Cover, AUG 06

by JENNIFER CHANG, creator.

Exclusives, AUG 06

MEXICO - Democracy At The Crossroads
by GILAD CHUDLER, staff writer
& FELIPE DOMINGUEZ, guest writer

The writers of this article had the opportunity to be in the historical city of Guanajuato in central Mexico, a city were the Felipe Calderon of the PAN took almost 60% of the vote. On Election Day, or D06 (short for “Decision 2006”) as the media dubbed it, we attended Guanajuato’s main Bus Station, which housed a special electoral booth for out-of-towners. It took three hours in line for any citizen who wanted to cast their vote. By midday, one of the IFE representatives announced --to a crowd of 300-plus voters-- that they only 100 ballots were available.

MEXICO - Savoring Guadalajara
In the heart of Mexico, one finds flavor
by HABEEB SALLOUM, senior global correspondent

Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco, and one of the country’s great colonial cities, is considered to embody the soul of Mexico. It is renowned, even in the outside world, for its beautiful settings, green flower-decked parks, cultural and historic sites, rousing folklore, beautiful women, authentic handicrafts, and above all, its gourmet cooking.

Due to its innumerable attributes, travellers and writers, and even its own inhabitants have given it such labels such as: ‘City of Roses,’ ‘City of Fountains,’ ‘the Western Mexican Pearl,’ and ‘the Royal City. See full article for exclusive recipes!



UNITED STATES - Living On The Streets, Part I
The homeless youth form their own culture in Los Angeles
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, senior global correspondent

Daniel Rotman is a 25-year old former UC Berkeley student, with a BA in politics and legal studies. He had an idea when he founded the Los Angeles Homeless Services Coalition on June 2, 2005. The coalition, a union between Demoracy for Change and the Los Angeles Youth Network, is an outreach campaign whose primary purpose is to help women and children off of the streets of Los Angeles.

UNITED STATES - Living On The Streets, Part II
The LAYN’s mission
by SIMONE KUSSATZ, senior global correspondent

With the money received from grants, private benefactors, or fundraised by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Coalition, along with the exciting “Celebrity Poker Party” benefit (with Cameron Diaz, Justin Timberlake, Brooke Burke, Mira Sorvino, Britney Spears, … ) on September 9, 2006 at the Crystal Casino, this dream will hopefully come true.

“If we succeed in our attempt to build a fourth shelter next spring we will want the children who are employed to pay partial rent, which will go to a savings account,” Director of Administration Katherine McMahon explained.

OREGON - Seeking Refuge
The Immigrant Refugee Community Organization
By REBECCA ROSS, guest writer

The employment demographic at IRCO generally consists of employees who came to the U.S. as refugees and as immigrants themselves. Together they represent 46 diverse ethnic groups speaking more than 30 languages. This impressive aspect is the key to their helping refugees and immigrants; employees use first hand knowledge and the use their abilities to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.

Features, AUG 06

ME CHINESE - Beijing Bipolarity
by JENNIFER CHANG, creator

J. Chang left the North American continent for the first time in July and returned at the end of August, just a bit worldlier. There are excerpts from her journal documenting observations on the other side of the world.

We had lunch, naturally, in the large Chinese restaurant, with the waitress standing beside our table the entire time, topping off our tea the instant it was drained from our cups. I made a connection between her, the driver, and the uniformed guards that I saw standing dutifully at the entrance to all the apartments and offices I had visited that day.

Chinese people seem to perform duties with a noticeable greater level of pride and dignity than Americans generally do, or perhaps it just looks that way to the untrained eye. In the days to come – I made a mental note – I’d look for signs that people here hated their crappy jobs as much as the folks back home did.