Commerce in the absence of friendship spells the doom of civility, our heritage in fact.

Several of the themes I have touched on in this blog involve the character of Minneapolis as a city, and the culture and manners of the people who live here.  Here is an excellent essay on some of the early influences on this area, particularly the impact that British policies and attitudes had in our relations with the Native Americans here.  We take the tragedy and folly of the 19th century treatment of Native Americans as a given, but this essay reveals that a far different outcome might have resulted from the French holding on to the area.  The key word is friendship, and the deeper moral dimension it brings to matters of trade and commerce.  Read this.  It is important, and timely.

http://minneapolisobserver.blogspot.com/2010/11/currency-of-power.html

Everything for Everybody

Galeries Royales Saint-Hubert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Galeries were built in 1846, in Brussels, Belgium. They provided a climate controlled arcade more than two football fields in length.

"Under its motto "Omnibus omnia" (Everything for everybody), displayed in the fronton of its palace-like façade, the Passage Saint-Hubert attracted people of fashion. Brilliantly lit, it offered the luxury of outdoor cafés in Brussels' inclement climate, in an ambiance of luxury retailers that brought to Brussels the true feel of a European capital. In the premises of the journal, March 1, 1896, the first public showing of moving pictures took place of the cinematographers Lumière, fresh from their initial triumph in Paris." -- Wikipedia