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Exhibit Lighting Group
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• Rental: lighting installations

Happy Thanksgiving. I love the holidays, especially the Peanuts’ videos, so enjoy at least the clip.

And if you don’t love these specials, then Sarah Palin is right: you aren’t a real American! You are probably palling around with terrorists in some elite, liberal ivory tower in San Francisco. Hah!

Smedley D. Butler

“I spent 33 years and four months in active military service and during that period I spent most of my time as a high class muscle man for Big Business, for Wall Street and the bankers. In short, I was a racketeer, a gangster for capitalism. I helped make Mexico and especially Tampico safe for American oil interests in 1914. I helped make Haiti and Cuba a decent place for the National City Bank boys to collect revenues in. I helped in the raping of half a dozen Central American republics for the benefit of Wall Street. I helped purify Nicaragua for the International Banking House of Brown Brothers in 1902-1912. I brought light to the Dominican Republic for the American sugar interests in 1916. I helped make Honduras right for the American fruit companies in 1903. In China in 1927 I helped see to it that Standard Oil went on its way unmolested. Looking back on it, I might have given Al Capone a few hints. The best he could do was to operate his racket in three districts. I operated on three continents.”

- Major General Smedley D. Butler, 1935.

More information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Is_a_Racket

President Obama called India and the United States “natural allies” after a meeting Tuesday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House, as the president hosts his first state visit.

Source:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120712790

President Obama called India and the United States “natural allies” after a meeting Tuesday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House, as the president hosts his first state visit.

Source:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120712790

China Overcapacity Wreaks Global Harm, EU Group Says (Update1)

via China Overcapacity Wreaks Global Harm, EU Group Says (Update1) – Bloomberg.com.

Along with Halloween, Thanksgiving is one of those events in the US that people elsewhere seem to know very little about, except from what we see on the TV and in the papers.

Currently celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, Thanksgiving has been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863, but did not become a federal holiday until 1941.

Modern Thanksgiving tradition traces its origins to a 1621 celebration at the Plymouth Plantation. The Pilgrims were unable to cultivate their usual crops and were saved from almost certain starvation by Squanto, a Patuxet Native American who resided with the Wampanoag tribe. He taught them how to catch eel and grow corn and served as an interpreter for them (Squanto had learned English while enslaved in Europe and during travels in England). After their first successful harvest, the Plymouth settlers held a feast to celebrate the event and to give thanks to God for helping them survive the brutal winter. At the time, this was not regarded as a Thanksgiving observance; harvest festivals existed in English and Wampanoag tradition alike. This “First Thanksgiving” lasted three days, providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Indians. The feast consisted of fowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin, and squash. However, the traditional Thanksgiving menu often features turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie.

You can read more about the different traditions here.

To end with, two different views of Thanksgiving, firstly, from Mark Twain:

Thanksgiving Day, a function which originated in New England two or three centuries ago when those people recognized that they really had something to be thankful for — annually, not oftener — if they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, during the previous twelve months instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors, the Indians. Thanksgiving Day became a habit, for the reason that in the course of time, as the years drifted on, it was perceived that the exterminating had ceased to be mutual and was all on the white man’s side, consequently on the Lord’s side; hence it was proper to thank the Lord for it and extend the usual annual compliments.

and a more modern cultural observation from The Governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger:

I love Thanksgiving turkey… it’s the only time in Los Angeles that you see natural breasts.

Have fun!

———————–

Strange Random Language Fact:

In Vulcan, Alberta, Canada, the tourist welcome sign is written in both English and Klingon (alien language from “Star Trek”).

L'euro sur la barre de 1,51 dollar

via L’euro sur la barre de 1,51 dollar.

Has the ghost of Chris Kernich been damned to the strip along East Main St. where he was beatdown? According to a local spiritualist who reportedly performed a reading there, it has.

According to sources, the request for the reading came from concerned blacks who, while travelling along the “high traffic street,” were allegedly “accosted” by an “angry presence believed to be Kernich.

The description of Kernich provided by the reader, who asked to remain anonymous, is a stark contrast to the numerous reports that cite him as “always having a smile.”

“He’s not wearing a smile anymore,” the reader is quoted as saying. “For selfishness and hypocrisy he has been damned to roam within a mile from where he was visited upon by Barker and Kelly,” the reader says. “It appears he is very sad about his sentence in which he must be a wayfarer to whites warning them of hypocrisy and selfishness. It should be a lesson for all them.”

This is just a technicality, however, and it means that companies can’t set up online sportsbooks there. US players can still bet online, since there are no laws that prohibit US residents from gambling online. In fact, many internet sportsbooks that are in other countries actually accept US players.

The recent move of US sports betting to the internet has definitely increased its popularity. Major events like the Superbowl are huge draws for gamblers and fans alike, and millions of dollars are bet on it every year. Online sportsbooks make it even easier, and even allow for Live betting – bets that are placed play-by-play while games are in progress.  In the end, as long as the US has sports, it will have sports betting, and the internet is a great place for it. Read more…

Click on the map for a larger version (1280 x 898 pixels).

The Smithsonian Institution/United States Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report for 18-24 November 2009 is available on the Global Volcanism Program website. The following is a summary and not a substitute for the full report.

• The current report: Weekly Volcanic Activity Report.
• Previous reports: Weekly Reports Archive.
• The SI/USGS map of volcanoes discussed this week.

New activity/unrest: Galeras (Colombia), Sarychev Peak (Russia).

Ongoing activity: Batu Tara (Indonesia), Chaitén (Chile), Karymsky (Russia), Kilauea (Hawaii, USA), Kliuchevskoi (Russia), Pacaya (Guatemala), Popocatépetl (Mexico), Rabaul (Papua New Guinea), Reventador (Ecuador), Sakura-jima (Japan), Santa María (Guatemala), Shiveluch (Russia), Soufrière Hills (Montserrat), Suwanose-jima (Japan).

Note: a.s.l. = ‘above sea level’.

NEW ACTIVITY/UNREST

Galeras (Colombia). An explosive eruption occurred on 20 November. Local inhabitants reported five explosions, sound waves and crater incandescence. The resulting ash plume was reported by Washington VAAC to have possibly risen to 14.3 km a.s.l. The plume drifted N, and ashfall was reported 10 km N, NNW and E. Seismicity increased after the eruption and then gradually decreased, and the alert level was lowered on 21 November from Red to Orange (‘eruption probable within days or weeks’).

Sarychev Peak (Russia). On 21 November a thermal anomaly was detected by satellite.

ONGOING ACTIVITY

Batu Tara (Indonesia). Darwin VAAC reported an ash plume to 2.4 km a.s.l. which drifted 90 km NW on 24 November.

Chaitén (Chile). Buenos Aires VAAC reported a gas plume from the lava-dome complex on 23 November which rose to 2.4 km a.s.l. and drifted SSE.

Karymsky (Russia). Seismic activity was above background levels on 12, 14 and 16 November, with no data available for other days during 13-20 November because of technical reasons. Elevated seismicity possibly indicated ash plumes rising to 3 km a.s.l. Analyses of satellite imagery revealed a daily thermal anomaly and ash plumes that drifted 130 km E during 12-14 and 17 November. Tokyo VAAC reported that on 23 November an eruption produced a plume that rose to 4 km a.s.l. The Level of Concern Color Code remained at Orange.

Kilauea (Hawaii, USA). During 18-24 November lava flowed SE through a lava tube system from beneath the Thanksgiving Eve Breakout (TEB) and rootless shield complex to reach the ocean at multiple locations between Waikupanaha and an area 700 m further W. Thermal anomalies detected by satellite and visual observations revealed active surface lava flows at locations on and at the base of the pali, at the TEB vent, and on the coastal plain. Incandescence was seen on the Pu’u ‘O’o crater floor. The Halema’uma’u crater vent continued to produce a white or off-white plume that drifted mainly SW and dropped small amounts of ash downwind. Incandescence originated from a circulating and spattering lava pond that occasionally rose above and drained back below holes in the vent cavity floor. On 21 November, a sliver of the rim collapsed and was followed by an explosion that produced a dense brown plume that dissipated after a few minutes. The sulphur dioxide emission rate at the summit remained elevated: 700-1,100 tonnes/day was measured during 18-20 and 23 November (2003-2007 average rate = 140 tonnes/day).

Kliuchevskoi (Russia). During 13-20 November seismic activity was above background levels. Strombolian activity ejected tephra 200 m above the crater during 13-15 November. On 14 November, a new lava flow traveled 500 m down the ESE flank. Satellite imagery revealed a large daily thermal anomaly at the volcano. The Level of Concern Color Code remained at Orange.

Pacaya (Guatemala). White and blue plumes from MacKenney cone rose up to 400 m and drifted SSW on 20 and 24 November. Multiple lava flows on the S and SW flanks traveled 100-250 m SE and SW. Incandescence was observed at night.

Popocatépetl (Mexico). During 18-20 November steam-and-gas plumes were emitted that sometimes contained ash. On 21 November a small explosion was detected by the seismic network, accompanied by an ash plume that rose to 8.9 km a.s.l. and drifted E, causing ashfall in Atlixco (23 km SE), Huejotzingo (27 km NE), and areas in the state of Tlaxcala.

Rabaul (Papua New Guinea). Darwin VAAC reported that ash plumes from Tavurvur cone rose to 2.1 km a.s.l. and drifted 35-90 km NW on 19 November.

Reventador (Ecuador). Based on a pilot observation, Washington VAAC reported that on 20 November an ash plume from Reventador rose to 6.1 km a.s.l. A thermal anomaly was detected on satellite imagery.

Sakura-jima (Japan). Tokyo VAAC reported that explosions on 18 and 23 November produced plumes that rose to 2.1-2.7 km a.s.l. and drifted S and E.

Santa María (Guatemala). On 20 November two explosions from the Santiaguito lava dome complex produced an ash plume that drifted SW. Avalanches descended the SW flank of the dome. An explosion on 24 November produced an ash plume the rose to 3.3 km a.s.l. and drifted SE. Ashfall was reported in areas downwind.

Shiveluch (Russia). During 13-20 November seismic activity was above background levels, indicating ash plumes possibly rising to 5.3 km a.s.l. Video cameras observed fumarolic activity and hot avalanches on 14 and 15 November. A large daily thermal anomaly on the lava dome was detected by satellite. Tokyo VAAC reported that on 18 November an eruption produced a plume that rose to 5.5 km a.s.l. The Level of Concern Color Code remained at Orange.

Soufrière Hills (Montserrat). During 13-20 November activity from the lava dome consisted of ash venting along with semi-continuous rockfalls and pyroclastic flows that were concentrated on the W flank. Ashfall occurred across many areas of the island. Views of the lava dome on 16 November showed that the dome height had decreased because of collapses and that a deep channel had developed NE of Chances Peak. Pyroclastic flows in the Gages Valley (W) continued down Spring Ghaut and Aymer’s Ghaut, and spread onto the alluvial fan below St. Georges Hill. On 19 November, heavy ashfall occurred to the NW between Old Towne and Brades. The Hazard Level remained at 3.

Suwanose-jima (Japan). Tokyo VAAC reported an explosion from Suwanose-jima on 18 November. Details of possible resulting emissions were not reported.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND DISCLAIMER

The foregoing is a summary of the Smithsonian Institution/United States Geological Survey Weekly Volcanic Activity Report covering 18-24 November 2009. It is provided for information only, and is based on but not a substitute for the full report, which comes with its own criteria and disclaimers. The map base is derived from the Smithsonian Institution/USGS/US Naval Research Laboratory This Dynamic Planet website.

For all our coverage of the SI/USGS Weekly Volcanic Activity Reports: Weekly Volcanic Activity Reports « The Volcanism Blog.

sau din highway în noroi…

Pe scurt: William Jefferson, fost membru al Congresului SUA, a fost condamnat pentru fapte de corupție la 13 ani de închisoare. În România, gluma proastă ce se cheamă justiție acordă atâta eventual pentru omor, și nici atunci întotdeauna (mereu se găsesc justificări și circumstanțe atenuante – își mai aduce cineva aminte de Carmen Păunescu?).

Diferența este ilustrativă. Pe când așa o știre și în România? Probabil niciodată, deoarece noi suntem o țară coruptă, dar fără corupți…

PS  Întregul act de acuzare poate fi citit aici.

By: RupeeNews | Moin Ansari

There is a parable in South Asia, mainly Bharat (aka India) which loosely translated goes something like this “All night long, we told you the lengthly and long-winded story of Ramayan–and in the morning you asks was ‘Sita’ one of the main characters–a man or a woman”. Obviously one who has ever read or heard the story of Sita, will never forget the fact that Sita was a woman. In Western terms it would be like reading Shakespeare and then asking whether Juliette was a woman or a man. This is exactly what happened in Washington. Even before Prime Minister arrived in Delhi, everyone know what the agenda would be—Bharati gripes against Pakistan on terror.

Mr. Manmohan didn’t realise that each time he mentioned Mumbai and terror in the same breath, it took millions of Dollars away from business in the commercial capital of Bharat. However he along with Sancho Panza in Delhi persisted in the old story of terror and why Pakistan should be sanctioned, blah blah blah.

After the long discussion, the congratulatory interview paid advertisement (interview) with Pakistanphobe Farid Zakaria and others, when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met with President Obama, he wanted to hear mr. Obama threaten, castigate, and scold Pakistan–to Bharati chagrin, the exact opposite happened.

After patiently listening to Bharati whining for the years, Washington essentially ignored Bharat, tripled aid to Pakistan, increase military supplies to Islamabad, and is working on construction a Reconstruction Opportunity Zone (ROZ), and a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Bharat’s arch-enemy.

Obviously Mr. Singh knew all this before he came to Washington. The Bharati lobby had essentially failed to derail the Biden/Kerry-Lugar bill and the amendment letter attached to it watered down or eliminated the Bharati inspired language in the bill.

This picture is very descriptive and worth a thousand words—as Mr. Singh “stood rapt withal”, his stone faced silence, drooping face and stoic demeanour was unable to hide the disappointment–when he heard President Obama snubbed the Bharati Prime Minister by loudly proclaiming that Pakistan was a very important ally of the United States and that it was doing a lot in fighting terror.

Mr. Singh will have a lot to answer for when he returns to Delhi–the opposition will tear him apart on why he was unsuccessful in his mission–maligning Pakistan

In a press conference with the Indian PM, the US president emphasised that Pakistan was progressing against extremism. —Photo by AFP

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday re-emphasised Pakistan’s key position in the American strategy for South Asia, telling a joint news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that Islamabad had an enormously important role in the security of that region.

His statement, in response to a question about US military assistance to Pakistan, was a calculated departure from the tributes he had paid to India earlier.

In remarks delivered before the news conference, Mr Obama described India as ‘indispensable’ for his visions for the future of the world, ‘a leader in Asia and around the world,’ and a ‘nuclear power’ with which the United States would like to work ‘in preventing the spread of the world’s most deadly weapons, securing loose nuclear materials from terrorists, and pursuing our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons.’

While Mr Obama continued this eulogy in the press conference as well, he paused to stress Pakistan’s importance in the South Asian region when an Indian journalist spoke about the perception that US military aid to Pakistan was misused against India.

‘Obviously, Pakistan has an enormously important role in the security of the region,’ said Mr Obama, adding that Islamabad could fulfil this role ‘by making sure that the extremist organisations that often operate out of its territories are dealt with effectively.’

I have gained confidence that there’s not an important question out there that has not been asked that we haven’t answered to the best of our abilities, the US president said. —Photo by AFP

While acknowledging that Pakistan faced the problem of terrorism, Mr Obama said he also had ‘seen some progress’ in Islamabad’s efforts to fight the militancy.

While Prime Minister Singh was bush playing victim in Washington, his Chief of Staff General Kapoor, suffering from Foot-in-mouth-disease was busy displaying his incompetence by threatening war to its nuclear armed neighbors.

Stephen Cohen a known Indophile who created the now debunked “Cold Start Strategy” has clearly said that the India and the US are strategically moving apart. This assessment comes in the wake of the reality that America’s new banker is not New York—it is Beijing. Prime Minister Manamohan Singh sheepishly mentioned this anomaly during his various conversations in Washington and elsewhere. While the chest thumping on democracy fell on deaf ears, what chagrined the prime minister and Bharati media was the fact that the US has ignored Delhi’s whining on Mumbai. Contrary to the lobbying efforts of Delhi, the US Congress tripled aid to Pakistan, and then some—it is also working on ROZ and a FTA with Pakistan. Unbeknownst to Delhi, the US Army has helped the generals in Islamabad with weapons that are under the radar or press and or media scrutiny.

‘The work that the Pakistan military is doing in the Swat Valley and in South Waziristan all indicates the degree to which they are beginning to recognise that extremism, even if initially directed to the outside, can ultimately also have an adverse impact on their security internally,’ he said.

‘So my hope is that over time what we’re going to see is further clarity and further cooperation between all the parties and all peoples of goodwill in the region to eradicate terrorist activity, to eradicate the kind of violent extremism that we’ve seen.’

Such cooperation, he said, would benefit the peoples of Pakistan and India, and the world community as well.

Mr Obama conceded that in the past the US-Pakistan relationship was ‘single-mindedly focussed just on military assistance’ and that the United States didn’t think more broadly about how to encourage and develop the kinds of civil society in Pakistan that would make a difference in the lives of people day-to-day.

His administration, Mr Obama added, had tried to change this approach by re-focussing its attention on helping the Pakistani people.

Showing more diplomatic skill than some of his senior diplomats, President Obama also nudged India and Pakistan to resume their dialogue without appearing intrusive.

‘One of the things I admire most about Prime Minister Singh is that I think at his core he is a man of peace,’ said Mr Obama before stressing the need for a peaceful resolution of India-Pakistan disputes.

‘Obviously, there are historic conflicts between India and Pakistan. It is not the place of the United States to try to, from the outside, resolve all those conflicts,’ he said.

Pakistan has important role in S. Asia: Obama

Is it really one year since those attacks? Seems like just days ago!

Of course newspapers and tv channels are talking loads about this ‘anniversary’. But I’m a bit concerned about something else. Lets face it, our relations with Pakistan are at an all time low. Pakistan is a hot bed of terrorism, its a proven fact. The army chief reports that around 2000 terrorists are waiting on the other side of the border waiting for an opportune moment to sneak in to our land. Pakistan lets go of the terrorists responsible for the attacks. The US simply refuses to take stern action and President Obama is, as always, going about pleasing all country heads. Add to that the economic slowdown of the developed countries. And what you get is the perfect ‘climate’ for terrorists in our neighbouring countries to spawn.

Now many are asking a question. Isnt it time we took things in our own hands? In other words, isnt it time to take military action against Pakistan? The answer to this question varies from person to person but here’s my take.

The Mumbai attacks have been one of the worst episodes of our country. I guess to some extent it reaffirmed the fact that our Union Home Minister Mr. P. Chidambaram confirmed on a documentary of National Geographic on the issue, ‘no country is safe’. Let us now mince words in saying that the attacks were horrific and merciless attacks of terrorism.

But even having accepted all these facts, I wouldnt want India to go on an ‘anti-terrorism’ spree taking military action against neighbouring countries. The US has had a terrible impact on the world thanks to their so called ‘war against terror’. Afghanistan is far from normal even after 8 years of anti terror actions. Iraq is another country which has had a similar effect thanks to the US response. Hundreds of lives lost, children killed, injured, seriously wounded, and thats just the human damage. Then there’s of course the material and cultural damage. All in the name of anti terror actions.

The world hated the US action and so did I. And I dont want my country to commit the same mistake the US did. First of all, not all the people in Pakistan support terrorism. And not all of them are terrorists. Even if a very carefully planned military action is undertaken, there’s no guarantee that it wouldnt kill innocent victims. And perhaps more importantly there’s no guarantee that terrorists would be eliminated in totality! Also, India’s image would take a beating. We cannot be an irresponsible nation at this juncture. Let the UN take action, or at least suggest proper action. Without the consent of the world, it wouldnt be very sensible to engage in a war with a neighbour. We dont want to be seen as another US-like superpower in the making, but as a responsible nation.

Image: Tom Curtis / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

A. Mitchell Palmer

“Behind, and underneath, my own determination to drive from our midst the agents of Bolshevism. I have discovered the hysterical methods of these revolutionary humans…The whole purpose of communism appears to be the mass formation of the criminals of the world to overthrow the decencies of private life, to usurp property, to disrupt the present order of life regardless of health, sex or religious rights…These are the revolutionary tenets of the Communist Internationale. These include the IWW’s, the most radical socialists, the misguided anarchists, the agitators who oppose the limitations of unionism, the moral perverts and the hysterical neurasthenic women who abound in communism.”

- A .Mitchell Palmer, United States Attorney General, 1920. Decades of fear-mongering about the supposed threat of ‘radical aliens’ to ‘freedom’ in the United States snowballed into the moral panic of the First Red Scare of 1919-1920, which provided an opportunity for American elites to wage open class warfare, persecuting political dissidents, opponents of corporate oligarchy and anyone who otherwise represented a threat to their class privileges under cover of fighting a supposed ‘Bolshevik’ threat to ‘freedom.’

More information:

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAredscare.htm

http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/Saccov/redscare.html

happy birthday kathy, thank you for your support and for helping me keep this site running.

“We know there is no way to accidentally cross the Iranian border. Josh Fattal, Shane Bauer & Sarah Shourd are American spies operating with the ter- roristic American Israeli Intelligence Agency (AIIA)
whose covert operation to create dissension in the 2009 Iranian elections failed. This operation has failed as well. Humanity must question whether the strictest sentence should be enforced against America and Israel’s efforts to imperialize and oppress the people of the people of color in the world.”

“She is a devout pro feminist college student from Iran whose pro West performance has fooled the world,” Iranian UPJ Twitter Correspondent EbrAhim Massoud (Link)

The Bureau of Labor Statistics, a non-military department of the federal government, refers to Americans who aren’t members of the military, as “civilians.“

The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines a “civilian” as:
1: A specialist in Roman or civil law.
2 a: one not on active duty or in the armed services or not on a police or firefighting force.
2 b: OUTSIDER

The last definition is particularly revealing. Does the non-military Bureau of Labor Statistics really regard Americans who are not members of the military, or police or firefighting forces, as outsiders? That would include themselves, by definition.

Why the use of the military term “civilian,” to refer to Americans who aren’t members of the military? Why not a non-military classification such as the categories of Americans who aren’t members of the military, police or firefighters, and those who are?

If the majority of Americans are outsiders to their government, according to the terminology implied by definition of the Bureau’s classification system, then what does that say about the form of American government today?