Hiker's paradise within driving distanceBy Mehru Jaffer No limousine or five-star hotel for the many addicted to nature's bounties just beyond the neon lights of Jakarta.

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It's just a stone's throw to breathtaking beautyBy Mehru Jaffer Come summer and bags are furiously packed as people look for rest and recreation in places far away from the monotonous routine of an office and home. The mood is to experience a different climate, cuisine and cultures for a change.

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Being humorous a serious job, Mi'ing claimsBy Emmy Fitri Hastuti JAKARTA (JP): Being a comedian is more than just being a clown, says Tubagus Dedi Suwandi Gumelar, whose stage name is Mi'ing. The name undoubtedly conjures up recollections of savvy, critical and smart jokes.

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'Indlish', the trendy language in Jakarta English, a global language, has penetrated Bahasa Indonesia and it seems there is no stopping it. Not a day passes in a metropolitan city like Jakarta in which English is not heard, although it might not be spoken correctly.

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PON a success in record achievementsBy Ivy Susanti SURABAYA (JP): The National Games (PON) were held in Jakarta for the first 33 years of their existence, before this year's just-concluded edition of the event was moved outside of the capital.

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Songs of the BirdThe bird singing in the forest doesn't disturb your tranquility, nor does it provoke a tempest or trigger anarchySo don't aim your gun at the creature, Try to listen to your own heart beat? Compare it with the sound of your gun's volley and learn the true meaning of ...

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TV soaps - ice breaker for father and daughter?By Hera Diani JAKARTA (JP): If you watch Indonesian television, you must be familiar with soap operas or sinetron (an acronym for sinema elektronik).Some people love them, others hate them.

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Mask business supports Bobung economyBy R. Agus Bakti YOGYAKARTA (JP): Almost every house in this Bobung village is filled with wooden masks. Not because they like to attend masquerades or because they are mask collectors. They make masks for sale.

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Mallrats: A product of an urban JakartaBy Katherine O'Hara JAKARTA (JP): Mallrats: a generation of teenagers dressed in the latest fashions seen at shopping malls seven-days-a-week, day and night.

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Something to see all year round While traveling in Indonesia, the most important thing is to keep one's cool. Being too assertive and aggressive toward the police, restaurant owners or travel agents will mess up things further.

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Adapting to village life not an easy experienceBy Angela Black JAKARTA (JP): There's an old man in my kampung with the most wonderful, toothless and heartwarming grin.

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Pick of the Flicks (for Sunday, July 2, 2000)Hollywood KC The Road To El Dorado 14:15 16:55 19:05 21:15 Titan A.

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Fisher wants to devote career to resolving conflictsBy Riyadi JAKARTA (JP): Until he was 20 years old, Ben Fisher thought he was going to be a professional baseball player. But his eyes started to go bad, so clearly unable to play baseball for a living, he went to college and then graduate school.

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Rescue teams find no clues to missing 'Cahaya Bahari' JAKARTA (JP): Three days after detecting an SOS signal from the Cahaya Bahari, rescue teams have still not been able to detect a single trace of the ferry and on Saturday began looking into alternative possibilities, including hijacking.

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Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, July 2, 2000Exhibitions * Sculpture, Sketch Exhibition: Dua Perintis at Mon Decor Gallery, Jl. Gunung Sahari Raya no. 1 blok B 13-14, Central Jakarta (Phone: 6299660), Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., until July 9.

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Cybermodel contest held to attract young surfers JAKARTA (JP): Modeling, while not being the best profession in the world, is always one of the most sought after careers, especially among teenyboppers.

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Forum calls for return to the ideas of reformBy Fabiola Desy Unidjaja DENPASAR, Bali (JP): A gathering of prominent national figures made a strong call here on Saturday for the nation to recommit to the ideals of reform by recommending an absolute break from antidemocratic institutions and ...

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Indonesian youth smarter and braverBy Rita A. Widiadana and Stevie Emilia JAKARTA (JP): "Look at that boy, he is kuulll (cool) and oke banget deh (really good)," a high school girl screamed upon seeing a cute boy at a McDonald's restaurant in the upmarket Kebayoran Baru area in South Jakarta.

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TV todayTVRI 6:00 a.m. Morning News 7:00 Health and Fresh 8:00 Children's Film 9:00 Children's Program 10:00 Music 11:00 TV Series: Dos Mujeres 12:00 p.m.

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Say it with good bahasa Indonesia JAKARTA (JP): Spare about 10 minutes of your time in front of a television during a talk show. If you have more time, attend a seminar. Within 10 minutes, you'll hear "foreign" terms coming out of the talk show host or seminar participants.

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Shelomita follows in mother Marini's stepsBy Endi Aras JAKARTA (JP): Since the launching of her maiden album Langkah (Step) in late May, Shelomita Sulistyani, 25, has been leading an unusually hectic life."Promotional activities for this album are insanely time consuming.

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National Police separates from defense ministry JAKARTA (JP): President Abdurrahman Wahid officially announced on Saturday a separation of the National Police from the Ministry of Defense and a plan to put the police corps under his direct supervision from Jan. 1, 2001.

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'Si Doel' still maintains its popularityBy Sri Ramadani JAKARTA (JP): Come Monday evening many people are glued to the TV screen watching Si Doel Anak Sekolahan V (Doel the Graduate), one of the most popular local programs -- and one of the best.

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Film synopses Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure). Children-musical; starring Sherina Munaf, Didi Petet, Butet Kartarajasa and Derby Romero. Directed by Riri Riza.A crowd-pleasing film featuring the talented child singer every mother wished she had, Sherina.

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Pornography in computer labs causing concernBy Michael Kibaara Muchiri YOGYAKARTA (JP): The Internet is finally causing ruffles here in Yogyakarta.

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Art AgendaPainting Exhibition by Dodo Abdullah at Galeri Bandung, Jl. Siliwangi No. 16, Bandung; Phone and Fax: 022-236515; through July 8.Bandung, the provincial capital of West Java, is renowned as a center of the arts.

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Outspoken and in print: New RI writing Silenced Voices, New Writing From Indonesia; Editor: Frank Steward; Feature Editor: John McGlyn; University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 2000; 268 pages; US$16 JAKARTA (JP): More than 100 years of repressive censorship by the state, and the equally ...

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Negotiating the face of Pondok Indah MallBy Charlie Stevens JAKARTA (JP): It looked easy enough. A 12-meter high stainless steel wall speckled with brightly colored plastic "rocks".

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Do you want some special service, Mister? JAKARTA (JP): John walked into a gloomy four-square-meter room. Four blue candles were lit in the corner. The lingering aroma of a blend of eucalyptus and lavender oil was in the air.

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