History – Page 15 – Doug's Views

February 12, 2012April 18, 2020

Eurythmics Mended My Broken Heart

A classic human milestone is one’s first broken heart. It can happen at any age but it does happen to all of us at some point. My first broken heart was during my college years when my first real love didn’t share the same feelings for me that I had for her. I hit a very rough patch that took several months to heal. It also probably cost me two friendships as they got tired of my blubbering depression and needing to talk about the event incessantly. Lucky for me I had the Eurythmics on my record player for much of that tough time and their songs helped mend my broken heart.

I had been a fan of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart since “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” but there were two albums specifically that got me through my melancholy: “Be Yourself Tonight” (1985) and “Revenge” (1986). I had picked them up at a local record store and already had dubbed them to a blank cassette so I could listen to the music while walking to class.

January 27, 2012April 18, 2020

Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

One part of political debate I like is using images to make a point. Whether it is a chart or a quote image, these graphics hold on to the adage that a picture is worth a thousand words. They are also easy to share in social media. However one still needs to be careful one isn’t sharing inaccurate information. Don’t post or share any graphic unless you can confirm the accuracy of the information.

Earlier this year this chart was making the rounds of the blogs I read:

January 14, 2012April 18, 2020

Why I Hated Martin Luther King Jr.

My childhood nemisis
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

There are some people who have birthdays at inconvenient times. Some were born on or near Christmas or during some national tragedy like those born on September 11th. There are others who were born on leap day so they can only celebrate the actual day of their birth in years that are evenly divisible by 4. Back when I was in elementary school, my birthday conflicted with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Why did he have to be born the day after me? Martin Luther King Jr. ruined my childhood.

In my elementary school when someone had a birthday, they would bring in a treat for their classmates. The birthday boy or girl would get some kind of hat. The usual in my school was the paper crown you could get for free at any Burger King restaurant. We would also get to be first in line for recess, lunch, and for bathroom breaks. Then at a certain time, usually just after lunch the class would sing “Happy Birthday” and nosh on the treats. It was a special day and one I wanted to have very badly.

December 5, 2011April 18, 2020

Flashback: Naivete Can Be A Negative (2003)

Some people think the Occupy movement and the issues brought up by the protests is something new. I know I’ve been talking about corporatism and income inequality for many years. While archiving some past writings, I found an essay I wrote in 2003 which has ideas in it that wouldn’t seem out of place today – unfortunately.

December 4, 2011April 18, 2020

Misinformation Is Rampant In Anti-Union Camp

One of my hobbies is political debate. I would rather debate in person and I often do but I also like using ‘Letters to the Editor’ in local newspapers. Every so often I will read a letter that frankly pisses me off and I have to respond. One such letter in the Findlay Ohio Courier showed some anti-union views are based on misinformation.

The letter in question was written by a friend of mine who happens to hold a lot of cheap labor conservative views even though he is a blue collar worker. Here is the text of the letter that was published on 11/28/2011: