On Second Thought For Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Saving rural Georgia, renting in Atlanta, meat allergies and Brotherman

The Georgia legislative session has begun. Among many bills in play: a sweeping plan to revitalize rural Georgia. This might mean paying people who move to the country, subsidizing internet connections, and making it easier for small hospitals to stay open and in the black. But how all this attention under the Gold Dome translates to real improvements for people outside Atlanta remains to be seen.  We talk with Sharon Wright Austin, a political scientist at the University of Florida. And Mark Niesse, a reporter for the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

More Americans are choosing to rent rather than buy homes. That’s especially true in Atlanta, which saw a 67% jump in rentals between 2010 and 2015 -- one of the highest rates in the country. We talk about this trend with Dan Immergluck, Professor in the Urban Studies Institute at Georgia State University.

Little is known about the Alpha-Gal allergy. The condition causes people to break out or experience more severe conditions after eating meat. The allergy has spread via the Lone Star tick, a deadly culprit making its way across the Southeast. We talk about this with Victoria Knight, Health Reporter at WUGA in Athens. Also Scott Commins, Professor of Allergy and Immunology at the University of North Carolina.

Artwork from an influential comic book series is on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. “Brotherman” comics tells the story of a public prosecutor who hits the streets at night, seeking justice. That series helped change the way African-Americans are portrayed in comics. We look back at the legacy of “Brotherman” with its co-creator, Atlanta-based comic book artist Dawud Anyabwile.

The sci-fi world may still be very much dominated by men behind the scenes, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t female trailblazers. Georgia Tech professor Lisa Yaszek went on a mission to honor some of these unsung heroines in her book, “Sisters of Tomorrow: The First Women of Science Fiction.” We talk with her and Bill Campbell. He’s the head of Rosarium Publishing, which works to bring more diversity to science fiction.