TresSugar

Say What? Brad Pitt For Mayor!

TresSugar — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:00:00 -0700

"I'm running on the gay marriage, no religion, legalization and taxation of marijuana platform. I don't have a chance."

- Brad Pitt joked on the Today show this morning about running for mayor of the Louisiana town where he has been leading on Hurricane Katrina reconstruction efforts. Some locals are wearing t-shirts decorated with the "Brad Pitt For Mayor" image seen above. Do you think Brad has a winning platform?

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First of Brad Pitt's Make It Right Houses Done in New Orleans

CitizenSugar — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 08:00:33 -0700

Three years after Hurricane Katrina, the first homes built in by Brad Pitt's Make It Right rebuilding project are complete. Touring the building site in the Lower 9th Ward with Angelina and kids in tow this week, one ecstatic grandmother gave Brad a huge hug. She said of her new electric yellow house, "Honey, this is like heaven on earth." She'll be moving into the house with five of her 22 grandkids later this month.

In all, 150 homes will be built on the site destroyed by the broken levees. Six of the homes are near completed and the happy grandma says, "I thank God for Brad Pitt. I gave him a big hug, and I told him how much I appreciate all that he's done for me and my family." The houses cost about $150,000, are built on property still owned by residents, and their monthly payments are based on income and subsidized by Make It Right.

View 5 Photos ›

To see more about the project, read more.

Brad's Make It Right project was sparked by his dismay that there was no clear plan to address the situation in the Katrina devastated Lower 9th Ward. Consumed by doubt that the area would ever be rebuilt, the residents of the Lower 9th met with Brad and discussed while the terrible crisis had exposed their vulnerability, it created an opportunity: to build something better than what had existed before. The Make It Right Project seeks to do just that.

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New Orleans Locals Still Homeless After Katrina

LibertySugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 11:00:00 -0700

A unique homelessness situation confronts post-Katrina New Orleans. A recent survey conducted by advocacy groups shows that a majority of the homeless were residents of New Orleans before the hurricane, and lost their jobs and homes as a result.

Figures cited in today's New York Times include:

86 percent of homeless are from the New Orleans area.
60 percent cite Hurricane Katrina as the cause of their homelessness, while 30 percent said they received assistance from FEMA at one time.
80 percent have at least one physical disability, 58 percent have had some kind of addiction, 40 percent are mentally ill, and 19 percent deal with all three issues.
The number of homeless has doubled since Katrina, according to rough estimates.

For an more in depth look at the problem, read more.

One HIV-positive New Orleans native told the paper that he wasn't homeless until Hurricane Katrina. He receives $637 per month in disability income, not enough to pay rent. Despite a rise in need, there has been a decline in resources. Before Katrina, the city had 2,800 shelter beds, now it has 2,000. In addition, FEMA federal trailer parks that house many Hurricane Katrina victims are scheduled to close May 31.

In his new book, President Bush's former press secretary called Katrina "one of the worst disasters in our nation's history" and "one of the biggest disasters in Bush's presidency." Now more than three years later, the local community still faces the difficulty brought by lack of resources.

Do you consider New Orleans' homeless predicament a national or local problem? How can we get those more vulnerable in a crisis - such as the mentally ill, disabled, and drug addicted - back on their feet? Should Congress adopt legislation that would provide $76 million in rent subsidies and services to disabled homeless people in the city, as passed by the Senate last week?

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Katrina Survivors Required to Repay Rebuilding Money

CitizenSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:00:04 -0700

In another blow to Hurricane Katrina survivors who've struggled to rebuild their lives, some are receiving crushing phone calls - they may have to refund thousands of dollars of grant money they received to rebuild. Apparently in the rush to get aid to homeowners in need, over-payments were rampant.

The contractor who was hired to distribute payments from the Road Home grant program has just uncovered 1,000 to 5,000 cases that it says will require collection effort. How much? The average amount to be collected is estimated to be about $35,000, and in some cases it may be as high as $100,000 to $150,000.

As that's the biggest grant amount allowed by the Road Home program it's clear that some applicants received the maximum when they didn't qualify for a penny. But the trouble isn't limited to over-payments. To find out, read more.

About a third of qualified applicants for Road Home grants had yet to receive any rebuilding money as of this past week. The picture above is from the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Two years later the people in the picture are still living in their formaldehyde-contaminated FEMA trailer behind their house. With that in mind it seems this statement from the executive director of the Louisiana Recovery Authority about over-payments seems unbelievable: ''The state must walk a fine line of treating homeowners who have been overpaid with fairness and compassion and ensuring that all federal funds are used for their intended purpose.''

Is it clear yet that we've utterly failed the residents of New Orleans? What in the world can we do to fix this?

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Headline: Katrina Victims Booted Out of FEMA Trailers

CitizenSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 10:05:45 -0800

Government health officials are now strongly recommending residents still living in FEMA trailers following Hurricane Katrina, be relocated. Due to dangerously high levels of formaldehyde present in the FEMA trailers used for the past two years as temporary housing, the CDC is issuing a warning stating that the trailers are toxic enough to cause burning eyes and breathing problems for people who have asthma or sensitivity to air pollutants.

Fumes from 519 trailer and mobile homes in Louisiana and Mississippi average five times the level that people are exposed to in most modern homes, according to the US Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Mike McGeehin, director of a CDC division, that focuses on environmental hazards said, "we do not want people exposed to this for very much longer." The CDC is making a statement regarding this situation right now, and is planning to visit each trailer delivering this information.

Do you think this is too little, too late? What will have to happen to get displaced residents, housing? Why were the trailers unsafe to begin with?

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Did FEMA Withhold Health Info About Katrina Trailers?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 09:00:36 -0800

40,000 FEMA trailers are still being lived in following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This week, the House science committee alleged that FEMA "ignored, hid and manipulated government research on the potential impact of long-term exposure to formaldehyde" directly impacting those still calling FEMA trailers, home.

The crux of the committee's argument is that FEMA chose to disregard the first opinion they received from the first Center for Disease Control and Prevention expert, which stated that there is no "safe" level of formaldehyde exposure, and that any exposure can pose a cancer risk. FEMA then sought other opinions within the CDC until they found one who would help them suppress information about the possible health risks. FEMA adds that the health risk is mitigated by proper ventilation in the trailers, and recommended opening the windows.

Do you think FEMA manipulated this information? Or is the real tragedy that the trailers are still being used at all?

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The Last Decade in Less Than Seven Minutes

TresSugar — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0800

Believe it or not, we're about to start a new decade in less than two months. That means we can all get ready for the barrage of recaps about the last 10 years, which have truly seen a lot of strange and sad events. This has been a decade dominated by terrorism, wars, Terri Schiavo, Hurricane Katrina, and gay marriage bans. But we've also witnessed the rise of YouTube, the Rick Roll, the iPod, Michael Phelps, and Barack Obama. Gearing up for the end of the year, Newsweek put together a seven-minute roundup of this decade's most memorable moments. I'm sure VH1 is taking notes for the inevitable upcoming show called something like "I Love the 2000s." What will we call this decade, anyway?

Do, Dump, or Marry? Reggie Bush

TresSugar — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 12:30:00 -0700

In addition to being an awesome football player, Reggie Bush has a nice set of abs, a sweet looking smile, and a penchant for charity (OK - I couldn't completely objectify him!). After moving to New Orleans to join the Saints, Reggie donated heaps of money to help the city recover from Hurricane Katrina.

But sadly for anyone who's a fan of Reggie in a romantic way, he's apparently back together with his on-again-off-again girlfriend Kim Kardashian. Do you wish he was still single?

And don't forget! You can join our Do, Dump, or Marry? group if you want to nominate any hotties for a vote!

For Some, Weight Is a Qualification For Surgeon General

TresSugar — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:00:00 -0700

This week President Obama appointed Dr. Regina Benjamin to be the US Surgeon General. Dr. Benjamin is a family physician from Alabama who arrived on the national scene thanks to her public efforts to rebuild her rural clinic after Hurricane Katrina. She also was the first African-American to head Alabama's Medical Association and served as an associate dean for rural health.

In addition to her resume, Benjamin also understands the importance of health as a result of tragedies in her own family. Sadly, her mother died of lung cancer, her father died with diabetes and high blood pressure, and her brother and only sibling died of an HIV/AIDS-related illness.

Despite these experiences and qualifications, some people think that Benjamin's weight is problematic. Considering that obesity is one of the most serious health problems facing the US, critics would rather see a fit-looking person as the face of health policy. (Judging from the picture, she may not be thin, but how do we know she's not fit?)

Do you think Benjamin's weight is irrelevant?

GOP Losing Women and Almost Every Other Demographic

TresSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 11:05:00 -0700

According to a new Gallup poll, the Republican party has lost support in nearly every demographic of American society - be it low-income, high-income, college educated, male, female, southern, white, or nonwhite voters. Support remains steady only among frequent churchgoers.

In the general population, Republicans trail Democrats in support by a 14-point margin, compared to an even split in 2001. Among women, support for the GOP is down 5 percentage points since George W. Bush's first year in office. Today, only 35 percent of American women lean Republican and overall fewer women than men are Republican.

So what has caused this movement away from the GOP? For my thoughts, read more.

I suspect that after eight years in the White House, the Republican party became synonymous with the Bush administration, which also means it's synonymous with two wars, the recession, Hurricane Katrina, and some strong religion-based positions such as support for abstinence-only education, overturning Roe v. Wade, and bans on stem-cell research and same-sex marriage. Judging by the poll results, Americans who previously supported the Republican agenda and ideology are ready to try something new.

Why do you think women - and almost all other demographic groups - are moving away from the Republican party? If you're not Republican, what would you need to hear from GOP leaders to make you consider supporting them?

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