Two Examiner.com articles on taxes and science

In the middle of my heaviest grading period, Examiner.com is insisting I publish articles or else I lose my positions there. So, in the interest of maintaining a paying platform (and self-promotion, don't forget that), here are links to and excerpts from my two latest articles. The first is from the Washtenaw County Elections 2010 Examiner. It fits perfectly well with my take on how the interplay between austerity and sustainability is shaping politics, especially when it comes to maintaining infrastructure and city services while meeting financial obligations.

Income tax and millage on May 8th ballot in Ypsilanti

On May 8th, voters in the City of Ypsilanti will be asked to approve a city income tax and a millage proposal to retire a debt. Both issues were placed on the ballot by the city council this past February. Both have also attracted their share of controversy, with the city and outside groups, both pro and con, weighing in.

The proposed city income tax looks straight forward. It will impose an annual rate of tax on corporations and resident individuals of 1%, and on non-resident individuals of 0.5%. If approved, it will take effect on January 1, 2013.

The millage proposal seems more complicated.
...
In reality, both proposals are linked, making matters more complex than they seem.

Next, an article for the Detoit Science News Examiner that is more tenuously linked to sustainability. I can at least make the case that one of the root causes of our inability to solve problems is a lack of understanding and interest in science. Therefore, anything that increases scientific awareness is likely to be a good thing.

ESPN Sport Science nominated for two Emmy Awards

ESPN Sport Science will be taking Biomedical Engineering professor Cynthia Bir of Wayne State University to New York City once again. The popular show explaining the science of sports has once again been nominated in the Sports Emmy Awards for Outstanding Graphic Design and Outstanding New Approaches. Bir and her colleagues will find out if they have won at the 33rd annual Sports Emmys on April 30, 2012, when the winners will be announced at Lincoln Center.

Contending with ESPN Sport Science for Outstanding Graphic Desighn are the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup on ESPN and ESPN2, ESPN Monday Night Football, NBA All-Star Weekend on TNT, and NBC Sunday Night Football. The show's competitors for Outstanding New Approaches in Sports Programming are A Game of Honor on CBSSports.com, Football Freakonomics on NFL Network/NFL.com, Sunday Night Football Extra on NBCSports.com, and The NFL Season: A Biography on NFL Network/NFL.com.

The series uncovers sports' biggest myths and mysteries by using cutting-edge technology to measure momentum, forces, and acceleration of top athletes. Bir, who is the show's lead scientist, helps viewers understand the internal and external forces sustained and generated by the body during high-level athletic activities.

Surf over to both articles. While this blog isn't monetized, Examiner.com is.

Next up, an article for the Detroit Coffee Party Examiner. That one might take some doing.

Tonight's song is the Eastern Michigan University fight song. It gets pride of place over Wayne State's because EMU employees are a prime target of the Ypsilanti city income tax and because the uploads of Wayne State's fight song are lame. Take my word for it.