“ "I hope your daughter gets raped....  "

abuse hurled by Islamic conservatives at Indonesian model Andhara Early

Andhara Early  testified in the indecency trial of Playboy's Indonesia editor Erwin Arnada. 
Arnada could face 32 months in prison if convicted of violating indecency laws by publishing the tuned down Playboy magazine. Source: Islamic protesters hurl abuse at Indonesia's first Playboy centerfold model (IHT)
 

Indian Ocean shift seen stoking Indonesia droughts
Studies of 6,500-year-old fossil corals had helped to reveal unexpected links between monsoons, droughts and periodic cooling of the eastern Indian Ocean. A trend towards stronger monsoons in Asia "will probably serve to prolong droughts in western Indonesia, and possibly also southern Australia", the scientists wrote in the journal Nature. (Reuters)

Indonesia Give Withe The Chop Peter Withe has been fired as the coach of Indonesia’s national team. The ex-Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest striker joined Indonesia in 2004 and took them to the final of the 2004 competition but he wasn’t able to repeat the success he enjoyed with Thailand when he led the team to two championships. (goal.com)

Indonesia minister says Java mudflow natural disaster

Some experts have said the drilling activities of Lapindo Brantas, a firm with family ties to the welfare minister, Aburizal Bakrie, triggered the mudflow in May. "That hole is not the hole drilled by Lapindo." (Reuters)
 

Rush joins appeal against death penalty Blayney Chronicle
Briefing: Exxon faces lawsuit on killings in Indonesia


Indonesia begins campaign to clear capital of fowl as bird flu cases spike (IHT)

BUGILS STILL ON THE MAP
The BuGils 7th Anniversary turned up more then 700 visitors last Saturday, an indication that the popular bar in Taman Ria Senayan still has a large following, despite false rumors that it had closed down or will close down. 'BuGils will never close', said Bartele the manager. 'As a matter of fact, we are planning lots of new things, most importantly the search for an additional ten new staff members within 10 days. This staff will be selected on criteria that we used when we started BuGils'. BuGils staff has often been described in bar reviews as: 'gloomy', 'funky' and just plain 'weird' but always with lots of character. 'Its about time to revitalize this trademark again', says the manager with a slightly naughty grin around his face. Every Monday we have Men's Night with a 2-hour free flow (from 5 till 7) soon to be spiced up with some dancers. Ladies have free drinks the WHOLE night on Tuesdays. Friday will see classic rock nights (this weekend with the band of Ivan Nestorman) and every Saturday a Jazz musician is performing on piano. BuGils kitchen is managed by KOI Mahakam and starting this Saturday, they will be open for lunch in weekends as well. (BuGils Daily)
 

A Picture from the Past: The Olde Taverne near the Harbour

FROM  THE EDITOR:


I have given myself the target to find 10 additional female staff members for the BuGils bar in the next 10 days. (actually 20 within 20 days, as I am opening another pub in Pondok Indah next month). Many people have wondered in the past how I select new staff. In the coming days I will keep you regular updated on this challenge.

Other challenges are faced in the bar every day. Lens experienced on of his own in Eastern Promise, when an expat woman stormed from the restaurant into the bar with her shoe high in her hand. She shouted frantically for the manager, her eyes bulging from anger. 'WHO IS LENS! WHERE IS HE?'  It was clear that she was about to attack, with the high heel as a weapon. Lens was just adjusting some music and turned around, instantly protecting himself with his hands in front of his face. 'Its me', he said. 'What can I do for you?' The whole bar stopped talking and everybody waited in surprise for the next step of the angry woman. 'I WAS LOCKED UP IN YOUR TOILET!' Lens tried to calm her down, but she did not lower her sharp weapon that was still waving about Lens his head. 'I was bouncing on the door till, luckily, my son heard me yelling and knocking! I broke the heel of this expensive shoe while trying to get out! And YOU are going to pay for that!' 'Lens apologised and cooled the lady down. Before she left she handed him a little piece of paper with the name of the shoe shop on it, somewhere in Kemang. 'Just buy her one shoe', a regular dryly suggested. 'Her son had kicked in the toilet door to get her out, let him pay for a new door!', shouted another. The bar cheered. The broken shoe and little note to buy her new ones will be framed behind the bar. (later that evening the lady, her son and her friends where enjoying a diner and they had a good laugh about it, together with Lens. So far, she has not yet returned to claim her new shoe(s))

I had my own piece of anger when this huge Dutch guy called me very early on Sunday morning with the accusation that he had been food poisoned in one of my bars! In detailed he described to me the food pieces that he saw laying in front of him. 'I am not happy. And you know I can be mean when I am not happy...', he said. It was 6 in the morning and his grave voice was interrupted a number of times by a spitting sound and the scraping of his throat. 'It must have been in your place because I have eaten twice after that, and that food (spit, scrape, spit) is not lying here in front of me... (spit, scrape, spit). He continued: 'I see pieces of shoarma meat, salad and onion sauce... ' He silenced for a moment and then: 'I want a new, fresh shoarma'. Strange that he can think of new food already, while still being sick, I thought. 'Go to your doctor and tell him that you are vomiting food that you ate a day ago and that the food you ate this morning is NOT coming out. Tell him this and then look carefully at the expression of your doctors' face. He will check you to see you have more stomachs, just like a cow! Ha, ha!'  But the big Dutch guy did not think it was funny. 'I am big, you know that, so don't joke with me.'. He hang up. Later  that day I checked with others who had had the same shoarma that night and they had no problems. No, it wasn't the shoarma. I called him and explained this with the advice that he should wash his hands better, especially after a night out in Blok M. 'I always wash my hands', he stated in a child like defense and not before giving a long and deep cleaning of his throat, he hang up.

(The One Tree Pub & Restaurant in Blok M  is offering the best shoarma in town! Highly recommended by Bartele)

The next day he was back in the bar to claim a free shoarma. I gave him a shoarma but served with a piece of soap next to it. He showed a wide and almost mean grin while his two huge hands shuffled the shoarma pita bread into his wide open mouth, ignoring the soap. While stuffed up he said something that I couldn't understand. Loudly, I cleaned my throat, as he had done over the phone the previous Sunday morning, and walked away... I don't think he even realised the joke. He was just another Bule Gila....

(Lens, you better make sure this Dutch guy will not be locked up in your EP toilet. His shoes are huge....)

Bartele   (interested in advertising on this newsletter and reaching more then 10.000 expats and Indonesian executives every week? send an email to unibind@cbn.net.id )

THE PREVIOUS EDITION  (now it works!):

 http://www.bartele.com/2007/jan12nl02/latest.html 

with links to more newsletters, including the 'Santa row' between an Ozzy (below) and a Dutch Santa Claus (left).

'No, we won't tell your wife....' (a regular in EP)

LIVE IN BUGILS on Jan 19th (Tonight!):

 IVAN NESTORMAN  !

(for more info on Ivan, click here)

========================

EVERY SUNDAY & MONDAY:

GET A FREE BAR CALENDAR 2007

(ONLY IN BUGILS AND CAZBAR)

========================

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD:

Start sex on the right key with musical condoms
Hong Kong's Ondo Creation, which makes designer condoms, hopes its Idom sheathes will put a more romantic spin on safe sex -- and reduce the risk of a slap on the face that a pack of six might elicit among some conservative Asians.

Armed U.S. tax evader barricades self in home
BOSTON (Reuters) - An armed man who has refused to pay U.S. federal taxes for a decade has barricaded himself inside his hilltop home in New Hampshire with 20 supporters for a week after resisting an order to show up in court.

Couples betting 7/7/07 is lucky for love

Indonesia's 2006 ads expenditure up 17 pct to Rp30 trln
Garuda Indonesia still in the red in 2006
Indonesia plans to raise cigarette prices
Indonesia's Pertamina wants to double Natuna stake
Indonesia: Attracting Investment to the Natural Gas Sector
 

Indonesia's public transport perils
Last year, there was an aircraft incident recorded every nine to 10 days - planes that crashed, almost crashed, missed the runway, were forced into emergency landing or had technical problems. There were two train crashes or derailments every month, and at least eight accidents at sea. A plane lost at the beginning of 2007 was operated by budget carrier Adam Air. Twenty-nine of its pilots have resigned in recent years, and several have made allegations that the company pressured its pilots to fly unsafe planes.The company denies the allegations, and a court case is in progress. (BBC)

Indonesia Plane Likely Spiraled Into Sea  (Amtonline)

Some interesting inside info on a pilot forum:
http://www.airliners.net/discussions/general_aviation/read.main/2949301//6/

OK... this is not Adam, but the runner up of Indonesian Airline Golden Boot Award, goes to Lion Air. taping of a hole with tape that is too cheap...:

See below an EP regular's comments on Gugun:

  "Seldom does one venture out to a live music venue in Jakarta expecting anything more than a good cover band with competent musicians. Jakarta has many such competent musicians across a range of genres. But when Lens, the host at Eastern Promise in Kemang, a well-known Jakarta musician in his own right, tells me that he had 'Indonesia's best blues guitarist' playing at his venue, I figure that I should at least take a look, given that I have seen some pretty good blues guitarists in Indonesia. But Gugun is not just Indonesia 's best blues guitarist; he is a world-class blues guitarist. Only a few notes into the first number, he evokes images of Jimi Hendrix and the man who is clearly his greatest influence, Stevie Ray Vaughan. But Gugun is no mere cover musician. Apart from having t he great chops required to be able to actually pull off near-perfect cover versions of Hendrix and SRV classics, he and his band have some amazing original material that shows that, while indeed influenced, they are not mere copycats. They are a band, their own band, a great band. Do yourselves a favour; come see Gugun and the Blues Bug. They will blow you away…"

Cheers,

EVERY MONDAY IN BUGILS

FROM 5 TILL 7:

FREE FLOW OF BEER

FOR RENT: 

Now for Rent : Lovely house in Graha Cinere, south Jakarta. Airy corner lot, garden; 5 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and 2 living rooms on 2 floors, total 240 sqm. A bargain at USD 500/month. For more pics, location map click *here* ( http://tinyurl.com/de3x3). To arrange a viewing, call Ibu Swa at 085 217 135 111 or *email owner* (cinere3@hypertokyo.mailshell.com ) for details.

FOR RENT: 
Grand Penthouse in Slipi area. 385m2, fully furnished, two floors, etc. US.2200 per month. For more info email bartele.santema@gmail.com
 

Roberts Furniture at Jalan Wijaya Kusuma No. D.4, Jakarta 12430. Tel. 021-7512223. A great selection of both original and reproduction furniture at the best prices.