Posted by Thomas E. Weinz on Jul 02, 2009 - 06:44 PM
Organizations love acronyms, so I had best introduce some of the most important ones right away. The U.S. Navy calls its humanitarian outreach “civic action programs,” or CAPs. By affixing the first few letters of each specialty (engineering, medical, dental, veterinarian), we are blessed with the catchy ENCAP, MEDCAP, DENCAP, VETCAP. There are also “community relations” programs: COMRELs. COMRELs are made up of volunteers, primarily from the ship’s crew, who go out each day and contribute in some way to the local communities. They may play soccer with local children, join a local group of volunteers to clean up a field or participate…
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Posted by DipNote Bloggers on Jun 26, 2009 - 10:35 PM
![Venezuelans wave flags in Mexico February 4, 2009. [AP photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/venezuela_m.jpg)
U.S. State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said, "This important step will help advance U.S. interests by improving bilateral communication and enhancing our outreach to the Venezuelan people."
What opportunities will the resumption of full diplomatic representation between the United States and Venezuela present?
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Posted by Ana Duque-Higgins on Jul 02, 2009 - 05:39 PM
![Commander of Colombia's Army gestures in front of rescued hostages, Bogota, July 2, 2008. [AP File]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0702_hostage_rescue_m.jpg)
One year ago today, July 2, 2008, the Colombian Armed Forces rescued 15 hostages, including three Americans, held by the terrorist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in a daring and creative rescue. Operation Jacque, Spanish for “Checkmate,” was not only a great achievement in the history of the Colombian military, but also a victory for the U.S. Embassy in Bogota, which had worked for five long years to free their three compatriots, Keith Stansell, Marc Gonsalves, and Thomas Howes.
The three American contractors were kidnapped in February of 2003 after their plane experienced engine trouble during a routine mission and had to make a crash landing in the middle…
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Posted by Melanne Verveer on Jul 02, 2009 - 11:55 AM
![Women walk on city outskirts in Afghanistan, June 25, 2009. [State Department Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0702_women_afghanistan_m.jpg)
I traveled to Afghanistan on June 24, to learn firsthand what conditions are like for Afghan women today and to reaffirm our commitment to them. I spent time in Kabul and in Badghis, and I spoke with women and men at every level that I could: parliamentarians in Kabul, and villagers in Badghis; female candidates for the Provincial Council, brave businesswomen, journalists, and dozens of NGO workers. I visited a state-of-the-art women’s detention center that…
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Posted by Portia Boone on Jul 02, 2009 - 10:04 AM
![Wind turbines dot horizon on farmland near Wasco, Oregon, Mar. 4, 2002. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0702_wind_turbines_m.jpg)
Scientists, researchers and students from throughout the Americas are working on innovative projects on diverse issues including the environment, climate change, energy and pandemic preparation. Unfortunately, there is no system currently in place to link these people and projects, allow them to share best practices and collaborate on related initiatives. State’s Western Hemisphere Affairs (WHA) Bureau is working to change this by building a "Science Network of the Americas."
To help build enthusiasm, support and content for this project, Dr. Timothy DeVoogd of Cornell University led…
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Posted by Graham Lampa on Jul 01, 2009 - 03:44 PM
![Acting Assistant Secretary Dr. Eliot Kang at The Hague, Netherlands, June 16, 2009. [DTRA Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0701_eliot_kang_m.jpg)
In his Prague speech calling for renewed international action to rid the world of nuclear weapons, President Obama singled out nuclear terrorism as “the most immediate and extreme threat to global security.” To address the threat of terrorists acquiring nuclear weapons, the President called for nations to come together to turn the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism…
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Posted by Thomas E. Weinz on Jul 01, 2009 - 10:59 AM
The Scottish poet, Robert Burns, noted that our best laid plans “…gang aft agley.” Aye, Robbie, and June 30 was a fine example. The USS Dubuque was originally chosen for Pacific Partnership 2009; it is an amphibious ship with a well deck, which is an internal deck that can hold a landing craft. The landing craft is loaded within Dubuque itself, and is simply floated out to sea when ready. But in May, several Dubuque crewmembers contracted H1N1 flu, and the USNS Richard E. Byrd replaced the Dubuque. Byrd is a cargo ship and uses cranes to lower cargo onto piers or other fixed platforms. But Apia’s…
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Posted by John Whittlesey on Jun 30, 2009 - 02:27 PM
![Sea turtle surfaces for air in waters off Caribbean Island of Bonaire, May 30, 2008. [AP File Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0630_sea_turtle_m.jpg)
In 2007, a rare Kemp's Ridley sea turtle, whose normal habitat is the warm waters of the Caribbean and the southeastern United States, took a very wrong turn and swam all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to southern England. The turtle was found near Devon, England, nearly dead from starvation and hypothermia.
The turtle, later named Willy, was rescued, taken to the Sea Life Center in Weymouth, and nursed back to health.
In 2008, the NGO Marine Environmental Monitoring contacted the U.S. Embassy in London for help in shipping Willy back to the United States. The Embassy's Environment Section worked with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, wildlife authorities…
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Posted by Thomas E. Weinz on Jun 29, 2009 - 04:43 PM
![USNS Mercy sets sail for Singapore from the Philippines, June 18, 2006. [AP File/ U.S. Navy Photo]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0629_bryd_samoa_m.jpg)
The annual humanitarian mission, this one known simply as Pacific Partnership 2009 (PP2009), is about to begin. It will commence on the two major (and the one very small) islands of Samoa, which are called Upolu and Savai’i, and will continue across thousands of miles of the Pacific over the next several months, visiting five island nations, ending in the Republic of the Marshall Islands on September 18.
The devastating earthquake-induced tsunami that struck on December 26, 2004, killed more than 200,000 people in 13 countries, more than 128,000 in Indonesia…
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Posted by Nancy Carter-Foster on Jun 29, 2009 - 10:57 AM
![Red sports car speeds past municipality worker on embankment in Moscow, May 18, 2008. [AP File]](http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2009_0625_moscow_road_m.jpg)
Driving may seem like a commonplace activity to many Americans, but it is still a dangerous task at home and in much of the world. Nearly 1.3 million people die and 20-50 million more worldwide are injured in road crashes every year. That translates to 3,500 people dying and 137,000 more being seriously injured or disabled every day. More than half of those killed in traffic crashes are people in the prime of their lives, between the ages of 15-44. It is also the second leading cause of death for children between the ages of 5-15. Road crashes are the leading non-natural cause…
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