Separatist rebels in the Indonesian province of Aceh say government forces have launched air strikes. [BBC News]

Plastic::Work::Feminism: "A new world has opened up for girls, but unless a symmetrical effort is made to help boys find their footing, it may turn out that it's a lonely place to be." [Plastic]

The Bangkok Post reports:

Used cans of fizzy drinks, water bottles and old newspapers will stand in as bus fares in a scheme to promote recycling. The Chiang Mai municipality plans to collect recycled garbage in lieu of cash fares for a new school bus project designed to ease traffic problems along Chareonpatet road in Chiang Mai's Muang district.

[Ben Hammersley.com] and I remember when my mum asked "are there any cars in Chaing Mai yet?"

well it's not as if they are short of the cash [via Lockergnome Bytes]

I've never been a big fan of the Comic Sans typeface from Microsoft (only when used in moderation, like the occasional use on the Lockergnome sites). It has its uses, but people use it far too much. Apparently there's a group that hates it so much, they've created little stickers for you to paste onto signs on the street that use the typeface.(Jake_Ortman) [Lockergnome Bytes]

A number of political developments around the country show the increasing recognition of the role of the voluntary sector. [VoluntaryNews]

Item Dated 24/05/03, NCVO chief exec Stuart Etherington was interviewed in The Times last week. Worth a quick read, with these notable quotes:

- On contracts from the public sector: "Private sector companies don’t ask for a certain amount to cover core costs .. ..They just say: 'This is our price'. Charities should do the same."

- On rigid targets and benchmarks: "Voluntary organisations are brought in precisely because they are better than the public sector at innovation and working in high risk areas with unpredictable outcomes, such as helping drug users on a difficult-to-reach estate. If performance indicators are based on designing out risk, then they will fail."

[via Voluntary News]