Owning German shepherds takes more than love By T. Sima Gunawan CIMACAN, West Java (JP): Giovanni von Lowenstein is only five months old, but he can certainly run. Its in his German shepherd genes. Giovanni, his brother Glicko von Lowenstein, and sister Gina von Lowenstein, were among the 104 participants at a German shepherd contest held last month by the Indonesian German Shepherd Club in Coolibah, Cimacan.

Muller wants to leave J league TOKYO (AFP): Brazilian 1994 World Cup winner Muller, who plays for Kashiwa Reysol in the Japanese football league, has declared his desire to leave the team for family reasons, a team official said Saturday. The 29-year-old forward, whose real name is Luiz Antonio Correa Da Costa, quit former Inter-Continental Cup champions Sao Paulo and joined Reysol this season with a two-year contract.

Guess What? Robert Smith "What do you call the word 'development' in bahasa Indonesia, perkembangan or pengembangan," asked Robert Smith, of the U.S. Commercial and Information Center, to his Indonesian colleague Melink Simanjuntak. "I keep practicing my bahasa Indonesia in almost every occasion," claimed Smith, who is more popularly known as 'Pak Bob' by his employees and local reporters.

Dogs lead way toward community boar hunts PADANGPANJANG, West Sumatra (JP): Joining a band of men and dogs in the traditional boar hunt here exercises both the body and the mind. Not only do you see the rich culture of the Minangkabau, an ethnic group in West Sumatra, but are also able to immerse in the natural beauty of this small town at the foot the famous Mount Merapi. Gettong, a veteran hunting dog, limped along on his three remaining legs.

RI officers sent to Angola JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia has sent a delegation of police officers as observers to a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Angola. Lt. Gen. Soeyono, the Armed Forces (ABRI) chief of general affairs, said on Friday, while sending off the Indonesian delegation to the UN mission, that the nation had once again been asked by the United Nations to join in a peace endeavor. The delegation, which left under the banner of the 18th Garuda Contingent, is led by Lt. Col.

Give kids education they deserve By Johannes Simbolon What can you expect from a teacher who receives only Rp 25,000 (US$11.30) per month? The following story reveals the grim situation of two primary schools in a village, near Bogor, two hours' drive from Jakarta. It shows that Indonesia's program of compulsory education for elementary school children has yet to benefit every part of the country.

PLN Revisited I was amused to read Beatrix Noe's letter, which criticized Linda Hollands' story in The Jakarta Post on April 23, 1995. The comments I found to be the most absurd are as follows: 1. "It amazes me that there were no servants around to take care of people who come to the house." It amazes me that Ms. Noe seems to assume that everyone living in Jakarta has servants. I find it quite possible to live without domestic help. 2.

Poerwoto is one with Merpati Putih JAKARTA (JP): Cigarettes are never far from him. His short stature, thin body, simple clothes, wrinkled face and gray hair tell nothing but a nobody. But appearance sometimes deceives. This 50-year-old Javanese commoner, Poerwoto Hadipoernomo, is regarded as the founding father of the Merpati Putih pencak silat school, one of the largest traditional martial art school in Indonesia. His only brother, Budi Santoso, is regarded as co-founder.

Hero-series stamps With regard to the commemoration of Indonesia's golden jubilee I would like to propose that the Post and Telecommunication Service reissue the Indonesian national hero series stamps. I think this is one way of fulfilling the wishes of some ministers who always remind us in their speeches that Bangsa yang besar adalah bangsa yang menghargai pahlawannya (A great nation remembers its heroes).

Amien Rais: Succession is necessary By Santi W.E. Soekanto JAKARTA (JP): For many people, discussions on succession of national leadership would not be complete without somehow mentioning Amien Rais. The chairman of Indonesia's reformist Moslem organization, Muhammadiyah, first brought up the issue of leadership succession during a routine meeting in December 1993, only months after the nation re-elected President Soeharto to his sixth consecutive term.

PSSI wants Eindhoven's best team JAKARTA (JP): The Secretary-General of the All Indonesia Soccer Association (PSSI), Soeparjo Pontjowinoto, hopes that the Dutch First Division club PSV Eindhoven will send its best team to Indonesia. Eindhoven is scheduled by Philips Indonesia, which will sponsor the club's trip to Indonesia, to take on some domestic teams on June 5 in Jakarta and on June 9 in Surabaya, East Java. "We don't know whether Eindhoven will field its key players or second stringers.

Risk essence of W. Sumatran bullfight legend By Wisnu Pramudya KOTO BARU, West Sumatra (JP): Cubit, a veteran fighting bull owned by a resident in the Tanah Datar regency, stamped his hoofs near the bullfighting arena in this mountainous town. Over the last two years, the less-than-impressive looking beast has never been defeated. For the many lovers of this traditional sport, the indefatigable Cubit is a promise of exciting fights and the possibility of lucrative winnings.

The rubble of the emerging middle class JAKARTA (JP): We hear about them constantly, we see them more often than we might want, but who are these people called the emerging middle class? A walk through my neighborhood might help sort the question out. None of this idyllic Bali village life stuff, or the devout life of Flores Catholics eking out a living on what Westerners (those people who have reportedly ruined Indonesia) deem a paradise.

Bon Jovi's 'Saturday Night' rocks 100,000 fans By Johannes Simbolon JAKARTA (JP): Some Day I'll Be Saturday Night Bon Jovi sings. And what a fine Saturday evening last night was for the 100,000 spectators at the band's concert at the former Ancol circuit in North Jakarta. Lead singer Bon Jovi, the star of the concert, like all of the band members, appeared casual in a cream-colored jacket, which he took off after the first song, a black T-shirt and headband. "Hi Jakarta, are you with me?

Philippine military gets lift from Spratlys China's encroachment onto a reef claimed by the Philippines has provided the latter's armed forces with a much needed boost. Francisco L. Roman Jr. examines the issue. The combination of the ascendancy of Corazon Aquino to the presidency in 1986, and the end of the Cold War in 1989, substantially eroded the Philippine military's traditional role as the defender of the nation against both internal and external aggression.

Jakarta's own information 'supir taksi' highway By Amir Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): Personally, I'm all for Bill Clinton and Al Gore's information highway. However, Guy Kawasaki's Wise Guy column, published in the July 1994 issue of MacWorld, provided me with some alternative insights. In the article, the software genius identified five potholes to the creation of the highway.

Guess What? Rudi Khoirudin "I'm very...very honored to know that I have been appointed a member of the panel of judges at such a prestigious cooking festival in Hong Kong," said Indonesian culinary expert Rudi Khoirudin, smiling. The judges' panel, he said, includes 13 famous culinary experts and food critics from all over the world. Among the judges are John Allmag from Canada, Michel Piot from France and Edoardo Raspelli from Italy. "I'm the youngest member of the judges' panel," he said.

Neglect leaves schools on brink of crisis By Rita A. Widiadana JAKARTA (JP): "We have been neglecting our elementary schools for years," a high-ranking government official admitted recently. Both the Indonesian government and public have long considered these elementary schools worthless, said Djauzak Achmad, director of primary education at the Ministry of Education and Culture, during an interview with The Jakarta Post last Friday.

RP labor minister quits MANILA (Reuter): President Fidel Ramos yesterday accepted the resignation of Labor Minister Nieves Confesor, the second senior official to quit in the fallout over the hanging of a Filipina maid in Singapore in March. "It is with deep regret that I accept your offer of resignation," Ramos said in a letter to Confesor he read in front of reporters.

Merpati Putih makes the blind 'see' clearly By Arif Suryobuwono JAKARTA (JP): Can a man see nothing yet he sees something? Socrates once asked. But the reverse is also true. A man can see something though he sees nothing. This premise was proved at a special competition for the blind, held by the Merpati Putih pencak silat school in Senayan's eastern parking lot last Sunday. Pencak silat is an Indonesian form of self defense.

Indonesian development analyzed Indonesia Assessment 1994. Finance as a Key Sector in Indonesia's Development. Edited by Ross H. McLeod. Published by Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, Australian National University and Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1995. Paperback, 353 pages. MELBOURNE, Australia (JP): Reading Ross McLeod's Indonesia Assessment 1994, Finance as a Key Sector in Indonesia's Development, I could not help seeing the macropicture.

Gandhi and Marley alive in Candi Dasa By Degung Santikarma and Emma Baulch DENPASAR (JP): Most people consider Bob Marley and Indira Gandhi long gone, but they are alive and well in Candi Dasa. Perhaps the Balinese belief in reincarnation has allowed their rebirth there. At the north end of the main road running through Candi Dasa, Legend Cafe, a tribute to Bob Marley, and a Gandhian ashram, reluctantly face each other as the traffic whizzes back and forth between them.

Van der Sterren paints landscape from memory By Benito Lopulalan DENPASAR (JP): Mooi Indie, or "Beautiful Indonesia", a school of painting that explores the beauty of Indonesia, used to be accused of not caring about the problems of the country's poor people. The Association of Indonesian Painters (Persagi) protested against the school on that ground in 1938.

Santa Ursula strives to live up to reputation JAKARTA (JP): She is 55 and she watches Satria Baja Hitam and Sailor Moon, the two most popular Indonesian cartoons on TV. "I watch the children's favorite TV programs to enable me to understand them better," school teacher Loes Tan Tjin Tjoe said. Loes Tan has been teaching at the elementary school SD Santa Ursula for 34 years. She believes it is necessary for teachers to follow the trends so they can communicate better with their students.

Indochina needs good ties with ASEAN The countries of Indochina need to strengthen linkages with the dynamic ASEAN states and also with the rest of the Asia- Pacific if they are to achieve comprehensive development. This is especially in view of trends in global trade and investment liberalization as shown in the recent APEC Summit in Indonesia and in other international economic meetings.