Must we still CRINGE to London (and New York) ?

Must we in the backwaters of the former British empire still wait until London tells us its okay to mark the 100th anniversary* of the day that the news of nurse Edith Cavell's execution flashed around the world ?

And what if they forget and they don't - what then - must it go un-noted ?

And must we wait until New York tells us in the rest of the grateful world that it is okay to celebrate the 75th anniversary* of the birth of the Age of Antibiotics in their city ?

And what if New York forgets , like London , and does nothing - what then ?

Nova Scotia's glory days were actually during the cringing days when it was still a British colony  - its rapidly aging and declining population ensures it is ever faster becoming a global backwater.

But if I in backwater Nova Scotia want to join with other global backwaters to start the ball to mark Cavell's and Penicillin's big anniversaries , nothing should stop me.

And it won't !

* In both cases , the exact same day ---- October 16th 2015 

(The British have just announced Cavell will appear on a five pound coin)