Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.trends From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: trends Wed, Mar 25 1992 Date: Wed, 25 Mar 92 05:43:34 EST Message-ID: 03-25 0000 DECISIONLINE: Trends & Marketing USA TODAY Update March 25, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network MUSEUMS EMBRACE SOCIAL ISSUES: From an exhibit in Washington, D.C., that puts visitors in the shoes of the homeless, to a San Francisco installation showing how to wear a condom, museums are embracing social issues as never before. Funding is tight and if museums want to survive they have to find ways to reach out to the communities, says Ed Able of the American Association of Museums in Washington, D.C. MUSEUMS MUST `EDUCATE PEOPLE': "Now, more than ever, it is essential to their role in the community for museums to educate the people about issues facing their lives," he says. The result: Interpretive and often controversial exhibits. Among them is The National AIDS exhibit permanently on display at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, designed to educate visitors about the body's immune system. NUMBER OF RADIO OPERATORS RISES: American Radio Relay League says the number of licensed amateur radio operators has gone up by more than 100,000 in the last five years. In 1988, there were 436,828 licensed operators. Now, there are 547,139, the league says. The biggest jump of licensed operators was in 1990 when there were 38,820 new hams. RAYE IS AN OVERNIGHT STAR: When Collin Raye wrapped his muscular tenor around a maudlin country song called "Love, Me," he figured he had a hit. But he had no idea it would be a phenomenon that would bring an avalanche of mail. Or that it would make him one of those increasingly rare birds, an "overnight star." His song camped at Billboard's No. 1 spot for three weeks, a first for a debut artist. AT&T SHOWS A GAIN: AT&T's share of the long-distance telephone market grew 1 percentage point last quarter to 62.8%, the Federal Communications Commission says. That's the first upturn for AT&T after six years of erosion. Since AT&T's 1984 breakup, AT&T has lost market share to competitors, particularly MCI and Sprint. FORD TO TRIPLE EXPORTS: Ford plans to triple exports of its North American-built vehicles by 1996. The No. 2 U.S. carmaker exported 51,600 cars and trucks last year and plans to export 150,000 a year by 1996. Ford's biggest-selling exports: Probe, Grand Marquis, Explorer, F series trucks and Tempo. LOOK FOR MCPIZZA, MCNOODLES: McDonald's plans to launch a dinner menu that includes pizza and pasta. The company began unveiling pizza last week at all 640 McDonald's in Canada and McPizza should be available in the USA late this year. The new dinners could be as important to McDonald's earnings as the highly successful breakfast menu was in the mid-1970s, says analyst Peter Oakes of Merrill Lynch & Co. SMART CAR TEST TO BEGIN: The biggest test yet in the USA of what's been called smart car technology begins Wednesday in Orlando, Fla., where visitors will be able to rent automobiles with tracking devices and dashboard computers. The cars will be able to show drivers routes to get to their destinations and will warn of traffic tie-ups along the way. OTHER TESTS ARE UNDER WAY: The Avis smart car test is only one of several projects taking place around the USA. Twenty-five cars are offering drivers five alternatives to a 12-mile stretch on Interstate 10 between Los Angeles and Santa Monica, Calif. That two-year test is nearly over. And about 5,000 cars will be involved by late 1994 in a test in Chicago's northwest suburbs. COMPUTER EXECS DUMP STOCK: Executives at some of the USA's most successful computer companies have decided to unload their stock. Since November many computer stocks have jumped 60% to 70%. The mass selling is a possible portent of stock value dropping. The sellers include Apple CEO John Sculley, Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy and Microsoft Chairman William Gates. Insiders also are selling. PURCHASES CAN LEAD TO ANNUITY: A financial services company known as SMART has lined up 11 companies to participate in a plan linking purchases to a tax-deferred annuity. Tuesday, MCI, Hertz and Spiegel joined such businesses as Eddie Bauer, Club Med and USTravel. Participants pay to join. Then participating companies pay 1% to 6% of purchases to an account. After $100 in there, the money is put into an annuity. SHEER BLOUSES ARE NEW TREND: First it was sheer skirts. Now it's transparent tops. The new transparent blouse trend started in Europe, where bare breasts don't rate a double take. But the Euro-chic see-through T-shirt is now in U.S. stores. And it's selling like crazy. From the Victoria's Secret catalog to all major retailers, the sheer and mesh leotard ($38-$40) is the trendiest new top. KARAN, KORS SAY NO TO FUR: Fur is not dead. Yet. But new signs show fur fashions are not feeling well. Two U.S. designers, Donna Karan and Michael Kors, have just joined the list of fashionable folk who have stopped using fur. Karan's reason for her sabbatical: "The growing consumer anti-fur feeling." Kors is using fake fur "because of the consciousness of the public." Trends & Marketing Editor: Beth Mann. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. 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