U. S. Embassy Dakar Celebrates 50 Years of Freedom Through Development
Posted by Sara Devlin / July 05, 2011
About the Author: Sara Devlin is the acting Public Affairs Officer at the U. S. Embassy in Dakar, Senegal.
On July 4, 2011, the U. S. Embassy in Dakar celebrated our country's independence by commemorating two very special 50th anniversaries, those of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Peace Corps. Ambassador Marcia Bernicat welcomed guests at the Meridien President Hotel in Dakar. As dusk drew near, hundreds of people gathered around the hotel's swimming pool to listen to Ambassador Bernicat's Independence Day message.
Ambassador Bernicat began her speech by recalling the bravery of our founding fathers 235 years ago. She reminded us how, "with the benefit of 235 years of freedom, most of us have forgotten just how radical… more »
Pacific Partnership Commemorates U.S. Independence Day
Posted by Thomas E. Weinz / July 05, 2011
About the Author: Tom Weinz is the dedicated Foreign Service Liaison Officer for Pacific Partnership 2011.
For the third year in a row I have celebrated Fourth of July as part of a Pacific Partnership mission, many hours before similar celebrations began in the United States. In fact, as I write this, the fireworks are probably just beginning over the Mall in Washington, D.C.
Pacific Partnership 2011 (PP11) is in the city of Kolonia, in the state of Pohnpei, in the independent country of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The Caroline Islands (originally named Islas de Carolina for King Charles II of Spain in the late 1600s) emerged from the battles of World War II as a United Nations Trust Territory, administered by the United States. Two separate island groups within the Carolines, Palau and the FSM, later declared independence, with the FSM signing a Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1986 (amended in 2003), which defines U.S.-FSM relations… more »
Celebrating U.S. Independence Day in Brasilia
Posted by John Matel / July 04, 2011
![Fireworks in Brasilia, Brazil, June 18, 2008. [AP File Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110705234325im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0704_fireworks_brasilia_m.jpg)
About the Author: John Matel serves as the Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Brasilia, Brazil.
Fourth of July celebrations in Brasilia finished with a bang and flash of fireworks and the rockets' red glare, but started with a commemoration of the long friendship between Brazil and the United States. The United States was the first country to recognize Brazilian independence, and American presidents have visited Brazil since the early 20th century. The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy created an exhibit documenting the visits of American presidents to Brazil. Our exhibits featured photos of Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush, as well as the recent successful visit by President Barack Obama.
I was lucky enough to hear a personal history from an elderly engineer who told me he arrived in Brasilia three years… more »
A Christchurch Fourth
Posted by Adrian Pratt / July 04, 2011
About the Author: Adrian Pratt serves as Assistant Public Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Wellington in New Zealand.
U.S. Embassy Wellington celebrated a special Fourth of July in Christchurch, where Ambassador David Huebner honored seven New Zealanders for the courage and commitment they had shown helping evacuate a large American delegation in the immediate aftermath of the devastating February 22 earthquake.
About 150 guests attended the ceremony, designed to show solidarity with the struggling city and to signal that Christchurch is open for business. Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson thanked Ambassador Huebner for hosting the event and giving Cantabrians a semblance of normality by having something to celebrate. The event was hosted in the northwest of the city in one of the few locations still able to cater to a larger party.
A large delegation… more »
The Heat Is On: Fourth of July in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico
Posted by Olga Bashbush / July 04, 2011
![U.S. Consulate Ciudad Juarez Fourth of July celebration, July 2011. [State Department photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110705234325im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0704_mexico_4th_m.jpg)
About the Author: Olga Bashbush serves as Public Affairs Officer in the U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
On a hot Friday afternoon in the Chihuahua desert, with temperatures hovering at 100 degrees Fahrenheit, the U.S. Consulate General opened its doors to guests from El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to celebrate the 235th anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. As the consulate is the only diplomatic mission in Ciudad Juárez, the 4th of July celebration is the biggest party of the year. The buzz of excitement -- or was that the buzz in my ear due to the heat? -- was palpable.
First to arrive, not surprisingly, were our military friends from Ft. Bliss and the Joint Task Force North. Always early and sharp, they warmly greeted Charge d'Affaires John D. Feeley and Consul General (CG) Dean J. Haas. Major General Dana J.H. Pittard presented a plaque to CG Haas to thank him for keeping the lines of communication open between… more »
The Fourth of July in Kabul
Posted by Tim Dougherty / July 04, 2011
![Ambassador Eikenberry greets guests at embassy celebration, Kabul, July 2, 2011. [Embassy Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110705234325im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0704_kabul_july4_m.jpg)
About the Author: Tim Dougherty serves as program manager in the Strategic Communications Section at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan.
An American celebration of Independence Day is familiar wherever in the world Americans live and work. The day includes lots of great American food, such as hot dogs and hamburgers, spectacular fireworks displays, good music, and a sense of community as friends and family gather for the holiday.
The celebration of the Fourth of July here in Kabul, Afghanistan was pretty much exactly as I just described. With some minor differences. For example, the hot dogs were replaced by chicken shawarma, a popular regional dish made of shaved meat and served with flat bread, tomato and cucumber. And, we couldn't launch any fireworks into the air, for obvious reasons. However, the sense of community and camaraderie were the same.
On July 2, the U.S. Embassy hosted our Afghan friends, partners and colleagues from the Afghan government, business community, civil society,… more »
For July 4, U.S. Embassy Bishkek Celebrates 50 Years of the Peace Corps and USAID
Posted by Christine Jacobson / July 04, 2011
![Ambassador Pamela Spratlen and Peace Corps Country Director Seth Fearey, undated. [Embassy Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110705234325im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0704_peacecorps_sca_m.jpg)
About the Author: Christine Jacobson serves as an intern at the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic.
The U.S. Embassy in Bishkek held its annual Fourth of July reception on Friday, July 1. Sipping donated Coca-Cola beverages, guests gathered under red, white, and blue canopies on the lawn of the embassy. The U.S. Air Force Band "Blue Hawk" entertained guests with its repertoire of Latin and pop music. The band also played songs from different cultures, genres, and eras, highlighting the diversity of the American experience. We were fortunate to enjoy warm and sunny weather for the reception, but attendees had many more reasons to celebrate.
American citizens and their guests in Bishkek, of course, observed the 235th anniversary of U.S. independence. In her speech, U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic Pamela Spratlen highlighted the accomplishments of the Kyrgyz Republic in the past year, saying "As we remember the signing of the American Declaration of Independence… more »
“Sweet Home Jakarta” Celebrates the Fourth of July
Posted by Corina R. Sanders and Amy Weiner / July 04, 2011
![U.S. Embassy Jakarta Independence Day celebration, July 2011. [Embassy Photo/ Public Domain]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110705234325im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0704_jakarta_july4_ambassadors_m.jpg)
About the Author: Corina R. Sanders serves as Assistant Information Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta Indonesia, and Amy Weiner serves as a press intern.
As guests mingled in the deepening twilight under air-conditioned tents, snacking on Smoking Joe's pork ribs, posing for photo ops in front of a candy apple red Harley Davidson Fatboy, and gulping Coca Cola, the backyard barbeque-themed U.S. Embassy Jakarta 4th of July celebration officially began. U.S. Ambassador Scot Marciel and Mrs. Marciel and ASEAN Ambassador David Carden and Ms. Rebecca Riley co-hosted over 600 guests at the Marciel's official residence in central Jakarta.
Ambassador Marciel inspired the crowd with his short remarks in Bahasa Indonesia and English. He spoke on independence and the blessings of freedom, the excitement of the growing partnership between the United States and Indonesia with our shared values of freedom and democracy and celebrating family and friends.
In the weeks leading up to America's 235th birthday celebration, the… more »
In Zimbabwe, Starting July 4 With Tears and Ululation
Posted by Sharon Hudson-Dean / July 04, 2011
![Students from Zimbabwe at ceremony before departing for the U.S., Harare, July 2011. [Embassy Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110705234325im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0704_students_zimbabwe_m.jpg)
About the Author: Sharon Hudson-Dean serves as Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Our official Independence Day reception hosted over 500 Zimbabwean leaders, dignitaries and diplomats at the Ambassador's residence. It featured a Marine Guard presentation of the colors and great words about the promise of U.S.-Zimbabwean relations. But the true essence of our Declaration of Independence and the nation it built was captured earlier in the week at the graduation ceremony for 31 young Zimbabweans from disadvantaged backgrounds who will start university on full scholarships next month in the United States.
The students come from all over this country and, thanks to the U.S. Student Achievers Program (USAP) run by the Embassy's Public Affairs Section, they all have 4-year scholarships at top American institutions of higher learning. Among the 2011 USAP group, three students are physically disabled, several are the heads of their households, having lost… more »
DipNote: The Week in Review
Posted by Luke Forgerson / July 03, 2011
![Secretary Clinton speaks at inauguration of Lantos Institute, Budapest, June 30, 2011. [AP Photo]](https://web.archive.org/web/20110705234325im_/http://blogs.state.gov/images/Dipnote/behind_the_scenes/2011_0703_clinton_hungary_m.jpg)
About the Author: Luke Forgerson serves as DipNote's Managing Editor.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to Hungary, Lithuania, and Spain June 29-July 2, 2011. In Hungary, Secretary Clinton met with Prime Minister Viktor Orban and participated in the inauguration of the Lantos Institute. The Hungarian government has supported the establishment of the Lantos Institute to promote Hungarian-born, U.S. Congressman Tom Lantos' commitment to democratic principles and the protection… more »
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