Can You Part With An Old Prom Dress?

Can You Part With An Old Prom Dress?

A group of local philanthropists are asking the community if they can dig into their hearts and their closets to donate a spare prom dress for some displaced students from Far Rockaway finishing out the school year at other area high schools.

The drive is the brainchild of Kristin Stelfox, a Stony Brook resident who thought of the idea after reading about a similar drive in the aftermath of a devastating tornado that touched down in Joplin, Mo. in May of 2011.

"When you have those kinds of tragedies you're thinking about immediate needs," Stelfox said. "Food, water, basic clothes. But by the time the end of the school year came around, people didn't have prom dresses. I figured, why can't that be replicated here, where we have similar circumstances."

Stelfox's goal was to gather as many prom dresses as possible for those students forced out of their home in the wake of Hurricane Sandy: students whose lives have been turned upside down and may not have the financial circumstances to go out and shop for what is arguably the biggest night in a teenager's life. She teamed up with Amanda Dulaney, a New York City social studies teacher in Brooklyn, and a 2007 graduate of Sachem High School East.

Dulaney said the idea was perfect for her building considering so many of her students have been givers themselves.

"I have students that are underprivileged," Dulaney said. "My kids are inner city, and they've actually donated to the Red Cross, they've done blood drives, they've done coat drives. Plus our building got kids from the Rockaways who were displaced. My kids have been very generous and this is a surprise for them. We haven't told them yet." 

"Amanda's kids have been looking for ways to help these new students, and she was in the process of finding a private charity that would donate dresses," Stelfox explained in an email blast. "She wasn't having any luck and when I approached her with this idea she was 100% on board."

Majority of the dresses will go to Dulaney's school, but depending on the outpour of donated dresses, the plan will be to distribute them to other affected schools. So far Stelfox has gathered more than 20 dresses, about halfway to their initial goal of 50. Dulaney said she was especially thrilled to see that some of the donated dresses were plus size, and is encouraging donations of all shapes and sizes.

"Plus, it's a starting point," Stelfox added. "These dresses can be modified, updated, bows can be taken off or the dress can be altered to fit your personal taste."

Dresses should be gently used, but they will also accept dresses purchased from Goodwill or other thrift stores. All dresses will be collected by April 1. Dulaney plans to surprise her students with them just before the height of prom season fever.

So, if you have a spare prom dress and would like to donate it to this cause, you can ship or personally deliver the dresses to 15 Botany Lane, Stony Brook, NY 11790, care of: Kristin Stelfox and Sue Sugar. Click on the gallery photo for the official drive flyer, and for contact information.

Joanna Garcia and Nick Swisher Expecting First Child

Photo credit: C.Smith/WENN
Joanna Garcia and husband Nick Swisher are all excited as they announced the good news of starting their own family soon. The couple are expecting their first child and shared their joy to family and friends by posting and elaborating about the news on their respective social media walls.

"So happy to finally be able to share our news!" find a wedding guest dress on line for cheap wrote Garcia on her Twitter account on November 12. "Nick and I are expecting our first baby in 2013! Feeling so blessed and beyond excited!" gushed the former "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" actress.

Meanwhile, current New York Yankees right fielder and first baseman Swisher couldn't keep the good news any longer and posted on his Facebook page, "We are so excited to finally be able to share our exciting news with you! We are expecting a little Swisher in the spring of 2013! Words can't describe how blessed we feel to be expanding our family and are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new addition. Your support and kindness has meant so much to us throughout the years and we wanted to personally share the news with you all."

Garcia, 33, and Swisher 31, wed in December 2010 after being engaged for seven months. Their wedding ceremony was attended by such celebrities as Reba McEntire, Jaime-Lynn Sigler and Lance Bass.

Read more: http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00055455.html#ixzz2C5J2ch5F

Berklee band entertains a disappointed Romney crowd

What do you play for a room full of people who’ve just lost a presidential election? “Like Hall & Oates and Stevie Wonder,” explains Eytan Nicholson, the leader of Sweet Tooth and the Sugarbabies, the band of current and former Berklee College of Music students who performed at Mitt Romney’s election festivities at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Tuesday night. “No matter what’s going on, it’s happy music that everybody knows and likes.” Nicholson explained to us on Wednesday that his band got the election-night gig because they’ve played for the former governor twice before. They played a wedding years ago, and the best man wound up being one of Romney’s top campaign staffers. “They needed a band that could kind of put some life into Super Tuesday originally. We showed up and mermaid bridal dresses got some people dancing and had some fun.” Nicholson said it’s a unique challenge to play an election night party that could turn into a massive celebration — or a night of mourning. Once it was clear that Romney had lost the race, they keep the music upbeat, but within reason. “Later in the evening we had to stay away from songs that had certain connotations. Like ‘Celebration’ or ‘Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night.’ . . . They didn’t want it to be awkward. They still wanted entertainment.”
For the record, Nicholson says the Sugarbabies are not a political band. He had nice things to say about both candidates, and said he would have been honored to play for either of them. “I didn’t vote at all,” Nicholson said of his own politics (or lack thereof). “I’m literally not political.” Nicholson said he expects there to be more celebratory dancing at the band’s next big gigs. Sweet Tooth and the Sugar­babies play the Newbury Street and Faneuil Hall tree lighting ceremonies on Nov. 13 and 17.

From:http://bostonglobe.com/

After Katrina, will Salman guide sister’s career?

He’s known as the man with the Midas touch, miraculously altering the fate of any actor from doom to superstardom.

From his “ex-lover” Katrina Kaif to little-known South Indian star Asin, Salman Khan has been instrumental in taking newcomers under his wing and transforming them into big stars.

And, now with Katrina’s kid sister Isabelle gearing up for the spotlight, opposite veteran Anil Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan for a crossover project, we are certain that Salman is gearing to play godfather.

Considering he did it for her big sister, he’d do it again for Isabelle.

When Katrina and Salman had parted ways, industry insiders had speculated that Katrina would step in as producer and use her Bollywood clout to help her sister.

There were even talks of a big budgeted movie directed by Ayan Mukerjee, but now that she has reconnected with Salman post ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, it does appear that he will play a crucial role in Isabelle’s Bollywood career.

With the movie industry not favourable to newcomers, Katrina will surely ensure that Isabelle gets the “Khan” backing that she had once enjoyed.

Initially there were reports of Isabelle kick-starting her career by being a part of the Indian reality show ‘Big Boss4’, but that never materialized with industry insiders claiming Salman was reluctant to put her through the grueling test.

Apart from an international degree in acting, Isabelle has also had her share of ill-fortune in B-town, with an MMS scandal surrounding her. It was, however, cleared after big sister stepped in to prove the video was fabricated.

Controversy isn’t new to the Kaif household, with Katrina’s debut in the raunchy ‘Boom’ being rebuked by critics and the audience. She was even shunted to do obscure South Indian movies.

It was only until Salman stepped into her life, and movies with David Dhawan’s  ‘Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya’ in 2005, that Katrina started making giant leaps in her career.

From then on, she has made the right movie choices with back-to-back box-office hits, pitching her in the top league today. “Had it not been for Salman Khan, she would not have made it in Bollywood,” reveals a source.

“It’s evident that the tag of being Salman Khan's girlfriend helped her in bagging films of top directors.”

Although his influence is evident, Salman has never taken credit for it. “Katrina is what she is because of her hard work and I don’t feel I have contributed to her success,” he had told the Indian media.

From dictating what inexpensive maternity wedding guest dresses to wear, to what movies to sign, Salman still controls her movie choices. “I don’t want her to start doing heroine-oriented roles just yet. No point doing it just for the sake of it,” he insists, during a media interview.

“She is making the right choices now. She can take on heroine-oriented roles later in her career, when the roles have some meaning,” he adds.

Looking at how Salman has converted Katrina into an overnight success, it’s evident that Isabelle will only stand to benefit from this legendary ‘Khan’ connection.

From:http://www.emirates247.com/

'You tortured and raped me from when I was four': Beauty Queen's shocking message to her father posted on her style video blog

A pageant queen and self-ascribed 'beauty guru' has sent shock waves through the internet by posting a startling video in which she addresses her rapist father and threatens him with three guns.
Brie Lybrand put up a twelve minute piece in which she explains that her abusive father has recently subscribed to her channel and tells him 'now is the time' for her to speak out about his crimes.
Calling the post, a 'different kind of video' than normal, the Lousiana native launches into a harrowing attack on a Steven Bressler, the father she says sexually abused her from the age of four to 13. 
Scroll down for video

Watch out: New Orleans 'beauty guru' Brie Lybrand normally posts videos about her makeup and shopping but her latest is a shocking attack directed at an abusive father she says raped and tortured her for nine years

Ms Lybrand, whose normally upbeat videos are watched by over 2,000 viewers and contain tips on beauty brands and shopping advice, appears in the video without even a hint of the makeup so immaculately applied in previous posts, looking tired and vulnerable.
'My zombie eyes are in full affect,' she half-quips mustering the effort to laugh at herself through tears before explaining the motive behind her post.

 

'I just got an email from You Tube saying the man that raped me for most of my life subscribed to me. The man that took my virginity, robbed me of innocence, has subscribed to me on You Tube and is watching my videos.'
'I never got to testify in court and tell him what it feels like being tied up and chained and tortured for hours when you're four years old by your father,' she continues.

Trauma: The usually perfectly made-up former pageant queen and actress appears bare faced and teary as she explains that the man who repeatedly raped her recently subscribed to her popular You Tube channel

Unforgiving: Ms Lybrand tells him that 'now is the time' for her to speak out about the unspeakable things he did to her as a child which she claims she never got to tell to a court

According to the statement, her father not only forced himself on her but tried to kill her mother, Ron Lybrand, 'many times'.

One account recalls a night on which he beat 'the teeth out of' her for trying to protect her daughter.
'I watched my mother in a pool of her own blood and then he came after me,' she says. 'Even at my age I still have nightmares that he's coming back to kill me.'
Though Ms Lybrand tells her viewers that she got away from him at 13, how she managed to do this is unclear as she still lives in the city in which she grew up.

A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Ms Lybrand's own website exclaims proudly: 'I was born and raised in the "Crescent City" also known as "The Big Easy," New Orleans and am proud to call it home!'
Remaining in New Orleans for college, the bit-part actress attended Tulane University in the city where she graduated with a degree in Theatre and History and though now she spends a significant amount of time sharing her secrets on You Tube, according to her latest post she also teaches children.

Happier: A self-ascribed 'beauty guru', Ms Lybrand's website hosts her advice videos and tells fans of her latest bit-parts in movies and commercials

'You wanna see what kind of person I turned out to be?' She challenges her father before the video cuts to a new shot and she lists her achievements as cheer-leading captain at high school and college graduate.
Her choice to become an actor is one, she explains, chillingly, that she credits to him.
'I think I became an actor because I had to escape my reality. The reality of the tortures of what you did. I got really good at it. I got really good at pretending I was somewhere else. Steven Bressler, when you were raping me my mind was somewhere else.
'I was in Disney World, or I was on a beach. Or on a swing listening to Broadway musicals. But I was anywhere except you on top of me. And I have turned that into my career.'
Switching the subject, Ms Lybrand then goes on to ask how he managed to get someone to marry him and calls his new wife by her name.
How she knows this information is unclear but she refers to a lady named Suz and then claims her real name is Glenda.

Pretty: Normally her videos attract about 2,000 views but her latest offering has drawn over 200,000

Perhaps the most shocking act in the beauty queen's story is at five minutes when she introduces her father to a substantial arsenal of weapons.
Ms Lybrand shows viewers three handguns, one by one and tells her father she is always prepared for him.
'Let me show you my friends,' she says before drawing an automatic pistol from a baby pink carry case. She then shows a smaller version that she carries in her purse. And finally a third, pink gun that proves is loaded by opening the barrel.
'Even though I will be forever damaged because of you, you haven't gotten the best of me... I met a wonderful man who understands, who is there when I have to cry and when I have to be upset on father's day when I didn't have a father. I had a monster. I had a murderer.'
The man she talks about is Nick Rohde who appears in a couple of wedding photographs on her Facebook page and yet who she refers to later in the video as her fiance.

Snap! Mr Lybrand's fans love the way she shoots her video from the comfort of her own home making the posts personal and cute

Brie Lybrand acts in the short film that she wrote and acted in called 'Waiting ... on Godot'

'I wish for your death every day,' she begins to conclude. 'You don't deserve to breathe the same air that I breathe. When you die, I will find your grave and I'm going to take a big, heaping dump on it because that's what you deserve.'
The actress then suppresses a smile and wipes her face before continuing.
'I hope you see my face every day for the rest of your miserable life,' she says before urging him to unsubscribe from her channel. 'In the end you're going to be punished and I can't wait. Until then, stay out of my way.'
Gawker has pointed to opinions that the story may have been made given Ms Lybrand's penchant for acting but others have argued that she has too much of web presence to fabricate something so serious. 

From:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

'Big fat' wedding of Andhra Pradesh Minister's daughter: Who footed the bill?

Vizianagaram: As Andhra Pradesh transport minister, every vehicle should be at his beck and call. That was probably the presumption of Andhra Pradesh PCC president and state transport minister Botsa Satyanarayana Rao when he hosted his daughter's wedding celebrations in Vizianagaram district on Wednesday. An estimated 300 SUVs from three districts was allegedly used to ferry guests around Vizianagaram, Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam. Who footed the bill is the big question?

Private taxi operators are reluctant to go on record with who called for the vehicles and who is paying. Several operators say they had to cancel pre-existing booking to accommodate the demands. District officials requesting anonymity say it is not unusual for VIPs to ask for vehicles to be sent and since it is not official, there is no one to pick up the tab.

Former Energy secretary and senior IAS officer EAS Sarma has written to everyone from Congress president Sonia Gandhi to state chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy to Governor ESL Narasimhan asking who is footing the bill for the arrangements being made for transport and hosting of so many VVIPs. Mr Sarma says it is nothing but a farce that so many ministers and others chose to conduct review meetings in the district precisely on the same date, in an attempt to give a private visit the garb of an official one. Many ministers were travelling with their family members.

Even governors from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, K Rosaiah and HR Bhardwaj, and leaders from Delhi, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, attended the wedding. So did virtually the entire Andhra Pradesh council of ministers and those newly inducted into the Union council of ministers from Andhra Pradesh.

It was as though not just the entire district machinery of Vizianagaram and also adjoining Visakhapatnam and Srikakulam had been drafted for wedding duty. Policemen were deployed in huge numbers.

Officials say the visit of so many VIPs calls for not just protocol and deployment of official machinery but also raises security issues. This falls on the Andhra-Orissa border where there is Maoist threat as wellgrape satin shoes.

There has been no response from Botsa Satyanarayana or the state government. Congress leader PC Chacko said in Delhi yesterday that if official machinery was misused, the Congress was not for it.

Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Botsa Satyanarayana is considered a very influential leader in these parts with influence over several sectors. He and his family are being investigated for links in the liquor mafia scam.

From：http://www.ndtv.com/

WEEKEND: Mexican dinner to benefit Mujeres de Maiz foundation

SEQUIM — The seventh year has been especially fruitful for the Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation, a nonprofit group connecting Sequim with the Mayan women of Mexico.

And in the spirit of El Día de los Muertos, that quintessentially Mexican celebration, Mujeres is inviting Sequim and the surrounding community to a party this Saturday night.

There will, of course, be abundant food: a vegetarian Mexican dinner cooked by Molly Rivard and her fellow Mujeres de Maiz supporters at the Sequim Prairie Grange, 290 Macleay Road.

The evening's festivities, to start at 5:30 p.m., will include a special compilation of Mexican background music, a short video from the Mayan communities of Chiapas state and auction bidding on gifts from near and far.

“If you're going to the [Port Angeles] Symphony” at 7:30 p.m. at the Port Angeles High School auditorium, Mujeres co-founder Judith Pasco noted, “you can still come and have dinner” and make it to the concert on time.

Tickets will be available only at the door for a suggested donation of $20, with proceeds going toward Mujeres' programs for girls and young women in Chiapas, Mexico's southernmost and poorest state.

“We've got such gorgeous stuff at the auction. Every year, I think it can't get any better, and then it does,” said Pasco.

Unique holiday gifts

The event is a holiday shopper's heaven, she said, adding that the dozens of items come from around North America.

There are weavings, clothing, Christmas ornaments and ceramics from southern Mexico.

And, Pasco marveled, two new snowboards have been donated by Mervin Manufacturing in Carlsborg.

Pasco and the Mujeres de Maiz board of directors gathered these gifts for the yearly El Día de los Muertos dinner, which is also a time when Mujeres' mission is explained.

Pasco and her small group of Washingtonians named their organization in honor of the Mexican women Pasco had gotten to know during her travels in rural Chiapas.

Women of the corn

The women, who speak both Spanish and the indigenous Mayan language, call themselves Mujeres de Maiz en Resistencia — women of corn, in resistance.

The words evoke their lives.

Corn is the staple food of Mexico; the women seek to strengthen their local communities. And they resist the oppression, personal and political, that plagues their country.

In 2006, the Mujeres de Maiz Opportunity Foundation set out to raise money for one scholarship for Yolanda Hernandez Gomez, then a teenager who hoped to study English in college.

And through the annual El Día de los Muertos dinner and many other fundraisers, the foundation has raised more than Pasco ever dreamed.

Nineteen girls and young women are now attending secondary school and college thanks to Mujeres scholarships.

Mujeres recently received a top rating from GreatNonprofits (www.Greatnonprofits.org) and is included, for the fourth consecutive year, in the Alternative Gifts International catalog (www.AlternativeGifts.org).

Mujeres also provides support for Saturday enrichment programs for elementary school-age children in rural Chiapas. And last August, 16 girls and women received much-needed eyeglasses thanks to Mujeres.

Gomez, who's known as Yoli, is about to graduate from college in San Cristóbal, Chiapas, this winter.

She'll give a short testimonial in the video to be shown after the Mujeres' dinner Saturday evening — in English, the subject in which she will soon have her degree.

Yoli hopes to return to her home town of Zinacantán to teach English, Pasco said.

Yoli's older sister, Juana, also was awarded a scholarship from Mujeres and is finishing a degree in computer science.

She's already teaching computer classes to children in her home village.

The Mujeres foundation seeks to support women and girls as they pursue any level of education, Pasco added.

And as they expand their skills with computers, English and business management, she said, the women return to their own communities to share that knowledge.

Where to find more

Mujeres publishes a newsletter, maintains a website and offers presentations on its work to local organizations. Pasco and the foundation can be reached via www.MujeresdeMaizOF.org, by emailing mujeres@olypen.com or by phoning 360-683-8979.

But the best way to learn about Mujeres and the women of Chiapas, Pasco said, is to come enjoy the Mexican food, music and handicrafts Saturday.

There will be tortilla soup with guacamole, salsa, cheese and chips; salad with lime and cilantro dressing and the pièce de résistance, homemade Mexican wedding cookies.

Pasco's gratitude to those who participate in the event, be they cooks, auction donors or dinner guests, has grown steadily over the years.

“My favorite thing about the dinner is being able to greet and talk to our supporters,” she added, “and thank them in person.”

From：http://www.peninsuladailynews.com/