Guess What? Harry de Fretes JAKARTA (JP): Comedian Harry de Fretes, popularly called by the nickname of Boim, is optimistic that his newly-opened dining establishment called "Boim Cafe" in Tanah Kusir district, South Jakarta, will gain success. "Abroad, many cafes with comedy shows can be successful. Why not here?" he told The Jakarta Post last Sunday during the restaurant's grand opening.

Utut holds Shirov in 12th round JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian grand master Utut Adianto needed three hours to hold top seed Alexei Shirov of Latvia in the 12th round game of the Master Invitational chess tournament in Biel, Switzerland on Friday. Utut, who took the advantage of playing white pieces, defied his inferior elo rating to keep even with his world number seven opponent. He exploited his favorite King Indian opening to maintain his attacking game.

Jakarta to host 1997 SEA Games JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia looks set to play host to the 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 1997 despite the heavy financial burden. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman said after a meeting with President Soeharto on Friday that Indonesia could not refuse to hold the 1997 Games after both Vietnam and Brunei announced they were not prepared to stage the regional sporting meet.

South Korea retains men's archery crown JAKARTA (JP): Think of nothing. Let everything runs as light as the arrow flies. That Zen-like philosophy is the winning formula of South Korea's new world champion, Lee Kyung-chul. Lee beat Chinese Taipei's Wu Tsung-yi 109-105 in the gold medal race of the men's individual Olympic division of the 38th World Archery Championships yesterday.

Dili inmates to get remission DILI (JP): The government will grant sentence remission to at least 276 prisoners in Dili, East Timor, on Indonesia's Aug. 17 independence day anniversary, an official says. They are from a correctional institution in Dili and three detention centers in Ermera, Maliana and Baucau, head of the provincial justice office, Benny J. Mathaos, said as reported by Antara on Friday.

First Lady opens bazaars JAKARTA (JP): First Lady Tien Soeharto officially opened yesterday two-day bazaars, held simultaneously throughout Indonesia's provinces, mayoralties, regencies and districts, as part of festivities commemorating Indonesia's golden anniversary. The opening ceremony of the bazaars, locally called Pasar Rakyat (folk bazaars), was held in the parking lot of the state- owned Sarinah department store on Jl. M.H. Thamrin, Central Jakarta.

Guess What? Abdurrahman Wahid Be cautious if someone hugs you. You might be bitten -- and it might not be a love bite. Abdurrahman Wahid, leader of Moslem organization Nahdlatul Ulama, was not kidding when he talked about the "hug-and-bite" thing. "Monkeys hug their victims first before they bite them," he said. Wahid, popularly known as Gus Dur, was warn people to be wary of such dangerous hugs on Thursday during a seminar on the economy of the common people at the Jakarta Design Center.

How to make use of 'singkong' in kitchen By Syamala Monie JAKARTA (JP): Last year, as I set foot on this gifted land which is rightly called the Emerald of Indian Ocean, what fascinated me first was the eye-catching greenery. Outside Soekarno-Hatta airport, along the toll road, were vast stretches of paddy fields on either side, like green carpets being unrolled. Entering Purwakarta, West Java, I felt the time clock being set back 30 years.

Making the man mightier than the word JAKARTA (JP): "LAYDEEEEEES AN' GENNULMUNN!! IN THE RED CORNAH... WEARIN' A SILK BATIK WRAP-AROUND.... OUR FIRST CONTENDAH... FARID BASKOROOOOOO....!!!" The crowd of thousands lets out a roar of applause, foot stomping, whistles, cheers ("pulverize him, Farid!"), jeers ("get out, you lame duck!"). Cat calls heard as Farid, arms waving in the air, performs a few dance steps in the ring...

Reward and punishment I am writing about the column you printed on the front page of your July 31, 1995 The Jakarta Post titled By The Way...What do really we get in life?. That's right, life is full of threats and punishment, but it is not true to say that it is especially so for Indonesians. The writer, G.A. Koesoemowinoto, says "even as babies they are faced with all kinds of punishment".

Teguh's love for Paris creates masterpieces of art By Amir Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): Bursts of free brush strokes, blotches of paint, controlled lines mixed with word and photographs cut out from magazines in what seems like an explosion of visual elements characterized Teguh Ostenrik's Dans Paris series, being exhibited until Sept. 18 at the Gallery Teguh in South Jakarta. The exhibition is the result of Teguh's visit to Paris in 1992.

Mistakes in Crossword 1. I started subscribing to The Jakarta Post last week. Now, among the first things I do every morning is read Your Letters and try to fill in the Crossword Puzzler or match answers to the previous puzzle. Yesterday, I found Your answer to previous puzzle (of Aug. 1, for puzzle dated July 31) ridiculous. How could "Michael Jackson's album (1 down)" be "BBC" and yearly, abbr. (12 across) be "BIN", while genetic material (15 across)" was listed as "CIA"?

List of art works that were banned JAKARTA (JP): The arts not only have links to aesthetic values. An art work can stir up social and political controversy. A large number of art works have been condemned, banned, and censored for numerous reasons. The following list includes only a small number of the art works which were banned during the last 25 years. * Langit Makin Mendung, a short story by Ki Panjikusmin (a pen name) published in Sastra literary magazine in l968.

The production and prospecting of gold in Sumatra By Bambang Budi Utomo BANDAR LAMPUNG, Lampung (JP): The original name of Sumatra, as found in folk tales or history books, is "Gold Island". In ancient times the island of Sumatra was indeed famous for its gold mines. The term ameh (gold) is found in Kaba Cindua Mato (what's this?) from Minangkabau, West Sumatra. In Lampung folktales the name Tanah Emas (gold land) is mentioned.

Guess What? Jusuf Ronodipuro "I am not a hero, I am only a player," said Jusuf Ronodipuro. He was referring to his role in spreading the news of the nation's independence as the first Indonesian to broadcast the text of Indonesia's Independence Proclamation through the Japanese radio station Hosokyoku on the evening of Aug. 17, 1945.

Made Wianta's energy dances across his canvases By Margaret Agusta DENPASAR, Bali (JP): Made Wianta rarely sits still. He's a ball of energy waiting to explode into creativity. And even he is not aware in which direction the blast of energy will surge. Some days his energy dances in jagged, staccato lines of black across pieces of white paper or scraps of cardboard. Other days it splashes onto his canvases in brilliant flashes of color.

Ali Sadikin launches new book By Johannes Simbolon JAKARTA (JP): "Many happy returns of the day, Bang Ali." The greeting came from friends and a number of admirers who were gathered in his 4,000-square-meter home on Jl. Borobudur, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday to celebrate his birthday. Happy? Hold on! "The government needs to clarify the status of the Petisi 50 petition group. I've sent letters to four ministers for this purpose.

RI, Netherlands to play friendly matches JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia and the Netherlands have agreed to establish junior tennis friendly matches, with the first of the annual matches to be held here next week. Eddy Katimansah from the Indonesian tennis association (Pelti) said on Friday that the agreement would be signed in the form of Memorandum of Understanding by both Pelti's chairman Sarwono Kusumaatmadja and his Dutch counterpart Ruurd de Boer on Aug. 19.

How to distinguish a genuine gem from a fake By Roland M. Sutrisno JAKARTA (JP): People often say that two grams of a precious stone can be exchanged with two truck-loads of gravel or river pebbles. Precious stones or gemstones are so valuable that they easily command high prices. We therefore need to pay special attention to the gemstones we usually wear.

Freedom of speech -- 50 years later By T. Sima Gunawan Indonesia's founding fathers dreamed of building a country based upon "Belief in the One, Supreme God, just and civilized Humanity, the unity of Indonesia, and democracy," as the preamble to the 1945 Constitution clearly states. How far are we from what our founding fathers envisioned 50 years ago, especially with regard to democracy? The following story and two others examine the issue.

Guess What? Loekman Soetrisno What does globalization mean to a becak driver? "I was asked if globalization meant exporting becak," said Loekman Soetrisno, a professor of rural economy from Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, during a discussion in Jakarta about the economy of the common people on Thursday. Becak (pedicab) is banned in Jakarta, but it is an important public transportation means in Yogyakarta.

Floods kill one in Sulawesi GORONTALO, North Sulawesi (JP): One man died and 15,000 people were evacuated from 14 subdistricts in the Kota Barat and Kota Selatan districts of the province on Friday morning as major floods hit the area. Rain poured for three days, causing the water levels of the Bone, Bolango and Tamalate rivers to overflow and inundate some parts of the province by up to two meters.

Tough times ahead for Indonesian art world By Rita A. Widiadana The constraints of bans, some imposed without clear reasons, closures and censorship continue to haunt the organizers and presenters of local art and cultural activities. Creative freedom among Indonesian artists has been curbed in the name of the nation's stability and security.

Raging 'Zanzibar' offers cozy cocktails, fame By Tobias Gluckmans JAKARTA (JP): Exploding volcanoes, tacos, rock `n' roll paraphernalia and hand prints of the stars ... As Jakarta's up- scale nightlife continues to grow, new clubs, restaurants and bars are turning more to gimmicks and specialties to draw in an increasingly jaded elite market.

Veterans reflect on ups and downs of press freedom By Johannes Simbolon JAKARTA (JP): Possibly nothing reflects a modern nation's freedom of speech better than the extent to which its press is free. When talking about freedom of the press in Indonesia, press bans tend to get in the way. Will the Indonesian press be free in the future or continue to live under the threat of bans? Will the press only survive if it becomes the mouth piece of the holders of power?

'Dangdut' singers mesmerize fans at Ancol JAKARTA (JP): Thousands cheered as the king of Indonesian dangdut music, Rhoma Irama, began a free show last night at the former Ancol circuit in North Jakarta, to celebrate the country's golden anniversary. Rhoma Irama started with a prayer, then proceeded with his song 185 Juta Penduduk Indonesia (185 Million Indonesians), a new version of his old hit, 135 Juta Penduduk Indonesia.