According to Wired.com, students that use the popular social networking site Facebook record an average of a 3.0 GPA, while those who do not average a 4.0 GPA.

This study should hardly come as a surprise; all it manages to prove is that social pariahs that chose to spend their time endlessly studying notes as opposed to stalking pictures of their friends online will perform better.

This is about as startling as noting that an athlete that trains every day will outperform another athlete that sits on his butt eating McDonalds three meals a day, avoiding practice altogether.

There is some bad news for any extremist that planned on annihilating Facebook in the name of public education; the site itself isn’t lowering the grades.

No matter what happens, students will continue to be distracted by various things, Facebook or no, this trend remains constant through the dawn of time.

Honestly, let’s face it: schoolwork is not that interesting, and creative minds will always search for a way to escape the monotony.

Will Bennett “Likes” this.

Heading into the final lap of the Short Track Speed Skating 1500m event, Ohno trailed two South Korean skaters.

In a desperate attempt to surpass the other racers, Ohno and the Koreans frantically exchanged elbows, resulting in the self-destruction of the South Korean skaters as they lost their balance and toppled harmlessly onto the track.

Thanks to this fortunate series of events, Ohno propelled from fourth place into second, and allowed J.R. Celski, another American skater, to grasp the bronze medal.

If the Koreans had maintained their current positions, they would have swept the 1500m event, giving them an additional two medals and robbing the Americans from two of their own.

The United States lead the current Olympic Medal Count by a grand total of four medals. In essence, Ohno’s heroics on the skating track secured the US a current first place position, ensuring that the Koreans lingered behind.

Ohno captured two more medals en route to the United States overall medal count victory, with a grand total of 37.

In this world, Americans waste their precious earnings on bottled water, the scourge of not only our pockets but also our only Earth.

Think about this statistic: If a bottle of water costs an average of 1 dollar, and approximately 304,000,000 people live in the United States, how much money do citizens waste daily on something we already pay a utility bill for?

That’s right; you’re paying for water, your glimmering necessity two times, logical correct? In a random survey of Leesville students, 85% of the student body could not taste a difference between bottled water and tap water.

Why then, do teens as well as adults continue to figuratively set their pockets ablaze by purchasing more water annually than both milk and beer combined?

Morgan Papanestor, junior, shed some light on the situation: “I only drink Smart Water, other kinds of water won’t do; they’re not purified enough for me.” 

A single bottle of that precious water costs Papanestor $ 1.50, or a little more than a pack of gum, to put things in simpler terms.

Yearly, that is about 400 dollars she could be saving by sticking to the tap; that amount of money could pay over half the rent on a one room apartment in North Carolina for a month.

Convenience is an argument many bottled-water guzzlers use for their platform, claiming that water is too difficult to transport without the plastic bottle. However, a much more affordable, environmentally friendly alternative is the Nalgene bottles that are becoming a common trend.

A 32 oz. Nalgene bottle that can be reused for many years costs only 10 dollars, which is vastly cheaper than the more harmful alternatives.

“I use Nalgene bottles because I heard the plastic kills dolphins, and I really like dolphins. Also, I’m not trying to ruin the only environment I’ve got,” said Kyle Gorman, sophomore.

Although it may appear a minor reason to stop drinking bottled water, scientists claim that 100,000 marine animals a year die from plastic rings, certain types of water bottle packaging contain.

Again, if this was a necessary risk to take, the controversy would be a much grayer area, however these bottles of water are useless.

Matt Greenhaw, junior, also consciously chooses to abstain from bottled water. “I drink the equivalent of 8 glasses [of water] a day for football, but it’s in a reusable bottle.”

Greenhaw helps prove that even without a fancy Nalgene bottle, one can still make a frugal, environmentally friendly choice about their drinking utensils.

Additionally, if a bottled water drinker complains that Nalgene bottles are too small they should consider that a standard sized water bottle is only 16 fluid ounces. while water containers come in a plethora of sizes including 8, 16, and 32 oz bottles.

As if there were not enough reasons to quit using plastic bottles already, it is also worth noting that the bottles are not biodegradable. The decomposition of a single plastic bag can take up to 1,000 years.

Further contributing to our environmental woes is the statistic that to produce the amount of water Americans do yearly, 50 million barrels of oil go into the energy processing. In essence, for every bottle of water one drinks, they also use a quarter barrel of oil – one of our most precious resources.

So when it comes to cracking open another bottle of water, put it back down and do the world a favor. Welcome to the conversation.

After over 30 years of service in Wake County, Superintendent Del Burns announced his plans to throw in the towel effective June 30, 2010.

Burns stated that “Based on personal and obligatory considerations, it is clear to me that I cannot in a good conscience continue to serve as superintendent.”

Burns’ decision concerning the changes in busing and year-round-schooling came largely as a shock to the county that he had so loyally served.

This retirement was not the first of the Burns regime, assistant superintendent Chuck Delaney announced his own retirement last year, and will almost certainly not be the last.

Wake County is speculating that the new school board is putting an immense amount of pressure upon all of Burns’ staff members, making it all but impossible for them to remain in their current positions.

In retaliation to Burns’ planned registration, the School Board placed him on administrative leave, which was effective immediately.

Political feelings aside, it is clear that the retirement of Del Burns marks a turning point in a new era of change – one whose results have yet to be seen.

North Carolina’s high school dropout rate decreased .7 percent in recent years, now at 4.27 percent. Wake County’s dropout rate has repeatedly been one of the lowest in the state, behind Guilford County, at 3.13 percent and Chapel Hill-Carrboro County, at less than 1 percent.

WCPSS has also been successful in decreasing each of its minority groups’ dropout rate.

The report issued neither entirely good nor bad news. The News and Observer reported that though more students are dropping out of school due to low attendance records, many students return to education by attending community college programs.

Wake County has taken several measures to further decrease its dropout rate. WCPSS.net cites offering smaller schools, freshman-specific campuses, academic intervention, peer tutoring and student advisors as steps made to strengthen support for high school students. The state government is also doing its part to discourage dropouts by revoking the drivers’ license of anyone who drops out before they turn 18. Wake County’s 2007-2008 graduation rate was 78.8%.

These actions, school officials hope, will eventually result in achieving the WCPSS goal: to have every single student graduate on time by 2014.

In the episode, one of the main characters, Chris Griffin, is on a date with a mentally disabled girl, who drew a clear comparison to Palin’s son Trig, when she said, “My dad’s an accountant and my mom’s the former governor of Alaska.”

Palin resigned from governorship in July 2009 after only 18 months as Alaska’s executive leader, naming her family as well as public criticism as factors in her decision.

The following Tuesday, Palin addressed a Facebook note to Fox Hollywood in response to the jab, referring to the episode as “another kick in the gut.”

Just two weeks before, Palin called White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel  to be fired after learning that he had called liberal groups thinking of organizing healthcare-related ads against Democratic lawmakers as “f—ing retards” during a White House strategies session last summer.

While posting her preliminary reaction to the “Family Guy” taunt, the former vice presidential candidate passed the buck to her daughter Bristol Palin, explaining that Bristol’s reply would be “more restrained and gracious.”

 “My siblings and I all have that, but insults directed at our youngest brother hurt too much for us to remain silent,” wrote the seventeen year old. “If the writers of a particularly pathetic cartoon show thought they were being clever in mocking my brother and my family yesterday, they failed.  All they proved is that they’re heartless jerks.”

Although MacFarlane initially failed to respond to the Palin family’s outrage, the writer did issue a statement through his publicist which said, “From its inception, ‘Family Guy’ has used biting satire as the foundation of its humor. The show is an ‘equal-opportunity offender.’ ”

But, while such a ‘philosophy’ may work in regards to a broad generalization of the masses, MacFarlane’s stance does not hold true for an infant with Down syndrome.  Moreover, by narrowing this particular insult to the child of the former governor of Alaska, “Family Guy” was taking a shot at one individual in particular, Trig Palin. 

Whether one takes it as a matter of pity or compassion, the fact is that Trig—nor any other kid with a recognizable surname—should not have been construed as open to offense, even in the name of questionable humor.  

On top of that, exploiting any sort of mental disability is an insult in itself.  As the prohibition of particularly stinging words has become more and more popular, many public figures have begun to campaign to take terms like the ‘r-word’ or the ‘n-word’ out of the public vocabulary.

For example, the actor John C. McGinley (formerly Dr. Perry Cox on Scrubs) is an ambassador for the Spread the Word to End the Word campaign.  McGinley’s son, Max, was born with Down syndrome.

In fact, despite her early hesitation, Palin later made a point of going on record to criticize the popular television show on Fox News, where she currently acts as a political analyst.  Understandably, Palin did not hesitate to emphasize how Trig’s condition makes Family Guy’s barb that much more insulting.

A couple of days later, MacFarlane fired back in an interview with Bill Mather by labeling Palin’s public outbursts as “phony pity.”

Unfortunately, MacFarlane isn’t the only celebrity who unwisely decided to involve the Palin brood into his special brand of humor. 

Early this year, David Letterman, in a Monday night monologue, remarked that when Sarah Palin attended a Yankees game in New York City, the then 2008 presidential candidate sported the style of a “slutty flight attendant.” The CBS comedian also took at shot at Palin while joking about the Yankees’ third baseman.

“One awkward moment for Sarah Palin at the Yankee game,” Letterman said, “during the seventh inning, her daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez.”

The immediate backlash was further fueled when it became known that the daughter accompanying Palin during her New York trip was 14-year old Willow Palin and not 17-year old Bristol, the unwed mother of Palin’s first grandchild.

When the “Late Show” controversy first broke out, it was overwhelming understood that the Palins have every right to call “Family Guy” out for crossing the line.  Many even went so far as to accuse Letterman of making light of sexual abuse of an underage girl.

Overall, America has done a pretty admirable job thus far to respect the children immersed in their parents’ recent political scandal or reign over the celebrity hot sheets

But the Palin family is proof that the public’s integrity is slipping when something like Family Guy is divided into those who were incensed and those who were apathetic.  

Yes, it can be argued the Palin placed herself in the public eye and as such, she should not only have expected but also be resigned to the consequences.  However, it cannot be argued that she should have known her children were likewise fair game. 

Families of politicians and celebrities, especially children, have to be made off-limits.   If that had been the standard in the first place, then this entire debacle would have, thankfully, been avoided from the start.

This year’s team consists of strong returning veterans that include Grayson Murray, sophomore and 17th ranked high school golfer in the nation, Nick Wheeler, senior, Michael deMontbrun, junior, and Larry Han, sophomore.  In addition, incoming freshmen Carter Jenkins and Zach Seabolt add a much appreciated boost for the club.

Murray, who recently committed to Wake Forest, believes the team will definitely do better than they did last year.  “I hope as an individual be the best player in the conference and as a team win states this season.”

The team started off the season on Friday, March 5 with a commanding victory.  The Pride golfers shot lower than 19 other teams did at the Keith Hills High School Invitational, a field which included the defending state champions of both public and private school associations.

“I came in second as an individual.  We definitely have potential; we have four really good players, and I think we can go far.”

The team has certainly improved much from last season; deMontbrun believes the extra skill and talent of this year’s club will have what it takes to win the state championship this season.

“We all have the ability to shoot very low,” said deMontbrun, “but we just need to pull it all together and we’ll be unstoppable.”

The team’s next match will be on Tuesday, March 9 at Hedingham Country Club.

Owens grew up in the Children of God/Family International cult with his peripatetic and often unstrung mother—who carried Owens across Asia and Europe on mission trips and prostituted herself—before escaping, at the age of sixteen, to the streets of Amarillo, Texas, where he drank and drugged to excess for nine years, and was discovered and adopted by a local millionaire and founder of the Cadillac Ranch who helped to inspire his creativity, all before finally moving to San Francisco where he befriended Chet JR White, with whom Owens would later organize Girls and ultimately record Album.

Unlike many bands, Girls studiously avoids the mistake of taking themselves too seriously. Owens understands that lyrical simplicity is sometimes more substantial in its honesty than is contrived complexity. He does not get so wrapped up in crafting intricate labyrinthine sequences of words—either for the sake of emotional depth and poignancy or for his own obfuscation—but ends up being profound all the same: “Oh, I wish I had a suntan/I wish I had a pizza and a bottle of wine,” sings Owens on “Lust for Life.” He is able to deal with loneliness and longing, while simultaneously mocking them, without sounding maudlin or depressing.

Most of the songs on Album are about girls. Owens is alternately love-struck and reveling in torrents of despair, but he is careful not to drown. The album’s mood ranges from exuberant to melancholy, channeling Roy Orbison and sometimes even Morrissey. Owens has been compared to Kurt Cobain, which is plausible, but only in his public personality and appearance, not in his music. 

What is perhaps most compelling about Album is that it does not aim to be anything else. Too often bands attempt to rehash the work of earlier acts, the most mimicked musical era in recent memory being the 1980s, which was really a horrible decade for popular music—why anyone would consciously aspire to revive those years escapes me. The only unfortunate aspect of all this retreading of the past is that it can work as a deterrent to listeners’ discovering new talent. If audiences were to take more chances on music that’s being created now, and not what was happening thirty years ago, they could possibly prevent the atrocities of the past from becoming the future. Girls are in the present, making music that feels relevant.

“When people connect to it, it makes sense to me,” Owens says of his music in an interview for CityBeat. “That’s what I was hoping for.”

PepsiCo chose to focus on Pepsi and Mountain Dew for the corn-syrup-free variation of their most popular sodas.  The new packaging for Pepsi Throwback uses an exact replica of the 1973-1987 logos, while the Mountain Dew Throwback shows the original hillbilly theme from the 1970s.  The theme is in remembrance of “Willy the Hillbilly,” who decorated the original bottles of the 1960s with sayings like “It’ll tickle your innards!”

The idea for the return of real sugar in Pepsi products began in the late 2000s, when soft drink fans requested the change.   Fans of Classic Pepsi wanted to bring back the sweeter taste, and defended their choice by citing sugar’s now-lower prices. 

Soft drink recipes were changed in the 1970s and 1980s due to the rise in the cost of sugar.  Major soda manufacturers switched to high-fructose corn syrup as a cheap alternative to sugar.  By the mid 1980s, all major soft drink brands, including PepsiCo, had switched to corn syrup.

When asked if the removal of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) was to appease those opposed to the use of HFCS as a sweeter, Pepsi replied that “…there is a lot of misinformation circulating about HFCS, but that truth is that it’s made from corn and contains no artificial or synthetic  ingredients or color additives.  HFCS is essentially the same as table sugar and is metabolized the same.”

PepsiCo stated that sugar is used in the Throwback brand because they “wanted to be true to the time these products represent.  In the ‘60s and ‘70s, sugar was the sweetener used…”

To keep up with the competition, Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, producer of Dr Pepper, started selling “Heritage Dr Pepper,” which is sugar sweetened.  Coca-Cola makes a coke with real sugar around Passover time, so it can be deemed kosher.

Throwback Pepsi and Mountain Dew will only be available until February 22, 2010.

Each speaker had two minutes to address the school board members, and participants were encouraged to talk only about year-round schools, not the highly controversial diversity policy or Del Burns’s resignation.

Three years ago, Leesville Elementary converted to the year-round schedule, much to the dismay of parents who chose Leesville for its traditional schedule.

One parent noted that “Sycamore creek is currently an under-enrolled elementary school” and argued that applicants who chose Leesville for its new schedule could apply there.

Many parents argued against the fundamental idea of year-round schools, noting that, in their words, “neighborhoods have deteriorated” and that families have been torn apart due to conflicting schedules.

On the other side of the aisle, however, strong supporters of year-round schools noted better behavior at Leesville Middle school since its change to year-round. According to one parent’s statistics, the school’s rate of suspensions had dropped an average of 20 per month since the change.

Even parents who faced similar hardships at home disagreed. For example, Ms. Killian, a mother of two special-needs children argued the psychological benefits of year-round schools for autistic students. “After testing, my psychologist told me that my children would be best-served by year-round schools.”

Other special-needs parents argued that their children learned best and functioned best when they had a “predictable, traditional schedule.”

Overall, the proponents of traditional schedules controlled the auditorium’s atmosphere. With custom-made signs promoting “1 Campus, 1 Calendar, 4 Leesville” they rose to applause each time a traditional parent spoke and scowled each time year-round proponents, especially applicants, spoke.

I can make only one clear conclusion after the hearing: Leesville parents, and especially Leesville Middle school parents, are especially divided over this issue. Although their apparent love for the school’s faculty and environment united them, few people left the high school confident that a decision would be made that would make everyone happy.

Since the hearing, board members voted and upheld their campaign promises of a return to traditional schools, at least for four area schools.