Nyepi

Ogoh Ogoh tonight - parade of monsters and gods and whatever comes to mind with the various banjar, villages, that Bali is made up of. Hope it doesn't rain on them. Tomorrow Nyepi - 24 hours of no lights, no flights, not going outside. It's always on the night of the new moon. Hope it's not overcast because there's no sky like a nighttime Nyepi sky.

RIP Sarah Wormald

Life in Bali with Sara Wormald - Sarah Wormals died on Tuesday, March 18th.

Above is a Podbean link to a podcast for Sarah Wormald. It's a replay of two podcasts done with Sarah in 2020 and 2021. To hear it on other platforms - YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Deezer, etc, search for Cuke Audio Podcasts. 

Sarah Wormald was a diver who wrote Diving in Indonesia: The Ultimate Guide to the World's Best Dive Spots: Bali, Komodo, Sulawesi, Papua, and more.  Farewell Sarah. Sorry you died so young--at 44. We will miss you. Love, DC

Consider Barnes and Noble

Barnes & Noble is owned by Elliott Investment Management, a U.S.-based investment firm that acquired the bookstore chain in August 2019. The company is currently led by James Daunt, who is also the EO of Waterstones, a UK bookstore chain that Elliott also owns.

James Daunt is widely regarded as a thoughtful and influential figure in the global book industry, particularly for his work revitalizing bookstores. As a world citizen, he embodies several qualities:

1. Advocate for Independent Bookstores & Literary Culture

• Before leading Barnes & Noble and Waterstones, Daunt founded Daunt Books, a small chain of independent bookstores in London, known for their curated selections and inviting atmosphere.

• His approach emphasizes local autonomy—allowing individual store managers to select books suited to their communities rather than relying on centralized buying decisions.

2. Reshaping Corporate Book Retailing Ethically

• At Waterstones and Barnes & Noble, he moved away from the “big-box” bookstore model, restoring a sense of independence to each location.

• He removed “pay-to-play” publisher deals (where publishers paid for prominent shelf placement) to ensure books were stocked based on merit and local demand rather than corporate influence.

3. Bridging the UK & US Book Markets

• By leading both Waterstones (UK) and Barnes & Noble (US), he has played a role in shaping the book retail industry across two major markets.

• His approach has been seen as a blend of British independent bookstore culture with American commercial scale.

4. A Commitment to Sustainability & Literary Diversity

• Daunt has expressed concerns about Amazon’s dominance and how it affects bookstores and publishers.

• Under his leadership, bookstores have diversified their offerings, supporting smaller publishers and independent authors.

5. Global Influence on the Future of Bookstores

• His success in revitalizing struggling bookstores has made him a respected figure in global retail strategy.

• As the world shifts toward digital media, Daunt has been instrumental in proving that physical bookstores can still thrive by fostering community engagement.

Final Thoughts

James Daunt is not a political activist or public intellectual in the traditional sense, but as a world citizen, he has made a positive global impact on literature, book culture, and independent businesses. His leadership suggests a deep appreciation for intellectual diversity, community-focused retail, and ethical business practices, which are qualities often associated with responsible global citizenship.

Thanks Chat GPT for this summary of two questions.Who owns B & N? And what sort of world citizn is James Daunt?

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/

A New Album - Rufstuf--Mr. Bigness

 

Underground music from the early  1980s Bolinas Agate Beach Studio

listen to at dc artist pages on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Amazon.

* lead guitar on 3, 4, 9, 13 Ethan Okamura
* backup vocals 2, 9 - Liz Tuomi, 9 - Jane Okamura, Kelly Chadwick
*Don Armstrong harp 9
* all else dc

* remixed and mastered by Tude Arta Sedana at Kubuku Studio Bali
* digitized from 4 track cassette by EngageWisdom.com
* album cover - dc & Gus Awan

defuserMusic.com

Earth temperature his a milestone in 2024

 1.5+

Earth's Water Cycle Off Balance

 For the first time in human history

Fools Fall in Love

 Will Johnson, a Zen buddy from 1972, who used to play lead guitar with me for fun in our spare time at 300 Page St., sent me this perfect cover of the Drifter's Fools Fall in Love which I bought as a 45 and loved back in 57. I even saw them sing it live in Fort Worth. So great. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHK3OCnBmVE

Global Climate Change on Course

 Atlantic Ocean's great current predicted to collapse between 2037 and 2064.

Heat is the sharp sword of climate change

 Deadly heat.

It keeps Heating Up

 Don't worry about oceans rising. It's the heat that will get us.

Heat Death

 In India, 33 election workers have died from the heat.

LPG Tanks

We used to have two 12 liter tanks of LPG (liquid petroleum gas), one for the on-demand water heater and one for our oven and range top  When one ran out, after about a month, I'd call Pak Eka and tell him we needed a full one and he'd bring it over on his motorbike and take the empty one back. We kept one small 4 ltr tank that I'd switch for a big one when the gas ran out if we needed to be using it before a new tank arrived. The small tanks were three times smaller but five times cheaper than the big ones because they're subsidized for home use. The big tanks are thought of as commercial. Then a few years ago the price of the big tanks doubled and that of the small ones remained the same. So we switched to the small ones. They have to be changed about once every ten days. I told Pak Eka we wanted two more small ones so we had backups while waiting for the refills. He said only two per family. So I called Gus who hustles all sorts of stuff and he had a truck drop off two more small tanks for us. For the last half year it's been hard to get the small tank refills at times. We've got a M-W-St housekeeper-Kadek-and a T-Th-Fr houskeeper-Ketut. When we couldn't get a small tank from around here, Ketut would bring refills from the area where she lived. Yesterday it seemed all the shops were out of small tanks. We had three empties. Ketut could only find one small tank and she brought it over. I gave her money to come back with two more on Tuesday when she'll come next - if she can find them. Katrinka said this is too much trouble. Just get the big tanks. I said they cost ten times more for three times more gas and we should only do that if we really can't get the small tanks. Then Kadek apologized for not making more dog food. She said her home has no gas now. All of a sudden I realized that we were being like welfare cheats. Those small tanks are government subsidized for local people. We have resident visas but we can afford the big tanks and leave the small tanks for locals in need. I called Pak Eka and ordered two big tanks. Kadek went home with one small full tank for her home. Ketut will get one and Nyoman, our local driver will get one. We'll keep one to use in transition between empty and full big tanks when needed. Back to where it was. I sent Gus a message saying what we'd done and he sent back a heart emoji. I felt like that emoji meant good for you - you finally did the right thing.

Good energy news

 Clean energy now 30% of world energy production - CNN

Hope for Plastic Solution

Scientists have developed a plant-based plastic that actually biodegrades. 

This is a big deal because people are not going to stop using plastic. There is nothing good that can be done with the plastics we have. Recycling makes more micro and nano plastics. It's a much lower grade and more polluting fuel than gasoline. Hope this new plastic passes the test of time. 

thanks Gregory Johnson

Style Preferences

Single-mindedly working on getting this book done. Just sent the following note to Peter and Wendy who are going over the parts as they get them.

Movie names should be italicized. I haven't been doing that. So please put an xx after them. You don't have to write "italicize." I'll know what to do. I think you know that I don't like quote marks around names so even if it's a short story or article or anything that's supposed to have quote marks I'd rather use italics or nothing. I also don't like quotes around words used as unfamiliar terms, nicknames, or words used as words if the meaning is clear without them. Quote marks around quotes are fine of course. So anything I've neglected which is most of it, please just xx.

I think I got my aversion to quotes from reading people's year end letters that were full of them with such sentences as <We all had a "wonderful time" this summer.> Really. It drove me batty.

One word that's been lost but which I like and miss is fewer. I don't like to see less used for number but it's locked in now. (See - it doesn't need quote marks because it's obvious.) I like may as in "may I borrow this" though "can" doesn't bother me. (I thought can needed some help there.) Can has been accepted for may since I was a kid so people can't answer to "Can I go with you?" anymore with "I don't know, can you?"

As James Kirkpatrick pointed out forty years ago, "We've lost the word 'gay.'" (He would have used the quotes around gay there.)

The worst to me that is close to becoming accepted is "I" as the object as in, "He gave the book to JIm and I." It's everywhere. 

I don't know what to do about who and whom. I can see whom is going out of style and sometimes it seems stodgy. But I can't say "for who the bells toll." 

My father had a problem with who and whom going out of style too - but in a different way. He was into diction and his generation pronounced the H in who and whom and other words that began with wh. It had H air in it like an F sound has F air. He used to grill me on it. I was hopeless though.

An ideal Situation

This message was sent to me by an anonymous person who asked me to post it. 

I am a woman trapped in a man's body. That's one strike against me in today's world so I keep it a secret. It's not so difficult to do so because I am attracted to women. I am a lesbian - that's the second strike against me - a lesbian trapped in a man's body. I did not think it fair to have a female mate and not tell her so I was celibate, celibate until I met an unusual woman, one I could confide in. It turned out that she was a gay man trapped in a  woman's body. I shared my situation. We are a perfect match, each other's soul mates. Please publish this so that others with my condition can know that there is hope. Thank you. 

Where are we?

 Maybe we're all in a cosmic lost and found.

FAIR

 As I was waking up this morning, I heard how long ago women were referred to as the fair sex. I see that started around 1600 and meant fair as in pretty. So if women are the fair sex, then what are men. Ah yes - the unfair sex. That sure applies.

A Decade in Bali

 Ten years ago today, Dec. 9th, 2013, Katrinka and I arrived in Bali with only carry-on. Where'd all this other stuff come from?

Matcha Latte

There's a snazzy Italian place, Dimattina, about five minutes away by foot which has deserts that should be illegal and and a roastery that provides coffee for a lot places. They have a matcha latte with oat milk that is so good and it's authentic or at least the matcha is. The owner buys the matcha for 70 bucks a kilo and it's made with a whisk just like in Japan. Their chai is terrible though - a tea bag. There are two place that make chai like it was India. Both of them take forever to make it and I'm glad they're not in walking distance because I want two cups and once a week or when I'm out and it's convenient is enough for that. The other day I had to go to the ATM and I need trusty Nyoman to drive for that because I only go to one ATM at our bank with a 24 hour guard so the Bulgarians can't screw with the machine and drain accounts. On the way I dropped a travel cup off with the barista at Batu Jimbar and picked it up on the way back and got back to work. I try to keep caffeine to work time.

I llke to take Bandi with me to Dimattina and sit at a picnic type table in a nice grassy area they have. I sit there and let Bandi run around sniffing and mainly watching the golden carp in their long pond. I get into a zone that's so nice. The last two times I've been there I've gotten an apricot crumble too. So good. Limit - not more than once a week. Every employee we pass or who passes us wants to visit with Bandi. People here tend to ask the dog's name first, then they squat down and see if she'll come to them. I tell them Bandi is from bandit and that her full name is Bandita and sometimes explain that the ita ending in Spanish indicates small and feminine.