Washington DC has Highest HIV/AIDS Rates

by Tashira Walker, The Black College View
D.C. health officials released a report earlier this week showing the Washington, DC area to have the highest rate of the AIDS infection than any other city in the US. Between the years of 2001 and 2006, there were 7,947 HIV cases reported which included, 4,468 AIDS cases. Following these statistics, it is reported that African Americans (84.3%) made up that population nine times more than whites and twenty times more than Hispanics.
According to the 2007 District of Columbia HIV/AIDS Epidemiology Annual Report "The preeminent finding of this renewed annual examination of the District's HIV and AIDS status is that every community and every population group is impacted by the virus."
Read Complete Story photo by Blackvoices.AOL.com

Art World Has New Heavy Hitter

by LeeSandra Alexandre, The Black College View
When you hear someone mention a strong artist, typically you think of your favorite singer or rapper who is a current hit on the charts. In the Washington, D.C metropolitan area, Johnnie Bess is an up and coming artist, but you won't see him in any music video anytime soon.

Bess who prefers his artist name "Monk" can be considered a triple threat. A junior painting major and photography minor at Howard University, Bess has mastered the skill of painting, sculptor and photography.

"I've been painting since '98, [and] besides loving it I have gotten a lot of good feedback" Bess said.
Read Whole Story photo courtesy Johnnie Bess

The Canary in the Social Networking Coal Mine

by ZDNet's Dan Farber
Facebook has stirred up a great deal of controversy and now harsh criticism with its Beacon advertising program. Three weeks after launching Beacon Facebook, the company did a 180-degree turn to make it more palatable for users rather than advertisers. It still fell short of the total opt-in approach that some critics called for. Coke, one [...]

Facebook: The canary in the social networking coal mine