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JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 4.24

11/23/98 - 12/06/98

CONTENTS


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

    Time to Speak Out Against a Pervasive Moral Stupidity
    By Peter Marin
    Date: 11-23-98
    Increasingly squeezed between policies that deny them shelter and laws that criminalize their efforts to shelter themselves, the homeless are something of a moral blind spot in many communities. The problem, according to PNS commentator Peter Marin, is not lack of knowledge, but lack of will to speak out. Marin is a writer living in Santa Barbara who has spent much of the last 15 years advocating for the homeless.


* HERESIES: Thinking the Unthinkable About the Future

    Why African Americans Are Splitting Hairs Over Hair
    By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
    Date: 12-04-98
    Women's hair has always been a deeply dividing issue among African-Americans. The recent controversies in North Carolina and New York have brought the issue to the forefront. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson explores the economics and politics of how some black women wear their hair. Hutchinson is the author of "The Assassination of the Black Male Image" and "The Crisis in Black and Black."


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

    Failed Mission Raises Possibility of Return of Hostilities Between Asian Titans
    By Franz Schurmann
    Date: 12-01-98
    "China's biggest diplomatic setback of the last 2-3 years," said the Chinese-language Singapore daily Zaobao of president Jiang Zemin's just concluded visit to Japan. Certainly, the visit has left the two giants looking at each other with suspicion that could eventually endanger world peace and prosperity. Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus at UC Berkeley, is the author of numerous books and articles on East Asian and world affairs.


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

    In Cambodia, 'Peons' Keep Free Press Alive
    By Eric Pape
    Date: 12-02-98
    From a distance, Cambodia seems all confusion and tragedy. But a group of young reporters eagerly give reason for hope -- and, now, for concern. PNS commentator Eric Pape recently returned from a two-year stint working at English language papers in Cambodia.

    India's Other A-Bomb -- Silent But Deadly
    By Batuk Vora
    Date: 12-03-98
    India's detonation of a nuclear device caused consternation in the west, but the very high number of people with AIDS could be a source of even greater concern. At a recent meeting in New Delhi, largely unnoticed, concerned officials from both the United States and India outlined some joint efforts that could offer some hope. PNS commentator Batuk Vora writes for newspapers and magazines from New York to Hong Kong. He lives in Advadam, Gajurat, India.


* THE AMERICAS: The Growing Enmeshment of the U.S. and Latin Worlds

    Why Chile's Politicians Prefer to Forget -- A Recipe for Instability
    By Andrew Reding
    Date: 11-30-98
    Although it has called on the British government to release General Augusto Pinochet, the government of Chile appears unwilling to challenge antidemocratic forces. This reluctance reflects a strong desire to forget the past -- a forgetfulness that can only damage the country's hopes for true democracy. PNS associate editor Andrew Reding directs the North America Project of the World Policy Institute.


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

    San Francisco Samurai, Pen in Hand, Commits to Community Mission
    By Yuriko Nagano
    Date: 11-25-98
    The recent death of one of the founders of the Nichi Bei Times, the oldest Japanese-American daily newspaper in the United States, has placed an additional burden on his sub-editor. But despite the 50 year difference in their ages, Kenji Taguma is committed to keeping the newspaper alive. PNS reporter Yuriko Nagano is a Japanese journalist studying at U.C. Berkeley.


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

    Indonesia-- Political Reform and Stability: Tradeoff or Possibility?
    By Peter Date Scott
    Date: 11-24-98
    Indonesia's ruling elite appears increasingly divided over whether it can combine stability and respond to the growing popular pressure for democratic reform. Without consensus at the top, turmoil in the country is bound to increase. PNS commentator Peter Dale Scott, a former Canadian diplomat is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

    Congress Chills Efforts to Fight Global Warming
    By Susan C. Strong
    Date: 12-03-98
    Congress has not only refused to acknowledge that there is, in fact, such a thing as "global warming" but actively opposed attempts to remedy the situation. A steadily growing body of evidence suggests this attitude will be costly for all of us. PNS commentator Susan C. Strong is co-founder of the "Who's Counting" project and a writer whose work has appeared in papers across the United States.

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