The National Electricity Board (PLN) has warned that Bali can expect period blackouts between the dates of Spetember 23 - November 23, 2009, as repairs are undertaken on a gas-powered electrical generating plant near Gilimanuk in Bali fare west,
As reported by The Jakarta Post, consumers are being warned that the key areas of Kuta, Nusa Dua and Denpasar can expect to experience several hours of blackouts on each day during the specified period.
While PLN is renting additional power generators to help reduce the need for blackouts. When operating at full capacity, PLN supplies Bali with 562 megawtatts of power against a peak hour demand of 490 megawatts. The planned repairs at the Gilimanuk gnerating station will reduce Bali's supply to just 432 megawatta, insufficient to supply all the island's power demand at peak hours.
Bali's power supply comes from a diesel-generated plant in Pesanggaran (152 megawatts), Pemaron (80 megawatts), the Java-Bali interconnection (200 megawatts), and Gilimanuk (130 megawatts).

The Indonesian House of Representatives has allocated Rp. 9.4 billion (US$930,600) in special funding to bolster Indonesian tourism in the wake of the July 17, 2009, bombing of two internaitonal hotels in Jakarta.
The funds are earmarked to provide supplemental support to six tourism promotion program areas that the government hopes will offset an estimated loss of 1 million visitors and US$1 billion in foreign exchange likely to result from cancellations caused by the Jakarta bombings. Included among the six promotional programs are funding educational and familiarization trips for overseas travel agents and the media; conducting overseas road shows to promote Indonesian tourism products; purchasing promotional campaigns in the international media; supporting cultural and sports events; and establishing overseas promotion offices in key overseas source markets.
Indonesia's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Jero Wacik, has stated that overseas promotional offices are being established in Singapore, Malaysia, China, Dubai, Germany and Australia.

Efforts by police and port authrities to rid Bali's western gateway of illegal motorbike transport (Ojek) and street-side vendors (pedagang kaki lima) has preciptiated street protests in and around the port of Gilimanuk.
According to the Bali Post, hundreds of motorcycle jockeys and street vendors launched a "sit-in" protest starting on Wednesday, July 22, 2009, on the access roads leading into and out of the port area causing a backlog of vehicles waiting to enter or exit the port.
The protests, which began on the morning of July 22nd, stretched from the local market in Gilamanuk to the port area, a distance of approximatley one kilometer. The protestors carried posters protesting the recent "clean up" of the area by port authorities and demanding that authorities take heed of their need to earn an income.
The peaceful demonstrations were observed by a platoon of riot police from the Jembrana police precinct and the Port Police of Gilimanuk.
On the Sunday (July 19th), prior to the latest demonstration, a group traveling from East Java to Denpasar, that included Bali's Governor, Made Mangku Pastika, was momentarily delayed in their travels by port protestors.
During Wednesday's demonstrations, protestors delivered speeches in front of the Gilimanuk Port Administrator's office and marched through the port before arriving in front of the ferry terminal.
Once the group arrived at the terminal, five representatives from the protestors were invited by the Chief of Security for the Port of Gilimanuk to the port police office for a dialague with port officials, community leaders and police.
Following the meeting, Yoni, the Coordinator for the "Alliance of the People's Demands" told the press and demonstrators that no agreement had been reached during the meeting, as port officials remained adamant in their goal to rid the port area of illegal motorcycle jockeys and street vendors. Disappointed at this news, the protestors continued to block the access roads for an additional hour.
Traffic across the straits between Bali and Jawa resumed after the Chief of the Jembrana Police Precinct, AKBP Ketut Suardana, ordered the protestors to stop blocking the access roads.

Following the termination of the Ritz-Carlton's management agreement for their Jimbaran property in Bali, David Wilson was compelled to depart his much-loved 290-room and 78-villa Bali hotel on April 01, 2009 as that property morphed into the re-branded Ayana Resort & Spa.
Balidiscovery.com has learned that David Wilson has landed a new job as the general manager of The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing.
Wilson joined the Ritz Carlton Bali Resort & Spa in 2001, managing to win various honors for the cliff-side property as he opened 40 new villas while securing the property one of the highest average rates and occupancy on the island.
Wilson's new assignment in Beijing sees him in charge of a 305-room luxury property with six food and beverage outlets.
Wilson, who is married and with two children, maintains a Bali residence which is also home to a revered Harley-Davidson motorcycle that Wilson steers down Bali's roads during his frequent "homecomings."

Following the bombing of two Jakarta hotels on Friday, July 18, 2009, the Bali Hotel Association issued the following security statement:
The Bali Hotels Association would like to convey its deepest sympathies and sincere condolences to the victims and families involved in the recent incident in Jakarta on July 17th and we wish those injured, a full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts go out to our fellow colleagues and hoteliers in Jakarta affected by these events.
Security in Bali remains on high alert and key stakeholders in Bali have developed a close network with Local and National Authorities to ensure the communication and distribution of relevant updates and actions that have a direct impact on the safety of our guests, staff and communities.
The Badung Head of Regency, in cooperation with Police, Military and Intelligence, have met with Bali Hotel Owners, Management and Hotel Security Personnel to discuss and communicate the strategies and procedures in place from Indonesian Authorities down to the Community level.
Police and Military and increased their security measures and presence at all levels and have in place a direct emergency communication number or "Community Hotline " to report any suspicious individuals or behavior. The Bali Hotels Association is sharing resources with the authorities and enhancing the communication infrastructure amongst all stakeholders to further improve security support and collaboration.
"In any crisis there is always something to ultimately learn and improve" BHA chairman, Robert Lagerwey added. "Emergency situations demand an accurate and timely response, and BHA is doing everything possible to ensure assistance and a balanced reporting on the situation in Bali."
Related Article
[Jakarta Bombing: The Sounds of Distant Thunder]

Tempo Interactive reports that the organizers of an international Kempo championship scheduled to be held in Bali July 25-26, 2009, have reluctantly cancelled that event following the Jakarta terrorist attacks which claimed the lives of 9 and injured more than 54 people.
The Head of the local organizing committee, Timbul Thomas Lubus, confirmed that some 400 athletes from 20 countries has been expected to travel to Bali to participate in the event.
Many of the participants were already in Bali when the decision was made to cancel the sporting event, causing the Indonesian Kempo Association to put together friendly sparring matches and training sessions for the athletes already in Bali.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyon has formally inaugurated the new head corporate offices for Garuda Indonesia located at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport.
According to Bisnis.com, the cost of the new home-base for Indonesia's national carrier is Rp. 112 billion (US$11 million).
Measuring 17,000 square meters, the four-storied Garuda Indonesia Management Building occupies a five-hectare plot of land at an area of the Jakarta airport known as the "Garuda Indonesian City Center." In all, some 1,000 Garuda employees will work in the new headquarters.
The CEO of Garuda Indonesia, Emirsyah Satar, speaking at the inauguration, said the new headquarters managed to reflect both a concern for the environment and a corporate dynamism. He explained: "The new building, which is both dynamic and environmentally friendly, was constructed using only 25% of the funds earned from the sale of our old headquarters."
Bali's former headquarters in central Jakarta is now the office building of the Ministry for State-Owned Enterprises.
Satar described the new building as part of Garuda's plans to make a quantum leap towards 2018 when the airline will once again become a leading air carrier in the Southern hemisphere. By 2012 Garuda is scheduled to operate 116 aircraft, an 87% increase in capacity compared to the current armada of 62 planes. The airline has already ordered 50 new Boeing 737-800NG, 10 Boeing B777-200ER and a quantity of A330-200s.
New Corporate Livery
Garuda Indonesia is also launching a new corporate identity that includes a new font and a larger rendition of the mythical bird that inspires its name.
The new corporate identity has been painted on all the new Boeing 773-800NGs and AirbusA330-200s recently introduced to Garuda's fleet.
The "new look" for the national carrier extends to the aircrafts' interiors where shades of orange, red and brown are co-mingled with the traditional blue and green colors familiar to the airline's passengers.

Plans by the Indonesian Department of Forestry to capture and move ten rare Komodo "dragons" (Varanus Komodoensis) from their natural habitat at the Komodo National Park to the Bali Safari Park is coming under harsh attack from legislators and the public of West Flores.
Calling plans to move the rare reptiles to Bali an "authoritarian act by the central government," various groups have called for the revocation of the Ministerial decree authorizing the capture and removal of the ten Komodo.
Cyprianus Aoer, a West Flores legislator who sits on Commission X atf the National House of Representatives (DPR) told Kompas.com: "The Ministerial decree must be revoked. The decision from the central government shows the authoritarian character and its failure to adequately consider local and regional interests."
The government is defending its decision to move 10 Komodos from the Wae Wuul area of the Komodo reserve to "Taman Safari Bali" as part of efforts to preserve the endangered reptiles by means of genetic diversification.
Cyprianus sees things differently, however, branding the Forestry Minister's decision as an effort to further impoverish the people of Flores by sending the iconic dragons to new areas, detracting from the singularity of West Flroes as a nature tourism destination. The legislator added: "The people of Flores must push so the Ministerial decree is quickly revoked. This is even more urgent given the nomination of Komodo to the list of the wonders of the natural world."
Separately, the Chairman of the Regional House of Representatives for West Manggarai (West Flores), Matheus Hamsi, expressed his shock with the Forestry Minister's decision, saying: "Why move komodos to Bali? This decision makes no sense and I feel the people of Manggarai Barat and the whole of Flores island do not agree (with this move). The natural habitat of the Komodo is in the Flores region, so why are we moving the dragons to a different habitat?"
The Chairman of the People's Group again Mining (Geram), Bernadus Baratdaya, also rejected the decision to move the Komodos to Bali for whatever reason. Bernadus said: "We will stand in the way of anyone, including the Nature Conservation Agency of Nusa Tenggara Timur (BKSDA NTT), trying to move Komodos from Flores to other places. The only Komodo populations is on Komodo island, Rinca island and Flores near Wau Wuul and Samburampas. Because only a little more than 10 Komodo's still exists in Wae Wuul, why are we moving 10 of them? Isn't this a systematic effort to eradicate the Komodos from the island of Flores?"
Bernadus questionrd that if the facilities in Flores are inadequate for the genetic diversity of the Komodo, shouldn't the BKSDA NTT fight to improve Flores and not be moving these rare reptiles to another place?
Joining the debate, Agung Wardhana, the Director of the Bali branch of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), told the Jakarta Post that the relocation of a sub-population of the world's largest lizards to Bali would be bad for both the reptiles and Bali's environment. Saying "the move will likely have both environmental and social ramifications." Wardhana called on the government to make public of the environmental impact study required before such a decision is made by the government.
Wardhana says that the ecosystems of Komodo and Bali are markedly different, and to try to create a micro-environment suitable for the rare reptiles in Bali could damage Bali's fragile eco-system. "Before this, eight elephants were transported from Bogor, now the Dragons. What will come next?" Agung asked. "Should all of them be put on this relatively small island?"
The Chief of the BKSDA for Bali has called for all parties to reserve judgment on the plans to bring the dragon population to Bali saying, "Taman Safari Indonesia has already proven itself a worthy conservator."

A true star of the culinary world, 2-Michelin Star Chef Joel Antunes, is coming to Bali for a 3-night limited engagement at the Ayana Resort and Spa Bali's Dava Restaurant July 27-30, 2009.
More About Joel Antunes
Antunes launched his kitchen career 25 years ago at the 1-Michelin Star restaurant Bon in his hometown of Volvic, France. Over the past quarter-century, his distinguished career has included 10 years at a string of 3-Michelin Star restaurants: Troisgros, Bocuse, Maximin, Meneau and Gagnaire. His own Les Saveurs Restaurant in London earned 2-Michelin Stars in 1991, while his namesake Joel Brasserie in Atlanta, Georgia opened to critical acclaim in 2001.
Other career highlights include succeeding Gunter Seeger as Chef of The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta. Joel took over the reins one month after the restaurant was awarded a 5-star rating by Mobil maintaining that distinction throughout his five-year tenure.
Asia experience includes four years as Chef of the Normandy Restaurant at The Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, and as a consultant chef at other Mandarin-Oriental restaurants in Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore.
In Bali he will join forces with the Dava Restaurant's Chef de Cuisine, William Gumport, renewing a collaboration they commenced for three years in the U.S. earlier in their careers.
Awards
• Les Saveur, London: 2-Michelin Stars; voted Best restaurant in the United Kingdom in 1994 and 1995 by London's Evening Standard and Decanter Magazine.
• Joel Brasserie, Atlanta: James Beard Award in 2005.
• The Dining Room, at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead, Atlanta: Received Atlanta's top culinary rating from Zagat Survey and 'Best restaurant in Atlanta's from Gourmet magazine.
Limited Bali Appearance
During the three-day Bali engagement, Joel Antunes wiill presents a special six-course Degustation Menu nightly from July 27-30 only, paired with fine wines.
Priced at US$50++ for the Degustation Menu only, or US$75++ with special wine pairings, reservations are essential and secured by calling the restaurant at ++62-(0)361-702222 extension 40.
Degustation a la Joel
Bali tomato consommé, lemongrass tomato sorbet, purple basil
Borneo crab ravioli, Australian yabbies, shitake, tom yum sauce
Crispy black bass, Chinese cabbage, shabu-shabu broth
Australian lamb, eggplant caponata, red pepper confit, natural jus
Fruit minestrone, margarita sorbet
Blueberry tart, honey-rosemary ice cream

Garuda Indonesia reports that the Jakarta terrorist bombings of July 17, 2009, have had minimal effect on passenger loads ex-Australia to Bali.
Bisnis.com quotes Bagus Y. Siregar, General Manager of Garuda Indonesia in Bali, as saying that uplift of passengers from overseas ports to Bali remain stabile at around 1,800 people per day.
The decision of the Australian government to issue a heightened travel warning for Indonesia following the Jakarta attacks has apparently had little effect, with the Australian market to Bali dominated by young travelers between the ages of 25-35 years.
Bagus says load factors have remained constant at around 82.2% network wide over the 14 domestic and international destinations served by Gaurda.
In 2008, Garuda carried 10.1 million passengers, increasing from 9 million in 2007.

The Bali police have taken the decision to assign one officer to each of Bali 723 village units as one of a range of steps being taken to prevent terrorist's acts on the island.
By placing an officers on permanent assignment in every Balinese village, the Bali police hope to establish closer working relationships with village leadership and the local community enforcement organization (pecalang), enhancing scrutiny over newcomers and island visitors.
A spokesman for the Bali police, Gede Suginyar, told beritabali.com that the village assignment scheme is only one component of an overall community policing policy and is intended to complement and empower community structure already in place.
Suginyar also told the press that police have also increased surveillance of shops selling chemicals in order to prevent any possible misuse of those materials.

The July 17, 2009, bombing of two international hotels in Jakarta has once again brought home to the need for Bali to be unfailingly diligent in keeping the island safe for both residents and villagers. To Bali's credit, travel industry leaders, island administrators and local police authorities huddled within hours of the Jakarta bombing to tighten controls on Bali's public places and hotels, determined to make Bali a tough target for any aspiring terrorist.
But, any attempt by Bali to bolster existing systems and procedures in order to keep the island safe from those intent on its destruction, runs into a brick wall when trying to impose order and rules on a system where so many elements operating outside the law. On an island rife with unlicensed taxis, illegal money changers, un-registered tour guides and illegal villa operators - Bali officials are frustrated at every turn whenever they try to improve security protocols on the island.
While Bali's official transportation organizations, registered money changers, Association of Indonesian Travel Agents, and Hotel and Villa Associations are committed to cooperating in every way with local law enforcement in making the island "terror proof" – the simple fact that the great number of illegal tourism and accommodation providers operate "off the screen" diminishes any real effectiveness of attempts to tidy up and bring into line the numerous loose ends of Bali's security situation.
This fact is surely not lost on terrorists, who have proven themselves most adept at varying tactics to take full advantage of weaknesses and vulnerabilities. Because of this, if Bali suffers future attacks, no one should be overly-surprised to discover that the perpetrators laundered their funding sources through one of the island's many illegal money changers, traveled across Bali's roads scouting targets in illegal taxis, and sought accommodation as "unregustered guests" from illegal private villa operations.
Tourism services secured in this great underground of the Bali's tourim industry won't show up on the screens of local law enforcement; a fact that will suit just fine both terrorists and the gypsy tourism operators seeking to avoid any kind of official regulation.
The need for strict enforcement of tourism licensing rule is a chorus long and frequently heard in Bali. Legitimate tourism operators regularly scream for the government to enforce the "social covenant" and close down illegal money changers, travel agents, transportation providers and villa operators who steadfastly refuse to register their business, be governed by travel industry rules or pay their fair share of the tax burden.
The argument most frequently employed against these illegal operators who are answerable to no one, is that they pose a genuine threat to tourism by engaging in shady activities that destroy Bali's international tourism image.
The crippling effect these scofflaws have on Bali's efforts to improve its security situation and the latest terrorist attacks in Jakarta, have made this great underbelly of illegal Bali tourism operators the "elephant in the room" whose presence can no longer be ignored.
The continuing failure to clean up Bali's tourism regulatory environment is putting much more than the island's image at stake. Indeed, getting the island's travel industry in line has suddenly become a matter of life and death.

As one of Bali's senior and most respected contemporary artists, Made Wianta, has explored the foundations of form and color since he first burst upon the Indonesian arts scene in the 1970s as a brash, fresh new force.
Click Images to Enlarge
In his latest series of paintings, Archetypes, Wianta returns to his roots - the elemental building blocks of vision - but with a new sophistication and the lessons shared from years of experience. These canvasses are dominated by cubes, lines and rectangles, which Wianta sees as the distinct mark of human intervention in nature.
In his painting "White Shadow on Rainbow" our eyes are drawn to the graduated shades of blue on a maze-like central rectangle set against a cosmic storm. Examination of a second pale white rectangle hovers over the first.
As an accomplished conceptual artist, Wianta plays with our vision and our minds as we contemplate light. So, too, his composition "Four Monuments" presents four slightly out of whack three dimensional obelisks floating about in space. Each of their sides is a window into a universe of its own.
Visual trickster and pun maker, the mercurial and prolific Wianta proves that his powers have only sharpened with maturity.
The exhibition will also be celebrated with several of his imitable and unforgettable installations connecting his Balinese origins with the best in world art.
Archetypes – An Exhibition by Made Wianta
August 6 – 31, 2009
Ganesha Gallery at the Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay
For more information telephone ++62-(0)361-701010

As part of the celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the province of Bali and the 63rd anniversary of Indonesian independence, the Bali International 10 K will be held on Sunday, August 10, 2009.
Supported by the Bali Government Tourism Office, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, municipal government of Denpasar, and the provincial government of Bali the race offers door prizes and place prices in separate categories for elite international athletes (professionals), male, female and students.
The race gets underway at 6:00 a.m. local time with the start and finish at the Monument for the People's Struggle (Monumen Perjuangan Rakyat Bali in Renon in downtown Denpasar.
For more information [Bali 10 K]