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JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 4.09

04/27/98 - 05/10/98

CONTENTS


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

    Prison Blend -- Where Low Coffee is the High Point of the Day
    By Joe Loya
    Date: 04-29-98
    With the mushroom-like spread of gourmet coffee shops, each offering more exotic blends than the last, it's possible to forget how good it is to just have a cup of coffee. PNS commentator Joe Loya recalls a most ordinary brew leading to most extraordinary pleasure. Loya is a California writer currently writing an autobiography.

    Visiting Mothers, Visiting Memory
    By Dorothy Chin
    Date: 05-06-98
    Flowers and candy and sentimentality aside, mothers can be pretty terrific people -- and so can their mothers. PNS commentator Dorothy Chin recently visited her mother and her mother's mother, a visit that crossed lines of time, place, and memory. Chin is a psychotherapist and writer living in southern California.

    Soul on Ice Never Melted
    By Reginald Major
    Date: 05-07-98
    The media may have passed on to other obituaries, but the death of Eldridge Cleaver still has a particular resonance for intellectuals of his generation in the black community. We offer two pieces, one a memoir the other a poem, that seem to capture the respect -- and confusion -- that greet his life and work. PNS commentator Reginald Major is the author of numerous books including "The Panther is a Black Cat," on the origins of the Black Panther Party. Marvin X is the author of a just released autobiographical history of the black liberation movement, "Somethin' Proper," published by BlackBird Press.

    Soul Gone Home
    By Marvin X
    Date: 05-07-98
    The media may have passed on to other obituaries, but the death of Eldridge Cleaver still has a particular resonance for intellectuals of his generation in the black community. We offer two pieces, one a memoir the other a poem, that seem to capture the respect -- and confusion -- that greet his life and work. PNS commentator Reginald Major is the author of numerous books including "The Panther is a Black Cat," on the origins of the Black Panther Party. Marvin X is the author of a just released autobiographical history of the black liberation movement, "Somethin' Proper," published by BlackBird Press.


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


* MOVEMENTS: Strategies For Survival, Identity and Direction by People on the Margins

    Dissident Buddhists Challenge Dalai Lama's Edicts
    By Loralie Froman
    Date: 05-05-98
    For millions, the Dalai Lama is the symbol of peace and compassion; perhaps the most recognized spiritual leader except for the Pope himself. But Tibetan Buddhism itself is not a homogeneous and unitary stream, and recent protests have revealed some serious fault lines. PNS correspondent Loralie Froman is a freelance journalist and practicing Buddhist who writes on contemporary religious issues.


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

    Murder in the Cathedral-- Guatemala's Peace Process Takes a Major Step Backward
    By Mary Jo McConahay
    Date: 04-27-98
    In 1980, the murder of Archbishop Oscar Romero signaled a new level of incivility in El Salvador's long civil war. Now, in Guatemala, the brutal murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi strikes a similar chord, creating serious doubts about the durability of that country's new peace process. PNS Central America editor Mary Jo McConahay has reported from Latin America for National Catholic Reporter, Choices, Mother Jones and other publications for over a decade.

    Kosovo -- An Island of Nonviolent Hope in a Troubled Sea
    By David Hartsough
    Date: 04-27-98
    The Albanian community of Kosovo, in southern Serbia, lives under a rule of terror. Despite this, Albanians at every level -- students, doctors, homemakers -- have maintained a consistent and firm nonviolent stance. Their remarkable movement could dissolve, according to commentator David Hartsough, unless it receives recognition from the international community. Hartsough is the Executive Director of PEACEWORKERS based in San Francisco. He was recently jailed for three days while on his fourth fact-finding and peacemaking mission at the invitation of the non-violent student movement.

    Mexico to Rest of the World: "Stay Out of Our Business"
    By Julie Reynolds
    Date: 04-28-98
    Mexico's recent expulsions of Americans can be seen as just a countermeasure to the U.S. Immigration service's expulsion of Mexicans. But seen in context, these actions combined with new restrictions on foreign journalists, indicate a serious message to the world. PNS Correspondent Julie Reynolds has written from Mexico for nearly a decade.

    America's Rwanda -- Guatemala Still Reels From Legacy of Genocide
    By Andrew Reding
    Date: 04-30-98
    The assassination of Bishop Juan Gerardi is a wake-up call to Washington and to the United Nations Mission to Guatemala (MINUGUA), which has been dismissing the ongoing killings in Guatemala as "common crimes." On the contrary, they are the legacy of crimes against humanity for which the Guatemalan military and its allies have yet to be called to account. PNS editor Andrew Reding directs the North America Project of the World Policy Institute.

    Australia the Latest Flashpoint -- A Worldwide War on the Wharfies
    By David Bacon
    Date: 05-08-98
    Whether liberal or conservative, governments worldwide have embraced the policy of privatization of their ports in the name of enhancing their competitive edge in the global economy. But dockers in many ports are fighting back, nowhere more fiercely than in the ports of Australia. Downunder they call it "the war on the wharfies." PNS associate editor David Bacon is a former labor organizer who writes widely on issues of labor and immigration.


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

    Do Schools Condone Harassment of Gay Students?
    By Nishat Kurwa
    Date: 05-01-98
    According to a recent report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, violence against gay and lesbian students has increased by 34% nationwide over the past year. In California schools -- many of which make a point of encouraging acceptance and communication when it comes to racial differences -- sexual diversity remains a taboo subject. Reporter Nishat Kurwa spoke with several high school students who have harassed their gay or lesbian classmates to find out what motivated their actions, and how their schools responded. Kurwa, a student at San Francisco State University, is on the staff of YO! (Youth Outlook), a newspaper by and about young people produced by Pacific News Service.

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