What are you doing right now?
George Bush, today, on the Thanksgiving holiday:
Our citizens are privileged to live in the world's freest country, where the hope of the American dream is within the reach of every person. Americans share a desire to answer the universal call to serve something greater than ourselves... let us show our gratitude for the blessings of freedom, family and faith, and may God continue to bless America.
Thanksgiving is all about togetherness, sharing and common values, for "reinforcing the ties that bind us". In that spirit, let's have a look at what's going on across the country and beyond as I type.
Los Angeles (10:00 PST)
After last night's travel chaos on 405, some keen consumers are taking advantage of some early holiday shopping:
Nichelle Thompson, 36, of Los Angeles and her 14-yer old son Justin arrived just before the opening of a Los Angeles Kmart to take advantage of a one-day sale and pick up a $54 combination DVD player and VCR.
"Tomorrow they‘ll have a whole new ad. Now I have to go through and circle all the things that I want to buy tomorrow and send my husband out."
Chicago (12:00 CST)
The McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade has been in full swing for three hours:
"It's an exciting, fun day on State Street and a great way to kick off the holiday season, and we're excited to be part of it," says Bryan Consolo, president of McDonald's Owners of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana which in August along with McDonald's Corporation announced a two-year title sponsorship of the parade.
"The parade will be led by the grand marshal Ronald McDonald, the most famous clown in the world, along with more than 100 parade units from around the world, marching bands, celebrity guests and floats," Consolo says.
New York (13:00 EST)
The Macy's parade continues, after strong gusts of wind forced organizers to fly the balloons lower than normal as a safety precaution:
Officials waited until right before the 9 a.m. start to decide whether it was safe for the event's famous balloons to float through Midtown despite the wet and wind. The balloons will be kept closer to the ground than usual.
But holiday makers brave the conditions to get themselves a good spot.
Encased in parkas and hoods, the four members of the Castellanos family were on the hunt for a good spot near Herald Square. They had traveled from Baltimore just for the parade and weren't going to be put off by the weather.
"We knew it was going to be bad," mom Lisa Castellanos, 35, said as the parade began. "But we're here already."
Camp David (13:00 EST)
President George W. Bush settles down to a low-key Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends. On the menu for their traditional dinner is "free-range roasted turkey, cornbread dressing, zucchini, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie".
Brighton (18:00 GMT)
It's six in the evening, and darkness has come early: a huge slate-grey cloud covers the sky, with the remnants of dusk peeking out from behind its margins. On the third floor of a half-empty open-plan office building, surrounded by dirty coffee cups, ignatz blogs.
Cologne (19:00 local time)
Americans living in Europe are slowly introducing the Thanksgiving celebrations to their families and friends.
“This is a family holiday that doesn’t require you to shop for gifts or decorate the house or think about what to wear,” said Ursula Cornely, a German art historian who lives in Cologne. “I love it.”
Baghdad (21:00 local time)
Workers in Sadr City Hospital and Sadr City Morgue earn their pay:
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Bombs kill 133 in Baghdad, gunmen storm ministry
Up to six car bombs killed 133 people in a Shi'ite militia stronghold in Baghdad on Thursday, in one of most devastating such attacks since the U.S. invasion.
A further 201 people were wounded, police said. The Interior Ministry earlier put the toll at 115 dead and 125 wounded.
The blasts, which were followed by a mortar barrage aimed at a nearby Sunni enclave, came at the same time as gunmen mounted a bold daylight raid on the Shi'ite-run Health Ministry.
Happy holidays, people.