A terrifying tale of terror right here, right now Rich Simons, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Seeds of Terror Maria Ressa Free Press/Simon & Schuster, 2003 254 pp US$26 The profundity of Maria Ressa's account of the inner workings of al-Qaeda and their terror partners in Southeast Asia, particularly Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) in Indonesia and Abu Sayyaf and others of their ilk in the Phillipines, is wholly mind- blowing.

Soga says needs time with family INDONESIA: Reunited in Indonesia with her family after nearly two years, a Japanese woman once abducted to North Korea spent hours talking to her husband, a former U.S. soldier Washington says deserted to the Stalinist state in 1965.

Sintang ikat: West Kalimantan textiles find their spotlight Emiria Wijayanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta It was still a jungle out there when Father Peter Jac. Maessen first stepped foot in West Kalimantan 35 years ago. In a country still reeling from the political and social turmoil of two years before, Sintang was a sleepy, almost forgotten backwater along the Kapuas River.

Water hazards: How much of the plain stuff do we really need Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta Many people take the advise to drink plenty of water every day without precisely knowing its important role for our health. Water makes up around 65 percent of the human body, and every function inside the body depends on and/or is regulated by water.

Say cheese, please, you just made history As Americans were in the throes of their July 4th celebrations, 125 million Indonesian voters took a Neil Armstrong-like "giant leap for mankind" by voting for the first time in a direct presidential election. It was a bit ironic that Indonesia's landmark election should fall right after independence day of the world's greatest democracy.

Adi Jumaadi's world of art is in the living Dewi Anggraeni, Contributor, Melbourne, Australia At the opening reception of The South Project conference in Melbourne last week, among a gathering of people of different racial backgrounds from various places in the southern hemisphere, Adi Jumaadi did not just blend into the background. Maybe it was because he is fairly tall (178 cm) for an Indonesian.

i-box: International Community Activity Center ICAC House, Jl. Bona Vista Raya, Lebak Bulus, Jakarta 12440 Tel: 021 758 16710 Counseling Direct line (Tel/Fax): 021 758 16704 E-mail: icaccounsel@cbn.net.id www.icachouse.or.id

Parenting the parents on a first trip to Indonesia Suzanne Plunkett, Associated Press, Jakarta When my parents traveled from the United States to visit me in Jakarta, a co-worker put the trip in perspective, saying: "You are completely responsible for your parents' health and safety." Right, no pressure or anything. Recent terrorist incidents in places like Turkey and Spain have made Americans anxious about their safety abroad.

PABBSI names lifters for Athens Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Indonesian Weightlifting, Powerlifting and Bodybuilding Association (PABBSI) revealed on Saturday the names of the seven weightlifters who will take part in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

In tense times, demand up for expat counseling David Kennedy, Contributor, Jakarta A respected Asian newsmagazine recently featured a story claiming that high profile Jakarta-based expatriates are being targeted by a terrorist hit squad. The cover photo -- depicting Western businessmen in the sights of a sharpshooter's gun -- had real shock value.

Tough times for Bengkulu's traditional cloth Hera Diani The Jakarta Post Bengkulu After four lean years, batik producer and designer Sari Bulan sometimes wonders if it is worth it to continue making traditional Bengkulu batik cloth besurek. Business has slumped as printed batik takes over from handmade besurek, the province's trademark cloth, in the market.

Pop band Sheila on 7 shows its serious side Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Pop band Sheila on 7 used to have a notorious reputation among interviewers. The band had a penchant for refusing to be serious, constantly throwing lame jokes in a thick Javanese accent while fiddling with whatever was around them. Some said it was the inevitable result of reaping such huge success so young, selling several millions copies albums in an otherwise troubled time for the music industry.

Angie, Wynne give Indonesia 2-0 lead against Slovenia in Fed Cup Moch. N. Kurniawan, Tbe Jakarta Poswt, Jakarta Angelique "Angie" Widjaja and Wynne Prakusya gave Indonesia a 2-0 lead over Slovenia in their World Group playoff in the Fed Cup women's team tennis championship here on Saturday. Angie managed to cope with powerful serves from higher-ranked Katerina Srebotnik to scrape to a 6-4, 6-3 win before Wynne Prakusya doubled the lead with a convincing 6-1, 6-4 win over Tina Pisnik.

Letters to the governor from 'Bambang' a deer Daniel Ziv, Contributor, Jakarta Last year Governor Sutiyoso moved 12 spotted deer into the newly gated grounds of the National Monument (Monas) in a bold attempt to beautify the city's largest park. Bambang, one of the deer, recently wrote a series of letters to the governor sharing some of his daily thoughts and experiences. The following is a selection from these letters.

WEBSITE: INI YANG DIPAKAI: TRIMS Gamelan music groups find the beat on U.S. campuses Maggie Tiojakin Contributor Boston At 7:45 p.m. at MIT's Kresge Little Theater, 20 men and women, most of them American, entered the stage dressed in cranberry- colored outfits and yellow headgear, with a purple rose tucked behind one ear. Immediately, they positioned themselves behind a set of gamelan traditional orchestra instruments as the houselights went from dim to complete darkness.

Putting heads, and feet, in the sand Like insects emerging from their lairs, the lithe figures in black and white crawled along the rocks and sand to greet the waves at Parangtritis Beach in Yogyakarta. They were dancers in the art performance Tato Totem, the work of Bernadetta Kinting Sri Hanjati.

Ajengan, a tempting taste of Bali on the quiet Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The shuffle of feet and the sound of a cassette quickly being shoved into a tape player was the initial greeting when we entered Ajengan one night last month. "It must be to drown out the echo," my friend quipped, surveying the quieter than quiet environs as the rising strains of Balinese gamelan music did away with the awkward silence.

Change, and confusion, going on in the classroom Emiria Wijayanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After 365 days, you'd think that something would change. After leaving Jakarta last year to pursue a university degree in America, I arrived back home this summer looking forward to spending time with my high school friends. Reminiscing about the past year took us to an interesting and unsurprising topic: high school.

Toba tales * Lake Toba is the largest lake in Indonesia, and Southeast Asia, measuring 100 km long and 31 km across. It is also the world's deepest lake at 450 meters. * Lake Toba was formed 75,000 years ago as the result of an enormous volcanic explosion, what some scientists consider the biggest in the world's history. * The island of Samosir in the center of the lake is 530 square kilometers, or about the size of Singapore.

The hard sell: You go girl ... as in, please go away Susanna Tjokro, Contributor, Jakarta As I entered the shop, one of the shop assistants immediately came toward me. "How can I help you?" she asked with a smile. "Thanks, but I'd like to look around first. If I need something that I cannot find by myself, then I'll ask you". "OK," she replied with another smile. I thought she would leave me alone. I was wrong. That girl followed me wherever I went. Help!

Amid Iraq hostage fears, Manila vows to pull peacekeepers Oliver Teves, Associated Press, Manila The Philippines' small peacekeeping contingent in Iraq will be withdrawn when its current stint ends on Aug. 20, the president's spokesman said on Saturday, after prominent Filipino Muslims appealed for insurgents there to free a kidnapped truck driver.

U.S. role in Papua vote revealed Slobodan Lekic, Associated Press, Jakarta United States supported former dictator Soeharto when he incorporated West Papua into Indonesia in 1969 after a self- determination vote later dismissed as a sham, newly declassified documents show. "You should tell Suharto that we understand the problems they face in West Papua," U.S.

Trauma Umadah "Mother's found another woman for me. Imah, let's just separate peacefully or you must let me have a second wife." "Mas Handoyo, are you joking?" Rohimah retorted. "What for? I'm serious. So is my mother. She can't wait any longer for a grandchild." "Is a child an absolute for a marriage?" asked Rohimah again, cynically. Handoyo shook his head many times in his confusion. He was still unable to fathom what was in her heart even after almost four years of marriage.

Amid hostage drama, Manila to pull out peacekeepers on time Oliver Teyes Associated Press Manila The Philippines will withdraw its peacekeeping contingent from Iraq on schedule next month, the government said on Saturday, the day militants vowed to kill a Filipino hostage if the troops were not sent home. As the government made its announcement, the Arab television station Al-Jazeera showed a video of the hostage appealing to Manila to give in to the insurgents and withdraw its 51-member force.

Change, and confusion, going on in the classroom Emiria Wijayanti The Jakarta Post Jakarta After 365 days, you'd think that something would change. After leaving Jakarta last year to pursue a university degree in America, I arrived back home this summer looking forward to spending time with my high school friends. Reminiscing about the past year took us to an interesting and unsurprising topic: high school.

Activist examines Jakarta warts and all Jakarta, Metropolis Tunggang-Langgang (Jakarta, The Helter- Skelter Metropolis) Marco Kusumawijaya, GagasMedia, 2004 233 pp "Jakarta has made many people frustrated for it fails to be a home to live in, although it clearly shows its capability to be that." That is how environmental expert Marco Kusumawijaya opens this slim paperback volume.

Allies make up bulk of donors M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The presidential candidates' balance sheets of major donors to their July 5 election campaign funds are as intriguing as they are uninformative, with instances of unlikely donations from unnamed "friends", small traders and wealthy patrons in out-of- the-way places, The Jakarta Post has found. Close aides and inner-circle party members made up the bulk of the individual contributions to the funds.

Circles in the sand Like insects emerging from their lairs, the lithe figures in black and white crawled along the rocks and sand to greet the waves at Parangtritis Beach in Yogyakarta. They were dancers in the art performance Tato Totem, the work of Bernadetta Kinting Sri Hanjati.

Gamelan groups find the beat on U.S. campuses Maggie Tiojakin, Contributor, Boston At 7:45 p.m. at MIT's Kresge Little Theater, 20 men and women, most of them American, entered the stage dressed in cranberry- colored outfits and yellow headgear, with a purple rose tucked behind one ear. Immediately, they positioned themselves behind a set of gamelan traditional orchestra instruments as the houselights went from dim to complete darkness.

Lake Toba promotion efforts aim to make waves Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Parapat, North Sumatra In its fourth holding this year, the Lake Toba Folk Festival featured its usual attractions, such as music and dance performances by the Batak people of North Sumatra who consider the area their sacred homeland.

Tough times for Bengkulu's traditional cloth 'besurek' Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Bengkulu After four lean years, batik producer and designer Sari Bulan sometimes wonders if it is worth it to continue making traditional Bengkulu batik cloth besurek. Business has slumped as printed batik takes over from handmade besurek, the province's trademark cloth, in the market.

A chance to try food the way 'nyonya' used to make it The use of Malay spices, herbs combined with Chinese ingredients, like tofu, soya sauce and dried mushrooms, made peranakan cuisine unique from the influences from which it was derived. From its beginnings in about the 15th century in the mixed Chinese-Malay communities which grew up along the Straits of Malacca, the food, also known as baba-nyonya cuisine, has been passionately prepared by nyonya (housewives).

Soga says needs time with family INDONESIA: Reunited in Indonesia with her family after nearly two years, a Japanese woman once abducted to North Korea spent hours talking to her husband, a former U.S. soldier Washington says deserted to the Stalinist state in 1965.

Fun and festive food of the Philippines a mix of flavors Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta It's still time to gather up the family and dish up those special dishes, at least if you are Filipino. For May through August is a period of merriment as Filipinos celebrate regional and national fiestas. In the country of 7,001 islands, Independence Day on June 12 is commemorated by holding various activities, including games and parades in villages.