Alphamama Brings Her Artistry To Ubudby Renee Melchert Thorpe The 2014 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival had a special theme of Saraswati Wisdom and Knowledge In reverence to the goddess of Arts and Literature the Festival featured extra artists in visual and musical endeavors Arguably the most creative band to come together for the timehonored closing party was a conglomeration of percussionists vocalists and assorted instrumentalists like Ben Walsh blazing riffs on drums built from junk that very day and the incomparable vocalist Toni Childs Australian renaissance woman whose father is from Manado Sulawesi Alphamama was also jamming onstage playing keyboards and singing her original music while the crowd swayed in appreciation We caught up with Alphamama while she was on tour in Africa in November Tell me about what yoursquore doing in South Africa
Read moreMonth: January 2015
As Without So Within… The Promise Perils of NanoTech
As Without So WithinhellipThe Promise Perils of NanoTech Just as we are starting to get our minds to contemplate infinity and what lies beyond the Big Bang so to too do we start to grasp the faintest glimmerings of Quantum and the infinitesimally small Of course the metaphysically minded of us probably know or have some experience of both already albeit without the scientific trimmings Wersquove long fantasized about what we could do with the very small For many our thoughts immediately go to the amazing and seemingly limitless medical possibilities Directing healing medications to places hitherto inaccessible and vanishing tumours become realities The thing about Quantum though is nobody quite knows for sure what happens there So we need to have a carehellip When it comes to food for example we may thin
Read moreAyu Spicys Basic Luang Prabang Mayo
Against the background of Javanese culture and the fading power of Japanese occupiers Java in a Time of Revolution explores the origins of revolutionary youth groups the military and political parties with remarkable scope and in scrupulous detail First published in 1972 by Cornell University Press this classic was brought back to life by Equinox Publishing kicking off the publishers Classic Indonesia series in 2007
Read moreBali A Paradise Created by Adrian Vickers
Bali A Paradise Created by Adrian VickersBali A Paradise Created is a penetrating and unafraid examination of the manufacturing of the islandrsquos image to serve political economic and cultural purposes This important book explores the underlying social and cultural forces that have shaped the ultimately enduring image of Bali that we have today It gives expression to multiple voices in the experience of Bali including insights gleaned from oral history interviews with the Balinese themselves Over the past four centuries of Balirsquos modern history this tiny island is unique in that it has been subject to a number of widely divergent images From the 16th to the 18th C Bali was perceived to be chaotic and violent ndash an island of theft murder anarchy and despotic decadence by Dutch colonists and early European writers These im
Read moreBeryl DovPoet Laureate of the Internet
Beryl DovPoet Laureate of the Internet Bery Dov was born and raised in the multiethnic melting pot of Brooklyn New York An ordained rabbi he holds degrees in biology philosophy literature and business management Beryl has traveled extensively to more than 100 countries and has lived and worked in New York Israel Montreal Texas and New Mexico He first visited Bali in 1973 as a 20yearold backpacker discovering Indonesia Beryl now lives in semiretirement in Ubud where he spends most of his time writing An Internet sensation he received 15 million page views in 2014 Beryl is currently working on a Twitter project to launch his 10word aphorisms to one million people daily Who were your ancestors I am descended from countless generations of rabbis My great grandfather Rabbi Beryl Gulden who I am named after
Read moreChange change change Indonesia Moving Forward not Backwards
Change change change Indonesia Moving Forward not Backwards As we move into 2015 under a more progressive socialist government there is much hope for positive change that will be better for those who never benefitted before from previous governments the majority of Indonesiarsquos population So far we have seen a number of positive changes plans put into place for an archipelagowide shipping network to link Indonesiarsquos thousands of islands in such a way that prices of commodities are less disparate than they are at present the implementation of a free healthcare system and welfare card for Indonesiarsquos poor that actually work and the elimination of stating onersquos lsquoreligionrsquo on identity cards In the pipeline is implementation of a 6day week for government employees to encourage actual lsquoworking
Read moreCreating a Phenomenal Life in 2015 Beyond
Creating a Phenomenal Life in 2015 BeyondMany people make New Yearrsquos resolutions with the best of intentions but sadly there is seldom any follow through Perhaps this is because we return to our daily lives and our stories Or maybe we think our intentions are not practical or will just be too difficult to actualize in our lives There seems to be an invisible block that we try and try to get past but we never or rarely succeed in doing so The end result is that we sometimes become even more jaded about our life and our dreams for the future This is all sounding pretty depressing so letrsquos approach it from a totally different perspective What if I told you that happiness is just a choice ndash that YOU have the capacity to create your life exactly the way that you want to all you have to do is choose Our lives are made up of the puzzle pieces of choices that we have made along the way A woman in an abusive marriage walks away and sta
Read moreExpired Drugs… Stow or Throw
Expired DrugshellipStow or ThrowItrsquos a habit of mine to clear out my cupboards for the New Year and as usual I find that a good deal of medications in my personal household pharmacy are over their usebydate Living in a place like Bali where a lot of people including myself stock up on medications from overseas some of them very expensive many will store their medicines past the expiry date printed on the box A bad habit perhaps Wrong It is probably a sensible one according to a study done by the American FDA which found that most drugs are labeled very conservatively as far as their shelf life is concerned and that many are still potent up to 10 years after the given expiry date According to the FDA drugs ldquoexpirerdquo on the date theyrsquore projected to have lost 10 percent of their potency which means they are still 90 effective although the outdated drug is not as effective as t
Read moreFace Powder
Face Powder Face powder is the makeup artistrsquos best friend as it can make your skin look really wonderful and is very versatile in its uses It gives the skin a glow as well as makes it smooth It has a lasting effort in comparison to foundations and moisturizers It can be used as a finishing layer in makeup application or it can be applied directly on bare skin without the accompanying foundation layers You need two types of powder a loose form at home and a powder compact for your handbag Whether you choose loose or pressed really depends on your skin type and the look that you desire If you are a natural girl who likes a gentle finish consider loose powder If you are more active and sporty the matte look of pressed powder may be ideal for you 1 Loose Powder This gives the best and longestlasting finis
Read moreFantastic Salad
Against the background of Javanese culture and the fading power of Japanese occupiers Java in a Time of Revolution explores the origins of revolutionary youth groups the military and political parties with remarkable scope and in scrupulous detail First published in 1972 by Cornell University Press this classic was brought back to life by Equinox Publishing kicking off the publishers Classic Indonesia series in 2007
Read more