- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
The latest forecasts for urbanisation rates make for a shocking read. Cities around the world are growing due to high birth rates and due to the greater economic opportunities that cities seem to give to their inhabitants. Citizens around the world are giving up rural life and heading to the cities in search of easier living and greater access to education and healthcare and who can blame them? The reality, however, may be tougher than they imagine. Can cement and concrete help in making future cities more ‘liveable’?
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
Have a guess at how many rhinoceroses there are left on the planet. How many leopards? How many lions? Go on, have a guess.
I guessed 100,000, 100,000 again and two million for lions. Then I looked up the numbers on the internet and I was shocked. For all five species of rhino, there are in total around 30,000 individuals (but only 61 - 63 examples of the Javan rhino and 100 of the Sumatran rhino). The most common species, the white rhino, has about 20,000 individuals. There used to be millions of these things, wandering around, eating the greenery.1
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
I am enjoying ‘Don Quixote’ by Cervantes, even though it’s a massive book - I’m now 900 pages in, of a 950 page book. In particular, I’ve enjoyed the part where the apparent simpleton and uneducated rustic squire Sancho Panza is gifted the governorship of an ‘isle’ (it is in fact an isolated village), and rather than completely mess it up as everyone expects, he turns out to be a governor of rare sagacity and wisdom. He lasts only a week before his rumbling tummy makes him give up his post to return to his master, the knight-errant Don Quixote de la Mancha, the Knight of the Sad Countenance. Reading the book, it made me wonder, what would one do if you were made a cement plant manager for a week - ‘governor of your own isle’? This question might be moot, if you already hold that exalted position. However, if the magic wand suddenly made you ‘The Boss,’ what actions would you take?
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
I like a nice steak as much as anyone. Especially with chips (French fries or ‘Freedom fries’ to the Americans, depending on the current French/American diplomatic state) and a nice salad. However, maybe I won’t be able to enjoy it for too much longer - and the reasons why have important implications for cement.
- Written by Robert McCaffrey Editorial Director, Global Cement Magazine
I have two young daughters, and apparently each of them has a one-third chance of living to be 100 years old. They have some advantages in the longevity game, not least of which is being female. Females around the world live statistically longer - much longer - lives, possibly due to males in general indulging in riskier behaviours (and smoking and drinking more). The cement industry is now much more concerned with the overall health of its employees than previously, and not just at work. I recently read an interesting article by Jessica Salter1, who gave a few useful tips for anyone who wants to increase their chances of living to be 100...
