Giulio Iacchetti - creator of the “Mandarina” ergonomic pen – has experimented with wooden knives for the Italian company Coltelleria Berti and presented them at the most recent edition of the Furniture Show in Milan.
He had spent a month hand carving 22 knives, each made from a different type of wood with a unique aroma and soul.

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Somebody has pointed out Eyes on the Planet to me.
It’s a web site with a photography contest, where I - due to indecision - voted for just about everything: a sunset over Lipari, houses carved in rock in Nalut, a windmill, etc.

I would hazard a guess and say that the real challenge is between a Saharan camel decorated with pom-poms and an Irish mouflon!

As the contest is open to “amateur photographers” under 35, I could even participate.

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In early April of this year, Mandarina Duck flew eastwards and landed in Bucharest.

About a month ago, a new Mandarina Duck store opened in the Beneasa Shopping Mall near the international airport, which has already become the number one shopping centre in the capital.

The Mandarina store, designed by Angelo Micheli based on “new concepts“, has already hosted a national press conference and introduced many new clients to the world of Mandarina.

Mandarina’s successful work with the “Fashion Retail Group” has determined new locations for boutiques both in the capital city of Romania and across the country.

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Technorati Tags: mandarina duck, shop, Bucharest

All morning long, I’ve been thinking about the best way to write this post.
When talking about such delicate subjects, it’s hard not to be saccharin or to use clichés.
So, I’ve decided to just be direct.
I’m very pleased to tell you about an important initiative! A few days ago, we started a project in support of “Save the Children”, the largest independent international organization defending the rights of minors.

“Save the Children” develops projects for the long-term, sustainable improvement of children’s welfare by: working side by side with local communities; bringing immediate help, assistance and support to families in emergency situations caused by wars or natural disasters; speaking for children and promoting their active involvement by putting pressure on national and international governments and institutions.

For every online order made from June to December 2008, Mandarina Duck will donate 1 euro to “Save the Children” for projects that safeguard children.

Apart from our initiative, I invite you all to visit their website and make a donation directly to their important community projects and give a smile to someone less fortunate.

As Neil Armstrong said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”!

Technorati Tags: Save the children, charity, online shop

Have you ever seen mannequins leaning on lampposts, naked men hanging from windows, anarchic rats, destroyed telephone booths or cinema parodies?
Then you’ve had the luck of admiring the work of Bansky, the faceless author who writes about himself in a book on graphotism. 

Street art is becoming a worldwide cult. In California, there’s even the “Oasis of Murals“, an outdoor gallery dedicated to wall art.

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Transforming. Recycling Sustainable future.
These are the key words of Eco Design.
A new trend with roots in the past. From time immemorial, people have tried to use and reuse what they had. The Industrial Revolution and consumerism have eliminated this way of life, which is now, however, being brought back to bring us closer to nature.

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I’ve just found out it doesn’t take much to become an eco-activist: a spade, a rake and some bulbs and it’s time for green action!
I’m referring to guerrilla gardening,  a non-violent (and fun) action to support safeguarding of the environment and permaculture. 
It’s done in groups by night, all you need is an abandoned piece of land and off you go! You can indulge your green thumb!

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They appear to be landscape photos but if you look more closely, you’ll see broccoli, bread loaves and basil leaves.
Carl Warner, an Australian photographer, started rethinking vegetables in this way to persuade his children to eat them!
His foodscapes are like a Disney version of the paintings by Giuseppe Arcimboldo.

Marina Calamai has found a way to resist the temptation of eating sweets by depicting them.
Muffins become large cloth installations and panettones become original hats.
Just try not biting into them!

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