Thomas F. Schaller, professor of political science, writes in his latest Baltimore Sun column, “As Washington politicians search for budget solutions, imagine if there were a magical revenue source that operated not unlike a national consumption tax that many conservatives prefer and would mitigate global warming to please liberals, all while helping repair America’s infrastructure and strengthening our national security, to the delight of almost everyone. Actually, such a tax already exists: It’s called the federal gasoline tax, and it’s been stuck at 18.4 cents per gallon for two decades. We’re long overdue to increase it — maybe even double or triple it.”

How does the gas tax work and what is Schaller’s argument for increasing it? Read his commentary to learn more.

Today’s Baltimore Sun suggests the next 90 days will likely be the most important that remain in Martin O’Malley’s tenure as Maryland governor. Reporters Michael Dresser and Erin Cox write, “As the General Assembly opens its 2013 session Wednesday, O’Malley will be looking to cap a record that many people believe he will use as a springboard for a future presidential run.”

Key issues to be debated include the death penalty repeal, assault weapons ban and offshore wind power, all of which have national resonance. Donald F. Norris, professor and chairman of UMBC’s Department of Public Policy, told reporters, “Objectively, if you look at what he’s proposed and what he’s gotten, he’s gotten a lot of what he proposed,” but a few more wins this legislative season give him the strong record he would need to take to Iowa and New Hampshire if he seeks the presidency in 2016. Norris stated, “If he gets the death penalty nullified and wind energy, those kinds of things appeal to the liberal base of the Democratic Party.”

In the Baltimore Business Journal, Norris commented more specifically on a potential increase in the state gas tax this session, noting that the CEOs of major Maryland companies would need to get behind such a bill to move it forward, given previous concerns that lawmakers could redirect money out of the Transportation Trust Fund.

Norris also spoke to the Gazette about the upcoming 2013 session, suggesting bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazine clips are likely to pass even if some conservative Democrats unite with Republicans to oppose them, and that overall, the Republican Party’s limited influence in the state is “not enviable.”

Captain B. Donald Andrasik ’05, psychology, has published a book on his experience eating gluten-free while deployed in Afghanistan with the United States Army.

“I hope to draw attention to our service members who need these accommodations to thrive. Being at war and on a gluten free diet is a distinct hardship, and if you know what you are getting into you understand there’s no easy meal,” he explained in a press release for “Gluten Free in Afghanistan.”

Andrasik started a gluten free diet at 15 years old, after having symptoms related to celiac disease. He currently works as a logistics officer with a unit based in Havre de Grace, Md., in the Maryland National Guard.

Read more about the book here.

Jess Myers, director of the Women’s Center, appeared on the “Marc Steiner Show” on Tuesday, January 8 to discuss rape and the fight for women’s rights, from India to Ohio.  Meyers, along with guests Allison Kilkenny of Citizen Radio and The Nation and Winston Ross of Newsweek and the Daily Beast, discussed a recent case from Steubenville, Ohio, where high school football players and their friends live tweeted the rape of a sixteen-year-old girl.

Myers discussed the conversations that she expects to have with students about the case and the culture surrounding it.

“There’s an interesting dynamic between how we educate, in my experience, students, on issues of misogyny when some people get it and others don’t.  And how try to find that middle ground where we can have conversations and discussions without people feeling like they’re being challenged in ways that they can’t understand their role.  I’m curious to see what conversations we will have around this when the students come back,” she said.

The full segment can be heard here.

Beginning January 9, app screenshots will be locked in iTunes Connect once your app has been approved. New screenshots may be uploaded when you submit a binary for an update to an existing app or a new app. For more information on capturing and using screenshots, read the Xcode User Guide.