Happy Thanksgiving!

Yesterday, America celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday. Thanksgiving is about "giving thanks." Americans take a day to share a meal with their friends and family. Many people also collect food to give to charity or volunteer their time to help the poor. At Thanksgiving we try to stop and appreciate the world around us and say thank you to our friends and family for their help and support. 

But Thanksgiving isn't just a serious holiday.  It is also about eating a lot of really good food and spending time with your family and friends. Each year there is a huge Thanksgiving parade in New York City. Thanksgiving is also a big day for sports. There are many different (American) football games played that day. Many people will go to these event with their friends and family or watch them together on television. 

For many Americans, Thanksgiving is also a sign that autumn is ending and Christmas is coming. After today, Christmas is less than a month away. 

President Obama!

 Wow. This is a very exciting day in America. Whether you supported Obama or not, his win means so much in terms of American history. Obama's victory does not mean that America has solved or eliminated racism and prejudice-- it hasn't and we have a lot more work ahead of us-- but it does mean a major, symbolic barrier has been broken.  It is a very positive sign, to Americans of all ages and races.  

Election day 2008

Right now in America the clocks are about to hit midnight. That means election day in finally here. Each year in the United States the first Tuesday in November is the day that Americans go to vote. They vote for many different political positions (from Mayor to President) and ballot questions (to ask for new laws or governmental changes).

We vote for a President every four years and this year we'll be deciding on a new President. Will it be the Republican, John McCain? Or the Democrat, Barak Obama? There are some very big problems that the next President will have to deal with. The current financial crisis that is hurting so many countries and the war in Iraq are two of the biggest issues for most Americans. But there are still several other areas many Americans are concerned about, particularly jobs, the environment, and health care. 

The election this year has gotten very tense. There are some scary things happening in the world right now and everyone is very worried about choosing the right person to be President. No matter who is choosen, however, something exciting will happen in the White House. We will be electing either our first woman Vice-President or our first African American President. This gives us something celebrate, whichever candidate wins. 

If anyone out there has any questions about the election, please feel free to ask! I'm happy to try and answer.