Black buying power
Economist Jeff Humphreys (Terry College of Business) reports that black buying power, defined as total personal income after taxes, will surpass $533 billion in 1999--a dramatic 73 percent rise since 1990. That compares with a projected increase for all Americans of 57 percent.
Humphreys told the New York Times that such growth “should create tremendous opportunities for businesses that pay attention to the needs and preferences of African-American consumers.”
Humphreys uses government statistics and economic models for his annual study, which is covered by broadcast and print media nationwide.




What to do with kudzu
While some scientists ponder ways to eradicate the ubiquitous kudzu vine that covers the Southeast like a lumpy green blanket, Jake Tinga (horticulture) has a better idea: eat it. According to Tinga, now retired from UGA, a plate of baked kudzu roots tastes just like sweet potatoes and the shoots make an inexpensive substitute for asparagus.
“You can go out after a rain, cut the tips off, bring it to a boil, throw the water away, bring it to a boil again, and put hollandaise sauce on it,” he told the Washington Post. “It’s full of vitamins.”
Tinga also points out that the head of the kudzu root is used medically in Asia as a heart stimulant.





Asian swamp eels invade
Ichthyologist Bud Freeman (Institute of Ecology) warns that the Asian swamp eel, which can reach a length of 2 to 3 feet and has invaded Florida waterways, is moving into Georgia.
“There’s nothing between them and the swamp right now,” Freeman says in USA Today. “It’s probably just a matter of time before we get the eel in [Georgia’s] swampy areas.”
The eels, probably imported to this country for home aquariums, are impervious to drought, poison and cold--and have been termed a kudzu vine that swims. Scientists fear they could prey on or crowd out native fish.



Twilight of the presidency
As Bill Clinton enters the twilight of his presidency, political observers speculate on what legacy he will leave from his two terms in office. With little room in the current political climate for domestic spending programs, Clinton’s opportunity for leaving a mark is diminished, according to the Boston Globe.
“A few years ago politicans got elected by promising they’ll vote against all tax increases, but now people are saying they not only won’t raise your taxes, they’ll cut them,” notes political scientist Charles Bullock in the Globe article. “If this view is a seller in 1998 and 2000, it means the government will continue to operate with the constraints on.”
As the apostle of a smaller government, Clinton thus has more in common with Nixon and Reagan than he ever likely imagined, the Globe concludes.


Teaching out of field
In a front page article examining how teachers are trained and chosen, the Philadelphia Inquirer cites a number of issues that adversely affect teacher quality--among them the fact that many teachers end up assigned to courses completely out of their field.
The Inquirer cites a study by Richard Ingersoll (sociology) that found that up to one-third of math teachers have neither a college major or minor in math; half of high school physical science teachers have no physical science background; and one in five high school English teachers did not major or minor in English.