City traffic jams blamed on poor planning Adianto P Simamora and Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Ever feel like you are going nowhere in this city? Perhaps it's because you are -- stuck in one of Jakarta's notorious traffic jams. Frazzled commuters could do well to take this website's advice: "Consider the time that you spend caught in traffic jams as an opportunity to make some phone calls from your cell-phone or even to do some work.

Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, June 12, 2005 Exhibitions * Fine Arts Black is Black by M. Faisal (Iconk) at Galeri Nasional Indonesia Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur No.14 Central Jakarta, until June 14 * Photo Images from the Heart by Arbain Rambey, Arun Taneja, Charlie Sianipar, Deniek G. Sukarya, Karin Sukarya, Keijo Fujii, etc., at Deniek G. Sukarya Gallery, Jl. Kemang Raya No. 15 South Jakarta, open daily Monday - Saturday 10 a.m.

Culture vultures, Old Europe and the Big Durian Jakarta's foreign cultural centers are a great asset to the city's cultural life. They are a haven for those arty aspirants who are looking for something slightly more intellectually stimulating than concerts by Seventies, prog.rock, B-list failures Air Supply (they're on this month pop pickers) or the stilted dialogue of Star Wars: Revenge of the Shit down at the local studio 21.

Studying abroad -- Big costs, big rewards Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Studying abroad may not only enrich your academic experience and give you some international experience, an overseas education can also be the key to a good career. In this ever-increasingly borderless world, major companies not only want employees with good skills but also a good command of the English language, in addition to a good knowledge of international affairs.

Driving in Jakarta takes nerves of steel Having good health or being physically fit is not enough to drive in Jakarta: one needs guts, and maybe a touch of insanity. Feeling unable to meet this extra, frivolous requirement, some people have stopped sitting behind the wheel altogether. "I stopped driving because I could no longer tolerate the chaos on the streets," said a colleague recently, sounding exasperated.

Santia finally gets Dutch visa JAKARTA: After a delay forced her to put off her travel plans, national cyclist Santia Tri Kusuma was granted a visa by the Dutch embassy to race in the Netherlands. The 24-year-old Southeast Asian and Asian Games medalist was due to leave on the KLM evening flight on Saturday, according to Cycling Association of Indonesia (ISSI) secretary-general Sofian Ruzian.

Contemporary dance making steady comeback Helly Minarti, Contributor, Jakarta The sense -- or scent -- of spring is hardly felt in the capital, but this year, this time somehow marks the beginning of dance season on the familiar stages of the Jakarta Playhouse and Teater Utan Kayu. Several local dance performances were seen last month beginning with Jefriandi Usman and his sequel to last year's "body studies" at the Jakarta Playhouse titled Tubuh dan Pikiranku (My Body and Mind).

JP/1/Blurb Wonder of Banten The Baduy's cultural wisdom, unique community and the exotic natural beauty of their environment continue to appeal to visitors. Not surprisingly, the ethnic group is listed as one of the Seven Wonders of Banten. Page 13

Kanaya Tabitha: Learning to control the emotions Syahmedi Dean, Contributor, Jakarta Two new elements have shown up in designer Kanaya Tabitha's latest offerings: the heyday of Hollywood and the modern aspect of today's women. A model clad in a red evening dress moved along the catwalk, demonstrating great elegance, simplicity, modernity and feminimity. Perfectly wrapping the body and flowing past the ankles, the dress was focused on the shoulder line.

Couple charged with enslaving RI maid UNITED STATES: Federal and state authorities have accused a Saudi Arabian couple of forcing an Indonesian woman to work in their home for four years while the husband allegedly repeatedly sexually assaulted her. A federal grand jury indicted Homaidan Al-Turki, 36, and his wife, Sarah Khonaizan, 35, on Thursday on charges of forced labor, harboring an illegal immigrant and unlawfully concealing the woman's passport.

Minor quake causes panic INDONESIA: An earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale jolted Yogyakarta and the southern part of East and Central Java on Saturday, causing people to leave their homes in panic. A resident of a housing complex in Sosorutan area in Yogyakarta said he felt the tremor at around 8:45 p.m. The tremblor lasted about 15 seconds. "I quickly took my daughter out of the house. Some of my neighbors did the same," a woman, Sulistini, told Antara.

Studying in Singapore, Malaysia less costly T.Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Jakarta Studying abroad has long been the choice of many students who want to have an international experience while enjoying quality education. There is a long list of options but most prefer to continue their study in an English-speaking country. America and Australia remain favorite destinations, but there are also students who go to neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Exploring Baduy settlements in ancient land Bambang Parlupi, Jakarta The rustle of trees in the mountain breeze, and the sound of flowing streams with intermittent chirps of songbirds, signaled a welcome as visitors enter settlements of the Baduy community in Banten, Java's westernmost province. An observation of Baduy Luar ("Outer Baduy") and Baduy Dalam ("Inner Baduy") areas showed neatly built wooden houses on stilts with bamboo walls and dry- leaf roofing, reflecting simplicity and peace.

Jakarta: It's chaotic, crowded and polluted Kurniawan Hari and Anissa S. Febrina The Jakarta Post/Jakarta Ayako Shimizu, a staff member of the Information and Culture Section at the Embassy of Japan, was waiting one morning for a taxi in Hang Lekir, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, when a car pulled up beside her. She got into the car voluntarily when the driver offered her a lift to her office on Jl. Thamrin. "I had been waiting for a taxi for quite a long time, so I accepted the offer.

Jakarta's anniversary date, an endless controversy Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Is Jakarta really 478 years old? The question should probably pop up in one's mind while observing the frustrating traffic woes, irregular spatial pattern in several places in the city and other out-of-order things that would make a list so long you would be bored to tears.

Jakarta needs more green areas Adianto P. Simamora and Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta While shopping centers and high-rise buildings are sprouting up all over Jakarta, green spaces, which are essential to enhance the quality of life in the capital, are apparently getting more difficult to find. While many of them have disappeared thanks to property development projects, the Jakarta administration does not seem interested to replace the lost ones or expand the existing ones.

G-33 ministers meet to push balance, fair farm trade Zakki P. Hakim, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The Group of 33 developing countries kicked off its first ministerial meeting here on Saturday in a bid to pursue better balance and fairer global trade in agriculture, taking into account the needs of developing and least-developed countries. Indonesian Minister of Trade Mari E.

Dutch musicians in jazz concert Jazz music lovers in Jakarta, Bandung (West Java) and Surabaya (East Java) will be able again to gather and enjoy the music being performed by noted musicians. From June 14 through 18, a group of noted musicians from the Netherlands will tour the cities to present a jazz concert called Jazz Concert Eric Vloeimans Fugimundi". The group comprises Eric Vloeimans (trumpet), Ernst Reijseger (cello) and Anton Goudsmit (guitar).

Cristiano Ronaldo in the thick of things in Aceh Moch N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo's whistle-stop visit to Banda Aceh on Saturday encountered a hitch when crowd control problems forced the cancellation of a coaching clinic. The 20-year-old Manchester United player, on a two-day visit to Banda Aceh and Jakarta for tsunami relief, was scheduled to lead the clinic for elementary school and junior high school students at a soccer field.

Int'schools offer diverse, complex learning Simon Marcus Gower, Jakarta The name Maria Montessori is perhaps most readily associated with the many schools that bear her name (a number of which may be found in various locations around Jakarta). But she has also rightly been described as a profound and original thinker on education, a scientist, a philosopher, a physician and a feminist and humanitarian. But perhaps her own words tell us more about her than all those descriptors and titles.

Jakarta Abstract on paintings About 20 painters will put their creations on display in an exhibition entitled Abstrak Jakarta at Galeri Cipta II, Ismail Marzuki Fine Arts Center from June 17 through June 27. Each painter will exhibit their respective works based on a different concept, thus making the exhibition colorful. The works of the artists are mostly inspired by the complicated problems confronting cities. One problem being that a day in the city can feel like 48 hours.

Call 0811109949, Susilo will answer Rendi Witular, The Jakarta Post, Purwakarta, West Java For those of you who find the notoriously inept bureaucracy is posing a stumbling block in seeking a solution to your problems, add 0811109949 to your phonebook and the President will lend a helping hand. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Saturday he was prepared to listen to people's complaints through his cellular phone if they found that government officials failed to heed them.

Our adventure to Taman Buah Mekarsari Sarah Tanjung, Kristofer Sarwono, Devin Santoso, Danny Sutanto, Primary 3, Sekolah Ichthus Jakarta-South In tune with our topic, we Primary 3 students went on a field trip to Taman Buah Mekarsari, or the Mekarsari Fruit Orchards, in Cileungsi. The journey took us about three-quarters of an hour. We climbed up a tower that was about 40 meters high. The view of the fruit orchards was beautiful and spectacular, it was green and dotted with fruits all around us.

Between Fiction and Reality Artist Didi Kasi will exhibit his colorful and refreshing paintings and sculptures at the Duta Fine Arts Foundation from June 1 through July 1. This will be his third exhibition at the Duta Fine Arts Foundation in Kemang, South Jakarta. Didi's highly idiosyncratic work brings the public immediately into a world that lingers somewhere between fiction and reality.

Jakarta surgeons separate conjoined twins The Jakarta Post Jakarta After a five-hour operation, a team of doctors from Jakarta's Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital managed to separate conjoined twins Nia and Mia on Saturday. Commenting after the surgery, the medical team spokesman, Soedjatmiko, said the babies were now in stable condition. He said the team found difficulties in separating the twins as they were facing each other.

Tasty lumpia A special spring roll from Semarang in Central Java, its makers call the snack lunpia or loenpia, but most people know it as lumpia. Made mostly from sliced bamboo stem, or rebung, which is first fried with egg, shrimp and sometimes with fish or chicken, the filling is then rolled in a thin wheat-dough package before it is fried again. People usually eat lumpia with hot chili sauce and occasionally with marinated cucumber.

Surgeons separate conjoined twins The Jakarta Post, Jakarta After a five-hour operation, a team of doctors from Jakarta's Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital managed to separate conjoined twins Nia and Mia on Saturday. Commenting after the surgery, the medical team spokesman, Soedjatmiko, said the babies were now in stable condition. He said the team found difficulties in separating the twins as they were facing each other.

Soldier, four rebels killed in Aceh INDONESIA: Four separatist rebels and a government soldier have been killed in the latest clashes in Indonesia's troubled Aceh province, the military said Saturday. The four Free Aceh Movement guerrillas were killed early Saturday in a military raid on their hideout in the Gayo Lues district in southeast Aceh, army spokesman Sujono said.

The Earth-Human-Space ceramics exhibition at Sunaryo Art Space in Bandung is on from June 3 through June 30, 2005, not June 3 through June 5, 2005 as we earlier reported. We apologize for the error. -- Editor

Visitors have fun with 'angklung' T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Bandung Clad in colorful traditional costumes, dozens of children and teenagers cheerfully sing while playing unique bamboo musical instruments called angklung. Beautiful sounds fill the air, mesmerizing the audience who clap their hands in rhythm to the music. At the end of the show, they dance together in a happy atmosphere, sharing a moment that will no doubt become an unforgettable memory. "That's amazing.

Dual Degree Program: Another option for a world-class education Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta Studying overseas remains the best way for high-school graduates to further their studies and get world-class education. However, the increase in the number of universities applying international standards to their educational programs gives high school graduates more affordable options.

Megawati, Zainuddin boost chances of candidates for local government The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The election campaign across the archipelago ran well and was full of merriment on Saturday as big shots flocked to the regions in support of candidates running for local government. Former president Megawati Soekarnoputri flew to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi on Saturday to attend the campaign of Sinyo Sarundajang and Freddy H. Sualang.

Jakarta: It's chaotic, crowded and polluted Kurniawan Hari and Anissa S. Febrina, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta In celebration of Jakarta's 478th anniversary, this Sunday's edition features a cover story detailing the traffic problems and the lack of green areas in the city. Indeed, there are a multitude of problems confronting the city, but several of the expatriates we spoke to believe solutions to these two problems would greatly enhance the quality of life here.