The Conservative Cave

Current Events => Politics => Topic started by: Golem on December 05, 2009, 02:16:29 PM

Title: Brad Pitt’s Gifts to New Orleans
Post by: Golem on December 05, 2009, 02:16:29 PM
The houses are ugly. However, this is done with good intentions.

Quote
...In 2007, frustrated by the slow pace of rebuilding in the Lower Ninth, Brad Pitt set up a foundation called Make It Right; the foundation then commissioned 13 architecture firms to design affordable, green houses...

Indeed, from the main route into the Lower Ninth, the Claiborne Avenue Bridge, it’s impossible to miss the Brad Pitt Houses, as everyone here calls them. They are sprawling, angular buildings in bold hues not usually seen outside a gelateria...

Read the whole thing. (http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/travel/29cultured.html)
Title: Re: Brad Pitt’s Gifts to New Orleans
Post by: Celtic Rose on December 05, 2009, 03:34:38 PM
Nice to know that we are seeing some good results from his desire to help New Orleans  :cheersmate:

I agree that the houses are ugly, but he has made sure that houses have been built. 
Title: Re: Brad Pitt’s Gifts to New Orleans
Post by: Golem on December 05, 2009, 03:37:21 PM
Nice to know that we are seeing some good results from his desire to help New Orleans  :cheersmate:

I agree that the houses are ugly, but he has made sure that houses have been built. 

Agreed.
Title: Re: Brad Pitt’s Gifts to New Orleans
Post by: Eupher on December 05, 2009, 08:10:07 PM
Yeah, okay, Pitt's a nice guy.

From the article:
Quote
During my previous trip to the Lower Ninth four years ago, I mainly saw devastation. Wrecked houses were everywhere. Now much of the debris has been cleared, and acre after acre has gone back to nature, with grass almost as high as the reconstructed levees. The main effect in much of the district is an eerie stillness.

But “Brad Pitt’s neighborhood” is a beehive of activity, with builders and landscapers vastly outnumbering residents.

uh huh.

Quote
James Dart, a Manhattan-based architect who was born and raised in New Orleans, described the houses as “alien, sometimes even insulting,” adding, “the biggest problem is that they are not grounded in the history of New Orleans architecture.” But, like other architects I spoke to, he expressed admiration for Mr. Pitt. “He deserves a great deal of credit,” Mr. Dart said, adding that Mr. Pitt had “done more for New Orleans” than any government agency.

Yep. That's about right.

Quote
Jennifer Pearl, a broker who has several houses for sale in the Lower Ninth, has a practical view. “Brad has the very best intentions,” she said. “However, had he come here with houses that looked like what had been here before, he probably could have had four times, five times as many houses up by now.”

Okay. Yeah, let's look a gift horse in the mouth. After all, it's what we do, right?

Quote
To most residents, the construction is simply good news. “It’s hard living here now, but it’s going to be worth it,” said Melba Leggett-Barnes, a cafeteria worker, who is concerned about crime in the neighborhood. The lack of commercial activity is also disappointing. “We used to be able to go to the corner store,” she said. “Now we don’t have a grocery; we don’t have a laundry.”

Gee. Things haven't changed too much, have they?

Looks to me like there's an awful lot of whining still going on.

"What's the gubmint gonna do fo' ME?"

 :whatever:
Title: Re: Brad Pitt’s Gifts to New Orleans
Post by: SilverOrchid on December 05, 2009, 08:58:31 PM
He is a decent guy.
Title: Re: Brad Pitt’s Gifts to New Orleans
Post by: TheSarge on December 05, 2009, 09:09:34 PM
He is a decent guy.

Other than the fact he's 110% in the tank for Lord O...
Title: Re: Brad Pitt’s Gifts to New Orleans
Post by: Baruch Menachem on December 05, 2009, 11:23:15 PM
He can be in the tank as deep as he wants.  My main complaint about the hollywood left is that they talk a lot and do little.   He is doing a lot and not saying much.  That counts as a good thing.
Title: Re: Brad Pitt’s Gifts to New Orleans
Post by: IassaFTots on December 06, 2009, 09:07:08 AM
He can be in the tank as deep as he wants.  My main complaint about the hollywood left is that they talk a lot and do little.   He is doing a lot and not saying much.  That counts as a good thing.

Agreed.  Now let's just keep our fingers crossed, that the houses remain in good condition, and don't get graffiti-ed up. 
Title: Re: Brad Pitt’s Gifts to New Orleans
Post by: MrsSmith on December 06, 2009, 10:43:16 AM
He can be in the tank as deep as he wants.  My main complaint about the hollywood left is that they talk a lot and do little.   He is doing a lot and not saying much.  That counts as a good thing.
Yep.  It's always nice to see the truly rich actually DOing something.  He and Angelina should both be given credit for doing more than they talk.