Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Turkey health tip:

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in Atlanta says there are two things you don't want to do as you cook your gobbler this Thanksgiving:
   1. put raw eggs in the stuffing, or
   2. undercook the turkey.
   They say the stuffing should be at least 165 degrees and the bird's thighs should reach 180 degrees to kill any bacteria present. Otherwise, you're looking at a potential for food poisoning.
   PS: Salmonella KILLS 500 people a year.

Turkey Trivia:
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and the National Turkey Federation says 95 percent of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving --average weight of the family bird: 15 pounds. Yeah, that's nearly 700 million pounds of turkey will be eaten tomorrow.

Factoid:

About 280 million turkeys are sold for Thanksgiving dinners in the U-S each year. (Source: Woman's Day magazine).

Factoid:

Frazee, MN, is home to the world's largest turkey. It's 22 feet high. It's a statue.

The U-S Census Bureau loves to tabulate obscure statistics related to some 20 holidays throughout the year; Thanksgiving is no exception. The typical American eats 13.7 pounds of turkey and 4.7 pounds of sweet potatoes annually.

A survey from the Lenox China Company about Turkey Day revealed the following:
   --90 percent eat turkey
   --9 percent eat ham
   --2 percent will also serve pork or beef
   --and 1 percent will serve chicken

America's favorite pies:

   --Pumpkin, 63 percent
   --Apple, 26 percent
   --Pecan, 7  percent
   --Lemon meringue, 6 percent
   --Sweet potato, 5 percent
   --Chocolate cream, 4 percent
   --Coconut custard, 3 percent

Macy's Parade:

The 84th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade kicks off at 9 am (Eastern) tomorrow in New York City.
   In addition to the 10-thousand Macy's employees, there'll be 11 marching bands, more than 19-hundred cheerleaders and 800 clowns.
   --There are 15 giant helium balloons; new balloons this year include Diary of A Wimpy Kid, Kung Fu Panda, Kool-Aid Man, Takashi Murakami's Kaikai & Kiki, and Virginia.
   --Performers this year include KANYE WEST, JESSICA SIMPSON, JUANES, ARLO GUTHRIE, BIG TIME RUSH, GLADYS KNIGHT and VICTORIA JUSTICE, along with the the casts of Broadway's "American Idiot," "Elf," "Memphis," "Million Dollar Quartet," the Big Apple Circus, and the cast and Muppets of "Sesame Street."

Finally:

To most people the day after Thanksgiving is "Black Friday." But to the American Dental Association (ADA), it's "National Flossing Day."
   Dental professionals say the day gives Americans the chance to start fresh with a new, healthy habit. After brushing, flossing every day is considered the most important thing you can do to keep healthy teeth and gums. Still, only about half of Americans say they floss their teeth. (Page)