Re: [spiers] We Pay the Most for Oil
> (Never mind the
> SUV was a response to mileage rules
> killing the family station wagon).
I contend People buy SUVs because that is what they
want. The fuel efficiency of the Station Wagon,
regardless of government requirements, has very little
if anything to do with its demise. The station wagon
tanked because the SUV is a better choice. However,
fuel efficiancy of the SUV has killed sales as the
price of gas has risen. The government could save the
SUV by imposing fuel efficiency requirements on them.
There is something else going on but I don't know
what. You can certainly make a more fuel efficient
SUV but car companies are not, Why? It would be easy
to lighten an SUV up by using composites in the frame
and body, but they don't. Why? You can change the
engine to a much more efficient diesel or even a
hybred diesel but they don't. Why not? Boeing
Aircraft makes fuel efficient airplanes because that
is what its customers want and need to stay
profitable. Wouldn't John Q Public want the same
thing?
> It is government policy USA pays the most. This is
> no secret, And it is no secret the oil
> companies have done tremendously well, the best
> ever, with this policy.
I'm only an armchair economist, but.... This policy
could not be sustained. The higher the price for oil,
the more the door opens for alternatives. And, high
oil prices hurt the economy by driving up costs.
People spend less, factories produce less, people
loose jobs, etc... then you kill off demand for oil.
Oil companies would be shooting themselves in the foot
if they supported this.
Anthony
Friday, March 3, 2006
We Pay the Most for Oil
We Pay the Most for Oil
Folks, two more points on this... David Frum, George Bush’s economic policy
speech writer
relates a story on page 65, paragraph 4, of his book “The Right Man: the
Surprise Presidency
of George W. Bush... (You can read this on the Amazon web site for the book no
charge).
In a conversation Frum hits on the policy point of cheap energy, and George Bush
denigrates
Frum for missing the point that cheap energy caused the SUV, which reversed the
gas mileage
gains of the previous two decades. (Never mind the SUV was a response to
mileage rules
killing the family station wagon). At any rate, Frum makes clear George Bush is
against cheap
energy as a policy.
I am close to an ex-Shell Oil engineer who now independently consults by
modeling oil fields
for companies around the world. (An export of a service by the way). I
related this story and
he said simply: "below a certain price USA is out of the oil business." Since
we exploited oil
first, our reserves are the hardest to get to... Below about $30 a barrel it is
cheaper to
get it overseas, the trust funds begin to dry up, those oil derricks all over
Pennsylvania and
the California coast might as well shut down, Houston starts to go broke, etc.
And
personally, no one needs his services below a certain price.
It is government policy USA pays the most. This is no secret, And it is no
secret the oil
companies have done tremendously well, the best ever, with this policy.
Now, if we can just get the government to decide small business international
traders should
all get rich, as a policy. Not.
John
Thursday, March 2, 2006
All Hail Google!
Re: [spiers] Re: All Hail Google!
> It will be a sad day if Google does turn over client information to
> the government. I think users, if they care, will start using
> different search engines like Yahoo, Altavista, or Zeal. Or better
> yet, people will start using IP masks for anonymous web browsing.
According to the TV reports I saw, all the other search engines already gave
their information to the Feds with no fight. Google is in the news, because
they are the ONLY search engine company in the US saying, "Whoa now, Big
Brother! I don't think you should have this information for a fishing
expedition!" Kudos to Google! And if your predictions are correct, most
people not using Google should switch, as Google is the only search engine
fighting for privacy.
Malcolm Dell
Wednesday, March 1, 2006
Manufacturing country as a selling point
Re: Manufacturing country as a selling point
Just an aside on this topic.
Leica's digital cameras are manufactured by Panasonic - in Japan. And
Panasonic branded digital cameras feature Leica lens. Branding is a
complicated business.
Jesse
> Which is why we have to do the hard and fast research, and find out
> what everyone believes,
> as proved through actual trade patterns. Perceptions change, such
> as "made in Japan" was
> once a warning label, but now means quality. Leica cameras still
> command a premium,
> although Japanese cameras are better.
Tell me how come?
Folks,
As an avocation I work on why people start businesses, how that works...
I assume most people are on a continuum from "still thinking about it" to "it is
working very
well" and somewhere in between. Everyone on this list, some 800 people, either
read the
book or took the class, or both.
Something I've never asked is why people do NOT start businesses... what I'd
like to know is
"if not, why not..." and if you tried, what was the problem that stymied your
efforts...?
What replies I receive will be used as material for a reply from me on the
topic.
I'd like as many answers as possible, so even you quiet people on the list would
be very
welcome by me... don't worry, I won't put your replies on the list... visions of
800 emails
coming in may terrify you... I won't allow the replies to post... I'll just read
them myself... and
then reply once with a summary and thoughts.
Thanks!
John
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
US Pays Highest Prices
Folks,
Here is Venezuela charging less for oil to poor people in the USA.
http://tinyurl.com/ej3rh
Naturally, oil congressmen from Texas object.
John
Is fast fashion fueling the rebirth of "Made in America?" - Feb. 28
A prescient article, given John's preference for shopping at H&M.
So where's the opportunity for small biz? I guess this article
emphasizes the need for "fresh products" no matter the source. But then
again, H&M and competitors are vertically integrated, so no way to
compete with them. On the other hand, one could provide market
intelligence or design services if one's passion was designer clothes.
But then that would be a designer role, tho, methinks. Any thoughts on
how to benefit from such a need for speed?
http://money.cnn.com/2006/02/28/news/economy/retail_localsourcing/index.htm
Please reply to psnyder@alumni.caltech.edu
Oil China and the US
I saw on 60 minutes where the governor of Montana ( A real maverick )
wants to turn Montana coal into deisel fuel using the Fischer-Tropsch
process (developed by the Germany during WWII). Evidently Montana is
the Saudi Arabia of coal. According to the Governer, it costs about $1
to produce a gallon of fuel. I've heard the real price for a gallon of
gasoline ranges from $5 to $15 per gal if you factor in Oil company
subsidies for R&D and the military cost to defend the oil supply.
Also, the coal diesel burns more efficiently than petroleum deisel and
will improve engine performance.
A couple of observations I thought were interesting:
1) The Chinese (with the help of Shell Oil) were already building
Fischer-Tropsch process refineries.
2) The Governor is having trouble finding investors. To get started,
he needs $1.5 billion. He said everyone wants to be the first one to
open the second refinery.
I also heard of a refinery in Missouri that uses rendered animal
byproducts from the slaughterhouse to make deisel as well. And if you
look at the success of Brazil with ethanol fueled cars, I wonder what
impact alternative fuels will have on oil imports. From a business
perspective, I think OPEC and the oil companies are short sighted and
are going to screw themselves with these high prices. The higher the
price, the more the door opens for alternatives.
Anthony
Buckley Throws In the Towel
RE: [spiers] Buckley Throws In the Towel
The worst part of the whole equation is that games are being played.
Venezuela sells to Castro (or pays a commission?) for oil that comes to
the US subsidizing the Cuban Government and taking the place of your
friend.
Martin Mendiola
305-445-2525
Martin@Mendiola.US
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [spiers] Buckley Throws In the Towel
> From: "John Spiers"
> Date: Tue, February 28, 2006 5:41 pm
> To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
>
> Say the world price of a given grade of oil is $60 a barrel, then that is what
USA pays.
> Everyone else pays less, depending on who they are. I learned this from a lad
who was
> getting rich redirecting fuel from one place to another and arbitraging the
difference. Marc
> Rich became a billionaire in essence doing this.
>
> Recently Russia jacked up the prices of natural gas on the Ukraine, from the
preferential low
> rates to much higher rates. It's not just oil, it's everything.
>
> http://www.energybulletin.net/10226.html
>
> It's all politics.
>
> Follow the money. One way to launder money is to pay too much, and have your
"supplier"
> divert the overage elsewhere. Since your costs of goods are lower, your
profits are down and
> you pay less in taxes. Some serious moral hazard in this set-up.
>
> Or maybe we are just buying friends. Who knows?
>
> We export Alaskan north slope oil to japan and korea. (Recall we have vast
oil up there?)
> How come? My guess is we cut a deal... we sell them USA oil and they have a
more secure
> supply, and more secure supply route than from the middle east. In return
they act as air
> craft carriers for USA.
>
> My introduction to variable pricing was in China in the 70's. The communists
crowded us all
> together, traders from all over the world. We'd ask for prices, and the
Chinese would quote
> one price to the Americans, one to the Germans, one to the Pakistanis, one to
the Ghanains. I
> saw these prices, and asked how come USA has the highest prices? "Because USA
has the
> most money."
>
> Oh.
>
> Later I saw an American get a 3% discount. I went to my Hong Kong agent and
asked how
> come my competitor was gettng a 3% discount,... I wanted to get a 3% discount
too. He said
> "ask for a 3% discount." I asked for a 3% discount, and the Chinese said
"ok".
>
> You gotta be a Bill Clinton to understand all this stuff, to see it and be
able to follow it. I
> think you have to be a Dick Cheney to actually do this kind of work. It's all
way outside of my
> league.
>
> Did you see Steve Jobs has moved Apple into the Hi-Fi market?
http://www.apple.com/
>
> John
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 11:59:29 -0800 (PST), sourcesf
:
>
> > Hi John,
> >
> > Near the bottom of the email where you said that the US pays the
> > hightest price in the world for oil (and everything else). How are you
> > figuring this? Let me take a quick crack at it- It's not only the
> > price tag that matters, but also other expenditures need to be worked
> > into the costs like:
> >
> > - cost of military/foreign policy abroad (e.g.- the Iraq example to
> > ensure oil resources?)
> > - costs of subsidies that we ultimately pay for in taxes
> >
> > Actually, i'll stop right there. Maybe i can sum it up saying that
> > maybe you're counting the extra taxes and interest we're all paying to
> > subsidize gov't expenditures that are supposed to help. (Who these are
> > helping might be a different question altogther. ;))
> >
> > Could you elaborate or correct my mistakes?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > excerpt:
> > "The bottom line will be economics, and since the USA pays the highest
> > price in the world for oil (and everything else) the Moslems will
> > wonder how come they have to sell to China cheap when USA will pay
> > more."
> >
> >
> >
> > --- John Spiers
> >
> > > Folks,
> > >
> > > Bill Buckley concedes USA defeat in Iraq (his words):
> > >
> > > http://tinyurl.com/pt4oe
> > >
> > > But he does not concede he was wrong. Nonetheless, since the top
> > > conservative thinker has
> > > spoken, all the underling thinkers will scramble to say they were
> > > always against the war,
> > > assign blame, etc.
> > >
> > > When USA lost the war in Vietnam, US prestige dropped, trade patterns
> > > changed, Soviet
> > > Union's prestige heightened.
> > >
> > > Emboldened, Soviets invaded Afghanistan, China invaded Vietnam,
> > > Vietnam invaded
> > > Cambodia, all self-inflicted disasters and a waste of newly-won
> > > prestige on the part of the
> > > winners.
> > >
> > > On the other hand, Americans retreated into disco... Pres. Carter
> > > lead the way to massive new
> > > freedoms for US citizens (deregulation in transportation, common
> > > carriers,
> > > telecommunications, beer making and other fields). Our puppets fell
> > > like dominoes... the
> > > Shah in Iran, Duvalier in Haiti, Torrijos in Panama, Somoza in
> > > Nicaragua, Marcos in the
> > > Philippines... and many others, a rather nasty lot. Not that
> > > elements in the US government
> > > did not getting busy coming up with new puppets; Saddam Hussein,
> > > Osama bin Laden, and
> > > other bad boys were created, trained and supported by USA. The
> > > Hamiltonians were down, but not out.
> > >
> > > In Iraq, all of the anger in the Moslem world was focussed on USA.
> > > About a fifth of China's
> > > territory is populated by Moslems. China shares a common border with
> > > Afghanistan. China
> > > wants oil. That USA would invade Iraq was a dream come true for the
> > > Chinese... Moslem
> > > unrest in China would be directed against USA, Moslem friendship
> > > would direct oil towards
> > > China. Peace and prosperity for China, USA bogged down in an
> > > unwinnable war, USA
> > > transferring technology to China, China paying for it with US dollars
> > > gained by selling us
> > > video game players. And our government gets busy searching our
> > > luggage. For China, USA
> > > policy could not be better.
> > >
> > > I believe one reason USA has not been attacked again since 9-11 is
> > > simply because the
> > > Chinese are workng very hard to prevent it. Although bringing down
> > > our financial
> > > infrastructure by destroying the internet, or a repeat of 9-11, or
> > > WMD smuggled into our
> > > ports are all very easy options, none has happened. Another attack
> > > on USA would cost China
> > > far more than USA. Whatever China can do worldwide to prevent an
> > > attack on USA, I imagine
> > > China is doing.
> > >
> > > In the meantime, China is making friends wherever it can, especially
> > > any place with oil...
> > >
> > > http://tinyurl.com/nlml9
> > >
> > > And since the Chinese were against the US invasion of Iraq, their
> > > prestige is heightening.
> > >
> > > The best possible scenario is when we high-tail it out of Iraq, the
> > > Chinese make the mistake
> > > of moving in. The bottom line will be economics, and since the USA
> > > pays the highest price in
> > > the world for oil (and everything else) the Moslems will wonder how
> > > come they have to sell to
> > > China cheap when USA will pay more. Could cause some consternation.
> > >
> > > And where we have withdrawn things improve, as in the Balkans, where
> > > what was recently a
> > > hotbed of inter-religious terrorist violence is now a hotbed of
> > > interreligious, well... hotbeds.
> > >
> > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4746082.stm (Doesn't she look like
> > > Jodie Foster?)
> > >
> > > So, anyone know a good disco ball designer?
> > >
> > > John
Buckley Throws In the Towel
Re: [spiers] Buckley Throws In the Towel
Say the world price of a given grade of oil is $60 a barrel, then that is what
USA pays.
Everyone else pays less, depending on who they are. I learned this from a lad
who was
getting rich redirecting fuel from one place to another and arbitraging the
difference. Marc
Rich became a billionaire in essence doing this.
Recently Russia jacked up the prices of natural gas on the Ukraine, from the
preferential low
rates to much higher rates. It's not just oil, it's everything.
http://www.energybulletin.net/10226.html
It's all politics.
Follow the money. One way to launder money is to pay too much, and have your
"supplier"
divert the overage elsewhere. Since your costs of goods are lower, your profits
are down and
you pay less in taxes. Some serious moral hazard in this set-up.
Or maybe we are just buying friends. Who knows?
We export Alaskan north slope oil to japan and korea. (Recall we have vast oil
up there?)
How come? My guess is we cut a deal... we sell them USA oil and they have a
more secure
supply, and more secure supply route than from the middle east. In return they
act as air
craft carriers for USA.
My introduction to variable pricing was in China in the 70's. The communists
crowded us all
together, traders from all over the world. We'd ask for prices, and the
Chinese would quote
one price to the Americans, one to the Germans, one to the Pakistanis, one to
the Ghanains. I
saw these prices, and asked how come USA has the highest prices? "Because USA
has the
most money."
Oh.
Later I saw an American get a 3% discount. I went to my Hong Kong agent and
asked how
come my competitor was gettng a 3% discount,... I wanted to get a 3% discount
too. He said
"ask for a 3% discount." I asked for a 3% discount, and the Chinese said "ok".
You gotta be a Bill Clinton to understand all this stuff, to see it and be able
to follow it. I
think you have to be a Dick Cheney to actually do this kind of work. It's all
way outside of my
league.
Did you see Steve Jobs has moved Apple into the Hi-Fi market?
http://www.apple.com/
John
On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 11:59:29 -0800 (PST), sourcesf
> Hi John,
>
> Near the bottom of the email where you said that the US pays the
> hightest price in the world for oil (and everything else). How are you
> figuring this? Let me take a quick crack at it- It's not only the
> price tag that matters, but also other expenditures need to be worked
> into the costs like:
>
> - cost of military/foreign policy abroad (e.g.- the Iraq example to
> ensure oil resources?)
> - costs of subsidies that we ultimately pay for in taxes
>
> Actually, i'll stop right there. Maybe i can sum it up saying that
> maybe you're counting the extra taxes and interest we're all paying to
> subsidize gov't expenditures that are supposed to help. (Who these are
> helping might be a different question altogther. ;))
>
> Could you elaborate or correct my mistakes?
>
> Thanks!
>
> excerpt:
> "The bottom line will be economics, and since the USA pays the highest
> price in the world for oil (and everything else) the Moslems will
> wonder how come they have to sell to China cheap when USA will pay
> more."
>
>
>
> --- John Spiers
>
> > Folks,
> >
> > Bill Buckley concedes USA defeat in Iraq (his words):
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/pt4oe
> >
> > But he does not concede he was wrong. Nonetheless, since the top
> > conservative thinker has
> > spoken, all the underling thinkers will scramble to say they were
> > always against the war,
> > assign blame, etc.
> >
> > When USA lost the war in Vietnam, US prestige dropped, trade patterns
> > changed, Soviet
> > Union's prestige heightened.
> >
> > Emboldened, Soviets invaded Afghanistan, China invaded Vietnam,
> > Vietnam invaded
> > Cambodia, all self-inflicted disasters and a waste of newly-won
> > prestige on the part of the
> > winners.
> >
> > On the other hand, Americans retreated into disco... Pres. Carter
> > lead the way to massive new
> > freedoms for US citizens (deregulation in transportation, common
> > carriers,
> > telecommunications, beer making and other fields). Our puppets fell
> > like dominoes... the
> > Shah in Iran, Duvalier in Haiti, Torrijos in Panama, Somoza in
> > Nicaragua, Marcos in the
> > Philippines... and many others, a rather nasty lot. Not that
> > elements in the US government
> > did not getting busy coming up with new puppets; Saddam Hussein,
> > Osama bin Laden, and
> > other bad boys were created, trained and supported by USA. The
> > Hamiltonians were down, but not out.
> >
> > In Iraq, all of the anger in the Moslem world was focussed on USA.
> > About a fifth of China's
> > territory is populated by Moslems. China shares a common border with
> > Afghanistan. China
> > wants oil. That USA would invade Iraq was a dream come true for the
> > Chinese... Moslem
> > unrest in China would be directed against USA, Moslem friendship
> > would direct oil towards
> > China. Peace and prosperity for China, USA bogged down in an
> > unwinnable war, USA
> > transferring technology to China, China paying for it with US dollars
> > gained by selling us
> > video game players. And our government gets busy searching our
> > luggage. For China, USA
> > policy could not be better.
> >
> > I believe one reason USA has not been attacked again since 9-11 is
> > simply because the
> > Chinese are workng very hard to prevent it. Although bringing down
> > our financial
> > infrastructure by destroying the internet, or a repeat of 9-11, or
> > WMD smuggled into our
> > ports are all very easy options, none has happened. Another attack
> > on USA would cost China
> > far more than USA. Whatever China can do worldwide to prevent an
> > attack on USA, I imagine
> > China is doing.
> >
> > In the meantime, China is making friends wherever it can, especially
> > any place with oil...
> >
> > http://tinyurl.com/nlml9
> >
> > And since the Chinese were against the US invasion of Iraq, their
> > prestige is heightening.
> >
> > The best possible scenario is when we high-tail it out of Iraq, the
> > Chinese make the mistake
> > of moving in. The bottom line will be economics, and since the USA
> > pays the highest price in
> > the world for oil (and everything else) the Moslems will wonder how
> > come they have to sell to
> > China cheap when USA will pay more. Could cause some consternation.
> >
> > And where we have withdrawn things improve, as in the Balkans, where
> > what was recently a
> > hotbed of inter-religious terrorist violence is now a hotbed of
> > interreligious, well... hotbeds.
> >
> > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4746082.stm (Doesn't she look like
> > Jodie Foster?)
> >
> > So, anyone know a good disco ball designer?
> >
> > John
Manufacturing country as a selling point
RE: [spiers] Manufacturing country as a selling point
Brings to mind the fact that very often when people are advertising office
equipment,
computer services, things that somehow relate to computers, the computer in the
ad is so
very often Apple brand? I wonder if the advertising producers know something
about this...
John
On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 12:40:39 -0800, "Keith Blackey"
> I can't comment on country of manufacture, but I have a story about brand
> that may relate.
>
> A friend sells CAD systems specifically for laying out boat marinas.
> Interestingly his sales immediately increased when he demonstrated his
> software on an IBM brand laptop vs. his earlier X brand. He swears nothing
> else changed.
>
> If brand matters that much, so could country of manufacturer.
>
> Keith
>
> _____
>
> From: spiers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:spiers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
> mgranich
> Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 7:16 PM
> To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [spiers] Manufacturing country as a selling point
>
>
> I have a friend who is a violin maker in St. Louis, MO. He claims
> that violins made in Italy, no matter how poor the quality, always
> sell at a premium over violins of better quality from France,
> Germany, and the USA. He was at a loss to explain why other than
> Stradavarius and a few other famous makers came from Italy and
> therefore people preceive Italian violins will always be better
> instraments even though the maker an amateur at best.
>
> Can the country where a product is manufactured be used as a selling
> point for the product? And if so, would an importer opt for the
> favorably preceived country to have his product made vs the country
> that is importing the most, or making the better quality product?
>
> For example, if all things are the same in design and quality, would
> a glass paperwieght from Germany sell better than the same glass
> paperweight from China?
>
> Thanks,
> Anthony
As for China selling America video game consoles...
As for China selling America video game consoles, will China try to
force Americans to not buy pirated software that will run on those
consoles? Japan is the distributor and China the manufacturer of
Sony's PlayStation. Is it in China's best interest to have control
over what Sony asks to be manufactured when it comes to technology
that thwarts illegal copying? The game industry and its customers
can't wait for Sony's PlayStation 3. From reports, Sony needs time
to implement its proprietary Blu-Ray DVD technology in the Play
Station 3 which will help stop the illegal copying. If PlayStation
3 is not on the shelves by the holiday season, I think that some
American game software companies will not survive. For example,
Midway. But if Sony does implement the Blu-Ray technology, then we
will have a Beta vs. VHS environment again. Only this time, Betamax
(Blu-Ray) will be coming into the arena when VHS (current DVD) has
been around already for years. This doesn't make sense for Sony
unless China has a deal with Japan to finally crack down on illegal
copying. But, I don't see how Sony's consoles will survive because
we already saw the failure of the UMD (Universal Media Disc) on the
PSP (PlayStation Portable). I guess the good thing about this is
that it breaks down big companies and offers small business
opportunities.
Buckley Throws In the Towel
Re: [spiers] Buckley Throws In the Towel
Hi John,
Near the bottom of the email where you said that the US pays the
hightest price in the world for oil (and everything else). How are you
figuring this? Let me take a quick crack at it- It's not only the
price tag that matters, but also other expenditures need to be worked
into the costs like:
- cost of military/foreign policy abroad (e.g.- the Iraq example to
ensure oil resources?)
- costs of subsidies that we ultimately pay for in taxes
Actually, i'll stop right there. Maybe i can sum it up saying that
maybe you're counting the extra taxes and interest we're all paying to
subsidize gov't expenditures that are supposed to help. (Who these are
helping might be a different question altogther. ;))
Could you elaborate or correct my mistakes?
Thanks!
excerpt:
"The bottom line will be economics, and since the USA pays the highest
price in the world for oil (and everything else) the Moslems will
wonder how come they have to sell to China cheap when USA will pay
more."
--- John Spiers
> Folks,
>
> Bill Buckley concedes USA defeat in Iraq (his words):
>
> http://tinyurl.com/pt4oe
>
> But he does not concede he was wrong. Nonetheless, since the top
> conservative thinker has
> spoken, all the underling thinkers will scramble to say they were
> always against the war,
> assign blame, etc.
>
> When USA lost the war in Vietnam, US prestige dropped, trade patterns
> changed, Soviet
> Union's prestige heightened.
>
> Emboldened, Soviets invaded Afghanistan, China invaded Vietnam,
> Vietnam invaded
> Cambodia, all self-inflicted disasters and a waste of newly-won
> prestige on the part of the
> winners.
>
> On the other hand, Americans retreated into disco... Pres. Carter
> lead the way to massive new
> freedoms for US citizens (deregulation in transportation, common
> carriers,
> telecommunications, beer making and other fields). Our puppets fell
> like dominoes... the
> Shah in Iran, Duvalier in Haiti, Torrijos in Panama, Somoza in
> Nicaragua, Marcos in the
> Philippines... and many others, a rather nasty lot. Not that
> elements in the US government
> did not getting busy coming up with new puppets; Saddam Hussein,
> Osama bin Laden, and
> other bad boys were created, trained and supported by USA. The
> Hamiltonians were down, but not out.
>
> In Iraq, all of the anger in the Moslem world was focussed on USA.
> About a fifth of China's
> territory is populated by Moslems. China shares a common border with
> Afghanistan. China
> wants oil. That USA would invade Iraq was a dream come true for the
> Chinese... Moslem
> unrest in China would be directed against USA, Moslem friendship
> would direct oil towards
> China. Peace and prosperity for China, USA bogged down in an
> unwinnable war, USA
> transferring technology to China, China paying for it with US dollars
> gained by selling us
> video game players. And our government gets busy searching our
> luggage. For China, USA
> policy could not be better.
>
> I believe one reason USA has not been attacked again since 9-11 is
> simply because the
> Chinese are workng very hard to prevent it. Although bringing down
> our financial
> infrastructure by destroying the internet, or a repeat of 9-11, or
> WMD smuggled into our
> ports are all very easy options, none has happened. Another attack
> on USA would cost China
> far more than USA. Whatever China can do worldwide to prevent an
> attack on USA, I imagine
> China is doing.
>
> In the meantime, China is making friends wherever it can, especially
> any place with oil...
>
> http://tinyurl.com/nlml9
>
> And since the Chinese were against the US invasion of Iraq, their
> prestige is heightening.
>
> The best possible scenario is when we high-tail it out of Iraq, the
> Chinese make the mistake
> of moving in. The bottom line will be economics, and since the USA
> pays the highest price in
> the world for oil (and everything else) the Moslems will wonder how
> come they have to sell to
> China cheap when USA will pay more. Could cause some consternation.
>
> And where we have withdrawn things improve, as in the Balkans, where
> what was recently a
> hotbed of inter-religious terrorist violence is now a hotbed of
> interreligious, well... hotbeds.
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4746082.stm (Doesn't she look like
> Jodie Foster?)
>
> So, anyone know a good disco ball designer?
>
> John
Manufacturing country as a selling point
RE: [spiers] Manufacturing country as a selling point
I can't comment on country of manufacture, but I have a story about brand
that may relate.
A friend sells CAD systems specifically for laying out boat marinas.
Interestingly his sales immediately increased when he demonstrated his
software on an IBM brand laptop vs. his earlier X brand. He swears nothing
else changed.
If brand matters that much, so could country of manufacturer.
Keith
_____
From: spiers@yahoogroups.com [mailto:spiers@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
mgranich
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 7:16 PM
To: spiers@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [spiers] Manufacturing country as a selling point
I have a friend who is a violin maker in St. Louis, MO. He claims
that violins made in Italy, no matter how poor the quality, always
sell at a premium over violins of better quality from France,
Germany, and the USA. He was at a loss to explain why other than
Stradavarius and a few other famous makers came from Italy and
therefore people preceive Italian violins will always be better
instraments even though the maker an amateur at best.
Can the country where a product is manufactured be used as a selling
point for the product? And if so, would an importer opt for the
favorably preceived country to have his product made vs the country
that is importing the most, or making the better quality product?
For example, if all things are the same in design and quality, would
a glass paperwieght from Germany sell better than the same glass
paperweight from China?
Thanks,
Anthony
Buckley Throws In the Towel
Folks,
Bill Buckley concedes USA defeat in Iraq (his words):
http://tinyurl.com/pt4oe
But he does not concede he was wrong. Nonetheless, since the top conservative
thinker has
spoken, all the underling thinkers will scramble to say they were always against
the war,
assign blame, etc.
When USA lost the war in Vietnam, US prestige dropped, trade patterns changed,
Soviet
Union's prestige heightened.
Emboldened, Soviets invaded Afghanistan, China invaded Vietnam, Vietnam invaded
Cambodia, all self-inflicted disasters and a waste of newly-won prestige on the
part of the
winners.
On the other hand, Americans retreated into disco... Pres. Carter lead the way
to massive new
freedoms for US citizens (deregulation in transportation, common carriers,
telecommunications, beer making and other fields). Our puppets fell like
dominoes... the
Shah in Iran, Duvalier in Haiti, Torrijos in Panama, Somoza in Nicaragua, Marcos
in the
Philippines... and many others, a rather nasty lot. Not that elements in the
US government
did not getting busy coming up with new puppets; Saddam Hussein, Osama bin
Laden, and
other bad boys were created, trained and supported by USA. The Hamiltonians
were down, but not out.
In Iraq, all of the anger in the Moslem world was focussed on USA. About a
fifth of China's
territory is populated by Moslems. China shares a common border with
Afghanistan. China
wants oil. That USA would invade Iraq was a dream come true for the Chinese...
Moslem
unrest in China would be directed against USA, Moslem friendship would direct
oil towards
China. Peace and prosperity for China, USA bogged down in an unwinnable war,
USA
transferring technology to China, China paying for it with US dollars gained by
selling us
video game players. And our government gets busy searching our luggage. For
China, USA
policy could not be better.
I believe one reason USA has not been attacked again since 9-11 is simply
because the
Chinese are workng very hard to prevent it. Although bringing down our financial
infrastructure by destroying the internet, or a repeat of 9-11, or WMD smuggled
into our
ports are all very easy options, none has happened. Another attack on USA would
cost China
far more than USA. Whatever China can do worldwide to prevent an attack on USA,
I imagine
China is doing.
In the meantime, China is making friends wherever it can, especially any place
with oil...
http://tinyurl.com/nlml9
And since the Chinese were against the US invasion of Iraq, their prestige is
heightening.
The best possible scenario is when we high-tail it out of Iraq, the Chinese make
the mistake
of moving in. The bottom line will be economics, and since the USA pays the
highest price in
the world for oil (and everything else) the Moslems will wonder how come they
have to sell to
China cheap when USA will pay more. Could cause some consternation.
And where we have withdrawn things improve, as in the Balkans, where what was
recently a
hotbed of inter-religious terrorist violence is now a hotbed of interreligious,
well... hotbeds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4746082.stm (Doesn't she look like Jodie
Foster?)
So, anyone know a good disco ball designer?
John
Manufacturing country as a selling point
Re: [spiers] Manufacturing country as a selling point
Yes! Yes! Yes!
Which is why we have to do the hard and fast research, and find out what
everyone believes,
as proved through actual trade patterns. Perceptions change, such as "made in
Japan" was
once a warning label, but now means quality. Leica cameras still command a
premium,
although Japanese cameras are better.
There was a car in the '80's... the GM Probe(?)...I forget the name..anyway...
it was made by
the Japanese for GM and for Mitsubishi...well, the details are not important..
the fact was the
Japanese made both cars, same time, same everything, just different name plates
on the
cars... the Japanese nameplate commanded a 15% price premium. The chevy
trailblazer and
the GM Jimmy are the exact same cars, and the Lincoln LS, the Jaguar XLS (?),
and the Ford
Thunderbird are all built on the same engine/chassis/transmission.
Italian olive oil is almost all from Greek and Turkish olive oil, just packed in
Italy, because
people want italian olive oil. (Italians keep the best stuff for themselves).
Dale Chihuly is the most sought-after glass artist on earth. Except with one
eye, he cannot
blow glass. Rich Royal does all of Chihuly's good stuff. Chihuly will admit
this himself. Rich
Royal understands this and accepts it. Want world class glass art dirt cheap?
Buy it from Rich
Royal. Want to sell lots of art glass at premium prices? Get it from Dale
Chihuly.
The world can be a wicked place and that is good to know. You'll end up with a
better art
glass collection at a better price.
John
On Tue, 28 Feb 2006 03:15:51 -0000, "mgranich"
> I have a friend who is a violin maker in St. Louis, MO. He claims
> that violins made in Italy, no matter how poor the quality, always
> sell at a premium over violins of better quality from France,
> Germany, and the USA. He was at a loss to explain why other than
> Stradavarius and a few other famous makers came from Italy and
> therefore people preceive Italian violins will always be better
> instraments even though the maker an amateur at best.
>
> Can the country where a product is manufactured be used as a selling
> point for the product? And if so, would an importer opt for the
> favorably preceived country to have his product made vs the country
> that is importing the most, or making the better quality product?
>
> For example, if all things are the same in design and quality, would
> a glass paperwieght from Germany sell better than the same glass
> paperweight from China?
>
> Thanks,
> Anthony
>
All Hail Google!
Re: All Hail Google!
It will be a sad day if Google does turn over client information to
the government. I think users, if they care, will start using
different search engines like Yahoo, Altavista, or Zeal. Or better
yet, people will start using IP masks for anonymous web browsing.
For those that continue to use Google, it looks like there will also
be a Google calendar so that you can let the government know where
you will be in the future.
http://www.paulstone.net/google_links_and_calendar
That's if the justice department does get hold of client information.
Bo
--- In spiers@yahoogroups.com, "John Spiers"
>
> Folks,
>
> I think Google is doing well and doing good, by not cooperatng
with the US Government, and
> cooperating with the Chinese government. Leave it to a Russian
kid to get it right in USA.
>
> Here is the problem: the justice department wants a private
company (Google) to turn over
> trade secrets and client information so the justice department can
go on a fishing expedition
> for criminals. UnAmerican!
>
> China is making a mistake by limiting access to the internet for
its citizens. We are in
> competition with China, so we ought to be happy to let them make
mistakes. Calls for
> Google to somehow cause China to do what is right are misplaced,
beside the fact that China
> is China's business, not ours.
>
> This reminds me of the do-gooders who want to pass a law everytime
big biz exploits
> consumers. Recall the demand to get banks to stop gouging ATM
users. Why should govt
> stop bad bank behaviour? If it is bad, it leaves an opening for
someone to come in and do
> good. Washington Mutual capitalized on the fee bandits by makng
WAMU ATM's fee-free and
> thereby stealing customers and punishing the fee bandit banks. Go
USA!
>
> A more intriguing reason why China wants to limit access to google
has to do with...well...
> you read... this is rather over my head...
>
>
> China, Google, and press spin
>
> 7 September 2002
> China's recent blocking of Google and AltaVista has us asking
whether they might be doing it
> for reasons that have not been mentioned in the press.
>
> Our proxy has not been blocked. We wonder who will block us first -
- China or Google, Inc.?
> The former because we're a back door to Google's index, or the
latter because our interface is
> ad-free and unauthorized by Google?
>
> U.S. intelligence agencies have recently shown a great deal of
interest in Internet surveillance.
> One thrust of this is determining geolocation from IP number.
Currently this is about 80
> percent effective in fixing the IP number to a major city, and
over 90 percent in fixing it to a
> country.
>
> Another important aspect is the search terms used to query search
engines. These terms are
> absolute pearls; they are a succinct window into the Internet
user's interests and state of
> mind at a particular point in time. Cluster analysis that uses
geolocation along with search
> terms would provide an insight into a society and its
subcultures.
>
> Chinese officials may be worried that Google logs all search
terms together with the IP
> number, a time stamp, a unique cookie ID, and browser information.
If this information is
> available to the National Security Agency from Google -- and
current U.S. laws almost require
> Google to provide this information to the feds, especially when
the Internet user is a non-U.S.
> citizen in a country that's of national security interest to the
U.S. -- then China may be well-
> advised to block the use of U.S. engines to protect their own
national security.
>
> The NSA, if it gets this information straight from Google, is
operating at a level of efficiency
> much greater than Chinese officials themselves, who must intercept
and collate such
> information by monitoring the packet stream. This puts the NSA at
a tremendous advantage
> in determining where pro-U.S. sentiment may exist in China.
>
> The privacy policies of search engines generally do not cover
items such as IP number
> storage, and storage of search terms. In the case of portals that
use Google results, it is
> important to know whether the portal forwards the IP number to
Google along with the
> search terms. We've asked this question of several portals, and
received a reply only from
> Netscape, which said that they do not forward the IP number to
Google.
>
> Journalists interested in privacy can provide a service by asking
search engines and portals
> about the user data they collect. When engines fail to reveal
this, then they should at least
> allow proxies and meta-engines to access their index as a matter
of policy and convenience
> to Internet users around the world. We hope our proxy can continue
to operate, both in China
> and in the U.S.
>
>
> Geolocation links:
>
> Washington Post article on geolocation from IP number
> Digital Envoy
> GeoIP by MaxMind
> Google searches are geolocated on the fly (Wired, May, 2003)
>
>
> News item: "The winner of the 2002 Google programming contest and
the $10,000 prize was
> Daniel Egnor. Egnor's winning project allows users to search web
pages based on locale.
> Egnor took street addresses, converted them to latitude and
longitude coordinates, and then
> created a location index. The result was a system that allows
users to focus keyword searches
> to an area of a specific location."
>
> Bottom line: Geolocation is neither fad nor fantasy. It's
something that must be considered
> when evaluating the behavior of major Web players.
>
> Update, March 2003: We still don't know the story behind China's
blocking and unblocking of
> Google. It may be that Google's acute interest in geolocation by
IP number is designed
> primarily to sell more ads in more markets. In an article by Josh
McHugh ("Google vs. Evil,"
> Wired Magazine, January 2003), several paragraphs imply that
Google worked out some sort
> of secret deal with Chinese authorities:
> Brin was no expert on international diplomacy. So he ordered a
half-dozen books about
> Chinese history, business, and politics on Amazon.com and splurged
on overnight shipping.
> He consulted with Schmidt, Page, and David Drummond, Google's
general counsel and head
> of business development, then put in a call to tech industry
doyenne Esther Dyson for advice
> and contacts. Google has no offices in China, so Brin enlisted go-
betweens to get the
> message to Chinese authorities that Google would be very
interested in working out a
> compromise to restore access. "We didn't want to do anything
rash," Brin says. "The situation
> over there is more complex than I had imagined."
>
> Four days later, Chinese authorities restored access to the site.
How did that happen? For
> starters, the Chinese government was deluged with outcries from
the nation's 46 million
> Internet users when access to Google was cut off. "Internet users
in China are an apolitical
> crowd," says Xiao Qiang, executive director of New York-based
Human Rights In China. "They
> tend to be people who are doing well, and they don't usually voice
strong views. But this
> stepped into their digital freedom."
>
> The quick workaround: Chinese authorities tweaked the national
firewall, making the new
> Google China different from the site that was turned off. Today,
Chinese who use Google to
> search on terms like "falun gong" or "human rights in china"
receive a standard-looking
> results page. But when they click on any of the results, either
their browsers are redirected to
> a blank or government-approved page, or their computers are
blocked from accessing
> Google for an hour or two. "They have a new mechanism that can
block the results of certain
> searches," Brin says. Did Google help China find or obtain the
filtering technology? "We didn't
> make changes to our servers" is all he'll say.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Manufacturing country as a selling point
I have a friend who is a violin maker in St. Louis, MO. He claims
that violins made in Italy, no matter how poor the quality, always
sell at a premium over violins of better quality from France,
Germany, and the USA. He was at a loss to explain why other than
Stradavarius and a few other famous makers came from Italy and
therefore people preceive Italian violins will always be better
instraments even though the maker an amateur at best.
Can the country where a product is manufactured be used as a selling
point for the product? And if so, would an importer opt for the
favorably preceived country to have his product made vs the country
that is importing the most, or making the better quality product?
For example, if all things are the same in design and quality, would
a glass paperwieght from Germany sell better than the same glass
paperweight from China?
Thanks,
Anthony
Calling all importers of contemporary home decor, housewares and sm
Re: [spiers] Re: Calling all importers of contemporary home decor, housewares and small furni
Hi Olivia:
I believe there is a huge market for this. If you're familiar with
Vancouver/San Francisco or any urban market, most people live in small condos
and can't really handle the traditional large and bland furnishings. If you
could combine functionality along with style, we would be one of your first
customers. We would be happy to provide you with more in-depth feedback if you
wish. We are looking for sources of small furnishings. If you can name any
that you've researched as well, we'd be much indebted.
Best of Luck,
Amyn
amyn@homewerx.ca
650.996.4723
olivia fisher
apartment-living furnitures that are both functional and of minimalistic styles.
Designs consider size, function and style...is there a market for this?
I am still showing my ideas around and gathering feedback.
Inday
All Hail Google!
Folks,
I think Google is doing well and doing good, by not cooperatng with the US
Government, and
cooperating with the Chinese government. Leave it to a Russian kid to get it
right in USA.
Here is the problem: the justice department wants a private company (Google) to
turn over
trade secrets and client information so the justice department can go on a
fishing expedition
for criminals. UnAmerican!
China is making a mistake by limiting access to the internet for its citizens.
We are in
competition with China, so we ought to be happy to let them make mistakes.
Calls for
Google to somehow cause China to do what is right are misplaced, beside the fact
that China
is China's business, not ours.
This reminds me of the do-gooders who want to pass a law everytime big biz
exploits
consumers. Recall the demand to get banks to stop gouging ATM users. Why
should govt
stop bad bank behaviour? If it is bad, it leaves an opening for someone to
come in and do
good. Washington Mutual capitalized on the fee bandits by makng WAMU ATM's
fee-free and
thereby stealing customers and punishing the fee bandit banks. Go USA!
A more intriguing reason why China wants to limit access to google has to do
with...well...
you read... this is rather over my head...
China, Google, and press spin
7 September 2002
China's recent blocking of Google and AltaVista has us asking whether they
might be doing it
for reasons that have not been mentioned in the press.
Our proxy has not been blocked. We wonder who will block us first -- China or
Google, Inc.?
The former because we're a back door to Google's index, or the latter because
our interface is
ad-free and unauthorized by Google?
U.S. intelligence agencies have recently shown a great deal of interest in
Internet surveillance.
One thrust of this is determining geolocation from IP number. Currently this is
about 80
percent effective in fixing the IP number to a major city, and over 90 percent
in fixing it to a
country.
Another important aspect is the search terms used to query search engines. These
terms are
absolute pearls; they are a succinct window into the Internet user's interests
and state of
mind at a particular point in time. Cluster analysis that uses geolocation along
with search
terms would provide an insight into a society and its subcultures.
Chinese officials may be worried that Google logs all search terms together
with the IP
number, a time stamp, a unique cookie ID, and browser information. If this
information is
available to the National Security Agency from Google -- and current U.S. laws
almost require
Google to provide this information to the feds, especially when the Internet
user is a non-U.S.
citizen in a country that's of national security interest to the U.S. -- then
China may be well-
advised to block the use of U.S. engines to protect their own national security.
The NSA, if it gets this information straight from Google, is operating at a
level of efficiency
much greater than Chinese officials themselves, who must intercept and collate
such
information by monitoring the packet stream. This puts the NSA at a tremendous
advantage
in determining where pro-U.S. sentiment may exist in China.
The privacy policies of search engines generally do not cover items such as IP
number
storage, and storage of search terms. In the case of portals that use Google
results, it is
important to know whether the portal forwards the IP number to Google along with
the
search terms. We've asked this question of several portals, and received a reply
only from
Netscape, which said that they do not forward the IP number to Google.
Journalists interested in privacy can provide a service by asking search engines
and portals
about the user data they collect. When engines fail to reveal this, then they
should at least
allow proxies and meta-engines to access their index as a matter of policy and
convenience
to Internet users around the world. We hope our proxy can continue to operate,
both in China
and in the U.S.
Geolocation links:
Washington Post article on geolocation from IP number
Digital Envoy
GeoIP by MaxMind
Google searches are geolocated on the fly (Wired, May, 2003)
News item: "The winner of the 2002 Google programming contest and the $10,000
prize was
Daniel Egnor. Egnor's winning project allows users to search web pages based on
locale.
Egnor took street addresses, converted them to latitude and longitude
coordinates, and then
created a location index. The result was a system that allows users to focus
keyword searches
to an area of a specific location."
Bottom line: Geolocation is neither fad nor fantasy. It's something that must be
considered
when evaluating the behavior of major Web players.
Update, March 2003: We still don't know the story behind China's blocking and
unblocking of
Google. It may be that Google's acute interest in geolocation by IP number is
designed
primarily to sell more ads in more markets. In an article by Josh McHugh
("Google vs. Evil,"
Wired Magazine, January 2003), several paragraphs imply that Google worked out
some sort
of secret deal with Chinese authorities:
Brin was no expert on international diplomacy. So he ordered a half-dozen books
about
Chinese history, business, and politics on Amazon.com and splurged on overnight
shipping.
He consulted with Schmidt, Page, and David Drummond, Google's general counsel
and head
of business development, then put in a call to tech industry doyenne Esther
Dyson for advice
and contacts. Google has no offices in China, so Brin enlisted go-betweens to
get the
message to Chinese authorities that Google would be very interested in working
out a
compromise to restore access. "We didn't want to do anything rash," Brin says.
"The situation
over there is more complex than I had imagined."
Four days later, Chinese authorities restored access to the site. How did that
happen? For
starters, the Chinese government was deluged with outcries from the nation's 46
million
Internet users when access to Google was cut off. "Internet users in China are
an apolitical
crowd," says Xiao Qiang, executive director of New York-based Human Rights In
China. "They
tend to be people who are doing well, and they don't usually voice strong views.
But this
stepped into their digital freedom."
The quick workaround: Chinese authorities tweaked the national firewall, making
the new
Google China different from the site that was turned off. Today, Chinese who use
Google to
search on terms like "falun gong" or "human rights in china" receive a
standard-looking
results page. But when they click on any of the results, either their browsers
are redirected to
a blank or government-approved page, or their computers are blocked from
accessing
Google for an hour or two. "They have a new mechanism that can block the results
of certain
searches," Brin says. Did Google help China find or obtain the filtering
technology? "We didn't
make changes to our servers" is all he'll say.
San Francisco!
HANSPREE - name discussion
According to the link that you provided, there is a brief paragraph about "why
the name?"---
Why the name ¡°HANNspree?¡±
¡°HANN¡± is both a reference to the involvement of HannStar and a Chinese word
that closely equates to ¡°infinity.¡± ¡°Spree¡± has connotations of carefree
indulgence. Together, these words go some way towards expressing the breadth
and exuberance of the new Hannspree brand.
But that extra N after HAN really adds an European feel to it, as if it is out
of the Netherlands or Germany. I personally think many Chinese companies like
to make their company name sound international or European. Another example is
"HAIER." In fact, HAN as a Chinese word has many meanings unless one knows the
actual Chinese character in HANNSPREE. Besides the meaning of "Korean," it also
means "Chinese People." The Han people is the majority people (the core Chinese
people) living in China, there are other monority peoples. So, I doubt it
actually means Korean in the case.
Lily
--- bolinasfrank2004
> What I find interesting about Hannspree is that the company is not
> Korean but Taiwanese.
>
> http://www.dba-pr.com/hannspree_releases/co_bground.htm
>
> Han is used as the prefix for anything Korean. Maybe this use of
> Han was intended to give the perception of quality electronics in
> order to try and follow in the footsteps of LG or Samsung.
>
> http://in.tech.yahoo.com/040602/137/2dfx3.html
>
> Bo
> --- In spiers@yahoogroups.com, Lily Yuan
> >
> > I've always wondered why there is no H&M in Seattle yet. Ikea made
> it here
> > early on, but not H&M, a company started by Swedish I believe. I
> thought the
> > Nordic people always had a thing for the PNW. But I guess they
> probabaly don't
> > think people here are that stylish. REI is considerered more
> stylish here, it
> > seems:) H&M stores are all over on the East Coast. Now that they
> made it San
> > Fran, maybe soon they'll come to Seattle? Yes, I agree with your
> daughters that
> > their stuff is definitely inexpensive and stylish.
> > lily
> >
> > --- John Spiers
> >
> > > Folks,
> > >
> > > A couple of things I found interesting in San Francisco...
> > >
> > > 1. H & M clthing store... I never noticed these stores before,
> but there are
> > > two around Union
> > > Square area... and I had 3 daughters with me, and they noticed.
> I knew I was
> > > in trouble when
> > > I followed them in and there was a stairwell landing full of
> bored stupid men
> > > and a very long
> > > line of women at the cash register. I laughed at them at first
> but then
> > > found myself with
> > > them after a long while.
> > >
> > > The clothes are inexpensive but stylish (so they tell me).
> Since they were
> > > inexpensive, my
> > > daughters reasoned I was not spending very much on them. My
> daughters made
> > > up for the
> > > low prices with volume.
> > >
> > > 2. You've all bought potato chips or candy or a soda pop from a
> vending
> > > machine. Well, the
> > > Apple computer line of iPod products are available from vending
> machines in
> > > San Francisco.
> > > You insert your card, push A 7 or whatever, your card is
> charged, and the
> > > ishuffle or iPod
> > > nano or whatever drops down in the chute for you to take your
> machine. There
> > > are iPod
> > > accessories and Sony PSP players in the same vending machine.
> > >
> > > 3. Speaking of China, Grant Avenue has stores that seem to have
> learned from
> > > Shanghai Tang
> > > inasmuch as they are finally competing on design. Made in China
> products but
> > > designed for
> > > the USA market. Check out "Old Shanghai" for a good example.
> > >
> > > 4. A Korean maker of flat panel screens decided they could make
> money if they
> > > hired USA
> > > designers to build cool products around their screens. See
> Hannspree at 400
> > > Sutter... again
> > > my daughters went crazy over the very attracrtive items. I
> recognized one
> > > item from the
> > > Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, so they are wholesaling... I worry
> when people
> > > try to make,
> > > import and retail. The store may hurt them.
> > >
> > > Cheap Hotel: Grant Hotel on Bush...$60/night, 2 blocks from
> Union Square;
> > > $15 meal, Uncle
> > > Vito's on Bush - $50 meal, Rue Lepic, 2 blocks away.
> > >
> > > John
eBay Service Import Biz idea
Service Business Idea
I've been lightly reviewing sales of premium brand name items on eBay, to get an
idea
of the magnitude of the business done there.
I see power sellers who have a steady supply of items, that offer them on
"auction"
wherein they have a "buy it now" price that is a well above wholesale, and a
reserve
price that is a bit above wholesale. It appears the game is to try to auction
the item
at a good price, or at least "sell it now" and make a small profit above cost.
In essence, these are people competing on price in the luxury brand category.
I found an interesting pattern so far; an item is placed for "auction" for a
week, and
very often there are zero bids, and certainly no one buying at the "buy it now"
price.
When it goes a week with no bids and the "auction" ends, the item shows up
again,
from the same seller, now on auction, same prices and reserves, but now it is up
for
28 days. Curious behaviour.
My reaction was, these prices, what with the reserves, seem to me to be simply
the
price you would find at a store that was having a good sale.
At a store you are guaranteed it is the real McCoy. From a power seller with
5000
auctions and 100% satisfaction feedback, you could probably be assured there the
item is genuine as well. But you cannot be as confident as at a store.. So why
bother
with such a minimal `savings"? That's just me, but I bet say Coach Leather
would love
to have a study done to find out exactly what is happening in sales of their
products
on eBay.
It would take a matrix of coach SKUs, the time, date, duration, price, reserve,
indeed
all the eBay info on the seller, and then track the activity in each item, say
over a
years period... using eBay's free "watch this item" and "watch this seller"
features.
You would end up with a ton of data, which might be useless to you or anyone
else,
valuable only to Coach Leather who could use it in many ways. First, quantify
eBay
activity in relation to total Coach activity, a gold mine of info right there.
Insurance companies would find it valuable... say 300 Coach saddle bags
disappeared
off the docks in New Jersey, and an insurance company had to pay a $55,000
insurance claim. The fact that a "power seller' in Georgia sold 300 genuine
coach
saddle bags at wonderful prices to 100% satisfied buyers would be a good
starting
place to insurance loss investigators.
No doubt there would be many other uses for the info, it seems to me this would
be a
good service business.
Steps to take:.
1. Try to buy the info from eBay, see if they sell it. eBay would be best
placed to
gather this info, and I would be surprised if they did not already. On the other
hand,
it might be the case that eBay does not gather the info simply because that may
displease their top users.
If they do not sell it, even thought they can, that means the way is still open
for you
to do it.
Next, I would contact Coach Leather, and try to buy it from them. Simply tell
them
you are studying sales of Coach Leather on eBay, and you want to buy it from
them.
If they say we have it but do not sell it, then end of story. If they say "we
don't have
it... but would like it..." then the opportunity is wide open. (If they have it
and sell it,
can you get it wholesale, repackage it and sell it?)
There is no way yet to track trade in intl services like we do in products...but
I
imagine any place where there is call center management expertise then managing
eBay monitoring is no great challenge. Further, people sitting idle in a call
center
could fill down time by tracking eBay activity.
Get the order first...contract a designer to create the raw data spread sheet,
contact a
service company to create a sample of a study, such as pick a Coach item and
track it
for Coach, then go back to Coach with your sample and a proposal letter asking
for
the order to produce the raw data on their entire line
If anyone pursues this job, ket me know and I will gladly help you draft the
letter to
Coach (or whoever) that properly drives them to accept your offer and pay you
fee in
advance, so this becomes relatively riskless to you.
John
Chinese Government questions
Re: [spiers] Chinese Government questions
John writes:
>In the measure we have decided to become an imperial power, in that
>measure we have opened ourselves up to the inevitable decline of the
>empire. From history we cansee in every instance it is some absurd
>country that pulls out in the lead as hegemony is contested. That
>the Greeks beat the Persians...impossible! That the Romans buried the
>Carthiginians... unthinkable! Moslems routed the Christians from the
>middle east... it would neverhappen.
>This is true of China and India history as well.
May be powers in Washington is thinking today, “Don't let history repeat
itself”. Today’s imperial power may want to remain perpetual power and
would play any games to remain powerful and if China is another
competition in the horizon, than it would be watched and stopped. Idea is
even after loosing,win ning is every thing even through the perceptions,
is how today’s power games are being played. China knows this and hence
perhaps anticipating through its nuclear weapons and Navy-Air and Land
forces readiness!
Grp
San Francisco!
Re: San Francisco!
What I find interesting about Hannspree is that the company is not
Korean but Taiwanese.
http://www.dba-pr.com/hannspree_releases/co_bground.htm
Han is used as the prefix for anything Korean. Maybe this use of
Han was intended to give the perception of quality electronics in
order to try and follow in the footsteps of LG or Samsung.
http://in.tech.yahoo.com/040602/137/2dfx3.html
Bo
--- In spiers@yahoogroups.com, Lily Yuan
>
> I've always wondered why there is no H&M in Seattle yet. Ikea made
it here
> early on, but not H&M, a company started by Swedish I believe. I
thought the
> Nordic people always had a thing for the PNW. But I guess they
probabaly don't
> think people here are that stylish. REI is considerered more
stylish here, it
> seems:) H&M stores are all over on the East Coast. Now that they
made it San
> Fran, maybe soon they'll come to Seattle? Yes, I agree with your
daughters that
> their stuff is definitely inexpensive and stylish.
> lily
>
> --- John Spiers
>
> > Folks,
> >
> > A couple of things I found interesting in San Francisco...
> >
> > 1. H & M clthing store... I never noticed these stores before,
but there are
> > two around Union
> > Square area... and I had 3 daughters with me, and they noticed.
I knew I was
> > in trouble when
> > I followed them in and there was a stairwell landing full of
bored stupid men
> > and a very long
> > line of women at the cash register. I laughed at them at first
but then
> > found myself with
> > them after a long while.
> >
> > The clothes are inexpensive but stylish (so they tell me).
Since they were
> > inexpensive, my
> > daughters reasoned I was not spending very much on them. My
daughters made
> > up for the
> > low prices with volume.
> >
> > 2. You've all bought potato chips or candy or a soda pop from a
vending
> > machine. Well, the
> > Apple computer line of iPod products are available from vending
machines in
> > San Francisco.
> > You insert your card, push A 7 or whatever, your card is
charged, and the
> > ishuffle or iPod
> > nano or whatever drops down in the chute for you to take your
machine. There
> > are iPod
> > accessories and Sony PSP players in the same vending machine.
> >
> > 3. Speaking of China, Grant Avenue has stores that seem to have
learned from
> > Shanghai Tang
> > inasmuch as they are finally competing on design. Made in China
products but
> > designed for
> > the USA market. Check out "Old Shanghai" for a good example.
> >
> > 4. A Korean maker of flat panel screens decided they could make
money if they
> > hired USA
> > designers to build cool products around their screens. See
Hannspree at 400
> > Sutter... again
> > my daughters went crazy over the very attracrtive items. I
recognized one
> > item from the
> > Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, so they are wholesaling... I worry
when people
> > try to make,
> > import and retail. The store may hurt them.
> >
> > Cheap Hotel: Grant Hotel on Bush...$60/night, 2 blocks from
Union Square;
> > $15 meal, Uncle
> > Vito's on Bush - $50 meal, Rue Lepic, 2 blocks away.
> >
> > John
> >
>
Sunday, February 26, 2006
Study Shows Tech Outsource Fears Unwarranted
Folks...
It appears cheap labor in tech competition is a non-issue.
http://tinyurl.com/fcbsu
John
San Francisco!
Re: [spiers] San Francisco!
I've always wondered why there is no H&M in Seattle yet. Ikea made it here
early on, but not H&M, a company started by Swedish I believe. I thought the
Nordic people always had a thing for the PNW. But I guess they probabaly don't
think people here are that stylish. REI is considerered more stylish here, it
seems:) H&M stores are all over on the East Coast. Now that they made it San
Fran, maybe soon they'll come to Seattle? Yes, I agree with your daughters that
their stuff is definitely inexpensive and stylish.
lily
--- John Spiers
> Folks,
>
> A couple of things I found interesting in San Francisco...
>
> 1. H & M clthing store... I never noticed these stores before, but there are
> two around Union
> Square area... and I had 3 daughters with me, and they noticed. I knew I was
> in trouble when
> I followed them in and there was a stairwell landing full of bored stupid men
> and a very long
> line of women at the cash register. I laughed at them at first but then
> found myself with
> them after a long while.
>
> The clothes are inexpensive but stylish (so they tell me). Since they were
> inexpensive, my
> daughters reasoned I was not spending very much on them. My daughters made
> up for the
> low prices with volume.
>
> 2. You've all bought potato chips or candy or a soda pop from a vending
> machine. Well, the
> Apple computer line of iPod products are available from vending machines in
> San Francisco.
> You insert your card, push A 7 or whatever, your card is charged, and the
> ishuffle or iPod
> nano or whatever drops down in the chute for you to take your machine. There
> are iPod
> accessories and Sony PSP players in the same vending machine.
>
> 3. Speaking of China, Grant Avenue has stores that seem to have learned from
> Shanghai Tang
> inasmuch as they are finally competing on design. Made in China products but
> designed for
> the USA market. Check out "Old Shanghai" for a good example.
>
> 4. A Korean maker of flat panel screens decided they could make money if they
> hired USA
> designers to build cool products around their screens. See Hannspree at 400
> Sutter... again
> my daughters went crazy over the very attracrtive items. I recognized one
> item from the
> Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, so they are wholesaling... I worry when people
> try to make,
> import and retail. The store may hurt them.
>
> Cheap Hotel: Grant Hotel on Bush...$60/night, 2 blocks from Union Square;
> $15 meal, Uncle
> Vito's on Bush - $50 meal, Rue Lepic, 2 blocks away.
>
> John
>
Study Shows Tech Outsource Fears Unwarranted
Re: Study Shows Tech Outsource Fears Unwarranted
Yes, the article explains that tech outsourcing is not hurting
America but the article goes on to state that it is the perception
of American tech outsourcing that hurts the nation's economic
competiveness.
Confusingly, the article then quotes that outsourcing may be good
for the economy and bad for the person who loses their job.
Examination of the actual report rather than Steve Lohr's summary is
needed to be more objective:
http://www.acm.org/globalizationreport/
As for the person losing their job, like you said, outsourcing is
simply the way successful businesses trade world wide and this is
how it has always been. Our hope lies in the fact that something
first must be imagined and invented. New products must be explained
to customers and marketed to suppliers and successfully entered into
the marketplace. All of this requires aptitudes that are more
difficult to outsource including imagination, empathy, and the
ability to forge relationships. I believe it is these aptitudes,
queried in the article's final paragraph, that are the right mix to
climb the economic ladder.
Bo
--- In spiers@yahoogroups.com, "John Spiers"
>
> Folks...
>
> It appears cheap labor in tech competition is a non-issue.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/fcbsu
>
> John
>
San Francisco!
Folks,
A couple of things I found interesting in San Francisco...
1. H & M clthing store... I never noticed these stores before, but there are
two around Union
Square area... and I had 3 daughters with me, and they noticed. I knew I was in
trouble when
I followed them in and there was a stairwell landing full of bored stupid men
and a very long
line of women at the cash register. I laughed at them at first but then found
myself with
them after a long while.
The clothes are inexpensive but stylish (so they tell me). Since they were
inexpensive, my
daughters reasoned I was not spending very much on them. My daughters made up
for the
low prices with volume.
2. You've all bought potato chips or candy or a soda pop from a vending machine.
Well, the
Apple computer line of iPod products are available from vending machines in San
Francisco.
You insert your card, push A 7 or whatever, your card is charged, and the
ishuffle or iPod
nano or whatever drops down in the chute for you to take your machine. There are
iPod
accessories and Sony PSP players in the same vending machine.
3. Speaking of China, Grant Avenue has stores that seem to have learned from
Shanghai Tang
inasmuch as they are finally competing on design. Made in China products but
designed for
the USA market. Check out "Old Shanghai" for a good example.
4. A Korean maker of flat panel screens decided they could make money if they
hired USA
designers to build cool products around their screens. See Hannspree at 400
Sutter... again
my daughters went crazy over the very attracrtive items. I recognized one item
from the
Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, so they are wholesaling... I worry when people try
to make,
import and retail. The store may hurt them.
Cheap Hotel: Grant Hotel on Bush...$60/night, 2 blocks from Union Square; $15
meal, Uncle
Vito's on Bush - $50 meal, Rue Lepic, 2 blocks away.
John
Chinese Government questions
Re: [spiers] Chinese Government questions
I think there are plenty of people who worry about China's emerging power, and I
think they
are concentrated in the Halls of Power in Washington DC.
Depending on your view of USA, China can be seen as a threat or not. I think
those who love
the sole superpower USA have much to worry about, but I think they love the
"sole
superpower" part more than they love the "USA" part of "sole superpower USA". I
love the USA
part. And incidently, there is a rash of books coming out comparing the current
USA regime
to what the founders created, notably Gore Vidal's new book. For a semi-novel
version of
those events read his book "Burr."
In the measure we have decided to become an imperial power, in that measure we
have
opened ourselves up to the inevitable decline of the empire. From history we
can see in every
instance it is some absurd country that pulls out in the lead as hegemony is
contested. That
the Greeks beat the Persians...impossible! That the Romans buried the
Carthiginians...
unthinkable! Moslems routed the Christians from the middle east... it would
never happen.
This is true of China and India history as well.
The process is always the same... some unexpected country co-opts the technology
of the
superior power and uses it against them. Portugal became a world power when it
got the
sextant from the Arabs. Then the Spanish got it. The Brits beat the vastly
superior French
forces at Agincourt with yew longbows, something they bought from the French,
naturement.
If when when our empire falls it will be some unexpected country and in some
unthinkable
way. China is too obvious a country to be the next imperial power... think
"impossible!"
Maybe Peru, or say Vietnam. Vietnam already beat us once, and they beat China
too for good
measure, in one month flat. They've had the bonding experience a nation needs
to have a
national myth.
And turning our tech against us will not be hard... bringing down our financial
system via
hacking, raining our nuclear weapons down on us by hacking into our own command
and
control system which is radio and electronic. Rumsfled wants more of these
systems,
although the Navy has been taking the nukes off the Trident subs and replacing
them with
cruise missiles for some reason.
Just as a broken Germany could overrun Europe by capturing the political
capitals of the
centrally planned european economies, so the Vietnamese may simply take
Washington and
our leaders will capitulate. In twenty years the #1 name boys' name in USA will
be Nguyen.
Or not. It is up to USA what happens to USA, not China.
John
On Sun, 26 Feb 2006 13:09:40 -0600, "Joseph M. Binder" <4binders@insightbb.com>
wrote :
> Curious to your opinion of China using its up and coming wealth to fund the
> building of a blue water navy capaple of projecting military force around
> the globe. It is my understanding that they are working on a great number
> of ballistic nuclear subs, and a sizable surface fleet.
>
> History has indicated that when a nation has built a superior military
> force, inevitably they use it to promote their agenda. Does the US and the
> world have reason to be concerned?
>
> Joe
Chinese Government questions
Re: [spiers] Chinese Government questions
I believe your statement to be a fair and true for the most part. After
reading about china and its business ways over the years, I find that China
needs some form of capitalism in order to survie. With Technology and the
global economy growing, I feel that the Chinese authoritarian governement
does not have a choice but to allow capitalism to a point. Meaning, They
will allow it, but they control everthing about it. The chinese Government
will throw cookies at the people but don't go for the cake. My friend is
chinese and she told me that the chinese government put her friend in jail
because he made to much money. He runs a manufacturing plant.
As for the younger people, I sure they don't mind at all. They, for the most
part have it better then their parents or grandparents did.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lily Yuan"
To:
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 7:33 PM
Subject: Re: [spiers] Chinese Government questions
> I'm from China. Now I'm living in the States. I think describing China as
> a
> capitalist economy with an authoritarian government is fair. I personally
> don't
> think there is an oligarchy ruling over China. Or rather there is really
> no
> ruling class in China. Moving from one class to another is not as rigid as
> many
> people think. For example, going to a good college, meeting the right
> people
> etc. can help move one person from one class to another. Remember, Mao was
> a
> peasant, some people like to say " a rich peasant," he was able to
> mobilize 80%
> of the population back in his days.
>
> I personally think that capitalism can not stand on its own. Howerver,
> with a
> relatively benevolent totalitarian regime, one can say that it can. To say
> that
> China is still a Commuist country is ABSURD. The younger generation in
> China
> don't even know what Communism means anymore. Many people in this country,
> on
> the other hand, basically think that Communism is bad. Few can ever define
> what
> Communism is.
>
> It's such a big question. I hope my observation adds to the discussion.
>
> Lily
> --- mgranich
>
>> How would you describe Chinese government? I know China is billed
>> as a Communist country, but Robert Reich stated that China that is as
>> Capitalist of a country as you can get.
>>
>> oneSo, can you describe China as having a Capitalist economy with a
>> Totalitarian government? Is there a ruling elite like an Oligarchy
>> OR, can a peasant from the country side step up and lead China?
>>
>> Can Capitalism stand on its own, severed from the political form of
>> government?
>>
>> Anthony
>>
>> PS, Reich also felt at China's current growth rate, it would be the
>> largest economy in ~25 years.
>>
>> AND,
>>
>> The biggest social problem in China are people leaving farms heading
>> for the city looking for work and China is under pressure to keep
>> the factories humming, building our import products.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
> Compete on Design!
>
> www.johnspiers.com
Chinese Government questions
Re: [spiers] Chinese Government questions
I agree with John's insightful analysis! Yes, it's better to have more richer
Chinese than having a poor China.....
Lily
--- John Spiers
> If the numbers can be relied upon, then China is one quarter of the world's
> population...
> which mean they have got everything going on at once... here strict
> communists in control,
> there laissez faire free markets, and everything in between. China is too
> big to described in
> any useful way. I am not so interested in where they are as where they are
> going, and it
> seems to me they are growing, improving, advancing and fulfilling chairman
> Mao's imperative
> More Better Cheaper Faster, although through the freedom Mao hated. And as I
> said before, I
> think China will be defined by the Chinese the next hundred years, as opposed
> to the last
> 100 when China was defined by foreignors.
>
> I advocate free markets, not capitalism, partly because I don't think
> capitalism can stand
> anywhere, with its inherent insufficiency. (Capitalism is a necessary
> function in free markets,
> but not sufficient for free markets). Also, in China's history a peasant
> rising to the top is not
> unheard of, so I cannot see what would prevent that now.
>
> I don't see China trapped by any need to keep the machine churning, since
> most workers
> head to the city on a mission: make enough money to buy big screen tv, get
> some dental
> work done, pull together a grubstake to open a juice stand back home. Of
> course, millions
> who do well stick around and move up. In a recession millions would make a
> decision: am I
> happier here in the city, or would I be happier back in the village. Most i
> think would ride out
> the rough times back in the village. I read somewhere that something like
> 40% of the Irish
> and Italian immigrants who came to USA in the 1800's also returned home to
> stay.
>
> Competition means to "strive with" and we are in competition with the Chinese
> economically
> just as our athletes compete with their athletes in the Olympics. Both sides
> benefit in
> competition. If China has the largest population in the world, shouldn't
> they have the largest
> economy in the world? They've been the richest country on the planet before,
> and i don't
> think they presented much of a threat. On the other hand, an impoverished
> China was our
> enemy. I hope no one thinks that if China gets rich we must get poor.
>
> China has stopped building detention camps and I read in the NY Times this
> week,
> Halliburton received a $350 million dollar contract to start building
> detention centers in USA
> for the Department of Homeland Security. This is the wrong direction for
> USA. Sure, it is
> republicans who are leading USA down, but it will be no different under the
> democrats. Does
> anyone think Hiillary Clinton as president would shut down gitmo or liquidate
> the detention
> centers? No way, she'd love the power... and inmate #000000001 would be Bill
> Clinton when
> she is in charge. Payback!
>
> John
>
> On Sat, 25 Feb 2006 19:08:00 -0000, "mgranich"
>
> > How would you describe Chinese government? I know China is billed
> > as a Communist country, but Robert Reich stated that China is as
> > Capitalist of a country as you can get.
> >
> > So, can you describe China as having a Capitalist economy with a
> > Totalitarian government? Is there a ruling elite like an Oligarchy
> > OR, can a peasant from the country side step up and lead China?
> >
> > Can Capitalism stand on its own, severed from the political form of
> > government?
> >
> > Anthony
> >
> > PS, Reich also felt at China's current growth rate, it would be the
> > largest economy in ~25 years.
> >
> > AND,
> >
> > The biggest social problem in China are people leaving farms heading
> > for the city looking for work and China is under pressure to keep
> > the factories humming, building our import products.
Chinese Government questions
Re: [spiers] Chinese Government questions
Curious to your opinion of China using its up and coming wealth to fund the
building of a blue water navy capaple of projecting military force around
the globe. It is my understanding that they are working on a great number
of ballistic nuclear subs, and a sizable surface fleet.
History has indicated that when a nation has built a superior military
force, inevitably they use it to promote their agenda. Does the US and the
world have reason to be concerned?
Joe
----- Original Message -----
From: "John Spiers"
To:
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 12:56 PM
Subject: Re: [spiers] Chinese Government questions
> If the numbers can be relied upon, then China is one quarter of the
world's population...
> which mean they have got everything going on at once... here strict
communists in control,
> there laissez faire free markets, and everything in between. China is too
big to described in
> any useful way. I am not so interested in where they are as where they
are going, and it
> seems to me they are growing, improving, advancing and fulfilling chairman
Mao's imperative
> More Better Cheaper Faster, although through the freedom Mao hated. And
as I said before, I
> think China will be defined by the Chinese the next hundred years, as
opposed to the last
> 100 when China was defined by foreignors.
>
> I advocate free markets, not capitalism, partly because I don't think
capitalism can stand
> anywhere, with its inherent insufficiency. (Capitalism is a necessary
function in free markets,
> but not sufficient for free markets). Also, in China's history a peasant
rising to the top is not
> unheard of, so I cannot see what would prevent that now.
>
> I don't see China trapped by any need to keep the machine churning, since
most workers
> head to the city on a mission: make enough money to buy big screen tv,
get some dental
> work done, pull together a grubstake to open a juice stand back home. Of
course, millions
> who do well stick around and move up. In a recession millions would make
a decision: am I
> happier here in the city, or would I be happier back in the village. Most
i think would ride out
> the rough times back in the village. I read somewhere that something like
40% of the Irish
> and Italian immigrants who came to USA in the 1800's also returned home to
stay.
>
> Competition means to "strive with" and we are in competition with the
Chinese economically
> just as our athletes compete with their athletes in the Olympics. Both
sides benefit in
> competition. If China has the largest population in the world, shouldn't
they have the largest
> economy in the world? They've been the richest country on the planet
before, and i don't
> think they presented much of a threat. On the other hand, an impoverished
China was our
> enemy. I hope no one thinks that if China gets rich we must get poor.
>
> China has stopped building detention camps and I read in the NY Times this
week,
> Halliburton received a $350 million dollar contract to start building
detention centers in USA
> for the Department of Homeland Security. This is the wrong direction for
USA. Sure, it is
> republicans who are leading USA down, but it will be no different under
the democrats. Does
> anyone think Hiillary Clinton as president would shut down gitmo or
liquidate the detention
> centers? No way, she'd love the power... and inmate #000000001 would be
Bill Clinton when
> she is in charge. Payback!
>
> John
>
> On Sat, 25 Feb 2006 19:08:00 -0000, "mgranich"
:
>
> > How would you describe Chinese government? I know China is billed
> > as a Communist country, but Robert Reich stated that China is as
> > Capitalist of a country as you can get.
> >
> > So, can you describe China as having a Capitalist economy with a
> > Totalitarian government? Is there a ruling elite like an Oligarchy
> > OR, can a peasant from the country side step up and lead China?
> >
> > Can Capitalism stand on its own, severed from the political form of
> > government?
> >
> > Anthony
> >
> > PS, Reich also felt at China's current growth rate, it would be the
> > largest economy in ~25 years.
> >
> > AND,
> >
> > The biggest social problem in China are people leaving farms heading
> > for the city looking for work and China is under pressure to keep
> > the factories humming, building our import products.
> >
>
>
>
> Compete on Design!
>
> www.johnspiers.com
Chinese Government questions
Re: [spiers] Chinese Government questions
If the numbers can be relied upon, then China is one quarter of the world's
population...
which mean they have got everything going on at once... here strict communists
in control,
there laissez faire free markets, and everything in between. China is too big
to described in
any useful way. I am not so interested in where they are as where they are
going, and it
seems to me they are growing, improving, advancing and fulfilling chairman Mao's
imperative
More Better Cheaper Faster, although through the freedom Mao hated. And as I
said before, I
think China will be defined by the Chinese the next hundred years, as opposed to
the last
100 when China was defined by foreignors.
I advocate free markets, not capitalism, partly because I don't think capitalism
can stand
anywhere, with its inherent insufficiency. (Capitalism is a necessary function
in free markets,
but not sufficient for free markets). Also, in China's history a peasant rising
to the top is not
unheard of, so I cannot see what would prevent that now.
I don't see China trapped by any need to keep the machine churning, since most
workers
head to the city on a mission: make enough money to buy big screen tv, get some
dental
work done, pull together a grubstake to open a juice stand back home. Of
course, millions
who do well stick around and move up. In a recession millions would make a
decision: am I
happier here in the city, or would I be happier back in the village. Most i
think would ride out
the rough times back in the village. I read somewhere that something like 40%
of the Irish
and Italian immigrants who came to USA in the 1800's also returned home to stay.
Competition means to "strive with" and we are in competition with the Chinese
economically
just as our athletes compete with their athletes in the Olympics. Both sides
benefit in
competition. If China has the largest population in the world, shouldn't they
have the largest
economy in the world? They've been the richest country on the planet before,
and i don't
think they presented much of a threat. On the other hand, an impoverished China
was our
enemy. I hope no one thinks that if China gets rich we must get poor.
China has stopped building detention camps and I read in the NY Times this week,
Halliburton received a $350 million dollar contract to start building detention
centers in USA
for the Department of Homeland Security. This is the wrong direction for USA.
Sure, it is
republicans who are leading USA down, but it will be no different under the
democrats. Does
anyone think Hiillary Clinton as president would shut down gitmo or liquidate
the detention
centers? No way, she'd love the power... and inmate #000000001 would be Bill
Clinton when
she is in charge. Payback!
John
On Sat, 25 Feb 2006 19:08:00 -0000, "mgranich"
> How would you describe Chinese government? I know China is billed
> as a Communist country, but Robert Reich stated that China is as
> Capitalist of a country as you can get.
>
> So, can you describe China as having a Capitalist economy with a
> Totalitarian government? Is there a ruling elite like an Oligarchy
> OR, can a peasant from the country side step up and lead China?
>
> Can Capitalism stand on its own, severed from the political form of
> government?
>
> Anthony
>
> PS, Reich also felt at China's current growth rate, it would be the
> largest economy in ~25 years.
>
> AND,
>
> The biggest social problem in China are people leaving farms heading
> for the city looking for work and China is under pressure to keep
> the factories humming, building our import products.
>