[Via CNN] (CNN) -- Hundreds of people were stranded on Wednesday in villages dotting Taiwan's mountainous regions after Typhoon Morakot unleashed its fury over the weekend and caused the worst flooding in a half-century.
Morakot dumped 83 inches of rain on parts of the island, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, leaving Taiwan covered in thick blankets of mud.
After hitting Taiwan on Saturday, the storm roared on to mainland China, killing at least six people and displacing 1.4 million, authorities said.
Yet the death toll was much higher in Taiwan, where Morakot was blamed for at least 67 deaths. Figures from the Central Emergency Operation Center said the storm had injured 45 and at least 61 were missing, not including the hundreds trapped in debris.
In northern Taiwan, mud slithered down a mountainside, sweeping up trees and rocks and carrying them into valleys below. In the south, Kaohsiung County was devastated.
A wall of mud inundated and cut off the village of Shiaolin, burying houses. About 10 people there awaited rescue by helicopter. Video Watch what rescuers face in Taiwan »
In Jiahsian village, as many as 100 people were feared buried alive.
Continuing rain had hampered rescue efforts, but the weather showed signs of letting up Wednesday, allowing better access to those in need of help.
Taiwan's Interior Ministry said Wednesday that 200 people were trapped in that county's village of Namahsia and 38 were rescued by helicopter. Among the rescued, 18 were injured. In the village of Maolin, where 200 to 300 people were feared trapped, rescue workers were forced to suspend operations because of bad weather. (Click here to read full article.)
[Via Reuters] KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan (Reuters) – About 700 people from the remote mountains of southern Taiwan were found alive overnight after it was feared they may have been buried by mudslides, officials said.
The survivors from four villages made it to higher ground before walls of mud and rock submerged their homes, said Hu Jui-chou, an army official involved in the rescue effort.
� FRIDAY 6/12 - WEDNESDAY, 9/30 Asian Art Museum's Lords of the Samuari Exhibit
� FRIDAY, 6/19 California Sing-Along With Charlie Chin
� FRIDAY, 6/19 Wine tasting with the Asian Community
� FRIDAY, 6/19
Kapakahi CD Release Party
� FRIDAY, 6/19
MTV's America's Best Dance Crew Season 3 Winners Quest Crew Performance
� WEDNESDAY, 6/24 For The Love of Ramen
� SF Hep B Free Speakers Bureau Speakers available to make educational presentations to community groups in various languages. � SAVE THE DATES - JULY EVENTS 7/11 - Boogie Nights in J-town, Fundraiser for the Nihonmachi Street Fair 7/18, 7/25, 7/26 - Asians Americans for Community Outreach Sports Day for Charity
{ See below for more details. }
31st Annual Ethnic Dance Festival
WHAT: 31st Annual Ethnic Dance Festival
From the palace courts of Korea to the temples of India and the village squares of Mexico, the 31st Annual San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival is your first class ticket to an unforgettable journey around the world. Every June, San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts comes to vivid life in a swirl of breathtaking beauty and explosive energy as thirty six companies representing dance traditions from more than 20 cultures and featuring more than four hundred of Northern California's most acclaimed dancers and musicians take to the stage. The Festival is the largest and most prestigious gathering of its kind in the country with four weekends of performances and a different line up of performers each week. This year, the Festival is proud to present three specially commissioned works by some of the Bay Area's most accomplished companies including Gamelan Sekar Jaya (Balinese), Leung's White Crane Lion and Dragon Dance (Chinese) and the Murphy Irish Dancers. So come once or come four times, just don't miss this extraordinary annual celebration of our global artistic heritage.
WHEN:
Every Saturday & Sunday from now through June 28, 2009 Saturdays 2 & 8pm; Sundays 2pm
Plus Special Festival Gala hosted by Honorary Chair Rita Moreno on Saturday, June 13, 2009 beginning at 6pm
WHERE: Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, 3301 Lyon St., San Francisco
$22-$44 with specially priced Saturday family matinees
Weekend passes and group discounts are available CONTACT: Visit www.worldartswest.org or call (415) 474-3914 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Asian Art Museum's Lords of the Samurai Exhibit
WHAT: Lords of the Samurai
The samurai culture and code of conduct, bushido, have long captivated the imaginations and aspirations of young and old in the Western world.
Lords of the Samurai takes an intimate look at the daimyo, or provincial lords of the warrior class in feudal Japan. The Hosokawa clan, powerful military nobles with a 600-year-old lineage, embodied this duality of fierce warrior and refined gentleman.
The exhibition features more than 160 works from the Hosokawa family collection housed in the Eisei-Bunko Museum in Tokyo, the Kumamoto Castle, and the Kumamoto Municipal Museum in Kyushu. Objects on view will include suits of armor, armaments (including swords and guns), formal attire, calligraphy, paintings, teaware, lacquerware, masks, and musical instruments.
The Asian Art Museum is the exclusive U.S. venue for this exhibition.
WHEN:
Now - September 30, 2009
WHERE: Asian Art Museum 200 Larkin St. San Francisco, CA
Join folksinger Charlie Chin as he plays the guitar and banjo, taking us on a sing-along journey through California history. We'll visit the Gold Rush, the building of the Trans-continental Railroad, pass through the Golden Gate and find our hearts in San Francisco.
WHEN:
Friday, June 19, 2009 11am
WHERE: Yerba Buena Children's Garden Howard & Fourth Street
For the second year in a row, the public will have a unique and fun chance to sample over 50 wines and learn about local Asian American community groups in the Bay Area.
This event will be a great chance to meet and greet many local Asian American community groups and taste over 50 wines from many regions in a friendly atmosphere.
The event will feature 12 new and four returning wineries and wine retailers, including: Alejos Cellars, Armida Winery, Artesa Vineyards & Winery, Blacksmith Cellars, Coppola Wines, Dee Vine Wines, Fleming Jenkins Vineyards & Winery, J. Lohr Vineyards & Wines, Korbin Kameron Vineyards, La Famiglia Winery, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Snows Lake Vineyard, Tres Sabores, VERGE, Wine Cellars, Vinum Global Imports, and Wente Vineyards.
WHEN: Friday, June 19, 2009 6:00pm - 9:00pm
WHERE:
The Green Room at the War Memorial Veterans Building 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco
What exactly is Kapakahi? Simply put, it's complicated.
Imagine if you kidnapped Sublime, put them on an island with a case of rum and invited The P-Funk All Stars, 311 and Lupe Fiasco to join the party...they would probably come up with a sound ALMOST as unique as Kapakahi's.
Like the multi-cultural mix of musicians that make up the band, Kapakahi is about celebrating diversity in all its fun, funky glory. Their music is a fresh and progressive mash-up of pop, reggae, latin, hip-hop and funk and their energetic stage show grabs the attention of whatever crowd they're in front of.
So, regardless of any label placed on them, Kapakahi's genre-bending style aims for ONE thing: to get your ass moving on the dance floor!
Please join the band this evening as they celebrate the release of their newest CD, "Light Up."
WHEN:
Friday, June 19, 2009 Doors open at 8 pm Event starts at 9 pm WHERE: Slim's 333 11th St. San Francisco, CA
MTV's America's Best Dance Crew Winners Quest Crew to Perform in S.F.
WHAT:
Quest Crew, the talented winners of MTV's America's Best Dance Crew season 3 - will be making a special appearance in San Francisco to perform for CenterStage, a new ages 18 and up promotions company. The popular group from one of TV's hottest shows will be hosting a meet and greet, followed by a choreographed as well as freestyle dance performance shortly before midnight. The members: Steven Terada, Victor Kim, Brian Hirano, Ryan Conferrido, Ryan Feng, Hok, and D-Trix each have substantial professional dance experience, performing on television shows like So You Think You Can Dance and American Idol to touring with the likes of Gloria Estefan and Sheila E.
All of us have benefitted from the quick and easy goodness of ramen. From the desks of salary workers to the dorm rooms of college students, from famous noodle shops to supermarket shelves, ramen's many incarnations have tangled their way into our hearts and minds as much as they've filled our stomachs.
A panel of noodle experts will explore how a dish born of extreme need after World War II was transformed into a meal of luxury, endless regional specialties, and then, finally, an iconic convenience food.
Come join the conversation with:
Eric Nakamura, publisher and co-editor, Giant Robot magazine
Andy Raskin, author, The Ramen King and I
George Solt, assistant professor of history, New York University
Thy Tran(moderator), director, Asian Culinary Forum
$20 General Admission
$15 Full-time Students with ID
WHEN: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 Time: 6:30 - 8:30 pm WHERE: San Francisco Ferry Building
JULY EVENTS - SAVE THE DATE! Boogie Nights in J-Town: A Fundraising Dance For the 36th Annual Nihonmachi Sreet Fair
On July 11, the Nihonmachi Street Fair will host a fundraising dance at the Hotel Kabuki in San Francisco. Performing will be the Kanzaki Lounge All Stars, a band composed of some of the best-known Asian American musicians in the Bay Area--Carey Huang, DerrickTong, Billy Shen, Colette Ikemi, Rich Aguon, Eva Chew, Chris Garcia and Jessie De Torres. The Street Fair is set for August 8 and 9 in San Francisco's Japantown. In this, its 36th year, the non-profit event, which benefits Asian American and Pacific Islander community service and cultural organizations, is facing some of the most challenging times ever in terms of its fundraising efforts. The Street Fair has become a traditional summertime event in Japantown that not only supports community service organizations and artisans but also serves as a showcase for emerging Asian American performing artists. This fundraiser will help ensure that the street fair continues its service to the Japantown community. "Your $30 support will definitely help us in offsetting logistical cost associated with producing the 2 day event in August," Grace Horikiri, executive director and president of the Nihonmachi Street Fair. "We encourage everyone to tell their friends and truly come out for an evening that will sure to be a memorable experience!" The Boogie Nights in J-Town dance will take place from 8 p.m. to midnight, and tickets will be $40 at the door and $30 during presale before July 1. Please email grace@nihonmachistreetfair.org to order your tickets today.
Sports Day for Charity
WHAT: Sports Day for Charity
For the 14th consecutive year, Asian Americans for Community Outreach (AACO) will be holding its annual Sports Day for Charity event! This is always AACO's biggest and most popular event each year, with over 350 participants, and proceeds going to local charities! Sports Day for Charity consists of a softball, volleyball, tennis, and basketball tournament.
The SF HEP B FREE campaign is pleased to announce the launch of its newly activated Speakers Bureau. Speakers are available to make educational presentations in English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Korean, or Tagalog.
These talks can range from 20-60 minutes, with question and answer periods incorporated. There is no charge for this service.
Target audiences include community groups of any type, including staff, members, special gatherings, brown bag lunch sessions, etc. Our goal is to provide basic information about hepatitis B (prevalence, transmission, prevention, and screening).
To request a speaker for your group, email or fax the information below to Tamiko Wong at twong@awfoundation.com, FAX: 415-397-3080, PHONE: 415-321-5865
AsianWeek Foundation Wish List
WHAT: AsianWeek Foundation accepts donations of goods and products on a limited basis. The following is AsianWeek Foundation's wish list of current needs:
laptop computer 2.0ghz or faster
projector
folding screen (for projecting slide shows)
recordable DVDs
USB drives
printer paper, white and colors, regular and card stock
file folders (plain manila or color)
large wall clock
printer cartridges for HP LaserJet 3380, HP LaserJet 8000DN, Lexmark x2480, Epson Stylus Photo 2200
ink cartridge for Brother intelliFAX 2820
Used items are fine, as long as they are in good condition. Gifts are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. SEND DONATIONS TO: 809 Sacramento Street San Francisco, CA 94108
