*At the White House, President Barack Obama pardoned a turkey named Courage. Yes, even the pardoned turkeys must be inspiring. “Thanks to the interventions of Malia and Sasha—because I was planning to eat this sucker—Courage will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate,” Obama said, regaining his coolness points.
*The day after Thanksgiving marks the start of the holiday shopping season. Sophisticated American customers might be interested in what is being hyped up as “the Christmas gift of the year!” in trendy Stockholm: an iron nail bed. Coming to an IKEA near you in time for Valentine’s Day?
*The Christian Science Monitor explores the tolerant legacy of the Pilgrims’ 11 years in the Dutch city of Leiden. “The Pilgrims—unlike British Puritans who wanted to turn Massachusetts into a theocracy—sharply advocated church-state separation,” Robert Marquand writes. “They heretically believed that women should be allowed to speak in church. They were far more tolerant of other faiths and open to the idea that their theology, like all human dogma, might contain errors.”
*The Pilgrims are believed to have had a feast that included lobsters, clams and mussels at the 1621 Thanksgiving gathering. May I suggest bringing back the original menu?
*ModernDomestic offers some trusty recipes for pumpkin pie and other desserts as well as emergency hotlines for everything else.
*Those of you in London this Thanksgiving can polish it all off with a pint at the Mayflower, a lovely pub nearby the spot from which the Mayflower set sail. Happy Thanksgiving wherever you’re celebrating!