A Poverty of Goods but Not of Pride MARY HELEN PONCE, Mary Helen Ponce is a Sunland writer who teaches literature and creative writing at Cal State Los Angeles
Empowerment Zone's Glory Is Mostly Political CAROL ZABIN and DAVID RUNSTEN, Carol Zabin and David Runsten are economists in the School of Public Policy and Social Research at UCLA
Waiting to Exhale JUDITH I BRENNAN, Judith I. Brennan writes for Entertainment Weekly
Conspicuous Consumption ANNE BEATTS, Anne Beatts writes a regular humor column, "Beatts Me!" for The Times' Sunday Life & Style section. Her last piece for the magazine was about the mystique of eyes
The Peter Principle PETER GUBER, Peter Guber, former CEO of Sony Pictures, is the head of Mandalay Entertainment
The Players Club PATRICK GOLDSTEIN, Patrick Goldstein's last article for the magazine was about minor league baseball
The Kids are All Right Steve Pond Renee Vogel..AU: Gregg Kilday and Dave Gardetta and Renee Vogel
Keep It Simple, Mr. Murdoch Kevin Starr, Kevin Starr, a contributing editor to Opinion, is the State Librarian of California. The latest volume in his history of California is "The Dream Endures: California Enters the 1940s."
Language Is a Bridge to Culture ADELA de la TORRE, Adela de la Torre is director of the Mexican American Studies & Research Center at the University of Arizona. E-mail: adela@u.arizona.edu
Stocks Soar in Moral Vacuum Kevin Phillips, Kevin Phillips, publisher of American Political Report, is author of "The Politics of Rich and Poor."
The Dream Suburb Eating L.A. Joel Kotkin, Joel Kotkin, a contributing editor to Opinion, is a senior fellow at the Pepperdine Institute for Public Policy
Richard Zanuck Steve Proffitt, Steve Proffitt, a contributing editor to Opinion, is Director of the JSM+ New Media Lab. He interviewed Richard Zanuck from the producer's offices in Los Angeles
Blooms' Day JOHN McKINNEY, McKinney writes the Travel section's weekly Hiking column and is the author of the just-published "Day Hiker's Guide to California's State Parks" (Olympus Press)