( Read more... )

My will is easy to decide ( Read more... )

"I have lived like an artist, and I shall die like an artist"
"I have lived like a rebel, and I shall die like a rebel"
"Don't waste any time in mourning - organize!"

My will is easy to decide,
For there is nothing to divide.
My kin don't need to fuss and moan --
"Moss does not cling to a rolling stone."
My body? Ah, If I could choose,
I would to ashes it ( Read more... )

I'm not normally a big country music fan, but I discovered this number, by Alan 'Cathead' Johnston, about the assassination of Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers, on YouTube (the images are from The Terror of the Tug, a locally-produced drama on the subject):

Click to view

There is archive film footage of the real Sid: an impish-looking wee lad, who looks nearer 14 ( Read more... )

I've recently got interested in the West Virginia Mine War, to be horrified that there is a new battle for Blair Mountain, the site of the miners' uprising (some call it the largest civil uprising after the American Civil War). It's an event which is often glossed over in history teaching. Historic site status (which the landowners didn't like, ( Read more... )

In honour of the Birthday Boy.

Tomorrow I'm off to the Scottish IWW meeting.

Edited to add:
Wobbling went well, and I am going to get more active in my local branch. There is a tremendous historical legacy to be brought forward, and it seems to me increasingly relevant. I hope to post more on Wobbly and related history and culture.

Well, as a result of the Guardian's post by Clancy Segal for Labour Day, I found myself captivated by the lovely Joe, and began reading up on him in some earnest. Here are some thoughts on William M Adler's new biography, The Man Who Never Died (I'll cover some other works in a later post)( Read more... )

Hi! New member here! I come bearing gifts and eye-candy! Thought you'd like to know about this article in the Guardian. I've ordered the new Adler biography, and will be interested to see his arguments in full. The NY Times piece is very good. I'd known the Hayes/Robinson song for years (my parents are Robeson fans, and I heard The Laggan perform ( Read more... )

Hi, people. I'm now making a job of translating some of my old posts from Russian. Some of them are dedicated to the history of the Russian Great October Revolution,Soviet Union, ACP(b) etc. What problems of Russian history are you the most interested of?
I can also make some posts especially for this community based on the wide material I have.

Hey everyone. Even though this group isn't the most active, I am trying to stay on top of all of the spam posts to make sure your friends lists are clear of random russian (?) spam and porn posts. So if you see some up, please be a bit patient and know that I'm deleting them as soon as I see them. In the meantime, try not to encourage them by ( Read more... )