Happy Back Friday

Here in the UK we don't do thanksgiving, we do give thanks, those of us who are Christians do it daily, no what I mean is we do not have a special day on which to give thanks, we do not celebrate a particular occasion when thanks were especially due. Since in a large part it was managing to get away from us for a whole year that was being celebrated that is not entirely surprising.

We are beginning to celebrate Halloween in the US manner, and there is a growing awareness of Thanksgiving, but I was a little dismayed this morning to hear on the radio that retailers were being encouraged to have "Black Friday Sales"    Personally I have more than enough to cope with already with all the "retail opportunities" offered by Christmas, I don't need any more.

On a more cultural note it seems a shame to me that more and more the American culture seems to be becoming more dominant, I enjoy the differences between Nations, and indeed regions.   The down side of the "Global Village" is that all the real Villages, Towns and indeed even Nations are getting increasingly similar.   We find the same store fronts on every High Street, the same companies providing our services, the same restaurant feeding us, and the same companies selling us our coffee. While I am sure that this may push up quality and keep down prices I like the independent local store, the local character, accent and food.

Viva la difference