move your money

Move Your Money is a campaign launched by American University students, other universities and financial institutes in the Washington Dc to assist local communities to develop businesses and overcome the gross wealth inequality in the city.

The idea is to move some of the university's $312 million endowment money to local financial institutes like local banks and credit unions which will lend out to help local businesses and help revitalize the community. Specifically the students are campaigning to move 5% of the cash assets from the school's endowment into Community Development Financial Institution like the City First Bank.

Move your money in Washington is not a lone event. Actually in some other cities a similar move has been initiated.

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pledged to move 425 million of municipal tax dollars to local credit unions.

In Los Angeles City, the city Council is reportedly considering a measure to move all government money out of big banks that routinely foreclose on citizen's without mercy or trying to keep them in their homes.

Move your money should be a national campaign to encourage individuals and governments to move cash to financial institutions that are more friendly to the local communities and citizens. We have read news stories saying that some big banks are taking foreclosed homes from home owners and sell the homes for their own interest - in a way to take the equity from the owners.

Sandro Piccabu

Here it is the godfather of our shop: the picture above is a portrait of Sandro Piccabu, famous producer in the Pistoia area passed away couple of years ago. After a formal instruction on classical studies, young Sandro leave sardegna, his native country, for starting a production of plastic sheets for building supplies in Tuscany. Soon he get in touch with the artistic enviroment of Pistoia, where he become a pivotal character due to several happenings ad publications by him strongly wanted, like the tuscanian romanticism manifesto "manuale del giovane romantico", and the built of structures for affordable living where he was used to place artistic spaces like palazzo Sandrone, where today there are our shop.

In his career there are lots of highlights, like the run for Pistoia major in 1983 and the production of short movies about building methods. Lots of manifestation an annual happenings are still there to remember him like the Piccabu poetry contest for rhyme compositions and the Badminton tournament also named after him. Thanks for sharing the moment of a tributal introducion to his character. Gigi.

mi accingo tosto a presentarvi la figura patriarcale dello studio: trattasi dell' onorevole Sandro Piccabu, noto imprenditore del pistoiese scomparso una manciata di anni fa. Dopo una formazione classica, il giovane Sandro lascia la natia sardegna per cominciare la produzione e commercializzazione di laminati plastici in toscana. Presto stringe amicizia con l'intellighenzia pistoiese, di cui diventa figura di spicco grazie a numerose manifestazioni ed opere da lui realizzate, ad esempio la pubblicazione del primo manifesto del romanticismo toscano "manuale del giovane romantico", e la costruzione di numerosi palazzi dove oltre ad abitazioni a costo contenuto ricavava spazi commerciali a fine artistico, come ad esempio palazzo Sandrone, oggi sede del nostro studio. Nella sua carriera si ricorda la candidatura a sindaco di Pistoia nell' anno 1983 e la produzione di numerosi cortometraggi a tema economico sull'influsso del poliuretano espanso nell'edilizia dei tardi anni ottanta. Numerose le iniziative a suo nome che lo ricordano ad anni dalla sua dipartita, tra le quali il premio letterario Piccabu per sonetti in rima e il torneo di Badminton annuale sempre a suo nome . Gigi.

let's talk reality.

as I've mentioned before, I am a complete reality TV junkie. seriously, I can't get enough. they could create a show that highlighted someone's normal office job and normal boring life... and I would fucking watch it. I guess it all stems from my constant need to be nosy... I love reading/watching about other peoples' lives and to think about what I would do in a certain situation or with a different challenge.

anywhozits, I watch a LOT of reality TV - you name it, and I guarantee that I've probably watched at least one season, if not on a regular basis. my top 3 shows that are airing right now are the highlight of my week. I figured I'd share my opinion on the current going-ons of those shows. since I know you care about my brutally honest and sometimes offensive opinions.


#1. Project Runway. now I'll be the first to admit that I am extremely FAR from being a fashionista. in fact, the most fashionable piece of clothing I own is probably my wedding dress and a killer pair of green heels that I've NEVER even worn. but oh do I love Tim Gunn and his "make it work" ism. this season is pretty crazy, and I have to say, I'm not surprised that Heidi is pregnant again. I feel like I haven't watched a season of PR without a pregnant Ms. Klum hosting.

as I stated a few posts ago, Amy and Seth Aaron are my current faves. Seth Aaron's personal style really calls to me. I love all the black, and the zippers, and the funky patterns. it's totally me, and I would happily wear ANY of the designs he's created on the show, especially his latest. the challenge was to create a fashionable outfit for a child, and then of course Tim Gunn sprung on them a little twist: to create a coordinating adult outfit. I love the jacket, and the pants with the metal detailing. and if I'm being completely honest, I kinda sorta want to own the kid's hoodie too.

Amy is a little more subtle, but still isn't afraid to put her shit out there and take risks... like last week's nightmare outfit she designed. oh lord. now I don't mind the kid's outfit... in fact I would probably wear a sweater like that. but what was she thinking with those pants? I wish she would have made them into a skirt... at least then the movement of the fabric wouldn't be all over the place. don't get me wrong, I've loved her past ensembles, but this one... was just... whack.

here's a look at her gown from episode 4 (which she won). I need to OWN this dress.

as far as personality goes, I am infatuated with Anthony's laugh. he is such a trip, and reminds me so much of an old friend. his diva attitude makes me laugh out loud during every episode, and I love his back story - just a regular gay man growing up in the south with a passion for fashion. I also adore his winning design from week 5, that will be worn by the one and only Heidi Klum on the cover of an upcoming Marie Claire.

all images are courtesy of Lifetime.

the only person from PR Season 7 that I really can't stand is Mila. she just annoys me. she complains that she doesn't fit in, but maybe it's because she's old and acts like she's got a stick up her ass. she just seems so stuck up to me, and her designs are the same old geometric patterns. ugh, I hope she goes home soon.

#2. Shear Genius. even though it's a semi-new show, I've been hooked since Season 1. and for the record, I fucking hate Tabitha. I think she looks like a dog and she's bitchy.

this season, Amy and Jon are my favorite so far. I like Amy, cause she's young and her hair looks awesome. I find it hard to trust a hair dresser who has shitty looking hair... kinda like I don't trust skinny chefs. she hasn't been doing too well on the show lately, but I'm confident she can turn it around. here she is rockin' it during episode 4's short cut challenge:

Jon is just hilarious - he reminds me a LOT of a guy I dated a few years ago, who is now a really good friend of mine. well he reminds me of him... minus the homosexual factor. he's really goofy and expressive, which I love. I loved his finished look for the elimination challenge on episode 2 - the challenge was to create a hair style based on a dish - his dish was scallops, and he conveyed his vision perfectly through the model's hair.

I'm SO glad Adee is gone - he was a really cocky hairdresser from London, who couldn't even mix color because back at home he has an assistant to do that for him. what an ass. HATE HIM. I'm also not a big fan of Brig - she's just weeeeeird and a little too confident for someone who hasn't done very well in the competition. and her hair is HIDEOUS.

all images from Bravo.

#3. Bad Girls Club. I cannot even express my love for the trashiness that is this show. 7 slutty, nasty, fighting, trashy, classless females all living in a house together in LA? don't miiiind if I do! the drama that ensues is incredibly hilarious, and it's hard to believe that girls like these actually exist in our society (and sometimes it's kinda sad). I don't really have a favorite this season, cause they all get on my nerves in one way or another, but let's face it - BGC is like a train wreck. you just... can't... look... away.

I do find it necessary to mention that I'm fully convinced that Natalie is an actress... because there is nowayinhell someone actually acts like she does... running around telling people she "runs LA" (just because she dated/is dating Chris Brown) and that she's rich as a celebrity, and thinks every man wants her. not with that Jay Leno chin, hooker.

images courtesy of Oxygen.

oh, oh, oh... I just found her bio on Oxygen's website. get a load of this shit:

"A spunky self-proclaimed socialite, Natalie enjoys cruising in her sugar daddies’ expensive cars and painting the town red with her cool celebrity friends. With a degree in Sociology, Natalie operates her own fashion boutique in Northern California. This flamboyant rebel proclaims to 'run LA.'"

doesn't she just SOUND like a giant douchebag? yeah, that's what I thought.

so. that's my recap on my current 3 fave reality TV shows. trust me, there are many more, but those are the only ones I'm really passionate about right now. I'm also watching the newest season of The Biggest Loser, but since that hasn't been on since the Olympics started airing, I kinda forgot what was going on, haha. and The Amazing Race is awesome as well (team Jeff & Jordan, btw)... but it just started so it's kind of hard to judge who I hate. for now.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! I'm having a much needed girls night tomorrow night, and I can't wait to see some of my favorite ladies!








PS - 25 days til my birthday! ;)

Wedding Wednesday - V. IV

so sorry for the lack of blogging this week. I've had a fucktastic tooth ache thanks to a past root canal follow up failure on my part (surprise surprise)... leading to yet another root canal in my future. I'll expand on that issue in another post, cause it's Wedding Wednesday, bitches. how many of you are sick of seeing my wedding pictures already? no one? really? AWESOME. to see past WW installments, click riiiiiiiight here.

since this week has me a little down about my teeth, I'm going to post pictures from the wedding in which I am cheesing like a fool. let me just tell you this - aside from the one tooth that has been a complete nightmare, I pretty much have perfect teeth. they're nice and white and straight, and I love to show em off. it's just this ONE damn tooth that I've ever had problems with - it's the only tooth in my mouth that has EVER housed a cavity, despite the hundreds of gallons of soda I have consumed in my lifetime. can you tell I'm a little bitter? I'd also like to add that I'm a wee bit vain... hence the pictures of only myself this week. ;)

WARNING - this will be a long post of pictures. there's just too damn many, and who could blame me? I was pretty fucking excited.

okay - onto pictures! as always, all photos are credited to the lovely and talented Jen, from JLowe Photos. If you'd like to see more of her work, feel free to visit her blog here.

seeing my flowers for the first time caused a whirlwind of emotions. fo sho.

mimosas ALL morning long? don't mind if I do!

this was right after our photographer turned us around to see each for the first time. pretty sure I creamed myself seeing him in his tux. wowzas.


hot sweaty mess, this girl.





this is my gorgeous, fantastic, amazingly talented photographer, Jen Lowe.

hot mess, indeed.

I look dumb ass shit in this picture, but I'm still cheesin.

PS - that's my dad in the picture. he's a dancin' machine.

I hope everyone elses' weeks are more pleasant than my own! happy Wednesday! I promise I'm going to try to blog more often now that I have a tooth solution and some antibiotics to help with the pain (hopefully).

highest one day score

A lot of people are amazed on the score of Sachin Tendulkar of India in the India vs South Africa Cricket match.

Sachin scores 401-3 from 50.0 Overs making it the highest one day individual score in a cricket match or put it simply, the highest ODI individual score. Sachin Tendulkar scored an awesome, outstanding double century in this 2nd ODI played at Captain Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior. Dhoni made 68 where Karthik scored 79 runs in this match.

Sachin Tendulkar becomes 1st player ever who made a double century in ODI history. Sachin scored 200 runs from 147 deliveries with 25 fours and 3 six. This ODI is the one of the best innings played by Indian team made 401-3 in 50 overs. Right nowSouth Africa has made 108-6 in 16 overs. The victory of Indian team is clear in this 2nd ODI match too. Below is the Live scores and streaming information of India vsSouth Africa 2nd ODI.

The entire South African bowling line up was left flabbergasted with the amazing performance of Sachin. Tendulkar achieved this amazing feat with just 147 deliveries of which he smashed 25 boundaries and 3 massive sixes.

Watch the amazing performance of Sachin Tendulkar below as he makes the highest individual odi score:


Congratulations Sachin Tendulkar for hitting a record double ton in India’s 401/3. If ever there were a god of cricket, he would be very happy right now. The reason for this sudden bout of happiness is that Sachin Tendulkar has become the first man to score a double ton in a One Day International Match against South Africa.

Fred Schneider

Fred Schneider, B-52s

The Fred Schneider has been partying out of bounds as the male mouthpiece of the B-52s since the late ’70s. Through that band’s commercial success and longevity, Schneider’s goofy, new-wave jester shtick has evolved into an iconic voice that’s now an inspiration to younger artists. Schneider’s latest project, the Superions, showcases both his supreme silliness (”Who Threw That Ham At Me?” is one of his most riotous efforts) and influence (the Superions’ debut EP, Totally Nude Island, features remixes by four Athens, Ga., bands).

Along with fellow Superions Noah Brodie and Dan Marshall, Schneider has delivered a handful of songs that combine sex, sci-fi, shoplifting and a dance called the Disco Garbage Can. Schneider will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our Q&A with him.

toronto newspaper

Tamil Newspaper in Toronto Vandalized After Reporting on Sri Lanka President Visit

The offices of a Tamil newspaper in Toronto were vandalized over the weekend after the paper received a phone call threatening it for its reporting on the visit of Sri Lanka's president.

The newspaper, Uthayan, said it was threatened after reporting on a meeting between Kula Sellathurai, the president of the Canada-Sri Lanka Business Council and the United Tamil Council of Canada, had with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, The Toronto Star reported in an article by John Rieti.

The Star quoted Sellathurai as saying the threatening call made to Uthayan Editor Logan Logendralingam said, "Your friends went and met the president, now you go and see what happened to your store." The entire front of the office was described as smashed, but there were no immediate estimates of the cost of the damage.

Uthayan has a reputation as a moderate paper carrying news about the Tamil community, an ethnic minority in Sri Lanka which includes a rebel army recently defeated by the government, which is mostly ethnic Sinhalese.

ready to fight

Hey guys from SATURDAY 27 the Peek-a-Boo combo will be ready to destroy your reputations...
Rino Valente and Gigi " Top" Fagni with the amazing support of the sweet Ylenia will be focused into work and give the best quality to all...
So if you need any answer,bad word or just an hug come visit...........
thank you
R

peroxide stings, fyi... and a little TMI.

maybe it's just me, but Sundays don't feel like Sundays without football. and maybe it's just me, but I totally don't give two shits about the winter Olympics. I mean I get the whole "support your country's team" and all that jazz, but I don't care enough to sit down and watch every.single.fucking.event. it's just not exciting to me at ALL.

it's been a pretty productive weekend in the MandeeFoFandee household. Sean went to the Wizards game Friday night, so I took advantage of my alone time by watching all the DVR shows that he prefers not to be forced into seeing, aka Project Runway and 4 episodes of American Idol. speaking of Project Runway, I'm loving the challenges this season! Amy is definitely my favorite so far, as well as Seth Aaron. I'd be happy to see either of them win.



Saturday, we met with the accountant for my company so he could do our taxes. it's our first year filing jointly, so I was kinda excited about it (nerd? yes). turns out, we should be getting a good amount back and may even qualify for a bigger return since we installed new windows and insulation in the house... now I just have to find the invoices to see how much of the possible $1500 write off we can get! we spent the rest of the day being lazy and watching shows on DVR, including the new episode of Spartacus Blood & Sand. love.this.show.

now onto the point of this post. sometime during the day on Saturday, I had an incredible itch... coming from my butt crack. now I'm not talking about deep in there near the balloon knot or anything... but just right at the top of my butt crack. so naturally, I rubbed/scratched it until it stopped itching. well later on in the evening, I stepped outside to smoke a cigarette and sat on our front step. all of a sudden, I felt a really sharp pain... in my crack. so I reached back there and touched the area that was itchy earlier... ouch! I came inside and informed Sean of my ailment. I asked him to look at it, which he clearly hesitated, haha. so I turned the living room light on, pulled down my sweatpants (fact: unless I leave my house, I wear sweats ALL weekend long), and spread em. okay, it's not like I put much force into it, but a little spreading had to be done. after looking at my ass for a good 10 seconds, I hear

"EWWWWWW! it's all pink and raw! what the fuck did you DO to your ass?!!"

trust me - if there was someone else there to examine my ass, I would have surely asked them instead of my husband. immediately I pulled up my pants and told him to forget it and I'd just take care of it myself. which I did. with hydrogen peroxide.

so I went into the bathroom, and for my husband's amusement, left the door open. I pulled my pants down just passed my ass cheeks and sat in the sink... poured some peroxide on a cotton round and squeezed it so that it would run down my crack. OUCH. I started screaming like Thurman Merman when he cuts his hand making Bad Santa's wooden pickle. it was bad. instead of comforting me in my moment of extreme pain, my husband whips out his cell phone to take a picture of me. lovely.

Thurman Merman & the Wooden Pickle

I was determined to clean the crap out of the house today, but when I woke up, I was feeling SO lazy. I laid around for a while, until Sean came in the living room armed with the Swiffer Wet Jet in hand. I figured if he's gunna start cleaning, I should probably help... otherwise I know I'd hear about it for a month. so I did the dishes, wiped down all the kitchen counters and the stove. then I tackled the bathroom - wiping down the sink and the toilet, and then scrubbing the tub. Sean took care of the living room... sweeping and Swiffering, and then vacuuming the couch and pillows. I'm so happy I got off my ass... I love hanging out in my house when it's spic & span.

Bear loves clean couches as much as his mama does.

I took a 2 hour long nap after our cleaning spree, and then woke up to Sean baking cookies. apparently I married Betty Crocker. this man loves sweets more than any chick I've ever met. I gotta give it to him though - the cookies were deeeelish.

nom nom noms.

in case you're wondering, the butt is healing nicely. it's a little scabbed today, which is good. yes, it still hurts, but I'm done with that peroxide noise. I also told Sean that if he told anyone or showed his cell phone pictures to any human being, I would be filing for divorce... after our tax return, naturally.

so. how was YOUR weekend? any butt injuries?

night of the iguana

Richard Burton’s Night of the Iguana

Earlier in the day is Night of the Iguana, but debauched priests. well it just seems too close to Richard Burtons real life though it is a good film. Whos Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is also on and if you like to see two drunk people yell at each other for two hours knock yo-self out. It also seems too close to Thanksgiving Day at the Burton/Taylor household to be great for some reason. Professors are either louts or potheads or rapists in movies. Im also a lawyer so I at least have Atticus Finch.
Does anyone do desperate better than Richard Dreyfuss? I totally got the potato Devils Tower and I have a errr soft spot for Teri Garr too. Earlier in the day is 2001 and 2010 back to back. I like sci-fi and HAL 9000 is ground breaking, etc., but I dont even care to figure it out or chew on it and I blame that on the director. After Third Kind is a Neil Simon doubleheader The Goodbye Girl and Chapter Two. Marsha Simon has relationship diffizzzzzzzzzzzz..

Splendor in the Grass is also on if you like movies about repressed Midwesterners and how they need to open their minds and their legs to be truly happy. Wow that was all positive wasnt it? To be fair to Neil Simon I did like Goodbye Girl when I saw it 20 years ago Chapter Two not so much.

Did I mention Im not a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey starring Keir Dullea as Prince Valium?

Avandia

FDA report says Avandia should be taken off market: report

GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK, GSK.LN) diabetes medicine Avandia weakens the heart sufficiently to increase users' chances of the heart attacks and heart failure, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration report obtained by the New York Times, the paper reported on its Web site Friday night for its Saturday edition.

Citing the FDA report, the Times said that "if every diabetic now taking Avandia were instead given a similar pill named Actos, about 500 heart attacks and 300 cases of heart failure would be averted every month because Avandia can hurt the heart."

"[The drug] should be removed from the market," the FDA report said, according to the Times.

Medal Count Vancouver 2010

Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics Medal Count: US leads with 18

The Americans are back on top in the medal count race in the Winter Olympics 2010. The United States now has 18 medals with 6 gold, 5 silver, and 7 bronze. Germany is now on the second spot with 11 medals (4 gold, 4 silver, and 3 bronze). In third spot is Norway with 8 medals (3 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze). Host nation Canada shares fourth place with France. Canada has 3 gold, 3 silver, and 1 bronze. France has 2 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze.

Korea and Austria on the sixth place with 5 medals each. Korea has 3 gold and 2 silver. Austria has 1 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze. For the United States: Evan Lysacek won the gold medal in Men’s Figure Skating. Shaun White won the gold medal in Men’s Halfpipe Snowboard. Shani Davis picked up the gold medal in Men’s 1000m SpeedSkating. Lindsey Vonn won the gold medal in Ladies’ Downhill Alpine Skiing. Seth Wescott picked up the gold medal Men’s SnowBoard Cross. Hannah Kearney won the gold medal in Ladies’ Moguls FreeStyle Skiing.

niu shooting

NIU Shooting Leaves 1 Hurt, 1 in Custody

One person has been injured and another is in custody after an early morning shooting near a campus residence hall at Northern Illinois University.

One student, 22-year-old Daniela Bedolla, says she heard a gunshot while studying in her dorm room. Bedolla says the sound "was really loud" and the school later sent a text alert about the shooting.

Friday's shooting happened near Stevenson Hall. And police believe it was an isolated incident between two individuals.

Police say the victim was taken to Kishwaukee Community Hospital. There are no details yet about that person's condition.

Last week marked the two-year anniversary of a shooting rampage at NIU that left five students dead before the gunman killed himself.

this is what Ambien looks like

feels like I'm watchingsomething in 3D. everything keeps moving around on the screen, but it's not video. wtf! I was perusing yourtattoosucks.com and I swear that some of them were comin' for me. that Canadian Elmer Fudd looked pissed.

there's a Bear claw sleeping at my feet, and I'm watching Porject Runway. the lights on the runway are buggin' me outtttt big time. I feel like it's strobe light central up in this joint. and there's little kids on the runway! woooooooaaah, that's gunna be a good episode. I'll recap my thouhgts on that tomorrow... after I watch it soberly. myhead feels heavy. goodnight.

sean white olympics 2010

NBC Olympics Shaun White, Sean White Olympics 2010 and Shaun White Olympics 2010 pictures, photos.

The men’s halfpipe competition was won by the Shaun White. He bagged the gold medal at Cypress Mountain in front of thousands of fans. This was his first run score of 46.8. Besides, he also created history as his back-to-back Olympic gold medals.

The other player to throw a challenge to him was Peetu Piiroinen of Finland. He put some pressure on White during the competition with a second run score of 45.0. He ended up with the silver medal.

The third position was occupied by Scotty Lago of the United States. He used a big first run to win the bronze medal. It was a surprise win.

From the beginning of the game White was the favorite to win the gold. In his event he is a celebrity and it is difficult for others to defeat him. He was known figure inside the athletes’ village, which was occupied by other halfpipe players. He had moved to Cypress Mountain after the opening ceremony of the game was over. Besides, his story has grabbed headlines. And reporters and magazines have unfailingly carried his stories. Many sports magazine ran his picture on the cover.

After winning the gold, White said: “It feels good. Heavy lies the crown.”

Of his second run: “I felt it was such a miracle run … I just felt like I didn’t come all the way to Vancouver not to pull out the big guns. I put down the tricks I’ve worked so hard on. My coach said at the top, ‘Don’t do this unless you’re gonna stomp it.’ ”

Wedding Wednesday - V. III

For the first two installments of WW, click here, and here.

I'm feeling a little lovey dovey this week... things have been a little sour at work, and Mr. MandeeFoFandee has done a pretty good job of keeping me sane and laughing. He's even been doing a lot of things around the house to help me out, including some grocery shopping and dusting. so, to honor of all that mush, I'm going to post pictures of the groom from our wedding day. plus, this one will be more pictures than words, since I'm pretty busy at work today.

As always, all photos are credited to the lovely and talented Jen, from JLowe Photos. If you'd like to see more of her work, feel free to visit her blog here.

I love the drunk pictures from the end of the night. makes me so proud. hims so handsome.

Happy Hump Day!