Boyke Aditya Krishna's art keeps viewers guessingBy Lilia Syarif Naga JAKARTA (JP): People usually view paintings or artworks as a diversion or to appreciate their beauty and craftsmanship. They are probably not seeking to evoke emotional upheaval.

Talk about 'national priority'! JAKARTA (JP): Since the beginning of the fasting month, my wife has been busy with her usual tidying up of the house to welcome Lebaran.I don't mind her cleaning and washing.

Unity and integrityFrom Sinar PagiThe recent violence involving security personnel, student demonstrators and the general public, and the positive and negative aspects of the recent Special Session of the People's Consultative Assembly could lead to the disintegration of the nation and have caused...

Poor Chinese, natives live in harmony in Jembatan LimaBy Mehru Hasnain JAKARTA (JP): Hidden behind the glass and concrete skyscrapers of Jakarta's chic main streets, acres of slums sprawl. Here life is muddier, but a little less mean.

Floods hit Malaysia KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters): More than 1,500 people have fled their homes in Malaysia to escape flooding caused by heavy monsoon rains, news reports said on Saturday.A total of 1,515 people in six districts of Pahang state in the northeast of Peninsular Malaysia have been evacuated...

Threats: 'Fear thou not for I am with Thee'By Rev. Hallie Jonathans JAKARTA (JP): In this city named Jakarta we see students, intellectuals and common people alike express their feelings, opinions and interests in their own fashions on a daily basis.

Javanese cosmology colors Heri Dono's worksBy Tedy Novan YOGYAKARTA (JP): When climbing Mount Merapi in March, creator of fine art Heri Dono thought that if Indonesian artists had duly respected their cultural traditions, the environmental destruction and moral degradation would not be as bad as it...

Sundanese games in several big cities are dyingBy Kafil Yamin BANDUNG (JP): Yuceu Dewi Sakinah, 10, is among the lucky little girls who can enjoy both old and new games. During her fasting, she plays sondah, a traditional Sundanese game similar to hopscotch, with her friends in front of her house...

Ramadhan time for JakartaSunday Maghrib 6:14 p.m.Monday Imsak 4:10 a.m. Subuh 4.20 a.m.

Holy month of Ramadhan and togethernessBy A. Mustofa Bisri REMBANG, Central Java (JP): One day during this holy fasting month of Ramadhan, I went on a trip with a friend. During the journey he looked rather pale, so I said to him, "Why don't we break our fast? We are on a long journey, so it is...

Strong bomb blast rocks Jl. Sabang JAKARTA (JP): A strong bomb blast extensively damaged the vacant three-story Ramayana department store and shattered windows and billboards of nearby shops on Jl. H. Agus Salim in Central Jakarta on Saturday morning.

Guess What? Joseph Estrada Philippine President Joseph Estrada said Wednesday his new year's resolution would be to quit smoking."Maybe this coming year I'll be less pressured ... because the first time when I assumed office I was so much pressured by the media," Estrada told reporters who asked...

Hopes for crisis to end this year JAKARTA (JP): A devastating economic crisis, which has been biting ever deeper since July 1997, is the most dreaded calamity that people from all walks of life hope will end this year.

SpotlightPhoto A: PreangerHotel Preanger BandungMOVER AND SHAKER: Workers put finishing touches on a giant figure of Pak Haji Geol in the grounds of Hotel Preanger Aerowisata, Bandung. The figure, which mechanically strikes the traditional drum and shakes its hips, is part of the decorations for...

How to pay special attention to family harmony SEMARANG (JP): In the year 2000 the number of Indonesian women aged 45 and above is estimated to reach 20 million out of the 104 million women in the population.

Gus Dur's significant stepsFrom Pikiran RakyatRecently Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur) took steps which were hard to understand by his colleagues of the Ciganjur Declaration. He initiated a dialog with Gen. Wiranto, President Habibie and even former president Soeharto.

Focusing on critical politics of environment The Politics of Environment in Southeast Asia; Philip Hirsch and Carol Warren, editors; Routeledge; xiii + 325pp JAKARTA (JP): When a few weeks ago Minister of Forestry and Plantations Muslimin Nasution declared that his ministry had uncovered Soeharto...

What really happened to poet Ronggowarsito?By Hartono Hadikusumo YOGYAKARTA (JP): The great 19th century Javanese mystic and poet Ronggowarsito died 125 years ago, on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 1873, in Surakarta.

New watch series launched despite crisisBy I. Christianto JAKARTA (JP): Makers of luxury, high-quality watches continue to launch their new series in Indonesia in the belief that their target market is unaffected by the devastating economic crisis.

N. Sulawesi villagers attack store JAKARTA (JP): A mob of about 200 villagers ransacked a store in North Sulawesi's Gorontalo regency on Friday after its owner allegedly insulted Islam, a police official said on Saturday.But Gorontalo police chief Lt. Col.