Thanksgiving

On Parade: Snoopy, Spiderman, Buzz Lightyear, and the rest of the Macy’s parade balloons floated over Central Park West this morning. Winds were just below the level at which NY City would have grounded them. But Macy’s other contribution to Thanksgiving this year is that it is opening its stores. Kohl’s, JC Penney, Target and a list of big box retailers also are opening today, sparking a “Save Thanksgiving” movement and calls for shoppers to stay home.

Healthbeat: Another delay for Obamacare. The administration put off for one year a provision in the health care law that would allow small businesses to buy employee insurance through the federal web market. The administration said they have to get it right for individual buyers before turning to group insurance for business. This leaves President Obama vulnerable to more complaints that healthcare reform is a disaster.

World: An Egyptian court sentenced 21 female supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi to 11 years in prison. Seven are under age 18. They were found guilty of belonging to a terrorist group, obstructing traffic, sabotage and using force at a protest in Alexandria last month.

• The government of Sri Lanka says it is going to start counting the missing and dead from its 26-year civil war against the Tamil Tigers, who collapsed in 2009. Both sides have been accused of committing atrocities, but the last two years were particularly brutal and a UN estimate says 40,000 Tamil civilians died. The government has denied it.
• Japan sent warplanes on patrol in airspace China recently claimed over a group of islands also claimed by Japan. South Korea also sent a patrol through the area and China did not respond to either. China had initially said it would police the area with fighter jets, but has not done it.

National: A Pizza Hut manager in Elkhart, Ind. says he was fired for refusing to open the restaurant on Thanksgiving. Tony Rohr, 28, had worked for Pizza Hut for 10 years. He said his workers already had Thanksgiving plans when they were ordered to work and he thought they should be home with their families.

Some Like It: A judge has ordered a partial shutdown of the Irwindale, Calif. plant that makes Asian sriracha hot sauce because it spews spicy fumes into the neighborhood. The company must improve its ventilation or stop making chili sauce. Judge Robert O’Brien said the fumes emitted from Huy Fong Foods’ factory are “extremely annoying, irritating and offensive to the senses.”  The president of Huy Fong said “If it doesn’t smell, we can’t sell.”

Money, Money: The Dow Jones and S&P 500 closed at record highs yesterday, with the Dow at 16,097.33 for its fifth straight record.

Mickey Money: The Walt Disney Company has made more than $4 billion around the world this year at the box office, the studio said Wednesday. Disney has made fortunes with “Iron Man 3,” “Monsters University,” “Thor: The Dark World” and “Oz the Great and Powerful”. Disney employees know better than to expect a raise.

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