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JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 6.17

08/19/00 - 09/02/00

CONTENTS


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

    All Together Now: Why We Need A Million Family March
    By David Muhammad
    Date: 08-29-00
    Since I participated in the Million Man March nearly five years ago, I have been married and we have had a daughter. I returned to my community with the spirit of wanting to live up to the pledges given that day on the National Mall in Washington. Now my family and I plan to return to the Capitol, along with my father, my wife's parents and several other family members for the Million Family March.

    City Living In A Dilemma -- Boomtown With No Room
    By Andrew Lam
    Date: 08-24-00
    Long-time residents of San Francisco hear themselves saying "good-bye" a lot recently, as friends light out for more affordable spots. It's the price of success, maybe, but that doesn't make it any sweeter. Andrew Lam, a commentator for National Public Radio, writes short stories and reports for New California Media, PNS' ethnic media web site at www.NCMonline.com.

    My Mother, The Democrat -- And Why She Still Loves Bill Clinton
    By Rene Ciria-Cruz
    Date: 08-21-00
    Sure the Democrats revere the Kennedys, and they let their nostalgia for America's ill-starred royal family wash over the second evening of their convention. But it's still Bill Clinton's legacy -- thousands leapt to their feet and many wept openly during his fighting farewell on opening day -- that's fueling their enthusiasm. Al Gore, who's trying hard to distance himself from the president, can't afford a complete disconnection. PNS correspondent Rene Ciria-Cruz is an editor of New California Media (www.NCMonline.com) and an associate editor of the San Francisco-based Filipinas magazine. His e-mail address is reneccruz@pacificnews.org.


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

    Plan Colombia: Are You Listening, Mr. President
    By Mary Jo Mcconahay
    Date: 08-31-00
    Editorialists across the nation on dailies which usually agree on very little, from Orange County to New York City, St. Pete to Chicago, are questioning the new Plan Colombia with its heavy emphasis on military hardware and eradication. Almost all writers suggest alternatives which seem both less risky and more likely to succeed. PNS editor Mary Jo McConahay writes for New California Media, PNS' collaboration of ethnic news organizations. NCM can be found on the world wide web at www.NCMonline.com.

    Colombia's Forgotten Victims -- Those Hurt Are Most Difficult to See
    By Paul Jeffrey
    Date: 08-30-00

    "Plan Colombia," calling for more than $1 billion in military aid to that country has drawn the world's attention to the major struggles there between government and armed opposition groups. But those most wounded by recent events -- the nearly 2 million "internal refugees" -- rarely have a chance to speak out. PNS commentator Paul Jeffrey writes on international development issues for the National Catholic Reporter and other publications. Photos available. E-mail slouie@pacificnews.org for details.

    Is Desertification The Unbeatable Menace?
    By Franz Schurmann
    Date: 08-25-00

    We live in a world that is more and more desert by almost any measure. The challenge is to devise ways of living that minimize desertification in an ever more crowded globe. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, has traveled widely in the Middle East and reads the Arab- and Farsi-language press.

    Summer's School -- Activists Taking Time To Evaluate And Strategize
    By Sarah Ferguson
    Date: 08-22-00

    Protesters have hit the streets of U.S. cities in extraordinary numbers over the last year, most recently at the national political conventions. Now those who organized and participated in these actions are taking time to consider their value and plan for the future. PNS commentator Sarah Ferguson writes widely on issues of housing and eco-politics.


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

    Echoes Of The Yellow Turbans -- Why China's Leaders Fear Falun Gong
    By Franz Schurmann
    Date: 09-01-00
    An organization called Falun Gong has been much in the news for the past year or so, and is often portrayed as a potential threat to China's stability. The reality is considerably more complicated, and -- as is often the case in China -- very much mixed in with the country's history. PNS associate editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley and former director of the Center for Chinese Studies, has written on and traveled widely in China.



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

    Call 900 Gouge: State Department Connects With Masters Of Overcharging In Mexico
    By Martin Espinoza
    Date: 08-23-00

    A Mexican citizen who wishes to visit the United States must have a visa, and the visa can only come from the U.S. State Department, and the only way to reach the U.S. State Department is by calling a 900 number that charges $1.20 a minute -- sounds like a formula for extorting the most from those least able to pay. And it is says PNS commentator Martin Espinoza. Espinoza reports from Guanajuato, Mexico.

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