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JINN MAGAZINE

PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

Issue No. 6.29

02/04/00 - 02/18/01

CONTENTS


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

    Transferred From The Military -- Human Rights Groups Scrutinize Mexico's New Attorney General
    By Kent Paternson
    Date: 02-16-01
    In apparent contradiction to his campaign promise to remove the army from police work, the new president of Mexico has appointed an army general as the nation's top legal officer. The move has been greeted with considerable skepticism by human rights groups. PNS correspondent Kent Paterson is a freelance journalist based in Albuquerque, NM.

    Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Butcher Of Beirut? Not All Arabs
    By Franz Schurmann
    Date: 02-13-01
    Ariel Sharon's victory in Israel is not seen as a danger from the Arab point of view, as represented in the Arab- language press. Rather they see Sharon as a figure intent on rehabilitating his reputation -- and therefore likely to seek peace. PNS associate editor Franz Schurmann, who has studied and traveled widely in the Muslim world, is a professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley.

    Are We all Getting Smarter? Scientists Puzzle Over The "Flynn Effect"
    By Walter Truett Anderson
    Date: 02-12-01
    Striking discoveries often come almost by accident, and so it is with the "Flynn effect," an unexplained -- and perhaps unexplainable -- rise in the general level of intelligence everywhere. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson is the author of "The Future of the Self" (Tarcher Putnam, 1997).

    Arab World Sees A Wide Window Of Opportunity Opening
    By Franz Schurmann
    Date: 02-09-01
    Many in the middle east sense that their place in the world may be changing. Changes in Washington and Moscow, and in particular a long-standing relationship involving members of the new Bush administration, including the president and his family, suggest there are solid reasons for such a sentiment. 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.

    Times' "Reassessment" Sounds More Like A Prosecution Brief
    By Ling-Chi Wang
    Date: 02-09-01
    In response to considerable public criticism of its coverage of the Wen Ho Lee case, the New York Times took the unusual step of investigating its own work. The result is a rehash of old material presented in a way that exonerates the Times and tries to cast further suspicion on Lee. PNS contributor Prof. Ling-Chi Wang is Chair of the Ethnic Studies Department at the University of California at Berkeley.

    Wen Ho Lee Case May Be A Pawn In A Global Game
    By Franz Schurmann
    Date: 02-09-01
    The sudden reappearance of the Wen Ho Lee case, with anonymous sources providing information suggesting new problems, comes at a time when Washington is changing its position toward China and Taiwan. That coincidence, if it is a coincidence, could prove unfortunate for the beleaguered scientist. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, is author of numerous books on foreign affairs.

    Distant Tragedy Unifies Indian Americans
    By Raj Jayadev
    Date: 02-07-01
    The Indian community in the United States divides along established lines of religion and class, but also very sharply between generations. But all these rifts disappeared as members of each group realized, in the aftermath of the terrible earthquake in their homeland, that they shared a strong common bond. PNS contributor Raj Jayadev is the Silicon Valley editor for YO! Youth Outlook, a publication by and about Bay Area youth published by Pacific News Service.

    Behind The Bienvenidos: Bush And Fox Neighbors, Allies With Very Different World Views
    By Andrew Reding
    Date: 02-06-01
    This week's meeting between the presidents of the United States and Mexico is sure to be filled with good feelings -- the two men have much in common on both personal and political levels. But their foreign policies, as demonstrated by their appointments, are diametrically opposed, which may make for some troubling, off-screen undercurrents. Pacific News Service associate editor Andrew Reding directs the Americas Project of the World Policy Institute, where he is also senior fellow for hemispheric affairs.

    Black History Is Family History, Too
    By Kevin Weston
    Date: 02-05-01
    Recent revelations about Jesse Jackson, which have brought out partisan remarks from both his supporters and detractors, are best seen in light of the history of the African American family in this country. That also helps explain some of the unconventional paths followed by the younger generation. Kevin Weston, a poet and hip hop entrepreneur, is the verse editor at the San Francisco Bayview and an editor at Youth Outlook Magazine.

    Time To Abolish The Farce Of Black History Month
    By Akila Monifah
    Date: 02-05-01
    What began as a gentle reminder that African American history is part of American history has grown into an opportunity to sell more goods. Worse, some clearly feel that paying some attention in this one month excuses a complete lack of attention in the other 11 months of the year. PNS commentator Akilah Monifa is a writer who lives in Oakland, California.

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