LINEA ABIERTA | THIS WEEK | PREVIOUS PROGRAMS

Linea Abierta Programs for May 2001

Tuesday, May 1st

PROGRAM # 2856 - 12:00 PDT
MAY DAY - INTERNATIONAL WORKERS DAY. Most countries celebrate Labor Day on this day. In this program, top union leaders discuss recent efforts to revitalize the U.S. labor movement with an influx of Latino immigrant membership.

Guest: Eliseo Medina, Executive Vice President, SEIU, Los Angeles Also.

ALSO, ARRESTS IN VIEQUEZ' BOMBING RANGE. Contributor Wanda Colon Cortez was in Viequez and reports about how the U.S. Navy resumes aerial bombing on Viequez Island and the hundreds of arrests of protesters trying to stop the military exercises.

PROGRAM # 2857 - 13:00 PDT
PRIMERO DE MAYO. Correspondent Raul Silva reports on the parades and other May Day celebrations in Mexico. For the first time, independent and formerly official unions join forces during the traditional parades. Silva also reports on the agenda of organized labor under the current Fox administration.

ALSO, VOTING RIGHTS INSTITUTE. Democrats and community-based groups are launching an effort to highlight flaws in the current voting system and propose reforms to correct voting irregularities. Four regional hearings are being called for dthe nation.

Guest: Gloria Molina, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.

Wednesday, May 2nd

PROGRAM # 2858 - 12:00 NOON PDT
SANTERIA TRADITIONS. This is a pre-taped conversation with Dr. Martha Moreno-Vega, founder and president of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute in New York. She comments on her book "The Altar of My Soul: The Living Traditions of Santeria" Dr. Vega talks about her initiation in Santeria, the Yoruba-based religion, the growing awareness about the ever-present African roots among Latin American and Caribbean cultures, and the questions on race in the Census 2000.

PROGRAM # 2859 - 13:00 PDT
FLORIDA TOMATO WORKERS. Farmworker activists tour California in hopes of finding support for their long campaign for better wages in the Florida fields. They are trying to persuade the fast-food chain Taco Bell to voluntarily raise the price of tomatoes bought from Florida growers. This gesture would help negotiations with local vegetable farmers for better wages, according to the organizers.

Invited guests: Ramiro Benitez, Gregorio Asbed, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Immokalee, FL, coaimmwkr@aol.com

Thursday, May 3rd

PROGRAM # 2860 - 12:00 NOON 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.

PROGRAM # 2861 - 13:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Francisco "Paco" Huerta, a veteran radio journalist and civic journalism's foremost advocate, is the program host. He offers this weekly, tape-delayed edition of the series "Voz Publica," a call-in program airing from Mexico City.

HOST: Francisco Huerta, www.vozpublica.com

Friday, May 4th

PROGRAM # 2862 - 12:00 PDT
CINCO DE MAYO. Census 2000 data shows that the soaring numbers of Latinos are browning the face of the U.S. Mexican communities become visible in downtowns of the U.S. heartlands in times of celebration. This holiday special reports on the first Cinco de Mayo festivities in areas with fledgling, newcomer Mexican populations such as Park City, UT, and Cincinnati, OH.

Guests: Marcela Montemurro, executive director for PeaceHouse and co-organizer of Fiestas del Cinco de Mayo, Park City, UT Silvia Martinez-Krull, businesswoman, co-organizer Fiestas Cinco de Mayo, Cncinnati, OH Patricia Ramos, news correspondent, Atlanta, GA.

PROGRAM # 2863 - 13:00 PDT
This program discusses three news stories: Bush weekly address delivered in Spanish, Fox and Bush call for an extension to Section 245i, and Greenfield city warns INS it's not welcome if agents don't give notice on raids.

Monday, May 7th

PROGRAM # 2864 - 12:00 PDT
HEALTH EDITION - OBESE CHILDREN. Today's children are the fattest generation in U.S. history, according to health officials. They are growing up like couch potatoes, watching TV, and playing video or computer games. If today's kids don't start moving around and loosing weight, they will begin having medical problems such as diabetes and hypertension at age 20, not 50. What can parents and the whole family do to teach children healthy habits and offer healthier meals? This program is aired in conjunction with the National Hispanic Medical Association.

Guest: Dr. Yolanda Gutiérrez, nutritionist, professor at Stanford University, researcher at University of California San Francisco, NHMA member.

PROGRAM # 2865 - 13:00 PDT
CREDIT CARDS. The San Francisco-based group Consumer Action examined about 200 credit cards from 45 different companies. In this program, a representative of the consumer-advocacy group rates the companies according to their late fees and penalties, finance charges, annual interest rates and other factors. This program also comments on recent cases of mass fraud under Pyramid capital-investing schemes.

Guests: Guadalupe Aguilar, Consumer Action, Los Angeles, gaguilar@consumer-action.org

Tuesday, May 8th

PROGRAM # 2866 - 12:00 PDT
BILINGUALISM IN OAKLAND. Oakland became the first city in the U.S. to require that many government workers speak more than one language. The ordinance goes into effect on this day and requires many city employees to speak Spanish and Chinese language, in addition to English. The city will now hire employees who speak Spanish, Cantonese or Mandarin to fill positions where there is contact with the public. More than one third of Oakland's residents are a fast-growing population of Latino and Chinese immigrants.

Guest: Ignacio de la Fuente, Oakland City Council President and proponent of the Ordinance, Oakland, CA.

PROGRAM # 2867 - 13:00 PDT
"FRONTERA LIBRE" (OPEN BORDER) EDITION - MOTHER'S DAY. Radio Bilingüe in the U.S. and Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Televisión in Guadalajara, México, join broadcasts to interconnect live U.S. audiences with listeners in Mexico's migrant home states. This week, hosts on both Jalisco and California facilitate a serenade for all mothers and an exchange of greetings and thoughts from listeners to their mothers on both sides of the border.

Wednesday, May 9th

PROGRAM # 2868 - 12:00 NOON PDT
TUITION FEES FOR IMMIGRANT STUDENTS. Legislators in Texas and California are pushing for bills allowing undocumented immigrant students who live in those states to pay in-state college fees. Mexican officials are also proposing to waive foreign-student charges to U.S. students enrolled in Mexican schools if Texas and California reciprocate.

Guests: California Assemblyman Marcos Firebaugh, Sacramento, CA; Joe Berra, MALDEF, San Antonio, TX.

PROGRAM # 2869 - 13:00 PDT
BREAD AND ROSES. Actors Pilar Padilla, Adrien Brody and Elpidia Carrillo headline the cast of "Bread and Roses," a movie premiering this weekend. in the US. The movie narrates the story of Maya, a young undocumented Mexican who works as a janitor in Los Angeles and joins the labor strikes and the union battles of the 1990s.

Taped guests: Pilar Padilla, main actress; Paul Laverty, film script writer.

Also,

CONGRESSMAN HECTOR SANCHEZ. Mexican congressman Hector Sanchez (PRD-Oaxaca) talks about his opposition to a bill on Indian rights passed by Mexico's Congress. He says the bill does not address the pressing issue of autonomy for Indian peoples and does not meet the agreements for peace in Mexico's southern region.

Guest: Mexican congressman Hector Sanchez.

Thursday, May 10th

PROGRAM # 2870 - 12:00 NOON 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.

PROGRAM # 2871 - 13:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Francisco "Paco" Huerta, a veteran radio journalist and civic journalism foremost advocate, is the program host. He offers this weekly, tape-delayed edition of the series "Voz Pública," a call-in program airing from Mexico City.

HOST: Francisco Huerta, www.vozpublica.com

Friday, May 11th

PROGRAM # 2872 - 12:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION. This edition reviews recently-introduced bills in both the Senate and the House. Also, more details are provided on the extension of the Temporary Protection Status for Nicaraguan and Honduran refugees, a program created after Hurricane Mitch devastated their countries in 1998. Attorney Carlos Spector-Calderon also answers listener concerns about their visa proceedings.

PROGRAM # 2873 - 13:00 PDT
MOTHER'S DAY. Accomplished writers and community leaders give insights on how they have been able to succeed as mothers, while at the same time realizing higher educational and professional career goals. Also, mothers contacted in an opinion poll talk about the challenges for traditional motherhood amid the pressures of modern U.S. society.

Guests: Elena Poniatowska, renown Mexican writer; Virginia Ortega, mother of eight children and advocate for the state program on family violence of Líderes Campesinas, Blythe, CA; other guests TBA.

Monday, May 14th

PROGRAM # 2874 - 12:00 PDT
HEALTH EDITION - CANCER CONFERENCE: A LIVE BROADCAST. Leading U.S. and international physicians and researchers involved in clinical cancer care meet in San Francisco to discuss newly-approved drugs and therapies and cancer prevention. Dr. Elmer Huerta, a regular commentator, broadcasts live interviews from the ASCO conference, the largest gathering of oncologists worldwide. Topics include early detection of the deadliest cancers, quality of life for cancer patients, and more.

PROGRAM # 2875 - 13:00 PDT
CANCER CONFERENCE: A LIVE BROADCAST. This program is a continuation of guest host Dr. Elmer Huerta's live broadcast from the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, where more than fifteen thousand cancer care specialists gather to share news on cancer research and quality of care. Dr. Huerta talks with U.S. and Latin American health care providers and scientists attending the conference.

Tuesday, May 15th

PROGRAM # 2876 - 12:00 PDT
ANDRES BERMUDEZ FOR MAYOR. Andrés Bermúdez, an émigré who lives in California, is running for mayor in his native Jerez, Zacatecas. If he wins, he might become the first U.S. immigrant to be elected mayor of a Mexican city. While Bermudez' residency in the U.S. has caused controversy in Jerez, he runs his campaign often saying, "Now it's our turn," referring to émigrés interest in becoming more involved in decision-making in Mexico's and their hometowns.

Guest: Andres Bermudez, candidate for mayor, Jerez, Zacatecas, Mexico.

PROGRAM # 2877 - 13:00 PDT
"FRONTERA LIBRE" (OPEN BORDER) EDITION - MAQUILADORAS. Radio Bilingüe in the U.S. and Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Televisión in Guadalajara, México, join broadcasts to interconnect live U.S. audiences with listeners in Mexico's migrant home states. This week, hosts on both Jalisco and California talk about the prospects and woes for the large maquiladora industry in Guadalajara. An economist discusses the impact of the economic slump in the U.S. and the threat of maquiladora shops flight after NAFTA regulations requiring foreign companies to by domestic supplies go into effect.

Guest: Jesús Salomón Muñoz, director of development and investments, Secretaría de Promoción Económica, State of Jalisco.

Wednesday, May 16th

PROGRAM # 2878 - 12:00 NOON PDT
MCVEIGH EXECUTION. Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh execution, scheduled for this day, was delayed for one month. The former Army private was convicted for destroying Oklahoma City's federal building and killing 168 people in 1995 in an act of right-wing terrorism. This program provides a news report. Listeners are encouraged to call in with comments on the FBI investigation, McVeigh's sentence and death penalty.

PROGRAM # 2879 - 13:00 PDT
GIRAFFE ON FIRE." An interview with author and poet Juan Felipe Herrera on his newest work "Giraffe on Fire." This book is a collection of poems described as "some of the most exquisite images one can find in U.S. Latino poetry." The author calls his book: "A new millennium cubist manifesto against decrepit political machines. A mystic song in search of birth and love."

Guest: Juan Felipe Herrera, poet, performance artist and professor, California State University, Fresno; "Giraffe on Fire," The University of Arizona Press, www.uapress.arizona.edu

Thursday, May 17th

PROGRAM # 2880 - 12:00 NOON 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.

PROGRAM # 2881 - 13:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Francisco "Paco" Huerta, a veteran radio journalist and civic journalism foremost advocate, is the program host. He offers this weekly, tape-delayed edition of the series "Voz Pública," a call-in program airing from Mexico City.

HOST: Francisco Huerta, www.vozpublica.com

Friday, May 18th

PROGRAM # 2882 - 12:00 PDT
DR. ANA NOGALES: MENTAL HEALTH. Renowned psychotherapist Dr. Ana Nogales comments on the cultural conflicts awaiting immigrants to the U.S. who mistakenly make flirtatious remarks to women. While immigrant males may see their remarks as compliments or part of a natural courting ritual, women might interpret the remarks as offensive, demeaning and sometimes illegal acts of sexual harassment. Dr. Nogales also answers listener questions on various mental health concerns.

PROGRAM # 2883 - 13:00 PDT
IMMIGRATION EDITION. This edition reviews recently-introduced bills in both the Senate and the House. Attorney Carlos Spector-Calderon also answers listener concerns about their visa proceedings.

Monday, May 21st

PROGRAM # 2884 - 12:00 PDT
HEALTH EDITION - ASTHMA. May is Clean Air Month and the American Lung Association is launching a campaign to warn about the health risks of diesel exhaust and other air pollutants. Also, the association recently released a report indicating that the nation's air has become dirtier and California's Southern area and the Central Valley have the worst air in the country. This program, broadcast in collaboration with the National Hispanic Medical Association, provides advice for asthma patients on how to protect against air contaminants.

Guests: Justina Felix, program manager, Central California Asthma Project, San Joaquin Valley Health Consortium, www.sjvhc.org; Dr. Judith Flores, pediatrician, director of Sunset Park Family Health Center, Brooklyn, NY; National Hispanic Medical Association, http://home.earthlink.net/~nhma

PROGRAM # 2885 - 13:00 PDT
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION ON UC CAMPUSES. Almost six years after the University of California regents banned racial preferences in admissions and hiring, affirmative action supporters believe they now have sufficient votes to overturn that decision. Student Regent Justin Fong is introducing a resolution against the ban, while Regent Judith Hopkinson calls for a resolution that welcomes students of all backgrounds but reaffirms the university's commitment to the state law that abolished affirmative action. Thousands of students are converging on the UC regents' meeting in San Francisco, demanding the repeal of the ban on affirmative action.

Guests: Dr. Manuel Gomez, Acting Vicepresident of Educational Outreach, Office of the President, University of California, Berkeley, CA; Tanya Kappner, Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action and Integration By Any Means Necessary, Oakland, CA.

Tuesday, May 22nd

PROGRAM # 2886 - 12:00 PDT
CHILEAN JUNTA OFFICIAL FACES TRIAL. Zita Cabello-Barrueto, a Chilean professor who lives in California, is taking former Chilean major Armando Fernandez-Larios to court in Miami, where he currently lives. Cabello-Barrueto, sister of former political prisoner Winston Cabello, charges Major Fernandez-Larios with torture, execution and crimes against humanity. Winston Cabello and 72 other political prisoners detained by the Chilean army were killed in October 1973 as part of an operation called "Caravan of Death."

Guests: Dr. Zita Cabello-Barrueto, Santa Cruz, CA; attorney Joshua Sondheimer, Center for Justice and Accountability, San Francisco.

PROGRAM # 2887 - 13:00 PDT
"FRONTERA LIBRE" (OPEN BORDER) EDITION-FARMWORKERS' HEALTH. Radio Bilingue in the U.S. and Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Television in Guadalajara, Mexico, join broadcasts to interconnect live U.S. audiences with listeners in Mexico's migrant home states. This week, hosts in both Jalisco and California talk with Dr. Bonnie Bade, with California State University, San Marcos, about her study on farmworkers entitled "Suffering in Silence." The report describes how contributions of Mexican farm workers help to make agriculture California's primary source of wealth. Yet, they are at the bottom when it comes to health insurance, housing and legal rights protection. Farmworkers suffer in silence and are forgotten by society.

Guest: Dr. Bonnie Bade, California State University San Marcos, www.calendow.org/pub

Also, Dr. Juan Hernandez, , coordinator, Presidential Office for Mexicans Living Abroad, joined the program to discuss a controversil "medical survival kit" that was annoufor migrants who travel north.

Wednesday, May 23rd

PROGRAM # 2888 - 12:00 NOON PDT
ENERGY CRISIS, AND MORE. Congressman Richard Gephardt, leader of the Democratic minority in the House, talks with Linea Abierta on the House Democrats' energy plan, which calls for electricity price controls and conservation. Immigration reforms, budget plans and other issues are also discussed.

Also, U.S. Housing Secretary Mel Martinez talks about the comprehensive energy plan offered by President Bush. Secretary Martinez, the first Cuban American in a U.S. Cabinet, also talks about his plans to revamp the Colonias in the U.S./Mexico border and to bring affordable housing to low-income families. Guest: Secretary Mel Martinez, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department, The White House.

PROGRAM # 2889 - 13:00 PDT
TACO BELL BOYCOTT. A farmworker coalition in Florida is calling for a boycott of Taco Bell after the fast-food chain refused to pay more for tomatoes bought from Florida and to mediate a dispute with tomato growers. Taco Bell says it is not responsible for controlling the price of tomatoes.

Guests: Lucas Benitez, Immokalee Workers Coalition, Immokalee, FL; Laurie Gannon, spokesperson, Taco Bell, Inc., Irvine, CA.

Thursday, May 24th

PROGRAM # 2890 - 12:00 NOON 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.

PROGRAM # 2891 - 13:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Francisco "Paco" Huerta, a veteran radio journalist and civic journalism's foremost advocate, is the program host. He offers this weekly, tape-delayed edition of the series "Voz Publica," a call-in program airing from Mexico City.

HOST: Francisco Huerta, www.vozpublica.com

Friday, May 25th

PROGRAM # 2892 - 12:00 PDT
Attorney Carlos Spector Calderon provided comments on three news developments of the week: the House approved a limited extension of Section 245i, fourteen Mexican migrants died in the Arizona desert, and Sen. James Jeffords quits the Republican Party and the Democrats gain control of the Senate. He analyzes how the three events are related. Ten listeners called in. Most to comment on the horrifying death of a group of migrants.

PROGRAM # 2893 - 13:00 PDT
NURSING HOMES. California ranks at the bottom, nationally, in nursing home deficiencies. Lack of certified nursing assistants and adequate personnel is among the problems in the mostly privately run facilities. Advocates and elder groups are calling on the state legislature to pass a bill requiring an increase in the number of nursing personnel per patient.

Guests: Assemblyman Kevin Shelley, Majority leader; Sandra Escobar, Certified Nursing Assistant, Emmanuel Health Care Center, Yuba City; Charlie Ridgell, SEIU, Local 250, Oakland, CA.

ALSO, this program features an interview with Isabel Garcia, director of the Arizona Border Human Rights Project in Tucson, AZ, on the death of fourteen migrants in the Arizona desert. She calls for congressional investigation and an immediate end to the military-style border enforcement operations.

Monday, May 28th

PROGRAM # 2894 - 12:00 PDT
HEALTH EDITION - UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE. While highly employed, Latinos are still the most uninsured group in the nation. Recent high-profile labor strikes by janitors, seamstresses and farmworkers have raised health benefits as a major issue. Labor groups are coming together to push for a comprehensive health plan accessible to all workers. This program discusses that proposal.

Guests: Dr. Olveen Carrasquillo, member of the national advisory committee of Physicians for a National Health Plan and professor of medicine and public health for Columbia University, New York, www.pnhp.org; Claudia Pineda-Benton, RN, member of California Nurses Association, nurse for Ventura County's Department of Health; Dr. Salvador Sandoval, Labor Party representative and physician at Golden Valley Health Center, Merced, CA.

PROGRAM # 2895 - 13:00 PDT
VETERAN MEMORIES - Korean War veteran Joseph Rodriguez, a Medal of Honor recipient, talked about a veterans memorial statue in Bell Gardens, CA, honoring 39 Latino congressional Medal of Honor recipients. Also, Profr. Jorge Mariscal, a Vietnam veteran and author of the book "Aztlan and Vietnam," speaks about the open wounds and the lessons of the War in Vietnam.

Tuesday, May 29th

PROGRAM # 2896 - 12:00 PDT
OPERACION CONDOR. Argentinian journalist and writer Stella Calloni talks about her latest book, "Operacion Condor." The book is an expose of the plan that coordinated South American dictatorships during the '70s to persecute and assassinate dissidents. According to Calloni's book, U.S. intelligence services were involved in those plans. The murder of Chilean ambassador Orlando Letelier in Washington and the death of former Brazilian president Joao Goulart are linked to that plan. Calloni received an investigative journalism award for her coverage of Operacion Condor.

Pretaped interview: Stella Calloni, writer, poet, correspondent for a number of Mexican and Latin American newspapers.

PROGRAM # 2897 - 13:00 PDT
"FRONTERA LIBRE" (OPEN BORDER) EDITION - MONEY REMITTANCES. Radio Bilingue in the U.S. and Sistema Jalisciense de Radio y Television in Guadalajara, Mexico, join broadcasts to interconnect live U.S. audiences with listeners in Mexico's migrant home states. This week, hosts in both Jalisco and California talk about new and cost-effective services and alternatives for migrants' money remittances to Mexico, including ATM cards and lower transaction fees. According to Mexican congressional sources, one in every five dollars sent to Mexico gets lost due to transfer fees, exchange rates, fraud, robbery and misplacement.

Guest: Adriana Romo, Jalisco state delegate, Procuraduria Federal del Consumidor (PROFECO), Guadalajara, Mexico.

Wednesday, May 30th

PROGRAM # 2898 - 12:00 NOON PDT
LOS ANGELES MAYORAL ELECTION. Los Angeles may elect a Latino mayor for the first time in more than a century. Former state legislator Antonio Villarraigosa faces city attorney James Hahn in a close run-off election on June 5. As the contest heats up, new alliances are taking shape in this city plagued by police corruption scandals, racial strife, suburban secession attempts and class conflicts. This program discusses the forecast for election day.

Guests: Erika Bernal, National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO), Los Angeles. Also, sound excerpts by Arturo Vargas, executive director, NALEO, and Gloria Molina, member, Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, Los Angeles.

PROGRAM # 2899 - 13:00 PDT
BUSH, CALIFORNIA AND THE ENERGY CRISIS. President Bush visits California, where he clashes with Gov. Gray Davis over wholesale electricity price caps. He is also met by demonstrators protesting Republican energy policies. This program discusses Bush' absence from California, temporary price caps, conservation plans, and fast-track plans to build power plants.

Guests: Maria Echaveste, senior adviser for the National Committee of the Democratic Party and former White House official; Republican assemblyman Abel Maldonado, Sacramento, CA.

Thursday, May 31st

PROGRAM # 2900 - 12:00 NOON 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.

PROGRAM # 2901 - 13:00 PDT
MEXICO EDITION. Francisco "Paco" Huerta, a veteran radio journalist and civic journalism's foremost advocate, is the program host. He offers this weekly, tape-delayed edition of the series "Voz Publica," a call-in program airing from Mexico City.

HOST: Francisco Huerta, www.vozpublica.com

LINEA ABIERTA | THIS WEEK | PREVIOUS PROGRAMS