It is time to join the "Blog Superhighway" and contribute "mi granito de arena" to close the digital divide. It is with trepidation that I am launching Aqui entre NOS, a trilingual blog --posts will be in English, Spanish, and occasionally in espangles!

Why this name? Aqui entre NOS (Just Between Us) conveys a sense of familiarity, closeness, camaraderie. A friendly lounge (una sala de estar cibernetica) where we can meet to discuss issues, exchange ideas, learn from each other and expand our horizons. <NOS> is very appropriate since our unit, Spanish Broadcast & Media Services, has a brand new name: News and Information Outreach in Spanish --NOS for short.

On May 17, the Census Bureau reported that the minority population of the United States reached 100.7 million in 2006, led by California as home to the largest numbers of the two fastest-growing racial groups, Latinos and Asians. Minorities now constitute 57% othe state's population, including 13.1 million Latinos, 5 million Asians, 2.7 million blacks and 689,000 Native Americans and Alaska Natives.

This explosive growth poses many challenges and opportunities as we try to reach, inform, educate and serve the growing Spanish-speaking communities in our Golden state.

In 1989, the University of California SCR 43 Task Force prepared the report, The Challenge: Latinos in a Changing California. It read, "California is undergoing a most important merge of cultures. Nowhere else, or at any point in history, have people of so many cultures lived together, preserved their cultures, and yet made their larger, combined society work. This is a historical event, and we have the power to see that this unprecedented mixing of cultures is an unparalleled success."

Aqui entre NOS is a forum to talk about the challenges, but more importantly, to explore the opportunities. I intend to write about issues and topics that affect Latinos/Hispanics, and the communities we all live in.

Aqui entre NOS sera tambien un foro donde tratar y consultar cuestiones y dudas relacionadas con el espa?ol o castellano y las sutilezas del lenguaje. Para quienes nos dedicamos a la tarea de traducir, el poder contar con la asesoria de personas conocedoras de un tema o materia es invaluable. (Translate...though not too accurate)

Bienvenidos a Aqui entre NOS.    Welcome to Aqui entre NOS.