“Once again, the current bird flu virus is not present in poultry farming.”

Indonesian Minister of Trade Elka Pangestu

Source: Minister of Trade Says Chicken in Markets Are Healthy (Tempo)
 

The threat to humanity is right next door
I'M worried. Seriously worried. You see, people on the other side of the planet are in a panic. And I'm not talking about hurricanes but the bird flu in Indonesia. But we Malaysians living next door have been told that there's nothing to worry about. And that is why I am worried.  Surely we should all be concerned when the disease is in a country that we have strong ties with? All these years, we haven’t been able to stop Indonesians hopping on boats to come here illegally, so what makes us think we’re protected from bird flu? (The Star)

Indonesia's Bird Flu Cases Decline as Patients Leave Hospital
Fifth Indonesian dies of bird flu
Indonesia plays down risks of bird flu amid pressure for mass cull

LATEST: Bird flu death toll rises to six in Indonesia
 

Shoppers 'threat to orang-utans'  -  Demand for crisps, bread, lipstick and soap could drive orang-utans to extinction, research suggests. The UK alone imports nearly a million tonnes of palm oil a year for use in such products, but campaigners say plantations for it destroy rainforests. Friends of the Earth and international ape conservation groups warn in a report that 90% of the animals' habitat in South East Asia has been wiped out. Their research claims the apes could become extinct within 12 years. (BBC)
 

FROM THE EDITOR:

Our tour guide was exhausted when we finally reached our hotel in Singapore. To thank him for his guidance during our stay in Malaysia, I offered him my book Bule Gila. But he didn't even look at it. He just wanted to jump on the bus and go back to Malaysia as soon as possible. I didn't blame him, this Indian-Malay of around 45 years old.

The first question he asked me was where I was from. 'Holland? I have been there a 100 times. I used to work for airlines for 20 years.' 'As a pilot?', I asked him but this was the wrong question. He probably had hoped that we would think he had been a pilot, but rather soon I figured out that he had been a steward for most of his life. He didn't answer, but instead quickly focused on some national monuments on the left side of the bus. The Indian tour guide was -and with reason- proud on the achievements of Malaysia. We moved from monument to monument and he kept on talking. But the staff was dead tired after a night without sleep and every stop it became more and more difficult to get them out of the bus. I noticed that of the twelve girls actually one was listening to the operator who nevertheless carried out this job as good as he could, proud to show how many statistics and numbers he had in his head.

After we visited the KL communication tower (421 meters high), I he finally got irritated by the staffs uninterested attitude. 'Let me ask you, does Indonesia also have a tower?' Vivi the accounting manager was the only one listening. 'Yes! We have the Monas!' she replied proudly. The Indian tour leader now turned into a Mr. Bean. I was probably the only one noticing it, but the look on his face showed a certain disgust. He wanted revenge. 'The Monas? Interesting. How high is it?' Vivi admitted it was not as high as the KL tower but that it had a golden top. "Real gold?' he asked in a surprised voice. 'No, its not solid gold..'. Vivi answered quietly. The teasing tour guide went on. 'Our tower is used as a communication hub. Does your tower the Monas has a function?' Before Vivi could say it hadn't, the tour guide took a short but deep breath, his face clearly indicating some disrespect and then went on with other achievements of the Malaysian government.

The border crossing with Singapore was hectic. He explained at least 10 times to the staff that they should not carry more than one alcohol bottle each and that bottles should be open or unscrewed. And he kept on repeating to keep the white card in the passport. It went totally wrong. Hanna had a bottle of Vodka in a see through bag. An easy catch and she was directly whisked away by the immigration officers. Heny had left her white card in the bus and couldn't get in the country before all the bags in the bus was searched through. Than the tour guide told me - almost hyperventilating- that one of my staff was in big trouble, I had to come. There stood Vivi,  who didn't have a stamp in her passport indicating that she had left Malaysia already. Panic. 'But how come you already passed the immigration gates, if they say it is not in order!?', I asked her. In confusing she looked at me for a second and then she slowly turned around pointing in the direction of the immigration office. 'I just walked around that building and passed these police cars there'. The guide and I looked at each other -totally speechless - an then suddenly the guide busted out yelling: 'Go back! Go back through that gate!' Hard-handed he pushed her back. First the guide had to free Hanna from the interrogation room. Just in time, because a moment earlier she had told the officer that she was carrying the bag for somebody else. 'Aha!', said the official, 'you are carrying bags for other people'. At that moment the tour guide jumped in and saved her. Now he went to the officer in command and managed to get Vivi through. Totally exhausted he managed to get everybody on board again.

'Do you like to work in Indonesia?' he asked me a few minutes later. 'Yes.. It's ok', I answered slightly nonchalant. For at least one full minute this Indian Mr. Bean stared at me without blinking an eye. I felt uncomfortable. I repeated my answer. 'Really, its not that bad'. He just kept stared at me. In his mind he must have thought I was absolutely crazy. A sure bet he doesn't wants to guide Indonesian bar staff again....  (outing stories to be continued) -- Bartele

NOTE: Pictures of the outing in the next issue, later this week.

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD: 

Man fights off five-metre shark
An Australian man has managed to fight off a five-metre-long (16ft) shark, thought to be a great white, with his bare hands. (BBC)
 

Flasher shocked by exposure to the law  -  A German flasher's lewd antics backfired when he leaped naked out of a bush and exposed himself to a woman, only for the off-duty police officer to call for back-up and send him scrambling back into his clothes.

Doctor sues over sex charges involving his twin  A U.S. doctor has sued a Seattle-area newspaper for defamation after it reported he posed as his twin, a gynecologist, to have sex with his brother's patients. (Yahoo)

FOR THE LATEST BLOK M UPDATES, CLICK HERE
The Blok M August Update is now online. Read all about a spectacular tumble in My Bar and  more on the Sportsmans situation.

President To Raise Fuel Prices On October 1 (Laksamana)

FOR SALE: STELLA ARTOIS - home delivery-free stroopwafels!

Rp.375.000,- for 24 bottles home delivered.  Order now and receive a pack of stroopwafels for free. Just send me an email with your address and when you want to have it delivered. Many other beers for home delivery available, like Kriek Bellevue, Hoegaarden, Duvel, Leffe, Asahi and others. bartele@bugils.com PS. If there is any beer that you would like to see available in Indonesia, please let me know.

Taking aim at Indonesian terrorists -  The Indonesian government talks a good game when it comes to stamping out terrorism - recent death sentences testify to that. Still, Indonesian authorities have yet to acknowledge the country's best known terrorist group or even recognize it as a terrorist organization. (Asia Times)

Art Mart
Thriving center of the arts or chaotic flea market? The Balinese town of Ubud is a little bit of both (Time)

Researchers Says Hobbit Was Human
A 3-foot-tall female skeleton discovered in Indonesia last year dubbed The Hobbit and believed to be separate human species may have been a diseased human.

FILM EXTRAS WANTED

CASUAL WORK

THE BALI PROJECT

TO BE FILMED IN JAKARTA FROM LATE NOVEMBER TO MID DECEMBER 

The Bali Project is a drama based on the events of the Bali bombing. It tells the story of the event itself and of the police investigation, unprecedented and international, that led to more than 100 arrests. It explores the lives and experiences of the key individuals in these events: the police, Indonesian and Australian, upon whose shoulders the weight of the investigation came to rest, and the militants responsible for the bombing itself. The Bali Project places the tragedy of the Bali bombing in an international context to go beyond the question of how it happened and shed light on the question of why. It examines the forces behind the act and the forces behind the retaliation, and the worldwide consequences of both.

We are looking for Western visitors and residents of Jakarta who are interested in extra work on this film. Roles will include tourists, police and investigators. It’s casual work and we can work around your availability. 

This is an important story for both Indonesia and Australia and we would welcome your involvement.  We will be holding casting sessions in early October. Further details will be posted at this location. Groups and families welcome. In the meantime, you can call Judith on 0812 1083 804 with specific queries.

------xxxx-----

HOTEL CRYSTAL is organising their 7th Charity Golf Tournament at the Jagorawi Golf Course on September 30th. All money raised through the entry fee, and auction will be donated to three worthwhile charities: KAMPUNG KIDS, HOGS ( Harley Davidson for cleft palette operations) and Old Folks Home in Ciputat. More info: Mark Aitken - satulagigolf@yahoo.com

In the previous edition I asked my readers if anyone understood this email I received. Andy and Roger had a very good explanation.

The original email: with the subject: beer home delivery

        Hallo bartele,
    i think  whit a profit  inpublik , situasion in
indonesia  to mont 2005  no got and indikator for
guverman  no open to publik  exsample :
      1. instabilitas  politik interen  tomake from
          indifidu pipel power.
       2  mayoritas  organesasion make to power live
          in  big komunitas moderat.
     this implication to stabiltas ekonomi, politik
interen indonesia and plus  tree gaverman exteren
make xperimen  to droop indonesia whit make indonesia
will market  potensial  pshycotropica,  this most a
hangry,
          thank you.
 

Hi Bart !

In answer to the content of one of your readers e-mail ; I was an English Teacher before I ran a bar (F39), so to me it’s quite obvious ;

it’s a recipe for Norwegian Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad using substitute ingredients available in Indonesia.  ;

Hallo bartele,

    i think  whit a profit  inpublik , situasion in
indonesia  to mont 2005  no got and indikator for

guverman  no open to publik  exsample :

= Hi Bart , I think with a bit of improvisation in Indonesia you won’t need a goat for a public sample of Norwegian Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad.

 

      1. instabilitas  politik interen  tomake from
          indifidu pipel power.
       2  mayoritas  organesasion make to power live
          in  big komunitas moderat.

=  1. Just Add ; instant Indofood Pipel powder.

    2. Mayonnaise , oregano, mix with the powder and throw in a big tomatoe.

     this implication to stabiltas ekonomi, politik
interen indonesia and plus  tree gaverman exteren
make xperimen  to droop indonesia whit make indonesia
will market  potensial  pshycotropica, 

=  Bring to boil and simmer , add an Indonesian turnip plus a gaverman tree extract

    and experiment with a few drops of Indonesian whitening cream ; you can get it at the tropical  market.

 this most ahangry,
          thank you.

= this (will make) most hungry,

         thank you


Regards,   Andi B

-------------------

Bart,

I assume that the writer means psychotropic when he writes “pshycotropica”.

I think it is fairly clear that he (surely only a male would get into this state?) has being drinking too much of your past-its-sell-by-date beer, and the psychotropic effects of raspberry beer secondary fermentation or fungal growth have started. For example a fungal infection of rye grain can produce ergot, then producing a hallucinatory drug similar to LSD. As you know these Belgian beers contain some odd grains and fruits. QED I think, or as close as you will get.

Solution: increase the price, sell it in Stadium.

Do not try to interpret the email – therein lies the path to madness.

Roger

PS You may want to think about developing some antidotes too, maybe ultra-thick and absorbent stroopwafels would work.

FROM A READER:

In the previous newsletter, I published an email from a guy from Bandung who went to Gramedia bookstore every day to read a chapter from my book Bule Gila. My publisher Equinox figured anyone who spends so much time going to Gramedia to read it on the shelves deserves a copy from the publisher.
 

--------------------------xxx---------------------------

NATHALIE BAARTMAN speelt ‘STAM’

Komt dat zien, komt dat zien! Nathalie Baartman in het Erasmushuis op vrijdag 7 oktober om 20.00 uur. Net afgestudeerd aan de kleinkunstakademie in Den Bosch, met de persoonlijkheidsprijs van de Camaretten op zak, en nu al in Jakarta! Ze speelt voor ons de voorstelling Stam. Daarin springt en danst ze erop los, maar soms wandelt ze ook verwonderd door steden en bossen. Ze wordt in Nederland geroemd om haar niet alledaagse programma, terwijl ze zichzelf afvraagt waarom ze niet gewoon wat hipper is... Niets menselijks is haar vreemd.

Kortom, tot vrijdag 7 oktober in het Erasmushuis! 

Kaarten te koop bij:
Charlotte Bouvy                       0813 1099 7966
Emilie van Dijk             0815 1475 5832
Jacqueline Duiker                     0811 836 884
Denise te Riele              0813 1648 7086
 

Kaarten in de voorverkoop: DNC-leden Rp 80.000 / niet-leden Rp 100.000
Kaarten aan de deur: DNC-leden Rp 100.000 / niet-leden Rp 120.000

FOR SALE:

Mistral Pandera Windsurf Fun-board, includes 3 adult masts (2 x Serfiac, 1 x Mistral glassfibre), 2 x mast feet, children’s mast and boom, 2 adult booms, 4 Sails, 3 skegs, (2 x carbon fiber), slings, harness, rigging and other accessories including roof rack and fittings.  Valued at Euro 1000, but for quick sale, a steal at Rp 4,000,000 all up.  Contact HP 0811849471.

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