The Urbanization of Petitenget: More Apartments on the Way
Urban sprawl is eating up Seminyak, Kerobokan and beyond. Years ago, in Legian they said, “We’ll never be like Kuta! So crowded! Such a mess!” Then in Seminyak, they said, “We’ll never be like Legian!”...
View ArticleFour-Hour Queue to Enter Paradise: Bali Airport Goes Kafkaesque
Due to convoluted immigration and security procedures, passengers arriving at Bali’s airport are now forced to queue for up to four hours before they are finally released from its insalubrious...
View ArticleJokowi: Soon to be a Household Name
Jokowi is a phenomenon. Funny how his miraculous and idiosyncratic ascendancy has gone unheralded by the world press. They should be all over it. And they will be. They’re just a few hundred sluggish...
View ArticleBreakthrough in Cinema: The Act of Killing
Today, I discovered The Act of Killing, a newly released film that is of major significance in Indonesia’s evolution, and in the evolution of cinema itself. Werner Herzog, who I consider the most...
View ArticleBatungaus Beach Awash in Sandals
The plastic trash that washes up on Bali’s beaches is something I give a lot of thought to. And a fair amount of energy, too. The problem is multifaceted, and has become a chronic one. Looking at beach...
View Article10-Point Primer: “Reklamasi” for Regular Folks
The Benoa Bay reclamation debate (“Reklamasi Tanjung Benoa”) You are probably aware of debate and protests about making a megaproject in Benoa Bay here in Bali. Most of the discourse has focused on...
View ArticleJuly Forever 2014 Never Now
welcome to the waning moon. it doesn’t matter what we want it to do, it wanes away just the same. it doesn’t matter how many votes either candidate gets. prabowo has already decided that he will rule...
View ArticlePROFOUND THOUGHT FOUND ON FACEBOOK. STILL NO LIFE ON MARS. FILM AT ELEVEN.
I have a news monitoring app that’s customized to do what I want it to, and to be flexible so that I can change its behaviour as and when I like. It feeds me selected news, from selected sources, on...
View ArticleOVERDEVELOPMENT IN BALI: WEB WATCHDOG WINS 100,000 SUPPORTERS
The Facebook-based web page Bali: How Much Is Too Much? passed a major milestone today, by reaching over 100,000 participants. A defiantly non-commercial page, it began at the end of 2013 to expose the...
View ArticleSylvie Goussopoulos Shoots Bali, Oddly Enough
Sylvie Goussopoulos, is French photographer with an eccentric eye. She’s just shot Bali, and her images from the Bali trip are the subject of an exhibition entitled Pas d’amok à Bali, that opened last...
View ArticleLong Sa’an: Film Dives Into Dayak Life in the Deep Forest of Borneo
The Dayak people of Borneo are keepers of the forest, home of their ancestors, and the source of their life and cultures. Says David Metcalfe, an American photographer and writer, “The Dayaks call it...
View ArticleThe Economics of Execution: Capital Punishment, Judicial Crime and the Markets
Bloomberg Business’ blaring headline today gives us pause for thought: Indonesian Stocks Tumble Most Since 2013 Following Executions. Investment flows toward markets with stability, Rule of Law, and...
View ArticleBird Flu in Four Regencies in Bali
Since I’m inadvertently serving as ad hoc translator and bridge between mutually-misread populations cohabiting in Bali . . . This news hasn’t filtered through to non-Indonesian-language media yet. For...
View ArticleMy drugs story in Bali
This is a fairly accurate news story about my recent experience here in Bali. One important element does not appear in this story: I was treated with respect, dignity, and pure neutrality by all of the...
View ArticleAPEC CEO Summit
Looking forward to a very important forum, and hopefully an interesting one. There are so many opportunities for the Asia Pacific region to work together for a better future. I do hope that voices of...
View ArticleBali rally
Yes, I have to say myself, that the whole “porsche club” thing in Bali last week was . . . shall we say . . . symptomic . . . (of what ailment) . . . pause for thought . . . How can porsche rallies be...
View ArticleBali invasion
Interesting little spontaneous essay by “Joan of Bali” popped up in the comments section of one of my posts. Since it was “public” I take the liberty of reposting it here. Thanks Joan. “When I came...
View ArticleSITUASI SUSI JOHNSTON: Pelurusan Kesesatan dan Kesalahan Informasi
Tulisan ini berkaitan dengan masalah tanah dan rumah tinggal yang berada di Pererenan, Mengwi, Badung, yang sekarang menjadi objek sengketa antara Tety Carolina (mantan “nominee”) melawan Susi...
View ArticleSUSI (MENURUT MAKASSAR): TEGUH DALAM PERJUANGAN
Kemarin sore, saya pulang dari Polda Bali. Seperti biasa, selama dua tahun akhir ini, saya datang dari jauh ke Reskrim untuk menanyakan lagi, bagaimana disposisi tiga kasus kriminal dimana saya menjadi...
View Articlethirty-three seasons in hell: a prologue (I)
Eight years ago, an interview and profile of me appeared in the magazine BaliSavvy, “the official American Express® guide to the island”. This afternoon I happened on a copy of it in my messy archive...
View ArticleTHIRTY-THREE SEASONS IN HELL : A PROLOGUE, PART III
Eight years ago, I was interviewed for the magazine BaliSavvy “The Official American Express® Guide to the Island”. I found a copy of that old interview recently in an archive of the adversities I have...
View ArticleKronologi Jebakan Narkoba (KUHP 335)
8 Kronologi Kasus II LAPORAN KASUS II SP JEBAKAN NARKOBA ARTIKEL I: JEBAKAN NARKOBA ARTIKEL II: JEBAKAN NARKOBA ARTIKEL III: JEBAKAN NARKOBA
View ArticleKronologi Pengerusakan Bersama (KUHP 170)
3 Kronologi Kasus I 4 LP 127 1 5 LP 127 2 6 LP 127 3 7 LP 127 4
View ArticleSea of garbage
Look carefully. It appears most of the beached flotsam is organic; leaves, brush, seaweed, etc. This kind of organic material accumulates naturally on beaches. In fact, the banks of driftwood and...
View ArticleThe Susi Johnston Situation: Death to Nominee Scams
Here’s an update on the very intriguing situation I have been thrown into, and have navigated faithfully for the past two years. A three-page summary of the news to date (and the background of this...
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