21 August 09
Ramadan Kareem
As the new crescent moon ushers in Ramadan, the President extends his best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world.

Each Ramadan, the ninth month on the lunar calendar, Muslims fast daily from dawn to sunset for 29 or 30 days. Fasting is a tradition in many religious faiths and is meant to increase spirituality, discipline, thankfulness, and consciousness of God's mercy. Ramadan is also a time of giving and reaching out to those less fortunate, and this summer, American Muslims have joined their fellow citizens in serving communities across the country. Over the course of the month, we will highlight the perspectives of various faiths on fasting and profile faith-based organizations making real impacts in American cities and towns. [more/video].

Just in time for Ramadan, the “Islam Around the World” flickr group has been launched!
flickr.com - The group asks you to share your images or create new ones that complete the phrase, “Islam is…” Tell us what Islam means to you in your life, your city, your country. Please add your photographs to our group and describe in the caption box what your image is about. We’d like to share as many of these images as possible on our blog, our website and our Facebook page. If you’d like us to include your photos among those we share elsewhere, please remove any copyright restrictions and let us know how you’d like to be credited.

Join the group and upload your photos or simply send your photos in an email to: state61per@photos.flickr.com. Include in the email: the title in the subject line, the description in the body and the photo attached. Please Tag the photos #Islam. You can do that by putting “tags: #Islam” in the body of your email.

21 August 09
Remarks by the President on the recent elections in Afghanistan
THE PRESIDENT: Good afternoon, everybody. I want to say a few words about this week's election in Afghanistan. This was an important step forward in the Afghan people's effort to take control of their future, even as violent extremists are trying to stand in their way. This election was run by the Afghan people. In fact, it was the first democratic election run by Afghans in over three decades. More than 30 presidential candidates and more than 3,000 provincial council candidates ran for office, including a record number of women. Some 6,000 polling stations were open around the country, and Afghan National Security Forces took the lead in providing security. [more].

August 09
Discovery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence
Parks Canada underwater archaeologists have found what they believe is the wreckage of a U.S. Air Force plane lost in 1942 off the coast near the village of Longue-Pointe-de-Mingan, Quebec. "The United States government was extremely interested to learn of the discovery of the wreckage, and we look forward to working with our Canadian friends to verify the identity of the aircraft," said David Fetter, Consul General of the United States in Quebec City. "This process has been an excellent example of the spirit of cooperation and friendship that has been the core of the U.S.-Canadian relationship in times of both war and peace." For more information on the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) “truthing” process visit www.jpac.pacom.mil. You can find information about the Parks Canada discovery at http://www.pc.gc.ca/.

18 August 09
Touring The Arctic - Nancy Sutley (the Chair of the Council on Environmental Quality)
This week I have joined other Administration officials for an Arctic Observance tour to learn more about how climate change is affecting the Arctic region. We left Washington, DC early Monday morning with our team, which includes Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen, Deputy Assistant to the President on Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal, and DOI Deputy Secretary David Hayes, and received a detailed briefing about the specifics of our trip to Alaska and what to expect in the coming days. [more].

17 August 09
Afghan Elections Essential Step in Defeating Taliban Insurgents
Washington — The Afghanistan national elections scheduled for August 20 are essential to give legitimacy to the government and are critical for defeating the Taliban, who are struggling to regain a foothold as millions of Afghans register to vote in advance of the elections, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke says.

“Holding an election in a wartime situation is always difficult. Holding one when the enemy has said they’re going to try to disrupt it makes it even more difficult,” Holbrooke told a panel organized by the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based policy research center. Holbrooke is the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan at the State Department. [more]
August 17 - [Statement by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton]
August 18 - [Security Forces Working to Assure Afghans of Election Safety].

North American Leaders Summit Guadalajara August 9-10, 2009
August 10 - Joint Statement by North American Leaders
We, the leaders of North America, have come together in Guadalajara to promote the global competitiveness of our region, foster the well-being of our citizens, and make our countries more secure. We build our collaboration on the understanding that our deepening ties are a source of strength and that challenges and opportunities in one North American country can and do affect us all. North American cooperation is rooted in shared values, complementary strengths, and the dynamism of our peoples. We are confident that working together we can help our societies thrive in the challenging, competitive, and promising century ahead.[more]

North American Leaders Discuss Trade, H1N1 Flu, Climate Change
Washington — Building on progress made at two recent international economic summits, President Obama said he and the leaders of Mexico and Canada pledged to take “aggressive, coordinated action” to restore economic growth across North America and create jobs for their workers.[more]
[more on the Summit/video of joint press conference]

07 August 09
Statement by the Press Secretary on the visit of Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada to the White House
President Obama will meet with Prime Minister Harper at the White House on Wednesday, September 16. Canada is a close ally and partner of the United States, and the President looks forward to discussing a broad range of bilateral, hemispheric, and global issues, including cooperation on economic recovery and trade, the upcoming G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh; climate change and energy, December’s UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen; and security cooperation, including in Afghanistan. http://www.pc.gc.ca/.

U.S.-Canadian Cooperation in the Arctic: 2009 U.S.-Canada Arctic Continental Shelf Survey
The 2009 U.S.-Canada Arctic Continental Shelf Survey runs from August 7 through September 16. This is the latest mission in the Extended Continental Shelf Project.

We invite your comments on this mission in this discussion space! A blogger will be embedded with the mission and we look forward to sharing her insights here. [press release]
[more information] [Join a discussion on this joint mission]

The 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s Landing on the Moon: A Lasting Inspiration
By Linda Cheatham -- Today [July 20] marks the 40th anniversary of the first lunar landing by the crew of the U.S. Apollo 11 – truly a milestone achievement for humanity. It still has relevance and resonance for all of us – and especially for Americans and Canadians – as our compatriots, including the first two Canadian astronauts to meet in space, orbit the earth together...[more]

NASA Plays audio "Time Capsule" of historic Apollo 11 Mission - July 16-24
HOUSTON -- NASA will provide a unique audio "time capsule" in observance of the 40th anniversary of the first human landing on the moon. Audio from the entire Apollo 11 mission will be replayed and streamed on the Internet at exactly the same time and date it was broadcast in 1969.

The audio retrospective will begin at 6:32 a.m. CDT Thursday, July 16, two hours before the spacecraft launched. The audio will continue through splashdown of the mission at 11:51 a.m. CDT Friday, July 24, and recovery of the crew shortly afterward. The Web stream will feature the communications between the astronauts and ground teams, and commentary from Mission Control at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

To listen to the replay, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/

For historical information about Apollo 11, visit:
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/

NASA's Apollo 40th anniversary Web site:
http://www.nasa.gov/apollo40th

Where were you on July 20, 1969? How did this momentous event impact your life? Record your comments and impressions here!

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Campus Connections. An eJournal from the Department of State, August 2009.
A globalized economy makes business and employment spill across national boundaries, so an education abroad is likely to make a young person better prepared for the world’s future. Almost double the numbers of students travel abroad for an education today as compared with 20 years ago. Campus Connections examines the international study experience and its influence on individual growth.
Click here for earlier editions of eJournal.

Do you have a comment or complaint about Customs & Border Protection or Preflight Clearance at Canada-U.S. border crossings? Check here for how to resolve it.

David Jacobson, Nominee for Ambassador to Canada
June 8 2009 - White House Announces President Obama's Nomination of David Jacobson as Ambassador to Canada [more].
June 4 2009 - President Obama Announces Intent to Nominate Key Administration Posts [more].

U.S. Embassy Sussex Entrance Construction Project to Improve Customer Service
OTTAWA: The Embassy of the United States of America is undertaking a construction project to expand the indoor waiting area of its Sussex Drive entrance. This will provide more shelter from the weather for visitors arriving at the Embassy. Work has already begun in coordination with the City of Ottawa to minimize traffic interruptions for the project. The estimated start date of outside construction is February 17, 2009 and the estimated completion date is October 10, 2009. [more]