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A REGULAR COLUMN ON THE IDEAS AND DIRECTIONS
BEHIND TODAY'S NEWS
January, 1998 until the present
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By Leticia Hernandez-Linares
Date: 03-15-01
After too long a wait, the government is finally admitting that the mix of human beings in this country is far more complicated than choosing a checkbox on form. One sign of new respect for hybrids is the growing legitimacy of "Spanglish," says PNS contributor Leticia Hernandez-Linares. Hernandez-Linares, a published poet and spoken word artist, works as an arts educator in Bay Area schools.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 03-14-01
The recent stock market crash and decline of chip production leader Intel shook the world --- except for China. The main reason is that China enjoys growth and prosperity it has not known for centuries. Another is that even as Intel declines China is in the beginning stages of its own chip industry. Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor at the University of California at Berkeley, has written on Asia-Pacific trends for many years.
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 03-12-01
In an attempt to solve a problem that doesn't exist, many states have gone to extremes in their punishment of juvenile offenders. So it should not shock us to learn that a boy of 14 has been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole -- it is only an example of a consistent trend. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the president of the National Alliance for Positive Action (www.natalliance.org) and is and the author of "The Disappearance of Black Leadership." His e-mail address is ehutchi344@aol.com.
By Andrew Lam
Date: 03-12-01
The outraged protests that greeted news that the Taliban in Afghanistan were going to destroy two very large statues of the Buddha. It is important, however, to recognize that Buddhism and its precepts are in no way endangered by this action. PNS editor Andrew Lam is a short story writer and commentator for National Public Radio. Please note this is a revised version of this story, originally slugged "buddha."
By Emil Guillermo
Date: 03-09-01
The big news from the 2000 U.S. Census is not who has the most numbers so much as it is that the old categories are worn out. And that is good news indeed. PNS commentator Emil Guillermo is the executive producer and host of NCM-TV: New California Media -- The New America Now. His e-mail address is emil@amok.com.
By Scott S. Louie
Date: 03-08-01
In the courtroom, things look bleak for Napster -- the poster child of the dot-com set -- and major record companies are claiming victory. But for those in the know, the big firms haven't even found the battlefield yet, let alone carried the day. PNS commentator Scott S. Louie writes on technology and pop culture issues.
By Katherine Cowy Kim
Date: 03-08-01
The epidemic of school shootings nationwide leaves copious amounts of victims in its wake. With much of the attention focused on details of bullet wounds and gun calibers, lost in the shuffle are our nation's fear-stricken parents. And PNS editor Catherine Cowy Kim wonders who's looking out for them. Kim, 29, is mother of a 3-year-old boy and co-editor of YO! Youth Outlook, a publication by and about Bay Area teens published by Pacific News Service.
By Andrew Lam
Date: 03-07-01
The outraged protests that greeted news that the Taliban in Afghanistan were going to destroy two very large statues of the Buddha. It is important, however, to recognize that buddhism and its precepts are in no way endangered by this action. PNS editor Andrew Lam is a short story writer and commentator for National Public Radio.
By Russel Morse
Date: 03-07-01
Once again front pages are filled with details of a shooting inside a high school in which both the alleged killer and the victims are barely in their teens. And once again, every sort of explanation is offered, each with its bit of the truth. But PNS commentator Russell Morse sees in this an act some puzzling sort of role-playing, which will be repeated. Morse is a reporter for YO! Youth Outlook, a publication by and about Bay Area Teens published by Pacific News Service.
By Yoichi Clark Shimatsu
Date: 03-05-01
The mystery within the mystery concerning Robert Hanssen, accused of spying for the Soviet Union for more than 15 years, is simply what motivated him to do it? With no signs of pro-Soviet ideological commitment or extravagant spending, the answer may lie in Hanssen's membership in Opus Dei, an ultraconservative Catholic organization. PNS commentator Yoichi Clark Shimatsu is former editor of The Japan Times Weekly in Tokyo, and has reported on the Aum Shinrikyo sect
By David Higuera
Date: 03-02-01
Born to a large family in Bogata, Colombia, PNS contributor David Higuera faced the horror of a cheating father at age 2, and relocation to the U.S. by age 5. The distance he traveled, he would find, was not just made of physical miles, but emotional ones as well. Higuera, 25, came to the U.S. with his mother and sister in 1980 from Colombia. He's an educator and student in San Francisco.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 03-01-01
Recent news that China has replaced Japan as first in exports to the United States can be read in any of several ways. One unsettling interpretation looks at history, and sees some unhappy parallels. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, is author of numerous books on foreign affairs.
By Muddassir Rizvi, Hadia Nusrat And Fariba Nawa
Date: 02-28-01
Today, Pacific News Service offers the second and third parts of a four-part series that lifts the veil of stereotype from Islamic women's lives. For instance, despite the strenuous objections of religious conservatives, women are taking seats in local government councils in Pakistan as part of a program enunciated by the country's military leaders. More than 4,000 were elected in a first round and there is a widespread feeling that the world will never be quite the same, say PNS commentators Muddassir Rizvi and Hadia Nusrat. Rizvi is a Pakistani journalist specializing in development issues; Nusrat works with an Islamibad-based public health publication. For PNS contributor Fariba Nawa, author of the second piece, the last 20 years have been particularly unkind. The daughter of exiles raised in America, who is old enough to remember but gone long enough to forget, she returns to Afghanistan, providing a series of unsettling contrasts. Nawa travels frequently to the Middle East and South Asia.
By Muddassir Rizvi, Hadia Nusrat And Fariba Nawa
Date: 02-28-01
Today, Pacific News Service offers the second and third parts of a four-part series that lifts the veil of stereotype from Islamic women's lives. For instance, despite the strenuous objections of religious conservatives, women are taking seats in local government councils in Pakistan as part of a program enunciated by the country's military leaders. More than 4,000 were elected in a first round and there is a widespread feeling that the world will never be quite the same, say PNS commentators Muddassir Rizvi and Hadia Nusrat. Rizvi is a Pakistani journalist specializing in development issues; Nusrat works with an Islamibad-based public health publication. For PNS contributor Fariba Nawa, author of the second piece, the last 20 years have been particularly unkind. The daughter of exiles raised in America, who is old enough to remember but gone long enough to forget, she returns to Afghanistan, providing a series of unsettling contrasts. Nawa travels frequently to the Middle East and South Asia.
Date: 02-27-01
Today, Pacific News Service offers the first two parts of a four-part series that lifts the veil of stereotype from Islamic women's lives. For instance, despite overall dismal human rights conditions in Iran (stoning, imprisonment and harassment), women there have progressed. In these first two stories, William O. Beeman and Zara Houshmand pay tribute to the women in an overview and focus on the courage of women filmmakers, respectively. PNS contributor William O. Beeman is an anthropologist from Brown University. PNS Commentator Zara Houshmand is an Iranian-American writer living in San Francisco whose work focuses on cross-cultural issues. Tomorrow, a daughter of exiles raised in America, returns to Afghanistan and women take their place in local government councils in Pakistan thanks to a program initiated by military leaders. Photo available for Houshmand's story. E-mail slouie@pacificnews.org for more information.
By Walter Truett Anderson
Date: 02-26-01
In U.S. legal history, decisions of great and lasting importance have often been linked to cases that seem relatively insignificant. This may be true of a recent ruling in a pair of cases involving an employer's response to an individual illness -- and if so, many find that extremely unsettling. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson is the author of "The Future of the Self" (Tarcher Putnam, 1997).
By Roger Burbach
Date: 02-23-01
Son of an ambassador and relative of important military figures, Juan Guzman was among those Chileans who welcomed the violent coup overthrowing Salvador Allende. But sitting as a judge for more than 25 years has changed his mind and he has pursued the case against Augusto Pinochet, leader of the coup, despite opposition from every side. Judge Guzman was interviewed by PNS commentator Roger Burbach, director of the Center for the Study of the Americas and author of "Globalization and Postmodern Politics: From Zapatistas to Hightech Robber Barons" (Pluto Press).
By Rasa Gustaitis
Date: 02-22-01
At a cost of over $1 million a mile, fence between southern San Diego county and Tijuana, Mexico, will soon become a nearly impenetrable double fence. The stated goal is to stop undocumented workers, but the real effect may be irrevocable damage to a natural area that has thrived with cross-border cooperation. PNS commentator Rasa Gustaitis is the editor of California Coast & Ocean magazine.
By Kevin Weston
Date: 02-21-01
The now-familiar sounds of rap and hip hop have morphed into just a style of pop music and soon will be only a memory. A new wave of artists, however, come from places no pop artist can reach PNS commentator Kevin Weston is verse editor of the San Francisco Bay View and co-editor of YO! Youth Outlook, a publication by and about Bay Area teens published by Pacific News Service.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 02-20-01
The altogether unexpected verdict in the 15-month long trial of two Libyans for a terrorist act -- blowing up a plane over Lockerbie, Scotland - has gone unremarked in the western press. But in fact the verdict can only be seen as a rejection of the prosecution case, leaving many to speculate on the possibility that other interests are at stake. 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.
By Yoichi Clark Shimatsu
Date: 02-19-01
On the scale of fleets and navies and sovereign states, the accidental sinking of a fishing trawler seems small indeed. But this collision between a U.S. nuclear submarine and the Ehime Maru, added to a long string of grievances, may prove just enough to destabilize an increasingly fragile security alliance. PNS commentator Yoichi Clark Shimatsu is former editor of The Japan Times Weekly in Tokyo.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
By Michael T. Klare
Date: 02-02-01
All the fingers being pointed in blame over California's power crisis -- at the state, the utilities, natural phenomena -- are pointed in the wrong direction. The real problem can only be solved by significant changes in the way we use power. PNS commentator Michael T. Klare is a professor of peace and world security studies at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., and author of "Resource Wars: The New Landscape of Global Conflict, due in May from Metropolitan Books.
By Muddassir Rizvi
Date: 02-01-01
An English-language daily in Peshawar, Pakistan, known for its opposition to the military government, has been closed, its presses burned, staff members arrested -- and abandoned by its owners. The immediate cause is a letter, but the issues involved are far more profound. PNS commentator Muddassir Rizvi is a Pakistani journalist specializing in development issues whose work appears in several weekly and monthly publications.
By Batuk Vora
Date: 01-31-01
It is difficult to believe we have never heard of the city of Amdavad. Destroyed by the recent massive earthquake -- abetted by the negligence of humans -- PNS contributor Batuk Vora tries to grasp the situation. Vora reports on-scene from Gujarat, India.
By Andrew Reding
Date: 01-30-01
As it examines U.S. foreign policy, the new administration should take a hard look at Plan Colombia -- a $1.6 billion effort that can only increase division in the country and the region. As it happens, that country's capital offers living proof of the efficacy of a more reasoned approach. Pacific News Service associate editor Andrew Reding directs the Americas Project of the World Policy Institute, where he is senior fellow for hemispheric affairs.
By Richard Rodriguez
Date: 01-29-01
California seems to swing from ecstatic self- satisfaction to paranoid gloom with dazzling speed. Recently, a shortage of low-priced energy has people talking about disaster just around the next corner -- but it's a corner the state has passed many times before. PNS Richard Rodriguez, an author and essayist, contributes regularly to the Sunday Opinion section of the Los Angeles Times where a longer version of this commentary appears.
By Reyes Sacharoff
Date: 01-29-01
Almost as a warning, a quake with less a thousandth the strength of last week's disaster, hit a town in the same province in early January. Residents there woke to discover that new, government-built housing -- was most damaged, clearly because the building code had been ignored. PNS contributor Reyes Sacharoff reports from Bombay, India.
By David Bacon
Date: 01-26-01
Born into a family dedicated to revolution, and coming of age in a time of intense labor strife, Bert Corona devoted his life to the least advantaged of all workers -- undocumented immigrants, workers the unions ignored or rejected. Today, those he organized form a powerful political bloc and an equally important part of the labor movement. PNS commentator David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues. Photographs are available by request. Please e-mail dbacon@igc.org for details.
By Victor Saldana
Date: 01-25-01
Some workers in high tech industry feel little connection to the dramatic news of loss in value of options and the like. Which is not to say that they don't have their own ways of sharing in the general prosperity. PNS commentator Victor Saldana, 20, is a staff writer for YO! Youth Outlook who works with Silicon Valley De-Bug.
By Mary Jo Mcconahay
Date: 01-24-01
With almost his first words as president, George W. Bush restored an extremely strict policy forbidding any U.S. funding of overseas agencies or programs that in any way are involved with abortion. The effect in the field, it is clear to experienced observers, will be the very opposite of the intent. PNS associate editor Mary Jo McConahay has written on health and population issues for Sierra and other publications.
By Benjamin Read
Date: 01-24-01
The idea of "global" enterprise is usually addressed in terms of trade balances and shifts of industrial capacity. But some aspects of the new reality are hard to see and quite surprising. PNS commentator Benjamin Read is a freelance writer from Casper, Wyoming.
By Roger Burbach
Date: 01-22-01
The world seems much occupied recently with assigning responsibility for historical crimes and coming to a satisfactory settlement of accounts. The problem is complex, and nowhere more so than in Chile, where attempts to prosecute the former dictator have brought to light information that may well bring a permanent change. PNS commentator Roger Burbach is the director of the Center for the Study of the Americas and author of "Globalization and Postmodern Politics: From Zapatistas to Hightech Robber Barons" (Pluto Press).
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 01-19-01
News that Jesse Jackson fathered a child out of wedlock has produced fairly predictable responses, both censorious and supportive. In this particular case, however, the lesson to be learned involves questions of political significance more than morality. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the president of the National Alliance for Positive Action (www.natalliance.org) and is and the author of "The Disappearance of Black Leadership." His e-mail address is ehutchi344@aol.com.
By Abou Farman-Farmaian
Date: 01-18-01
Love it or leave it, Superbowl is looming over us again, and news as well as sports pages will be filled with details about every conceivable aspect of the contest. This reflects the fact that the game itself is so deeply American in character, this contest has become the country's most popular ritual, says PNS commentator Abou Farman-farmaian.
By David Bacon
Date: 01-17-01
Soaring utility bills soaring and threats of bankruptcy from the state's major utilities are widely discussed as unforeseen flaws of deregulation. In fact, these are the predictable results of legislation written by the utilities, and several cities in the state demonstrate a ready remedy for the crisis. PNS commentator David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues. Permission to use the attached photo, or to receive a high-resolution scan, can be attained by e-mailing dbacon@igc.apc.org.
By Richard Rodriguez
Date: 01-16-01
Bill Clinton's triumph was to transform himself into the president of America's middle class. But it was also his limitation, for no president can ever be truly great unless he touches the lives of all people, particularly the very poor and hopeless. PNS editor Richard Rodriguez is author of "Days of Obligation: An Autobiography with my Mexican Father" and the forthcoming "Brown."
By Mary Jo Mcconahay
Date: 01-15-01
Saturday's earthquake in El Salvador leaves us once again, sadly, with pictures of poor people facing the awful power of nature. The disaster becomes even more worrisome put in context. Pacific News Service editor Mary Jo McConahay lived in Central America for 13 years. Some of this article is taken from her stories on environmental refugees in a recent issue of Sierra Magazine.
By Peter Asmus
Date: 01-12-01
California's much-ballyhooed power crisis is not the product of conspiratorial behavior by outsiders nor proof that deregulation does not work, but the predictable outcome of maneuvering by the major utilities. Several fairly straightforward solutions are available, including some which will not cost the consumers -- and might even bring the state the sort of energy that was the original spark for deregulation. PNS commentator Peter Asmus is author of "Reaping The Wind," a new book from Island Press.
By Raj Jayadev
Date: 01-11-01
It seems only sensible in both human and economic terms to protect workers from injury at the workplace, and hundreds of laws are on the books to ensure that this is the case. But one young warehouseman trying to take advantage of these laws found that they require extraordinary patience -- and that the remedy they offer is thin soup indeed. 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.
By Rami G. Khouri
Date: 01-10-01
From the perspective of Palestinians and Arabs, the latest U.S. moves to bring peace to the middle east are an important step forward -- but a step that still falls short of meeting essential needs. As this represents real progress, there is some reason for hope, but only if negotiations continue on a new level of understanding. PNS commentator Rami G. Khouri is a Palestinian-Jordanian syndicated political columnist, author, and television talk show host.
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 01-08-01
With very few exceptions, major corporations do not give even the slightest recognition to Martin Luther King, Jr., Day (January 15 this year), proclaimed a national holiday nearly 20 years ago. The reasons are not hard to find, writes PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson, but the occasion should give us a chance to reflect on how much the civil rights movement accomplished for all of us -- including the corporations. Hutchinson is the president of The National Alliance for Positive Action. His e-mail address is ehutchinson@natalliance.org. His website is. www.natalliance.org.
By Scott S. Louie
Date: 01-05-01
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.
By David Bacon
Date: 01-04-01
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.
By David Bacon
Date: 01-03-01
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.
By Michael T. Klare
Date: 01-02-01
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.
By Andrew Lam
Date: 12-29-00
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.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 12-28-00
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.
By Reyes Sacharoff
Date: 12-27-00
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.
By Joe Loya
Date: 12-26-00
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.
By Walter Truett Anderson
Date: 12-22-00
We seem to be entering an era in which some very long-established lines are becoming blurred, not least the lines between countries. More and more, these exist only on the map: people, ideas, products -- good and bad -- flow with little interruption from place to place, producing a world we don't quite yet understand. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson is the author of "The Future of the Self" (Tarcher Putnam, 1997).
By Charles Jones
Date: 12-21-00
The common belief is that poor people have little or no access to the high technology that's now taking over popular culture. But PNS correspondent Charles Jones says the divide is isn't digital but something more complicated. Jones is a father of two whose writings have been featured in publications nationwide.
By Lucy Komisar
Date: 12-20-00
Criminals -- drug dealers or dictators -- with embarrassing amounts of cash on hand, or corporations trying to avoid taxation, often use false fronts in poor countries to "launder" the funds. Major U.S. banks are heavily involved in this unsavory business, so banker Robert Rubin may face some interesting questions from the other members of a UN panel intended to help debtor nations. Lucy Komisar is a freelance journalist who, sponsored by PNS, spent three months in Russia on a U.S. National Research Council grant to investigate the impact of offshore bank and corporate secrecy.
By Cris Yabes
Date: 12-20-00
The French gastronomic tradition is not to be underestimated, but an economic downturn, globalization and changes in lifestyle have been working in favor of le fast food. PNS Cris Yabes is a Filipino journalist living in Paris.
By Victor Saldana
Date: 12-19-00
The future is often planned by those least likely to be there, or so it has begun to seem to some young residents of Silicon Valley. As living costs rise faster than most workers' earnings, many are forced to move deeper into California. PNS commentator Victor Saldana's family has been in Santa Clara for three generations. Saldana, 20, began writing for Youth Outlook last August.
By Peter Dale Scott
Date: 12-18-00
Winners and losers are supposed to shake hands and say the game is more important than the result. Al Gore, in conceding defeat, may have met this standard, but the circumstances -- our circumstances -- called for something much stronger and more principled. PNS commentator Peter Dale Scott authored "Deep Politics and the Death of JFK." Some of the is the historic allusions in this article are quoted in his new long poem, "Minding the Darkness." Scott's website is http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~pdscott.
By William O. Beeman
Date: 12-15-00
There are many ways to interpret the drawn-out controversy over the presidential election and its close, but anthropology offers a perspective that carries an encouraging message. PNS commentator William O. Beeman is an anthropologist and at Brown University.
By Rami Khouri
Date: 12-12-00
Israel has once again begun electing a government, and its domestic politics have taken center stage in the region. But from the Palestinian and Arab point of view, the results of that election will change little; indeed, PNS commentator Rami Khouri thinks the only hope is high-level, and secret, diplomacy. Khouri, a Palestinian-Jordanian, is a syndicated political columnist, author, and television talk show host.
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 12-08-00
Some Democrats--particularly those who see him as inept and weak--see a Bush presidency with decided mixed emotions. Whatever the merits of this assessment, a number of factors could help the Republicans greatly over the next few years. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of The Disappearance of Black Leadership. His e-mail address is ehutchi344@aol.com.
By Peter Dale Scott
Date: 12-07-00
Strident broadcasts from a violently anti-Castro radio station influenced the Miami-Dade Canvassing Board's decision to reverse itself and vote to stop recounting ballots. The radio station's founding was sponsored by the Reagan-Bush administration. PNS correspondent Peter Dale Scott is author of Deep Politics and the Death of JFK and co-author of Cocaine Politics. Scott's website is http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~pdscott.
By Richard Roddriguez
Date: 12-06-00
For decades Mexico has scorned her children for going to the U.S., reserving a special loathing for migrant workers. But Mexico's new president, Vicente Fox, has apologized, acknowledging that it is Mexican Americans who foreshadow Mexico's future. PNS editor Richard Rodriguez, an essayist for the PBS "News Hour with Jim Lehrer," is author of the forthcoming book "Brown."
By Martin Espinoza
Date: 12-05-00
At first glance, Mexico under newly elected President Vicente Fox seems to be on the road to peace in Chiapas-- military checkpoints are being dismantled and the Zapatistas are sending a delegation to Mexico City. However, a new war may be just beginning, fought not with weapons but with ideas. PNS commentator Martin Espinoza reports from Acambaro, Mexico.
By Peter Dale Scott
Date: 12-04-00
The Clinton administration willingness to defy Miami's Cuban-American community in the case of Elian Gonzales was widely seen as a sign that the community had lost its political muscle. But the decision to stop recounting votes in Miami-Dade suggests that it's the Cuban Americans who are getting the last word. PNS correspondent Peter Dale Scott is author of Deep Politics and the Death of JFK and co-author of Cocaine Politics. Scott's website is http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~pdscott.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 12-01-00
The six U.S. recessions since the 1960s were accompanied by destabilizing world events. As the "unwobbling pivot" of the global economy, the United States is now facing a number of events that could make it wobble. Is a recession in the offing? PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, has traveled extensively and reads widely in the Asian, Russian and Arab media.
By Fariba Nawa
Date: 11-30-00
From our distance, Afghanistan seems at best strange, sometimes terrifying, and always mysterious. But this has not stopped Nancy Hatch Dupree, age 71, who helps build libraries in Afghanistan and strives to explain its people to the world at large. PNS commentator Fariba Nawa was a staff reporter for various California newspapers and is now based in Peshawar, Pakistan.
By Andrew Reding
Date: 11-29-00
Charges and counter-charges, suits and disputes have filled the air since election day, to the surprise of many who thought the world's most advanced democracy should have such problems well in hand. But a comparison with other nations shows that we are woefully behind. Pacific News Service associate editor Andrew Reding is a senior fellow of the World Policy Institute in New York.
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 11-29-00
One of the many ideas for reform shaken loose by the confusion over just who is president is a call to abolish the electoral college. A realistic look at the situation suggests such a move could actually harm many of those rallying in support of this reform. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the President of the National Alliance for Positive Action. His e-mail address is ehutchi344@aol.com.
By Muddassir Rizvi
Date: 11-28-00
"Honor" in Pakistan is defined by men. Women who defy those standards are often murdered by male family members. The practice seems to be spreading from rural areas into the city, claiming an estimated 1,100 victims last year, despite outspoken denunciation from both political and religious leaders. PNS commentator Muddassir Rizvi is a Pakistani journalist specializing in development issues, whose work appears in several weekly and monthly publications.
By Robert W. Fuller
Date: 11-28-00
Everyone agrees education is it's in a sorry state, but nobody is sure what to do about it. A major problem with reform proposals is that they do not deal with the pervasive problem of "rankism," which pushes students away. PNS commentator Robert Fuller taught physics at Columbia University, created a program for high-school dropouts in Seattle, and was president of Berlin College. His book "Breaking Ranks: In Pursuit of Individual Dignity," can be accessed at www.breakingranks.net
By Charles Jones
Date: 11-22-00
Neighborhoods change -- get older, poorer, even dissapper, then rise again. Historically, this process has been slow and piecemeal, but now, especially in desirable places like San Francisco, there are pressures to move very quickly. This is generally welcomed as a sign of growth and progress, but to people in and of the neighborhood, the effects are sad, even painful -- the loss of a homeplace. PNS commentator Charles Jones is a 24-year-old father of three who writes for YO! Youth Outlook, a publication of Pacific News Service.
By Eve Pell
Date: 11-21-00
"The Year of Living Dangerously" was a big movie, and a big success, though there were many who thought it slighted history. But 16 years later, a young reporter started to live the same story and was maimed and killed. PNS contributor Eve Pell is a longtime writer for Pacific News Service.
By Martin Espinoza
Date: 11-20-00
News of the Texas execution of a Mexican citizen was greeted with distress by the people of Mexico, where the death penalty was abolished in 1928. But some of those responses seem suspect, including statements by the country's president-elect. PNS commentator Martin Espinoza reports from Guanajuato, Mexico.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 11-17-00
The kill rate is still rising in the Holy Land, and Jews and Arabs are separating themselves even more from each other. Is there any viable option beyond continuing slaughter and separation that modern history suggests won't work? One possible solution is sending in UN troops, but with a strong American peace-making warranty serving both Israel and Palestine. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor at UC-Berkeley, has long written on both West and East Asia.
By Andrew Lam
Date: 11-16-00
While President Clinton makes an historic visit to Vietnam, where tens of thousands fled after the war ended in l975, Vietnamese Americans realize their relationship to the homeland has changed dramatically in 25 years. PNS editor Andrew Lam, born and raised in Vietnam, is a San Francisco-based journalist and short story writer.
By Andrew Reding
Date: 11-16-00
The nearly dead heat outcome of presidential voting in Florida has produced the narrowest sort of partisan bickering. Instead, this is an opportunity on all sides to proceed in an orderly fashion and begin to address some lasting questions about the fairness of voting in the United States. Pacific News Service associate editor Andrew Reding is a senior fellow of the World Policy Institute, and is completing a four-year term as city councilmember in Sanibel, Florida.
By Raj Jayade
Date: 11-16-00
Making a democracy work takes the effort of many hands and minds--it won't keep going by itself. A very young veteran of two apparently very different elections finds it may also take at least a modest amount of deceit. PNS correspondent Raj Jayadev is the Silicon Valley/Digital Divide editor for YO! Youth Outlook, a monthly newspaper by and about Bay Area youth published by Pacific News Service.
By Rick Mercier
Date: 11-15-00
One element of the war between the United States and Vietnam that continues to do harm in both countries is the lasting effect of "Agent Orange." High exposure in certain areas in Vietnam provide a unique laboratory for studying this chemical, but that work cannot proceed without U.S. assistance. PNS correspondent Rick Mercier is a freelance journalist based in Taipei.
By Andrew Lam
Date: 11-15-00
President Clinton may not find the Vietnam he expects during his visit. The population is young and looks to the U.S. in many ways, not as an enemy but as an ideal. PNS editor Andrew Lam, born and raised in Vietnam, is a San Francisco-based journalist and short story writer.
By Craig Reinarman
Date: 11-14-00
Candidates for office now routinely admit use of illegal substances, albeit very limited use and long ago. Despite signs of a shift in the public's attitude, there has been no hint of a change in a drug policy based on prohibition and punishment. PNS commentator Craig Reinarman is Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz and author of "Crack In America: Demon Drugs and Social Justice."
By Martin Espinoza
Date: 11-10-00
Mexicans can't believe that their thoroughly modern, clockwork-efficient Northern neighbor is in turmoil over an inconclusive presidential election. They are also nervous as to what the cliffhanger could mean to their own political transition to a Fox government. PNS commentator Martin Espinoza reports from Guanajuato, Mexico.
By Andres Tapia
Date: 11-10-00
Election snafus in Florida have outraged segments of the electorate who feel disenfranchised. This is nothing new to PNS correspondent Andres Tapia, who grew up in Lima, Peru and still votes in elections there. Tapia sees the U.S. electorate's encounter with the unfamiliar "vulnerabilities" of their electoral process as a bracing, and ultimately positive, experience. Tapia writes on Latin America and Latino immigrant issues.
By Walter Truett Anderson
Date: 11-08-00
Reports of marijuana smoking, DUI arrests and other past chemical indiscretions didn't seem to have an impact on the last presidential election. Is there a sea change in the American public's attitude towards candidates' past drug use? PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson is the author of "The Future of the Self" (Tarcher Putnam, 1997).
By David Bacon
Date: 11-07-00
An elegant cruise ship requires many serving hands, and they are more likely to come from the Philippines than from any other country. Conditions at home can require extraordinary sacrifices from a jobseeker; even the experience of working for months and not getting paid is not enough to deter people from the work. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
By Raj Jayadev
Date: 11-06-00
Immigrants from India and Pakistan have played a very important role as innovators and engineers in the growth of the computer industry, and many have enjoyed considerable rewards. But a far less prominent image of South Asians is beginning to make itself known as a force to be reckoned with. PNS correspondent Raj Jayadev is the Silicon Valley/Digital Divide editor for YO! Youth Outlook, a monthly newspaper
By Leticia Hernandez, Hoseung Terry Lee And Raj Jayadev
Date: 11-03-00
U.S. presidential elections are closely watched by foreign governments and media for the obvious reason that the change of top leadership in the world's number one power has global implications. The following reactions were gleaned by Pacific News Service staffers Leticia Hernandez, Hoseung Terry Lee and Raj Vayadev and correspondent Andrew Reding.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 11-02-00
From the Middle East to the U.S. Midwest Arabic-language newspapers are reporting on the events in the Occupied Territories of the Holy Land as a turning point -- in relations among Arabs as a whole as well as between Palestinians and Israelis. Most Arabs see the current uprising as the work of a growing youth movement. The movement not only resists Israel but sees it as a chance to clean out the corruption in the Palestine Authority. Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor at UC Berkeley, writes extensively on West Asia as well as East Asia.
By Donal Brown
Date: 11-01-00
Education is the topic of the year almost everywhere, especially in California, where voters will decide whether to ease the requirements for school bonds and start a statewide voucher system. The strains on the system are most clear in the classroom, especially in cities. Donal Brown taught in California public schools for 35 years and is currently a reporter for the Pacific News Service covering Africa.
By Jeff Milchen
Date: 10-31-00
Recent efforts in the presidential campaign from both sides have focused on the president's power to appoint justices to the Supreme Court. But a look at the history of appointments to the court, and its true role in our lives, makes it clear that these efforts are more aimed at stirring emotion than reflecting reality. PNS commentator Jeff Milchen is the director of ReclaimDemocracy.org.
By Rene Ciria-Cruz
Date: 10-30-00
Charm, good looks, a "common" touch, especially in his occasional misuse of English, brought Joseph Estrada a landslide victory in the Philippines two years ago. But troubles began from the day he took office, and suspicion and criticism have now given way to widespread unrest. PNS editor Rene Ciria-Cruz is also the longtime editor of Filipinas Magazine in San Francisco.
By Muddasir Rizvi
Date: 10-26-00
U.S. threats to retaliate for the attack on USS Cole in Yemen, combined with its refusal to criticize Israel for its actions against the Palestinians, have brought anti-Americanism to a high level in much of the Islamic world. Fear and defiance seem to predominate, though it should be a time for negotiation. PNS commentator Muddassir Rizvi is a Pakistani journalist specializing in development issues whose work appears in several weekly and monthly publications.
By Robin Shulman
Date: 10-25-00
Two years in Jerusalem may not make one an expert, but it is enough time to become familiar with a few places, a few people at the least, and enough time to be stunned at recent events. From her home in California, PNS commentator Robin Shulman called friends in a place she thought she knew, to ask if they are safe, how they feel, and what they think will happen. Shulman discovered that the human connections are breaking apart on all sides.
By David Bacon
Date: 10-20-00
The very idea of taking a bus in Los Angeles used to be good for a laugh, but the city has changed--new people move around in new ways. The recent bus strike shows that these newcomers, now at the bottom of the ladder, can make common cause with others a few steps up -- and this could have far-reaching effect. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
By Katherine Cowy Kim
Date: 10-20-00
Korea, which is only the size of Kansas, has at times played a major role on the world stage. Few Americans are familiar with its history, but the new winner of the Nobel Peace Prize is something of a legend there, and the prize may help bring together a country split in half for more than half a century. PNS editor Katherine Cowy Kim is a Bay Area freelance writer and works with YO! Youth Outlook.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 10-18-00
Accounts of the recent troubles between Israelis and Palestinians tend to talk in terms of two sides. In fact, each is divided along a number of lines, religious and secular, and united only in the desire for the greatest possible amount of land. 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.
By Lucy Komisar
Date: 10-16-00
Washington denies any problem, as does the International Monetary Fund. But Russians who should know are sure that a $4.8 billion loan never reached its destination. They have been joined recently by Swiss prosecutors who are equally skeptical. PNS contributor Lucy Komisar is a freelance journalist who, sponsored by PNS, spent three months in Russia on a U.S. National Research Council grant to investigate the impact of offshore bank and corporate secrecy.
By Muddassir Rizvi
Date: 10-16-00
Continued fighting between India and Pakistan -- both with nuclear arms capability -- over the disputed region of Kashmir is an ongoing source of concern in the region. One small source of hope is the desire for trade on both sides, though there is some question about how bright a candle that might be. PNS commentator Muddassir Rizvi is a Pakistani journalist specializing in development issues whose work appears in several weekly and monthly publications.
By Muddassir Rizvi
Date: 10-16-00
Bombings of civilians are nothing new in Pakistan, a country faced with hostility on several fronts -- at its borders, in the United Nations, and at home. And while there are many theories about the source of the most recent blast and other previous bombings, the only certainty seems to be that it will happen again. PNS commentator Muddassir Rizvi is a Pakistani journalist specializing in development issues whose work appears in several weekly and monthly publications.
By Rami Khouri
Date: 10-13-00
Since 1993 every violent incident between Israelis and Palestinians has led to a brief pause in the negotiations, only to be followed by intense international diplomacy and a faster pace of resumed peace-making. The same diplomatic dynamic is already underway even as military and civilian violence intensifies. PNS commentator Rami Khouri, a Palestinian-Jordanian, is a syndicated political columnist, author, and television talk show host.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 10-13-00
While gruesome pictures from the Holy Land are splashed all over the media, what is really going on among those who hold power is not war but politics. Barak and Arafat may curse each other, but it is President Clinton who wields the greatest power because both Israel and the emerging Palestine are essentially American protectorates. Franz Schurmann has written on Middle East issues since the late 1970s. He is professor emeritus at UC Berkeley.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 10-12-00
Today's economic giants -- the countries able to draw the most investment capital -- are Asian-Pacific rather than Euro-Atlantic: China, Japan and the United States. Despite the considerable differences among the three, this triangle could become a stable base for peace, provided Korea's reunification becomes a reality. PNS commentator Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor at UC-Berkeley, has written on international affairs since the early 1970s.
By Max Millard
Date: 10-11-00
Those who were at the "Million Man March" in 1995, some reluctantly, some accidentally, recall it as a high point in their lives. On the fifth anniversary of that march, a more broadly based Million Family March will try to recapture some of that spirit. PNS commentator Max Millard is a freelance journalist and former staff writer for the Sun Reporter, San Francisco's oldest black weekly.
By Raj Jayadev
Date: 10-10-00
After 27 years, the National Labor Relations Board has overturned a rule that said workers employed through a temporary agency could not join the union representing other employees at their workplace. The change is of great interest in Silicon Valley, where temp employees are the rule in some parts of the high-tech industry -- parts the unions have tended to overlook. PNS correspondent Raj Jayadev is the Silicon Valley/Digital Divide editor for YO! Youth Outlook, a monthly newspaper by and about Bay Area youth published by Pacific News Service.
By Vincent Shiraldi
Date: 10-09-00
If prisons were the answer to drug abuse, California would be a drug-free paradise by now. Yet it leads the country in drug abuse rates. Now a new initiative on the November ballot proposes a radically different approach. PNS commentator Vincent Schiraldi is Director of the Justice Policy Institute located in San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
By Robert W. Fuller
Date: 10-06-00
In America's celebrity culture, "somebodies" are sought after, given preference, lionized. "Nobodies" get insulted, dissed, exploited, ignored. The syndrome might be called rankism. PNS correspondent Robert W. Fuller taught physics at Columbia, created a program for high school dropouts in Seattle and served as president of Oberlin. His book, "Rankism: Breaking Ranks in Pursuit of Individual Dignity," can be accessed at www.breakingranks.net.
By Kathryn J. Casa
Date: 10-04-00
The Mideast peace process is not the victim of the current violence but the root of it. Unless the American, Israeli and Palestinian officials who meet in Paris this week acknowledge that fact, efforts to stem the current bloodletting will be nothing more than palliatives. PNS commentator Kathryn J. Casa reports from Israel.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 10-03-00
Likud leader Ariel Sharon made a fateful miscalculation when he ascended the Dome of the Rock -- he underestimated a powerful surge of strength coursing through the Arab and Muslim worlds that has rendered their traditional power equation with Israel and the West moot. One key factor in that surge is the final consolidation of power by the Taliban. 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.
By Jim Schultz
Date: 10-02-00
While world attention is focused on events in Colombia and Peru, another Andean nation, Bolivia, is battered by civil unrest over a host of issues, including plans to build U.S.-bankrolled military bases in a coca-growing region. PNS correspondent Jim Shultz is executive director of The Democracy Center (www.democracyctr.org). He lives and writes in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 09-27-00
On September 22, history's ship captain made a big shift in course, away from the Euro-Atlantic and towards the Asia-Pacific. Three events led to the shift: the freefall of the euro, the rescue intervention by the big three finance ministers and the market crash of the world's biggest chipmaker Intel. Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor of history and sociology at UC Berkeley, has long written on current events from a global and historical perspective.
By Sarita Sarvate
Date: 09-26-00
Jubilation in India over the recent visit by Bill Gates contrasted with a singular ho-hum attitude about the Prime Minister's trip to Washington. From the perspective of hundreds of millions of Indians who have never seen the inside of a house, the Gates visit at least holds the promise of trickle-down--more than what they can hope for from Indian Americans' new found clout. PNS commentator Sarita Sarvate, a physicist by training, writes for India Currents.
By Muddassir Rizvi
Date: 09-25-00
Bombings of civilians are nothing new in Pakistan, a country faced with hostility on several fronts -- at its borders, in the United Nations, and at home. And while there are many theories about the source of the most recent blast, the only certainty seems to be that it will happen again. PNS commentator Muddassir Rizvi is a Pakistani journalist specializing in development issues whose work appears in several weekly and monthly publications.
By Richard Rodriguez
Date: 09-22-00
With their segmented grasp of America, pollsters have made a national political campaign nearly impossible or irrelevant. This year's presidential race seems to be taking us back to the country before the jet airplane, when most presidential campaigns took place in several states east of the Mississippi. PNS editor Richard Rodriguez is an author and essayist.
By George Koo
Date: 09-22-00
Wen Ho Lee is no longer in solitary confinement or awaiting trial. But the case is by no means resolved, and the host of unanswered questions can only be answered by an open public investigation. PNS commentator George Koo is a business consultant and a member of Committee of 100, a national organization of prominent Chinese Americans.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 09-21-00
The explosion of a US-bound airliner over Scotland was front-page news when it happened. Two years later when the US and UK governments announced that the bombing was the work of Libyan terrorists. Now the case is being tried -- with little mention in the US press -- and it looks as if the charges may very well dissolve. PNS associate editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, has written extensively on oil in his book "The Foreign Politics of Richard Nixon" (UCB, International Studies, 1987). An alternative version of this commentary can be found on the PNS website at http://www.pacificnews.org/jinn/toc/predictions.html.
By Walter Truett Anderson
Date: 09-20-00
We see psychology basically as the study of trouble -- an attempt to discover reasons for unhappiness or destructive behavior, and the like. But a new, or rather revived, movement is more concerned with the other side, and proposes clinical examination of those who are happy and move easily in the world. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson is the author of "The Future of the Self" (Tarcher Putnam, 1997).
By Joe Loya
Date: 09-19-00
Moving from jail or prison back into civilian life is a notoriously difficult proposition. But there are signs -- in criminal justice statistics and in indicators of the popular mood -- that it might be a little easier these days than prisoners tend to think. PNS associate editor Joe Loya is working on a memoir about his years in federal prison. His e-mail address is buddhalobo@aol.com.
By Sarita Sarvate
Date: 09-18-00
The once widespread hope that the United Nations represented the chance of a new and peaceful world order, has faded on in recent years. One possible reason is that the body is not representative but has a built-in bias, which puts decision-making in the hands of a very few nations. Sarvate is a nuclear physicist and writer for India Currents and other publications.
By Andrew Reding
Date: 09-18-00
Taken together, a recent series of novel legal moves signal an important shift in attitudes that sees human rights as an issue that crosses and national borders. Unfortunately, the United States, despite considerable talk of human rights, seems uninterested in joining this particular revolution. PNS commentator Andrew Reding, a fellow of the World Policy Institute, specializes in Latin American politics.
By Omar Gil As Told To David Bacon
Date: 09-14-00
Omar Gil has been a worker in several industrial plants on the U.S.-Mexico border since he was 19. A life of mind-numbing work under unhealthy and dangerous conditions eventually convinced him that he must work to change things. He tells his story to PNS associate editor David Bacon who translated it from the Spanish.
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 09-14-00
One sad example of selective media coverage is the scant attention paid to non-white victims of crime. This is true even when the crime has "sensational" elements, as in the murder of a seven-year-old African American child in 1997. A law named after that child now awaits the governor's signature. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of "The Disappearance of Black Leadership." His e-mail address is ehutchi344@aol.com.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 09-13-00
The sudden spike in oil prices and the sudden drop that followed provoked a downward spiral of the euro. (Some 90 percent of Europe's soaring oil imports come from the Middle East.) The euro planners hoped it would become the equal of the dollar and create a basis for a firm all-Europe state. Instead the euro is fizzling and the hopes for a strong European Union are fading as well. Franz Schurmann, emeritus professor at UC Berkeley, started predicting the decline of the Euro in his Prediction #16 of June 8, 1999 in Jinn Magazine.
By Mary Jo Mcconahay
Date: 09-12-00
Wars take a terrible toll on those least able to defend themselves, the truly innocent victims. In Guatemala, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of infants and small children disappeared during the long civil war, and their parents have had to bear the double burden of loss and not knowing whether the child is dead or alive. A new investigation by a church human rights office may offer some hope. PNS' New California Media editor Mary Jo McConahay lived and worked in Central America for over a decade. Photos available. Story also available in Spanish. E-mail slouie@pacificnews.org for details.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 09-09-00
As leaders gathered in New York for the Millennium summit, oil prices were already rising. By midweek they were spiraling steeply upward, but by week's end prices were hurtling downwards. The impresarios of this show were the Saudis. Their previous show in October 1973 led to a two-year-long stagflation, This time a deal was quickly made. The results should soon be visible in an "October surprise." Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus at UC-Berkeley, has been writing on global oil since the late 1970s.
By Rene Ciria-Cruz
Date: 09-08-00
With the Democrats needing to gain only six seats in the House to win a majority, districts where there is some chance of a shift are drawing particular attention. But in a crucial district Silicon Valley, that is evidently no guarantee of a race with clear distinctions. PNS editor Rene Ciria-Cruz was also the longtime editor of Filipinas Magazine in San Francisco.
By Hilary Abramson
Date: 09-07-00
Wine and heart disease sometimes seem as present as death and taxes -- especially the possibility that a drink a day contributes to heart health. The latest news is that the relationship is not quite so simple as some would have us believe. Hilary Abramson is a journalist living in San Francisco who writes publications for The Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems.
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 09-06-00
A letter from black ministers to black legislators reveals the persistence of anti-gay prejudice in the black community. That those who have suffered so much from bigotry should act like bigots themselves is an embarrassment to all in the black community. PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of "The Disappearance of Black Leadership." His e-mail address is ehutchi344@aol.com.
By Viji Sundaram
Date: 09-05-00
In trying to kill herself and her two children, Narinder Virk may have opened a window on a world most of us can never see. And in coming to her aid, members of the often divided Indian-American community have found a welcome common cause. Viji Sundaram is a staff reporter for India West, a weekly journal based in San Leandro, CA. Her reporting on the Virk case was co-sponsored by New California Media, a collaboration of ethnic news organizations founded by Pacific News Service. A longer version of this story appears in the current issue of India West.
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.
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.
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.
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.
By Walter Truett Anderson
Date: 08-15-00
As our political system changes -- as any system must change -- some elements may seem to lose their reason for being. But, at least in the case of the political conventions, this may simply mark a shift into a new role.says PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson. Anderson is the author of "The Future of the Self" (Tarcher Putnam, 1997).
By Steven Zak
Date: 08-11-00
The Sierra Club has joined many other groups concerned with the environment in backing Al Gore. But Gore, through his writings and actions, has demonstrated that he's not the green he pretends to be. PNS commentator Steven Zak is an attorney and writer whose work on ethics, animals and the environment has appeared in many publications including The Atlantic Monthly and The New York Times.
By Linn Washington Jr.
Date: 08-10-00
In their determination to keep the streets open for the Republican Convention, Philadelphia police arrested a great many people and charged them with thinking or talking about doing something that might get them arrested. Many eyewitness accounts have surfaced saying that those arrested were treated in an extremely harsh way. PNS commentator Linn Washington Jr. is an award-winning, veteran journalist in Philadelphia who specializes in coverage of race related issues. Washington is a journalism professor at Temple University in Philadelphia.
By Roger Burbach
Date: 08-09-00
More than 25 years after he took power in Chile, Augusto Pinochet will stand trial for the most serious of offenses in a criminal court. Reaching this point has taken much extraordinary effort, but it is important to note that it is not an isolated event. PNS commentator Roger Burbach is the director of the Center for the Study of the Americas and author of "Globalization and Postmodern Politics: From Zapatistas to Hightech Robber Barons" (Pluto Press).
By Rami G. Khouri
Date: 08-08-00
As candidate for vice president, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an Orthodox Jew, will no doubt be asked about his relations with pro-Israel groups. But at least one commentator in the Arab world thinks Lieberman represents not special interests but the strengths of a democratic system -- strengths the Arab world might well emulate. PNS commentator Rami G. Khouri, former editor of the Jordan Times, writes a regular column from Amman.
By Linn Washington
Date: 08-07-00
Perhaps the most remarkable change at this year's Republican Convention was the visibility of people of color. But PNS correspondent Linn Washington Jr. found that for black businesses, local black politicians -- even black churches -- the policy of exclusion was still the name of the game. Linn Washington Jr. is an award-winning, veteran journalist in Philadelphia who specializes in coverage of race related issues. Washington is a journalism professor at Temple University in Philadelphia.
By Faisal Tbeileh
Date: 08-04-00
Despite the most intense, visible effort on the part of President Clinton, peace talks in the middle east seem to be going nowhere. That situation will according to PNS commentator Faisal Tbeileh, until all sides recognize that a single, secular, democratic state that includes both Palestinians and Israelis is the only solution. Palestinian born, Tbeileh has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles. His e-mail address is faisaltb@yahoo.com.
BY Franz Schurmann
Date: 08-01-00
While both commentators and voters seem relatively uninterested in this year's presidential race, observers in the non-English language media see signs of an important difference between the candidates, especially with the naming of Dick Cheney. These contrasts are particularly clear when the issue is oil. 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 (www.NCMonline.com).
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 07-24-00
Recently, civil rights leaders converged on a small town in Mississippi, concerned that the hanging death of a 17 year old boy who had dated a white girl represented a return to the days of lynch law. A case in a small town in California, though totally unremarked, seems to suggest that some of the attitudes underlying lynch law are far from dead. Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of "The Disappearance of Black Leadership." His e-mail address is ehutchi344@aol.com.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 07-20-00
Nearly 12 years after a Pan Am jet plane exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, two Libyans are being tried for the crime. The arrangements are unusual -- the courtroom is in Holland, a Scottish judge presides -- but very civil, and there have been hints in recent days that the what the trial reveals may not please those who most sought it. 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.
By Faisal Tbeileh
Date: 07-13-00
Camp David II is a key way station on a long road that yet has a long distance to go. Traveling this road are not only the living but the dead. Yaser Arafat is the leader of the Palestinians. But also traveling at his side is the spirit of another leader, the late president of Syria, Hafez al-Assad. Both sought peace with Israel yet their approaches were polar opposites. Faisal Tbeileh is an independent researcher on Middle East politics, currently residing in San Francisco. Palestinian born, Tbeileh has a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles. His e-mail address is faisaltb@yahoo.com.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 07-12-00
Despite a failed trial and considerable criticism, the government seems determined to continue with an $60 billion anti-missile defense program. One reason can be found by looking at the strategic consequences of even thinking about a working anti-missile system. PNS commentator Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, writes widely on foreign affairs.
By Rene Ciria-Cruz
Date: 07-05-00
This sidebar accompanies Rene Ciria-Cruz' two articles for Wednesday, July 5, 2000. Slugs: "warclouds" and "uprooted." Rene Ciria-Cruz, an editor at Pacific News Service, is also the longtime editor of Filipinas magazine in San Francisco. This is the third of three stories. Photos by Rick Rocamora available, please e-mail slouie@pacificnews.org.
By Kathy Dobie
Date: 06-26-00
Sociological explanations for why dozens of young black and Latino males attacked dozens of black and Latino young women in Central Park two weeks ago miss one key point -- those who tried to help the victims were also young Latino and black males. Sometimes cruelty is as simple as rain -- we kick the fat boy because we can. PNS contributor Kathy Dobie is a New York-based reporter who has written for Village Voice, Vogue, Vibe and Salon.com.
By Richard Springer
Date: 06-26-00
Although the Indian American community is large and wields considerable clout in Silicon Valley, it has not been particularly visible on the political front. That seems to be changing, and in a big way. PNS commentator Richard Springer is a staff reporter for San Leandro, CA.-based India West magazine.
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.
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.
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.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 06-09-00
Something went awry in Clinton's summit with Putin, argues PNS commentator Franz Schurmann, and now his geopolitics seem to be unraveling. The "who lost Russia?" question could soon reemerge as the presidential election campaign heats up. Schurmann is professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley and author of numerous books on global politics.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 06-01-00
The United States has become the world's leading nuclear power and is very much in the forefront of the movement toward globalization, but no one thinks this situation can remain static for long. In the coming decade, four likely challengers appear, all Asian or Eurasian, all with memories of empire. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, has traveled extensively and reads widely in the Asian, Russian and Arab media. His weekly column "Predictions" can be found on PNS' website New California Media online at www.NCMonline.com.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 05-24-00
Once the best of friends, comrades in arms, the leaders of Ethiopia and Eritrea are now at each other's throats. The brutal conflict along their border may well reflect ambitions to restore an empire destroyed 1500 years ago. Franz Schurmann writes extensively on international affairs. In the winter and spring of 1995 he traveled and worked in East Africa.
By Paul Jeffrey
Date: 05-23-00
Three years of little or no rain have put Ethiopians once again face to face with starvation, while their government busies itself with a border war. For those who would provide aid, this combination raises some profound and difficult questions. PNS commentator Paul Jeffreys writes on international development issues for the National Catholic Reporter and other publications.
By Andrew Reding
Date: 05-17-00
One unexamined explanation for the terrible violence in Sierra Leone may well be the fact that the country has the world's most unequal distribution of income. This is unlikely to change by force of arms -- indeed, greater access to education is the only possible remedy. PNS editor Andrew Reding is a fellow of the World Policy Institute who specializes in human rights and Latin America.
By Donal Brown
Date: 05-12-00
Observers familiar with the situation in Sierra Leone say that the conflict there has much less to do with democracy and freedom than it does with control of the lucrative diamond market. As in Angola and the Congo, diamonds help pay for slaughter -- and this suggests concerted action could well stop the violence. PNS commentator Donal Brown recently retired after 30 years of teaching at at Redwood High in Marin County, CA.
By Rene Ciria-Cruz
Date: 05-04-00
One striking aspect of the high-tech industry in Silicon Valley is the large and prominent role played by Asians at many levels. Their success ref lects the sort of determination displayed by immigrants which has kept them optimistic even in the face of the present downturn. Pacific News Service editor Rene Ciria-Cruz is also a longtime editor of Filipinas Magazine.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 05-03-00
The very real fight between reformists and conservatives in Iran has intensified since the reformists' surprise sweep in the most recent election. In ways, the situation resembles that in 1980, including many of the same players, but a new civil war, no matter what the outcome, would gravely weaken stability in the region. 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.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 04-26-00
Europeans are aghast that their putative common currency, the euro, has come crashing through the floor. America's shifting attention from Europe to the Asian Pacific economies ultimately may be the reason for the euro's dire straits, writes PNS editor Franz Schurmann. Schurmann has repeatedly predicted the euro's decline ever since it was launched in 1999.
By George Koo
Date: 04-25-00
It's the season for running the names of possible vice presidents up various flagpoles to see if anyone salutes. One name caught the eye of PNS commentator George Koo. Koo is a member of Committee of 100, a national organization of prominent Chinese Americans.
By Donal Brown
Date: 04-18-00
They could be twins, almost -- Redwood High, north of San Francisco, is set in an affluent, white suburb, like Columbine High School -- and this may have made news of the shooting especially disturbing. But a talk with students at the school reveals some significant differences between the two schools, as well as some lingering fear. PNS reporter Donal Brown recently retired after 30 years of teaching at at Redwood High in Marin County, Ca.
By Koren L. Capozza
Date: 04-17-00
While the focus of this weekend's protest against globalism was the upper echelons of the world money and banking system, protesters found themselves faced with a much more gritty local reality. In the process, both the visitors and the residents gained some knowledge, and perhaps some motivation. Koren Capozza writes for New California Media, PNS' collaboration of ethnic news organizations. NCM can be found on the world wide web at www.NCMonline.com.
By Mary Jo Mcconahay
Date: 04-17-00
Images of young people with outrageously colored dominate coverage of the weekend's protests against globalization. But a reporter on the ground finds a striking number of young people of color, immigrants, and others with first hand knowledge -- and strong personal feelings -- about what they are protesting. 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.
By Sherry Rahman
Date: 04-10-00
Whatever was intended, President Clinton's recent visit to India and Pakistan seems to have left some bitter feelings behind. PNS commentator Sherry Rehman, writing from Pakistan, sees signs of a new tilt toward India in both the visit and what has followed. A longer version of this piece appears in the Lahore, Pakistan-based publication, The Nation.
By David Bacon
Date: 04-06-00
Standards and testing are this year's buzzwords when it comes to education. But a major player in this game is rarely mentioned. PNS associate editor David Bacon writes widely on immigrant and labor issues.
By Michael T. Klare
Date: 04-04-00
The Clinton administration is asking for a record $1.6 billion to strengthen Colombia's military. The stated targets are narcotics traffickers and leftist guerrillas, but the real objective is literally out of sight. PNS commentator Michael T. Klare is the Five College Professor of Peace and World Security Studies based at Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., and the author of a forthcoming book on global resource conflicts.)
By Lee Hubbard
Date: 03-16-00
Thanks to a U.S. Department of Commerce report last fall, the matter of unequal access to computers along racial lines -- the "digital divide" -- is now a hot political topic. Lost in the earnest conversation about what to do is a growing Afro American Internet culture. PNS commentator Lee Hubbard is a San Francisco-based reporter who writes on national and urban affairs. His e-mail address is superle@hotmail.com.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
By Mike McPhate
Date: 02-18-00
President Clinton's upcoming visit to South Asia is very much the topic of the day in Nepal -- and disappointed talk it is. PNS commentator Mike McPhate explains why. McPhate is a part-time reporter and copy editor for the Kathmandu Post, Nepal's leading English daily. He is currently affiliated with a study abroad program in Nepal through the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
By Rene P. Ciria-Cruz
Date: 02-10-00
The number of voters in California who decline to state party affiliation is growing at a steady clip, with San Francisco leading the pack. Political analysts say the phenomenon portends a troubled future for both the Democratic Party and the GOP in the state. Pacific News Service associate editor Rene P. Ciria-Cruz also edits New California Media Online (WWW.NCMonline.com).
By Koren L. Capozza
Date: 02-09-00
More and more, the new office is just not there, not any one particular where, and work involves people alone in a room with a computer. Everyone marvels at what they can do, but their answer to the old problem of how to meet people may surprise you. PNS associate editor Koren Capozza writes for New California Media, PNS' ethnic news media collaborative and web site (NCMonline.com).
By George Koo
Date: 02-03-00
As more facts emerge about the actions of former CIA chief John Deutch, the actions taken against Dr. Wen Ho Lee take on a new coloration. A careful listing of the similarities and differences in the two proceedings is instructive. PNS commentator George Koo is an independent business consultant, former Chairman of Silicon Valley based Asian American Manufacturers Association, a Human Relations Commissioner of Mountain View, Ca. and a member of Committee of 100, a national organization of prominent Chinese Americans.
By Andrew Lam
Date: 02-02-00
In San Francisco, the magic words these days are Internet and cyber-anything, and web whatever and e- (if that's a word). Not everyone can get onboard, however, and PNS editor Andrew Lam finds pleasure on another part of the spectrum. 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.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 01-28-00
Despite occasional political fireworks in U.S.-China relations, military ties between the two countries are now becoming closer than ever, as symbolized by the upcoming five-day stay in Hong Kong of a large U.S. Navy squadron. The growing military cooperation reflects a dramatic shift in how the U.S. views Europe and Asia. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, is author of numerous books on China and global politics.
By Earl Ofari Hutchinson
Date: 01-24-00
Politicians of both major parties have made it clear that they are eager to attract the newly powerful Latino voter. In this struggle, black voters are effectively being written out of the game plan -- and it's mostly their own fault. 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
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 01-21-00
On Jan. 14, Russia's new president issued the equivalent of a state-of-the-nation address which proclaims, in effect, a new cold war with America. The fallout from worsening U.S.-Russian relations can be seen in both sudden jumps in oil prices and the snag in Israel-Arab peace accords. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, has traveled extensively and reads widely in the Asian, Russian and Arab media. His weekly column "Predictions" can be found on PNS' website New California Media online at ncmonline.com.
By Andrew Reding
Date: 01-17-00
Europe has taken the lead in jurisprudence because, unlike the U.S., it has gone global in its approach to law. Not only has Turkey stopped short of executing Kurdish rebel leader Ocalan pending an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, but Germany is now integrating women into its armed forces in deference to a ruling by the European Court of Justice. PNS associate editor Andrew Reding, a fellow of the World Policy Institute, can be reached at worldpolicy.org/Americas.
By Franz Schurmann
Date: 01-12-00
The Russians looked to Desert Storm and the NATO campaign on Kosovo as prototypes for a "zero casualty" campaign on Chechnya. But there are stark differences in the strategy they adopted which help explain why the Russian juggernaut appears to be unraveling. PNS editor Franz Schurmann, professor emeritus of history and sociology at UC-Berkeley, has traveled extensively and reads widely in the Asian, Russian and Arab media. His weekly column "Predictions" can be found on PNS' website New California Media online at ncmonline.com.
By Thomas Goltz
Date: 01-12-00
Gutenberg's printing press -- regarded as the greatest mind-liberator of all times -- brought an unforeseen consequence: the spread of sectarianism and the Thirty Years War. In much the same way, the Internet, by the very surfeit of seemingly neutral information it generates on horrors like Chechnya, could anesthetize the world to rotten things like war with unpredictable consequences. PNS commentator Thomas Goltz, author of "Azerbaijan Diary" (M.E. Sharpe, 1999) is currently working on a book on ethnic conflict in the post-Soviet Caucasus.
By Walter Truett Anderson
Date: 01-05-00
While the new millennium seems to have entered more softly than expected, the brouhaha about the move to 2000 tells us a great deal about who we are, and suggests a great deal about what we are becoming. PNS associate editor Walter Truett Anderson is the author of "The Future of the Self" (Tarcher Putnam, 1997).
By Richard Rodriguez
Date: 01-03-00
A counter-mood is apparent in the country as we enter the new century: a hunger for small, the yearning in a borderless world for an address. PNS associate editor Richard Rodriguez explores where and why this broad middle-class discontent is emerging. Rodriguez, author of "Days of Obligation" and a forthcoming book "Brown," is an essayist for the PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer and for the Opinion section of the Los Angeles Times.
By Vincent Schiraldi And Jason Ziedenberg, The Real Y2K Problem
Date: 12-20-99
With less than five percent of the world population, America holds one quarter of the world's prisoners -- an indication that the criminal justice system has overreacted. PNS commentators Vincent Schiraldi and Jason Ziedenberg are with The Justice Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that analyzes criminal justice policy.
By Kimi Eisele
Date: 12-14-99
In late November a Cuban boy survived a trip across the open sea in a storm that killed his mother and landed him in Miami. Should Fidel Castro or anti-Castro Cuban Americans decide where he should live? Did he want to come at all? PNS correspondent Kimi Eisele reports from the Mexican border that not everyone yearns for a