When the Simon family came to Australia, they first accompanied the two old people for some days. By the way, they went to Tasmania for leisure for a few days. By the way, they looked at their own industry and returned from Tasmania. The time has entered the middle of January.
Melbourne.
This is Thursday, January 13.
After returning from Ta Island, I didn't rush back to Los Angeles, but continued to start some work here.
I just went to the set of Justice League yesterday. After the new year, the current project has been fully restarted. It is expected that the shooting will be completely completed in May. Considering the later stage, the first film will be launched at the end of the year.
Today at Johnston holdings headquarters in downtown Melbourne.
In the next few days, we plan to discuss a lot of things.
For example, today, the topic is a railway project to be invested in Angola.
The civil war in Angola has not completely ended, and the border area with Congo is not peaceful. However, the power of Angolan President Dos Santos is gradually stable. Even if it is not stable, the westero system will make him stable. After all, this is a premise.
Taking into account the foreshadowing of the past few years, the next step is a more in-depth layout.
In order to continuously transport Angola's various resources from inland areas, the country's road, railway and other infrastructure left over from the colonial era is far from enough.
Speaking of this, Simon will inevitably think about a problem again in the near future.
Why do western countries not pay attention to the development of Africa?
Some of the previous arguments, such as always asking Africa to be a cheap raw material supply base, are actually true, but not all right.
Africa has been developed.
In the colonial era, western countries once invested heavily in Africa.
In Angola, at the peak of the 1970s, as a major coffee producer, the annual output of coffee once reached more than 200000 tons. Then, African countries worked alone one after another, and a wide range of civil wars broke out, resulting in the destruction of everything that had been.
A few years ago, before Westeros opened a large coffee plantation in Angola, the annual output of coffee in Angola was pitifully less than 5000 tons.
The same is true for other industries after decades of war.
Similarly, many other countries in Africa have similar experiences. War destroys everything. In addition, the West has cut off the common assets of Africa, and then now there is poverty, backwardness and nothing.
At the same time, in the timeline of recent years, under the background of African War, it is naturally impossible for western capital to enter Africa at will, so it has found a better direction.
Like Latin America.
Latin America also prospered in the 1970s and 1980s, and then basically fell on the threshold of stepping one step closer to the middle-income trap of developed countries.
As for the process, it is probably similar to that just experienced by South Korea. The average annual income of South Koreans reached US $10000. Then, they encountered a financial storm and triggered an economic crisis. In addition, without complete sovereignty, the national economy was rapidly infiltrated by western capital.
In addition to Latin America, there is Asia.
The four dragons and tigers in Japan, South Korea and even Southeast Asia are the result of the continuous input and support of western capital, including China.
Until 2000.
Capital is ruthless and profit seeking, and will not deliberately target anyone unless you can give it benefits.
Therefore, the collapse of Africa in the past few decades is mainly due to internal problems in Africa. Of course, no one can deny that the big countries play the game and the small countries become chess pieces. In short, compared with Asia, Latin America and even Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Africa is really not a good investment place.
The reason is very simple. If you invest 10 million in Asia, you can steadily increase the value by 15% a year. If you invest 10 million in Africa, it may be because of a war in the twinkling of an eye. How do you choose the capital?
Without investment, there can be no development.
After 2000.
In history, Africa gradually stabilized after 2000, and its economy has developed to a certain extent, but the development is not obvious.
The reason is also simple.
Just one China in Asia has directly supported the growth engine of the whole world economy. Global capital has poured into China and its surrounding areas one after another. Is it because of the rate of return? Who will invest indiscriminately in Africa?
Um.
Not right.
In fact, it is still China.
However, no one can deny that China's investment has little intention of making money, and has a greater tendency to make cries. Because you can't make money, you can't work too hard after all. As a result, the African economy only drank a little soup outside China, a super engine.
Until Simon was reborn.
In the future, can Africa stand up?
Many people say no.
However, since Africa once had the potential to produce more than 200000 tons of coffee a year, there is no reason that Africa will not develop at all as long as there is sufficient investment, reasonable planning and a stable development environment after decades of further scientific and technological progress.
What's more, Africa also has a South Africa.
Of course, Simon also knows that the prosperity of various industries in Africa was dominated by whites in the colonial period. In that case, it is still necessary to do so now.
Like the planned Angolan railway.
Simon's plan this time is to directly hand over to the Chinese construction company for construction. Westero system is responsible for investment. In the future, the ownership belongs to westero system and the Angolan government, but the control belongs to this side.
At the same time, westrow system should also take the lead as far as possible to drive the development of mining and agriculture in corresponding areas.
The Angolan government and people share the dividend honestly.
If you have to ask for a word, Simon doesn't mind. It's neocolonialism.
In addition to infrastructure in Africa, Simon is also discussing a new core mining production system with Australia.
For example, one of them, rare earth.
Once, with the continuous expansion of detection technology, it was not difficult for countries to find rare earth mines all over the world. Just like now, the team of Johnston Holdings has found rare earth mines in the headquarters area of Angola.
The key is production.
In the past, the reason why China controlled the production of rare earth mines was not a technical problem, but an environmental problem. Many rare earth metals even produce a large amount of radioactive waste in the production process, which is difficult for western countries to bear.
If Simon wants to build a rare earth production system controlled by westero system, the mineral deposit is not a problem, but the key is production.
However, the goal is also ready-made.
Ukraine.
Ukraine does not have much room for bargaining now, let alone in the future.
Simon's plan is to invest in the construction of special rare earth plants in Ukraine, and then provide raw materials from Africa, Australia and even Latin America and transport them to Ukraine for production.
The output value of rare earth industry is not big after all, so the key is others.
Like steel.
At this point, Simon has no plan to compete for productivity with China for the time being. He mainly invests in China in order to share the dividends of more industrial development.
However, in other aspects, such as copper and aluminum, as well as lithium, sodium, cobalt and other resources involved in the future new energy plan, Westeros system needs to strengthen its own layout.
One of the aluminum consortia in Russia is already under construction.
In other words, we should master enough resources to have enough voice and even control over the world in the future.
Finish the day's work and drive home with Anthony.
We agreed in advance to have dinner at the Johnston family house on the Yarra River in the evening.
The two brothers continued to talk all the way. The car left the urban area, came to the northern suburb, entered the family mansion and stopped in front of the main villa.
As soon as Simon got off the bus, he saw a small man standing on the lawn on the east side of the main villa, looking up at the sunset that was about to fall in the West.
Anthony, of course, noticed, came up with a smile and asked, "what's sear doing?"
Simon shook his head and motioned Anthony to enter the villa. He simply walked over, nodded to the waitress next to him, directly picked up his daughter, looked at the West together, joked and asked, "honey, what are you looking at, miss your mother star?"
Compared with Simon, the family now feel that a little girl is more like an alien.
The little girl was suddenly picked up by her father. Knowing that she couldn't get rid of the embrace of the adult male of mankind, she had to twist her body gently, find a more comfortable position and continue to look at the sky.
Of course, I heard what my father said.
However, she was too lazy to answer such boring human jokes, just as she hated that adults treated her like human cubs.
annoying.
After such a silence for a while, the little girl saw her father still accompany her in a daze. She thought about the mother who had no blood relationship with her. If she knew that she ignored the one around her, she would inevitably have to talk about it, so she opened her mouth: "Dad, do you miss it?"
Simon shook his head solemnly: "of course not, our mother planet has been destroyed in a huge interstellar war, so, baby, feel at ease to be an earthman."
More boring jokes.
However, the little girl felt that she had to smile cooperatively, so she drew a perfect human cub smile, but she added, "Dad, I mean, do you miss the future?"
Simon's eyes suddenly converged and turned to look. Just because he motioned, the girl's personal waitress had been far away and could not hear the conversation between father and daughter.
Taking back his eyes, Simon relaxed a little and looked at his baby daughter with interest. After a moment, he finally said, "baby, you can't tell others about this kind of thing, okay?"
Seattle nodded.
Simon added, "Mom can't say it either."
Seattle nodded again.
Father is so annoying. She is not a child. According to the intelligence quotient and knowledge reserve of ordinary human beings, um... She should be hundreds of years old.
However, he was curious: "Dad, how did you get here?"
Simon saw that the little girl was also in a serious tone. He didn't even have much curiosity. He just asked questions, thought about it, and honestly shook his head: "dad doesn't know, so the universe is very magical."
The little girl asked again, "how much future does Dad have?"
Simon also continued to be calm: "about twenty years. In the future, dad will depend on you. Baby, can you predict the further future?"
The little girl seemed to think seriously for half a second and shook her head, "it's boring."
"So, what are you interested in?"
The little girl thought again and said, "human beings are too fragile to do anything."
"Then you gave up?"
The little girl tilted her head slightly: "mom wants to live for a long time. I think it's OK."
"Oh, mom, if you hear it, you'll be very happy," Simon kissed his daughter on the cheek. "But you have to speed up, or, uh, you know."
"Don't worry," the little girl hid from her father's kiss and had to endure. After all, the human male is her biggest dependence in the world and has the blood relationship that humans care about very much, so she went on: "ten years, no problem."
"That's the deal," Simon raised his hand and raised one little finger. "Draw the hook."
The little girl looked at the western sun again.
Boring humans.
Is the pursuit of immortality just to do so many boring things?
Simon saw that the baby daughter ignored herself. Of course, he was not angry. He continued to watch the sunset with her and asked, "baby, what are you looking at?"
"Dad, you won't understand."
Simon: "
So he insisted weakly: "talk, because you don't understand, you have to ask."
"I perceive the chemical reaction that occurs after the solar spectrum comes into contact with human skin."
"Well, the father can understand. He will produce melanin."
The little girl looked down at someone and thought for a while. She thought it would be better to remain silent, so as to avoid the boring adult human male continuing to ask.
Father and daughter felt the nature of heaven and earth so quietly until it was getting dark and Janet came to them herself.
Looking at the father and daughter seem to be close, Janet is still very jealous. She walks to the villa together, holds the man's arm and asks, "what are you talking about?"
Naturally, the little girl won't answer.
Simon smiled and said, "about the home star."
Janet accurately got this time: "are you going back to your home planet together?"
"Of course not. Sear's mother planet and I have been destroyed in a huge interstellar war and will never go back."
Janet put a sticker on a man's arm she was holding: "Oh, poor. Tell me about the war. Why did it start?"
"For resources."
"Well, this setting is too perfunctory. You can all fight an interstellar war. The universe is so big and lacks resources?"
"You don't know. There are actually countless civilizations in the universe, and human beings, on the scale of cosmic civilization, are like a small bacterial tribe on a leaf in distant Africa. Human beings are too small to feel that they have enough resources, but they are not."
Janet was surprised: "this time it became a colony, not even an ant. It was an ant last time."
"Was it an ant last time?"
Janet nodded, "uh huh."
"That means the scale used last time is relatively small. I'm talking about the infinite universe."
Then he entered the villa and came to a living room. There were others here. Hearing Simon's words, Sylvia, the big girl of Anthony's family, smiled and asked, "what infinite universe?"
Simon took his baby daughter and sat down on the sofa. When everyone looked at it, he was still serious: "I'm discussing my mother star with Jenny."
Everyone laughed, too.
The lively Sylvia asked, "then, what about the infinite universe?"
Simon said: "the universe we know is just one of the infinite universe, just like a cell. Outside the cell, there are countless cells, that is, countless universes. My mother star is in another universe."
Sylvia smiled and said, "then why did you come to earth?"
"Because the home star is destroyed," Simon recalled again. "A huge interstellar war."
Janet rolled her eyes.
Change your lines.
Sylvia was even more interested. She just rushed over and grabbed the little girl and put it on her lap. Obviously, everyone felt that if there were aliens in the family, Simon could only be half at most. The whole body should be Seattle: "Uncle Simon, continue."
"Continue what?"
"Great star wars," Sylvia said. "Are they like Lucas's Star Wars?"
Simon shook his head, grabbed Janet's boring little hand and covered it in his big hand: "the limit of your human imagination is star wars. The war of my mother planet is a war with physical rules as weapons."
"What are physical rules?"
"For example," Simon slightly raised his hand and motioned around, "our world is three-dimensional. One of the physical rule weapons, dimension reduction attack, is to directly turn a planet, even a galaxy, and even a separate universe in human cognition into two-dimensional through physical rule weapons. In this way, the three creatures will be annihilated."
Sylvia was just amused. When Simon said this, she could not help imagining a scene and opened her eyes slightly: "this... How is it possible?"
Simon looked at his baby daughter, whom Sylvia had snatched into her arms: "Sylvia, is this possible?"
Obviously, the little girl also heard what her father had just described and asked herself again. She tilted her head slightly. This time, she thought for a second, and then shook her head: "I can't do it for the time being."
Sylvia laughed and put her chin on the little girl's head: "Sylvia, baby, what a coincidence, I can't do it."
After laughing for a while, Sylvia looked at Simon again and said eagerly, "Uncle Simon, this is a very good idea. Why don't we make it into a movie?"
Simon was a little surprised when he heard the speech, but he soon nodded: "OK."
Sylvia was an acute child and immediately continued: "well, what's the name? No, no, around this idea, there must be a story first."