Why Black People Are Learning Chinese

A growing number recognize that it will be a crucial skill for competing in the global marketplace.

In today's economic climate, in which black unemployment is in the double digits, one way to give the next generation of black graduates a competitive edge is to think outside one's borders -- more globally -- and learn Mandarin Chinese. Today's black graduates aren't competing only with their white American counterparts anymore. The landscape has changed radically in a relatively short span of time. Black graduates must now compete with their cohorts from places like China.

"Ten to 15 years ago, hardly any African Americans were in China," he told The Root. "We all basically knew each other. The experience literally changed the trajectory of my life."

China's expansion has not always been welcomed by black people. In fact, on the African continent it has caused some resentment, given the proliferation of Chinese entrepreneurs in some African countries. An article in the Guardian, a newspaper in the United Kingdom, describes a Chinese "invasion" of Africa, detailing how Chinese entrepreneurs -- some of whom have remained in African countries illegally beyond their tourist visas -- have bought large plots of land, started import businesses, opened sprawling restaurants and established other ventures.

"Globalization isn't a buzz word," she said. "It's a reality, and so is the need to gain a global perspective."

Autistic children have distinct facial features, study suggests

We may be a step closer in understanding what causes autism, say University of Missouri researchers after finding differences between the facial characteristics of children who have autism and those who don’t.

Kristina Aldridge, lead author and assistant professor of anatomy at the University of Missouri, began looking at facial characteristics of autistic children after another researcher, Judith Miles, professor emerita in the School of Medicine and the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, mentioned,

“There is just something about their faces. They are beautiful, but there is just something about them.”

“Children with other disorders such as Down syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome have very distinct facial features. Autism is much less striking,” she says. “You can’t pick them out in a crowd of kids, but you can pick them out mathematically.”

Hertz fires 26 Muslim drivers in prayer break dispute

SEATTLE -- Car rental firm Hertz fired 26 employees at its Sea-Tac Airport location for failing to clock out when they take their prayer breaks.

The employees say Hertz is trampling on their right to religious freedom, but the company says it's merely trying to promote fairness in the workplace.

"We feel like we're being punished for what we believe in," said former Hertz employee Ileys Omar.

Omar is a Muslim who prays five times a day. In the past, Muslim employees at Hertz paused for their prayers without clocking out.

Middle class' share of the nation's income is shrinking

A USA TODAY analysis of Census data found the Reno area was among 150 nationwide where the share of income going to the middle class — generally made up of households that make $20,700 to $99,900 a year — shrank from 2006 to 2010. Metro areas where the middle class' share of income dropped outnumbered those where it grew by more than 2-to-1.

"The lower share of income is a way of saying income inequality is growing in the middle," says Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center, who has studied the shift. "The vast middle has less of the pie than it had before."

Income is shifting to the top tier of households, especially those in the top 5%, Taylor says. The top 5% earn more than $181,000 annually.

The Home Affordable Refinance Program: What You Need To Know

President Obama unveiled changes to the Home Affordable Refinance Program in a campaign stop in Nevada yesterday. A city which has been hit hard by the housing crisis.

Jahessye Shockley's Family Claims Police Let Race, Mom's Criminal Past, Stand In Way Of Search

PHOENIX -- Nearly two weeks after a 5-year-old girl seemingly vanished outside her suburban Phoenix home, police were no closer Monday to figuring out what happened to her as her family criticized the investigation.

Jahessye Shockley has been missing since Oct. 11 after police believe she wandered from her apartment in Glendale, outside Phoenix, while her mother was running an errand. The girl's three older siblings were the last to see her.

Police have no evidence, suspects or promising leads, but the case points to a kidnapping because they found no trace of her after combing a 3-mile radius around her home.

"This little girl doesn't just fall off the face of the earth," Glendale police Sgt. Brent Coombs said Monday.

Death toll from listeria outbreak rises to 28