*pushing dingbat & co. aside*

Chris, the "black" comes from an American idiom that refers to the state of a business's accounts. "In the red" meaning a negative balance in the ledger, "in the black" meaning all is well in the profit column.

There is a terrific irony in the use of this term, "Black Monday" because a generation ago, it was the same term used to refer to the most monumental financial disaster in the history of this nation. It is the same term used when referring to Monday, October 28th, 1929, the date that the U.S. stock market crashed, ushering in the period in American history known as the Great Depression.

Cindy hates shopping. Thank the good Lord for the internet. All shopping is completed and items en route to the little recipients. Cindy loves technology (and Johnny).