Tax-Hating South Totally Cool With Taxing Your Beer

Forget what you’ve heard about the low-tax South. Southerners actually pay some of the highest taxes in the nation when it comes to the important things in life, like beer.

An array of federal, state and local taxes can end up costing you more than 44 cents on top of every dollar you spend on beer in states like South Carolina, Texas and Virginia, according to data from the Beer Institute, a trade association.

Probably not coincidentally, taxes are lowest in states where people drank the most beer, such as Nebraska and the Dakotas.

Hefty excise taxes on beer in some states doesn’t necessarily equate to high “sin taxes” on all indulgences. Other states with heavy levies on beer, including Alabama, Georgia and Missouri, had some of the lowest taxes on cigarettes.

The Beer Institute is currently lobbying Congress to pass a bill dubbed the Brewers Excise and Economic Relief Act, or BEER Act for short, in hopes to cutting off future rounds of tax hikes.

But in the meantime, see how much your state is skimming off of your pint.

MLB Trade Deadline: Live Updates On The Latest Deals And Rumors

It’s that time of the baseball season again, when general managers throughout the league frantically try to make moves that either improve their teams’ postseason chances or make their future look brighter. That’s right.

The MLB non-waiver trade deadline is here.

Sometimes GMs sit on their hands and wait until the last minute to make a deal. Sometimes GMs won’t pull the trigger on a trade at all. No matter what, there are always rumors swirling around the Internet. With five of the six divisions separated by three games or less, the race to the 4 p.m. ET deadline on Thursday could get intense. Scroll down to keep up with the latest rumors, reports and news about any trades.

Runtastic Orbit Hands-On: A Fitness Tracker With a Few New Tricks

Runtastic Orbit Hands-On: A Fitness Tracker With a Few New Tricks

Since it seems like every company and its mother-company has a fitness tracker these days, it’s refreshing when we see one that actually brings something unique to the table. Runtastic (the company behind my current favorite running app) has a new tracker called the Orbit. It’s different!

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New Oculus Rift Teardown: This Thing Pushes Its Guts to the Max

New Oculus Rift Teardown: This Thing Pushes Its Guts to the Max

The new Oculus Rift, codenamed Crystal Cove, may only be for developers—but it is oh-my-god good . Now, iFixit had ripped it apart so we can see what powers it.

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Tons of Transcend Storage is On Sale Today, Including MacBook Upgrades

Tons of Transcend Storage is On Sale Today, Including MacBook Upgrades

Amazon’s back with another solid Gold Box full of Transcend flash storage, but this one has a twist: Huge discounts on Transcend’s relatively new JetDrive storage upgrade products for MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros.

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Runtastic's Orbit band is a fitness tracker that doubles as a running watch

If you’ve heard of Runtastic, it probably means you’re something of a jock: The company got its start building running apps for tracking your distance, pace, et cetera. For the past two years, though, it’s been making all sorts of gear to go with it,…

LG's first big 4K OLED TV may have a non-ridiculous price tag

If you’re set on an OLED Ultra HDTV instead of LCD, you can now put a price and date on your idealism: LG’s 65-inch 65EC9700 4K model will reportedly ship in September with a sticker price of $8,999. Apart from those deep OLED blacks, the model also…

Distiller builds a social network for whiskey lovers

If you’re a whiskey drinker, finding the perfect bottle can be a daunting quest; just because something is well-rated doesn’t mean that it suits your tastes. You’re about to get some help from your friends, though, as Distiller has turned its…

Runtastic Orbit runs rings around the wearable competition [UPDATE]

runtastic-orbit-coverRuntastic, makers of some fine fitness accessories and mobile apps, is taking another stab at the growing wearable market. With Runtastic Orbit, the company is offering a 24-hour tracking device and fitness monitor that is designed to cater to anyone and everyone, whether you are a dedicated fitness buff or simply a health-conscious individual. The fitness band market is already … Continue reading

Satechi Spectrum Mouse delivers functionality without breaking the bank

satechi-spectrumNot all mice are created equal, and by this, I do mean the computer accessory instead of our rodent friends that have brought about plagues in the past, and continue to remain a very real pest in the lives of millions of people around the world, be it in a city or out there in the villages. Those who love to game would definitely have one particular brand of gaming mouse that they would more often than not stick to and follow throughout their gaming career, while those who are at the office most of the time will use whatever is available. Some folks even bring their own mouse to the office simply because they are used to it, and if you would like to add a dash of flair to your office mousing experience, then you might want to check out the Satechi Spectrum Mouse.

The Satechi Spectrum Mouse comes across as a compact, lightweight wired optical mouse that is capable of switching between seven LED lights so that it can brighten up any work space. This shiny, chrome mouse will boast of an ultra-smooth exterior and ergonomic design that paves the way for a comfortable navigating experience. Of course, this is nowhere near the uniqueness of the Penclic mouse, but it does serve its purpose in style.

Whenever you turn on the plug and play Spectrum Mouse, it will cycle between seven bright LED lights – blue, yellow, violet, turquoise, white, red and green. Of course, if you are not so visually adventurous, there is always the option to just select a single color by switching to the “Lock” position when you chance upon the desired color.

It will play nice with Mac and Windows platforms, and has a highly responsive rate of 1000 dpi. Expect it to be easy on your pockets too with a price tag of $24.99.

Press Release
[ Satechi Spectrum Mouse delivers functionality without breaking the bank copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]