Lucky Ducks... I Mean Turkeys. Meet Cobbler and Gobbler, This Year's Pardoned Thanksgiving Fowl.

This year the choice was between Cobbler and Gobbler (via an online social media vote), two 19 week-old, 40 pound birds. Elementary school students in Rockingham County, Virginia - the native area of the turkeys - chose the names.



While one of the turkeys is recognized as the National Thanksgiving Turkey – chosen for the first time by the American public through an online contest this year – the president traditionally pardons both turkeys, one serving as an alternate.


above: The presidentially pardoned turkey Cobbler, whose distinguishing mark from his brother, Gobbler, is a small black mark on the beak, arrives at George Washington's Mount Vernon, Nov. 21, where he and his brother will live out their days under the property's care following a pardon by President Barack Obama. (Photo: M.Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO)

"If for some reason Cobbler cannot fulfill his duties as the official White House Turkey, Gobbler will be waiting in the wings," Obama said.



With the turkey gobbling away nearby, Obama teased about new beginnings.
"They say that life is all about second chances, and this November I could not agree more," he said, joking about his re-election. "So in the spirit of the season, I have one more gift to give and it goes to a pair of turkeys."



Following the pardoning, the turkeys will be taken to George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, where the winning turkey will be on display for visitors during "Christmas at Mount Vernon." They'll stay on the property after the holidays. The birds grew up on a farm near Harrisonburg, Virginia under National Turkey Federation Chairman Steve Willardsen's supervision.


above: Cobbler and Gobbler arrive at George Washington's Mount Vernon, Va., where they will live out their days under the care of the property following a presidential pardon, Nov. 21, by President Barack Obama. (Photo: M.Scott Mahaskey/POLITICO)

This year marks the 65th anniversary of the turkey presentation. In his remarks, Obama also thanked the troops overseas and asked Americans to remember the victims of Superstorm Sandy, which killed dozens in the U.S. and wreaked major devastation across the Northeast last month.

Concluding his comments, the president gave one final blessing to the turkey.
"You are hereby pardoned. Congratulations, Cobbler," the president said. "You'll have a great life."

Photos and info courtesy of The White House, CNN and Reuters

In Honor Of Turkey Day, 18 Works of Art Inspired By The Wishbone.

The most common belief is that the tradition of breaking the wishbone at Thanksgiving began with the ancient Etruscans and Romans who dried chicken wishbones and touched them as they made a wish. Lacking enough bones to go around the Romans fought over them - breaking them in the process. The Romans were said to have later introduced the practice into Great Britain.

Incredible - and Enormous - Public Portraits by Hendrik Beikirch.

Artist Hendrik Beikrich 
(aka ecb) first worked as freelance artist in Koblenz, Germany. From 1996 through 2000 he studied art education at university of Koblenz-Landau. It was 
in 1989 that he created his first painting using a spray can
 instead of a brush and he was hooked.



He has since painted portraits on the walls of buildings all over the world, from a Pizzeria in Brooklyn to most recently, the tallest mural in Asia. Works of his can be seen on buildings and underpasses in New Zealand, Korea
, Canada, USA, Mexico, Thailand, Australia, India, Hong Kong, China, Chile, Belarus, Russia and European countries.

Most recently he completed "Where There Is No Struggle, There Is No Strength", a portrait of a fisherman, the tallest mural in Asia:





And here's a look at many of his other works on underpasses, apartment buildings, walls and commissions for museums and restaurants:












Hendrick Beikirch

The New Limited Edition Sun and Moon Watch from Mr. Jones.

The new Sun and Moon watch from Mr. Jones shows the time based on the position of the Sun or Moon in the sky on the watch face.



The crescent shaped sky on the dial represents 12 hours with the time running from left to right. At 6am the sun 'rises' on the left of the dial. The sun slowly climbs in the sky until it reaches the apex of the crescent midday. The sun gradually descends until it reaches the right hand marker at 6pm.



After 6pm the Sun ‘sets’ and disappears from view, meanwhile the Moon ‘rises’ on the left. The position of the Moon in the sky therefore shows the hours from 6pm until 6am.



Along with the image of the Sun and Moon, the hour disk features a revolving image with scenes of the natural world that gradually passes as the day progresses. The minutes are displayed in the centre dial and these run in the conventional way, so each marker on this dial corresponds to five minutes.




Sun and Moon is a revival of an very old watch design: "Sun and Moon" watches were first produced in Britain in the late 1600s during a period of experimentation with ways to represent the time. We really like this visualisation of the time - it's both logical and elegant.

Sun and Moon is produced in an edition of 100 pieces, each watch numbered on the case back and comes with a signed certificate from the designer.

The watch comes packed in an MJW box which features a newly commissioned artwork by illustrator Fanny Shorter. Inspired by the 24 hour display, Fanny's artwork shows the life cycle of the mayfly which takes just 24 hours:




Specifications:
Case: brushed stainless steel
Strap: black leather with ecru stitching
Mechanism: Ronda 515-24H single jewel quartz mechanism
Width (3 o'clock to 9 o'clock): 37mm
Height (from lug to lug): 46mm
Waterproof: 5ATM
Guarantee: 12 months
Smallest strap diameter:150mm
Largest strap diameter: 205mm

Sun and Moon
£145 (approx $190/€164) Buy it here.