MONDAY, JANUARY 2.

PROGRAM # 6572  12:00 PM PT

NEW YEAR’S PROJECTIONS. Línea Abierta’s first edition of 2012 takes a look at the developments that are expected to make the news during 2012. Hosted by contributor Gabriel Villalobos from Phoenix, Arizona, this program examines the outlook of the current situation of crisis and unemployment, and the issues expected to headline the major presidential campaigns.

Guests: Dr. Juan Andrade, President, United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, Chicago, IL, www.ushli.org; Dr. Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, Associate Professor, Chicano Studies, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/chavez/raulhinjosaojeda.htm.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 3.

PROGRAM # 6573   12:00 PM PT

THE FIRST CAUCUSES.  On the day of the first presidential caucuses in the nation, this edition brings together representatives from both parties to discuss the news developments in Iowa, scenario of the first major test for the presidential candidates. In a recent poll, Latino voters oppose the current policy on deportations and follow closely the debate on how to create new jobs. How are presidential candidates answering to this important voting bloc? 

Guests: Lorena López, Editor, La Prensa, Carroll, IA, www.laprensaiowa.com; Adolfo Franco, Republican Analyst, Washington, DC; Maria Campos, Precinct Director, Democratic Party Caucuses, Des Moines, IA.

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4.

PROGRAM # 6574  12:00 PM PT

PRO-IMMIGRANT TIDE. In a time of Arizona "copy-cat" bills to restrict immigration, some cities and states are responding with alternative initiatives that intend to bolster the rights of undocumented workers. Among them, a bill in New Haven, Connecticut would allow undocumented residents to vote in local elections, while a California initiative would let undocumented immigrants work legally. This is a review of bills that are being proposed and laws that are going into effect.

Guests: John Jairo Lugo, Organizer, Unidad Latina en Acción, New Haven, CT (interviewed from Pereira, Colombia), http://ulanewhaven.blogspot.com; Angela Sanbrano, President, National Alliance of Latin American and Caribbean Communities (NALACC), Los Angeles, CA, www.nalacc.org, www.caopportunity.com

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 5.

PROGRAM # 6575  12:00 PM PT     

DISADVANTAGED KIDS. Almost half of Mexican immigrant teenagers in New York City are not enrolled in school, a higher proportion than any other immigrant group. Experts call it a “perfect storm of educational disadvantage”: Mexican immigration to the city is relatively new, many Mexican immigrants are undocumented, there are few tutoring programs targeted at them, and many believe a myth that undocumented youth cannot go to college. Who is tackling this ominous problem?

Guests: Ángelo Cabrera, President, Mexican-American Student Alliance (MASA), New York, NY, masany.org/new/; Benjamín Zapién, Mexican immigrant, New York, NY; Guillermo Linares, Assemblymember, New York State Assmebly, Albany, NY, http://www.guillermolinares.com/.

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 6.

PROGRAM # 6576   12:00 PM PT    

MEXICO EDITION. One week before the deadline for Mexican citizens who reside outside out of the country to register to vote in Mexico’s presidential elections, 22,000 citizens are registered so far, according to the Federal Electoral Institute. Listeners share their concerns that the current mechanism to register to vote is expensive and lengthy and that a large number of emigrants will be left out of the process because they do not have a voting card. Martha Elena Ram írez hosts Voz Pública from Mexico City.

Guest: Dalia Moreno, Coordinator of Vote of Mexicans Residing Outside the Country, Instituto Federal Electoral, México, D.F., México.

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Funds for Línea Abierta are provided in part by The National Endowment for the Arts, The California Endowment, the Evelyn and Walter Haas Jr. Fund, The Ford Foundation, The California Wellness Foundation, the James Irvine Foundation, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The Conéctate Series was funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the California Emerging Technology Fund.