Politics

September 29, 2016

Waiting for the Last Trump

U.S ELECTION Sep. 29, 2016 Them good ol’ boys were drinking whiskey and rye and singing ‘this’ll be the day that I die’ – Don Maclean, ‘American Pie’ Update 10 Oct. 2016: This election sign somewhere in America says it all. THE 2016 American presidential election pits against each other two candidates for whom Continue reading

America, General Interest, Global Politics, Politics, USA

Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton
April 13, 2016

Lost in the Forest

Hector’s Bali Diary, Apr. 13, 2016 His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences A Hollywood actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, visited Sumatra and said he thought it would be a great idea to protect the rainforest and the orangutans living in it, especially from palm oil plantations. This is an unexceptional statement. It is Continue reading

America, Australia, Bali, Environment, Indonesia, Politics, Pornography, Sexual Health

American Pie, Ardian Nugroho, Cheese, Don McLean, Drunken Monkeys, Free condoms, Leonardo DiCaprio, Steve Palmer
April 2, 2016

The Great Performer

BOOK REVIEW KEATING by Kerry O’Brien. 2015. Allen & Unwin, Sydney. ISBN 978 1 76011 1625. Many Australian journalists have a Keating tale to tell. Not all of them are denizens present or past of the parliamentary press gallery in Canberra, though naturally that was the former treasurer’s and prime minister’s chief stamping ground. Continue reading

Australia, Books, Politics

Kerry O’Brien, Paul Keating
March 30, 2016

Hector’s Bali Diary, Mar. 30, 2016

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Voice of the People That 29 banjars can get together to protest the proposed corporate vandalism of Benoa Bay and the destruction of its precious mangrove environment is a political problem for the provincial government and the lesser authorities whose fief is Badung regency. This Continue reading

Bali, Books, Environment, Festivals, Indonesia, Politics, Social Development, Tourism, Writing

Benoa Bay, Candi Dasa, Clare McAlaney, Destination Asia, Droit de Seigneur, Earth Hour, Easter breaks, Free Visas, Governor Pastika, Grass roots democracy, Indonesia Raya, Mike O’Leary, PLN, Supporting ROLE, Tales of Lucky, Tolak Reklamasi, Tomy Winata, UWRF 2016, Vyt Karazija
March 15, 2016

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Mar. 16, 2016

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Keep them at Bay Made Wijaya, the go-to Bule for behind-the-friezes analysis of Bali society and what really makes it tick, has some very sensible things to say, in his latest Stranger in Paradise column, about the excrescence Governor Made Mangku Pastika and Jakarta business tycoon Continue reading

Bali, Charity, Economic Development, Environment, Indonesia, Politics, Public Administration, Rabies, Social Development, Tourism

Amanda Csebik, Association of Veterinarians Indonesia (PDHI), Badung Regency, Benoa mangroves, Deborah Cassrels, Ferry sinkings, Governor Pastika, Hat Party, International Women’s Day, Jewel Topsfield, Klungkung, Local Heroes, Made Restiani, Made Wijaya, Mike O’Leary, Muriel Ydo, Phantom Projects, Rabies Red Zone, Sydney Morning Herald, Tomy Winata, Tsunami buoys
March 1, 2016

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Mar. 3, 2016

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Don’t Miss Saigon A few days gazing at the Saigon River from the 16th floor apartment of friends, enjoying the quieter street life of post-Tet Ho Chi Minh City, cruising on the Mekong, and briskly sampling the crispness of the mountain resort city of Dalat, Continue reading

Bali, Festivals, Indonesian Law, Lombok, Music, Politics, Public Administration, Social Development, Tourism, Travel, Ubud, Vietnam

Ari Juliant, Bali Spirit Festival, Dalat, Deepak Chopra, Dvorak, Gay Emoticons, Handel, Huh – What’s That Scale, Mark Heywood, Mekong Delta, Nyepi, PLN, Prostitution, Ric Shreves, Saepul Bahri, Saigon, Saigon River, Sunday soirees, Terry Renton, The Studio Lombok, Wallace Line, Yoga
February 16, 2016

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Feb. 17, 2016

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Far Queue Again The periodic struggle to get vehicles into and out of Ngurah Rai airport was worse than usual on Feb. 5, apparently. We weren’t there, which is probably a good thing. One hour-plus irritation a month already tests our toleration limit. It isn’t Continue reading

Australia, Bali, Business, Indonesia, Indonesian Law, Labor Party, Law, Politics, Public Administration, Tourism

Automated mail, Bali’s airport, Castaway resort, IKEA, Invisible Men, Lembongan, Nusa Dua Beach Hotel, Rule of Lore, sentient justices, Suna Cavanagh, Tabloid TV, Traffic jams, Unhappy Hour
December 8, 2015

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Dec. 9, 2015

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences You Could Cry Animal fan Rhonda Lepsch has for two years run a great operation called Jet Set Petz – the name came from the jet ski operation in which she’s involved at Tanjung Benoa near Nusa Dua – but it will soon be Continue reading

Bali, Bureaucracy, Charity, General Interest, Indonesia, Indonesian Law, Politics, Public Administration, Rabies

Bali veterinarians, Dharma and Karma, Hindu rites, Indonesia Air Asia, La Gazette de Bali, Mike O’Leary, Nominee property, Rhonda Lepsch, ROLE Models
October 27, 2015

HECTOR’S DIARY Bali Advertiser, Oct. 28, 2015

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Peace Off There is a debate under way over Bali’s branding as a destination. It’s probably less tiring to whicker about that than to act firmly to curb the growing list of demerits that stand in the way of Bali being any sort of destination: Continue reading

Bali, Books, Bureaucracy, Environment, Food, Indonesia, Politics, Writing

Benoa Bay, Frankfurt Book Fair, Icarus, Janet DeNeefe, Lombok sand, Mangroves, Rugby World Cup, Scotland, Tomy Winata, Tourist slogans, Ubud Food Festival, UWRF, Zainul Majdi
September 30, 2015

HECTOR’S DAIRY Bali Advertiser, Sep. 30, 2015

His fortnightly diet of worms and other non-religious experiences Rabid Response An eight-year-old boy from Batur Tengah in Bangli died of rabies in mid-September, and a woman has died in Buleleng from the disease, the latest victims of the seven-year outbreak of the disease in Bali. Their deaths are yet another tragic reminder that the Continue reading

Animal Welfare, Australia, Bali, Festivals, Politics, Rabies

Andrew Robb, Animal Advocacy, Julia Gillard, Julie Bishop, Kevin Rudd, Malcolm Turnbull, Penang, Rabies deaths, Sax Ban, Tony Abbott

About Me

Former journalist now confined by age and indolence to blogging about this and that, now from Western Australia, previously from Indonesia (that’s the 8 degrees in the title) and before that, Queensland. I don’t do a newsletter so ignore that prompt below.