JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 6.26

12/25/00 - 1/8/01

CONTENTS

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

Frugal Youth Could Ground Napster

Napster made history when it agreed to partner with Bertelsmann to form a subscriber-based MP3 service -- one that could revolutionize how people view the Internet. But young people surveyed in the Bay Area have second thoughts about paying for music. PNS correspondent Scott S. Louie writes about techno-culture for Gravy and Yobzine, and has appeared in the San Francisco Examiner.

Junked Workers Give NAFTA Its Final Test

Guarantees of protections for workers, especially with respect to health and safety, were a much-heralded part of the NAFTA agreement, and won over many doubters. Now, as the program enters its sixth year, workers are making one last attempt to see if those provisions have any teeth. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.

Suspicious Fire Heats Up Border Labor Dispute

Workers in the growing number of plants established near the U.S.-Mexico border have begun to flex their muscles, particularly with efforts to form independent unions. In some places, the response has been swift and extremely harsh. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.

Bitter Disputes Loom Over Global Resources

Growth and prosperity, expansion and new technology, all translate into unprecedented demand on natural resources. Unless international bodies come up with equitable methods for sharing what we have, some particularly bitter contests seem likely. PNS commentator Michael T. Klare is a professor of Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College and the author of "Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict," to be published in the Spring of 2001.

Wind From The East

The reception of the new movie "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" shows how Asian tastes and culture have become an accepted element in American life. This, too, is an element of globalization. PNS editor Andrew Lam is a short story writer and journalist.

Japan: Locomotive For The New Economy?

Till now, America has led the global communications revolution and Japan seemed out of the picture. Suddenly, Japan is roaring into the world market with wireless communication as its ace card. Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor of University of California at Berkeley, reads the Chinese, Japanese and French press and writes on their coverage for NCMonline.com.

No Warning, No Information, No Money And No Place To Go

It is difficult to think of India without thinking of masses of people -- and, perhaps, so dismissing the country as a whole. But close up, talking with families made homeless by official action reveals a striking variety and individuality. PNS contributor Reyes Sacharoff reports from Bombay, India.

Let Justice Be Done

The president alone has the power to grant a pardon, which erases the label and penalties attached to commission of a crime, and those pardoned are often selected to meet political obligations. Yet there are prisoners who deserve to be pardoned for the simple reason that they have committed no crime -- or, in the case of Michael Pardue, acted only to reject wrongful acts by the state. PNS commentator Joe Loya is a California writer currently writing a memoir on his experience in prison. His e-mail address is buddhalobo@aol.com.

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