The sun sets high in YogyaChairil Gibran RamadhanI arrived at 6:15 a.m., weighed down by my backpack. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, with my mother's words of worry still ringing in my ears: "A girl shouldn't travel alone.

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Former customs and excise official nabbed in graft scamAbdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta The National Police has detained former Merak Customs and Excise officer Marwan since Thursday for his alleged involvement in an Rp 153 billion (US$18 million) tax and import duty evasion scam.

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Water charges I read in The Jakarta Post that as of Jan. 4 tap water charges will increase by another 30 percent. This greatly disturbs me. Why are we, PAM water users, burdened with such a raise, while almost 50 percent of the tap water is used by people not paying for it.

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Street carnival adds sparkle to New Year's EveChisato Hara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta New Year's Eve celebrations in the capital can generally be put into two categories: one, the formal sit-down dinner at a five- star hotel with a billed entertainer, usually of international renown; and two, the ...

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Where to go in Jakarta: Sunday, January 4, 2003Exhibitions* Photo: Italy: The One and Only - a Century of Phtography 1900/2000, National Museum, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat No. 12, Central Jakarta (Tel. 3812346, 3868172), Tuesday to Sunday, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., until Jan. 6.

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Still playingLooney Tunes: Back in Action (Adventure/Animation/Comedy, 90 minutes) Starring Brendan Fraser, Steve Martin, Timothy Dalton, Jenna Elfman. Directed by Joe Dante Daffy Duck is fired. He joins an aspiring actor to find a blue diamond which can turn people into monkeys.

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The sun sets high in YogyaChairil Gibran Ramadhan I arrived at 6:15 a.m., weighed down by my backpack. I wiped the sweat from my forehead, with my mother's words of worry still ringing in my ears: "A girl shouldn't travel alone.

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Artist : Cyndi Lauper Album : At Last (Sony Music) An all-cover record sometimes serves as nothing more than an education for today's generation in exposing them to great works from the past.

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On the recordArtist : Alicia Keys Album : The Diary of Alicia Keys (BMG) A young diva with retro soul, Alicia Keys mixed classical piano with old school R&B to bring us the multiplatinum Song in A Minor in 2001.

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Now showingHaunted Mansion (Comedy/Horror, 99 minutes) Starring Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Nathaniel Parker, Jennifer Tilly. Directed by Rob Minkoff.Real estate dealer Jim Evers (Murphy) gets a late-night call from the owner of an old mansion once inhabited by New Orleans' wealthiest residents.

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Helping addicts takes some tough loveLeony Aurora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta "How do you tell if a kid is smoking a joint from a regular cigarette?" asked the man in his 50s.

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Chui's shawl sweeps Paris contest What is it about the winning combination of Indonesians, fashion and Paris? Many have studied fashion technology there, some, such as Medan-born Farah Angsana, have made their mark by presenting their collections at the annual haute couture shows and others have ...

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Getting help 12-step program and psychotherapy Yayasan Harapan Permata Hati Kita Villa Pandawa Yakita, Jl. Ciasin No. 21 Ciawi, Bogor, West Java (Tel. 0251-243077) 12-step programs Yayasan Al Jahu Jl. Raya Tanjung Barat No. 3 Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta (Tel. 021-7806871)Yayasan Karisma Jl.

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Maneuvering around Milan* Getting around: Going around town is easy with plenty of public transportation to choose from -- the bus, intercity trains, subway (Metro), trams and taxis.

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On the lookout for what lies beneath and ahead It's that time of the year again when we gaze long and hard at our crystal ball, trying to make a bit of sense out of our fuzzy futures.

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Muddled haj managementFrom Warta KotaMy wife is among those whose departure for the haj pilgrimage 2004 has been delayed due to unprofessional or muddled management by the minister of religious affairs.

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Seemann, an ambassador of educationChristina Schott, Contributor, Jakarta Diplomats come and go. They usually do not stay in any one country longer than the term of their posts and are hardly seen again. But Heinrich Seemann is a diplomat who came back.

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TV Program: Sunday, January 4, 2004.TB.30" .90"TVRI 6:00 a.m. Morning News7:00 Cartoon8:00 TV Drama: Kemelut Cinta9:00 Children's Program: Bando11:00 Variety Show: Maskum Show12:30 p.m.

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JP/7/LET74.ARPToll road gate shifts to relieve jamsFrom KompasThe Jakarta toll road extending from Cawang to Semanggi is always congested in the morning due to obstructions caused by tailbacks of cars attempting to exit near the Kuningan and Semanggi bridges.

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Blast rattles home of election officialIndra Harsaputra/ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya A bomb exploded late Friday in front of a house owned by a senior poll official in the East Java regency of Pasuruan. No fatalities were reported.

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'I wonder why I was so foolish in not learning about drugs'-------------------------------------------------------------- "Widia" curls up on her bed at Yakita's women's facility, chain- smoking menthol cigarettes and talking late into the night.

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Pluit residents brace for more floodsLeony Aurora, The Jakarta Post , Jakarta The sky was bright and the roads dry on Saturday, but residents of Pluit and Penjaringan subdistricts in North Jakarta were still anxiously awaiting the rainy days to come.

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Milan: Perfect past and present on its streetsStevie Emilia, The Jakarta Post, Milan, Italy After wrestling with environmental terms at a conference for two straight days and trying not to make them sound like gobbledygook, I decided I needed a break.

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Are your parents pushing you too hard? Most parents make decisions based on assumptions about what they think is best for their children.

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Aftershocks keep quake victims on edgeThe Jakarta Post, Jakarta Hundreds of earthquake victims on Lombok island remained on Saturday in makeshift tents, one day after a powerful earthquake rocked the island and its neighboring resort island of Bali.

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Healthy home keeps spring in the elderly's stepNirwono Joga, Contributor, Jakarta Establishing a healthy home for the elderly is something that we should plan in the present, considering that a recent report from the World Health Organization estimated the elderly population would see a 414 ...

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Let the numbers speak* Of addicts entering Yakita, on average 80 percent are IV drug users. Some of the viruses transmitted intravenously are HBV (hepatitis B), HCV (hepatitis C) and HIV. * Up to 1997, HIV prevalence in IV drug users was around zero percent, but it has grown steadily since then.

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Ringing in the New YearTrumpet-blowing and confetti-filled bashes marked the coming of New Year for people across the world. Tight security, terrorist threats and deadly bombings could not stop people from greeting the New Year with customary celebrations.

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Pushy parents: How much is too much?Elaine, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta Teenage rebellion is such a sore topic to discuss.

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