DID SHE LIKE IT? >>>

As a fresh-faced co-ed, sometimes you just need action. You can't blame it on puberty now, but why should you? You're a free adult.

That cute brunette from Environmental Studies is standing outside RiekeScience Center. You say, "Hello." You are a language and literature major, and she asks if Dostoevsky is a brand of vodka. But she's close. Right?

Hooking up doesn't require common interests or even the same IQ range. It does require you to be responsible. Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest wants you wake up the next morning smelling like flowers, not stinking of treachery. The organization has built a new website www.WhereDidYouWearIt.com, dedicated to promoting safe sex and normalizing condom use.  

Last week as part of National Condom Week, PPGNW distributed 55,000 condoms to Northwest community colleges and universities, including Green River Community College, Pacific Lutheran University, Pierce College - Puyallup, Tacoma Community College, The Evergreen State College and the University of Washington - Tacoma campus. The condoms include a QR code that directed users to its website that - similar to other geo-location services like Foursquare or Facebook Places - allow someone to "check-in" their safe sex activity. 

You should "check-in" with www.wheredidyouwearit.com after you hook up with Miss Green, but don't be surprised if you are not the Mayor.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

School Tax Measures: Early election returns showed most tax measures passing in seven Pierce County school districts Tuesday. (News Tribune)

Big-Box Restrictions In Tacoma: The new rules call for more public notice and an additional conditional-use permit, among other things. (News Tribune)

Local Community Colleges: The schools have cut staff, frozen salaries for five years, eliminated programs, made other efficiencies - and still were able to serve 19 percent more students since 2008. (News Tribune)

Oh The Economy Is Just Fine: U.S. beer sales climb to nearly $100 billion. (Huffington Post)

Honduras Prison Fire: "Everyone ran for their lives." (CNN)

Oh Crap: Iran says it has for the first time used domestically-made nuclear fuel rods in one of its reactors. (BBC)

Mashup: Niggas in Paris at Midnight. (Kottke)

Groovy: Bill Cosby sings "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." (YouTube)

Wayne's World 20th Anniversary: 25 things you didn't know about Mike Myers' classic comedy. (Moviefone)

Most Expensive Starbucks Drink of the Day: Logan A. Warren of Geek on Call has reportedly set a new world record for most expensive Starbucks drink. Congrats? (The Daily What)

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Today's Lesson: Bryant Montessori doesn't need any more drama. (News Tribune)

Marijuana Legalization: Pot Initiative 502 won't get fast-tracked by the state Legislature before it sees the ballot this fall. (News Tribune)

Pissing Off Catholics: President Obama will announce a plan as early as today to accommodate religious employers opposed to a rule that would require them to cover birth control for women free of charge. (USA Today)

Mortgage Deal: Conservatives say the $26 billion deal to settle charges of mortgage fraud unfairly rewards those who miss payments; liberals say it doesn't offer enough relief. (CNN)

Russia Doesn't Like Spies: An engineer at Russia's Plesetsk space station is jailed for 13 years after being convicted of selling missile test data to the CIA. (BBC)

Geeks On Parade: Comic-Con to open with 136-mile Olympics-style lightsaber relay. (LA Times)

Hey Young People!: Portlandia to get its own book. (Rolling Stone)

The Simpsons at 500: Untold Stories. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Yes Trollhunter Is On The List: The top 50 foreign language films of the last decade. (Den Of Geek)

A Brief Photographic History: Glitter-Bombs. (Time)

Designer Pops: (No idea how to describe this due to poor study habits in our German class.) (Thaeger)

Scary Nature Thing Of The Day

TACOMA 2012 STATE OF THE CITY >>>

Last night at Go Local's second annual Shift Happens event Tacoma Mayor Marilyn Strickland delivered her 2012 State of the City Address. This year's address was less of a pep rally than last year's State of the City Address, and instead was calm, positive and confident.

Last year Mayor Strickland spoke like an entrepreneur trying to sell investors on her product. This year Strickland sounded more like a CEO updating her shareholders on a year of growth while providing positive projections for the future.

Strickland's address began by recapping the highlights of 2011.

"Last year, our theme for the State of the City address was ‘finishing what we started'," the Mayor recalled. "From family recreation to commerce and transportation, we saw the completion of many great projects."

Leading with Cheney Stadium, the opening of IGA's Tacoma City Grocer, and the Wright Park Sprayground, Strickland highlighted eight finished projects that she identified as improving the quality of life throughout Tacoma.

After lauding successful projects Strickland shifted attention to small business culture, highlighting expansions, success stories and reasons for optimism moving forward.

"We saw 2,744 new businesses get licensed in 2011 - 500 more new businesses than in 2010," Strickland pointed out.

Looking forward to the scheduled opening of the LeMay Museum, a McMenamins location, and the completion of Sound Transit's D-to-M Street project, Strickland beamed while describing the looming completions of several major projects in 2012.

Mayor Strickland also highlighted bright spots within Tacoma's public education system and praised local organizations like Tacoma 360, the Foundation for Tacoma Schools and the Mayor's Education Task Force. Strickland also touted the award-winning work being done at Lincoln High School.

"All kinds of positive news continues to pour out of Lincoln High School, where they recently won a Golden Apple Award from KCTS-9 for the Lincoln Center," Strickland reminded the crowd.

Strickland ended her speech by citing author Thomas Friedman. Friedman recently challenged Americans to realize that the era of average must be replaced by an era of above and beyond. Friedman refers to this beyond as a person's, organization's or business' "extra."

"The business world is overflowing with products and services and designs and marketing campaigns that are adequate," explained Strickland. "The real challenge - and the huge opportunity - is to turn something adequate into something amazing."

"It's just not good enough to be pretty good at everything," Strickland continued. "The most successful companies, products and brands have figured out how to become the most of something.

"That is, to find and embrace their ‘extra'."

Strickland concluded her State of the City address with a challenge to everyone in the room.

"From the private sector, to the non-profit world, to the public sector," Strickland said, "we must ask ourselves what is our extra?"

LINK: Tacoma Komo reviewed last night's State of the City Address by Mayor Strickland.

LINK: Exit 133 also reviewed last night's State of the City Address by Mayor Strickland.

LINK: FeedTacoma's fantastic Kevin Freitas posted audio of Mayor Strickland's State of the City address here.

LINK: Before any of this, The News Tribune previewed Mayor Strickland's State of the City address.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Occupy Olympia: Many remain even after judge told them to scat. (News Tribune)

Race To The Top: Washington among nine states winning grants for Obama administration's cornerstone education initiative focusing on K-12 education. (News Tribune)

Burglaries: On the rise in Pierce County, University Pace and Edgewood according to reports. (News Tribune)

Intermission: What 7 billion people looks like. (Good Design)

Wikinews: Wikileak suspect wants recusal. (CNN)

Wha-What?: Will Amazon soon spy on you through tour kindle? (Gizmodo)

Late-Night Comedy Series: Russell Brand has inked a deal with FX to host one. (New York Post)

Cool: Radiohead will play Austin City Limits TV. (Consequence Of Sound)

230 Movies Of 2011 In 5 Minutes

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Tacoma Budget Cut Victims: Interim City Manager Rey Arellano cut two fire stations, four neighborhood engine companies, the gang unit, the school resources officers program, most community liaison cops, building inspectors, municipal court clerks, office assistants, accountants and others. (News Tribune)

State Budget Cut Vicitms: Nearly a third of Washington's year-round state parks staffers are being notified this week that they likely will be laid off. (News Tribune)

What You Might Want After The First Two News Items: Pine Street Landing Restaurant's happy hour is one right now. (Weekly Volcano)

Stadium Tully's Was Busy: Nearly 100 Stadium High School students walked off campus Tuesday to protest state cuts to education. (News Tribune)

Putin On The Fritz: Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet leader, today called for new parliamentary elections over concerns about vote fraud. (CNN)

The End Of Steampunk: Thanks a lot Justin Bieber. (Gawker)

Who Knew?: Austrian-born movie actress Hedy Lamarr invented a device that would eventually lead to the development of GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology. (Techland)

Scott Baio And Pamela Anderson ...: 25 celebrity couples you never knew existed. (Buzz Feed)

Enough Is Enough: Let's get to work.

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

City Of Tacoma Manager Job Update: Five candidates remain. (News Tribune)

Thank A First Responder: Do it today. (News Tribune)

Just In Time For Christmas: Puyallup School District employees have to give back money. (News Tribune)

Global Financial System: The U.S. Federal Reserve, acting with other nations' central banks, to make it cheaper for banks around the world to borrow U.S. dollars. (CNN)

Well, It's Really Laughable Ha, Ha, Ha ...: Morrissey is on a U.S. stamp. (What Would Tyler Durden Do?)

Here They Come: Uncut's to 50 Albums of 2011. (Stereogum)

Pull Up! Pull Up!: Pan Am isn't doing so well. (E)

Fans Should Set Their DVRs To Play: Star Trek documentary airing tomorrow on the Science Channel. (USA Today)

Smart: The lampshade of silence. (Core77)

Stanley!

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

SoDo Tacoma: A half-million-dollar grant has launched the City of Tacoma toward pre-approving up to 30 million square feet of new development in south downtown. (News Tribune)

Score One For Tacoma: Tacoma had more schools named to the Innovative Schools list than any other school district. (News Tribune)

United States Receives A Warning: Pakistan's prime minister vows there will be "no more business as usual" with Washington after NATO aircraft killed two dozen Pakistan troops. (CNN)

Occupy Camps: The stakes will be pulled on Los Angeles. (Los Angeles Times)

Oh, Great: New Star Trek film will be in 3-D. (Deadline)

Interview: Noel Gallagher is on his own. (The New York Times)

Make It Happen Murray!: There could be a Flight of the Conchords movie. (New York Magazine)

Thought Zoot Would Be Higher: Top 25 Muppets (CinemaBlend)

WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TODAY >>>

Let's Look At The Weather: Rain, lots of it, for 40 days and 40 nights. (Wunderground)

Some Of You Can't Reading This Awesomeness: Outages! (News Tribune)

Tacoma School District: There goes the few remaining field trips. (News Tribune)

Nice To Have This Now: Downtown Tacoma rain gardens will filter, not soak. (News Tribune)

Well This Is Just Super: Uncertainty lingers about what the continued fallout will be from the failure of the congressional "super committee" to forge a deficit reduction deal. (CNN)

"Ask About The Measurement Of The Sun": Leonardo da Vinci's To-Do List (NPR)

Is Jay-Z An Illuminati Puppet?: Pop music's strangest conspiracy theories. (Slate)

Anthony Bourdain: Unvarnished opinions, lots of smoking and swearing, and tales of hard living that enhance his travels rather than detracting from them. (AV Club)

Wish It Was On Right Now: Game of Thrones season 2 teaser. (Los Angeles Times)

New Mode: Depeche Mode original members Vince Clarke and Martin L. Gore have announced they will release a series of EPs and a new album under the band name VCMG. (Rolling Stone)

Um: Star Wars theme engagement photos (Geekologie)

Electric Six covers "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch"

STAND UP ... AND WALK OUT >>>

South Puget Spound Community College student Kendall Brookhart and other students will walk out of class Monday, Nov. 28 in protest of the special session and proposed budgets aimed at education. The "Student Walkout" will have several "rally points" that Monday: 10 a.m. at South Puget Sound Community College's Student Union Building and The Evergreen State College's Red Square, and 11 a.m. at Heritage Park in Olympia.

Below is Brookhart's plea for others to join the student walkout.

Myself and several other students are planning a student walkout for Monday, November the 28th.

This is a planned action. This is a conscious decision. This is not a day to stay home and sit on the couch. This is a response to the opening of the Special Session on Capitol Hill, which has proposed severe budgets aimed specifically at our Education.

The proposed cuts would result in larger classes. This is a problem because as the number of students in a class grows, the ability for teachers to cater to and communicate with each individual student lessens. Larger classes also means fewer overall classes; so registration just became that much more difficult.

Fewer programs would be offered under the new budget cuts. Running Start would no longer be free, or even terminated all together. Services for exchange and international students, including those for students just learning English, are vulnerable.

Tuition will rise. These fewer, more crowded classes of lesser quality will cost you more money. Financial aid will suffer. Qualifications for receiving financial aid are going to become stricter, and the amount of people able to receive assistance will diminish.

Teachers' jobs are threatened. They are liable to be laid off en masse around the entire state. These budget cuts will take jobs away from our teachers, creating a circular effect again increasing classes sizes and work loads for those lucky enough to remain employed.

Education for everyone is essential to any democratic society, and lately that belief has been kept at an arms length for most of us. Education has become a privilege for the few, no longer the right of all. This unfortunate, yet designed consequence of our current system is no longer tolerable.  We plan to walk out, in solidarity with the Occupiers all over the world, in a physical demonstration of the strength of the people and our ability, as students, to stand up for our education and ourselves. On the 28th of November we will walk out of our classrooms in order to better defend our classrooms, and our fellow students and teachers whom also depend upon them. JOIN US AS WE WALK OUT to restore the precedent of participation in our own lives.