Common Ground (San Francisco)

Common Ground (San Francisco) is the original New Age networking magazine founded in 1976 to provide contact between the groups and leaders in the then-emerging New Age community and the growing community of people who identified with the New Age vision of transformation of self and society. Common Ground pioneered a format that was soon adapted by many other New Age periodicals.

Each issue of Common Ground is dominated by numerous dis-play advertisements that have been grouped into more than a dozen categories. Each ad follows a similar outline, with the name of the group or individual, a logo or picture, a description of services, and contact information. The common outline allows for alphabetizing and the creation of what amounts to a yellow pages of services available in the community. The reader can easily locate spiritual groups, psychological therapists, vegetarian cafes, yoga and exercise classes, or psychic development workshops. As a further aid in locating a particular group or practitioner, an alphabetical index of all the advertisers is also included.

While the greatest amount of space is given to the resource directory, each issue of Common Ground also includes several feature articles, generally grouped around a common theme. There are also regular columns including book reviews, music reviews, and letters to the editor. A column called "On the Path" features biographical sketches of various group leaders and practitioners.

From its modest beginning, Common Ground had grown into a 144-page large-format quarterly. Over the years periodicals serving other urban areas in North America adopted not only Common Ground 's format but even its name. It is distributed free throughout the San Francisco Bay area from headquarters at 305 San Anselmo Ave., Ste. 313, San Anselmo, CA 94960. It has an Internet site at http://www.commongroundmag.com/.

Sources:

Common Ground. San Anselmo, Calif. n.d. Common Ground. http://www.commongroundmag.com/. March 15, 2000

Common Ground (Vancouver)

Common Ground (Vancouver) is one of several New Age networking magazines inspired by, taking the name of, and following the general format of Common Ground (San Francisco), the original such magazine. Common Ground (Vancouver) initially appeared in the early 1990s with a self-conscious Canadian focus. Like its model, it is an oversized periodical, approximately 30 pages per issue, largely supported by its many advertisers in the local New Age community.

Common Ground is built around its "Resource Directory," a listing of organizations and events updated monthly. Directory listings are presented categorically under such headings as books and music; spiritual practices; health, healing and body work; time-out, travel, and recreation; and intuitive arts. Shorter notices of events are included in the monthly "Date-book." These listings, all paid advertisements, are supple-mented by a number of display ads that collectively highlight the events, publications, and programs of the broad spectrum of the esoteric and holistic healing community in Western Canada. These notices of the activities and resources available to readers provide the main appeal of Common Ground, which appears monthly and is distributed free thorough the metaphysical bookstores and health food stores in British Columbia. Each issue of Common Ground also includes one or two feature articles, shorter articles on news of interest, brief book reviews, and several columns. The content of the articles and columns has shown a particular interest in holistic healing and the natural environment.

Common Ground (Vancouver) is published at 201-3091 W. Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6K 2G9, Canada, just down the street from the Banyen Tree, Western Canada's largest New Age bookstore.

Sources:

Common Ground (Vancouver). Vancouver, Canada, n.d.

Common Ground ★★½ 2000

Three stories dealing with homosexuality in America from the 1950s to the present in the same small town of Homer, Connecticut. Vogel's “A Friend of Dorothy” finds Dorothy (Murphy) returning home after being dishonorably discharged from the Navy after being caught at a gay bar. McNally's “Mr. Roberts” focuses on the 70s and confused high school senior Toby Anderson (Thomas). Toby reaches out for some understanding from his closeted French teacher (Weber), only to be rejected. Fierstein's “Andy and Amos” takes place in 2000, with Amos (Le Gros) having the jitters over his commitment ceremony to lover Andy (Airlie). But it's his conservative dad Ira (Asner) who turns out to be an unexpected booster. 105m/C VHS . Brittany Murphy, Margot Kidder, Brian Kerwin, Mimi Rogers, Jason Priestley, Joanne Vannicola, Helen Shaver, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Steven Weber, Dan Lauria, Ed Asner, James LeGros, Andrew Airlie, Harvey Fierstein, Beau Bridges, Eric Stoltz; D: Donna Deitch; W: Harvey Fierstein, Terrance McNally, Paula Vogel; C: Jacek Laskus. CABLE

Common Ground

Quarterly journal of the Association for the Scientific Study of Anomalous Phenomena, published during the early 1980s and concerned with a wide range of paranormal and Fortean phenomena. At the end of 1984, following issue number 10, Common Ground 's editor Kevin McClure joined the editorial panel of the quarterly journal Magonia, and Common Ground merged with it.