By Alec Hogg
Many talented people gather in Davos for the annual WEF meetings. But, this January, the smartest one I met was American physicist Dr. Kimberley Budil, the first woman director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.Â
The US government established the Lab in 1952 after the Soviets detonated their first atomic bomb. It shot into global prominence in mid-December when Dr. Budil and her team announced a massive breakthrough in the nuclear fusion promise that could provide the world with cheap and plentiful energy.
For the first time, the researchers produced more energy post-reaction than that used to cause it. Dr. Budil explained the groundbreaking development to a small group of us in Davos, resulting from 60 years of work.Â
The good news is for first the first time, nuclear fusion – the reaction that makes the stars shine – is no longer just a dream. Instead, it will be in humanity’s future. The bad news, Dr. Budil said, is it will take another 30 years before hitting the mainstream.Â
For SA, the bad news is that it may have to struggle through the Eskom debacle for three more decades. The good news is human ingenuity can significantly compress official time estimates. Here’s hoping.
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More for you to read over the weekend:
* The DA has written to SA’s finance minister demanding that R1bn earmarked to sponsor Tottenham Hotspur be allocated instead to buy diesel for Eskom. Click here.
* Seven investment ideas that could drive markets in 2023 – Wall Street investment bank Morgan Stanley has ideas that differ greatly from the crowd. Click here.
* Stock, Bond and Crypto Investors Bet Fed Is Bluffing on Interest Rates. Many are skeptical as central bank says battle against inflation isn’t over. Click here.
* Ukraine fears a new offensive is underway as Russia masses hundreds of thousands of troops signaling the biggest assault since the war started. Click here.
* The English Premier League concluded its January transfer window by posting another new record led by Chelsea FC which outspent the combined spending by the top-tier clubs in Italy, Germany, Spain, and France. Financially speaking the EFL is now in a league of its own. Click here.
