Please take time to read it. But here is a summary: "1the western equivalent value is 1'390 kCHF. 2the western equivalent value is 5'450 kCHF" http://lhcb.ecm

Please take time to read it. But here is a summary: "1the western equivalent value is 1'390 kCHF. 2the western equivalent value is 5'450 kCHF" http://lhcb.ecm.ub.es/spd/spd/General%20information/spd_cost_tdr.pdf http://lhcb.ecm.ub.es/spd/spd/General%20information/spd_cost... It is not from the ATLAS experiment, but of another LHC experiment -- but still within the organisation of CERN. The comment/quote is about evaluating people -- ie. by the simplest budgeting metric, labour cost (with obvious consequences for peer evaluation). It has nothing to do with colour but with peer evaluation of equivalent work, differentiated according eastern or western membership. edit: unable to reply to the comment below. But I can cite concrete case(s) in which work was performed in Geneva by both eastern and western member within the same group. China isn't a memberstate anyway.