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Entry bubble Veterans Day

By: Colleen | November 11, 2009 | Category: Spanish

First and foremost, a great big THANK YOU to all our veterans, their families, and to all of those who have served our great country in one way or another.

Today is Veterans Day, and as the child of parents who both served in the military, I am especially grateful to those who serve in our armed forces. Also called Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other countries, November 11th marks the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I.

The Veterans Day National Ceremony is held at 11am at Arlington National Cemetery. The ceremony includes a color guard, with representation from each of the branches of our Armed Forces. A ceremony will honor the fallen at the Tomb of the Unknowns, with another ceremony following at the Memorial Amphitheater.

Veterans Day is marked around the country with various parades, ceremonies, and tributes. How do you and your community celebrate? How do you thank your loved ones who have served?

When I was in third grade, my elementary school sponsored a Veterans Day essay contest. The winner was to read their essay at the dedication of the community Vietnam War Memorial. My sister was in the 6th grade and also in my school at the time. When the Principal announced the winner throughout the school over the PA system he said my sister's name but my classroom teacher as the sponsor. Ultimatley there was a lot of household confusion and hulabaloo over who was the rightful winner.  When things were sorted out, as fate may have it, I was the winner. Just call it my Ely Manning winning the Superbowl  moment. I'd love to find that essay again, and see what was going on in my 8-year-old head, but I'm just glad that even at that age I appreciated all that our veterans sacrificed for our country.

Much gratitude to those who have served.

| Post a Comment | View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: arlington_national_cemetery   armistice_day   november_11th   veterans_day  

 

Entry bubble "Socializing" with Hispanics

By: Leilani | June 26, 2009 | Category: Spanish

I'm writing this post from "La Isla del encanto" Puerto Rico.  The reason I'm here is that I'm attending the National Association of Hispanic Journalists Conference (NAHJ) to promote GobiernoUSA.gov, the site I co-manage, and all other Spanish-language services that my organization offers.

Hispanics account for 15% of the population and 34 million people in the United States report speaking Spanish at home. So the need to provide government information in Spanish is real. Some people have asked me on my earlier posts why government is spending money translating information into other languages. There's not only the demand for this kind of information, but there's also an Executive Order  that requires federal agencies to provide critical information in other languages.

It has become more evident to me, especially these last few days, that Hispanics are not only getting connected online at a fast pace, but they are also actively participating on sites such as Facebook and Twitter. It has been great to interact with CNN en español and the Washington Post, but I have to admit that one of the highlights of this trip was when six journalism students stopped by the GobiernoUSA.gov booth. After a brief tour of the site, I could tell they weren't completely sold. So that's when I showed them the GobiernoUSA.gov's Facebook page and their eyes quickly lit up. They were not only impressed, but they also thought we had the "coolest" information for them. Woo hoo!

So yes, we're on Facebook and Twitter but that doesn't mean that we will stop reaching out to the public through more traditional means. If those six students start now finding government information because they're already on Facebook and that's where they "hang out", then we will be accomplishing our mission of making government easy and accesible for people.

Why not try it for yourself? Go to our Facebook pages and become a fan:

You can also follow us on Twitter:

Let us know what you think and how we can make these pages better.

Lea la versión en español

| View Comments [3] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: facebook   government   hispanics   leilani   nahj   spanish   twitter  

 

Entry bubble El Gobierno a tu alcance

By: Leilani | June 26, 2009 | Category: Spanish

Estoy escribiendo esta nota desde "La Isla del encanto" Puerto Rico. La razón por la cual estoy acá es porque Conectarestoy participando en la conferencia de la Asociación Nacional de Periodistas Hispanos (NAHJ por su sigla en inglés) para promover el sitio GobiernoUSA.gov, del cual soy co-gerente, y los servicios que mi organización ofrece en español. 

Los hispanos representan el 15% de la población de los EE. UU. y 34 millones de personas reportan hablar español en el hogar. Así que la necesidad de ofrecer información oficial en español es real.  Algunas personas me han preguntado en ocasiones anteriores a través de este blog por qué el Gobierno gasta dinero en traducir información en otros idiomas. Además de existir la demanda por esta información, hay una Orden Ejecutiva que requiere que las agencias federales ofrezcan información crítica en otros idiomas. 

Es cada vez más evidente, sobre todo durante estos días que he estado en esta conferencia, que los hispanos no solo se están conectando al Internet a gran velocidad sino también están participando activamente en sitios tales como Facebook y Twitter.  Ha sido buenísimo interactuar con CNN en español y el Washington Post pero tengo que admitir que uno de los mejores momentos para mí en esta conferencia sucedió ayer cuando seis estudiantes de periodismo pasaron por el puesto de GobiernoUSA.gov.  Después de darles un breve tour del sitio, me pude dar cuenta que no estaban completamente convencidos.  Decidí entonces enseñarles la página de GobiernoUSA.gov en Facebook. Por unos minutos los cautivé.  Estaban impresionados y me comentaron que teníamos la información más “cool” para ellos.  Woo hoo!

Sí, estamos en Facebook y Twitter pero eso no significa que dejaremos de comunicarnos con el público por medios más tradicionales. Nuestra presencia en Facebook y Twitter simplemente complementa el trabajo que llevamos haciendo ya varios años.  Si esos seis estudiantes empiezan a encontrar información del Gobierno en Facebook porque ya están ahí, estaremos cumpliendo con nuestra misión de facilitarle al público el acceso a información del Gobierno.

Te invito a que vayas a nuestras páginas en Facebook, las de GobiernoUSA.gov y USA.gov, y te hagas fan. También puedes seguirnos en Twitter: twitter.com/gobiernousa y twitter.com/usagov.  Déjanos saber qué piensas y cómo podemos mejorar estas páginas.

Read English Version

| View Comments [0] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: espanol   facebook   gobierno   leilani   nahj   twitter  

 

Entry bubble Your Turn: Inexpensive Meals

By: Editor | June 15, 2009 | Category: Spanish

Our Monday blogger, Jake, has work duties that will take him away from Gov Gab until September. In his absence, we’re alternating between “Your Turn” weeks, where we’ll ask a question to spotlight your knowledge about government resources, and posts from guest bloggers across the government.

tofu and noodle dishToday’s question: Thrifty meal ideas, favorite recipes, sources for good quality and inexpensive ingredients—I’d love to hear all your suggestions!

| View Comments [6] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: budget   cooking   editor   meal_planning   recipes   your_turn  

 

Entry bubble 5 Tips to Save on Your Next Vacation

By: Leilani | June 11, 2009 | Category: Spanish

woman in the pool

It’s summer time and for many of us that means vacation! You’ve probably noticed that in the last few weeks we’ve updated the USA.gov and GobiernoUSA.gov Facebook pages with several government resources related to travel and recreation, vacations and summer.

So I thought it would be a good idea, given the current economy, to share with you 5 simple tips on how to enjoy a well-deserved vacation this summer without having to spend too much money.

1. Come up with a family budget that covers transportation, lodging, food and entertainment expenses.

2. Be flexible when choosing vacation dates. This will allow you to take advantage of special offers.

3. Compare prices and reserve as soon as you can so you can benefit from special hotel and transportation deals.

4. Verify the cancellation policies before reserving or paying for your trip.

5. Consider visiting free or low-cost local, regional or national attractions such as:

So what are some other tips or ideas that can you share with us on an affordable summer getaway?

Lea la versión en español

| View Comments [2] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: leilani   money   parks   save   summer   tips   vacation  

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