Streetcars may one day whisk passengers to NOVA’s Alexandria campus, if current plans hold up.

Planners are working on a streetcar line that would run from the Pentagon City Metro station, down Columbia Pike, and end at NOVA.

The Alexandria campus would be a central part of this new system. A control center, rail yard, and repair shop at NOVA could be part of the new line, according to Dr. Jimmie McClellan, the dean of Arts and Humanities at the Alexandria campus and a board member for the Northern Virginia Streetcar Coalition. Classes in streetcar repair and operation could be offered as well.

Students are frequently in a situation between classes where they are hungry but do not have enough time to go to a restaurant off campus. Although the chips and chocolate in the vending machines look tempting, there has to be a better solution.

On the Annandale campus, food options are limited. The main location to buy food is in the school cafeteria. But is choosing to eat there really the best choice?

Tax season is rapidly approaching, and with it the stress of complicated tax laws. However, with free tax preparation workshops at NOVA and special tax credits for students, there are many ways to make the season easier.

There are several tax provisions that are designed to help students. One is the Hope Credit which can provide $2,500 for education expenses; the other is the Lifetime Learning Credit that affords a broad range of tax refunds for educational expenses.

As the US inches closer to being in default many are wondering if the multibillion dollar stimulus worked. That answer seems to depend on which side of the political spectrum one is on. Ask Obama and he’ll say yes, ask the congressional Republican leadership and surely you’ll get a no. However, there are clear facts that sort out the political claims.

First, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, colloquially known as the stimulus, must be evaluated for what it was created for. It was designed to save and create jobs. It was also written to create economic growth and increase accountability and transparency in government spending. Lastly, the stimulus was designed to be a multiyear spending package, designed to reduce the likelihood of a double dip recession.

Northern Virginia Community College students probably won’t see metal detectors installed anytime soon, but college officials are re-assessing security following a December shooting at the Woodbridge campus.

The college recently launched its Presidential Commission on Safety and Security and gave it until April 30 to review the adequacy of emergency resources put in place following the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre—the worst school shooting in the nation’s history.

What’s better than playing video games at home, with all the lights off, just you and 5 million other people all connected by headsets? Playing with friends at school, that’s what. Video games have become more of a social past time than ever.
With such a drastic leap toward social gaming, why are some gamers still insisting on sitting alone in front of their consoles day after day, playing against opponents they don’t even know?

The most important aspect of communication is listening. This was the message a broadcast executive had for several NOVA communications classes. On a Jan. 26 visit to the Alexandria campus, Brian Lamb, founder and CEO of C-SPAN, shared his insights with students.

Lamb started the day visiting Professor Lucy Holsonbake’s communication class. He was greeted with the sounds of country music playing – a surprising contrast considering the rainbow of students present. The class had been thoroughly prepared for Lamb’s visit, remembering that he liked country music from a biography they had read on him.

It was twistedly romantic. It was spontaneous. It was magical. It was our first date, Valentine’s Day. It was a fateful decision.

We met at his condo in downtown Baltimore as to take one car. The limo was a nice touch, I will admit, though a little superfluous for a first date. None the less I felt flattered he would go to such a length. I don’t remember much about the conversation on the way to dinner but I do remember being smitten with his complicated cantations, higher education, and the fact that he was studying medical law. My first eyebrow raise being postponed until he mentioned how loaded his parents were, one of many times. I wrote his sticky conversation skills up to being nervous and brushed away the awkwardness. After all he was tall, handsome, fit and educated. A wonder to be single. Curious.

The 2010 version of the Washington Auto Show – its 68th – was entitled “Change Happens Here” and ran from Jan. 27 to 31 at the D.C. Convention Center. Its title was an apt description of the show, with the current emphasis of the federal government on energy and environmentalism and its large ownership of General Motors.
As has been the trend the last few years, the show emphasized the green aspects of new vehicles and built on last year’s show, which was entitled “Driven by the Environment.” Another year of research and development of green vehicles has led to the predicted introduction of a number of them in 2010.

A Centreville-based band is set to hit the airwaves and the local music clubs this spring. Their music, a fusion of piano and violin instrumentals set to an electronica backdrop, challenges its audience to redefine rock music.

The Black Cat is filled with admiring fans, and the two-member ensemble with a flair for the theatrics captured their hearts and pulled in their attention to the musical spectacle. Alex Gioeli, 19, has always dreamed for this scene to come to fruition. Turn a pedestrian gaze at Gioeli and see nothing out of the seemingly mundane college sophomore. Open an inquiring eye and see a passionate and ambitious musician looking to make it big one day.