Re: One for The Ages
James J. Gavan wrote:
William M. Klein wrote:
From the IBM-MAIN list
YMMV <G>
Interesting Bill. Nearest I ever got to big iron v little iron was the
Datapoint computer, approx 78/79, but I was using it in single-user
'desktop PC mode'. Perhaps they were among the first in the minis, (but
I don't know); it could be configured muti-user 5 then 10 users. Then I
heard it got tricky, you had to soup up the configuration to have more
user stations. You don't get anything for nothing.
In the same vein thinking about replacement bodies, the provincial
government here went on a 'slash and burn' exercise some ten years back
- just like good ole straight commerce - where do you cut - well bodies
of course. Good target, health care - so hundreds of nursing staff and
ancillary skills got the pink slip. Some of course pursued medicine
going off to other provinces, while yet others reluctantly did a
complete career change. I felt for this one man - 40-ish, whole life
spent in recreational therapy for old folks, finished up selling real
estate. (Who knows, he *might* just have made a bigger buck if he had
the salesmanship skills - not something I have and suspect not that many
others here have either. Consider - if you were a successful motor-mouth
making big bucks, you wouldn't be wasting your time conversing here
would you :-)).
Anyway the province achieved its objective and in very short order wiped
out its budget deficit. As I've already indicated, because of their take
on oil royalties they are now again awash in money. Real easy money,
without knowing their percentage - assume 5% - that on $40 a barrel,
then $50 a barrel - and now we are close to going to $60 a barrel.
But just less than a year ago, the current Health Minister expressed
concern, "With our existing staff retiring, we are concerned how
difficult it is becoming to recruit new nursing staff". I wonder why.
Politicos or CEOs - when are they going to get the message and do some
forward thinking. (I used to in my youth, assume that as the 'captains
of industry' these guys knew which way was up - not now !)
Nah, the operative assumptions for CEOs & CEO wannabees is:
1. I never saw a quick buck I didn't like
2. there is no tomorrow past the next quarter's results.
Politicians, too, except they are driven by the election cycle.
.
