'API' comedy a serious business Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta If a comedian tells you po-faced that to make people laugh is a serious endeavor and is painstakingly difficult, it's best not to smile -- even if at the back of your mind you wonder if he is setting you up for a joke. An unsmiling Basuki gave this very advice to a comedy group that also happened to be gravely unfunny, which had just performed on the API talent show -- Indonesia's homegrown comedy version of American Idol.

Lien-Hu talks get mixed reception in Taiwan Baker Li, Reuters/Taipei Taiwan opposition leader Lien Chan's landmark meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao won mixed reviews at home on Saturday, with some newspapers praising his peace effort and others accusing Lien of selling out Taiwan. The mainland press, meanwhile, hailed Friday's encounter in Beijing as a "major step", but said the six-decade-long China- Taiwan conflict was far from resolved.

Paul F. Agusta Contributor/Bandung Out of the dim, dark yesterday of the rapidly and consistently shifting music trends in Indonesia, in which bands explode onto the scene like fireworks and fade away in a puff of smoke, one band still shines brightly. Pure Saturday, the old warhorses of the pioneer days of the Bandung indie scene of the early 1990s, keep the sparks of inspiration flying at frequent gigs throughout Java and Bali.

Pure Saturday still lights up the firmament of indie music Paul F. Agusta, Contributor, Bandung Out of the dim, dark yesterday of the rapidly and consistently shifting music trends in Indonesia, in which bands explode onto the scene like fireworks and fade away in a puff of smoke, one band still shines brightly. Pure Saturday, the old warhorses of the pioneer days of the Bandung indie scene of the early 1990s, keep the sparks of inspiration flying at frequent gigs throughout Java and Bali.

Mira Lesmana and her obsession Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta I did not know Mira Lesmana personally, just that she was a movie director and producer. I thought she came from an affluent family and had entered the film industry as a side interest. It turned out that I was wrong. It is her strong devotion to film -- not money -- that has made Mira an important person in the film industry. Dozens of trophies in her South Jakarta office show the kind of person Mira is.

Da Vinci revives Humphrey Bogart's memory The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Academy Award winner Humphrey Bogart, who died in 1957, is remembered as much for his image as for his acting. Now, Da Vinci Indonesia is celebrating his life through a collection of furniture. Bogart, known as Bogey, studied at the Phillips Academy in preparation for medical studies at Yale, but was expelled and later joined the U.S. Navy.

Precious silver at Yanvan Gallery The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Yanvan Gallery has become a can't-miss destination for visitors to Ubud, Bali, with an interest in quality silver jewelry. Visitors to the gallery on Jl. Monkey Forest will find silver rings, bracelets, necklaces, photo frames, pens, nail files, letter openers and other items. The gallery stands out from the other buildings on the busy street near Ubud Market with its red facade.

Srimulat members rely on door-to-door orders With the Srimulat Surabaya comedy troupe no longer treading the boards in its hometown, some of its comedians have moved to Jakarta. Others remain in the city and perform from door to door to earn a living. Of course, they earn much less than their fellow comedians who have moved to Jakarta. Didik Mangkuprojo is one of Srimulat's longest serving comedians, and has decided to remain in Surabaya.

Young designer wins award The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesian designer Kartika Lesmana won the Participating Country Award at the 13th Hempel International Young Fashion Designer Contest in Beijing on March 25. Kartika, who recently completed her studies at the Lasalle College, exhibited her collection "Freedom of Freeze", which is inspired by cold winters and skiing, according to a statement from the Lasalle College. A total of 37 young designers participated in the festival.

Surabaya abounds with comedians Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya The capital of East Java province, Surabaya, has popularly become known as comedy central as its produced a batch of successful comedians. Tessy, who always appears as a transsexual, portraying Tarzan, and Asmuni, who always appears as a wise old man, are just a couple of examples of Srimulat Surabaya's comedians that have enjoyed nationwide popularity.

True worshipers make journey to 'shine like stars' The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The atmosphere was joyous as the leader of True Worshipers, a group of Indonesian gospel musicians and singers, encouraged the 1,400-strong audience to sing along during the live recording of the 10-song Shine Like Stars album.

A very brief summary of the Surat Centhini The Serat Centhini dwells on the three children of Sunan Giri: Jayengresmi, Jayengsari and Rancangkapti. Fleeing the Sultan Agung's troops led by Raden Pekik, who burn down their house, the three siblings become separated and as a fugitive, Jayengresmi studies ma'rifat, the highest knowledge of mysticism, and starts to call himself Syekh Amongraga. The siblings make new friends and learn a lot from their experiences on the road.

Barreto brings Latin flavor to Proliga Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Whether on attack or defense, Brazilian volleyball player Marcello Barreto provides added value to his team. Last year, playing for Jakarta Monas Bank DKI, he was the best blocker in the Proliga volleyball championship; this year, his 72.661 percent conversion rate on spikes leads all players. At a towering 1.98 meters -- a full 10 centimeters more than his tallest teammate -- he also stands out from the crowd.

Kuntoro named head of Aceh reconstruction agency Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Former minister of mines and energy Kuntoro Mangkusubroto was officially installed on Saturday as chairman of a special agency tasked with coordinating the rehabilitation and reconstruction of tsunami-hit Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Nias Island. At a ceremony at the State Palace, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono also inaugurated other officials of the agency and its auxiliary bodies.

Four arrested with 176 kg of marijuana in Jakarta Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta City police arrested Friday evening four suspected members of a drug syndicate and confiscated 176 kilograms of cannabis in their possession. City police spokesman Sr. Comr. Tjiptono said on Saturday detectives from the city police acted on a tip that a transaction was about to take place at the Minang Asih Restaurant on Jl. Raya Buncit, South Jakarta.

Inandiak's version of 'Serat Centhini' Blontank Poer, Correspondent, Surakarta, Central Java Serat Centhini is a complete Javanese classical literary work. Compiled in the first half of 19th century, Centhini is to date the most complete encyclopedia about Java. It contains the paradoxes in life about virtues originating in Islam and gives explicit sex education to laymen in a manner that many modern scholars still find pornographic.

True worshipers make journey to 'shine like stars' The Jakarta Post Jakarta The atmosphere was joyous as the leader of True Worshipers, a group of Indonesian gospel musicians and singers, encouraged the 1,400-strong audience to sing along during the live recording of the 10-song Shine Like Stars album.

Bandung's Indie scene: scattered, but very much alive Paul F. Agusta, Contributor, Bandung Bandung. About a decade ago, a simple mention of the name brought to mind a city with the most vibrant, exciting, and innovative artists to color the Indonesian music landscape. For some people, this is no longer the case; the old standard venues, like the Saparua Sporting Hall, no longer hold regularly scheduled concerts.

TV Program: Sunday, May 1, 2005 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Cartoon: Tabulaga 7:30 Children Puppet: Mechanick 8:00 The Adventures of Red Ant 9:00 Children Drama 10:00 Sports: Antar Gelanggang 11:30 English for Fun 12:30 p.m.

'Janji Joni' a simple comedy adventure Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Janji Joni *** (out of ****); Comedy/Adventure, 85 minutes; Starring Nicholas Saputra, Mariana Renata, Rachel Maryam, Surya Saputra; Written and directed by Joko Anwar; A Kalyana Shira Film production; In Bahasa Indonesia If you were a first-time director, unless you are Francois Truffaut, it is best to avoid running around with big ideas and colossal themes.

Message in batik exhibition Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Sitting on a 60 cm x 100 cm mat, a young woman weaved as guests went upstairs after the opening of the Cloth Exhibition at the Hadiprana Gallery in South Jakarta on Monday evening. Her colleague drew a picture on a white cloth with liquefied wax. She was creating batik. The demonstrated skill of weaving and creating batik was performed as part of the batik exhibition that runs from April 25 through May 21 at the gallery.

Auctions: Between collecting and trading art Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Singapore/Jakarta It would appear that auction houses are still doing good business if the auction yields on Southeast Asian paintings in the last half of 2004 and early 2005 in the region are anything to go by. Singapore, which is increasingly becoming an art and culture tourism destination, hosts four auctions a year, held by the Larasati and Sotheby's auction houses.

RI wants answers on fisherman's death AUSTRALIA: The Indonesian embassy in Australia demanded an explanation Saturday of how an Indonesian fisherman died while being detained in his boat moored at the northern city of Darwin. The embassy said fishing boat skipper Muhammad Hari, 37, died on Thursday as he and his nine crew were being held on the vessel after being arrested two weeks ago for illegal fishing off Australia. It is the second such death in Darwin in the past three years.

Immigration office infested with corruption Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A man is standing in line in front of a counter at the Immigration Office in South Jakarta. He is carrying a cheap- looking folder containing copies of important documents, while his other hand is in his pocket to keep his wallet safe from any pickpockets who might be loitering about.

Chinese Festival University of Indonesia hosted the fifth Festival of Chinese Culture, an annual event organized by the Association of Sinology Students at the university's School of Cultural Affairs. Initiated in 2000, the festival has a different theme each year. "Chinese Arts" was the theme for this year's celebration.

The selling of a Friday prayer The imam (priest) solemnly concluded the Friday prayers at the At Taqwa mosque in Palmerah, Central Jakarta. "Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh (May the peace, mercy and the blessing of God be upon you)," he said. The congregation was supposed to softly repeat the same phrase -- praying for peace, mercy, and the blessings of Allah. Instead, a few men in the back row began to shout: "Sale... sale. It's cheap.

Illegal 'fees' abound in govt departments The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has pledged to combat corruption. Six months into his presidency, the public has yet to see changes in the way most government offices operate. This story examines Susilo's anticorruption program and why it isn't working.

Illegal fees nurtured to keep state running Rendi A. Witular and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A senior official at the Ministry of Finance once said that illegal fees paid by the public for services at governmental offices helped keep the underfunded bureaucracy running. Most of the country's five million public servants, especially middle and high-ranking officials, were paid too little and thus could only make ends meet thanks to the illegal fees, the official argued.

JP/1/Blurb Mira Lesmana Mira Lesmana says an Indonesian activist who died at a young age several decades ago has had a great influence on her way of thinking. Now, she is making a film about him. Page 4

Our favorite school Lius Widjaya and Prashina Samtani and Jyoti Nagrani and Bhavna Nathani, Jakarta In keeping with Gandhi's tradition of charity, our school, Mahatma Gandhi School, decided to 'adopt' a school in the academic year 2004-2005. Kartini School of Pluit came to mind. This is a special school that was founded by twin sisters Rossy and Ryan. A special school for children of poor garbage dump workers; its further development is their main objective.

When you marry, you pay in RI Dyaharini Nurhapsari and Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Corruption does not only affect people looking for visas or drivers' licenses, but also those tying the knot. Newly married couple Jhony and Leonny (not their real names) recalled how difficult it was to deal with officials from the Religious Affairs Office (KUA) in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta. KUA is an agency under the auspices of the Ministry or Religious Affairs.

JP/16/John Looking for John de Rantau Zhuang Wubin Contributor/Singapore Writer-director John de Rantau, 35, presented the world premiere of Mencari Madonna (Looking for Madonna) -- his first cinematic feature depicting the HIV/AIDS situation in West Papua -- at the 18th Singapore International Film Festival.

True worshipers make journey to 'shine like stars' The Jakarta Post Jakarta The atmosphere was joyous as the leader of True Worshipers, a group of Indonesian gospel musicians and singers, encouraged the 1,400-strong audience to sing along during the live recording of the 10-song Shine Like Stars album.

Cop in hot water over sexual harassment MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: Dozens of woman journalists and activists held a protest on Saturday in Makassar, demanding that a senior police officer punish a subordinate for alleged sexual harassment. The incident happened on Thursday when four woman journalists went to South Sulawesi provincial police headquarters to attend a press conference concerning recent violence in Mamasa regency, West Sulawesi.