'Pollution destroys our environment, makes Jakarta a very bad place to live in' In observation of World Environment Day, which falls on Sunday, June 5, students of Grade 5, SD Mentari, share their thoughts on the natural world -- and how to protect it. Question: Why are some animals endangered? Answer: Some animals are endangered because some people want their fur for money and to hunt them down. How do you feel about the pollution here in Jakarta? I feel that pollution destroys our country.

Tears for Tentena Daisy Hadmoko, Contributor, Jakarta My heart cries for Tentena. For this small town on the edge of Lake Poso and its friendly, hospitable people. And so honest are the people that a fruit seller did not need to guard over his/her produce on the side of the road leading to town but just left a sign giving the price and a small tin to deposit the money for a purchase.

Ceramics on display at Art Space The ceramic art of Ahadiat Joedawinata will go on show at the Sunaryo Art Space from June 3-5. The exhibition, Earth-Human-Space, will feature pottery made by Ahadiat since 2001, which attempts to describe the close relations between earth, people and space. Ahadiat, a professional interior designer, began creating pottery in the early 1990s, after becoming interested in traditional wood and wicker handicrafts.

TNI chief hopeful of peace talks, but problems remain Agence France-Presse Singapore Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said on Saturday he was hopeful that ongoing peace talks could lead to a permanent solution to a separatist rebellion in Aceh province. But he said problems remained because several factions of the separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have said they do not recognize the leadership of the group engaged in the negotiations.

Tornado Coffee: More than just a trend Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta If anything can be said about Tornado Coffee, it's that it is based on a strong concept and a confidence that it has what it takes to survive. Otherwise, Herson Suindah, who owns the place, would not have ordered two containers of paper cups -- basically enough to fill four 2.5-meter-by-3-meter bedrooms -- from the United States.

Children's book an oasis of life's simple virtues Emmy Fitri, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A Forest of Fables Fifth graders of Mentari Elementary School Jakarta Books 24 pp In a culture where appreciation in a good cause is hard to express explicitly, the experience of the student authors of A Forest of Fables is a rare achievement.

Back to nature night clubbing in the Big Durian Jakarta's club scene has been looking quite vibrant of late. There are now a copious amount of clubs around in which to engage in some serious dance floor shuffling, all of which are immaculately kitted out with extravagant post-modern decor and an equally extravagant rich, young clientele.

'In Front of Papua' tells cultural journey of Jecko Helly Minarti, Contributor, Jakarta Local, rich traditions often are the main fuel of new dance choreography in Indonesia, as seen in the history of Indonesian contemporary dance over the last 40 years.

Bank CEO, staff pitch in to build up school Remmy Faizal, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Paint drips down on an unfinished sketch of the World Trade Center on the classroom wall of a school's health unit. The painter looks at his work. "As you can see, I probably will need some help from some of the children later on to make it tidy," said Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Indonesia Chief Executive Officer Richard McHowat.

Coffee plantations: Dark side of RI history Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Indonesia has been a major coffee producer since the 17th century when the Dutch began opening massive coffee plantations on Java island. The Dutch first brought Arabica coffee to Indonesia, particularly to Java, in 1690 from the port of Mocha in Yemen. The local authorities actually prohibited anyone from transporting the seeds of the Arabica outside the peninsula.

Cafe's rise belie industry decline Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The rapid growth of cafes in cities nationwide during the past few years has done little to help the local coffee industry, producers say. Indonesian Coffee Exporters Association (AEKI) executive secretary Rachim Kartabrata told The Jakarta Post that this year's coffee production was expected to reach 480,000 tons, about the same as production in previous years.

Jakarta's big screens: Tough choice Rough data presented in Janji Joni: An Indonesian Adventure -- a movie written and directed by The Jakarta Post's very own film critic, Joko Anwar -- claims that seven out of 10 people on the streets will say that they are into movies. We can be sure that a big chunk of this group can be found in theaters. And, most likely, even a bigger chunk hovering around pirated DVD vendors.

Sustainable development taking root in mining sector Sudibyo M. Wiradji, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The government has introduced a strict regulation to ensure that the operation of natural resource-based companies such as oil and gas producers and mining companies would not cause a serious damage to the environment.

Special dim sum at Pearl Award-winning international chef Chee Hin Yew is visiting Jakarta to prepare authentic Hong Kong-style dim sum dishes at the JW Marriott Hotel for the month of June. Chee, whose dishes will be available at the hotel's Pearl Restaurant, was voted one of the top dim sum chefs Singapore in 2003 by Tables magazine. JM Marriott, Jl. Lingkar Mega Kuningan, Jakarta Phone:021-5798-8992 The Jakarta Post

JP;FADLI;STE;CD; ANPAa..r.. Highlight-Batam-storm JP/2/HIGH Woman dies, houses damaged in gale INDONESIA: A woman died and hundreds of houses were damaged when a storm with high winds hit nine subdistricts in Batu Ampar, Batam city, in the Riau Islands province on Saturday. Bengkong Harapan village chief Rizal said the storm with its gale-force winds hit suddenly at noon. "Parts of my house's roof are gone; they flew away with the wind," Rizal told The Jakarta Post.

Dining in nature with a little frog T. Sima Gunawan, Contributor, Bandung In these modern times when many people tend to celebrate contemporary cuisine in shopping malls or restaurants, it pays not to overlook the delicious taste of Indonesian food, especially if that food can be eaten in a memorable outdoor setting. Bandung's Kampung Daun and Sapu Lidi are two restaurants famous for serving food within nature.

Turning Jakarta into green city Debbie A. Lubis, Contributor, Jakarta World Environment Day, marked each year on June 5, is one of the important events organized annually by the United Nations to promote worldwide awareness of the environment and increase political attention and action to cope with environmental problems.

TV Program: Sunday, June 5, 2005 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Cartoon: Tabaluga 7:30 Hero Classics 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.

Iran and Japan close in on 2006 World Cup spot Alastair Himmer, Reuters/Tokyo Iran eased to a 1-0 home victory over North Korea on Friday to close in on its third appearance in the World Cup finals. Defender Rahman Rezaei's point-blank header in first-half injury time in Tehran gave Iran 10 points from four matches in the final round of Asian 2006 qualifiers. Japan moved to within a point of Iran in Group B by beating Bahrain by the same score in steamy Manama.

'I don't know what nutritious food is' Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Mataram Thirteen-month-old Muhammad Azmi, feeble and with a swollen stomach, is crying in his mother's arms. He is one of the many unfortunate children in West Nusa Tenggara suffering from marasmus, chronic undernourishment resulting from calorie and protein deficiency.

Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, June 5, 2005 Exhibitions * Fine Arts Black is Black by M. Faisal (Iconk) at Galeri Nasional Indonesia Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur No.14 Central Jakarta, from June 7 to 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.

A time for relaxation Air pollution is one of the main concerns of people living in Jakarta, and one of the reasons that people prefer spending time in air conditioned shopping malls rather than recreating outdoors. As it becomes aware of these concerns, the city administration has issued several policies to reduce air pollution in hopes of encouraging people to enjoy the outdoors. One policy includes the ban on vehicle traffic in the fast lanes of main streets Jl. Jend.

Rosihan Anwar about being a journalist Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Arriving at a big old house in Menteng, Central Jakarta that afternoon, I was not sure if I had come to the right place. The gate was left open and unguarded -- making it possible for anyone to enter the front yard. Two old cars were parked there. The noise from the traffic on Jl. Surabaya was quite disturbing. The original color of the old house had faded.

Balinese art on show Balinese painter Putu Sutawijaya will exhibit his paintings at the Montiq Gallery here from June 9-23. Influenced by movements in graphic design, Putu was born in Tabanan, Bali, and was educated at the Institute of Arts in Yogyakarta. A recipient of the PT Phillip Morris Art Award and a frequent participant in group exhibitions nationally and abroad, his exhibition at Montiq will be opened by fashion designer Harry Darsono.

Speak Up: 'Pollution ... makes Jakarta a very bad place to live in' In observation of World Environment Day, which falls on Sunday, June 5, the authors of A Forest of Fables, students of Grade 5, SD Mentari, share their thoughts on the natural world -- and how to protect it. Question: Why are some animals endangered? Answer: Some animals are endangered because some people want their fur for money and to hunt them down.

Coffee, a hot new lifestyle Kurniawan Hari and Leony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta More and more young people are drinking coffee instead of alcohol or soft drinks at malls, cafes and hotels. Has this trend translated into an increase in the nation's coffee production and a better life for coffee farmers? The Jakarta Post looks into the issue. Zafa, 22, rarely drinks coffee at home. He usually has water with his meals and maybe a cup of tea while watching TV.

Indonesia at the Venice Biennale 2005 Carla Bianpoen, Contributor, Jakarta Adjusting to the winds of change, the Venice Biennale, one of the oldest and most prestigious exhibitions of contemporary art in the world, has nominated Maria de Corral and Rosa Martinez from Spain as the two directors in charge of the 51st International Arts Exhibition of the Venice Biennale, opening on June 12.

Black is black at Galeri Nasional Papuan painter Muhammad Faisal, popularly known as Iconk, will display his paintings in an exhibition -- "Black is Black" -- at Galeri Nasional in Jakarta from June 7-14. Born in Jayapura, Iconk hopes his exhibition, a commentary on the cultural transformation of Papuans, will prove the development of modern art in the remote province is alive and well.

'A Forest of Fables': The Journey The process we went through in making our book A Forest of Fables was very interesting, but also long and involved. The project was originally designed as a meaningful class activity for my class of Grade 5 students at SD Mentari, South Jakarta, which integrates English, science and geography.

Full military ties to help democracy: TNI chief Agencies, Singapore The Indonesian Military (TNI) chief said on Saturday the normalization of military ties between Jakarta and Washington would help strengthen democracy in his country and ensure regional stability. Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said the full restoration of military links was a matter for the political leaders of both nations to decide, but said he would like to see this happen.