"An ‘Earth Day’ is 24 hours long, and that more precisely it is 23 hours 56 minutes and 4 seconds long. But this hasn’t always been the case. Detailed studies of fossil shells, and the banded deposits in certain sandstones, reveal a much different length of day in past eras! These bands in sedimentation and shell-growth follow the lunar month and have individual bands representing the number of days in a lunar month. By counting the number of bands, geologists can work out the number of days in a year, and from this the number of hours in a day when the shell was grown, or the deposits put down." Credits: NASA
While
the United States wastes billions on ill-advised foreign adventures and
destabilizing wars of choice, China has slowly been accumulating a
massive amount of resources around the world. Over the last decade,
China has increasingly poured billions of dollars of foreign direct
investment capital into Africa. China has now invested in 46 of 54
African countries, mainly with a focus on metals, energy, and
infrastructure. So far, 2013 has been the peak of Chinese investment,
with the equivalent of USD 44 billion spent. Investments in 2015 up
until June have totaled USD 17.8 billion, and are on pace to reach USD 42
billion by the end of this year.
In
fact, just last week, South Africa hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping
in Johannesburg for the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).
During the conference, the Chinese President announced the budget for
African cooperation would be tripled to a USD 60 billion package. This
includes USD 5 billion of aid and interest-free loans, USD 35 billion of
preferential loans and export credit, and USD 20 billion of capital to be
divided between three Africa-focused funds. China's overall trade with Africa topped USD 200 billion last year but has slowed over the past two years as the weakening Chinese economy demands fewer of the continent's oil, copper and other raw materials. Chinese-built roads, bridges and power installations are found across Africa, often paid for in resources or through loans from China.There are about a million Chinese living in Africa, mostly engaged in commercial work, according to the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Africa.
In December 2005 Natural Gas traded at USD 15.78, and is now at its 17-year low at USD 1.79. Natural Gas has been in a downtrend over the last two years and lost 73% of its value. The average seasonal low should print in the first week of January January 2016. The 4 Lunar Month cycle projects lows for Dec 20 (Sun), Dec 29 (Fri), and Jan 5 (Tue).