Exception:   Dalai  Lama  is  capitalized  in  all usages, since that title is used instead of the name of the person holding that office. Months and days, but not seasons Example:  Last  summer  our  vacation  began  on the first Thursday in August. All  holidays,  historic  dates,  religious  holidays, special  events,  military  exercises,  hurricanes  and typhoons Examples:  Christmas,  Father’s  Day,  Washing- ton’s Birthday, National Safety Week, Operation Desert Storm, Typhoon Gay, Hurricane Andrew. All proper nouns or names Examples:   Marty   Martin,   Bangkok,   Hudson River. All   names   of   countries   and   their   languages, unions, republics and colonies Examples: He learned to speak French in France. India is a former British colony. Other examples are Union of South Africa and Republic of Korea. Specific regions Examples:  Middle   East,   Midwest,   Southern California,   Panhandle,   Arctic   Circle,   but lowercase antarctic or arctic in reference (arctic wind). Appellations Examples:  Buckeye  State,  Leatherneck  Project Apollo. All decorations and awards Examples:  He was awarded the Medal of Honor. His father received the Nobel Peace Prize. She was awarded the Navy Achievement Medal for professional achievement. All   nouns   referring   to   the   deity   of   all monotheistic religions Examples:  God  the  Father,  Holy  Ghost.  Also capitalize Satan and Hades, but not devil or hell. Lowercase  gods  and  goddesses  in  reference  to the deities of polytheistic religions. Names of races Examples: Indian, Chinese, Caucasian. Lower- case yellow, white, black (Identification by race should be made only when it is pertinent.) The  first  letter  of  each  word,  except  articles, conjunctions and short prepositions that are not the first word, in titles of books, plays, hymns, poems and songs Examples:   “All   the   Ships   at   Sea,”   “Damn Yankies,”  “O’  Come  All  Ye  Faithful.” U.S.  government  and  state  government  agencies, branches, committees and departments when the full name is used Examples: Federal Communications Commission Interstate  Commerce  Commission.  In  addition, always capitalize U.S. Congress and U.S. or state Senate,  House,  and  Legislature  when  referring  to a specific body. Examples:  the   Florida   Senate,   the   Texas Legislature and the Senate, when clear reference is made; the word government, when used alone or  with  an  adjective,  is  lowercase.  Example: She works for the government. Ideological or political areas Example:  East-West  relations  are  at  a  stalemate. Use  lowercase  when  referring  to  direction. Example: Some say the western part of Florida has nicer beaches than the eastern part. Names of organizations, expositions, and so forth Example:  The Boy Scouts will visit the World’s Fair. Lowercase “scout” and “fair” when they are standing  alone. ABBREVIATIONS To abbreviate is to make a word or phrase shorter by  leaving  out  or  substituting  letters.  Some  military  and civilian terms are so long that abbreviation is almost a must.   However,   always   spell   out   the   name   of organizations or groups on its first use. If a name does not  have  a  commonly  known  abbreviation,  the abbreviation  should  be  parenthesized  after  the  first spelling. Thereafter, you may use just the abbreviation as in this example: The guidelines of the Civilian Health and  Medical  Program  of  the  Uniformed  Services (CHAMPUS) have changed.  ... The  abbreviations  that  follow  and  those  used throughout   this   TRAMAN   are   basically   those standardized  for  civilian  and  military  newswriting  by The Associated Press and United Press International. 6-13