China's Biggest Computer Maker Announces Acquisition of IBM's PC Business

AP ^ | Dec 7, 2004 | Stephanie Hoo

[Dat Mon]

"The body shops that use H1B contractors and various advocacy groups raised so much hell that the plan was scraped or severely weakened."

One item Id like some poster with better search capabilities than myself to look into is the fact that 8A companies can use H1b workers to fulfill their minority requirements.

Based on what I know about how government work is mandated to be "set aside" for these companies...THIS IS A SCANDAL that needs to be hammered home to the American people. Lets import cheap foreign talent, then use these people to secure DOD or NASA work, undercutting American companies also competing for contracts. How many people out there know that consultants who want to contract to a government agency such as NASA for engineering services have to usually go through such companies which have umbrella engineering service contracts with the government. Most of these companies will not go corp to corp..they insist on employees only. Their markup on salary as billed to the feds is over 100%. They contribute NOTHING , they merely pass paper and take a fee.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

Luckily...some wise associates of mine forsaw the future outsourcing problem we now have today before I got out of college in 1996. Their advice...take a slight cut in pay, ignore the bureaucracy and politics and get a job with the government...if you can't beat'em...join'em. Fortunately, newer employees in GS-9 and higher positions (present company included) actually are grateful for their jobs, seek to be a benefit to the taxpayer and exhibit a much better work ethic than what is known as the "typical government employees" or "lifers".

[durasell]

There was a certain bookstore in Manhattan where I used to see Diana Rigg on a fairly regular basis, maybe once or twice a year. One time she came in and Kurt Vonnegut was there -- and I thought, "Man this is gonna be great!" -- but they didn't seem to notice each other.

[Southack]

Just keep in mind that Chinese firms are exempt from the Kyoto Treaty, whereas American firms in Kyoto countries are not exempt.

By selling their PC manufacturing to the Chinese, IBM escapes environmental lawsuits that would have hit all of their offshore manufacturing facilities when Kyoto goes into effect on February 16.

[dennisw]

I thank you sir. That is my speculation and I would bet more than 60% accurate.

[dennisw]

Strand.

[durasell]

Gotham Book Mart

[dennisw]

Yeah, I heard that. Building those Monster Thickburgers would probably be considered "heavy" industry (boo!).

Have you ever heard the real estate business referred to as the real estate industry? I have. Many times.

[dennisw]

Gotham Book Mart....

Never been there and I live far away from the belly of the beast these days. Not dissing the place, so please don't let me be misunderstood

[oceanview]

who can sue a US company with a plant in china, over Kyoto? when neither country has signed the treaty?

[Southack]

China has signed Kyoto. So has India. Kyoto makes China and India exempt, however.

Not so for American firms doing business there...

[Dat Mon]

"But Research Triangle employees? They are history."

Your observation highlights another trend in engineering which is the topic of its own discussion thread.

At some point in the future, will engineering in the US consist of a few very high level PHD jobs, in addition to many technician jobs?

Will this carryover into most other occupations which are not service or entertainment or hospitality related?

Im a little overwhelmed thinking about all the megatrands that are occuring across the spectrum of American labor.

I recently stopped by a high quality furniture outlet mall in Morgantown PA. I went around and examined what appeared to be fairly high quality furniture...most of it made In China or Philippines.

I saw one piece which was completely hand made....hand cut dovetails etc...made in Columbia.

Megatrend number 89B....the stratification and division of American labor.

[dennisw]

Screw the Chinese Communists and their computers. I'll build my own machine.

With Chinese parts.

Untrue. Make that all Asian parts. I only go home built because I'm a cheap bastard. My beautiful Microstar K7N2G motherboard is made in ChiCom land but my (admittedly old) floppy is made in Taiwan. Western Digitals made in Malaysia and Thailand....

My AMD processor is not made in China. They have fabs in Taiwan and Germany

 

[oceanview]

but who has standing to sue the US companies in china? The Euros? China?

[Chemist_Geek]

Hear, hear!

[durasell]

Where? Where?

[Chemist_Geek]

Pago Pago!

:-)

No, I was just agreeing that as a society we need to recast education as today's Arsenal of Democracy, just as we did American heavy industry in the 1940s.

[Dat Mon]

"There was a certain bookstore in Manhattan where I used to see Diana Rigg on a fairly regular basis, maybe once or twice a year."

Sounds like a cut above your average Barnes and Noble!

One great bookstore Ive been in was Keplers out in Palo Alto. Another is out in West Chester PA...Chesapeake Book and Music. For folks down in MD...the Barnes and Noble in Annapolis is pretty good too.

One of these days....my friend and I are planning a trip up to New York to the Metropolitan Museum. Dont know what the parking is like these days on Sunday afternoons. We used to just park out on the street.

[durasell]

I always wondered where...maybe I can get a villa next to a canning operation..

For the record, although this thread focuses on electronics, chemistry is another area where our intellectual capital should be protected.

[chimera]

Yes, there are quite a few like that. The banking industry. The insurance industry.

I don't know, I guess the people who work in those fields, assuming they are good and ethical employees, are industrious, work at their jobs with some measure of honesty, put in a decent day's work for their pay. It just doesn't fit the image of low-tech, blue-collar industry that oldsters like me tend to associate with the term.