Results tagged “tobacco”

A $1.50 tax increase to packs of cigarettes sold in California was approved today by the state's Senate Health Committee. Yesterday, a legislative budget committee approved the increase, among various other deficit related moves, all supported by Democrats, which Schwarzenegger promises to veto. It's estimate that it would provide $1.2 billion in new revenues. "A statewide poll by David Binder Research in the wake of the May 19th Special Election demonstrates that a strong majority of voters, 74%, support increasing taxes on tobacco," said a release from the bills sponsor, Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima). "Sixty-two percent of those who voted no on the Prop 1A budget measure support." 1998 was the last time packs of cigarettes were increased--back upping it by fifty-cents to the current $0.87 tax. 31 other states have a higher tobacco tax.

December is list-making season. And for us music journalists, it is a time to look back on scores of albums, reflect upon the music and recapitulate our favorites. But this year, just like the last, we took this opportunity to flip that tradition upside down, asking the artists that influenced us what influenced them. The prompt was not limited to albums that came out in 2008.

                   

Annual music marathons like SXSW in Austin and CMJ in New York have long served as industry-only gatherings. But now, like never before, they have become regarded as a necessity for those enthusiasts on the cusp of music. They've evolved into a breeding ground for next year's latest and greatest—a musical pageantry of epic proportions.