<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b>From:</b> extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Rafal Smigrodzki via extropy-chat<br><br><b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal>### Congratulations to Mr Jones Jr!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Thx.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>>…This said, the Chinese have made themselves very unpopular in Africa. Mainland Chinese tend to be quite racist and see Africans as inferior. Buying the elites while ruthlessly exploiting regular folks tends to backfire, eventually.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal>Rafal <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Ja, but not as unpopular as they are going to be, once they start creating the megaprojects I envision are inevitable in places like West Sahara. The plans will backfire, but the Chinese are the kind of people who will fire back at the backfire. In that battle, I would bet on the Chinese because there are way more of them, they have buttloads of money and they are far more technologically advanced. Territory can be bought and it can be defended. Megaprojects can be defended, and will be.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Another take on it: the immediate neighbors would benefit: they get low cost electric power, they get commerce up the kazoo, jobs like they have never seen before, jobs supplying coal, iron ore, building materials and workers, as much new trade as they want. A perpetually impoverished region of the globe could become prosperous as all hell, they could build technological schools and universities specifically tuned to training engineers to build energy conversion technology, which people would come from all over the planet to attend. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Think of the whole notion as the energy analog to what has happened in Ireland with information technology. West Africa could become the world’s powerplant, just as Ireland is developing into the world’s IT hotspot. West Africa could become like Ireland, only more so. In a generation, the Africans in that area could have a whole new attitude.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>spike<o:p></o:p></p></div></div></div></div></body></html>