Lifestyles: July 2008 Archives

Just in time for heading back to the campus, the Princeton Review has come out with its annual ranking of party schools. Guess what? The University of Illinois has regained a spot in the top 20. Oskeewowwow!

Yes, Illinois schools have been somewhat lax in their partying in recent years. But according to the Princeton Review, this year the U of I is listed at No. 16. Not as good as Iowa, at No, 14, not as good as West Virginia, at No. 4. But better than No. 17, Arizona State University where the coeds drink beer with ice in their plastic cups, if The Hound remembers correctly.

No. 1 school is University of Florida, whose football team, the Gators, play in The Swamp. If you saw Gainesville, you'd party, too.

And, if you don't want to party at Illinois, you can always attend Wheaton College in west suburban Wheaton, which was named No. 2 "stone-cold sober" school, after Brigham Young University, by the Princeton Review. Of course, there's plenty of things to do in Wheaton --- like drive to Aurora.

Here's the top 20 party list, according to a survey of 120,000 students:

1. University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
2. University of Mississippi, University, Miss.
3. Penn State University, University Park, Pa.
4. West Virginia University, Morgantown, W.Va.
5. Ohio University, Athens, Ohio.
6. Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Va.
7. University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
8. University of Texas, Austin, Texas.
9. University of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, Calif.
10. Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla.
11. University of New Hampshire, Durham, N.H.
12. University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
13. University of Colorado, Boulder, Co.
14. Indiana University, Bloomington, Ind.
15. Tulane University, New Orleans, La.
16. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Ill.
17. Arizona State University, Tempe, Ariz.
18. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn.
19. University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala.
20. Loyola University-New Orleans, New Orleans, La.

Here's the top 20 sober schools, according to the same amount of students:

1. Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
2. Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill.
3. U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Conn.
4. College of the Ozarks, Point Lockout, Mo.
5. Grove City College, Grove City, Pa.
6. U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, Colo.
7. U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md.
8. Wellesley College, Wellesley, Mass.
9. Thomas Aquinas College, Santa Paula, Calif.
10. Calvin College, Grand Rapids, Mich.
11. U.S. Military Academy, West Point, N.Y.
12. Wesleyan College, Macon, Ga.
13. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, Needham, Mass.
14. City University of New York-Queens College, Flushing, N.Y.
15. Webb Institute, Glen Cove, N.Y.
16. Berea College, Berea, Ky.
17. Agnes Scott College, Decatur, Ga.
18. City University of New York-Baruch College, New York.
19. Simmons College, Boston.
20. Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, Pa.

Skol!

The Chicago Cubs begin a four-game road trip to Milwaukee tonight to play the Brewers. Cubs fans should be aware. Aware of what, you ask. The Hound will tell you. Read on.

Most Illinoisans use their weapons to hunt deer, small game and fellow humans. Milwaukee residents use their weapons to shoot their lawn mowers. Yes, the story of Keith Walendowski, 56, moved over the weekend from The Associated Press, which noted he allegedly shot his Lawn Boy after it wouldn't start.

When police arrived, Walendowski was charged with felony possession of a short-barreled shotgun (i.e., a sawed-off shotgun) and misdemeanor disorderly conducts while armed. If convicted, this Brewer fan could be sentenced to six years in prison and fined $11,000.

As to why he shot his mower, he told police: "...it's my lawn mower and my yard so I can shoot it if I want."

Also from the AP, it appears correctional officers from a boot camp for alcoholics and drug addicts took their charges to a bar where alcohol was served to other patrons to hear a motivational speaker. Sitting in a bar surrounded by booze sure sounds motivational for addicts to The Hound, and Brewers' fans.

A warning for Cubs fans going to the game. Behave. Milwaukee County sheriff's deputies are notorious for loving to throw Chicago fans in the slammer. Go Cubs!

The Hound must have missed something. The Cubs are battling for a National League pennant. The White Sox are battling for an American League pennant. These are first-place teams. Yet, we see the Blackhawks are going to play a New Year's Day game at Wrigley Field and the Bears training camp opens today in the pride of Kankakee County, Bourbannais. What happened to summer?

We're still in summer, according to not only meteorologists, but the Old Farmer's Almanac. So what's the deal?

The deal is that the Chicago media have fallen for slick public relations flacks peddling their fall and winter wares. Even the great Brian Urlacher (listen, folks, he lives off St. Mary's Road in Libertyville Township if one wants to escape driving 90 miles to Bourbannais) has joined the early fall parade. He just signed a multimillion dollar contract extension. The Hound wants one of those.

Oh, The Hound forgot. The Bears' first pre-season game is Aug. 7 at Soldier Field, which also coincides with the first day of Gurnee Days. That's a real choice: Bears vs. Gurnee Days.

If the pros are ready to rumble, where's the collegians? Buying their dorm wardrobes? Is this a summer lost?

Just when you think all is lost, like in the bottom of the seventh and Red Sox J.D. Drew launches a rope over the short right-field wall in Yankee Stadium, tying the All-Star game, something enters the picture to make everything all right. Like MillerCoors locating its headquarters and upward of 400 new jobs into Illinois.

Chicago won out over several other cities for the mega-brewing corporation, just as Belgium beer conglomerate InBev, purchases Budweiser, the last big U.S. beer maker. MillerCoors cited Chicago's labor pool, transportation and business resources as the reason to live the Rockies and Milwaukee for the Windy City. Also, Illinois business development folks are giving the firm, which merged the second and third largest brewers, an $18 million investment package for tax credits over 15 years, job training and a grant to offset upfront capital expenses.

But, MillerCoors is planning a $39.5 million investment in Chicago and Illinois. And, they're bringing good-paying, executive-level jobs to the state. Who said it's cheaper to do business in the Badger State?

While the exact location has not been determined, or MillerCoors folks aren't saying where they want to park the city's newest corporate citizen, this sure looks like a coup for the city and Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who can crow about bringing jobs to Illinois, even with a recalcitrant Legislature.

Looks like The Hound will be drinking a few new beer brands during baseball season. Skol!

From this past weekend, what with Scoopin' Genesee (that is so lame) to just checking out the traffic around the county, certainly $4.25 per gallon for gasoline is not the tipping point. If we reach $5 by Labor Day, will that make us curtail our motoring passion?

Who knows, but The Hound doesn't see any letup of folks just cruzin' around in their vehicles, passing the time and continuing to do what Americans do best: Wasting precious resources. Ah, but let's not get too down at our fellow motoring enthusiasts. At least they're out and about and not at home playing video games or tampering with their new iPhone.

Yet, The Hound is all a twitter today what with the beginning of a new season of "Top Gear" the absolutely fabulous car nut programme offered by the BBC-America channel on the cable box. How come we don't have a great car program like this made in this country, especially with our stubborn love affair with the gasoline-powered engine? We're stuck with the fuddy-duddy "Motor Week" on public broadcasting, Speed Channel and NASCAR on Fox.

These "Top Gear" guys --- Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May --- are car lovers who don't take themselves too seriously, nor the products they pound around race tracks. When's the last time Cadillac let somebody redline a STS in a test drive?

The Hound is unsure when "Top Gear" is on. That's what Tivo is for. It just records it. Similar to the way "The Stig" drives. Fast.

Tune in. If you're a gearhead, you won't be disappointed. The Hound guarantees it.

You still have time to join The Hound in toasting the 75th anniversary --- July 10, 1933 --- of the day when Illinois officially helped end Prohibition by ratifying the 21st Amendment to the Constitution. Yup, hoist one, or two or more. But do it, as all things, in moderation.

Although the national repeal of Prohibition wasn't finalized until Dec. 5, 1933, the brewing industry always recognizes July 10, 1933 as the day the taps would eventually be opened. According to the Beer Institute, once Prohibition was repealed, more than $25 million in economic activity was generated across the nation, producing more than 50,000 jobs at the height of the Great Depression.

The Institute also points out that the beer industry in Illinois now contributes $6.2 billion to the state economy, supporting 64,783 jobs. Who knows how that will shake out if InBev, the Belgium-based brewing company, takes over the largest U.S. brewer, Budweiser.

Anyway, you have until midnight to sip a few beers and toast the end of one of the nation's worst social experiments. Cheers!

While many folks are seething over the California state Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn the ban on gay marriages, there's others, besides the happy same-sex couples, who have reason to celebrate --- the wedding industry.

The Williams Institute on Sexual Orientation Law and Public Policy at the UCLA School of Law estimates that same-sex weddings could generate up to $683.6 million in additional revenue for the industry over the next three years.

With the current state of the economy, the ruling looks to be particularly good news for jewelers as same-sex couples look to purchase wedding rings and wedding jewelry, according to the Platinum Guild International USA, marketing arm of the platinum jewelry industry.

Though Massachusetts also allows gay marriage, California is the only state where same-sex couples can obtain a marriage license even if they don't live there. The Williams Institute estimates that half of the state's 102,639 same-sex couples will marry by 2011, in addition to 67,500 out-of-state couples. That's a lot of wedding bands to be purchased, nuptials to be catered.

Hotels, wedding planners and vendors in California obviously stand to benefit from ceremonies from the sought-after gay demographic. Gays usually earn more than straights and have more disposable income.

With Illinois tourism generating more than $30 billion last year, a 5.8 percent increase over 2006, maybe the Legislature should investigate a similar law here. Just for the business it could bring --- not for the love.