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THIRTY-THREE SEASONS IN HELL : A PROLOGUE (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 endured since March 2010. I decided to post the 2010 interview here in several installments as a prologue … Continue reading

Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments
Rice paddies, like paradise, but with hell just beneath the smooth surface of the waters

thirty-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 of the eight plus years in hell I have endured between March 2010 and now. … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns , The Saga , Tribal Art , Uncategorized
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments
indonesia executions economy

The 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 solid relationships with the larger international community. The Rule of Law issue here is at the crux of many of Indonesia’s problems, … Continue reading

Filled under : Concerns
Author : Susi
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Bali 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 here I saw a very different economy than I came from but I didn’t … Continue reading

Filled under : Architecture , Bali , Concerns
Author : Susi
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Long Sa'an documentary film about Kenyak Dayak lands and traditions

Long 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 Tala Olen, meaning ‘forbidden forest’. They have strict cultural rules about cutting down the trees in … Continue reading

Filled under : Concerns , Tribal Art
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments
Bali Not For Sale #notforsale

SITUASI 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 Johnston. Tety tanpa hak apapun Tety Carolina tidak memiliki hak apapun atas tanah tempat tinggal Susi. Dia hanya pernah “pinjamkan namanya” kepada Bruno … Continue reading

Filled under : Architecture , Bali , Concerns , Design , Uncategorized
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments

Sylvie 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 night at the Librairie L’ivraie in Montpelier. Goussopoulos considers herself and “ethno-photographer,” and her work often … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns , Fine Art
Author : Susi
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Bali: How Much Is Too Much

OVERDEVELOPMENT 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 sheer scale and quantity of tourism development engulfing the paradise island of Bali. Since then it … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 1 Comment
azazel facebook violence despair

PROFOUND 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 selected topics (keywords, tags, metadata). I don’t watch television or … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns , Uncategorized
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 1 Comment

10-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 environmental concerns, which are valid, but not everyone feels motivated or convinced by environmental responsibility. Many are … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 7 Comments
Bali Not For Sale #notforsale

The 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 regrettable situation) can be downloaded by clicking here: Susi Johnston Situation (3.5MB – Be patient.)

Filled under : Bali , Concerns , Uncategorized
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 1 Comment

Sea 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 organic stuff that are swept ashore following storms are an important part of coastal ecosystems. They become living parts … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns
Author : Susi
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Kronologi Pengerusakan Bersama (KUHP 170)

3 Kronologi Kasus I 4 LP 127 1 5 LP 127 2 6 LP 127 3 7 LP 127 4

Author : Susi
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Batungaus 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 trash in new ways can help us to increase our awareness and … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments

APEC 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 sustainability and humanity will be heard during the forum. Synergy around the Pacific is not … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns
Author : Susi
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My 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 personnel of the narcotics unit of Polresta Denpasar once I had been delivered to … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Bali Police , Concerns
Author : Susi
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Bird 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 the past several weeks there have been outbreaks of a new strain of bird flu among commercially-raised and traded birds (chickens, … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns , Uncategorized
Author : Susi
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Breakthrough 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 impressive living filmmaker in the known universe, put it this way, “I have not seen a film … Continue reading

Filled under : Concerns , Uncategorized
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 2 Comments

Jokowi: 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 heartbeats behind you and I and the rest of us who live in the big world, … Continue reading

Filled under : Concerns , Uncategorized
Author : Susi
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Four-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 underbelly. Ours is now surely the worst airport in the world in terms of user satisfaction. Only the Russian communists … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 10 Comments

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!” And in Petitenget they said, “We’ll never be like Seminyak!” But the advance of urbanization in … Continue reading

Filled under : Bali , Concerns
Author : Susi
Comment Number : 4 Comments