Sink Hole GUATEMALA CITY

[Gandelf]

Yeah go on Gandelf, get started on it

I might actually agree with you.

I can only go from what I've seen in my own area. Stoke has always been the the global centre for pottery production, hence why the area is called "The Potteries". We have a proud heritage in that respect and because it's something we do best, the quality of our pottery is probably the finest in the world. Many companies locally, nationally and internationally use our products. Certainly there used to be a huge UK market for companies seeking to use our pottery products, not only standard pottery ware, but speciality ware made specifically for one company etc. However, that has all changed since UK (and international) companies have gradually found cheaper pottery manufacturers elsewhere in the world. The number of "pot-banks" (as we call them) that have had to closed because they can't compete with the extremely cheap foreign companies who pay their employees a pittance is a cause for great concern. The industry has really suffered—been brought to its knees, even. Some of the most famous and established pot-banks have closed and there are very few left. Most are just small businesses. Combine that with the closure of coal mines and steelworks, which were the other two biggest sources of employment in the area and you have a city that has been decimated. Unemployment is quite high and what few jobs become available are invariably low-paid.

I know the coal-mines and steelworks are not really so much to do with the outsourcing issue, but the pottery industry is. So the biggest gripe I have about outsourcing is that it's created hardship for people living in my area. The companies in my area just cannot compete with the ultra-cheap foreign bunch.

Don't get me wrong, it's good that poorer countries get new opportunities, but what about the folks back home? Is our misfortune at the expense of others' good fortune ethical?

[Lieva]

I can only go from what I've seen in my own area. Stoke has always been the the global centre for pottery production, hence why the area is called "The Potteries". We have a proud heritage in that respect and because it's something we do best, the quality of our pottery is probably the finest in the world. Many companies locally, nationally and internationally use our products. Certainly there used to be a huge UK market for companies seeking to use our pottery products, not only standard pottery ware, but speciality ware made specifically for one company etc. However, that has all changed since UK (and international) companies have gradually found cheaper pottery manufacturers elsewhere in the world. The number of "pot-banks" (as we call them) that have had to closed because they can't compete with the extremely cheap foreign companies who pay their employees a pittance is a cause for great concern. The industry has really suffered—been brought to its knees, even. Some of the most famous and established pot-banks have closed and there are very few left. Most are just small businesses. Combine that with the closure of coal mines and steelworks, which were the other two biggest sources of employment in the area and you have a city that has been decimated. Unemployment is quite high and what few jobs become available are invariably low-paid.

I know the coal-mines and steelworks are not really so much to do with the outsourcing issue, but the pottery industry is. So the biggest gripe I have about outsourcing is that it's created hardship for people living in my area. The companies in my area just cannot compete with the ultra-cheap foreign bunch.

Don't get me wrong, it's good that poorer countries get new opportunities, but what about the folks back home? Is our misfortune at the expense of others' good fortune ethical?

hey hey

*points to topic*
i dedicated one to this already
dont make me split

[Sharkith]

we could say it is on topic sink hole = pot hole = pottery?

[Lieva]

Blasphemy! There's nothing scientific about scientology!

its about general zygon coming back to reclaim the planet isnt it?

I forget the actual name..

I recon the leader is a battlestar galactica fan

[Lieva]

we could say it is on topic sink hole = pot hole = pottery?

ya i know just he hasnt replied in my thread and it feels unloved and i made it specially for him

[Xest]

I can only go from what I've seen in my own area. Stoke has always been the the global centre for pottery production, hence why the area is called "The Potteries". We have a proud heritage in that respect and because it's something we do best, the quality of our pottery is probably the finest in the world. Many companies locally, nationally and internationally use our products. Certainly there used to be a huge UK market for companies seeking to use our pottery products, not only standard pottery ware, but speciality ware made specifically for one company etc. However, that has all changed since UK (and international) companies have gradually found cheaper pottery manufacturers elsewhere in the world. The number of "pot-banks" (as we call them) that have had to closed because they can't compete with the extremely cheap foreign companies who pay their employees a pittance is a cause for great concern. The industry has really suffered—been brought to its knees, even. Some of the most famous and established pot-banks have closed and there are very few left. Most are just small businesses. Combine that with the closure of coal mines and steelworks, which were the other two biggest sources of employment in the area and you have a city that has been decimated. Unemployment is quite high and what few jobs become available are invariably low-paid.

I know the coal-mines and steelworks are not really so much to do with the outsourcing issue, but the pottery industry is. So the biggest gripe I have about outsourcing is that it's created hardship for people living in my area. The companies in my area just cannot compete with the ultra-cheap foreign bunch.

Don't get me wrong, it's good that poorer countries get new opportunities, but what about the folks back home? Is our misfortune at the expense of others' good fortune ethical?

What pisses me off is stuff that's outsourced and ends up much lower quality yet is still passed off by the company as being as good (i.e. it costs them less to make, is lower quality but costs us the consumers the same).

This is essentially what happened with Dell, fantastic hardware, amazing support so I bought from them, after a year they outsourced support to India where it became the most incompetent support network I've ever dealt with in my entire life - we're not just talking language barrier but staff so utterly incompetent it makes the British home office look like an immaculately run machine. I feel I deserve money back because I ended up getting something much lower quality and that cost much less (79p per Indian call centre worker per hour vs. an average £9.56 in London) than what I originally paid for. Dell cut their costs by a massive amount yet I didn't see a penny of the savings passed onto me, the customer, I did however suffer a degradation in service as a result. This isn't to say Dell are the only ones at fault here or that IT/Call Centres are the only things where outsourcing has made things a whole lot worse, it's happened in many industries but this example highlights why outsourcing is just about increasing profit by utterly shafting the consumer so hard that their asshole looks like this sink hole.

See, we are on topic.

[Sharkith]

rofl Xest that was an excellent post.

[Shi]

Blasphemy! There's nothing scientific about scientology!

ye hehe whatever the name is, slept only 2hs today, it's still some total poo

[Heta]

The world is coming to an end

I know it for sure, Xest and Gandalf is agreeing... WHY!!!!!

[Moley:)]

Isn't the guy who does ghost rider same person who was gy who killed cop with girls in old town in sin city?

btw making a second film of that gonna rock!