Devizes Melting Pot

“Protection. Conservation. Restriction. Deep ecology. Give me deep technology any day. They don't scare me. "I'm damned if I'll crawl, my children's children crawl on the earth in some kind a fuckin' harmony with the environment. Yeah, till the next ice age or the next asteroid impact." (Moh Kohn, The Star Fraction)/ "This is the fight between God and the Devil. If His Grace is with God, he must join me, if he is for the Devil he must fight me. There is no third way" King Gustavus Adolphus

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Name:
Location: Devizes, Wiltshire, United Kingdom

University graduate, currently working as an Information Assistant for the NHS. Interested in politics, history, sci fi etc.

Friday, December 31, 2004

December 31: Death toll from the Indian Ocean tsunami, according to government and health officials.

East Africa 137*
Bangladesh 2
Burma 36
India 10,736**
Indonesia 79,940 up to 100,000
Malaysia 72
Maldives 67
Sri Lanka 28,508
Thailand 4,500***

Total 123,998

* The tsunami killed people as far away as east Africa. This figure includes Kenya, Seychelles, Somalia and Tanzania.
**The Indian government says there are 10,736 confirmed and presumed dead.
***Data from Thai national and provincial disaster centres collated by Reuters, includes at least 2,230 foreigners.

From The Guardian

Special Report - Indian Ocean tsunami disaster

Battle to reach survivors

Britons raise £32m for tsunami disaster appeal

In death, imperialism lives on

Sunni militants warn Iraqis to boycott poll

Charity that begins at home does not have to end there

The Great Crime Spree of 2004
Rape, torture, murder, war crimes, and treason – your government at work by Justin Raimondo


Confused About Democracy

Britons shun New Year's parties in favour of night in

Peres deal ensures Gaza withdrawal

Palestinians killed in Israeli army raids

Israeli railway to cross West Bank

Mosul election staff quit en masse

Car-bombings, gun battles rock Riyadh

Tsunami Disaster Survivors’ Misery Deepens in Asia

HRA releases report on Israeli violations against Christian, Muslim holy places

CENTRAL ASIA: ATTITUDES, ABUSE CONTRIBUTE TO SPREAD OF AIDS

Thursday, December 30, 2004

Tsunami Toll Jumps to Over 125,000, Fear Lingers

Tsunami death toll hits 123,000

Donations to tsunami appeal treble overnight

Israel talks of pullout from West Bank

Israel stops Palestinians voting in Jerusalem

Peres joins Israeli government

Poll: War Bad for Business by Jim Lobe

Why Arab Leaders Love the Iraqi Election by Aaron Glantz

A state of chaos ~George Bush has purged the last of his father's senior advisers, handing over control to his neocon allies

Inflexibility and prejudice keep women from top jobs

A parade of charlatans

The Writing on the Wall: Hania Batar

Release of children should be a priority

Mosul electoral commission resigns

U.N. Tsunami Aid Gathers Pace, Delays Denied

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

Nations pledge tsunami aid

1755 Lisbon earthquake

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Asian Disaster Toll Could Top 100,000 -- Red Cross

In the wake of the Asian tsunami from Al Jazeera

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Aid arrives in tsunami disaster zones ~ Death toll nears 70,000

Race to Bury Asia's Dead as Toll Nears 70,000

One train, more than 1,700 dead

Asian quake affected Earth's rotation

Aceh death toll could reach 80,000

Editorial: Challenges of Relief

Attacks target Iraqi police

Susan Sontag dies aged 71

We Must Leave Iraq Sooner rather than later ~ by Justin Raimondo

The Neoconnerie: Of Lice and Fleas

Bin Laden Strikes Out ~ by Juan Cole

Why this year has taught me to be more of a cynic

Bye, Bye Unipolar World ~ by Jim Lobe

World unites to help save the stricken as disease threatens

Elections without Democracy

Wave toll 'could exceed 100,000'

Tsunami toll high among children

Race to Bury Asia's Dead as Toll Hits 63,000

The true horror emerges

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Asia Disaster Yields Its Dead, Toll at 59,000

And here's the latest toll:

Indonesia 27,174
Sri Lanka 18,706
India 11,499
Thailandia 1,516
Somalia 100
Myanmar 90
Malaysia 65
Maldive 55
Tanzania 10
Bangladesh 2
Kenya 1
Total 59,218

Quake prompts enormous aid effort

INITIAL HELP FROM AROUND THE WORLD

AUSTRALIA: 4 transport planes; $7.6 million
BELGIUM: 22 tons of aid from MSF and UNICEF to Sri Lanka
BRITAIN: Plastic sheets, tents to Sri Lanka; 370,000 pounds to EU aid effort; $100,000 to WHO relief effort
CANADA: $4 million to Red Cross-Red Crescent
CHINA: $2.6 million in emergency aid
CZECH REPUBLIC: Plane to Sri Lanka with drinking water; also aid worth $444,400
EUROPEAN UNION: 3 million euros immediately
FRANCE: Plane, rescue workers and aid to Sri Lanka; 100,000 euros for rescue efforts in Thailand
GERMANY: 1 million euros; disaster relief team sent to Sri Lanka
GREECE: 17 doctors and medical staff
ISRAEL: Medical teams to Sri Lanka and Thailand; search and rescue team to Sri Lanka
JAPAN: Medical team to Sri Lanka; damage assessment group to Indonesia
KUWAIT: $1 million in aid supplies
NETHERLANDS: 2 million euros to Red Cross-Red Crescent appeal
SINGAPORE: $1.2 million to global effort; medical teams on standby
SPAIN: 1 million euros; plane with aid and sanitary equipment to Sri Lanka
SWEDEN: Tents and communications equipment to Maldives; $750,000 to global appeal
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: $2 million in aid; three plane-loads of aid to India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka
UNITED STATES: $15 million in aid; three patrol aircraft to assess damage
IMF: Intends to provide help, but no specifics UNHCR: Plastic sheeting, plastic mats, rope and non-food relief packages for 2,000 families in Sri Lanka
UNICEF: Clothing, blankets and sleeping mats, water tanks, medical supplies in Sri Lanka and India
UN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: $100,000 each to Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, the Maldives and Thailand to assess needs
UN POPULATION FUND: $1 million to address health needs of pregnant and nursing women

Tsunami deaths top 50,000

The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami ~ News and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts

Tsunami toll nears 30,000

Main Sunni party pulls out of Iraqi election

Nanotechnology boost for medical diagnosis

Israel accused of obstructing Palestinian election in east Jerusalem

How can religious people explain something like this?

Greater Government Spending Has Not Enhanced National Security

Bereaved Parents Lead Humanitarian Trip to Iraq

Multiple Tikrit blasts kill many police

Arab League: No Palestine soon

Crime and asylum head public concerns

Biggest relief operation gets under way

Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (ca. 138 BC–78 BC)

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Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (September 29, 106 BC, Picenum - September 29, 48 BC, Egypt)

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Gaius Marius (157 - January 13, 86 BC)

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Marcus Tullius Cicero (January 3, 106 BC - December 7, 43 BC)

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Marcus Porcius Cato Uticencis (95 BC-46 BC) - Cato the Younger

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Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus Major (236 - 183 BC)

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The Gracchi

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Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus (163 BC-132 BC)

Gaius Sempronius Gracchus (154 BC-121 BC)

Monday, December 27, 2004

Tsunami death toll rises to 23,500

Blair backs elderly 'choice' ~ Market reform plans fail to convince Brownites

US ponders election pledge to Iraqi Sunnis

The Fallacy of '39 ~ Why is every petty tyrant dubbed the new "Hitler"? by Justin Raimondo

Neocons and the Cult of State by Chris Moore

Yes, you must pull out - but also pay for the damage ~ The US isn't protecting or feeding Iraqis, it's stoking violence and hardship by Naomi Klein

World watch

Palestinians: Inmate release a PR ploy

Tsunami death toll may exceed 50,000

Top Sunni group pulls out of Iraq polls

Palestine groups slam Blair conference

Gazan students' fugitive lives

Jordan acquits 'terror plotters'

Israelis hold candidate Barghouti

Hamas scores at the ballot box in challenge to Fatah

First Jewish settlers agree Gaza move

Friday, December 24, 2004

The Devil's Christmas We celebrate the Prince of Peace in the shadow of war by Justin Raimondo

Insurgents operate at will in Mosul, US says

Bam rises from the rubble but the pain remains

Blair bowed to Israel, say Palestinians

Palestinian fighters shot dead

The cost of Christmas

US bombing marks return of Fallujah's displaced people

Empires prefer a baby and the cross to the adult Jesus

Thursday, December 23, 2004

US Seeks to Silence Arab Democracy Activists by Aaron Glantz

Blair visit secures London talks on Middle East peace

Dam is threat to Iran's heritage ~ Unesco appeals for help as ancient sites face being flooded

Coming next from Michael Moore: Sicko, the film

2004: Killing, kidnapping and corruption

Shredded: Hundreds of thousands of government documents

Local Palestinian elections begin

Man killed and five critically injured as knifeman goes on rampage

Religious tourism and freedom of movement denied in isolated Bethlehem

From Nazareth to Bethlehem, anno 2004

Editorial: The Qaddafi Connection

Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Now They're After Rummy ~ Why the neocons turned on their former 'stud muffin' by Justin Raimondo

Blair defends Middle East peace efforts

'Professional criminals' stole over £22m, say police

19 US troops killed in explosion at mess tent

Writer held as China turns on intellectuals

Quiet, or I'll call democracy ~ Iraqi women were long the most liberated in the Middle East. Occupation has confined them to their homes

Palestinian killed in fresh Israeli raid

US forces seal off Mosul

Toll mounts in fresh Israeli raid

The mother of all disasters?

Ten more years? ~ Senior MPs warn British troops will be in Iraq for a decade, as Blair in Baghdad proclaims: 'We are not a nation of quitters'

Shallow logic and illegal detention ~ The internment of non-British terror suspects cannot be justified

Six dangers for Labour

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Palestinians killed in Gaza raid from Al Jaeera

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Kill Missile Defense Now

Budd links Blunkett to visa fast-tracking

22 killed in Mosul attack

UK children's charity to pull out of Darfur

A rare, hopeful calm ~ Tony Blair will find the most conducive climate in years when he arrives on a peacemaking mission in Israel today, writes Ian Black

100,000 flee fresh fighting in Congo

Blair makes surprise Baghdad visit

KARIMOV CONTRIBUTING TO HIS OWN DEMISE IN UZBEKISTAN

Somerville Divestment Failure is Bittersweet

The radical who is leading a new English revolution

Why Blair's trip will not succeed ~ The US is too partisan to see that the Palestinians cannot give more

Monday, December 20, 2004

The Forgotten Turkmen of Iraq

50 arrested after Najaf bombing

Terror QC: more will quit special court

Bloody day hits Iraq poll hopes

France shocked by double murder and beheading at psychiatric hospital

The third man: Blunkett saga gets murkier

More lawyers threaten to quit over Belmarsh

Blair hopes to allay Israeli suspicions over peace talks

US censors silenced me over the Gitmo gulag

Hamas vows revenge against Israel

Israeli forces kill 10 Palestinians in Khan Yunis, many more wounded

Clarke faces ID cards rebellion

Sunday, December 19, 2004

Blunkett: I'm a working class victim of the rich

Bible is 'lies and spin,' says C4

Sharon woos old foe Peres into coalition

Detainees' QC quits citing 'odious law'

A poll governed by fear: millions will get no chance to vote, and the war will go on

Israeli helicopters strike Gaza towns

US accused of stifling UN Arab report

Forced Yukos auction under way

Iraq election workers shot dead

Palestinians 'to be freed soon'

some funny pictures and cartoons I've collected from atrios and Daily Kos

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Saturday, December 18, 2004

Mosul victim beheaded at roadside

The Fallujan Dystopia by Tom Engelhardt and Michael Schwartz

Iraqis killed in attack on polling station

Palestinians killed in southern Gaza raid

Ten Things Progressives Should Know About the United Nations Oil-for-Food Scandal

Poll shows wish to curtail US Muslims

Israeli parties reach unity pact

Belmarsh: a new affront to justice

Republicans and neo-cons call for 'arrogant' Rumsfeld to quit

Historic breakthrough: way clear for Turkey to join EU

'A Muslim country will benefit Europe'

WANTED: Middle East Mediator

The Writing on the Wall: Terry Boullata

Insurgents Attack Iraq Election Offices

Friday, December 17, 2004

As Israel Debates Syrian Overture, Washington Presses To Stop Talks

Judges' verdict on terror laws provokes constitutional crisis

Turkey talks held up over Cyprus

Sharon backs Blair's London summit plan

The price of Yukos

Israel's Fifth Column in Washington ~ The AIPAC spy scandal points to a massive undercover operation by Justin Raimondo

Are They Serious About Syria?
by Jim Lobe


The end of Belmarsh ~ Charles Clarke must now release the detainees

Rights group: Iraq war tribunal flawed

Gaza tunnel collapse claims lives

Abbas rejects Sharon offer on Gaza

Four killed in Mosul attack

Israeli tanks move into Gaza camp

Sharon foresees 'year of peace'

Law lords condemn Blunkett's terror measures

Rwanda threatens to reignite Africa's bloodiest conflict

US Accuses Israel of Spying; Second Charge in 4 Months

Saddam Hussein Meets Lawyers

Israeli Army Raid Into Gaza Kills 5 Palestinians

The law lords have made an admirable defence of our fundamental freedoms

Thursday, December 16, 2004

Barak's Not So Generous Offer to the Palestinians

Israeli assault in south Gaza from Al Jazeera

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Law lords back terror detainees

'I am a European' ~ As official talks begin in Brussels, Mark Oliver asks British Turks and Kurds about their views on Turkey's entry to the European Union

Soldier who shot Briton admits lying

For faith and country: insurgents fight on

Yukos files for bankruptcy protection in Bush's backyard

How Iran will fight back

The $65m question

The struggle is no longer against religion, but within it

Leaflets of fear

Pointing forward, moving backwards

With the ISM in Balata refugee camp

‘Chemical Ali’ First to Face Trial

Clarke blow No. 1: Ruling hits key anti-terror measure

EU leaders to offer Turkey deal on membership talks

Powerful blast rocks central Baghdad

Judges outlaw UK's Guantanamo

Bin Ladin condemns Saudi government

Palestinian fighters killed in clash

Abbas hopeful over Israel truce

The Last Days of Yasser Arafat by Suzanne Goldenberg

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

The Yushchenko 'Poison Plot' Fraud ~ He's poisoning Ukrainian politics with lies by Justin Raimondo

Rummy Back on the Rocks? by Jim Lobe

Blunkett resigns

Schröder faces Turkey basting

Yukos files for US bankruptcy

Abbas says intifada was mistake

Pinochet warrant suspended

It's a time for giving

Sanctions against apartheid South Africa should inspire the Palestinian people

Bill will not introduce 'backdoor euthanasia'

Allawi accused of rushing trials for Saddam's aides

Israelis kill Palestinian on Gaza road

Controversy greets Egypt-Israel pact

Tuesday, December 14, 2004

Next Target: Iran?

Dangerous Delusions About Iran by Paul Craig Roberts

UK must investigate Iraqi civilian's death

MPs to vote on 'legalised euthanasia' bill

Pinochet arrested on murder charge

Aznar 'wiped files on Madrid bombings'

Israelis hasten land grab in shadow of wall

Israeli forces shell Palestinian school in Khan Yunis

Islamabad Denies CIA Has Set Up Bases to Hunt for Bin Laden

Mentally-ill girl who was sold for sex faces death penalty in Iran

Hamas: Israel behind Damascus bomb

Israeli MP: Arabs are worms

Bombing targets Baghdad Green Zone

Britain is conniving in torture ~ Prisoner abuse cannot be justified on moral or utilitarian grounds

Sack Moore, angry Muslims tell Telegraph

World's tallest road bridge opens

Monday, December 13, 2004

The Ukrainian Template It's the Next Big Thing by Justin Raimondo

Ballot boxing ~ Brian Whitaker looks at the prospects for democracy in upcoming elections in three very different Arab countries

Four more years of decline ~ George Bush's new administration will be filled with mediocrities

Only Just Palestine Solution Will Bring an End to Terror: Turki

Editorial: Israel’s New Coalition

Car bomb kills seven in Baghdad

Poverty and despair of Britain's lost generation

Occupation forces pick off Hamas man

Gaza braced for more attacks

Al-Barghuthi quits presidential race

Turkey offers to heal the wounds between West and the Islamic world - for a price

Sunday, December 12, 2004

Geneva Convention relative to the Treatment of Prisoners of War

Cabinet colleagues turn on Blunkett

Berlusconi's top ally jailed for Mafia link

Guantanamo Britons 'losing sanity' as fears grow for terror suspects held in UK

Fighting rages in Falluja

Israeli tank injures Palestinian children

Fetal Choice — Would You Abort a Deformed Fetus?

Abbas appeals for UN intervention

Ukraine candidate 'was poisoned

Abbas apology to Kuwait over Iraq

CENTRAL ASIA: WHAT CHANCE FOR DEMOCRACY?

MENTAL HEALTH CARE IN GEORGIA -- FORGOTTEN BY THE REVOLUTION?

Saturday, December 11, 2004

A cat breed I really think is beautiful is an Abyssinian

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a very cute pic

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Beautiful colour too

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another cute pic

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Abyssinian Kittens