Maurizio Rosenberg Colorni, a life-long connoisseur of fine photography has undertaken a monumental effort to collect photos of Bali from the years 1886 – 1952 and present them at a single exhibition running daily from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. through July 12, 2008, at the Arti Foundation, Art Center on Jalan Nusa Indah in Denpasar.

The exhibition includes many images taken by unknown photographers chosen for their ability to provide historical testimony to the Island's past. The images range from professional portraits to snapshots – each with a story to tell of Bali's rich and diversified past.

Emblematic of this are the photographs of a young Balinese man who worked as a room boy at the Bali Hotel in the late 1930s who used his extra money to commission pictures of his friends that he dressed in stylish Indo-European attire, sometimes against ersatz backdrops of European buildings. The photographic depictions of the hotel room boy were significantly different from what other foreigners who were trying to catch of the "intrinsic Bali."

The photographs exhibited were unearthed from museums, storerooms, archives, private collections, forgotten photo albums and shoeboxes by Maurizio Rosenberg Colorni whose wishes to bring back to Bali's past as captured through the lenses of the photographers.

Mimpi Bali – Photos of Bali 1886-1952

An Exhibition organized by Arti Foundation, Maurizio Rosenberg Colorni and Quidzy Gallery.

Open Daily 9:00 a.m .to 6:00 p.m. - July 12, 2008

Admission Free

Arti Foundation, Art Center – Jalan Nusa Indah, Denpasar

For more information contact telephone ++62-(0)081 338 92 98 88

The city of Denpasar will deploy 1,200 personnel to ensure the coming race for the governorship of Bali on July 9, 2008 goes smoothly. The contingent of 1,200 Balinese police officers from the Denpasar precinct represent two-thirds of the 1801 police personnel assigned to the Island's capital.

The Denpasar officers will be distributed across 925 polling stations in the capital and will be placed on continuous duty starting from 5 days prior to election day.

A police spokesman told Tempo Interaktif that the remaining one-third of Denpasar's constabulary would be on stand-by, ready for immediate deployment if the situation demanded.

In anticipation of the election, intelligence officers from the Denpasar police have identified polling places meriting additional security with only 96 of the 925 polling places rated as "safe," 829 as "sensitive" and 518 more as "extremely sensitive."

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Japanese outbound travel is showing signs of being on a continuing decline in 2008 following a year (2007) in which 1.35% fewer Japanese traveled abroad (17.29 million).

Bali Outperforms

Japanese travels in 2007 declined across the board to the traditionally popular destinations of Taiwan (-2.8%), Hong Kong (-0.74%), South Korea (-10.18%), Hawaii (-5.20%), Guam (-2.17%), Australia (-22.88%) and New Zealand (-17.29%).

All news was not glum, however, with strong improvements in outbound travel reported to Macau (+38.66%), Singapore (+5.86%) and Bali I(+19.80%).

Japanese travel observers view the future warily, pointing to fuel surcharges, the declining value of the Japanese Yen, rising air fares and an uncertain economic outlook as factors weighing against a trip abroad for Japanese holidaymakers.

Japanese travelers to Bali for the period January –April, totaled 594,068 - increasing 9.6% over the same period in 2007 (472,450).

The Japanese represent Bali's number one source of inbound tourist visitors.

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A fire early on the morning of Sunday, June 8, 2008 destroyed an outer building that served as the laundry at the Kupu Kupu Barong Resort in Kedewatan, Ubud.

According to the Bali Post, the two-storey 6 x 6 meter building housed washing machines, dryers and other laundry equipment used by the luxury resort.

Two fire trucks responded to the fire which was only discovered at 5:15 a.m. by an engineering staff member on duty at the hotel. The hotel employee immediately contacted the hotel's security team and turned off the electrical power supply to the laundry. While awaiting for the fire department's arrival, members of the hotel staff tried to control the blaze while others removed LPG tanks from the affected building.

When firefighters arrived at the scene they were compelled to lay a 500 meter water line to reach the site of the fire.

The head of the security department for the Hotel, Made Suju, told the Bali Post that an electrical short circuit is suspected as the cause of the fire.

Guests staying at the Resort were unaffected by the fire, located in a building far removed from the guests' accommodation area.

The value of the loss of the laundry has not been announced by the hotel's management.

Tempo Interaktif reports that business circles in Bali are enthusiastically welcoming an approach from a group of leading Malaysian businesspeople who have formed a consortium offering to build a bridge connecting Sanur and Nusa Dua.

Earlier, Malaysian businessman Datuk Khalid, representing Gridcomm Shd. BHD and Isyoda Corporation Berhad, met with Bali’s Governor and offered to build the long-discussed toll-bridge connecting Serangan Island with Tanjung Benoa.

The proposed toll way would stretch 7.5 km between Sanur and Tanjung Benoa while a separate 4.5 km elevated highway would connect Bali's airport with Nusa Dua. The airport toll road project is comprised of 4 distinct roadways individually serving four-wheeled vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians.

The Malaysian consortium has offered two alternatives to the Governor that will allow the project to go ahead. One approach would see the consortium invest an estimated Rp. 4.202 trillium (US$44.1 million) which does not include the cost of land acquisition, while an alternative solution sees the government assuming all costs and appointing the Malaysian consortium as contractors.

The Governor has ordered his technical team to review the proposal.

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Tempo Interaktif reports that the Bali Kennel Club (PERKIN-Bali) is angrily protesting a prohibition against dog shows just issued by the head of the Bali Quarantine Station, Ketut Diarmita. The prohibition, issued ostensibly to prevent the spread of rabies in Bali is, according to PERKIN, lacking completely in foundation.

The Chairman of PERKIN, I Gede Winten Sumerta, complained on Thursday, June 11, 2008, that his members have yet to hear how rabies can be spread through organized dog shows. Said Sumerta, "we challenge the Head of the Bali Quarantine to explain this (action) within the coming 7 days." If the deadline passes and no proof or justification is presented PERKIN threatens to treat the prohibition as a lie visited upon the people by a public official and to take appropriate legal action.

Sumerta said that in the numerous dog shows held by PERKIN each year there has never been a single known case of rabies contamination. In fact, every dog participating in a show is required to possess a detailed health record.

Earlier the Head of Quarantine for Bali, Diarmita, told the press that one of the ways to prevent rabies contagion in Bali was to outlaw dog shows, saying "there's more damage (in dog shows) than there is good use in such events."

Diarmita contends that there is a substantial potential for the spread of rabies among dogs participating in dogs shows, particularly spreading from imported breeds to local Balinese dogs.

Bali is considered a "rabies free" island with strict rules limiting the import of private pets and livestock.

The Government has declared its intention to lower Internet rates between 20 and 40 percent in the coming months.

The government has asked the Indonesian Internet Service Provider Association (APJII) to analyze all the cost components involved in providing Internet services in order to establish the exact amount of reductions to be granted to Internet customers.

According to The Jakarta Post, the international bandwidth tariff constitutes 40% of all Internet costs. The "back haul component" which connects Internet Service Providers (ISP's) with infrastructure providers comprises 30% of costs. The remaining 30% of the cost is incurred in the "last mile component" or the physical connection between the ISP and the consumer.

ISPs are resisting calls to lower costs, urging the government to focus instead on computer penetration, improving financial mechanisms for ISPs and creating additional frequencies for more wireless access.

Radar Bali reports that the regional government of Badung has yielded slightly to local lawmakers' demands for stronger enforcement of zoning laws by revoking the building permit (IMB) of the Suluban Vila, near the Pura Uluwatu in the Island's south.

The Head of Badung's Zoning Authority (Dinas Cipta Karya (DCB), I Ketut Suwandi, told Radar Bali that his office had delivered a warning letter to the owner of the Suluban Villa for violating setback rules from a ravine or a cliff. Suwandi told the press that the warning letter had the same legal effect as a formal revocation of the villa's IMB and was only sent after the management repeatedly failed to respond to previous warnings.

According to Suwandi, the Suluban Villa not only violated setback regulations but had also constructed structures that did not match with the originally approved architectural plans submitted with the building permit application. The failure to keep to the approved building plans included changes in the design, structure and number of rooms.

While construction of the villa has been temporarily halted, Badung officials said that a new building permit could eventually be issued if the owner submits revised building plans that conform to the actual building erected and do not violate building and zoning regulations.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of Bali's House of Representative (DPRD), IB Wesnawa, expressed his anger and aggravation with Badung's Regent for his failure to defend the sanctity of the 5 km no-build zone surrounding Pura Uluwatu. Complained Wesnawa: "We claim that our life's goal is to improve the welfare of the people (moksartam jagathita), to join with the most holy. How can we allow the weak and the blind to destroy a sacred area? We continue to hope that there will be firm action against those who violate the sanctity of Pura Uluwatu."

The Chief legislator affirmed that the protection of sacred areas in Bali must represent a "Do or Die" fight for every Balinese. He insisted that there can be no compromise if people wish to preserve Bali. The rules, according to Wesnawa, are there and must be strictly enforced.

Separately, the Chairman of the Secretariat of Commission B of the House of Representatives has told the press "all villas who break the rules must be treated the same." Sudiana describe the problem of Uluwatu as tied to the issuance of permits in contradiction to zoning and building rules in an area intended for tourist sites and not tourism accommodation.

Sudiana also called on the leadership of the House or Representatives to summon the Regent of Badung and issue a formal warning to the Region's Chief Executive for issuing illegal permits.

The General Manager of PT Angkasa Pura Ngurah Rai the government-owned company that manages Bali's international airport died suddenly on Thursday, June 12, 2008 after suffering an apparent stroke.

The popular 55 year-old Nyoman Suwetja Putra died at Bali's Graha Asih Hospital after being rushed from his airport office to the nearby hospital following his collapse shortly after 8:00 a.m..

A native of Payangan, Ubud, Suwetja is survived by his wife, four children, and grandchildren.

Following an assignment as airport manager in Lombok, Suwetja was appointed to head the Bali airport on April 10, 2007. Although in charge in Bali's airport for only little more than one year, he is credited with many improvements in facilities and services at Ngurah Rai and for making a significant contribution in improving safety and security for Bali air travelers. His work unit in Bali has earned praise from international safety inspectors, an award for zero accidents and acknowledgement as a leading taxpayer in Bali.

Prior to his sudden death, Suwetja had finalized plans for a complete rebuilding of the airports 39,000 square meter domestic terminal.

Local press reports have heaped praise on the many accomplishments of Suwetja during his short assignment in Bali, including playing a fundamental role in helping to lobby the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to remove the airport from the list of "dangerous" airports and paving the way for the recent revocation of a U.S. Travel warning for Indonesia.

Ngurah Rai Gusti Ketut Mangku, the Commercial Manager for Development at PT Angkasa Pura has been named as interim manager of the airport.

Prior to becoming a U.S. Senator and embarking on his quest for the U.S. presidency, Barack Obama launched a successful career as a writer, publishing the best sellers Dreams From My Father (Times Books, 1995) followed by The Audacity of Hope (Crown, 2006).

According to a report in the New York Times quoting the Presidential candidate's half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, Senator Obama retreated to the island of "Bali for several months with his wife, Michelle, to find a peaceful sanctuary where there were no phones."

The Balinese writing sabbatical took place after Obama's graduation from Harvard Law School in the early 1990s.

Is Bali and inspiring Island? Just ask Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for U.S. President. He'll tell you that Bali is the pause that refreshes on the way to the U.S.A.'s top job.

Continental Airlines have announced a drastic cutback in services to more than 40 domestic and international destinations in order to stem losses aggravated by escalating oil prices. Press reports indicate that the curtailment of services will take place as of September 3, 2008.

The Houston, Texas-based airline is the fourth largest carrier in the United States with 151 domestic destinations. Internationally, the airline flies to 120 cities in Canada, Latin America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific. As part of the massive restructuring some 3,000 jobs will also be cut from a payroll of more than 40,000 employees. 67 airplanes are also slated to be retired from Continental's fleet.

The decisions by Continental follows similar slashes in jobs, fleets and schedules by United Airlines and American Airlines.

Bad News for Bali

Nine of the cities on the Continental domestic network to be closed are Oakland, Palm Springs, Reno, Sarasota, Tallahassee, Green Bay, Chattanooga, Toledo, and Montgomery, Alabama.

Six of the International ports scheduled for closing are: Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia; Cali, Colombia; Cologne, Germany; Guayaquil, Ecuador; Monclova, Mexico; and Santiago, Dominican Republic.

This is a partial list with 40 destinations in all expected to be axed.

The formal date for ending the twice weekly Bali flight is yet to be confirmed by Continental Airline. Continental is the only U.S. flag carrier serving Indonesia.

Bondi Rescue - a top-rated Australian reality television program aired by Australia's Channel Ten that records the actual work days of a group professional lifesavers on a busy Sydney swimming beach, will shoot eight episodes in Bali over a four-month period.

The Bali segments will focus on four Bondi regulars training with their Balinese counterparts on the sometimes treacherous big surf of Bali's most popular public beach.

Bondi Rescue: Bali

The Bali spin-off will be called Bondi Rescue: Bali and is set to be aired starting in late 2008. The "Boys in Blue" Bali episodes will feature Bali's dedicated lifesavers alongside program regulars Ryan "Whippett" Clarke, Dean "Deano" Gladstone, Andrew "Reidy" Reid and Anthony "Harries" Carroll.

Bondi Rescue: Bali will eventually be aired not only in Australia but also in the UK, New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Germany.