tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50960192012-02-07T08:05:58.575+07:00Straight Outta Jakarta: Ramblings of a Canadian Living in IndonesiaGrinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.comBlogger1171100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-72237835575776328252011-12-12T14:39:00.001+07:002011-12-12T15:04:32.192+07:00

Suryo Bambang Sulisto is the Grinch's Hero of the Week. Kadin (Indonesian Chamber of Commerce) has rarely rocked the boat because the status quo is so damn lucrative. However, the new boss and a Board made up of forward-looking, sharp-toothed businessman including James Riady, the president director of Garuda Airlines, Emirsyah Satar, and First Media's Peter Gontha is shaking things up and no

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-75430199936623238322011-03-11T14:53:00.002+07:002011-03-11T15:11:35.036+07:00

It has taken a while - arrival of twin grinchlettes back in Jan 2010 set back efforts - but this news is too good to keep down.The funny thing is that while it will no doubt case enormous diplomatic indigestion, no one, and I mean no one, is here is even remotely surprised by any of this.gt Explosive WikiLeaks Cables Nail Yudhoyono Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:20 WIBUS embassy in Jakarta has serious

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-2265955311582447372010-04-28T14:38:00.003+07:002010-04-28T14:46:04.674+07:00

My favorite bits and pieces from the last couple of daysSnakes and AddersThe clearing of the 50+ hectare Rasuna Epicentrum lands smack in the centre of Jakarta and opposite the Grinch’s temporary lair claimed the life of a seven-meter-long reticulated python, crushed by a back-hoe on Saturday morning: as if I needed another reason to hate Aburizal Bakrie and his band of reptiles.Save Me From

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-30339950470302980272010-04-07T15:53:00.003+07:002010-04-07T16:02:18.237+07:00

One of the weirder recent newsy bits that slipped beneath the radar was the midnight relocation last week of the gravestone of Indonesia’s first president Soekarno and what it says about the declining political fortunes of his puddin’ daughter.Jakarta Post gave it a couple of inches. I’ve not found any other references in the Indonesian media or blogosphere tho I’m sure there’s more out

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-86351178567415365252010-03-04T16:20:00.004+07:002010-03-04T16:28:29.276+07:00

This is the day the Grinchlettes were scheduled to arrive. Clever buggers, they decided to roll up in the middle of Letterman seven weeks early. Here’s what I’ve gleaned about the process and child-rearing thus far:* Babies don’t totally suck (though I’m still unclear as to their actual function).* Childbirth is not as gory as you might think, though the furry black pelt covering their bodies is

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-4365190777286256932010-02-25T18:13:00.003+07:002010-03-04T13:59:23.714+07:00

News Item 1: Minister proposes giving endangered Sumatran tigers to “rich people” as a conservation measure.News Item 2: SBY bitch-slaps (Javanese style) proto-Taliban MinTwit for proposed Internet control measures News Item 3: Religious Affairs pimps want $50,000 down payment for RI bridesA couple of days after the vice-president declared Jan 22 the national day for wildlife conservation, the

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-40121729394490530542010-02-22T13:35:00.005+07:002010-03-04T14:06:38.964+07:00

Jakartans are daily witnessing the application of the old adage about too much democracy being a bad thing. At the risk of lining up behind Mahathir Mohammed and Lee Kuan Yew whose distain for the practical application of democratic principles is eloquent and well documented, I long for the days when a phalanx of club-wielding Brimob stormtroopers could be relied up to clear rabble from the

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-86533073825546017672010-02-01T18:50:00.008+07:002010-02-01T19:26:08.834+07:00

Much whingeing and harrumphing this week when some bright bulb got it into his head that Armani, yes that Armani, was pissing on the glorious Republic of Indonesia because one of their t-shirts bears a logo passing similar to the Garuda/eagle icon that serves as the coat of arms attached to the declaration of national principles known as Pancasila (itself a subject for another day).Leading

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-41287194318685204152010-01-25T18:31:00.003+07:002010-01-25T18:39:01.470+07:00

Your Grinch is somewhat less grumpy that usual this week due to the arrival of his first pups, a male and a female, who emerged into the harsh light of day seven weeks earlier than expected on January 14.In the manner of their species, they will henceforth be referred to as Boy and Girl, until such time as they are old enough to chose a name for themselves. Fraternal twins, they bear almost no

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-35446055440898438122010-01-05T12:26:00.007+07:002010-01-05T13:37:31.548+07:00

Inside a broken clock Splashing the wine With all the Rain Dogs Taxi, we'd rather walk. Huddle a doorway with the Rain Dogs For I am a Rain Dog, too Oh, how we danced and we swallowed the night For it was all ripe for dreaming Oh, how we danced away All of the lights We've always been out of our minds. The Rum pours strong and thin Beat out the dustman With the Rain Dogs Aboard a shipwreck train

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-13709919511928752972009-12-30T13:57:00.003+07:002009-12-30T15:00:41.976+07:00

From the ‘You’ve gotta give him credit for moxie’ file, Communications and Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring is again making headlines with a list of A-List untouchables who will be immune to electronic eavesdropping if his proposed new wiretapping bill is approved.Grinchtour has delved into the story in past posts – including the fact the minister is a Twitter-enabled (@tifsembiring) FB

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-31774274726887568952009-12-28T10:52:00.005+07:002009-12-28T12:55:34.455+07:00

What are we to make of the curious case of Australian Robert James McNeice, who remains in a Jakarta prison 16 months after his arrest - ostensibly at the request of the Australian Federal Police - for allegedly embezzling Au$270,000 from one of Australia's wealthiest families?I first met Robert in post-tsunami Aceh where he was trying to get a coffee export business off the ground. In May or

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-69411890434554869812009-12-24T19:45:00.002+07:002009-12-24T19:48:38.807+07:00

hey Charley I'm pregnantand living on 9th streetright above a dirty bookstoreoff cuclid avenueand I stopped taking dopeand I quit drinking whiskeyand my old man plays the tromboneand works out at the track.and he says that he loves meeven though its not his babyand he says that he'll raise him uplike he would his own sonand he gave me a ringthat was worn by his motherand he takes me out

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-25547433803943624742009-12-20T11:18:00.008+07:002009-12-30T15:11:09.107+07:00

The first time I drove a car in Jakarta, I buried the front end of Phil's Kijang under the rear bumper of a clapped out Metro Mini half a km from her driveway. It took 30 minutes and six guys bouncing on the hood to pop 'er free. That was June 1999 and I've basically not driven a four-wheeler in the city since.Until now.After much hemming and hawing, I've rented a 2006 Innova - a ubiquitous

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-13696056019874239132009-12-15T15:15:00.002+07:002009-12-16T11:29:56.356+07:00

Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono continues to lead from the rear this week, abandoning key figures in his administration to the wolves while his coalition partners (including the Grinch’s favorite Twit) patiently chip away at national anti-corruption efforts.In an effort to distance himself from possible scandal, SBY (aka Limp Biskit) fled the country as his embattled vice president

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-78805633893531500902009-12-02T23:27:00.000+07:002009-12-30T15:17:36.346+07:00

Can't raise anyone at First Media at 11 p.m. but I can confirm that I can access Grinch on Tour if I log on via telkomsel instead. So the problem isn't my computer. The problem isn't the browser or the signal - I'm still surfing elsewhere with ease - and the problem doesn't seem to be 'blogger' generally because I can view other "blogspot" offerings offshore. However, when I google "blogspot &

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-28878252185573155622009-12-02T23:08:00.000+07:002009-12-30T15:17:36.348+07:00

This is more of a test than anything else, but I am curious. I have not been able to open my blog @ home since since around 1 p.m. today. I can tweak the dashboard and it'll let me edit past posts but I can't view any of them so I have no way of knowing whether the changes have stuck. Could be a snafu or could be that First Media is again acting on government orders and blocking access... I guess

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-64367024832626163662009-12-02T11:32:00.002+07:002009-12-02T17:16:56.705+07:00

The harm this country could do in the next two weeks will outweigh all the good it has done in a century.By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 20th November 2009http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2009/12/01/the-urgent-threat-to-world-peace-is-…-canada/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=emailWhen you think of Canada, which qualities come to mind? The world’s peace-keeper, the friendly nation, a

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-59124051636172259312009-11-30T20:58:00.007+07:002009-12-30T15:10:13.017+07:00

Pulling a page from a playbook more often associated with the American evangelical nutter class, Indonesia's Communications and Info Technology Minister used Friday’s Idul Adha prayers to blame 'immorality’ for the country's recent spate of deadly natural disasters.Fresh from getting excoriated in the blogosphere and by some of his Twittering brethren for unilaterally blocking access to

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-31975516548314515012009-11-29T22:19:00.005+07:002009-12-30T15:16:48.801+07:00

It has been a long road but the Grinch and his missus will shortly welcome two new members to the Jakarta clan. She's 26 weeks gone with a belly that ripples occasionally with the Dreaming of Twins. Apparently The Beatles are popular with the unborn set because every time we plug Magical Mystery Tour into the boom box, they get all kung-fu, ninja, "hucky-tucky-YA!" with the barrel rolls and

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-41574917566112455722009-11-27T18:09:00.006+07:002009-11-27T18:23:53.350+07:00

Today is Idul Adha, Islam’s Day of Sacrifice and end of the line for several hundred thousand goats, sheep and cattle across Indonesia. For those who care about such things it commemorates Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son as an act of obedience to his (merry prankster) God. The laneways outside mosques are awash in blood as animals are butchered and their meat parceled off for

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-33159289936947365602009-11-25T13:35:00.009+07:002009-12-30T15:08:09.058+07:00

This story has kinda vanished - there's been little mention about it in 'mainstream' media struggling to do justice to news about the KPK, the Antasari trial, Bank Century investigation etc etc - and I've been too busy to spend a lot of time checking out the local blogosphere. But from what I've been able to piece together, the Minister for Communications and Technology, Tifatul Sembiring,

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-527160983050857362009-11-23T13:28:00.003+07:002009-11-23T13:42:24.754+07:00

You might be wondering what would provoke me today to resurface. I mean, since Oct 2008, we've had some seismic stuff going on here, multiple interlocking corruption scandals worth billions in Indonesia, a hip new messiah/prez in the US, a milestone anniversary for the Montreal Canadiens, and a few other wee bits and pieces (we'll get to those in a sec) to spice things up.So what, you ask, has

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-67330767687474348742008-10-06T11:08:00.001+07:002008-10-06T11:11:52.340+07:00

Worst Still to Come for HK Amid Crisis‘Financial tsunami’ bigger than ‘97, banker saysSouth China Morning Post Maria Chan, Cheung Chi-faiand Agencies in Washington and Paris5 October 2008Despite the passage of the US government’s US$700 billion bank bailout, Hong Kong must brace for belt-tightening amid the global “financial tsunami”, the city’s labour chief and a top banker said yesterday.HSBC

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-6267342383242061222008-06-23T16:32:00.005+07:002008-06-23T17:16:58.735+07:00

I fell in love with George Carlin as a youngster sitting in neighbour's basement listing to his album Class Clown. Been quoting the entire Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television riff ever since."There are 400,000 words in the English and seven of them you can't say on television..."News of his death today really bums me out. Here's piece from ten years ago that showed he'd never lost the

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-89138575772076419672008-02-29T12:57:00.004+07:002008-02-29T13:29:45.513+07:00

This post will only be of interest to a select few but I figured I'd throw it out there.I joined an amusing Facebook group recently: NDG'ERS BORN BETWEEN 1960 AND 1985.For sure the years have softened the focus a bit but I have strong, uniformly positive memories of growing up in Notre Dame de Grace, a multi-ethnic neighborhood slightly west of downtown Montreal.So when I saw a couple of old

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-90849876526041046332008-02-04T16:24:00.000+07:002008-02-04T16:29:36.773+07:00

The following appeared in the Feb 2 edition of the Sydney Morning Herald.The author, Paul Keating was prime minister of Australia from 1991 to 1996.The death of Soeharto, the former president of Indonesia, gives all Australians a chance to assess the value of his life and the relationship between Indonesia and Australia.More than any figure in the post-Second World War period, including any

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-34648118351260599382008-01-28T12:23:00.000+07:002008-01-28T15:45:03.994+07:00

Former Indonesian President Suharto died Sunday, January 27, at 1310 local time after several weeks in and out of consciousness in a Jakarta hospital.Rumours have been flying since he was hospitalized January 4 about the various medical and spiritual interventions being made: the kids will keep him alive at all costs; he's lucid and talking to visitors; he's a drooling brain-dead; he’s critical

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-33855924686876105802007-10-09T16:50:00.000+07:002007-10-09T17:03:06.069+07:00

It has been ages but at least I'm back with good news from the Associated Press.Although fundamentally I'm opposed to the death penalty, this sonofabitch Reza Khan deserved to die, gunned down like a dog by Afghan soldiers in a dusty prison courtyard.I wait for similar news about the other two animals involved in the murder of my mate Harry, and his travelling companions Maria, Azizullah and

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1269335587325304162007-07-16T15:05:00.000+07:002007-07-16T15:07:34.743+07:00

The Globe and MailJuly 16, 2007Listen, Canada, we need to talk. It's about your little pot habit.Just look at these numbers from the United Nations. More people smoke in Canada than in nearly every other country. More than Jamaica. More than the Netherlands.Dude, that has to tell you something.Do you want to end up like Papua New Guinea or Micronesia? Stop giggling. They are too real

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-50208011960134412592007-04-15T10:36:00.000+07:002007-04-15T10:40:33.536+07:00

When a musician recorded "Green Eggs and Ham" in the voice of vintage Bob Dylan and posted it online, the Grinch estate promptly replied: One fish, two fish, cease and desist.By Dan BrekkeApr. 13, 2007 | Kevin Ryan doesn't want to talk about his recent fling with Web stardom. He's a bit rueful and more than a little nervous about it, in fact, and wishes the whole thing would just go away.If you

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-87242504103742280582007-04-05T13:19:00.001+07:002007-04-05T13:19:40.357+07:00

The Grinch had another one of those eye-opening (slap-head, surely!) moments last week, blundering into a situation that could very easily have snuck up and bit his furry green butt rather mightily. Yes, weighing the consequences has never been his strong suit and the visit to the fertility specialist did not fail to entertain.As noted in an earlier post, our Grinch is no spring chicken. Give the

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-43433612746876308812007-03-21T17:59:00.000+07:002007-03-21T18:09:44.186+07:00

The Grinch has no way of confirming the details of this case though it was brought to his attention about six weeks ago. Asian HRW (who produced the story below on their website) is a reputable organization that doesn't make specious accusations.These allegations emerge four months into a three-year, multi-million dollar police training program in Aceh designed to improve police awareness of

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-74832393398865245332007-03-21T14:59:00.000+07:002007-03-22T16:38:21.139+07:00

The Grinch's 42nd birthday winked by over the weekend, conveniently and perpetually stapled onto the St. Patrick’s Day excesses so no one can claim I’m grandstanding when I call up asking about their plans for the 17th.Managed to lasso several people into meeting for commemorative post-magrib Irish Coffees at the Waterfall Bar in the Hyatt in central Jakarta. Commemorative in as much as St. Pats

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-79420339945679040162007-03-14T15:03:00.000+07:002007-03-14T15:15:49.349+07:00

It has been a crappy week.We went over to Liz’s place last Wednesday to find husband Wayne grey and wounded. A decent, decent fellow with a nine-month-old daughter suddenly widowed in the most tragic and public of circumstances.Situation worsened by the fact that until Sunday there was no official confirmation of the identities of several of the most damaged remains which had been subjected to

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-42198772793684206282007-03-07T15:21:00.000+07:002007-03-21T17:57:21.602+07:00

We received confirmation in the past few minutes that two Australian friends are among those killed in this morning's Garuda plane crash in Yogyakarta.Australian embassy public affairs officer Liz O'Neill (above, 31/12/05) was a new mum, wife to Wayne and a regular at various expat social & sporting events. We spent New Years 2005 with the pair of them and friends Tim and Sian. Liz organized the

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1171441227664520542007-02-14T15:01:00.000+07:002007-02-14T15:20:27.676+07:00

Been a terrible time for most of Jakarta’s poorest residents as decades of poor urban planning combined with heavy rains and the endemic evil of the local government to produce the worst floods in memory. I recall the Feb 2002 floods here as being pretty amazing. Then as now our little kampung escaped the worst even though we’re just 100 m from the Kalibata canal whose waters are among the first

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1170676057144002012007-02-05T18:43:00.000+07:002007-02-05T18:47:37.156+07:00

The lazy days of the unemployed… Let’s see what’s been accomplished in the two weeks since my return to Jakarta from the land of snow and ice (perhaps land of winter golf and 12C January days might be more appropriate moniker): - a single blog, a single movie in the cinema and a dozen catch-up emails;- head shaved & moustache and goatee shorn for first time in seven years (no one is gonna take

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1170044119658235272007-01-29T11:01:00.000+07:002007-01-29T11:15:19.670+07:00

Welcome to 2007.Much has happened in the past six weeks. To be frank I just didn’t have the energy or inclination to put any of it down during the holidays: time was not an issue. The weight of that decision now bears down and I’ve truly no idea where to start.When last I wrote I was working through the shock of learning that my contract was not to be renewed through 2007, something I had

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1165837440192629942006-12-11T17:49:00.000+07:002007-03-15T13:24:55.258+07:00

Decisions, decisions....Today was election day in Aceh. Early accounts suggest voter turnout was in the high 70s but little solid news on numbers till the first exit polls are released at 8 pm local.The world's press are scuttling about analyzing the heck out of the situation and trying to figure out What It Means if the GAM slate comes out on top.Quite extraordinary past few days, scenes

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1163750136845455112006-11-17T14:46:00.000+07:002006-11-17T14:55:36.856+07:00

Weirdness Two items cropped up in my screen in the past 24 hours, further signs that the world has gone crazy.Reuters is carrying a photo with the following capiton: Brazilian student Cassia Aparecida de Souza, 18, holds her cat Mimi together with what Cassia claims are Mimi's own offsprings born with dog traits last Friday, three months after mating with a neighbour's dog, in the southern

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1163677422138130322006-11-16T18:36:00.000+07:002006-11-16T18:43:42.150+07:00

UNEMPLOYED!Just found out my contract is not going to be extended beyond Dec. 31. 13th floor Jakarta called earlier to break the news.22 months of 60-hour weeks (minimum) in Aceh, and words like "exceptional contribution" thrown around like horseshoes, and no job for 2007.Particularly ironic as 'Dutch', the new BA boss - who was as surprised as me about the news - has managed to piss off all his

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1162627490792352772006-11-04T14:16:00.000+07:002006-11-04T16:48:40.046+07:00

Reaction to Aussie Imam's Rape Comments Heats UpIt is a long way from the shore of Aceh, but the controversial comments by an Australian imam are creating heat across the Islamic world. It remains to be seen if this will this evolve into another 'cartoon controversy'.The commentary below appeared in the Nov. 3 issue of The Herald newspaper in Australia. It is a strongly-worded analysis of the

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1162375385388974732006-11-01T16:41:00.000+07:002006-11-01T17:03:05.406+07:00

Abundant Ales and Agro ElephantsJust back in Banda Aceh after a week's running around Java. Spent a full day in Yogyakarta for the first time since the I left in early June, a week after the earthquake. Still 800,000 people without decent place to live and the rainy season approaching. The government's position seems to be embodied by "Crisis? What Crisis?" Wait till the vast chickencoops (yes,

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1160915942855470982006-10-15T19:33:00.000+07:002006-10-15T19:39:02.870+07:00

Mr. Gloom & Doonesbury I was going to put a few words together about how the political in-fighting within the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has reached a head in recent days and the Old Guard loyalists to the Swedish and Malaysian exiles are now on a collision course with the Young Guard, the guys who didn’t run but stuck it out here through decades of bloodshed and repression.Sounds vaguely familiar:

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1160712574898105522006-10-13T11:03:00.000+07:002006-10-13T11:09:34.910+07:00

Sexy SI Bikini Girls Oil Up In The Tsunami-Zone?Grinch’s spies report the arrival in Banda Aceh of supermodel tsunami-survivor Petra Nemcova in with a support gaggle of stork-legged young belles and enough camera gear to outfit a small nation.The Czech 2006 Sports Illustrated Magazine covergirl was vacationing in Phuket, Thailand, when the tsunami struck. Her boyfriend photographer was among

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1160022119310572872006-10-05T10:43:00.000+07:002006-10-05T11:21:59.326+07:00

Samaritan's Purse Orders Out of North SumatraMedan, North Sumatra, Oct 3 (ANTARA) - Indonesia`s social affairs minister has issued an instruction asking a foreign non-governmental organization (NGO), Samaritan`s Purse, to immediately leave North Sumatra, for illegal practice of converting people`s faith in the province."The social affairs minister has issued an order for Samaritan`s Purse to

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1159959018518218582006-10-04T16:39:00.000+07:002006-10-04T17:50:18.533+07:00

Creepy Dead Baby Recruitment EffortsThe following item from The Times (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2387589,00.html) must qualify as the creepiest item of the day:THE Pope will cast aside centuries of Catholic belief later this week by abolishing formally the concept of limbo, in a gesture calculated to help to win the souls of millions of babies in the developing world for Christ.

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1159873171151538172006-10-03T17:42:00.000+07:002006-10-03T17:59:31.173+07:00

Ex-Guard Begging Whup-Ass: ReduxAs expected, the saga of the thieving guard drags on.Only in Indonesia (or in this case Aceh) does a guy who is paid to protect your home and then turns around and thieves from you, charge you with slander after he is fired.Rommie got notice a short while ago that he's expected at Banda Aceh headquarters to answer slander charges.I suppose we can look forward to

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1159353607590940852006-09-27T16:33:00.000+07:002006-09-27T17:40:07.623+07:00

Evil Thieving Guard Begging for a BeatingI thought this situation with our thieving guard was taken care of but nooo.After copping to stealing the roomie's laptop when 'interviewed' by a sage uncle and his copper buddy in the kampung a couple of nights ago, the guy showed up at the office today claiming he is innocent.He arrived unannounced with a young cop who lives on my block looking for the

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1159180422688109292006-09-25T17:09:00.000+07:002006-09-25T17:33:42.703+07:00

It's only Day 2 of the fast but already I feel like crap.Woke up after a full "ayam a la J" dinner Sunday morning and guzzled two pots of coffee before realizing I'd already broken the rules... so sat with a couple of liters of Acehnese brew burning a hole in my belly for the better part of the day, trying to read, trying to sleep, trying to do anything but think about laying a couple pieces of

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1158926858889788252006-09-22T18:44:00.000+07:002006-09-22T19:07:38.900+07:00

Not Quite Dead Yet!Speaking of near-death experiences, here's a creepy one.Plugged my birth name into Blogger Search a short while ago and came up with the following note, dated Sept 12 from some Missouri lass' MySpace site:I heard this morning that (my name) died last night in a car accident. I was so sad when I heard that. I was never great friends with him but i knew people who were and who it

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1158917773443316052006-09-22T16:22:00.000+07:002006-09-22T16:36:13.456+07:00

Top Gear Host Hospitalized After 300mph CrashDoctors treating Richard Hammond said last night that the Top Gear presenter had "suffered a significant brain injury" when the jet-powered dragster he was driving crashed after reaching speeds approaching 300mph.The father of two had to be cut from the wreckage and was flown by air ambulance to Leeds General infirmary, which issued a statement about

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1158740634291588692006-09-20T15:22:00.000+07:002006-09-20T15:23:54.303+07:00

Ugly little demo last night and today in Banda Aceh. Some shadowy organ calling itself FORAK (Forum Inter Shelter Communication) rolled up to the BRR offices in Banda Aceh last night with a crowd of 500 people, forced the doors closed and basically held the staff hostage for several hours.Publically they say the issue is insufficient reconstruction but behind the scenes folks say the mob is a

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1146936578073507142006-05-07T00:26:00.000+07:002006-05-07T00:29:38.090+07:00

Apologia It’s been a while.And I wrote this three weeks ago.. couldn’t figure out my logon for the Blog! How embarrassing is that?The delay is not because I have nothing to say or that old crutch about being worried about getting busted for publicizing stuff that is too sensitive as almost happened last year… (Funny to be purging my anger about issues only to scurry back into the office in the

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1125831621115057092005-09-04T16:28:00.000+07:002005-09-04T18:00:21.243+07:00

I know it has been months but in my defence I've actually tried to transfer blogs from my mac to the company IBM to post but have not yet quite figured out how to make that transfer stick. So my flashdisk has several entries that I can't decode to post! all would be fine if I could find a landline in Banda Aceh that works, as the airport seems to be on th eblink so I can't seem to access all

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1117971737774904972005-06-05T18:38:00.000+07:002005-06-05T18:42:17.793+07:00

Sunday in Banda. Took a couple of hours this morning to chill out and read a book. Couple on the go right now: Joan Didion’s Where I’m From, a look back at, well, where she’s from: California. Up to here in pithy-ness and insight and still de-constructing matters till all you’re left with is air and the queasy feeling I associate with post-Dim Sum MSG-overload.The other is BBC journo Jane Corbin’

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1117023094908178672005-05-25T18:44:00.000+07:002005-05-27T19:39:15.496+07:00

The main bug in my bear at the moment is that the UN's security wonks decided to order everyone out of their homes and offices a few days ago in reaction to Sunday's 5.6 magnitude quake. It was a solid hit, almost knocked me out of bed, but was over before you could get your act together.Seems they want us to live in and work in tents for... well forever I suppose.Which would be okay maybe if

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1116152168634742952005-05-15T17:07:00.000+07:002005-05-15T17:16:09.310+07:00

The skies have opened and the rain we mercifully didn’t get in the weeks after the tsunami has now arrived.For those fortunate enough to have found or built shelter it’s an aggravation. For the miserable masses huddled in flooded tents and beneath tarps the mind boggles. The temperatures have plunged from seasonal 34C to a damp, bone-chilling 24C. We’re living in a world of deep-chest coughs, flu

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1114255129484189952005-04-23T17:27:00.000+07:002005-04-23T18:20:54.150+07:00

I was paddling about the ocean-view pool at the Ritz Carlton Bali last Sunday, the most important decision on my mind being the flavor of the next cold beer I'd order and whether late check-out could be extended till the evening, when bikini-ed J beckoned from the deck, waving my cell and looking concerned.We're talking a well deserved break from a month of consecutive 14-hour work days in Banda

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1113221610654055672005-04-11T18:58:00.000+07:002005-04-11T19:13:30.660+07:00

It's funny the things that grab people's attention, and gobble up the work day. Today it was a surreal exchange of views about designing t-shirts marking the relationship between my organization and the Japanese government. It started simply enough but took a turn for the weird when someone tossed in the idea of commemorative lighters (cheap to make, useful etc) only to be shot down by someone

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1112786411898995802005-04-06T18:17:00.000+07:002005-04-06T18:20:11.903+07:00

Its been an absolute whirlwind since the 31st of last month when the latest 'Big One' hit. Poured out of the house within a minute of the earthquake announcing its arrival in now-familiar fashion ten minutes past 11 in the night: headboard banging against the wall, floors undulating beneath my feet as I grab the bag sitting by the bed containing passport, money, flashlight etc. and the house

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1111807796698572562005-03-26T10:26:00.000+07:002005-03-26T10:29:56.700+07:00

There’s an eight-year-old Canadian boy serving as a sort of roving ambassador for UNICEF, a reward for having raised $50,000 in tsunami-relief money through a website he built in the days following Dec. 26. The Mums & Kids agency have taken him to India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the Maldives and now, Aceh province.He is by all accounts a precocious young man with a sharp mind. But, you’ve gotta

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1111489786339977172005-03-22T17:59:00.000+07:002005-03-22T18:09:46.343+07:00

March 18, 2005 was my 40th BirthdayWake up 612 a.m. by my watch to the bed rocking.(Those who know the Grinch will surprised to know that he’s back into personal time management after 22 years consulting bank clocks and strangers in the street. A story for another day involving a $32,000 timepiece going cheap in Hanoi.)Dawn wake-ups of this type are rarely bad news but in this case it kinda set

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1109947284400907242005-03-04T21:24:00.000+07:002005-03-04T21:41:24.403+07:00

Spin Cycle & The Merits Of A Walk In The WoodsI'm now nine days into this new life of spin and fortunately I suppose, it has been a busy time.Baptism by fire last friday with the first press conference before the slavering masses: Hi EnLai, Heya Jerry... etc. Mind, I never much cared for overly friendly flacks myself so perhaps I'll cull the chummy bits a bit.There's a bunch of blanks to fill in

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1108747490075941262005-02-19T00:19:00.000+07:002005-02-19T00:24:50.080+07:00

Klingon Intel And The Arrival Of The Do-GoodersI’ll save for another day the story about how I was fired by USA Today while I was in Aceh because I also string for (their words) “publications that have a bias or the appearance of a bias -- be it political, religious or ethnic.” (unlike USA Today for example…) A full explanation will be forthcoming in days to follow compete with zingy letters

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1107846644754737022005-02-08T14:02:00.000+07:002005-02-08T14:10:44.753+07:00

Aceh #1 Feb. 8/05 There’s a crack on the wall of my room in Banda Aceh that runs parallel to and about 18 inches below the ceiling before plunging like an Enron profit report, through a narrow, nipple-high band of flowered wallpaper to disappear in the floor. The one in the john traces all the places where ceiling and walls meet so that every time you reach up to dump a bucket of water over your

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1082282079657333292004-04-18T16:51:00.001+07:002004-04-18T16:58:35.340+07:00

Spent several hours cleaning house today, tucking into those hidden corners Mbak Ning never will for fear of upsetting something. Came up with an old brown wallet, literally fluffy with some kind of sporous Jakarta growth, and packed with cards n stuff. And so, Grinchtour Productions takes you on a tour down memory lane: hop aboard the way-back machine, set the dials four years back?.. And we

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1082281986471022302004-04-18T16:51:00.000+07:002004-04-18T16:57:02.233+07:00

Spent several hours cleaning house today, tucking into those hidden corners Mbak Ning never will for fear of upsetting something. Came up with an old brown wallet, literally fluffy with some kind of sporous Jakarta growth, and packed with cards n stuff. And so, Grinchtour Productions takes you on a tour down memory lane: hop aboard the way-back machine, set the dials four years back….. And we

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1081350659841443892004-04-07T21:59:00.000+07:002004-04-07T22:14:41.216+07:00

Here's an unedited bit about the Indonesian elections that Al-Jazeera ran pretty much 'as is'. Tomorrow? "Converting To Islam For Dummies" Jakarta, Indonesia There’s still thirty minutes before the polls in Jakarta open and the men wearing the orange vests of Indonesia’s national election commission have struck just the right absurdist chord. Blaring from massive concert speakers beneath a

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1080785723227759022004-04-01T08:51:00.002+07:002004-04-01T09:18:55.810+07:00

“… I think life can be very melancholy as well as being inspiring and pleasant. One of the functions of life is that throughout it you discover, sometimes painfully, your limitations. Because you find out not only what you can do but also what you can’t do.” Sir Peter Ustinov (RIP March 28 @ age of 82) The Magicicada septendecula are coming! The Magicicada septendecula are coming! Isn’t it

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1080785631680685822004-04-01T08:51:00.001+07:002004-04-01T09:17:24.280+07:00

“… I think life can be very melancholy as well as being inspiring and pleasant. One of the functions of life is that throughout it you discover, sometimes painfully, your limitations. Because you find out not only what you can do but also what you can’t do.” Sir Peter Ustinov (RIP March 28 @ age of 82) The Singing Forest The Magicicada septendecula are coming! The Magicicada septendecula are

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1079862217932486052004-03-21T16:17:00.000+07:002004-03-21T16:46:56.013+07:00

The Death Of Mark Worth On January 15, 45-year-old Australian journalist and documentary film-maker Mark Worth died in Sentani, Indonesia, a small town one-hour from Jayapura, the capitol of Papua province. At the time there were all kinds of rumors that a foreigner had been murdered in his bed when in fact it turned out that he'd drunk himself to death. Like most people, I let my prejudices

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1078235168681723022004-03-02T20:45:00.000+07:002004-03-02T20:49:02.043+07:00

Sprung Spring, The Kampung Bomb And Matters Of The Faith Just off the phone with Mum. Temperature soared to 8C in Montreal today where folks in shorts and Ts wandered through puddles with goofy smiles on their faces. “Wore my office jacket to work and sent the winter jacket to the dry cleaners,” she says. Some people wait for the robins to return before declaring winter over. In our family the

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1076421877651162372004-02-10T21:02:00.000+07:002004-02-10T21:07:03.606+07:00

Is Indonesia Encouraging Genocide in Papua? The Number One question I’ve been asked since I got back from Papua – with the exception of ‘wadidyagetme?’ – goes something like this. “Is the Indonesian government trying to wipe out the Papuans?” It’s an important question, not nearly as ridiculous as it might sound to someone outside the community of Indonesia-watchers. I mean, what government in

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1075614739990820452004-02-01T11:16:00.001+07:002004-02-01T12:54:32.936+07:00

Killing Goats, Super Bowl And The Pursuit Of The Divine I remember my first Day of Sacrifice. Ahhh yes, cast the mind back to the spring of 1999: the bellow of the hemorrhaging bulls, the feedback screech of the goat with the severed jugular, the children squealing with delight while the mullah's yodeled from a thousand minarets. Today is the Id-ul-adha (spellings vary, so get off my ass) so

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1075614699103081312004-02-01T11:16:00.000+07:002004-02-01T12:53:52.060+07:00

Killing Goats, Super Bowl And The Pursuit Of The Divine I remember my first Day of Sacrifice. Ahhh yes, cast the mind back to the spring of 1999: the bellow of the hemorrhaging bulls, the feedback screech of the goat with the severed jugular, the children squealing with delight while the mullah's yodeled from a thousand minarets. Today is the Id-ul-adha (spellings vary, so get off my ass) so

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1075608893554619782004-02-01T11:14:00.000+07:002004-02-01T11:17:06.903+07:00

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1075607939684864762004-02-01T10:57:00.000+07:002004-02-01T11:01:12.420+07:00

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1075607079334830412004-02-01T10:44:00.000+07:002004-02-01T10:46:52.263+07:00

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1075605908685660462004-02-01T10:24:00.000+07:002004-02-01T10:27:21.860+07:00

...again I'm dicking around with the template trying to figure out how the coding works.... bear with me

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1074957750256756862004-01-24T22:15:00.000+07:002004-01-24T22:24:33.543+07:00

But I'm Not A BAAAD Person... The bike is sick and my antique door has mushrooms: I’ll be such a lousy father. Okay, scratch the latter. Failure to register & plate, oil and maintain the Harley, and allowing that fine piece of teak to rot don’t necessarily mean I’ll forget my (future) kids at the carnival ground/bowling alley/A&W/mall. But I ask you, what kind of motorcycle lover (guilty) who

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1074310826961659532004-01-17T10:38:00.000+07:002004-01-17T10:42:20.153+07:00

The Garbage Man of Wamena pjdillon@attglobal.net Sitting on the top floor balcony of the Manokwari Wind music bar and restaurant, drinking in the sweeping views of the Jayapura harbor-front on Saturday, it was easy to forget the ugly realities of the previous few days. We’re only a 45 minute flight – and a airport commute of similar length – removed from Wamena, the only substantial settlement

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1072612925622818702003-12-28T18:56:00.000+07:002003-12-28T19:03:33.403+07:00

The New Me! pjdillon@attglobal.net The process of re-invention continues to gather momentum. Not entirely satisfied with the way things have unfolded this past year – but with the whole brain malaria thing being somewhat of a mitigating factor – I’ve again put pen to paper, or rather index fingers to keyboard, long enough to retool my CV. It’s something I do every few months as a matter of

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1072408653784777232003-12-26T09:59:00.000+07:002003-12-26T10:18:58.233+07:00

The Whole Story pjdillon@attglobal.net The clock is ticking down to midnight again. We’re running 45 minutes or so to Christmas here in Indonesia and though he should be hunkered down in his best “zuker-rasserfrazz”-ing grinchy best, bolting oiled runners on his mental toboggan and looking for new and exciting ways to mis-represent himself, holiday 2003 finds him lethargic and squishy… against

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1071130034877707812003-12-11T14:50:00.000+07:002003-12-11T15:08:20.000+07:00

Limp Bizkit Can Kiss My Chocolate Starfish* An Open Letter to the Band. I’m 38, so I guess I’m a bit older than the average Limp Bizkit fan. I belong to a generation of east coast Canadian pool and half-pipe riders who idolized Alva, rolled on soft Kryptonics, extra-wide Trackers, on Wee Willie Winkle boards that were half the size of what the kids are using today. Maybe it’s those roots LB

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1069836972870270062003-11-26T15:53:00.000+07:002003-11-26T15:56:57.653+07:00

Multiple Excuses & Macintosh Abuses Ok, here we go again… I seem to have cracked the code and have made the necessary changes but I’ll have to open a couple of more documents to be absolutely certain… Note To Self: Make sure formatting changes have stuck to the… Oh shit, sorry, didn’t know you were there. Just tapping away here on my new… Okay, you’ve seen it now haven’t you. Okay, well just

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1061293774745797322003-08-19T18:49:00.000+07:002003-08-19T18:49:34.726+07:00

In the interest of testing the extent to which the parasites have affected my powers of reductive reasoning (if indeed such a thing exists), I have decided to dedicate the next batch of Blogs to Jules Verne. And Rambo. And John Glenn. And the dude who wrote Momento, and all the others out there who tried, with differing degrees of success, to turn back time. So, in the terrible mirror image of

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1059336539336466082003-07-28T03:08:00.000+07:002003-07-28T03:08:59.326+07:00

Twenty-five Thousand Kms and Five Minutes From Home Ahh, the joys of international travel. Left Jakarta Friday morning @ 7 am. Arrived in Vancouver 800 years later, Friday afternoon at 2:30pm. Go figure. As I flew over the international dateline I waiting for the feeling I was younger by a day but in vain. Lotta hogwash as far as I can figure. Had a nightmare trip with Cathay last year; cold

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1058239101915515512003-07-15T10:18:00.000+07:002003-07-15T10:18:21.890+07:00

Wizards, ‘wobots and painting pederasts pjdillon@attglobal.net Here come the excuses… See, it’s not on account of having nothing to say, because I’ve always got something to say. Just ask anyone. And it’s not on account of having been out of Internet range because I’ve been humping my laptop around the country for the past few weeks. And there have been functioning land-lines. And both

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-1056629937034141562003-06-26T19:18:00.000+07:002003-06-26T19:18:57.006+07:00

Miracle Of Birth No. 17,346,301,856... And Counting pjdillon@attglobal.net We’re all pretty excited about welcoming the newest member to the extended clan, my first nephew, eight pound, 10 ounce Cole, who stepped out last Friday afternoon, June 19. He’s up and about and pretty much running the Ottawa household. His amazing mum is in great shape, dad is anchored to the radiator in the front room

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-955840682003-06-12T17:01:00.000+07:002003-06-12T17:01:29.460+07:00

More Lessons From The Mostar Mash ACTUALLY WRITTEN 02:00, 06-06-03 pjdillon@attglobal.net These late night files have got to end! Funny how three pints of Bintang and a glass of Chardonay will turn yer average, mild mannered typist into some sort of wordsmith in waiting… this is the way it use to be, light buzz, free association time… lets see where we end up tonight. The voyage of discovery

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-951951772003-06-02T22:43:00.000+07:002003-06-02T22:43:02.556+07:00

Loathsome Palace Lizards Declare War pjdillon@attglobal.net I’m seized by these moments recently of absolute disgust and loathing. Mostly it’s directed at the conscienceless crooks, at the vile, populist whores in high office, and the zealots in the armed forces whose commanders (careerists with at least some sense of military history and the ‘code’ etc) for the most part seem to have learned

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-946383572003-05-20T22:58:00.000+07:002003-05-20T23:01:21.000+07:00

Fat Boy and The Battle of Anaconda pjdillon@attglobal.net A few weeks back I was blogging on at the gross of numbers and passwords that inhabit our everyday lives. Phone numbers, government numbers, website password alphanumeric combinations, addresses, ages and the like. Today I’ve another series of numbers, gross on to add to the list. After much emmming and ahhhing I’ve finally started on a

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-944921642003-05-17T16:04:00.000+07:002003-05-17T16:04:29.020+07:00

Blogged Up On The Island Of The Gods pjdillon@attglobal.net Something went badly wrong last week while I was in Bali writing about the opening day of the Amrozi trial, the first of 33 conspirators believed responsible for the Sari Club bomb back on Oct. 12 of last year. I actually blogged a couple of the stories I wrote, the first for The Globe & Mail and the second, for USA Today. For some

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-934078212003-04-28T23:44:00.000+07:002003-04-28T23:56:22.000+07:00

The Numbers Game And A Bombing Shame email: pjdillon@attglobal.net They say you’ll lose it of you don’t use it but despite a two week hiatus the blog lives and I’ve still managed to remember the login codes. That alone is no small feat burdened as I am with all manner of personal and business codes locked away in my malaria enfeebled brain. It’s pretty amazing how numeric life has become, even

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-925754642003-04-14T18:00:00.000+07:002003-04-14T18:00:10.326+07:00

Time For A Cut I dispute the idea that things, time in particular, speed up as you get older. Actually, what happens is that you slow down and everything else remains fairly constant – even in a so-called Information Age – so that relative to where you stand, the pace appears to quicken. It’s an applied aspect of Newtonian physics. I remember a series of well-intentioned science teachers trying

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-925148672003-04-13T11:17:00.000+07:002003-04-13T11:17:18.530+07:00

It's The Vision Thing, Stupid The following are excerpts from speeches given by British and American military commanders to their troops on the eve of the war. “if you are ferocious in battle remember to be magnanimous in victory. We got to liberate, not to conquer. We are entering Iraq to free a people and the only flag that will be flown in that ancient land is their own. Don’t treat them as

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-921639572003-04-08T01:23:00.000+07:002003-04-08T01:23:59.090+07:00

New Trick For An Ol Dawg And Hounds At The Gate It has been a long time since someone has come through town that I knew from the other life. The one that ended back in the spring of ‘99. A function of distance I guess, of the fact that when one uninitiated contemplates Asia whist living somewhere beneath the fat grey nimbus in Vancouver, one’s mind does not turn immediately to Indonesia despite

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5096019.post-921637982003-04-08T01:20:00.000+07:002003-04-08T01:20:52.483+07:00

The Reason Why The Nation [US] April 4, 2003 by George McGovern > Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. --Alfred, Lord Tennyson "The Charge of the Light Brigade" (in the Crimean War) Thanks to the most crudely partisan decision in the history of the Supreme Court, the nation has been given a President of painfully limited wisdom and compassion and lacking any

Grinchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04719795868373266261noreply@blogger.com0