JINN - THE GENIE OF THE CULTURE
Jinn Home Page | About Jinn | Search | Net-Links
Voices | Heresies | Vectors | Pacific Pulse | The Americas | California | Movements | Civil Conflicts | YO!

JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 6.12

06/12/00 - 06/23/00

CONTENTS


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

    Corcoran Ruling May Escalate Crime Wave By Enforcers
    By Joe Loya
    Date: 06-14-00
    Right in the middle of a historic national eight-year decrease in crime, those entrusted to enforce the law are experiencing a crime wave of their own. Last week's acquittal of eight California prison guards of federal charges of violating prisoners' civil rights may accelerate the trend. PNS associate editor Joe Loya is working on a memoir about his years in federal prison. His e-mail address is buddhalobo@aol.com.

    One Man's Reunification
    By Katherine Cowy Kim
    Date: 06-15-00
    As the high drama of a summit meeting between North and South Korea commands attention on front pages, one Korean-American is thinking hard about the possibility of returning to his homeland. After 50 years of determined assimilation, and myriad changes on both sides, the choice is not a simple one. PNS editor Katherine Cowy Kim is a Bay Area freelance writer and works with YO! Youth Outlook.

    Infanticide, Bride Burnings, Suicides: Dowries The Root Cause Of Abuse Of Women In India
    By Sarita Sarvate
    Date: 06-16-00
    The flood of numbers that passes by our eyes every day often seem to blur more than they reveal. But one recently published statistic for one observer provides a window into a very unsettling reality about the treatment of women in India. PNS commentator Sarita Sarvate, born and raised in India, is an award-winning essayist for the San Jose, CA-based monthly India Currents and a regular commentator on National Public Radio.

    Filipino Ex-Hostage Tells Harrowing Tale
    By Rene Ciria-Cruz
    Date: 06-23-00
    The kidnapping of 21 foreign tourists by self-styled Muslim rebels in the Philippines two months ago has come into the news again with the Filipino government's announcement that it is considering paying the $21 million ransom they demanded. Evidently unnoticed in the midst of all this, a lone hostage held by the same group has emerged with a detailed account of the experience. PNS editor Rene Ciria-Cruz interviewed ex-hostage Andres Amante soon after he was freed. Photo available; e-mail slouie@pacificnews.org for details.


* HERESIES: Thinking the Unthinkable About the Future

    Why Africa Trade Act May Hurt More Than Help
    By Donal Brown
    Date: 06-12-00
    When President Clinton signed the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act last week, he touted it as a giant step forward in African economic development. But the act will do little to reverse the impact of a decade of malign neglect. PNS commentator Donal Brown monitors African affairs for New California Media.

    After Oil -- Fuel From The Farms?
    By Walter Truett Anderson
    Date: 06-13-00
    One certainty in this changeable world is that sooner or later there will be very little or no oil left. Imagine, then, the implications of an energy system based on fuel derived from material any farmer can grow. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson is the author of "The Future of the Self" (Tarcher Putnam, 1997).

    Will Farmers Be Partners Or Serfs In The New "Biobased Economy"?
    By Walter Truett Anderson
    Date: 06-20-00
    It may seem far-fetched, but the next Silicon Valley may well spring up amidst rows of corn. A momentous change in the way we grow and use crops seems very likely in the near future, and farmers will have to make a crucial choice about what role they will play. Third in a series of several articles on a biobased economy. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson is the author of "The Future of the Self" (Tarcher Putnam, 1997).

    New Korean Peace Accord Spells Disaster For Pentagon War Planners
    By Michael T. Klare
    Date: 06-22-00
    This month's summit between the two Koreas throws the Pentagon's key rationale for billions in defense into question. With the "rogue states" becoming friends rather than foes, military planners are hard put to justify rising military expenditures, not to mention some $60 billion earmarked for a national missile defense (NMD) system. PNS analyst Michael T. Klare is a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., and author of "Rogue States and Nuclear Outlaws" (Hill and Wang, 1995).


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

    Does A Leader Who Is Also A Mass Murderer Deserve Respect?
    By Franz Schurmann
    Date: 06-12-00
    For most people, respect means being taken seriously, a first step towards friendship and love. When President Clinton expressed respect for the just deceased Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad, it had to do with trust in international relations. PNS commentator Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor at UC-Berkeley, has written on international affairs since the early 1970s.

    Pakistan Government's Gravest Challenge -- Worst Drought In 50 Years
    By Muddassir Rivzi
    Date: 06-16-00
    The poorest and most isolated regions of Pakistan are melting in the face of the worst drought in 50 years. With millions of people impacted, but the government squeezed by international donors, much of the relief work is being left to private agencies and street workers. PNS reporter Muddassir Rivzi reports from Islamabad for New California Media, an inter-ethnic media exchange founded by Pacific News Service.

    Labor's Push For New Amnesty For Immigrants
    By David Bacon
    Date: 06-21-00
    In recent years, a strong anti-immigrant sentiment has been much in evidence and widely shared. But the idea of amnesty for those who managed to get to the United States without documents seems to be catching on, most strikingly with the labor movement, long an opponent of any such program. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.


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

    Freedom Still Eludes Garment Worker From China
    By Lisa Liu (As Told To David Bacon)
    Date: 06-19-00
    Lisa Liu left China in search of freedom, a concept she now realizes was an abstraction. She does piece work in a garment factory in Oakland, CA's Chinatown where pressures just to survive leave her feeling as if she can't breathe. She told her story to PNS associate editor David Bacon who writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.

Pacific News Service, 660 Market Street, Room 210, San Francisco, CA 94104, tel: (415) 438-4755.
Jinn Magazine: <http://www.pacificnews.org/jinn/>
Email: <pacificnews@pacificnews.org>

Copyright © 2000 Pacific News Service. All Rights Reserved.
Please do not reprint our stories without our permission.
Our articles are available for reprint. For rates and information, contact Scott Louie at <pacificnews@pacificnews.org>