The Jakarta Post is in English

The paper is in English, it's not large for a daily but it does have a lot of world news and some local news and it may prove useful to my geography classes as it often has stories on the sort of problems we discuss. For example, Singapore does not have easy access to fresh water so they have to make trade agreements with Indonesia and Malaysia--sort of interesting since one cannot drink the tap water of Indonesia, but they must have enough water, somehow. It's also interesting to note that the US does not have enough to fresh water and is upset that Canada won't tap into its natural reserves and sell it (they might be more eager to do this if we'd stop contributing to the global climate change that is rapidly reducing Canada's supply, who knows?). Anyway, these stories, and the stories about the illegal burning that goes on this time of year that contributes to a vast smog covering much of Java, Malaysia and Singapore, and others are relevant to the theme of Secondary Two Geography which is this: humans affect the physical environment in myriad ways, some are meant to increase our environment's "carrying capacity" (land reclamation, etc.) and some inadvertantly decrease it. So, the paper is valueable, that's what I'm trying to say. Though the comics really suck.

I am planning on visiting Singapore for two to three days at the end of the month and during this stay, I will attend some Idul Fitri celebrations. I have to stay in the seedy part of Singapore (though I have my doubts as to its true seediness) as it is the cheapest. I also get to fly into Batam (a small Indonesian Island known for its prostitution industry) and ferry from there to the City of Lions. It should be fun but it all has to be done on the cheap. We have a week long break then, as I mentioned once before. As critical of Singapore as J. often is, she still wants to show me around, and we can get good Indian food and buy books in English that are not Bahasa to English dictionaries. Bully for Singapore!

I have been mainly focused on SE Asian news since I've been here. So I've a few questions for Americans: How's that war coming along? Just a joke, of course, editorials here like to make the point that American power has been proven to be exaggerated. We are now less feared, which was the opposite intent of our two invasions, was it not? Oddly, there was a story in which a Washington think tank fellow was quoted quite a lot about the war gaming Washington has done in the event that China should invade Taiwan. The Melaka straits--so important in colonial history--are still a focal point as it remains the best waterway from India to China. The US, said the article, would most likely try to choke off this waterway, effectively blockading China. This issue never comes up in America, does it? Melaka, the port, is not so far away and I long to go there, soon I hope, or relatively soon. That's all.