It is also often paired with cheese, both hard as well as the local "queijo minas", especially the "frescal" variety, which is a very young kind of cheese.
This has little to do with IBM but much more with HR.
Based on my experience, the second most stupid people work in HR. Most stupid people? Real Estate.
I am not saying that people in HR or RE are stupid by definition, I am sure some very smart people work in these fields. But it is a question of entrance barrier. You can get into HR from nearly any background. Yet, some kind of degree is required in most cases. In RE you do a few weeks training and you are ready to go.
Other fields have tremendous entrance barriers. Lets say a professor in a STEM field. You can find average people there but stupidity is rare.
This is the first time I heard this. Source that this is/was important? If it is, why not Brazil?
"2. Cheap Labour."
I am not sure that African countries are so much cheaper than India. Also, you need educated people too, something that is not available in Africa, at least not in quantities.
3. High Density of Lanthanide and Actinide group minerals.
Why is this necessary? Source?
China has:
1. Very educated people (most communist countries had the highest literacy rate)
2. A very supportive government
3. A huge market with the necessary infrastructure, starting from Universities, Airports, roads, trains...
4. Clustering of industries.
The phenomenon of China can not easily be repeated. It is nearly impossible in Africa:
1. Uneducated people
2. Tribal societies
3. Corrupt governments
4. Lack of infrastructure
Look at a map. If it is a "non-integrating gap country", it won't be the next China.
From Corruption, tax evasion, illegal business to contract killing. Yes, No kidding, he was not a saint. As far as I know, his former security guard Alexey Pichugin is still in prison for murder.
If you are able to read German, this article is funny (German equivalent of "The Onion"):
Edward Snowden not rich and criminal enough [compared to Khodorkovsky] to deserve asylum in Germany.
The Economist is actually pretty good. They have their own political bias (see at wikipedia entry) but both, their news and technology reporting is top notch.
Wirecard has been accused before of fraud by so called "short sellers". The document published (2 years ago?) showed a tremendous, extraordinary complex network of international corporations. Such complex setups have a very limited purpose. It can basically be only tax "optimization", hide fraud or hide ownership (UBO). After having seen this PDF I would not touch the Wirecard stock.
By the way, I think Alibaba is opening two new corporations. Per day. You may also want to read at Bronte Capital about Alibaba.
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"the company is worth ZERO in my opinion)"
This IS a possibility. But the stockmarket exaggerates always in both directions, "like a sausage dog on a leash, sometimes walks in front of you, sometimes behind you but always comes back to you" Kostalany
If you want to make a gamble there could be buying prices now or soon. But it stays a gamble.
No I dont. Wirecard went very aggressively against the accusations. The discussion board where it was discussed removed the link since Wirecard were suing everybody.
Could have been this one, but I am not sure. Just peaked into it and did not see the page with all the interrelated companies.
"Being made of gold indicates that it was at least not an every day tool."
Because of fragility or because costs of the material? Gold is one of the earliest metals used. I don't know out of my head what alloys (1000 BCE!) they could have used to create sub-milimeter wall thickness (0.6mm!). If they had been able to do this out of iron, it would be dust by now. Remember from Chemistry class? Gold does not react easily.
Wirecard has been accused before of fraud by so called "short sellers". The document published (2 years ago?) showed a tremendous, extraordinary complex network of international corporations. Such complex setups have a very limited purpose. It can basically be only tax "optimization", hide fraud or hide ownership (UBO). After having seen this PDF I would not touch the Wirecard stock.
By the way, I think Alibaba is opening two new corporations. Per day. You may also want to read at Bronte Capital about Alibaba.
"Romeo e Julietta"