According to the Chinese zodiac, 2011 is the year of the rabbit.

So far, it has been one disruptive bunny.

Floods and cyclones in Australia, floods in Brazil, the earthquake in Christchurch, revolutions in the Middle East, civil war and foreign military intervention in Libya and the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan.

Even pandas have turned vicious: a panda attacked a zookeeper at San Diego Zoo.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/03/calosha-investigating-giant-panda-attack-on-keeper-at-san-diego-zoo.html

There is some amazing  footage of a car getting hit by the tsunami.  The driver managed to survive.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cpt0WKZI9D8

People fleeing the tsunami turned around and helped others to escape its path.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxL36ngIJA8

A news crew barely escaped the tsunami and then were able to help other survivors to safety.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrv8EAUptp8

There is footage of the tsunami arriving at Sendai airport.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_6iDBoOvb0

Footage of the tsunami arriving at street level.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpuLlIrUYsI

Numerous reporters have commented on the general level of calm and the minimal level of looting occurring.  The response to supply evacuation centers with food and heating seems to be slow, but in some evacuation centers people are still taking part in their daily exercise routine.

Thousands of people were trapped at Tokyo Disneyland on the day of the quake when the trains stopped running.  Spending a night in Disneyland in those circumstances would be a surreal experience.

You can make donations for tsunami survivors at: http://www.redcross.org.au/japan2011.htm

I’ve been watching the footage of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.

I lived in Japan for 4 years and have travelled extensively around the country.  It always make an event more personal when you’ve been to the place where it’s happening and have friends there.

Most of my friends are in Osaka and Tokyo, and as far as I know they all seem to be okay.  Some of my friends in Tokyo had scary experiences when their office buildings shook violently and they were stranded at work when the trains stopped running.  Another friend has cracks in his apartment building.

The scale of the tsunami is amazing.  There’s a video showing its arrival.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12725646

And now there is the issue of the nuclear emergency.

The Big Picture: Quake Aftermath

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/03/japan_earthquake_aftermath.html

Great news: the wonderful Shaun Tan won an Oscar for the short film based on his book, The Lost Thing.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/02/28/3150766.htm

I had the chance to meet Shaun at WorldCon in September last year.  He illustrated a story of mine I had published in Aurealis years ago.  Now I can say I’ve had a story illustrated by an Oscar winner.

Sad news: Clarion South is on hold indefinitely.  I attended Clarion South in 2009.  It’s a 6-week writing workshop that provides a tremendous boost to anyone serious about writing speculative fiction.  The workshop was one of the best experiences of my life and I made some wonderful friends there.  The workshop was held ever two years, but due to financial plans the 2011 workshop was rescheduled for 2012.  Now that has been put on hold indefinitely.

http://www.clarionsouth.org/

Unfortunately we’ve been unable to lock in a viable venue option that would allow us to run the workshop at an acceptable cost to writers. The cheapest option would still more than double tuition fees.

So, with regret, we must tell you that at this stage the workshop is on hold indefinitely.

We know many of you will be disappointed, and so are we. Clarion South has been a great experience for us and we’re proud of the great writers in Australia and overseas that the workshop has helped.

In the meantime we will continue to look for a venue that enables to run the workshop in the format for which it has become famous. We will alsoinvestigate other configurations and opportunities that might give the workshop a future in Australia.

Sushi:

A new all-female sushi chef restaurant has opened in Tokyo.  Traditionally sushi chefs have always been men.  The excuse for this is:

The No. 1 reason most chefs cite as to why girls can’t make sushi: they’re too hot. “The temperature of a woman’s hands is higher, and when you’re handling fresh fish, this isn’t good…”

The new restaurant only employs female chefs.  As the restaurant is located in Akihabara, there is a catch…

Kazuya Nishikiori, the middle-aged owner of Nadeshico, says he wanted to create a new model for working women in Japan. But he later explains he’ll only hire women who are between the ages of 18 and 25 to work behind the counter. “After all, our slogan is ‘fresh and kawaii,”‘ he explains, invoking the ubiquitous word for “cute.” “If someone wanted to work here and was 30, I’d put her in the back.”

Hot Women Serving Cold Fish Make for Raw Feelings in Tokyo
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704254304576117193420193936.html?mod=googlenews_wsj#articleTabs=article

Some amusing Engrish I discovered when I was in Japan.

From a confectionery company’s advertising:

I’ve been getting quite a few new readers visiting my web site after having read Hokkaido Green, my story on Strange Horizons.

I visited Hokkaido in the summer in 2007.   It has some really beautiful places.  Otaru and Sapporo are both nice cities and Arashiyama has a great zoo.

The hot spring waterfall I described in the story is a real place.  It’s in Shiretoko, in the north-east of Hokkaido.

The five lakes is a popular place to go for a walk.alk.

When I visited some of the trails were closed due to bear sightings.

I didn’t encounter any bears offering secrets though.

Japan Guide Shiretoko Travel Guide