Scootermania

September 8th, 2008 · 8 comments or link to (permalink)

Two brands have dominated the history of Scooters: Lambretta and Vespa.

The larger and more decorative Lambretta is often considered more desirable for vintage scooter enthusiasts, however, I have always preferred the minimalist simplicity of the snail-like Vespa from the early 60s, which seems to better capture the spirit of modernism rather than Mod.

This documentary traces the history of Viaggio and Innocenti scooters from post war Italy to mid 60s Britain. It has some particularly great period footage from the 50s.

8 comments » (report dead embeds in comments) tags: gear history

Von Braun the Nazi and Von Braun the Walt Disney Presenter

August 27th, 2008 · 1 comment or link to (permalink)

The fact that the US space program was kicked off by a Nazi who was let off because he was useful was made famous by Tom Lehrer. However the comparison between these two films rams the point home.

At top is color film from 1944 showing Von Braun as a Nazi, testing the V2.

And a Walt Disney space series from 1955, where Von Braun himself talks about space rockets.

1 comment » (report dead embeds in comments) tags: history ironic

After the Revolution – Georgia

August 11th, 2008 · comment or link to (permalink)

Worth linking to, even if there is no embed, a 20 minute, bleak, prescient, profile of Georgia from 2004.

“After the dramatic ‘Rose Revolution’ that saw him to power, will Saakashvili be able to unify his country?

The hardest tasks still lie ahead. Vast swathes of the country are outside his control. Having claimed independence, they answer to no one. Everywhere you turn in South Ossetia are signs of Russian influence. The police and soldiers wear Russian uniforms, cars have Russian numberplates and the region even runs on Russian time. But technically South Ossetia is part of Georgia. Saakashvili is doing his best to win back their support but any invasion would surely be bloody.”

I seems like the Russian invasion of Georgia is the inevitable result of 2 variables: natural resources and union.
Russia feeling it needs to be aggressive against splinter states to prevent fragmentation of other self identifying enclaves; and protecting access to oil routes. From the US Civil War to Iraq this is a feature of most conflict.

Link

comment » (report dead embeds in comments) tags: history world

Tank Man

July 30th, 2008 · 2 comments or link to (permalink)

A documentary about the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989. A lot has changed since then and one can’t help but wonder if prosperity leads more easily to freedom than protest.

2 comments » (report dead embeds in comments) tags: history world

Television Under The Swastika

July 14th, 2008 · 29 comments or link to (permalink)

“Michael Kloft’s documentary on the history of Nazi television…As early as the ‘thirties, a bitter rivalry raged for the world’s first television broadcast. Nazi Germany wanted to beat the competition from Great Britain and the U.S. – at all costs.”

Spiegel TV has tracked down rare Nazi TV footage, complete with everything from bizarre cabaret acts to interviews with people like Albert Speer. Pop culture done by Nazis, the banality of showbiz evil.

29 comments » (report dead embeds in comments) tags: history ironic