Wilson's Blogmanac
Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:31:27 +0200
Salvationists and radicals fought for workers' rights
 1888 Three young women were dismissed from the Bryant and May factory in East London, England, for exposing the appalling working conditions there. The other 672 women labourers went out in solidarity. The 'Matchgirls' Strike' itself was unsuccessful but the unity generated nationally was unprecedented and galvanised the labor movement worldwide.
On June 23, 1888, Annie Besant (social activist and later head of the Theosophy movement) had written an article in The Link, entitled 'White Slavery in London', the consequence of which was a three-week strike among the employees of the Bryant & May match company, whose female workers worked fourteen hours a day for a wage of less than five shillings a week. In this, she was helped by HH Champion (later an important radical activist and editor in Australia).
This action, in which Besant campaigned with William Booth and Catherine Booth of the Salvation Army, was the first strike by unorganised workers to gain national publicity. The 'Matchgirls Strike' was also successful at helping to inspire the formation of unions all over Britain , and Bryant & May workers gained some protection against the appalling conditions under which they had formerly worked, and the yellow phosphorus-induced diseases that had plagued them ...
Categories: labor-history, uk, radical-history, activism
Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:31:27 +0200
Turkish TV gameshow looks to convert atheists
ISTANBUL - "What happens when you put a Muslim imam, a Christian priest, a rabbi and a Buddhist monk in a room with 10 atheists?
"Turkish television station Kanal T hopes the answer is a ratings success as it prepares to launch a gameshow where spiritual guides from the four faiths will seek to convert a group of non-believers.
"The prize for converts will be a pilgrimage to a holy site of their chosen religion -- Mecca for Muslims, the Vatican for Christians, Jerusalem for Jews and Tibet for Buddhists ..."
Reuters
Categories: tv, religion, atheism
Sun, 05 Jul 2009 00:22:46 +0200
Banjo Paterson & Waltzing Matilda in the news
 Australian poet Banjo Paterson and his famous song about a radical unionist named Frenchy Hoffmeister who burnt down a shearing shed, are in the news again, this time from Spain, and from a dinosaur discovery in the Queensland town where Banjo composed the song.
Read about the origins of 'Waltzing Matilda'
1) "Don't be surprised as you walk down a street in Spain to hear someone humming or even singing the words to Waltzing Matilda.
"The catchy unofficial Aussie national anthem has become somewhat of a sensation in Spain since it was chosen by a mobile telephone company to promote its new summer tariff plan ..."
Source: Waltzing Matilda has become a Spanish sensation (with video)
2) "Meet Australia's answer to velociraptor.
"Nicknamed Banjo he had three large slashing claws on each hand and is the most complete meat-eater ever found in Australia.
"His remains were discovered near those of two other dinosaurs - new species of giant plant eaters - at Winton, in western Queensland ..."
Source: Banjosaurus: new Aussie dinosaurs found
Categories: australian-poetry, australian-literature, biography, history, henry-lawson, australia, bush-poetry, literature, poetry, labor-history, australian-history, radical-history
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 09:10:59 +0200
Independence Day, USA
 "The Fourth of July" is commonly associated with fireworks, barbecues, picnics and other public celebratory events.
The celebration itself is a historical misnomer. American independence was declared on the night of July 2, 1776; however, the Declaration of Independence was not actually adopted until July 4.
The founding fathers themselves thought that July 2 would be the day celebrated. John Adams, writing to his wife Abigail, noted:
"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epocha in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward for evermore." (July 3, 1776) ...
Was the USA founded on Christianity?
Categories: usa, calendar-customs
Sat, 04 Jul 2009 08:33:50 +0200
The Dog Days (Jul 3 - Aug 11)
In olden days it was believed that July's warmth, and the associated diseases, were to do with the heliacal rising and setting of the star Canicula – the Little Dog, or Dog Star (Sirius). Thus they called the period from July 3 to August 11, caniculares dies – 'the Dog Days'.
The name Sirius comes from the Greek word seirios, meaning 'scorching'. However, another explanation exists for the naming of the Dog Star: the Egyptians named it after Sihor, the Nile, and the Romans altered this to Sirius. According to Greek mythology, Sirius was seen as the dog of Orion the hunter, and he was also called kyon, Greek for dog ...
Categories: calendar-customs, ancient-rome, ancient-egypt, ancient-egypt, mythology
Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:20:33 +0200
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