Recently, I was confronted with the startling fact that there are people in this country, even among the educated at this school, who still deny that there is any tie between Western fossil fuel interests and the Iraq War.

Prior to and immediately following President Obama's election, many Americans found themselves wondering if the new president could deliver on the cornucopia of promises he made over the course of his campaign.

I'm not sure if you readers know this, but I'm an incredibly popular guy. Seriously, I'm quite the mover and shaker - or so Facebook would have me believe.

The invention of the cell phone has undoubtedly been one of the most influential developments of the last two decades, second only to Al Gore's Internet and Magic Sand, the sand that always stays dry!

Tuesday night, as I stood listening to president elect Barack Obama's acceptance speech, cheeks aching from a smile that wouldn't fade and chills running up my spine, I felt a sensation that for nearly eight years has been foreign to me: pride to be an American.

On the way to Maine over fall break, I found something that altered my opinion of the American consumer forever and for the worse. No, I'm not referring to iPod vending machines (which actually exist and certainly represent a nail in our gilded, opulent coffin).

It was Sunday night, and a perfect storm was brewing. The clouds raced across the night sky like they were late for an appointment, illuminated by the full harvest moon like a vaporous scrim; the wind buffeted the campus and the scattered students frolicking in it, and finally knocked out the power, plunging the entire town into the moonlit murk.

I am one of the most gullible people I know. I am routinely the butt of pranks from family and friends, like the time my stepbrother convinced me of the existence of black Gatorade, or the time a girlfriend of mine convinced me she had brain cancer for over a year.

The sky is falling, the sky is falling! Or at least that's what the Pentagon would have had us believe in early February when it announced that a disabled U.S. spy satellite could crash land somewhere in North America sometime in March.

Standing in line during a recent visit to Books n' Bytes (an activity that regularly affords me the time to get most of my thinking done), I noticed something disconcerting.

Last week, The Lamron's front-page story addressed the rising price of beer and food, and alluded to some potential causes for the trend: notably the effect of weather on hops and barley crops, the declining American dollar and the increased price of glass and aluminum.

In the past few years, the nation has made great strides in its understanding and awareness of environmental issues. It seems even the staunchest of naysayers have defected to the tree-huggers' camp.

In its thirteen days in release, American Gangster has dominated the box office, bringing in over $85 million - an impressive figure - that is until you consider Activision's $115 million in first week sales of Guitar Hero III, and Bungie's $170 million in first day sales of Halo 3.

In the wake of author J.K. Rowling's appearance at Carnegie Hall last Friday, Harry Potter fans are left reeling from the shot heard 'round the literary world.

By now, the entire student body is aware of the assault that took place early this past Sunday morning, thanks to two e-mails sent out by Dr. Bonfiglio, vice president for student and campus life.

Given all the recent controversy over the fate of our planet, and that the obvious source of the issue is mankind's increased reliance on the burning of fossil fuels, it's time that we examine possible alternative energy sources.

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a column about the undeniable presence of climate change and the detrimental effects we can expect from it, should it continue unabated. The whole thing comes across as really pretty grim, and while it paints an accurate picture of the scientific truths of global warming, it doesn't tell the whole story.