TV today TVRI 6:00 a.m. News: Sari Berita Sepekan 6:30 Morning Focus 6:45 Healthy and Fresh 7:00 Religious Teachings: Hikmah Pagi 7:30 Children's Program: Arena 123 8:00 Children's Program: Kumbang and Family 8:30 Children's Program: Nuansa Anak 9:30 Creative Program: Widya Wahana 10:00 Property Program: Tata Griya 10:15 Music 11:30 Talk Show: Bincang-Bincang 12:15 p.m.

The joys of tracking down a bargain at sales JAKARTA: Why do store sales generally manage to attract a crowd? Perhaps the answer does not solely lie in the basic reason that people wish to purchase goods at a relatively cheap price. When sports shop Quantum in Blok M Plaza, South Jakarta, held a sale last October, a unique situation occurred. A woman was on the verge of forcing the salesman to hold onto her ID card while she withdrew money from an ATM machine.

Below par Your sports writer, in commenting on the Matoa Nasional Golf tournament, stated that Mr. Atoka, the overnight leader, "returned to the sloppy form that saddled him with a dreadful start on Nov. 24 (he had a 75), carding two bogeys for a one over 73". I have now decided to destroy my golf clubs and take up tennis before anyone finds out the atrocious score I carded last week. JOHN SLACK Jakarta

Could you pass the chicken, please? JAKARTA (JP): "Fried chicken restaurants are on the brink of bankruptcy," said Dino, my oldest son who is visiting us on his annual leave. He was holding a morning paper and it looked to me that he was reading a headline. In the morning, our dining room changes into a multifunctional area where various activities take place. The table is usually full of a motley clutter of items -- a nail cutter, ruler, magazines, newspapers, knitting gear, you name it.

E. Timor proposals' deadline missed UNITED NATIONS (Reuters): Portugal and Indonesia missed their self-imposed deadline for reaching agreement on autonomy for the disputed territory of East Timor by the end of this year when they ended a new round of talks on Friday. UN negotiator Jamsheed Marker said talks would resume from February 1-5. In the interim, he plans to visit East Timor on Dec. 16 to consult with all groups.

Information helps people with AIDS live longer By Chris W. Green JAKARTA (JP): All our ignorance brings us closer to death. Although this quotation goes back more than 60 years, it is surely applicable to people with AIDS (PWAs) today. Studies have shown that ill-informed PWAs die sooner than those who understand the condition and its treatments.

Book accuses RI diplomats of spying for the Dutch By Aboeprijadi Santoso AMSTERDAM (JP): A number of Indonesian diplomats in the 1950s were involved in Dutch espionage activities during the conflict in West Irian. The information gathered was considered important, and passed on to Dutch Foreign Minister Joseph Luns, two Dutch historians say. It is impossible, however, to say whether this affair could be considered "acts of treason".

Many fail to grasp the reality of AIDS By Syaiful W. Harahap and Jupriadi UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi (JP): Young girls sitting in a row waiting for guests -- that is the sight every night in one of the night spots in Ujungpandang. Although 10 HIV/AIDS cases have been recorded in the province (one of the HIV positive people, a male, has died) the sex business is still thriving. Scores of sex workers operate at malls, parks and other public places, including Losari beach.

Businesspeople demand political stability JAKARTA (JP): Location, location, location. Once this was the mantra chanted faithfully by a noted business figure in the country, declaring his philosophy of the most important thing in conducting his business. Today, however, most every player in the economy -- from high- profile tycoons to small retail owners, from portfolio investors to street food vendors -- agree on the one thing they need to maintain their businesses. Political stability.

N. Korea to march behind S. Korea BANGKOK (AP): The North Koreans will have to walk behind their South Korean rivals during the opening ceremony of the 13th Asian Games because the Thai alphabet is being used in establishing marching positions, an organizer said Saturday. Santiparb Tejavanija, assistant secretary of the Bangkok Asian Games Organizing Committee, said an advance team from North Korea asked him about the marching procedure Friday.

Kalimantan forests face desperate threat By Miskudin Taufik JAKARTA (ANTARA): Expecting the forests of Kalimantan to still be the lungs of the world in 2001 is only a dream. The forest management system here is still inadequate and hot spots caused by underground fires in coal seams continue to pose a great threat to the embattled forests of Indonesian Borneo.

Ruslan calls Dutch book 'slanderous' JAKARTA (JP): Former foreign minister Ruslan Abdulgani has denounced two Dutch historians as slanderous for accusing him in a book of passing on vital information to the Dutch government during the Indonesian diplomatic and military campaigns to win Irian Jaya from the Netherlands in the 1950s. "This is character assassination. The book is trash... the story is an extraordinary lie," Ruslan told The Jakarta Post by phone on Saturday.

Spotlight Photo A: IHT International Herald Tribune HOT OFF THE PRESSES: The International Herald Tribune's (IHT) Asia Pacific executive director, Terry Damer (left), joins PT Gramedia's director Gerald Tunggono (second left), Director General of Press and Graphics Dailami Rusli (second right) and IHT's Asia-Pacific managing director Nigel Oakins (right). The paper started printing in Jakarta on Thursday, Nov. 26.

'Dangdut' makes music in its own distinctive style By Helly Minarti JAKARTA (JP): Certain musical beats are often associated with certain groups in society. Here, classical and jazz might belong to the upper class, while the locally popular dangdut -- with its dynamic mixture of gendang (local percussion), bamboo flute and Malay melodies -- is the music of the less affluent society.

New boutiques sate teens' thirst for artists' used clothes By Agni Amorita JAKARTA (JP): Gudang Barengan Boutique on Jl. Anggrek in Fatmawati area, South Jakarta, remains busy even as its owner, actress Elma Theana, is busy preparing for her wedding day. "On Sundays, a good many people come here to shop," said Elma, who will marry automotive businessman Ferry Indarto on Dec. 6. "On work days, not many come here. It's a crisis, as you know." The crisis is precisely when she started the boutique.

Elephants at training centers going hungry BANDA ACEH, Aceh (ANTARA): Elephants at training centers in this province are suffering due to financial cutbacks, and their wild brethren are also on the decline due to man's abuse of their habitat.

Rural elderly Javanese women work to their own beat By Agus Maryono and Ngudi Utomo BANYUMAS, Central Java (JP): The bodies of 65-year-old Arsadi and four other elderly women were wet with sweat as they gyrated their hips to the rhythm of the music they were playing. But the instruments were not ones found in any traditional orchestra. For the music they were playing was kothekan, produced by striking pestles against mortars.

One dead, three injured in student brawls JAKARTA (JP): Widespread brawls involving warring groups of high school students and teenagers rocked the capital's streets on Saturday, killing one first-year student and severely injuring three others. Jakarta Police spokesman Lt. Col. Edward Aritonang confirmed that the brawls took place along several major streets. However, the cause of the fights are unclear.

Indonesians held in HK HONG KONG (AFP): Two Indonesian men were arrested at the airport in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou for trying to smuggle more than 5,500 grams (192.5 ounces) of the designer drug "ice," a news report said Saturday. One of the two Indonesian men failed to pass security check at Baiyun airport on Thursday and was later found to have 10 bags of the drugs strapped to his body, the Ming Pao daily said.

Irianese bark paintings carve out their own style By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo JAKARTA (JP): From Sydney to Stockholm, Irianese primitive art has gained its place as a modern decorative item in galleries and living rooms. The most popular form of Irianese art is sculpture from the Asmat tribe, but others have actually developed into a more modern art form. The main appeal of Asmat sculpture comes from the crude carving style, which has ironically also acted as a hindrance to its development.

AIDS put on the back burner of concerns in the crisis By Stevie Emilia The World Health Organization estimates that 40 million people worldwide will be infected by HIV by the year 2000. Of these, nearly 10 million will be in Asia, including Indonesia. In conjunction with World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, The Jakarta Post looks into what needs to be done to stem the toll from the global epidemic. JAKARTA (JP): In this time of crisis, many people would trade their valuables for some cash to buy food.

Riots ruining the retail sector The retail sector is part of the backbone of the country's economy. But the sector is ailing now, as retailers see their operations shrinking and delay expansion due to the economic, political and social storm that has swept the country. The Jakarta Post's team Benget Simbolon, Budiman Moerdijat, Devi M. Asmarani, Ida Indawati Khouw, Primastuti Handayani, Reiner Simanjuntak, Sugianto Tandra and P.J.

Chatting with Gus Dur to avoid misunderstanding Tabayun Gus Dur; Moh. Shaleh Isre, Editor; LKIS, Yogyakarta; 1st printing, June 1, 1998; xvi + 250 pp YOGYAKARTA (JP): It is to be "regretted" that amid the recent massive wave of demands for political and economic reform, Gus Dur, as Abdurrahman Wahid is better known, has not been as "outspoken" as he is usually known to be.

Ex-Soeharto foundation offers bonus to athletes JAKARTA (JP): To encourage national athletes to excel at the upcoming Asian Games in Bangkok, the government promised on Saturday to provide more cash bonuses taken from Yayasan Supersemar, a charity foundation formerly controlled by ex- president Soeharto.

Everybody welcome in Andree's house JAKARTA (JP): A home is Andree Suryaman's inspiration. This is clearly seen in his first solo exhibition, Silahkan Masuk (Please, Come in). Andree, 28, recipient of 74 fine arts awards, including ones from Japan and India, is displaying 50 of his works, which can be generally described as "paintings of interior comfort", at the Kafe Linggar gallery, on Jl. Kemang Timur 36, South Jakarta. The exhibition is open to the public from the Nov. 20 to Dec. 6.

A touching story In an Australian school magazine I read recently, I found a sad story written by a young Chinese-Indonesian professional who seemed to be an old boy (former student) of the school. I was touched by the story. This is what he wrote: "During the social unrest that swept the Indonesian capital by storm, I too, was one of those so-called Indonesian-Chinese (sic) seeking refuge in a foreign land. You can call me a hypocrite, you can call me unnationalistic.

RI fires affect S'pore air SINGAPORE (Reuters): Singapore air quality hit its worst level in about six months on Friday as smoke haze from forest fire "hot spots" in neighboring Indonesia blew over the tiny island republic. "There are a few isolated hot spots in Central Sumatra and some of them are quite near Singapore. The prevailing wind has carried some smoke haze over to Singapore," a Singapore government statement said.

Indonesian sextuplets born in Singapore JAKARTA (JP): Sextuplets were born by caesarian section to an Indonesian mother on Friday morning in Gleaneagles Hospital, Singapore. The parents, Susan Tjokrosetio and Andre Prijono, were expecting quintuplets, but instead another baby was born to add to their joy. The babies were born one minute apart from each other, starting with the only girl, Deidre. All the boys' names also start with the letter D. "I thank God for giving me six babies.

HIV-infected people share their grief and hopes JAKARTA (JP): Why me? That is one of the first questions asked by someone when they discover that they are HIV positive. In fact, anyone can become infected with the virus. Both men and women, children and adults, homosexuals and heterosexuals. The main methods of infection are sexual relations, blood transfusions and contaminated needles, making it difficult to become infected with HIV.

Balinese Moslems, Hindus live in harmony By Putu Wirata DENPASAR (JP): When thousands of Balinese took to the streets recently, demonstrating their anger at a cabinet minister's religious slur, many people questioned if the predominantly Hindu island had turned sectarian and would seek independence. Hindus constitute over 95 percent of the famed holiday island's population of 2.8 million people, according to the 1997 official statistics. Minister of Food and Horticulture A.M.

Ong's photographs a visual homage to Malang By Myra Sidharta JAKARTA (JP): Long before World War II, during the era when painters toured Indonesia capturing the country's beautiful sights on canvas, a young man was taking photographs of these same scenes. His name was Ong Kian Bie.

PPP to open congress by flexing political muscle JAKARTA (JP): In an apparent show of force, the United Development Party (PPP) will open its congress at Senayan Stadium on Sunday morning with expectations for a turnout of at least 150,000 loyal members and supporters. It will be opened by outgoing chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum, breaking with the tradition of inviting the nation's president to do the honors.

Semarang sinking deeper into the sea By Haryoso SEMARANG (JP): Saltwater is invading 500 hectares of residential and business areas in the northern and eastern coastal subdistricts of Semarang. In the worst hit places, the water level reaches as high as 50 centimeters during high tide, usually during the night. Residents say the flooding has been going on for five years in some of the worst affected areas, with the government doing little to help.