LOS ANGELES ~ Tyler Perry’s comedy about a grandmother behind bars, Madea Goes to Jail, locked up the weekend box office in North America with US$41 million in ticket sales, final figures showed. The latest escapades of writer-director Perry’s oddball gun-toting character, Madea, opened as the clear crowd favorite, drawing 34 percent of audiences at [...]

AMLAPURA ~ Thousands of Hindu faithful have begun flocking to Bali’s holiest Besakih Temple in Karangasem to help prepare for a 10-yearly ceremony set to begin on March 25, an official said. Besakih village chief Wayan Gunatra said hundreds of people had begun arriving daily at the sacred site at the foot of Mt. Agung [...]

TABANAN ~ The regent of Tabanan met with rice farmers in Baturiti last Friday, advising them to use poison to rid the regency of rats and becoming actively involved in a more hands-on elimination exercise, an official said. Head of the irrigation group in Palean, Perean Kauh village, Nyoman Sukerta said when Regent N. Adi [...]

TANJUNG BUNGKAK ~ The Turtle Conservation and Education Center (TCEC) on Serangan Island is at risk of closure because of a lack of funding, an official said. TCEC chief Wayan Geriya said the center was struggling because it had not been supplied with operational funds from the government or turtle eggs from Bali’s nature conservation [...]

DENPASAR ~ After discussions about the legality of permits for eight elephants owned by the Safari and Marine Park in Gianyar, the governor of Bali decided they should not be allowed to stay, an official said. Governor I Made Mangku Pastika said the issue had been talked about too long and the elephants should just [...]

SANUR ~ A suspected pimp and 14 of his prostitutes were arrested by Denpasar Police on Sunday, police said. Head of South Denpasar Police Heru Prasetyo said Ucok, 33, was arrested at Bungalow 808, Jl. Lantang Hidung, Sanur, along with 14 prostitutes working from the bungalow. According to Prasetyo, who lead the operation, Ucok had [...]

By William J. Furney The Bali Times I’m interviewing a German art curator in Sanur and he’s telling me about a group of successful Jakarta businesspeople who gather in the executive Garuda lounge at Soekarno-Hatta every Friday evening, and board business class to Bali. This they do every weekend, he tells me, almost without fail. [...]

By Dr. Robert Goldman For The Bali Times Longevity News and Review provides readers with the latest information in breakthroughs pertaining to the extension of the healthy human lifespan. These news summaries are compiled by the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M; www.worldhealth.net), a non-profit medical society composed of 22,000 physician and scientist members from [...]

Ibu Marsi is a 95-year-old from Ubud with seven sons and 16 grandchildren What is the greatest lesson life has taught you? Take care of yourself so you can stay healthy and work hard. What is most important? Health and my children and grandchildren. What advice would you give the younger generations? Don’t fight over [...]

From the perspective of Ni Nyoman Suriani, 34, a manicurist from Sanur What are we here for? To live day by day, work and support our families and pay for their food and education. Do you believe in the Big Bang theory that the circa 13.7-billion-year-old universe and all that’s in it was created by [...]

NAME: Wayan Sarni AGE: 52 OCCUPATION: Art-shop owner LOCATION: Ubud How do you think the country is doing now? Good. Here in Bali, we have plenty of tourists and the economy is pretty stable. Is the central government in Jakarta doing enough for the regions? Yes, I think so. The president visits Bali often and [...]

It’s so simple: we love the people and there’s no stress. Lynda Burke, 50, and Judith Kudera, 56 Perth, Australia