Nyoman sees batik as meditationDamaso Reyes Contributor Ubud, BaliThere may be as many places to learn batik, the traditional Indonesian hand-dyed textile, as there are places to eat nasi goreng, Indonesian fried rice.

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Salt, sunshine and awesome views in the shadow of the AndesFlorian Oertel, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Chile A group of Llamas looking for food cross the street at a leisurely pace in the glowing heat of the day.They cannot be choosy.

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Selling like hotcakes in Japan, MicroSizer cars invade GermanyThomas Geiger, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Nuremberg Germany is in the grip of high-speed activity - in the emergence of the MicroSizer mini car - remote-controlled matchbox racing cars.

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1 million may take to Jakarta streetsDamar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Close to one million people from all walks of life are expected to turn out on Sunday morning for a protest on the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

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Better services before hike, say passengersM. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Wawan (not his real name), has had to spend more money on his daily commute than he really needs to, because the bus along the route from his home does not follow its designated course, forcing him and fellow ...

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Still Playing The Hours (Drama, 114 minutes) Starring Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Meryl Streep, Miranda Richardson, Toni Collette, Ed Harris, John C. Reilly. Directed by Stephen Daldry.

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JP/10/BIRDS Filming our feathered friendsPranesh Sarkar ANN/The Statesman E-Go, an NGO originally formed by six former Visva-Bharati students to carry out experiments in the field of arts and culture, has started a unique program here.

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Rolling Stones still rockin' like wild horses in their 60sHera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Singapore Who? Mick Jagger, 60, Keith Richards, 60, Ron Wood, 56, and Charlie Watts, 62. What? The greatest rock 'n' roll band in the world.They're unstoppable, unbroken and unshaken.

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Stones back in S'pore after 38 years The Singapore audience was luckier than that in Hong Kong, as rock legends Rolling Stones still managed to perform a two-day concert there last week, despite the Iraqi war and the current flu epidemic.

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Government, NU: Boycotting U.S. products self-defeatingDamar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), heavily criticized calls to boycott U.S. products, arguing that such a move would only hurt the nation.

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RI issues moderate SARS alert to health centers, officersThe Jakarta Post, Jakarta Amid rising global fears over the rapid spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), health officials at airports and seaports throughout the country still leave it to passengers' good conscience to ...

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More Indonesians buying Malaysian apartments For many affluent Indonesians, buying a house in neighboring countries such as Australia, Singapore or Malaysia is not unusual.

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Standing up against world superpowerorStanding up for what's right"In fact, we must ask ourselves: why did he take power? And we can only answer: not only because millions of people were stupid enough to follow him, but also because the others were incapable of stopping him.

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Fascinating Siti willing to try new frontiersNovan Iman Santosa The Jakarta Post JakartaThe cute, lovely Malaysian singer Siti Nurhaliza has been around for about eight years and is now looking for new challenges, including song writing and even trying theater performances, especially musical ones.

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Bush and Saddam open modern-day Pandora's Box The growing number of antiwar rallies are clearly sending a message that the global community always wants to speak its mind on something that it thinks is unacceptable.

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Oriental Bar: Providing welcome relief from woes of world I must admit right away that I've always had ideas above my station, which is probably why I get such a kick out of visiting Jakarta's most salubrious, and exorbitant, watering holes -- all at the Post's expense of course.

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The Politics of Power: RI's corrupt culture is Western-inducedHarry Bhaskara, Berkeley, California The Politics of Power; By Denise Leith; 372 pages; US$19It can't be true. Could a company be willing to dispense multi- million dollar loan guarantees to a dictator? Yes, it can.

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Acehnese hold mass prayer for IraqisNani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Aceh Ignoring their own problems, some 10,000 Acehnese held a peaceful gathering in the strife-torn province's capital of Banda Aceh on Saturday afternoon, condemning the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

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`Janus, Prajurit Terakhir': A pioneer feature-length 3D animationFitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Dozens of Bina Nusantara students became the lucky few to have the opportunity to take a peek at the movie Janus, Prajurit Terakhir (Janus, The Last Warrior).

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JP/14/M00Tracking the Maltese Falcon through the fog of San FranciscoSimon Burnett Deutsche Presse-Agentur San Francisco"Where Bush Street roofed Stockton before slipping down to Chinatown, Spade paid his fare and left the taxicab.

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Sengkalan: Mystery of words and formsWaluyo Wijayatno, Contributor, Jakarta In past centuries, the Javanese -- particularly the scholarly or the upper-middle tier of society -- had a unique way of recording or remembering those calendar years in which important events took place in their lives, ...

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IntersectionM. Andhy Nurmansyah My father was sitting in his easy chair in the porch, doing nothing. He did that every morning to drench himself in the first light of the sun for two hours. When the sun rose higher I could see the deep wrinkles on his face.

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Susan's handbags celebrate femininityMaria Endah Hulupi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta For bag designer Susan Santoso every fabric has a story to tell, and through her Biru label she translates each of these stories into functional, yet stylish beaded handbags that radiate a feminine flair.

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Pleasant, but costly place to live Singapore is one of the most pleasant places for expatriates to live in Asia thanks to the high standard of personal security, cleanliness and efficiency, according to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC).

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