What does the world look like as reported on the pages of California's growing ethnic newspapers? PNS monitors the Chinese-, Spanish-, Vietnamese-, Japanese-, Korean-, Arabic-language news media as well as English-language newcomer and native-born ethnic press published and/or distributed widely in California. "Gleanings from the Ethnic Media" is a regular weekly column compiled by Emil Guillermo, host of "NCM: New California Media TV" (seen on PBS station KCSM-TV60 in the Bay Area); assisted by Pacific News Service and the NCM Network. Just as the alternative news media connected the disaffected populations in the 1960s, so in the 1990s the ethnic media connects the new ethnic majority communities of California -- to one another and to the larger public forum.

WHO WON THE WAR?: Was Yugoslavia the loser in the 78 day war with the powerful NATO coalition? The ethnic media quickly weighed in, questioning if any side could claim victory.

The China Press (San Francisco) editorial said: "Under the newest agreement not only does Yugoslavia retain sovereignty over Kosovo, but the wording in the Rambouillet accords about reconsidering Yugoslav sovereignty after three years has been eliminated. This means that Yugoslav sovereignty is no longer an issue of contention. In effect Yugoslavia has succeeded in gaining recognition of its sovereignty over Kosovo and its territorial integrity." The editorial also noted the ecological degradation of Europe. "America has been using missile shells that contain spent Uranium 238 components. Uranium 238 has a half life of 4.5 billion years. That means Europe will be permanently polluted by it."

La Opinion (Los Angeles) said that "Despite the rancor of 78 days of bombings, the peace treaty leaves Belgrade standing firm... Apparently NATO wants to avoid a period of destabilization in the region... and prefers Milosevic to any other alternative, even after demonizing him and his indictment as a war criminal in the World Court in The Hague. NATO does not want to help strengthen the radical opposition inside Belgrade... Only Milosevic is capable of carrying out the accord, which implies painful concessions for his country."

"And this", the editorial notes, "is what has been achieved after thousands of bombing missions, a million refugees, hundreds of deaths, incalculable damages to the infrastructure and, in general, suffering for many people."

DAVIS, SI?: Governor Gray Davis' popularity among Latinos has risen significantly despite his moderate position on Proposition 187, according to a recent poll (La Opinion, Los Angeles). Over 75 percent of registered Latino voters in California viewed Davis' performance thus far as "good or excellent." That's good news for Davis, who in March angered many Latino groups in the state by calling for federal mediators to resolve Proposition 187. Approved in 1994, Prop. 187 denies basic health and education services to undocumented immigrants.

DAVIS, NO?: Nearly one hundred handicapped and elderly immigrants protested in front of Gov. Gray Davis' Los Angeles office recently to demand that his budget include the expansion of state programs that help legal residents who don't qualify for federal aid (La Opinion, Los Angeles). The petition was made in the name of beneficiaries of two programs that help immigrants who lost eligibility for federal aid after the Public Assistance Reform Law of 1996. The programs -- CAPI CFAP, which benefit 100,000 in the state -- will be terminated in July, 2000 unless they are included in the state budget. "Republican Governor Wilson created and expanded those programs. How can Gov. Davis threaten to eliminate them?" asked Sylvia Mora of the Coalition for Immigrant's Human Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA).

UNFAIR HANDLING: The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has sued the baggage handling contractor at the San Francisco International Airport, charging it violated Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act by refusing to rehire two baggage handlers who earlier had filed claims of race discrimination. (San Francisco Bay View) "The law clearly prohibits retaliation against employees who complain about unlawful discrimination," said William Tamayo, regional attorney for the EEOC's San Francisco district office.

DESPERATELY SEEKING ACCORD: Representatives of Vietnam and the United States are meeting in Washington, D.C. (June 14-18) to figure out where the two countries stand economically (Tin Viet, San Jose). Vietnam desperately needs Most Favored Nation status and a seat in the World Trade Organization. To this end Hanoi earlier this year scuttled the special taxation of American imports. There are many remaining obstacles, such as intellectual property and investment law issues. Vietnam is worried that all the negotiations so far will go down the tube if no agreement is reached before the next U.S. presidential election. The issue of human rights has not come up in the talks.

FILIPINOS RAISE $80,000 FOR WILLIE: Shattering the common image of Filipinos as weak financial contributors in election campaigns, members of the Filipino American Community for the Reelection of Willie Brown raised $80,500 in a single event in San Francisco (Philippine News, San Francisco). "We have 39 organizers that just went at it," said San Francisco public utilities commissioner Dennis Normandy, who led the campaign rally for the mayor on June 1 at the Ramada Miyako in Japantown. "Willie has close affinity with the Filipino community because his wife is half-Filipino," he added. "This is music to my ears," Mayor Brown told his cheering audience.

WOMEN MAKE BETTER MANAGERS: The Philippines' agrarian reform czar said his department is committed to giving women greater leeway "because they are better domestic managers than their husbands" (Philippine Daily Inquirer, Manila) Agrarian Reform Secretary Horacio Morales announced that his agency is pushing for the inclusion of the name of the farmer's wife in future land certificate awards distributed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

ACCORD PAVES WAY FOR WAR GAMES: The Philippines-U.S. "Balikatan 99" joint military exercise is expected to resume in six months following the approval by the Philippine Senate of the Visiting Forces Agreement with the United States (The Filipino Guardian, San Francisco). A total of 25 military exercises have been slated for 1999 with the biggest, "Balikata," involving thousands of troops. The aim of the exercise is to test combined defenses for the Philippines against external attacks and to improve combat readiness in "joint/combined operations."

AIDS PLOT?: One in four African Americans view HIV as part of genocidal plot, says a survey reported in Preventive Medicine (San Francisco Bayview). While half the respondents disagreed with the statement, "HIV/AIDS is a man-made virus that the federal government made to kill and wipe-out Black people," 26.5 percent totally or somewhat agreed with the statement, with another 23 percent saying they were undecided.

WHEN THE KARAOKE MACHINE'S BROKE THEY TELL JOKES: Proving that it's no different overseas, the Korea Central Daily (Los Angeles) offers a current gag form that skewers Korean politicians, to wit, "What do Teletubbies and politicians have in common?"

1. They repeat same statements again and again

2. They think they are human, but actually are not.

3. They make decisions by themselves, and celebrate by themselves.