November 25, 2013
Since it is Thanksgiving week I thought that some of the blinds this week should be kindness items. I wish more blinds could be but there is just not enough good that I hear about from celebrities which would allow it. There is a picture in Random Photos today of Alicia Keys helping out in the Philippines and I think that is amazing especially considering how little other celebrities have done. What you don't hear enough about are celebrities who make the effort to not just donate money to a cause but to actually go out and make a difference somewhere. While I think it is great the celebrities go all over the world helping where they can I also love hearing about celebs who do things closer to home. One thing you may not have heard about is what this A list mostly movie actor has done over the past couple of years. I like to give him a hard time because he is a bit of a dunce and relies way too much on his good looks now rather than acting in his movies but he has a big heart and it is really showing through in some of the projects he works on.
The actor has paid for the construction of hundreds of homes that have been destroyed by weather when the families don't have insurance or the government won't pay this actor has stepped in and paid for the construction of about 250 homes. That is millions of dollars out of his own pocket with no attempt at getting any publicity for it. He works through an organization that handles everything and all of the families that suddenly found out they were getting a new house have no idea it is because of the Academy Award winner/nominee. He has spent millions of dollars to make sure people don't end up homeless through no fault of their own.
Brad Pitt
I like that he works with Mike Holmes, which I actually learned here on CDaN! Mike Holmes is the shite
ReplyDeleteLove it. Say what you will about him and Angelina, but they are good people making a difference in the world, not just superficial Hollywood elite.
ReplyDeleteI still ♥ him!
ReplyDeleteO love people who do goid things with their moola. He's a mensch!
ReplyDeleteWay to go, Brad! I really like him.
ReplyDeleteHe's given interviews about re-building homes in New Orleans...him & Angie do alot of good work
ReplyDeleteI prefer this to grandstanding…good for you Brad.
ReplyDeleteYay Brad!!!
ReplyDeleteHere is what we seek: a compassion that can stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment at how they carry it. -Father Greg G-Dog Boyle
I met father Greg. He led a retreat I attended for work and is amazing! He has leukemia and I hope he recovers.
DeleteMaria: Isn't he the best? I've been fortunate enough to do work with Homeboy over the past decade, but I only got to meet him this year. Truly one of the most extraordinary figures out there. He has also been struggling a lot with lupus.
DeleteOh, and the LAPD has been all over his ass again, accusing him of holding back information on a murder suspect. Give the guy a break, he is single handedly doing what no one else has the balls to do
Glad to see him get recognized by a fellow CDANer ;)
great to hear people having the money and making a difference
ReplyDeletegive it all away cant take it with you
Good man Brad. Fair play to him.
ReplyDeleteSt. Brad Ain t the pits after all. He should be very proud for giving back some dint and obviously he remembers where he came from
ReplyDeleteHe's co- dependant and does it in a BIG way - Brad is okay, still a hunk. Bombed with the Chanel commercial - still gives me the giggs. Nice story.
ReplyDeleteOT - multi tasking, typing this shite, and, volunteering (ahem). Folding newsletters for a NP - taken 5mins to type this, 30 folds later...
Like I said, I would with Brad Pitt any day, twice on a day the ends with Y.
ReplyDeleteLove it!!
ReplyDeleteWhen we were in New Orleans last fall, we heard that quite a few of these homes were already rotting and people were not 100% satisfied via the locals - though most still praised them. I would love to know if it was due to poor upkeep or faulty materials and if the issue was taken care of. Some people are never pleased, unfortunately. The saddest part of our visit was driving by all the homes that are still standing w/an X on the door and numbers below it, indicating the # of bodies found. How can these still be standing eight and a half years after Katrina?!?
ReplyDeleteHis foundation actually sued the company that made the faulty materials, and then paid to repair the homes that had them. He really is a mensch and did the right thing.
DeleteThanks @Aeol! I was hoping for an update but honestly wasn't expecting one. Glad this had a positive outcome.
DeleteThe location of the code on a building was often an indication of when (during the progress of the flood) a search had been conducted. A code sprayed on a roof would have been applied from a boat. A code painted over successive water lines (indicating where the dirty, oily water level had settled long enough to leave a mark similar to a bathtub ring) was applied after the water had receded. The most common site was a front door (as on my Uncle's home) or window clearly visible to subsequent teams who might be criss-crossing the areas. Other locations included garage doors; siding, brick, or stucco walls.
DeleteThe X is used as part of the Urban Search & Rescue Response System and not just in New Orleans. It includes a date of the search at the top of the X, to the right is hazards encountered (i.e., gas leak), to the left of the X is the identifier of the unit that searched the house. The number on the bottom of the X indicates the number of bodies removed from the house.
Some New Orleanians are preserving their X-codes as memory markers. A lot of these houses have been demolished down to the slabs (my grandmother's former home). Most residents were not required to have flood insurance and did not have $ to fix their houses; ergo, they just stand until the city levels them.
Thanks caydian...i did some research before we drove through, because at first i thought an X meant a death. I was happy to see that is not what an X meant, but if there were numbers at the bottom besides a 0, it was not good.
DeleteI just can't imagine any city leaving up all those homes where people died. I would have thought the city would demolish them. The reminder must be so hard for those who still live in the area. It broke my heart and I was just there for a day.
Very interesting, thanks for the explanation!
DeleteWhat killed me, were the people who HAD flood insurance and the companies wouldn't pay out. This was 5/6 yrs AFTER it happened. As someone who helps people get home loans that made me sick. I had a driver when I was in NOLA who took me around and showed me everything - good and bad neighborhoods. Made me spitting mad. And btw some of these people were still in litigation with the insurance companies
DeleteThis is a really nice reveal. I admire Brad Pitt's generosity. Still don't really like his acting, though.
ReplyDeleteTTM - Mike Holmes is a STUD and his son is pretty damn cute too. I was watching a Mike Holmes mini marathon on the DIY network just a couple of days ago (really it was just an episode each of all three of his shows). His tight white tshirts. Oh lawd!
@Pink, this might be in Joplin or elsewhere, not necessarily NOLA (since they've talked a lot about helping after Katrina.) I wouldn't be shocked if Brad helped rebuild a town destroyed in his home state.
ReplyDeleteThat said some of the things that happened before, during, and since Katrina in New Orleans are so awful I can't even believe they're real - like the formaldehyde trailers, the corrupt politicians on all sides, etc. It's just heartbreaking.
Ttm and disco- didn't they team up and do a special together? I remember watching Holmes on homes do a few and I swear Pitt was in some of their footage..
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to hate on Brangelina but I think they do more good than harm. Brad isn't an insufferable twat the way some of the other celebs go on about their charities like they are public policy experts and world saviors.
ReplyDeleteYAY BRAD!
ReplyDeleteI've always liked him.
Nice work Brad. Good to know also that he didn't succumb to the corruption of the other company that did poor work.
ReplyDelete7 was that a sex scene or were they fighting? Hard to tell.:)
@Sherry, little bit of both. :D
ReplyDeleteMike Holmes' daughter Sherry is usually the highlight of the show for me. Looks like that and can swing a hammer? Yes. Oh, yes.
ReplyDeleteThe Brange are growing on me. They seem to be decent people aiming to do some good in the world.
ReplyDeletego Brad
ReplyDeleteThis is good to hear. I know his NOLA foundation has done ok but had some issues, so it's nice he's helping beyond that too.
ReplyDeleteIt's very very kind of Brad to help those families out.
ReplyDeleteBrad Pitt and Mike Holmes.
ReplyDeleteI'm still smiling about the work they've done.
The Kardashian trolls are annoying except for Bruce. I really enjoy his comments. I hope that character sticks around.
ReplyDeleteI don't really have an issue w the holy family, only because they do try to help others. I think they get caught up in believing they are sainted, at times, but I like how they mostly stay out of politics and don't blather on and in a million interviews. Good job, B.
ReplyDeleteSurely Brad is an A+?!
ReplyDelete