HISTORY / Bob Feldman : A People’s History of Egypt, Part 11, Section 2, 1945-1946

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer
Henri Curiel was the leading figure in the Egyptian communist movement in the 1940s.

A people’s history:
The movement to democratize Egypt

Part 11: 1945-1946 period/Section 2 — Egyptian communist groups grow and face government retaliation.

By Bob Feldman | The Rag Blog | November 15, 2013

[With all the dramatic activity in Egypt, Bob Feldman’s Rag Blog “people’s history” series, “The Movement to Democratize Egypt,” could not be more timely. Also see Feldman’s “Hidden History of Texas” series on The Rag Blog.]
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David McReynolds : We Are All Wounded Veterans

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer
March to alternative Armistice ceremony in Regents Park in London, November 11, 1938.

Until the guns fall silent:
We are all wounded veterans

In the bad wars — which are the only wars we have fought for some time now — there is the terrible knowledge that the enemy was never really the enemy.

By David McReynolds | The Rag Blog | November 12, 2013

There was something infinitely sad and even repellent about the recent celebration of Veterans Day. This was once Armistice Day, the observation of the 11th minute of the 11th hour of the 11th day in November 1918, when the guns fell silent and the great war ended. The war to end all wars.
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RAG RADIO / Thorne Dreyer : October Interviews with Poppy Northcutt, Maneesha James, Seth Holmes, and Thomas Zigal

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer
Frances “Poppy” Northcutt with Rag Radio’s Thorne Dreyer in the studios of KPFT-FM in Houston, Friday, October 25, 2013. Photo by Guy Schwartz / The Rag Blog.

Rag Radio podcasts:
Thorne Dreyer interviews Poppy Northcutt,
Maneesha James, Seth Holmes, and Tom Zigal

Our October guests address Texas feminist history, issues involved with death and dying, the plight of migrant farmworkers, and the post-Katrina craziness.

By Rag Radio | The Rag Blog | November 11, 2013

Thorne Dreyer’s guests on Rag Radio in October 2013 included pioneering Houston feminist Frances “Poppy” Northcutt, president of both the Houston and Texas chapters of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and a historic figure in the women’s movement; psychotherapist, meditation facilitator, and death and dying counselor Maneesha James; anthropologist Seth Holmes, author of Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies about the plight of migrant farmworkers; and novelist Thomas Zigal, author of Many Rivers to Cross set in post-Katrina New Orleans.
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Michael James : Going Off Campus, 1965

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer
Sam and Theophilius at sunset in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Photos by Michael James from his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James’ Pictures from the Long Haul.

Pictures from the Long Haul:
Going off campus:
Idaho, Wyoming, and Connecticut, 1965

I proceeded to quote Tom Paine: “Let them call me rebel and welcome, I feel no concern from it; but I should suffer the misery of devils were I to make a whore of my soul.”

By Michael James | The Rag Blog | November 11, 2013

[In this series, Michael James is sharing images from his rich past, accompanied by reflections about — and inspired by — those images. This photo will be included in his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James’ Pictures from the Long Haul.]
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Alan Waldman: ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ Tops Second Tier of My Favorite Britcoms

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

 
Waldman’s film and TV
treasures you may have missed:

Patricia Routledge stars as a middle class woman who puts on aristocratic airs in this very popular Britcom.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | November 10, 2013

[In his weekly column, Alan Waldman reviews some of his favorite films and TV series that readers may have missed, including TV dramas, mysteries, and comedies from Canada, England, Ireland, and Scotland. Most are available on DVD and/or Netflix, and some episodes are on YouTube.]
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BOOKS / Nina Herencia : Are We Hearing You Well, Mariann?

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

 

Are we hearing you well, Mariann?
New poetry and drawings from the Wizard

By Nina Herencia | The Rag Blog | November 6, 2013

Mariann Wizard has published two books this month; the second one, Hempseed Food: The REAL Secret Ingredient for Health & Happiness, will be reviewed soon in The Rag Blog. Mariann will launch Hempseed officially on Saturday, November 9, 7-9 p.m., at Austin’s Brave New Books, 1904 Guadalupe, and promises to read a bit from Didn’t You Hear Me the First Time? as well at that event.
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RAG RADIO / Thorne Dreyer : Father-Daughter! Newsman Dan Rather & Environmental Activist Robin Rather

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer
Dan Rather and Robin Rather on Rag Radio, Friday, September 27, 2013, in the studios of KOOP-FM in Austin, Texas. Photos by Roger Baker / The Rag Blog.

Rag Radio podcast:
Legendary newsman Dan Rather
and environmental activist Robin Rather

Their first ever father-daughter interview is a funny, far-ranging discussion spiced with lively anecdotes, sharp political insights, and touching family memories.

By Rag Radio | The Rag Blog | October 21, 2013

Legendary newsman Dan Rather and Austin-based environmental activist
Robin Rather join Thorne Dreyer for their first-ever father-daughter
interview. The incisive, far-ranging, and frequently funny session was originally broadcast live on Rag Radio, Friday, September 27, 2013.
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Michael James : Kidnapped to the Highlands, 1964

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer
Fishing boat on Monterey Bay. Photos by Michael James from his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James’ Pictures from the Long Haul.

Pictures from the Long Haul:
Kidnapped to the Highlands: 
Gibson Beach and Monterey Bay, 1964

This morning on Monterey Bay is blessedly calm. Joe, smoking a Camel, steers the boat west as the morning sun emerges over the Santa Cruz Mountains.

By Michael James | The Rag Blog | October 17, 2013

[In this series, Michael James is sharing images from his rich past, accompanied by reflections about — and inspired by — those images. This photo will be included in his forthcoming book, Michael Gaylord James’ Pictures from the Long Haul.]
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HISTORY / Bob Feldman : A People’s History of Egypt, Part 11, Section 1, 1945-1946

Posted on October 17, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer
Egyptian students demonstrate on February 21, 2012, to mark anniversary of 1946 student and worker uprising. Photo by Mai Shaheen / Ahram Online.

A people’s history:
The movement to democratize Egypt

Part 11: 1945-1946 Period/Section 1 — Worker and student struggles lead to general strike.

By Bob Feldman | The Rag Blog | October 17, 2013

[With all the dramatic activity in Egypt, Bob Feldman’s Rag Blog “people’s history” series, “The Movement to Democratize Egypt,” could not be more timely. Also see Feldman’s “Hidden History of Texas” series on The Rag Blog.]
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Alan Waldman : ‘Dalziel and Pascoe’ is a Dramatic Yet Funny Yorkshire Cop Series

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer

 
Waldman’s film and TV
treasures you may have missed:

For 59 episodes, its humorously mismatched lead characters stopped a wide range of dastardly doings.

By Alan Waldman | The Rag Blog | October 8, 2013

[In his weekly column, Alan Waldman reviews some of his favorite films and TV series that readers may have missed, including TV dramas, mysteries, and comedies from Canada, England, Ireland, and Scotland. Most are available on DVD and/or Netflix, and some episodes are on YouTube.]
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Tom Hayden : Becoming Two Countries in 2014

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer
Becoming two countries. Image from Shutterstock / sojourners.

The war for America:
Becoming two countries in 2014

Joined by a right-wing Roberts Supreme Court and funded by the likes of the Koch brothers, the Right is consolidating its power on a scale not seen since the Jim Crow era of the Dixiecrats.

By Tom Hayden | The Rag Blog | October 3, 2013

The logic of voter turnout data all but guarantees right-wing Republican congressional victories in 2014 and a sealing of the divide of America into two countries for the foreseeable future.
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INTERVIEW / Jonah Raskin : Oral Historian Margaret Randall on Che and the Cuban Revolution

Posted on October 2, 2013 by Thorne Dreyer
Margaret Randall, Berkeley, California, March 23, 2011. Photo © Scott Braley.

Interview with Margaret Randall:
Feminist, poet, and oral historian of Che,
Fidel, and the Cuban revolution

“Che, even on his early motorcycle adventure through Latin America, was deeply affected by human misery and beginning to figure out what he felt could be done to alleviate it.”

By Jonah Raskin | The Rag Blog | October 3, 2013

Margaret Randall, 77, lives today in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where her roots run as deep as they do in Mexico, Cuba, and Nicaragua where she has also lived for extended periods of time.
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