Educators try all types of programs to increase student grades, some legal, some less so, but DC is trying a new idea. 28 Middle schools in DC will award up to $100 Dollars a month for attendance, good behavior, and doing assigned homework.

Recently, I came across an interesting article, which informed me of an alternative payment scheme for refuse removal. Normally, a taxpayer pays a flat yearly fee for most or all of their trash removal, there is no restriction on volume of garbage produced. An alternative idea already put into practice is a monthly fee of around $20/month plus a $2 sticker, for a 30-gallon trashcan. There are escalating fees and additional sticker costs for generating more refuse. Hopefully the economic incentive on homeowners would create a greater recycling effort.

There's a time for every student, you're taking a class that you'll never think about again, you're lucky enough to have a laptop in class, so you do what every self-respecting student does, check their facebook and emails. That's fine for some, but what do you do after that? Here's a couple links in order of recommendation (Oh yea, all of these links are to free sites):

P.S. Don't forget to mute!

Http://www.crazymonkeygames.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Pausch

The idea of a last lecture is a great one. Confronted with your own mortality, you give your last lecture EVER! In this fast paced world, short term priorities are given precedence over long term ones, the last lecture helps us to realize the scope and depth that our lives reach, especially in an age of shallow entertainment and instant gratification.

Gibson has come out with this interesting axe. Located Here
Simply by turning a dial and strumming, the guitar can tune itself with 6 different presets(or you can tune manually). The guitar can reapply tension to strings that need to be replaced. If you own this guitar, the only thing you'd really need to learn is how to play.

When the apocalypse rolls around, I'm not going to be caught with my pants down, I have a plan.
I'm a little short with details, but in order:

1:Get weapons[preferably long range] and body armor
2:Get truck[midsized or larger], hoard gasoline
3:Get provisions from local grocery
4:Head to midwest
5:Get supplies to set up razor fences and detection devices, also get or already have seeds for various crops
6:Set up largest possible perimeter
7: dig passive defenses on inside of razor fence[tiger pits, moats, booby traps]

One thing I'm big on is knowing about the things I interact with. I need to know how a combustion engine works, so if I needed to I could repair one. Granted I might not be as fast as a qualified mechanic, but I could jimmy something if I had to. I know some electricity basics, so I could repair a speaker if I had to, or make a radio from scrap.

The medical care that an individual can receive in America is amazing. I've got a scar on my lip that you can't tell is there unless I'm clean shaven. I'm sure all you out there have similar stories. Americans have access to opticians, dentists, surgeons, doctors, psychological counseling. That is, if you have Health Insurance. Health insurance as we know it, started with Kaiser Permanente, a for-profit group which offers not-for-profit health insurance. I don't understand how this can be the case, seems like a small conflict of interest.

I was always fascinated by the little details. For example, did you know that restaurants paint the area of the wall near tables a darker color. This is because people rub the wall with their elbows, wearing the paint, if the wall was painted a lighter color, it would need to be repaired or repainted sooner than a wall of a darker shade, because scuffs are less noticeable in the darker paints.
The fact that bottled beverages or fountain drink cups are designed so that they fit in a car cup holder.

So this list is not a definitely what I'll play during my spot, but I like these artist\Albums\Songs. Let me know what you want or not to hear.

Led Zepplin
Sublime
Ratatat
Blink-182
The Beatles
the Rolling Stones
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Rage Against The Machine
Regina Spektor
Aesop Rock
Atmosphere
The Parlor Mob

I have about 20,000 songs and growing in my collection, so I probably have what you'd like, drop a line.
Till Next Time
-Aaron Siegel

Think about it. Cell phones have been around since 1978, but weren't a requirement until the last 15 years, same with the internet, AOL with all those free CDs has only existed since the mid 1980s. Now we have youtube, and webcams. Hybrid cars and Airbags nearly always a requirement. The first "war" with a foreign nation since the gulf, 9/11, and terrorism. Fully computer animated movies. The Original Power rangers, saturday morning cartoons with tom and jerry, huckleberry hound, space ghost, quickdraw mcgraw, rocky and bullwinkle. The style of things has changed.

The Wire is a series by HBO about the drug trade in baltimore.
Season one deals begins with a witness killing, and details drug trafficking in Baltimore, and the wiretap and investigation by Baltimore police.
Season two begins with 14 dead bodies found being smuggled into the Harbor, and how the dockworkers are involved.
Season three covers what happens when police corral drug dealers to sectors and allow deals to take place unhindered, and the consequences of the police actions.
There are at least two more seasons, if you're a fan of Law and Order or CSI you should check this out.

Everyone's heard to turn off the lights if you're not using a room, or turn of the water if you're brushing your teeth, but we can do more in this high tech day and age.

When I went to St. Mary's for the first time, I wasn't exactly sure what I would need, now after two years, I have a pretty decent list. In no particular order(with comments)

A good mattress pad(school bunks suck, and you want to sleep well for your exam tomorrow, Right?)
Air Conditioning unit\Good Fan\Heater if possible (weather changes and being on the Bay makes for hot or cold nights, keep your room a comfortable temperature)
Warm Sheets(see above)
Desk lamp\bed lamp(let's you work and your roommate sleep, plus it isn't a florescent bulb.

So, I'm reading this book, and it mentions this group in the 60s. I can't remember their name, but I'll post when I find it. Anyway, these guys had a brilliant idea. Take the important things you thing about. Food, shelter, water, jobs, etc. and put free before it. Free Education, free police and fire safety, free mail delivery. I think that if we took this concept and applied it in our lives we can make the world a better place for all of us.