2008 Republican National Convention Expands Outreach to Hispanics

Maria Cino is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the 2008 Republican National Convention. As CEO of the Committee on Arrangements (COA), the RNC body responsible for planning the convention, Cino is charged with organizing, managing and producing the Republican Party’s 39th quadrennial convention. Cino brings to the position more than 25 years of experience in senior level positions in the executive and legislative branches of government, as well as the private sector. She has a proven record of managing and leading field-based organizations, developing and adhering to complex budgets, setting short-term and long-term strategic goals, building coalitions and developing, motivating, and mentoring staffs.

New Web section, staff additions highlight commitment to engaging as many people as possible SAINT PAUL, Minn. - The 2008 Republican National Convention today announced the launch of the Spanish language section of its official convention Web site. The Spanish section, www.gopconvention2008.com/enespanol, will feature Spanish versions of convention information, fact sheets and press releases. The section will feature regular updates in Spanish leading up to and during the 2008 Republican National Convention. "The launch of the Spanish-language section of our Web site is another important step toward creating a fully interactive online community to engage millions around the country," said convention President & CEO Maria Cino. "It is our goal to carry the Republican Party's message to all communities, so they may experience Sen. John McCain's extraordinary leadership and his positive vision for America." As part of its outreach to Hispanics, the convention also announced today two new hires who will engage media leading up to and during the four-day event. Joanna Burgos will serve as Press Secretary and will lead the convention's press operation for national media. Burgos previously served in various communications positions at the U.S. Departments of Commerce and Homeland Security. She is a fluent Spanish speaker and native of Miami. Yohana de la Torre will serve as Deputy Press Secretary for Specialty Media and will oversee outreach to several constituencies, including Spanish-language media. Also a fluent Spanish speaker and native of Miami, de la Torre is currently owner and managing editor of the Gulf Coast Times in Fort Myers, Fla.

She previously served as a communications specialist for Sen. Mel Martinez (R-FL) and at the Republican National Committee.

For the first time ever, and in conjunction with its Official Live Video Streaming Provider Ustream.TV, the convention will stream live gavel-to-gavel coverage in Spanish on its Web site: www.GOPConvention2008.com. As has been done in the past, the convention proceedings translated into Spanish will be available free of charge via satellite on the second audio path (SAP).

Oprima aqui para leer en español

Broadband access opens doors to networking, economic development for rural areas

Amy Glasmeier. Contact Information: Department of Geography 312 Walker Building University Park, PA 16802. Phone: (814) 865-7323 email: akg1@ems.psu.edu Dept. website: www.geog.psu.edu/people/glasmeier/ Current Research Interests: Persistant poverty and social exclusion, Globalization and uneven development, Regional analysis, Globalization and the emergence of new labor market structures

University Park, Pa.-- Proactive policies are needed to facilitate broadband Internet access and adoption in rural areas so that rural hospitals, schools and businesses can drive social and economic development and better position themselves to compete, say Penn State researchers in a recently released report from the Center for Rural Pennsylvania. The report, "Broadband Internet Use in Rural Pennsylvania," examines broadband availability and adoption in four sectors -- health care, local government, education and business -- through case studies, interviews with key information-technology personnel and analysis of organizations' Web sites. While the report focuses on Pennsylvania, their recommendations hold true for any state with a large rural population, according to the researchers.

"Broadband services offer a huge opportunity for rural areas with significant payback in terms of economic development and community revitalization," said Amy Glasmeier, professor of geography and co-author of the report. "The Internet makes possible a whole range of processes which involve more than rapid access to information and which range from joint projects by municipalities and collaborations between schools to development of new business processes."

According to the researchers, while the number of rural users of broadband Internet services has been steadily increasing, access to broadband is not universal in rural areas, and in some places, dial-up remains the only affordable option. While dial-up allows for electronic access to information, its slower speed and lower bandwidth capacity limit organizations from developing Internet-enabled processes and collaborations -- what the researchers distinguish as "transformative" uses.

For instance, with broadband Internet, rural hospitals could improve patient care by forging networks with urban hospitals to access their expertise and resources. Rural hospitals also could develop interactive processes such as online appointment scheduling, remote patient monitoring through biosignals and image data and videoconferencing between patients and doctors.

"Policy must consider ways to facilitate broadband deployment to do more than the status quo only slightly faster or with less face-to-face contact," Glasmeier said.

But policy makers also need to recognize that there is no single solution to the challenges of broadband utilization. Programs need to be specific to their sectors and linked to the specific challenges facing individual sectors, the researchers assert.

Some interactive processes -- such as streaming of public meetings, tax payments, conversation forums and collaborative software for curriculum development -- which broadband Internet can facilitate for local governments and school districts are less relevant for businesses and hospitals, for instance. ###

The report's co-authors are Chris Benner, associate professor at University of California-Davis; Chandrani Ohdedar, Ph.D. student, Penn State department of geography; and Lee Carpenter of the Penn State Children, Youth and Families Consortium.

• For a summary of the report, in PDF format visit: www.ruralpa.org/broadband2008
• For a complete copy of the report, go to: www.ssri.psu.edu/policy/

Contact: Margaret Hopkins mah242@ems.psu.edu 814-865-1587 Penn State