Articles/World News
The world is an ever changing organism which will either sustain itself or will become an un-inhabitable planet in future times. This part of the Newsletter will therefore look at major issues that will influence the destiny of humankind.
Socio-economic issues:
China and the East Asian economies are developing at a phenomenal rate compared to the industrialised economies of the West. Listed below are some key indicators( which are self evident)
% change on year ago | last 12 months $bn |
Nation | GDP | Industrial Production | trade balance | foreign reserves |
latest | 12 months ago |
China | +6.8 Q2 | +7.9 Jun* | +45.0 Jun | 140.9 Jun* | 120.9* |
Indonesia | +6.2 Q1 | +10.7 Q3 | +17.7 May | 18.0 Jun | 20.3 |
India | +4.3 (1997) | +5.2 Jun | -7.2 Jan | 24.0 Jul | 26.3 |
Malaysia | +1.8 Q1 | -6.0 Jun | +6.4 Jun | 19.7 May | 26.3 |
Taiwan | +5.2 Q2 | +2.4 Jul | +8.1 Jul | 83.3 Jun | 90.0 |
* - New Series
The Economist - August 29th 1998
Member Project Profiles: Derek Russell
To show how the Institution's members are active in forming the future world, Scientific Discovery will from time to time preview certain members projects. In this respect our membership is possibly the most diverse intellectually creative Institution in the world today; and growing. Therefore the September/October 1998 edition depicts Chief Engineer Derek Russell, the proposer and conceptualist of the $10 billion Western Water Highway complex together with Derek's revolutionary work in low cost ferro-cement design and construction.
Derek Russell is an ex-marine engineer from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, United Kingdom who moved into civil engineering with the closure of the UK's shipbuilding industry many years ago. This transition started the quest for solutions to the ever growing dilemma as afluence for a very small percentage of the world's wealthy grows, so does poverty and national instability as resources become limited. Engineers across the world can solve most problems but money is the new god which propels endeavour towards greater global corporations with power that many governments would envy. In this respect 70% of the world's population is now held captive in a spiral of controlled and unlimited power. In a so-called free world, governments and bodies like the United Nations will have to provide a stabilising effect and make democracy work not for the huge multinationals but for the people of the world themselves. People are the driving force of all things and the means for all industrious wealth creation - the world's financial and industrial companies should not forget this basis of all evolving economics of life.
The Yanbu Project: Low Cost Ferro-cement Design and Construction
The Yanbu project in Saudi Arabia presented Derek with an opportunity to demonstrate that sand, cement, polystyrene and chicken wire can provide low-cost exotic building with built-in insulation. Derek spent six years trying to promote this technology to repair and produce high strength low-cost sewer and water pipes; he also knew that one day someone would build a prototype production line that could produce low-cost housing to a very high standard in both terms of durability and aesthetic value. He thought, technology allowed production lines to produce motor cars every minute of the day but housing coupled to education are the main keys to every advanced society. Indeed, if the will was there a single production plant could produce 100,000 new homes per annum and this simple technology that fits simple needs would make life meaningful and full of hope for hundreds of millions of the world's people. Unfortunately money and the powerful dictate that wealth extraction instead of wealth creation is the mantle of god. This philosophy will change in the 21st century as Scientists and Engineers will progressively determine how the world shall be!
The Yanbu Project appears also in the September 98 Concrete Society’s prestigious International Journal ‘CONCRETE’