected you are on Internet Explorer. For the best Barrons.com experience, please update to a modern browser.GoogleFirefox

Nu Skin’s Biggest Customer Base Is in China. Now It’s Accused of Spreading Covid.

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The Covid pandemic was good for the business of multilevel marketing firms like Nu Skin Enterprises, as furloughed workers tried to make ends meet by selling vitamins and skin creams from home. Salespeople swelled the bottom of Nu Skin’s marketing ranks, and its stock tripled in value from March 2020 to a June 2021 peak of $62, before sliding back to a recent $47.

Now Covid is a problem for the company in China, the nation where Nu Skin (ticker: NUS) gets its largest number of customers and more than 20% of its revenue. A...

During the pandemic, companies like Nu Skin Enterprises saw an increase in sales as furloughed workers tried to make ends meet by selling products from home, resulting in the company's stock tripling in value from March 2020 to a June 2021 peak of $62.

However, the pandemic has also posed challenges for some MLM companies, such as Nu Skin, which has been accused of spreading Covid in China, where it generates over 20% of its revenue.

In contrast, other companies have adapted to the pandemic by shifting their focus to online sales and new product offerings, such as Runamok Maple, which saw its online syrup sales skyrocket.

Title:

Content: Skip to main content

For some Mass. businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic pushed changes for the better

When disaster strikes, sometimes, innovation follows.

At Titcomb’s Bookshop in East Sandwich, it all started with the PPP loan. The store, attached to the Titcomb family’s 17th-century home, had been operating on the Cape for five decades when the pandemic swept in.

Demand for books soared as residents rallied around local businesses, but the shop’s mostly part-time staff — working from home during lockdown — was overwhelmed. So owner Vicky Titcomb took a chance, using some of the store’s federal Payroll Protection Program funds to bring on more full-time employees when the store reopened. Titcomb promoted a part-timer to take over from her as manager, and she has been a dynamo, coordinating virtual events and reaching out to local artisans to expand the store’s gift selection. She also oversaw new hires, one focused on expanding the toy selection, another on rare and antique books, and a third on social media.

In 2020, the shop had its best year ever. And 2021 was even better.

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“COVID changed everything at our store,” Titcomb said. “It made us a better business by far.”

The pandemic crushed many small companies, as health concerns, supply chain issues, and labor shortages converged. But some were able to adapt — and thrive. They upgraded technologies and expanded online offerings. They sought out new customers and jump-started new lines of business. Others, like Titcomb, saw an opportunity and ran with it.

The pandemic didn’t kill them, it made them stronger.

For nearly two years, there has been a “global scrambling” as companies try to stay afloat, said Sridhar Tayur, professor of operations management at Carnegie Mellon University. And this crisis mindset has sparked changes that could have a lasting impact. Businesses are tracking customers’ online orders in ways they never did for in-person sales, he said. Operations are being automated and simplified.

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“Necessity is the mother of invention,” he said. “I don’t think they’ve had this amount of necessity at least in the last 20 or 30 years.”

Lightyear Strategies, a marketing firm in Boston, witnessed the shift in its clients. At first, the mindset seemed to be, “the world’s ending ... let’s get rid of the marketing,” said chief executive Nima Olumi. But a few months later, clients realized they needed help adapting to a changed and largely virtual world.

A New York property management firm asked Lightyear to figure out how to e-mail thousands of residents about new sanitization measures. Boston hospitals wanted videos educating patients about safety protocols.

At the same time, Olumi realized he needed to narrow his focus rather than trying to be a jack-of-all-trades “yes man.” Today, his recurring monthly revenue is more than 10 times what it was in 2019.

“If you make hot dogs,” he said, “stick to making hot dogs.”

For other business owners, though, the pandemic was the right time to branch out. Runamok Maple in Fairfax, Vt., saw its online syrup sales skyrocket, while restaurant and hotel sales slumped. So the company decided to launch Sparkle Syrup, infused with edible pearlescent mica, to “bring a little bit of joy,” said co-owner Eric Sorkin. And it’s been a huge hit. “All the working dads out there were now at home, and what does a working dad know how to make?” he said. “They make breakfast.”

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At Copper Dog Books in Beverly, mastering online orders when nobody wanted to shop in person opened the door to shipping gift boxes, including a monthly subscription with two sci-fi novellas, a snack, and a small item such as a journal or key chain. Scenic Roots Garden Center in Sandwich launched a virtual landscape design business and started selling produce from a nearby farm. Both businesses have had record-breaking sales for the past two years.

Adopting new technologies has been a game-changer for many companies. In response to COVID restrictions, the owner of a nautical jewelry business in Washington state put scannable QR codes next to each necklace and bracelet in her window display, directing shoppers who couldn’t come inside to the items on her website. A business consultancy in Utah started digitizing operations when the world went online, including using artificial intelligence to help predict employee turnover, a major challenge during the pandemic. Financial services firms have turned to facial recognition technology from Bedford biometric software provider Aware to give mobile customers a more secure way to check their accounts.

Many companies have embarked on a “digital transformation” during the pandemic, said Mark Tina, vice president of sales for Verizon Business in the eastern US. New high-speed Internet-based services not only have more capabilities than older technologies, they are less expensive, he said, which is key for businesses struggling to survive.

When workers stopped going into their offices, Dependable Cleaners, based in Quincy, saw its business drop to a fraction of what it used to be, driving the dry cleaner to look for ways to become more efficient, said director of operations Carlyn Parker. It switched to a Verizon service that assigns one business number to ring on multiple mobile devices and desk phones, and it added a texting feature to its biweekly pickup-and-delivery service.

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Now, instead of visiting every home-delivery customer twice a week, the drivers only go where requested, allowing the company to add more customers without more drivers. Before Omicron drove companies to push back office reopening dates, Dependable Cleaners had climbed back to 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels.

“We’re in the fourth generation,” said Parker, whose grandparents started the company. “We’re here to stay.”

Finding new customers has also been a life-saver. When travel came to a halt in March of 2020, revenues dropped to “nearly zero” for LugLess, a Boston company that ships luggage for travelers. But it quickly started playing up the fact that using its services meant less human contact, said chief executive Aaron Kirley. No more waiting in line at the airport to check bags, no more gathering with the masses at the baggage carousel. The company also partnered with moving companies to reach the surge of digital nomads who could suddenly work wherever they wanted —and likely didn’t have room in their cars for all their stuff. And when people complained they could no longer print out shipping labels because they weren’t at work, LugLess developed digital labels.

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By the fall of 2020, business had tripled from its pre-pandemic high, then tripled again last year.

“It kind of forced us to open our eyes and look at new opportunities,” Kirley said.

Some of the new opportunities revealed during the pandemic aren’t just boosting revenues. They’re also saving lives.

Groups Recover Together, an addiction therapy provider based in Burlington, has almost doubled the number of people it serves around the country since it started offering virtual sessions. Before COVID, people battling opioid abuse had to attend group therapy in person due to the medication being provided, said chief executive Colleen Nicewicz.

But when that requirement was rescinded during the shutdown, Groups Recover Together started holding sessions over Zoom, and then through a new app. The organization now reaches more than 10,000 people a week, nearly a third of whom live in counties with no physical site. Opioid addiction is rampant in rural areas, Nicewicz said; in one Indiana county with a population of just 10,000, Groups Recover is serving one out of every 200 residents, even without a clinic.

Crucially, data show that virtual group therapy is just as effective at keeping people off drugs as in-person sessions, she said. At a time when the opioid epidemic is worse than ever — overdose deaths rose nearly 29 percent in the 12 months ending in April 2021 compared to the year before — reaching more people is critical, said Nicewicz, who is hopeful virtual therapy will become a permanent offering.

“We really met an unmet need,” she said.

Katie Johnston can be reached at katie.johnston@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @ktkjohnston.

Some MLM companies have also expanded their services to cater to the growing demand for digital solutions, such as LugLess, which partnered with moving companies to reach digital nomads.

Avon, a former direct selling company, shifted its focus to a multi-level marketing model in 2000, but ultimately experienced a decline in global revenue and stock value, leading to the sale of its North American business.

Title:

Content: 'Direct Selling' - Avon, Tupperware - Is Extinct

Nov. 18, 2022 11:25 AM ETHLF, MED, NTCO, NUS, PRI, TUP, USNA3 Comments
Robert FitzPatrick
394 Followers

Summary

  • Direct Selling became obsolete generations ago. So how is it that millions today get recruited for "income opportunity" in "direct selling" and billions are traded on "direct selling" stocks?
  • Avon and Tupperware are cited by "multi-level marketing," or MLM, promoters as "proof" that MLM, e.g., Amway, Herbalife, is "direct selling."
  • Usable data on actual income and churn rates of MLM "direct sellers," market saturation, and retail sales to actual customers are not provided.
  • In fact, Avon and Tupperware for years have been walking dinosaurs, still trying to do "person-to-person" sales to end-users with commodity products, while MLMs hype "unlimited" income.
  • The shrunken and devolved state of Avon and Tupperware today reveals that direct selling is extinct. MLM is not, and never was, direct selling.

It is generally accepted that "direct selling" was killed off generations ago by mass merchandising, big box stores, mail-order and then the internet, among other societal changes. The "Fuller Brush man" is long gone. No one's at home. No one wants or needs or has time for a "personal" salesperson. Everything's in stores or online. And, even when "direct selling" still lived, no one ever went into that tough line of work thinking they would get rich from it.

Yet, each year, millions are recruited, and pay thousands, for the "opportunity" to work as "direct sellers," with promises and expectations of "unlimited" income. The number involved today is many, many times greater than ever worked in that "extinct" field decades ago. Billions are being traded on Wall Street for shares of "direct selling" companies. How can this be?

In my book, Ponzinomics, the Untold Story of Multi-Level Marketing, I document the death of "direct selling" and the 1945 invention of "multi-level marketing," or MLM. I describe how "MLM" falsely assumed direct selling's revered old identity. I trace MLM from its Adam, a little California-based company called "Nutrilite," to today's "industry" led by Amway, Herbalife (HLF) down 64% YTD, Nuskin (NUS) down 31%, USANA Health Sciences (USNA) down 49%, Primerica, Inc. (PRI) down 13%, and Medifast (MED) down 45%. MLM's financial solicitations for consumers to become "direct sellers" have reached into – and led to losses for – virtually every household in America.

In the newly invented "MLM," the main source of revenue shifted from end-user customers to the salespeople themselves who are incentivized to "be their own customer" by buying their own products. Obviously, no one makes money purchasing their own inventory, but MLM offered a unique reason to do so – "unlimited" income potential.

No More Need to Knock on Doors

All MLM "direct sellers" can potentially gain "unlimited" income by recruiting an "endless" chain of other "direct sellers." No need to pound the pavement and get rudely rejected at front doors any more. Each "direct seller" on the chain has to meet a quota to "qualify" for future rewards from their recruits who, in turn, are their "own customers" and recruiters too, ad infinitum. The chain can grow without continuous personal effort. The qualifying quota can usually be met by just making a personal monthly purchase of inventory. "Commissions" on all these transactions, all the way down to the "last ones in," flow up the chain. In the MLM pay plan, most of the total commissions go to the top 1%. So, all new "direct sellers" try mightily to recruit (and buy) their way to those top ranks. Of course, only a tiny few can ever be at the top.

Some people argued this is a pyramid recruiting scheme, inherently unfair and deceptive, and a counterfeit of direct selling. In the design and the pay plan, bottom ranks – the vast majority – will inevitably lose. They said constantly adding salespeople in any area destroys profitable retail selling potential, if any exists to start with. They cited data on 90-99% loss rates and huge churn rates among new "recruits" and asked, where are the retail "customers"?

While offering no data on retail customers or salespeople losses or market saturation, MLM promoters offered "proof" that MLM is direct selling by pointing to two long-established and respected direct selling companies in their ranks, Avon and Tupperware (TUP). Both companies were members of the Direct Selling Association, DSA, and both were "direct selling" icons, Avon for its "ladies" and Tupperware for its "parties." To any pyramid scheme accusations, MLM promoters indignantly countered: "Are you calling Avon and Tupperware pyramid schemes?"

Walking Dinosaurs

The truth for both companies is very different from the MLM-spin. Avon and Tupperware used to have differentiated products and real consumer demand. Their salespeople made money from their own retail sales. But moving into the 21st Century, Avon and Tupperware became walking dinosaurs, vestiges of the extinct era of "direct selling." They were still trying to base their businesses on their historical brands and on person-to-person retail sales to real customers, as direct selling companies always used to do.

Despite MLM's citing Avon and Tupperware, and thereby bestowing legitimacy on the "MLM" members of the Direct Selling Association, deep differences between those icons of the old era and MLM burst into public view in 2013-14. The two companies publicly quit the Direct Selling Association, charging ethics violations and DSA-member connections to pyramid schemes.

Avon's Long Good-Bye

Avon had been a true direct seller for decades before MLM was invented. But as the door-to-door model faded, Avon began a long decline. In 2000, Avon began shifting its focus to "incentivizing" salespeople to recruit more salespeople and getting them to buy inventory, MLM-style. In 2009, during the Great Recession, Avon ran its most expensive ad in history, on television during the Super Bowl. The ad never mentioned any Avon products! It only solicited "salespeople." Still, global revenue dropped continuously over the next 10 years. Avon stock value fell from over $30 to just over $3.

Finally, Avon split off its faltering North American business and sold it to the Korean company, LG Household & Health Care. Avon claimed to have 250,000 sales representatives in North America. The remaining global business was later sold to the Brazilian MLM, Natura (NTCO) down 50% YTD, which also owns the retailer, Body Shop. Though Avon global was much larger, Avon shareholders traded 3 shares of Avon for just one in Natura.

The Korean-owned segment of Avon in North America is now classic MLM, selling the proverbial MLM "income opportunity" along with "health" supplements, make-up, jewelry, clothing, scented candles, even toothpaste.

On the Canadian Avon website, Avon promotes the "income opportunity," urging prospects in large bold black type: "Think big. Sell Avon part-time, full-time, you decide how much! It’s your business, your way!"

A disclosure (legally required in Canada, but not in the USA) appears midway down a long webpage in tiny, barely visible gray lettering: "The 2020 earnings of a typical Avon Leadership Representative was between $0 and $2,620 in commissions and bonuses." That's $0 to $50 a week, before subtracting all costs! And the "disclosure" does not break out how much of that tiny return comes from personal sales or the "downline."

Avon quietly rejoined the Direct Selling Association. The Brazilian company, Natura, which took over Avon's global business in 2020, has lost over 60% of its stock value in the last year.

Tupperware on the Brink

Tupperware was one of the first "party plan" companies, which are technically a small subset of MLM. They employ an "endless" recruiting chain, but are more rooted in retail sales transacted at "parties." Tupperware used to have a popular brand with innovative, differentiated products. But, as true direct selling began to disappear, Tupperware went into decline. It added MLM-type "health and beauty" commodities to bolster recruiting appeal but then deleted them. This year, it began also selling its products in Target department stores. Its kitchen-related goods are generally not distinct from other brands. A 10-months "Income disclosure" for Canada (not published in the USA) showed that half the "party planners" were classified "inactive," earning less than $30 for the period on average. 94% of the "active" ones reportedly received about $12 a week on average, before expenses.

In the last 5 years, the stock value of Tupperware has dropped over 90%. Its latest financials warned investors the company may violate loan agreements, setting off speculation Tupperware might declare bankruptcy.

The shrunken and devolved state of Avon and Tupperware, the most famous brand-icons of "direct selling," makes citing them as a defense of "multi-level marketing" as extinct as their old business model.

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Robert L. FitzPatrick is the author of the new book, Ponzinomics, the Untold Story of Multi-Level Marketing (2020),the first comprehensive history and analysis of the "MLM" phenomenon, addressing its political influence, propaganda techniques and use of cult persuasion. FitzPatrick is an expert in examining and revealing deception and fraud in Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes and bogus home-based businesses. He served as expert or consultant in more than 30 court cases involving pyramid schemes and multi-level marketing. He is co-author of False Profits (1997), an examination of the values and beliefs that support the delusions of pyramid schemes. He was featured on NBC Dateline, ABC World News, and CBS 60 Minutes, the documentary film, Betting on Zero and the podcast, The Dream.He has been quoted in many newspapers around the world, including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal. His booklet, Pyramid Nation, has been translated to Chinese and used by government regulators in writing China's first laws on pyramid schemes. His booklet, "The 10 Big Lies of Multi-Level Marketing", has been translated into four languages and posted on numerous websites. His White Paper, "The Main Street Bubble", which details the extensive influence-buying of the direct selling industry was featured in a CNBC Documentary, Selling the American Dream. In 2005, he delivered a seminar to in Colombo, Sri Lanka to central banking representatives from that country as well as India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Nepal. Robert FitzPatrick has developed informational resources for consumers, journalists, academics and regulators including a multi-media PowerPoint presentation and a statistical analysis of the losses suffered by participants in pyramid selling schemes. He also published a widely read booklet on the landmark federal case brought against the Amway Corporation. He is a expert network member of GLG Research, and Coleman Research Group, as well as other networks of experts who are referred to clients for consultation, speaking and report writing. In this capacity, he has provided expert consultation to financial many analysts who sought information about multi-level marketing companies and pyramid and Ponzi schemes. Robert FitzPatrick co-founded and serves as president of Pyramid Scheme Alert, the first international organization to expose and prevent pyramid scheme fraud. He personally responds to hundreds of consumer and news media inquiries each year. He has served as consultant and expert witness for Attorney General or State Attorney offices in four states, the US Dept. of Justice, and in numerous cases involving distributor fraud and pyramid schemes. Robert FitzPatrick is not an investor in multi-level marketing companies. He has never owned and never plans to own stocks of multi-level marketing companies. He has never been compensated based on any stock's performance. He does not offer investment advice and he is not an attorney.

Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it. I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Additional disclosure: This article is for educational purposes only. It discusses fundamentals of the "direct selling" business model and the evolution of "multi-level marketing."

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The evolution of the direct selling and multi-level marketing business models has been discussed in various studies, highlighting the differences between traditional direct selling and MLM.

Overall, the MLM business model has shown mixed results in recent years, with some companies thriving while others face challenges and decline.