“Holla for Japan: A Benefit Concert” took place from 8-11 p.m. that Saturday night at New York City’s oldest rock club, The Bitter End, which is famous for hosting performances by legends such as Etta James, Bill Withers, the Isley Brothers, and Andy Gibb.

Vudoo Soul takes the stage at Holla for Japan. Photo Credit: An Nguyen

The event was organized by “Home for the Holla’Days”, a collaborative group whose core members include Magnetic North (half of which is Vietnamese American emcee Theresa Vu, the other half being Chinese American Derek Kan, a.k.a. Direct), Vudoo Soul (the second Vietnamese American performer of the night), Taiyo Na, and Sam Kang.

“Home for the Holla’Days” was originally formed to help raise money for Aid to Children Without Parents, Inc. (ACWP). “The group I played with tonight, the whole Holla’Days crew, we do this thing; it’s been an annual thing so far,” said Vudoo Soul, 29, currently of Southern California. “We’ve done it twice already in the Bay Area. The first year raised $7,000 to provide children without parents in [Southeast Asia] resources, like food, clothes, and education. The second year we raised $14,000.”

In the wake of the recent disasters that literally shook up Japan, “Home for the Holla’Days” was joined by Alfa Garcia in raising proceeds for the International Rescue Committee. A thank you message sent out by Theresa announced that a grand total of $8,675 was raised, which will all go towards Japan.

“Sometimes we feel our calling is to write music for our community and the underrepresented,” Derek said. The 29-year-old New Yorker has been doing music with Theresa for nearly ten years. “Sometimes we feel that we need to write music for ourselves, just to express something that’s been eating away at us inside.  But, more and more, it’s events like ‘Holla For Japan’ and the ‘Home for the Holla’Days’ concerts that really seem to be the most important force to why we do music.”

Scooter Oyama of the Home:Word House Band, a 23-year-old from UC San Diego, flew out from Southern California to do his part. “I feel for Japan,” he said. “I was just there and I have family that were somewhat affected and I really want to help out and do anything that I can.”

Other members of the band in attendance were Abraham Kim on the drums, Charles Kim on bass guitar, saxophonist Jonathan Lee, Takenori Nyshiuchi on guitar, and beatboxer David Kong.

From left: Taiyo Na and the Magnetic North duo, Derek Kan & Theresa Vu. Image from the Home for the Holla'Days website.

After an opening set by Alfa Garcia, the headlining event featured songs from Magnetic North and Taiyo Na’s collaborative album, Home:Word, including their hit single “Summertime”. Accompanied by the Home:Word House Band, they all took turns with Sam Kang, Vudoo Soul, and others on the mic.

The event brought in a full house, and then some, and the overall audience response was positively upbeat. “Everyone is so talented here,” said 23-year-old Di Nguyen from Manhattan. “They’re really passionate about raising money for Japan. [Scooter Oyama] wrote a song just for Japan and that’s really admirable.”

“I just think it’s amazing what they’re doing,” said Yuka Yoneda, 28, from Queens. “I’m so proud of them. I’m proud of Taiyo. And I know some of them aren’t even Japanese so I think it’s just so amazing what people can do when they get together.”

Yuka donated all of her Clossette.com’s March and April sales to the relief efforts in Japan. She added, “A lot of people are doing different things like this and I think once we all get together and do it, we can raise a lot of money.”

This goes to show that philanthropy knows no borders within the Asian American community. Said Vudoo Soul, “The Asian American community is a small, close-knit community. Over the years we found that it’s just a really awesome thing to get together and bring fans of our music together, so that we can raise money for things that we care about.”

“The vibe at these events, and the vibe of the Home:Word House Band, is something that is irreplaceable and the truest form of the music community,” said Derek. “And this is what Magnetic North and Taiyo Na are all about.  If we can raise so much money, and help so many vital causes by making good music and creating an atmosphere that both the performers and the audience fall in love with, then what else could we ask for? This is only the beginning.”

For those who’d like to stay up to date on upcoming video clips from the show, subscribe to Magnetic North & Taiyo Na’s YouTube channel. Also, keep an eye out for the release of Magnetic North, Taiyo Na, and Jin’s new music video, which should be premiering this week!

While searching for a topic about Vietnam,  I ran across some articles about the Agent Orange problem in Vietnam and decided to write about it from a mathematical standpoint. For those who are not experts on the matter, here is brief  description from Wikipedia:

I hope this article will allow us to become more informed about Agent Orange and efforts to combat it.  There are more than 50 US-based groups that focus efforts to helping victims of Agent Orange. I am relieved to know that many people are aware of the problem and are dedicated to improve it. However, a closer look at most of these articles I realize the following:

- There is a vast amount of government aid, totaling up to $100 million (my rough estimate from multiple articles I have read), but the funds aren’t being used effectively

- There are many complaints from the service groups about the insufficiency of the funding, and they have to turn away more than 60% of potential aid recipients (again, my rough estimate after reading several articles)

My analysis of the situation:

Due to my background in economics, I will present my analysis from a more mathematical perspective than James and Brian have previously in their respective Ageant Orange articles. 

With the assumptions that there are 5 million victims out there and $100 million in aid, my quick calculation leads me to the conclusion that there is only $20  per victim. This is assuming that relief workers do not get paid for their labor, and the money transfers directly to the victim.  I should add the disclaimer that these numbers are based solely on my reasoning capabilities and not on exact numbers.  Survey data are lacking for me to make a concrete analysis.  Nevertheless, I believe these numbers are quite close to the actual data.  If so, then I realized that government aid is simply not sufficient to help those in need.

Importance of OneVietnam Network:

Hence, after careful analysis and data interpretation, I came to the conclusion about the importance of a social non-profit network like OneVietnam Network. Vietnamese expats send home $7 billion every year, without the help of social networking. Imagine if OneVietnam Network is able to connect all generations of Vietnamese and friends of Vietnam,  the awareness of problems like Agent Orange is large, and the cost of contributing is small!

Let’s say East Meets West foundation sets a goal of helping 10,000 victims. They need a budget of $10 million. Accessing their profile on OneVietnam Network (which assumed to have 10 million users at the time) and asking for donations, they can reach out to many people in a short amount of time. Everyone only has to donate $1/ user in order to help 10,000 victims. With a quick announcement on OneVietnam Network and maybe 2 weeks of fundraising, East Meets West will have the funds to help the victims.

In conclusion…

I see a many efficiency problems that need to be resolved. I feel an unlimited amount of affection and care for people in need. I see a great potential in OneVietnam Network.  I believe OneVietnam can revolutionize the scene of philanthropy and inspire our generation.  The possibilities and vision of OneVietnam Network give me the inspiration to work late nights, during weekends, and on holidays with only happiness in me because I know that I can do my little part to make the world a better place.

Please become a fan of OneVietnam Network: http://www.facebook.com/OneVietnam, and invite all your friends. We want to reach the people who care!

The death toll is astronomical and it is continually rising as more bodies are found and accounted for.  Reports say some 50,000 bodies have been found and Haiti’s Interior Minister Paul Antoine Bien-Aime told Reuters on Friday that the final count can be as high as 100,000 to 200,000. (Reuters)

The situation in Haiti has become grim and perilous as masses are left without food and water while authorities try to bury tens of thousands of bodies to prevent disease.  Unless international aid comes sooner, authorities fear that anarchy will soon engulf Haiti. To make matters worse, the earthquake devastated the already-poor infrastucture in Haiti thus preventing or delaying relief efforts.  The airport cannot handle the volume of supplies coming in while the ports have been declared unusable by the US Coast Guard. (Businessweek)

One hundred U.S. paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division arrived in Haiti yesterday to help maintain order while 9,000-10,000 troops will arrive by the end of the week.  Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman said, “In this situation, the military is best able to supply security, search-and-rescue capabilities, potable water and medical facilities.” (UPI)

In this time of tremendous need, the international community has rallied together monetary aid (and supplies) in quantities never seen before.  The figures reported in multiple news sources were astounding. Dollars from charities and international aid groups are projected to surpass funds raised after the 2004 Asian tsunami and2005 Hurricane Katrina.  Convio Inc., a company that processes donations online for 1,300 nonprofits, estimates more than $80 million in donations for Haiti since Tuesday.  The corporate world is also pitching in millions: UPS, $1million; Bank of America, $1million; Lowe’s, $1million; Walmart, $500k; and others. (Wall Street Journal and Reuters)

While much aid is needed, authorities caution donors to be critical of who they are giving money to in order to make the most impact with their donations.  For example, donors can make a bigger impact by donating to organizations with a well established infrastructure in Haiti and with experience and relationship with the local communities.  Partners in Health, a nonprofit organization based in Boston and founded by Harvard Professor Dr. Paul Farmer and Darmouth College President Jim Kim, has been committed to providing health care to rural communities in Haiti for more than twenty years.  PIH hospitals are flooded with victims, and resources are low.  Please click on the link above to donate.

Another critical issue arises during times of disaster — a skyward increase in the number of “charity” scams and frauds.  After Katrina, CharityNavigator, a charity watchdog group, reported some 4,000 bogus sites were created requesting relief aids. The FBI also warned Americans to ignore unsolicited emails.  Again, the best thing to do is to donate money directly to local charity groups or large international organizations such as the Red Cross.  Monetary donations are preferred over supplies for reasons mentioned above.  (Wall Street Journal)

Finally, as more and more visuals are released online through YouTube and major news sources, readers can fully appreciate the full destruction and devastation ravaging Haiti.  Some of the most moving images can be found on the New York Times photojournalism page.

Please pray for Haiti,

OVN Team

The World Bank has announced this Monday, October 5, to be World Habitat Day!

What is World Habitat Day?

“On this day, we reaffirm that adequate shelter is a basic human right, and we focus on the housing conditions of cities and towns around the world. We also use this day to remind the world of its collective responsibility for the future of the human habitat.”

How can you help?

Educate yourself and your friends and family.

• Read Habitat’s World Habitat Day handbook to learn more about the importance of secure tenure and neighborhood revitalization.
• Take a virtual tour of the Capotillo informal settlement in the Dominican Republic.
• Read statistics and research about poverty housing in the U.S. and around the world.
• Link to our World Habitat Day 2009 resources page on your social media pages, personal Web site or blog.

Advocate for decent housing for all.

• Submit a photo of yourself holding a sign that says “It all starts at home” and submit it to Habitat’s photo petition on Flickr.com.
• Send a message to your members of Congress on World Habitat Day.
• Tell your friends and family to take action too! Use the “Email” button at the top of this page to share this Web page.

Join a World Habitat Day event in your community.
Visit World Habitat Day events.

Donate to support Habitat’s efforts.
Donate online today.

For more information, visit Habitat for Humanity

Documentary Website

For more information about Tim Ferriss and his efforts, visit his site.