One of these days I'll visit the IL state fair

Well I could take advantage of the lower cost of beer at the fair for this year, however, I don't drink alcohol anyway. Not only that beer isn't the only reason I would want to pay a visit to Springfield in the near future. 

College drinking debate: 18 or 21?

This AP article was actually the subject of the Capitol Fax blog's question of the day. My entry at CapFax was that I didn't have a position I would have no problem with lowering the legal age nor do I have a big beef with current laws. Although I did say that people are willing to get a drink whether they are of the legal age or not. Still I was suprised to see a certain school mentioned in this article:

College presidents from about 100 of the nation's best-known universities, including Duke, Dartmouth and Ohio State, are calling on lawmakers to consider lowering the drinking age from 21 to 18, saying current laws encourage dangerous binge drinking on campus.

The movement called the Amethyst Initiative began quietly recruiting presidents more than a year ago to provoke national debate about the drinking age.

"This is a law that is routinely evaded," said John McCardell, ex-president of Middlebury College in Vermont, who started the organization. "It is a law that the people at whom it is directed believe is unjust and unfair and discriminatory."

Other schools on board include Syracuse University, Morehouse College and Lake Forest College.

Morehouse of all schools would like to see a lowered legal age for alcohol consumption. Unfortunately one would have to travel far and wide for a drink at Morehouse. The school is basically dry, you're not supposed to have possession of alcoholic beverages on campus. There aren't any bars or clubs nearby although a lot of students go to clubs when the school week is out.

I don't have a big idea on this. People are already concerned about DUIs and DUI deaths. It would be appropriate to consider that if a college students wants to drink said student needs an education of some sorts. Hopefully that education comes before an accident happens or some unfortunate incident occurs.

Party In The New Year With Absinthe

Well this is a way to ring in the new year. Smoking is banned in most public places around Illinois but a certain alchoholic beverage is now legal to drink in Illinois. Why don't we take a look at this story from Channel 2...

It's an excotic drink that reportedly drove some great artists insane -- and now it's legal in Chicago. As CBS 2's Mike Parker reports, absinthe is an alcoholic beverage that packs a legendary punch.

Absinthe – the strange, fiery drink favored by Vincent Van Gogh and Edgar Allan Poe, the liquid said by some to bring on visions is now legal in this country. That's good news for Sam's Liquor stores in Chicago this season and it's selling very well.

"As Americans, we don't like to be denied things and now this is one of the things we now have available to us," said Sam's spirits director David Soto.

Distilled from Wormwood, this suddenly legal absinthe is a little less potent than its European cousin, but it still packs a 62 percent alcohol wallop.

The drink, which creates bizarre green clouds when missed with sugar and water, may still be the stuff dreams are made of. Some Michigan students plan to ring in the New Year with it.

"We've heard stories about absinthe, the gren fairy, all that stuff," said Student Chad Sutton. "Thought we'd try it."

Few bars are serving it yet, but Connoisseur, on the near West Side is planning to.

"We aim to bring it in and pour specialty cocktails from our martini cart using sugar cubes and all fruits and herbs," said Connoisseur employee Juliana Angel.

This beverage was banned in the United States since 1912.

Now don't get on a rampage about banning absinthe on the account of some artists who have suffered from its effects. Especially Vincent Van Gogh who may have already had his issues before I took a drink. From Wikipedia...

Though it was vilified, no evidence shows it to be any more dangerous or psychoactive than ordinary alcohol. A modern absinthe revival began in the 1990s, as countries in the European Union began to reauthorize its manufacture and sale. As of August 2007 over 100 brands in a dozen countries are produced.