What would the world look like if at least part of your daily diet of news came from the ethnic media -- which now has more readers than the mainstream press in some California metropolitan regions? Every other week PNS, in collaboration with members of the New California Media network of ethnic media organizations, digests news and commentary from this rapidly growing but largely invisible segment of the news media. Accompanying the digest is a profile of a key journalist or editor within the ethnic media.

FEAR RISES AMONG INDIANS AS INS TARGETS FAST FOOD OUTLETS

CHICAGO -- Stepped up INS raids against fast food franchises are spreading panic among Indians in Chicago who have no legal papers which permit employment. Drawn to the U.S. by visions of untold wealth these immigrants wind up working 10 to 12 hour days for $4 an hour -- often in franchises owned by fellow Indians. Smugglers charge up to Rs. 600,000 (about $16,000) to bring them in, sometimes disguised as members of touring music groups. The raids caught 16 Indian teenagers who came as unaccompanied minors carrying forged documents.

"It's a vicious cycle," said one Indian-American businessman. "Til Indians learn that the streets in America are not paved with gold, they will continue to lose their life's savings merely to land in the U.S. and be exploited by their own countrymen."

- India West (Indian oriented news weekly, Emeryville, Ca.)

BRITAIN'S EXPULSION EPIDEMIC TARGETS BLACK STUDENTS

LONDON -- Black students make up only 2.5 percent of Britain's primary school population but account for 10 percent of all school expulsions -- and these have doubled in three years. Critics say this "expulsion epidemic" is knifing through the ambitions of Briton's two million strong black community, particularly since many students are expelled just before taking exams required for college and university admission.

Aggravating the problem is the fact that black parents feel they cannot complain. "It's who shouts the loudest that gets heard," says Elizabeth Rasekoala, president of the African Caribbean Network of Science and Technology. "If a parent sits down quietly, not asking questions, not challenging what's going on, the children are doomed."

- Final Call (national news weekly published by Nation of Islam, Chicago)

FILIPINO AMERICANS SCORE TWO IN U.S. ARMED FORCES

SAN FRANCISCO -- Although the U.S. military is considered a model for racial integration, there are no Asian Americans currently serving as generals on active duty in the U.S. Air Force or the Marine Corps, or as flag officers in the U.S. Navy.

The U.S. Army is breaking with that tradition: three generals of Asian descent are on active duty, including two Filipino-Americans: newly promoted Major General Edward Soriano, 50, born in the Philippines and raised in Salinas, Ca., and Brigadier General Antonio Taguba, 46, also born in the Philippines who grew up in Hawaii. Lieutenant General Eric K. Shinseki, a Hawaii born Japanese American, the highest ranking Asian American in the U.S. Army, currently serves with the U.S. Forces in Europe.

- Filipinas (a Filipino-oriented monthly, San Francisco)

LATINO TURNS BACK ON GANGS TO SURF THE WAVES

LOS ANGELES -- With his dark eyes and cocoa skin, Rick Massie, the son of a Mexican-American mother and American Indian father, bears no resemblance to the classic California blonde, blue-eyed surfer. But Massie belongs to a new generation of surfers dominated by Hawaiians and Brazilians currently bidding for world supremacy.

"He could be one of the best surfers in the world," says retired pro Alan Sarlo. Massie grew up a mile away from the beach, in a neighborhood dominated by the "Venice 13" and the rival "Shoreline Crips." Taunted as a "white boy" for choosing the sea over gangs, he started body surfing at age 11, got his first custom made surfboard by 12, and began defeating big name pros even before he graduated from Venice High.

Massie, who calls the ocean his "holy water," realizes he would get far more sponsors if he came from a surf Mecca like Huntington Beach or La Jolla. This hurts, he says, but "I love going out there and beating all these yuppie kids who think I'm nobody."

- Frontera Magazine (monthly journal for 20-something Latinos, Los Angeles)

DEBATE ON RACIAL/ETHNIC IDENTITY ON CENSUS FORM

SACRAMENTO -- There will be no interracial, multiracial, or mixed-race category in the federal census in the year 2000 -- and this has prompted some critics to ask why there should be any racial classifications. Hispanic Link commentator Raymond Rodriguez argues that we will never have a unified, color-blind society until we stop forcing people to identify themselves by one of four recognized racial categories.

Opponents of eliminating racial categories such as the NAACP and National Council of La Raza are convinced that it result in loss of funding, programs and safeguards intended to benefit people of color. In fact, Rodriguez contends, doing away with racial categories could actually increase the amount of aid available for the truly disadvantaged, regardless of their race, age, gender or ethnicity.

- El Hispano (bi-lingual Spanish-English weekly, Sacramento, Ca.)

IF YOU'RE AFRICAN AMERICAN YOU'RE A TARGET FOR AIRPORT SECURITY

Although the crash of TWA flight 800 has been officially attributed to technical failure, airports throughout the country have retained an increased number of security personnel and stiffened measures for searching luggage. Black airline passengers bear the brunt of the intensified scrutiny, as evidenced by a growing number of incidents where individuals have been stopped and their bags searched.

Along these lines, the NAACP is mounting a campaign to combat "shopping mall" racism -- situations where black shoppers find themselves under special surveillance the moment they enter stores, and are often searched or questioned.

- Sun Reporter (African American-oriented weekly, San Francisco)

ARAB WOMEN IN CHADOUR--SUSPECTS IN U.S. AIRPORTS

Beefed-up anti-terrorism security at US airports is chiefly directed at people of Middle Eastern appearance. Those who fit the profile "Arab" or "Muslim" are almost automatically stopped and hassled at airport security gates. Particular targets are Muslim women of any race or ethnicity who are veiled or heavily garmented in adherence to Islamic religious dress codes.

- Al Muslimun (Arab-language weekly, London.)

ASIAN AMERICAN OPTS FOR POLITICS AT 79

Getting into politics seems to be the latest calling for Asian-Americans -- at any age. In Millbrae, near San Francisco, John Yun, age 79, is running for city council.

Yun, a Korean-American, retired 15 years ago and began involving himself in neighborhood affairs and city council meetings -- where, after a while, he began voicing his own opinions. "I'm not interested in politics," he asserts, but is deeply committed to his town. Born in Hawaii, married to a Hawaiian woman of Chinese descent since 1953, Yun has lived in Millbrae since 1973.

In 1980, Asian Americans accounted for 7.6 percent Millbrae's population. In 1990, this proportion had risen to 16.7 percent, and is now estimated at well over 20 percent.

- World Journal (Chinese-language daily, San Francisco)

SADDAM HUSSEIN -- ONE OF HISTORY'S MOST INFLUENTIAL MILITARY LEADERS

A new book by American author Lt. Col. Michael Lee Lanning profiles the 100 most influential military leaders in world history. George Washington is at the top of the list, followed by Napoleon. Ranked number 81 is Saddam Hussein.

Lanning, whose primary interest is not military histrionics but historical impact, writes that he is impressed by Saddam's creativity: Saddam managed to scare his neighbors far and wide, push his soldiers to suffer mass annihilation in Iraq's war with Iran, and survive horrifying defeat during the Gulf War. "Nothing like this had been seen for the previous 50 years!" Lanning notes.

- Al-Majalla (Arab-language weekly, London)