'Serambi' to hit streets again in Aceh After six days of absence due to the destruction of its office and disappearance of most of its employees, Aceh's only daily Serambi Indonesia hit the streets again on Sunday. This time Serambi greets its readers not from its usual base in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, badly damaged from Sunday's tsunami, but from a new base in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh.

Indulging in a bygone era in an Ubud Dewi Anggraeni, Contributor, Melbourne It is not an exaggeration to say that for such a small island, Bali has an amazing capacity to cater to all kinds of holiday- makers, from backpackers to those seeking a more exclusive kind of accommodation, who do not mind paying for what they really want.

Ono is off the rails, but right on track Duncan Graham, Contributor/Surabaya When the tram lines were ripped up around Malang in the middle of the last century, the East Java city's leaders doubtlessly thought this was another great step forward. Trams were the transport of yesteryear, clumsy, noisy and uncomfortable. The era of the sleek automobile was in ascendance. Out with the rigid and ancient, in with the flexible and modern.

An accidental hotelier In this busy era, we devise ways to make life easier for ourselves. We tend to place people in groups, and mentally put them in neat pigeon-holes in order for us to categorize them quickly. We also tend to picture those in a particular group in bulk: they have similar tastes, similar ambitions, and to a degree, even look alike. Whatever image you may have of an hotelier, it probably does not fit Anhar Setjadibrata, the founder of Indonesia's Tugu Hotels & Exotic Spas.

Hotel cashier shot dead at party Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta A New Year's party reveler shot dead an employee of the Hilton Hotel, Central Jakarta, at about 3:30 a.m. on Saturday after a brief quarrel. The police declined to reveal details of the incident, but witnesses said that Adiguna Sutowo, the younger brother of Pontjo Sutowo, one of the hotel shareholders, pulled the trigger.

Picking up the pieces from disaster If only we had known what we know now at this same time last Sunday. A numbing week has passed since the massive quake and tsunami that devastated Aceh and the region, taking thousands of lives and leaving many more homeless, yet the deep sadness about the staggering human toll remains. Amid the news stories are the tales of those searching for lost loved ones among decaying bodies in the streets or under the rubble.

Somber mood hangs over New Year's celebrations The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Instead of the big fireworks displays and deafening firecrackers usually let off to mark the new year, Jakarta was filled with the chant of prayers for victims of the earthquake and deadly tidal wave that killed at least 80,000 people in Aceh alone. However, the toned-down celebrations were marred by two small explosions in the conflict-hit town of Poso, Southeast Sulawesi.

The peril of our 'me first, me first' culture We Indonesians are not much for rules. We learn from an early age that the only rule is there are no rules, especially if one has the money to bend them to one's wishes. So it's not surprising that most Indonesians don't care much about etiquette, either. I'm not talking about line cutters or kickers and loudmouths in movie theaters (not yet, anyway). But in light of the recent Lion Air tragedy, I would like to review how airborne Indonesians behave.

'Serambi' back on newsstands again After six days of absence due to the destruction of its office and disappearance of most of its employees, Aceh's only daily Serambi Indonesia hit the streets again on Sunday. This time Serambi greets its readers not from its usual base in Banda Aceh, the capital of Aceh province, badly damaged from Sunday's tsunami, but from a new base in Lhokseumawe, North Aceh.

Will the real Andrew Wellman please step forward? Johnny Landung, Contributor/Bali When I arrive to interview Andrew Wellman about his upcoming exhibition at Biasa Gallery, Bali, he's not there. But stuck on the bamboo gate is a hastily scribbled note saying: "Johnny, I'll be back at 6:30 2 be asked questions".

Conductor Jahja Ling feels close to his roots Maria Endah Hulupi Contributor/Jakarta Most Indonesians have never heard of Jahja Ling, but the conductor's list of achievements -- and the fact that he was born here -- should have them taking notice. His musical career was forged from his early keenness in music. At age four, Jahja began to play the piano, later studying under Suzy Djoeandy and Rudy Laban at the Jakarta School of Music. At 17, he won the Jakarta Piano competition.

Conductor Jahja Ling still feels close to his roots Maria Endah Hulupi, Contributor, Jakarta Most Indonesians have never heard of Jahja Ling, but the conductor's list of achievements -- and the fact that he was born here -- should have them taking notice.

Howard, Koizumi to attend tsunami conference The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Australian Prime Minister John Howard and his Japanese counterpart Junichiro Koizumi look set to head up the foreign delegates attending an international emergency summit to discuss the global response to the tsunami disaster here on Thursday.

TV Program: Sunday, January 2, 2005 .TB.30" .90" TVRI 5:00 a.m. Religious Teachings 6:00 News: Berita Pagi 7:00 Cartoon: Maya The Bee 7:30 Children Show 9:00 Music: Delta 10:30 Sports: Antar Gelanggang 12:30 p.m. English for Fun 1:00 News: Berita Siang 3:00 English News Service 4:30 Documentary 7:00 News: Berita Nasional 7:30 Music 9:00 Italian League (Live) 11:00 News: Dunia Dalam Berita 11:30 Traditional Performances TPI 5:00 a.m.

Banda Aceh rouses from disaster The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Lhokseumawe As President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono visited the ravaged west coast Aceh town of Meulaboh on Saturday, life in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh slowly returned to normal with the start of trading activities in its traditional markets.

In the pink: Businesses start reaching out to gay consumers Hera Diani and Bruce Emond, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta It used to be tough to find standing space during the "gay" night at packed Jalan Jalan club in Menara Imperium tower, South Jakarta. These days, patrons find themselves in uncomfortably wide open spaces.

Ten foreign tourists stranded in Sabang The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Ten foreign tourists have been found alive in Sabang, the main town of Weh island off Aceh that was severely hit by tsunami last Sunday, Antara reported. The tourists from Britain, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands and Switzerland had reported their presence on the island to local military authorities and had asked to be transported out of the area.

AIDS - subject's the same but ... Warief Djajanto Basorie, Contributor, Jakarta Indonesia, Riding the Paradox, Safe Sex and the Media in Southeast Asia Nurul Agustina and Irwan JuliantoAIDS Society of the Philippines, July 2004 88 pp The fact is that the condom is an effective means to prevent infection of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. But how has Indonesia's media reported on condom use?

U.S. military arrives in Aceh to help aid delivery Agencies, Banda Aceh/Jakarta The U.S. military arrived in force in Indonesia's tsunami- devastated Aceh province on New Year's Day as relief efforts to deliver critically needed aid to stranded survivors prepared to accelerate. Five U.S.

Meulaboh survivors at desperation point A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Meulaboh The sun rose in Meulaboh, the capital of isolated West Aceh regency, to reveal that almost 70 percent of the buildings, particularly those two kilometers from the coastline, had been washed away by last Sunday's tsunami. Soldiers and their families were looking for loved ones and valuables amid the rubble of Teuku Umar Military Resort Hospital and military housing complex, only a few meters from the shore.