vintage everyday: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

35 years after the fall: The Vietnam War in picture

U.S. military action in Vietnam was a piece in the global Cold War struggle. After Vietnamese nationalists overthrew French colonialists in the 1950s, the country was divided between the Communist north and the anti-Communist south. In the ensuing conflict, Washington backed the south, fearing that a Communist takeover could cascade through Southeast Asia. The first U.S. forces engaged in the conflict in secret, by way of Cambodia. As the civil war intensified in the 1960s, the United States expanded its operations in the region, deploying some 3 million American troops over time, but U.S. forces struggled to gain ground as they fought in difficult and unfamiliar terrain against extremely capable in guerrilla fighters. As the war dragged on and casualties mounted, opposition to the war exploded. By the time American forces withdrew in 1975 and Saigon fell to Ho Chi Minh's Communists, 58,000 Americans and between 1 million and 2 million Vietnamese had died. It was the longest war in U.S. history and the most unpopular American war of the 20th century. In this 1965 photo, paratroopers cross a river in the rain near Ben Cat, in the south.

The South Vietnamese regime backed by the United States in the early days of the conflict was notoriously corrupt and authoritarian. President Ngo Dinh Diem, who was part of the Catholic minority, populated his government and military with Catholics, fomenting widespread unrest among the country's Buddhist majority. In this image taken June 11, 1963, Buddhist monk Quang Duc burns himself to death at a busy Saigon intersection to protest persecution of Buddhists. The picture came to represent the failure of the Diem regime and a growing public relations problem for the U.S. Several months later, Diem was overthrown, executed and buried in an unmarked grave.

Hovering U.S. Army helicopters pour machine gun fire into a tree line to cover the advance of South Vietnamese ground troops in March 1965. The troops were moving to attack a Viet Cong camp northwest of Saigon near the Cambodian border.

A Vietnamese man holds the body of his child as South Vietnamese Army Rangers look down from their armored vehicle near the Cambodian border on March 19, 1964.

The 1960s discotheques of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles (as well as the boutique inside of Cheetah Nightclub in NYC). The last photo shows an early Velvet Underground performance, complete with colored gels and projections of Andy Warhol films.

Calling all wearers of Clever Crafty Clogs

You know how I admire you. You know how you inspire me. You know how much I want to find out more, more, more.

So, if you have some type of art or craft or creative gig going on (via a Blog, a Shop, a Market, a Nything) and you would like me to interview you via email for Maxabella loves... let me know! Leave a comment below or email me via maxabella@gmail.com
The interviews will be short, sweet and packed with meaning (ie, nothing like myself).

Can't wait to hear from you! x

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Is it easier to be nice in blogland?

On Friday night an exchange occurred that made me realise that it's easier to be a nice person in blogland.

We were at the school 'Icebreaker' function, where the grown-ups hang out without their cling-ons and have an uninterrupted conversation for longer than 30 seconds. It was fun. I mean, it was held under the covered area in the school playground with a couple of candles for 'atmosphere' and there was a lot of standing up involved and I couldn't shake the P+C President who insisted on being her own version of a cling-on, but, hey, a night out is a night out, right?

But I was complimenting a woman on how beautifully she was dressed and half-way through realised: Too Much. She was staring at me like I was a perverted stalker (and I wasn't even looking at her boobs!). This is what I said:

"You look so gorgeous tonight. I love how you've put that necklace with that dress... such a stylish touch. Really unique and special."

Weird IRL, huh? But a comment like that on, say, Kymmie's 'Fancy Pants' link would be just the warm-up, right? We'd go on to discuss the cute shoe, the hair, the studied pose. IRL, a casual 'you look nice tonight' is about the maximum expected or appreciated.

How often do you randomly go around complimenting people? Noticing the details? How often do you go out of your way to let someone know that they've made your day? That they're unique and special and talented and kind? That they are insightful, clever and fun?

No wonder we are all addicted to this special blogging community. It's probably not that we're all more caring and thoughtful - just that blogging allows us to be!

[Image via weheartit... I gotta get off weheartit because I hate not being able to find the correct source! Those darn tumblrs...]

Racing with Harley Davidson

Unseen World War II Photos

World War II photos taken in the former USSR during World War II on the occupied territories. These are photos from family archives posted online by grandchildren of those who took part in the war: the authors of most of them remain unknown. Some of the photos belong to the Soviet journalists: Dmitri Baltermants and Vladimir Lupejko. The photographs are cruel and shocking, but they should teach us about life and how precious it is. We are all equals during our short life on this planet and all nations should embrace others and cease all conflicts. For the better future of our children, may the history never repeat itself.

Don't you just love a coincidence? I've had three happen this week. One of the girls who is interested in our newly vacant nanny position used to live in our house. One of my fave bloggers lives in the same suburb as me. The new boyfriend of a work friend is an old school mate of mine.

Amaaaaazing every time.

So this week I'm grateful for...

1. Coincidences - there's a touch of the fairy dust about them. They let you form bonds you never expected for reasons that spark your imagination.

2. Knowledge - learning new stuff is a must for me. I never want to stop learning and growing and knowing. Right now it's how gardens grow. Later, who knows?

3. Movies - any spare time that I can gather I want to spend at the movie theatre. I have always loved it there.

So, what's making you smile today? Grab my I'm grateful for... button from my sidebar if you like, add your I'm Grateful For post below and please add a link back to me in your post. Then pop over to visit other bloggers who are spreading a little sunshine. Happy day to you!

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Make some new friends by linking up with our British friend, Mummy From the Heart's Reasons To Be Cheerful too!

Reasons to be Cheerful at Mummy From the Heart

[Image via weheartit... please let me know if it is yours.]

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Old Photos of the First Generation Of Computers

Computers, and technology in general, have come a long way in today’s world. The modern world is actually shaped and defined through the usage of computers, those neat little gadgets that do the hard work for you. Modern computers are also perfectly capable of entertaining, organizing, reminding, even surprising you. That wasn’t always the case. Here is glimpse of the history of computers and their humble beginnings. These computers may not have been as powerful as modern computers, but they’re old black and white photos are intriguing nevertheless. If for no other reason, then because those old computers were capable of filling a whole room with their robust circuitry. Enjoy these old photos of the first generation of computers.

AVIDAC, Argonne’s first digital computer, began operation in January 1953. It was built by the Physics Division for $250,000. Pictured is pioneer Argonne computer scientist Jean F. Hall.

A press conference for what is considered the first computer, the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC), was held at the University of Pennsylvania on February 1, 1946. The machine (shown here with a technician) took up an entire room, weighed 30 tons and used more than 18,000 vacuum tubes to perform functions such as counting to 5,000 in one second. ENIAC, costing $450,000, was designed by the U.S. Army during World War II to make artillery calculations. The development of ENIAC paved the way for modern computer technology–but even today’s average calculator possesses more computing power than ENIAC did.

The first ever computer in Latvia was developed and made at the start-up Institute of Electronics and Computer Science in early sixties. No computers were made industrially in USSR at that time. Therefore successful completion of that project certainly represented a significant achievement. Built on a lot of vacuum tubes, the computer actually worked well and was used for supporting research activities for several years till the time when it became possible to replace it by a more powerful industrially made computer.

The CSIRAC was Australia’s first computer. The name stands for CSIR originally stood for “Council for Scientific and Industrial Research”. This name was in effect from 1926 to 1949.

Some people are just not very nice. They don’t seem to have learned the golden life rule about treating others the way you would like to be treated yourself.

That bloke in accounts who lets the door shut in your face every single time. The kid who thinks 'merge' means 'push in immediately'. That guy on the train with his legs spread across three seats (his balls are apparently that big). That mother at the school gate who turns slightly away every time you approach. There are so very, very many of them.

They just don’t get the fact that life runs on little everyday niceties; they are Life Rude. Would it kill them to be kind?

So, how do we handle this unnecessary business without being rude right back?

1. Don’t reach for the PowerPoint
Tempting though it is to launch into a Modern Manners lecture complete with Venn diagrams, I wouldn’t go there. I remember cringing as a woman on the train once tried this with a big-ball-leg-spreader and she just sounded so whiny. The trouble with rudeness is that it is actually quite a trivial matter on its own. The more you sound off about it, the more inconsequential their rudeness seems.

2. The boxer approach
Depending on the type of day you’ve had, you could always just get physical. I’m pretty sure that squeezing yourself in next to that big-ball-leg-spreader and giving him a whacking-hard shove out of the way would make you feel a whole lot better. And imagine just walking up and decking that imperceptibly-snobby mum at the school gate. Oh, the blessed relief!

3. Cue your Look of Utter Contempt
Of course, I could never condone violence of any kind*, so instead I’ll recommend the non-verbal equivalent of a slap to the face. The Look of Utter Contempt.

This is the look you would give if you were the Queen of the World and they were some simple little serf prone on the floor in front of you beseeching you for their life. Your foot would ease out from your bejewelled gown to give them a smart kick to the face… oh, sorry, back on the violence again.

4. Cue your Look of Utter Distaste
If you get no luck with the Look of Utter Contempt, try the Look of Utter Distaste. This look is similar to what you might find on a face that has just discovered its attached foot has stepped in slightly-sticky dog poo, walked it through the newly-carpeted house, up the 27 stairs and into bed.

“What are you looking at?” says the loud-mouthed buffoon.** Cue your Distaste aimed directly at their eyeballs and say “oh, I’m looking at absolutely nothing”.

5. Beat them with niceness
When the looks and the brawling fail, it’s time to resort to being nice. Rudeness is always louder when surrounded by impeccable manners. Up your own nice factor, smile sweetly and bring them to their knees.

Rudeness: The hidden societal stress factor.

How do you show people that rudeness is not okay on your watch?

What’s the rudest thing you’ve ever randomly had done to you?

* Please ignore my 'blessed relief' comment in the point above. As a complete pacifist, I should never have written that. I don't know what happened.

** I’m not entirely sure what a buffoon is but I’m pretty sure I would know if I was Queen of the World and writing this with my quill.

[Image by the delightful Suse at Revoluzza as always. Thank you for your marvellousness, Suse.]

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Those wretched little moments

The Badoo was really sick last night. It started at around 11pm and went on until just after 3am. Vomiting every ten minutes until she was feebily retching and heaving every ten instead. "I don't want to do this anymore, mummy," said my weak little trouper at one point. My heart coiled.

How helpless and worried and pained I felt. And at the back of my mind, just for that one moment, but there: how am I going to manage work tomorrow? What if I need to stay home with her? How inconvenient.

Oh, how I hate it. How I hate myself in those wretched little moments. Fleeting, but slow enough to scar.

[Image via weheartit, please let me know if it's yours.]

Ulica knez Mihailova (Prince Michael Street)

Prince Michael Street (Serbian: Улица кнез Михаилова; Ulica knez Mihailova) is the main walking street in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is a pedestrian zone and shopping center, protected by law as one of the oldest and most valuable landmarks of the city. It has a large number of impressive buildings and mansions built at the end of the 1870s.

Prince Michael Street was declared Spatial Cultural-Historical Units of Great Importance in 1979, and it is protected by Republic of Serbia.