LINEA ABIERTA | THIS WEEK | PREVIOUS PROGRAMS

Linea Abierta Programs for August 2002

Thursday, August 1st

PROGRAM # 3510 - 12:00 NOON PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Francisco “Paco” Huerta, a veteran radio journalist and civic journalism foremost advocate, is the program host. He offers a weekly, tape-delayed edition of the series “Voz Pública,” a call-in program airing from Mexico City.

HOST: Francisco Huerta, www.vozpublica.com

PROGRAM # 3511 - 13:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico brings interviews and commentary on news developments in the Caribbean basin.

HOST: Wanda Colon-Cortez.

Friday, August 2nd

PROGRAM # 3512 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION. Attorney Carlos Spector Calderón, in El Paso, TX, provides news and commentary on major developments regarding U.S. immigration law. Listeners are encouraged to call in with personal concerns on immigration and citizenship issues.

PROGRAM # 3513 - 13:00 PDT
CADETES DE LINARES. A conversation with Lupe Tijerina, cofounder of the popular group Los Cadetes de Linares. Born in Linares, Nuevo León, the group is a legend in Mexican norteño traditional music. They created popular songs like “Los Dos Amigos”, “Dos Coronas a Mi Madre” and “El Palomito”. This is a repeat program.

Monday, August 5th

PROGRAM # 3514 - 12:00 PDT
HEALTH EDITION – PUNISHED YOUTH. After the recent release of a report exposing growing inequities in the treatment of Latino youth in the criminal justice system, congressman Ciro Rodríguez is making a call to action. In this interview, he discusses efforts to collect accurate data, provide bilingual services and educate the public.

Guest: Rep. Ciro Rodríguez, (D-Texas), vice president and chair of the health committee for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Washington, DC.

ALSO, CORPORATE FRAUD LAW. President Bush signed a corporate responsibility law that increases criminal penalties against corporate crimes, creates a review board to watch the accounting industry and other measures. This corporate reform bill comes at a moment of growing public furor over white-collar crime.

Guest: Mercy Viana, spokesperson, The White House.

PROGRAM # 3515 - 13:00 PDT
BRACEROS IN COURT. A class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco seeks millions of dollars in uncollected savings deducted from Mexican laborers paychecks during the Bracero guest worker program of 1942. A court hearing with representatives of the plaintiffs and of U.S. and Mexican governments and banks takes place on August 2. This is a news report.

Guest: Araceli Martínez, news correspondent, San Francisco, CA; attorney Enrique Martinez, representative for Bracero plaintiffs; Ventura Gutierrez, Alianza Braceroproa; Sergio Moreno, Union de Braceros Mexicanos, Chicago; Cecilio Villasana, bracero demonstrator; Margarita Cruz, Bracero widow, demonstrator.

Tuesday, August 6th

PROGRAM # 3516 - 12:00 PDT
LINEA DEL PAISANO. This weekly program provides a forum for live listener questions and comments to a roundtable of high officials in Mexico’s presidential cabinet. This groundbreaking radio service offers Mexican callers unprecedented access to the Mexican presidency. This program provides a news report on the creation of the National Council for Mexicans Abroad. Linea Abierta producer and special envoy Maria Erana files a report from Los Pinos and Mauricio Zermeno, spokesperson for the dissapearing presidential office for Mexicans abroad, comments on the responsibilities and scope of the new agency.

PROGRAM # 3517 - 13:00 PDT
FRONTERA LIBRE EDITION. Radio Bilingüe in the U.S. and Radiarte, Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Televisión in Guadalajara, México, join broadcasts to interconnect live U.S. audiences with listeners in Mexico’s émigrés home states. In this pre-taped conversation, a high official from Mexico’s foreign relations department, discusses efforts to release matrículas consulares ID cards, driver’s licenses for the undocumented, measures to prevent further migrant deaths at the border, legal help for a Mexican national on death row in Texas and more.

Guest: Melba Pría, director, Dirección General de Atención a Comunidades Mexicanas en el Exterior, Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, Mexico City.

Wednesday, August 7th

PROGRAM # 3518 - 12:00 NOON PDT
NARCO-CORRIDOS. Radio stations from the state of Baja California pledged to ban songs known as narco-corridos from the air. They agreed to play only songs that promote good values and positive messages. Stations in Chihuahua state had also reached an agreement to discontinue songs that promote drug trafficking and violence. This is a debate on the narco-corrido ban.

Guests: Mario Enrique Mayans Concha, president, Camara de Radio - Baja California, Tijuana; Betty Juarez, coordinator, Sindicato de Trabajadores de la Industria de la Radio, Tijuana, MX; Margarita Vazquez, program director, WLEY, Radio La Ley, Chicago, IL.

PROGRAM # 3519 - 13:00 PDT
HIV/AIDS PREVENTION. Many young Latinos are not heeding the warnings on the risks of HIV/AIDS infection and the epidemic threatens the youth and women. The rate of new cases is growing among these populations. This program, aired in collaboration with the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, focus on preventive measures and testing for HIV.

Guest: Antonia M. Villarruel, Ph.D., director of Center for Health Promotion and associate professor at University of Michigan, www.hispanichealth.org.

Thursday, August 8th

PROGRAM # 3520 - 12:00 NOON PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Francisco “Paco” Huerta, a veteran radio journalist and civic journalism foremost advocate, is the program host. He offers a weekly, tape-delayed edition of the series “Voz Pública,” a call-in program airing from Mexico City.

HOST: Francisco Huerta, www.vozpublica.com

PROGRAM # 3521 - 13:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico brings interviews and commentary on news developments in the Caribbean basin.

HOST: Wanda Colon-Cortez.

Friday, August 9th

PROGRAM # 3522 - 12:00 PDT
MEXICAN ON DEATH ROW. Mexican national Javier Suárez is scheduled for execution in Texas on August 14 after being convicted for the murder of an undercover agent. Attorneys for the Mexican government appeal to Gov. Perry to save the life of Suarez. This program discusses Suarez’ case, a recent federal verdict against the death penalty and moves in Mexico’s Congress to discuss the issue on binational forums,

Guests: Marco Nunez, media relations representative, Mexican Consulate, Houston, TX; Cristobal Hinojosa, Coordinator, Mexicanos en Accion, Houston, TX; Dennis Palmieri, West Coast Public Relations Officer, Amnesty International, San Francisco, CA.

PROGRAM # 3523 - 13:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION. Attorney Carlos Spector Calderón, in El Paso, TX, provides news and commentary on major developments regarding U.S. immigration law. Listeners are encouraged to call in with personal concerns on immigration and citizenship issues. This week, comments on letters sent by the U.S. Social Security Administration to about seven million employees to clean up records. Thousands of immigrant workers are reportedly leaving their jobs as a result.

Monday, August 12th

PROGRAM # 3524 - 12:00 PDT
HEALTH EDITION – CATARACT. Known as the clouding of the eye lens, cataract is the leading cause of blindness in the world. While in the U.S. is largely under control, cataract is still responsible for numbers of cases of vision impairment. This program is aired on occasion of Cataract Awareness Month.

Guest: Dr. Elmer Huerta, regular health commentator, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC.

PROGRAM # 3525 - 13:00 PDT
ARBITRATION BINDING BILL. A bill in California that would force growers to accept professional mediation and arbitration to resolve differences with union negotiators is moving to Gov. Gray Davis’ desk. Farm worker activists are stepping up actions to get this landmark farm labor bill approved.

Invited guest: Rosalinda Guillén, national vice president, United Farm Workers of America, Sacramento, CA.

FARM WORKER SLAVERY. Lax enforcement of labor law regulations and the grower contractor system are blamed for repeated cases of farm labor slavery in Florida. Two growers were recently convicted in Fort Pierce on charges of conspiring to hold 700 migrant workers as slaves. Advocates urge reforms to the agricultural labor law system.

Guest: Lucas Benitez, staff member, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Immokalee, FL.

ALSO, SBA'S HECTOR BARRETO. This is an interview with Hector Barreto, head of the U.S. Small Business Administration. He comments on President Bush' policy forum on the economic agenda, corporate fraud, Latino business growth and plans to protect 401k plans.

Tuesday, August 13th

PROGRAM # 3526 - 12:00 PDT
LINEA DEL PAISANO. This weekly program provides a forum for live listener questions and comments to a roundtable of high officials in Mexico’s presidential cabinet. This groundbreaking radio service offers Mexican callers unprecedented access to the Mexican presidency. This week, a top official from the foreign relations ministry discusses the new cabinet-level agency created to lobby for the interests of Mexicans abroad. News producer Maria Erana provided an extended report on the event where the creation of the national council for Mexicans abroad was announced in Los Pinos. The program includes the speech of President Vicente Fox providing general guidelines about the new agency to lobby for Mexican emigres and migrants.

Guest: Melba Pria, director, Directorate for Mexicans Abroad, Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores, Mexico City.

PROGRAM # 3527 - 13:00 PDT
FRONTERA LIBRE EDITION. Radio Bilingüe in the U.S. and Radiarte, Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Televisión in Guadalajara, México, join broadcasts to interconnect live U.S. audiences with listeners in Mexico’s émigrés home states. This week, Marco Nunez, from the Mexican Consulate in Houston, reported on last-hour efforts by the Mexican government to save the life of death row inmate Javier Suarez. Also, news producer Maria Erana filed interviews with human rights activist Isabel Garcia, from Arizona, and Casa Guanajuato representatives Tereso Ortiz and Jose Zavala from Texas on the new Council for Mexicans Abroad. Jose Luis Rodriguez, from the Instituto Nacional de Migracion in Jalisco, also discussed plans by the Mexican government to extend the Paisano program to the whole year (Paisano Permanente program).

Wednesday, August 14th

PROGRAM # 3528 - 12:00 NOON PDT
LATINO HEALTH. Leading national experts meet in Sacramento to discuss what’s been done to open the door of the health care system to Latinos. What’s been done to deal with common diseases that threaten Latinos? How to address the issue of health care coverage? These and other topics are discussed with organizers of the conference.

Guests: Edwin Rivera, Policy director, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, Sacramento, CA; Dr. George Flores, consultant, LCHC, www.lchc.org.

ALSO, EXECUTION APPEALS. The Mexican government waits for a decision on last-hour appeals to save the life of Mexican national Javier Suarez, who is scheduled for execution today in Huntsville, TX.

Guest: Attorney Sandra Babcock, Mexican Capital Punishment Legal Assistance Program, Houston, TX.

PROGRAM # 3529 - 13:00 PDT
DEATH AND DYING. Many terminally ill patients die in extreme pain. Although help is available, few in the Latino community seek end-of-life palliative care treatment. This program, aired in conjunction with KQED in San Francisco, encourages listeners to talk about death and end-of-life plans to ensure a better quality of life for the terminally ill.

Guests: Carmen Almazan, admission counselor, Companion Hospice, Orange, CA; Bruce G. Bartlow, M.D., chief of ethics, Redding Medical Center, Redding, CA.

Thursday, August 15th

PROGRAM # 3530 - 12:00 NOON PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Francisco “Paco” Huerta, a veteran radio journalist and civic journalism foremost advocate, is the program host. He offers a weekly, tape-delayed edition of the series “Voz Pública,” a call-in program airing from Mexico City.

HOST: Francisco Huerta, www.vozpublica.com

PROGRAM # 3531 - 13:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico brings interviews and commentary on news developments in the Caribbean basin.

HOST: Wanda Colon-Cortez.

Friday, August 16th

PROGRAM # 3532 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION. Attorney Carlos Spector Calderón, in El Paso, TX, provides news and commentary on major developments regarding U.S. immigration law. Listeners are encouraged to call in with personal concerns on immigration and citizenship issues.

PROGRAM # 3533 - 13:00 PDT
ANA MARIA SALAZAR. A former U.S. State Department and Pentagon official, Ana María Salazar currently teaches at the ITAM in Mexico City. In this conversation, she takes a critical look of the Fox administration.

ALSO, DANIEL LUND. An interview with recognized political analyst Daniel Lund, president of Mund Americas. He comments on the waning chances he sees in Mexico to approve voting rights for Mexicans abroad on time for the next presidential elections.

Monday, August 19th

PROGRAM # 3534 - 12:00 PDT
HEALTH EDITION – DIABETES. A high number of Latinos suffer from diabetes and are more likely to develop complications such as heart disease, blindness, kidney disorders and amputations. This program, aired in conjunction with the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, provides news on recent developments to prevent complications and advise on how to keep diabetes under control

Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Valdez, executive director, El Concilio Latino de Salud, Phoenix, AZ, www.hispanichealth.org.

PROGRAM # 3535 - 13:00 PDT
CONGRESS REPORT CARD. Leaders of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda released a report on the U.S. Congress’ handling of Latino issues and legislation. A representative of the organization discusses the scores.

ALSO, NOVEMBER ELECTIONS. A conversation on the growing profile of the Latino vote in the upcoming congressional and gubernatorial elections.

Guest: Arturo Vargas, executive director, National Association of Latino Elected and Designated Officials, Lols Angeles.

Tuesday, August 20th

PROGRAM # 3536 - 12:00 PDT
LINEA DEL PAISANO. This weekly program provides a forum for live listener questions and comments to high officials in Mexico’s presidential cabinet. This groundbreaking radio service offers Mexican callers unprecedented access to the Mexican presidency.

Guest: Melba Pria, director, Direccion General de Atencion a Comunidades Mexicanas en el Exterior, Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores, Mexico City.

PROGRAM # 3537 - 13:00 PDT
FRONTERA LIBRE EDITION – DENGUE FEVER. Radio Bilingüe in the U.S. and Radiarte, Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Televisión in Guadalajara, México, join broadcasts to interconnect live U.S. audiences with listeners in Mexico’s émigrés home states. A dengue fever epidemic is spreading through Central America and Southern Mexico. An expert discusses preventive measures.

Guest: Dr. Ezequiel Castellanos, Epidemiology director, Antiguo Hospital Civil de Guadalajara.

Wednesday, August 21st

PROGRAM # 3538 - 12:00 NOON PDT
DR. JANE DELGADO. President and executive director of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health, Dr. Jane Delgado joins this program to discuss health developments included in the updated edition of her book “Salud,” a guide to common health concerns among Latinas.

PROGRAM # 3539 - 13:00 PDT
SOCIAL SECURITY CLEARS CASES. Thousands of immigrants are reportedly loosing their jobs in a federal government crackdown on Social Security numbers. Advocates warn that immigrants eligible to work may be unfairly forced to leave their jobs due to bureaucratic mistakes.

Guests: Maria Elena Hincapie, National Immigration Law Center, Oakland, CA; Bernardo Mendez, Mexican Consulate, San Francisco, CA.

Thursday, August 22nd

PROGRAM # 3540 - 12:00 NOON PDT
HEALTH CARE ACCESS. This is a special, live broadcast from the site of the conference of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California in Sacramento. Topics include efforts to meet the abysmal lack of Latino doctors, dentists and psychologists, and plans by a health maintenance organization to extend a binational health insurance plan to the homelands of Mexico's migrants.

Guests: Edwin Rivera, policy director, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, Sacramento; Ana Andrade, Associate Vice president, HealthNet, Los Angeles.

PROGRAM # 3541 - 13:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico brings interviews and commentary on news developments in the Caribbean basin.

HOST: Wanda Colon-Cortez.

Friday, August 23rd

PROGRAM # 3542 - 12:00 PDT
LEADING ENGINEERS. This program features interviews with two leading Latino scientists:

ALEXIS MASSOL-GONZALEZ. A civil engineer, Massol-Gonzalez is the founder and director of Casa del Pueblo, an organization that led the efforts to convert a mining zone into Puerto Rico’s first community-managed forest reserve, the Bosque del Pueblo. Massol-Gonzalez, who also examines the impact of contamination from military bases on Puerto Rico’s food chain, was awarded the prestigious 2002 Goldman Environmental Prize.

JOSÉ HERNÁNDEZ. Electric engineer José Hernández is a researcher for the NASA’S Johnson Space Center in Houston and is the newly-elected national president of the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists. He discusses his career as an aspiring astronaut, job opportunities in the aerospace industry and search for ancient life in Mars.

This is a program funded in part by the Engineering Information Foundation.

PROGRAM # 3543 - 13:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION. Attorney Carlos Spector Calderón, in El Paso, TX, provides news and commentary on major developments regarding U.S. immigration law. Listeners are encouraged to call in with personal concerns on immigration and citizenship issues. Commenting on PBS-released film "Senorita Extraviada," Spector said he anticipates the issue of young women murdered and dissapeared in Cd. Juarez might help women asylum cases in the U.S. News on the enforcement of a law allowing the US Attorney General to deputize local police to enforce immigration laws in times of immigration emergency on national security grounds were also discussed.

Monday, August 26th

PROGRAM # 3544 - 12:00 PDT
HEALTH EDITION – CHILDHOOD IMMUNIZATION. It is back to school season and health officials urge parents to make sure their children are fully immunized. Infectious diseases such as polio, measles, diphteria, hepatitis B, mumps and chickenpox could cause serious complications for kids and families. Dr. Elmer Huerta discusses current requirements. Also, Dr. Huerta talked about the hype and negligible threat of West Nile virus disease.

Guest: Dr. Elmer Huerta, regular health commentator, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC.

PROGRAM # 3545 - 13:00 PDT
“SEÑORITA EXTRAVIADA – MISSING YOUNG WOMAN.” This documentary tells the story of the over 200 kidnapped, raped and murdered young women from Ciudad Juárez, in the Mexican border. This is a conversation with filmmaker Lourdes Portillo.

ALSO, FARM UNIONISTS MARCH. Farm labor union leaders conclude this weekend a ten-day, 150-mile march through California’s Central Valley to get Gov. Gray Davis to sign a pending binding arbitration bill. This program provides a news report and analysis on what’s at stake in this landmark amendment of California’s agricultural labor relations act.

Guest: Rosalinda Guillen, national vicepresident, United Farm Workers of America, Sacramento, CA.

Tuesday, August 27th

PROGRAM # 3546 - 12:00 PDT
LINEA DEL PAISANO. This weekly program provides a forum for live listener questions and comments to high officials in Mexico’s presidential cabinet. This groundbreaking radio service offers Mexican callers unprecedented access to the Mexican presidency.

Guest: Mario Riestra, Coordinador nacional de oficinas estatales de atencion al migrante, coordinador de la oficina general de asesores del ejecutivo, Mexico City.

PROGRAM # 3547 - 13:00 PDT
FRONTERA LIBRE EDITION. Radio Bilingüe in the U.S. and Radiarte, Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Televisión in Guadalajara, México, join broadcasts to interconnect live U.S. audiences with listeners in Mexico’s émigrés home states. This week, Dr. Juan Gonzalez, from the Secretaria de Salud de Jalisco, discusses the efforts in Mexico to bring awareness to the risks of outbreaks of West Nile virus fever. Also, Francisco Marmolejo, executive director for the Consortium for North America Higher Education Collaboration in Tucson, explains a million-dollar project to support Latino students to access college education in the U.S.

Wednesday, August 28th

PROGRAM # 3548 - 12:00 NOON PDT
COLLEGE GUIDE FOR LATINO PARENTS. Projections indicate that in the next six years, Latinos will become the largest group to graduate from California high schools. Most Latino parents, though, lack basic knowledge about requirements for college admission. A university system reaches out to Spanish-speaking parents to promote awareness about financial aid and other issues.

Guest: Ricardo Vázquez, University of California Office of the President, Berkeley, CA.

ALSO, PAYING BACK COLLEGE LOANS. This year’s college class graduated into one of the worst job markets times. Many are having problems to start repaying federal loans and the six-month grace period is running out. What can new graduates do to cut down their college debt or postpone repayment?

Guest: Maritere Arce, Consumer Union, Washington, DC.

PROGRAM # 3549 - 13:00 PDT
FARM UNION CONVENTION. The United Farm Workers of America union celebrates 40 years of being founded by Cesar Chavez during a convention this weekend. The union was born in Fresno under the name of National Farm Workers Association. Tannis Ibarra, national secretary/treasurer, reports that the union is preparing a tribute for surviving founding delegates. He also announced that Sen. John Burton is introducing a new, revised arbitration bill with support from the UFW.

Thursday, August 29th

PROGRAM # 3550 - 12:00 NOON PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Francisco “Paco” Huerta, a veteran radio journalist and civic journalism foremost advocate, is the program host. He offers a weekly, tape-delayed edition of the series “Voz Pública,” a call-in program airing from Mexico City.

HOST: Francisco Huerta, www.vozpublica.com

PROGRAM # 3551 - 13:00 PDT
PUERTO RICO EDITION. WRTU, Radio Universidad de Puerto Rico brings interviews and commentary on news developments in the Caribbean basin.

HOST: Wanda Colon-Cortez.

Friday, August 30th

PROGRAM # 3552 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION. Attorney Carlos Spector Calderón, in El Paso, TX, provides news and commentary on major developments regarding U.S. immigration law. Listeners are encouraged to call in with personal concerns on immigration and citizenship issues. Spector discussed reforms that reduce the number of immigration judges to review appeals procedures. He also talked about new rules that allow Mexican and Canadian commuter students to study on a part-time basis at schools in the U.S. border.

PROGRAM # 3553 - 13:00 PDT
BRACEROS TO APPEAL. Attorney Enrique Martinez, a representative of Bracero plaintiffs, says in this interview that his firm is discussing an appeal to Judge Charles Breyer decision to dismiss the lawsuit against U.S. and Mexican governments and some banks. Mexican Braceros claim they never received millions of dollars in monies deducted from their wages in the 1940s.

ALSO, OPERATION TARMAC. In this interview, Benjamin Monterroso, regional director for SEIU in Los Angeles, talks about the legal and financial support his union is providing in defense of airport workers detained under Operation Tarmac. Under this federal raid, dozens of immigrant airport workers were arrested by federal agents and charged with using false employment papers. If convicted, they would face up to ten years of jail time.

ALSO, LONGSHOREMEN. A conversation with John Tousseau, member of the negotiating committee and the board of directors of the ILWU. He talks about the list of benefits the union is demanding from the Pacific Maritime Association. He also discusses the prospects of a strike in the docks of the West Coast ports and signs of political pressure received from the Bush administration.

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