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.

There’s a new social networking site for people interested in creating relationships with Africa, discovering African cultures and reconnecting with Africans worldwide in a fun and dynamic environment. In my quest to “think global” I joined and I’m on my way to learning more about ways to do business in Africa.

It’s always been something I’ve been interested in, so we’ll see how it goes. I was invited by fellow blogger Benin Mwangi who has been integral in helping me learn more about the continent of Africa. I enjoy meeting people from other parts of the world and the Internet has made doing so easier.

Check out the Village at African Path and let me know what you think.

I’m in, are you? I just signed up for the Blogging While Brown Conference in Atlanta, GA July 25-27, 2008. According to the website, the most important purpose of the conference is to share knowledge. The conference will promote intellectual, social, and cultural development of the blogging community by bringing bloggers of color together. Blogging While Brown is an opportunity to meet other bloggers and blog readers of color for the first time, discuss current issues of interest to bloggers of color, network with individuals and organizations interested in leveraging online activity with offline results, and learn about the latest technology that will assist bloggers with publishing their work and improving their readers experience by fully engaging in the newest media technology.

I’m excited because I’ll finally get the chance to meet some of the bloggers I read on a regular basis. In a way, you sort of connect with the author after reading their blog for a while, so it’ll be nice to meet them face-to-face. I also hope to learn more about blogging and ways we can all work together to benefit our communities. Since I’m not sure all who’s attending, I thought I’d call out just a few of the bloggers I want to see. If you’re registered, let me know. If not then register here. Hope to see you there.

• Angela & Markus
• Benin
• blackgivesback
• JD
• JW
• Kanute
• Marty
• Paula
• Shawn
• Vanessa
• Wayne
• Yobachi

Today is World AIDS Day, which reminds us of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the world’s health. In preparing this post I wanted to gather as much information as I could because AIDS is a serious epidemic in the black and international community. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, HIV and AIDS have hit African Americans the hardest. The reasons are not directly related to race or ethnicity, but rather to some of the barriers faced by many African Americans. These barriers can include poverty (being poor), sexually transmitted diseases, and stigma (negative attitudes, beliefs, and actions directed at people living with HIV/AIDS or directed at people who do things that might put them at risk for HIV).

When we look at HIV/AIDS by race and ethnicity, we see that African Americans have

• More illness. Even though blacks (including African Americans) account for about 13% of the US population, they account for about half (49%) of the people who get HIV and AIDS.
• Shorter survival times. Blacks with AIDS often don’t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS. This is due to the barriers mentioned above.
• More deaths. For African Americans and other blacks, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death.

As alarming as these statistics may be, early detection through testing is the best way to control this disease that kills millions of people around the world. I’ve heard people say, “If I have it, I don’t want to know”. To them, I urge to change their mindset. Don’t be selfish. Take the test and take control. Be responsible because you’re not just putting your life on the line. You’re also affecting the lives of everyone who you’ve had unprotected sex with. The sooner you get tested, the sooner you can get help.

If you don’t know where to go for testing, you can use you cell phone to text message your zip code to 566948 or visit www.hivtest.org.

You have the power to control this. The ball is in your court. All you have to do is shoot. Please take the time to review the links I’ve provided. It’s some important information and you might learn something that will save your or someone else’s life. Let’s spread the word and take control.

The Basics on HIV Infection and AIDS

How to keep from getting AIDS

Rapid HIV Testing Podcast (1 minute)

Rapid HIV Testing Transcript

HIV Transmission: Questions and Answers

African Americans & AIDS

HIV/AIDS among African Americans – Fact Sheet

2007 AIDS Epidemic Update

Fact Sheet – Key Facts by Region

Black AIDS Institute

I wanted to share this video from Inside Africa CNN about a program called “Black to Our Roots”. It is an educational tour where fifteen black youth are selected to go to Ghana to learn about their roots. I’ve always thought the best way to learn is through first hand experience. To apply each youth must write a 500-word essay which answering the following:

• Who Am I. (50 words)
• What I know about African history and culture. (200 words)
• Why I want to go to Africa. (200 words)
• What I expect to learn. (50 words)

The program is sponsored by HABESHA, Inc., whose aim is to broaden our youth’s knowledge of the world and themselves; Through it, may be expanded our youth’s awareness, to include Africa in their thoughts, their educational horizon and life long ambitions. If you know of someone who is interested, encourage them to submit an essay. These type of opportunities don’t happen everyday.

I had a post about cre8buzz.com and wanted to let you all know the community is now open to the public. Since I’ve joined, I have noticed an increase traffic to the site and have gained a couple of readers in the process. It’s a great way to get exposure for blogs, personal, business and anything else you feel the need to share with the community. It’s a fun safe way to meet people all over the world to share ideas and opinions.

So check out the site and visit me in the People > African American community. If you want to rate my content or show your own stuff, sign up for a free account. Let me know what you think and give me a shout out after you join.

If you listen to the podcast, then you know that I am a tech junkie. This is what originally got me into the blogger and podcaster world and I’ve met some really good people in the process. There is a major trend on the Internet dealing with social networking and the we now have the ability to communicate with people all around the world. The technology industry has come a long way and this is only the beginning. Marketing products and services is also changing and it’s easier to get the word out to more people than ever. Which brings me to the point of this post.

Through a contact of JD’s at Black in Business, I’ve been asked to help build up the African-American community for a new social networking site called Cre8buzz.com. When you sign up, you are able to showcase yourself, showoff, post your pictures, blog your opinions, and share your videos. As people view your content, they are able to provide their own ranking which allows for even more exposure (if it’s good). It’s like myspace, meets, youtube, meets flickr. The ranking system is pretty amazing and meeting people in other communities has been cool. I’ve been there for a couple of weeks and have personally talked to the Antman (yes, he’s real) and he’s all about getting exposure for the little guy. As of now, I’m the only one in the African-American community, so I’M #1!!!

I’m not trying to lose that position, so sign up and let’s create some buzz. They are still in the beta stages so the time is good to get involved. To sign up, you need an invitation, which I can email you. Just send your request to podcast[at]theojohnson.net and I’ll get it to you. I’ve already started publicizing the blog and traffic has increased. If you have any comments or suggestions on the site, let the Antman know.

Finally, when you sign up, I’m in the cre8Buzz > People > African American community. My name is tjohnson3. See you soon

On the date of June 7, 1998, James Byrd, Jr. died by decapitation after his head hit a ditch culvert after being dragged by White supremacists in Jasper, TX.

My stomach still turns as I write that statement. It’s astonishing that event happened only nine years ago this past weekend. It’s even more astonishing that this abomination happened a full 135 years after the Emancipation Proclomation, 43 years after Rosa Parks refused to move from her seat in Montgomery, AL, and 35 years after the March on Washington. We are so far removed from those historic events and yet it seems like we’re still up to our eyeballs in the same pile of $#*! and MAN does it stink!
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Benin at www.beninmwangi.com has a very good article on which form of money better benefits the countries in Sub Saharan Africa. I’ve been interested in learning how to do business in Africa and I’ve heard this same question come up on shows like Inside Africa on CNN. While I think it’s great that Bono, Oprah and all these celebrities are working to get aid for Africa, is the money helping or hindering the overall growth? Would it be better to invest in African businesses by encouraging more trade in the U.S?

It’s a tough question to answer that’s worth looking in to. I try to always encourage people to think global. There are a lot of opportunities in these emerging countries and I don’t want to miss out. I hope to do a podcast on this topic one day because it’s an issue worth discussing.

Trade Versus Aid in Africa, Who Wins?

As bloggers, I think it’s safe to say that the consensus among us all is to stay “cutting edge” with trends that are going on in our communities, our countries, and worldwide. One of the “hotter” topics among the national media for the past few years has been how we can better serve our global environment and stabilize the ecosystem. Liberals and conservatives fight and banter over the true effects of global warming like a holy war. Western states suffer severely from logistical nightmares of how to efficiently and consistently deliver enough water to satisfy a demand that is constantly rising though watersheds are shrinking. Every year national outrage burns anew as energy, gasoline, and copper (yes, I said copper) prices get higher than a Rastafari cover band of Nirvana. No matter what your feelings are on any of these issues the facts are that there are things we can do and be aware of to preserve our world just a little bit longer for future generations.
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