Two Star Trek stars spanning the decades have joined other big celebrities in a video PSA for the charity Unite For Japan, which is trying to help with the Japan earthquake and tsunami relief effort. Watch the PSA below.
Shatner and Saldana Unite For Japan
Star Trek stars Zoe Saldana and William Shatner have joined other big name celebrities for Ken Watanebe’s Unite For Japan Charity, to help with the earthquake and tsunami relief effort in Japan.
William Shatner and Zoe Saldana in PSA for Unite For Japan
The group has released two videos featuring a number of big name celebrities, Shatner and Saldana appear in the second one.
Stars ‘united for Japan’ (In order of appearance)
Video 1: Ken Watanabe, Johnny Depp, Ben Stiller and other celebrities help Japan. Music by Jake Shimabukuro. (in order of appearance) Ken Watanabe, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Legend, Apolo Ohno, Paula Abdul, Ben Stiller, Johnny Depp, Maggie Q, Ben Affleck, Rob Marshall, Zac Brown, Sharon Lawrence, Masi Oka, Hideki Matsui, Cillian Murphy, and Jonah Hill
Video 2: Aisha Tyler, William Shatner, Jamie Lee Curtis, Apolo Ohno, John Travolta, Jennifer Morrison, John Legend, Katy Perry, Masi Oka, Rob Marshall, Sharon Lawrence, Richard Lewis, Paula Abdul, Hideki Matsui, Steph Song, Amaury Nolasco, Robert Patrick, Maggie Q, Philp Seymour Hoffman, Ayako Fujitani, Jonah Hill, Julian McMahon, Ellen DeGeneres, Mikael Hafstrom, Muramasa Kudo, Cobie Smulders, Jake Shimabukuro, Zoe Saldana, Cillian Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Matt Damon, Charlize Theron, Mark Wahlberg, Leonardo Dicaprio, and Clint Eastwood.
To help visit www.uniteforjapan.org.
A worthwhile cause, and in keeping with Trek’s vision of a united humanity.
Kirk and Sulu would heartily approve.
What, no love for the recent tornado and flood victims? In the USA. Japan is a very rich country. They are more than able to take care of themselves. Be careful to whom you give money to less it fall into unscrupulous hands as did much of the money given to Haiti.
All that needs to be said is this: 頑張ろう日本！ (Stay strong, Japan!) Living here since the quakes has been quite a sight and such a joy to be amongst these awesome people. They’re strong, brave, and they stand even when the very ground they walk upon knocks them down. They are a true inspiration to the world.
About time there was something to help Japan. Not seen anything to raise funds for that country. Glad my star trek stars are doing something
For those who are thinking that Japan is a super-rich and awesome powerful country, think again. The earthquake and tsunami flat-out DEVASTATED this country’s economy (by “this” I refer to the country where I currently hang my hat being Japan). Not that the economy here was any good to begin with (great for foreigners, but not for the Japanese people as a whole, and what was already deteriorated by the natural economic flow here since WW2, the quake/tsunami pretty much finished off. Just some interesting figures to throw at you…
60-70% of whole foods grown for domestic and export are produced in the Tohoku Region (NE Japan)
75-80% of the power produced for the entire NE region of Japan was produced at Fukushima No. 1 and No. 2 Nuclear Power Plants.
With Fukushima 1 destroyed and 2 shut down, Tokyo now relies on the Tokai Nuclear Plant and the Yokohama Nuclear Power Plant to power a city the size of Long Island (larger than NYC, Boston and Philly combined). That’s a 50% power cut. That power cut resulted in the loss of 55% of jobs, since businesses that relied on the power (such as about half of the 10,000 electronic stores) couldn’t operate. businesses had to cut their hours of operations to daylight time to make use of natural sunlight in exchange for powering their equipement. At sundown, these businesses have to close because they can’t power their lights at night, which in Tokyo, means a 67% loss of business.
28,000 dead or missing.
Food shortages in the NE region resulted in the largest mass hauling of food and supplies in the country’s history. With roads and highways destroyed, railroads that weren’t cut apart by the quake were utilized by freight trains to carry fuel and oil, food and supplies to the affected region. That resulted in the closure of over half of the food and beverage industry in Japan, which is a HUGE part of the Japanese culture. Supermarkets and convenience stores closed because 100% of their supplies were being sent to the NE region after the quake.
Almost a million people displaced.
The quake, literally, pulled the entire country 15 feet to the west, and bent the country in half. The entire NE region now sits almost 30 centimeters LOWER than it did before the quake. While yes, there was a flash flood in a large part of the US with tornadoes, flooding is now an every day occurrance for the people of NE japan. At high tide, the water rises to about a meter in the streets. Businesses must close, people must return home and cannot leave or go to work until the tide recedes. This will happen twice a day, forever. While the flooding in the US will go away, flooding here in Japan is now a fact of life for everyone on the Pacific coast of NE Japan. Deaths by floods will be daily, as will homelessness and famine.
Not downplaying the disasters that strike every year in the United States (my family being from Kansas City, MO), as those events do indeed suck, and thoughts and prayers go out to the people of the midwest and East Coast being torn apart by these killer storms. However, the people of Japan have faced a disaster that equals A THOUSAND of those killer storms, and now must live with the physical consequences of this disaster. The “Kantou/Tohoku Daishinsai,” which is the proper Japanese name for the quake/tsunami, scarred the Earth and scarred Japan. These people need help from all over the world, not just from movie stars in the US, but from everyone who gives a damn about human life.
Japan has the strength to stand back up and rebuild. However, they can no longer do it alone. “We need the help,” Prime Minister Naoto Kan said in a press conference just a month ago. “Please, to our friends in the world, please help us. We need the help.” And this is coming from a man who strongly believes that Japan must stand on its own, free from foreign influence and aid, who turned to the world and asked for help.
This is a good cause. I give what I can every chance I get because they need the help. Japan can do it, but they need support.
#2. There are many orginasations that are helping the Tornado Victems. In Japan it was not just a small part of the country. It was most of Japan that was Devestated by Earthquake,Sunami and Nuclear meltdown. In that country more then a Million People were affected and Japan even though they had money simply can not take care of them selves with out a lot of help. We can take care of our own here and help in Japan at the same time.
Charity does begin at home. Americans should not forget about their own people who are in desperate circumstances, nor should others far away be ignored either. I guess it is about keeping a balance.
With a massive earthquake like Japan has experienced, the after-shocks can go on for some time and many of them can be quite big. It is not a nice experience at all. In Christchurch, NZ, the city was experiencing really nasty after-shocks for five and a half months before another big earthquake hit again on 22 February 2011. The city is still getting some, but not nearly as many, fortunately. Very frightening times for earthquake victims.
Japan sits on a very earthquake prone area. They knew this yet built there anyway. If the devastation will continue forever, better to just abandon that soil and move somewhere more stable. Only a fool fights in a burning house. Los Angeles’s time is also coming. I understand people have the right to live where they want and many may have no choice but….actions have consequences. I live in a mobile home in south Louisiana. If a hurricane blows it to bits I have no one to blame but myself.
Consider, though, that Japan has about 120 million people — about 40% the population of the United States. Japan is an ancient civilization much older than the countries of Europe, let alone the United States, with associated civilizational artifacts traced back to the year 14,000 B.C.E. It’s not as if the Japanese decided to move where they are recently; these people have called that area home for thousands of years.
Moreover, the entirety of Japan is smaller than the state of California. I don’t think there is anywhere the population can move within Japan to escape potential seismic devastation, because the whole country is on the Pacific rim of fire that is prone to earthquakes.
The only way the Japanese can escape earthquakes is if the entire population relocates to another part of the world. It would be as most of the United States population east of the Mississippi were to have to relocate somewhere else. Even though the United States is vastly larger than the Japan, this would seem impossible for a number of reasons.
The scale of the earthquake — the largest in the modern history of the world — and the tsunami, and the associated disasters caused, is virtually unimaginable. The ocean washed as far as six miles inland, devastating thousands of homes and killing over ten thousand people. As others have already stated, a million or more Japanese are virtually homeless, both as a result of these natural disasters and the nuclear catastrophes that they caused.
No other country since the Second World War has suffered the three-pronged devastation that Japan has suffered. Throughout it all, the Japanese people have remained stoic and mostly law-abiding, crediting their culture and way of life.
Consider, also, that Japan has often been the first to send aid — both manpower and substantial material support — to other countries in their respective times of need.
There is no doubt that Americans should help fellow Americans first and foremost. But I, for one, do not begrudge the Japanese simply because they are not American; they, too, deserve our help.
#8 Are you serious? Japan are a large group of islands which has been inhabited for a very long time. The present Japanese populations is over 127 million. Just where are all these people supposed to go? Much of the earth is unstable or has been in various points of its history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan
5. kietero – May 9, 2011
Unfortunately the worst — and still ongoing — nuclear energy disaster in human history is no longer newsworthy. We have a literally stupid media whose job is make people equally stupid — and oblivious — on an epic scale.
That Don Henley song was never more true than now.
@8 – those words have been spoken time and time again for victims of all circumstances, and don’t think about the consequences of their words. I, and anyone else, can now say the same thing about living in the midwest; “you build in the most storm/tornado prone area in the world, you’re gonna get blown down.” Yet, why do they build there anyway, regardless? Does it have something to do with them being stupid and ignorant of the danger? Or something to do with the rich, fertile soil, the easy access to rivers, the prime real estate for roads, access to railroads, plentiful crop and scores of wildlife to exploit for poultry?
Yes, there are risks, but NO ONE expects the land they lived on for thousands of years to *bend in half.* Scientists knew it would happen gradually, but the earthquake and tsunami did the work of tens of thousands of years in TWO MINUTES. The land that was scored was scientifically proven to be INFERTILE, unable to yield anything, no crops and no natural resources. Yet, the land has been tempered over time to produce crop, to exploit the few natural resources that are there. Flat coastline that provided nice areas to build huge ports. Prime real estate to build roads and easy access to high-speed rail lines to move people, and product, to Tokyo-South, and points North to Hokkaido. The area was the center of import and export in the country.
Not anymore.
If you don’t drive or ride a Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Infinity, Mazda, Yamaha or Kawasaki car or motorcycle, chances are, you know someone who does. When their cars break down, for the foreseeable future, they won’t be able to get critical parts for their car because of the quake in Japan.
How about that Nintendo Wii? Playstation 3? Sony Vios? Your TV? DVD Player? You probably bought it at a wholesaler, like WalMart, which imports their products from China. Well, China requires parts and designs from Japan in order to continue to manufacture those things to send to the US. Without them, they can’t make the stuff for WalMart. Guess what the quake did? All of those companies shut down because their production centers were destroyed by the quake.
The point I’m trying to get across (which will probably go ignored) is that what happened in Japan affects the world! Not just the people that live there, but your very life is impacted, even in a trailer in Louisiana. There’s SOMETHING you have that you rely on (probably your cell phone or home telephone) that is labeled from a Japanese company, that you can no longer get parts for or replace easily because of the quake.
And if you truly don’t care, keep telling yourself “hey, it’s their own fault, like it’ll be mine for any disaster that happens to me.” Truth is, when you’re helpless and crying for help, you probably have an alternative, you can go somewhere, to your family’s house or someplace like that. Great to be an American, right?
The truth is, the people in Japan, the victims of the quake, CAN’T go anywhere. Their families lived with them in their homes…. their WHOLE family. Their friends’, their loved ones, they all live nearby and have also had their homes destroyed and their lives taken from them. So when that tornado tears your home down or that hurricane blows your life away, when you’re headed to your family’s place or your friend’s place to wait out the storm, remember the people in Japan who are on the streets, or crammed into that crowded high school gymnasium, because they have no place to go and can’t get there with rail lines destroyed, roads torn to pieces and eroded away, and a nuclear powerplant that no one can pass because of radiation danger.
Oh yeah, don’t forget Yellowstone; overdue for eruption and will probably erupt very soon; that’ll blow the US away. Don’t forget the Earthquakes you mentioned in LA. Also I remind you of NY, Washington, Philadelphia, Missouri, Ohio, Arkansas, and Louisiana. You don’t have just tornadoes and hurricanes to worry about; Louisiana sits on a fault line too, and the Gulf of Mexico is also prone to tsunami since it does sit on a sunken basin caused by a massive earthquake.
So sit comfortably, sit safely. Because guess what? You’re in just as much danger as the people of Japan is. And if we should, as fellow human beings, help them if possible. If you don’t want to be a human being, then don’t be a Star Trek fan, since Trek is all about *being human.*
11. dmduncan – May 9, 2011
You’re right. It’s top headlines here in Japan, of course. The crisis is on-going, and threatens the world. Radiation from the initial blasts have reached the United States, and oh dear God was it ever newsworthy then. The situation can head south at any moment, and if it does, not just Japan, but the world will be in deep trouble.
9. Hat Rick – May 9, 2011
I’ve measured it out. From the disputed island territories North of Hokkaido all the way down to Okinawa, just off of the coast of Taiwan, the entirety of Japan stretches from Baja California to the southern border of Canada/Alaska. Without the islands to the north, you just take away Canada, and still leave enough area to cover from Seattle to Baja California. Most of these islands are really small atolls, but a lot of them also have huge cities built upon them.
Also, there are over a million people that live from Okinawa to Fukuoka on Kyushu, right along the “black current.” So, along with earthquakes, that “black current” moves all of the typhoons/hurricanes (same thing) right up along with direct shots at Tokyo. Every year.
If you award the disputed territories to Japan instead of Russia, Japan’s territory stretches from Taiwan to Alaska.
Just a fun fact :)
@8 DRIVER – My comment about “don’t be a fan” wasn’t directed at you personally, but to anyone who doesn’t feel at least a little bit bad for the Japanese. If that’s you then I guess yeah it was… but I don’t know, I’m not you.
Quite interesting, Kietoro. A very substantial geographical expanse, indeed, although, unless I’m mistaken, the square mileage of all of these islands does total up to slightly less than the area of California. This and others of your comments goes to prove our mutually shared point that despite the country’s relatively small land area, it is, in the way it is configured, very much exposed to nature’s fury.
^^ Sorry for the misspelling of your name; I meant to write, “Kietero.”
@Kietero
I had no idea the damage was so massive. Thanks for all the info. Someone said up top, media’s job these days is to keep the masses dull and ignorant, and I believe it. I don’t watch TV much, but when I do, I hear nothing of what’s going on over there.
Could you post a link to the best place to donate to the cause (you might have to ask Anthony permission to do that)? I imagine there are a lot of them out there, but I also understand sometimes the money never makes it. I don’t want to be a fool with mine. I don’t have much, but I still want to help.
Yikes. Honda, Nissan, Mitsubishi and Toyota are the cars our extended family drive. Both Honda and Nissan have impressed, the other two not quite so much, but all pretty good cars in that they will get you from A to B safely and in reasonable comfort.
I agree. Japan is usually one of the countries first on the scene to help out any nation who has suffered a natural disaster. Their teams were among the first to arrive to help us when another large earthquake hit Christchurch and NZ has tried to return the favour. Japan appears not to want much in the way of monetary assistance, but it does appreciate hands on manpower.
One thing that arose from the Chch disaster was the formation of the Students Rescue Army (or some name like that). All the schools, techs and university were closed as some were badly damaged and those that did not appear damaged still needed to have structural engineers assess the buildings’ safety before they would let students and teachers back in.
I don’t know why they call themselves an army because they are young civilians – high school, tech and university students. They went round in teams helping ordinary people clean up their homes as much as they could, they worked with Civil Defence and other agencies lending those extra pairs of hands. They are fit and young.
Those teams have now been sent to Japan to help the Japanese youth set up their own teams and do what needs to be done. Many of the students are in Japan doing what they did in Christchurch.
I am so happy to hear that our celebrities are helping out !! Especially our Star Trek celebs!! It is a great example for others, famous or not to offer assistance to those in need.
Japan’s disaster was heartbreaking, and a triple whammy to them- four if you count that a day after the quake, it started to snow- leaving many not only homeless and hungry, but also freezing. My heart goes out to them.
I wish there were a way to get some things to the Fukushima 50 as well. (There of course are more workers than that, but early on they were needing bare essentials such as more food and blankets. One worker said they went to bed “dreaming of a hot cup of tea.”
We (my friends and family) have had a hard time finding anyone to get supplies/messages to boost their morale to these workers because of the obvious hazards with the nuclear power plants. I’ve had several courses and training in hazmat, so I do know that it was going to be difficult because of the obvious threats with the radiation – but not impossible to get some items to these brave people as well.
But, I also feel with what has happened to our own citizen’s here in the States, that we also need to help them as well. There were over 300 tornadoes in the southern states April 27th alone. The one that hit Tuscaloosa and many other communities traveled approximately 300 miles, was on the ground for almost 2 hrs and was close to a mile wide in diameter. These towns are gone.
We might possibly be able to strike a balance in offering aid between the two disasters, IF enough people help. Hopefully some will be able to help both causes, others may not be able to help but one. I’m sure whatever someone can give it will be put to good use and give the receiver hope that others do care about them, during what must be the most horrible thing to have happened to them.
I have heard some people actually say that “the South doesn’t want any handouts or help from the government.” or let the government help them, but these catastrophes are just too big for one entity to do alone. I also believe that handouts isn’t what this is, it is a “help up” in my opinion. I hope that people leave politics and prejudices behind them and do what is, the right thing to do, and that is to help our fellow human beings when they need it.
It is certainly difficult with our current economy to help, but just a little goes a long way when many people together help others. I hope that everyone who comes to this site is able to help someone during these most unimaginable circumstances. There is nothing too small to contribute and I’m sure it would be most appreciated.
Here is a short video of the Tuscaloosa tornado- the longer version is also on youtube if interested, along with footage of what remains of the areas affected.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK2fsk09jTo&NR=1
Just my 50 cents as this I know was too long, but it is so important, and I am so very glad to hear about the endeavors of others to aid these people during this time. Thanks Anthony for a great article! :)
PS. Keachick, Glad to hear NZ is hanging in after having the EQ and then the tornado- at least that is the impression I have from the MSM reports. I know it has been difficult there as well-
I have just watched the video. That was a big one and I suspect filmed from quite a distance away. I doubt it would have been safe to do otherwise.
I had to note the totally obscene and foul comments that accompanied this youtube video. Unbelievable. I don’t know, I despair sometimes. What is with some people?
The tornado that hit Auckland was nothing compared to these ones. I guess that is why so many people in the South have these large underground basements that I have heard about. They need to. If you are above ground when one of those nasties blow in your path, there is little, no escape. Yes, some of these people do need help and they should not be too proud to accept a little charity. Giving is considered better than receiving, but being able to graciously receive is also a virtue.
Come away O human child / To the waters and the wild / With a fairy hand in hand / For the world’s more full of weeping / Than you can understand.
Wow, I’m shocked the great “2011 My Disaster is More Devastating than Your Disaster Contest” didn’t get more attention in the media. I had to come here to find it.
You guys let me know who won the blue ribbon….
If anyone wants to donate to help Japan relief, check out the website the videos are advertising. Also, you can donate directly by google searching the JAPAN RED CROSS SOCIETY. Their base right now is in Sendai, Miyagi, just a few kilometers from the shore where the brunt of the tsunami hit.
Also, for US relief efforts, don’t hesitate to contact the SALVATION ARMY, your local chapter should be running a drive, so you can donate to helping the storm relief efforts as well.
@15. Hat Rick
So we’re both right in that regard. Honshu (the island where the tsunami hit / where I live here in Tokyo) is roughly the size of a good chunk of CA, with Hokkaido to the north, being equivalent to that of I think Ohio or Pennsylvania, Kyushu and Shikoku are roughly the size of Maine and NJ, respectively. When you clunk ’em all together, yeah they’d pretty much fill CA.
#21 Vultan, not sure what you mean by “my disaster is bigger than your disaster”- can you elaborate??
To me, we are all in this world together, and one person’s disaster is another’s as well- be it from natural disasters from the weather or “mother nature” or from diseases like cancer, etc. etc. We must also consider even the man-made disasters like the GoM BP spill.
All of these happenings connect us because we are human, we must live together like it or not. Why not bring attention to those who are hurting and are in need in the hopes of uplifting the population afflicted? Would it really hurt someone to do without one nice meal and eat on the cheap to send some money to those in need? Or get off the couch and go physically help in the next state instead of going to the ballgame for the weekend?
There are no differences in humans, be it Japanese, Kiwi’s, Haitians, Americans, Chileans- you hopefully know where I am going with this. So there are no real differences in their individual plights. Yes, Japan has been inundated with more than their share of disasters. I don’t think anyone would refute this claim. EQ, tsunami, radiation, homelessness, freezing, little food, little medical care and thousands dead and/or missing.
So, if your wondering who is in the lead in this contest, I would, in my opinion, state Japan at the moment. But what I think what we on this thread are trying to say here, is that we shouldn’t forget the other people who are also having disasters within their communities, no matter where they may be located. If you can’t help financially and you live somewhat close to an area affected- go help! If not, get with an organization and start up a drive for a cause. Donate blood if possible. There are many things people can do to help others, and there are more of us capable of helping than there are of those needing help.
I hope to not need assistance ever, but if I needed it, I would like to think that my fellow human beings would be willing and care enough to help me and my loved ones. If nothing else, it would boost my morale and give me hope for the next day.
It is difficult to help so many people, but if everyone puts in just a little it could make a huge difference.
Keachick- what an inspiration to hear about the youth in NZ going to Japan to help!! Their parents must be very proud of them, and they will always remember the experience and know they were there when someone needed help.
As for the comments on youtube… it is terrible! About the basements in the South, I heard that many people don’t have them because the soil is made up of mostly sand. People with better incomes can afford them because they are supposedly constructed sturdier than the usual basement because of the poor soil there.
#22- kietero Thanks for your input about where to give. There are many here who care and are working to help those in Japan, and will continue to do so as long as it is needed.
#24
Looking at some of the comments above, I couldn’t help but think of a mine’s-bigger-than-yours mentality going on here. Disasters are bad wherever they occur and should be the concern of everyone in the world, but comparing the level of devastation of tornadoes to earthquakes and vice versa in different countries is just plain silly and bordering on nationalistic posturing [in its most ludicrous form].
#26 Agree on some points Vultan, but for the record, the latter conversation was not for the purpose of comparing levels of devastation, rather how devastation has struck in several places across the globe, and how ideally individuals and groups of people could make a difference by helping one another during these times.
#2 Driver- The Japanese are an example for us to follow. There seems to be a stark contrast between nations. Now lets compare the two- in this sense.
Per reports from Japan from both insiders and “outsiders”, I have read about the Japanese helping each other calmly and in a dignified manner. I’m not so sure the U.S. has displayed similar traits from what I have seen, read and heard. (Though there have been many people helping here as well from all over the U.S. Kudos and much appreciation to those folks too-)
But I find it very disturbing that there has been many reports of looting in what’s left in the states hit by the tornado swarms- which is almost unheard of in Japan. Then there are the comments of judgement and ridicule to these people who have already suffered enough, followed by some people snubbing the victims of these storms by not offering even a kind word, let alone a can of food.
What purpose does this serve?? It doesn’t serve anything except to make those people justify why they won’t help when they could. The people making these insensitive comments may just one day find themselves in need as well. I hope they encounter a more compassionate person than themselves at that time, or they may learn first-hand how it feels to have nothing, with no hope for a return to normalcy.
If we all work together we can make a huge difference either here or thousands of miles away– All it takes is several individuals or groups to give what they can — without hesitance or judgement regardless of where we reside.
Very effective. Strikes me as interesting that Shatner’s in the one where he doesn’t speak.
@27
I agree, Charla. It does no good to compare levels of devastation or to try to determine who needs help most. Just give and do what you can.
One should never receive criticism for reaching out. As for Japan’s people, that’s owed to culture. There are good and bad aspects of every culture in the world.
I just hope that eventually those good aspects transcend the bad, enough that we can get to that future we’d like to see.