Categories
History

[EXHIBITION] Illinois Holocaust Museum

keep-calm

Hmmm, a new exhibition highlights the British experience of the Second World War by leading with the Keep Calm and Carry On poster… I really hope they also highlight that it wasn’t used:

An import from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, “Keep Calm and Carry On” showcases the ingenuity and defiance of the British on the homefront during the London Blitz. Of particular interest are colorful “propaganda” scarves designed by Jacqmar scattered throughout the show. In addition to covering up hair that suffered from shampoo rationing, the scarves also promoted a variety of patriotic messages in cunning ways. A pink scarf emblazoned with black script reading “Switch off that light, darling,” might read as a seductive come-on, but it also reinforced the importance of following blackout rules.

Read more about the exhibition, or the museum.

Categories
History

Americans comment on UK Happiness Monitoring

So it’s official. Stiff-upper-lip-Brits have gone all touchy-feely. Today the Guardian Newspaper reported that “The UK government is poised to start measuring people’s psychological and environmental wellbeing, bidding to be among the first countries to officially monitor happiness.”

On this dull, dark afternoon in London, we UK-based Newsfeeders can’t imagine that the survey will find the Brits in the throes of estactic jubilation. While some nationalities run hot and cold, the Brits do tepid better than any other tribe; they seem to have the emotional constitution of a used tea bag.  You should see the way they flinch when we Americans end conversations with “have a nice day.” Of course, this equanimity proves useful in times of adversity; “Keep Calm and Carry On” was a motto that got the Brits through the Blitz and has reappeared during the current economic downturn. So why suddenly the obsession with happiness?

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/11/15/brits-monitor-the-countrys-happiness/#ixzz1TQmb4pV0