“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!

This recent string of earthquakes, including yesterday’s magnitude-6.9 quake in Yushu county, Qinghai, got me to look into the matter more.

What is the likelihood of a major earthquake in Vietnam?

Early on, I knew Vietnam was near the “Ring of Fire,” an area around the Pacific Ocean where 90% of the earth’s Earthquakes occur.  In simple terms, the ring is where huge plates of the earth are colliding against each other.

As the map above indicates, Vietnam just missed the Ring of Fire.  However, that doesn’t mean we are in the clear.  I went to the USGS website and took a look at Earthquake data for the past 30 days.  It seems the most imminent dangers are coming from the northwest in China and southwest in Indonesia.

My observations hold true after further research on past earthquakes.  The last few earthquakes felt in Vietnam did not originate there, but from the southwest region of China, bordering Vietnam.  Namely, the 1970 earthquake in the Yunnan province of China and as far away as the Sichuan province (where the devastating 7.9 quake occurred in 2008).

9.0 Earthquake in Vietnam? Let the data tell the story.

I found an article warning that Vietnam could experience a magnitude 8-9 earthquake in the future.  Yet, I found that the claim was unsubstantiated by data.  Vietnam is not on a major fault line.   Recent data shows that not even small tremors have occurred within the region.  In the past 100 years, there have been 2 major earthquakes near the Dien Bien Province (the very northwest corner of Vietnam, near Sapa).  It is estimated that even in that region, earthquake of that magnitude on occurs every 500 – 900 years.

In all, it is unlikely that Vietnam will be the epicenter of a major earthquake any time soon.  Most activity will be from southwest China and near Tibet.

Okay, but Tsunamis will get us, right?

Although Vietnam is not earthquake prone, the regions around it seems to be.  Only a few years ago, the most devastating earthquake in recent history occurred in the Indian Ocean, just west of Vietnam.  Not to forget the ominous “Ring of Fire” sitting immediately to the east.  One can imagine that major earthquakes in these regions will cause major tsunamis to crash into Vietnam’s coasts.

Apparently, that has not occurred.

The most likely Tsunami would come from the Philippines (Manila Trench).  If that occurs, it will take 2 hours for the tsunami to hit Vietnam’s coasts.

The disaster to really worry about: Floods

The tropical country of Vietnam is prone to floods, hurricanes, and typhoons.  These disasters causes severe damage, both short-term and long-term.  Back in September of 2009, Typhoon Ketsana caused huge flooding damage to the country.  Unfortunately, a lot of the deaths could have been prevented with better structures, access to clean water after the floods, and stronger infrastructure. There are many NGO’s working to build that infrastructure, like East Meets West Foundation,  so Vietnam is better prepared for the next disaster.  Of course, feel free to contact us for more information on groups working on disaster relief, medical aide, and infrastructure.

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