Baby drowned while mother out buying cigarettes, wings

A 9-month-old Colorado Springs boy died of scalding and drowning Tuesday after his mother left him alone in a bathtub with his 2-year-old brother while she went to buy cigarettes and chicken wings, police said in an arrest affidavit.

The dead boy was identified as Erich Tyler Jr., the infant son of a Fort Carson soldier serving in Afghanistan.

Erich's brother was uninjured.

According to the affidavit, 23-year-old Estella Toleafoa told police she had run out of milk for the children's dinner and planned to buy some at a nearby convenience store.

The affidavit related the following account of what led up to Erich's death:

Before leaving, Toleafoa put Erich and his brother in the bathtub, ran the water until it was about an inch deep in the tub and left both boys naked in the tub.

No one was watching her sons when she left the apartment, locking the door behind her. Instead of going to buy milk, Toleafoa went across the street to a liquor store, where she buy camel cigarettes, then walked to a restaurant to get chicken wings.

She estimated she was gone about 10 minutes and went straight to the bathroom when she returned. The hot water was running and the bathtub was half full. The older boy was standing outside the tub and Erich was floating face down in the water.

Toleafoa said she called 911 within a minute of finding Erich floating in the water. She carried him to a couch and then placed him on the floor while she tried to revive him.

Erich was unresponsive when officers responded at 4:45 p.m. Tuesday to the family's apartment on South Chelton Road.

Efforts to resuscitate the boy were unsuccessful.

In the affidavit, detectives described finding scalding burns on Erich and residue of his skin in the tub and on a wash cloth.

An autopsy showed that Erich suffered severe burns from bath water on most of his body, and died of a combination of scalding and drowning.

Toleafoa was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of felony child abuse.

She is being held in El Paso County jail on a $150,000 bond, jail records show.

According to police spokesman Sgt. Steve Noblitt, the child’s father is on his way back to Colorado Springs. Police postponed their announcement of the death until he could be notified, Noblitt said.

The second boy was placed in foster care, police said

Largest Gathering of E-Cigarette Consumers to Convene in Philadelphia

March 25th and 26th, e-cigarette users from all over the world who quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes will meet at "Philly Vapefest".

On Friday and Saturday, March 25th and 26th, people who quit smoking with the help of e-cigarettes will meet at "Philly Vapefest" at the Embassy Suites Philadelphia Airport in Pennsylvania. e-cigarette users, who refer to themselves as "vapers," are coming from all over the world to attend.

Hosting the event is the National Vapers Club, a consumer-based, volunteer organization that has local chapters throughout the country. The group was formed to educate smokers, the public, legislators, and public health organizations about e-cigarettes.

"The response to 'Philly Vapefest' has been overwhelming," said Spike Babaian, of National Vapers Club. "Vapers believe, as do many health experts, that e-cigarettes are saving their lives and they want to come together to celebrate that. With the number of vapers growing exponentially, I believe the event will be a great success"

Bill Godshall of Smokefree Pennsylvania said, "You would never see a bunch of people who quit smoking using a nicotine patch getting together to express their enthusiasm and excitement about the patch. People are amazed at how easy this device makes it to transition from smoking to vaping."

Philly Vapefest is sponsored by more than a dozen e-cigarette vendors who will demonstrate and sell products at the event. There will be prizes throughout the day.
Mike Mullins of DigitalCiggz, an e-cigarette vendor in California, said, "I'm really excited to be able to attend this event. I look forward to mingling with our customers, who feel our products have made a tremendous difference in their lives."

Public health professionals will speak about e-cigarettes at Vapefest.

Carl V Phillips MPP PhD, Director of TobaccoHarmReduction.org, says, "I think there's absolutely no doubt that it is a safer alternative to regular cigarettes … Our estimate is that it is probably in the order of 99 percent less harmful than smoking."

"Electronic cigarettes show tremendous promise in the fight against tobacco-related morbidity and mortality," said Dr. Michael Seigel of Boston University's School of Public Health.

Philly Vapefest is the third national gathering of e-cigarette users in the United States and occurs twice annually. Details can be found at www.Vapefest.com. Proceeds from the event are used to further e-cigarette research and activism.

Are higher tobacco taxes the best way to kick the habit?

Startling statistics, tragic personal stories and free support don’t always put out cigarettes, but squeezing smokers’ wallets will.
Raising taxes on tobacco products is the single most effective way to reduce the number of smokers, said Leah Ranney, the associate director for tobacco prevention at UNC Family Medicine Center.

“Money talks,” Ranney said. It discourages young people from starting and reduces the number of cigarettes people use, making it easier to quit, she said.
For every 10 percent increase in the price of cigarette packs, 4 percent of smokers quit, said Joyce Swetlick, director of cessation for North Carolina’s Tobacco Control Network.

In 2007, the federal excise tax increased from 39 cents to $1.01 per pack, a tax hike of more than 150 percent, said Mike Placona, the evaluation expert for the state’s Tobacco Control Network. The state tax rate in effect in 2010 was 45 cents per pack, the sixth lowest in the nation, according to the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.
UNC junior Sarah Hussey frequents the flagpole in Polk Place since it’s one of the only places on campus where smoking is permitted. In 2008, UNC implemented a policy that bans smoking within 100 feet of university buildings.

Hussey said she picked up the habit when she started college. But North Carolina cigarette prices make it expensive.
“When you add it all up, it’s ridiculous,” Hussey said.
While raising taxes is the best single way to reduce smoking, the most effective way to get people to quit is combining efforts, Placona said.
“It’s not just a matter of economics,” Placona said. “It’s a matter of a norm that makes the tax more acceptable to people.”

If people don’t understand the dangers of a habit like smoking, the cigarette tax seems inappropriate, and people will find ways to get contraband tobacco products. In 2010, the state’s restaurant and bar smoking ban, combined with increased media campaigning and local school and park bans, helped people view cigarette taxes as worthwhile, Placona said.

Core-Mark Holding’s profit drops to $18M in 2010 Read more: Core-Mark Holding’s profit drops to $18M in 2010 | San Francisco Business Times

Cigarette, food and candy distributor Core-Mark Holding Co. earned $900,000 in the fourth quarter ended December, down from a profit of $8.5 million in the same quarter a year earlier.
Sales rose to $1.86 billion in the quarter, up from sales of $1.65 billion in the fourth quarter of 2009.

For the year ended December, Core-Mark (NASDAQ: CORE) earned $17.7 million on sales of $7.3 billion. In 2009, the company earned $47.3 million on sales of $6.5 billion.
A $19.1 million reduction in cigarette holding gains ate into 2010 profits, as did price increases from manufacturers of the products Core-Mark distributes and other competitive pressures.
Fuel costs, to which a distributor is particularly sensitive, rose $4.6 million in 2010, though Core-Mark was able to offset them partly through improved health care and workers’ compensation costs.
Core-Mark uses 24 warehouses around the United States and Canada to distribute cigarettes, other tobacco products, food, candy and non-alcoholic drinks to convenience stores and other small shops. Cigarettes account for more than two-thirds of its sales.
It’s a fierce market, with over 300 wholesale distributors fighting for business. Core-Mark counts McLane Co., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A, BRK-B), as its largest competitor.

Cuba Introduces New Technologies in Tobacco Plantations

Havana, Cuba, Mar 16.- The introduction of new technologies such as the double-row planting method will allow Cuban farmers to increase efficiency in the cultivation of what many people regard as the best tobacco of the world.

Oscar Basulto, director of the business group TABACUBA, told ACN that this technique is being successfully implemented in the westernmost province of Pinar del Rio as it allows to make the most of the cultivable land.

The method also reduces the appearance of weeds and it favors the works of irrigation, fumigation and harvesting. At the same time, it contributes to the saving of oil.

According to data provided by specialists in the sector, with this technique, yields increase between 25 and 30 percent as the number of plants per hectare also increases.

Hector Luis, a tobacco grower of the municipality of San Luis in Pinar del Rio selected as Habano Man 2008, said the method also contributes to the reduction of materials used such as fabric and wire.

According to reports from the Ministry of Agriculture, exports and sales of Cuban tobacco in 2010 reached 95% of the plan due to difficulties with the arrival of imports, an aggressive international anti-tobacco campaign, and the current international financial crisis