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JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 6.04

02/21/00 - 03/03/00

CONTENTS


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

    A Homeboy Salutes Santana -- One Of "The Essential Ones"
    By Roberto Lovato
    Date: 02-25-00
    After sweeping the Grammys, Carlos Santana is now enjoying saturation coverage--to the great satisfaction of one San Francisco Mission District homeboy who generally eschews digital age icons. PNS commentator Roberto Lovato now lives in Los Angeles where he coordinates the Central American Studies Program at Cal State-Northridge.

    Thou Shalt Not Love
    By Richard Rodriguez
    Date: 02-28-00
    For all the animosity that supposedly separates Roman Catholics from fundamentalist Protestants like those at Bob Jones University, in their public elaboration of "family values," the Catholic Bishops and the faculty of Bob Jones U. sound alike. The great sin for both -- and the preoccupation of American churches throughout history -- has been crimes of love, not crimes of hate, as is evident in their current support for the Knight Initiative. PNS editor Richard Rodriguez is author of "Days of Obligation," an essayist for PBS' "News Hour with Jim Lehrer," and a regular contributor to the Los Angeles Times Sunday Opinion.

    Important Candidates' Voices...But Will We Hear Them?
    By Jeff Milchen
    Date: 03-02-00
    Post-primary presidential debates are controlled by a privately-funded corporation which virtually excludes candidates who are not Democrat or Republican. Commentator Jeff Milchen says the barrier to challenging two-party politics is undemocratic and unfair to voters hungry for an independent voice. Milchen is the director of ReclaimDemocracy.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring democratic authority over corporations.

    Vietnamese Americans: McCain Is Popular But Not A Shoo-In
    By Hoai Phi
    Date: 03-02-00
    Vietnam War hero Sen. John McCain has an obvious edge over Gov. George W. Bush among Vietnamese American voters during the primaries. However, politics in the generally conservative community are starting to evolve, reports Hoai Phi, a correspondent for New California Media <http://www.NCMonline.com>, an ethnic news media collaborative of Pacific News Service.


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

    Washed Up At 30 -- Old Means Obsolete In Dot-Com World
    By Koren Capozza
    Date: 02-22-00
    In the new meritocracy of Silicon Valley, race, gender and ethnicity are no longer regarded as the impediments to getting ahead. The most difficult barrier to advancement is ageism -- as employment counselors routinely tell clients, "If you want that job, cut your resume in half." PNS correspondent Koren Capozza writes for New California Media, a website spanning the ethnic news media of California's neighborhoods and homelands at www.NCMonline.com.

    Talk On The Street: Home Invasions Not A 'Hood Crime
    By Charles Jones
    Date: 02-23-00
    Are home invasions likely to be the next copycat crime on American streets? A group of young black ex-convicts think not and tell why. PNS youth affairs reporter Charles Jones reports for New California Media and YO! (Youth Outlook), a monthly newspaper by and about Bay Area teens published by Pacific News Service.

    Diallo Challenges Feds' See-No-Evil Policy Toward Police Abuse
    By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
    Date: 02-28-00
    The number of police abuse complaints has soared nationally yet federal prosecutors have brought excessive force charges against police officers in less than one percent of the cases investigated by the FBI involving allegations of police abuse. The Diallo case offers the Justice Department an opportunity to address the deepening cynicism and distrust many blacks and Latinos feel towards the criminal justice system. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of "The Crisis in Black and Black" and the director of the National Alliance for Positive Action. His e-mail address is ehutchi344@aol.com

    Don't Push Me 'Cause I'm Close To The Edge -- Youth Use Hip-Hop Music To Fight Prop 21
    By Lakeisha McGhee
    Date: 02-29-00
    Long-time residents of Oakland say there's been nothing like last week's youth protest in front of City Hall since the Black Panther protests. The event marked the beginning of a "Week of Rage" aimed at defeating a March 7 California ballot initiative on juvenile crime. PNS correspondent Lakiesha McGhee has been covering the protests for San Francisco State University's online publication, www.newsport.sfsu.edu

    Decline And Fall Of The American Empire
    By George Koo
    Date: 03-03-00
    With laboratory job applications from Chinese American scientists at an all-time low, the future of U.S. weapons production hangs in the balance. Energy officials are busy trying to limit this fallout from the Wen Ho Lee controversy, but only Lee's release from jail and an apology from the White House will rebuild trust from the Chinese American scientific community, says Pacific News Service commentator George Koo, a business consultant and a member of Committee of 100, a national organization of prominent Chinese Americans.


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

    U.S.-China Relations Closer Than Ever Despite Ultimatum On Taiwan
    By Franz Schurmann
    Date: 02-24-00
    China's unexpected ultimatum on Taiwan was a reaction against the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act passed by the House. But with leading Taiwan presidential contenders backtracking on independence talk, and U.S.-China relations closer than they have been in years, the chances of war are minimal. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at the University of California, Berkeley, is author of numerous books on China and monitors the Chinese-language news media for New California Media (ncmonline.com).

    War Talk In India As Clinton Plans Visit
    By Batuk Vora
    Date: 02-25-00
    On the eve of President Clinton's visit, a dramatic and dangerous escalation in Indian war-making rhetoric against Pakistan is erupting. PNS correspondent Batuk Vora writes for New California Media, a website spanning the ethnic news media of California's neighborhoods and homelands at www.NCMonline.com.


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

    Without A Bishop, Chiapas Indians May Be Martyrs In The Making
    By Alberto Huerta
    Date: 03-01-00
    Will canonizing a 16th century Mexican Indian appease the indigenous of troubled Chiapas, who are now without a bishop they can regard as their own? Alberto Huerta, a Catholic priest who visits Chiapas, says the Vatican's moves are troubling. Rev. Huerta teaches in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages at the University of San Francisco.


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

    New York Mayor's War On Community Gardens Backfires
    By Sarah Ferguson
    Date: 02-21-00
    Claiming the land is needed for affordable housing, New York City Mayor Rudolph Guliani has begun to destroy the community gardens which dot New York City. In the process, more than green space is lost writes PNS correspondent Sarah Ferguson, and now the Mayor's campaign has run into a wall of eco-protesters and political celebrities. The green spaces have become a global issue. Ferguson writes widely on issues of housing and eco-politics.

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