Bombings in Bali… Again

There have been reports of 3 bomb blasts in Bali. One in Kuta and two in Jimbaran. Details are still very sketchy. I’ll update as more information is known. The Indonesian television is showing more video that will likely never make it to the big networks – always gruesome when they do this (pools of blood on the floor, etc). There are conflicting reports coming in from the local stations that it was 6 bombs, not 3. This is allRead more

Local Television Coverage

Flipping through the various news stations, I came upon MetroTV – an Indonesian station. There is none of the edited footage being looped on BBC or CNN – they’re showing rooms full of children who’ve drowned, stacks of bodies being taken away in ambulances, mothers finding their infants dead. The hardest part is seeing the children – they are showing a dozen children lying in a row, all dead. I’m truly sorry if this image offends you, however, I doRead more

Earthquake and Devastation

I have friends visiting Sumatera and Phucket, Thailand. They were planning on diving off the coast of Phucket, and it’s been reported that 40 to 100 divers are missing or trapped. I have no way of contacting them and haven’t heard any word from anyone yet. There is an echo of September 11 in the surreal feeling of watching the events unfold on BBC and CNN. My home is only 2 miles from the coastline in North Jakarta – aRead more

Bird Flu, Photoblogs, and Ramblings

I found a few very cool websites devoted to weblogs… one in particular that I thought was clear, concise, with refreshing content was photoblogs.com. It’s nice to stray from the traditional “text” weblog into some that offer more of a photographic intention. I admired the entire list from welldesignedweblogs.com – they provide inspiration for me to finish my own site – thejavajive.com – yet the list makes me realize how much I’d like to improve this blog. I’ve been askedRead more

State of Who's Union?

I guess once again, both of my “homes” are in the world’s spotlight. President Bush had the courtesy of naming them in Tuesday’s State of the Union Address. We made the top of the list apparently by order of threat. “Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American people. Twenty-eight months have passed since September the 11th, 2001 – over two years without an attack on American soil – and it is tempting to believe that the dangerRead more

Welcome to the Jungle

Home? Yeah, I’m wondering where that is. Is it Indonesia now? Is it America? Is it Cape Town? Well, at any rate, I’m back in Jakarta. The Marriot was bombed downtown only days before my return – how’s that for a welcome home! It feels a bit strange knowing that I was eating sushi in that hotel in June! I must be getting used to hearing these events because it didn’t even really surprise me. I’m buying a car nextRead more