MONDAY, DECEMBER 26.

PROGRAM # 6567  12:00 PM PT

POSARELA. Two Christmastime traditions, the posada party and the pastorela theater play, are combined in a San Francisco musical known as the Posarela. The performance includes music and Christmas Carols from all over the Americas, and involves three generations in a bilingual celebration that follows Mary and Joseph on their journey to Bethlehem, despite a mischievous devil who tries to prevent them from finding shelter.

Guest: Martha Rodríguez-Salazar, Conductor and Producer, La Posarela, San Francisco, CA, http://www.sfcmc.org/site/events/la-posarela-2011.

ALSO, AFROPERUVIAN CHRISTMAS. The streets come alive during Christmastime in Afro-Peruvian neighborhoods in Peru. A renowned singer describes the mix of Peruvian Christmas traditions known as Black Christmas, including the Hatajo de Negritos, in which boys and men dance African rhythms while singing verses from Spanish carols to Andean melodies, and how children go in groups from house to house asking for “posada”, or shelter.

Guest: Marina Lavalle, Singer, Former vocalist for Perú Negro, San Francisco, CA.

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 27.

PROGRAM # 6568   12:00 PM PT

EL CIGALA. Spanish singer Diego El Cigala is a pioneer of flamenco fusion, blending flamenco with Latin American genres like bolero and Afro-Caribbean jazz. His most recent album, “Cigala & Tango,” which mixes flamenco with Argentinean tango, won a Latin Grammy this year. This edition offers an exclusive interview with the internationally renowned vocalist.

Guest: Diego El Cigala, Flamenco singer, Interviewed in Berkeley, CA, www.elcigala.com.

ALSO, A BETTER LIFE. From the director of one of the movies in the popular teen vampire series, Twilight, comes a movie about an undocumented gardener in East L.A., struggling to make a better life for his son. The single dad is played by Mexican movie star Demián Bichir. Director and actor join this pre-taped edition.

Guests: Demián Bichir, Actor, A Better Life, Washington, D.C.; Chris Weitz, Director, A Better Life, Washington, D.C., https://www.facebook.com/ABetterLifeMovie.

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28.

PROGRAM # 6569  12:00 PM PT

ARPAIO UNDER FIRE. The U.S. Department of Justice is accusing Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of racial profiling and discriminating against Latino inmates, after conducting a three-year investigation into his policies. Meanwhile, the Sheriff’s office is also under fire for allegedly failing to investigate hundreds of sex crimes, many of them involving molested children. In response to the report, the Department of Homeland Security finally ended its contract allowing Sheriff Arpaio to enforce immigration law. What's next for the controversial sheriff?

Guests; Valeria Fernandez, Correspondent, Noticiero Latino, Phoenix, AZ; Elias Bermudez, Host, "The Voice of the Immigrant" on AM 1540, Phoenix, AZ.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29.

PROGRAM # 6570  12:00 PM PT     

NEW RULES CUT MERCURY POLLUTION. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new rules that would cut over 90% of mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. The landmark protections are hailed by environmental groups as a huge victory, especially because mercury is known to harm the nervous systems of children. The toxic metal has been found at higher levels in Latino children. A mother and activist that has long fought power plant pollution in her Chicago neighborhood joins this edition to discuss the news.

Guest: Kim Wasserman-Nieto, Director, Little Village Environmental Justice Organization, Chicago, IL, http://lvejo.org/.

ALSO, IRAQ TROOP WITHDRAWAL. The last U.S. soldiers left Iraq this month, marking the end of a nine-year war. What are the consequences of the long occupation of Iraq for veterans and their families? What new battles are veterans waging at home? What is the political forecast for Iraq? A top leader of Latino veterans comment on these and other questions.

Guest: Ángel Zúñiga, National Vice Commander, American G.I. Forum, Corpus Christi, TX.

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30.

PROGRAM # 6571   12:00 PM PT    

MEXICO EDITION. In Mexico in the last 11 years, 80 journalists have been assassinated and 14 have disappeared, according to Reporters Without Borders, an organization that keeps a record of the journalists killed in different countries around the world. Nine of the homicides recorded in Mexico occurred in 2011. Family members of victims denounced that there has been no progress in investigations of the cases, and even the media where their relatives worked have done little to cover their stories. The organization Article 19 reports that 60% of the aggression toward journalists comes from the government and not from organized crime. Martha Elena Ramírez hosts Voz Pública from Mexico City.

Interviews: Blanca Alicia Martínez, Widow of Armando Rodríguez, reporter from El Diario, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; Jesús Lemus Barajas, Director, Periódico El Tiempo, La Piedad, Michoacán; Alfredo Godos Carmona, Director, Periódico Notinacional, Mexico State.

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