Black Windy City

School Is The New Cool

The Oprah Effect

After the announcement by Oprah that she will be ending her show in 2011, we decided to see what effect she had on Chicago on a monetary bases. First let’s start with tourism. On any of her given shows half her audience was made up with guests from outside the city of Chicago. The Chicago Board of Tourism estimates the average visitor to Chicago spends $150 to $300 daily. The Oprah Show had over 250,000 guests from outside Chicago throughout the life of the show so far. That’s over $37 million in immediate revenue to Chicago not including any extra revenue from extended stays.

When Oprah’s producers picked the location for her television recording studio in the Randolph Meat Market district it was considered a smart move because of the depressed real estate prices in the area but within a few years real estate developers started to build and sell condo units in the immediate area with the line “your right around the corner from Oprah”. Within 20 years the Randolph area had developed from a desolate meat packing district to the hottest real estate market in the United States with the most prestigious and eclectic restaurants offering everything from Sushi to Brazilian dishes. Estimated real estate tax revenue for Chicago in the the 3 block radius of Harpo Studios in 1989 was $1.7 million per year. 2008 estimated tax revenue, $27 million. Oprah has also been known to hire women and other minorities in the Chicago area in executive and highly skilled jobs like camera operators and set coordinators at Harpo Studios.

At the low end we estimate that the combined salaries at Harpo Studio to be $2 million per year. Multiply that by 23 years she’s been on the air and you’ve got $46 million dollars earned by local employees who happen to be local residents. Overall, we estimate almost $200 million dollars the Oprah effect had on the city monetarily. The prestige and pride she’s given us – (wait for it…..wait for it…) Priceless. Source: IESB

Regardless of what you are reading in the papers or hearing on the news. School is the new cool. Of-course you hear about all the senseless violence going on in our communities but their is a lot of good going on. Blacks are enrolling in college in record numbers. They are inspiring each other.

Forming groups, bonds enrolling in frat’s and sororities in again record numbers.

We do have youth’s who have taken the wrong path. These youth’s are not considered cool by their peers. They are not glorified as the media may want you to think. Gang affiliations are at a record low. BWC spoke with Tyree Crosby a student at FamU who feels this generations needs a college education to get a decent job now-a-days. He feels the days when you just needed a HS diploma are over. So School is the new cool. Don’t let the media fool you. Most of our teens are on the right track and we need to continue to inspire them to be the best they can be. School Is The New Cool.

Britney Inez Rand

This past summer I finally decided to JUST DO IT! I trained for 17 weeks at Ratio 1:1 to prepare for my first show the Midwest Ironman Bodybuilding, Figure, and Fitness Championships. With the support of the staff at Ratio, loved ones, and great discipline I competed in the bikini division and not only took 1st place in my class but also took the overall title in Illinois. Now, I have never been more excited and anxious to help others reach their goals. After experiencing what I thought was impossible and unachievable, I now know that any and everyone can reach unimaginable lengths with the proper guidance and mindset.

Currently, I work as a personal trainer at Ratio 1:1. As a trainer I strive to help people reach their maximum potential by starting deep within and changing their bodies from the inside out. “Success Comes from within, not without.

For more information I can be contacted via email b.inezrand@gmail.com or you can visit Ratio 1:1 at 18355 S. Halsted Glenwood, IL 60425 (708.755.2968)

I have had a passion for fitness since the early age of 14 when I joined my first gym. Being around positive, dynamic, inspiring people made me fall in love with the lifestyle. About 4 years ago I decided to turn my passion into my career as I decided on a major. I am a recent graduate from Purdue University with a Bachelor of Arts in Health & Fitness and a minor in Philosophy. Over the past 8 years I have gained experience in a number of different fitness facilities. I have worked in small privately owned facilities, large corporations, and researched based facilities. I can remember going to my first bodybuilding show in high school. Since that day, I knew I wanted to compete. As I began to learn more about the sport I discovered a newfound interest. I always knew that when I was mentally and physically ready, I would take my body to the next level and begin building my competition resume.