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JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 3.13

06/16/97 - 06/29/97

CONTENTS


* VOICES: First-Person Essays Linking the Private to the Public

    Private Lives and Public Impacts
    By Richard Rodriguez
    Date: 06-16-97
    The more Americans learn about the private lives of our public heroes, the more we are inclined to conclude that the private has nothing to do with the public life. But we are wrong. PNS editor Richard Rodriguez is author of "Days of Obligation" (Viking) and a regular essayist for the Los Angeles Sunday Times.

    The Closing Chapter of the Opium War-- Why I am Going to Hong Kong
    By L. Ling-Chi Wang
    Date: 06-25-97
    It is clear, from the deluge of newspaper and magazine articles focusing on commerce and "human rights," that few Westerners understand the meaning of the return of Chinese sovereignty to Hong Kong. For Chinese people in China, and elsewhere in the world, the handover marks the end of a degrading chapter in their history that has lasted more than 150 years. Ling-chi Wang is former head of ethnic studies and a specialist in Asian American history at the University of California, Berkeley.


* HERESIES: Thinking the Unthinkable About the Future

    In Defense of Joe Camel
    By Charles Jones
    Date: 06-23-97
    Just what impact does Joe Camel (and other cigarette advertising) have on young people? One African American writer recalls his encounters with the cool camel from a very young age on. He concludes that Joe Camel is not the proper target for the anti-smoking campaigners because his appeal never had much to do with the cigarette in his mouth. Charles Jones writes for YO! (Youth Outlook), a newspaper by and about young people published by Pacific News Service.

    Joe Camel Dominates More Than Billboards in Black America
    By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
    Date: 06-23-97
    For decades black activists have fought to excise the tobacco industry from its influential role in black life. But statistics showing the lethal impact of smoking on black Americans hasn't been enough to cut many groups and causes from their dependency on cigarette dollars. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of "Beyond OJ: Race. Sex and Class Lessons for America." His e-mail address is <ehutchi344@aol.com>.


* VECTORS: A Regular Column on the Ideas and Directions Behind Today's News

    Lessons of Smoot-Hawley Act -- Rejecting MFN for China Could Trigger Repeat of 1930s Crises
    By Franz Schurmann
    Date: 06-17-97
    The stakes in the upcoming vote to renew or reject China's MFN status go way beyond profits for big corporations. Coming at a time of rising protectionist sentiment in both the U.S. and Europe, a no vote on MFN could set off a series of falling dominoes that would ultimately lead to a repeat of the Great Depression and international crises of the 1930s. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, a professor emeritus of history and sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, is author of "The Logic of World Power" and other books on foreign affairs. This is the second of two articles by Franz Schurmann on the MFN vote. Call PNS at 415-243-4364 for the first article.


* PACIFIC PULSE: The Pacific Century and Its Impact on the Americas

    Pol Pot's Capture Won't End the Tragedy of Cambodia
    By Andrew Lam
    Date: 06-24-97
    Who in the international community would not welcome the idea of bringing Pol Pot, one of the most brutal dictators in the 20th century, to justice? But don't for a moment believe that his capture and removal from Cambodia will end the trauma that continues to grip that country's 6.5 million people. PNS editor Andrew Lam, a Vietnam-born short story writer living in the Bay Area, has traveled in and written extensively about Cambodia over the last decade.

    In Cambodia's Killing Fields -- Khmer Rouge Down But Not Out
    By Thi Lam
    Date: 06-24-97
    Rejoicing over Pol Pot's capture and possible trial may be premature. The Khmer Rouge movement he led for so many years is far from finished even as outbursts of political violence renew fears of civil war. PNS commentator Thi Lam, a former general in the army of South Vietnam and a teacher and writer now living in San Jose, Ca., examines the reasons for Cambodia's ongoing political chaos.


* CALIFORNIA COLLAGE: California as Trendsetter for the Country and the World

    Who Cares About Sammy Marshall? -- San Quentin Gets the Last Word
    By Michael Kroll
    Date: 06-27-97
    A San Quentin inmate whose death sentence the California Supreme Court reversed earlier this year died anyway last week on death row. An eyewitness says the death occurred following an "extraction" procedure by guards. The news media, prevented from interviewing prisoners under new prison guidelines, remain in the dark. On the day Marshall died, the escape of two convicts from San Quentin received extensive coverage, but the death went basically unremarked. Michael Kroll is an associate editor for PNS specializing in criminal justice issues.


* CIVIL CONFLICTS: Interpretive Reports on Ethnic, Religious, and Inter-National Conflicts Worldwide

    Clinton Isn't Leading, He's Following
    By Kevin Weston
    Date: 06-18-97
    In a "major" speech President Clinton spoke in ringing terms about his Administration's commitment to remove the stain of racism from our country -- suggesting both the possibility of apologizing for past wrongs and an active effort to improve the situation today. Two commentators, from different perspectives, find reason to doubt the depth of the president's convictions. Kevin Weston observes that the president is joining a movement that has already moved past his formulations. Michael Kroll points to inequalities in the criminal justice system that Clinton could change if he chose to do so. Weston is an associate editor of YO! (Youth Outlook), and an editor at the New Bay View, a weekly black newspaper in San Francisco. Michael Kroll is an associate editor for PNS specializing in criminal justice issues.

    Clinton's Words, Clinton's Deeds
    By Michael A. Kroll
    Date: 06-18-97
    In a "major" speech President Clinton spoke in ringing terms about his Administration's commitment to remove the stain of racism from our country -- suggesting both the possibility of apologizing for past wrongs and an active effort to improve the situation today. Two commentators, from different perspectives, find reason to doubt the depth of the president's convictions. Kevin Weston observes that the president is joining a movement that has already moved past his formulations. Michael Kroll points to inequalities in the criminal justice system that Clinton could change if he chose to do so. Weston is an associate editor of YO! (Youth Outlook) and an editor at the New Bay View, a weekly black newspaper in San Francisco. Michael Kroll is an associate editor for PNS specializing in criminal justice issues.

    Clinton Missed a Golden Opportunity to Include American Indians
    By Dr. Joseph Giovannetti
    Date: 06-19-97
    President Clinton neglected to include an American Indian on his special seven member commission to spearhead dialogue on race in America. The omission is particularly unfortunate, according to PNS commentator Joseph Giovanetti, because America's Indians have a unique history and a unique standing. Giovanetti is an enrolled member of the Smith River Rancheria of Howenquet Indians (CA) and a lecturer in federal Indian law at Humboldt State University.

    Double Pyrrhic Victory for Turkey's Military -- Defeating Islamists and PKK
    By Thomas Goltz
    Date: 06-20-97
    Turkey's military claims to have stayed the course against a rising Islamist tide and a Kurdish insurgency headquartered in northern Iraq. Instead of victory, however, Turkey may well be on its way towards becoming the new "Algeria" of the Middle East, engulfed in Islamist versus secular civil strife. Thomas Goltz was a finalist for the Rory Peck Prize for independent camera work for his documentary on the town of Samashki in Chechnya. His book on Azerbaijan, "Requiem for a Would-Be Republic," will be re-issued by ME Sharpe (USA) in early 1997.


* YOUTH OUTLOOK: The World Through Young People's Eyes

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