News In Brief

WHO DREAMED THIS ONE UP?

The new flick, "Blow," may yet win some industry awards, but it's questionable whether one of the strategies used to hype it will. The film is about a pioneer in smuggling cocaine to the US, although New Line Cinema, its distributor, stresses that use of the drug is not glorified. According to the Orange County (Calif.) Register, however, the studio refuses to discuss the promotion: a mirror in a sleeve stamped with the "Blow" logo that's being handed out at sporting events, in bars, and elsewhere. Mirrors, angry critics complain, often are used as surfaces from which cocaine is snorted.

Interest in tax cuts varies by income group, survey finds

Six in 10 Americans have said in an Associated Press survey they think their taxes are too high, and 48 percent support President Bush's tax-cut plan. But 32 percent of respondents oppose it outright, 20 percent remain unsure, and the April 4-8 poll of 1,014 adults split evenly on whether cuts should be across the board or targeted at low- to middle-income earners. Opinions on across-the-board cuts, by income bracket, from the survey:

Under $25,000

Favor: 37%

Oppose: 40%

$25,000 to $49,900

Favor: 46%

Oppose: 34%

$50,000 to $74,900

Favor: 62%

Oppose: 23%

$75,000 and over

Favor: 55%

Oppose: 27%

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Monitor