December 4th

THE WALL / LAS MEMORIAS PROJECT. On World AIDS Day, activists and relatives of victims of AIDS gathered for a night of remembrance and prayer in Los Angeles. This is the fifth year of this commemoration, which seeks to call attention to the spread of AIDS infection among Latinos. Reporter Ruben Tapia covered the event.

LOS HERMANOS CEPEDA AND AFROCUBA DE MATANZAS. With Rumbas, Plenas and Bombas, these folk musicians from Cuba and Puerto Rico came together in a U.S. tour to celebrate their common bond: the African roots of the Caribbean peoples. Citlali Saenz talked with members of both groups during their visit to the San Francisco Bay area.

MEXICO: A BOOMING MARKET FOR TOBACCO CORPORATIONS. Cigarette sales are a booming business in Mexico. Restricted by increased regulations at home, the largest tobacco companies in the U.S. and Great Britain are investing in Mexican tobacco companies such as Tabacalera Mexicana and La Moderna. Those corporations find in Mexico a friendlier market, with still few regulations and little enforcement activity. Analysts warn that the jobs that those companies create, won't compensate for the ravages to public health. Reporter Raul Silva interviewed a leading congressman and a leading physician in Mexico City. Phillip Morris Co. representatives declined an interview.

December 11th

FREE TRADE WOES. Free trade in North America is doomed to fail because the economic and educational ground was not leveled the way Europeans did it for their Common Market. The US must be willing to share technology and know-how and Mexico must protect human rights and the environment. That's a conclusion reached by analysts and political leaders from the U.S., Mexico, Chile and Brazil who met at the University of California, Berkeley. This news report from Citlali Saenz features comments from US Congressman Xavier Becerra, Governor Vicente Fox, from Guanajuato, Mexico, and Mexican Senator Amalia Garcia.

MEXICO: EARLY STEPS IN LEGISLATING TOBACCO SALES. Mexico's fight against tobacco smoking faces steep odds in Congress. However, Dr. Santiago Padilla, head of the health committee in Mexico's Congress pledges to make tobacco regulation a top priority during next legislative session. Dr. Padilla's prospective bill includes requirements for explicit warning labels on cigarette packs, levying tax increases on tobacco sales; and restricting the hours allowed for tobacco promotion on radio and television. Reporter Raul Silva gathered exclusive interviews with the heads of the health committees in Mexico' Senate and Congress for this story.

A PASTORELA IN GUADALUPE. The Pastorela is a Catholic tradition in Latin-America which recreates the birth of Jesus and the battle against evil. And to bring the tradition home, the people of Guadalupe, a small Yaqui Indian town outside Phoenix, have invited Director Rodrigo Duarte,
from Teatro La Esperanza, to help them put on a Pastorela of their own. Reporter Silvia Parra tells us about how people in town react to the devil, the plays main character.

December 25th

CHRISTMAS ARTISTRY. In Mexico, the nativity scene is central to the Christmas celebration. Artisans create small figurines from clay, wood and even palm leaves to sell in front of churches, in fairs and on street corners. Basilia Sanchez, is a Mixtec artisan, who has created the small religious figures all her life. She and her family recently were distinguished with the Mexican National Prize in Artistry for their palm leaf artwork. Correspondent Raul Silva spoke with Basilia about her art and her struggle to survive selling crafts amid Mexico's financial crisis.

BRACEROS: DEMANDING OVERDUE COMPENSATION. Labor and human rights groups, in Mexico and the United States, are demanding recognition and compensation for the survivors of the Bracero Program. These are farmworkers who from the 1940's to the early 1960's, came from Mexico under temporary contracts to work in the fields of the Southwest. Kent Patterson reports from El Paso, Texas, on how the movement is garnering support.

CELEBRATING A NEW LIFE. Ceremonies are events that mark the stages of our lives. Welcoming a little one into the fold of the community is one of them. Since the birth of her daughter, contributor Silvia Parra, has shared with us the trials and triumphs of becoming a new mother. This week, we are privy to the blessing ceremony of her daughter Paloma. Led by a Yaqui Indian elder, Silvia and her family welcomed their new addition in the windy deserts of Arizona.

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