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Sunday, September 1, 2013

Beastie Boy Mike D Serves Up Meals From Food Truck To Hurricane Sandy Victims (PHOTO, VIDEO)

The Beastie Boys' Mike D is fighting for more than the right to party -- he's been helping serve Hurricane Sandy victims warm meals from a food truck.

The musician, whose full name is Michael Diamond, spoke to GOOD Magazine on Tuesday about the project. Since the storm, more than 19,000 free meals have been served.

Seeing the damage to Rockaway Beach, he launched the Rockaway Plate Lunch truck with restauranteur and friend Robert McKinley.

The cooking expertise come from Sam Talbot of 'Top Chef' fame, who is working with teams at New York's Spotted Pig and Fat Radish restaurants, to serve up rice, beans, chicken and vegetables.

In the Vimeo video above, Mike D explains that a food truck allowed easy navigation through the changing post-Sandy landscape. The team feeds anywhere from 200 to 500 people daily.

"The willingness to get involved has been amazing," McKinley says in the video. "There's been no egos and everyone is working really hard."

Story continues after photo
beastie boy food truck

Five months after the storm, Mike D wants to transition the project to a full-time restaurant staffed by residents.

"There’s still the need for warm food out there, but our real goal for this summer is to help revitalize the local economy," he told GOOD magazine.

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Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Obama Signs Sandy Bill Providing $50.5 Billion In Disaster Relief Into Law

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has signed into law a $50.5 billion emergency measure for Superstorm Sandy victims.

Congress gave the measure its final approval late Monday. Obama signed it Tuesday night, minutes after returning to the White House from a visit to Nevada.

It took Congress three months after Sandy devastated areas along the East Coast to approve the emergency funding. Obama scolded lawmakers for delaying recovery efforts even as he commended them for providing the long-awaited aid.

Conservatives concerned about billions in debt opposed the measure. Earlier this month, House Republicans removed unrelated spending from the bill.

The Oct. 29 storm was one of the worst to strike the Northeast and is blamed for more than 130 deaths and tens of billions of dollars in property damage.

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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Obama Signs Sandy Disaster Declaration For Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The federal government has declared a major disaster in Pennsylvania from last year's Superstorm Sandy.

President Barack Obama signed the disaster declaration Thursday. The Federal Emergency Management Agency says more disaster relief could be approved in the future if ongoing damage assessments show it's needed.

The declaration makes aid available for state and local efforts to recover from the effects of sandy between Oct. 26 and Nov. 8 of last year.

Federal funding will be available for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities. It applies to affected areas in Bedford, Bucks, Cameron, Dauphin, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Juniata, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Potter, Somerset, Sullivan, and Wyoming counties.

The storm caused record outages in Pennsylvania. At its peak, 1.2 million customers in the state were without power.

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Friday, February 8, 2013

Sandy Hook Shooting Inspires Bulletproof Kids Clothing

BOGOTA, Colombia -- A Colombian firm that makes bulletproof vests is now creating armored clothing for children.

Factory owner Miguel Caballero said he never thought about making protective clothes for kids until requests came in following the deadly attack on Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut last month.

"After the tragedy in Connecticut, we started getting emails from customers asking for protected (clothing) because they were afraid to take their kids to school," Caballero said.

"We have received messages from all over the United States," seeking the protective gear, added Giovanni Cordero, the company's marketing director.

Products include child-sized armored vests, protective undershirts and backpacks with ballistic protection that can be used as shields.

The products are designed for children ages 8-16 years old and cost $150-$600 depending on the complexity of their construction. Each piece weighs 2-4 pounds.

"The products were created with the American market in mind, not for the Latino market," said Caballero. "All the designs and colors, everything is thought out with them in mind."

Caballero performed a test on a pink-and-yellow striped bulletproof backpack attached to a pale blue protective vest, firing a 9mm pistol and a machine gun to show it could withstand a barrage of bullets.

He said the backpack-vest combo and other protective gear have already been ordered by a U.S. distributor, although he would not identify it.

About 250 people work at Caballero's factory, which has been making armored vests for adults for more than 20 years. Colombia suffers from an internal conflict that has killed thousands of people over the last half-century.

Outside Colombia, the vests for adults are sold in some 20 countries, including Ecuador, Costa Rica and Mexico. They are also marketed in parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

Twenty first-graders and six educators were killed in the Dec. 14 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn. The 20-year-old gunman, Adam Lanza, also shot and killed his mother inside their home before driving to the school and shooting his way inside. He committed suicide as police were closing in.

After the Newtown shooting, at least three American companies that were already making backpacks designed to shield children reported a spike in sales.

Massachusetts-based Bullet Blocker reported it was selling 50 to 100 bulletproof backpacks a day after the shooting, up from about 10 to 15 in an average week. The children's backpacks, which are designed to be used as shields, cost more than $200 each.

Most of the children killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary massacre were shot at close range and likely would not have been saved by armored backpacks. At any rate, children don't usually wear their backpacks at their desks or while walking around school.

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Thursday, January 17, 2013

Gay Viral Videos Of 2012: 'Call Me Maybe,' Sandy Hook Tribute, 'Homecoming,' Proposals And More

The international relevance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues was confirmed numerous ways in 2012.

These incredible videos -- all of which swept Twitter, Facebook and a number of other social media sites over the past year -- represent the LGBT community's political concerns as well as its often wicked sense of humor. From the poignancy of Shane Bitney Crone's "It Could Happen To You" (which explored the lack of rights offered to unwed gay couples) to a gay chorus' chilling rendition of a holiday classic in honor of Sandy Hook victims, these clips were certainly topical. And let's not forget the touching "Homecoming" and "Invisible Parents" videos, a sexy "Call Me Maybe" redux shot in West Hollywood and the French soccer players who smooched in a more-than-brotherly fashion on the field -- all of which made us smile.

Take a look at HuffPost Gay Voices' picks for the 14 best gay viral videos this year:

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Don't support marriage equality? Well, the hilarious folks at CollegeHumor made an original video that got everyone's attention, especially the straight men who disagree with two guys getting hitched. The gay guys' argument? They'll make quiches with a side of hummus for breakfast and take her to a Broadway show. What gal wouldn't want that?

It was the song that had everyone going crazy this summer. It's no surprise, then, that the danceable hit quickly got the West Hollywood treatment. This hilarious version stars Jennifer Lopez's backup dancer Matt McCall, drag queen Rhea Litre and gay porn star Nicco Sky.

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This heart-wrenching video made by Shane Bitney Crone was made to commemorate and honor his longtime boyfriend's death. But Crone's video was more than just their love story, it was a poignant opportunity to show the inequalities same-sex couples face under current laws.

Produced by the Coalition for Equal Marriage, a British marriage equality advocacy group, "Homecoming" depicts a soldier embracing his boyfriend on a military tarmac before a romantic proposal and passionate kiss. "All men can be heroes," a tagline reads. "All men can be husbands. End marriage discrimination."

What bigger LGBT story was there this year than Chick-fil-A? Amid all the anti-gay controversy the fast food chain stirred up, we could at least count on some of our favorite drag queens to lighten the mood.

A group of young students joined the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles for a poignant holiday tribute to the victims of the Sandy Hook tragedies in Newtown, Conn. On Dec. 15, 46 students from the Creative Planet School of the Arts joined the men for an arrangement of "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy," made famous by David Bowie and Bing Crosby.

The British "Invisible Parents" ad depicts a young girl hitting an amusement park, taking a plane ride and finally celebrating Christmas with her gay fathers. "Look back and then, look forward," the narrator proclaims in voiceover. The clip was produced as part of the "Invisible Parents" campaign by the LGBT advocacy group AllOut, which is pushing for the recognition of same-sex parents in the European Union.

Mathieu Debuchy, a midfielder with Lille, passed the ball to Montpellier player Olivier Giroud, who scored. After their ultimate 2-1 victory over Germany, the two French national team players embraced in a passionate lip-lock that has gotten tongues wagging in the blogosphere. Whether or not there was any tongue involved in the kiss itself remains a mystery.

One of the most touching and thought-provoking videos of the year, "The Gay Rights Movement" by Ryan James Yezak, had us contemplating where the LGBT movement has been and where it's going. This seven-minute clip includes historical political and cultural moments from the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell to a slew of gay hate crimes.

"Hey, beeetch! Did you see this video?" The list goes on and on. From "I've always wanted a gay best friend" to the excessive uses of "fierce" and "bitch," "Shit Girls Say To Gay Guys" jumped onto the "shit so-and-so says" cultural meme bandwagon and became an instant hit.

After marriage equality wins in this year's general election, there's still more work -- and urging -- to be done. Morgan Freeman lent his inimitable voice to the Human Rights Campaign, proclaiming that, "freedom, justice and human dignity have always guided our journey toward a more perfect union" and that the road to full marriage equality has just begun.

Forget President Obama's historic declaration in May that he supports full marriage equality. His "performance" of Lady Gaga's gay anthem, "Born This Way," might as well have been Obama's official coming out. The dubbed and edited video had us gagging. We can't wait to see the duet with Mother Monster herself!

What gay boy hasn't dreamed of his own Disney fairytale complete with his own Prince Charming? American Idol alum Todrick Hall brings that fantasy to life in "CinderFella," mixing pop hits and Disney classics in this gay-friendly music parody, which went viral when it was released in July.

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Monday, January 14, 2013

Sandy Aid Bill: Senate Approves $60.4 Billion Hurricane Recovery Package

WASHINGTON, Dec 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Friday approved a $60.4 billion aid package to pay for reconstruction costs from Superstorm Sandy, after defeating Republican efforts to trim the bill's cost.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged the Republican-controlled House of Representatives to quickly take up the bill.

Both chambers have to agreed on a package by Jan 2, when the current term of Congress is expected to end, or restart the process of crafting legislation in 2013.

"We beat back all of the crippling amendments," said Senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat from New York, which suffered the largest monetary damage in the storm.

"The century-old tradition of different parts of the country rallying to help those who are beleaguered because of difficult natural disasters continues," Schumer said.

The bill's chances in the next few days could depend on whether President Barack Obama and congressional leaders reach a deal to avert the "fiscal cliff" of tax increases and spending cuts set to begin kicking in the new year.

House Republican leaders have not yet decided whether to take up the Senate bill, a Republican aide said.

Senate Republicans complained the $60.4 billion reconstruction package requested by Obama is more than the annual budgets for the departments of Interior, Labor, Treasury and Transportation combined.

Senator Dan Coats, an Indiana Republican, offered an alternative that would have provided $23.8 billion in funding to help victims of the Oct 29 storm through the end of March and give Congress time to determine additional needs.

"Let me just say, we simply are allowing three months for the Congress of the United States, the representatives of the taxpayers' dollars, to assess, document and justify additional expenditures that go beyond emergency needs," Coats said just before his amendment was defeated.

The Congressional Budget Office has estimated about $8.97 billion of the Senate bill would be spent in 2013, with another $12.66 billion spent in 2014 and $11.59 billion spent in 2015.

The Senate bill is considerably less than the $82 billion in aid requested by New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, the states that bore the brunt of damage from the storm.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a Republican, was in Washington this month, lobbying lawmakers for the larger amount.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund now has less than $5 billion available.

The damage to New York and New Jersey coastal areas was on a scale not seen since Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans in 2005. Two weeks after that storm hit, Congress approved $62.3 billion in emergency appropriations.

Lawmakers passed numerous subsequent emergency funding requests over several years to cover damages from Katrina, which topped $100 billion.

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Friday, January 4, 2013

Sandy Puc': Why We Really Give During the Holidays

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From the familiar jingle of Salvation Army bell ringers to the colorful donation barrels for massive toy and coat drives, the holidays are rich with giving traditions. Yet, at the core of this giving I find that there are real issues that stand in the way of effective and meaningful contributions. There is the factor of taking credit for the gift and feeling better about doing it. Also, there is a convenience mentality to giving that makes the experience perhaps a bit too simple, and all too forgettable. And, of course, there's the idea of being appreciated and thanked for your kindness, whatever it may be. There's a sense of gratification that we can't help but attach to giving this holiday season. With traditional gift giving, that's the norm. But with charitable giving, this approach might just be cheating us out of the true experience. Here are some considerations that can make all the difference for you and your community this year.

Scale

Large nonprofit organizations do a world of good, but there are many people in need that do not have the resources or knowledge of how to access the benefits that they provide. I always make a point of giving to some of my favorite national nonprofits, but a few years back I realized that smaller-scale giving is where the real magic happens. It's amazing to find someone in your community, maybe on Christmas Eve or anytime during this hectic season and give them a meaningful gift of cash or a new item in a discreet way. This giving style is miles away from the sterile click of your keyboard as you make an online donation. It will truly melt your heart and mean the world to someone in need.

Anonymity

I believe that the truest giving is completely anonymous. When you keep your identity a secret you make the gift that much more special and protect the recipient's dignity. You can target an ideal recipient of an anonymous gift at local thrift stores or dollar stores. Watch cars arrive, choose one that is on the older side and slip a holiday card with some cash enclosed under the windshield wiper. Other "secret santa" tactics include paying off someone's layaway purchase at a local shopping center or paying the tab for someone at a restaurant. Whatever the tactic, keeping your identity a secret makes the gift that much more meaningful to you and the recipient alike.

Scope

A lot of people through this recession feel inclined to skip on giving because they can't afford it. But what's to stop us from buying a drink or two for the people behind us in line at the coffee shop? How many of us couldn't afford to buy a meal for a homeless person? And if all else fails, don't forget the magic of a smile. This simple gesture of peace and goodwill can make all the difference. A listening ear is an invaluable gift that anyone can offer. Granted, with the smaller the scope of giving, the harder it is to maintain anonymity, but there is more of a pay-it-forward, or goodwill mentality with the smaller-scale giving that isn't uncomfortable at all. On the contrary, it's extraordinarily heartwarming! A tight budget shouldn't keep us from brightening someone's day.

This holiday season; don't look at giving as one thing on your checklist that you can cross off. However you do it, make true giving an ongoing mentality. Be an angel to someone this holiday season, simply because it's the right thing to do.

This post is part of a series co-produced by The Huffington Post and Points of Light to honor Loreal Paris' Women of Worth initiative. Women of Worth honors incredible women who are making a beautiful difference through their dedication to philanthropy and their passion for improving the world. The 10 women being honored this year were selected from thousands of nominations. Each of the honorees received $10,000 for her charitable cause from L'Oreal Paris. To learn more about Women of Worth or to submit a nomination beginning April 2013, please visit womenofworth.com.

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