The MSCC hopes to persuade both of these boards to pass legislation that would encourage the construction of wind farms off the coast of Maryland in the Atlantic Ocean. Maryland government officials rejected a similar proposal last year.

“I’m collecting these signatures to convince the Maryland assembly that the citizens of Maryland support bills for wind energy,” sophomore Elise Levy said. “I hope to convince them to pass this measure.”

According to Jay-Me Philips, the executive director of campaigns for the MSCC, the MSCC has gathered approximately 1,000 signatures so far. Its goal is to collect 15,000 signatures.

“While offshore wind energy will create jobs and, in the long term, bring down electricity prices, wind energy is also a renewable resource that will help us reduce our carbon footprint and prevent dangerous climate change,” MSCC member and St. Mary’s College student Caroline Selle said. “The public health and environmental impacts of fossil fuels are already seen in the high asthma rates and poor air quality found in many Maryland cities.”

According to Philips, teenagers in particular should support offshore wind energy because of the job opportunities it could create.

“As far as the future of jobs in America, the money and the jobs are in green infrastructure and green industry,” Philips said. “If teenagers are really looking ahead for a way to get in on the soon-to-be massive industry of green energy, they should get involved and jump in the game now. There’s a bunch of different ways you could take it for a future career.”

Opponents of offshore wind energy are fighting against the proposal because they believe that its advocates exaggerate its benefits and underestimate the harm that giant wind turbines can cause.

According to Green Living Answers, a website that answers questions about leading an environmentally friendly lifestyle, some complaints about wind energy are based around the bulkiness of wind turbines, which can be up to 525 ft. tall.
According to a March 2011 Chesapeake Bay Journal article, wind energy could potentially be killing one million birds per year by 2030. According to the same article, environmental activist Jon Boone is against offshore wind energy because the turbines would make the Chesapeake Bay significantly uglier.

Although wind energy is flawed, MSCC members believe that its benefits outweigh its risks.

“Not everyone likes to look at wind turbines, but some people don’t really like looking at coal plants either,” Selle said. “Ultimately it comes down to whether or not we want to get our energy from a safe and clean source or a dirty, dangerous one like fossil fuels.”

However, wind turbines’ lack of aesthetic beauty is often irrelevant, as wind turbines are frequently placed in areas that are rarely visited.

“A lot of times, the proposed installation sites are out of sight or on beaches where people wouldn’t be spending their time so they won’t disrupt too many skies,” Philips said.

Proponents of the petition are working hard to convince students to sign.

“It’s not like there’s a certain type of person who is less likely to be adversely affected by our poor environmental choices,” Levy said. “We’re all going to suffer if we don’t start to change the way we do things.”

The accounts brighten many tweeters’ days with witty relatable tweets that have given the users internet stardom. All of them have a loyal following, starting with a few clique groups.

Account Name: @Lord_Voldemort7
Description: First person commentaries on pop culture from the dark lord himself. Most tweets are extremely cynical views of pop culture with Harry Potter references.
Sample Tweet: “If you play a Nickelback song backwards you’ll hear messages from the devil. Even worse, if you play it forwards you’ll hear Nickelback.”
Target Audience: Cynical Harry Potter fans
CHS Reaction: “My favorite would probably be Lord Voldemort because I can relate to Harry Potter, and it’s kind of funny how dark his humor is,” sophomore tweeter Francesca Patterson said.
Account Name: @Whitegrlproblems
Description: Daily thoughts coming straight from an insecure and irrational Caucasian female who shares her troubles with the world. Her tweets usually consist of boy troubles, weight troubles and a serious alcohol problem, rarely disappointing.
Sample Tweet: “If I’m not freezing I’m fat,” and “Nothing makes me want to go to the gym more than being proposed to.”
Target Audience: Females of any race.
CHS Reaction: “I love White Girl Problems because I can relate to all the random problems and facts of life” junior tweeter Rebecca Wolf said. “I’ll be scrolling through my timeline and think, ‘Hey! That’s me’!”

Account Name: @F1rstwrldprblms
Description: This user takes us through the pains and problems of those poor souls living in a first world country. The tweets are simple grievances that hit close to home for Potomac residents that when compared to any real problem, like poverty, are jokes.
Sample Tweet: “I put too much stuff on my sandwich, and now it’s hard to eat,” and “I cracked my straw taking it out of the wrapper. Now I have to suck twice as hard.”
Target Audience: Anyone who likes making fun of rich kids.
CHS Reaction: According to senior tweeter Lucy Mangan @f1rstwrldprblms seems spoiled and conceited.
Account Name: @Trolleycat
Description: Boasting the likeness of a drunken gazelle, this D.C. resident amuses tweeters through her random and borderline psychotic sense of humor. Tweets often hint at her love of violence and her unique mindset.
Sample Tweet: “People can be real jerks after I hit them with my car like once.”
Target Audience: Violent individuals.
CHS Reaction: “Trolleycat can be very violent but in a unique way,” Mangan said. “She also can be very harsh and comes out and speaks her mind.”

Account Name: @Lamebook
Description: This account offers commentaries on a fellow social networking site and pokes fun at typical Facebook behaviors. The tweets are either what people hate to see on their Facebook news feed or a link to Lamebook.com where there are screenshots of humorous Facebook activity.
Sample Tweet: “Nothing makes me want to throw up more than a couple who has the exact same Facebook picture. It ranks up there with same-side-sitters.”
Target Audience: Anyone with a Facebook or anyone who hates Facebook.
CHS Reaction: “Most of their tweets are original and funny, but when they tweet links I almost never look,” Wolf said. “ Usually I use twitter through my iPod Touch, and I’m not about to sit there and wait for a link to load as I’m scrolling through my timeline.”

The new pop-band, mainly located in the United Kingdom, erupted onto the music scene shortly after appearing on the British version of X-Factor. Although the five boys did not win first place on the singing show, they landed a record deal with SYCO Music, a joint venture of Simon Cowell and Sony Music Group, shortly after the competition ended.

Liam Payne, Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan have not only stolen many hearts from girls all over the world, but they have also dominated the music charts in the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Scotland and Sweden.

Their debut album, Up All Night, peaked at number one in Sweden, number two in the UK and Scotland and third in Ireland. Their debut single, “What Makes You Beautiful”, topped the charts in the UK, Scotland, and Ireland.

One Direction wrote and composed the album’s 13 songs and two bonus tracks with the help of singers Kelly Clarkson and British band McFly’s lead singer, Tom Fletcher and Ed Sheeran. The popular powerful pop anthems consist of feel-good, corny lyrics that make girls all over the world gush with love for the band.

According to Female First, a British celebrity gossip and lifestyle magazine, the pop band is hoping to “crack the US music industry” soon.

To help bring One Direction to the United States, the pop band has created all sorts of challenges for fans to participate in. They are using every social media outlet, including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, to let the world know of their existence.

As if their music wasn’t enough, One Direction has male Barbie dolls modeled after them, they have performed at various shows including Red or Black? and Alan Carr: Chatty Man and the Jingle Bell Ball, but most importantly they have won the hearts of so many people, particularly the female specimens, across the globe.

If students are looking for a new obsession, look no further, Liam, Harry, Louis, Niall and Zayn have come to the rescue.

When everyone else in the class would ask, “When are we ever going to need this in life?” I took expansive notes on “real politik” and the rises and falls of the empires in history. Their ignorance was my bliss.

My system of “moneyball,” the name creatively taken from the recent Brad Pitt film, revolved around using the “real politik” strategies of famous statesmen, such as Otto Von Bismarck, as well as the Roman and Ottoman Empire’s rise to prominence.

In the mid-19th Century, Bismarck made it his goal to unite the Germanic states into a unified German republic. He allied with Austria to wage war on Denmark in order to win back land and then did a complete 180 and waged war on Austria. He was all about uniting his country through political actions that may have gone against his personal beliefs.

Idealism is for losers. Any good fantasy football player can tell you this. While it’s admirable to stockpile players from your favorite team while avoiding any players from your rival team, Bismarck would not approve.

As a Saints fan, I always used to have Drew Brees on my team, even if this meant a mid season trade that cost me many valuable players. It was about pride to me, but as Marcellus Wallace told Butch in Pulp Fiction, “The night of the fight you might feel a slight sting. That’s pride [expletive-ing] with you. [Expletive] pride.”

While Drew Brees was available on the day of the draft, I opted instead to take a running back on the rise (LeSean McCoy). I drafted a quarterback in the fifth round nobody would risk taking (Matthew Stafford). And with the top record in the league and trade talks starting for Brees, I said no and stuck with what worked.

Fantasy Football may have ruined my fanhood, but I’ll take a successful Fantasy Football season with a little monetary incentive over minimal bragging rights associated with my favorite team. Bismarck would approve.

The Ottoman and Roman empires expanded greatly because of cutting edge strategies and great leadership. My moneyball and real politik strategies were both cutting edge. I wouldn’t want to boast about me being a leader comparable to Julius Caesar or Sullieman, but my league leading record speaks for itself.

It was in the days of doodling and idolizing Drew Brees that my fantasy football success was minimal. Now my fantasy team, “Charles Mulligan,” looks to wreak havoc on the other teams in my league the same way Germany did over its rivals after it united.

According to a Dec. 8 Kensington Patch article, MCPS is not in fact putting a policy into effect. MCPS schools spokesperson Dana Tofig denied the rumor in the Patch article, claiming that there is no such policy countywide.

“Schools can set their own policies regarding what students can and cannot wear,” Tofig said in a Dec. 8 interview with the Observer. “There are certain expectations that are laid out in the Student Rights and Responsibilities handbook. The specific dress policies can vary from school to school.”

Despite this, MCPS hate tweets are trending on Twitter and rumors are buzzing around the school and Facebook.

Many link the rumors back to Rockville High School, which actually has a “no leggings and yoga pants” policy. It is a part of the school dress code and is unique to this school.

A Rockville High School Main Office secretary confirmed this policy, but chose not to comment, adding that administrators were in a meeting and therefore unable to comment.

CHS students need not worry, however. Yoga pants and leggings are still allowed at CHS, and neither CHS nor MCPS plans to implement a ban this school year.

“It is all a total rumor and was a site-based decision for Rockville High School,” Principal Joan Benz said. “We expect students to dress appropriately according to the dress code.”

Fans of the show don’t just expect more of the same anymore, they want something better. That’s exactly what the first new episode of Beavis and Butthead delivers, as it was easily one of the show’s funniest episodes.

The premiere episode was broken into two shorts; the first one is a Halloween themed episode called “Werewolves of Highland,” while the second part is called “Crying,” which is a typical Beavis and Butthead episode.

“Werewolves of Highland” has Beavis and Butthead attempting to become werewolves so they can “pick up chicks” like the characters from the movie Twilight. Naturally, this blows up in their face due to their stupidity. While the nature of the short is unoriginal, the gags are what really sell it. Watching a crazed homeless man bite an enthusiastic Beavis and Butthead is laugh-out-loud funny.

“Crying” has Butthead mocking Beavis for crying at a cheesy TV show. In reality, Beavis was crying because of the onion he had with him, but Butthead refuses to believe it. They continue the gag into their senior years, with a hilarious ending that involves an old Beavis and Butthead living in a nursing home.

In between the shorts, classic Beavis and Butthead music videos and TV reviews appear. The two unmercifully mock Jersey Shore, and bag on music videos from the likes of Skrillex and LMFAO.

The best moments of the show come from the reviews. Their commentary on the absurdity of some of the videos they are watching is priceless. Perhaps the funniest music video review comes when Beavis and Butthead make fun of a mother for being a bad parent in the visual for MGMT’s “Kids.”

The October premiere of Beavis and Butthead is fresh, and even better, classic Beavis and Butthead. Old fans of the show will rejoice the show still has its crude trademark humor, and new fans of the show will enjoy its pull no punches attitude towards modern day pop culture.

The Potomac Library started following the Montgomery County Public Libraries’ (MCPL) system in October that allows members to download eBooks online from their home computers.

“This system-wide program has recently become more popular throughout the nation because of its efficiency,” Montgomery County public librarian Mimi Bolotin said. “All you need is a county library card number to access the books.”

According to the MCPL homepage, there are more than 5,000 eBooks, magazines and newspapers available as well as online instructions and assistance from librarians through online chat. The website also offers titles that can be read on Kindles, iPads and iPhones.

Senior Nachu Bhatnagar prefers using his iPhone to reading print books.

“Since I read very frequently and often multiple books at the same time, it saves me a lot of hassle to just have a bunch of books in my pocket,” Bhatnagar said.

The eBooks are circulated in a way similar to the way that hard copy books are circulated. There is a seven to 14 day loan on all items except classic titles, which are always available and have no expiration period.

“One fact that needs to be made clear is that there is not an excess amount of books,” Bolotin said. “Sometimes they are not available and must be placed on hold.”

The libraries only loan out a certain amount of eBooks, leading members to question whether eBooks are more efficient than print books.

According to CHS librarian Paige Pagley, CHS is considering purchasing Kindles or Nooks as its first step into what she sees as the “wave of the future.” Online books will offer even more information than the shorter articles provided by CHS online databases.

Many students prefer finding information online than looking at a book, but some feel otherwise.

“It is definitely a good idea but to me, a book is not just the words,” junior Erica Roberts said. “It’s the smell and sound of flipping pages.”

As a loather of small talk and a fan of coffee, I went to a Starbucks for a few hours one afternoon to take in its culture, its people and its customs.

As I write this column, sitting in a comfortable arm chair and listening to the Starbucks “Mo-Town” collection, I feel a sense of community with the different people with different drinks, brought together for their daily boost.

The menu at Starbucks covers every kind of interest, whether you’re a soccer mom who drinks a venti chai latte, a teenage girl who orders a passion iced tea lemonade or an adult with braces who orders something as awkward as an adult with braces; there’s something for everyone.

Drinking my go-to iced grande vanilla latte (I attempt to get a drink with a rhyming name every time I go to Starbucks) and sitting atop my leather throne, I eavesdrop on a table of moms talking about their children and other local chatter.

The coffee shop dates back to the French enlightenment when philosophers would meet and discuss their ideas and other beliefs. A typical Potomac soccer mom talking smack about the PTA is quite a shift from Voltaire’s opinions on natural rights.

I am slightly appalled at this transition. Coffee used to be the drink of choice among scholars and philosophers in the golden age of European deism. Now it is about bingeing on copious amounts of caffeine so moms can survive shuttling their sons and daughters throughout Potomac, so teens can stay awake all through the night or so the chef can survive a double shift.

I do, however, respect the hipster who does homework or reads an issue of some underground music magazine. At least the hipster is staying true to the roots of the coffee shop by using it as a place to explore individuality.

Speaking of hipsters, Starbucks has garnished the reputation of being a hot spot for contemporary subculture. By going alone and avoiding any human contact, with their Buddy Holly glasses and skinny jeans hidden behind an Apple computer, they have transformed Starbucks into an antisocial dungeon of sorts.

The decoration of Starbucks has a palette of neutral earth tone colors that are anything but primary and posters on the wall that are straight out of the mind of a director from a silent German impressionist movie. The baseline of the soundtrack, however, kept me comfortable. After all, it was Starbucks that brought relaxing soundtracks to the restaurant industry.

While the decoration of Starbucks reminded me more of the dark ages than the European enlightenment, the furniture has always been my favorite part of the experience. By offering lounge chairs and ceramic tables, the visitor feels a sense of comfort.

It’s that sense of home where you might as well have just gone downstairs, brewed some coffee and drank it while reading the morning paper. By making its customers feel that sense of home, the people who might have only stopped by for a coffee stay for prolonged periods and order a few more shots of espresso.

This is ingenious. People do their homework at Starbucks because it’s cooler than their homes, Dunkin’ Donuts or Panera Bread. The free Wi-Fi and delicious refreshments help too.

As I depart from my tenure in my chair and close up my Macbook as it starts to power down, I am confronted with the blinding light from the sun. While Starbucks is cool and has an original thing going for it, its Seattle based founders didn’t anticipate how the coffee and dreary colors would affect my eyes.

I feel like I am the Nosferatu of German impressionist lore, waking up from his slumber and now basking in the real world. Starbucks is a fine establishment, but it is secluded from everything else. Starbucks: the hipster hibernation.

The show’s first episode of the eighth season kicks off with the entire cast planking on items around the office. New manager Andy Bernard (Ed Helms, The Hangover), otherwise known as ‘The Nard-Dawg’ orders Dwight Shrute (Rainn Wilson, The Roar) to attack anyone caught in the act of planking.

It has hard not to laugh at Dwight spraying his planking colleagues with a fire extinguisher. The first episode also packs in a few surprises like Robert California (James Spader, Pretty in Pink) taking over the CEO position.

With California taking Jo Bennett’s (Kathy Bates, Titanic) position and Bernard taking over Scott’s position, there is no longer a character to initiate conflicts in the office. It also feels as if there is no longer a character to make a viewer effortlessly laugh, which could make a person think: was the show ever really funny or was it just Scott making everyone laugh?

In the past, Scott was always the one that put the characters in awkward situations. When he decided to play a murder mystery game, he made Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) pretend to be a voodoo priestess and when Scott attended Jim Halpert (John Krasinski, Something Borrowed) and Pam Beesly Halpert’s (Jenna Fischer) daughter’s christening, he threw a temper tantrum during the service.

So far California has shown no potential to live up to Scott’s legacy; the one thing he has done is make a list of who he thinks are the winners and losers in the office. Past viewers can tell that the rest of the cast is desperately trying to fill the void without Scott but new viewers might actually enjoy the new season.

One thing both new and old viewers cannot deny is that the new season does have some hysterical moments. It’s hard to stifle a laugh when listening to Stanley Hudson’s (Leslie David Baker) new formula for making people laugh: start out saying something serious and than slowly build up to saying “Shove it up your butt.”

Only time will tell if the cast is able to save the show from being cancelled. The characters can only do so much to make up for Scott, but bottom line, Michael Scott is surely missed at Dunder Mifflin, Inc.

The Sox decided to play great baseball all summer, giving them a nine-game lead for a playoff spot going into the final month of the season, when they decided to blow it all away in September. It came down to the 162nd game of the season when the Sox were tied for the wild card in a must-win game against a pathetic Baltimore Orioles ballclub.

I will never forget that night the Sox lost to the Orioles in a heartbreaking manner, as I watched my beloved Sox complete the biggest collapse in the history of baseball.

I was humiliated, depressed and confused. To make matters worse, all the Orioles fans never let me hear the end of it. My family had heard so much mockery from Orioles fans that my dad could not take it anymore, so he banished Ian Plotnick (one of the biggest Orioles fans in our school) from the Denicoff residence.

Thankfully the suffering is over, and I am getting over the loss. But since I experienced one of the worst things that can happen to a loyal fan, I would like to give you advice on what to do next time your team lets you down.

First off, do not rob a Burger King. Shortly after the Sox final loss, I almost went down that road, and trust me, you do not want to make that mistake.

Next, right after your team loses brutally, you should not operate a moving vehicle. I know that after the Sox lost I was in no state to drive as my bloodstream was filled with anger. I suggest waiting until the next morning when you have calmed down or have a friend drive you who has not been affected by the game; it’s the safe thing to do.

I also suggest not texting or calling any friends immediately after the event because there is a good chance you will say something to them that you might not normally say when your team is not embarrassing you.

Furthermore, you should not hide in a tree. I know that hiding in a tree to escape the embarrassment may sound like a good idea at the time, but you have to remember, climbing a tree is extremely dangerous.

You also may wake up the morning after regretting some things from the previous night. Do not worry, this is not your fault because you were only being a true fan and you could not help yourself, it happens.