A pox on both your houses...

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Wednesday January 06, 2010 · 8:37 AM PST

2010/01/06 · 08:37

Again, I go to Shakespeare, who said things so much better than I will ever be able to:

A plague o' both your houses..

Often quoted as "A pox on both your houses."

This is a famous quote from Romeo and Juliet. As Mercutio dies, he utters this phrase three times, cursing the families whose rivalry led to his death. The phrase is commonly applied to criticize warring factions whose rivalry brings ruin to others.

Pretty much boils down my feelings about the pissing-match that continues to be the "Wreck List" for the last several weeks.

More of what will, I'm sure, be the least-popular diary of the day (since it will have no natural cheering section) below the fold...

Timoteo

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Tuesday December 29, 2009 · 7:32 AM PST

2009/12/29 · 07:32

Sometimes the most cliché sentiments carry a weight of truth:

For I am much ashamed of my exchange:
But love is blind and lovers cannot see
The pretty follies that themselves commit;

Modern medical science suggests Shakespear might have been on to something:

A research study in 2004 by University College London found that feelings of love suppressed the activity of the areas of the brain that control critical thought.

Love is Blind ... Really!

So I guess I don't feel at all guilty for being uncomfortable when people talk of "loving" a politician.

More below the fold...

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How blind is Timoteo?

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How blind is Timoteo?

Needs glasses

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Needs that lazar thing on his cornea

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Needz seein' aye woozle

5 votes

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Health Ins "profit before people" - "smoking" scam

Timoteo

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Wednesday July 15, 2009 · 7:34 AM PDT

2009/07/15 · 07:34

This is really not a diary, so I apologize. It's one of those self-indulgent pleas for help that people occasionally post here, and I figure if we are all due at least one, I'll take my shot this time.

My partner's employer does a bi-annual "health assessment" with all employees. My partner is very physically fit, and has always passed these with very high (96%+) scores.

So we were pretty shocked when his last health assessment came in only 60%, and he was told his premium would be more than doubled, with $300 in 'back premium' taken from his next paycheck.

When we pressed for a reason, after calling a number of people, we were finally told he was now being classified as "a smoker" and would be charged the increased "smokers rate"

Funny thing, he is NOT a smoker -

Timoteo

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Thursday May 14, 2009 · 10:14 AM PDT

2009/05/14 · 10:14

From the NYT:

The Explorers program, a coeducational affiliate of the Boy Scouts of America that began 60 years ago, is training thousands of young people in skills used to confront terrorism, illegal immigration and escalating border violence — an intense ratcheting up of one of the group’s longtime missions to prepare youths for more traditional jobs as police officers and firefighters.

I'm speechless. Kicking out gay kids and atheists is also no longer enough. Nope, now it's all about teaching them their new role in some right-wing survivalist porn fiction scenario?

More after the fold...

Timoteo

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Friday January 11, 2008 · 7:29 AM PST

2008/01/11 · 07:29

I know, this is a tough decision.

And a lot of my Equal-supporting friends here, Equalizer, nutragurl and 2sweet4U, are going to be very disappointed with my decision.

But I just had to face reality. As much as I love the "little blue packet"... the writing is on the wall.

Timoteo

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Friday December 09, 2005 · 2:15 PM PST

2005/12/09 · 14:15

I guess it shouldn't be a suprise, but I shudder every time I see a story like this.

NORWALK, Ohio (AP) -- A boy whose parents are accused of making their special-needs adopted children sleep in cages testified Thursday that the couple forced him to live in the bathroom as punishment for bed wetting... The Gravelles are trying to regain custody of the 11 children, ages 1 to 15, who have problems such as fetal alcohol syndrome, HIV and a disorder in which children eat dirt.

Now, the story goes on to detail the abuses Sharen and Michael Gravelle are alleged to have done to their foster children. But there is very little else detailed about this family. But one minor detail did slip through, or was perhaps included by a savy reporter... Read More

Bush AIDS Advisor: Leviticus holds the cure for HIV

Timoteo

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Monday June 27, 2005 · 7:40 AM PDT

2005/06/27 · 07:40

While I don't diary very often, I am an avid daily consumer of the great work of SusanHu, Mary Scott, PlutoniumPage & so many others here. The common theme in many recent diaries is the BushCo inability to deal with a 'reality-based' world. This shows up in multiple dimensions on every issue from Iraq, the economy and the "war on terror."

But in the area of public health, and HIV, the administration is more than divorced from reality - it appears as if Bush and Company have been granted an annulment.

This was all too apparent at the recent 27th Quarterly Meeting of the President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Among the 'money' quotes: Gay and Lesbian rights lead to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and The Bible and Leviticus are the basis for sound Public Health policy.

More insanity follows .... Read More

Bishop Tutu: USA = Apartheid South Africa

Timoteo

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Thursday December 30, 2004 · 1:13 PM PST

2004/12/30 · 13:13

Bishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the 1984 Nobel Peace Prize, gave an interview to Newsweek Magazine recently: Full Story Link

The 73-year-old Tutu is an Anglican archbishop who fought the racist, semi-fascist apartheid-based regime in South Africa through the 1970s, 1980s and up to the mid 1990s, when the country finally became a Democracy in a fairly bloodless revolution.

Tutu says Bush is not religious, and that, in fact, the US is growing to look like the semi-fascist state he spent most of his adult life opposing.

More below: Read More

What is "Social Marketing" - and how it helps us defeat Karl Rove

Timoteo

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Wednesday December 22, 2004 · 10:21 PM PST

2004/12/22 · 22:21

Flashback to your middle-school days. If you are like me, you remember the anti-smoking education you were exposed to, in particular the pictures of black and cloudy lungs.

Medical professionals & teachers loved these things - they were so educational! The problem was, they didn't prevent kids from smoking.

The response was predictable - MORE detailed and information-packed pictures and diagrams.

You will perhaps recall the creepy "cutaway" drawing of a human body, in full color, showing how smoking damaged lungs, heart, brain and vascular system.

But even these efforts failed to motivate most youth to avoid smoking.

Finally, by the early 1990s, the field of "Social Marketing" began to mature, and medical professionals slowly realized that educating people with the facts was NOT enough- that crafting the message was more important than the message itself, at least in the eyes and ears of the people you were trying to reach.

It's a trick that Democrats and Progressives could stand to learn as well, because it is a potentially powerful tool to defeat the Karl Rove "Echo Chamber" and its grip on America. Read More

Is our "Big Tent" big enough?

Timoteo

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Saturday December 11, 2004 · 4:32 AM PST

2004/12/11 · 04:32

This diary is going to be a bit of a departure. I am one of the 'newbie' diarists at dKos, and I'm also one of those who have been pushing populism as a way for the Democrats to win national-level elections. [As was outlined in the excellent article - The DaVinci Code for Democrats - which was summarized in a recent fromt page diary.]

In this process I have sometimes been highly critical of those advocating centrism, and the DLC position. This has occasionally led me to be abrasive as the rhetoric heated up - for this I feel I should apologize. [Though, to be fair to myself, I can safely say I am not alone here!]

As the debate and discussion has continued, I am now considering a revision of my position ... and, within a carefully thought-out context, I am at the point where I feel I can say "Centrism is GOOD for the Democratic Party."

Have I lost my mind? More below the fold...
Read More

Is winning worth the cost? The case for Class Warfare

Timoteo

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Monday December 06, 2004 · 10:41 PM PST

2004/12/06 · 22:41

Over the last few weeks, as part of the post-mortem since election day, a large number of the posted diaries have had to do with what type of strategy progressives (in general) and the Democratic party (in particular) should adopt to begin the slow climb back to national power.

The debate is familiar - terms like `framing' and `populism' get thrown about a lot. Ideas like `centrism' and `appealing to the base' are also frequently touted.

I'd like to add another concept, one that won't make a lot of people happy:

"class warfare."
Read More

"More Republican Lite, Please!" say Dem Govs

Timoteo

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Friday December 03, 2004 · 1:04 AM PST

2004/12/03 · 01:04

In their meeting Thursday, the nation's Democratic governors said that the leadership of the DNC needs to move "out of Washington and more towards the political center."

Original Story Here

Well, the 2004 election isn't even officially over yet, but I'm ready to call the 2008 election:

Nove 3, 2008:Republicans win landslide victory in Presidential, House and Sentate races.

More below the fold.
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A pox on both your houses...

Love is blind

Health Ins "profit before people" - "smoking" scam

US Boyscouts "Fight Terrorists"...

Why I am Switching from Equal to Splenda

Children in Cages = Family Values

Bush AIDS Advisor: Leviticus holds the cure for HIV

Bishop Tutu: USA = Apartheid South Africa

What is "Social Marketing" - and how it helps us defeat Karl Rove

Is our "Big Tent" big enough?

Is winning worth the cost? The case for Class Warfare

"More Republican Lite, Please!" say Dem Govs