Wow - I’m surprised I haven’t come across this before. Being both FIlipino and a sci-fi geek of the highest order, this seems like a publication custom-designed for my consumption. The Philippine Speculative Fiction Sampler is just what it sounds like - a free, online sampler platter of sci-fi/fantasy writing from the land of my forebears.

I haven’t read any of it yet (hey, there’s a limit to how much I can slack off at work) but it looks pretty promising. The Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing gave it a nod, so it can’t be all that bad, right?!?

Golly gee willikers!

A rash of underage suicides has moved a Shanghai bookstore to ban the comic believed to be the source of inspiration. ‘The Rabbit Who Wanted to Kill Itself‘ (shouldn’t that be ‘The Rabbit Which Wanted to Kill Itself‘, since ‘itself’ implies non-personhood? Sorry…) reportedly prompted a slew of teen suicides, as well as a sales surge in psychological self-help and suicide-prevention tomes.

“The comic used to be popular among young readers,” said Zhu Bin, public relations officer at the book city.

In the story, the rabbit comes up with various ways of killing itself, including pouring sulfuric acid to its head, jumping off a building and sticking its head into a revolving door.

Zhu also said that since last Wednesday, the sales of books on teenage psychological guidance have soared, as parents are becoming more concerned about the mental health of their children.

“In the past, reference and exercise books were parents’ favorites. However, last weekend, the first weekend after the new semester started, there was a sales rush on psychology-related books,” he said. “Some even sold out.”

If you’re sitting around with nothing to do tonight, you might want to tune into ABC Family…or at least fire up your TiVo. ‘Samurai Girl‘, the adaptation of Carrie Asai’s young-adult series of the same name airs tonight, Saturday, and Sunday at 8pm.

This has every reason to be totally ass-tacular, but Middleman turned out to be pretty good, and based on some early critics’ reactions posted at Aint-It-Cool-News last night, it actually sounds kinda promising.

The 2006 Beatrix Potter biopic Miss Potter, which featured Renee Zellweger as the titular Miss Beatrix Potter, was such a hit in Japan that the Mountain Goat Tours company - which ferries visitors around various Potter-related locations in the UK - has hired on a permanent Japanese tour guide.

Junko [Ishiwata] will now become a firm fixture on the roads around Coniston, Hawkshead, Derwentwater and other locations featured on the big screen in Miss Potter.

She said: “England is a very popular destination for Japanese visitors due to its traditions, beautiful buildings and spectacular scenery.

“The Lake District is especially popular because so many Japanese love Peter Rabbit.

“Visitors from Japan want to see the beautiful scenery that was included in the Beatrix Potter books.

“The people of the Lake District have made me feel very welcome. They are so friendly and have a great sense of humour.”

A self described ‘film enthusiast, [...] passionate student of Eastern philosophy, and an admitted Nipponophile’ Patrick Galloway is the author of the book Stray Dogs and Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook out now from Stone Bridge Press.

Mr. Galloway was recently kind enough to chat with us regarding his new book, and future plans.

Yellow Menace: Congratulations on your book; it’s a real hoot.

Patrick Galloway: Thanks! I was going for “hoot.” Also “romp,” “blast,” and “brilliant, informative read” (laughs)

YM: Well, you certainly succeeded!

PG: Thanks. Thanks a lot.

YM: Can you tell us a little about yourself? I read a little on your background from your site. What spurred your interest in Japanese film?

PG: The short answer is Akira Kurosawa, but really it goes back to my teen years and the discovery of Eastern Philosophy, particularly Hinduism and Buddhism. These teachings had a profound effect on me, and made me want to learn more about the cultures where they thrived. Buddhism led me to Zen and Zen led me Japan. However it wasn’t until the late 1990s that I finally discovered Japanese film.

YM: Wow…consider me impressed! I’ve been watching Japanese movies all my life, (thanks to my Asian Dad) and I found plenty to learn from your book.

PG: I wish I had an Asian dad! Sure would have helped writing this book. But I’m an obsessive type. Once I get into something, I can get pretty monomaniacal which tends to shorten the catch-up period.

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