House votes to honor first black Marines

The nation's first black Marines received a rare national tribute Tuesday as the House voted to award the Montford Point Marines with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor given by Congress.

History books and Hollywood have chronicled the Army's Buffalo Soldiers and the Army Air Corps' Tuskegee Airmen, but the men who integrated the Marines during World War II often have been forgotten. That is starting to change, beginning with the House's 422-0 vote.

The black Marines received their basic training adjacent to Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, where conditions were harsh and the treatment from their fellow Marines could be even harsher. The black Marines were not allowed to enter Camp Lejeune unless accompanied by a white officer. In the few times they participated in training exercises, they could not eat until the white Marines had finished. They were routinely passed over for promotions.

"People forget they were fighting two wars -- both foreign and domestic," Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Ga., said.

Census: Atlanta has widest income gap between rich and poor

It is a case of the have and the have not. Of all major American cities, Atlanta now has the widest income gap between rich and poor. U.S census numbers have given the city a new label that's nothing to be proud of, but puts into perspective how many Georgians are struggling to make ends meet.

"I've been out of work almost two years," says Marcia Tolbert. "Most places tell me I'm over qualified. Others say I've been out of work for too long. It's like they keep kicking you when you are down."

Tolbert is a name and a face to a trend that is unfolding all over the county. The recession that began in 2007 took a steep toll, with only a few places spared from a rise in jobless rates and a decline in incomes. Nearly one-in-six Americans live in poverty.

The Class War Has Begun

And the very classlessness of our society makes the conflict more volatile, not less.

AP: NYPD officers charged in ticket-fix probe

What began two years ago as a low-profile wiretap investigation of a New York Police Department officer has resulted in criminal charges against at least 16 officers alleging they abused their authority by helping family and friends avoid paying traffic tickets, two people familiar with the case said Thursday.

The officers were expected to be arraigned Friday in the Bronx, said the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because authorities hadn't announced the results of the grand jury investigation.

The charges against 13 police officers, two sergeants and one lieutenant are the latest in a spate of corruption allegations against NYPD officers. They include delegates with the department's largest and most powerful union, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association.

Hormones Linked to Weight Gain After Dieting

Findings of a new study from the University of Melbourne and Australia’s La Trobe University have revealed that for at least a year after dieting, a combination of hormonal changes endlessly signal the body to not only slow down metabolism, but also to increase the appetite.

Samuel L. Jackson named highest-grossing actor of all time

Samuel L. Jackson has been named the highest-grossing actor of all time by The Guinness Book of World Records, according to the New York Daily News. Jackson, 62, has made over $7.42 billion over the span of his entire career.

Jackson got his big break in 1991 in the Spike Lee film, Jungle Fever. He played the crack head brother of Wesley Snipes. Since then the acclaimed actor has starred in over 100 films such as Pulp Fiction, A Time To Kill, Eve's Bayou and Star Wars. You can see a more extensive list of his movie roles here.

Declining numbers of blacks seen in math, science

With black unemployment reaching historic levels, banks laying off tens of thousands and law school graduates waiting tables, why aren't more African-Americans looking toward science, technology, engineering and math -- the still-hiring careers known as STEM?

The answer turns out to be a complex equation of self-doubt, stereotypes, discouragement and economics -- and sometimes just wrong perceptions of what math and science are all about.

The percentage of African-Americans earning STEM degrees has fallen during the last decade. It may seem far-fetched for an undereducated black population to aspire to become chemists or computer scientists, but the door is wide open, colleges say, and the shortfall has created opportunities for those who choose this path.

STEM barriers are not unique to black people. The United States does not produce as high a proportion of white engineers, scientists and mathematicians as it used to. Women and Latinos also lag behind white men.

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