If you were a fan of the Southeast’s 2008 weather patterns, you may be in luck during the coming year. Dr. David Brommer, a University of Alabama climatologist, predicts 2009 will follow the weather pattern set by the current year – a pattern of normalcy.
If recent trends are any indication, look for the state’s educational level to move up and maybe the per capita income to increase.
Alabama, one of the shining lights in the South when it comes to employment levels, will likely lose some of its glow in 2009, according to Ahmad Ijaz, an economic analyst with The University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research.
The obesity epidemic in the United States has made getting the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables a major issue at the dinner table, but a University of Alabama expert says the focus on healthy eating may suffer in 2009 thanks to the downtown in the economy.
While fulfilling some campaign promises, such as full funding for “No Child Left Behind (NCLB),” may prove elusive for President-elect Obama during the current economic downturn, the act will receive some attention and support through stimulus packages, such as the Economic Recovery Plan in 2009, predicts Dr. Marcia Rock, associate professor of education at The University of Alabama.
A 2001 ban on federally funded researchers conducting embryonic stem cell research will be lifted in the coming year, but overall funding for this and other scientific research will remain historically low, predicts a University of Alabama biologist.
Sarah Palin continues to draw big audiences to Republican events, and some say she helped Georgia Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss pull off a victory in a state run-off. A University of Alabama professor believes Palin will continue drawing attention well into the new year and, quite possibly, longer.
While the bailout of the banks and the Big Three automakers is taking center stage in the nation’s economic crisis, the three-headed health care issue – Medicaid, Medicare and drug prices – could hit American consumers even harder next year.
The year 2009 will witness a crisis in funding of long-term care for older adults, predicts Dr. Patricia Parmelee, director of the Center for Mental Health and Aging at The University of Alabama.
An increase in open and frank dialogue about racial and ethnic diversity will begin as Barack Obama’s presidential administration gets underway in the coming year, predicts a University of Alabama rhetorical studies expert.