In the comments are of my post about the Sallie Mae scholarship, I was asked to share the Planning and Preparing for College blog with you all. The blog is a college preparation infrastructure for high school students, parents, undergraduates and graduates students. The blog has over 250 postings on scholarships, internships, fellowships and summer programs.

I checked it out and it really is very informative. Not only do you get information for getting in college, they also have some inspiring posts to get keep you motivated on your quest for higher education. During these tough economic times, finding money for college can be tough. But if you start early and reference this website, you’ll be on your way.

The Prospector at blackmediamine.blogspot.com sent me a link to his site about a shooting that occurred on New Year’s Day when a Bay Area Rapid Transit Officer killed an unarmed Oscar Grant during an arrest. There’s a lot of speculation about what happened, but thanks to a witness the shooting was caught on camera phone video.

I saw some of this on CNN, but the Prospector also has some informative links on his website for you to check out. I heard the officer had the taser and gun switched on his hip and pulled the gun by mistake. The police have a difficult job when they’re on patrol, but they have to be held accountable for mistakes like this. However it turns out, an innocent life was lost and a family is in mourning.

Young unarmed Black father Oscar Grant killed by police

Last year I had the opportunity to post about Worlds AIDS Day and found a lot of interesting information about how it affects us on a local and international scale. I was amazed to find out how many black people were infected with the disease. It’s not something that’s always discussed in our community and this is why I appreciate the effort of those willing to blog about this important day.

HIV/AIDS can be prevented and there’s a lot of good information out there on how you can get tested. I won’t re-type it because you can find the information in the post I did last year.

This time I wanted to highlight a new bill passed in Congress (HR 5501) that will authorize $50 billion for assistance to certain countries for combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis for the five-year period of 2009 through 2013. It was sponsored by Rep. Berman, Howard (D-CA) and was signed into law in July 2008. Due to the recent economic conditions, I’m curious to see if the money will be allocated. One thing that I like about the bill is it’s emphasis on educating people on ways to prevent the spread of the disease. While the message of abstinence is one to admire, you shouldn’t expect everyone to do so. For those who don’t, education is the key. You can find more information on HR 5501 at votesmart.org.

Spread the word and check out aids.gov to learn what you can do to get involved. For those who have an avatar in Second Life, there will be a new island created just for this day. Events will be happening all day and I plan to drop by to check them out. Visit this link for more information.

Thanks to Yobachi at blackperspective.net for making the effort in getting more bloggers to participate.

Shawn Williams of Dallas South Blog had an interview with KLIF 570AM host Jeff Bolton the morning after the election. I missed it, but the show producers were kind enough to give him a copy of the interview. Shawn posted it here on the blog for his readers to hear.

I thought it was a good interview. Jeff asked some interesting questions and Shawn answered them in the way they should have been answered. I really would have liked to hear what the callers had to say, but it wasn’t that kind of interview. They talked about the election watch party the night before and the reaction of those in attendance. It was an amazing night when the announcement was made that Obama had won and it was a night that I’ll never forget. I posted some photos here of the crowd that night.

I really happy to see Shawn get his point across about the black church. I just hope those listening were paying attention. Rev. Wright might have been the first black preacher some had ever heard and I think a lot of misconceptions may have arisen from a 10 second clip. If you’re reading this and you’ve never been to a black church, I’d like to invite you to mine also. If you don’t think you’d feel comfortable you can check us out on the PromiseLand Television Network or watch the Sunday Services online live at 10:30am. The doors are always open to all who wish to worship.

Registration is now open for the 2nd annual Blogging While Brown Conference. The conference will be held at the University Center in Chicago, Illinois on June 19-20, 2009.

I attended the first conference earlier this year in Atlanta and was very impressed with how well it went. I had the opportunity to meet some great people and even had the chance to meet some of my favorite bloggers in person. One of the best things about the conference was the discussions that went on throughout the day. I enjoyed hearing what others thought about various topics and you can believe everyone had something to share. It was a lot of fun.

If you are interested in learning more about blogging, this year there will be a Pre-Conference Blogging Bootcamp where you can get training on the technical aspects of blogging. The only skills that are required to participate are the ability to use a computer, any word processing program, and experience using email.

If you weren’t able to attend last year, then add it to your calendar for ‘09. I plan on being there and hope to see you there also. And I’m not going to call any names, but I know one Chicago blogger who I’d like to see make it this year. Here are some pictures from the first conference.

Early bird registration ends February 1, 2009. For more conference information, visit www.bloggingwhilebrown.com.

Last week TheDad and TheMom over at blackandmarriedwithkids.com had a Black Bloggers Debate Live Chat during the Presidential Debates. They had 88 people in the chat room and are expecting many more this week. Tonight is the last Presidential Debate and they’ll be chatting live tonight at 8:30PM EST.

If I make it tonight it’ll be late, but if you’re near a PC during the debate check them out. To join the discussion go to http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/debatechat.html

Here are some of the other featured bloggers that will be in attendance:

www.blackandmarriedwithkids.com
www.clutchmagonline.com
blacksnob.blogspot.com
www.averagebro.com
blacknessdefined.wordpress.com
www.BlackInformant.com
huemanity.blogspot.com
ww.Cheri-Thomas.com
www.NotYourMamasReligion.com
www.listentoleon.net
www.anthonytaurus.com

TheDad and TheMom over at blackandmarriedwithkids.com will be having a Black Bloggers Debate Live Chat tonight at 8:30pm EST. The topic will be the Presidential Debates which will air tonight at 9:00pm EST.

To join the discussion go to http://blackandmarriedwithkids.com/debatechat.html

The other bloggers who will be participating are:

The Black Snob
AverageBro.com
ClutchMagazine
Blackness Defined

I had to give a shout out to this brotha because he is the perfect person to get into blogging. You’ve heard him before on the podcast and I’m sure he’ll continue to bring the real in his blog. I can honestly say, he’s never at a loss for words and that’s what makes him a fun guy to hang around. Real talk is what you’ll get when you enter his realm and I’m sure he’d be glad to get the same from you.

You can find him blogging on the websites below. TheGoodDoctor is now in. Hope you enjoy.

TheGoodDoctor

Ghetto Geekin’

The Center for Emerging Media

Shawn Williams interviews Aaron Paz of El Paso about a petition he’s circulating to get Hillary Clinton on the Obama ticket as Vice President. I thought this was interesting because it’s a long shot that Hillary will accept the petition. I wish people could just rally around Obama and leave this issue alone. Paz at the time had collected 100 signatures and the minimum needed to submit the petition is 300. Guess we’ll see how it goes later.

I personally think this is Hillary’s fault. After loosing the nomination, she failed to do a better job with moving her supporters to the Obama camp and made things worse when she made known her wanting to be the vice president. It was a spirited primary and both sides did what they had to do, but there could only be one winner. No matter who Obama chose, it would have been the “wrong” person. If he would have chosen Clinton, then all the Obama supporters would have been up in arms.

Interested in following the coverage of the Democratic National Convention from a blogger of color’s perspective? Check out the widget on the right sidebar. I’ll have it up this whole week. It will make keeping up with the credentialed blogs a little easier.

If you want to add it to your blog, go to pspauld’s Grazr page.