For private investors, the spot price of gold effectively determines how much gold is worth. The spot price is the price at which gold is traded at a particular point in time and location for immediate delivery.

Note however, that the when it comes to buying and selling, the buy price will always be slightly more than the spot price and the sell price will be slightly less. This ‘spread’ represents the costs and profit margin of the broker.

Other than the standard economic fundamentals of supply and demand, the gold price is affected by other important factors such as oil prices, interest rates, the $USD index, central bank involvement and geo-political tensions to various degrees.

Like all other stocks and commodities, how much gold is worth is determined on exchanges. However, not all bullion trading exchanges are created equal. The two most critical exchanges are the LBMA in London and the COMEX in New York. Between these two financial centers, gold sees most of its trading action.

Other bullion exchanges exist in major cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Singapore, Shanghai, Dubai and Zurich. Given this global reach, a gold spot price is continually being established even when the COMEX and LBMA are closed, allowing gold to be traded 23 and half hours every day excluding weekends.

LBMA

The LBMA which stands for ‘London Bullion Market Association’ operates between the hours of 07.30 GMT and 15.00 GMT. It used to be the foremost bullion exchange in the industry but during the crisis of 1968 in the run up to the end of the ‘gold standard’, its importance waned.

Nevertheless, the LBMA is still a leading exchange whose ‘Good Delivery’ list is widely accepted as the ‘de facto’ standard for the quality of gold and silver bars, thanks to the strict standards of assaying and bar quality that refiners must satisfy in order to be listed

COMEX

Nowadays, the most important bullion exchange in the world is the Commodities Exchange of New York. Known as the COMEX, it operates between the hours of 08.30 and 13.30 Eastern Time.

In 1994, the COMEX became a division of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) and as such, how much gold is worth, is determined via a procedure documented in what is known as the NYMEX ‘Rule Book’. This is largely based on the price of contracts being traded in the most active futures month.

Oil and gas pipelines are used in many different countries around the world. There are some enormous stretches of pipelines that are currently being used to transport different types of natural gas and crude oil. This article takes a look at some of the longest oil and gas pipelines in the world.

The West East Pipeline is currently the largest gas pipeline in the world. It is located in China, and it starts in Xinjiang and finishes in Shanghai. It currently covers a whopping 5,410 miles and travels through 15 provinces. The pipeline is still under construction, and the third stage of the project is due to be completed by 2014. The fourth stage of the pipeline’s construction is still being planned.

The Yamal-Europe pipeline is an natural gas pipeline which runs through four countries: Russia, Belarus, Poland and Germany. The pipeline was built in different segments throughout each of the countries to speed up the construction process. The Russian segment is 402km long, the Belarusian segment is 575km long and runs through five compression stations, while the Polish pipeline is 683km long and passes through 32 railways lines. In Germany the pipeline connects to the Yagal Nors Gas Transmission System.

The ESPO Pipeline is a large pipeline project which is still currently under construction with an estimated completion date set in 2014. It is an oil pipeline which has been designed to transport crude oil from Russia to the Asian countries of Japan, China and Korea. When the project has been completed there will be over 4,700km of pipelines.

The Keystone XL is another crude oil pipeline that once completed will stretch 1897 km. Construction has currently halted due to President Obama postponing it until a later date. The pipeline will run from Canada to Steele city, and it will cost an estimated 7 billion to complete. The pipeline will be used to help to reduce the amount of natural gas imports which are currently coming from the Middle East and Venezuela.

The Kazakhstan China Pipeline runs from Western Kazakhstan to Xinjiang in China. The construction of the entire pipeline was carried out in three separate stages. The pipe runs through Atyrau, Baykonyr, Karaganda and it ends up in the Dushanzi Refinery.

The Rockies Express Pipeline is designed to carry natural gas. It covers 1679km between the Rocky Mountains and Eastern Ohio. The project was built in three segments, and construction on the entire project is now complete. The Rocky express pipeline costs approximately $5.6 billion to complete, and it carries 16.5 billion cubic metres of natural gas per year.

Finally, the Trans-Mediterranean Pipeline has been designed to carry natural gas. The pipeline runs through four countries: Algeria, Italy, Tunisia and Sicily. In total the pipeline covers 2,475km, and it has a capacity to deliver over 30 billion cubic meters per annum of natural gas. The pipeline starts in Algeria, runs to the Tunisian border, through the Cap Bon Province and Sicily. It Then passes through the Mazara del Vallo in Sicily, and though the Straight de Messina; the pipeline also branches off to Slovenia.

This article takes a detailed look at a list of car insurance companies.

The first company we’ll look at is Farmers Insurance. They were founded in 1927 and have assets of $10 billion. Their financial position is rated between good and very strong by financial rating companies. In 2003, they were ranked as the worst for problems with claims and delayed payments by Consumer Reports but by 2006, they had gained the rank of “most improved.” Farmers also owns 21st Century Insurance.

Allstate Insurance is the largest publicly held insurer in the United States. They have revenues of almost $30 billion. Both Business Week Magazine and CNN have criticized Allstate for denying policyholders legitimate benefits.

AIG Casualty – the American Insurance Group – was actually founded in Shanghai, China in 1919. They’re now located in New York City and have revenues of almost $30 billion. AIG was hit badly in the 2008 financial crisis and has yet to recover its full strength. It was one of the companies that was helped by the government bailout. AIG is the principle sponsor of the Manchester United football team.

Next in our list of car insurance companies is Nationwide. Nationwide is a mutual insurance company founded in 1926. It has revenues of just over $25 billion per year. It started by offering auto insurance exclusively to Ohio farmers. Later, they offered services to farmers in bordering states. Only in 1934 did they offer services to the general public. Nationwide is seen as a very diverse company and supports many gay and African American causes.

Liberty Mutual is a truly international insurance group owning all or parts of property insurance companies in places from Argentina to Vietnam. The company was founded in 1912 and has revenues of nearly $30 billion. Liberty Mutual runs a research institute for safety which conducts field and laboratory studies to make the workplace safer.

Focusing primarily on Car insurance, Progressive is seen as a leader in adapting technology to streamline the insurance process and cut down on overhead costs. They were the first to accept insurance sales over the phone and were also an early adapter in the web arena. Progressive has been embroiled in controversy over whether they directed their policy holders to make repairs at unlicensed shops.

No list of car insurance companies would be final without a word about GEICO whose Gecko has launched the company into a household word and been spoofed on t.v. shows like David Letterman. The company started by offering insurance solely to government employees but now sells to everyone. They are wholly owned by Berkshire Hathaway (which in turn is owned by Warren Buffet.)

There are other insurance companies of course, but these are the major players that deserve to be included on any list of car insurance companies.

Continuing social, economic and political change over the last five years has meant that the need for financial capability in young people is even more pressing. In many western counties issues surrounding increasing levels of personal debt, crashing markets and their effect on pensions mean that there is a greater need for individuals to take a more active and informed interest in their own financial future.

This article looks at various initiatives for teaching children about money around the world.

In South Africa, Teach Children to Save (TCTS) is a one-day initiative designed to spotlight the importance of teaching the country’s youth about saving money. The objectives of the project include:

To raise awareness about the benefits of savings, financial planning and foster a culture of saving. To demonstrate the important role that the financial services sector can play in creating a financially literate nation. To initiate a national program that encourages a collaborative, industry-wide effort to increase financial literacy.

Teach Children to Save South Africa (TCTS SA) was launched during July Savings Month on the 25th July 2008. On this day, volunteer bankers and financial professionals became teachers for a day and delivered a one hour savings lesson to learners in grades 4 to 7. This pilot initiative laid the groundwork for an annual event that spotlights the important role that financial service providers can play in educating the nation’s youth about saving. While modelled on the U.S. program, TCTS SA was customized to align with South African culture, financial education needs and the school curriculum especially Economic Management Science.

Scotland was the first part of the UK to publish guidance for schools in this area, back in 1999 Learning and Teaching Scotland, published Financial Education in Scottish Schools – A Statement of Position. This document describes managing money is “one of the most important and challenging features of everyday living” while outlining a minimum entitlement within the school curriculum. Their aims are for young people to understand key financial and economic ideas; be skilled in managing their financial affairs; recognise the importance of using financial resources responsibly and be able to operate in a confident and enterprising manner.

The Scottish programme as part of the 3-18 Curriculum for Excellence is under-pinned by the expectation that every teacher is a teacher of Numeracy, Literacy and Health and Well-being. A thematic / topic framework is suggested which schools may adapt to their particular needs. The four main elements of Financial Education in Scotland include: Financial Understanding, Financial Competence, Financial Responsibility and Financial Enterprise

An Australian report, ‘Financial Literacy – Australians Understanding Money’, found that young people are particularly interested in learning more about issues such as budgeting, saving, managing debt and avoiding financial scams.

Australian schools have introduced a nationally agreed Framework that provides an integrated cross- curriculum approach for all students from Kindergarten to Year 10.

Consumer and financial literacy will be integrated in programs across English, Mathematics, Science, Humanities – (Business, Commerce, Economics, Technology and Enterprise) Civics and Citizenship and ICT. This will allow all Australian students in their compulsory years of schooling to develop knowledge and understanding, skills and values in consumer and financial literacy.

An example of a Chinese approach to financial education is a theatre program for children aged between 8 and 12 years old in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

The program is based on a comic book, entitled “Agent Penny and Will Power in Operation Finance”. Scenes are based on stories of daily life and present students with commonly-used financial tools and concepts, including budgeting and compound interest, as well as the formation of healthy financial habits.

According to schedules of the program, the Cheeky Monkey Theatre, presenting itself as the world’s first ‘Chinglish’ Theatre Company, will visit between 40 and 50 schools in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen over the next ten months, and this play is expected to be seen by around 20,000 children.

In summary, financial literacy is regarded in many countries as a key life skill. The financial world is characterised by a wide range of choices and often high complexity, and as consumers we all need to take advantage of this dynamic environment. Young people are being targeted as consumers at an increasingly early age and may face complex financial choices. As 18 year olds, they are likely to have access to credit and loans in a way that would have been unheard of 20 years ago. Providing young people with good financial literacy skills helps to establish responsible attitudes and good habits from an early age. It helps foster an attitude to managing money that can enhance their long-term financial security and lifestyle.

I was once instructed to find examples that show that China had the characteristics of civilization, and also to show how Chinese civilization was different from that of Mesopotamia and Egypt. Examples demonstrating that China possessed the characteristics of civilization are numerous. When one considers their ceremonial temples, their Book of Wisdom, the I-Ching, their world renown poetry and cuisine, the simple longevity of their society, and their over crowded cities, it is apparent that the Chinese knew just as much about civilization as did the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians. Conversely, however, the Chinese also differed in their experience of a civil society. We’ll explore the commonalities and differences herein. As you may know, the main five characteristics of a civilization are large population centers in cities, writing, ritual centers, continuity, and the arts.

China had a highly developed cultural core which was used to promote a moral order for its people. As the text “China: The Mandate of Heaven” (Wood) discloses, Confucius proposed that the “state is a moral order sustained by virtue, ritual, and reverence for ancestors.” (Wood) Every aspect of the Chinese civilization was initially imbued with these values. The ceremonial temples, and shrines throughout China were a large part of this. These ritual centers drew millions to China’s major cities. Of note are the famed Taoist temple atop the sacred mountain, Tai Shan, in the Shandong province, and the monument to Confucius in Suzhou, China.

The Chinese Book of Wisdom, the I-Ching, was another example of the presence of the characteristics of civilization in China. Considered one of the benchmarks of Eastern writing, it testified to the importance of the written word in Chinese society. This is a vital document for anyone studying the history of ancient civilization.

Additionally, there were the arts of China. Arts, as we know, are one of the fundamental characteristics of civilization. The poets, Li Po and Du Fu, headed the list of a long tradition of the Chinese arts. If cuisine were allowed to be classified among the arts, then Chinese cuisine would lead the world. It was one of the earliest known, and most sought after cuisines. Their centuries old, famous dishes have evolved into a literal art form.

It is common knowledge that China boasts the world’s largest population. Much of this populous resided and still resides in China’s cities. While the details of the particular living arrangements and standards of living among the millions of residents of cities like Kai Thanks, Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong and Tianjin are the topic of another setting, none can doubt China’s commitment to living in cities. This is one of the most obvious characteristics of civilization that China demonstrates well.

Finally, China is one of the oldest civilizations on Earth. Their culture and traditions impressively span several millennia, as those who’ve studied any ancient civilization of the world well know. They have demonstrated the type of inter-generational continuity that few other civilizations have enjoyed. While parallels to all of these examples can be found in the civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt, three examples, in particular, serve to accentuate some differences between the three civilizations.

In ancient China:

1 – One man set the tone forever

2 – Religion was less dogmatic

3 – An integral component of the society was imported

While possessing the same characteristics of civilization as other ancient civilizations of the world, one prime area of difference was with regard to leadership. As stated, one man significantly influenced Chinese society forever… single handedly! In Mesopotamia and Egypt, tribes, elders and divine kings set the tone for society for hundreds of years. Confucius believed and promulgated the belief that ‘goodness’ was the foundation of a successful civilization. Leaders were therefore, only granted authority for as long as they remained ‘upright’. Confucius was concerned with establishing a sustainable moral order on Earth. Confucius alone is to be credited with shaping China’s civilization, past and present. While both Mesopotamia and Egypt had their heroes, their influence was not as far reaching as Confucius’ was on China.

Secondly, in China religion had a much humbler, less dogmatic tone than the religions of Mesopotamia and Egypt. There was less talk of the divine, or divine directives, and more of an emphasis on personal enlightenment and honoring one’s lineage. It seems that the Chinese were more concerned about spirituality than traditional forms and themes of religion. With the introduction of Taoism in China, the ‘right path’ was sought by all. Even this, itself, is a contrast to the religions of Mesopotamia and Egypt. The act of searching for the ‘right path’ was an admission that one did not know the path and had to find it. This thought was juxtaposed with the more dogmatic, propitiation laced polytheistic religions of Mesopotamia and Egypt.

There was also the issue of Buddhism. This was an imported idea from India. While all three civilizations learned from other cultures and made their distinct, major contributions to humanity over the years, among the three, only China imported a major component of its civilization from another country. Buddhism came from India. It seemed to perfectly compliment Confucianism and Taoism, stressing inner enlightenment and ritual meditation. The Chinese quickly adopted and employed its precepts.

Taken together, all of these many examples prove that the Chinese possessed the requisite characteristics of civilization. We could further conclude that the Chinese are masters of city life. Alchemists, if you will, carefully combining the arts, large populations in cities, ceremonial temples and other ritual centers, time honored writings, and an unrivalled continuity into a tightly knit civilization while maintaining significant deviations from the paths toward civilization that Mesopotamia and Egypt had taken.

The Northern Expedition which raged across central and Northern China from 1926 to 1928, was a monumental military campaign to unify China under the Kuomintang and bringing an end to the 'Warlord Era' which had dominated China since 1912.

The Expedition extremely led to the demise of the Beiyang Government and the Chinese Reunification of 1928.

The origins of the Northern Expedition began in 1925. In 1925, the May 30th Movement announced plans to strike and protest against Western Imperialism and its Warlord agents in China. During these tumultuous early years, the alliance between the Kuomintang (Nationalists) and the communists was questioned after the Zhongshan Warship Incident. The incident left Chiang Kai -Shek as supreme leader of the Nationalists. Further to this, Chiang doubted the nationalists' alliance with the Soviet Union and the Communists; he still needed aid from Soviet Russia. To this end, the Nationalists did not break the alliance at this time.

The sheer political and military power of central and Northern China since 1912 had been the Warlords. The initial targets of the Nationalists were Zhang Zuolin who controlled Manchuria, Wu Peifu 'The Jade Marshal' in central China and Sun Chuanfang in Eastern China.

Advised by the Japanese, White Russians and Westerners, the Head Quarters of the Expedition decided on the strategy of defeating the Warlords one-by-one.

In July 1926, Chiang proclaimed the National Revolutionary Army's strategy to the 100,000 men which made up the Nationalist Army. The NRA were far better trained, equipped and motivated than warlord Armies. Furthermore, the NRA was seen as a liberating and progressive force by ordinary people who had been persecuted by varying Warlord factions. This factor, combined with the training and motivation leaves little wonder as to how and why the NRA marched from the Zhu River to the Yangtze River in less than six months, swapping its ranks from 100,000 to 250,000.

In the wake of the annihilation of the Zhili Clique, the Nationalists decided to purge the Kuomintang of all communists. In Shanghai, thousands of Communists were executed while others were arrested and imprisoned.

The purge in Shanghai inevitably caused further disarray in the politically violent period. The Kuomintang split between left and right, and those on the left, led by Wang Jingwei, condemned Chiang's purges. Chiang established his own capital at Nanjing, and through the summer of 1927, the Nationalist Party and its military forces were in disarray.

The disarray of the Nationalists in turn cave the Warlords the opportunity to rebuild their forces and engage the weakened Nationalists. The initial plan between the loose Warlord alliances was to position their combined army of 100,000 men around the lower Yangtze, drive the Nationalists south and pursue them further south into the province of Guangzhou.

Opposing the Warlord armies were three Kuomintang armies, often referred to as 'Route Armies'. The first was north of Nanking, the second to the west of the first army and the third stationed in the south.

The Nationalists could afford to muster the equivalent number of men, but it was very divided by political and leadership tensions. Importantly, it was the element of surprise that cave the Warlords the advantage of attack, as an offensive by the warlords was not expected Chiang or any of his commanders.

On the 24th of July, the Warlord Offensive began

Sun Chuanfang's force which included Xu Kun's forces to turn through the surprised Nationalist forces. This claimed in the loss of Xuzhou in the Jiansu Province, north of Nanking. In turn, the second army stationed in the area, was forced to withdraw using the Long-Hai railway as an escape route. The other Nationalist forces began to retreat south toward the Yangtze as the Warlord juggernaut swept away any opposition.

Chiang, learning of the offensive, was astonished to hear that Xuzhou had fallen to the Warlords. Sacking the army's commander, Chiang ordered Xuzhou to be retaken. Attacking with his forces in that August, Chiang was defeated at a terrible cost. Following the defeat, Chiang resigned on the 6th August as head of the Nanking Government.

Following Chiang's resignation, this left Li Zongren as de facto leader of the Nationalist Government. Initially setting out to negotiate with the Warlord Faction, the talks broke down when one Warlord, supported by Wuhan dissenters attacked the warship on which the negotiations were taking place.
After this, the talks had succeeded in getting Wuhan to cooperate with the Nationalists. Wang Jingwei at the end of the talks ordered the purging of all communists with Wuhan. This claimed in a military coup by the communists in Nanchang, leaving over 8,000 Nationalists dead.

In late August, the Warlord Army, now close to the Yangtze, launched an all-out attack on the Nationalist Forces. The First Route Army was poorly mauled while defending the city of Longtan which was vital to the supply of Nanking via Shanghai. The mountain of Wulongshan became another Verdun as Nationalist forces held out far longer than expected. Knowing the strategic importance of Longtan, Nationalist reinforcements entered the fray and pushed back Warlord contingents. On the 30th August, the whole Second Route Army attacked Longtan, and by the late afternoon had recaptured the city. The Warlord armies suffering heavy losses, fled back across the Yangtze River.

The period following the retaking of Longtan saw the Nationalists regroup and reorganization, once more under the command of Chiang Kai- Shek. The Wuhan Government, bowing to pressure, reconciled their position with the Nationalists and merged with the Nationalist Government.

On December 12th, the Nationalist forces, after re-capturing most of the territory lost that summer, captured Xuzhou.

The re-organization of the Nationalists was the death blow to the Warlord Armies. Sweeping across the remains of Sun Chuanfang's and Xu Kun's Zhili Clique forces, the Nationalists reached the yellow river by mid-April 1928.

In this period, Yan Xishan declared his intentions of capturing Beijing. Knowing it was best to evacuate, Zhang retreated north and was allegedly assassinated by Japanese conspirators.

In looking at the outcome of the Northern Expedition, today, it is viewed positively as it ended a period wracked by civil war and started a period of effective government. Despite this, the expedition did not fully resolve the issue of the warlords, as many still had large armies that served their needs, not those of China.

The Communists at the time, criticized Stalin for relying on the 'bourgeois' figures of the nationalists who had betrayed the peasant workers.

It is important to note that out of all the conflicting factions, the only one which was destroyed was the Zhili Clique. A large number of Warlords and varying factions remained and in some cases due due to their alliance with the Nationalists. The Warlord factions that worked for the Nationalists merely won Nationalist uniforms and verbally shouted the party doctrine.

The main struggles between the Nationalists and the Warlord factions would claim more lives during the following decade. This in turn would prove to be a problem for the Kuomintang during World War 2 and the Civil War.

Overall, Chiang earned the most from the campaign. Making the military superior to the party leadership, which enabled Chiang to become dictator.

It was January of 1986. I remember hearing that singer Ricky Nelson had been killed in a plane crash when a fire broke out in his small plane. They were headed to Dallas to do a New Year’s Eve performance as I recall. In China, thousands of students had just spent twenty days protesting for democracy and the demonstrations spread from Shanghai to Beijing, culminating three years later with that unforgettable massacre in Tiananmen Square in June of 89.

Deep in the heart of Texas, we were fighting a different kind of battle. When I say we I’m referring to the Christians in the city of Arlington. It was a spiritual battle, one which, I now realize, we had no business being involved in.

Not that way.

Not the way we did it. Fact is, despite our kicking of the largest hornet’s nest any of us could have ever imagined, the vast majority of Arlington Christians were unaware that there was a battle raging among them at all.

Making matters worse, in my opinion, those who dared to get involved were clueless as to how it was supposed to have been waged and fought. Like the charge of the Light Brigade, our well-intentioned heroics proved meaningless and devastating to the local Church.

My hope, and my reason for writing this treatise is that, despite the many teachings by spiritual leaders on the subject of Spiritual Warfare in books, from pulpits, and on Christian television across the USA, that someone, somewhere, will read it and spare themselves and their community the agony of what one well-meaning but misguided Church Body in Texas went through…and the spiritual, unrelenting backlash that ensued.

Norm Hines was a graduate and tenured professor of art at Pamona College in Claremont, California in 1984 when he was commissioned by Jane Mathes Kelton, CEO and COB of the Kelton Mathes Development Corporation (and an heir to the Scottish-American television magnet, Curtis Mathes), to take on the Caelum Moor project. It was a monumental work of art that would become the signature and focal point of The Highlands Business Park, a 340-acre multi-use business community in Arlington, Texas.

Norm made $1.5 million for the project, a task that would take him over two years to complete. The sculpture would consist of 540 tons of freestanding pink Texas granite – 22 pieces in all, ranging from 15 to 34 feet high – and was named Caelum after a remote constellation in the Southern skies which comes from a Latin word meaning “sculptor’s tool,” and Moor after the windswept, mystical moors of Scotland. The Stonehenge-like work of art, situated on 5.5 acres of a gently rolling park, included a small, winding lake, a fountain, seasonal landscaping, and a 350-seat natural amphitheater. The stones were set into 5 separate groupings, each being given its own Celtic name including Tan Tara, De’Danaan, Morna Linn, Tolmen Barrow and Sarsen Caer. Caelum Moor was one of the largest environmental sculptures in the Western Hemisphere.

From 1986 until 1997, this collection of twenty-two pinkish stones stood at the headwaters of Johnson Creek in Arlington. I vividly recall driving back to my home in DeSoto, through Arlington from Fort Worth in ’86 when I was passed on my left by a rambling convoy of some sixteen 18-wheeler flatbed trucks carrying the enormous pink stones for what was to become known as Caelum Moor. Instantly, I knew they would be trouble in whatever place they wound up. I never once considered that the stones were headed for Arlington. I figured they were just passing through.

Boy, was I wrong.

In time, Caelum Moor – and the war that we waged over that piece of ground – would be broadcast on CNN, FOX, Dallas-Fort Worth television, and in newspapers and on web sites all over the planet.

How it all began… In those days, I was attending a “Bapti-Costal” church called Arlington Christian Center (ACC) which boasted of having 3,000 members. ACC was located on Bardin Road and was situated on the (please write Pastor Michael at team1min@aol.com to obtain this book in its entirety)

Over the past 15 years I have had the privilege of travelling to China on a regular basis and have witnessed the fantastic economic miracle that has seen the transformation of China into a modern economy.

Cities such as Shanghai and Beijing have been literally transformed in less than a generation into gleaming cities that inspire awe in those that have seen this transformation. In almost all areas of the economy China has transformed itself into an industrial powerhouse and for all intensive purposes has caught up with the west in many critical areas.

In contrast to this continued and seemingly unending economic miracle the last decade has seen the United States first battered by September 11th then a series of costly wars. On the domestic economic front a series of unending economic problems.

A decade ago the bursting of the first internet stock bubble gave us a first taste of things to come. The last near global meltdown brought about by the US housing bubble and leading to the worst recession since the great depression has shaken confidence and led to considerable speculation as to the structural decline of the US.

As this article is going to press it is august 2011 and the latest US crisis the artificial and political crisis brought about by the debate about the government debt ceiling has heightened the sense of malaise and the feeling that America is now becoming more dysfunctional both politically and economically. While a political deal has been struck there is a growing sense that things cannot continue and will likely get worse before they get better.

There is no drought that the United States is facing some troubling problems with respect to the economy. In both the short term and the long term America has many challenges that it will have to face. So far it must be said that it is not doing a particularly good job of facing these challenges and the politics of the US currently does not inspire any degree of confidence.

With respect to China similarly there have been many years of uninterrupted growth and truly outstanding successes. In this article I neither wish to dwell on the success of China nor the problems facing the United states.

If we look at the world there are of course many factors that must be considered when analysing whether the US will continue in its privileged position as both the global superpower and preeminent economy.

If we analyse the world and the strength of all countries both economically, politically and militarily there are many factors to consider.

First geographically and demographically the United states cannot be displaced from the preeminent position on the American continents. With a population of over 300 million and its large diverse economy no country in either north America, south America or central America will ever be in a position to challenge the US. Most are too small and only perhaps Brazil with roughly half the size population of the US can over the long term perhaps get close to its size economically.

So if America can never be challenged in its own backyard how about the rest of the world. Well Africa is a non issue. there is no indication that in the middle east whose countries outside of oil markets will ever challenge the US as a preeminent power in the world.Yes middle east countries can cause problems for the US however none will ever occupy superpower status and most have much smaller population bases.those with richer economies are largely based on a single commodity Oil.

With respect to Europe, almost all problems that America faces the Europeans have.Most European countries are also aging rapidly and likely to be in worse shape than the US with respect to entitlement programs. There is no reason to believe that either Britain, France or Germany the largest economies could ever challenge the US for economic or military preeminence.

Russia and the former Soviet republics are also not a challenge to the United States.Russia has based its economy largely on energy. Russia is forecast to shrink by almost a third in population over the next generation. It is highly unlikely to ever challenge the US again as a preeminent economic or military superpower.

The Japanese also are highly unlikely to ever challenge the Us again for economic preeminence considering their rapidly aging population and the host of other problems that they are currently facing.

And here there is an important lesson. In my lifetime 30 years ago the future was supposed to belong to Japan. the Us was written off as a second rate power in decline. That was just before the Japanese stock market imploded and the property market crashed. Their economy has never recovered.

Which essentially leaves China and India. both with populations of over a billion people and both growing.

India however has a long road to go before it could ever hope to catch up to the US. India is also highly diverse with hundreds of different ethnic groups. it is very unlikely that in the next century it would challenge the US as a superpower economically or militarily.

So really the future will continue to hold the US as one of the most important nations globally. Whatever short term problems the US faces it will be one of the 2 most important countries on earth.

The question will only be whether it will remain the most important country or whether it will lose that position to China.

Here again let us put this in perspective. Yes China is growing rapidly and yes it will surpass the Us in total economic output shortly. this does not mean it will become a country that is more important to the World than the United States.

The following are some advantages that the US has that China does not.

The use of english around the world as the dominant language of business and because of history will realistically never be displaced by Chinese. And make no mistake this is a very critical advantage. The cultural and historic ties that the US has with Europe means that it is unlikely to be surpassed by China in its influence in this area.

The United States has also demonstrated a large advantage in having societies around the world adopt its culture and some aspect of its values, including paradoxically in China. The same cannot be said for the Chinese.

American brands are still global and dominant in many areas. How many Chinese brands can you name… American multinational companies still dominate globally. How many global Chinese companies can you name…

At this point it is also important to ask a very fundamental question. What actual structural advantage do the Chinese have..

They are not rich in resources. So the Chinese must scramble to try to go into areas that have proven very difficult in the past. Areas like Africa… Many areas in which they are trying to establish themselves have proven very volatile in the past.

While arguably the American political system has problems the Us has been fundamentally stable for well over 100 years. It is not at all clear that China will continue to enjoy a stable political climate in the coming generations.

Here again i am not going to enter a debate on the Chinese political system or structure.I will only say that it will only likely to face challenges when domestic growth slows or for that matter ends..

One of the main undisputed advantages that China has enjoyed has been a cheap labour force that is highly disciplined and hard working. The costs of labour in China however have risen and will continue to rise. Just as japan lost this advantage so will China. at that time it will have to rely on innovation to fuel economic growth.

Certainly as long as China is playing catchup in areas like construction and infrastructure there is room for more domestic growth. there are clear indications however of a developing bubble in housing in China as well as a dramatic decrease in the effective return on capital.

None of this takes away from the tremendous accomplishments of the Chinese or the fact that in my opinion China will continue to become a more and more important player on the world stage. I also wish the Chinese well in terms of navigating the road ahead.

The truth through is that America whatever its current problems will continue to play a crucial role in the world economy and on the world stage for the balance of the 21st century.

Divorce in China

According to China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs, 1.71 million couples divorced in 2009. These figures are only for divorces granted by the offices of the Ministry of Civil Affairs and do not include divorces granted by the Chinese courts. As per estimates, 20% of Chinese marriages end in divorce. In 2003, the Chinese authorities simplified the divorce procedures making it possible for a couple to divorce in a day for a small fee of 10 yuan. Ever since, there has been a sharp increase in the number of divorces in the last 8 years. In the larger Chinese cities of Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Guangzhou, the divorce rate is estimated to be around 35%.

Chinese divorce laws

China’s first marriage law was passed in 1950. This law allowed divorce only after mediation and counseling had failed. China enacted a revised marriage law in 1980 called “Marriage Law of the People’s Republic of China”. This was subsequently amended in 2001. Chapter IV of this law deals with Divorce. As per Chapter IV, Article 31, a husband and wife seeking divorce should apply to the marriage registration office of the Ministry of Civil Affairs. The marriage registration office will confirm that both parties mutually want a divorce and appropriate arrangements have been made for the care of any children and the disposition of property. Once the authorities in the marriage registration office are convinced, they will issue a divorce certificate.

In case only one of the spouse wants a divorce, then he/she can approach the People’s Court to initiate divorce proceedings. The People’s Court must first attempt reconciliation between the estranged couple. As per Article 32 of the Marriage law, the People’s Court can grant a divorce on the following grounds:

• One spouse is guilty of bigamy or cohabiting with another person.
• In cases of domestic violence, abuse or neglect.
• One of the spouse is engaged in gambling, drug use, etc. and refuses to reform.
• When the husband and wife have been separated for two years due to lack of mutual affection.
• Any other case which destroys the affection between husband and wife.
• One spouse is reported missing.

When the spouse of a soldier who is in active service seeks a divorce, then the divorce can only be granted if the soldier gives his/her consent. Only if the soldier has made grave errors, will his/her consent not be required.

Divorce rules were simplified in October 2003. A couple seeking a divorce could go to the marriage registration office with their marriage certificate, residence books, identification cards and a written divorce agreement and get a divorce on the same day. Prior to this simplification of the rules, the couple seeking a divorce had to produce recommendations from the institutions where they worked or from the local residents’ committees or from the villagers’ committees.

Why do Chinese nationals who want to immigrate to the United States of America require a certified translation of the divorce certificate?

The Chinese to English translation of the divorce certificate or divorce decree is needed in two situations:

1] When a Chinese national wants to marry a U.S. citizen and they want to settle in the United States of America, the Chinese national can apply for a marriage visa or fianc visa (K-1 visa or K-2 visa). If the applicant has been previously married and divorced, then he/she will have to submit the Chinese to English certified translation of the divorce certificate to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

2] In case a divorced Chinese national has successfully immigrated to the United States of America and subsequently decides to marry in the US; then he/she will have to submit a Chinese certified translation of his/her divorce certificate when applying to a civil marriage court in the USA.

Chinese to English certified translation service

Chinese certified translations of the divorce certificate should be as per U.S. Federal Regulations 8 CFR 103.2 (b) 2 relating to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Immigration Regulations/Powers and Duties – Availability of Records.

Xian is steeped in rich cultural history and over the years it has been targeted by China to become an ideal place for people to invest in. Xian is the capital of Shaanxi which in turn is a province in China. The economic advantages and the fast growth of Xian in all sectors especially software in Xian has led to the boom of outsourcing and IT in this area.

To put the growth of Xian into numbers, the value of its export market is well over 42 million U. S. Dollars. It has a policies that promote growth, a large labor force available to it and a solid financial foundation as well as many great financial services. This has allowed it to become a very strong outsourcing city.

China has invested a lot in Xian and has provided it with an excellent infrastructure and transportation that is comprised of cutting edge technology. Its trains are high speed while the airport itself is one of the largest in all of China.

In fact, recently Xian has become the outsourcing and software hub of China. There is a new software park that was launched nine years ago and has maintained enormous growth yearly. Worldwide there is an economic downfall and this has helped Xian because people are looking for better value and lower cost. So, they are actively seeking out the products produced in Xian.

Large fortune five hundred corporation are finding that moving to Xian or having a presence there is beneficial. This is growing the city very quickly. While China is on pace to become the biggest economy of the world, Xian is reaping rewards because of the this strength.

Xian is growing rapidly and the numbers show that the city has become an attraction for global entrepreneurs. The human resources are rich and more cost effective than Beijing or Shanghai and with the encouraging financial policies in place to promote Xian companies from around the world are looking more and more towards this city.

The National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base of Xi’an is the next step that China is taking in Xian. It would cover 23 km and will concentrate on developing IT, new materials apart from numerous other technologies. Apart from the aviation industry the city is focusing on a number of other sectors that are important for a strong economic future for the city.

Some of the policies that benefit Xian include tax incentives for companies to locate themselves in Xian and making it easier for technical graduates to locate relocate there. Xian is a worldwide leading in IT, aviation and other technology industries. It is a rapidly growing city with a strong infrastructure.

The help from the Chinese government along with Xian’s own endeavour to improve its technology and keep pace with the world has made it a successful economic software hub.