Bamboo dwellings: The priceless jewels DENPASAR (JP): Charming dwellings hide within a tranquil valley in Nyuh Kuning, south of Ubud. The estate's owner has elegantly decorated the simple structures, transforming them into priceless jewels. The owner is interior designer Linda Garland. She has lived in Bali for almost 20 years. Working closely with Indonesian, particularly Balinese, artists and craftpersons, she has created a 10-hectare masterpiece.

RI's badminton star Susi loses to Chinese rival LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AFP): China caused a double upset at the world badminton championships here Friday when both Olympic champion Susi Susanti and world number-two Bang Soo-Hyun crashed out in the semifinals. World number-six, Ye Zhaoying, created the first sensation by beating Indonesia's Susi 5-11, 11-8, 11-2. The teammate and 5/8 seed Han Jingna defeated South Korea's Bang 11-6, 11-4.

Pauline Chan's 'Traps' shows another Vietnam By Matthew Lewis SINGAPORE (Reuter): Pauline Chan thinks most movies about Vietnam have somehow got it wrong -- which is one reason why she made her own. Chan, director of the award-winning Vietnam film Traps, escaped from the country as a teenager in 1973 after an eight- month kidnapping by the Viet Cong. When she finally returned to her homeland 20 years later, it was to direct her first feature-length film.

Roy set to win a berth in Formula Three JAKARTA (JP): Teenage driver Roy Haryanto is favored to win a promotion to the international Formula Three racing championship in England next year. The Indonesian Motor Association announced yesterday that it will pick two drivers who performed commendably during the Formula Asia championship this season to take part in the event in England. "Our main goal is to boost our drivers' performance in the Formula Asia.

Village bank 'Usaha Bersama' a great help to women By Sarah Crass CILACAP, Central Java (JP): Every morning in this Central Javanese village of Sidakaya, Pariman arranges the cellophane packages of dried fish on the wooden shelves lining the walls of the small shop she has owned and operated since 1988. Outside the shop's front door, hundreds of bandeng and kakap fish are spread out on a sun-drenched wooden platform.

Take it from the villagers JAKARTA (JP): Doing something pointless, as Joice Maynard put it, can take you away from the pressure of daily routine. And that's exactly what I did after finishing an assignment in East Java a while ago. I went to a small village called Panggul on a public bus. As the bus crawled along the hilly road, and more and more passengers got in, I began to think that I had made a mistake. Being squeezed in the crowded bus was not only pointless, but also murder.

Man has found myriad of uses for bamboo plant By Amir Sidharta Man can survive without meat, but will die without bamboo. -- Confucius JAKARTA (JP): Enter bamboo, a slender, fast-growing plant that is said to have miraculous potential in replenishing the earth. Uniquely, while it offers a myriad of environmental uses, it also has tremendous potential for industry. Its diversity should make bamboo attractive to environmentalists and industrialists alike.

Correct information Consumers have the right to correct and non-manipulative information from companies or institutions which advertise their products or services through the mass media. But what if the information is about artists and their products? The Jakarta Post printed a picture on the opening of Gallery Teguh and a story on painter Made Wianta on May 21. I believe the Post should have included the following information: 1.

East Timor gets new military chief DILI, East Timor (JP): The Armed Forces installed on Saturday Col. Mahidin Simbolon, a rapidly rising Army star, as chief of the local military command to replace Col. Kiki Syahnakrie. Simbolon, a 1974 graduate of the National Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java, has so far spent virtually all his military years in the Army's elite Special Force (Kopassus). He is no stranger to East Timor, having served in the former Portuguese territory several times.

Indonesianization of names JAKARTA (JP): The government is insisting that all hotel and restaurant names should be "Indonesianized" eventually, at least before the end of the decade. Director General of Tourism Andi Mappisamang was quoted by Antara news agency as saying yesterday that trademark hotel names will be exempted from this regulation. "The least they could do is use proper Bahasa Indonesia sentence structure," Andi said in Surabaya on Friday night.

The unique philosophy of seeds JAKARTA (JP): Nobody will disagree that seeds are very important. One robust Eucalyptus tree grows from a tiny vigorous seed, and a good paddy field is raised from a top quality seed lot. Seeds are the beginning of everything. When building a family, a parent will also choose the best "seed" for their child. Starting with the best seed gives a 50 percent chance of success. Although small, seeds are beautiful.

Irian Jaya's Lake Sentani, another name for beauty Text by Hartoyo Pratiknyo, photos by Arief Hidayat SENTANI, Irian Jaya (JP): It takes more than seven hours of flying from Jakarta, a few more hours in a bus or chartered car, and then a canoe trip across a lake, to reach the heart of this ancient land. The reward, however, is well worth the effort.

Guess What? Abdul Latief "I was shocked to find that the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur resembles a chicken market," Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief declared during a recent visit to Malaysia. Hundreds of Indonesian workers trying to apply for work permits and other necessary documents continually crowd the embassy. Nasruddin Koro, deputy to the mission's chief, said at least 500 workers stand in long queues everyday. "We open 10 ticket boxes at 9 a.m.

Pressure blamed for loss LAUSANNE, Switzerland (Agencies): Excessive mental strain is behind Indonesia's poor performance in the ongoing World Badminton Championships, a psychologist says. Singgih Gunarsa, who is accompanying the Indonesian shuttlers during the two-week tournament, said that the players lacked mental preparation for the tiring competition which will end today. "They played with too much on their minds and failed to overcome their extreme nervousness," Singgih told Antara.

Ethnic-inspired clothes in the spotlight in Jakarta By Dini S. Djalal JAKARTA (JP): This year sees the commemoration of the golden anniversary of Indonesia's independence from Dutch colonialism. In the 1990s, many other countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America, are also celebrating their first 50 years as sovereign states. In an effort to distance themselves from their colonial past, "developing" countries may choose the path of modernization (i.e.

TV today TVRI 7:00 a.m. Morning News 7:30 Healthy and Fresh with Berty Tilarso 7:40 Cartoon: Vicky The Viking 8:05 Around Us 8:35 Children's Stories 9:00 People and Events 9:30 Comedy: Ria Jenaka 9:45 Music 10:45 Youth Program 11:15 Cooking Program 11:45 Sports: Dari Gelanggang Ke Gelanggang 12:45 p.m.

S.E. Asian govts make deal on drug control By Tiffany Bown BEIJING (AFP): Six regional countries signed here yesterday their first joint action plan to tackle Southeast Asia's booming drugs trade, pledging three years of close cooperation in 11 specific areas.

Foundation promotes use of bamboo DENPASAR (JP): A brick structure is a shattered ruin, but the adjacent bamboo structure stand as a modest survivor of the 1992 earthquake in Flores. The juxtaposition has revealed the tremendous potential of bamboo to Linda Garland. "As the world's population expands and resources diminish, nature has offered us some solutions in her miracle plants.

Linda Garland: A promoter of bamboo By Amir Sidharta DENPASAR (JP): The founder of the Environmental Bamboo Foundation, Linda Garland, gave up her career as an internationally renowned designer for the sake of the environment, particularly for what bamboo can do for the preservation of Mother Nature. Garland has made Indonesia her home for the past 20 years. In Indonesia she established her reputation as the most famous designer of bamboo furniture.

Author needs blood JAKARTA (JP): Noted film director, playwright and author, Arifin Chairin Noer, is undergoing treatment at Medistra Hospital on Jl. Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta. He has been treated there for the malfunctioning of his liver since May 23. "The doctor said that Arifin is badly in need of AB type blood because of the bleeding in his abdomen," Jajang Pamuncak, Arifin's wife, told The Jakarta Post by phone on yesterday. "Many people have donated their blood.