The kite season in Bali comes early this year, if you look up to the sky of Bali this month you can see dozens of kites fly glide calmly riding the strong east wind. The kite season in Bali which usually starts on first month in traditional Caka calendar (July) comes early on May this year.

The kite season usually starts on July when the sky is clear, the temperature is good and the sea wind blows heavily to the land. This month though the sky is not yet clear and the menacing dark clouds appear in some areas dozens but the wind is strong, many Balinese fly their kites; the sky of Denpasar and Badung is already decorated with dozens of colorful kites.

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Excalibur in Bali
Two Long-Lost Sacred Keris (Swords) Receive a Homecoming Welcome to Bali.

Two priceless keepsakes of Bali’s ancient kingdoms of Klungkung and Gelgel have made a brief and very emotional homecoming to mark the 100th anniversary of the Puputan sacrifice on April 28, 2008.

On a 100 year-long journey from Bali, Holland, Jakarta and now back to Bali - two priceless bejeweled ceremonial swords or keris have been given a memorial tour of their “old home” in Bali. So revered are the two Keris that each bears it own name – Ardawaike for the sword from the Klungkung Palace and Tombake Ki Baru Gudug for the weapon from the Gelgel Palace.

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Since the dawn of tourism in Bali, many researchers, writers, tourists, and others people have showed a great concern on the negative effects of tourism to the environment, culture and people of Bali. Here are some examples of the warnings from them on the threats that tourism brings to the island of Bali:

“How much more tourism can the island take? How much more traffic? How much more craft shops? How many more Kutas? How many more jets? The answer is that it never stops, the road are widened, the hotels multiply, the direct flight increase. Commercialism has crept into every aspect of Balinese life… It is now clear that the unbelievably complex social and religious fabric of the Balinese is at last breaking down under the tourist onslaught (Dalton 1990: 35-36)

“Say Bali, and two things come in mind: tourism and paradise. Both are inalienable features of the island, and also incompatible. For as fast as paradises seduce tourists, tourists reduce the paradises… Hardly has a last paradise been discovered than everyone converges on it so fast that it quickly becomes a paradise lost”. (Iyer 1988: 88)

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On February 11, 2008, the royal family of Buleleng will hold the centennial celebration of Anak Agung Pandji Tisna, the first Balinese writer and also the beloved prince of Buleleng Kingdom. In 1930s, Anak Agung Pandji Tisna was the only Balinese writer that categorized with other Indonesian prodigious writers as Pujangga Baru (New Writer). His novels are Ni Rawit Ceti Penjual Orang (Ni Rawit Ceti, The Men Seller (1935), Ni Sukreni Gadis Bali (Ni Sukreni the Balinese Girl (1936), I Swasta Setahun di Bedahulu (I Swasta, A Year in Bedahulu) (1937), I Made Widiadi, Kembali Kepada Tuhan (I Made Widiadi, Back to God) (1957), and other high quality writings.

The series of art performances and seminar to commemorate the centennial celebration of Anak Agung Pandji Tisna will be hold in the Buleleng Palace ( Puri Agung Singaraja / The Great Palace of Singaraja) from February 10 – 11, 2008 (Sunday and Monday).

The series of events that will be held have a strong relation with Anak Agung Pandji Tisna activities in his lifetime especially in the field of literature, tourism, and education.

In the field of literature, there will be short story writing competition and other literary competition. In the field of tourism, there will be yacht competition, gangsing competition and other traditional game competitions. In the field of education there will be poetry, coloring, and other educational competition.

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Home grown and Home made

* It’s a great place to buy healthy foods & products while you meet your friends!
* It’s great energy and supports small local businesses!
* Saturday mornings, 9:30 - 2, Pengosekan - Ubud, at Pizza Bagus

Each Saturday morning in Pengosekan, just outside central Ubud, 11 small Bali businesses set up their organic produce, healthy foods and products, and greet a wide variety of buyers - locals, expats, pembantus, and tourists.

Originally envisioned to provide local, independent, small organic growers with a way to sell direct to buyers – and therefore keep them growing organically - the market is now is 11 small Bali businesses including small farm grown organic produce and rice, homemade food products, education about caring for our environment & reducing waste, other healthy foods and products - the variety is too big to imagine.

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A.A Gde Agung National Hero

Source Bali Post January 22, 2008

Governor Bali, Dewa Beratha, never recommends title national hero to Late Dr. A.A. Gde Agung. There is something wrong in recommendation prosses that comes from outside Bali. Furthermore, there should be also a verification of recommendation before the title officially granted.

Seen on picture Dewa Beratha is in the middle together with Legiun Veteran Bali and PPM Bali displaying a banner mentioned “Reject Dr. Anak Agung Gde Agung (Former King of Gianyar & Prime Minister East state of Indonesia) as National Hero”.

They urge Governor to set up a recommendation to President in order to revoke that title.

Reference: Ide Anak Agung Gde Agung