All About Ivory and How Its Use Endangers Elephants

Ivory is the natural raw material that makes up mammal tusks and teeth. Traditionally, the term only refers to elephant tusks, but the chemical structure of teeth and tusks of mammals such as hippos, warthogs, and whales is identical to that of elephants, and so ivory can refer to any mammals tooth or tusk that is large enough to be sculpted or scrimshawed.  Ã‚   Key Takeaways Ivory is a natural substance formed in the teeth and tusks of mammals.It has been carved and used as decorative objects for 40,000 years or more.Modern trade in ivory has pushed the cost up over $1,000 per kilogram.Ivory demand has devastated elephant populations around the world. Elephant and ivory tusk comes from the two modified incisors of living and extinct members of the Proboscidea family: Asian and African elephants and extinct mammoth from Alaska and Siberia (where preservation is possible). Other mammals with large enough teeth to be carvable include marine mammals like narwhals, walruses, and sperm and killer whales, as well as their evolutionary relatives, warthogs and hippopotami.   Elephant Ivory Close up of African savanna elephant ((Loxodonta africana) tusks. Martin Harvey / Gallo Images / Getty Images Elephant tusks are extremely large teeth which project out beyond the lips. Tusks are made up of a root and the tusk itself, and they have the same physical structures that teeth do: pulp cavity, dentine, cementum, and enamel. Elephant enamel wears off when the elephant is still quite young, and the main component of tusks (about 95 percent) is dentine, a mineralized connective tissue.   The elephant uses the tusks for defense and offense, for digging access to waterholes, lifting objects, gathering food, stripping bark, and protecting their trunks. Elephant tusks can grow up to 12 feet (3.5 meters) in length. Baby elephants have a deciduous precursor that they lose before the permanent tooth grows in. The size and shape of a tusk are related to the animals diet, and, barring trauma, tusks grow throughout the animals life. Like human teeth, the tusk carries a stable isotope record of the animals birthplace, diet, growth, behavior, and life history.   What is Ivory Used For? Lion sculpture in the world-famous Vogelherd-cave near Heidenheim; location: Vogelherdhà ¶hle near Stetten, Heidenheim, Germany; age: ca 33.000 years; era: Paleolithic; material: mammoth ivory; size: 9,2 cm;. Walter Geiersperger / Getty Images Mammoth ivory is among the oldest material used for making decorative objects and tools, with its first use documented 40,000 years ago during the European Upper Paleolithic. It is highly prized because it warms to the touch, varies in color from white to yellow, is easily carved and etched, and has an odd visual effect known as Schreger lines or angles, a unique pattern of cross-hatching that is in reality rows of microscopic tubes.   Tooth and tusk ivories have been carved into a nearly infinite number of shapes and objects: small statuary and button-like netsukes, flatware handles and furniture inlay, piano keys, combs, gaming pieces, and plaques. When a tusk is carved but still retains its overall form, thats called a scrimshaw, which was a traditional pastime of sailors on long-term voyages.   The Price of Ivory In 2014, the wholesale price for ivory was $2,100 per kilogram, but by 2017 it had fallen to $730, largely because of a new Chinese ban. The other cost of ivory is in elephants. Over the past decades, thousands of elephants have been ruthlessly slaughtered, to the point that both Asian and African elephants are listed on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Estimates for the elephant population in the world at the end of the 19th century were in the millions. According to the last Great Elephant Census taken in 2015, there were 352,271 African savanna elephants living in 18 different countries, down 30 percent since 2007. Those numbers account for about 93 percent of all the savanna elephants in the world. The current rate of elephant population decline is 8 percent per year or about ∠¼40,000 elephants. The tusks from a single elephant could be worth more than US $100,000.   Cost of Poaching Park Rangers at Mikumi National Park in Tanzania stand beside a bull elephant killed by poachers. Tom Stoddart / Getty Images The reason the price per kilogram of ivory dropped so steeply is in part because China ended its legal trade in ivory on December 31, 2017. Before the ban, the country had many state-licensed ivory carving factories and retail shops: evidence indicates that legal trade has ceased. However, illicit trade continues, and specific country-sanctioned legal trade continues in other places. In the fall of 2018, evidence of continued poaching of elephants was found in several parts of Africa.   Elephant poaching is conducted by helicopters, military grade weaponry, and poisoned pumpkins; dozens of wildlife rangers have been killed trying to protect the animals. Tusks are gathered from the killed elephants and exported illegally by African gangs and corrupt officials.   What Can You Do to Help? Many organizations including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services hold regular crushes, where confiscated ivory objects are destroyed to remove them from the market. Ivory Crush in Rome, Italy 2015. Stefano Montesi/Corbis via Getty Images The first thing you can do is not buy ivory. Although antique ivory (older than 1947) is legal to purchase, buying it still increases the market for fake antiques made on the tusks of newly killed animals, so at the least, make sure what youre buying is indeed antique. Better not to buy it at all.   There are several good charities, like the World Wildlife Foundation, Save the Elephants (African Wildlife Foundation), and the Elephant Sanctuary, which are effectively moving to protect elephants and pushing states to ban and criminalize ivory manufacture and trade. You could join them and donate money or volunteer labor, you could campaign and lobby for the elephants, you could help raise funds and sponsor the care of the animals.   The British newspaper The Guardian has an extensive list of ways you can get involved, called What can I do to help elephants? Sources Espinoza, Edgard O., and Mary-Jacque Mann. Identification Guide for Ivory and Ivory Substitutes. Washington, DC: World Wildlife Fund, 1992. Print. Online version at FWS.Fisher, Daniel C. Paleobiology of Pleistocene Proboscideans. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences 46.1 (2018): 229-60. Print.Gettleman, Jeffrey. Elephants Get a Reprieve as Price of Ivory Falls. The New York Times March 29, 2017. Print.Roca, Alfred L., et al. Elephant Natural History: A Genomic Perspective. Annual Review of Animal Biosciences 3.1 (2015): 139-67. Print.Vigne, Lucy, and Esmond Martin. Decline in the Legal Ivory Trade in China in Anticipation of a Ban. Nairobi, Kenya: Save the Elephants, 2017. Print.What Can I Do to Help Elephants? The Guardian. February 13, 2017. Web.What Is the Impact of Chinas Ivory Ban? World Wildlife Foundation 2018. Web.Wittemyer, George, et al. Illegal Killing for Ivory Drives Global Decline in African Elephants. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 111.36 (201 4): 13117-21. Print.

The Legal Killer Of Tobacco - 1988 Words

The legal Killer Tobacco use is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, killing more Americans than HIV, drug and alcohol abuse, suicides, murders and car accidents combined. There are numerous campaigns such as D.A.R.E. and â€Å"Swipe Left† to help persuade us out of using tobacco products. Sayings like â€Å"Not even once† have even become clichà ©. However, studies have shown that one cigarette is all it takes to get addicted. Despite popular belief, smokeless tobacco is addictive as well. Big tobacco companies are famous for telling lies. In 1996, the tobacco industry said it was riskier to drink two cups of milk a day than one cigarette. They also said cigarettes were just as addictive as salt, sugar and internet usage.†¦show more content†¦The cigarette is the deadliest artifact in the history of human civilization. Approximately 42 million adults in the U.S. smoke cigarettes. Of those 42 million, 16 million of them live with tobacco-related diseases. An estimated 450,000 deaths occur each year that are caused by cigarette smoking. Lung cancer is the leading form of cancer in the U.S. and 90% of those with lung cancer were smokers. People who smoke are up to six times more likely to suffer a heart attack than nonsmokers, and the risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked. Smoking also causes most cases of chronic obstructive lung disease. Although tobacco usage is most commonly associated with lung cancer, there are numerous other diseases linked to it. Of former smokers in the U.S., over 1 million have cancer other than lung cancer from smoking. Smoking increases the risk of strokes, tuberculosis, diabetes, liver failure, kidney failure, arthritis, stomach cancer, pancreas cancer, liver cancer, and bladder cancer. More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States during its history combined. Smoking in the twentieth century k illed over 100 million people. Even if present rates of consumption drop steadily to zero by 2100, we will still encounter around 300 million tobacco deaths this century. The cigarette is a defective product, meaning not just dangerous but unreasonably dangerous, killing half its

Corporate Offshore Outsourcing And Its Relevance For...

This paper explores the issue of corporate offshore outsourcing and its relevance to workers’ rights. First and foremost, it is necessary to define both corporate offshore outsourcing and workers’ rights in order to fully grasp the issues associated with corporate offshore outsourcing. Next, this analysis includes reasons for the emergence of this practice and the negative consequences of this practice on both workers in the United States and abroad. The current issues with this practice are exemplified through three corporate offshore outsourcing tragedies. Furthermore, proposed solutions to mitigate the effects of corporate offshore outsourcing in the future have been provided by a multitude of qualified scholars. These individuals have lent their opinions, as well as their strategic recommendations regarding what actions should be taken in order to reclaim workers’ rights abroad and end the abuses that result from corporate offshore outsourcing. 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Potential And Operational Quality Business â€Myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss About The Potential And Operational Quality Business? Answer: Introducation In order to derive the picture of overall financial performance of a company at certain point of time, the financial report plays pivotal role. The statements of the report are consisted of balance sheets, cash flow statement and income statement. The financial statements are presented in the explanatory notes that focus on clarification of issues related to use of inventory, change of equity of the owner, contingencies in liability and other material aspects related to business. The paper aims to highlight the importance of financial report as well as how this is applied to derive financial positions and overall performance of the company further influencing the decision and strategy of the business planning. Discussion: Financial Report And Purpose The financial report or statement of any organization is the document recording the activities it performs on the financial sector and its further position in the market with an detailed analysis of the overall performance exerted in certain time period (Carraher and Van Auken 2013). The basic financial statements consist of balance e sheet, income statement, cash flow statement and statement of changes in equity. Balance sheet depicts the financial position reporting on the value and condition of company is owned assets, liabilities, and equity of the owners at a pint of time given. Income statement is the report of the earned profit, income and incurred expenditure of any company during a stated period. Statement of changes in equity let the company feature about the changes made in the equity structure in the company during a time (Weil, Schipper and Francis 2013). To know about a companys cash flows activities operative in investments, financing and other functioning. The broader purpose of the financial report is to enlighten layman about a particular companys financial position, performance and transformation over time that have useful implication for the users in creating knowledge of business issues and activities and helping in choice decisions made by individual or firms as well. Other purposes are: Helps in decision making and further financial analysis by any company Information used in annual report to the shareholder made by management Motivates and determines the Collective bargaining agreement of employees with the management Have huge role in investment. The data and financial analysis made in the report is authentic source of the investors to have knowledge about the proceedings of the company that would help to know the overtime performance and scope of profit from investing in that company (Lusardi and Mitchell 2014). Financial reports are well studied by investors and greatly affect the investment decisions helping them to assess the viability associated with the investment made to the business. Helps in decision making of the financial institution regarding allocation of the working capital to any prospect company (Collier 2015). The report help the bank or financial institution to decide whether loans can be granted to them or debt securities like long term loans by bank, debentures can be extends so that the company can undertake their expenditures or expansionary plans to boost the business growth. Assesment Of Financial Performance: Australia is worlds most attractive tourist destination that records 7.8 million international visitors every year. This has led to existence and operation of various companies providing support to tourists all over the world (Brigham and Houston 2012). Tourism Australia is one such reputed firm that is famous for its innovation based marketing campaigns conducted. The company aims to develop Australia as the most desirable tourist destination on Earth. It is non-profit corporate entity operative under the Australian government supervision. The broad objectives of the company are: Influencing people for travelling in Australia and setting up events Fostering sustainable tourism industry Helping the growth of economic benefit emanating from tourism in Australia As per the law section 42 o f the public Governance of Australia, the company Tourism Australia does have its own financial report for general purpose use by any sources (Higgins 2012). The preparation of the report follows accrual basis having accordance with historical cost method except few assets and liabilities that have been measures at fair value in terms of financial accounting. Statements are presented in Australian dollar. The financial report of Tourism Australia allow the investors to take advantage of the wealth of the information it provides that further helps in evaluation of the company as destination of investment (Healy and Palepu 2012). In terms of analyzing overall and profitability, net income generated by the company in tourism industry is the major component to start with the financial report study. Income statement of the company is fine indicator of profitability since it adds value on the receipt of the company over all the costs made in form of production cost, depreciation, interest cost, tax and other expenses being deducted. But due to possibility of over or understatement, this factor should not drive as the exclusive evaluation factor for any company. Operating margin of the profit is another indicator for capturing profitability and efficacy. It makes comparison on the amount it earn before the tax and interest paid on the generated sales (Asare and Wright 2012). This further helps the investor assess the managerial efficacy to handle all sorts of costs and be able to generate revenue over cost to add more to the profit. Higher operating margin of profit indicates costs are well managed and sales are growing faster than the rise in cost. The financial statement is source of companys stock price assessment and also the earning per share which reflects the profitability and return to the shareholders. The balance sheet of the company contains snapshot view of overall financial health of the company along with asset liability valuation, Capital expenditures situation and evident picture of the debt. The information of the report helps in calculation debt ratio such as current ratio that asses the ability of Tour Australia to handle the outstanding debt. Conclusion From the above discussion, it can be justified about the importance of financial statement in determining the financial picture of any organization. Financial statements are purposed to develop information of all kind of financial activity that a company undertakes and their subsequent analysis of the resultant outcome. These outcomes determine the parameter of the indicators that signals the investors about the profitability of investing in companies to expand business or pay for liabilities of its functioning. Through the making of balance sheets, income statement, equity statement the company enlightens about the core activities in the financial domain and the valuation it contributes to the companys growth overall. Reference Asare, S.K. and Wright, A.M., 2012. Investors', auditors', and lenders' understanding of the message conveyed by the standard audit report on the financial statements.Accounting Horizons,26(2), pp.193-217. Brigham, E.F. and Houston, J.F., 2012.Fundamentals of financial management. Cengage Learning. Carraher, S. and Van Auken, H., 2013. The use of financial statements for decision making by small firms.Journal of Small Business Entrepreneurship,26(3), pp.323-336. Collier, P.M., 2015.Accounting for managers: Interpreting accounting information for decision making. John Wiley Sons. Healy, P.M. and Palepu, K.G., 2012.Business analysis valuation: Using financial statements. Cengage Learning. Higgins, R.C., 2012.Analysis for financial management. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Lusardi, A. and Mitchell, O.S., 2014. The economic importance of financial literacy: Theory and evidence.Journal of Economic Literature,52(1), pp.5-44. Weil, R.L., Schipper, K. and Francis, J., 2013.Financial accounting: an introduction to concepts, methods and uses. Cengage Learning.