Alistair G. Speirs
The Consolations of Philosophy (and Philosophers)
I know it’s all necessary and it’s for our good, but aren’t you just getting a little tired of social distancing, constant hand washing, sanitizing, isolation and masking up? The statistics which at first fascinated are now blending in to a morass of under-supply, over-capacity, under-performing, economic doom and gloom, confusion which needs balanced and
Slow Tourism: The Way of the Past…and the Future
When the way we approach our industry with the mantra ‘growth is good’, it sets us on the wrong path. Two tourism experts share how slowing down is actually the way to improve tourism. Do we really want headlines like these for our destinations? “Over tourism still threatens Angkor Wat” – Phnom Penh Post “Skip
Has Bali Painted Itself into a Corner?
Have you ever seen that great cartoon of the man proudly doing his own home decoration, setting himself high standards of quality and finish , carefully preparing his work tools and his schedule then finally starting on the “ piece de resistance” a magnificent wooden floor he has sanded and buffed, and now is varnishing…
Tourism, Business Ethics and Covid-19 in Bali | Special Episode
In this special episode, NOW! Bali Publisher Alistair takes over for another opinion piece. He discusses how businesses who have been successfully profiting in Bali for so many years must recognise this as a time to give back to the island – or at least its people. Alistair shares his thoughts on business ethics and
What Makes the Perfect Bali Holiday?
There isn’t much talk about holidays going on at the moment as the entire world – well quite a lot of it – is actually stuck indoors, locked down or social distancing or whatever the local discipline is called. But maybe many of those people are already beginning to get the urge, possibly stronger, a
Promoting Bali, The Right Way
Having shared his thoughts on preparing Bali for when travel re-opens again in his last article, “After Covid-19: What Next?“, Alistair Speirs shares another idea. With Bali empty right now, it gives the island an opportunity to reinvent itself when it welcomes visitors again. Now is the time to say, “Hey, who do we want
Bali After Covid-19 | Special Episode
This week on The NOW! Bali Podcast we share a special episode outside of our usual cultural series. NOW! Publisher, Alistair Speirs OBE, takes over the airwaves and shares his thoughts on how Bali (and Indonesia) should recover from the financial fallout of Covid-19. Based on his widely read article ‘After Covid: What Next?’, also
Setelah COVID-19 di Bali, Apa yang Harus Kita Lakukan?
Semua krisis pasti berakhir. Biasanya, krisis yang terjadi malah menimbulkan krisis lainnya karena kemampuan kita untuk kembali pulih hampir sama dengan kemampuan kita untuk merencanakan, ujar Alistair Speirs, yang telah melalui berbagai krisis di Indonesia: mulai dari kerusuhan hingga gempa bumi, hingga resesi finansial dan tsunami. Seandainya kita mau jujur untuk membandingkan durasi dan program
After Covid-19 : What Next?
Some background and some ideas from Alistair Speirs OBE, Managing Director of Phoenix Communications, who has spent many years in Post-crisis action and wants to make sure we do better this time around. The crisis will end. They all do. And usually precipitate another because our ability to recover is pretty much equal to our
Health & Wellness in Uncertain Times
There has never been a better time to be a conscious of ‘wellness’ than now while we are facing a worldwide pandemic of a new and exceptionally virulent virus: COVID-19. While here in Bali we have been – up to now – less affected than many places, the simple fact is that no–one and nowhere
Food for Thought : Is Food Just Fuel?
Food. It’s just fuel for our bodies, isn’t it? The stuff we need to ingest to stay alive and well. That defines it all in one short sentence. “The stuff”: we need a certain combination of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, nutrients, vitamins and roughage to keep the blood flowing, the cells forming and the brain active.
Eat to Live or Live to Eat?
It’s funny how some people just can’t enjoy the delights of food and drink. They are only interested in the nutritional value, the calorific value, the balance, the origin and the composition of their food. “Sustenance” rather than food, just fuel to keep the body going, but increasingly fine-tuned to all the critical factors above:
February is The Month of Love or Is It?
I have two questions to aks about this. Firstly, why? Who was this person, Saint Valentine, who condemned us to a singular focus on love in February? Was he a great romantic, or perhaps a figure of tragedy who died heartbroken? Secondly, what is this thing called love anyway? Let’s start with Saint Valentine. It
