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JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 5.10

05/10/99 - 05/23/99

CONTENTS


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

    Stroke! The Undaunted Ladies of the Lake
    By Eve Pell
    Date: 05-19-99
    In the stories of King Arthur and his court, the Ladies of the Lake appear from time to time -- a shadowy sisterhood capable of considerable magic. In the far less mystical setting of downtown Oakland, California, the Ladies of the Lake are capable of a more prosaic but no less wonderful sort of enchantment, as PNS senior sports commentator Eve Pell discovered. Pell is formerly the number one ranked woman road runner over 60 in the United States, and writes a regular column on veteran athletes for Pacific New Service.

    "Sport" Hunting Belongs on the List of Suspects in Public School Shootings
    By Steven Zak
    Date: 05-21-99
    Measures calling for gun control are often defeated in the name of the "sport hunter." In reality, only about 15 percent of all Americans do any hunting -- but the culture of hunting has effects on the wider culture which may help explain incidents like the recent shooting at Littleton. Steven Zak, an attorney and writer, has written about animals and culture for many publications including The Atlantic magazine and The New York Times.


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

    Bioterrorism -- Are We Ready For Terrorists Armed With Germs Instead of Bombs?
    By Walter Truett Anderson
    Date: 05-14-99
    The possibility of biological weapons in the hands of terrorists has prompted a debate. Some call for spending vast amounts to train medical personnel to deal with unprecedented levels of mass poisoning; others think such an attack unlikely at best. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson, author of "Evolution Isn't What It Used To Be" (W.H. Freeman), is a political scientist who writes widely on technology and global governance.

    Mirrored Destiny for Arabs and Israelis
    By Rami G. Khouri
    Date: 05-17-99
    The just completed election campaign in Israel was notable for its lack of reference to the question of Palestine or Arab-Israeli negotiations. This reflects the fact that the matter is effectively resolved, according to PNS commentator Rami Khouri, and in a way that is strikingly even-handed. Khouri, former editor of the Jordan Times, writes a regular column from Amman.


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

    Gleanings from the Ethnic Media #21
    By Emil Guillermo
    Date: 05-11-99
    What does the world look like as reported on the pages of California's growing ethnic newspapers? PNS monitors the Chinese-, Spanish-, Vietnamese-, Japanese-, Korean-, Arabic-language news media as well as English-language newcomer and native-born ethnic press published and/or distributed widely in California. "Gleanings from the Ethnic Media" is a regular weekly column compiled by Emil Guillermo, host of "NCM: New California Media TV" (seen on PBS station KCSM-TV60 in the Bay Area); assisted by Pacific News Service and the NCM Network. Just as the alternative news media connected the disaffected populations in the 1960s, so in the 1990s the ethnic media connects the new ethnic majority communities of California -- to one another and to the larger public forum.

    San Francisco Has a Chance to Lead Green Building Revolution
    By Peter Asmus
    Date: 05-12-99
    Talk of the environment usually summons images of open spaces and endangered species. But an ordinance now being considered in San Francisco looks at the everyday environment of those who work in a city, and promises tangible and intangible rewards. PNS commentator Peter Asmus is a Sacramento-based writer specializing in environmental issues and a consultant to the Local Government Commission, which advocates the creation of more sustainable cities.

    Gleaning From the Ethnic Media #22
    By Emil Guillermo
    Date: 05-18-99
    What does the world look like as reported on the pages of California's growing ethnic newspapers? PNS monitors the Chinese-, Spanish-, Vietnamese-, Japanese-, Korean-, Arabic-language news media as well as English-language newcomer and native-born ethnic press published and/or distributed widely in California. "Gleanings from the Ethnic Media" is a regular weekly column compiled by Emil Guillermo, host of "NCM: New California Media TV" (seen on PBS station KCSM-TV60 in the Bay Area); assisted by Pacific News Service and the NCM Network. Just as the alternative news media connected the disaffected populations in the 1960s, so in the 1990s the ethnic media connects the new ethnic majority communities of California -- to one another and to the larger public forum.


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


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

    "Unintentional" Bombing Repeats a Familiar Pattern
    By Peter Dale Scott
    Date: 05-10-99
    NATO forces and President Clinton have expressed regret over the fact that the Chinese embassy in Belgrade was destroyed just as there was word of a possible peace initiative, calling the incident unfortunate and unintentional. But the timing and nature of the bombing brings to mind a number of similar actions during the Vietnam War era. PNS contributor Peter Dale Scott, a former Canadian diplomat, has authored numerous books and articles on U.S. foreign affairs.

    Chinese Language Dailies -- Fear of "Long Nights and A Lot of Dreams"
    Translated by Franz Schurmann, Edited by Sandy Close
    Date: 05-10-99
    On May 8 three Chinese language newspapers, all with key bureaus in the Bay Area and circulated widely in the United States, ran editorials on the NATO bombing of the Chinese Embassy in Belgrade. Two use the same expression -- "long nights and a lot of dreams" -- to convey their fears of more troubled times to come. The Sing Tao Daily, headquartered in Hong Kong, condemns the NATO decision to opt for a military solution in Kosovo and calls for a major U.N. role in resolving the crisis. But the World Journal, headquartered in Taiwan, argues that NATO had no choice and worries that a U.N. role will "shove NATO aside." They explain, however, that China's opposition to the NATO bombing reflects its fear that Yugoslavia could become a model eventually used by Western powers against China itself. The New York based China Press runs a long excerpt from a Beijing based Journal arguing that the U.S. is implementing a globally hegemonic "Two Ocean Strategy," one in the Euro-Atlantic and the other in the Asia Pacific.

    Belgrade Diary-- Reporter Among Those Killed in Chinese Embassy
    By Terence Sheridan
    Date: 05-11-99
    The missiles which destroyed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade also took the life of a young reporter and his wife. On the streets of the city, a reporter finds signs of hope and fear. PNS correspondent Terence Sheridan, a former reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, has been living and writing in the former Yugoslavia for the last eight years.

    When "The Force" Turns out to Be a Farce
    By Bruce J. Allen
    Date: 05-18-99
    The American people are about to open their wallets and part with colossal sums for "Star Wars -- The Phantom Menace," brought to you by the world's greatest fantasy factory. Commentator Bruce J. Allen is not referring to Hollywood but to Washington, DC. Allen is a San Francisco writer affiliated with Peace Action, the nation's largest grassroots peace and justice lobby.

    Minority Within a Minority-- For Ethnic Turks, Serbian War is Another Chapter in a 600 Year Old Story
    By Thomas Goltz
    Date: 05-20-99
    A handful of the refugees from Kosovo have the choice of leaving overcrowded camps and reclaiming their Turkish heritage. Indeed, given the history of the region, their return to Turkey is only a part of a century-long trend. PNS correspondent Thomas Goltz has been traveling through eastern Europe and Asia Minor covering the effects of the NATO action. He is the author of "Azerbaijan Diary: A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-rich, War-torn, Post-Soviet Republic" (M.E. Sharpe, 1998).


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

    Littleton Aftermath -- Shooting Changes the Way the World Treats Outcasts
    By Lyn Duff
    Date: 05-13-99
    Denver area young people on the fringes -- those who refuse to conform in style or behavior -- have seen their world change since the shootings at the high school in Littleton. In conversations with both outcasts and insiders, PNS commentator Lyn Duff discovers signs of greater concern and the possibility of change. Duff is a founding editor of YO! (Youth Outlook), a newspaper by and about young people published by Pacific News Service. She currently lives in Denver, Colorado.

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