 Edición Semanaria de Noticiero Latino |
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January 2003
January 3rd | Listen to the program
MEXICAN FARMERS - With the complete elimination of tariffs on agricultural imports under NAFTA, Mexican small farmer organizations are expressing their discontent. Some groups have already begun mobilizations while others negotiate changes with federal officials after postponing protests until February. Many small farmers fear bankruptcy because their products are not protected by subsidies, as in the U.S. and Canada. Raul Silvia, our correspondent in Mexico reports.
YUMA CHANGES - Arizona’s Yuma County, famous for lettuce and other crops is experiencing important changes. Between 1980 and 2000 the valley’s population doubled from 76,000 to near 160,000 residents. The increasing Latino population is also shifting political power in the area. Our correspondent Kent Patterson recently visited Yuma and offers this report, narrated by Alejandro Glusman.
LATINOS IN HOLLYWOOD - If Hollywood’s film industry is currently open to some Latinos, it is greatly due to artists that for many years struggled to bury stereotypes and discrimination. A documentary, “The Bronze Screen- 100 Years of the Latino Image in Hollywood,” evokes the contributions of these pioneer artists. The documentary is now being distributed for home viewing. Natalie Stawsky reports.
January 10th | Listen to the program
TENANTS RESIST - Approximately 250 Latino families in Southern California are in danger of losing their housing. Supported by a city ordinance approved more than 30 years ago, Maywood City Council, formed by young Latino politicians, plans to authorize the building of commercial warehouses. However, concerned residents are not willing to give up and are organizing to reverse the decision. Ruben Tapia shares details from Los Angeles.
MAQUILA LAY-OFFS - Massive employment cuts in the maquiladora industry at the U.S.-Mexico border is a consequence of the economic recession. In Ciudad Juarez, the current economic crisis may be the worst that has struck this maquiladora center, resulting in increased social problems. Our correspondent Kent Paterson shares this report in the voice of Alejandro Glusman.
LATINOS AND DEMENTIA - Compared to Anglos, Latino elders suffer proportionately higher levels of dementia, despite having less genetic predisposition. This seems to be due to cultural factors that cause stress in everyday life and also increase the propensity of Latinos to diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. These are some of the findings of a study done in Sacramento, California. Marc Breindel reports.
January 17th | Listen to the program
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION - President Bush formally announces his opposition to affirmative action programs that seek to admit more Latinos and African Americans to universities. Bush’s decision is part of a case against the University of Michigan’s affirmative action policies before the U.S. Supreme Court. Angela Arboleda, civil-rights policy analyst for the National Council of La Raza, explains why the organization questions this presidential decision.
REPATRIATED CHILDREN - Mexican Consulates in the U.S. have repatriated more than 17,000 youths in the last 18 months. Only in San Diego, the local consulate reports the relocation of 955 minors last year. Children say that while risky they will try to cross the border again forced by lack of opportunities in Mexico. Marco Vinicio Gonzalez reports.
COMMUNITY AGRICULTURAL PROJECT - Facing an increasing crisis, agricultural communities in Mexico rethink their survival strategies. A Purepecha village in the state of Michoacan is developing a project to preserve the environment and their community. Correspondent, Kent Paterson visited Nuevo San Juan and shares this report in the voice of Guadalupe Carrasco.
January 24th | Listen to the program
PEACE MARCH - Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday was celebrated this year along with several demonstrations to oppose a possible showdown with Iraq. Last Saturday, in the nation’s capital, close to 250,000 demonstrators kicked off a three-day series of protests. And, as our correspondent in Washington, DC, Patricia Guadalupe reports, organizers plan to continue protests in upcoming weeks to insist on the search for alternatives to war.
MIGRANT HOUSING - Hundreds of migrant farm workers in Carlsbad are living out in the open. This area, located in San Diego’s north county, houses a multimillion-dollar agribusiness, mainly producing strawberries and tomatoes. However, its farm workers continue to fear evictions from their humble shelters, while farmers and government officials fail to take measures to solve the problem. Marco Vincio Gonzalez, reports.
“TRUEQUE” RETURNS - The deep economic crisis that struck Argentina over a year ago has forced close to half a million people to search for alternatives in order to survive. One of these alternatives is bartering, the ancestral practice of interchanging services and products, without using money. The Argentinean example has inspired similar activities in neighboring countries, and the bartering phenomenon has now reached Mexico, where an informational Argentine workshop recently took place. Raul Silva reports.
January 31st | Listen to the program
WAR SKEPTISICISM - President Bush’s State of the Union Address aimed to prepare the country in case of a war against Iraq, pointing out that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, has shown total disregard for the United Nations. However, most Latino Congressmen are still not convinced on the need for war, especially, when their communities continue to face hardships. Patricia Guadalupe reports from Washington, DC.
ZAPATISTA VETERANS - During Los Angeles’ recent Chicano Film Festival, a video documentary containing testimonials from veteran Zapatistas won two awards. Los Ultimos Zapatistas: Heroes Olvidados, highlights the voices of 12 former fighters under General Emiliano Zapata. Statements by these Zapatistas become especially relevant during these times where there is increased restlessness in Mexico’s rural areas.
LATINA SMOKERS - Latinas are less inclined to smoke tobacco, however, the daughters of immigrants that move into cities are more prone to become smokers. Such is the case of a Mexican woman living in San Francisco, who, facing the difficulty of kicking the habit, opts to use her own case as an example to warn her daughters about the risks of smoking. Silvia Parra shares details.
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